Chapter 761 Shen Zheng's Wedding Date Has Been Set
With the support of the emperor and Lady Sui, the King of Qin immediately set about launching a major campaign.
For more than thirty years before that, he hadn't done anything worthwhile. Now that he was suddenly asked to do something that would benefit the country and its people, he found himself at a loss for where to begin.
So he conscripted Cheng Zhao into the army and forced Cheng Zhao to work for him for a month. His forceful takeover of talent greatly displeased the officials of the Hanlin Academy. However, since the Prince of Qin was the emperor's younger brother, even if they were dissatisfied, the officials of the Hanlin Academy could only reluctantly hand over Cheng Zhao.
"Lord Cheng, you are Lady Sui's own nephew. My school is entirely in your hands." The Prince of Qin patted Cheng Zhao on the shoulder. "If you handle this matter well for me, I will immediately write a memorial to ask my brother to promote you. It can't be that your aunt is a second-rank official while your nephew is only a mere seventh-rank official, can it?"
Cheng Zhao bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I will do my utmost to serve you."
He has been an official in the court for three years. Even without the prince's petition, he would soon be promoted. This prince's skin is truly thick.
"I'm entrusting you with all matters concerning the school. I'll discuss the other details with Lady Sui once they're finalized." The King of Qin shook his fan and instructed his attendants, "You lot, listen carefully to Lord Cheng's orders. Anyone who dares to disobey and delay the start of the school year will have their head chopped off and used as a football."
"yes!"
His entourage behind him answered in unison.
They had followed the prince for so many years, and this was the first time they had seen him seriously handle important matters. If this matter was accomplished, who in the capital would dare to say that their prince was idle all day long...
For the next few days, the King of Qin visited Cheng Wanwan's residence every day.
Because he was running around so frequently, some rumors even started circulating in the capital.
"It seems that there's something between the King of Qin and Lady Sui..."
"The King of Qin has not married a queen, and Lady Sui is also unmarried; the two of them are a perfect match..."
"Don't talk nonsense. How could the royal family allow a widow to be included in the royal genealogy? Isn't that absurd?"
"So what if she's a widow? She became a second-rank official's wife through her own efforts. Look at Prince Qin, he's just lucky to be born into the right family. Prince Qin is not worthy of Lady Sui."
"That's right, that's right! A woman as capable as Lady Sui is not worthy of a lazy man like Prince Qin!"
"..."
Various rumors reached Cheng Wanwan's ears, and she didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
However, she never paid attention to what the people said and continued to live her life as usual.
Over the next nine days, she would visit the girls' school from time to time to discuss the details of the school for outsiders with the King of Qin. Time passed quickly.
On the evening of February 17th, the triennial imperial examination finally came to an end.
Cheng Wanwan, Lu Yingxue, and Madam Shen arrived early at the entrance of the examination hall to occupy a good position, craning their necks to wait for the children to come out of the examination hall.
As the heavy bell rang, the gates of the examination hall finally opened, and the exhausted candidates, carrying their bundles, walked out with faltering steps.
"Xiao Zheng, over here!" Despite her age, Old Madam Shen had sharp eyesight and spotted her beloved grandson immediately. "How did the exam go?"
Cheng Wanwan also saw Zhao Sidan. The kid was in good spirits, so he should be able to make the list. No matter what his ranking was, making the list would be a great thing, like his ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke.
"Xiao Zhan, why is your face so pale?" Lu Yingxue pulled her son over, which prompted Yu Zhan to exclaim in surprise. She quickly took the child's hand, "What happened to your right index finger? What's wrong?"
"Mother, I'm fine." Yu Zhan forced a smile. "I can go to the clinic to get checked out later."
"He still says he's fine." Zhao Sidan pursed his lips. "When he entered the palace nine days ago, his index finger was injured by Pang Jie, the son of Grand Scholar Pang. He kept it a secret and refused to say anything until today when he took the initiative to go to the clinic. Madam, you must give Brother Yu a good talking-to!"
Lu Yingxue forcibly picked up his hand and examined it carefully. Because it hadn't been treated in time, the knuckle of his index finger was bluish-black, clearly indicating a dislocation. The injury wasn't actually that serious, but for a student who needed to write, it was worse than losing his life.
“Xiao Zhan…” Lu Yingxue’s tears fell drop by drop, “You’ve suffered so much, you’ve really suffered so much…”
Yu Zhan said helplessly, "So many people are watching, why is Mother crying? I told you I'm fine, really fine. Are we still going to the clinic?"
"Take the child to see a doctor first." Madam Shen patted Lu Yingxue's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Let's not talk about the exam, so as not to upset the child."
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "Xiao Zhan is only fifteen years old this year. Even if he takes the exam again in three years, he will still be one of the youngest candidates. It's alright."
Lu Yingxue wiped away her tears and nodded gently.
The group didn't mention the incident at the examination hall again and went directly to the nearest clinic. It turned out that it wasn't a serious injury; after the joints were immobilized, they were fine.
"The children have just finished their imperial examinations, so I have an important announcement to make," Madam Shen said with a smile. "At the end of last year, Lord Lin and his family came to the capital to take up their posts. They set a wedding date at that time, but I was afraid that Xiao Zheng might not be able to settle down, so I kept it a secret."
Shen Zheng's eyes widened in astonishment: "My marriage, the wedding date has been set and you didn't even tell me?"
"Do you still have the heart to think about the exam after I tell you this?" Old Madam Shen glared at him. "Madam Lin has seen your efforts and growth over the past two or three years. She believes that regardless of whether you pass the imperial examination or not, she can accept you as her son-in-law. Therefore, she has set the wedding date three days after the results of the imperial examination are announced."
Shen Zheng was shocked again: "Then that means there's only one month left?"
The wedding is almost here, and he, the groom, only just found out?
He thought that Madam Lin would only agree to set a wedding date after he passed the provincial examination and passed the palace examination.
Unexpectedly, the marriage was arranged before the imperial examination, which meant that even though he was still a minor scholar, Madam Lin would not look down on him.
But he himself would despise himself. The Lin family is such a prestigious family, yet a daughter from a collateral branch marries a scholar. His future in-laws would definitely lose face...
Fortunately, he performed well in the exam this time, so he won't bring shame to the Shen family or make his future wife feel that she married the wrong person.
After leaving the clinic, the group went to Cheng Wanwan's residence, where Granny Qi had already prepared a lavish feast to welcome the three examinees.
The children were on edge throughout the exam, neither eating nor sleeping well. After a big meal, they quickly washed up and went back to their rooms for a deep sleep.
When Cheng Wanwan got up the next day, the three children were still asleep and showed no signs of waking up.
After court, Cheng Zhao came over and said with a smile, "I looked at this year's imperial examination questions this morning. The arithmetic questions are very simple, and the three of them should be able to get full marks. The rest, such as policy essays, legal documents, and judgments, are all the content that I usually teach. There are also some questions that I mentioned in 'Fifteen Years of Imperial Examination Questions.' As long as they study my books carefully, they will definitely pass this imperial examination."
“When it comes to predicting exam questions, my husband Lao Yu is definitely no problem, it’s just that—” Lu Yingxue sighed, “it’s a pity for my Xiao Zhan.”
"Madam Yu, don't panic." A carefree voice came from outside the door. The King of Qin walked in swaggeringly, fanning himself. "Your young master is exceptionally talented. Even if he doesn't succeed in the imperial examinations, there will be another bright path waiting for him. Why don't you give it a try at my Xiao Qin Academy?"
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