It was raining heavily, and the candidates lined up one by one to enter the gate of the Shangshu Province to take part in the imperial examination.
Feng Xianyu stood behind Yan Shang.
He saw a civil servant standing in front of the courtyard gate without saying a word, staring at Yan Shang, and he felt something in his heart.
He had participated in the imperial examinations for three years but failed to pass. He was different from Liu Wenji, who was full of hope for officialdom and did not believe in forgery. He was also different from Yan Shang, a "new bride" who took the imperial examinations for the first time and knew nothing about the inside story of the examinations.
When he saw the civil servant staring at Yan Shang, he paused, wondering if this civil servant was some important figure? And Yan Suchen was not as simple as he said. Who was Yan Suchen relying on in Chang'an?
Feng Xianyu couldn't help but look gloomy.
Thinking about the time when they went to the imperial examination together, Wei Shu had his own connections and naturally never followed them. Liu Wenji always disdained this matter and did not follow him. Only Yan Shang and Feng Xianyu kept going around at the banquets of the dignitaries and nobles, seizing every opportunity to recommend themselves to those people...
However, if Yan still has other opportunities, then what does it matter to me who has supported and encouraged him all the way?
When Feng Xianyu was thinking this, he heard the candidates whispering and clamoring again. He came to his senses and looked back along with the clamor. He saw that it was Wei Shu coming with an umbrella, and the candidates were all watching.
Most of these candidates were around 20 years old, and Wei Shu was undoubtedly the youngest among them all. He was a young and elegant man, and he paid no attention to the different looks from other candidates. Even among the children of aristocratic families, there were only a few who were so elegant and proud.
And everyone could see that he got off Princess Danyang's carriage.
It seems that it is true as the rumors said. After arriving in Chang'an, Wei Qilang did not rely on the power of the Wei family, but instead tried to curry favor with Princess Danyang.
Everyone was moved, and the poor children were even more jealous, thinking: What's so great about getting close to the princess and passing the imperial examination? If I were given this opportunity, I could get close to Princess Danyang, and I would definitely do better than Wei Shu!
Feng Xianyu listened to the various voices of the people around him, and then saw that Wei Shu ignored the people around him, neither the envy of others nor the flattery of others. Wei Shu joined the queue of candidates, leisurely took out a book from his sleeve, and began to read leisurely with an umbrella.
Feng Xianyu: “…”
The young man's indifference made him, a person who had failed in the imperial examination several times, very envious!
Just as he was envious, the officer who was searching him had already impatiently called out his name: "Next, Feng Xianyu."
Feng Xianyu quickly retracted his gaze and focused on his exam.
-----
Mu Wanyao had already given the opportunity away and no longer paid attention to the scientific expedition.
She just did it for the sake of convenience. She didn't want to extend her hand too far, which would make the examination unfair and taboo.
However, for many people who have no chance to submit their papers, it is unfair for someone to let the examiner see all their works in advance.
However, even if you are a child of an aristocratic family, you may not be admitted after submitting your paper. Submitting your paper is just to seek a favorable impression. The imperial examination is naturally somewhat unfair in private, but the court officials were originally monopolized by the children of aristocratic families. Now there is an opportunity for children from poor families to participate in the examination together with the children of aristocratic families, which is already an improvement.
Everything should be done in moderation, and nothing can be accomplished overnight.
The examination was held in mid-February, and the results were posted in early March. During the half month in between, Mu Wanyao had not met or greeted anyone from the Ministry of Personnel.
At the end of February, Mu Wanyao attended a flower-viewing banquet.
There were many noble men and women at the banquet, as well as some officials and their families. Many young men came up to her with ulterior motives after seeing how beautiful Princess Danyang was. Mu Wanyao looked down on these people and turned away.
The attendants kept away those who tried to curry favor with the princess. Mu Wanyao sat by the water, fanning herself with a feather fan, waiting for another princess to come and meet her.
At this time, an official persuaded the guards to squeeze next to the princess and bowed to her: "Your Highness is very happy with the cool breeze and beautiful scenery and the beautiful servants."
Mu Wanyao sat by the pavilion fence, watching the red-tailed koi in the green water. She turned her head and took a long time to identify him: "Oh, it's the Minister of Examination."
The other party smiled and said, "It is you, my subordinate."
He is the chief examiner of this imperial examination of the Ministry of Personnel.
Chunhua was holding a dish of fish bait and feeding the koi in the water. She turned her head and saw the official smiling at Muwan in a flattering manner.
Mu Wan shook his head and laughed to himself.
I probably understand that this person is eyeing either the prince behind him or the Li family behind him.
Mu Wanyao was very interested: "What do you want to see me for? Is it because Third Brother treats you badly that you don't want to stay in the Ministry of Personnel anymore and want to ask me for another official position?"
The official immediately broke out in a sweat.
He immediately smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, you are joking! I have only been a deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel for a few days. I really don't want to lose this good job."
The Ministry of Personnel is the seat of power of the Third Prince, the Prince of Qin. Almost everyone in the Ministry of Personnel follows the lead of the Prince of Qin. If his conversation with the princess today gets out and people think he betrayed the Prince of Qin, that would be a problem.
Seeing that he was scared, Mu Wanyao couldn't help but burst out laughing, her beautiful eyes curved like a crescent moon in a clear lake.
The official quickly explained his purpose: "The Ministry of Personnel has already decided on the list of candidates for this year's imperial examinations and is preparing to submit it to the Ministry of Shangshu for review. If everything is correct, it will then go through the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Central Secretariat. In two days, the list will be posted."
Mu Wanyao seemed to sense something and leaned forward.
The official whispered, "Since the list has been finalized, I am here to inform Your Highness, just to curry favor with him.
"There were 2,000 candidates for the imperial examination this time, and a total of 22 were selected. Without the will of His Majesty, no more candidates will be selected this year. Among them, Your Highness really has a unique vision, and the two people he recommended are both on the list."
Mu Wanyao couldn't help but listen, her heart pounding. She held her breath and listened attentively to the next sentence of the official.
Chunhua behind the princess also forgot to feed the fish. She was absent-minded and sighed: There are two thousand people in total, but only twenty-two people are chosen?
How difficult it is to pass the imperial examination.
However, when she heard that the two people recommended by His Highness were both on the list, Chunhua stretched her ears to listen, and she felt worried, wondering if Liu Lang was among the twenty-two people.
If Liu Lang failed the exam again, what a blow it would be to him considering his arrogance!
The official continued to praise the princess in a low voice: "Wei Qilang is needless to say, he is a young talent. Even His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin personally read his paper and said he was good. We have selected him as the top scholar.
"The other person recommended by Your Highness, Yan Suchen, also gave a very good answer this time. However, he was ranked only in the middle among the twenty-two people. However, because of his outstanding appearance, after weighing the pros and cons, the Minister personally approved and promoted him to the position of Tanhua Lang."
Mu Wan shook: "..."
She was so stunned that she forgot to fan herself.
She was surprised that Wei Shu was the top scorer.
Was Yan Shang really chosen as the third place winner just because of his good looks?
She had just made a joke that day, but it turns out that the people in the Ministry of Personnel really make admissions in this way?
No wonder, there is no ugly person in the officialdom. Good looks are the minimum requirement. After all, these officials may appear before the emperor in the future. How can His Majesty let him face a group of ugly officials every day?
Seeing the princess in a daze, the official called out, "Your Highness?"
"Okay!" Mu Wan smiled after coming back to his senses, "Thank you for telling me the news in advance, I appreciate it. If you have any problems in the future, you can always come to me."
The Yuanwailang achieved his goal and left with a smile.
Mu Wanyao was happy and continued to sit by the water. After Yuanwailang walked out of the pavilion, Chunhua bit her lip, handed the plate of bait in her hand to the maid next to her, found an excuse, and hurried out of the pavilion.
Mu Wanyao saw it, but didn't care.
-----
"Mr. Liu, please stay!"
The official surnamed Liu had just walked out of the pavilion when a female voice called him from behind. He stopped and looked back, and saw that the person chasing him was the beautiful maidservant of Princess Danyang who had been listening to their conversation.
Chunhua came over, knelt down and bowed to the official, and whispered: "I have a favor to ask Mr. Liu."
The official said hurriedly: "No, no! My wife is the princess's maid. If the princess can't solve the problem, it's useless for me to ask for help."
Chunhua gave a short laugh.
In fact, when she heard the princess say that she wanted to recommend a young man from a poor family, she tried to recommend Liu Wenzhi to Mu Wanyao.
However, Mu Wan shook his head and said, "He didn't even come to me to ask for help, why should I take the initiative to help him?"
Liu Wenji was so arrogant, how could he be so humble as to ask for help in front of the princess? This way was blocked, and Chunhua couldn't say anything.
Now that Chunhua has caught up with Yuanwailang, she just wants to find out some information.
She bit her lip and said shyly, "I just want to ask Mr. Liu, among the 22 people on this year's list, is there a person named 'Liu Wenji'?"
Yuanwailang stroked his beard and thought for a long time, wondering: "It seems that I have never seen him before. What's wrong with this person?"
Chunhua's eyes darkened and she smiled: "Nothing, I just asked."
She was worried, wondering how she would comfort Liu Wenji after the results were announced.
Yan Shang passed the exam in his first year and even won the third place in the imperial examination.
They were both born in Lingnan, and Liu Wenzhi always felt that he was better at speaking.
When this result came out, Liu Wenzhi would probably find it the most difficult to accept, right?
-----
Feng Xianyu also found some connections and sneaked into the flower viewing banquet. But of course he couldn't get close to a big shot like Princess Danyang, so he just looked for opportunities to curry favor with some officials at the corners. However, when those officials saw him, they all looked strange and avoided him as much as possible.
Feng Xianyu was stunned when he saw the official who had been checking the candidates at the gate of the Shangshu Province standing with Princess Danyang's maid.
That day, Princess Danyang sent Wei Shu to the Secretariat. Her maid was wearing men's clothes and riding a tall horse, so Feng Xianyu naturally recognized her at a glance.
After such a long time, the chief examiner of this year's scientific examination was announced after the examination.
Feng Xianyu recognized that it was this year's chief examiner who was talking to the princess's maid.
Observing the other party's expression, the examiner was in high spirits the whole time... Could it be that he came to announce the good news to the princess in advance?
Feng Xianyu was shocked and guessed: the list of candidates for the imperial examination has been finalized!
Will be posted soon!
This year is his fourth year of taking the exam. If he still fails... Feng Xianyu stood there in a daze for a long time. He stopped trying to please the officials around him who were avoiding him and made a decision in his heart.
-----
That night, a carriage arrived outside Princess Luling's palace.
Feng Xianyu came out of the car in a snow-white robe. His hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, his long robe fluttered, his face was handsome, and he stood in the night wind, looking quite lonely and solemn.
After he asked his little servant to drive back, he looked up at the eldest princess's palace with mixed emotions.
Princess Luling is the younger sister of the current emperor. When the emperor first became emperor, the princess helped him a lot. Later, when the emperor took full power, he returned the favor to the princess and doted on her.
After the death of her husband, Princess Luling stopped marrying and tied her hair up to become a Taoist priest. Because the princess took the lead in becoming a Taoist priest, many noble ladies in Chang'an followed suit and volunteering to become Taoist priests became a trend. It was really funny.
Of course, the princess's becoming a nun does not mean that she wants to cultivate her character and stop eating meat. Becoming a nun is just a way for the princess to say "I don't want to get married again." Princess Luling has always had a lot of beautiful boys around her.
In order to show his support for the princess, the emperor of the time built a palace for her. The palace of the Princess of Luling was luxurious and magnificent, without any of the simplicity that a Taoist temple should have, and was only more gorgeous than an ordinary princess's mansion.
Four years ago, when Feng Xianyu came to Chang'an for the imperial examination for the first time, he was noticed by the princess because of his youth and good looks.
But he considered himself a married man at that time, so he naturally rejected the eldest princess.
Since then, Feng Xianyu has lost his chance to take the imperial examination. Although no one has said it explicitly, Feng Xianyu himself knows that he has been excluded for many years because the eldest princess must have told him something.
Now four years have passed...How many four years can he waste in his life?
Feng Xianyu looked up at the inscriptions on the palace and took a step forward. From this step, there was no turning back.
-----
Princess Luling did not let Feng Xianyu return empty-handed, nor did she make things difficult for him.
After the maid informed, Feng Xianyu was led into the eldest princess' bedroom.
The curtains were fluttering, red candles were burning brightly, and Princess Luling, holding a tall candle and with her long hair down to her ankles, walked out from behind the dim curtain.
Feng Xianyu looked and saw that the princess was already in her thirties, but she was well maintained and there was not a single fine line on her face. Not only was her complexion as delicate and fair as that of a girl in her twenties, her demeanor also carried the romantic charm that only a mature woman could have.
The princess smiled and said, "Mr. Feng hasn't come to my house for four years. Why did you suddenly come here today? What do you want?"
Feng Xianyu remained silent, lifted his robe, and knelt down in front of her.
The princess smiled but said nothing. She held a tall candle in one hand and lifted Feng Xianyu's chin with the other. With the help of the light, she observed his expression of humiliation with his eyes closed, and she found it interesting.
The eldest princess: "Oh, it seems to be a big deal. But just kneeling to me is not enough."
Feng Xianyu still didn't say anything, but he reached his hand to his collar and pulled his clothes off. He knelt on the ground, his robe hanging around his waist, his smooth young body reflected in the firelight. He raised his face, his handsome face, his eyes gleaming with sparks, swaying.
It seems to be water-colored and misty.
Princess Luling's eyes were filled with lust and her breathing became heavier. She had tasted all kinds of male beauty, but she could not forget the ones she could not get. How could she control herself in such a long night when a handsome man took off his clothes and knelt in front of her?
The eldest princess held Feng Xianyu's chin with her fingers and leaned over to kiss him.
Feng Xianyu turned his face slightly, and her kiss only landed on his cheek, lifting a few strands of hair on his face.
The princess sneered, not in a hurry: "Why, now you still want to pretend?"
Feng Xianyu looked up at her. Through the light, some things seemed to be expelled from his body layer by layer. At this point, why bother being hypocritical?
He murmured, "I want fame."
The princess said, "Okay."
She shouted out, "Ask this year's Ministry of Personnel's examiner to come see me!"
Once again, the princess leaned over, her face touching that of the pale man, and smiled, "Mr. Feng, there is still some time before Mr. Yuanwailang arrives. Let's see if you can serve me to my satisfaction during this time.
"Your rank is determined by how well you serve."
Feng Xianyu looked at her for a while, then opened his arms and held her in his arms. He held her in his arms and walked into the depths of the curtains, into the abyss of darkness.
Indulgent eroticism makes people feel disgusted and crazy. If you can't refuse it, you might as well indulge in it.
-----
The examiner was standing outside the Princess Luling's bedroom, trembling. Before he came, the person sent by the princess informed him of the princess's purpose. The examiner's face turned bitter, wondering what to do.
While he was in sorrow, the princess' bedroom door opened and the maids let him in.
The official lowered his head, only raised his eyes briefly, and then dropped his gaze. At this glance, he saw the eldest princess lazily leaning on the couch, and a man with half his clothes on, kneeling at her feet, peeling lychees for the princess.
Princess Luling didn't waste time talking to anyone. She asked for this year's list of candidates for the imperial examination. She said lazily, "Twenty-two people, right? Take one away and add Feng Xianyu's name. If His Majesty asks about it in the future, I will take responsibility."
I knew that this was the purpose of my visit.
Yuanwailang did not dare to hide any more, and said bitterly: "Reporting to Your Highness, most of the 22 people on this year's list are from noble families. It is not easy to remove the list of noble family children. If I do, and someone finds out in the future, I am afraid my position will be over."
Princess Luling was surprised: "All 22 people are from noble families? Impossible? Normally, wouldn't you add a few children from poor families to the list just to save face? No this year?"
Yuanwailang said: "This year's young men from noble families are extremely outstanding, and each of them has outstanding talents."
Princess Luling stared at him coldly.
The official's forehead was covered with sweat. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Only one person is from a poor family."
Princess Luling smiled and said, "Then get rid of this man and replace him with Feng Xianyu."
The official looked up and said, "But this person is the one that Princess Danyang has protected! The Shangshu himself even named him the third place in the imperial examination. He is not as easy to deal with as an ordinary person!"
Princess Danyang will protect you!
Feng Xianyu, who was kneeling beside the princess, suddenly raised his head, looked at the official, and said his first words: "I didn't know that Princess Danyang nominated someone else besides Wei Qilang. Who is this person?"
Yuanwailang naturally had a deep memory of the beautiful boy: "Yan Shang, who is from Lingnan, has the courtesy name Suchen. His handwriting is very good, and his poems and essays this time are all well written. He deserves the title of Tanhualang."
When Feng Xianyu heard the name "Yan Shang", his eyelids twitched suddenly, and he thought of Yan Shang's extremely fair and smooth face.
The third place in the imperial examination!
Since Princess Danyang was guaranteeing him, why did he have to pretend to be so hypocritical as to submit the manuscript with him?
Feng Xianyu was extremely disappointed. His usually handsome face suddenly looked ferocious. He gritted his teeth and laughed, "It turned out to be him!"
Princess Luling looked down at him and asked, "Do you recognize this person?"
Feng Xianyu suppressed his emotions and said, "He is just a hypocrite, deceiving the world and stealing his reputation!"
Princess Luling propped her chin up with her hand, thinking: "Appoint him as the third place winner..."
Usually according to custom, the person selected as Tanhualang is the one with the most outstanding appearance... While Princess Luling was daydreaming, Feng Xianyu gritted his teeth and held her hand.
He looked up and gave her a twisted, self-pitying smile: "Your Highness, have you forgotten what you promised me?"
Princess Luling looked down at him.
She is still very satisfied with Feng Xianyu and doesn't want to make her new favorite angry.
She made a prompt decision: "Just replace this Yan or something. I, Feng Lang, am also a handsome man with an elegant appearance. I am more than qualified to be a third place winner."
Yuanwailang was anxious: "But Princess Danyang..."
Princess Luling said disdainfully: "What's so scary about that little girl from Danyang? She's a princess who was married off, what can she use to compete with me? Don't worry, I will suppress that little girl."
Since the princess said so, Yuanwailang had no choice but to agree and go back to tell the Shangshu.
-----
In early March, the spring rain is as soft as butter.
Mu Wanyao was just like usual, she had nothing to do, so she drove to the East Palace to listen to the prince's teachings. Even though it was raining outside, she didn't care.
While sitting in the carriage, Mu Wanyao suddenly heard Chunhua, who was riding a horse outside, come to the carriage and whisper, "Your Highness, it's Yan Erlang."
The carriage stopped, Mu Wan opened the curtain and saw the man standing by the road, greeting her with an umbrella. It was Yan Shang whom she had not seen for half a month.
The spring rain was gentle and wet half of his robe. But he stood upright in the rain, still straight and handsome.
Mu Wan lay down behind the curtain, her shoulders half exposed under the gauze. Raindrops flew onto her eyelashes, making her eyes clear and moist. However, when she opened her mouth, she said in a sarcastic tone: "I haven't seen you for half a month. Today I can meet you, a busy man. I am so lucky."
Yan Shang said politely, "In fact, I have visited you in the past half month. But Your Highness is probably too busy, so it's not a good time for me to go. But staying in the mansion all day waiting for the princess to come back, it's inevitable that there will be more gossip. In this case, I am sorry for Your Highness."
Mu Wanyao's expression relaxed slightly.
"What are you going to do today?"
Yan Shang said helplessly: "I originally wanted to visit you... Today, even if I have to be thick-skinned, I have to stay in the princess's house for a while until the princess comes back. I can't not see your highness once, right?"
Mu Wan shook his head and said, "Look, your timing is so unfortunate. I'm about to leave, and I don't know when I'll be back."
Yan Shang immediately said: "Then I will come back another day..."
Mu Wan stared at him for a moment, then slowly said, "Why do I feel like you are deliberately calculating my time and don't want to spend more time with me?"
Yan Shang's face was slightly stiff.
He did feel that his relationship with Mu Wanyao was too weird... and wanted to make this weird relationship a little more normal.
But Mu Wanyao seemed to have become smarter and actually figured it out.
Mu Wan shook her head and said calmly: "Okay, come in the car, I have good news to tell you."
While Yan was still hesitating, Mu Wanyao had already opened the car door. She was sitting in the car, looking extremely beautiful, but with a cold look in her eyes. She was sometimes far away, sometimes close, and unpredictable.
Yan Shang was silent for a while, then he put away his umbrella, lifted his robe, and boarded the carriage. The carriage started moving again.
Sitting in the car, Yan Shang explained to Mu Wanyao in a gentle voice: "I just don't want to jeopardize your highness's reputation."
Mu Wan glanced at him, too lazy to explain to him that she did not have a clean reputation.
With Yang Sanlang on her left and Wei Qilang on her right, in the eyes of everyone in Chang'an, she was a princess surrounded by men.
Mu Wanyao said to Yan Shang, "The results will be announced tomorrow, don't you know?"
Yan Shang: “Yeah.”
Mu Wan shook her head and looked at him, sizing him up for a long while. She suddenly felt that she had a good eye, and whenever she met someone and recommended him, that person would pass the exam.
She immediately became happy again and said with a smile: "The official told me in advance that Wei Qilang was the top scholar and you were the third scholar."
Yan Shang was stunned.
Then he bowed to her.
There was a hint of joy in his eyes, but he was very calm. He just clenched his fist under his mouth and coughed lightly.
Mu Wan looked at his pretentious appearance and couldn't help but sneer: "If you want to laugh, just laugh. It's so hard to hold it in. Aren't you tired?"
Yan Shang raised his eyes and met her gaze.
The princess winked at him.
Yan Shang shook his head and finally laughed. It was gentle and shallow, like a slow stream. It was completely different from his usual polite and courteous laugh...
He was a gentle and introspective person who never laughed out loud. Even a slight smile like this was very different from his usual decency.
Mu Wanyao felt a burning sensation in her heart when she saw this. She turned her face away and stopped looking at him.
I felt disdain in my heart: His smile was so seductive, it was obvious at first glance that he was not a serious scholar.
Yan Shang said softly: "Thank you, Your Highness, Your Highness..."
Mu Wan shouted, "Stay away from me! Don't come near me!"
Yan Shang was stunned by Mu Wanyao's change of expression and was very confused, wondering how he had offended her again.
-----
Mu Wanyao was going to the palace. She planned to get off the carriage after arriving at the palace and let the carriage take Yan Shang back to the temple.
But when they arrived at the palace, Mu Wanyao did not need to get off the car because the prince's men were already waiting at the palace gate.
The prince's servant came over with an umbrella and reported. Then Princess Danyang's carriage opened a corner of the curtain, revealing the princess's charming face.
The servant vaguely saw that there seemed to be someone sitting in the car, but he couldn't see clearly because the princess's icy eyes were already staring at him.
The servant said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has other matters and has left the palace. He asked me to wait here to prevent His Royal Highness from making a wasted trip. In addition, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a piece of news, and I would like to ask me to tell His Royal Highness for your consideration."
Mu Wan shook her head in surprise: "Brother, what did you want me to say?"
The servant said, "The prince said that tomorrow is the day for the announcement of the imperial examination results. Today, the Ministry of Personnel sent the list of admitted candidates to the Secretariat. The prince saw the list and found that it was different from what was agreed upon before.
"The prince has not yet written his name on the list, but he wants me to tell Your Highness that of the two people Your Highness recommended, Wei Qilang is still the top scholar, but the previous third scholar has been replaced by someone else. Yan Erlang's name is no longer on the list. Your Highness, please let Your Highness the Princess handle it."
For a moment, the only sound was the sound of rain, and the world was extremely silent.
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