A month after Erfu got married, it was Sifu and Wufu's turn to get married. The brides had arrived in the capital several months in advance and were staying in their respective houses. They would get married directly from their respective houses.
Regardless of which brother got married, Xingxing sent many nice gifts, showing no favoritism. October in Beijing was already winter, with biting winds, and it was estimated that it would start snowing again soon.
The families of the two girls originally planned to return to the south after their wedding, but now they have to wait for the weather. If heavy snow blocks the roads, they will not be able to return this year and will have to wait until next spring.
The village chief's family also didn't go back. They planned to attend the wedding banquet for the fourth and fifth blessings before returning, and they would probably have to stay in the capital for the New Year.
Having passed the provincial examination this winter and already holding the title of Xiucai, he was determined to take the provincial examination as well. After the results of the provincial examination were announced, he rushed to the capital without stopping and arrived yesterday.
Actually, Dongsheng said he was going to take the provincial examination this year. The village chief's family originally planned to stay in their hometown and wait for him to finish the exam before coming to the capital. However, Dongsheng said that he might not pass this year, and if he didn't, he would take the exam again next time. He told his family not to stay at home with him.
Since Dongsheng had said so, the village chief and his wife were worried that Chunchun was about to give birth and that she would feel uneasy if her family wasn't around. The village chief originally wanted Zhao Xiu to go with Zhao Guizhi, but Zhao Xiu was unsure about going alone and felt that she needed her family to be with her.
The village chief chuckled and said, "Back when we were fleeing famine, we fled from the north to the south, and it took us several months to get here. We've already traveled this far, haven't we? Now we have a carriage to take you there, and Guizhi and Shunping are with us too. What's there to be afraid of?"
“Back then, we all fled from the same village, and our families were with us. We were only concerned with escaping and didn’t have time to be afraid. Now that life is better, we’ve become more pampered and more precious than before,” Zhao Xiu said bluntly, spreading her hands.
In short, not only did the village chief come later, but Qiuqiu and her husband also took their child to the capital. Perhaps Zhao Guizhi's words had an effect. She told the village chief in private that Xingxing's father was the late emperor, and the current empress was none other than Xingxing.
The village chief was so shocked that he didn't come to his senses for a long time. It was Zhao Guizhi who shook him awake. "Whether you go to the capital or not is your own decision. Also, I've only told you about this. Don't spread it around. I'm afraid that too many people in the village will gossip and ruin Xingxing's reputation. Who knows, some people might use the emperor's name to bully others. So let's just keep this to ourselves and not make a fuss about it."
The village chief was always discreet and naturally wouldn't make a fuss. He didn't even tell Zhao Xiu, keeping his mouth shut. But from then on, he made up his mind to go to the capital.
As Zhao Xiu was leaving, she was still worried about Dongsheng, but the village chief waved his hand and said, "There are still Fagen and Dashu in the village. We can have them take Dongsheng to the competition. If he doesn't succeed this year, we can wait for next time. Dongsheng is still young, so there's no rush."
The imperial examination was like a single-plank bridge with ten thousand people crossing it; it was not so easy to pass.
Dongsheng had just passed the county-level imperial examination, but he was at the very bottom of the class. He had virtually no chance of passing the provincial-level imperial examination. The reason he decided to take the exam was simply to get used to it in advance and to study the exam questions so that he would have a direction to study and be more confident when he took the exam three years later.
Because Dongsheng himself wasn't very confident, and the village chief also knew his son's abilities, he didn't have much hope either. So, he really failed the exam, which was expected, and there's nothing to be disappointed about.
When the village chief and Zhao Xiu heard that Dongsheng hadn't passed the exam, they surrounded him and comforted him as soon as he arrived, afraid that he would feel bad.
But Dongsheng waved his hand helplessly, "Father and Mother, I'm really fine. I didn't have any hope of passing this time. Although I was really disappointed in the end, that's all I can do. I can only wait for the next exam."
The village chief and Zhao Xiu were somewhat relieved upon hearing this, but they still said a lot of comforting words before things calmed down.
Originally, Dafu was also supposed to go back to take the county exam this year, but after Chun Chun became pregnant, he didn't go back to Nanyang Prefecture and stayed to accompany his wife.
Sanfu was in the same situation. He originally planned to return to his ancestral home to take the provincial examination, but considering that his wife was pregnant and his brothers were getting married, which were all important matters, he decided to take the exam in the next round. He was not in a hurry to enter the court as an official.
The wedding of Sifu and Wufu was much more low-key than that of Erfu. There was no big commotion, and the Zhou family did not invite the people from the capital. Apart from the Chen family, there were only relatives from their hometown, so there were not many people.
However, officials who wanted to curry favor with the emperor would send their servants with a generous gift, leaving Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua in a dilemma of whether to accept it or not.
Fortunately, Xingxing also came out of the palace. She told them to accept the gift, saying, "It's alright. Just remember who sent it and return it next time they have a wedding."
I'll just send a servant to deliver it, so I don't have to get involved myself and there won't be any complications.
Besides the two couples getting married today, there is another happy event: Chen Siqing has found out she is pregnant, but it is still early in the pregnancy, only one month along. This means she conceived on the day of their wedding.
"Wow, Second Brother, you're really quick!" Sifu and Wufu were very envious, thinking to themselves that they would have to work harder when they got married that night, so as not to be outdone by their Second Brother.
Zhou Erfu chuckled incessantly, shouting, "Absolutely! Our physique is definitely up to par. Just wait, we'll be fathers next year!"
Chen Siqing was sitting next to him. Upon hearing this, she punched him lightly, telling him to shut up. This guy just loves to show off.
When the stars are happy, they naturally reward you again.
The wedding banquet was lively and festive, and the guests didn't leave until almost midnight. The guests only teased the newlyweds a little, and then dispersed after watching them drink the nuptial wine.
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