"Do you know roughly when she'll be back?" Qiu Xu asked again, adding as he finished.
"I can wait."
His words made Sun Wan, who was inside the mansion, break out in a cold sweat.
The gatekeeper shook his head. "Well... I can't say for sure. Maybe it will be a while, or maybe it will be evening. Young master, you should go back first. Besides, it's not good for my young lady's reputation for a lone man like you to come here so abruptly."
Sun Wan nodded secretly. That's right, this stingy man is completely ignorant of the proper separation between men and women.
Qiu Xu shook his head, thinking that he would have to return to the palace with He Jinran later.
"Xiao Ran, let's go."
After saying this, he took the lead and left the Sun residence.
He Jinran: "Sigh, Uncle, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're really quite stupid."
He wouldn't just go through the main entrance.
It would be strange if he didn't get rejected.
"I'm just here to remind her." Qiu Xu, of course, understood the meaning behind He Jinran's words.
Asking him to climb over the wall? He couldn't do that.
If he makes a wrong move and the Sun family sees him as a frivolous and dissolute man, he will lose face big time.
Moreover, he not only disgraced himself, but also the people of the General's Mansion.
Inside the Sun residence,
"Qing'er, what should we do?"
Sun Wan knew that all her valuables combined were not worth a hundred taels of silver.
Her personal gold lock wasn't worth much money.
One tael of gold, ten taels of silver, but her gold lock didn't even have one tael.
Qing'er thought to herself, "Who told you, Miss, to put on a brave face?"
"Miss, why don't we go and beg Madam?"
"Let's pawn these pieces of jewelry first, and then ask my mother for some more if we need more."
After saying this, Sun Wan looked at the pair of bracelets on her wrist, and still loved them no matter how she looked at them.
He was thinking of sending his mother here in exchange for her, but he also really liked her, so he was conflicted.
On Qiu Xu and He Jinran's side,
"Uncle, I have an idea for you." He Jinran tilted his head and whispered in his ear.
Just as Qiu Xu was listening attentively, He Jinran said something that seemed to have a hidden meaning.
"Why don't you marry her and use it as a betrothal gift?"
Qiu Xu's face darkened instantly. "I don't want a woman like that."
He Jinran laughed heartily.
“What’s wrong with Miss Sun? Minister Sun is a well-known incorruptible official; even the county magistrate doesn’t live as frugally as him. I imagine his daughter must be just as good.”
"That's not necessarily true." Suddenly, Qiu Xu added:
"You mean, Miss Sun can't afford the bracelet?"
He Jinran: "I didn't say that." He was thinking that even an honest official shouldn't be unable to come up with a hundred taels of silver.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Xu suddenly changed his position.
"Uncle, where are you going?" He Jinran chased after him.
"Pawnshop." Qiu Xu simply said two words, and He Jinran chuckled.
"My uncle is very clever."
Qiu Xu: If he had known earlier that Minister Sun lived a poor life, he wouldn't have thought of selling Sun Wanyu's bracelet today.
The two turned around and went to the pawnshop closest to the Sun residence.
Sure enough, as soon as they arrived, they saw Sun Wan and her servants coming out of the pawnshop.
He Jinran: "My uncle is incredibly insightful."
"She really is here." Qiu Xu was about to step forward.
At the same moment, Sun Wan saw Qiu Xu.
Then, after a moment of awkwardness, he said...
"Qing'er, keep up!" she shouted, and then took off running.
"Stop!" Qiu Xu chased after him.
He Jinran stood still, wanting to see how his uncle and Miss Sun would interact.
Sun Wan, being a woman, could never outrun Qiu Xu.
Just as he put his hand on Sun Wan's shoulder,
Then there was a clinking sound, the sound of something falling.
Qiu Xu lowered his eyes and saw a gold lock lying on the ground.
Qiu Xu bent down, and in that instant, Sun Wan and her servants were already swallowed up by the crowd.
He shook his head, gently stroking the gold lock in his hand...
After Qiu Xu returned, he and He Jinran went back to the Eastern Palace that same day.
He Jinran stepped out of the palace gate, feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Upon entering the palace gates, his face turned ashen.
Two days later,
The palace examination officially began.
The Dongjin Palace Examination was usually held at the Hanlin Academy.
This time, it took place in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Imperial Palace.
The throne, the yellow table, and the examination table were already arranged yesterday.
The seats for the candidates have been arranged according to the list submitted by the candidates.
That day, before dawn,
At the Eastern Palace, He Jinran and Qiu Xu were already prepared.
The two, accompanied by two guards, Mu Bai and Mu Xiao, and Xuan Ying, went to the Taihe Hall together.
Under the moonlight, Qiu Xu appeared calm and composed, while He Jinran appeared relaxed, but was actually tense both physically and mentally.
As Qiu Xu and He Jinran walked, the sky gradually began to brighten.
The candidates I encountered
They walked with firm steps and serious expressions.
They were all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and each of them looked confident and prepared.
Qiu Xu kept an eye on the other candidates going to the imperial examinations, hoping to run into some students from Baiyang Luming Academy.
Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the early-arriving students had already formed a long queue, waiting there.
The servants and pageboys who accompanied them gradually left the palace gate, some going home and others returning to their inns.
Seeing this, He Jinran also said to Xuan Ying, Mu Bai, and the other two behind him:
"Uncle Xuanying, you don't need to stay with me."
The three clasped their hands and turned around. The Mu brothers had thought that Qiu Xu would follow them back, but when they saw Qiu Xu standing behind the students with His Highness, they couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Mu Bai: "Can the guards go in too?" He looked at Qiu Xu's figure, full of doubt. "If they can go in, why don't we go in and take a look?"
Mu Xiao shook his head: "Qiu Xu is probably worried about His Highness and afraid that he will get stage fright. If he weren't a candidate, he would have been kicked out even if he went in."
After all, their prince was only fourteen years old, a boy who was still a child in their eyes.
Xuan Ying: "Qiu Xu is also going to participate in the palace examination."
"Him?" Mu Bai and Mu Xiao exchanged a glance, somewhat incredulous.
Mu Xiao: "That's impossible."
"Why not? Just wait for his good news." Although Xuan Ying and Qiu Xu hadn't met directly many times, they had the longest contact and Xuan Ying knew that Qiu Xu had studied hard for ten years and was very knowledgeable.
While queuing,
Qiu Xu spotted two familiar figures in the crowd.
Qiu Dazhi and Du Changjun.
The two of them were standing slightly ahead in the queue, standing straight one after the other.
In fact, the two had already participated in the palace examination twice, but failed each time. They were eagerly hoping that they could achieve the top three in the examination today, bringing glory to the academy, to Baiyang, and to their family.
The doors of the Hall of Supreme Harmony slowly opened, and the students, led by the officials at the front, entered one after another and took their seats in order.
During their seating process, the two of them saw Qiu Xu at the same time.
The three met without much surprise on their faces, and out of courtesy, they did not whisper to each other.
At this moment, they had no more prejudices; all they had was the determination to settle the score.
Looking at all the tribute students and students of Luming Academy, only these three...
Three people is already quite a lot. In this vast Dongjin, no, now it also includes students from the former Western Qin and the former Northern Qi. It is already quite remarkable.
After a long wait,
All the officials arrived at their posts, including Minister of Rites, Lord Sun.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
