The examination lasted a full nine days, during which Su Rong and Fen Ling stayed at the Princess Residence, indulging in food and drink.
Throughout these nine days, the kitchen staff consistently prepared various delicacies for their noble guests. The kitchen maid who could make Hibiscus cakes did such a fine job that the guests rewarded her with ten taels of silver, earning the admiration of her fellow maids in the kitchen.
Today was the day the scholars were finally allowed to leave the examination hall.
Fen Ling and Su Rong discussed, "Sister, should we plan on leaving now?"
"Leave? Where are you planning to go? You’re not allowed to leave," Princess Duanhua interjected authoritatively upon hearing their conversation.
Fen Ling turned to Duanhua, "Princess, what do you mean?"
Duanhua promptly replied, "I mean that you should continue to stay."
She then turned her gaze to Su Rong, "Do you truly wish to leave? Have you had enough of staying here? Are you tired of the cakes and pastries? Are the meals not to your liking?"
During her stay at the Princess Residence, Su Rong had never been happier. Spending her days here, eating, drinking, and playing, she found the experience quite enjoyable. So, hearing Fen Ling mention leaving took her by surprise and she struggled to accept it.
Su Rong blinked her eyes, "We have been imposing on the Princess and the Duke for so long, we..."
"My mother doesn’t find you bothersome, and neither do I. And, neither does my father," Duanhua was quick to object.
Su Rong: "..."
Duanhua glared at her, "Do you truly wish to leave?"
Seeing Duanhua’s expression, Su Rong quickly corrected herself, "Then, shall we stay for a few more days?"
Duanhua, satisfied, nodded her head respectfully, "Yes, stay for a few more days."
Fen Ling added from the side: "Once the eldest young master comes out of the exam hall and learns that the two of us are staying at the Princess Residence, he might drop by today."
"Even if he shows up, you two are still not permitted to leave. If necessary, we will just let him stay here as well," Princess Duanhua wasn’t about to let them go, not even for Su Xingze showing up.
Fen Ling: "..."
Well, the Princess was indeed overly enthusiastic and hospitable.
And so, the two of them decided to continue their stay at the Princess Residence.
When the scholars emerged from the exam hall, their faces were pale. They’d had to endure nine days of examinations, without being allowed to leave. Typically, they were not able to withstand the ordeal, and there were many who were carried out midway due to their frail health. Those who walked out were the stronger ones. Many people fainted after coming out of the examination hall, and few could still move around lively.
Zhou Gu was one such person. Su Xingze, who had built up his strength and body since childhood, was another, while Xie Lin looked utterly weak.
Upon seeing Su Xingze, Zhou Gu, relieved, asked, "Brother Su, are you okay?"
Su Xingze nodded, "I’m fine."
He didn’t have to ask Zhou Gu, he already knew he was fine.
Xie Lin complained, "Zhou Gu, why aren’t you asking me if I’m okay?"
Zhou Gu looked at him disdainfully, "From your appearance, isn’t it evident? Even though you’ve received defense training in your residence, you’ve only endured for nine days. How have you managed to let yourself be in this state?"
Xie Lin held his stomach, "I couldn’t stomach the steamed buns and pickles."
Zhou Gu waved him off dismissively, "You better go!"
Xie Lin didn’t leave. Instead, he asked both of them, "How did you fare in your exams?"
"It was fine," Su Xingze replied with a nod.
Zhou Gu responded to him, "It went well."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lin knew immediately that both of them had performed well in their exams. He weakly waved his hand and was helped onto the carriage by the servants of the Rui’an King Residence.
Despite Lu Fengyan looking slightly pale, his physique was still decent. He made his way through the crowd and spotted Zhou Gu and Su Xingze. This was his second time seeing Su Xingze. The first time was when they entered the examination hall.
Su Xingze noticed someone observing him, and when he turned to see who it was, he saw Lu Fengyan among the crowd. Seeing Su Xingze turn his attention toward him, Lu Fengyan greeted him with a bow, which Su Xingze returned.
Zhou Gu gave Lu Fengyan a glance and said to Su Xingze, "Brother Su, let’s go. Are you returning to Dong Si Hutong or heading to Shen Residence?"
After contemplating briefly, Su Xingze decided, "Let’s go to Shen Residence!"
He ought to go back to Shen Residence to reassure Shen Xian that he was fine.
Just as he finished speaking, a carriage from Shen Residence arrived. The person inside called out as soon as the carriage curtain was lifted, "Xingze."
Surprised, Su Xingze hadn’t expected Shen Xian to come personally to pick him up, so he quickly walked over, "Uncle, why have you come personally?"
"I’m not working today." Shen Xian, finding Su Xingze was just a little disheveled but seemingly unscathed, nodded in satisfaction, "Get in."
Su Xingze immediately boarded the carriage.
Zhou Gu, seeing that everyone had left, boarded the carriage that the Duke Residence had sent to pick him up.
Ziye, who hadn’t seen his master in nine days, greeted him passionately, "Master, how did your exam go?"
"Hmm, it was alright."
Ziye was delighted, "Did you do better than the eldest son of the Su family?"
"Hard to say."
Ziye then said, "Lady Su Qi has come to Capital City."
Zhou Gu, startled, asked, "When did she come to Capital City? Where is she now?"
Ziye looked at him, "She arrived in Capital City the same day you entered the examination venue, she’s now at the Princess Residence."
Zhou Gu’s face changed, raising his voice he asked, "She was taken to the Princess Residence by Duanhua? She’s still at the Princess Residence?"
Ziye, seeing him get agitated, quickly reassured, "Master, don’t worry, it’s true that Lady Su Qi went to the Princess Residence, but she wasn’t forcibly taken by Princess Duanhua. She is there as an honoured guest."
Zhou Gu frowned, "Explain clearly."
Ziye nodded and quickly relayed Su Rong’s experience of staying at the Princess Residence to Zhou Gu.
After listening, Zhou Gu said, "..."
He felt as though his mind was still left at the exam venue after nine days of examination, he took a while to process, "You’re saying Su Rong and Duanhua... became fast friends right away?"
"Correct, they became fast friends immediately." Ziye initially didn’t believe it either, but now he had no choice but to. The Capital City was buzzing with this news, rather than news about who fainted halfway through the exams. The rumors about Lady Su Qi and Princess Duanhua becoming fast friends were the most popular.
He said to Zhou Gu, "Who could have seen this coming! Not only you wouldn’t believe it, but many in Capital City wouldn’t either. However, Lady Su Qi has been living comfortably, eating and drinking at the Princess Residence every day. The Princess Residence has been very lively, even Princess Qingping and her husband have stopped arguing."
Zhou Gu: "..."
Ziye continued, "Master, do you think Lady Su Qi is impressive? Apart from the son-in-law, who can tolerate the princess’s mother and daughter? But, Lady Su Qi merely took up residence in the Princess Residence and she didn’t even face any difficulties."
He sighed, "Master, if you had Lady Su Qi’s skills, you wouldn’t have to dodge Duanhua Princess all these years. Even I, who follow you, suffered a lot. I heard that the guard named Fen Ling who works with Lady Su Qi enjoys good food and drinks every day, he’s so happy. People’s fates can be so different."
Zhou Gu’s face darkened as he listened.
He glared at Ziye, "Are you complaining?"
Ziye quickly closed his mouth. In fact, he wanted to say that it wasn’t a complaint but a disdain, but he didn’t dare. He could only quietly suggest, "I just thought you could learn something from Lady Su Qi."
Zhou Gu was annoyed, "Could I learn Su Rong’s skill? She’s incredibly capable, I underestimated her before. Not only is she well respected in Jiangning County, but also in Capital City. I made everything difficult by stopping Duanhua from going to Jiangning."
Ziye knew the pain of stopping someone too well, so he nodded in agreement. If they had known earlier, he wouldn’t have had to suffer the scoldings from Duanhua Princess for over a month.
He asked Zhou Gu, "Master, shall we go pick up Lady Su Qi?"
"Pick her up my ass!" Zhou Gu was irritated.
Ziye, seeing that his master seemed to be angry, didn’t dare to utter a word.
At the same time, on the carriage of Shen Residence, Shen Xian was discussing the matter with Su Xingze.
After listening, Su Xingze was equally incredulous, "Are you saying... my sister is now on good terms with Duanhua Princess? And she’s currently staying at the Princess Residence?"
"Yes, apparently they hit it off right from the start, so she moved in to the Princess Residence for a short stay." said Shen Xian.
Su Xingze: "..."
He was shocked, but after the initial shock, he realized that anything related to Su Rong wasn’t so surprising after all.
Shen Xian had been watching him. Seeing him regain his composure quickly, he raised his eyebrow, "What? Had your sister been planning this all along? Is that why you’re not too surprised?"
"No," Su Xingze shook his head, trying to find the right words. "Uncle, you probably don’t know, my sister’s temperament is different from ordinary women. She can do many things that others can’t. So, even if she hadn’t planned it, it wouldn’t be out of character for her if she decided to stay at the Princess Residence on a whim."
Shen Xian understood, "I heard she was raised by Xie Yuan? He cared about her even more than you?"
Su Xingze nodded, "Yes."
Shen Xian didn’t ask any more, he just told Su Xingze, "You are her brother. Now that you are out of the exam, will you go to the Princess Residence to pick her up?"
Su Xingze nodded. He would naturally pick her up, "After I return home to bathe and change clothes, I will go to the Princess Residence to pick up my sister."
Shen Xian nodded, "Before the results are announced, you should continue to stay at my residence. After you pick up your sister, bring her back to stay as well."
Su Xingze looked at Shen Xian, "Uncle, this..."
"Are you worried that it might be too much trouble for me?" Shen Xian waved his hand, "Not at all, just stay. I can afford to provide for two extra people."
Having stayed at the Shen Residence for some time, Su Xingze had come to understand Shen Xian’s temperament, and so he could only nod.
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