Chapter 73 "I even held you in my arms when you were little..."
"...Xiao Yan?"
Fusu rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things. In the queue not far away, the little bean sprout causing such a large indentation in the line—who else could it be but Yan Jidao?
While Fusu was complaining to himself, he clearly forgot that he was also the culprit who caused the team to sink even further.
"What, Xiao Yan?" Su Shi's ears twitched, and following Fu Su's gaze, he exclaimed in surprise. He recognized the person not far away—wasn't that the friend who had come to Fu Su's house to pet the cat that day?
His name seems to be... Yan Jidao?
"Is he also here for the autumn imperial examination?" Su Shi suddenly turned around and asked Fusu. Unexpectedly, this question drew incredulous glances from everyone around him.
What? What does "also" mean?
You mean you two kids are also here to participate in the autumn imperial examination?
Earlier, when Fan Chunren and his group were standing in line, some sharp-eyed people noticed that Fusu and Su Shi, the two younger children, were also carrying examination baskets. They assumed they were either servants of a scholar or younger family members, accompanying their families to experience the examination hall. It wasn't that no one had considered that far-fetched possibility, but they quickly dismissed it with a laugh—so young, how could that be…
...That's actually quite possible!
Logically, candidates who don't trust each other should keep their distance while queuing to prevent unscrupulous individuals from getting close to their exam baskets and slipping in cheat sheets, which could lead to suspicion of cheating. But now, no one cares about this taboo anymore. Someone's voice drifted over from afar: "Excuse me, sir, are these two...young men also candidates for this autumn's imperial examination?"
Fan Chunren replied, "Not a young man, but one of us."
Another uproar erupted around them. Some even considered disregarding the unspoken rules and rushing forward to find out what was going on between Fusu and Su Shi. Fusu looked left and right, tugged at Fan Chunren's sleeve, and put his hand to his lips in a "shh" gesture.
Keep a low profile, Senior Brother Fan!
I don't want to become the target of everyone's criticism!
Fan Chunren chuckled and said in a low voice, "Junior brother, you're so kind. Are you worried that you might distract the other candidates and prevent them from performing well in the exam?"
Fusu wiped his sweat: "Being stared at makes me nervous and causes me to underperform. It's me, okay?"
He then raised his voice: "This is my junior brother. He just wanted to come with me to broaden his horizons. There's no need to be surprised."
But even if it's just to broaden one's horizons, it's still competing on the same stage as them. Could it be that he's another Duke Yan?
"Lord Yan?" Yan Jidao's ears twitched. He looked around for a moment. Why was his father being mentioned all of a sudden? Then he spotted the equally conspicuous young Fusu in the crowd, and his mouth immediately stretched to his ears in a wide grin.
Seeing him standing there blankly, the servant beside him thought he was unhappy and whispered to comfort him, "I'm afraid it's just another fame-seeking person trying to use your reputation, sir. You really don't need to take it to heart."
But Yan Jidao patted his arm: "Look!"
He raised his arm and pointed in the direction of Fusu.
The servant blinked hard, thinking he was hallucinating. When he finally dared to believe what he was seeing, his young master had already darted into the other group like a white crane spreading its wings.
"Cheng... Dian..."
Yan Jidao leaped a few steps to Fusu's side, but didn't know how to address him. He glanced at the curious Fan Chunren, Zeng Gong, and the others, and if he remembered correctly... His Highness was dressed in white dragon robes, wasn't he?
Fusu quickly gave a wink: "Cough cough cough!"
Su Shi smiled and said, "Young Master Yan, did you come here to catch up with Young Master Zhao?"
“Hmm…right!” Yan Jidao immediately recognized the signal and readily agreed: “I came here because I saw you, Zhao Xiaolang.”
He feigned a sigh and said, "Ever since you entered the Imperial Academy, I've wanted to do something earth-shattering to impress you. I never expected you to come too. Even if I pass the exam, it seems utterly pointless."
Fusu: "..."
Don't you want to see what you're saying? The people around you are practically staring right through you!
He quietly moved two steps, using his small stature to block the unfriendly gazes of those around him.
Fan Chunren also noticed this and filled in the remaining gap, feigning sorrow as he said, "I originally thought that Qilang came because he saw me, but it turns out that's not the case."
Yan Jidao: "...?"
His eyes were filled with four words: Brother, who are you?
Fan Chunren: "Seventh Brother, don't you remember? I used to hold you when you were little."
Fusu: "Pfft—"
That's right. Both Yan Shu and Fan Zhongyan served as prime ministers at one point, and their political views didn't have any fundamental conflicts. It's impossible that their families didn't have some personal interactions, such as visits to each other. Moreover, considering the age difference between Fan Chunren and Yan Jidao, he might actually have held Yan Jidao as a child.
So, cough cough, Fusu, stop laughing, be serious!
He suppressed a laugh: "This is Senior Brother Fan."
Yan Jidao: "..."
Xiao Yan's expression suddenly turned quite unpleasant. Despite being a sucker for good looks, and knowing that Fan Chunren was indeed very handsome and refined, he couldn't muster the usual politeness he would show to someone with a pleasing appearance. His rosy cheeks drooped as he said, "Hello, Brother Fan."
Su Shi succinctly revealed the secret: "So, did Senior Brother Fan really hold you when you were a child?"
"...I was too young then, how could I remember?!"
"Oh, so it's true."
"..."
This time, Fusu finally couldn't hold back anymore. Even though he covered his mouth immediately, a breath escaped through the gaps in his fingers: "Pfft—hahahahahahaha!"
The others couldn't help but chuckle, their eyes and brows beaming with joy. Except for Yan Jidao, who had a few black lines on his forehead, the small group was all in high spirits.
Then a voice broke the harmonious atmosphere: "Hurry up and move forward a bit, it's almost your turn in line!"
Fusu's mood, which had initially calmed somewhat during the banter, became tense again upon hearing these words. He was especially anxious after seeing how the other candidates were being checked by the minor officials.
"My wife made these pastries herself. Please, adults, stop taking them apart! They're about to crumble into pieces..."
"No, people have been smuggling food into food for the past few years. And these garlic cloves are confiscated too."
"Huh? That's for waking me up."
"How do we know if you're using it to stay awake or to transmit messages with your scent? There's precedent for this. Confiscated!"
At the time this conversation took place, the unfortunate scholar was being searched from his collar to his sleeve pockets, and from his trouser legs to his boot heels by another minor official. Witnessing this, Fusu inexplicably thought of the New Year's pigs that were kept on the ground during the Lunar New Year.
"Next, Zhao Zongsu—"
When the clerk called his name, Fusu nervously stepped forward. Unexpectedly, the clerk, who was in charge of checking his body, only glanced at his robes and did not touch him. He only rubbed the fluffy topknot on his head for a while, seemingly checking if there was anything hidden inside.
The other minor official in charge of checking the examination basket didn't open his delicious fried dough twists either. After inspecting everything in the basket one by one, he didn't say much and waved him through.
"call--"
Fusu breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn't help touching his own face. Was it just his imagination? When it was his turn to be inspected, the officials seemed much gentler. Was it because they hadn't found any contraband? Or was it because… he was just cute?
Fusu recalled how the minor official had been rubbing his hair and refusing to let go, and he deeply felt that perhaps it really was the latter.
"Zhao Zongsu, Earthly Branch, Number Eleven." The clerk leading the way led Fusu to an examination room. Fusu cautiously sniffed; the examination room was cramped and poorly ventilated, but thankfully there was only the smell of ink. At least he didn't have to worry about being driven insane by the stench next to the side room.
I wonder which examination room Su Shi and my senior brother Fan were in, and whether they were as lucky as I was.
The thought flashed through Fusu's mind for a moment, but he dared not look back. The clerk had just warned him that once inside the examination room, anyone looking around or whispering would be considered to be cheating.
He sat quietly, occasionally breaking off a piece of white sesame fried dough and popping it into his mouth, chewing it a couple of times. Senior Brother Fan hadn't been exaggerating; his sister-in-law's cooking was indeed delicious. He waited until the gong and drum sounded, the exam papers were distributed, and the exam room door was locked tight. In the cramped space, only the sound of his own breathing could be heard.
Fusu turned the test paper over.
The imperial examinations for Jinshi during the reign of Emperor Renzong were divided into three sessions: the first session tested candidates' knowledge of poetry, prose, and essays; the second session tested their understanding of classical texts; and the third session tested their knowledge of current affairs and policy essays. The third session was the most important.
Today's exam was on poetry and prose, and there was a question about it prominently written on the test paper.
—From "Ode to the Benevolent Nature of Yao and Shun"
On this topic, compose a rhyming poem and a five-character regulated verse.
Fusu blinked and immediately remembered the origin of the allusion to the question.
Mencius said, "The Yao and Shun dynasties possessed this innate quality, while the Five Hegemons acquired it through their own efforts."
In other words, the theme of the poem should closely follow the concept of "the benevolence of Yao and Shun," and then, starting from the word "benevolence," discuss how today's emperor should practice "benevolence" and become a good emperor.
When Fusu picked up his pen, he suddenly remembered Mei Yaochen's words.
This is what he said:
"With your level, Zhao Xiaolang, you don't need to spend much time preparing for the first day's poems. Just show me the talent of your two poems advising the emperor and the spirit of the article you showed me."
"That's enough!"
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