Chapter 175 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (XIV) The Noble Young Master's Revenge and Love...
In the blink of an eye, Song Ce and Sun Yiyao had been married for more than half a month.
Upon learning that Song Ce would be taking the provincial examination this year, Sun Yiyao was worried that the various trivial matters in the household would interfere with his studies. So she simply closed the door to visitors, hoping that Song Ce could stay at home and study diligently for the exam.
Princess Yongping and Song Zhixiao, seeing that their son was so sensible, immediately excused the young couple from their greetings and simply said with a smile that everything should be focused on Song Ce's provincial examination.
Days passed by, and soon it was the eighth day of the eighth lunar month.
As dawn broke, Sun Yiyao got up to prepare the things Song Ce would need for the examination. Needless to say, he used to have his own writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, but she also carefully checked everything, including a change of clothes, face wash and mouthwash, bowls, teacups, oiled paper lamps, and candles, afraid of forgetting anything.
Seeing Sun Yiyao busy with all the work, Song Ce was moved and naturally comforted his wife.
“Ah Yao, you don’t need to worry too much. I have been studying hard these days and haven’t slacked off for a single day. I’m sure I will pass the provincial examination.”
Sun Yiyao blushed and nodded upon hearing this, saying matter-of-factly, "Husband, of course I believe you. Focus on your exam, I'll wait for you to come home."
Song Zhixiao and Princess Yongping, who had rushed over early in the morning to see their son off, were met with this scene: "..."
Soon, the entourage from the Marquis of Weiwu's residence arrived at the examination hall in their carriage. Princess Yongping patted Song Ce on the shoulder, offering no words of encouragement, only smiling and saying, "Ce'er, be careful in the examination hall, don't panic."
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Zhixiao took out a corner of a talisman from his sleeve and stuffed it into Song Ce's hand, smiling with narrowed eyes: "My son, take this peace talisman with you. Your father specially went to a celestial master to get it for you. Hehe, it is said to be very effective!"
Princess Yongping: "..."
Song Ce: "..."
Sun Yiyao: "..."
Princess Yongping was the first to react. She snatched the yellow paper talisman from Song Zhixiao's hand, glared at him fiercely, and said irritably, "You're just making a fuss! Our Ce'er is taking a proper exam, what kind of behavior is it to bring these mystical things along!"
Song Zhixiao touched his nose and immediately shrank obediently to the side.
Watching his parents bicker, Song Ce couldn't help but smile. After getting out of the car, he bowed respectfully to the two elders and said, "Father, Mother, I will do my best this time, please rest assured." As he spoke, he turned to look at Sun Yiyao beside him and gently squeezed her palm.
"Ayao, wait for me to come back."
Although Song Ce, a son of a noble family, also needed to be checked upon entry, the gatekeepers were much more courteous to him and his party than to ordinary students. Soon, the gatekeeper in charge of checking Song Ce smiled and let him in.
As Song Ce walked through the examination hall, he felt naturally less nervous than he had in the first world. He calmly found his seat, went in, and sat down.
The provincial examinations of Dai Viet were no different from those of other dynasties, and were also divided into three sessions, which officially began on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month and lasted for a total of nine days.
After the invigilator announced the start of the exam, the exam questions were distributed. The examination hall was silent except for the sounds of ink being ground and pens being written. Song Ce unfolded the exam questions, glanced at them casually, and immediately formed a plan in his mind.
As a former top scholar, Song Ce quickly found a way to deal with the problem. He took a deep breath, his hand holding the brush fell steadily, and he wrote the opening words of the first test question without any distraction.
...
Meanwhile, outside the examination hall.
Sun Yiyao sat in the carriage, her fingers unconsciously twisting a corner of her silk handkerchief. Princess Yongping saw this and quickly reached out to press her hand down, comforting her, "Don't worry, last night Mother prayed to the Wenchang Emperor on Ce'er's behalf, this time he will surely have a smooth journey."
Even so, Princess Yongping herself couldn't help but look towards the examination hall.
After returning to the Marquis's residence, Sun Yiyao sat restlessly at home, staring blankly at the birds outside the window. The food sent from the kitchen was repeatedly reheated and cooled, but she couldn't eat a single bite. Seeing this, Princess Yongping pulled her aside to play chess to relieve her boredom, which finally made her relax a little.
The problem was that just as things were calmed down on one side, Song Zhixiao started making a scene on the other. He ordered the steward to set up an incense table in the backyard, saying he wanted to pray for Song Ce in the examination hall, to bless him to pass the exam, even if he was last in line.
When Princess Yongping discovered him, he was earnestly reciting the eulogy he had just composed. Princess Yongping was both amused and annoyed. She immediately grabbed a whip and chased him away, scolding, "How old are you? Stop learning these unorthodox methods and messing around! If you accidentally start a fire, you'll be more careful when you set the backyard on fire!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Song Zhixiao obediently cleaned up the incense table.
For nine consecutive days, Song Ce in the examination hall was fine, but Princess Yongping outside the examination hall had lost weight from exhaustion.
Inside the examination hall, Song Ce was copying his final essay. As he finished, he dipped his brush in ink, carefully wrote down his place of origin, and checked the paper twice before submitting it.
The moment he stepped out of the examination hall, the warm August sun shone on him, giving him a feeling of being in another world.
That day, Sun Yiyao, Princess Yongping, and Song Zhixiao arrived early outside the examination hall to wait for Song Ce to emerge. Song Zhixiao, with his sharp eyes, spotted Song Ce and immediately exclaimed, "He's here! Ce'er's out!"
Upon seeing this, Princess Yongping immediately strode forward to greet him, looking him up and down: "Ce'er, you've finally come out! You must be exhausted these past few days! Mother sees that you've become so thin from hunger!"
Upon hearing this, Song Ce quickly smiled and took her hand, "I'm not tired, I'm doing well, I'm sorry to have worried you these past few days."
Princess Yongping wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, pulled Sun Yiyao behind her, and said with heartache, "Your father and I are fine, but Yiyao has been unable to eat or drink these past few days, and I'm really worried about you."
Sun Yiyao pursed her lips, and as she looked at Song Ce smiling gently at her, her eyes instantly reddened.
"...Husband, get in the carriage! Let's go home. We've prepared hot water and food for you at home. Take a good rest and relax."
"Why!"
After the family returned home, Song Ce took a long, hot shower and changed into the clean clothes that Sun Yiyao had prepared for him.
Song Zhixiao was anxiously waiting to know how his son had done on the exam, but he gave in to the warning look from Princess Yongping. He forced himself not to ask Song Ce about the result; after all, there were still more than ten days until the results were released, and he would just wait.
Like Princess Yongping, Sun Yiyao appeared calm on the surface, but she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy inside. On such an important matter, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law reached a tacit agreement, neither of them wanting to ask too many questions and add to Song Ce's psychological pressure.
But when the couple slept side by side at night, Song Ce held Sun Yiyao even tighter, gently rubbing his chin against the top of her head and speaking first: "Yao, I think I did fairly well in this exam."
Upon hearing this, Sun Yiyao abruptly raised her head. She always felt an inexplicable confidence in her husband. Now, hearing Song Ce say this, her worries naturally eased considerably.
She reached out and gently stroked Song Ce's face, saying softly, "I knew it, my husband, you must be the best. It's just that you've suffered these past few days, staying in the examination hall for nine days straight."
Song Ce smiled and took Sun Yiyao's hand, gently touching it to his lips. "It's not bitter. Just thinking about your family waiting for me makes me feel that everything is worthwhile."
Sun Yiyao blushed and softly hummed in agreement.
In the days that followed, the mansion appeared to be operating as usual, but everyone was secretly looking forward to the day the results of the provincial examinations would be announced. Song Zhixiao sent his steward out every day to inquire about the results, and although he returned empty-handed each time, he still did it with great enthusiasm.
Princess Yongping was both amused and annoyed by his behavior. "What's the use of your haste? We'll know the result when the day comes." Song Zhixiao smiled ingratiatingly and continued to do as he pleased the next day. Princess Yongping had no choice but to let him be.
Finally, as August drew to a close, the day for the results to be released finally arrived.
Before dawn, Song Zhixiao got up early and dressed, insisting on dragging Princess Yongping to the examination hall to wait for the results to be announced. Princess Yongping shook her head helplessly and pulled him back: "Let's have breakfast first! If you rush over so early, the results won't be posted yet!"
But Song Zhixiao couldn't wait any longer. He insisted on having his servants pack breakfast into a food box and urged Princess Yongping to get into the carriage.
People of their status naturally wouldn't squeeze in with the scholars and servants to see the results. Opposite the examination hall was a restaurant called Dengke Tower. Half a month ago, Song Zhixiao had sent his steward to reserve the second floor with the best view.
Once the list of candidates for the imperial examination was released, officials would announce the results in front of it. As long as they were sitting in the examination hall, they could find out Song Ce's ranking very quickly.
Song Zhixiao paced back and forth by the window, anxiously staring at the tightly closed gates of the examination hall, his palms sweating profusely. Princess Yongping, on the other hand, remained calm, slowly sipping her tea, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner tension.
Finally, just after dawn, the gates of the examination hall slowly opened, and the results of the provincial examinations were announced.
The Da Yue newspaper naturally started announcing the list from the top-ranked scholar. Song Zhixiao stood by the window, craning his ears to listen to the list.
"Top scorer in the provincial examination—the Jieyuan: Song Ce! A native of the capital! Age—nineteen!"
"Second place in the provincial examination—Yayuan: Zheng Su! A native of Qingcheng! Age—thirty-two!"
"Third place in the provincial examination—the top scholar: Zhong Haidao! A native of Daliushu! Age—twenty-five!"
...
After an unknown amount of time, Song Zhixiao suddenly walked up to Princess Yongping and said with a blank face, "Ayan, pinch me."
Upon hearing this, Princess Yongping asked him incredulously, "...What did you say?"
"Quick! Pinch me! Pinch harder!"
After a brief silence, Princess Yongping naturally didn't hold back and pinched Song Zhixiao's waist hard.
"Ouch... It hurts so much, it's not a dream, it's not a dream... Heaven and Earth, ancestors! Thank you for your protection! Thank you! Thank you!! Please accept this unworthy son's bow!!" With that, Song Zhixiao actually bowed deeply towards the direction of the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion.
Princess Yongping: "..."
She had just sent her servants out to check the list, so she naturally didn't listen carefully to the announcements downstairs.
Seeing her husband's strange appearance, she quickly pulled him up and said anxiously, "Zhixiao, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"
Song Zhixiao took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "Ayan, I have something to tell you..."
Before he could finish speaking, the servant who had just been sent out by Princess Yongping rushed into the private room, panting, and excitedly reported, "Madam! Lord Marquis! He passed! He passed! Our young master has won first place! He's the top scholar!"
Princess Yongping could hardly believe her ears. She widened her eyes and asked, "The young master you're talking about is... Ce'er?"
The servant, his face flushed with excitement, nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, saying with pride, "Reporting to Madam! It is indeed our young master! It's clearly written on the list outside; his name is number one on the list. I would never be mistaken!"
"Good! Good! Good!!" Princess Yongping exclaimed three times in a row, then stood up abruptly, clutching her handkerchief. She looked at Song Zhixiao beside her, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy, and said, "Zhixiao, did you hear that? Our Ce'er got first place!"
Seeing this, Song Zhixiao pinched Princess Yongping, and when she cried out in pain, he chuckled: "Ayan, it's true, you're not dreaming! Our son really became the top scholar!"
Princess Yongping looked at Song Zhixiao's arrogant demeanor and gritted her teeth as she squeezed out, "...Today is Ce'er's special day, so I'll let you off this time! I'll settle this score with you another day!"
Soon, news that Song Ce, the heir of the Marquis of Weiwu, had surpassed all others to become the top scholar in the provincial examination spread rapidly among the noble families in the capital. The first family to come and offer their congratulations was naturally the Rongguo Duke's family, who were related to the Marquis's family by marriage.
In this provincial examination, Sun Yiyao's elder brother, Sun Yiheng, also passed and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). Although his ranking was slightly lower than Song Ce's, it was still a cause for celebration.
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Author's note: Thank you so much for your support, my little darlings! [Rose] (smoothly kneeling) (pounding the ground and crying)
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