Chapter 22 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Twenty-Two) The Rebellious Son of a Farmer...
"Xia Ping, have you explained clearly? Will Young Master Song pass by here today?" Xia Miaozhen asked the maid beside her, her eyes brimming with tears, as she held a silk handkerchief in her hand.
"Don't worry, miss!" Xia Ping replied with a smile, "The second young master just sent word from the banquet hall that Young Master Song couldn't hold his liquor and has come out to get some fresh air to sober up."
"That's good." Xia Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief, smoothed her hair that fell in front of her, and said shyly, "Am I dressed appropriately today?"
“Of course! Miss is a beauty of unparalleled grace and is the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s family. In my opinion, Young Master Song comes from a humble background. Although he has already achieved the double honors, he is not yet the top scholar. To be favored by Miss is a blessing he could only accumulate in several lifetimes!” Xia Ping said with a smile.
“But… but Young Master Song is already married, so what I’m doing… is not quite right,” Xia Miaozhen said softly.
"If this servant dares to ask, is it that you, young lady, will only marry Young Master Song?" Xia Ping asked in a low voice.
“I…the moment I saw him that day, I felt as if we had known each other for a long time.” Xia Miaozhen sighed softly and murmured, “Of course I want to marry him.”
“My silly girl! So what if you get married? Since you're willing to marry down, you should fight for it! Young Master Song has always lived in a remote county, and he's been diligent and studious. How many women could he have seen? Perhaps this wife is an arranged marriage, what can she possibly have to compete with you? Besides, your husband is the Prime Minister. If you can get his guidance and support, Young Master Song's career will surely be smooth sailing. Do you think Young Master Song would refuse?”
Hearing Xia Ping's words, Xia Miaozhen blushed slightly and tapped Xia Ping's forehead: "You're such a mischievous girl, I can't argue with you. Then... if Young Master Song is willing, where should his wife go?"
“You’re too kind, young lady,” Xia Ping said with a smile. “If that woman is sensible and willing to become a concubine, you can gain a good reputation for being tolerant and leave her in the mansion in any courtyard. With your looks and talent, I’m sure it won’t be long before Young Master Song’s affections are transferred to you. Once Young Master Song has completely forgotten about her, no one will question how you deal with her.”
Unbeknownst to the master and servant, Song Ce had already dismissed the servant who had helped him out, and had overheard their entire scheme.
It seems we should deal with Xia Miaozhen as soon as possible... Song Ce thought to himself, and was about to leave when he stepped on a fallen branch from a tree, startling the master and servant in front of him.
Xia Ping tugged at Xia Miaozhen's sleeve, indicating that someone was coming over.
"Who? Who's there?" Xia Ping shouted.
Helpless, Song Ce walked out from the side path. At this moment, Xia Miaozhen was facing away from him, pretending to be looking for something. Xia Ping bowed when she saw Song Ce come out and called out to Song Ce as he approached, "Young master, have you seen a hairpin on the road?"
Song Ce replied calmly, "No, since the two young ladies are here, I will not disturb them any longer."
"Young master, I humbly request your help, please help our young lady." Xia Ping pleaded, "That hairpin is very important to our young lady. If we can't find it today, she will probably be scolded by her elders at home."
“Since you’ve lost something, why don’t you ask the owner of the waterside pavilion for help in looking for it? More people will make the search faster,” Song Ce suggested.
Upon hearing this, Xia Miaozhen bowed gracefully. "It is not appropriate for a woman to search for jewelry in a grand manner. If you have something to attend to, you may leave. We, your servant and I, will search for it at our own pace."
Song Ce nodded expressionlessly after hearing this: "Alright, then I'll take my leave first. Please take your time searching, ladies." With that, he strode away.
Seeing that the person had left, the master and servant were dumbfounded. Xia Ping saw that Xia Miaozhen's face was ashen, and couldn't help but tremble. He pretended to be relaxed and said, "Young Master Song is truly a gentleman. He is so self-disciplined and polite. You have good taste, Miss."
Xia Miaozhen snorted lightly, "Does this young lady not meet his standards?"
"Miss, you've misunderstood. Just now, I saw Young Master Song staring at you for quite a while. When you said you had something to do, you could leave. Perhaps Young Master Song felt that his sudden appearance was offensive to you, so upon hearing that, he wasn't in a hurry to leave?"
Xia Miaozhen lowered her eyes. "Then what do you suggest we do now?"
"Why don't you start with that woman, young lady?" Xia Ping said cautiously. "If that woman has any sense, she should know that she is not worthy of Young Master Song. She is merely the daughter of a county magistrate; how could she possibly compete with you, young lady? If you could just manage to meet that woman and exchange a few words, I think she would feel ashamed and resign."
Meeting him... that's not a bad idea. As long as this country bumpkin, Young Master Song, is willing to leave on his own, she won't have to rack her brains to come up with those insidious ways to harm people... Xia Miaozhen thought to herself, a faint smile appearing on her face: "Xia Ping is truly my trusted maid. This idea of yours is excellent. Once this matter is accomplished, I will definitely reward you handsomely."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ping quickly pledged his loyalty. The two, master and servant, glanced in the direction Song Ce had left and then quietly departed as well.
When Song Ce returned to the banquet, the Chinese banquet was in full swing. Xia Ruhong saw that Song Ce's expression was indifferent and he did not show any joy after returning. She thought to herself that her cousin's plan had probably failed.
...
Several days passed quickly. Song Ce stayed at home with Du Ningwan every day. Du Ningwan was worried that he would miss the opportunity to study for the imperial examination, so she asked him to study with her.
On the morning of March 25th, the day of the palace examination arrived.
Du Ning got up early and lit candles. Song Ce also washed up and tidied up in the room. After washing up, he put on the robes, hats and boots that the court uniformly issued to the candidates. There was no need to bring the examination box, as the palace would prepare it for them in advance.
After everything was prepared, Song Ce said with heartache, "Wan'er is pregnant, why worry so much? I can take care of everything by myself."
"Husband, don't worry. Today is your big day. How can I sleep?" Du Ningwan said, lifting the curtain and glancing at the dark sky. She said with concern, "Husband, you've worked hard. You have to go to the palace for the exam at this hour. I'll go to the kitchen and get some pastries for you to have something to eat first."
Song Ce ate a few pastries and said, "Wan'er, take another nap! Wait at home for my good news."
Du Ningwan smiled and straightened Song Ce's winter coat collar, asking, "How are you feeling, my husband? Are you nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about?" Song Ce reached out and hugged the beauty tightly. "There's no such thing as failing the palace examination. The most difficult provincial examination is over. I don't feel nervous at all. On the contrary, I hope that this matter will be resolved so that we can return to Qingzhou County as soon as possible."
"Yes, Wan'er will wait at home for her husband to return." Du Ningwan nestled against Song Ce's chest and whispered.
Song Ce had already booked a carriage to enter the palace yesterday. When Du Ning saw him off at the gate, the coachman was already waiting there with the carriage.
"My lady, the carriage has arrived. You should go back inside." Song Ce stepped into the carriage and turned to Du Ningwan, who was still standing at the door, to say, "It's so cold outside. Be careful not to catch a chill. Go back inside now!"
Du Ning nodded, took a step back and closed the door tightly. In the courtyard, she heard Song Ce instructing the coachman to drive to the palace, and then the horse's hooves clattered and the carriage rumbled away.
After the sound of the carriage faded from the courtyard, Du Ningwan slowly opened the door, gazing in the direction Song Ce had left, and silently wished him well: "My husband, may everything go smoothly for the palace examination!"
As dawn broke, most of the successful candidates arrived, grouped into groups of twenty, with two eunuchs waiting beside each group. Song Ce, who came first in the provincial examination, naturally took the lead.
Before long, the palace gates opened wide, and two rows of civil officials walked out of the palace. The one in the lead said in a loud voice: "Fellow scholars, you must not chat idly, make noise, look around or behave improperly during this palace examination. The time has come, please enter the hall!" With that, he stepped aside and bowed to invite the candidates in line to enter the hall.
After entering the main hall, Song Ce dared not look around too much, lowered his head slightly, and followed the instructions of the master of ceremonies to walk to the front position.
After standing in his seat, Song Cefang glanced around out of the corner of his eye. The examination hall was already full of people, but the most prestigious seat at the very top was still empty.
As the scholars took their places according to their rankings, a series of steady footsteps echoed through the hall. Out of the corner of his eye, Song Ce saw a figure in black robes sitting on the dragon throne at the head of the hall—this was the supreme ruler of the country, Emperor Shunyuan.
The eunuch following Emperor Shunyuan shouted, "His Majesty has arrived!"
Both the officials at the head of the examination hall and the students inside knelt on the ground, performing the grand kowtow, and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
Song Ce only heard a calm male voice: "All of you rise, and all of you take your seats."
Upon hearing this, the candidates carefully took their seats, and for a moment the examination room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Emperor Shunyuan gestured to the eunuch beside him to bring out the examination questions sealed in a brocade box. Standing to the right of Chancellor Xia Changlin, Grand Secretary Chu Jinglun respectfully stepped forward, opened the sealed brocade box in the presence of a group of officials and candidates, and personally took out the questions and handed them to the proctors waiting below.
The invigilators did not dare to slack off for a moment, and distributed seats to the candidates in order of their ranking.
Song Ce opened the examination paper, and at the beginning of the paper were two questions written neatly: "Our dynasty's treasury is empty, yet merchants are richer than princes and nobles. What is the explanation?" and "The decline of the previous dynasty was all due to the chaos caused by the Five Princes. What is the explanation?"
It's clear that the questions set for this palace examination reflected the Emperor's concerns. As a wise and insightful emperor, Emperor Shunyuan understood the principle that internal stability must precede external defense, so he didn't adhere to any fixed rules and simply used the palace examination questions to seek advice from the newly appointed candidates.
As the top two candidates in this year's imperial examination, their every move attracted attention. Song Ce, who ranked first, especially, attracted the attention of most people in the hall.
Upon seeing the question, Song Ce took a moment to recall the original owner's imperial examination questions, which were clearly completely different from the current ones. After pondering for a while, he picked up his pen and answered the first question.
Seeing Song Ce begin to write, the top candidates nearby all paused, then calmed down and pondered how to start well to attract the attention of those in power and make their essays stand out from the others.
When it came to the empty treasury, Song Ce almost immediately thought of one person.
A note from the author:
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I almost forgot this was supposed to be a quick transmigration novel while I was writing it; I've turned it into a slow transmigration story... Five, six, or seven more chapters and it'll be over! Please add it to your favorites if you like it!
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