Chapter 127 A New Hope
Ten days before the Spring Examination, the Imperial Examination Hall would post the list of candidates as usual for public announcement.
The list not only contains the candidates' names and places of origin, but also includes their examination rooms, so that the candidates can check the information and have a clear idea of the situation.
Suddenly, a surprised voice came from the crowd: "Didn't Du Heng postpone the exam? How come he's allowed to take the exam again? Did I see it wrong?"
This sentence caused everyone to rush towards the yellow paper in front of the man.
A young scholar rushed to the front. He pasted the yellow paper, looked it up and down several times, and nodded in confirmation: "The name and place of origin are correct. It's Du Heng, no doubt!"
But the people around him were still puzzled: "Could it be that they have the same name?"
The young candidate shook his head and said, "I am from the capital. As far as I know, there is no other candidate with the surname Du Heng among this year's candidates."
"That's strange. I rarely hear of people who postponed their exams being able to pass them again."
"Why is that so strange?"
A righteous voice came from behind the crowd, and the onlookers couldn't help but look in the direction of the voice.
"Oh, it's Brother Xi!" The young scholar turned around and saw that it was Xi Xiyue. He immediately stepped forward to greet him.
Xi Xiyue also returned the greeting, then swept his gaze over the crowd and spoke loudly, "The Inspectorate handles matters impartially. When someone reports something, they will conduct a thorough investigation. After verifying that the rumor is false, they will naturally clear the person's name. Everything is in accordance with the rules, so what's so strange about that?"
"Brother Xi is absolutely right, absolutely right!"
The young candidate was well aware of the weight of Xi Xiyue's words, so he nodded in agreement.
Many candidates from the capital were among the crowd, and they all confirmed what they had heard. Someone then said, "I've also seen the notice posted by the Inspectorate. It's just that today's yellow paper list is too long, so the notice has been squeezed into a corner. It clearly states: 'There is no substantiated evidence. The order to postpone the exam is revoked. You are allowed to take the exam as scheduled.'"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn't help but sigh, saying that Du Heng was really lucky, as he had reversed the deadlock ten days before the Spring Examination.
Xi Xiyue naturally walked away with satisfaction. Only he himself knew what the secret was.
After the literary appreciation meeting that day, Minister Gu, who had suggested that he use the North as the theme, specifically asked him for the anonymous article written by his junior brother after the meeting.
A few days later, Minister Gu personally visited him again and inquired about the author of the article. Xi Xiyue was known for his ability to read people's expressions, and he and Minister Gu had known each other for a long time. After several exchanges of words, and after confirming that revealing the name would only benefit the author, he reported Du Heng's name.
Thinking of this, Xi Xiyue's face was filled with joy. He finally let out all the frustration that had been pent up in his heart because of what happened to his junior brother Du, and got on the carriage back home with a smile.
......
Those who knew Du Heng well were happy for his re-examination, and everyone in the Du family was in high spirits.
Everyone gathered in the old lady's main room.
Du Heng's expression remained the same, but there was a hint of the clear sky after the rain between his brows.
He first kowtowed to his grandmother, and then presented with both hands the document of permission to take the exam sent by the Inspectorate.
After Zhaoxia bowed to Du Heng, she took the document on behalf of the old lady. However, the handwriting on the document was too small for the old lady to read clearly. So Zhaoxia whispered what was written in the document to her ear.
“There’s always light after dark, there’s always light after dark!”
After hearing this, the old lady nodded continuously, and her old voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement as she said, "Jiahui, come and see too!"
Cheng had been crying uncontrollably since she heard the news, but she didn't dare cry out loud, much less make a noise. Apart from following her mother-in-law obediently, she didn't dare do anything extra.
Seeing her mother-in-law about to hand over the document, she hurriedly shook her hands and repeatedly retreated: "No, you don't have to show it to me."
She just felt that she was an unlucky person, and was afraid that if the document got her hands on it, someone from the Inspectorate would come and revoke the order the next moment. She was really scared.
The old lady watched Cheng retreat and no longer forced her, sighing secretly in her heart.
The eldest daughter-in-law's only concern was Heng'er's imperial examination. This postponement had taught her a profound lesson. Years of indirect and explicit reminders had failed to motivate her to reflect, but this change of heart had made the old lady realize that some things only stick when they're hammered home.
Seeing her mother-in-law sighing and her sister-in-law shedding tears, Rong hurried forward to smooth things over: "Once this hurdle is over, everything will go smoothly for Heng-ge'er from now on, sister-in-law, don't you think?"
Cheng quickly wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly, not wanting her tears to ruin this happy event.
"However, there are only ten days left for the Spring Examination, Heng'er,
Cheng was a little worried. As soon as she opened her mouth, she realized she had said something wrong and quickly bit off the last half of her sentence: "Look at my mouth!"
Rong wanted to say a few more words of comfort, but when she saw Du Heng stand up at this moment, as if he had something to say, she took a step back and looked at him quietly.
However, unexpectedly, Du Heng did not speak immediately, but paused for a moment and slowly turned around.
Rong looked over and saw that the direction Heng'er turned was exactly the direction where Wanyi and Ying'er were standing beside him.
Wanyi was already smiling happily, and when she noticed her brother's gaze, she nodded at him playfully.
Su Ying was slightly stunned when her gaze met that.
At this moment, his expression was gentle, his eyes full of sincerity, as if silently asking: "Are you willing to do what I am about to say?"
Su Ying's heart tightened, and she understood what he wanted to say. She bit her lip and said nothing, as if she was thinking, or shy.
After just a moment, Du Heng, who hadn't received a response, felt his mouth dry. It was only the beginning of summer, so why was the main room so hot and stuffy?
Just when he almost couldn't help but raise his hand to loosen his clothes, Ying'er finally met his gaze. Her smile was like a clear spring, spreading from her lips and slowly flowing into his dry heart.
He was nervous just now, but at this moment he finally felt relieved. He made up his mind, turned around and bowed to the elders.
"These days, thanks to my cousin's help, I've found many ancient books and historical records in the library that I've never noticed before. I've immersed myself in them, and not only haven't I neglected my old studies, but I've gained new insights into many things."
At this point, he looked serious and continued, "Please rest assured, Grandmother, Mother, and Second Aunt, I will study hard for the exam and live up to your high expectations and my cousin's good intentions."
After a pause, his eyes softened, as if promising, yet also earnestly pleading, "After the Spring Examination is over, I have something to worry about. I hope the elders will support me then."
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