Chapter 118 No need to guess, the top spot on the gold list belongs to you, Brother Yuan!
"Sir, are we really leaving?"
Yu Nian, the servant sitting at the front of the carriage, stopped the driver's raised whip, feeling uncertain and uncertain. He couldn't help but look back at the young man leaning against the soft seat with his eyes slightly closed, and asked carefully.
Yuan Song had been resting his eyes, but when he heard this spineless question, he tutted in disdain: "Why, you want to stay in the cabinet minister's residence? Do you want me to kick you out and grant you your wish?"
Yu Nian immediately said repeatedly, "I dare not, I dare not." and let go of the hand that was holding the driver.
The coachman shouted "Gee!" and the carriage slowly drove out of the mansion.
Yuan Song put his hands behind his head, looked up at the roof of the car, and suddenly hummed and laughed.
His aunt, with her considerate nature, never made final decisions. He had assumed she would continue to blandly address the proposal, but today she suddenly changed her tune, specifically targeting Ying'er's father, intent on provoking him.
And his uncle, who always took the Spring Examination more seriously than anything else, might have kept him in the mansion until the examination was over. But to expel him from the mansion over a simple disagreement was truly bizarre!
After a moment's silence, Yuan Song raised his hand to open the curtain and said to Yu Nian, "Don't go to our house yet. Turn around and go to Xi's house."
Ever since Xi Xiyue returned home from the Imperial Examination, he had been sitting alone at his desk, drinking and sighing. When a servant announced the arrival of a guest, he assumed it was one of his fellow students who often came to seek advice and enjoy a meal, and he felt unhappy.
"No, no, tell them that the Spring Examination is coming soon, and they should all stay home and study hard. Unless I hold a literary review meeting, I will not see them at all!"
Unexpectedly, the quietness had barely lasted long before the servant hurried back: "Master, the guest asked me to pass on a message: 'Brother Xi just learned from me not long ago that the Spring Examination was moved up. How come, in just a few days, he has turned his back on me?'"
Oh my! Upon hearing this, Xi Xiyue hurriedly stood up. He could not offend anyone, but he could not offend the nephew of the cabinet minister! Is he going to continue his career in the government? Is he going to be able to enter the officialdom?
"Brother Yuan, please forgive me, Brother Yuan, please forgive me!"
As soon as the door opened, Xi Xiyue appeared, his face beaming with joy. He bowed and said, "It's all my fault. I've been too indulgent with the servants and neglected Brother Yuan!"
Yuan Song knew that Xi Xiyue was putting all the blame on the servants for his disrespect just now. Now that he wanted to borrow Xi Xiyue's connections to ask a question, he naturally let it go and let it go.
He bowed and replied, "Brother Xi, you are too kind. I came here uninvited and disturbed your peace!"
The two of them kept saying, "Where, where."
The right sentence: "Thank you very much."
Finally, after we sat down, we started to talk about the main topic.
When Yuan Song saw Xi Xiyue trying to pour him some wine, he blocked it with his hand and declined, "Brother Xi, why are you drinking alone in the daytime? Is there something wrong?"
Xi Xiyue uttered a sigh and said, "The Imperial Examination Hall posted a notice today. Why didn't Brother Yuan go and see it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xi Xiyue seemed to have thought of something and drank a glass as punishment, saying, "Brother Yuan must have heard about it from Elder Yuan, so there's no need for him to go there in person."
This sentence caught Yuan Song's attention. He smiled and said, "I've been catching a cold for the past few days, and I just got better today. I really haven't had time to go to the Imperial Examination Hall yet. Could you please tell me what the content of this notice is that has caused you so much displeasure?"
Upon hearing this, Xi Xiyue had a rough idea. If Yuan Song had truly recovered from a cold, there was no way he'd come to his house. He must have something to ask him, but Yuan Song's status was unusual, so he didn't dare offend him. So he simply told him everything he could.
Yuan Song never expected that Du Heng would end up having his exam postponed. When he took the teacup handed to him by Xi Xiyue, he did not put it down for a long time.
"Brother Yuan, I know I'm a bit overconfident, but I still want to ask you for help. Could you please intercede with Elder Yuan on behalf of my junior brother Du? He was in mourning for his father and missed the last Spring Examination. Now that he's been deferred, he'll undoubtedly have to wait another three years."
Xi Xiyue sighed deeply, unable to express his regret. "Brother Yuan, you and I are both candidates for the imperial examination. I'm sure you understand what these three years mean. Elder Yuan is in a high position of power. If he could speak up for my junior brother, Junior Brother Du would surely be able to extricate himself from the Xu Chongnian incident."
Yuan Song didn't know why, but he felt that his expulsion from the Yuan Mansion was vaguely related to Du Heng's postponement of the exam. However, the news came too suddenly, and he couldn't figure it out for a while.
"Brother Xi, didn't you just say that Brother Du's family even asked the old concubine to come out of retirement? If the old concubine can't do it, my uncle may not be able to do it either!"
Xi Xiyue was full of hope, but Yuan Song poured cold water on him, completely dashing his hope. He was completely disappointed. He just said sorry, filled a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp.
Yuan Song had always had it easy since childhood, with people always catering to him. Except for Ying'er, who never took him seriously, which made him feel strange, he had never established a true friendship with anyone.
Xi Xiyue's concern for Du Heng made Yuan Song feel an indescribable sadness.
"The friendship between Brother Xi and Brother Du is truly remarkable!"
Xi Xiyue, however, bowed and said, "Brother Yuan, you don't know this. My Junior Brother Du may appear cold and stoic, but he is actually a man of integrity and loyalty, and he clearly distinguishes right from wrong."
He put down his wine cup and sighed, "Four years ago, a classmate suddenly passed away, leaving behind only his mother and a piece of land. Unexpectedly, the clan leader of that classmate confiscated the land, the only thing that kept the old man alive. When Junior Brother Du heard about it, he went there in person to inquire about the whole story. He then brought the classmate's mother to see the clan leader. He cited the laws and regulations in court, refuting the clan leader speechless. Not only did he return the land, but he also paid a monthly stipend to support the classmate's mother."
"I, Xi Xiyue, consider myself to have a wide circle of friends, but among all the people I know, the only one who is not only good at writing, but also knows the laws of the Great Zhou by heart and can quote them properly is Junior Brother Du!"
He paused and gave a wry smile, "Everyone says that Junior Brother Du will be a capable man in the Ministry of Justice or the Supervisory Office in the future. Now he's been put on a deferred exam, and I don't know when he'll be able to take the exam. What a pity, what a pity!"
After saying this, he raised his cup and drank again: "Originally, everyone was still guessing whether it would be you, Brother Yuan, Junior Brother Du, or Brother Zhang Jie who would take first place in this year's Spring Examination. Now, there's no need to guess anymore. The top spot on the gold list must belong to you, Brother Yuan!"
Xi Xiyue's cheeks were flushed from drinking, and some words came out of his mouth without thinking. Unexpectedly, this unintentional sentence hit the point that Yuan Song disliked the most.
Because of his uncle's status, his achievements and honors from childhood were all secretly discussed. Now that Du Heng had postponed the exam, would his name on the list be criticized again?
If it was someone else, he wouldn't take it too seriously, but that person was Du Heng.
No! Absolutely not!
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