The wait was long, but the Zhao brothers did not stop studying while waiting for the results.
The gatekeeper came to report that Yan Fenglou and his group had arrived and were waiting in the living room.
The two brothers quickly came out to greet them.
"Gentlemen, welcome, welcome."
I've been busy reading these days and haven't had a chance to visit you all. How have you been?
Zhao Qingyang spoke first.
Yan Fenglou rolled her eyes at Zhao Qingyang.
"You're so annoying. I came to your house just to get some peace and quiet."
You brought this up before I even got comfortable sitting in the chair.
It seems Brother Qingyang did quite well on the exam this time.
Zhao Qingyang chuckled.
"That's absurd. Anyone who takes the exam will think they did well and are on the list."
As for the outcome, we can only leave it to fate.
When faced with the unknown, we should naturally think of the best-case scenario. If we win, we'll still have to participate in the next round.
Therefore, he did not neglect his studies.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Since the princess married into the family, Yan Fenglou and the others have rarely stayed for meals at the Zhao family's residence.
They were afraid of making too much noise and offending the eldest princess.
"There's a lot of betting going around lately about who will win the top prize in the imperial examination. Has anyone placed a bet?"
Mo Jiuzhong asked.
Everyone shook their heads, especially Zhao Qingyi.
Upon hearing Mo Jiuzhong's words, he immediately clutched his pocket.
"Brother Mo, could it be that your family owns a casino and is involved in betting?"
I'm young, and I need to save the little money I have to buy paints and the best Xuan paper for painting.
You can't corrupt me.
My sister said that gambling, big or small, is still gambling, and anything associated with the word "gambling" is bad.
Don't try to trick me into betting.
Mo Jiuzhong was quite helpless.
"Am I that kind of person? What good would it do me to cheat you out of your money to place bets?"
However, there are now quite a few versions circulating among the public.
Some say that Hong Fuyuan, the eldest grandson of the foremost Confucian scholar, is destined to pass the imperial examination.
Some say that Qiu Kangtai, the grandson of Prime Minister Qiu, was the one who could pass the imperial examination.
The odds for the two are now 1 to 2.
It's clear that Hong Liuchuan is the more favored candidate.
Zhao Qingyi rolled her eyes.
"Brother Mo, where did you learn about these things?"
Have you been walking around on the streets a lot lately instead of staying home to study properly?
"Hey, why are you so unambitious? You've really disappointed me."
Although Zhao Qingbei is 17 years old now, he is still the youngest among the others.
Despite his tall stature, he still has a lot of baby fat on his face, making him look like a large-sized child.
Zhao Qingyi's words caused everyone to burst into laughter.
"What nonsense! This is what my little cousin told me. I don't have time to fool around outside."
My brother is right, how can we not strive for improvement?
However, everyone talks about balancing work and rest, so I've come to pay a visit to your esteemed residence today.
Zhao Qingbei nodded, "That makes sense. How about we have hot pot today?"
To everyone's surprise, Zhao Qingbei's thought process was so peculiar; he had been discussing academic matters, but suddenly he jumped to hot pot.
You look at me, I look at you.
"That's not a good idea. There are so many of us, we're not enough to cause a ruckus. If we disturb the princess, then it would be our fault."
Zhao Qingyang shook his head.
"My friends, don't worry, Mother actually enjoys lively gatherings."
She often says that a home needs people to liven things up, otherwise life won't be prosperous.
We happen to have some ingredients at home; a few slaughtered sheep were delivered from the estate yesterday.
"We'll have mutton hot pot today."
After thinking about it, everyone agreed.
Since the end of the imperial examinations, many candidates, while awaiting the results, did not forget to socialize.
The restaurants outside were almost completely filled with those scholars.
Either this restaurant is hosting a poetry gathering, or that restaurant is having a debate.
They were all drinking wine that cost hundreds of coins per pound and spouting drunken nonsense worth thousands of taels of silver. It was truly unbearable.
To show respect, Zhao Qingyang went to the backyard to ask the Princess for permission to invite her guests to have dinner at her home.
Princess Yan Yue agreed.
These children who came were all from families of high-ranking officials, so it was still very necessary to maintain good relations with them.
A nation is fortunate to have talented people. A family prospers when it has good friends.
As long as you are human, you must engage in social activities.
Whether you're in business or in government, you can't get by without friends, and Yan Yue is quite open-minded about this.
Of course, Yan Yue and Zhao Minggeng still ate their meal in the backyard.
As Yan Yue's belly grew bigger day by day, she never went to the restaurant at the entrance of the hospital to eat again.
While they were having mutton hotpot in the front yard, Princess Yanyue wanted to eat beef skewers.
Even though it has been emphasized many times, it is unhealthy for pregnant women to eat barbecue.
In particular, eat less chili peppers, otherwise the baby is prone to developing rashes after birth.
But Yan Yue is so greedy.
"Oh, it's okay, we'll eat if we want. It's not like we don't have beef."
We raise so many beef cattle outside our estate just for you to eat.
Besides, what's the harm in eating it once or twice? Just use less chili. Don't hold back.
Zhao Minggeng spoke up.
What he couldn't stand the most was his wife's pitiful little eyes.
It's really inappropriate for a princess of a nation to have to worry about so many things when she's having a meal.
Princess Yan Yue was still hesitant, "But it's not good for the baby."
Zhao Minggeng held his wife's hand.
Don't worry, when we eat, we'll eat more green vegetables.
If all else fails, we can consult the imperial physicians to take our pulses and get a prescription.
As long as you are healthy, your baby will definitely grow strong.
Finally, Princess Yan Yue got to eat the beef skewers she had been longing for.
For the sake of her baby's health, she only ate one skewer with chili peppers, and didn't add any chili peppers to the others.
Although the flavor didn't seem as rich as the spicy version, Princess Yan Yue was still very satisfied.
After the meal, the imperial physician was invited to the Zhao residence.
The imperial physician was terrified before he arrived; the princess's pregnancy wasn't even at its due date yet.
Why the sudden call for a doctor? Could something be wrong?
After taking her pulse, they discovered that there was no pregnant woman healthier than the princess.
Upon learning that the cause of the anxiety was eating something considered "heaty" (causing internal heat), the imperial physician was almost speechless.
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