Chapter 129 Gift of Lantern
A bushel of pearls may not be much for a wealthy family, but being bestowed by the emperor has a different meaning. It is not only a great honor, but also means leaving an impression on the emperor!
Suddenly, tensions began to build among the talented men.
Han Baocheng patted Yang Zhe on the shoulder and said, "Brother Yang, there's no hope for us. It's up to you now."
Zhang Liangyu on the side was unhappy: "Who said that? I think I can think about it again."
Li Lan didn't say anything, but racked his brains to think of the answer.
Among the five, Yang Zhe is calm, Han Baocheng is cheerful, Wen Feng is decent, Zhang Liangyu likes to make trouble, and Li Lan is the most competitive.
But there are some things that are useless to try too hard to do, such as this riddle, which you just can’t guess.
Yang Zhe's eyes, as calm as water, swept through the crowd and fell on the girl in a pea green jacket and honey-colored skirt.
"Then I'll try it," he said.
"Go quickly, go quickly." Han Baocheng and Zhang Liangyu pushed him out with a smile.
Although Li Lan did not move, his frown relaxed.
It's always better if a friend can guess it than if someone else can guess it.
When they saw Yang Zhe coming out, there was a burst of discussion among the crowd.
"It's Yang Zhuangyuan."
"Is he Yang Zhuangyuan? He's so young and handsome!"
"Didn't you see the parade of the top scholar last year?"
"What are you seeing? There are so many people, I can only see the backs of their heads."
Some classmates, feeling sour in their hearts, murmured quietly: "Guessing lantern riddles is not like writing eight-legged essays. What does it have to do with whether or not you are the top scorer?"
In the Spring Examination held every three years, Yang Zhe has been the only one to steal all the limelight. It has been a year, why hasn't he given others a chance?
The woman beside him rolled her eyes when she heard this: "Then you can go over and guess."
The man was about to retort when his friend tugged at his sleeve: "Don't argue, or you'll be beaten up by these girls."
Were these young ladies with shining eyes only attracted by Yang Zhe's talent? No, it was clearly his face!
The man shut up angrily.
It’s not shameful to fail to guess the riddles, but it is too embarrassing to be beaten up by a group of women.
Yang Zhe walked up to the clerk and bowed politely: "I want to give it a try."
The clerk immediately recognized this person as last year's top scholar and immediately became excited: "Please tell me the answer."
Yang Zhe smiled and said, "For a lifetime."
His voice was clear and his pronunciation was distinct, and many little girls couldn't help but scream when they heard it.
For a lifetime!
When a man like Yang Zhuangyuan says these four words seriously, how many women can resist being moved?
In the crowd quietly separated by the guards, Princess Yi'an looked at the young man in front of the mountain of lights, a strange light flashing in her beautiful eyes: "Ning Hua, is he the new top scholar from last year?"
The Spring Examination held every three years was undoubtedly a highly anticipated event. She had to accompany the Empress Dowager on the day of the parade and was unable to watch, but she had heard that the new number one scholar's surname was Yang.
"Yes." Qi Qiong said in a light tone.
Having two handsome brothers, she couldn't get excited when she saw the champion. It wasn't that Yang Zhuangyuan couldn't compare to his brothers, but no matter how handsome he was, what did it matter to her? He wasn't her own.
Princess Yi'an pursed her lips, and once again felt that she and Qi Qiong were not compatible.
Shouldn't Qi Qiong talk more about the top scholar at this time, just like the women around her?
"Ning Hua, do you think Yang Zhuangyuan's guess is correct?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask the clerk who saw the answer."
Princess Yian: “…” Do I need to be told this?
The clerk's excited shout was heard at the right moment: "If you guessed right, it's a lifetime."
Many people couldn't understand it for a moment and asked, "Why is it one lifetime?"
The clerk looked at Yang Zhe and said, "Mr. Yang, could you please explain this to me?"
Yang Zhe nodded slightly and slowly explained: "The first sentence is 'The spring rain is continuous and the wife is sleeping alone'. 'The rain is continuous' means there is no 'sun', and 'the wife is sleeping alone' means there is no 'husband'. 'Spring' without 'sun' and 'husband' is just 'one'. The second sentence is 'The moon has just risen at the hour of Xu'. 'The hour of Xu' means after the hour of You, so 'the moon has just risen' still means there is no 'sun'. 'The word 'awakening' without 'you' and 'sun' is just 'life'. The third sentence is 'The husband was once alone and has not returned'. 'One person' has not returned, so 'one' and 'man' are removed from 'husband', leaving only 'one'. The fourth sentence is 'The butterfly has emerged from its cocoon, leaving the branch to wither. 'After emerging from the cocoon, there is no 'insect', and after the branch withers, there is no 'wood'. 'Butterfly' without 'insect' and 'wood' is just 'world'. So the answer to this riddle is 'one life, one life'."
Puzzles are like this. When you don’t know the answer, you rack your brains, but once you hear the explanation, you suddenly feel enlightened.
"It really is a lifetime, why didn't I think of it just now!"
"As expected of the number one scholar, he is so quick-witted."
The little girls' concerns are different.
"Who do you think the top scholar will give the glass lamp to?"
"The champion seems to have come with friends. I didn't see any female companions."
"Ah, so he might give it to a strange girl?"
The other lanterns can be given to anyone, but the ninth-floor glass palace lantern can only be given to young women according to unwritten rules.
Just like the undercurrent of tension that had just arisen when the talented men heard that guessing the riddle would earn them a bucket of pearls from the emperor, the little girls suddenly became nervous.
That’s a glazed palace lantern, a gift from the number one scholar!
Either of these two is exciting enough to look forward to.
The yamen runner had already climbed up and taken down the glazed palace lantern. The clerk took it and carefully handed it to Yang Zhe: "Take this, Yang Zhuangyuan. Congratulations."
Normally, while correcting the riddle would bring honor, it wouldn't be congratulations. But this time was different. Besides winning the glazed palace lantern, there would also be a reward from the Emperor, and his fame would reach his ears.
This is very beneficial for young people who have just started their career.
Yang Zhuangyuan has a bright future!
Liu Chuan also came over and gave several sincere compliments.
For him, talent or not, the most important thing is not to disappoint the emperor.
"Thank you for the compliment, eunuch." Yang Zhe held the glass palace lantern in his hand, without a trace of complacency on his face.
"Then we will go and report back."
"Take care, father-in-law."
The clerk watched Liu Chuan walk towards the crowd and kindly reminded Yang Zhe: "Yang Zhuangyuan, this glass palace lantern is traditionally given to a girl——"
The onlookers secretly thought that the clerk was capable of doing the job, and they were getting impatient waiting.
Even Liu Chuan, who was returning to report, paused and slowed down.
He waited and saw who Yang Zhuangyuan would give the palace lantern to, perhaps the emperor would be interested.
"Is there such a rule?" Yang Zhe subconsciously looked at a few friends, and then saw countless people nodding.
"Is that so—" Yang Zhe pondered, looked around, and walked in one direction.
Zhu Jiayu suddenly pulled her friend aside: "I don't know if it's an illusion, but Yang Zhuangyuan seems to be coming towards us!"
The time was short, yet seemed very long. When Yang Zhe stopped, many people were still in shock.
"Miss Lin Er, I think this glass lamp suits you very well. Please accept it."
Lin Hao was stunned for a moment when he saw the young man holding the lantern and smiling.
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