Chapter 225 The Autumn Examination Ends
Dali Temple.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Gu Jingxi felt that his colleagues' eyes kept glancing at him, and their meaningful looks and teasing smiles made him feel strange.
Gu Jingxi was very puzzled. She pulled her friend aside and asked in a low voice, "Mo Bai, is there something on my face?"
Qi Yunwen glanced at him indifferently, then shook her head: "No, why do you ask that?"
Gu Jingxi asked again, "If not, then why are they looking at me so strangely?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yunwen suddenly realized, and his gaze shifted downwards, finally landing on the sachet at his waist. The sachet was actually quite beautiful, with fine stitches and excellent embroidery. However, the mandarin duck pattern on it was eye-catching. Who wouldn't find it strange that the usually stern and unsmiling Minister of the Court was wearing such a sachet?
Qi Yunwen smiled and said, "Your sachet is quite pretty. Did your sister-in-law give it to you?"
Gu Jingxi subconsciously touched the sachet at his waist, recalling the little girl's shy and adorable appearance as she personally hung the sachet on his waist last night. He smiled and said, "Besides her, who else would give me something like this?"
"Yaoling, didn't you raise her like a child? How come, after raising her for so long..." Qi Yunwen smiled knowingly, and even winked teasingly, "It's like this, huh?"
Gu Jingxi paused for a moment. He had indeed raised the girl like a child, but plans can't keep up with changes. He responded smoothly, "She and I are husband and wife, just with an age gap."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yunwen clicked his tongue twice and said, "You are indeed husband and wife, but you don't need to flaunt it like a peacock displaying its tail feathers, hanging it around your waist as if you're afraid no one will know that your sister-in-law made you a sachet."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi understood why his colleagues were looking at him strangely today. He said calmly, "A sachet is just an accessory. What's wrong with wearing it? You're making a fuss over nothing. Making a sachet takes effort. Wouldn't it be a waste of their good intentions not to wear it?"
Qi Yunwen was speechless. Actually, he also had a sachet symbolizing romantic love. Why didn't he wear it tomorrow? His friend and boss was wearing one, so what was wrong with him wearing it too?
However, this seemingly small matter spurred other officials in the Court of Judicial Review to act.
Officials who had gotten married used to think that such sachets were only for their leisure time. Wearing them while on duty at the yamen would be a bit embarrassing if their colleagues saw them. Now that the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had taken the lead, and the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices followed suit, they felt a bit out of place if they didn't wear them.
The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices dotes on Madam Gu and is a doting husband. He may also admire people like her. As subordinates, if they can gain their superiors' favor, it will benefit their careers. So, whether they truly love their wives or are just putting on an act, many officials follow suit. Even if they don't have such a sachet, they will have their wives make one.
This gesture pleased their respective wives, who then decided to make sachets with different designs for them.
Later on, officials even developed a competitive spirit, showing off what their wives had made for them. Unconsciously, the relationship between the officials and their spouses improved a lot, and even long-married couples gained a bit more novelty.
Everyone says that the officials in the Dali Temple have a good work ethic, and the men are all very doting on their wives.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
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The next day.
After the autumn examinations ended, the students who participated left the examination hall one after another.
After nine days and seven nights, they ate, drank, and relieved themselves all in the examination hall. The conditions in the examination hall's examination cells were poor, with poor food, drink, and rest. Coupled with the great pressure on the candidates, their minds were tense. After the exam, the candidates were all listless, pale, and had lost a lot of weight.
Looking around, some of the candidates coming out of the examination hall could walk on their own, some needed to be helped out by one another, and some even fainted and had to be carried out. Those who fainted were mostly the poorest in health or the rich young masters who had never suffered hardship.
The family members who came to pick up the examinees all eagerly awaited the appearance of that familiar figure.
Both Zhang and Chen came to pick up their sons, wanting to ask how their sons did on the exams. However, when they saw that their sons had lost weight and looked listless, as if all their energy had been drained, their eyes welled up with tears. They were heartbroken and had no time to ask how their sons did. Instead, they rushed over to comfort them.
"Xiuyuan, you've worked hard. You look like you've lost weight."
“Our Xiu Hong has also lost weight. Look at his face, he has no color at all.”
"Sigh, I need to make sure I recover properly when I get back."
"That's right."
...
Gu Xiuming watched as his two elder brothers received warm greetings and various forms of care from their elders, while he, on the other hand, only had his page to pick him up. His father did not show up at either the beginning or the end of the autumn examinations, which made him feel somewhat resentful.
After finishing her conversation with her son, Zhang was about to go back when she noticed Gu Xiuming standing to the side. She glanced at him briefly and saw that he had also lost weight, so she asked with concern, "Xiuming, how are you feeling? You've lost quite a bit of weight."
Gu Xiuming suppressed his discomfort and replied nonchalantly, "Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I'm fine, just a little tired."
Zhang said, "Then let's go back first to bathe and change clothes, and then get a good night's sleep and rest."
Gu Xiuming responded, and then, with the help of his page, he boarded the carriage, and the group headed back home.
Meanwhile, Meng Jinyao was strolling leisurely at home when she suddenly saw Zhang Shi and her group. Only then did she belatedly realize that the autumn examinations had ended today, and her eldest and second sisters-in-law had gone to the gate of the examination hall to pick up their respective sons.
She then looked at the three Gu brothers. They looked haggard, with dark circles under their eyes and bloodshot eyes. They looked exhausted and unsteady on their feet, needing the help of servants. The elegant demeanor of noble young masters was nowhere to be seen. Gu Xiuming, in particular, looked even worse than his two brothers, showing that he had been working very hard these past few days.
However, although Gu Xiuming was in the worst condition, there was a hint of confidence in his eyes that Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuhong did not have.
She was surprised. Could it be that Gu Xiuming did very well on the exam?
After a moment, Meng Jinyao withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, stepped forward, and said gently, "Sister-in-law, you're back. Xiuyuan and the others look much thinner, especially Xiuming. Are you alright?"
Gu Xiuming bowed respectfully and replied, "I am fine, Mother, you need not worry."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly: "It's good that you're alright. You must not have rested well these past few days. Now that you're back, go back and rest for a while. After you've rested, go and pay your respects to your grandmother tomorrow. She was talking about you three brothers yesterday."
Gu Xiuming replied, "Yes, Mother."
Afterwards, Gu Xiuming was helped back to Qingyuxuan by a servant. Zhang and Chen exchanged a few pleasantries with Meng Jinyao and then sent their respective sons back home.
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