Chapter 585 Wang Jiaxu
At the hour of You (5-7 PM), Meng Chengzhang took his leave.
During dinner, Meng Jinyao placed a piece of fish on Gu Jingxi's plate and then asked, "Husband, today we tested my second brother and Xiuwen's scholarship and read their essays. What do you think of them? If they were to participate in this year's autumn imperial examination, how confident would they be?"
Gu Jingxi answered truthfully: "With my second brother's current level, passing the autumn imperial examination should be no problem. If he performs normally, he can even get a good ranking. As for Xiuwen, this child was spoiled by his sister-in-law in the past and was lazy and neglected his studies, but he is intelligent and quick-witted and has a lot of potential. In recent years, he has worked hard and has been taught by famous teachers from Lingshan Academy. He is not much worse than Xiuhong was at that time. As long as he performs normally, he will not do badly."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao's face lit up with joy: "So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, my second brother will pass the imperial examination?"
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly and hummed in agreement.
Meng Jinyao's smile deepened, her joy almost overflowing. Her second brother was promising and could support the Meng family. If he could pass the imperial examination in the autumn and become a Jinshi in the spring next year, he could secure an official position in the court. At that time, it would be much easier to find him a good girl.
Gu Jingxi saw her bright eyes and cheerful expression and smiled, "They say that an elder sister is like a mother, and that's true. You care about your second brother just like an old mother."
Meng Jinyao replied, "I am now married and can no longer take care of him like I did when I was a child. I only hope that he will be successful, get married and start a family, and have a loving wife by his side. That way I can rest easy. When my grandfather was bedridden, his biggest worry was my second brother and me. If my siblings and I are doing well, my grandfather can rest in peace."
Gu Jingxi said gently, "Don't worry, Yao. My second brother is very talented and has a good aptitude for studying. This time, he traveled with his teacher and broadened his horizons. His writing has improved a lot." As he spoke, he put some more food into her bowl. "Let's eat first."
Meng Jinyao nodded and continued eating.
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Before we knew it, the triennial autumn imperial examinations were upon us.
Zhang sent her youngest son to the examination hall early in the morning, intending to have her daughter Xuanyi go with her, but her daughter was still sleeping in. She sent someone to call her in advance, but they couldn't get her to come.
Zhang was somewhat annoyed: "This girl's temper has gotten worse since she came back from the divorce. She didn't even come to see her own brother off when he went to the examination hall."
Gu Xiuwen didn't care about these things and said, "Mother, let Xuanyi sleep a little longer. It's fine as long as you take your son away."
"Never mind her, let's go."
After saying this, Zhang sighed almost imperceptibly. Xiuwen and Xuanyi are twins, but Xiuwen is becoming more and more sensible and ambitious. Why is Xuanyi becoming more and more rebellious as she gets older? For every sentence she says, Xuanyi can retort with three.
Just a couple of days ago, this girl was saying that the man she had found for her was too old, that he was an old man who had never been married before and was only twenty years old, two years older than her. How could he be old? Could it be that she really wanted to find a callow youth? In that case, she might not have found a husband, but a son, and would become a new mother.
Sometimes she suspects that her daughter doesn't want to remarry and is saying this on purpose, but her daughter says it so seriously that they even argue about it. Now she is only half convinced.
When the mother and son arrived at the examination hall, many students had already arrived, and many of them had relatives who came to see them off.
Seeing so many students taking the exam, Zhang couldn't help but feel nervous. Her hopes for her son's success surged instantly, and she instructed him, "Xiuwen, you must work hard. If we split up the family in the future, our eldest branch will have to rely on you and your elder brother to support the family. After you pass the exam, your mother will find you a good girl."
Gu Xiuwen ignored the first half of his mother's sentence and said with a smile, "Mother, my second brother is not married yet, why should I be in a hurry?"
Zhang glared at him: "Then why don't you say that your third uncle only got married at the age of twenty-nine?"
Gu Xiuwen replied, "It's not impossible for me to get married at twenty-nine. By then, I might have already made a name for myself in the court, and there will be many more girls who want to marry me than there are now. Alright, Mother, don't worry about these things. Your son knows what he's doing."
Zhang was speechless at his words and didn't want to scold him at this moment. She took a deep breath and said, "Forget it, children are really troublesome. I thought you had grown up and become sensible before, but now it seems that you are no different from your sister Xuanyi. Let's talk about marriage next year. Right now, it's more important to pass the imperial examination."
Gu Xiuwen responded and was about to say goodbye to his mother when he inadvertently looked up and saw his twin sister standing not far away, waving at him. He was slightly taken aback, then smiled back. His sister still cared about him. She hadn't come with them earlier, clearly trying to avoid their mother. His mother was really something, always causing trouble and making Xuanyi suffer like this.
Meanwhile, Gu Xuanyi saw her brother say goodbye to her mother and quietly left as well, to avoid being caught by her mother and given another lecture.
There are many students taking the exam today, and many people are also seeing them off.
Suddenly, Gu Xuanyi was bumped by someone, stumbled, and almost fell. Fortunately, someone reached out and steadied her. Just as she was about to thank them, she heard the person who had offered her help say, "Sister Xuanyi, be careful."
Judging from the voice, it must be a young boy.
Gu Xuanyi slowly raised her head and saw the person in front of her clearly. He was a young man of about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a moon-white long robe. His skin was snow-white with a jade-like luster. His eyebrows and eyes were exquisitely beautiful, his lips were red and his teeth were white. He looked at her with concern in his peach blossom eyes.
She didn't recognize the man, but he called her Sister Xuanyi. She asked blankly, "Young master, do you know me?"
The boy was taken aback: "Sister Xuanyi, don't you remember me?"
Gu Xuanyi gently shook her head. When did she meet such a handsome young man? He was so good-looking that he was unforgettable. If she had known him, she would never have forgotten him.
The boy added, "Wang Yingqiu is my older sister."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xuanyi was astonished: "You are Yingqiu's younger brother, Wang Xuzhi?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at the handsome young man in front of her again. She really couldn't connect the young man with the chubby boy in her memory. Her friend's younger brother, Wang Xuzhi, was a chubby boy who usually followed behind them like a little shadow. Later, she heard that he was taken to Wang Xuzhi's maternal grandparents' home for education and studied in a foreign family. He rarely returned to the capital.
Wang Xuzhi nodded with a smile: "Yes."
Gu Xuanyi looked at him, marveling inwardly. Boys change so much as they grow up! This child has grown up to be so handsome. She really hadn't noticed before. She smiled gently and said, "It's been a few years. Xuzhi has grown so much."
As she spoke, she recalled that when her third brother Xiuwen passed the imperial examination, her friend Yingqiu had mentioned that her younger brother had also passed the imperial examination at the age of thirteen, making him an extraordinary young man. He was only fifteen this year, and it seemed that he had come to participate in the autumn imperial examination. So she asked, "Have you come here today to participate in the autumn imperial examination as well?"
Wang Xuzhi replied, "Yes, I'd like to give it a try, just to gain some experience."
After hearing this, Gu Xuanyi gave him an approving look and said, "That's good. You're still young, don't put too much pressure on yourself. By the way, did you come alone today? Didn't your parents come to see you off?"
Wang Xuzhi replied, "They just went back."
Gu Xuanyi nodded knowingly, and without wasting his time, said, "Then you should hurry up and go into the examination room, so as not to waste time. I also have to go back."
Wang Xuzhi replied, "Okay, take care, Sister Xuanyi."
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