Chapter 111 I wanted you to see this, but you didn't...
After the dazzling formation of three hundred newly appointed scholars passed by, the crowd discussed it for a while before the bustling teahouse finally calmed down, and the tea drinkers paid their bills and left one after another.
Xu Rong also called his servant to settle the bill, and then followed Lin Ding and Madam Wei out the door and downstairs.
As I reached the stairwell, another group of people were walking towards me from the other side.
Surprisingly, it was Lord Xiao and his son Xiao Lun, surrounded by servants.
Xu Rong was taken aback, realizing that this was truly a case of meeting on a narrow road.
She subconsciously glanced at Lin Ding's back—to be honest, this eunuch was far superior to Lord Xiao in terms of character, but his temper was extremely unstable. Lord Xiao's presence here was solely for watching the imperial examination parade; if he were to lose his temper, he wouldn't need to say anything else, just a few words of thanks to Lord Xiao, and today would likely be far from over.
"Marquis Yongjing".
During the stalemate, Xiao Lun bowed and greeted them first.
Lin Dinggan responded with a dry "Mm".
He did have some manners, not bothering to argue with the younger generation, and raised his chin: "You can go first."
Xiao Lun said in a low voice, "Father, let's go."
Lord Xiao's face was icy, but he remained silent and quickly went downstairs.
After he left, Lin Dingcai became blunt and immediately said, "Is he crazy? Xiao Bao has nothing to do with him anymore, so why did he come to see him?"
Xu Rong also found it strange. It was reasonable for Lord Xiao to want to know Lin Xin's final ranking on the list of successful candidates, but the problem was that he really didn't need to come in person. He could have just sent a servant or at most Xiao Lun to take a look.
Despite the doubts, Xu Rong decided to drop the matter since he couldn't possibly pursue the matter to ask.
After leaving home and boarding the car, we arrived back at the residence just in time for lunch.
As evening approached, Lin Xin finally returned after a day of ceremonies. By then, Lin Dingdu had already received several waves of gifts at home, and even Xu Rong had received congratulatory gifts from the Marquis of Ji'an's residence and the Luo family.
Madam Xu also conveyed a message to her: because Xu Huazhang is getting engaged on the 22nd, the family is really busy and he can't get away to come over in person. She told her and Lin Xin that they could go back and sit down when they have time.
Xu Rong agreed and sent the messenger away. He was packing up the congratulatory gifts when Bai Fu's happy voice came from outside: "The young master is back! Congratulations, young master!"
Congratulations, Your Highness!
Congratulations to the top scholar!
The maids' cheerful, clear voices rang out in a flurry. Xu Rong heard Lin Xin pause and ask them, "Have you received your reward yet?"
"Yes, sir! The Marquis has received his share, and so has Madam!"
"Um."
His voice sounded surprisingly steady.
This was in stark contrast to the restless and unhappy feeling I had when I stayed at her place the previous two days, including when I left this morning.
Xu Rong raised an eyebrow and put down the rosewood inkstone box that Madam Xu had sent.
The curtain was lifted, and Lin Xin walked in.
He was now quite adept at going to the bedroom, but today was different. He was still wearing his red robe, a bright color that he rarely wore, so whenever he did, it always caught people's attention.
"Scholar, are you no longer angry?" she couldn't help but ask with a smile.
Lin Xin remained unmoved by her teasing and walked straight to her side before asking, "Did you see me up there?"
Xu Rong nodded. Of course I saw it.
Yin Hua accepted them all.
Lin Xin smiled, as if he was very satisfied.
"Hard work pays off." Xu Rong exclaimed sincerely.
The British Duke wouldn't send false information. She didn't know how this variable came about, but Lin Xin continued to study diligently even on the run. He refused to admit defeat and never gave up, so he ultimately did not lose.
The saying "no effort is wasted" may sound like motivational rhetoric, but it's a fact when you actually do it.
She asked curiously, "Do you know what happened?"
Lin Xin nodded: "When I was changing clothes in the side hall, I saw His Highness the Crown Prince. He told me that His Majesty had personally selected me."
Xu Rong was both surprised and unsurprised: "I see."
The power to appoint the top scholar originally belonged to the emperor, so it seems—
“It seems that His Majesty and the civil officials are not of one mind,” she said with delight. “Xuancheng, this is your lucky day.”
Is the achievement of an article solely determined by the article itself? Not necessarily. At the level of the imperial examination, external factors can sometimes outweigh internal factors, such as the exclusion and suppression by some civil officials, or the emperor's favor.
The heart of a saint is unfathomable, and it is also powerful.
After the game, the latter won.
Lin Xin nodded. Having finally gotten what he wanted, he regained his aloof demeanor, though there was still a hint of unspoken words in his eyes.
Xu Rong looked into his eyes, and for no reason, her spine stiffened. The room was still dark, and the dim light created an atmosphere of ambiguity. She suddenly vaguely understood what he meant, but immediately banished the thought from her mind, pretending not to understand or that she was overthinking it. She lowered her head, racking her brains to find a topic to talk about, but her mind was completely blank.
"Young Master, Madam, the Marquis has set out a meal and sent someone to invite you," Bai Fu said from outside the curtain.
There are four masters in the mansion, none of whom are very particular about etiquette. They sometimes eat together and sometimes they are not. But on a joyous occasion like today, they should still get together.
Xu Rong couldn't wait for that, and quickly said, "I understand, we'll go right away."
Then I went.
There were four people at the large round table, but with Lin Ding there, there was no fear of awkward silence. He ordered two jars of Zhuangyuanhong wine, vowing to give his son one jar each. However, Lin Xin didn't like drinking, and after two rounds with him, he refused to drink anymore. So he finished one and a half jars by himself.
He drank a lot and talked a lot, asking incessantly: "—Did the Crown Prince go there specifically to see you? It's impressive that he has such good taste!"
Lin Xindao: "No."
He pushed Lin Ding's head away a little—it wasn't that he disliked his biological father, but he had only recognized Lin Ding after he grew up and had never been able to get so close to him. Then he continued, "His Highness said that His Majesty may have some tasks assigned to me."
"So we need you so soon?" Lin Ding asked eagerly. "Shouldn't you be going to the Hanlin Academy? Or are you going to be a compiler?"
Lin Xin shook his head: "His Highness didn't say, he just told me to be prepared."
Lin Ding was delighted: "No matter what it is, it's a good thing! His Majesty values you."
He suddenly remembered Lord Xiao and said unhappily, "Xiao Bao, be careful. We're going to see you today, and Xiao Yuanhong is going too. I don't think he has good intentions. Don't let him trip you up again."
In fact, the trap had already been set, but Lin Xin was not afraid. He was not a talkative person, so he didn't say anything, but shook his head: "It's not to see me."
Hearing the certainty in his voice, Xu Rong seemed to know something and forgot her previous unease, so she looked over as well.
"We should go see the third-ranked scholar."
Lin Ding asked in surprise, "Huh?"
He thought for a moment, then turned to ask Madam Wei and Xu Rong respectively, "What did that third-place scholar look like again?"
Mrs. Wei shook her head in embarrassment; she was only concerned with her son and paid no attention to anyone else.
Xu Rong couldn't see clearly either; she couldn't even tell which one was the third-ranked scholar. However, this could give her a preliminary conclusion: the third-ranked scholar wasn't very good-looking.
The fact that the entire venue was filled with the young and handsome top scholar and the shouts of "Where is the third-place scholar?" when asked serves as evidence.
Human nature is so realistic that it's unrecognizable, which shows how ordinary people are.
Lin Ding had no choice but to ask Lin Xin again, "Why did Xiao Yuanhong go to see him? Do you know him?"
"I overheard the third-ranked scholar chatting with someone, and he mentioned that a noble family wanted to marry their eldest daughter to him." Lin Xin finished speaking tactfully, and then instructed, "It's not quite certain yet, so don't spread this around."
Xu Rong nodded, suddenly realizing what he meant.
Xiao Shan.
Lord Xiao is now choosing a husband for her again.
She was wondering why Lord Xiao would appear in person, and she didn't expect to get the answer here. It makes perfect sense. Back then, Lord Xiao had thought of choosing a scholar as a son-in-law for Xiao Shan, but Xiao Shan was too proud and didn't like him. She even ran away from home. That's when Lord Xiao started to pay attention to Lin Ding.
Unexpectedly, after going around in circles, she ended up back where she started. And this time, it seems Xiao Shan's bad luck has run out, as she bumped into a third-place scholar.
While she may be of average appearance—and certainly not ugly—there are basic appearance requirements for the third-place ranking, but her net worth is certainly not low.
"It's been difficult for the eldest daughter to find a husband. If this marriage can be arranged, that would be wonderful," said Madam Wei softly.
**
They finished the meal chatting and laughing, and Lin Ding was half drunk. While keeping an eye on him, Madam Wei urged Lin Xin and Xu Rong, "You two should go back and get some rest. You must be tired after a long day."
Xu Rong wasn't actually tired. She hadn't done anything; she had just gone out to watch the commotion and then returned home. But she held back and pretended to be really tired, closing the door to rest as soon as she got back to Chunsheng Courtyard.
We were a step too late.
Lin Xin followed her in and immediately exposed her: "You're avoiding me."
Xu Rong: "..."
They were overwhelmed and had no answer.
"Why are you avoiding me?" When Lin Xin walked up to her, his voice lowered and sounded much gentler, without that domineering tone.
Xu Rong stepped back and forced a voice, "No. It's getting late, let me have someone fetch water for you to bathe and rest—"
"You know what I'm thinking, don't you?" Lin Xin interrupted her and asked.
Xu Rong then said, "..."
That's not true.
She wasn't born into this world for nothing. She could sense men's desires, but she didn't know what to do after realizing the problem. In an instant, her advantage of being older was halved.
Being half-baked is troublesome and can sometimes even hold you back, like in this situation.
"Do you still like me even a little bit now?"
She was caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward, while Lin Xin remained calm and had endless questions to ask her.
When he said this, his tone softened again, even becoming somewhat cautious.
Xu Rong felt even more embarrassed to deny it, so she relented and said, "...a little more."
He smiled as soon as he finished speaking.
His smile was even brighter and more handsome, complementing his red robes perfectly and uplifting anyone who saw him. Xu Rong, caught off guard, found him moving closer again, and he even put his arm around her waist: "Do you know why I'm so determined to become the top scholar?"
Xu Rong shook her head, but she really wanted to know—she felt that his competitive spirit a couple of days ago was obviously unlike him.
This stopped her from struggling.
Lin Xin touched her forehead: "I want you to see that you haven't mistaken me for someone else."
"..."
So he had asked her earlier if she had seen him.
Xu Rong couldn't quite describe the strange feeling flowing through her heart, but it was probably something like, "Whatever he wants, I'll give it to him without hesitation."
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