Chapter 10 Imperial College
Shen Yuan didn't know that her father had thought so much about it. Xie Hui was good-looking, but just from that one glance, she didn't want to covet his "beauty".
The next morning, Shen Yuan and his sister-in-law set out to visit Shen Su at the Imperial College.
The Imperial College was located in the east of the city, and the Shen family was in the south. It took nearly half an hour by carriage to get there from home.
Shen Yuan held his head and looked at He Ying, who was wearing a turquoise dress. There was a faint smile on her face, and a hint of shyness when she looked at the bundle in her arms. Her originally calm eyes now had a little more sparkle.
"Sister-in-law, my brother is so lucky."
In Shen Yuan's heart, He Ying was the best girl. Not only was she well-read in poetry and literature, and proficient in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, she was also the best at embroidery. Moreover, she was kind, elegant and considerate, and had a very beautiful appearance, a beauty that made people feel like being bathed in the spring breeze.
Shen Yuan heard from her brother that when her sister-in-law came of age, the threshold to her door was almost broken down by people, but in the end, her brother was the one who got the beauty.
He Ying thought Shen Yuan was talking about clothes. She reached out and touched Shen Yuan's hair, her lips slightly curved.
"Sister-in-law, please make a more beautiful one for Manman later."
Shen Yuan took advantage of the situation and fell into He Ying's arms. "Sister-in-law, I don't want clothes. Making clothes is too hard, and I don't want you to work so hard. Sister-in-law, you are so beautiful today. My brother will probably be dumbfounded when he sees you."
Every time Shen Yuan opened her mouth, she uttered sweet words, which touched He Ying deeply.
Shen Yuan has been able to coax people since she was young, and she is also very cute. Even her grandfather, who never smiles, can be coaxed into smiling by her.
When she first heard it, she would blush, but over the years, He Ying gradually got used to it.
“Manman is also very beautiful.”
The Shen family members were all good-looking, especially her mother-in-law, Madam Shen. He Ying had seen Madam Shen several times when she was a child. She was truly a fairy-like woman, and she still remembers her to this day.
It’s a pity that beauty is envied by God… Thinking of this, He Ying reached out and touched Shen Yuan’s little face lovingly.
Shen Yuan looks very much like her mother, but now she is young and her face still has a childish look.
A pair of round almond-shaped eyes seem to be able to speak, and even without speaking, they can exude spirituality.
When she smiles, two pear-shaped ripples appear on her cheeks and her eyes curve into crescents, which are so sweet that they can touch people's hearts.
Shen Su also had a handsome face with clear features. He had the same dimples as Shen Yuan, but Shen Su didn't like to smile as much as his sister, so the dimples were not often seen.
Thinking of Shen Su, He Ying's face turned red again.
…
"Madam, Miss, we are here."
The Imperial College is the highest institution of learning in Dazhao. It is naturally magnificent. The plaque hanging at the highest point of the main gate is written by Emperor Taizu himself. The children of officials of the fifth rank and above can enter the school without taking the entrance examination. Each official can have two exemptions. If someone has more children, sorry, the rest will have to take the exam honestly!
As the highest institution of learning, the Imperial College naturally could not only accept children of officials. Every July, the Imperial College would organize an entrance examination, which was open to all students and everyone had the opportunity to enroll.
Of course, the number of admissions was also very limited, and students tried their best to be admitted to the Imperial Academy. Not only was it because the Imperial Academy had the most outstanding talents and the most knowledgeable professors, but also because the Ministry of Personnel would organize an examination for students of the Imperial Academy every year. Those who passed the examination could be directly selected as officials. It is conceivable how attractive this was to students.
Shen Yuan and Shen Su's cousin once studied in the Imperial Academy and passed the civil service examination, and now he is a county magistrate. However, Shen Su is different from his cousin. He did not plan to take the civil service examination, but focused on preparing for the imperial examination.
Shen Suo had studied very hard before, and after returning from the last vacation, he even forgot to eat and sleep. This afternoon, the chief wine master gave a lecture in person, and it was said that he would also personally grade the students' essays. At this moment, the students gathered in groups of three or four to discuss this matter.
The Master Jijiu had once won the top three places in the imperial examination, so the students naturally yearned to follow him. Shen Su was no exception. At this moment, he was looking through his past articles, trying to select the best one, and hoped to get personal guidance from the Master Jijiu.
It was not until he heard the servant announce that someone had come to his house that he put down the article in his hand in a daze.
"Jinxing (Shen Xu, courtesy name Jinxing), hurry up, your family is here to see you." Seeing that he seemed to be stunned, his classmate pushed him quickly. Only then did he react and hurried out.
"Jinxing, didn't you just go home last week for the holiday? Why are your family members visiting again?"
This was also the reason why Shen Xu was stunned. For a moment he even wondered if something had happened at home.
"You don't understand this, right? Brother Jianxing just got married. I think it's probably my sister-in-law who came to see him."
There was a place in the Imperial College specifically for receiving students' families. In order to facilitate the families of students from other places to come, there were also separate houses for people to live in. These were all concentrated in a courtyard in the southeast of the Imperial College.
Shen Su saw his wife and younger sister outside the courtyard, and he was relieved. As long as his wife and younger sister were fine, nothing happened. As for his father, he was a fourth-rank official after all. If something happened to him, he couldn't have heard anything.
It was obvious that both of them were thinking about each other, but when they saw each other, they were like fools and couldn't speak.
It was Shen Yuan who broke the silence first, "Brother! My sister-in-law and I are here to see you, are you happy?"
"Happy, happy!" Shen Xu gave a silly smile that only his family could see.
My brother, sister-in-law and their spouse must have a lot of private things to say, so Shen Yuan decided not to stand here and disturb them.
"Brother, sister-in-law, you two can chat slowly. I'm going to go for a walk outside."
He Ying was about to say that Manman didn't need to go out, but Shen Su spoke first, "Then Manman, don't go too far, just stay outside, I will take you to the cafeteria for dinner later."
If my sister were here, Shen Xu would be too embarrassed to say many things.
There weren't so many rules in the Imperial College. As long as they didn't disturb the students from studying, people from outside who wanted to visit the students were allowed to come here and take a look. But Shen Su was afraid that his sister would get lost, so he gave a few more instructions.
Shen Yuan also knew that the Imperial College was not a place for her to run around, so she obediently stayed outside the courtyard waiting for the two to come out and did not walk around.
After about an incense stick of time, the two of them came out side by side. The bag that was originally in He Ying's hand was now in Shen Yuan's hand. Shen Yuan saw that her sister-in-law's face was flushed and her brother had a silly smile on his face. She pretended that she saw nothing and just laughed secretly in her heart.
"Yingniang, Manman, it's still early. I'll show you around and then we'll come back for dinner."
In the Imperial College, the two naturally followed Shen Su's arrangements.
"Come on! Come on, come on, follow me."
Before the three of them walked out of the yard, they saw a man running in hurriedly, grabbing Shen Su and trying to leave.