Qin Wan asked, "Who is it that comes to visit at this hour?"
Yan Hong's angry expression vanished, and she smiled through the window, saying, "It's the young master who's come to see the young lady."
Qin Wan peeked out and saw Qin Heng dressed in new clothes walking into the courtyard, followed by several attendants carrying gift boxes. Her eyes welled up with tears.
This is because her mother cares about her. Her family members never come empty-handed, even when Qin Heng, a child, comes, they bring boxes of all sizes.
Qin Heng first greeted Lin's mother, who was standing in the courtyard with her hands on her hips.
Lin's mother asked, "Young master, you've come so early. Is there something you need from your in-laws?"
Qin Heng smiled and said, "Grandma, it's nothing much. It's just that my brother-in-law won a game of polo against Yelü Guzha at the Imperial Academy yesterday. The Emperor was happy, and my cousin and I were fortunate enough to meet the Emperor, which made my father happy. It just so happens that the Imperial Academy is closed for the next two days, so they plan to hold a banquet at home and asked me to invite my brother-in-law and second sister over."
Upon hearing this, Lin's mother became anxious: "Oh dear, what exactly happened? Your second brother-in-law is sick and didn't go to the Imperial Academy yesterday. How come he didn't get such a good opportunity?"
It seemed as if her son could see the emperor if he went there.
Qin Wan sneered inwardly.
Just then, the sound of breaking cups and plates came from the study, interrupting the conversation between the two people in the courtyard.
Lin Ziqi's voice came out, "Brother-in-law is here, come in and talk to me."
Qin Wan then tidied her hair in front of the mirror and said to Yan Hong, "Get ready, I'm going to go back to my parents' home with Heng Ge'er later."
Yan Hong asked, "Is there anything I should prepare to bring?"
Qin Wan raised her voice and said calmly, "My family never comes empty-handed, but they never bring anything back. Since we're having a feast, take the stinky mandarin fish I pickled a few days ago to add to the dishes. That way, you won't just be bringing food back with you."
Stinky mandarin fish is a popular dish among southerners. It needs to be fermented several days in advance. Qin Wan plans to bring it along as a gift when she has a banquet at home.
Lin's mother looked displeased upon hearing this, but said nothing.
Yu Niangzi, standing to the side, said somewhat sarcastically, "It's convenient for my sister-in-law to go back to her parents' home. I've been here for so long, but I've never been to her parents' home before."
"You've never been to the palace either, do you want to go?" Qin Yuan asked with a grin.
Madam Yu's face fell.
Qin Wan continued to mock with a smile: "When your cousin passes the imperial examination, he'll find you a high-ranking scholar. You might even be luckier than me, and one day you'll be able to go to the palace with your husband to meet the emperor! Don't forget to help me broaden my horizons then, so I don't end up like those girls who've never seen anything good, becoming someone's concubine and never being able to move around as a proper wife in a wealthy family."
Madam Yu was filled with doubt and uncertainty. She wanted to say something, but for a moment she didn't know where to begin. So she said to Madam Lin, "Aunt."
Because Qin Heng was there, Lin's mother couldn't very well embarrass Qin Wan, so she said, "Why are you talking about this? Ziqi is about to take the imperial examination, so don't let these idle words disturb his mind."
Qin Heng had already entered Lin Ziqi's study.
After instructing the maid to clean the study, Lin Ziqi shook his head and said, "I'm sorry to have made my brother-in-law laugh at me. That's how women are; they keep nagging about trivial things."
Qin Heng blinked.
"Brother-in-law, my second sister doesn't act like this at home."
Lin Ziqi was speechless for a moment, then frowned and changed the subject, asking, "You said the Marquis played polo with Yelü Guzha at the Imperial Academy yesterday, what happened? How did you meet the Emperor?"
Qin Heng's face lit up when he talked about this.
The more Qin Heng spoke, the paler Lin Ziqi's face became, his fingers clenching tightly at his sleeves, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Qin Siyuan and Gu Liuye both received rewards from the Emperor.
How unjust Heaven is!
Why did he fall ill of all people?
Lin Ziqi was extremely annoyed, while his brother-in-law kept saying in his ear: "Father said that my cousin's poem last time was good and made him famous. This time, my cousin and my second brother-in-law should continue to work hard and write more good poems. They will surely benefit greatly in the future."
Then, lowering his voice, he said, "The people from Shuhai Pavilion have spent a lot of money these days to find some great poets to challenge us. Even the Emperor has heard about it, which shows how much the Emperor values the poetry competition. Second brother-in-law, you must write a few amazing poems. My father said I'm not a good scholar. If you and my cousin pass the imperial examination in the future, you must protect me."
Qin Heng was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't notice Lin Ziqi's pale face and the large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
Qin Wan walked in, wanting to talk to her younger brother, but seeing this, she quickly asked, "Husband, is your head throbbing badly?"
Lin Ziqi waved his hand, telling her not to worry about it, his voice weak: "It's nothing, I chatted with Heng-ge for a while, and it seems to hurt less."
Qin Wan was skeptical.
Qin Heng was very talkative. Even though no one asked him anything, he kept talking. Soon he came to talk about how Qin Yuan had been praised by the emperor, and how the emperor regretted not having seen his elder sister's talent and appearance earlier, and would have wanted to marry her into the Eastern Palace.
Qin Wan snorted and pouted, saying, "That was just the Emperor saying nice things because of the Marquis and Father."
Qin Heng glanced at his second sister and wisely remained silent.
Qin Wan then asked the Emperor in detail how he praised Qin Siyuan and Gu Liuye. Upon learning that the Emperor praised Qin Siyuan for his lofty ambitions, she said, "I never expected that my cousin's poems used to be so restrained. Father even said that his poems were too rigid and constrained, without any inspiration. I never expected that the Emperor would praise him like this. He is really lucky."
In his previous life, Qin Siyuan barely made it into the bottom of the second tier because his poetry dragged him down.
Unexpectedly, Qin Siyuan has finally come to his senses in this life.
Lin Ziqi said sourly, "It's all because he received guidance from a master. His poems used to be far inferior to mine, but it's hard to say when it comes to the imperial examinations."
Qin Wan suddenly realized, "That's right, the imperial examinations all involved composing poems on the spot."
Qin Heng secretly pursed his lips.
Putting aside everything else, Qin Siyuan's poem for defending the title was written on the spot, something he was well aware of.
But if I said it out loud, my second sister and brother-in-law would definitely be unhappy.
Qin Wan then asked Sixth Master Gu how he discussed poetry with the Emperor, scrutinizing every word and then adding a few sarcastic remarks afterward.
Qin Heng couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Second sister, why ask him? He learned to write poetry from his cousin. The emperor only asked about it after reading the poetry collection."
Lin Ziqi replied, "Heng-ge'er is right. The Emperor only discussed poetry with him out of respect for the Marquis of Dingbei's family. Why do you care? His poems were included in the poetry collection only because he paid money and had some inexplicable luck, which made him famous. If the Emperor didn't talk to him about this, what else could he talk about?"
As for Qin Siyuan, although Lin Ziqi was envious, he had to admit that Qin Siyuan was quite knowledgeable.
When it comes to Master Gu, Lin Ziqi is extremely indignant.
A pretentious playboy, thanks to someone's planning, has now become famous in the capital.
Even the top female contestant at the Qixi Festival said that the poetry collection of Yuyuantan was worth collecting for women of the world.
He was the one who initiated this trip to Yuyuantan Park.
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