Chapter 67 067 Six Yuan and the First
On April 14, the day after the palace examination, Du Qingtang walked to Xuanmo Pavilion.
I've been writing articles and practicing calligraphy these days, and the rice paper is being consumed very quickly.
After practicing calligraphy in the morning, I was surprised to find that there were only three sheets of paper left out of the twenty dollars I bought after the results of the imperial examination were announced. After lunch, I went out to buy some shopping, just as a walk to digest the food.
Yao Jingzhou and Du Qingtang went together to buy books at Moyun Bookstore opposite Xuanmo Pavilion.
He is a bookworm and reads books when he has nothing to do.
The two were discussing the contents of a book about the ways of a gentleman when a dark shadow suddenly appeared from the side.
Du Qingtang was the first to react. He stepped back to avoid the attack while not forgetting to pull Yao Jingzhou.
"Mr. Du!"
I thought the person rushing around was a stranger, but unexpectedly, the other party called out Du Qingtang's last name accurately.
Du Qingtang looked at the person who came in. She was wearing a pink short shirt and long skirt, with two buns on her hair. It was Shanhu, Xue Yishu's personal maid.
In her previous life, Xue Yishu had been entangled with Du Qingtang in every way, and Shanhu would always look at her with a look that said, "It's your honor that my lady likes you, don't be ungrateful."
On the day Du Qingtang was forced to drink poison wine, Shanhu mocked her and said that she was a pheasant and wanted to become a phoenix.
......
Shanhu ran fast and couldn't stop, and knelt straight in front of Du Qingtang.
She simply knelt down, crawled forward, grabbed the corner of Du Qingtang's robe, and cried, "Master Du, please save my young lady!"
Yao Jingzhou looked at the young woman with messy hair and red eyes, and cast a surprised look at Du Qingtang: "Uncle Master, what is this?"
Du Qingtang had a blank expression on his face: "I don't recognize you, let alone your young lady. Please be careful with your words."
Shanhu turned a deaf ear and cried out loudly: "My daughter is locked up at home by the mistress and will be married off soon. Master Du, please be kind and save my daughter!"
The woman kneeling in front of a man already attracted attention, and now she said such ambiguous words. Passers-by stopped to watch, pointing and talking.
"He's so handsome, but I didn't expect him to be such a heartless man."
"He deceived a girl's heart, but he didn't take responsibility for her. He's really a piece of shit!"
As the accusations filled his ears, Du Qingtang's face turned cold and his eyes were as frosty as ice.
The master is stupid, and so is the servant.
Did Xue Yishu think that if she made the matter known to everyone and impossible to resolve, she would get what she wanted?
"You might have the wrong person," Yao Jingzhou said righteously. "Since we arrived in Xiajing, we've been concentrating on studying and rarely go out. We've never seen your young lady before."
Du Qingtang lowered his eyes and looked down at Shanhu. His voice was slow and seductive, "Your young lady is getting married. Why did you come to me, Du? Tell me, what is the relationship between me and your young lady?"
Coral's crying paused for a moment.
When they first met in the south of the city that day, Xue Yishu fell in love with Du Qingtang at first sight. She often followed Du Qingtang and secretly observed her every move, but she never dared to meet her formally.
In other words, Du Qingtang had no idea what Xue Yishu's name was or what she looked like.
But Xue Yishu really had no choice.
Just yesterday, Xue returned to the Xue Mansion to discuss her marriage with Xue Yishu's second aunt.
Shanhu overheard that Xue was planning to marry Xue Yishu to Qi Hezhang, the eldest son of the Duke of Changguo's family, whose right hand was crippled by a villain and who would never be able to hold the rank of a sixth-rank official.
Even though Qi Hezhang was handsome, gentle and elegant, Xue Yishu was unwilling to marry such a useless man.
She was obsessed with Du Qingtang and was madly in love with him, and she would not marry anyone else.
But Xue Yishu knew very well that as a delicate young lady living in seclusion in the boudoir, she could not go against the decision of her second aunt and aunt, so she resorted to this desperate measure.
If everyone in Beijing knew that Du Qingtang had a close relationship with her, for the sake of both parties' reputation, Du Qingtang would have to marry her.
Coral's lips moved, but she couldn't utter a word for a long time.
"It seems you can't explain the relationship between me and your young lady." Du Qingtang sneered, "In broad daylight, I am innocent. How can you slander me without reason?"
The clear voice was ruthless, and Shanhu trembled all over, subconsciously loosening her hand that was holding the corner of Du Qingtang's robe.
Yao Jingzhou didn't miss her panic and added fuel to the fire: "Why not arrest this man and hand him over to the authorities for interrogation? Not just anyone can slander a tribute scholar or a disciple of the emperor!"
The onlookers exclaimed.
"She is actually a tribute scholar!"
"This man has handsome features, distinct eyebrows and eyes, and his every move exudes righteousness. He doesn't seem like the unfaithful man that the maid described."
"Every man has his own reasons, and every woman has her own reasons. Why not just follow what this gentleman says and let the government have a trial? They will then determine who is right and who is wrong."
The speed at which the wind direction changed is truly astonishing.
Shanhu was horrified and all the color drained from her face.
She was a loyal servant who could do anything for Xue Yishu, but this definitely did not include being taken to the government office and becoming a criminal who slandered the tribute-paying officials, with her life hanging in the balance.
Coral didn't dare to say another word. She kept her head down, afraid that someone would see her face, and ran away crawling.
"Sure enough, she is guilty."
"Which maid is so ignorant of the rules?"
"Fortunately, I remained neutral and didn't let her lead me around."
The people who were misled by Shanhu's few words and thought that Du Qingtang was a heartless man were blushing with shame.
Considering the other party's status as a tribute scholar, they knew that they were not someone they could afford to offend, so they nodded and bowed, apologizing repeatedly.
The crowd dispersed, but Yao Jingzhou's face still showed anger. "I'll have Uncle Yao investigate. Whose maid dared to harass my uncle in the street?"
Then send someone to the door to warn them.
Although the Yao family could not touch the second prince and the Qi family, given Yao Xuan's status and position, the powerful families in the capital would also give him some face.
Du Qingtang acquiesced to his decision.
Xue Yishu must have kept this a secret from her family. She needs to be taught a lesson to let her know what she can and cannot do.
"Most likely it's from a small family. They somehow found out about your identity, uncle, and want to force a girl from their family to marry you..."
Yao Jingzhou was still speculating, then changed the subject: "There must be many families in the capital who are eyeing your marriage."
Du Qingtang remained silent.
Back then, she was just a Jinshi, and many matchmakers came to her door after the ceremony, not to mention that she has now won five top prizes in a row.
However, Du Qingtang is a firm believer in not getting married. She will not get married, let alone have children.
It was not convenient to say this to Yao Jingzhou, so Du Qingtang only gave a vague response and asked, "Don't just talk about me. You are 24 now, when do you plan to get married?"
Yao Jingzhou chuckled, his smile tinged with bitterness: "How can I start a family if I haven't avenged my great hatred yet?"
In this situation, marrying and having children would harm the other person.
Yao Jingzhou considers himself a gentleman and would not do such a despicable thing.
Du Qingtang stopped asking questions and went to Xuanmo Pavilion to buy rice paper first, and then went to the bookstore with Yao Jingzhou.
After returning, Yao Jingzhou asked his housekeeper Yao Bo to investigate the origins of the coral.
The next day, Uncle Yao visited the second master of the Xue family.
Although he was just a housekeeper, he was calm and composed, and was not afraid even when facing a fourth-rank official.
"It is truly abrupt for me to visit you today. It is because your Third Miss sent someone to stop my young master in the street, making ambiguous statements and fabricating unfounded stories."
"A woman's chastity is more important than anything else, and the same is true for a man. My son will marry and have children in the future, so he must not ruin his reputation because of this. Otherwise, no woman would dare to marry him."
The remark was full of indirect criticism and Master Xue's face turned red. He almost fainted from anger.
But for the sake of the reputation of the Xue family woman, he not only could not faint, but also had to apologize in a nice tone and send her away politely.
As soon as Uncle Yao left, Second Master Xue swung his sleeves, smashed his teacup, and said with a gloomy face, "Go and ask the lady to come over."
Mrs. Xue came and went, and went straight to Xue Yishu's residence.
Xue Yishu was copying the female rules, looking depressed and listless.
Coral came back yesterday and said that the matter was ruined and she was almost sent to the government.
Xue Yishu didn't expect Du Qingtang to be so heartless, and she covered her face and cried bitterly.
But she still didn't give up, and planned to meet Du Qingtang in person after she finished copying the female rules and female rings.
Food and sex are human nature, and even a gentleman is no exception.
Xue Yishu believed that as long as Du Qingtang saw her, he would fall in love with her and agree to marry her.
So she got up early this morning to copy the rules for women, and has been copying them until now.
There is no time to lose, we must go and see Du Qingtang before the two families decide on the marriage.
"Xue Yishu!"
Xue Yishu looked up when she heard the voice and saw Second Madam Xue walking in with an angry look on her face: "Second Aunt..."
Before she could finish her words, she felt a pain on her cheek. Madam Xue slapped her in the face and she turned her face away.
Xue Yishu was stunned by the burning pain on her face, her eyes full of disbelief: "Second Aunt, you hit me?"
Second Madam Xue looked at Xue Yishu with disappointment and anger. "Your parents passed away long ago. Your aunt and I cherished you and have always responded to your requests over the years. We held you in our hands for fear you'd freeze, and held you in our mouths for fear you'd melt. Even your eldest and second sisters said you were like my own daughter, and this is how you repay me?"
Xue Yishu felt a sense of foreboding and stammered, "What are you talking about? I've been staying at home copying books these past few days and haven't been anywhere."
Madam Xue sneered, "The Yao family's housekeeper came to our house and accused Shanhu of harassing his young master in public."
A thunderclap struck her head. Xue Yishu opened her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she murmured, "How could she..."
Mrs. Xue didn't want to see her look so foolish anymore, so she had to prepare a generous gift herself and go to her house to apologize.
This matter must not be made public, even if it is not for Xue Yishu, but also for the Xue family's daughter who is about to get married.
That evening, Mrs. Xue appeared at Yao's house.
Neither Du Qingtang nor Yao Jingzhou showed up, only Yao Bo received her.
Madam Xue II was a fourth-rank official, and she had always been the one to give others the cold shoulder. Now that the situation had changed, one could imagine how she felt.
Yao Bo accepted the apology and hinted that he would not make it public.
——My own son and Master Du are perfect, suitable for princesses and princesses. If they are involved with Xue Yishu, it will be a stain that will accompany them for the rest of their lives.
Madam Xue heaved a sigh of relief and after getting into the carriage, she ordered in a deep voice, "Shanhu has betrayed the master, there is no need to keep her any longer."
The old woman beside her nodded in agreement, and returned to Xue's house with a few servants. They pressed Shanhu into the yard and beat her to death with sticks.
Xue Yishu hid in the house, listening to Shanhu's miserable wails, she was so scared that she trembled and turned pale.
That night she fell seriously ill and ran a fever until she passed out, murmuring Du Qingtang's name.
Xue couldn't bear to do it after all. When she learned that her niece was ill, she came to visit her early the next morning.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, Xue Yishu grabbed his wrist tightly.
Xue Yishu looked haggard, but her eyes were gleaming with a sickly stubbornness: "Aunt, I beg you, please let me marry Du Qingtang."
——Shanhu’s death not only failed to make Xue Yishu give up, but marrying Du Qingtang became her obsession.
Xue suddenly remembered the dream she had last night.
Yao's three-foot-long white silk was hung on the beam of the house, and his empty eyes stared at her, like a ghost seeking revenge.
Xue woke up from her dream and couldn't sleep all night.
Yao was indeed an evil spirit. It was not enough for her to have taken the life of the old lady of the Duke of Changguo. Now she came to take her life and the life of her niece.
Xue's pupils trembled, as if an invisible giant hand in the void had grabbed her throat, reached into her chest through her throat, pinched her heart, and almost suffocated her.
"Aunt, please."
Xue came back to her senses and was surprised to find that her back was wet.
She looked at her grieving niece, raised her hand and stroked Xue Yishu's cheek, where fingerprints remained, and said softly, "Okay, as you say."
Xue Yishu smiled happily and fell asleep contentedly.
After leaving the house, Mrs. Xue asked Xue: "Are you really going to let her marry that Du guy?"
Xue smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach her eyes. For a moment, it was hard to tell what she was thinking: "Since Sister Shu wants it, let's give her what she wants."
Mrs. Xue was still brooding over what happened yesterday and didn't intend to care about Xue Yishu anymore. She raised her hand to stroke her hair and left with her maids and servants.
......
However, Mrs. Xue came to apologize and lowered her attitude. Du Qingtang thought that the other women in the Xue family were innocent, so he did not pursue the matter any further.
With Xue Yishu's madness, she will never give up. Instead, she will become more aggressive and will not stop until she achieves her goal.
Du Qingtang was waiting for the day when she would do something desperate.
After dinner, Du Qingtang asked Uncle Yao, "Is there a dental clinic nearby?"
"Yes." Yao Bo announced the location and asked, "Why did Master Du go to the pawnshop?"
Du Qingtang said frankly: "I plan to buy a house."
She has now stepped half a foot into the officialdom, and will officially become an official of Daxia at the ceremony the day after tomorrow.
Du Qingtang is very clear about her future plans. Even if she is sent to serve as an official in another place, she will return to Xiajing and enter the center of power.
Only in this way can she allow more women to step out of the backyard and enter the court with dignity.
Yao Jingzhou originally wanted to live here, but then he thought that his uncle had family and it would be more comfortable for him to have his own residence in Beijing.
"I own another house, but it's a two-story building." Yao Jingzhou said with a hint of pleading, "It's right here in this alley. My grandfather is far away in Baoding Prefecture, and you're my only relative in Xiajing."
The words of refusal were on the tip of his tongue, but Du Qingtang swallowed them back: "Then there's Lao Wenjing."
Yao Jingzhou smiled and said, "Tomorrow I will have Uncle Yao send the deed to the government office to handle the transfer."
Du Qingtang nodded in agreement, returned to the second courtyard, played with Wangcai with a ball of string for a while, and then went to the study to continue reading.
At noon the next day, Du Qingtang received the deed with her name on it and gave Yao Jingzhou six hundred taels of silver according to the market price.
Yao Jingzhou knew his uncle's character very well and accepted the banknote readily.
-
April 18th, it is the hour of Yin.
Darkness enveloped the huge city of Xiajing. From afar, it looked like a quietly dormant giant beast, dangerous and full of mystery.
Imperial Palace, Kunning Palace.
Last night, Emperor Qingyuan stayed in the Queen's Palace. He opened his eyes at 1:15 am on time, and his eyes were clear and there was no sign of drowsiness.
Fu Rui led the palace servants in and said softly, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up."
The palace maids stood behind him with their heads bowed and their eyes submissive, holding the dragon robe, the twelve-tassel crown, toiletries, etc.
Emperor Qingyuan responded and sat up.
Empress Cao then stood up and said softly, "Your Majesty, I will help you change your clothes."
Emperor Qingyuan did not refuse. He stretched out his arms and allowed Empress Cao to put on the bright yellow dragon robe for him.
"Thank you, Queen."
"It is my honor to serve Your Majesty."
The most noble couple in the world stood facing each other, both with smiles on their faces, seeming to be full of affection.
After washing and changing clothes, the palace maids presented the imperial meal.
Emperor Qingyuan ate his meal at a leisurely pace, while Empress Cao stood beside him, her gentle and docile gaze never leaving him for a moment.
After breakfast, it’s time to go to court.
Empress Cao escorted him all the way to the outside of Kunning Palace: "Farewell, Your Majesty."
Emperor Qingyuan walked down the stairs without looking back.
The eunuchs carried the dragon sedan chair and moved forward steadily.
The smile lingering in Emperor Qingyuan's eyes faded a little, and he raised his hand to gently rub his forehead.
The strong incense in Kunning Palace always gave him a headache. He really disliked it and felt sick and annoyed by it.
As I closed my eyes to rest, a crisp chirping sounded in my ears.
Looking up, I saw a magpie standing on a high red wall, gracefully preening its feathers.
Fu Rui smiled and said, "The magpie calls, good things are coming. This is to congratulate Your Majesty in advance on the acquisition of such a talented person."
Emperor Qingyuan's tense expression relaxed a little, as if thinking of something. "When will the imperial announcing ceremony begin?"
Fu Rui said, "Your Majesty, the tribute scholars will enter the palace at noon."
Emperor Qingyuan closed his eyes again to gather his strength for the morning court session later.
The dragon chariot went away, and the magpies chirped and flapped their wings to fly.
"Your Majesty, look, a magpie has come down from the eaves."
Empress Cao leaned lazily on the chaise longue, looking at the smoke curling up from the incense burner, her eyes raised and the corners of her mouth curled up in a smile, as if she was disdainful, but also enjoying it.
"Big brother's second son is taking the palace examination this year?"
"Your Highness, it's this year," the nanny said with a smile. "Today is the grand ceremony of announcing the imperial examinations. The magpie under the eaves is announcing the good news to Your Highness. Congratulations, Your Highness, on gaining another helper."
"Go, catch that magpie." Empress Cao always loved auspicious omens, so naturally she wanted to take the magpie as her own. "Replace the incense; the smell makes me sick."
"yes."
The palace maids went to catch the magpies and replace the incense.
Soon, the palace maid entered tremblingly and knelt down to apologize: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The magpie has flown away."
Empress Cao clicked her tongue, and the maid gave a look, and the palace maid was covered with her mouth and dragged away.
As for where she went and what happened to her, who cares?
Selling yourself into the palace means you have a worthless life.
A word or even a look from a noble in the palace could decide their life or death.
The magpie avoided the evil hands of the two-legged beast and continued to flap its wings and fly.
It flew aimlessly, flying against the wind, flying against the wind, circling above the imperial palace, and impromptu landing on the eaves of a palace.
"Chiu~"
The magpie stood facing the wind, lazily combing its feathers that were ruffled by the north wind.
"Ah, magpie!"
"Your Highness, a magpie has landed on the roof of our Anxi Palace!"
Inside the palace, Concubine Qi gently twisted the Buddhist beads in her hand, muttering something, her eyes gleaming with joy: "The Buddha must have used the magpie to hint to me that my son will achieve great things and ascend to the throne!"
"By the way, I heard from Lin'er a while ago that my eldest brother's son has returned to Xiajing?"
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."
Concubine Qi listened to the faint chirping outside the palace and muttered to herself, "Why did he come back?"
Return to one's roots?
Or revenge?
Concubine Qi pondered for a moment and ordered, "Tell my second brother to send someone to keep an eye on him. If he has impure motives, get rid of him immediately."
"Wildfires can never be extinguished; spring breezes bring new life. We should have eradicated the roots back then..."
The magpie combed each of its feathers neatly, avoided the palace maids who wanted to catch it and seek credit from Concubine Qi, and flew away again.
"Oh, I was so clumsy that I let it escape!"
The palace maids and eunuchs accused each other, and the nanny scolded them harshly, and they all dispersed.
"I heard that today is the grand ceremony of announcing the imperial examinations."
"What is the Imperial Ceremony?"
"Do you know the top three candidates? They were all born at the imperial examination ceremony."
"The number one scholar must be very glorious. When I save up enough money and leave the palace at the age of 25, I will find a man to give birth to a son. I will support him in his education and literacy. When he passes the imperial examination and becomes the number one scholar, I will be his wife."
"You shameless bastard!"
The palace maids were laughing and making a lot of noise.
......
The magpie chirped and complained to the passing pigeons that the two-legged beasts in the palace were so cruel that they wanted to catch the birds and cook them for food.
The pigeon was frightened and turned around and ran away. Its feathers fell off and it floated down from the sky.
The magpie flipped over and caught the feather steadily, a little white on the blue-green color.
It took one last look at the palace, then flapped its wings and flew away.
Goodbye, the palace, the bird is about to sail away!
In the dim morning light, a faint hint of pale white appeared in the east.
After a night of silence, the city of Xiajing gradually became lively again.
Ye Xianglang pushed the cart through the streets and alleys. Men, women, old and young all tried to avoid him. There was still a smile on his dark face, and every wrinkle was covered with traces of time and suffering.
The vendors carry their loads, bamboo baskets on their backs, or push carts out of their homes and rush to the market in the morning light.
The women walked out of their homes carrying bamboo baskets, greeted their neighbors with a smile, and then went to the market together to buy vegetables to prepare three meals a day for their families.
The magpie perched on a plaque and tilted its head to watch the pedestrians hurrying by.
"Chiu~"
"Ah! It's a magpie!"
"Please bless me with peace and prosperity this year!"
"Please bless my son to get a good result in the palace examination. Come, come, let me treat you to some rice."
The magpie observed secretly and made sure that the two-legged beasts on the ground had no ill intentions, then it descended from the plaque and pecked at the new rice.
The man who invited it to eat rice and several other men were squatting in the corner with bowls in their hands.
"When will your second son enter the palace?"
"There are still two hours left."
"Your second son is really promising. I have to put a tight ring on my naughty boy to prevent him from being idle all day long."
"Now that a Jinshi scholar has appeared, the Wang family's ancestral graves are smoking!"
The man smiled from ear to ear, but he kept saying modestly: "It's just so-so, not as good as you say."
However, when his son walked out of the house, the man greeted him with a smile on his face: "My goodness, my son is so handsome! There is no man more handsome than my son in the whole of Xiajing City!"
Xi Que looked at the man, then at his son, and Hei Dou's eyes were full of confusion.
Bipeds are really strange creatures, they say one thing after another.
The young man felt a little embarrassed when he met his neighbors' teasing gazes. He turned his head and noticed the magpie. He picked up a few grains of rice, squatted down and spread out his hands: "Come and eat."
The magpie jumped around and lowered its head to eat rice.
The young man smiled gently, played with the magpie for a while, then stood up and said, "Dad, I'm leaving."
The man waved his hand and said in a loud voice: "Your mother, your elder brother and I are waiting for your good news at home!"
The young man agreed and set out on his journey to the palace.
The magpie had a good impression of the biped, and after a moment's hesitation, he followed decisively.
The man stopped outside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace and greeted people with a smile.
"Greetings, Brother Huang."
"Du Huiyuan Chaoan, seeing him once is believing, he is truly handsome and elegant."
"Brother Zhang, you're too kind."
Next to the stone lion, a young man with a delicate face as if painted in bold ink and eyes as sharp as knives bowed slightly.
The bright golden sunlight falling on her could not melt the frosty coldness around her.
A magpie perched on the head of the majestic stone lion outside the Meridian Gate. Looking around, everyone was wearing court robes and wearing a three-branch, nine-leaf crown on their heads.
The magpie thought of the two-legged beast wearing yellow clothes, who also had a hat on his head.
Among so many people in the palace, only the yellow two-legged beast did not catch it.
The magpie decided to go and see the yellow twolegs.
However, its sense of direction was not very good. After flying into the palace, it lost its way and rushed around until it came to a bustling palace.
"Are all the Imperial Guards here?"
"And the Music and Harmony Department."
"Place the two yellow tables on the east side of the Jiying Hall and in the center of the Danbi steps, respectively. Do not mix them up."
"Everyone, be careful. The imperial examination ceremony is about to begin. If anything goes wrong... hehe!"
The magpie observed secretly for a while, but found nothing interesting.
It had heard about the imperial edict ceremony many times today, but none of them was as tempting to it as the yellow two-legged beast.
The magpie flapped its wings and flew towards the imperial study based on its feeling.
When Fu Rui came back from the toilet, he immediately saw that it was a magpie that landed on the jade railing. He smiled and reported to Emperor Qingyuan: "Your Majesty, the magpie that came this morning has come again."
Today's morning court was the same as usual, with civil officials and military officers acting independently and arguing fiercely over petty gains, leaving the Golden Palace in a chaotic atmosphere.
Emperor Qingyuan was in a very good mood.
Because his people won the argument!
Recalling Cao Yuan's sullen expression, Emperor Qingyuan felt a bit better. He put down his red brush and stood up: "Come, follow me to take a look."
When the magpie calls, good things are coming.
This is indeed true!
When Emperor Qingyuan walked out of the imperial study, the magpie saw him and flapped its wings towards him.
Feeling the soft touch of the down feathers brushing against his fingertips, Emperor Qingyuan smiled and said, "Little fellow, are you here to congratulate me?"
"Chiu~"
Emperor Qingyuan laughed out loud.
Fu Rui, who was standing by, saw that His Majesty was in a rare good mood and suggested, "This magpie is very close to Your Majesty. Why not keep him in the imperial study?"
Emperor Qingyuan's heart was moved for a moment, but he finally shook his head and sighed, "How can I be willing to be a caged bird when I have such lofty ambitions?"
Fu Rui lowered his head and apologized repeatedly.
Emperor Qingyuan waved his hand and ordered, "Furui, have someone set up a bird stand under the eaves and provide bird food every day. If it comes again, it won't be hungry."
Fu Rui responded, "Your Majesty is merciful. I will arrange it right away."
Emperor Qingyuan entertained the magpie for a while, then returned to the imperial study to continue dealing with memorials.
After an unknown amount of time, Fu Rui softly reminded, "Your Majesty, the time has come. It's time to move to Jiying Palace."
Emperor Qingyuan nodded and strode out of the imperial study.
I took a casual glance and found that the magpie was still there.
Emperor Qingyuan beckoned as if possessed by some mysterious force: "Would you like to accompany me to the grand ceremony?"
"Chiu~"
Although the imperial examination ceremony is boring, you are a yellow biped after all.
The magpie moved closer and landed on Fury's right arm.
Emperor Qingyuan smiled, his gentle face looking even younger. He walked down the stairs, boarded the dragon sedan chair and left.
......
The dragon sedan stopped in front of Jiying Palace.
When Emperor Qingyuan entered the Jiying Hall and took his seat, the magpie flapped its wings and flew to the high eaves, overlooking all living beings.
The Music Department's Harmony Bureau set up the Zhonghe Shao music and played the Longping chapter.
The imperial guards stood at the foot of the steps and whipped their horses three times.
After the whip was blown, the chapter of Qingping was played, and the officials such as the readers and stewards performed the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows.
The Grand Secretary entered the Jiying Hall, took out the yellow list from the yellow table, handed it to the Minister of Rites, and placed it on the yellow table in the center of the red steps.
Princes and ministers wore court robes and stood inside and outside the steps according to their rank.
The new tribute students also wore court robes and a three-branch, nine-leaf crown on their heads, and stood behind the princes and ministers according to their ranking in the examination.
The magpie spotted Du Huiyuan at first sight.
Du Huiyuan stood at the head of the new tribute scholars, with lowered eyebrows and eyes, her expression neither humble nor arrogant, and she was calm as if facing a collapse of Mount Tai. Her whole body was noble and distinguished, making her stand out like a crane among chickens, very eye-catching.
Not only the magpie, but also the civil and military officials were observing Du Huiyuan.
"Is this year's champion so young?"
"Don't you know that this man is only eighteen years old and has already won five yuan in a row?"
"Hiss—an eighteen-year-old champion? I've been busy with official duties lately and I really don't know anything about it."
"It seems this person has a bright future."
"Being able to study doesn't necessarily mean you can become an official. In the past, there were always top scholars who were still seventh-rank county magistrates even though they were old and gray."
When the new tribute scholar takes his seat, he will perform the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows along with the princes and ministers.
After the ceremony, the official from the Honglu Temple announced loudly: "On April 18th, the 16th year of the Qingyuan reign, the imperial examination was held for the imperial examinations of the whole country. The first place was awarded the title of Jinshi Jidi, the second place was awarded the title of Jinshi Chuan, and the third place was awarded the title of Tong Jinshi Chuan!"
After the announcement was made, the announcer began to call out the names.
"First place in the first class, Du Qingtang from Taoyuan Village, Qingyuan County, Baoding Prefecture."
The announcer sang with a very loud voice, and after he finished singing, several imperial guards took over.
One after another, the sounds spread from inside Jiying Hall to outside.
It flies over the green tiles and red roofs, and the towering buildings, and reaches everyone's ears clearly.
"First place in the first class, Taoyuan Village, Qingyuan County, Baoding Prefecture, Du Qingtang!"
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