"When women in our Great Yin Kingdom get married, they have to wear a shawl and a phoenix coronet. The shawl has been chosen, and next we will choose the phoenix coronet." Chen Qiu pulled Lan Yu and walked to the drawing brought by the people from Cuiyu Pavilion.
"The patterns for the Cuiyu Pavilion are all for common women. The patterns for the royal family are made by the Imperial Household Department."
"We should report this to the Emperor and have the Imperial Household Department make a set just for you. Let my husband tell them to treat it as if it were made for a friend. We..."
"No, this is fine. I chose to get married here first just for him. If I use the regulated phoenix crown, it would go against my original idea." Lan Yu touched the drawings and shook his head to interrupt Chen Qiu.
"Xiao Hang must have accumulated eight lifetimes of blessings to marry you. I hope he will not let you down." Matters of the heart are like drinking water, only you know whether it is hot or cold. Even if you are a friend, it seems that all you can do is to wish you well.
In the end, Chen Qiu recommended Lan Yu and chose the best phoenix crown, which had a phoenix with its wings spread out. The entire phoenix crown was made of silver and decorated with pearls and jade.
The Spring Examination is coming soon, and the entire Ye Mansion is busy. Ye Chen took some time out to go to the palace. He only has a title but no official position now, so he doesn't have to go to court every day. He will only go to the palace when there is something important.
"You kid finally remembered your uncle?" As soon as Ye Chen entered the study, the emperor stood up with a smile.
"You haven't entered the palace since New Year's Eve. The Spring Examination is coming soon. How is it? Are you confident?" The emperor walked to the chair next to Ye Chen and sat down.
Ye Chen was not polite, since there were only the two of them here. "Of course, do you believe that my nephew can get into the top three?" He picked up the tea and drank it, as if this was not the upper study, but his own study.
"Oh, so confident? Then I'll wait for your good news." The emperor patted Ye Chen's shoulder.
Ye Chen was slapped so hard that tea spilled all over him. "Uncle, I don't have any martial arts skills. I can't bear a slap like that from you!" Ye Chen complained to his uncle who was the emperor.
The emperor looked at his palm and chuckled, "Hehe, I forgot, is my uncle's strength stronger?" I recently asked Ling Tian to teach me another set of swordsmanship.
"I heard from Black Hawk that your wife's swordsmanship is very powerful. I must go and spar with her after she gives birth."
Ye Chen glared at the emperor and said, "Just don't blame Qiu'er if you lose. I can tell you right now that you will lose miserably!"
The emperor was not happy with this. He stood up and said, "I don't believe it. She looks so skinny and small. How can I not beat her?"
Ye Chen shook his head. "Whatever I tell you now is nonsense. You will know when you compete."
"Do you want to go to the Queen's place to see Yi'er?" The emperor sat down again and talked to Ye Chen.
"No, I won't go. When I get a rank and you celebrate for me, I'll play with him again." Ye Chen said while drinking tea.
The emperor snorted coldly and said, "Hmph, just go ahead and brag. Just don't feel any pain in your face when you do."
When Ye Chen returned from the palace, it was already time to light the lamps at night.
Chen Qiu was waiting for him at the courtyard gate. Ye Chen hurried forward and asked, "It's been a cold snap these past two days. Why don't you wear a cloak?"
"It's okay, it's not cold. Xing'er, ask someone to bring the food." Chen Qiu didn't care. He turned around and instructed Xing'er, then went back to the house with Ye Chen.
The third day was the Spring Examination. "You don't have to see me off. I'm still scared when I think about what happened last time. To reassure me, can you just wait for me at home?" Chen Qiu wanted to see Ye Chen off to the Imperial Examination Hall, but Ye Chen didn't let him.
Chen Qiu was afraid that if Ye Chen entered the Imperial Examination Hall, he would also worry about himself, so he did not insist.
Chen Yue smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother will definitely send him to the Imperial Examination Hall safely."
When Ye Chen arrived at the Imperial Examination Hall, Wang Ziheng had also arrived, and Wang Ziheng's brother Wang Ziniu saw him off.
After Ye Chen and Wang Ziheng went in, Chen Yue invited Wang Ziniu to sit in the teahouse.
The two found a teahouse with a storyteller, and the gentleman was telling some stories about General Li of the previous dynasty.
"I wonder what Brother Ziniu thinks of General Li?" Shen Yue sat down and looked at the storyteller on the stage.
The storyteller was just talking about General Li's fight against the northern Tartars.
"General Li is a hero, but he is too sentimental. It is not worth it to sacrifice his whole life's wisdom for a woman?" Wang Ziniu said after taking a sip of tea.
General Li was a border general of the previous dynasty. He had followed his father to guard the northwest border since he was young. He was a brave and fierce general. However, when he was thirty years old, he opened the pass for a woman. The enemy was right in front of him, and opening the pass would mean suicide. If he ignored the woman, the pass would be safe.
After that incident, General Li never raised his head in front of his comrades again, and eventually died in battle in the Gobi Desert in the northwest.
The predecessors are gone, so there is no point in saying anything more. If you have not experienced it, you cannot judge it.
Chen Yue smiled and said, "I think General Li is a man of temperament, daring to love and hate. There are many stories about him circulating in the Northwest, most of which are different from what we hear in the Central Plains. Brother Ziniu should go to the Northwest to take a look if he has the chance."
“Oh? Brother Shen is from the northwest?”
"No, but I grew up in the northwest, and I came back to visit my sister." Shen Yue turned her eyes away from the gentleman above.
"I wonder if the Northwest is as desolate as the legend says?" Wang Ziniu asked Chen Yue with interest.
Chen Yue nodded, "It's very desolate, but more interesting than Kyoto."
"How do you say that?"
"In the northwest, there are grasslands, Gobi Desert, snow-capped mountains, and herds of cattle and sheep. The blue sky and white clouds seem to be within reach. Oh, and the feeling of riding a horse in the Gobi Desert is something you can't experience in a place like Kyoto." Chen Yue said with a smile in her eyes.
Wang Ziniu was like seeing the herds of cattle and sheep, and the snow-capped mountains at the end of the Gobi Desert.
Chen Yue completely forgot about his sister who was still waiting for news from him. When he left, he promised Chen Qiu that he would come back as soon as he sent Ye Chen into the Imperial Examination Hall.
When Shen Yue came back, it was already evening. When she entered the house, she remembered what she had promised Shen Qiu and hurried to Qiuchen Courtyard.
"I'm back late. My sister, you must be waiting anxiously for me, right?" Shen Yue said with a guilty conscience.
"Is this because you came back late?" Shen Qiu glared at Shen Yue unhappily.
Shen Yue scratched her head, knowing that she had done something wrong but didn't say anything back.
"Well, you'll be fine if you take your husband there. Did you meet someone with similar interests? Have you eaten yet?"
Shen Yue voted for one, or you understand your brother's eyes. "No? Is there any food?"
Chen Qiu knew at a glance that she had guessed right. This was not the first time her brother had done this. He had lost Chen Qiu several times when they were young. Fortunately, Chen Qiu was not directionally challenged, otherwise she would have lost track of where she was and would have been lost by Chen Yue.
When Chen Yue meets someone with similar interests, they can talk to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. Friends usually like such people, but their family members will worry about them, and sometimes they don’t know when they will come back when they go out.
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