Chapter 260 Premonition of Crisis
Not long after, Li Tian and Song Zhihang's personal attendants returned to the Jiang residence at the same time.
The two exchanged a glance and eagerly shared the good news:
"Young master, you've achieved the top score in the imperial examination!"
"Young master, you came in second place in the imperial examination!"
Everyone in the room stood up. Tan Zhenlin stared directly at Song Zhihang and chuckled smugly, "Did you hear that? My senior brother is first, and you're second!"
Song Zhihang, however, behaved very generously and politely, cupping his hands and smiling as he congratulated Xu Jinnian: "Mingyu, congratulations."
Xu Jinnian responded calmly: "Brother Yuanli, congratulations to you as well."
Song Zhihang's feelings were complicated.
He was naturally disappointed at not winning first place in the provincial examination.
He had already given it his all during the nine-day exam.
He might feel resentful if someone else won first place in the imperial examination.
However, it was Mingyu who lost first place, and he was able to accept it calmly.
Losing the top spot in the provincial examination is not a big deal; he still has a chance to surpass it in the palace examination.
When Xu Jinnian achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, Tan Zhenlin and the others were not surprised and gathered around to congratulate him.
Fang Qingzhou smiled and said, "If the teacher knew that you had come in first place, he would be very proud of you."
When Confucius took the imperial examination, he only came in second place. The fact that he taught a student who came in first place is enough to prove his teaching ability.
Moreover, Zhenlin also got it.
Tan Zhenlin's grin stretched from ear to ear; Xu Jinnian was the top student in high school, which excited him even more than if he himself had made the list.
"I'll write to the Master to share the good news when I get back. Don't forget to send both letters together."
Xu Jinnian glanced at him: "What's the rush?"
Sheng An smiled and said, "The journey is long. It's not too late to tell the teacher the good news after the palace examination is over."
As is customary, after the palace examination, all those who passed were given a three-month leave to allow the newly appointed scholars to return to their hometowns to reunite with their families before packing their bags and heading to their respective posts.
After waiting for another half an hour, Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua's attendants finally returned.
Just by looking at their servants' expressions, Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua knew the outcome.
They felt a brief moment of sadness, then accepted the result of failing the exam.
Facing the concerned looks from others, Ye Yunhua laughed heartily: "No need to worry, we are both young and have time to take our time to test ourselves."
He and Qingzhou are only twenty-four years old. They can take the exam at least ten more times, since it only happens once every three years.
The families on both sides have no shortage of gold and silver, so they don't need to worry about making a living and can devote all their time and energy to studying.
This was much luckier than the other candidates who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations.
Seeing that the two were not really affected by failing the exam, Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere in the room became lively again.
Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin were among those honored, and Uncle Fu and the others were overjoyed. That very day, they bought a sheep and had Aunt Niu prepare a whole sheep feast to celebrate for the two of them.
On the other side, Xu Huaining also made the list, and his ranking surpassed that of several top scholars from remote areas, placing him twenty-eighth.
At the same time, he also received the news that Xu Jinnian had come in first place in high school, while Song Zhihang had come in second.
Xu Huaining showed no joy on his face, but a chill inexplicably rose up the back of his servants. They hurriedly said a few auspicious words and rushed out.
"First place, first place again! You're really lucky!"
A smile appeared on Xu Huaining's face, but his eyes held a chilling coldness: "As your cousin, how could I not offer a congratulatory gift? I hope you like it."
The more outstanding you are, the faster the woman you cherish will die.
Xu Jinnian was completely unaware of Xu Huaining's malice. At the whole roasted lamb feast that evening, Song Zhihang, who had stayed behind to freeload, forced him to drink a lot of alcohol, and he couldn't even pretend to be drunk.
Barely managing to muster his spirits, he saw off the incredibly agitated Song, who was still drunk. He then picked up a large bowl of hangover soup and drank it all in one gulp before returning to the courtyard with Li Tian's help.
Seeing that the man wasn't as drunk as last time, Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief, took out clean clothes from the closet, and asked Li Tian to help him change.
After Li Tian left, the couple sat on the edge of the bed and talked.
The hangover soup couldn't completely cure the drunkenness. Xu Jinnian's not-so-clear eyes stared at Sheng An. His long, slender hand groped around for a moment before slowly tightening its grip on her hand: "An'an, were you happy today?"
Sheng An raised her other hand and removed his hair crown, gently combing his loose black hair with her fingertips: "Happy."
Xu Jinnian pressed for details: "How happy were you?"
Sheng An knew that he was acting like a child begging for candy, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Is being happy like you can fly away enough?"
Xu Jinnian looked disappointed, and tightened his grip on her hand: "An'an didn't take her husband with her on the flight."
Sheng An: "..."
Is this some kind of excuse to pick a fight while drunk?
Not wanting to talk to a drunkard, Sheng An pulled her hand away, got up, and pushed him onto the bed: "You should go to sleep."
Xu Jinnian lay down, but grabbed her sleeve and pulled her into his arms: "I want to sleep with An'an."
Sheng An quickly braced herself on the bed with one hand and protected her lower abdomen with the other. After making sure she hadn't bumped herself, she punched the man's chest twice in annoyance: "Be careful of the baby."
Upon hearing the word "child," Xu Jin belatedly realized what she had done, and her eyes instantly regained their clarity.
He sat up quickly, carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed his ear against her lower abdomen.
After listening for a while, the man relaxed and said to Sheng An in a serious tone, "The child is fine."
Sheng An was both amused and exasperated, and deliberately teased him, "How did you know?"
Xu Jinnian pondered for a moment, then slowly uttered a few words: "The child will cry if he is in pain, but I did not hear any crying."
Sheng An: "..."
The logic is sound, but the problem is that the baby is still in the womb, so even if it's uncomfortable, it can't cry, right?
Teasing a drunkard is pointless. Sheng An took off his shoes and coat, climbed into bed, and pulled the blanket over them both: "Go to sleep."
Xu Jinnian lay down obediently, but her eyes were open.
Sheng An was utterly helpless and manually pulled down his eyelids: "Go to sleep."
Next time he drinks, she must be there to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't drink so much again.
Xu Jinnian was very obedient. He responded without opening his eyes and, as usual, loosely wrapped his arms around Sheng An.
Sheng An slept quite well. Listening to the man's soft breathing, she gradually became sleepy and soon fell asleep.
However, she slept restlessly and unexpectedly had a nightmare, dreaming again of the scene of her tragic death in her previous life.
"No, no, run, run fast, no—"
A heart-wrenching pain shot through Sheng An's chest. He suddenly opened his eyes, his chest heaving violently. Cold sweat clung to his forehead, face, and neck, soaking his clothes.
Startled awake, Xu Jinnian, by the flickering candlelight on the bedside table, clearly saw the lingering fear on Sheng An's face and quickly pulled her into his arms.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a dream. An'an, don't be afraid, your husband is here..."
As the man gently comforted her, Sheng An's rapid breathing gradually calmed down, and her hands unconsciously tightened around his clothes.
She hadn't had nightmares for a while, so why did she suddenly dream of the tragic events of her past life tonight?
Is it because the calamity of death in the previous life is coming sooner than expected?
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