Chapter 265 The Third Scholar
Upon hearing Xu Jinnian's words, Xu Huaining's face paled, and his voice was filled with sadness: "Jinnian, must things be like this between us brothers?"
Xu Jinnian's face showed surprise, and he asked in bewilderment:
"You took the initiative to apologize to me on behalf of your parents. I couldn't bear to disappoint your filial piety, so I asked you to explain the cause and effect in public. Now you're blaming me for forcing you. What kind of logic is that?"
Tan Zhenlin scoffed, his disdain for Xu Huaining evident in his voice: "You're both a god and a ghost. Since you're not sincerely apologizing, why are you spouting this nonsense in front of my senior brother?"
If Xu Huaining is willing to sincerely apologize, he will respect him as a responsible and upright gentleman.
As a result, this person did such a despicable thing, refusing to sincerely apologize, yet wanting to gain a good reputation by stepping on his senior in front of others. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Xu Huaining seemed hurt by their attitudes, and his expression became increasingly dejected: "Jin Nian, whether you believe it or not, in my heart, we will always be brothers."
Xu Jinnian's lips curled slightly, his eyes icy cold: "Oh, is that so?"
Seeing his reaction, Xu Huaining couldn't finish her sentence, and the dejected expression on her face almost crumbled.
"Pfft~ Hahahaha, uh—"
Tan Zhenlin, disregarding the fact that this was the palace gate and there were more than two hundred people present, couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst into laughter like a goose.
"What are you laughing at? Tell me."
Just then, Song Zhihang's carriage arrived. Before he could even get off, he heard Tan Zhenlin's exaggerated laughter, so he opened the carriage door and called out to him.
"Come here, I have something funny to tell you."
Tan Zhenlin was about to explain the situation to Song Zhihang when, unfortunately, he had only uttered one sentence when two eunuchs came out of the palace gate: "His Majesty has decreed that all scholars be summoned to the palace!"
...
Sheng An woke up a little early today. After breakfast, she felt sleepy, so she went to bed and planned to take a nap.
Whether it was because she was worried about the results of the imperial examination or because she was too full, Sheng An closed her eyes but couldn't fall asleep for a long time. So she got up, dressed, and picked up her needle and thread to make cotton socks for the baby in her belly to wear in winter.
After finishing one pair, Sheng An rubbed her sore neck and got up to stroll around the yard.
After walking a few steps, Li Tian ran in excitedly to deliver the good news:
"My lord, the results of the palace examination are in. The young master is the third-ranked scholar in the first class. His Majesty personally bestowed upon him the title of third-ranked scholar in front of all the civil and military officials!"
Sheng An was stunned by this huge piece of good news.
Even though she knew that with her status and talent as a male scholar, she would most likely be ranked first, she was still genuinely pleasantly surprised now that the results were in.
Seeing that she was still in a daze, Li Tian cheerfully reminded her:
"Master, the young master will be riding through the streets in an hour. I have already reserved a private room in a teahouse along the route. Please go back to your room and change your clothes. I will take you to the teahouse."
Once the news spreads, the streets will be packed with people, so it's best to go early.
Sheng An also thought of this, and without the slightest hesitation, she went back to her room to change into an orange-red outfit, casually tidied her hair, and then walked towards the main gate with Li Tian.
Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua also received the news and arrived at the gate before Sheng An to wait.
Seeing Sheng An approach, the two of them simultaneously offered their congratulations: "Congratulations, sister-in-law!"
A faint smile spread across Sheng An's face, shining brightly in the sunlight: "Thank you."
Just then, Tan Qingrou, who had received the news, arrived in time and took her arm with a smile: "Congratulations, Sister An'an!"
Sheng An ruffled her hair: "Congratulations to you too."
Tan Zhenlin successfully turned the tide in the palace examination, becoming the last of the second-class Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examination).
Although he was not qualified to ride a horse through the streets, his status as a genuine Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) gave him an advantage over other Jinshi in terms of staying in the capital for a position or future promotion.
The Jiang residence was some distance from the teahouse, so the group traveled there by carriage.
At this time, the streets were full of people who came out to watch the excitement. The restaurants and teahouses along the street were packed, and people kept squeezing in. At least eight people were sitting at each tea table in the lobby on the first floor.
Not to mention the private rooms upstairs facing the street; if Li Tian hadn't managed to snag one beforehand, Sheng An and his group probably wouldn't even be able to get into the teahouse now.
The group sat in the private room and waited for quite a while before a waiter brought tea and snacks.
The waiter kept bowing and apologizing: "We have too many guests today, we've kept you waiting!"
Sheng An waved his hand: "It's alright."
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and tactfully withdrew.
The group chatted and drank tea, and before long they heard a commotion downstairs, mixed with the sound of gongs and drums.
Tan Qingrou's eyes lit up: "Is it Brother Jin Nian and the others who have come?"
After saying that, without waiting for anyone else to respond, he got up and quickly walked to the window, sticking his head out to look in the direction from which the sound came.
At the street corner, three men riding tall horses and dressed in bright red robes, escorted by two rows of imposing guards with large swords at their waists, slowly made their way towards the teahouse.
Hearing Tan Qingrou's cheers, Sheng An couldn't help but peek over and spotted the dazzling man in the crowded throng.
On the bustling street, guards led the way, with Xu Jinnian and his two companions following closely behind.
Xu Jinnian was the third-ranked scholar, trailing the top scholar by half a horse's length.
The person standing alongside him was the second-place finisher.
The second-place candidate is over fifty years old and already has a large family. This year marks his eighth time participating in the imperial examinations, and he has finally achieved his goal of passing with flying colors.
Just now in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, this second-place scholar was so overjoyed that he wept, and he barely managed to restrain himself from behaving improperly in front of the emperor.
At this moment, facing the cheering crowd along the street, Song Zhihang maintained a smile on his face, and casually turned around to give Xu Jinnian a smug look.
Hmph, I lost to this kid in the provincial examination, but I've finally won the palace examination.
Seeing Song Zhihang's gaze, Xu Jinnian silently mouthed two words: "Immature."
Song Zhihang saw it clearly and retorted without backing down, "You're jealous."
Xu Jinnian chuckled inwardly, too lazy to bother with this childish brat.
Song Zhihang gritted his teeth inwardly, staring at Xu Jinnian's handsome face, which was as beautiful as a painting. Suddenly, he felt that the title of top scholar was no longer appealing.
Hmph, His Majesty appointed him as the top scholar, he must have been impressed by his talent.
It's not because he was plain-looking and didn't deserve the title of Tan Hua that His Majesty gave him the title of Zhuang Yuan!
Among the crowd, some observant people noticed something amiss in Song Zhihang's eyes and whispered among themselves:
"The top scholar looks so fierce, who upset him?"
"He glanced at the third-ranked scholar several times, probably out of jealousy of his appearance."
"Oh, isn't that a bit petty?"
"..."
Xu Jinnian had excellent hearing and vaguely heard a few words. He was speechless at these wildly imaginative guesses.
Song Zhihang also heard this and was very dissatisfied.
How could he, a top scholar and the son of a marquis, possibly be jealous of another man's appearance?
Despite his thoughts, Song Zhihang's gaze unconsciously fell on Xu Jinnian's face.
Yes, His Majesty has a good eye for talent to appoint Mingyu as the third-ranked scholar.
He and that old codger who came in second place are not a good match.
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