Chapter 264 Inside Story
After completing the palace examination, the candidates relaxed completely and began holding banquets the next day to build relationships.
The invitations sent to the Jiang residence were a thick stack; everyone wanted to get closer to Xu Jinnian, a top contender for the top scholar.
The same was true for Song Zhihang; he received just as many invitations as Xu Jinnian.
Xu Jinnian did not attend these meaningless banquets, and spent his days with Sheng An, either playing chess and reading stories with her, or taking walks with her.
When there aren't many people on the street, I'll take her for a stroll and buy her some rare little trinkets to play with and pass the time.
Song Zhihang visited once during that time, enjoying two delicious meals before leaving satisfied.
Sheng An had a good impression of Song Zhihang and said to Xu Jinnian with a smile, "He not only admires strength but also looks. I think he will use you as a reference when choosing a wife in the future and marry a woman who is both talented and beautiful."
Both men and women have a love for beauty, and Song Zhihang's desire for it is all too obvious.
However, Sheng An could tell that this was a gentleman who did not harbor any improper thoughts about her man.
Xu Jinnian said in a deep voice, "The situation of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion is somewhat complicated, and his marriage may not go too smoothly."
Ever since Song Zhihang approached him, he had been trying to find out about the situation inside the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion.
Upon hearing this, Sheng An's gossipy nature was immediately piqued: "What do you mean?"
Xu Jinnian did not hide anything and recounted what he had found out in detail:
"The Marquis of Yongyi has two sons. The eldest son is the heir apparent, but due to his frail health since childhood, he has no children, and his health is deteriorating year by year. It is highly likely that the title will fall to Song Zhihang, however..."
The Marquis of Yongyi's mansion was a place where several branches of the family lived together. The old lady of the mansion was not the biological mother of Marquis Song. She was the second wife of the deceased old Marquis and had the only son, the fourth master of the mansion.
Back then, the old lady wanted her son to inherit the title, so she suppressed the young Marquis Song a lot and even tried to trick him into going to the dangerous battlefield.
Lord Song was clever enough to evade his stepmother's schemes time and again. He even secured a position as a tutor to the princes. He faced life and death several times on his path to the throne and eventually became a trusted minister of Emperor Jinghe.
For this reason, the once-declining Marquis of Yongyi's mansion has once again become one of the top noble families in the capital. Lord Song's merit in supporting the new emperor has at least preserved the mansion's wealth and status for three generations.
Although the old lady seemed to have calmed down over the years, the power struggles within the Marquis's mansion had never ceased.
Based on the information he received, Xu Jinnian guessed that the reason why Prince Song was weak and childless was because he was being plotted against by the inner quarters.
Sheng An hadn't expected the inner quarters of the Marquis of Yongyi's residence to be like this. Thinking of Song Zhihang's cheerful demeanor every time he came to the Jiang residence, she couldn't help but ask, "He's so enthusiastic towards you, is he planning something?"
After thinking about it, she felt it was impossible. With a family like the Marquis's, what reason would her man have to be schemed against?
Xu Jinnian patted his wife's head and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, he can't do anything to me."
After saying that, he said in a low voice, "Last year, the Princess Pingyuan Mansion intended to form a marriage alliance with the Marquis Yongyi Mansion, and wanted to marry Princess Shanmin to Song Zhihang, but Marquis Song politely declined."
Sheng An was taken aback. Was there really such a thing?
Xu Jinnian continued, "It is said that Princess Shanmin was furious and wanted to whip Song Zhihang when she met him in the street, but Song Zhihang's guards stopped her, and the matter was dropped."
Sheng An asked in a daze, "Does Princess Shanmin like Song Zhihang?"
Xu Jin scoffed, "An An overestimates her."
How could a woman with a heart as venomous as a snake, so vicious and cruel, who keeps countless male lovers, possibly fall in love with a man?
It was just a fit of anger after being rejected.
Sheng An scratched his head: "So, Song Zhihang is actually quite pitiful."
There was a princess named Shanmin who harbored a grudge against him, and even the noble ladies of the capital who admired him probably wouldn't dare to marry him.
After listening to Song Zhihang's gossip, Sheng An also felt sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.
Three days passed in a flash, and it was time to announce the results of the palace examination.
Tan Zhenlin arrived at the Jiang residence early and went to the palace with Xu Jinnian.
He has been going through a lot of hardship these past few days, with two big dark circles under his eyes.
Sheng An was startled and asked, "What trouble have you encountered?"
Tan Zhenlin rubbed his face and sighed deeply: "I'm afraid I won't do well in the palace examination and will end up as one of the top three scholars."
The top three scholars were awarded the title of Jinshi (进士) and ranked first, second, and third respectively.
The second-class degree was granted the title of Jinshi, and only the top third of the candidates were selected.
The third-ranked scholar was granted the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and the largest number of people were admitted through this system.
A total of 268 people participated in the palace examination this time. After deducting the three people who were ranked first, only about 80 people were ranked second.
With his future career and the possibility of staying in Beijing for a position at stake, Tan Zhenlin was understandably anxious.
These past few days, the entire Tan family has been very anxious.
Sheng An didn't know how to comfort Tan Zhenlin, so she simply cooked an extra bowl of dumplings she had made herself, hoping that he would feel better after eating them.
Delicious food soothes the soul; after a bowl of dumplings, Tan Zhenlin's mood improved considerably.
After seeing the two off, Sheng An stayed in the courtyard to wait for news.
When Xu Jinnian and Tan Zhenlin arrived at the palace gate, there were already quite a few people there, including Xu Huaining.
"Jin Nian".
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xu Huaining stepped forward to greet Xu Jinnian with an impeccable smile.
Xu Jinnian frowned slightly, his gaze falling on Xu Huaining's hypocritical face, as if trying to see through the mask to his inner schemes.
Seeing that he remained silent, Xu Huaining looked dejected: "Jin Nian, I apologize for what our parents did to you. How about we brothers get along well from now on?"
This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.
These two are actually brothers?
Yes, they are both surnamed Xu, both from Qingzhou in Dongjiang Prefecture, and they look so alike that no one would believe they aren't brothers!
Why didn't anyone notice this before?
Seeing Xu Huaining putting on an act in front of others again, Tan Zhenlin, who hadn't slept well, became furious and stepped forward to block Xu Jinnian:
"Why apologize now of all times? Who are you trying to disgust? Should I expose the disgusting things your parents did?"
In fact, Tan Zhenlin had no idea what disgusting things Xu Laosi and his wife had done to Xu Jinnian, but that didn't stop him from using it to shut Xu Huaining up and prevent him from spouting bad things indiscriminately.
Xu Huaining seemed hurt by Tan Zhenlin's words; his lips moved but he couldn't speak for a long time, looking quite pitiful.
Someone couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to question Tan Zhenlin with dissatisfaction: "Even if there is a mistake, it is not Brother Xu's fault. Why are you, an outsider, being so aggressive!"
After the imperial examination, Xu Huaining attended many poetry gatherings and banquets, and got along well with his fellow examinees.
Seeing him being bullied by Tan Zhenlin, he naturally wanted to stand up for him.
Tan Zhenlin was so angry he almost fell over. Just as he was about to retort, Xu Jinnian pulled him aside, forcing him to face the hypocritical Xu Huaining:
"Since you insist on apologizing to me on behalf of your parents, I, as the victim, cannot let you down. Why don't you explain the cause and effect in front of everyone so that everyone can know your sincerity?"
Since you've offered your face up to him, don't blame him for hitting you hard.
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