Chapter 251 They Came to the Door
The first exam of the spring imperial examination was held on the ninth day of the second lunar month.
The spring chill lingers; the temperature in Beijing in February has just begun to warm up, but the chill at night still seeps into the bones. Every year during the spring imperial examinations, some candidates freeze to death in their examination rooms.
After hearing Uncle Fu talk about all sorts of unexpected events that might occur during the imperial examinations, Sheng An was extremely grateful that she had visited a fur shop on the way to the capital and bought Xu Jinnian a fur coat that would provide better protection against the cold.
This fur coat, which I haven't worn yet, naturally became one of the essential items to bring to today's exam.
Besides fur coats, other items for keeping warm, such as quilts, are not allowed in the examination room; only those provided by the examination room are permitted.
With so many candidates taking the exam, the quilts provided in the examination hall were probably as old as many of them, which greatly reduced their warmth and might even have been too dirty to use.
When they set off for the examination hall, Sheng An wanted to take Xu Jinnian there, but Xu Jinnian refused, saying, "It's crowded there, and you're pregnant now, so you shouldn't take the risk."
Sheng An knew what was important and didn't insist, but he still gave a slightly worried reminder:
"You have to be careful. You can't let go of the basket the whole time you're taking the test, lest someone with bad intentions think you're good-looking and throw something they shouldn't into your basket."
As Uncle Fu said, every year there are people who, out of jealousy, try every means to frame others.
Some candidates were caught cheating and were found to have cheat sheets hidden inside. They were immediately taken to jail by the police on charges of cheating.
Those who were lucky could be released after the spring imperial examination, while those who were unlucky would have their academic achievements stripped and their path to the imperial examinations cut off.
After listening to Uncle Fu talk so much, Sheng An couldn't help but overthink things.
Xu Jinnian was amused by his wife's comment, "You're beautiful," and couldn't help but gently pinch her cheek: "I'll remember that, you little rascal."
Sheng An glared at the man: "I'm not that old."
Tan Zhenlin and the others were already waiting at the door, so Sheng An didn't linger and watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance.
It was windy today. After standing at the door for a while, her face felt cold and painful from the wind, so she turned around and went back inside to take a nap.
Before Sheng An could even undress and get into bed, Tan Qingrou arrived with bags and packages.
Meeting Sheng An's surprised gaze, she explained with a smile, "Brother Jin Nian has been away these past few days. He was worried that you would be bored by yourself, so he asked me to come and stay for a few days to keep you company."
Sheng An felt a warmth in her heart and gratefully grasped Tan Qingrou's hand: "Isn't this too much trouble?"
Tan Qingrou was displeased: "Sister An'an, you are my best friend, I don't want to hear these formal words."
Sheng An quickly begged for forgiveness: "It was my fault, I promise it won't happen again!"
Tan Qingrou was satisfied. She took out a large bag of snacks from the bundle she had brought and placed them on the table one by one: "I personally selected these. Pregnant women can eat them too."
Sheng An patted the top of her head: "Thank you, Xiao Rou. I'll brew a pot of tea right away, and we can eat and chat at the same time."
The Jiang residence was some distance from the examination hall, about the time it takes to walk for two incense sticks to burn. Xu Jinnian took a carriage there, but it wasn't much faster than walking, simply because there were too many carriages going in the same direction, all carrying candidates heading to the examination hall.
The carriage couldn't go any further before it even reached the examination hall, so they had to get off nearby and walk.
Fortunately, it was still early, and the queue for entry checks hadn't started yet, so the four of them found a quiet spot to wait.
The seven or eight guards they brought surrounded them, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily to prevent anyone from causing trouble or any other unexpected events.
The surrounding examinees, seeing that the four were dressed in extraordinary clothes and had so many guards, yet were unfamiliar with them, were eager to approach and investigate their true nature.
However, they were stopped by the guards before they could get close.
One of the candidates from Dongjiang Prefecture recognized Xu Jinnian and greeted him with a warm smile: "When did you all arrive in the capital? I haven't seen you at the hometown gathering before."
Fang Qingzhou smiled modestly, "I was delayed on the way and didn't know there was a hometown association gathering, so I didn't have time to attend."
The other party had no doubts and became even more enthusiastic: "No problem, no problem, there's plenty of time after the imperial examinations are over."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the candidate left on his own.
Those who wanted to find out more about Xu Jinnian and his group followed the examinee to inquire about his situation.
Upon inquiring, they discovered that Xu Jinnian was the top scholar in the provincial examination of Dongjiang Prefecture last year, and their gazes toward Xu Jinnian were filled with envy and resentment.
I only knew that Xu Jieyuan was young and handsome, but I didn't know he was this young and handsome!
Who wouldn't feel envious when they see someone who is talented, good-looking, and young?
Xu Jinnian noticed the gazes directed at him, but his expression remained unchanged.
At this moment, Tan Zhenlin nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to look up and forward.
Xu Jinnian followed his gaze and saw Xu Huaining among a group of people walking towards them at the intersection.
The group of candidates knew each other and talked as they walked. The person in the middle, surrounded by others, wore a jade crown and a white fox fur coat, clearly indicating that he came from an extraordinary background.
Tan Zhenlin happened to know this person, and Xu Jinnian and the other two said, "He is Song Zhihang, the second young master of the Marquis of Yongyi's family, the top scholar of Shuntian Prefecture in last year's provincial examination, and also the person with the highest reputation for this year's top scholar, or even the champion."
At this point, he grinned and showed his teeth to Xu Jinnian: "Coincidentally, he sees you as his biggest competitor for the top spot in the imperial examination, since you are the top scholar from Dongjiang Prefecture."
After hearing this, Xu Jinnian glanced at Song Zhihang and said quite frankly, "He is not as good as me."
Tan Zhenlin looked shocked: "When did you become so immodest?"
Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua were also surprised, looking their junior brother up and down, wondering if he had been possessed by something unclean.
Xu Jinnian ignored their suspicious looks and uttered a sentence that almost made the three of them vomit blood: "He is not as good-looking as me."
Sigh, ever since he discovered that An'an is attracted to looks, he seems to have unconsciously started to value appearances more as well.
Tan Zhenlin: "..."
Fang Qingzhou: "..."
Ye Yunhua: "..."
How come I never noticed before that he was so thick-skinned?
This little incident went unnoticed by anyone.
Not far away, Song Zhihang seemed to notice Xu Jinnian's gaze. After looking around and finding nothing amiss, he continued walking forward.
After walking a few steps, he turned his head and asked Xu Huaining, who was walking on the outermost side:
"You and Xu Mingyu are both from Qingzhou, so you must have met him. Do you know where he is staying?"
Xu Huaining was caught off guard when Song Zhihang, who was the center of attention, spoke to him, asking about the person he hated most. His hands, hidden under his sleeves, clenched unconsciously.
Noticing several unfriendly gazes, Xu Huaining's eyes flashed, and he composed himself, a wry smile appearing on his gentle face: "I don't know."
Upon seeing his expression, Song Zhihang realized that he was familiar with Xu Jinnian, but their relationship was strained.
This wasn't the place to talk, so Song Zhihang wisely ended the conversation: "It's alright."
After the imperial examinations ended, he always managed to find an opportunity to meet Xu Mingyu, whom he had only heard of but never seen.
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