After a period of great excitement in the capital, Qiu Wen's dowry gradually came to an end.
Before the wedding, Zhang Tingyu's results came out. He wasn't the top scorer. Although Zhang Tingyu was indeed knowledgeable, he was more inclined to rely on experience. In terms of exams, there were indeed people who could answer the questions better than him.
However, he was not bad either, winning third place, which is also the third-place winner, which suited his appearance perfectly.
The top scholar was nearly thirty, already had a family, and was almost thirty years old. He had already started growing a beard, so he naturally didn't attract much attention when parading through the streets. As for the second-place scholar, he was also quite old, and his appearance could only be described as decent.
However, the top-ranked candidate in the second class was also an acquaintance, Guo Shu from Jinghai County. He was also very handsome and was not engaged.
The Duan family patriarch was willing, but Guo Shu was not. Guo Shu wasn't stupid; given the Duan family's ways, it would be a real problem if he married a Duan family girl!
However, out of consideration for Guo Shu's aunt from the eldest branch of the Guo family, Guo Shu acted with some discretion, making her refusal subtle. Moreover, when she came back from Jinghai County, she had basically no contact with the Duan family.
The Duan family couldn't really support him, since Guo Shu's reasons were perfectly legitimate. He needed a quiet place to study and rarely left the academy. No matter how much the Duan family patriarch wanted to help, he couldn't resist Guo Shu's unintentional actions.
With Madam Duan constantly urging him on, Master Duan gradually lost patience. In addition, he had someone observe Guo Shu and found that she seemed to have no connection with the eldest prince in the palace, which is why Guo Shu was able to remain undisturbed.
A young man who is well-versed in literature is unaware of the hardships of life. Since he is ungrateful, Master Duan will no longer concern himself with him and let him suffer a little.
However, Master Duan knew his troublesome son well and was afraid he would cause trouble, so he imposed many restrictions on him. After all, they were related by marriage, and his sister was still in the Guo family! Moreover, the Guo family had been doing quite well in recent years, which allowed Guo Shu to study in peace.
Many young ladies from noble families came to watch the parade, including Qiu Wen, but not Bei Bei. Qiu Wen came because she wanted Zhang Tingyu, while Bei Bei was just there to join in the fun.
As she grew older, the restrictions on leaving the palace lessened. Because she enjoyed spending time with Qiu Wen and knew that today was Zhang Tingyu's "good day," she also came out.
Of course, part of the reason was that she was getting a little bored in the palace and wanted to get some fresh air.
"It's really lively today."
Qiu Wen laughed and said, "That's right, such situations are not very common."
The common people respected scholars, and most of them loved to join in the fun. This was quite a grand occasion, something that hadn't been seen anywhere else except the capital!
Beibei joked, "I heard my mother say that when the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) parade through the streets, quite a few people throw things in the street. I don't know if it's true?" After all, she had only heard about it and had never actually witnessed it.
Qiu Wen: "I'm not entirely sure about that either, but it looks like it'll be here soon. We'll probably know for sure soon enough."
Today, the restaurants on both sides of the street are packed, and the streets on both sides are also full of people.
However, there was no one in the middle; after all, when riding a horse through the streets, there has to be a path, right?
"Here he comes, here he comes, look, the third-ranked scholar is here."
These words weren't spoken by Qiu Wen and Bei Bei, but by someone in the next private room. The voice sounded like a woman's, but no one knew who it was.
The reason why we mention the third-ranked scholar instead of the top two scholars is because Zhang Tingyu is too famous.
He himself is very low-key, but his background is undeniable, and it's easy to find out anything about him with a little inquiry.
The current emperor has only two princes. Judging from the way the eldest prince is being groomed, he will most likely become the next emperor. Zhang Tingyu is the next emperor's study companion, a position that is certainly noteworthy.
No matter how low-key Zhang Tingyu was, some stories about him still circulated. For example, he was engaged, and it was a marriage bestowed by the emperor. His fiancée was a princess from a prominent Manchu family. He was also known for his good looks, talent, and imposing presence.
Because of these rumors, coupled with Zhang Ying's current power in the court, and Zhang Tingyu's talent at such a young age, many people want to see what Zhang Tingyu looks like.
Although they were engaged, it wasn't that no one had other ideas.
Beibei looked at Qiu Wen teasingly, but Qiu Wen remained unfazed and asked in return, "What's wrong?"
Beibei thought for a moment and decided not to joke about it: "It's nothing, Brother Tingyu should be here soon."
Qiu Wen found it amusing. She knew what Bei Bei meant. It wasn't that she didn't care or not at all, but that she would try her best. She didn't believe in vows of eternal love, but she believed that hard work would pay off, and that marriage also required effort.
She was prepared, so Qiu Wen was confident she could ignore the potential swarms of suitors.
Besides, they still have their pride; they can't really pounce on her.
Zhang Tingyu rode his horse through the streets, and along the way he was often hit with flowers, handkerchiefs and the like. Although Zhang Tingyu looked gentle, he was somewhat aloof when he didn't speak. Being stared at and hit with things along the way, even though he knew there was no malice, Zhang Tingyu's mood was not particularly pleasant.
However, this was the rule, and he could only try his best to remain calm, though his smile was gone.
The top scholar standing to the side and the evening looked at Zhang Tingyu's situation with envy, but the gap was too big, so they couldn't feel any jealousy.
Zhang Tingyu was indeed as handsome as rumored, which caused some young ladies and princesses from less privileged backgrounds to have mixed feelings about him. Most of these young ladies and princesses had such thoughts because their families planned to use them for marriage alliances.
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