After nine days and nine nights of examinations, when Jinzhen left the examination hall, he was already listless and his clothes had a strange smell.
Xingzhou, with his sharp eyes, spotted his young master, looking somewhat weak, walking out of the examination hall with the crowd. He quickly called to the servants, who rushed over to help the young master into the carriage.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Lady Uya was extremely worried when she saw her eldest son's listless appearance.
The early spring days were still a bit chilly. My son was taking the exam at the examination hall. He was working hard during the day and didn't get enough rest at night. It would be bad if he caught a cold.
Uya quickly instructed the servants to take the young master back to his courtyard, where the doctor she had arranged in advance was already waiting.
Fortunately, after the doctor examined her, there was nothing seriously wrong, and she only needed to rest for two days. However, Uya was still worried and asked the doctor to prescribe some medicine to dispel the cold before she was satisfied.
A few days later, the results of the provincial examination came out, and as expected, Jinzhen ranked second in the provincial examination.
The top scorer in the provincial examination, also known as the top scholar, was a candidate who had just turned thirty and had missed the previous two provincial examinations due to mourning.
This candidate was the top scholar in the provincial examination, the top scholar in the metropolitan examination, and if he were to become the top scholar in the palace examination, he would be a triple champion.
Losing to him was not shameful for Jinzhen. Everyone in the family had no other thoughts and were happy that he had passed the imperial examination.
Jinzhen was somewhat depressed. He hadn't expected the imperial examination to be so difficult. He had always been first in the standings, but today he had failed and only got second place.
A few days later, the date for the palace examination was set. All the other candidates were very nervous. They would have to see the emperor during the palace examination. How could these commoners not be nervous?
But Jinzhen is different. Putting aside his identity in his previous life, just considering his current relationship with the Emperor, he wouldn't be nervous.
In the end, Zhang Lian, who had achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, became the top scholar in the imperial examinations, achieving the goal of winning all three honors. Jin Zhen, on the other hand, was chosen by his cousin, the emperor, to be the third-ranked scholar.
At sixteen years old, he is a prodigy and has inherited the best features of both his parents. Among the group of people in their thirties and forties, he is indeed the most handsome. Who else but him deserves the third place in the imperial examination?
He followed in his father's footsteps and entered the Hanlin Academy as a minor official. But everyone knew that as the emperor's maternal cousin, his future was limitless.
One year later, in the sixth year of the Gan'an era, the imperial examination began in March.
The Emperor's eldest son, Hongfen, is already seventeen years old, the time for him to choose a consort. As the Empress's eldest son, the position of his primary consort is coveted by countless female relatives of officials.
Jinzhen, who was only a few months older than Hongfen, was also of marriageable age.
Last year, when he was in high school, many matchmakers came to his door to propose marriage, but Ma Jiayunhu, thinking of his family's relationship with the royal family, cautiously refused these marriage proposals.
His plan was to wait until this year's imperial concubine selection and have the emperor assign a wife to his son, thus avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Yinzhi was also troubled by his younger cousin's marriage. Although Jinzhen was his cousin, he was the same age as his son, and he loved him like a son from the bottom of his heart.
However, his relationship with the royal family and his marriage also involved important matters of the court, and any move he made would have far-reaching consequences, so he had to be cautious.
Yunyi knew her son was in a difficult position, and she wouldn't interfere with his choice, but she still hoped that her grandson and nephew could find wives they liked.
So she specially held a flower-viewing banquet in the Imperial Garden. On the surface, it was for flower viewing, but in reality, it was to give the two children a chance to meet.
Yunyi did not appear in person, but only had the matrons of Chuxiu Palace convey the news. These young ladies-in-waiting were unaware that the First Prince was watching from behind, and only thought that the Empress Dowager wanted to see them.
Let these two boys meet these girls in advance, and see if they are to their liking. If they meet one they like, great; if not, it's alright. At least they've met their future wives, so they won't be forced into an arranged marriage.
After the May imperial concubine selection concluded, the coveted position of the First Prince's consort ultimately fell to Lady Nalan.
This Nalan woman was the granddaughter of Nalan Mingzhu, a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall. Her father was the famous poet Nalan Xingde.
Nalan Xingde, courtesy name Rongruo, was a famous poet of the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, he was a talented scholar who passed away at a young age.
Nalan was the youngest daughter of Nalan Xingde, born to his second wife, Lady Guarjia. She was born in the 24th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, only one year younger than the eldest prince.
Nalan was of superior character, personality, ability, and knowledge. The only flaw was that she lost her father at a young age, which left a significant stain on her life.
In ancient times, people believed in fate. Girls who lost their father or mother at a young age were considered unlucky, and it would affect their marriage prospects in the future.
But Yunyi knew the history. Nalan Xingde had a very deep relationship with his first wife, Lady Lu. After Lady Lu passed away, he was always in a state of grief, so it was normal for him to die young.
When Nalan Xingde passed away, Nalan Shi was less than a year old and still a little girl who couldn't speak. What did that have to do with her?
Yunyi didn't care about these things. She liked the young girl Nalan very much. It was because her mother said so that Yinzhi issued an imperial decree to marry Nalan to the eldest prince.
Following that, Jinzhen also received a marriage decree, which he had specifically requested himself.
The youngest daughter of Fei Yanggu, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, of the Ulanara clan, was specially betrothed to the eldest son of the First-Class Duke of Cheng'en as his primary consort, and the wedding was to take place on a chosen date.
The family knelt to receive the imperial edict. Uya was somewhat puzzled. She thought the emperor would bestow a marriage upon her son with a daughter from one of the royalist families, but she never expected it to be Ulanara.
She knew this girl too. She missed the talent show three years ago because of her father's death, and only participated again this year. If she remembered correctly, this Ulanara was three years older than her own son.
However, since it was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, there must be a reason for it. So, Lady Uya didn't think too much about it and began to prepare for her son's marriage.
The truth is not that complicated. Jinzhen chose Ulanara as his consort and then asked the emperor for a marriage decree.
After considering it for a moment, Yinzhi decided that the two families' marriage arrangements would not have any negative impact, so he readily agreed.
Ulanara's father, Fei Yanggu, was an important minister during the reigns of both the Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors, holding the rank of First-Rank Imperial Guard Minister. His family was considered quite well-off.
But things weren't so perfect. She was Fei Yanggu's youngest legitimate daughter, and Fei Yanggu passed away when she was only sixteen. With her father, who was the head of the family, gone, and without any capable fathers or brothers, the Ulanara family's former glory was a thing of the past.
Families with a strong sense of social responsibility were unwilling to marry into the Ulanara clan, while she looked down on those from low-status families.
Moreover, she was delayed for three years due to mourning, and she is almost twenty years old this year. In this era, she is definitely an old maid, and her marriage is not easy to decide.
Unexpectedly, Jinzhen came to ask for a marriage decree, so after thinking about it, Yinzhi agreed.
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