252, was selected as the top scorer
252, was selected as the top scorer
The next morning, Zhang Lingxuan came to see him alone, and Lu Mingfei invited Zhang Lingxuan into the study for tea.
He saw Zhang Lingxuan sitting beside him, silent. His expression didn't look at all like the relief he'd shown after the imperial examination. Instead, his brows were furrowed, a look of deep sorrow etched between them. Remembering what Zhang Lingxuan had said to him that day, he had a rough idea of what was going on.
In fact, Lu Mingfei could also understand Zhang Lingxuan. After all, Zhang Lingxuan was different from him. He was a person who truly lived in this era and dared not disobey his parents' orders. The word "filial piety" was more important than anything else and could trap many people.
However, as Ye Zhuoran's friend, Lu Mingfei only wanted to tell Zhang Lingxuan, "No matter what decision you make, I hope you don't hurt anyone who shouldn't be hurt."
"Do you get me?"
Zhang Lingxuan met Lu Mingfei's eyes and suddenly smiled, "As expected, you saw it a long time ago."
Seeing that Lu Mingfei was waiting for him to respond to his previous question, he agreed without hesitation, "Okay, I know what you mean."
"If you dare to hurt him, I will take him to a place where you will never find him." Lu Mingfei's words were not a threat to Zhang Lingxuan, but a warning to Zhang Lingxuan in advance.
"Is this the kind of person I am in your eyes?" Zhang Lingxuan asked.
Lu Mingfei walked over to the seat opposite Zhang Lingxuan and sat down. He picked up the tea on the table, smiled, looked up at Zhang Lingxuan, and said, "It doesn't matter what kind of person you are in my eyes."
"What's important is what kind of person you are to yourself and to Ye Zhuoran. That's what matters most."
He knew that Zhang Lingxuan had always been a smart person. Smart people should have smart ideas and smart ways of doing things. He didn't want Zhang Lingxuan to be confused.
No matter what decision Zhang Lingxuan made, Lu Mingfei hoped that he would do it without hurting anyone else. If Zhang Lingxuan decided to follow his family's arrangements and marry a woman, he hoped that Zhang Lingxuan would keep his feelings for Ye Zhuoran secret, not tell Ye Zhuoran, and not hurt the innocent woman.
As for Ye Zhuoran, once Zhang Lingxuan chooses to marry the woman, Zhang Lingxuan must be prepared for the possibility that Ye Zhuoran will stay away from him.
The three of them had grown up together, and Ye Zhuoran was simple-minded, so the two of them unconsciously protected Ye Zhuoran in the middle. Lu Mingfei knew that Ye Zhuoran must have feelings for Zhang Lingxuan, but he had never asked Ye Zhuoran how deep these feelings were.
However, if Zhang Lingxuan chose to marry and have children, then when he and Zhao Lang left Kyoto Prefecture in the future, he would definitely take that little fool Ye Zhuoran with him.
Zhang Lingxuan stayed with Lu Mingfei for a short time that day before leaving.
After returning home, he told his parents that he did not want to get married so early, nor did he want to get engaged to a girl he had never met twice. He asked his parents to give him three years to do what he wanted.
However, his parents at home did not understand him and wanted him to settle down with the girl they liked. Because of this, he had arguments with both parents.
However, since he had made up his mind, Zhang Lingxuan no longer wanted to follow the arrangements of his parents and family and decide his marriage casually, nor did he want to go against his own heart and casually marry and have children with a woman he did not love.
After seeing Zhang Lingxuan off that day, Lu Mingfei stopped caring about other people's affairs and stayed at home to sleep, trying to make up for all the sleep he had missed in the past years.
Not only did he sleep in his own home, but he was also taken by Zhao Lang to Prince Ding's mansion to continue sleeping.
However, ever since Zhao Lang succeeded that day, he'd been trying to untie his belt and take off his clothes whenever he got the chance. But despite their fussing, they still kept their distance.
After spending three days with Zhao Lang, the day for the palace examination results was soon here.
***
The results of this palace examination were announced very quickly. They were announced on the fourth day after they took the examination.
Just like the provincial examination, when the results of the palace examination were announced, officials came to the house to announce the good news.
So Lu Mingfei simply didn't go to the Imperial Examination Hall to see the results, but stayed at the braised food shop to wait for news. Knowing that there would be a lot of people at home this time, he told Zhao Lang in advance that Zhao Lang didn't need to go to the braised food shop to find him, and asked Zhao Lang to come to him at night when there was no one around.
It would be better not to expose the relationship between the two of them in public for the time being.
On this day, not only was he waiting for news at home, but his parents, stepfather and stepmother, as well as many relatives, friends and neighbors came to their store to wait for news together.
This time the government didn't make them wait too long. The officials came to their store with drums and gongs to announce the good news.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
"Here he comes, he must be here to tell us the good news."
"Hurry, hurry, go call your brother out." Lu Youtian called his youngest son into the backyard to call his brother out.
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingrui, Lu Mingcong and other boys ran to the backyard.
At this time, Lu Mingfei also heard the sound of gongs and drums in the backyard. When he heard his brothers running in and calling him, he knew that the officials had come to announce the good news, so he followed his brothers out.
When he got to the door, the official who came to report the good news had just arrived at the door of their store.
The officer called out, "Is Lu Mingfei, the top scholar, here?"
"Here, here, here." Upon hearing this, Lu Youtian pushed his eldest son out.
"Is he the top scorer?!"
"Our brother Fei passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer!"
The people around also heard the official shouting "number one scholar", and everyone looked at the promising eldest son of Lu Youtian's family.
This is the top scholar!
Lu Mingfei was pushed forward by his father.
The official who brought the good news met him and handed him a set of top-ranking scholar uniforms, bowed and congratulated him, "Congratulations, top-ranking scholar, congratulations, top-ranking scholar, you have been chosen by His Majesty as the top scholar."
"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace." Lu Mingfei took the clothes with both hands, bowed in the direction of the imperial city, and thanked the official who came to report the good news.
"This is your number one scholar's uniform. Please put it on tomorrow and go to the Ministry of Rites at the beginning of the morning hour. After meeting up with other Jinshi gentlemen, you must go to the palace to thank the emperor for his grace and then ride a horse in a parade through the streets." The official reminded the new number one scholar.
"Okay, thank you for the reminder." Lu Mingfei replied.
"Thank you for your hard work, brothers. Why don't you all stay here and have a drink with us?" Lu Youtian stuffed the reward money he had prepared in advance into the hands of the two officers.
The two officers took the purse, squeezed it quietly, and knew that it contained silver.
However, they had other tasks to do, so they could only thank the father of the top scholar for his kindness. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Lu. We have to go somewhere else to announce the good news, so we won't bother you anymore."
Hearing this, Lu Youtian could only happily send the officials away. As soon as he turned around, he was surrounded by a group of neighbors.
"Congratulations, Boss Lu. Congratulations, Boss Lu. Your Fei Ge'er is really promising."
"Congratulations to Lu the champion, congratulations to Lu the champion."
“…”
After the official left, the people around congratulated Lu Youtian and his wife, and Lu Mingfei, the top scholar.
Some people here also congratulated Lu Qingfeng and Xu Yueniang. These neighbors all knew that Lu Qingfeng and his wife adopted Lu Mingfei as their godson. Now that their godson had passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer, wouldn't the godfather and godmother also benefit from it?
At this moment, many people even envied Lu Qingfeng and Xu Yueniang's good luck. They adopted a godson, and this godson passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer. What good luck is this! Why don't they have this good luck?
It seems that they will have to adopt a few more godsons in the future. Maybe one of them will be successful? Many people here have such thoughts in their minds at this time.
Lu Mingfei, along with his father and mother, were surrounded by people congratulating them.
"Hurry up and take out the firecrackers and light them." Liu Sanniang called her husband.
"Yes, yes, I'll go right away." Lu Youtian finally broke through the encirclement and asked someone to get some firecrackers to set off.
Soon, the sound of firecrackers was heard in front of the braised food shop, letting everyone nearby know that a top scholar had emerged here.
Their family had already discussed it in advance. If there was good news about the eldest son, they would host a banquet in the store, invite relatives and friends to have a drink in the store, and also treat the customers who came to eat to a free meal.
The restaurant prepared good wine and food in advance, and the neighbors and friends who came to congratulate sat down and had a drink of wedding wine.
Lu Qingfeng and Xu Yueniang also brought a lot of sesame cakes from their store to the braised food shop and gave them to everyone for free.
Seeing some beggars coming to the door to watch the fun, Lu Mingfei took a basket of sesame cakes and stuffed it into his brother Lu Mingrui, "Mingrui, Mingcong, Xiaobao, you three, take some sesame cakes to the door and distribute them to the uncles, aunts, and children."
"Be careful, don't let the kidnapper take you away."
"Okay, brother, we got it." Lu Mingrui took the pancake and called the other two brothers away.
However, Lu Mingfei was still not very reassured, so he called Zhang Qi and guard Ma to help keep an eye on the three children.
There was a constant stream of customers coming to their shop to congratulate him that day, and he didn't run away with Zhao Lang like he did last time, so he stayed at home with his father and mother to entertain these guests who came to congratulate him.
Among these guests, there were also families who wanted to arrange marriages for him, but they were all politely rejected by his family.
Lu Mingfei had informed his parents a few days ago about his marriage, saying he had already made up his mind and asked them not to make the decision for him. His parents agreed without asking for any reason.
Having a pair of sensible parents is also the greatest blessing in his life. There are fewer unnecessary contradictions and conflicts between father and son and mother and son.
On the same day, in Kyoto City, the sound of firecrackers was heard everywhere, and many people received good news.
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