Chapter 132 The Hardest Number One Scholar The Hardest Number One Scholar
This year's imperial examination was a grand event. Everyone knew that the top-ranked candidates were all young and outstanding, with particularly outstanding looks.
As the tall horses slowly approached from a distance, the onlookers could not help but exclaim in surprise. They saw the top three people sitting on the horses, each of them had rosy lips and white teeth, and a face as beautiful as a jade.
It is rare to see such talents on ordinary days, but now there are three of them together.
Before they got close, fresh flowers and handkerchiefs from upstairs fell down like they were free, and were thrown onto the three people in an endless stream. The girls who were usually shy also let go at this time. Although their faces were still red, they threw the handkerchiefs very quickly.
Su Fengzhang received special attention. In terms of appearance, the three of them were equally matched in terms of their own merits, but he had fair skin, and after wearing the top scholar's crown and robes, he looked as if he was honored, and immediately overshadowed the two people behind him.
Even the elderly ladies and young wives were delighted at the sight of this prey, secretly thinking that this year's top scholar was too handsome, and they wanted to throw silk flowers down as well.
The onlookers were enjoying the excitement, but the three men sitting on their tall horses were complaining in their hearts. It is said that it is the most difficult to accept the favor of a beautiful woman. It is one thing to watch the excitement, but being watched is not such a simple matter.
After all, all the silk handkerchiefs had been thrown away, and many people just threw down the jade pendant purses. Some of these purses were empty, but some were filled with things!
Su Fengzhang was very agile and could move very fast even when sitting on a horse. He was glad that not many people were willing to throw down their purses, otherwise if there was a concentrated attack, he would have been beaten black and blue.
Su Qun, who was riding a horse behind him, was not as skilled. He was a typical scholar. Although he did not look weak, his riding skills were not particularly skilled. He failed to dodge and was hit on the forehead by the falling purse.
Hearing a cry of pain behind him, Su Fengzhang quickly turned around and saw Su Qun covering his forehead with his hand, his face ashen.
Su Fengzhang apologized repeatedly: "Brother Yuliang, are you okay?"
What else could Su Qu do? Could he just get angry while being paraded through the streets? He could only bite the bullet and say, "I'm fine."
"I'm glad you're okay." Su Fengzhang said with a smile. Before he finished speaking, he bent down again, and saw a pink purse falling from the sky. It was originally thrown towards Su Fengzhang's storefront.
Su Fengzhang dodged, and the purse hit the head of Su Qun's horse behind him. The horse was in bad luck. It was already irritated by the flowers around it, and now it kicked its rear and neighed.
If the guards had not held the horse to calm it, Su Qu would have fallen off the horse.
But Meng Ting at the back was like a fish in water. He grabbed the silk handkerchief and smelled the flowers. Compared with the first two, he even waved to the people around him.
Seeing the situation ahead, Meng Ting laughed and said, "Brother Su, why are you so nervous? This is a good thing, and we only have one chance in our lifetime. We can't waste it."
Su Fengzhang shook his head helplessly. This kind of atmosphere with everyone cheering and welcoming could indeed make people feel a strong sense of vanity, just in line with the poem "The spring breeze is blowing, the horse's hooves are galloping, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day."
Things that everyone envied naturally made people feel elated, but among the three of them, only Meng Ting was enjoying it. Su Fengzhang clearly understood that everything now was false and would never be the same after today, while Su Qun was still a little upset because he missed out on the top spot.
Meng Ting waved his hand, and cheers suddenly broke out from the buildings on both sides. More silk flowers were thrown down, and some people even threw fruits downstairs. Fortunately, these young ladies were not very strong, and the fruits fell halfway before hitting Su Fengzhang and the other two.
Because of the three people's outstanding appearance, this was probably the most lively horse parade since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The road where the three of them walked was even covered with a thick layer of flowers.
In a small building by the roadside, a man was upset because his purse had been thrown sideways. He jumped up and down and said, "He actually dared to dodge it. It's his honor to have this princess throw it to him!"
He Jun, who was sitting next to her, laughed out loud when he heard this: "He Jing, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you have a lot of gold nuggets in your purse. If this hits you on the head, you'll be in big trouble."
Princess Hejing pouted and refused to give in: "Can't he just grab it?"
He Jun said to her: "You take it for granted. Do others know who you are? Why should they ask for your wallet?"
Princess Hejing was unhappy and said, "Although he is the new champion, I am still a princess of the royal family. How dare he refuse me?"
He Jun glanced at her and said bluntly, "You should take a look at yourself to see if you have the appearance of a royal princess. You were tempted by her beauty just now, and now you are being unreasonable. If I were the new number one scholar, I would not like you either."
Princess Hejing was on the verge of tears after being bullied by him for a few words. She hugged the Fifth Prince's arm and shouted, "Fifth brother, you see, he always bullies me. Didn't he say he brought me out to watch the fun today? Now, I've become the fun."
The Fifth Prince reached out and pried her hands apart, saying calmly, "I don't care if you two bicker."
He Jun laughed heartily and glanced at He Jing with a hint of pride: "You've seen this guy too, can we go now?"
He Jing's eyes rolled around, and the Fifth Prince coughed and reminded her, "He Jing, this Su Fengzhang is the number one scholar favored by the emperor, so don't mess around."
He Jing understood the warning in his words, pouted and said, "Okay, I'm not the kind of person who makes trouble."
He Jun burst into laughter and sneered, "I don't believe that."
Princess Hejing just glared at him and ignored him. She just pestered the Fifth Prince and asked, "Fifth brother, shall we go to the Qionglin Banquet tonight? This year's scholars are quite interesting. I want to go and see them."
The fifth prince said, "No, if you want to go, go and ask the crown prince."
Upon hearing this, Princess Hejing became listless and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will never take me with him. It's good enough that he doesn't scold me. Forget it, if he wants to go, I'd better hurry back to the palace."
On the other side, after the parade, the scholars had to go to the Confucius Temple to worship, and then they had to go to the Qionglin Banquet without stopping.
The Qionglin Banquet of the Great Zhou Dynasty was held in the royal garden in the south of the capital. On this day, this usually quiet royal garden became completely lively, with lights and decorations everywhere waiting for the arrival of the new scholars.
There were so many Jinshi scholars to be received that the banquet was held in the courtyard of the royal garden. The spacious courtyard was filled with tables, one for each person, and the tables were filled with delicacies from land and sea.
The palace maids shuttled between the tables like butterflies, without making any sound of dishes colliding. Su Fengzhang and the other two arrived a little later, and when they arrived, the tables were almost full.
Receiving the imperial edict, I have just entered the officialdom and have returned to the throne to behold the Emperor's face. Clouds form a canopy of five-colored talismans, and dew stands a thousand officials with a riot of jewelry. A banquet coincides with the Ox and Girl Festival, and the phoenix emblems shine brightly on the walls. I offer a poem to describe the elegant and humble duties of this humble official, and what's more, I witness the majestic atmosphere of the song.
This poem is about the Qionglin Banquet, the most famous of the four imperial examination banquets.
When seeing the scene of the Luan Zhang's light reflected on the wall, Su Fengzhang was also a little dazed. He had been in this world for more than three years. At first, he had thought about exchanging some land for retirement and waiting for death. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, he actually passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer.
Now, as he was waiting to attend the ancient Qionglin Banquet, Su Fengzhang himself knew the mixed feelings in his heart.
Before the scholars present had a chance to have a heart-to-heart conversation with each other, everyone at the banquet stood up and saluted. It turned out that the emperor had arrived with the crown prince, the fourth prince and a group of ministers.
The emperor seemed in high spirits. He raised his glass and drank a few cups with them before saying, "No feast is complete without wine and poetry. Since all the talented men of the Great Zhou are gathered here today, why not use this as the theme and invite the newly minted scholars to add to the brilliance."
Naturally, everyone below responded. However, the Fourth Prince said with a smile, "Father, others can write poems, but there is one person who cannot."
The emperor asked curiously, "Oh, who can't?"
"Of course it's the new number one scholar, Su Fengzhang," the Fourth Prince said with a smile. "I've heard that Su Fengzhang is an expert in calligraphy and painting. It would be a waste to ask him to compose a poem. Why not have him paint on the spot to entertain father? What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the emperor smiled and said, "I have also heard a little about it. I am very curious about the Begonia Transformation Painting in the Scholars' Building."
"That's not difficult. Just ask Su Zhuangyuan to paint on the spot." The fourth prince said with a smile.
Su Fengzhang lowered his head, wondering whether the Fourth Prince valued him or wanted to kill him.
A tree that stands out in the forest will always be destroyed by the wind. Su Fengzhang really didn't like this kind of thing that attracted attention, especially since the Fourth Prince's words and deeds were very familiar, so Su Fengzhang smiled bitterly in his heart, thinking that even if he had nothing to do with the Xu family now, others would probably classify him as a member of the Xu family.
As expected, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince immediately said, "Fourth brother, what you said is inappropriate. It's as if you're treating Su Zhuangyuan as a painter."
The Fourth Prince smiled and said, "How can painting for our father be considered a painter? Big brother, do you think that painting for our father is just a trivial task that is not worthy of praise, and a waste of talent?"
The prince's face darkened, and he quickly said, "Don't slander me. I didn't mean that."
The emperor glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "Alright, alright. We were just trying to have fun, but now you're making such a fuss it seems like you're going to get angry. Don't let everyone laugh at you brothers."
As soon as these words fell, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince quickly concealed the hostility in each other's eyes and responded one after another.
The emperor probably preferred the Fourth Prince, and said with a smile, "Just writing poetry is indeed a bit monotonous. Since Su Zhuangyuan is an expert in calligraphy and painting, I will ask you to paint for me."
"It is my great honor to paint for Your Majesty. I will never feel wronged." Su Fengzhang agreed with a slight smile on his face.
The emperor was delighted when he heard this and said, "If you other ministers think you have excellent painting skills, please come out and paint. I will reward you handsomely if you paint well."
Several of the Jinshi candidates hesitated for a moment before finally standing up. There were too many people who wrote poems, including Meng Ting, who was famous for his poetry. They might not be able to excel, but it was different for painting. Only these few people could at least be noticed by the emperor.
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