Chapter 64
It is a long-standing custom for the new number one scholar to go to the palace to be selected by the emperor. So far in the Great Sheng Dynasty, six number one scholars have received this grace.
The top three candidates of this year's exam stepped onto the white jade steps from far to near. Everyone only saw that these three people were wearing green robes and two-beam crowns on their heads. The one in the middle also had a green feather pinned to his temples.
The silver flowers trembled, and the sparkling light was reflected on the extraordinary jade face of the top scholar. Everyone forgot their words in the face of this long-unseen brilliance.
It was not until they gathered at the Danchi of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the number one scholar took the top spot that everyone congratulated him at the reminder of the chief eunuch.
The emperor stood on the steps and saw that today's top scholar had such a pink and gold face. He frowned and felt indescribably scared.
It's not that he can't stand the scholar's appearance. Anyone with good looks will be treated preferentially everywhere, not to mention it's pleasing to the eye in front of the emperor. But he has lived to this age and has seen all kinds of people, but none like him.
I don't feel disgusted, but I just feel a little guilty when I see it.
The emperor, still lost in his own thoughts, covered his chest with his hands and realized that he had not been so trembling with fear for a long time.
This also made the officials below worried, fearing that something might happen to the old emperor at this important time.
However, he just touched his chest, put down his hand, and spoke to the new top three in a warm and majestic manner.
"Here is Yue Lingshuang, a man of outstanding talent and learning, who won first place in the palace examination. I have specially appointed him as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and granted him the title of Sixth Rank. Please do not let me down!"
The other two were also appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy, of the seventh rank. After thanking the emperor, the three of them were going to parade in the streets. Xu Lianzhou hadn't even congratulated his brother Lingshuang yet, as he hurriedly squeezed out amid the constant congratulations from the court officials.
One of them was the top scholar and the other the third, which meant that my father’s high hopes for them were not in vain.
Just as he was thinking about it, someone suddenly patted his shoulder. Xu Lianzhou turned around and saw that it was His Royal Highness Prince Shou who called him.
He quickly straightened his clothes and walked forward to bow. However, Prince Shou did not care about these empty formalities. When he saw him coming, he helped him up and praised him from time to time.
Then, the topic that concerned him was brought up. Prince Shou looked towards the palace gate with a dim gaze and asked.
"Why is the top scholar so anxious? I haven't even seen his face yet."
It’s not that he didn’t see it, but he saw it too clearly, so clearly that he couldn’t understand how the shameless groom who originally followed Qingning suddenly became the new top scholar?
There are more secrets about him than meets the eye. Who is he? And what role does the Yue family play in this matter?
And...most importantly, does Qingning know about it?
Or maybe she started hiding something from him.
Ever since he was able to learn to speak, his teachers often said that he was extremely intelligent and almost as smart as any other child of his age, and no one could hide anything from him.
But Qingning became the variable, and later Yue Lingshuang also became a variable.
He began to realize that some things were slipping out of his control. This was not good, and it was even worse! Especially Yue Qingning. If she slipped out of his control, who knew how much trouble it would bring!
Thinking of this, Prince Shou didn't even return home, but went directly to the Yue family to ask about this matter.
However, they argued for a long time without making any sense, and there was still no winner until the sky turned purple and red.
Of course Yue Qingning would not reveal Que Ming's identity to him, so he pretended that he was also unaware of it and knew nothing about it.
How could Prince Shou not see that she was lying? The key point was that no matter how he threatened or bribed her, she refused to admit it. After being humiliated by her, Prince Shou said that he would find the new number one scholar to ask the question himself, but he didn't expect that an imperial edict came from outside the mansion gate.
The decree was written by the emperor himself at the Qujiang Banquet. They did not understand what it meant and knelt down one after another.
All that was heard was the chief eunuch Su Fu announcing the decree in front of everyone.
Yue Qingning knelt on the ground with his head against the blue bricks, but he didn't know how he heard the imperial edict.
This year's top scholar said he wanted to marry the eldest daughter of the Yue family. Isn't that her he was talking about?
She only felt her ears buzzing and even ignored Qingzhu shaking her.
She raised her eyes and saw Prince Shou suddenly pull Su Fu over. After reading the imperial edict in his hand, he looked at her in disbelief. Only then did she finally believe that she had heard the contents of the imperial edict correctly.
"How many years has it been since the Emperor granted a marriage to the top scholar? Why is it so unusual this time? Besides, why did the Emperor want to go to the Qujiang Banquet? Hasn't he already declined many imperial banquets due to illness?"
Prince Shou held the imperial edict tightly in both hands and read every word of it, knowing that the emperor's words could not be changed.
He didn't want to believe it, didn't want to face it, so he buttoned up the imperial edict and stuffed it back into Su Fu's arms.
Su Fu was also confused, and took over this hot potato and said timidly.
"Your Majesty didn't want to go at first, but then he suddenly remembered it while writing inscriptions in the Southern Study, so he went. When he arrived, our top scholar kowtowed and made Your Majesty very happy. Later, at the banquet, His Majesty asked if there was anything he wanted."
"He said, 'In this life of loneliness, there is only one person I cannot forget. Many years ago, at my teacher's request, I came to Beijing to visit Minister Yue. At the Yue family residence, I chanced upon a glimpse of a stunning beauty. Eight years have passed since then, and I have never forgotten her with a smile. I beg Your Majesty to grant me the grace to rekindle my relationship with the eldest daughter of the Yue family.'"
Yue Qingning had an idea and was about to ask a question when Prince Shou suddenly interrupted her.
"Did the emperor just agree to this?"
Su Fu lowered his head and said carefully, "Not really. I just asked him if he wanted something else in exchange. But he was too stubborn and said it again."
"I have no other request but peace and quiet."
No other wish...
Yue Qingning could even imagine how everyone present would react after he said this.
The emperor already knew that she had been engaged to someone once, but that marriage not only did not bring him good luck, but also caused the extremely brave General Cui to be buried in a foreign country.
He never had a good impression of her, especially after she had ruined the prince's plan. The emperor was afraid that he would never want to hear her name again in his life.
But Que Ming, with such a big courage, dared to take the initiative to ask for marriage at this time...
It's obvious that when he's alone with her, he can't even speak clearly.
The girl kneeling on the ground was helped up by her maid and was about to take the imperial edict from Su Fu's hand. Prince Shou, who was standing beside her, suddenly moved.
He grabbed her arm and stopped her from touching it.
Su Fu and all the others were stunned. Not to mention that refusing to accept the imperial edict was a capital crime, Prince Guangshou's attitude over and over again also made him understand something.
It’s a pity that Your Highness didn’t tell you earlier if you had this intention!
If you had said it earlier, Your Majesty could have prevented his own son from getting what he wanted. Now, how can we resolve this situation?
Seeing that the force on his wrist was getting stronger and stronger, Yue Qingning had to open her eyelids to look into his eyes.
What is he going to do?
This seemed to be the first time he acted so rashly, was it just to make her not accept his orders?
She still felt confused and struggled to get him to let go, but failed, so she could only remind him quietly.
"Your Highness, this is an imperial decree!"
Regardless of her wishes, she had to accept it with gratitude whether she wanted to or not. Wasn't this the lesson he taught her?
Prince Shou seemed to finally wake up from his trance when she called him softly. He held the slender wrist and could feel the jade bracelet she was wearing under the soft gauze.
"Yes, yes..." As if waking up from a dream, Prince Shou let go, took the imperial edict from Su Fu's hand and faced her.
The gaze staring at her was sticky and deep, like a quagmire, making it impossible to discern the emotions contained in it.
He fastened the bright yellow silk brocade together with his hands, picked it up from the handle, and handed it to her while looking into her eyes.
Yue Qingning reached out to take it, but he shrank back half an inch.
"Are you happy?" he asked.
Yue Qingning glanced at his dodging hands, and then at the expression on his face.
That expression, as if he was about to collapse but instantly recast everything into a calm and indifferent state, she really couldn't understand him.
So she said, “I’m happy.”
The imperial edict was finally delivered to her. Yue Qingning stroked the ebony shaft handle, with a smile in her eyes that she herself had not noticed. This smile was seen by Prince Shou who was standing nearby.
He didn't expect that he was actually no match for a groom, and he didn't expect that he had guessed wrong from the beginning. It turned out that her reluctance was never caused by others. That person was always standing behind her.
Outside the door, there was a burst of noisy noise, breaking the silence.
Su Fu originally thought that Prince Shou would avoid seeing others, but in just a moment, the expression on his face was completely firm, without any flaws, and he was as cold as a white porcelain statue.
The man came in from the door, and he had not taken off the red robe on his body yet. Juanhua had gone, and now he came in, he looked as graceful as a groom.
Seeing that not only Qingning was at home, but Prince Shou was also there, the smile on Que Ming's face faded a little. He strode towards Qingning, stopping almost next to her and bowing to her.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
It was obvious that the wine at the Qujiang Banquet did not make him drunk at all. He had planned all of this and had long wanted to win the first prize and marry a rich girl.
Prince Shou gritted his teeth until a bloody smell came out of his mouth before he opened his mouth and spoke.
"Congratulations to the top scholar, you have achieved both fame and a beautiful wife."
Que Ming lowered his eyes secretly, "Your Highness, you are too kind! I heard that there was an accident in my father-in-law's family, and it was Your Highness who sent people to protect them. Ling Shuang would like to thank Your Highness for taking care of them!"
After he finished speaking, without giving him a chance to exchange pleasantries, he held her forehead and shook it gently, then placed his hand on the thin and delicate shoulders of the weak woman.
"I hope Your Highness will not be offended. We drank quite a bit of wine at today's wedding banquet."
He said this in a pretentious manner, and Yue Qingning seemed not to notice. He quickly supported the man and asked.
"How did you get back? According to the rules, you have to ride a horse, but the wind blew?"
It was all just a pretense of shyness, and Prince Shou was even more displeased with his behavior. He frowned and coughed, "Then I won't bother you anymore."
Su Fu was standing behind His Highness, and seeing that he rarely showed any emotion on his face, his originally expressionless face had a slightly tense brow, and he knew that this was not over yet.
He congratulated him a few times, but didn't even dare to take the reward money and just followed Prince Shou out of the palace.
Yue Qingning looked at them from behind for a while, patted Que Ming's shoulder and asked.
"Would you like some tea? I get thirsty after drinking."
Que Ming chuckled when he heard that, rested his head on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear very quietly.
"Miss, you know I'm fine, why do you still indulge me?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingning also smiled back at him, "Since it's what you want, I'll just go along with it!"
He raised his eyes but did not stand up. His eyes were illuminated by the light, and the flickering light was sometimes far away and sometimes near.
"You can do whatever I want? Even this?" He held her hand and also held the golden auspicious cloud in her hand.
Yue Qingning did not avoid it this time. She glanced at the stars rising outside the mansion, looked back into his eyes, and nodded solemnly.
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