Chapter 81 Zhang Zhiheng's Engagement
Just as Zheng was about to get out of the car, Xie Yunyu grabbed her arm.
Madam Zheng turned to look at Xie Yunyu: "What's wrong?"
Xie Yunyu pointed at the two people and said, "Look at those two over there."
Both Zheng and Wu Yumin looked over, and Wu Yumin said, "Isn't that the fourth daughter of the Jiang family from the third branch of the Duke of Wei's mansion?"
"Yes, the man next to her is Zhang Zhiheng."
Wu Yumin had never heard of it, but Zheng turned around and asked:
"The second young master of the Zhang family in Jiangnan?"
"Um."
Zheng then said to the coachman, "Sancai, drive the carriage directly into the backyard."
After getting out of the car, Wu Yumin walked behind and whispered to Xie Yunyu:
"Who is Zhang Zhiheng?"
"The second son of the governor of Wu County, Jiangnan Circuit."
His grandfather was Zhang Shinan, the former Minister of Rites.
Grandpa Zhang and my grandfather were from the same hometown, were classmates, and colleagues; they had a close relationship.
"Oh, you went back to Wu County last year to visit Old Master Zhang?"
Xie Yunyu nodded.
"Then what about Zhang Zhiheng?" Wu Yumin asked.
“His family wanted to match us up, but he had only been in Beijing for half a year when he found a new love.”
When Wu Yumin first heard about this, she gave her a strange look:
"You wouldn't happen to have fallen for him, would you?"
Before Xie Yunyu could reply, someone said, "No, you don't even like Xiao... that person, how could you like him?"
Is it just wishful thinking on his part?
Xie Yunyu nodded.
Wu Yumin laughed: "I knew it."
At this moment, Wu Yumin's maid, Linghua, suddenly spoke up:
"My lady, I heard that the fourth daughter of the Jiang family is engaged. It must be to this person."
Wu Yumin nodded and said, "It's probably pretty close."
The three men instructed the shopkeeper to deliver the goods to their homes, and then went to Jinyu Mantang.
Upon arriving at Jin Yu Man Tang, I ran into an acquaintance again; this time it was Xue Weiyang.
Xue Weiyang watched as the two of them were initially very happy, then hesitated to speak, wanting to say something several times but ultimately saying nothing.
After the three parted ways, Shanxi asked, "Miss, why didn't you say anything just now?"
Xue Weiyang replied, "I haven't asked Xie Yunman yet. If he agrees, I will tell Yunyu and the others."
If Xie Yunman disagrees, then let's pretend this never happened. To avoid awkwardness later.
Yunqi chimed in from the side, "Miss's thinking is very thorough."
Now let's talk about Xie Yunman.
Xie Yuntang was worried that his son would ruin his health by burying himself in his studies at home all day, so he decided to take him out for a walk.
The two went outside and heard people around them saying that Tianxing Tower was bustling with activity, and that a new storybook had recently been published, called something like "Journey to the West," a supernatural tale.
Xie Yuntang asked Xie Yunman, "Did you do this?"
Xie Yunman shook his head and chuckled: "I didn't have time for that. Yu'er and my sister-in-law did it."
While you were away, I heard from the servants that the two of them spent all their time together, either looking at account books or reading storybooks.
"It's all their doing."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yuntang suddenly remembered that Wu Yumin had mentioned it not long ago, saying that he had written some new storybook.
So he laughed and said, "I was thinking that your sister-in-law would be bored since I'm away at the government office every day."
As a result, seeing that she was quite happy spending time with Yu'er every day, he was relieved.
Xie Yunyu jokingly replied, "Don't worry, the two of them are having a great time together."
The two arrived at Tianxing Tower as they talked, only to find it packed with people.
Not to mention the storytelling area on the west side, there's nowhere to even step in the library on the east side.
The steps were filled with students engrossed in their studies.
"With the first month of the lunar calendar fast approaching, even more students are heading to the capital for the imperial examinations," Xie Yuntang remarked.
Xie Yunman nodded: "Yes, there are still more than two months left. We'll see who comes out on top then."
Seeing that there were too many people here, the two turned around and went to the Challenge Tower.
To their surprise, there were even more people at the Challenge Tower. The two had barely entered when they heard someone shouting loudly:
"I've never seen this question before. Aren't you just making things difficult for people? Who can answer all of them correctly?"
The two turned to look and saw a simply dressed student.
A man in fine clothes standing nearby chimed in, "Tch, country bumpkin."
Headmaster Fu of Nanshan Academy and last year's top scholar, Cui Xinghe, both went up to the fifth floor.
"If you're not good enough, don't embarrass yourself in public," someone nearby chimed in.
"You've said so much, are you even capable of doing it?"
Another student, who also looked like he was from out of town taking the exam, asked.
"We didn't say we could do it, but we also didn't say Tianxinglou was making things difficult for people."
After all, Headmaster Fu had said that those who reached the fifth floor could directly study at Nanshan Academy without needing an introduction or examination.
The person in brocade robes answered.
"This Tianxing Tower is also known as the Zhuangyuan Tower. The last student who climbed to the fifth floor has become the Zhuangyuan (top scholar in the imperial examination)."
Therefore, those who reach the fifth floor in this examination must possess the potential to be the top scholar.
Someone nearby chimed in.
"What if no one can climb to the fifth floor this year?" the commoner student continued to ask.
"Hey, why do you always boost other people's morale while diminishing your own?"
If you can't get up there, does that mean no one else can?
"Didn't you see that the people from Qingzhou Academy have already gone up to the third floor?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yunman and Xie Yuntang looked up at the third floor and, sure enough, there were people there.
He then asked the person next to him, "Who is the person who went up to the third floor?"
"From Qingzhou Academy, I think his name is Qu... Qu Songtao," the student next to me replied.
Xie Yunman nodded without saying anything.
Just then, a man came over and, seeing Xie Yunman and Xie Yuntang, greeted them from afar:
"Oh, isn't this the owner of Tianxing Tower? What brings you here today to inspect your properties?"
When Xie Yunman and his companion turned around, they saw that it was Fu Xiang, the grand-nephew of the academy's headmaster.
The two bowed to Fu Xiang.
Upon hearing this, everyone's attention naturally turned to the two of them.
An unsuspecting person below asked, "Who owns this Tianxing Tower?"
"You don't know this?"
Another well-dressed scholar answered in Mandarin.
"I am new here and not very familiar with the capital."
The student spoke with a southern accent.
"Tianxing Tower belongs to the Xie family. The old master of the Xie family was the former tutor of the Crown Prince, although he has now retired."
However, he remained highly respected by the Crown Prince, who often invited him to the Eastern Palace for a short visit.
Many of the students around were from out of town, and they quickly gathered around, straining their ears to listen carefully.
Another person from the capital chimed in:
"When Grand Tutor Xie was in court, he presided over the imperial examinations five times in the spring."
"Although His Majesty did not appoint him as a general for this imperial examination, he instructed the three people responsible for setting the questions to consult with the Grand Tutor."
The man from out of town asked, "Are those two the grandsons of the old Grand Tutor?"
"Not too stupid."
"The one wearing the silver-gray long gown is Xie Yuntang, the eldest son of the Xie family, who ranked sixteenth in the second class of the previous imperial examination."
Because of his unique, slender gold calligraphy style, he gained the Emperor's favor and was appointed to the Hanlin Academy.
"The humble and kind-looking man next to him is Xie Yunman, the second son of the Xie family."
He's already the top scholar in the provincial examination, and is said to be a strong contender for this year's top scholar.
"Tsk tsk, looks very young," one of the out-of-town scholars remarked.
"He was already the top scholar in the provincial examination three years ago, but he missed the previous examination because of his weak health."
Otherwise, he would have become the youngest person in the history of our Great Yong Dynasty to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations.
The students from other places gasped in surprise upon hearing this.
"This capital city is truly full of hidden talents. I thought Qu Songtao, who climbed to the third floor, was already quite formidable."
The scholar from the capital scoffed again:
"The third floor?"
Did you know that this Tianxing Tower was designed and built by Xie Yunman himself?
He was only eleven years old at the time.
Initially, he was the one who created all the questions for this.
Later, after Master Fu went upstairs, he and Grand Tutor Xie worked together to change the question.
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