Chapter 39 The list of successful candidates is bustling with excitement, but I have lost my beloved. ...
It turns out that all of this was caused by Danli in secret.
Seeing Su Jinxiu rise from an equal embroiderer to the head of Huayun Pavilion, she was consumed by jealousy. She secretly colluded with several former embroiderers to frame and slander them, and spread those vile rumors.
Su Jinxiu initially intended to let things rest and paid little attention to these rumors. However, Danli went too far and became even more outrageous, so she simply joined forces with Shen Qiwu to expose their actions and give them a good dressing down.
If you hold back for a while, you'll only get angrier; but if you give them a good scolding, everything will be fine.
Under Su Jinxiu's management, Huayun Pavilion overcame numerous obstacles, not only clearing its previous name but also enjoying booming business, with orders already booked until the following year. If this momentum continues, and they establish an embroidery school in the spring, their reputation will soar, and they might truly win the title of the best embroiderer in Bianjing.
Although her journey was not without its occasional setbacks, it was generally smooth sailing. She couldn't help but wonder, how was Wen Shiqin doing?
With the imperial examinations drawing ever closer, they had long since stopped exchanging letters, just so he could focus on his studies.
Su Jinxiu had no doubt about his talent and learning. After all, the records in the miscellaneous notes stated that in his previous life, he came from a poor family and had no one to rely on, yet he was still able to become a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination based on his true talent and learning. How much more so now?
She just remembered his joking remark that she should definitely go to the place where the list of successful candidates for marriage was posted. What was her answer at the time?
She stubbornly replied, "I won't go. If you get kidnapped, I won't want you anymore."
But these past few days, she has been dreaming of him repeatedly, dressed in a red brocade robe, riding a tall horse, his black gauze hat fluttering, and being hired as a son-in-law by a high-ranking official as soon as the results were announced.
Later, he carried the noble lady in his arms, riding a swift horse into the magnificent royal mansion, not even deigning to glance at her out of the corner of his eye.
Each time, she was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat and woke up suddenly.
On the day the results were announced, before dawn, when the night was as dark as ink, Su Jinxiu had already put on her clothes and gotten up.
She went straight to the Lan residence and gently knocked on Lan Shexiang's door, pulling her out of bed as she drowsily slept. Then she drove straight to the Xuande Gate of the Imperial Palace.
Lan Shexiang yawned three times in the carriage, rubbing her sleepy eyes and muttering, "Why did you have to do this? If we had come a little later, would his ranking have been lost?"
Su Jinxiu naturally knew that the rankings were already determined, and that was not what worried her.
She was certain that Wen Shiqin would pass the imperial examination and rank among the top three. But those unexplained dreams made her very worried.
While she was secretly anxious, she also scolded herself inwardly: "Su Jinxiu, Su Jinxiu, why do you distrust him so much? And why did you have to have these doubts for no reason?"
Lan Shexiang was about to go back to sleep when she noticed that Qiaoniang was restless and unconsciously twisting her handkerchief with her fingers. She came closer and gently stroked her back to comfort her, saying, "Qiaoniang, are you afraid that once he passes the imperial examination, he will forget our past relationship and seek a better match elsewhere? Don't worry, Wen Shiqin has never had anyone else in his eyes but you. Don't you know how much he depends on you?"
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu repeated softly, "I know, I know."
Seeing that she was still upset and had lost her sleepiness, Lan Shexiang stayed with her and waited quietly by the Vermilion Bird Gate, letting the cold wind blow against the corners of their clothes.
As dawn broke, the area outside Xuande Gate was already bustling with activity. Carriages and fine clothes arrived one after another, and the sons and daughters of noble families, along with their servants and household slaves, crowded the Imperial Street, all there to see the list of successful candidates.
Su Jinxiu secretly rejoiced that she had arrived early and was able to find a good spot in front of the dragon pavilion. If she had arrived a step later, she would have been unable to get in.
Around 3:45 AM, a loud drumming and music suddenly came from afar, and everyone craned their necks in anticipation.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites solemnly placed a huge yellow scroll, made of several sheets of yellow paper, into the decorated pavilion. It was escorted by a retinue adorned with red ribbons, their procession imposing and dignified. Once the pavilion stopped in front of the dragon-shaped canopy, the officials hung the scroll high on a wooden frame, its gilded characters gleaming in the morning light.
The new list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations has stirred up the capital, and everyone on the streets is rushing to see it.
A chorus of voices and exclamations surged forth. Su Jinxiu quickly stood on tiptoe and craned her neck to look, and Lan Shexiang followed closely behind.
Her gaze swept only over the top three, and the first place was none other than "Feng Chen".
“Feng Chen…?” she murmured, and Lan Shexiang immediately replied, “Isn’t this the second son of the Feng family?”
Su Jinxiu was slightly surprised: "You know him?"
Lan Shexiang nodded and said, "How could I not recognize them? The Feng family is a prominent family in Bianjing, a family of officials and scholars. Their ancestor was a first-rank general who was in charge of the country. They are a family of generals for generations and have a great influence in the court."
Su Jinxiu then looked at the yellow list, where the second place was "Yi Ruxu" and the third place was "Cui Cheng".
After reviewing the list of the top three, some people, seeing their names on the list, were overjoyed and rode off with their friends. Other young ladies, shy and hesitant, searched for their ideal partners in the crowd. Still others, wives and stewards of officials, inquired about the whereabouts of "Young Master Feng," clearly preparing to find a husband after the list was published.
Listening to the noise around her, Su Jinxiu calmed herself down and comforted herself, "Perhaps he just had a bad day?"
She thought to herself that even if Wen Shiqin failed to make it into the top three, he was still the man she had given her heart to, and she would never waver because of it. So, she patiently checked the list carefully from beginning to end, examining each name on the list one by one, looking at it three or four times, until the sun was setting and dusk was approaching, the crowd outside Xuande Gate had dispersed, and only she and Lan Shexiang remained under the dragon tent.
Looking at her pale face, Lan Shexiang asked with concern, "What exactly happened?"
Su Jinxiu rubbed her sore eyes, her voice a little hoarse: "I don't know... given his personality, how could he be afraid of this imperial examination?"
If he were truly afraid of the exam and refused to take it, he should have shown up long ago. Why is there no news of him?
Did he think that if he didn't participate in the imperial examination, he would be looked down upon or despised?
Absolutely not!
Su Jinxiu immediately pulled Lan Shexiang and drove home to look for him, but the courtyard was empty. While she was frantic with worry, Lan Shexiang calmed down first and suggested, "Why don't we go find Xie Hongying and ask at the Xie residence!"
When the two hurriedly arrived at the Xie residence, they found the Xie family brightly decorated and filled with jubilation. Xie Hongying had actually passed the imperial examination, ranking last among the successful candidates. Even if one ranked last, one could still be granted the title of "Jinshi" (a degree in the imperial examination system). Although such individuals were often appointed to minor official positions such as county magistrate or registrar, it was still a great honor for the family.
Jiang Liuyi held her son's hand, overjoyed, and said, "It's all thanks to Jinxiu and Shiqin that you, this rascal, have been brought onto the right path!"
Mr. Xie felt that it was the power of the Xie family ancestors. Upon receiving the news, he went straight to the ancestral hall, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, and kept muttering, "The ancestral graves are emitting green smoke" and "May our ancestors bless us."
Xie Hongying, with his usual carefree grin, said, "Mother, quickly throw me a thank-you banquet to celebrate with everyone!"
When Jiang Liu saw Su Jinxiu arrive, her smile deepened. She assumed Su Jinxiu had come to offer her congratulations, thinking that now that Hongying had achieved official rank, she would have more confidence in proposing to her.
Just as she was about to try and matchmake them, Su Jinxiu grabbed Xie Hongying's arm and asked urgently, "Have you met Aqin?"
Jiang Liuyi suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Wen Shiqin's name when she checked the list today. That child's talent was more than ten times that of her son; how could he have failed the exam?
Xie Hongying scratched his head and recalled, "He left Bailudong Academy a month ago, saying that he would take the imperial examination on time, but he had to take care of some personal business first. I haven't seen him since."
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu was struck dumb, gasping in shock: "Where...where did you go to take care of personal business? It's been over a month..."
Did he encounter danger on the way?
Once the thought popped into her head, it clung to her heart like vines, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
"Jinxiu, don't think like that!" Xie Hongying quickly comforted her when she saw her pale face. "I heard that although there are bandits causing trouble in the Jiangzhou area, I heard that Shi Qin is quite skilled and will definitely be able to turn bad luck into good. Nothing will happen to him."
These words only made things worse. Su Jinxiu felt dizzy and couldn't stand up. Lan Shexiang reacted quickly and immediately reached out to support her.
Jiang Liuyi's face turned ashen with anger. She raised her hand and slapped Xie Hongying across the face, scolding him sharply, "You brat! If you can't speak properly, then don't talk nonsense! Go find your father right now and have him send someone to inquire around Jiangzhou!"
Xie Hongying staggered from the blow, then realized she had misspoke. She quickly responded and hurriedly ran to find Xie Dechang.
Jiang Liuyi helped Su Jinxiu to a soft couch in a side room. After drinking a few sips of warm water, she finally calmed down a bit.
She struggled to get down, but Jiang Liuyi quickly held her down: "Jinxiu, child, you look so pale, where are you going?"
"Go...go to the Prince of Jing's residence to find the County Princess. If that doesn't work...then go to the Mu residence!"
Lan Shexiang was taken aback: "The Mu family? The Empress's family?"
“Yes,” Su Jinxiu nodded, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes. “Aqin told me that he has a close friend who is the Empress’s younger brother. Perhaps… perhaps he knows Aqin’s whereabouts.”
Lan Shexiang made a quick decision: "Let's go, I'll go with you! My father has some connections with the Mu family, I'll use his visiting card to request an audience, we're sure to be able to see them."
As the carriage traveled into the narrow alley, an even more magnificent carriage, twice the width of their own, suddenly appeared in the opposite direction. The Lan family's carriage had no choice but to retreat to the wall. The coachman asked if they wanted to take a detour. Su Jinxiu was extremely anxious and lifted the curtain to see which family was so arrogant.
The carriage curtain was also lifted, and Ying Bumei peeked out, his eyes meeting Su Jinxiu's.
Ying Bumei beckoned to her with her finger, signaling her to come over.
Su Jinxiu shook her head and refused.
Ying Bumei scoffed and said loudly, "Either you back out and take a longer route, or you get in my car and I'll turn around immediately."
Lan Shexiang looked worried, sensing that the man was not a good person.
After a moment's consideration, Su Jinxiu said, "It's fine if I ride in his car."
All she wanted was to find Wen Shiqin's whereabouts as soon as possible.
As long as he is alive, that's enough. Even if he fails the imperial examination or his efforts are in vain, as long as he is alive, that's enough.
As soon as she got into the carriage, she saw Ying Bumei playing with the white porcelain rabbit in his hand. He didn't look at her, but simply instructed the driver, "Turn around and go to the Prince of Jing's residence."
Su Jinxiu was startled: "How did you know I was going to the Prince of Jing's residence?"
Ying Bumei glanced at her, a half-smile on his face: "You have very few backers to rely on these days. Besides me and the Jing Prince's Mansion, who else can you turn to?"
"You're shameless. When did you become my protector?"
Ying Bumei, however, didn't take it to heart: "Just you wait and see. If even the King of Jing doesn't know anything about your lover, won't you still have to beg me in the end?"
Su Jinxiu took a deep breath, suppressing her displeasure. Right now, finding out news of Wen Shiqin as soon as possible was the most important thing. Ying Bumei's words were true; if there was no news from either the Jing Prince's Mansion or the Mu Mansion, then she really could only rely on him.
When the carriage reached the vicinity of the Prince of Jing's residence, Su Jinxiu suddenly came to her senses.
"Wait a minute, how did you know I was looking for Ah Qin?"
Ying Bumei did not answer, but gently stroked the cheek of the white porcelain rabbit in his hand with his fingertips, his expression inscrutable.
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