The heavy snow did not stop until the next day.
In places across the capital, the snow was so deep it reached your knees. Even in the bustling markets of the capital, where people bustled and the snow was heavy, the carriages left deep ruts.
A carriage with a green curtain stopped at the gate of Lord Sun, a scholar at the Hanlin Academy, amidst the heavy snow. A servant in a padded cotton jacket opened the gate and let the carriage in.
Upon receiving the news, Lord Sun had been waiting in the reception room since morning. When he saw the tall, thin, and silent young man in a green cloak walk in, he greeted him with a smile. He had a servant warm a pot of wine. When the young man was about to bow, Lord Sun quickly helped him up. "...You're coming to the capital for the imperial examination this time. You must take me as your teacher. This won't do!"
The thin young man simply smiled faintly and said, "My Lord, you are too kind to me. Shen Yuan has no achievements yet, so I shouldn't be so arrogant."
Lord Sun accepted Luo Shenyuan's greeting and sat down with him before asking, "I thought you wouldn't come until after the New Year, but you've arrived early. This is just as well. The court is in turmoil, and Duke Dingguo, who supports the Crown Prince, has been suppressing us. Thankfully, the Crown Prince's teacher, Elder Liu, has been able to mediate. Although he's the Crown Prince's teacher, he's truly a kind man."
While the Crown Prince was clearly the legitimate heir to the throne, the Emperor favored the eldest prince's mother, Consort Shu, and showed no affection for the Crown Prince. He attempted to depose the Crown Prince and enthronize the eldest prince several times, but was blocked by the ministers, who argued that this was inconsistent with ancestral rules. Consequently, no fewer than thirty officials were demoted for their death-defying admonitions against the Emperor. Sun Jie, having once served as the Crown Prince's tutor, naturally supported him.
Luo Shenyuan said, "I heard that he disagreed with your political views. When you made a mistake while editing, he even punished you by making you copy books."
"Although he and I were at odds, he never gave me any hardship because of it," Lord Sun said with a smile. "I was young and ignorant back then, and I even argued with him once."
After that, Lord Sun did not mention the matter again. Instead, he said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's welcome you first!" After that, he asked the servant to prepare lunch for Luo Shenyuan. Luo Shenyuan sat in the reception room and drank tea. Just as he put down his teacup, he heard footsteps approaching.
He looked up and saw a graceful figure standing at the door. This beautiful woman was wearing a green satin jacket, a snow-white skirt, and a green jade hairpin in her cloud-like bun. Several maids followed her. When she saw Luo Shenyuan, her face flushed slightly, and her tone was filled with unconcealed joy. She bowed to him and said, "Brother Shenyuan, why are you back?" Perhaps she felt that she was too impatient, so she quickly explained softly, "I didn't come to see you on purpose... I came to see my father."
"I know." Luo Shenyuan just smiled faintly and did not expose her words.
She ran away in a hurry, and Lord Sun happened to be out. He didn't need to guess what Sun Congwan was up to. When he was at Lord Sun's house, he had been ordered by Lord Sun to give Sun Congwan a lecture. He had drawn a curtain in Miss Sun's flower hall so that they couldn't see each other. Sun Congwan was a year younger than him, and even then she had other feelings for him.
Luo Shenyuan was a perceptive person, and although he knew what was going on, he never pointed it out. He just pretended nothing had happened and continued to lecture her.
Sun Congwan felt even more nervous after hearing his words. She looked at him again, and he was just as she remembered him: his sparse eyebrows and eyes, handsome and calm. She lowered her head, unable to utter a word. She remembered what her father had said to her: "...it's great that you like Shen Yuan. I admire him, too. I'm just afraid that if he passes the imperial examination one day, there will be so many families wanting to marry him, and by then they might not be so interested in you or me. Fortunately, Cheng Zhang also wrote back to me, saying that if Shen Yuan passes the imperial examination, he will marry our youngest daughter."
Sun Congwan was embarrassed at the time, but when Lord Sun saw her, he burst into laughter, and Sun Congwan smiled back. Of course she liked him. He had only brought a book with him when he came to give her a lecture. He was so handsome and so quiet. No one his age was as calm as him, but when he looked at her calmly, his eyes were so deep that they could clearly make her blush and her heart beat faster.
Now she felt differently about him, knowing that he would marry her and become her husband in the future. She felt a faint sense of anticipation in her heart.
Lord Sun happened to come in at this time. Seeing his daughter standing at the door, usually dignified and virtuous, now completely like a little girl, he laughed to himself and said to Luo Shenyuan, "Shenyuan, Cong Wan came up with an exquisite couplet a few days ago, and I couldn't even match it. Now that you're here, why not let her tell you and see if you can match it?"
Luo Shenyuan smiled and stood up, then said calmly, "Then please start with Sister Wan. I'll give it a try."
Sun Congwan saw that he was much taller than she was, standing with his hands behind his back, looking at her intently. She said, "This is what I saw when I went to Jianglou a few days ago. I was inspired by it. Please listen, Brother Shenyuan." She gathered her composure, took a few steps forward, and whispered, "Look at Jianglou, look at the river flow. Look at the river flow from below Jianglou. Jianglou is eternal, and the river flow is eternal."
Miss Sun's talent is well-known far and wide. Although Lord Sun is also a bit joking, he does have some talent.
Luo Shenyuan thought for a moment and came up with an idea. "Then I'll show you my skills," he said, pausing for a moment before adding, "The Yinyue Well, the Yinyue Shadow. The Yinyue Shadow in the Yinyue Well. The Moon Well lasts for ten thousand years, and the Moon Shadow lasts for ten thousand years."
Sun Congwan looked at him with a gaze as gentle as water. He was indeed worthy of being a young and famous scholar!
When Luo Shenyuan finally came out from Lord Sun's place, it was already late.
He boarded the carriage, and the guards who followed him immediately handed him a letter: "... Third Young Master, from the Duke's Mansion."
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