She put the letter down and looked at the locust tree outside the study, which was sprouting.
The Spring Examination will be held the day after tomorrow, and he will be taking part.
Forget it, I should write him a reply...Yining took out the letter paper and wrote a letter to Luo Shenyuan, hoping to encourage him.
The reply to this letter was even more concise: "I'm fine, nothing happened." Yi Ning smiled after reading it, tossed it aside, and finally didn't reply. Perhaps because she hadn't replied, Luo Shenyuan wrote her another letter: "Don't worry, you won't fail the exam. How are you these days?" Yi Ning didn't reply either.
At the end of February, the apricot blossoms at Old Madam Wei's ranch were in full bloom, and the young ladies from the aristocratic families gathered to admire them. Shen Jiarou, disliking Luo Yining because of her brother's affairs, didn't even greet her. She turned her back to her and spoke to Zhao Mingzhu, suggesting picking apricot blossoms to make nectar. "We've always made osmanthus honey, and we're tired of it. Why not try this new and novel thing?"
The second young lady of the He family pinched her handkerchief and said, "She's not afraid of eating it and it's bad..." The second young lady was kind and reminded Shen Jiarou, "Be careful, it will hurt your stomach if you eat it."
Shen Jiarou ignored her, and the second young lady of the He family was making herself look miserable. Yining saw this and shook her head and said with a smile: "Drink more tea!"
The backyard was bustling with activity when Pine Branch weaved through the blossoms and trees, squeezing past the tea-serving maid. She was walking very fast, but when she reached Yining, she seemed to hesitate to speak.
Yining saw it and asked, "What's wrong?" Her first reaction was that Ting'er had taken something valuable from her again, and she would teach him a lesson when she got back.
Songzhi couldn't contain her excitement and said, "Miss, the list has been posted outside! The third young master has won first place..." She swallowed before continuing, "The first place in the first class is the new top scholar!"
Yi Ning was stunned by this, while the other young ladies tilted their heads, a touch curious. Official positions in aristocratic families are often hereditary, with some declining with each generation. The Duke of Yingguo's family, for example, is the best. Officials who rely on family connections to achieve official positions are treated differently from those who actually passed the imperial examinations; they always receive a certain degree of respect. Therefore, the cabinet is the most powerful place in the court. This is why only Shujishi can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin can enter the cabinet.
Yi Ning clearly remembered that he had ranked first in his previous life, but was only third in the imperial examination... and he actually became the top scorer!
Hasn't he always been very secretive?
The other young ladies gathered around to ask about the new champion. They were somewhat excited about him. After all, he might still be young, and if he were handsome, a parade would be a huge draw. Hearing that the new champion was only twenty-one, they became even more intrigued.
Yining thought about how she didn't reply to his letter in the end, and seeing how they were talking animatedly, she decided to go back and write him a proper reply.
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