Chapter 258 Delicious (First Update)
Gu Jiao was stunned by this sudden action, but she did not resist.
The moment his burning palms cupped the back of her head, she seemed to freeze.
She opened her eyes wide and let him cover her.
Having lived two lifetimes, I have never been so intimate with anyone, nor has anyone ever been so unrestrained in front of me.
Her codename is Shadow. She is a killing machine in the organization. She likes to collect handsome men, but she only ever looks at them for pleasure. The Godfather said that men are poison, bitter and astringent, and it's best to just look at them in a bottle.
But tonight, she tasted the poison.
It's soft and smooth, with a hint of floral wine aroma and its own unique sweetness, not bitter at all.
The Godfather is a liar.
Men are obviously delicious.
...No, it's that he tastes good.
The night was gentle, and the moonlight was soft.
Gu Jiao leaned lightly against him, resting her chin on her hand, staring at him intently, savoring the feeling from just now, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Xiao Liulang fell asleep, his chest rising and falling gently, and his breathing coming evenly from his nose.
The boy's body exuded youthful vigor, and the blazing sun seemed to scorch the entire room as if a heatwave was rolling through it.
Is he asleep? Then he won't hear anything I say.
Gu Jiao's eyes darted around, she leaned down, wrapped one small arm around his hand, gave him a wicked smile, and said seductively, "Brother's waist isn't a waist, it's a deadly scimitar."
Xiao Liulang's breathing was even.
Gu Jiao glanced at his long, slender legs again, then playfully climbed up two fingers, chirping a few times before whispering in his ear, "Brother's legs aren't legs, they're like the spring waters of the Seine."
Oops, that was a bit loud!
She quickly buried her head under the covers.
Xiao Liulang slept soundly.
Making sure he wasn't woken up, Gu Jiao crawled out from under the covers and whispered in his ear, "You're so delicious."
Then she lay down next to him, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, snoring softly.
Half-asleep, a warm breath came close, and my lips were gently pressed against it again.
Hmm, it must be so delicious that she's dreaming about it.
...
What Gu Jiao didn't know was that she actually had a dream after she fell asleep.
She dreamed of Xiao Liulang again, but this time it wasn't any unspeakable scene. Instead, it was Xiao Liulang going to the palace to attend the Deer Cry Banquet.
The Deer Cry Banquet was a banquet held by the emperor on the second day after the results of the imperial examinations were announced. It served two purposes: first, to celebrate the students of Zhao Kingdom who had passed the examinations; second, to demonstrate the emperor's respect for scholars; and third, to establish a relationship with the scholars, regardless of where they had previously studied. After the Deer Cry Banquet, they would all be considered the emperor's disciples.
Xiao Liulang, a student from a poor family, became the top scholar in the imperial examination, which aroused the envy of many people. As the saying goes, with fame comes trouble, and the number of people who criticized him suddenly increased.
The first half of the dream was filled with Xiao Liulang being ridiculed by some people. Xiao Liulang himself didn't care, so strictly speaking, it wasn't a big blow. But soon, Xiao Liulang was summoned by the Crown Prince.
On the way to the East Palace, a white cat suddenly fell from under a tree and landed on Xiao Liulang's shoulder by sheer coincidence.
It was only when Gu Jiao dreamed of this that she realized Xiao Liulang was afraid of cats. Xiao Liulang instinctively shook the cat off, and the cat was thrown to the ground. It let out a howl and then ran away as if it were frightened.
Just then, Princess Ning happened to pass by.
The startled cat bumped into Princess Ning's stomach, knocking her to the ground. Princess Ning was three months pregnant and her pregnancy was already in poor condition; this fall caused her to lose the baby.
The white cat was frightened because of Xiao Liulang. Xiao Liulang inevitably bore the crime of plotting to murder the emperor's grandson. He was stripped of his title by the emperor after only one day as the top scholar in the imperial examination and was imprisoned.
This situation is the most helpless, because even the emperor understands that Xiao Liulang did not do it on purpose, but what if it wasn't intentional? Isn't accidental killing still killing?
Such are the palace rules; he can only blame his bad luck.
Gu Jiao had such a frustrating dream that she was surprised she wasn't woken up by her internal biological clock.
When I opened my eyes, it was already daylight. Xiao Liulang was no longer in the room. The crimson brocade robe of the top scholar on the chair showed that he had indeed stayed here last night.
Gu Jiao dressed neatly and went to the ancient well to fetch water for washing.
The water was already prepared in her copper basin, with her towel on the rim. The water was steaming slightly, as if it had just been poured.
Granny Fang carried over a basket of dried chili peppers, glanced back at the kitchen, and smiled at Gu Jiao, saying, "The young master prepared this. Hearing the commotion in your room, he immediately prepared hot water."
Gu Jiao: My husband is so good.
Xiao Liulang was currently helping Yao Shi in the kitchen. Yao Shi had made peach shortbread for Xiao Liulang yesterday, but he didn't get to eat it because he came home late. So she got up this morning to make it for him again.
Xiao Liulang came over to help, but Yao Shi wouldn't let him. How could someone who had become the top scholar still sneak into the kitchen?
But Madam Yao wouldn't let Xiao Liulang do this, so Xiao Liulang would do other things, like watering the vegetable garden and cleaning the chicken coop. He was never idle, so she couldn't do anything about it.
Soon, the family members got up one after another. Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun congratulated their brother-in-law. Xiao Jingkong, unusually, didn't complain, after all, the flower was quite pretty.
Of the three hairpins, the Scholar's Hairpin is the most intricate in its craftsmanship, of the highest quality, and therefore the most beautiful.
The top scorer in the imperial examination would receive beautiful flowers, and Xiao Jingkong equated the two in his mind, becoming even more determined to become the top scorer in the future.
At this moment, no one knew that the future Six Kingdoms God General's original intention in becoming the top scholar was actually just for a flower.
The old lady gave Xiao Liulang a red envelope and also gave Gu Jiao one.
The old lady's principle for giving out red envelopes was that if Liu Lang had something, Jiao Jiao would also have something; if Liu Lang didn't have something, Jiao Jiao would still have something.
The family sat at the dining table eating breakfast.
Xiao Liulang sat opposite Gu Jiao. Their interaction was no different from usual. Xiao Liulang, in particular, looked very serious, with a cool and composed expression, as if he had forgotten what happened when he was drunk.
Little Jingkong was eating a small steamed bun in his bowl when he suddenly tilted his head and exclaimed, "Jiaojiao, your and your brother-in-law's lips are so red! What are you eating?"
Both of them choked at the same time.
After breakfast, Xiao Liulang took Xiao Jingkong to school. He went to the yamen to register his household registration in the morning. After becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination, his household registration would be transferred to the Hanlin Academy. From now on, he would also be a person with a household registration in the capital. It is said that this is a privilege that only the top three scholars can enjoy.
At noon, the old chief priest will take him out to meet a friend. He won't be back in the afternoon; they'll go straight to the Deer Cry Banquet.
Gu Jiao asked about his itinerary, said nothing, watched him leave, and then turned and went to the clinic.
Xiao Liulang completed the household registration process and met with a high-ranking official in the court before entering the palace in the afternoon.
It was still early, but many scholars who had passed the imperial examinations had already arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony and were talking to each other. Some of them might become colleagues in the future, so it was always good to build good relationships in advance.
Feng, Lin, and the other two did not leave early last night and enjoyed a lot of singing and dancing, indulging in the life of romantic scholars. Today, all three of them got up late, but they still arrived a step earlier than Xiao Liulang.
"Sixth Brother!" Feng Lin was about to step into the Hall of Supreme Harmony when he caught a glimpse of Xiao Sixth Brother out of the corner of his eye.
Of the three, Feng Lin had known Xiao Liulang the longest, owed Xiao Liulang the most, and spent the most time with Xiao Liulang, so he was always the first to spot Xiao Liulang.
"Sixth Brother." Lin Chengye also stepped forward to greet him, acting like a little fanboy.
Only Du Ruohan pouted and snorted.
"You drank too much yesterday, are you alright?" Feng Lin asked with concern, then he felt quite ashamed, "I should have taken you home yesterday."
"Cough, it's nothing," Xiao Liulang said seriously.
Du Ruohan snorted, "I told you he was fine, didn't I? He's a married man, he's back home with his wife and kids, why are you worrying about this?"
Xiao Liulang's face flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat: "Go in."
The four entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Xiao Liulang left early yesterday, which displeased some people. That's just how the world is; if you're too clean, others will only look unclean in comparison.
"What's so great about him? Don't you even think about how he became the top scholar in the imperial examination!"
"Keep your voice down, or someone might hear you."
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, several scholars were talking animatedly with their backs to the door.
The man who scoffed was Wang Yuan, from a prominent family in Jiangnan. Like Lin Chengye, he was a son of a concubine, but he was more famous and promising than Lin Chengye, ranking among the top ten in the imperial examination. Consort Shu had bet on him to become the third-ranked scholar, but he failed to win the emperor's favor in the palace examination.
That exam paper that made it into the top twenty but was rejected by the emperor was his.
He ultimately ranked seventy-fifth, finishing last in the second division.
Hearing the advice of the scholars around him, he not only ignored it but also said with even more disdain, "Why should I be afraid of being overheard? I didn't say anything wrong! Is it okay for him to do it but not for others to talk about it? Isn't he only favored by the Marquis of Xuanping because he looks like the deceased youngest son of the Marquis of Xuanping? Does he really think he's a little marquis!"
Since they were in the palace, Wang Yuan dared not speak too bluntly, otherwise it would be openly questioning the emperor's injustice.
But just because he didn't say it here doesn't mean he didn't say it elsewhere. In fact, as soon as Xiao Liulang and Ning Zhiyuan left last night, rumors about him spread like wildfire throughout the building.
Thus, the story of Marquis Xuanping coming to straighten Xiao Liulang's clothes on the day of the palace examination has a reasonable explanation.
Not only that, Xiao Liulang's past achievements were also all dug up.
"He entered Tianxiang Academy with the lowest score, and remained at the bottom of the class afterward. Yet, a few months later, he actually came in first place in the county examination. Can you believe it?"
Why is that?
"What else could it be? The dean of Tianxiang Academy is the old chief priest's eldest disciple and the young marquis's senior brother! He looks like the young marquis, so Dean Li took special care of him and bribed the county magistrate to make him the top scholar."
"Then... what about the prefectural examination?"
"Not to mention the prefectural examination. The chief examiner for the prefectural examination is Prefect Zhuang. You've all heard of Prefect Zhuang, right? He was the Crown Princess's teacher. The young marquis grew up with the Crown Princess and also took Prefect Zhuang's classes, so he can be considered half a student of Prefect Zhuang. Do you think Prefect Zhuang wouldn't remember the young marquis when he sees this face?"
"Then... why didn't he get the top score in the provincial examination?"
"Because the top scorer in the provincial examination is He Jinghong, a relative of the Luo family! Who would dare to touch him?"
That statement makes absolutely no sense.
Not to mention that Xiao Liulang was originally the top scorer in the provincial examination, but He Jinghong used tricks to switch Xiao Liulang's exam paper. Even if Xiao Liulang really did use any means to get ahead, why did he lose to He Jinghong in the provincial examination but win against He Jinghong in the provincial examination?
Why are you afraid of the minor provincial examinations, but not the major provincial examinations?
This conversation spread last night. Feng Lin and Lin Chengye were drunk at the time and didn't remember it very clearly, but now, after being mocked by Wang Yuan, they remembered everything.
The two were furious and rushed forward to argue with Wang Yuan, but Xiao Liulang stopped them, saying, "Don't cause trouble in the palace."
Feng Lin gritted his teeth: "But..."
Du Ruohan glanced at Xiao Liulang and said to Feng Lin and Lin Chengye, "He's not even angry himself, so why are you angry? Besides, people have mouths; you can't sew them shut, can you?"
The fact that a student from a poor family became the top scholar in the imperial examination has shaken the status of many people. Slander and defamation are just the most insignificant harms; the real exclusion is yet to come.
The Deer Cry Banquet was about to begin, and everyone found their seats.
There are no explicit rules regarding the seating arrangement, but it is generally agreed that seats should be arranged according to academic performance. For example, the bottom left seat is for the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua), while the bottom right seat is for the first-place winner of the second and third classes.
However, after Prince An entered the main hall with his injured steps, he did not sit below Xiao Liulang, but instead went to the opposite side and sat in the seat that originally belonged to the second-class candidate.
The distinction between them was so clear-cut, it was as if the words "I and the top scholar are each in our own domain" were practically written on their faces.
He didn't sit next to Xiao Liulang, and no one else dared to sit there, so the seat next to Xiao Liulang became empty.
The third-place seat was also empty; Ning Zhiyuan hadn't arrived yet.
Ning Zhiyuan arrived late and found that the seats for the second and third place winners were empty. He glanced at Prince An, who was already sitting opposite him, and said nothing. He then silently sat down next to Xiao Liulang.
(End of this chapter)
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