Chapter 351: The weather in May is still a little chilly in the morning...
The weather in May was still a bit chilly in the morning. Fang Zixi put on a coat and went out. Xu Yunfan's forehead was throbbing so hard that he almost jumped up. "Brother Fang, why did you come out? This is too dangerous."
Fang Zixi hasn't even finished her confinement yet, and Xu Yunfan has repeatedly warned her not to come out. He's afraid that Fang Zixi might get caught in a cold and get a headache.
Although many taboos during the confinement period have no scientific basis, most of them are passed down by the elderly. Xu Yunfan didn't dare to test Fang Zixi's body. "Brother Fang, go in quickly. Be careful of the wind."
"It's okay," Fang Zixi straightened her coat around her shoulders, stepped closer to Xu Yunfan, and smoothed down a few strands of his hair that had gotten messy from washing. There was no ambiguity in their actions. "You're going to take the palace examination, and I had to come see you off anyway. Yunfan, I know it's important, but you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself. Don't worry about what Xiaobao and the other kids say. Just do your best. Even if you fail, there's no regrets. And if you don't pass this time, we can always try next time. You're still young, so don't rush, and don't push yourself."
While having dinner last night, Xiaobao heard the adults talking about the palace examination, and asked out of curiosity. He learned that if Xu Yunfan passed the palace examination, he would be the real number one scholar.
Xiaobao had received some education after all, so even if he didn't know what the palace examination was, he knew what the top scholar was.
Because his father was the top scholar in the imperial examination, many of his friends praised his father for being so great, so it goes without saying that the top scholar is a very powerful and extraordinary person.
"Father, you have to work hard. When you come back with the top scorer in the exam, we'll kill a chicken tomorrow night and have a whole chicken feast, okay?"
These words sounded like coaxing. Xu Yunfan patted Xiaobao on the head and said, "If you want to eat chicken, just say so."
"Then can my father pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar?"
"What do you think?"
"Of course I can, Daddy is the best~" Xiaobao roared, his voice still childish, but at this moment it was sonorous and powerful: "Daddy can definitely do it, Daddy is the best. As long as Dad wants, becoming the top scholar is definitely no problem for him."
Xu Yunfan nodded with great satisfaction. "Yes, that's right. Your father is an awesome man. You are indeed a descendant of our Xu family. You have such good vision. Tomorrow, you and your aunts should prepare to pluck the chicken feathers at home."
"Well, father, my brother, my uncles and aunts and I are waiting for your good news."
Fang Zixi wanted to talk to Xiaobao last night, but Xiaobao seemed very happy at the time and he didn't want to spoil his fun, but at the same time he was afraid that Xu Yunfan would be under too much pressure.
Xu Yunfan: "What kind of pressure can there be, Brother Fang, you know me, I won't brag, I'm an honest man, and honest people only tell the truth. You can go in quickly, it's cold in the morning, don't worry, I'm not nervous at all."
"Dad, you too, your most important task right now is to have a good rest. You don't need to worry about other things. I, your brother-in-law, am not some ignorant young man. How can I worry about such a small matter?"
Qin Feiyu smiled and said, "Okay, my brother-in-law is the best. I'm not worried about you. Dad will go in after you and Run'er leave."
Xu Yunfan first helped Qin Run onto the horse, then looked back at Qin Feiyu and Fang Zixi, waved his hand to let them in, and then lowered the curtain.
In front, Xiao Hengzhi said, "Let's go."
Two carriages drove towards the palace gate. In view of Xu Yunfan's previous performance, at dawn, many people gathered on both sides of the street and went to the place where the golden notice was posted on the south wall.
This group of people have been looking for a seat and waiting since early morning.
They were all waiting, hoping to be the first to know who would be the top scorer.
In examinations such as provincial examinations, county examinations, and prefectural examinations, the list of students announced is the red list.
The names of candidates who pass the palace examination will appear on the golden yellow paper that symbolizes the Golden Throne Hall, hence the origin of the phrase "name on the gold list".
If a student from a family passes the imperial examination, it would be a great honor for the family.
In the restaurant, Qin Run had already drunk three pots of tea, his neck stretched out, but still no officials came.
This shouldn't be the case. According to what grandpa and the others said, in previous years, the gold list should have been posted at this time. Why is there still no movement now?
"Run'er, don't be anxious, be patient and wait." Xiao Hengzhi took a sip of tea slowly, but he was actually very excited.
Can Xu Yunfan become the first Xiao Liuyuan since the founding of the Dayan Dynasty?
It's really something to look forward to.
You know, even the Prince's Grand Tutor who enjoys a high reputation today was just a small fourth-rank official back then.
Xu Yunfan got five yuan, and Xiao Hengzhi was already very proud. He walked outside with his head held high and his chest puffed out, looking very proud.
If Xu Yunfan scored a low of six in one go, Xiao Hengzhi didn't even dare to imagine how thick his face would be. He was afraid that even an arrow wouldn't be able to penetrate it.
There's no way, it's too embarrassing after all.
Qin Run: "Dad, I'm a little nervous. It's been so long and Jinbang hasn't come yet. Did something happen to Yunfan?"
"Huh? Why do you think so?" Xiao Hengzhi thought to himself, isn't Qin Run the one who trusts Xu Yunfan the most? Now what he said shows that he actually thinks Xu Yunfan is unreliable?
Qin Run was indeed Xu Yunfan's bedmate. He knew Xu Yunfan's temperament very well. Worrying made him confused, and he suddenly forgot that Xu Yunfan couldn't stand being angered, but he was not stupid. "Yunfan can't stand being angered. If someone really angered him, he would never swallow his anger. Could it be that someone angered Yunfan in the Golden Palace?"
"You're overthinking it. That kind of place isn't a place for ordinary people, let alone for them to stir up trouble. Basically, no one would be so ignorant as to offend someone who can appear in the Golden Throne Hall." Xiao Hengzhi advised again, "Wait a little longer, they should be here soon."
This wait lasted another half an hour.
The crowd stirred. Xiao Hengzhi slammed the table, stood up, and looked out the window of the teahouse. "Run'er, look, the officials are here with the gold list."
"Everyone, look! The gold list is here! The gold list is here!"
"Oh, stop shouting! Make way quickly! Don't delay the official from posting the gold medal."
"So excited, so excited, who will be the top scorer this year?"
"Who is it? Isn't this answer a foregone conclusion? Who else could it be but Lord Xu?"
"That's right, Master Xu scored a fifth place in the exam and was the top scorer in the high school. Isn't that natural?"
"Not necessarily. Didn't Lord Xu say something before, something like, 'Until the very last moment, you and I are both dark horses?' Maybe one of us will perform exceptionally well, or a dark horse will emerge midway?"
"As the saying goes, the world is still undecided, and you and I are both dark horses."
"Right, right, right. Maybe Master Xu suddenly got nervous or something, and that's why he failed."
Those who were optimistic about Xu Yunfan were immediately displeased when they heard this. "Hey, how can you say that? Our Lord Xu will fail? You must be joking. He is Lord Xu."
"You're talking as if he's not a human being. If he were a human being, he'd rarely have smooth sailing."
"What do you mean? Are you cursing our Master Xu?"
Xu Yunfan was a celebrity in Beijing, with many fans. The man who was speaking noticed that several people nearby were glaring at him, and he immediately backed off. "No, no, I was just being rude, don't take it seriously."
Before anyone else could say anything, there was a commotion up front, and someone shouted excitedly, almost bursting into tears, "My son passed, my son passed, Dad and Mom, ancestors, your grandson got second place, may our ancestors bless you!"
Some people slapped their thighs in frustration and said, "Top three, how can it be top three?"
"It's okay. Even if you get third place, you're still a Jinshi, which is more prestigious than a Xiucai."
"I can't accept this!" The student's family burst into tears. Their son had studied hard for years and finally made it to this point, but he missed the top spot. He was not among the top two or top 20 candidates, and he didn't even have the qualifications to enter the Hanlin Academy. He was about to collapse.
When someone cries, someone else laughs.
"Look, the first place is Mr. Xu."
"Master Xu has won the first place in the imperial examination!!"
"Master Xu has won!"
Someone said, "You idiot, why are you still calling him Master Xu? Today you should change your words and call him Xu Zhuangyuan~~"
"Look, the second place is from the Imperial College..."
In the teahouse, Qin Run stretched his neck to listen. When he heard the person below shouting "Xu Zhuangyuan", he turned around excitedly and wanted to say something to Xiao Hengzhi. However, when he turned around, Xiao Hengzhi, who was sitting at the tea table just now, was gone.
Qin Run shook his head and laughed. Xiao Hengzhi loved and hated Xu Yunfan. He always said a few words to Xu Yunfan in normal times, but when he was protecting him, he really held him in his arms. In the court, if it came to Xu Yunfan, he would definitely not do anything if anyone dared to say anything bad about Xu Yunfan. No matter who the person was, he would just confront them without any distinction.
The Right Prime Minister has been criticized many times and has learned his lesson now.
As for hatred, that was forced upon me.
Xu Yunfan is a real troublemaker. He loves to take Grandma Xiao and Lord Qin to the food city to eat, drink and have fun whenever he wants. If there are things that are hard to bring home, he will just show off outside, such as massage and foot washing, and he always orders young men to do it. In the eyes of Grandpa Xiao and the others, this kind of thing is just fooling around.
Grandpa Xiao and several old men including Qin Qian were both upset and envious, but they didn't know how to say that Xu Yunfan was wrong. If he wanted to go out, how could he not take them with him?
Since several old men were unhappy, how could Xiao Hengzhi feel good?
Look at Xu Yunfan, and then look at his son/brother-in-law Xiao Hengzhi. It's really a case of comparing goods before you throw them away.
Xiao Hengzhi tactfully reminded Xu Yunfan, but Xu Yunfan put his hands on his hips and was not very happy, saying that he didn't like playing with men very much and that same-sex people repel each other.
In the end, Xu Yunfan was chased all over the yard with a smile on his face by Xiao Hengzhi.
Later, Xu Yunfan brought Qin Qian and the others to play billiards and so on. With Xu Yunfan and the others around, Grandpa Xiao and the others were happy every day, and they seemed to dislike Xiao Hengzhi even more.
Young people are tough.
Xiao Hengzhi pursued Xu Yunfan several times, but Xu Yunfan still "refused to change his ways". Xiao Hengzhi now has very low status in both the Qin family and the Xiao family. The status of his brother-in-law is higher than his.
In this case, it would be strange if Xiao Hengzhi could have a "good face" towards Xu Yunfan.
However, Xiao Hengzhi had to admire Xu Yunfan for one thing: he had the Xiao and Qin families under his "control", and each of them liked him very much.
Feelings are mutual. It's no wonder that several families love Xu Yunfan. It's Xu Yunfan's fault for being so caring.
Qin An, Qin Mu and Qin Run all like to eat wild strawberries, raspberries and other fruits. When they were in the village, Qin An would go around the mountains to dig earthworms to feed chickens or find pig food in order to find more food, just to bring a few home for his eldest brother to try.
But there are many children in the village. If he can go to those safe areas, others can go there too. There are not so many wild strawberries.
After arriving in the capital, Qin An and Qin Mu were still able to go to the farm to look for it, but when winter came and it got cold, they could no longer go.
To this end, Xu Yunfan specially found a piece of open space in the backyard and tinkered with it for several days. The families didn't know what he was doing. They just saw him moving some things out of the study and transporting them to the backyard, and he was busy for several days.
Later, Xiao Hengzhi learned that Xu Yunfan actually planned to grow strawberries in the winter in the capital.
What a wild idea.
Not to mention Xiao Hengzhi, even Qin Feiyu and Lord Qin felt that it was unrealistic and advised him not to bother. The winter in the capital is very cold and it will snow. How can you grow strawberries in such weather?
Xu Yunfan didn't listen until he was willing to let them into his shed. Seeing the red strawberries, the children laughed with joy. Even Fu Shaoping and his brothers jumped up and followed Qin An and the others to surround Xu Yunfan, saying that Brother-in-law was fine and they loved him so much.
Amidst the sounds of "I like my brother-in-law", "I love my brother-in-law", and "My husband, you are so good", Xu Yunfan almost lost herself. With her hands on her hips and her nose facing the sky, she looked as if she was about to float away at the next moment and could not be stopped.
These childish and heartfelt words made Xiao Heng's teeth ache, but he had to admit it because Qin Run and his two brothers loved to eat. Amidst the constant denials, Xu Yunfan still persisted and was busy just for the happy moment of Qin Run and the children.
The strawberries in the shed are very big, each one is several times the size of a wild strawberry. When you take a bite, the satisfying feeling of the juice bursting in your mouth is incomparable to that of a wild strawberry. It is so refreshing.
Qin Run and Xiaobao and a few others started picking the fruits immediately. Xu Yunfan squatted on the side and did not do anything either. Seeing how happy they were, his face was full of happiness.
As soon as the strawberries were ripe, even the Fang and Xie families would eat them. When people from outside heard about it, some were willing to pay one or two taels of silver for each strawberry just to have a bite. Even though it was a priceless item, the family could still generously eat two of each.
How could Xiao Hengzhi not be satisfied with a son-in-law who was kind to his brother, his brother-in-law, filial to his elders, and a good man?
So satisfying.
Today Xu Yunfan passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer again. Xiao Hengzhi's satisfaction with Xu Yunfan reached its peak.
This is not an ordinary top scorer, this is a top scorer who scored less than six yuan, the value of the score is different.
Today, Xu Yunfan is no longer his brother-in-law; today, this man is his own son.
Xiao Hengzhi didn't care about Qin Run, the child he loved so much. When he heard that Xu Yunfan had passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer, he rushed to Qin's house in a hurry.
"Fei Yu, my nieces, come out quickly." Xiao Heng was so anxious that he didn't even have time to get in the carriage. He rode his horse at full speed and returned to Xiao Qin's house. He shouted as soon as he got off the horse.
Sister Fang was feeding Xu Qingtang in Fang Zixi's room. Upon hearing the noise, she handed the child to Fang's mother and hurried out of the room, "Uncle Xiao, what happened?"
Xiao Hengzhi: "..."
This must be Xu Yunfan's sister, right? How could she be so calm? Didn't she know what day it was?
"Niece, Yunfan passed the exam and became the top scorer." Xiao Hengzhi said excitedly.
Compared to Xiao Hengzhi's unconcealed excitement, Sister Fang's excitement seemed to be a face-saving echo. She pretended to be shocked, "Really? Oh, that's incredible! My brother is also the top scholar. It's incredible."
Xiao Hengzhi: "..."
This expression is a bit fake, you know.
For the Fang sisters, Xu Yunfan's intelligence has been their specialty since they were little. In their eyes, their brother has always been the cutest and smartest person in the world... Later, when Xu Yunfan entered puberty, for them, Xu Yunfan had another title: he was the most handsome person in the world.
It is true that it is not easy to become the top scholar, but in the eyes of several sisters, since their own good brother is determined to become the top scholar, it is a piece of cake.
Qin Feiyu took out several dozen taels of silver and asked, "Is this enough as a reward?"
"That's enough." Mother Fang didn't even bother to hold her adorable little grandson. When she heard that Xu Yunfan had passed the imperial examination, she put the little grandson in Fang Zixi's arms and ran out, "Prince Xiao, quickly send someone to call An Ge'er and his nieces back."
Grandma Xiao had already found the tea leaves. "Hengzhi, did you hear that? Hurry up and go, old man, light the fire for me. Someone will be coming to congratulate us soon, so let's get ready quickly."
Fang Yixi stood by the window holding the child, watching the people outside busying around. She called out to Sister Fang, "Sister, Yunfan is going to be paraded in the streets later. Didn't you guys say before that you wanted him to be the most handsome boy in the capital? How do you do it?"
Sister Fang clapped her hands and said, "Oh, Brother Fang, if you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten. I have to go find the second brother quickly."
With the help of Xiao Hengzhi's identity, Fang Erjie successfully found Xu Yunfan. At this time, Xu Yunfan was so depressed that he allowed several eunuchs to do whatever they wanted to him.
"Second sister," as soon as Xu Yunfan saw Second Sister Fang coming over, his eyes immediately lit up like a light bulb.
The streets and roadsides were filled with people. Looking back, the last time the top scholar was paraded through the streets was last year, but they still remembered it vividly.
This time, I wonder if Xu Zhuangyuan will perform another magic trick for them. It is really exciting. Even if there is no magic trick, it would be good to be able to see Xu Zhuangyuan's grace.
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