Chapter 39, Chapter 17: The Heir Apparent's Wife
Xu Qingzhou patiently comforted his third uncle.
"It's alright, the officials will fix it, it won't leak anymore by tomorrow."
Third Uncle thought it made sense, and calmed down, telling Xu Qingzhou to go down and get some rest.
After sending him away, the third uncle asked his daughter-in-law to take Yu Wanwan to the temple to pray for peace.
Yu Wanwan didn't refuse and went with her aunt.
On the way, her aunt, fearing that Yu Wanwan might overthink things, explained gently.
“Actually, Father isn’t usually like this. But I’m sure the Princess Consort knows the situation of our Marquis’s mansion. This imperial examination is extremely important to the Marquis’s mansion. It’s good for him to go and seek peace of mind.”
Yu Wanwan smiled.
"Don't worry, Auntie, I know."
Her aunt subtly observed her, and seeing that she genuinely showed no dissatisfaction, she finally smiled.
"We have a Qinghui Temple here. Although it can't compare to Cihang Temple in the capital, it's still quite efficacious. The Crown Princess can take this opportunity to draw a fortune stick and see how her luck is with children."
Yu Wanwan smiled and agreed.
Qinghui Temple is not far away, located on a mountain about one mile outside Cangyan County.
Most people here are Buddhists, and there are quite a few worshippers coming and going at Qinghui Temple.
My aunt is a familiar face here. As soon as we arrived at the temple, a young novice monk came forward to greet us.
Yu Wanwan doesn't believe in Buddhism, but she doesn't show it on her face. She is gentle and proper, and her manners are even more standard than her aunt, who comes often.
Suddenly, a soft tapping sound of a wooden staff on the ground came from behind me, followed by an aged voice, tinged with compassion.
"Donor, please wait!"
Auntie was taken aback, then quickly stood up and clasped her hands together.
"Master Zhaokong!"
Yu Wanwan paused for a moment, then casually placed the sandalwood incense sticks, still swirling with blue smoke, into the incense burner before turning around and performing a proper Buddhist ritual.
Master Zhaokong turned away and did not accept her greeting.
“This old monk dares not accept such a gift from you, benefactor.”
Yu Wanwan didn't seem to mind, her smile remaining unchanged.
"It's just a matter of courtesy, what's there to be afraid of?"
Before she finished speaking, the sandalwood incense sticks that she had personally placed in the incense burner suddenly fell over, and the ash fell along the edge of the burner.
The young novice monk and his aunt, who were standing by, were both shocked by this sudden turn of events and their expressions changed drastically.
"this……"
Master Zhaokong's withered fingers moved the prayer beads, and he uttered a Buddhist chant as if sighing.
"Amitabha!"
He walked to the incense burner with his wooden staff and steadied the three incense sticks.
"As you can see, even Buddha cannot accept your incense, let alone this humble monk?"
The aunt was completely confused and couldn't help but feel nervous.
"What does Master Zhaokong mean by this?"
Could her actions affect Xu Qingzhou's scientific expedition?
However, she didn't dare ask these questions in front of Yu Wanwan.
Master Zhaokong smiled, his face filled with compassion.
"Don't worry, benefactor. This young benefactor is of immeasurable nobility. Wherever she goes, good fortune will naturally follow, and those around her will also benefit from it."
Auntie's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but steal a glance at Yu Wanwan.
She suddenly remembered that Xu Qingzhou had clearly been burning up like that last night, and no matter how many doctors came, they couldn't help.
But after just one night, he was completely recovered, just like no one had been hurt.
My aunt was a Buddhist, and after thinking about what happened last night, she believed Master Kong's words even more.
Originally, because of Yu Wanwan's status, she always saw her as somewhat reserved and polite.
But now, when she looks at Yu Wanwan, her eyes light up, as if she's looking at a golden doll.
Master Zhaokong suddenly bowed to Yu Wanwan.
"I wonder if the young benefactor could stay at the temple for a few more days, so that this humble mountain temple may be blessed with some auspicious energy?"
Yu Wanwan remained unmoved, her expression indifferent, not even the curve of her lips changing.
Are you sure?
Her smile held a hint of amusement.
Let her stay here permanently, and we won't have to worry about the temple collapsing.
Master Zhaokong paused, his cloudy yet clear eyes scrutinizing her carefully for a few more moments.
His expression changed slightly, and after a few seconds of silence, he let out a long sigh.
"Amitabha, this humble monk was reckless."
Yu Wanwan chuckled lightly, not caring at all.
However, she didn't continue offering incense. She only gave money for incense and a blessing through her aunt, and then they went down the mountain together.
On the way, her aunt kept stealing glances at Yu Wanwan, which made Yu Wanwan feel somewhat helpless.
I should have known better than to give that old monk so many chances to speak.
But she was too lazy to explain anything, so she simply pretended not to know anything.
My aunt is a sensible person and didn't talk nonsense in front of her.
However, during her time at the ancestral home, Yu Wanwan noticed that the Xu family members there treated her much better.
They acted as if they wanted to worship her.
Meanwhile, her aunt's daughter-in-law, who rarely appeared, also changed her ways, no longer avoiding her, and would always find some excuse to talk to her.
Yu Wanwan was also helpless about this.
How could she explain that she was not a lucky charm and that there was no way that spending more time with her would bring her good fortune?
Instead of trying to ride on her luck, you might as well try to get some of Xu Qingzhou's male lead aura!
Looking at her cousin-in-law, who was heavily pregnant but still insisted on coming to her, Yu Wanwan was afraid that she might make a mistake and harm the baby.
Just in case, they secretly channeled a wisp of true energy into her to protect her unborn child.
With Yu Wanwan's subtle help, her cousin-in-law felt much better these days. She hadn't had a good night's sleep since she got pregnant, but after hanging around in front of Yu Wanwan, she felt much more at ease going back to sleep.
She, who usually wakes up because of feeling unwell or leg cramps, slept soundly until dawn, a rare occurrence.
In response, her cousin-in-law visited Yu Wanwan even more frequently.
When the third uncle heard about this from his aunt, he was overjoyed and wrote a letter overnight to the Chengqing Marquis's residence in the capital.
As things grew increasingly bizarre, Yu Wanwan slapped her hand.
She shouldn't have interfered; why should she have helped her?
Now that's settled. Once she returns to the capital, she'll probably be treated like royalty by Marquis Chengqing and his wife, and they'll be summoned for questioning frequently.
While Yu Wanwan was worrying, the Xu brothers finally finished their last provincial examination.
The results wouldn't be available for another month, so Uncle San warmly invited them to stay a few more days.
However, Xu Qingzhou politely declined.
"Mingche's coming-of-age ceremony is in a month. If we stay a few more days, we might not make it in time."
The coming-of-age ceremony was a big deal, so the third uncle had no choice but to regretfully give up the idea of letting them stay a little longer.
After only two days of rest, Yu Wanwan and the other two embarked on their journey back to Beijing.
They had to rush to the provincial examination on their way there, and they had to rush to Xu Mingche's coming-of-age ceremony on their way back. The three of them did not linger and rode at full speed to the capital.
However, the roads were rugged, and no matter how fast they traveled, it would be a month before they returned to the capital.
When they returned to the capital, they happened to arrive just in time for the release of the results of the provincial examinations.
The two students' grades were naturally recorded in Cangyan, but due to their special backgrounds, a copy of their grades was also sent to the Chengqing Marquis's residence.
They no longer need to return to Cangyan to wait for the results.
The result was good; just like in the story, Xu Mingche came in eighth place.
Xu Qingzhou, on the other hand, was exactly one place ahead of him, ranking seventh.
The top scorer in the provincial examination was called Jieyuan, the second to tenth were called Yayuan, and those after that were all called Juren.
The two of them happened to be stuck in the Asian Yuan, which is high school.
This delighted Marquis Chengqing. Upon seeing the two brothers returning from Cangyan again, his usually serious face showed a rare and obvious joy.
"Good! Good! Good! You two brothers are quite good!"
In particular, after their trip to Cangyan and their return, the relationship between Xu Qingzhou and Xu Mingche was clearly better than it had been when they were at the Marquis's residence.
This made Marquis Chengqing very pleased.
Xu Mingche found it hard to accept this outcome.
After dealing with Marquis Chengqing, Xu Mingche went to Chengruixuan and caught Xu Qingzhou red-handed.
He always valued etiquette, and even after his relationship with Xu Qingzhou improved, he still adhered to those etiquette rules and never overstepped them.
At this moment, Xu Mingche unusually lost his composure.
"Brother! Why didn't you give it your all?"
In the eyes of Marquis Chengqing and his family, it would be a joyous occasion for the Chengqing Marquis's family if his brothers could pass the imperial examination.
What's more, the two were both in the top ten of their high school, which makes it even more of a happy occasion.
However, Xu Mingche, who often studied with Xu Qingzhou, knew that with his level, it was impossible for him to only get seventh place!
Xu Qingzhou remained silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at Yu Wanwan.
"Madam, please go back to your room and rest."
Yu Wanwan shrugged, not wanting to disturb the brothers' heart-to-heart talk, and took Tinglan back to her room.
After watching Yu Wanwan leave, Xu Qingzhou looked at Xu Mingche, whose eyes were slightly red, and sighed.
"Come with me to the study."
Once inside the study, with no one around, Xu Mingche could no longer contain himself.
"Brother, what is the reason?"
He clearly had unique insights into politics, and when the two discussed policies, he always came up with refreshing and novel viewpoints.
And his knowledgeable and insightful sister-in-law provided guidance from the side.
seventh?
Stop joking.
Xu Qingzhou tapped his index finger on the table, then suddenly looked up at Xu Mingche.
Do you know why Father attaches so much importance to our academic examinations?
Xu Mingche answered without hesitation.
"Naturally, the world is at peace now, and there is no war. It is difficult for military officers to rise in rank. If the Marquis's family cannot switch to civil service, their past glory will probably become nothing but fleeting clouds."
Marquis Chengqing never kept these things from the two of them.
As for their younger brothers, they were not cut out for studying, so Marquis Chengqing sent them to the military camp for training at a young age.
Since joining the army, he has only returned once, on the day of the young master and Xi Qingyao's wedding.
Xu Mingche was even more puzzled.
"That's precisely why we should do our best and achieve the best results, shouldn't we?"
Xu Qingzhou smiled.
"What kind of state do you think the Marquis's mansion is in?"
Xu Mingche paused slightly.
Xu Qingzhou didn't look at him, but stood by the table, fiddling with the calligraphy brushes hanging on the brush holder.
"Since ancient times, there has been no first place in literature, but there is no second place in martial arts. Do you really think that as long as you win first place in the imperial examination and get good results, you can successfully transform the Marquis's family from a military family to a civil family?"
Xu Mingche choked.
That's really what he thought.
Despite his usual refined and bookish demeanor, as the son of Marquis Chengqing, he possesses a passionate spirit deep down.
He had fantasized countless times about winning the imperial examination, riding a tall horse, and showing those scholars who looked down on military officers who the real brute was!
But what Xu Qingzhou was about to say was clearly different from what he had thought.
Xu Mingche was not a stubborn person after all. Even though he hadn't figured it out yet, he didn't rush to refute her.
"Please enlighten me, elder brother!"
Xu Qingzhou sighed.
"A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind. Don't you understand such a simple principle?"
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