Chapter 87 Nightmares continue, the third day of the third lunar month…
Zong Suyi hadn't slept well for several days, constantly having nightmares that left him terrified.
Last night was filled with nightmares. One night he dreamt that Zhang Ting was framed and unjustly imprisoned, just like his grandmother and mother; another night he dreamt that Zhang Ting was being beheaded, and he cried out but couldn't reach her side; yet another night he dreamt that Zhang Ting was walking towards him, having passed the imperial examination with top honors, only to be abducted by a powerful family to become their son-in-law...
In short, none of them are good news.
For nine consecutive days, Zong Suyi was filled with anxiety and fear. He couldn't eat or sleep well, and his face became haggard and pale, and his chin also became noticeably sharper.
He was pondering Zhang Ting's situation with a worried expression when a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Xiaoyi, focus on your food."
Zong Suyi suddenly looked up and saw his aunt looking at him with concern. When he looked down, he realized that his hand was constantly poking at the rice in the bowl.
"Okay, okay." He buried his head in his rice, but his mind still wandered.
Seeing his expression, Zhang Shu frowned deeply. Although the imperial examination not only tested knowledge but also physical strength and endurance, surely he shouldn't be so worried that he'd be completely out of his mind?
Zhang Shu shook his head helplessly with a crooked mouth, then hurriedly stuffed a lamb chop into his mouth. Perhaps this is something that people who have never been married can't understand.
Hehe, she lives such a carefree life! Unrestrained and free.
Today marks the end of the provincial examination.
After the meal, Zong Suyi sent Zheng Er to arrange the carriage, as he wanted to personally guard outside the examination hall. These past few days had been bitterly cold, so he had specially prepared a cloak, a hot water bottle, and also warmed some wine and meat pies.
Zheng Er glanced at his cold face and felt a little dissatisfied. Last time, he had come out of the provincial examination by himself with his employer. Why did he have to get involved this time?
However, given Zong Suyi's deep-rooted influence in the household and his popularity with the master, Zheng Er dared not express any complaints and respectfully went to prepare.
Zong Suyi, wearing a light veil, waited outside the examination hall early in the morning. At that time, the outside was empty except for his family's carriage.
As a result, even when the surrounding area was packed with people, and servants, relatives and friends from all over came to welcome the scholar, Zhang Ting did not come out.
This made Zong Suyi extremely anxious, as his wife had clearly promised him that she would be the first to come out!
Was the exam question too complicated, trapping her?
Or did something unexpected happen, or did someone cause her trouble?
The clamor of voices around him churned in Zong Suyi's heart like boiling water, and his right eyelid twitched uncontrollably. This was not a good sign.
Zong Suyi gripped the veil tightly, his fingertips turning white from the force of his grip, and a ruthless glint appeared in his clear, pure eyes.
His wife is probably in trouble; he can no longer sit idly by and wait for his death!
He summoned Zheng Er, the most quick-witted and resourceful official, and handed her a handful of silver ingots, saying, "Go quietly and ask the gatekeeper if anything happened at the examination hall today."
Although Zheng Er did not understand why, seeing the serious expression on his young master's face, he feared that something big had happened, so he did not dare to delay and turned to leave.
Zong Suyi pondered to himself that his maternal clan had both perished, his paternal clan was imprisoned, and the adults who used to associate with his family were now avoiding him like the plague; none of them could be relied upon.
He turned to Lin Xiuzhen and said, "The master usually respects his teacher the most. Go back to the manor and invite your aunt over. The master will surely be pleased when he comes out."
Right now, the only person they can rely on is probably their great-aunt. If the mistress is mistreated, if it's a minor matter, those adults might let it go given the great-aunt's reputation; but if it's a major matter…
A dark glint flashed in Zong Suyi's eyes. "Your aunt is getting old. Remember to have more people watching over her."
"I want to set aside a vegetable garden at home. After you inform the family, go to the clinic and buy more saltpeter to use as fertilizer. Oh, and also buy some sulfur, since spring and summer are just around the corner, it will help drive away snakes and insects."
If he had no other choice, he would have to secretly blow up the examination hall first and rescue his wife.
The Ministry of Justice is a treacherous place, rife with cruel officials; it's not a place you can just wander out of.
Zong Suyi's reasons were so convincing that Lin Xiuzhen didn't suspect anything, but she thought to herself: "No wonder he's a noble lady, even his fertilizer is saltpeter."
Lin Xiuzhen had just left when Zheng Er returned with the news.
The examination hall had strict rules, and she had almost spent all the silver ingots before the clerk finally let slip some information.
Just as Zong Suyi had predicted, something happened inside.
The minor official said that someone had been arrested for tampering with his belongings.
Upon hearing this, Zong Suyi felt a chill run down his spine.
The wife is incredibly talented and would never harbor any ulterior motives; she is most likely being framed out of jealousy!
He bit his lip. This dynasty severely punishes those who cheat. What should we do if my wife is stripped of her official title in court?
Zong Suyi handed a whole silver ingot pouch to Zheng Er, instructing her to win over the minor official and gather as much information as possible.
Time passed slowly, and everyone waited anxiously for the candidates to appear. However, two quarters of an hour had passed since the end of the examination, and not a single person had come out.
Zong Suyi casually tossed the veil aside, his fingers twisting tightly together, his heart burning with anxiety, and the terrible speculation made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Liu Da helped Zhang Shu arrive. Upon hearing the commotion, Zong Suyi quickly put on her hat and got out of the carriage, anxiously saying, "Auntie, my wife..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zong Suyi heard the sound of a door opening.
"Squeak"
He suddenly turned around and stared intently at the door, as if his very soul had been drawn to it.
The minor official brought out a woman whose clothes were disheveled. The woman was short, thin as a bone, and looked extremely wretched.
Even though her long hair obscured her face, making it impossible to see her features, Zong Suyi was certain that this was not Zhang Ting.
His heart instantly settled back into place, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Zhang Shu glanced at the woman being pushed out, guessing that she had probably been arrested for bribing someone. He clicked his tongue in dismay at how these young people were so bad, unlike her back then...
She suddenly turned to Zong Suyi and asked, "Xiaoyi, what was it that you were so eager to tell this old woman?"
Zong Suyi carefully straightened the veil on her head that had been blown up by the wind, and said without blushing or skipping a beat, "Auntie, I think the mistress will be happy to see you."
Having been husband and wife for three years, he had learned some of the essence of Zhang Ting's way of speaking.
Zhang Shu was flattered by this gesture and laughed heartily. He felt a surge of warmth in his heart and sighed, "Now he has the air of a virtuous and gentle man."
"Xiaoting is a trustworthy person, but now that you're married, you must rein in your temper." Zhang Shu genuinely pitied Zong Suyi's background and gave her this special advice.
Zhang Shu stared at Zong Suyi. The young master raised by a noble family was spoiled and had a bad temper. However, his family had fallen on hard times and he had no maternal relatives to rely on.
Fortunately, she left no children, so after her death, all her wealth will go to him. That way, she can give her old friend in the underworld an explanation.
Zong Suyi glanced at the ground, pouted, and muttered under her breath, "When have I ever been petty..."
Zhang Shu choked, then pointed at him speechlessly.
At home, he's practically climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles. He's incredibly resilient and still has the nerve to deny it. He's clearly been spoiled rotten by Xiaoting!
As the two were talking, a female prisoner passing by suddenly looked up, her eyes fixed on Zong Suyi with a crazed obsession, and shouted, "Xiaoyi, Xiaoyi! I'm Sister Xu! Turn around and look at me! Look at me!!"
Right here, the gates of the examination hall were opened again.
The students inside poured out, and Zong Suyi saw Zhang Ting in the crowd and ran over excitedly.
As for the person behind him who kept calling his name?
A mad, vile woman, does she even deserve his attention?
Zong Suyi smiled sweetly and threw herself into Zhang Ting's arms, hugging her tightly. She pouted and said aggrievedly, "You're finally out! I've been waiting for so long..." He carefully sniffed her body, thankfully there was no smell.
I heard that the candidates who just left the examination hall all stank!
Zong Suyi looked up and stared intently at her. As expected of his woman, she was still as charming as ever.
Zhang Ting wrapped her arms around his slender waist and gently pinched it with her hands. "Sigh, how did you get so thin?"
"Something came up inside, which is why it took a while. It's my fault for causing you worry, my lord."
"It's not your fault, it's not your fault." Zong Suyi happily snuggled closer, even touching her body warmly to see if there was anything wrong.
There were still quite a few people around, and Zhang Ting, mindful of her image, pulled him away, saying, "Let's go home first."
"Uh-huh!"
The three senior female students and their friends were very tactful and walked ahead, not disturbing the young couple's private conversation.
The other scholars who had just misunderstood Zhang Ting wanted to come over to apologize and chat, since Zhang's future was definitely bright, but they were too embarrassed to disturb him since his husband was there.
Zhang Ting led Zong Suyi toward the carriage in the mansion. On the way, she heard someone calling Zong Suyi's name. She stopped and turned her head to look.
Xu Lan's venomous and resentful eyes were fixed on her.
Zhang Ting tapped her back teeth, her expression unchanged, and continued walking forward, leading Zong Suyi.
Afraid that Zhang Ting would misunderstand, Zong Suyi quickly tugged at her hand, "I don't know her." Her words contained a hint of grievance, but more so, disgust for the madwoman.
On the way, Zhang Ting intertwined her fingers with Zong Suyi's, pinched his nose with her other hand, and smiled warmly as a spring breeze, saying, "My lord, don't be angry. Would your wife doubt you?"
Zhang Ting would never doubt that Zong Suyi, who married her, would still be interested in someone else.
Zong Suyi was delighted to hear this, feeling that his wife trusted his character and had great confidence in their deep affection, which comforted him in return.
He shook their clasped hands, his eyes crinkling with joy, his heart pounding with excitement. He noticed Zhang Ting's hands were cold and hurriedly urged her to get into the carriage.
"Come up quickly, I've prepared a cloak and a hot water bottle for you! They'll keep you warm, so you don't catch a cold."
"good."
An elderly woman with white hair stood on a carriage next to them, her gaze as warm as the sun, gently falling on Zhang Ting.
Zhang Ting bowed deeply to her, expressing his gratitude for her teacher's tireless instruction over the past three years, and also conveying that he had delivered a satisfactory answer in the imperial examination.
When I looked up again, there was no one there, only the curtain swaying slowly.
Zhang Ting tightened her grip on Zong Suyi's hand, her eyes filled with the bright spring sunshine, yet also like shimmering lake water. "Let's go up."
"I'll be home soon."
...
The third day of the third lunar month is the Shangsi Festival.
The entire city of Kyoto was bathed in the warm spring sunshine. Willow catkins fluttered along the banks of the Kyoto River, and young men and women dressed in their finest attire created a lively and bustling scene.
Emperor Chengtai sat in the main hall, groaning as he reviewed memorials. His gaunt face twitched slightly, and his dark eyes seemed to be spitting ink.
Finally, after reviewing the last memorial, she put down her pen heavily, stood up, stretched her aching arms, let out a deep breath, and smiled.
"Xu Qiu, summon my newly acquired Consort Zheng to go on a spring outing!"
Just then, a palace maid came in trembling fear and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites requests an audience."
Emperor Chengtai's face turned ashen with rage, a surge of resentment rising within him. "Another opportunistic old bastard!"
"Xu Qiu, there's no need to go."
Despite her deep resentment, she finally returned to the throne with a stern face and said, "Summon them."
That old bastard better really have something urgent to do!
Upon hearing the summons, the Minister of Rites hurriedly entered the hall, knelt and bowed respectfully, sweat beading on his forehead from the rush.
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Rise." Emperor Chengtai sat imposingly, his face cold. "What brings you here, my dear minister?"
The Minister of Rites stood up, supporting his aching back, wiped the sweat from his brow, and respectfully presented the memorial hidden in his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, the rankings for the imperial examinations have been finalized. Please review them."
The imperial examination for selecting talent was indeed a major event.
Emperor Chengtai took the memorial with one hand, opened it to look at this year's outstanding talents, and said he would see them again in the palace examination soon.
The first thing you see is the name of the top scholar, just two characters.
Zhang Ting.
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