Chapter 59 The Examination Ends
"Feng'er," Madam Yang Hou ran over with a staggering gait and hugged Pei Changfeng tightly, "How could you bear to come to see me only now!"
Her crying made Pei Changfeng feel sad for no reason. Unlike what he expected, he felt guilty.
"I..." He opened his lips, not knowing how to answer.
Lord Yang came out of the house, his eyes seemed to be wet, "Okay, don't scare the child, come in if you have anything to say."
Their concern was genuine, and Pei Changfeng could feel it completely.
Madam Yang Hou could not say anything. She just looked at Pei Changfeng and cried. Everyone knew that she was also looking at her youngest daughter who died early.
"Grandma...Grandma," Pei Changfeng said, wiping away the tears for Madam Yang Hou, "Don't cry anymore."
"Good boy, good boy..."
In order to allow the two elders to have some private conversation with Pei Changfeng, people from other families will come back after half an hour.
"I heard you suffered a lot?" Madam Yang Hou burst into tears, "It's all my fault. If I had been more careful and sent people to look for you over there, you wouldn't have suffered so much. Your mother is the same... she just doesn't want to go home."
In fact, Pei Changfeng knew very little about his mother. He only knew that his mother was a gentle and beautiful woman, and it was only now that he learned about her background.
He had a guess, but couldn't say it.
Madam Yang cried for a long time before she stopped. She held Pei Changfeng's hand for a long time and was unwilling to let go. Lord Yang did not say much, but just looked at Pei Changfeng quietly with sad eyes.
Madam Yang Hou looked at Su Wanwan, "You are Wanwan? I heard everything about you from Changfeng. You are a good child. Without you, we don't know what would happen to Changfeng."
Madam Yang Hou was so kind, Su Wanwan quickly said: "He is my husband, these are what I should do."
"You two should stay in the mansion for the next few days," said Madam Yang, pleadingly. "I promise not to disturb Changfeng from studying. It's enough for me to see you every day. Is that ok?"
At this moment, Pei Chang almost agreed, but he still shook his head and said, "The exam will be in a few days. Grandma, please come and pick me up on the day I leave the exam room."
Hearing his words, Madam Yang smiled again, "Good boy, I will definitely bring your uncles to pick you up."
Half an hour passed and the rest of the Yang family also entered the yard.
The master of the first house, Yang Yuanwu, his wife was Ji, and his son was Yang Tianxiang. The master of the second house, Yang Yuanwen, his wife was Dai, and his daughter was Yang Ying. The master of the third house, Yang Yuanqi, his wife was Chen, and his son was Yang Tianqi.
The Marquis's Mansion is indeed not very populous, with only one child in each branch.
The second master, Yang Yuanwen, was ill. After meeting Pei Changfeng and asking him a few questions, he left a gift and went back. His wife Dai also left with him, and only Yang Ying stayed.
Seeing Pei Changfeng, everyone sighed. Yang Yuanwu and Yang Yuanqi also shed tears several times, thinking of their sister.
Pei Changfeng's memory of his mother was already very vague, but as he listened to the descriptions of these relatives, the image of his mother in his memory became clearer and more vivid.
He had never heard anyone mention his mother's name. Others called his mother "Mrs. Wu Er" or "Changfeng's mother." It turned out that his mother's name was Yang Lu, a very nice name.
When Yang Lu was born, the Marquis' Mansion was at its peak. As the youngest daughter of the Marquis' Mansion, she was raised in the palm of the hand and never suffered any hardship. She was pampered until she was twenty years old. Yang Lu had no lover, and the Marquis and his wife did not urge her to get married. It was not until Yang Lu disappeared and Pei Changfeng appeared now that people vaguely realized that Yang Lu might have had a lover back then, but no one spoke up, no one talked about it, at most everyone knew it.
They stayed at Yang Hou's mansion until the end of dinner, and then Lady Yang Hou reluctantly let Pei Changfeng and Su Wanwan leave. The two old ladies watched them get on the carriage, and only after the carriage had gone a long way did they return home together.
Su Wanwan didn't know what Pei Changfeng's mood was today. In any case, she felt that her mother-in-law, Yang Lu, was indeed raised with love. In such an environment, she felt extremely happy to be affected by it.
Pei Changfeng has been silent since he got on the carriage, stroking the jade pendant that Lord Yang personally put on him. This was carved by Lord Yang himself after he knew his name. It has the two words "Changfeng" on it. All the grandchildren in the Marquis's mansion have one.
Su Wanwan leaned on his shoulder and admired the jade bracelet on her wrist. It was given to her by Ji. Several aunts also gave her some things, but this jade bracelet was her favorite. It looked valuable.
That’s not right. Talking about money is too vulgar. It should be said that you can feel the fate between her and Ji just by looking at her.
The carriage moved slowly. It was already dark. When Pei Changfeng returned, the yard had been tidied up. After washing up, he hugged Su Wanwan and fell asleep.
After a whole day's journey, they were all very tired and didn't even talk to each other until dawn.
Pei Changfeng got up at the crowing of the cock. He was as diligent as usual. He started reading at the crowing of the cock and had hardly a quarter of an hour of rest except for the time to eat and sleep.
As time began to count down, Su Wanwan became more and more nervous. As Pei Changfeng's wife, she naturally hoped that Pei Changfeng could pass the exam. But because she was too expecting, she even remembered it in her dreams and had been sleeping worse and worse in the past few days.
In the middle of the night, she woke up from a dream and subconsciously felt if Pei Changfeng was still around. After touching his body, Su Wanwan slowly breathed a sigh of relief and snuggled into his arms.
Pei Changfeng was also awakened by her little action, as he would be entering the examination room tomorrow.
"Are you nervous?" he asked.
"Yeah." Su Wanwan nodded, "Scared."
Pei Changfeng turned sideways and pulled her closer into his arms, hugging her completely. "Even if I fail the exam, I am qualified to be an official. I will be a minor official at that time. You can live with me and have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life."
These words seemed to be comforting Su Wanwan, but also seemed to be comforting himself.
Su Wanwan knew that for a man as ambitious as Pei Changfeng, his ideal was definitely not just to become a small juren.
"Then it's a deal, you have to support me," Su Wanwan said to him coquettishly, "It's not enough to just be a juren, you have to be the top scholar."
"It's not that easy to get the top spot. If you can get into the first class, you'll be blessed by God."
The two of them talked slowly. Neither of them felt sleepy, but neither of them planned to do anything. When the rooster crowed, Pei Changfeng got up as usual to read.
Su Wanwan tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep, so she simply got up and walked around the yard twice.
Those who pass the joint examination will be qualified for the palace examination, and after the palace examination, their rankings will be determined and divided into first, second and third class.
Even though Su Wanwan didn't understand these, she had listened a lot during this period and almost understood them.
It is really difficult to pass the examination of the top scholar. There are so many scholars in the world, how many can pass the examination of the scholar? How many scholars can pass the examination of the juren? After the juren, only a few can pass the examination to meet the emperor.
It's like a sieve, sifting layer by layer, and what's left at the end are the largest, roundest and heaviest seeds.
She sat under the eaves with her chin in her hand, in a daze. When she realized it was almost time, she cooked breakfast and killed a chicken to make soup.
Chen Liang originally suggested that everyone have a good meal before the exam, but Pei Changfeng refused. He was not in the mood to eat and drink a lot before the exam, nor did he want to upset his stomach by eating anything. He just wanted to eat as usual.
The imperial examination was still held in nine days and three sessions. In addition to what Su Wanwan prepared, the Marquis' Mansion also prepared a set. Pei Changfeng brought what Su Wanwan prepared into the examination room.
Everyone is looking forward to the results of this exam.
The second room of the Marquis’ Mansion.
Dai was certain, "For a candidate from the countryside, it is a great fortune for him to pass the examination. In my opinion, he will not pass the examination."
"What if he can pass the exam?" Yang Ying thought thoughtfully, "If he can pass the exam, it proves that he is gifted and has great potential."
"What do you mean?" Dai frowned.
Yang Ying took a sip of tea, she had her own thoughts in her mind. Now several cousins of the Dai family have already married wives, all of whom are noble ladies. Naturally, she has no chance to marry into one of them, let alone become a concubine. As for other men who want to marry her, most of them have mediocre family backgrounds or bad reputations.
As for Pei Changfeng, if he can pass the exam, he will be a new upstart in the court. Such a smart person will definitely have a good future.
She smiled and said, "Mother, I am old enough to get married. I have someone in mind. What do you think?"
Dai had a bad feeling, "Why did you suddenly bring up your marriage? Who do you have in mind?"
"Cousin Pei, Pei Changfeng."
"Nonsense!" Dai stood up angrily, "He's already married. Are you crazy to want to marry a poor country boy?"
"Mother, please listen to me." Yang Ying slowly explained the pros and cons of choosing Pei Changfeng.
Dai still disagreed after hearing this, "He has already married."
"Let Su Wanwan be my co-wife," Yang Ying smiled, "A co-wife is still a wife."
She was attracted by Pei Changfeng's appearance and talent, so she allowed him to have a concubine.
Dai thought her daughter was unreasonable. "It's impossible unless I die."
"Whatever, mother. Please think about it carefully."
"Crazy people, a whole family of lunatics." Dai murmured.
The conditions for the metropolitan examination were not much better than those for the provincial examination, at least that was what Pei Changfeng felt. Fortunately, the weather was good, with flowers blooming and neither too cold nor too hot. There was no sudden change in temperature like during the provincial examination, so few candidates fell ill and most of them demonstrated their true strength.
After the exam, Chen Liang came out refreshed. When he saw Pei Changfeng, who was exhausted, he couldn't help but smile, "It seems you tried your best. How do you feel?"
Pei Changfeng nodded, "Not bad, I've seen relevant theories in books."
He looked at Chen Liang, "You seem to be in a good mood."
"Of course," Chen Liang smiled, "When I saw the test questions, I knew I couldn't answer them, so I gave up immediately and didn't plan to continue struggling."
Pei Changfeng laughed.
After coming out of the examination room, Pei Changfeng saw the carriage of the Marquis' Mansion. Su Wanwan and Madam Yang were looking around.
He smelled the smell on his body and didn't want to go over there.
"Cousin." A soft female voice sounded.
Pei Changfeng felt that the face looked familiar. He turned his head and looked over. He saw a woman coming over with a smile. "How did you do in the exam, cousin? You must be tired."
Yang Ying saw Pei Changfeng quickly take a step back, looking puzzled, "Miss, you must have recognized the wrong person."
Yang Ying's smile froze. Seeing someone looking at her, she quickly responded, "My cousin has only seen me once, so it's normal that he doesn't remember me. I heard that my cousin was leaving the examination room today, so I came with my grandmother to pick him up. Is my cousin going to the Marquis' Mansion first?"
"No need." Pei Changfeng still couldn't remember who Yang Ying was. He seemed to have some impression, but he didn't intend to think about it too much.
He went straight to the seat of Madam Yang Hou and Su Wanwan. Yang Ying lowered her eyes and followed him without changing her expression.
Su Wanwan also saw Yang Ying. She was a woman, so she naturally knew what women were thinking. She had not originally intended to think like that, but no cousin would go to pick up her cousin without telling her cousin's wife.
She saw through it at a glance.
"Changfeng, how did you do in the exam?" Madam Yang wanted to hold Pei Changfeng's hand. Pei Changfeng hesitated for a moment, but finally let her hold it.
"Grandma, I stink."
Madam Yang Hou smiled, "I don't dislike you."
Su Wanwan echoed, "I don't mind it either!"
Pei Changfeng smiled, but still went back to take a shower, wash his hair, and change his clothes before going to the Marquis' Mansion refreshed.
The results of the imperial examination will be out soon, and then we will know whether Pei Changfeng can enter the palace examination and become a Jinshi.
On the day when the results of the imperial examination were announced, Pei Changfeng, Su Wanwan and Old Madam Yang Hou all went.
When he saw Pei Changfeng's name, Xingzhou jumped up and said, "I got it!"
After he finished shouting, the servant of the Marquis' Mansion left and returned to report the good news.
After this, the joint examination came to an end, and the palace examination would be held next month, with the emperor himself setting the questions.
"Okay," Yang Hou was very pleased, "When you enter the officialdom, our Yang family will do our best to wish you a smooth career."
Not only did the Yang family help Pei Changfeng, but Pei Changfeng also helped the Hou Mansion.
The Marquis' Mansion has already fallen into decline. If Pei Changfeng can become a new noble, wouldn't that be a kind of rejuvenation?
Everyone in the Marquis's mansion was in a festive mood, and in the evening, the masters of several families also showed up.
There is one table for men and one table for women.
Pei Changfeng stole the show at the men's table, and Su Wanwan was not far behind at the women's table.
Ji smiled and said, "After the palace examination, when everything is settled, you will settle down in the capital with Changfeng, right? Why not live in the Marquis' Mansion? We are a family, so we can live close to each other and be close to each other."
"I will listen to my husband on this matter," Su Wanwan said in front of Ji Shi and others, acting as if Pei Changfeng was the boss. "I will serve him wherever he is."
Yang Ying picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and said, "My cousin's wife is really virtuous."
Dai on the side looked nervous, afraid that Yang Ying would say something inappropriate. After all, Su Wanwan was still Pei Changfeng's legal wife. If she acted recklessly, wouldn't she be laughed at?
Su Wanwan drank a sip of tea to moisten her throat, then smiled back, "That's natural. Aren't women supposed to be virtuous?"
"Being a woman should be virtuous, and being a wife should be helpful," Yang Ying laughed. "I wonder if my cousin's wife has read books?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
