In the blink of an eye, it has been three months since the death of the late emperor, and the national mourning has finally ended.

This Chinese Valentine's Day was the first festival after the national mourning. The people of the capital, who had been suppressed for a long time, were in a carnival of being released from their cages, and all went out for some fresh air.

The streets of the capital are celebrating the Qixi Festival everywhere. Long streets are decorated with lights and colorful lanterns. Lanterns, fans, flowers and fruits, embroidery, calligraphy and paintings, and even the four treasures of the study sold in various shops mostly contain patterns related to the Qixi Festival, such as the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, the Seven Fairies, the magpie, the night moon and the magpie bridge, etc.

The days in July are very hot, but at dusk, the weather gradually becomes cooler, as if it has suddenly turned from midsummer to early autumn.

Because today is the Chinese Valentine's Day, there is no curfew in the capital city. Even at dusk, people from outside the city continue to flock to the city, and the crowds are huge. They all plan to take part in tonight's Chinese Valentine's Day Lantern Festival. Some come to do small business, and some just to visit the festival and join in the fun.

Shen Qianchen and Gu Jue are naturally the latter.

To suit the occasion, Shen Qianchen wore a pink skirt embroidered with magpies playing with spring peaches. Her hair was decorated with pink silk flowers of the same color as the skirt, as well as pink jade beads in the shape of peach blossoms. Her whole body was bright and fresh, as beautiful as peach blossoms in March.

The two of them came out to play incognito, and Gu Jue certainly didn't wear a dragon robe, nor the Taoist robe he usually wore, but a slim-fitting green lotus-colored Hu clothing with a lapel that outlined his tall and straight lines. The black belt tightened his thin waist, making his figure even more slender and powerful.

There was also a magpie embroidered on Gu Jue's robe, a magpie holding a peach blossom in its mouth. If you look closely, you will find that his clothes are a match for the one Shen Qianchen is wearing.

Both of them have outstanding looks, one in a million. No matter where they go, they will attract a lot of people's astonished gazes, and people will stop and look at them from time to time.

Night had not yet fallen, but the streets were already bustling with vendors hawking their wares on both sides, and a circus troupe beating drums and gongs as they performed the chest-breaking stone dance on the street.

The two of them walked along the way, visiting stalls, watching acrobatics, and bought a lot of miscellaneous small items, such as round fans, rattan balls, purses, combs, glass bead flowers, etc.

As they walked, they came to a stall surrounded by many men, women, young and old. The stall owner shouted enthusiastically: "Catch goldfish and shoot wooden arrows. The goldfish you catch and the things you shoot are all yours."

"Five coppers, ten times."

At this moment, there was a child squatting on the ground trying to catch goldfish at the stall, but the fishing net was made of paper and it broke when it touched water. The child tried again and again in despair, but caught nothing.

Gu Jue saw Shen Qianchen looking at him twice more, so he asked, "Do you want to play?"

Shen Qianchen shook his head and said helplessly: "Yueying is already naughty enough."

Her goldfish Yueying is becoming more and more naughty. She not only loves to catch butterflies, but also loves to catch fish. Now Shen Qianchen doesn't even dare to raise fish in his own study room. If he takes this goldfish back home, it will just be a cat's toy, so pitiful.

Shen Qianchen took two more steps forward, casually picked up a small bow from the stall, took out five copper coins with his other hand and gave them to the stall owner, then turned around and asked Gu Jue with a smile: "What do you want?"

Everyone else understood what she meant. She planned to shoot the arrows herself and let her husband choose what he wanted.

The onlookers found it interesting to hear how this young couple turned out.

A plump middle-aged woman kindly advised: "Young lady, his bowstring is loose and the arrow can't shoot far. You should ask your husband to come."

As she spoke, the middle-aged woman looked Gu Jue up and down with bright eyes. She thought that this young man was really good-looking. The legendary Song Yu should be like this.

Others also echoed in a booing voice: "Yes, little lady, let your man take over."

Gu Jue's eyes rippled slightly, and the corners of his lips curled up. The title of "your man" really made him feel indescribably happy.

Seeing that there was something exciting going on here, other people on the street also gathered around, forming three layers inside and three layers outside.

Shen Qianchen casually flicked the bowstring of the small bow with her fingers. She knew, of course, that it was not easy to shoot accurately with this bow. Not only was the bowstring loose, so the arrow could not shoot far, but the tail feathers of the wooden arrows used by the stall owner were also tampered with, so the arrows shot out were not accurate.

These are tricks commonly used by these stall owners, and people who come here just want to have fun.

Shen Qianchen smiled slightly, raised his little chin, and said with a bit of arrogance: "I'll do it myself." What he was thinking was that there was no point in using a butcher knife to kill a chicken.

"Jiuxia!" She blinked her eyes and urged him to choose quickly, with a delicate ending.

Gu Jue casually glanced at the shelf in front of him and pointed: "That folding fan."

The folding fan is inserted into a bamboo tube. According to the rules of the game, Shen Qianchen has to shoot down the bamboo tube with one arrow to be considered a "hit".

"Okay." Shen Qianchen began to draw the bow and arrow with great interest. His movements were as skillful as flowing water. People around him could sense his extraordinary aura at a glance.

“Swoosh—”

The wooden arrow was shot out softly, and began to fall in mid-air before it reached the shelf, and was a long way away from the folding fan.

This result was not surprising to most people.

After all, most people who come to such stalls to play around don't gain much, otherwise, how would the stall owner make money?

Everyone booed, and some people began to jeer and instigate Gu Jue to go up.

In response, Gu Jue did not say anything, and Shen Qianchen also did not say anything, and calmly continued to shoot the second arrow.

The second arrow flew farther than the first and was closer to the bamboo tube, only an inch away.

The others sighed with regret and shouted at the same time: "It's very close, little lady, try harder."

"Young lady, I think you should not shoot the fan, but the bronze mirror. The bronze mirror is big and you will definitely hit it."

"Yes, yes. Or, that dressing-box is also good."

“…”

The stall owner and onlookers all thought that Shen Qianchen's second arrow was just a coincidence, but Gu Jue was the only one who knew that the girl's next arrow was bound to hit.

“Whoosh!”

The third arrow was obviously more powerful than the previous two, and its trajectory in the air was also steadier, with the tip of the arrow steadily aimed at the center of the bamboo tube.

With a "click", the bamboo tube fell over and the folding fan inside fell out.

"Hit, hit!"

"This little girl shot it!"

The onlookers were even more excited than Shen Qianchen, and they applauded and cheered continuously.

A mere folding fan was not worth much, and the stall owner smiled and handed the fan to Gu Jue with both hands, praising him: "Sir, your wife's archery skills are really superb!"

The stall owner was just saying nice things to please the crowd, but Gu Jue responded seriously: "Indeed." His little girl has always been amazing.

Shen Qianchen was in high spirits, and asked Gu Jue again: "What else do you want?"

Gu Jue cooperated and pointed to another thing.

This time it was a mask with a magpie painted on it.

Shen Qianchen nodded happily: "That's perfect, one for you and one for me."

So, her fourth arrow shot a mask, and her fifth arrow also shot a mask, and the two masks formed a pair.

If one time is a coincidence, then two, three, or three times, hitting three arrows in a row like this is not a coincidence.

The onlookers around were suddenly in an uproar, with praises, exclamations and calls to friends coming one after another, and more people gathered around the stall.

As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover.

It turns out that this delicate young lady is actually an expert in archery. No wonder she asked her husband directly what he wanted.

Many people in the crowd pointed and talked about the young couple. Some had even started making up stories, thinking that the delicate young lady must be a martial arts master who could shoot an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away, and that the seemingly agile young man might be a weak scholar who was not even capable of tying a chicken, otherwise how could a husband order his wife to shoot arrows?

Shen Qianchen excitedly put a magpie mask on Gu Jue, and put another mask on himself, then took his hand and left quickly.

"Let's go."

She didn't shoot the remaining five arrows because she had had enough fun.

The people in the back were still discussing with great interest and gathered around the stall without leaving. Some people also took out five copper coins and started shooting arrows with great interest.

Shen Qianchen pulled Gu Jue and walked forward with his head covered. After walking about fifty feet, he suddenly stopped.

The next moment, a clear and joyful laugh escaped from her mouth, and she couldn't help laughing.

"Weak scholar..." She couldn't stop laughing, and she found it funny that someone would think Gu Jue was a weak scholar. This joke was really funny.

The magpie mask blocked her face, revealing only a pair of phoenix eyes as bright as stars, and her black eyelashes were particularly thick and long.

At this moment, the phoenix eyes behind the mask smiled into a crescent shape, and a bright light flowed in the pupils.

Gu Jue couldn't take his eyes away from just this pair of smiling eyes, and a desire to possess them suddenly arose in his heart.

He hoped that these eyes were only looking at him.

He hoped that she would always be in his sight...

Suddenly, something flashed through Gu Jue's mind, and he inexplicably thought of something she said at the Temple of Heaven last month.

His eyes twinkled, and he smiled meaningfully, "I seem to be quite 'food-protective' as well."

The next moment, Shen Qianchen's laughter stopped abruptly, his eyes widened, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, and his long eyelashes moved.

Then, Gu Jue saw her ears gradually turn red, and the blush spread down, even her slender neck turned light pink, disappearing at her neckline...

Gu Jue couldn't help wanting to get closer, leaning slightly forward, wanting to lift her mask and take a look at her cheek...

Shen Qianchen quickly grabbed his hand, held it tightly, and dragged him to a teahouse on the street, saying, "Let's go to the teahouse and sit down."

"Okay." Gu Jue's voice, as clear and cool as mellow wine, sounded behind her, with a hint of smile, echoing in her ears, lingering.

Shen Qianchen felt ashamed that his thoughts were seen through by him. His heart was pounding and his ears were burning even hotter.

When she entered the teahouse and took off her mask, she had returned to normal. She ordered a pot of tea and two plates of snacks without blushing or beating her heart.

Gu Jue also took off his mask and placed it next to her mask. The two magpies on the mask were placed side by side, with their beaks facing each other.

Shen Qianchen's heart skipped a beat again, and he immediately looked away, scanning the lobby of the teahouse.

There were many tea drinkers in the teahouse, more than half of whom were scholars wearing silk scarves and robes. They sat in groups of three or four, and the seven or eight tables around them all seemed to be acquaintances, talking at once.

Judging from their accents, they came from all over the country and were obviously candidates who came to the capital to take the imperial examinations.

Shen Qianchen often went to the Imperial Study, so he knew that this year's Spring Examination was delayed because of Gu Lang's death. The examination consisted of three consecutive sessions, each lasting three days. The weather in June and July was too hot, and the candidates might not be able to bear it. So after consultation with the Hanlin Academy, the Cabinet simply proposed to change this year's Spring Examination into the "Autumn Examination". All out-of-town candidates stranded in the capital could stay in the Imperial College, with food and accommodation provided.

At first, Shen Qianchen just drank tea and looked around the environment, until the words "new emperor" entered her ears and immediately attracted her attention.

"...The new emperor ascended the throne and issued an order to reduce taxes. The people will be blessed this year." A thin man in blue clothes raised his glass and sighed.

Some people agreed, some were noncommittal, and some objected: "It's just a small favor to buy people's hearts."

A blue-robed scholar looked quite disapproving and sneered, "The new emperor has just ascended the throne and he hastily issued an order to recruit soldiers. I'm afraid he is a warmongerer. Maybe Da Qi will go to war with other countries soon."

No one wants to go to war. When it comes to the topic of "starting a war", the students' faces become solemn.

Another student in a brown brocade robe refuted righteously: "The new emperor is thinking of danger in times of peace. It is better than the 'previous one' who was in power for only a few years, embezzled money without paying the salary, and lived a life of luxury. If an enemy country really sent troops to attack Da Qi at this moment, wouldn't Da Qi be left with no soldiers to use and become a lamb to be slaughtered?!"

The blue-robed scholar was also unconvinced and said sternly, "Now the world is at peace, the Red Di have just been pacified, the Lin State is seriously injured, and Nan Hao can hardly protect himself, so how can he have the energy to invade our Great Qi?"

"Let's put it this way. Eating empty salaries is a sign of corruption among the soldiers in the army, and this should be dealt with. However, recruiting soldiers at this time is excessive, as it drains the national treasury, and the people also need able-bodied men to support their families!"

“…”

The blue-robed candidates talked incessantly about the disadvantages of recruiting soldiers, while the students on the other side who supported the new emperor were also unwilling to accept it. The two sides argued back and forth, neither of them convinced the other.

The air was filled with gunpowder.

When he got excited, the blue-robed candidate slammed the table angrily and said, "I dare say that there will be a question about stationing troops in this examination."

What he meant was that the new emperor had just ascended the throne and this was the first imperial examination under his administration. The new emperor would certainly pay close attention to it, so when he selected the first batch of Jinshi, he would definitely choose those scholars who met his political views.

Now, all the civil officials in the court are old officials left over from the previous two dynasties. The new talents selected from this imperial examination will be the team that the new emperor will train in the future.

The other students looked at each other, all of them thoughtfully, and felt that what the other party said made sense.

The blue-robed scholar sneered, revealing a bit of self-righteousness, and said loudly: "After learning the arts of literature and martial arts, I will sell them to the emperor. But we scholars study for the people and for our ambitions. It is not my wish to go against my will and please the new emperor. I am also prepared to fail this exam."

After saying this, he let out a long sigh, raised his head and drank the tea in the cup, feeling both heroic and helpless.

The other candidates were discussing among themselves.

After a while, a middle-aged scholar with a goatee frowned and sighed: "The sea accommodates all rivers, and tolerance is greatness. If the new emperor is so stubborn, how can he make the Great Qi prosperous!"

Shen Qianchen was drinking tea while listening to their discussion with great interest. She didn't even notice when Gu Jue refilled her tea.

She ate whatever Gu Jue put into her mouth, and occasionally took a sip of warm tea to moisten her throat and get rid of the bad smell.

Naturally, she would not pay attention to the envious looks given to her by other women around her. She thought that this young couple must have just gotten married after the national mourning, as that was why they were so sweet together.

Shen Qianchen leaned close to Gu Jue's ear and asked him curiously in a low voice, "Did they guess right?"

This question was related to the imperial examination and must not be heard by others, so Shen Qianchen lowered his voice very low, and his lips almost touched his ears.

Gu Jue's ears trembled slightly, and even the little finger of his right hand bent.

He didn't look at her, nor did he speak. Shen Qianchen thought he didn't hear clearly and was about to repeat it again when Gu Jue moved and put his lips close to her ear, and his breath blew up.

"Do you want to know?" he asked with a smile.

See you tomorrow morning~~ 　　 　 (End of this chapter)