After the imperial examination for the title of Juren (a degree in the imperial examination system), the students packed their things and prepared to head to the capital. There were many more students from Beining than in previous years. Because the girls were also going to take the exam, the prefects of the neighboring prefectures were extremely envious, as this was all related to their political achievements.
Huo Panlijian and Hou Xiangxiang, along with a few others, also passed the imperial examination and became scholars. Now they are just waiting for the final push.
When the students in the capital first heard that the top scorer in the preliminary examination was a woman, they were slightly surprised, but did not pay much attention to it.
They were just students who had passed the imperial examinations, but when the swords were used to pluck the heads off the desks of those who had passed the county-level or provincial-level examinations, they began to lose their composure.
"There's a really impressive young lady in our capital this time. I heard she topped the list three times in a row. I reckon she'll definitely be in the top three."
"The Huo Pan Sword?" The speaker was a student from the Imperial Academy.
"Yes, I heard he works under the Prince of Zhenbei."
The boy scoffed. It was only natural that Huo Panli would win the top scholar title. Was it really necessary?
"My friend, do you know which school she attended?"
The boy felt even more aggrieved upon hearing this, and replied with a reluctant expression.
"The Imperial College (Guozijian)".
“The Prince of Zhenbei sent two people to the Imperial Academy, and they are now both successful candidates in the imperial examinations.”
"Moreover, that girl who won the triple crown was my classmate."
"Oh, then tell us quickly, what is this girl's writing style? How is her poetry and essay writing usually?"
The wealthy young master from the Imperial Academy sighed and replied...
"She's the kind of child your parents talked about when you were little, someone you could only dream of but never reach. Forget about her, go home and study hard, and try to be one step ahead of her."
The girls from Beining set off together. Most of them were orphans adopted by Huo Xiaolong back then—or rather, orphans he picked up.
Most of the people here are older than her, so it's not a matter of adoption, but rather taking them in.
This time, they were escorted by people from the martial arts world, and they also encountered many students on their way to the capital for the imperial examinations.
There were also a few in Jiangnan. The baby girl who was picked up by Huo Panlijian back then also took the same surname as her. At that time, it was assumed that she would be Huo Xiaolong's servant.
The young girl's current name is Huo Minzhi.
She peeked out of the carriage and saw the curtain billowing in the wind. Inside, a girl about her age was smiling with her head down, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the person beside her.
That little look in her eyes, it's always like that, Huo Minzhi can't take her eyes off her.
She turned around and said to her sisters in the carriage.
"Oh my, it looks like there's a group of students from Jiangnan next to me, and there are a few girls in them. The one I was looking at just now was really cool, with that sly look in her eyes."
"I'll get out of the car and ask her her name later. She's so cool. I've never seen such a cool girl before."
The older sister next to me asked
"What? You grew up in a brothel, do you still need pretty girls to look at?"
"No." The young girl waved her hand.
It's a feeling, a kind of feeling that arises when you see those eyes and feel a protective instinct.
After she became sensible, Ruyi hardly ever used her skills anymore. The ladies at the brothel were always wielding weapons and sticks—wasn't that interesting? Absolutely!
But this was the first time Huo Minzhi had met this type of person, and she wanted to be friends with her.
Sister Long'er once said, "If you like something, just do it; once you speak up, you'll have no regrets."
"Hello, my name is Huo Minzhi. I am a student from Beining who is going to the capital to take the imperial examination. Are you also going to the capital to take the imperial examination?"
The young girl got off the carriage while everyone was resting and ran towards the girl from Jiangnan.
The girl nodded.
“Hello Miss Huo, my name is Li Yuanyuan. I am not only going to take the exam by myself, but this is my brother who is betrothed to me since childhood. I will be going with him.”
Sitting next to him was a boy, a bit young, probably only about fifteen years old. Huo Minzhi frowned as he looked at him, cursing under his breath.
What is this thing?
His arms aren't even as thick as hers.
That's terrible taste! A man should be like Erhei, strong and tall, giving you a sense of security!
"Hello, young lady."
Huo Minzhi used all her strength to suppress the look of disgust on her face, plopped down between the two of them, and handed Li Yuanyuan a sesame seed cake.
"This is a type of sesame seed cake that only exists in Pingyang. Try it, it's delicious."
Li Yuanyuan was unhappy about the young girl being a third wheel, and felt that Huo Minzhi must have taken a fancy to her fiancé, since she had dealt with this kind of thing many times at home.
But one shouldn't hit a smiling face, so she took the sesame seed cake and ate it under Huo Minzhi's expectant gaze.
It really tastes good.
She wanted to ask her fiancé for another one, or even just buy him one.
"Miss Huo, is there... any more?"
The girl's features were exquisite, and her cautious expression made Huo Minzhi feel slightly dizzy. She nodded.
"Yes! I'll go back and get you some! Are three enough for you?!"
Li Yuanyuan waved her hand, looking nervous.
"No, I'm giving it to... to him, so he can try it."
Her voice was so pleasant, her tone so gentle, yet her words were so harsh. Huo Minzhi pouted and said...
"He ate it, but he didn't eat it!"
After saying that, the girl ran back to the carriage, feeling a little depressed. She had finally tried to make friends with someone, but that person was completely focused on her fiancé.
that is……
Feel disappointed.
Over the next few days, Huo Minzhi took every opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with Li Yuanyuan.
"You finally passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. From now on, you can fly high in the sky. There's no need to rush into marriage."
"You're too young; it's not good to have children too early."
"How did Miss Huo find out about this? I see you're not very old, so you must not be married yet," Li Yuanyuan said.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a method used to steal a man; it was quite novel to her.
"That's what the Prince of Zhenbei said!"
"Your Highness?"
"Yes, she grew up in Pingyang County, didn't you know that?"
"Yes, this Miss Li is also a big fan of the Prince of Zhenbei," she said, blushing.
"I had the honor of meeting the Prince once in Jiangnan before. He was so dashing and heroic. This time, she's seeking an opportunity for women all over the world, and I'm definitely going to support her. Hey? Miss Huo, have you ever seen the Prince when she was little? Was she... just as captivating as she is now?"
ah……
How do I explain this?
No, I've been listening to the Prince of Zhenbei being beaten since I was a child, right next to the brothel?
"Yes! Old Xiang! We must go!"
Huo Minzhi is good in every way, except that she blushes easily when she lies.
"The real reason I came to the capital this time is to find a job with the prince, so I can see her every day." As Li Yuanyuan thought of this, the atmosphere around her seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.
"What about your fiancé?"
"He...he should just focus on being a good official and marry me when he achieves success."
When Li Yuanyuan said this, she was also confused. Did she really want to give up her dream and stay at home to cook for him?
At least now, when she talks about the future with her fiancé, he always considers himself content with staying at home.
never mind.
The sky was blue; we were almost in the capital, where I would finally see the person I had been longing for day and night.
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