The day for Li Yuanyuan to make a choice is in three days.
Today, the sun is shining brightly, perfect for hiking and offering incense. It's also one of the few times students can relax. Of course, Huo Minzhi and Li Yuanyuan went too.
However, the two did not travel together; they followed their own group.
There's nothing wrong with Beining's side; their physiques are all top-notch, the men can climb, and the women can keep up with them.
"This mountain is beautiful, huge! And there's even some mist rising from it, it's quite a scenic spot!"
"You're supposed to be a scholar, can't you at least say a few words?"
"I can't produce anything, not even a little bit when it's not for an exam."
"So what do we do next? Eat? Burn incense?"
"Why not hang up a wishing plaque or something? We're already here."
"Okay, let's each get one."
These people are all incredibly genuine; how could someone trained by Huo Panlijian be wrong?
We've been reading about romance and nature since we were little, and we're tired of it all. The most important thing is to eat well and get good grades; that's called being pragmatic.
Although they didn't care for that kind of atmosphere, this group of people could go crazy, and they didn't come down the mountain until evening.
On the way down the mountain, something went wrong. Li Yuanyuan was sitting alone on a rock, one leg sticking out, looking somewhat lonely.
"Why are you here?" Huo Min asked as he stepped forward.
"I sprained my ankle and can't get down the mountain."
"And what about your partner?"
What is a "partner"?
"Your fiancé is just a boiled chicken!"
"He went down the mountain to call someone to come and pick me up."
Huo Minzhi sneered upon hearing this, and said...
"I already told you he's unreliable, obviously unreliable. He left you here all alone in the middle of the night without even leaving you a servant?"
"I'm truly impressed."
Li Yuanyuan listened to her mockery with some grievance. This was the first time she felt ashamed in front of the other girls, and the young girl felt like crying.
What's wrong with you?
Why are you crying?
"I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about him."
The little girl had eaten well since she was a child and was also tall. She bent down and picked up Li Yuanyuan in a princess carry.
"what you do?"
"I'll carry you down the mountain."
The girl from Jiangnan lowered her head and said in a tearful voice
“I’m very heavy, he couldn’t even carry me… that’s why I came down the mountain… to find someone…”
"Oh my god, I can't take it anymore!"
Huo Minzhi carried Li Yuanyuan and strode down the mountain, asking the young man behind him to help carry the things he was carrying.
She talked as she walked.
"You're so skinny you're just a skeleton. It's hard to hold you. What's so heavy about you? You're not heavy at all. It's him who's no good!"
The mountain road was long and steep, but Li Yuanyuan felt no bumps in Huo Minzhi's arms. Even so, after a while, she could hear the person holding her breathing heavily and rapidly.
"Why don't you put me down here? It's fine here too, we're not far from the foot of the mountain."
Sweat dripped down Huo Minzhi's cheeks, and the girl took out a handkerchief to wipe it away.
“I can’t carry you, but there are so many older sisters behind me who can carry you. There’s no reason for them to leave you alone halfway. You don’t need to please others. If you’re scared, you’re scared. What’s the big deal?”
"To be frank, are we old folks not capable of taking on one person like you?"
"Tell me, if something happened to you on this mountain, your parents would be heartbroken."
"In everything, put yourself first."
After saying this, Huo Minzhi thought for a moment and then added a sentence at the end.
"That's what the Prince of Zhenbei said."
Li Yuanyuan was dropped off at an inn in a small town at the foot of the mountain, while her fiancé was just arriving at the inn's entrance, intending to go back to find her.
"I'll leave you here. Here's some ointment; apply it for a few days and you'll be fine."
"Go to sleep early, stop overthinking."
Seeing Huo Minzhi's clothes soaked with sweat, Li Yuanyuan looked at her fiancé, not wanting to hear his explanation, and went straight back to her room.
She considered herself a genius, and for the sake of this imperial examination, she had been studying late into the night every day for the past six months, despite only having learned the basics of the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood, her mind filled with strategies and essays.
What does she want?
She thought as she watched the Prince of Zhenbei raise his head and burn the Jiangnan Women's Ring.
I wish I could be like that someday.
So, she came.
The answer was so simple; from the very beginning, she had already decided on the path she wanted to take.
The journey to the capital was both long and short; in just over a month, the group arrived at their destination.
Huo Minzhi gave Li Yuanyuan her own place to live in the capital, a small courtyard next to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, which Huo Panlijian had saved up to buy.
“I live here. Do you want to come and live with me? No one lives here except my eldest sister and these other sisters.”
Li Yuanyuan shook her head.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'll invite you to dinner after I'm done cleaning up."
The girl nodded.
"Okay, come find me if you need anything, okay?"
"She's so close to the Prince of Zhenbei," Li Yuanyuan thought to herself, wondering if she would see him when she went to find Minzhi.
The young girl walked with anticipation towards the inn specially reserved for women for this exam.
"Big sister! I'm here!"
Huo Minzhi flew into Li Jian's arms like a little bird. She didn't have time to go to the city gate to pick up her sister. As a prince's advisor, she had too many things to deal with every day, not to mention studying.
Minzhi was the youngest, and Lijian had always favored her. Although she was the eldest sister, Lijian worried about her just as much as their mother.
“Our Minzhi has also passed the imperial examination and become a Juren. That’s amazing.”
"But I doubt I'll pass the imperial examination. I'm just here to take a look. Next time, I'll definitely make my elder sister proud."
"Okay," Li Jian said indulgently.
Making ourselves look good is making the prince look good. Today is a family banquet, and the prince's kitchen has specially prepared a table of dishes for them. Tomorrow, we can take Minzhi to pay his respects to the prince.
"Sister, you have no idea how many people along the way think our Prince is good. It's not just women, but men too. They think that the Prince of Zhenbei's actions will bring out many more sensible people in Great Yan in the future."
"Also, I met a girl on the road. We are now very, very good friends. She is also very talented. She passed the imperial examination after only half a year of study and regarded the prince as the most precious pearl in her heart."
"Sis, are you tired in Beijing?"
Looking at his younger sister's incessant chatter, Li Jian smiled and shook his head.
"I'm not tired, I'm happy just to see you."
"Hehe~ My older sister is the best to me."
It was supposed to be a heartwarming moment for the sisters to reunite, and Minzhi wanted to describe Huo Xiaolong even better to show off in front of Li Yuanyuan, but then an untimely shout came from the Prince's Mansion.
Huo Minzhi knew it was He Yi's voice without even looking.
The prince has angered Madam He again.
"Huo Xiaolong! If you keep carrying An'an and Xiangxiang and pushing against each other, I'll beat your butt to a pulp!"
"Mom! It's alright, isn't it? Besides, the two kids are having so much fun!"
"You dare talk back?! Don't run! Stand right there!"
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