Chapter 358 [Bad Love]
"Generally speaking, the top scholars of each year would not be given a very high official position, starting from the sixth or seventh rank."
When Xin Che heard the good news that Xue Wei had won the first place in the imperial examination, he was also happy for Li Li's friends.
"I wonder if Second Young Master Xue will receive special treatment for saving the emperor?"
Jiang Lili and the others all looked eagerly expectant upon hearing this: "Let's wait and see!"
Everyone congratulated the study committee member in the group chat.
However, the student council member did not show up for a long time.
Master Liao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where's Xue Weiren? Did he disappear happily?"
Jiang Lili also found it strange. Now that the results of the provincial examination have been announced, the academic committee members have been preparing hard for the imperial examination for so long. Even if they have to prepare for the palace examination later, they can at least relax today, right?
Jiang Lili pondered for a moment: "Maybe he won first place in the Student Council exam, and so many people came to congratulate him that he didn't have time to reply?"
Everyone suddenly realized, "That's possible! The student council is going to become famous again!"
*
Capital city, the residence of the Grand Tutor.
Xue Wei fell into deep thought as he looked at the gifts sent by royal relatives, powerful ministers and high-ranking officials, and his face clearly showed an unhappy expression.
Xue Wei's father, Grand Tutor Xue, sat on the armchair next to him, also lost in thought.
After a long pause, he finally sighed and said, "Son, it's fine for other royal relatives and officials to send you gifts and ask about your marriage, but what does it mean for Princess Roujia to send you a pair of double crane pendants?"
It would be fine if it were just cranes, but they happened to be a pair!
Look at the postures of the two cranes. Oh, it's unbearable to watch!
On the eight-immortals table between the two of them, there was a mahogany gift box, and inside the gift box was a layer of bright red silk, which looked very festive at first glance. The most wonderful thing was that on the silk was a pair of green jade crane pendants. The two cranes were facing each other with their heads facing each other, and their hind legs were bent and powerful as if they were ready to take off at any time. The two cranes lived and flew together, which was a very affectionate sight.
Xue Wei stared at the jade pendants for a long moment before opening his mouth and saying, "Perhaps father is overthinking this? Look at the image of a pine tree on the back of these jade pendants, depicting its tenacity. Perhaps Princess Roujia simply gave them to her son to wish him a firm resolve and a successful career."
Grand Tutor Xue glanced at him and asked, "Do you think Princess Roujia is so kind as to make friends?"
Xue Wei stopped talking.
Emperor Qingning did not pay much attention to his three daughters, but Princess Roujia was the only one who was given the title of princess. Speaking of which, she was also a ruthless person, weak in body but cruel in heart.
Her mother was of low status and died of complications during childbirth. Roujia was a sickly child since she was young.
One winter day four years ago, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager took their concubines and children to the Yu'an Temple to pray for blessings. Suddenly, heavy snow fell on the mountain road, blocking the road and making it inconvenient to travel. Emperor Qingning and the Empress Dowager both caught a cold.
The medicinal materials brought by the imperial physician are in short supply, and only Roujia, who is a medicine jar, relies on decoctions to survive every day. Roujia still has medicine available, but those medicinal materials are for her to stay alive. If she does not take them for a day, her physical condition will deteriorate significantly.
Roujia took the initiative to donate her portion of the medicine to Emperor Qingning. From then on, her health deteriorated, and the imperial physician diagnosed that Princess Roujia would not live more than five years.
This approach preserved the dignity of the royal family. After all, her medicine would have to be given to the emperor and the empress dowager sooner or later, so it was better for her to take it out and offer it to the emperor herself to gain a reputation for filial piety.
Perhaps it was because Emperor Qingning felt guilty that he bestowed upon Roujia the title of princess, granted her a luxurious mansion to live in, and selected a third-place scholar-official for her according to her preferences.
Grand Tutor Xue muttered to himself, "The princess's consort must be the last year's top scholar, right?"
Xue Wei nodded: "Yes, but the prince consort didn't die from falling off his horse in an accident..."
Xue Wei was halfway through his speech when a look of shock appeared on his face. He suddenly felt a little cold. "It's only been a short time since the prince consort passed away. It's been less than two months, right?"
"Shouldn't it be?"
Xue Wei said this, but his heart skipped a beat. He was shocked: "The prince consort's body is still warm. Besides, wouldn't it be a pity for a talent like me to be a prince consort?"
The hidden rules regarding the imperial consorts in the Dasheng Dynasty were the same as those in many dynasties in history. In order to prevent the monopoly of power by external relatives, the imperial consorts could not become high-ranking officials.
In Xue Wei's ear, Master Xue couldn't help but start analyzing.
"There's no rule in the Great Sheng Dynasty for a princess to observe mourning for her husband, and you've forgotten that the first husband married Princess Roujia under the pretext of bringing good luck."
"You do write good theoretical strategies, and you've made contributions to overcoming the epidemic, but you lack experience in political affairs."
"Princess Roujia is weak. The imperial physician says she won't live for many years. Since you are new to the official career, your initial position won't be very high, and His Majesty won't give you too much power. He will definitely let you gain some experience."
Grand Tutor Xue's face was sullen. As Emperor Qingning's teacher, he had some understanding of the emperor's thoughts. "The position of Imperial Concubine Duwei usually carries the honorary title of a third-rank official. It looks honorable and prestigious, and it's worthy of your help in saving the emperor, but it carries no real power. And yet, you can accept His Majesty's orders and serve him."
"After a year or two, when the princess passes away and your performance is recognized by His Majesty, you will be able to return to the court and continue to climb the ladder."
When he met Master Xue's gaze again, Xue Wei felt even colder.
"Dad, when the Emperor chose Princess Roujia, the top scholar, as his consort, was he thinking along the same lines as you just mentioned?"
Emperor Qingning first followed Princess Roujia's wishes and allowed her to marry her lover as she wished, thus resolving the regrets in her life. After Princess Roujia passed away, Tanhua Lang could continue to serve as an official in the court.
Unexpectedly, the third place winner died even younger than the princess.
Xue Wei was horrified when he thought about it.
When Hou Xiaoxiao was chatting with him about gossip before, they happened to talk about this Tanhua scholar. The servants in the princess's mansion said that Tanhua scholar's death was suspicious.
Did anyone consider his feelings?
When Grand Tutor Xue heard Xue Wei's words, he was also shocked. Looking at his son's expression, he comforted him, "There's nothing to be said for now. The most urgent thing is to prepare well for the palace examination."
Xue Wei wanted to cry but had no tears: "I'm afraid that you will have to prepare my funeral, Dad."
Master Xue glared at him and said, "What unlucky words are you saying, kid?"
Xue Wei collapsed and held her head in her hands: "What if His Majesty arranges a marriage for me right there during the palace examination?"
Xue Wei wondered if he should go to Master Liao for a fortune-telling. Why did he always end up with bad love affairs?
After finally getting rid of Jiang Wanyue, Princess Roujia jumped out.
If it were someone like Zhou Jushan, a Neptune, dealing with such a bad love affair would be easy. He really wanted to exchange identities with Zhou Jushan at this moment... Forget it, let's not exchange.
Older people are more experienced. Grand Tutor Xue said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. The palace examination will be held in two months. We still have two months to come up with a solution."
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