The emperor saw Yue Ting'an with a broken head and asked, "What happened to your head, my dear Yue?"
Can Yue Tingan say that he was beaten?
He can't.
All he could say was, "I was walking carelessly and fell."
"My dear Yue, please be careful and don't go out after dark, otherwise you might fall and get into trouble. I will lose a handsome top scholar." The emperor glanced at Lord Wen indifferently.
Lord Wen's scalp tingled and his breathing became tight, as if the emperor had seen through him.
Yue Ting'an nodded: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will be careful."
"I heard that you saved a little girl on the day you were paraded through the streets with flowers in your hair?" The emperor was well-informed and it was impossible for him not to know about such a big thing.
Yue Ting'an cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I saw danger and came to his rescue. Fortunately, Yan Bao is not seriously injured."
Shen Shoufu stepped forward and said, "Yes, if it weren't for Yue Zhuangyuan's intervention, even if Yan Bao didn't die from the fall, he would have broken a leg."
The emperor seemed to realize only then that the person who was rescued was Yan Bao: "My dear Yue, you are chivalrous and saved Yan Bao, so you deserve a reward." The emperor started by talking about the Four Treasures of the Study. For scholars, these are good things.
Yue Ting'an excitedly accepted it and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
"You deserve it. You saved my future consort, the thirteenth prince's wife, my future daughter-in-law." The emperor did not hide his love for Yan Bao at all. After all, Yan Bao was so cute!
At this moment, Yue Tingan and others realized that it was not a rumor that the emperor favored Shen Shoufu's daughter.
It's true.
Yue Tingan was glad that he did not back down at that time.
"How old are you this year, Lord Yue?" the emperor suddenly asked.
Others' alarm bells were ringing.
Could it be that the emperor has taken a fancy to Yue Ting'an?
No, no, no, compared to being a prince consort, it is more important for such an outstanding person to be a subject.
If he became a prince consort, he could only be a minor official and would never be able to enter the cabinet. His career would be just like that, and he would just spend his days eating, drinking and having fun.
Yue Ting'an doesn't want to marry the princess.
He studied hard for ten years in order to serve the court and do things for the people, rather than to become a royal consort, have no worries about food and clothing, and have nowhere to use his talents.
Yue Ting'an secretly clenched his fists and knelt down, saying, "This humble official has a sweetheart, we are childhood sweethearts, and I promise her that if she passes the imperial examination, I will marry her in a grand sedan chair carried by eight people."
"hiss!"
Many civil and military officials gasped.
If it were someone else, upon hearing what the emperor meant, they would definitely say that they were not married.
It would be fine if he didn't get married, it would be fine if he had a lover, but he made the matter so final, leaving no room for maneuver. This guy is deliberately trying to quit his life.
Look at the emperor's expression again.
They were all waiting to see what would happen to the ungrateful Yue Tingan.
Anyway, this top scholar is useless.
Lord Wen curled the corner of his mouth in sarcasm. He ruined his own future, so he couldn't blame himself.
That’s good, so I don’t have to do it myself.
Yue Ting'an spoke and waited for the emperor's decision.
The runner-up and third place winners behind him didn't dare to make a sound. They were extremely nervous, their minds in a mess. If the emperor asked them such a question, how would they answer so as not to follow in Yue Ting'an's footsteps?
If Yue Ting'an displeases the emperor and is punished, can they replace him for his position as the top scholar?
A group of people, each with their own thoughts, watched each other closely, and no one dared to show up at this time.
The emperor glanced at everyone indifferently, and finally burst into laughter: "Keeping promises is what Dajin people must do. Since you promised Xiao Qingmei, you shouldn't break your promise."
"Fu Qi, go to the storehouse and select some cloth and a set of headgear for Lord Yue Ai, as a gift to me for his wedding."
Yue Ting'an was stunned for a moment, realizing that the emperor was not going to hold him accountable, but rather acknowledged his engagement with his childhood sweetheart and sent him a gift. Although this was different from an arranged marriage, it was still a clear path in front of the emperor.
This is a great thing.
Yue Ting'an was overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward!"
Shen Shoufu was the first to congratulate: "Congratulations to Yue Zhuangyuan for finally getting married!"
"Thank you, Prime Minister!" Yue Tingan looked at Prime Minister Shen gratefully, knowing that he was helping him.
With Shen Shoufu's blessing, others also offered a few words of blessing.
Even though Lord Wen was unhappy inside, he had a smiling face, as if he was not the one being rejected, and even said things like "Happy marriage, a long and happy marriage, and a long-lasting love."
Yue Ting'an looked at the hypocritical Lord Wen and smiled, not wanting to offend anyone.
The second and third place winners were still waiting for the emperor to ask them whether they would marry. Unfortunately, after they had prepared a lot of words, the emperor waved his hand and left the court. All their words were in vain, and they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The third place winner had only taken a few steps when he was stopped by Lord Wen.
The third place winner thought about it and roughly knew what was going on.
Minister Shen looked at Lord Wen who was talking to the third place winner. He probably knew that he couldn't catch the first place winner, so he chose a third place winner as his son-in-law to compete with Yue Ting'an.
Tsk, there will be more good shows to watch in the court from now on. The old ones will fight each other, and the young ones will also have to fight each other.
Yan Bao heard from his father that Yue Ting'an was almost granted marriage, and in the end the emperor generously blessed him and his childhood sweetheart to get married. It would probably not be long before Yue Ting'an would get married.
Yan Bao nodded.
Shen Shoufu added: “Once they get married, they have to be responsible for their family. They are adults and will have their own children.”
Yan Bao frowned: [Dad, what do you mean? ]
【Dad, are you picking me? 】
"I was just admiring the handsome guy. I didn't do anything. Is Dad afraid that I like Yue Ting'an?"
Yan Bao nodded affirmatively: "I do like them. Red flowers, yellow flowers, and purple flowers are all beautiful. Yue Ting'an is a red flower. Is it wrong for me to like flowers?"
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