Chapter 46
To be honest, Xie Ling had a really great time these past two days. If it weren't for the exams, this would be his ideal day.
In the morning, his wife would feed him. To prevent him from being stressed, Zheng Daru only let him review freely these two days. If he didn't understand something, he would ask him again. If Xie Ling didn't have some subtle self-control, he would have let himself go.
Of course, the main reason is that he doesn't want to take the exam again next time.
After two days of rest, he finally made it to the day of the Autumn Examination. Xie Ling changed his clothes and packed himself up. His master's wife checked his luggage again and he got on the carriage.
"Teacher, you don't have to send me off. I can do it on my own."
After bidding farewell to Zheng Daru, Xie Ling looked around and said, "Tongzi, look around you. Isn't it more shocking than the modern college entrance examination?"
The system scanned it and was also shocked.
“So many people.”
"It's not over yet." Xie Ling glanced at the back of their car. The carriages behind them blocked the capital. But no one would say anything on this day. After all, it was a life-determining day in ancient times.
He yawned slightly, perked up, and was now in the state of preparing for the college entrance examination.
The people from the Imperial City Department cleared the street ahead, and after a while, they were finally able to pass. Xie Ling ate two hot buns in a row before finally reaching the destination.
Thanks to his original father, the marquis who was courting death, he was able to take the provincial examination directly in the capital because of his hometown. Xie Ling checked his things, got off the carriage, and saw two familiar people from a distance.
Huh? What a coincidence?
Are Mr. Zhang and Mr. Wu also in this examination room?
Zhang Jing and Wu Shanlai had not expected to meet by chance. They were surprised to see Xie Ling and waved across the crowd. But this was not a good place to talk. The examination room ahead was still checking luggage one by one, so Zhang Jing had to hold back his excitement.
Wu Shanlai: "Hey, I was just talking, I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence."
"It seems that Young Master Xie is also from the capital."
He originally thought that Xie Ling, like Zheng Daru, came to Beijing from other places to study, but he didn't expect that he was also from Beijing. But if that was the case, how could he not find him no matter how hard he tried?
Wu Shanlai was confused for a moment, but then he put it out of his mind.
The queue in front had already arrived, so he pushed Zhang Jing and opened the luggage one by one. For young men like them, their belongings were checked repeatedly during the imperial examination, so naturally there was no problem.
Sure enough, I passed it easily.
Xie Ling looked away as he watched the two people go in first. He came a little late and seeing the long queue ahead he should wait a little longer.
…
In the morning, Xiao Huan finished the morning court as usual. He looked down and found that the officials in charge of the provincial examination had already left.
Xie Ling also has an exam today, and I don’t know if that guy is ready.
He frowned, and after leaving the court, he did not return to Wannian Pavilion, but went up to the city wall. Along the city wall, you can see the scenery near the capital.
"Your Majesty, the wind is strong on the city wall. Would you like to wear a cloak?" Wang Bao reminded carefully.
Xiao Huan came back to his senses: "No need."
He paused for a moment before asking, "Has Xie Ling already gone in?"
Wang Bao glanced outside and said respectfully: "Mr. Zheng said that Mr. Xie just passed the inspection and should have entered the examination room."
Xiao Huan nodded and looked at the direction where Xie Ling was taking the exam. He felt that it was just an exam and there was no need to worry too much.
But today, when he was dealing with government affairs, he would look outside from time to time.
"What time is it?"
"It is noon, your majesty."
Wang Bao bowed and responded, somewhat surprised. He thought that Master Xie had not done well in this exam, so why did His Majesty care so much?
Xiao Huan looked outside for a while: "Is it raining outside?"
The weather in autumn is changeable. It was normal in the morning, but now it is raining and windy. A cold wind blew into the hall. Xiao Huan didn't feel the cold, but he thought of the students who were taking the exam.
He glanced at Wang Bao and said, "Tell them to cook some hot soup and send it to the examination room."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wang Bao came back to his senses and said: "The students will definitely appreciate your Majesty's kindness."
Xie Ling was writing the test paper. He couldn't help sneezing while sitting by the window and rubbed his nose subconsciously.
"The system is so cold."
"Luckily I put on an extra layer of clothes this morning, or I would have caught a cold."
But even so, the examination room without charcoal burning was still incredibly cold, especially near the window.
Xie Ling was unfortunately assigned to the window. The good news was that it was the cleanest here, but the bad news was that it started to get cold as soon as the weather changed. It was not convenient to have hot tea in the examination room, so he ate two bites of dry biscuits and continued to write with a dry stomach.
The classmates around me received the same treatment.
While Xie Ling was writing, he was fantasizing in his mind.
"When I get out, I must eat beggar's chicken, plain noodles, sugar-coated pancakes, and hawthorn cakes."
"I'm so hungry."
The system reluctantly comforted the host: "Hold on for three more days, and you will be able to get out soon."
Xie Ling: "You are right, persistence is victory."
After a long time of hard work, Xie Ling finally finished the first page and was able to slow down a bit to move his wrist. He looked up and was about to see if it was still raining when he heard footsteps outside.
The sound of footsteps was particularly obvious in the rain. He looked curiously and found that it was a group of unfamiliar court eunuchs coming out. He couldn't help feeling a little strange.
What are the eunuchs doing here at this time?
The examiner obviously didn't expect this, and he quickly stood up after seeing that it was someone from the palace.
"I wonder why this eunuch is here now...?"
"But what is your Majesty's will?"
The two invigilators looked at each other, and the eunuch carrying the box smiled.
"You two lords, don't be nervous. It's just that the weather is getting cold, and His Majesty cares about the students who are taking the imperial examinations, so he specially ordered some soup to be sent down."
The two adults were a little surprised, and then nodded quickly.
"Your Majesty's grace."
The students also heard the noise outside, and stretched their necks one by one. When they heard that the palace was sending hot soup, they became excited. After all, it was really uncomfortable on a windy and rainy day. Anyone who has taken an exam knows that a bowl of hot soup can warm the body to some extent.
Xie Ling is no exception.
"That's great, Tongzi!"
"I didn't expect there would be hot soup to drink. This exam is pretty humane."
At least I didn't intend to freeze the students to death.
The system also felt that this bowl of hot soup was like timely help.
After waiting for a while and speaking to the examiner, the eunuchs in front of them served hot soup one by one. Each student taking the exam had a bowl in front of them.
Everyone stopped writing, bowed towards the direction of the imperial palace, expressed their gratitude to His Majesty, and then started drinking from their bowls.
Xie Ling held the bowl with both hands, and after taking a sip, he was surprised to find that it was actually brown sugar ginger water, a definite magic weapon for dispelling the cold.
After drinking it all in one gulp, Xie Ling felt much better. He even felt a little sweat on his head. After calming down a little, he immediately picked up the pen and started writing again.
After having the hot soup distributed, Wang Bao waited outside the palace. He waited until the eunuch who had gone to the examination room came back and nodded, then he picked up his whisk and went back.
"Your Majesty, the hot soup has been distributed."
There was no movement in front of the desk.
Wang Bao lowered his head and said, "Master Xie has already drunk it."
Xiao Huan paused and couldn't help but look at Wang Bao.
This old thing...
His eyebrows relaxed a little: "Isn't this considered partiality?"
Wang Bao smiled and said, "How do you calculate this?"
"When the weather in the capital gets cold, the students have hot soup to drink. This is clearly a good thing."
Xiao Huan stopped moving and said with a half-smile: "I didn't know you were so good at talking."
Hearing that His Majesty was not angry, Wang Bao breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't lie. He just sent soup, and everyone had their own motives. Even if His Majesty was worried about Master Xie, everyone benefited from it, so why bother thinking too much?
After a day and a night, Xie Ling finally experienced an extreme exam in the examination room. Compared with the ancient imperial examinations, the difficulty of the modern college entrance examination is nothing, especially from the perspective of the examination environment.
In the middle of the night, he slept for a while on the edge of the couch, and was rolled up by the old man who was writing in front of him. Xie Ling gritted his teeth and got up again.
"Tongzi, I can't sleep in this environment."
Everyone was nervous about the exam and stayed up all night, which made him feel guilty when he fell asleep.
The system was also shocked when it saw all the test takers in the examination room.
"Who says it's not?"
It was the middle of the night. Xie Ling had never gotten up so early before. After taking a short nap, he started writing again.
First the questions and answers, then the policy essay. When it came to the part he was least good at, he had to set aside the longest time in advance. He took a breath of cold air, lit the candlestick and read carefully for a while, then picked up the pen again amid the sound of the big brother in front of him brushing.
Maybe it was because of the amazing adaptability of salted fish. I was exhausted on the first day and all I could think about was food. On the second day, I could barely keep up with the night work.
By the third day, Xie Ling had completely adapted to the rhythm of the exam and was writing with great gusto.
After a day of preparation, he wrote very smoothly. He felt that he usually didn't write so smoothly when Zheng Daju assigned him homework, but today he was just amazing.
"System, help me remember the time."
Xie Ling said something before he wrote, and the system recorded it on the screen. As time passed, Xie Ling wrote faster and faster. Fortunately, everyone kept writing on the last day, so he didn't stand out.
After finishing the last stroke, he suddenly put down his pen and looked at his test paper for a long time.
“So silky.”
"System, what time is it?"
The system glanced at the time: "There are still three hours left."
"The host can still check for a while longer."
Xie Ling stretched his muscles, checked again, and put it down only after confirming that everything was correct.
As the deadline approached, my classmates gradually put down their pens.
The examination room was extremely quiet. Xie Ling yawned and finally couldn't help but take a nap by the window.
Well, I have finished the test paper. The examiner will remind you when collecting the papers. I can always get some sleep now, right?
…
When the sky outside just got bright, Xiao Huan had already woken up. In Wang Bao's opinion, His Majesty had hardly slept in the past few days. But he didn't dare to say much, and at this time he carefully brought hot water.
Xiao Huan washed his hands and wiped his face, then looked outside and suddenly said:
"There is no morning court today."
"Do you think I should go pick up Xie Ling?"
I heard that there are always people waiting outside the examination hall after the civil examinations. Xie Ling has severed ties with the Dingyi Marquis Mansion. Should I go and pick him up?
He closed his eyes slightly, feeling that this was inappropriate, but he couldn't help it in his heart.
Wang Bao lowered his head and dared not answer. No matter what choice His Majesty made, he had no say in such matters.
After a while, Xiao Huan opened his eyes.
Forget it. Xie Ling only has me now, and he likes me so much. If I don’t go, won’t he be sad?
Glancing at Wang Bao calmly, he stood up and said, "Go prepare the carriage. An ordinary carriage frame will do."
After all, he was going to pick someone up, and Xiao Huan didn't want Xie Ling to be affected.
Wang Bao nodded. In fact, he originally wanted to say that Master Xie should not be alone. Zheng Daru and the others would go to pick him up, but seeing that His Majesty had made up his mind, he said nothing and went down to prepare the carriage.
When Xie Ling woke up in the morning, the examiner was just about to call someone, and the timing was just perfect.
He looked outside and cried with joy: "System, we are finally going out."
It's even more terrifying than confinement.
After taking the exam once, even the system felt that it had aged a lot, and said weakly:
"Today I grant you permission to delay the update for one day."
Because Xie Ling had to take an exam, the update had been delayed for several days. However, considering the host's hard work, the system would be lenient once more.
Xie Ling: …
What? He couldn't believe it.
It turns out that the system had been planning to update after he finished his exams?
Everyone stared at each other in silence, and the system said awkwardly: "So I give up now."
Xie Ling: “Fortunately you gave up.” Even if the system caught him and slammed him against the wall, he really couldn’t write anymore. His mind was dry and there was nothing in it. Only an empty shell remained.
The system coughed guiltily: "Okay, let's just pretend that this never happened."
Xie Ling wanted to say something but stopped himself, but the classmate in front of him had already stood up, so he let the system go for the time being and followed the team to hand in the test paper first.
Not to mention, the screening outside was quite strict, and they only let these students out after the entire group had been checked again.
As soon as he left the examination room, Xie Ling felt that the sky was bluer, the water was clearer, and everything looked better to him.
“Alive.”
Xie Ling felt like a mad monkey in a cell, looking around wildly. If the examiner had not confirmed that there was nothing wrong with him, he would have probably arrested Xie Ling and sent him directly to the Dali Temple after seeing his expression.
"Okay, okay, don't crowd at the door when you go out."
"Leave quickly and don't disrupt the order of the examination room."
Having completed an extremely important exam in their lives, most of the students now come out to check their exam questions, and some even book a restaurant to have a chat.
The crowd at the door dispersed only after the official shouted.
As soon as Xie Ling was squeezed out from under the eaves, he found that the rain outside had not stopped yet.
The autumn rain has been falling for three consecutive days. It stopped for a while in the morning, but it started raining again now.
"Can't this rain stop?"
"Damn it, System, I didn't bring an umbrella."
Everything was packed in the package, but because of inertia, Xie Ling didn't bring an umbrella because he was in the examination room. Who knew that it would rain again when he came out.
And because there were too many carriages outside the examination hall and it would definitely be crowded, the place he and the teacher agreed to meet was two streets away from the examination hall.
How do I get through now?
"How about finding a random big brother to hide with?"
Xie Ling squeezed under the eaves of the stage and looked around for a long time. He was just thinking about whether he could find a classmate who was easy to talk to to borrow an umbrella from him. At this moment, he saw a familiar Eagle Guard brother waving at the corner in front of him?
Um?
Isn’t this Lord Liang’s subordinate? Why is he here?
Could it be that the Eagle Guards are also involved in maintaining order in the examination room?
Xie Ling was just thinking about it when he saw the other person holding an umbrella and walked over with his eyes brightened.
Zhao Shi was wearing ordinary clothes today, with a simple smile on his face. No one noticed anything wrong when he blended into the crowd. They just thought he was a servant coming to pick someone up.
Zhao Shi heaved a sigh of relief only after Xie Ling passed by, and whispered, "Master Xie, His Majesty is here to pick you up."
"Waiting in the car at the door."
Naturally, Xiao Huan could not show up in such a scene, so he sent the unfamiliar Eagle Guard to go.
Xie Ling didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. He was just thinking about how to get back in the afternoon when His Majesty came. He couldn't help but blink slightly.
"Thank you for letting me know, young man. I'll be there right away."
The two men left holding umbrellas. Zhang Jing and Wu Shanlai, who came out later, saw that Brother Xie didn't have an umbrella and wanted to call out to him, but they were a step too late. When they raised their eyes, someone had already come to pick up Brother Xie.
Wu Shanlai sneezed.
"It seems unfortunate."
"Let's go, let's go back first."
At this moment, the rain was getting heavier and heavier. A gust of cold wind blew over, almost blowing people half to death. Zhang Jing withdrew his gaze with regret and nodded.
"Let's go."
The two of them also got on the carriage one after another.
When Xie Ling walked to the corner with an umbrella, he saw an ordinary carriage parked in a secluded place. He didn't know how His Majesty found this place. He muttered something and got into the carriage.
But as soon as he went up, he thought: Oh no, his clothes were wet when he took shelter from the rain under the eaves just now, and now there is rain water under the hem of his clothes.
Sure enough, as soon as he got into the carriage, he made the ground dirty.
Xie Ling raised his head awkwardly: "Your Majesty, this..."
"Or I'll sit outside."
There seemed to be a shed outside where the carriage was driven.
Xiao Huan took one look at him and knew what he was hesitating about. He said calmly, "Sit down."
"I don't even care about this."
Isn't it so? He thought His Majesty was particularly fussy. Xie Ling coughed and hesitated, but still sat down under the gaze of the opposite side.
Xiao Huan did not ask him how he did in the exam, nor did he ask Xie Ling if he was confident. After all, this guy had tried so hard, and I couldn't force him any further.
Just do your best and leave the rest to fate.
No... still three years.
I want to keep someone in the palace, but I can’t find a way?
He thought for a moment, and when he saw Xie Ling lifting up his clothes, he threw a handkerchief over.
"Wipe your hands."
"There is hot soup and snacks on the table. Eat some first and clean up the rest when we get back."
Um?
Xie Ling was a little surprised. He took the handkerchief and wiped it while turning his head to take a look. He didn't expect that all the food on the table was for him.
Damn! Your Majesty is so thoughtful.
This word popped up strangely in his mind, and the golden light above his head flashed uncontrollably. Xie Ling even suspected that Emperor Wu had been possessed by someone?
Xiao Huan glanced at him and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Am I considerate?
Fortunately, this guy has some vision and knows what is good for him.
His expression softened.
If I were not considerate, how could I have left the palace in the heavy rain and waited for him here at this time? This guy has no idea how much of a blessing he is enjoying.
His eyes fell on Xie Ling, and he saw that Xie Ling had already started to eat voraciously.
To be honest, it was really unbearable to eat only dry food for three days of exams. Only after taking a bite of Bai Yunjuan did Xie Ling feel like he was alive again.
"System, Your Majesty is so kind."
He swallowed the pastry with difficulty, lowered his head, picked up the bowl and took a sip, then he realized it belatedly.
"Why is this soup exactly the same as the one we were given in the exam room?"
etc.
"Did His Majesty personally order the hot brown sugar ginger soup?"
He thought that the emperor just gave the order and the imperial kitchen prepared it randomly, but it seems that it was His Majesty who proposed it?
Xiao Huan didn't expect this guy to be so direct. Although he was the one who asked him to prepare it, it always felt a little weird when it came out of this guy's mouth.
He took a sip of tea and didn't answer directly. He just glanced at Xie Ling and said, "It's cold when it rains. I just said that."
The implication is that these were not prepared by just one person.
Xie Ling nodded in understanding: "Thank you very much, Your Majesty."
He acted as if nothing had happened, but Xiao Huan frowned slightly. How could this guy not have any extra thoughts? He was afraid that Xie Ling would think too much, but for some reason he didn't want Xie Ling to think nothing.
When their eyes met, Xie Ling was stunned for a moment.
"Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Huan: "Don't you have anything else to say?"
Xie Ling: "Uh, no more."
Xie Ling thought that, no matter what, he benefited from drinking the hot soup. Did His Majesty have anything to do with it because he gave it to him?
When their eyes met, the reaction that Xiao Huan imagined Xie Ling would have did not appear. The other party neither asked any further questions nor... acted like a spoiled child.
He was unhappy about what went wrong, and at this time he heard the voice of the eunuch outside.
"Your Majesty, where are we going now?"
Now that we've gotten out of the crowded streets, where should we drive our car to?
"Where do you want to go?"
Xiao Huan looked at Xie Ling and was about to ask whether he had dinner in the restaurant before returning to the palace, or went back directly to the palace.
At this time, Xie Ling spoke.
“Ah, it’s coming out.”
"Your Majesty, thank you for giving me a ride. Please just take me to Wuliu Alley ahead."
"I'll come down there."
Xiao Huan's face froze and he turned around suddenly.
Go down there? Where is Xie Ling going? He squinted his eyes and realized that this guy had no intention of returning to the palace.
Xiao Huan was so angry that he laughed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think I came all this way just to give you a ride?"
Xie Ling: Ah?
What else?
Didn't Your Majesty happen to have to go out of the palace for something and saw him so he just gave him a ride, isn't that right, hahaha?
Xie Ling finally reacted when he met Emperor Wu's gaze.
Turns out it’s not true.
He leaned back guiltily and tried to explain: "I thought your majesty was here to inspect the imperial examination and to make a private visit in disguise."
Xiao Huan closed his eyes and said, "Will I inspect the imperial examinations after the exam?"
Xie Ling: …
"Isn't there still paper review?"
The more he described, the more embarrassing it became. He swallowed his saliva and said awkwardly, "But I had already made an appointment with the teacher before I came here. The teacher and his wife are waiting for me in Wuliu Alley."
What should I do?
Xiao Huan glanced at Xie Ling and subconsciously wanted to ask the eunuch to pass on the message, but at this time he thought: Zheng Wanyun was indeed good to his disciple Xie Ling.
Forget it. When has he ever thought about others like this? After a pause, Xiao Huan said calmly, "Turn around and go to Wuliu Alley."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch outside heard the order.
Xie Ling's expression relaxed and he complimented subconsciously out of happiness.
"Your Majesty is truly wise."
Is it wise to just send him to Wuliu Alley?
Xiao Huan sneered. It was the first time he realized that this guy was so good at flattery.
The road was slippery in the rain, and it was difficult to travel quickly. The convoy moved slowly. Although they were incognito, there were still more than 20 Eagle Guards hiding around to protect them in secret.
Wu Shanlai had just said goodbye to his brothers and was riding back to Wuliu Lane in his own carriage when he saw a carriage in front of him that was about to enter the lane.
Um?
"What's going on?"
He stuck his head out and the coachman took a look.
"Sir, there's a car coming in ahead. I'm afraid we'll have to wait for a while."
Although it is the residence of the powerful officials in the capital, Wuliu Alley is still an old road, and generally only one car can enter. However, the people who come and go are all acquaintances in the officialdom, and everyone is willing to give face and so on.
After the exam, Wu Shanlai was no longer in a hurry. He simply asked people to stop the carriage and waited while humming a little tune.
The carriage in front had stopped after turning around.
Xie Ling saw his teacher waiting for him on the street, so he opened the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.
"teacher."
Um?
This voice... sounds familiar through the frame. Wu Shanlai realized that this was not the voice of Brother Xie. It turned out to be the frame of him and Zheng Daru.
Isn’t this a coincidence!
He waved to the servant who was about to go in to stop, and then he got off the carriage.
"Thank you, sir."
Xie Ling had just told his teacher that the emperor was in the car when he unexpectedly heard someone calling him. He turned around and found that it was Prince Wu.
I encountered this twice in one day. Who can say it's a coincidence?
"Mr. Wu."
"Mr. Zheng."
As a student of the Imperial College, Wu Shanlai was still very polite when facing Zheng Daru. After greeting him, he wanted to ask Xie Ling where he was going.
"It's raining heavily outside. Since you and Mr. Xie are already here, why don't you come home with me? Let me show my hospitality as a host."
"Wait until the weather clears up before going back."
Wu Shanlai's house is just one door ahead, just two steps away.
If it was normal, Xie Ling would not think it was a big deal, but this time... there was a big devil behind him. He coughed lightly, and just wanted to hold Wu Shanlai's hand that was waving the fan and quietly refuse, when he heard the voice in the carriage.
"Harutoki, come here."
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