After Yan Liang moved into Li Xunle's house, he learned during their conversation that the house belonged to his family and that there were servants he had brought from his own home.
The environment is quiet and peaceful, making it a good place to study in peace.
Yan Liang and Li Xunle were both focused on preparing for the exam for various reasons. Living together brought them closer, and since they were both open and honest people, Yan Liang felt much happier without the awkwardness of being from the same hometown.
After they became acquainted, Yan Liang also learned about Li Xunle's family situation.
Li Xunle was from Baoding, Hebei. Seven people from three generations of his family had passed the imperial examinations. His father was also a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations. He hoped that a top scholar would emerge from his family and placed his hopes on his two sons.
When Li Xunle talked about his younger brother Li Xunhuan, who is now making his way in the martial arts world, he was both helpless and amused, but his words revealed the close relationship between the two brothers.
Yan Liang thought about Yan Shendu's younger brother, Yan Shenming. The boy was thirteen years old this year, and it seemed that he was not very close to Yan Shendu because he was going through a rebellious phase; there seemed to be some conflict between the two.
Yan Liang would have to meet Yan Shenming sooner or later, and thinking about the way the two brothers got along, he couldn't help but feel a headache.
If he passes the imperial examination this time, he can bring Yan Shenming to the capital and then figure out how to cultivate their relationship.
Yan Liang made up his mind and then devoted himself to preparing for the exam. Li Xunle felt that he couldn't even match Yan Liang's seriousness, and he was inspired by Yan Liang to study as well.
Yan Liang studied diligently to digest the knowledge in Yan Shendu's mind, while Li Xunle, already exceptionally talented, became even more outstanding after learning from him. Occasionally, when Yan Liang had questions he couldn't answer, he would ask him for help, and it would be like a sudden enlightenment, making him realize even more that living with Li Xunle was the best choice.
Living with those two fellow villagers would only cause trouble and lead to mutual regression; living with Li Xunle, on the other hand, would bring me peace of mind and mutual progress.
When Yan Liang practiced his staff technique, Li Xunle would watch from the side, occasionally mentioning his younger brother who roamed the martial world. His brother had been taught the art of throwing knives by a mysterious person when he was young, and now he roamed the martial world, rarely returning home, and had already gained some fame in the martial world.
Ah, the world of martial arts.
Yan Liang couldn't help but feel nostalgic when he recalled the days in the previous world when he roamed the martial arts world with his magic staff.
On the day the results of the imperial examination were announced, the area in front of the list was packed with people, while Yan Liang and Li Xunle were grilling fish in the backyard, quite the loners.
Li Xunle stared at the sizzling, oily grilled fish, swallowing hard: "...Brother Yan, you have excellent skills."
Yan Liang flipped the grilled fish over: "You flatter me."
Yan Liang had planned to check Yan Shendu's results in the afternoon when there were fewer people, and Li Xunle had the same idea. However, the eldest young master of the Li family was in no hurry at all, but the servants he brought were extremely anxious. They went to wait in front of the list early in the morning, and after seeing the rankings, they rushed back to inform the two of them.
Yan Liang was a kind and gentle person, and the servants of the Li family liked him, so they took the opportunity to check Yan Liang's ranking as well.
Li Xunle passed the imperial examination with top honors, while Yan Liang did not fare badly either, though he ranked a few places below Li Xunle.
Yan Liang congratulated Li Xunle on his wedding and grilled an extra fish for him. Li Xunle reciprocated by providing various seasonings.
Yan Liang and Li Xunle exchanged glances.
After a long silence, Yan Liang nodded deeply: "I understand."
He fell in love with Zhang San's grilled fish after just one bite. Now, of course, he can understand Li Xunle.
Li Xunle nodded in agreement: "As expected of Brother Yan."
...If you didn't look at what was in front of them and only heard their conversation, you would probably think they were talking about something important.
After the results of the imperial examination were announced, those who passed were overjoyed, while those who failed packed their bags and returned home dejectedly. Two of Yan Liang's fellow townsmen were among them.
After the gathering that night, those who participated learned that they had most likely misunderstood Yan Liang, leaving them conflicted and conflicted. The candidates in the capital had their own channels of communication, and they soon learned that Yan Liang had moved in with Li Xunle.
The Li family had produced five Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) across three generations before Li Xunle. Among them, Li's father was selected as the Tanhua (third-ranked scholar) because of his outstanding appearance and genuine talent.
The Li family was very famous in the capital, and Li Xunle, as the eldest son of the Li family, was also very well-known among the scions of prominent families in the capital. Everyone trusted Li Xunle's character; since Li Xunle could befriend Yan Liang, Yan Liang must also be a person of high moral character.
Once again, without his knowledge, Yan Liang became a person of high moral character in the eyes of others.
The metropolitan examination was followed immediately by the palace examination. Yan Liang believed that he was well prepared and that there would be no situation where the same candidate had vastly different abilities in the metropolitan and palace examinations.
However, since they were not the same person and had different ways of thinking, Yan Liang was a little unsure about the outcome of the palace examination.
On the day of the imperial examination, Yan Liang remained calm and composed, answering questions fluently and naturally.
Having already taken the exam, it's not like I can't even get a minor official position.
Yan Liang's idea was as bland as salted fish.
After the palace examination, Yan Liang and Li Xunle tacitly avoided mentioning the exam content, instead letting loose and treating themselves to grilled fish.
Yan Liang provided the cooking skills, and Li Xunle provided the ingredients and seasonings. Everyone in the Li family ate with gusto, their mouths greasy and their lips and teeth savoring the delicious food.
The aroma of the grilled fish was so strong that it could be smelled for miles around. A person passing by the Li residence smelled the aroma of the grilled fish again and stopped in his tracks.
He leaped onto the roof and, by the moonlight, saw the crowd gathered in the courtyard eating fish. In the center of the courtyard stood a young man in a gray robe, grilling fish, his sleeves rolled up, and sweat beading on his forehead.
It looks like it's been baked for quite a long time.
He stood on the rooftop, making no attempt to conceal himself. The young man grilling fish glanced up and happened to see him.
The two looked at each other across the distance, and the young man lowered his head again as if nothing had happened and continued grilling fish.
—This person must be Yan Liang, who has been living with Li Xunle recently.
He had already guessed the young man's identity. Yan Liang and Xun Le were both outstanding individuals, and somewhat well-known among the candidates in the capital. He had heard their names more than once while drinking at the restaurant.
Yan Liang...
He laughed with great interest, recalling that extraordinary encounter. In another world, he met that "Yan Liang".
Two days after the palace examination, the results were announced. The emperor announced the names of the top three scholars in the Golden Palace and personally selected the first, second, and third scholars—a result that greatly surprised Yan Liang.
Li Xunle was the top scholar, the second-place scholar was someone he didn't know, and he was the third-place scholar.
Yan Liang: ...That's really unexpected.
To his surprise, Yan Liang was also very happy. Although he didn't understand how the emperor had ranked them, he felt that being third was not bad and accepted the result quite easily.
The imperial court held the Qionglin Banquet on the third day after the results were announced, to entertain the newly successful candidates.
The emperor was adept at winning people's hearts. At the banquet, he praised the newly successful candidates and said some polite words, the gist of which was that he hoped they could contribute to the court.
The scholars were naturally moved to tears, and Yan Liang followed suit, saying some humble words as well.
In this world, the emperor is the supreme ruler, the absolute sovereign. Even if Yan Liang was too lazy to do these things, he had no choice but to do them. Fortunately, the emperor would only make a brief appearance and then leave, which reassured Yan Liang somewhat.
Unexpectedly, before leaving, the emperor looked at Yan Liang and suddenly said, "My selection of Yan Liang as the third-ranked scholar is indeed well-deserved."
Yan Liang was suddenly called out, but he showed no sign of panic and bowed.
The emperor was even more pleased to see his composed demeanor and left with a smile.
Throughout history, there has been a tradition that the third-ranked scholar (探花郎) must be handsome. When the emperor was selecting the third-ranked scholar, someone would present him with the names of the most outstanding-looking candidates.
Both Li Xunle and Yan Liang were outstanding in appearance. After hesitating between the two for a while, the emperor appointed Yan Liang as the third-ranked scholar.
Judging from the exam papers, Li Xunle's answers were superior, while Yan Liang's were slightly inferior. However, during the palace examination that day, the emperor was most impressed with Yan Liang, specifically in terms of his appearance.
Everyone else knew the emperor was obsessed with looks, but Yan Liang had never known this before. Yan Shen was solely focused on his studies, and after Yan Liang arrived, he devoted himself to reading day and night.
After the emperor left, Yan Liang kept pondering why the emperor had suddenly said those words to him.
...It couldn't have been because he was lost in thought that you reminded him, could it?
Yan Liang was confident that he wouldn't be noticed even if he was lost in thought, and for a moment he couldn't understand what the emperor meant by those words.
On the way back after the Qionglin Banquet, Yan Liang shared his questions with Li Xunle.
Do you think His Majesty noticed that I was daydreaming?
Yan Liang asked uncertainly.
Li Xunle was shocked: "You were actually spacing out?"
Li Xunle was completely unaware that Yan Liang, who was standing right next to him, was daydreaming, and even admired Yan Liang's calm and composed demeanor.
Seeing his shock, Yan Liang felt relieved. Since even Li Xunle hadn't noticed his distraction, the emperor's words probably weren't meant as a warning.
After his initial shock, Li Xunle saw Yan Liang's relaxed expression and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "You're probably the only scholar who dares to daydream in front of His Majesty."
Yan Liang chuckled.
Li Xunle explained to him helplessly, while also saying strangely, "This tradition has been going on for many years. Even if you don't know that the third-ranked scholars chosen by His Majesty are mostly outstanding in appearance, you should still know about this tradition."
Yan Liang smiled and said, "But I didn't know that I could be considered exceptionally good-looking."
This is true.
Yan Shendu was so poor that he struggled to even eat and drink, so how could he have spare money to buy a mirror? When Yan Liang arrived, he didn't buy a mirror; he simply judged from the others' opinions that Yan Shendu had a handsome face.
Li Xunle chuckled to himself, and considering Yan Liang's family background, he could understand Yan Liang's words.
The carriage moved slowly forward. Yan Liang leaned against the carriage wall, planning what to do next. He needed to bring Yan Shenming over to live with him; but he was currently penniless, and hadn't saved much money even from copying books. If he were to find a place to live on his own, he could only do so in his dreams...
Yan Liang told Li Xunle about his plan to bring his younger brother to the capital. He continued to rent Li Xunle's room, but wanted to rent one more room, doubling the rent.
Li Xunle readily agreed, but refused Yan Liang's suggestion to pay more rent, saying with a smile, "There's no need for this between us. Living in the capital is not easy, so it's fine if you stay at my place from now on." He paused, then added, "If Brother Yan feels it's not right, you can also show off your skills."
Oh—is this a hint that he should grill more fish?
Yan Liang and Li Xunle exchanged a glance and burst out laughing together.
"Since it is Brother Li's kind offer, then I will accept it without being impolite."
Author's Note: "A flower among men," the flower being the third-ranked scholar (探花郎).
And Wang Lianhua will be making a long-awaited appearance, hehehehe.
Keep having fun!
And I was wrong, A Dream of Jianghu is too good!
While writing today, I kept thinking about how to get my girlfriend, Siming-xiong _(:з」∠)_ My mind was full of him, and I wanted to write a story.
Is this what love is? (.) Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-02-14 21:50:36 and 2020-02-15 19:10:40!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Zheng Shisan (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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