Chapter 52: Opening of the Apricot List
Zhu Yuhuan fooled Zhu Zhanji and then he focused on taking care of his sister.
She was originally a little worried and was thinking about whether to let Xu Wangzhi enter the palace to take a look. After all, neither she nor her sister were long-lived in history.
Fortunately, Zhu Youtong only had a fever for a few days and soon recovered to normal. He often begged his sister to feed him porridge.
Apart from being a little weak after the illness, Zhu Youtong did not suffer from any underlying illness, which made Zhu Yuhuan, who was originally worried, feel much more at ease.
Hu Shanxiang was very surprised. She didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to be so nervous.
Zhu Yuhuan naturally could not tell his mother anything related to history. He simply explained that Zhu Youtong had not been sick for a long time and now he suddenly fell ill, which made her a little nervous.
Normally, whenever Zhu Yuhuan was with his sister, he would urge her to pay attention to her healthy eating habits. However, he had been away for nearly a year, and Zhu Yuhuan had not been watching over her. As a result, after the New Year, Zhu Youtong caught a cold and fell ill in bed. How could Zhu Yuhuan not be afraid?
When she said this, Zhu Youtong was also listening. Seeing Hu Shanxiang go to deal with palace affairs, she said to Zhu Yuhuan: "Sister, I seemed to have had a dream when I fell asleep."
Zhu Yuhuan handed the bowl of porridge to Han Guilan, motioning her and the others to leave, and then asked, "What dream?"
"Actually, I can't remember anything after I woke up..." Zhu Youtong hugged the quilt in his arms and said, "I just remember that it wasn't a good dream... Sister, did you and mother cry when I fell asleep?"
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned, then shook his head and said, "No."
Although Zhu Yuhuan didn't believe in metaphysics, he felt that crying was unlucky. Furthermore, his sister's condition was only a little serious at first, not to the point of tears.
Zhu Youtong finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It was really just a nightmare. I always felt like water was falling on my face in my dream..."
Zhu Yuhuan was silent for a moment after hearing her say this, then said, "Maybe you're sweating from being under the quilt." After that, he picked up a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his sister's mouth. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, dreams are the opposite of reality. Having a nightmare means good things are about to happen. You should be happy."
Zhu Youtong had never heard such a statement before. He couldn't help but exclaimed, then said with some surprise, "Really? Then I'm going to have more nightmares."
Zhu Yuhuan was a little amused and pinched Zhu Youtong's cheek a little harder, saying, "Silly girl, who would dream of a nightmare just for something good to happen? If people outside heard this, they would burst out laughing."
Zhu Youtong snorted and said, "When good things happen to me, they won't be able to laugh anymore."
Zhu Yuhuan was helpless with her sister and said, "Your most urgent task is to take care of your health. I have asked someone to hang your painting in the princess's mansion. When you feel better, I will take you and Xiaoyu to the princess's mansion to play."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youtong immediately crawled into bed, closed her eyes tightly, and said, "Then I'm going to have a good rest and get enough rest."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile. He waited until her breathing gradually became even, then he carefully got up and tiptoed out. He also reminded the palace servants outside to be careful with the noise and not to wake up Princess Yongqing.
Seeing that everyone was doing their job, Zhu Yuhuan walked over to Zhu Youtong's drawing table and asked Han Guilan to grind the ink while he continued to prepare the calligraphy for his sister.
It just so happened that Huang Jinfeng was traveling with Shen Yanli on business during this period, and Zhu Yuhuan stayed in the palace to take care of his sister, and was able to complete the calligraphy work he had promised in his spare time.
Han Guilan saw Zhu Yuhuan's smooth brushstrokes and gentle expression, and whispered, "Your Highness has just recovered from a serious illness, and your mood has improved a lot."
Zhu Yuhuan tapped the pen and chuckled, "Of course..."
Thinking of the elixir on Zhu Zhanji's desk, Zhu Yuhuan felt better and wrote more fluently.
"The results are out! The results are out!"
"The new number one scholar is Cao Nai, a native of Ningjin, Northern Zhili!"
"The second place winner is Zhao Hui from Jiangnan, Lianjiang County! The third place winner is Zhong Fu from Yongfeng, Jiangxi!"
Zhu Yuhuan was originally reading the Tartar booklet left by Huang Jinfeng, matching the pronunciation and meaning of the sentences one by one, when she suddenly heard a sound outside. She got up and walked to the window, only to see someone running over and shouting good news, which she couldn't help but find a little funny.
Zhu Youtong, whose pulse was being felt by Xu Wangzhi, couldn't help but ask, "Have the results been announced? Do you know who the top scorer is?" Seeing both Zhu Yuhuan and Xu Wangzhi looking up at her, she sat down awkwardly, mumbling, "Why haven't you finished the diagnosis yet?"
Zhu Yuhuan snorted softly and said, "I'm afraid that you, a silly girl, might get too upset and make yourself sick again, so I asked Wang Zhi to take a good look at you. Don't let any root of illness remain."
Zhu Youtong said in a low voice with grievance: "I didn't get sick on purpose..."
Seeing Zhu Youtong's expression, Xu Wangzhi couldn't help but laugh. She warned the little princess, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. You just caught a cold. When the seasons change, you must keep warm, otherwise you'll have to take bitter medicine again." She looked at Zhu Yuhuan and said, "Princess, you have a solution. You both stay indoors, but your health is much better than that of a young lady from a wealthy family."
Zhu Youtong withdrew his hand and said proudly, "Of course. My sister has been practicing martial arts since she was a child. Although I am not good at martial arts, I often run and exercise. My sister said that good health is the most important thing."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile when he heard this. Xu Wangzhi then asked curiously, "Were they shouting the Jinshi's name on the street just now?"
Zhu Yuhuan nodded and said, "Yes, but I'm just talking about the three top candidates. There are over a hundred Jinshi candidates, and who would be willing to name all of them? The top three are the most interesting ones."
"That's true..." Xu Wangzhi nodded in understanding and said, "During the previous spring imperial examination, a scholar from the same clan came to stay at my clinic. Although he was short, he was diligent and intelligent, knowing everything. He would help out from time to time, and his handwriting when writing prescriptions was very beautiful... Seeing how studious and inquisitive he seemed, I wonder if he passed the imperial examination this time. Even if he didn't win the first or second place, at least he could have been a Jinshi."
Zhu Yuhuan asked curiously, "Same clan? So they also have the surname Xu and are from the same branch as yours?"
Xu Wangzhi waved his hand and said, "Actually, we're very distantly related. My family is the Dantu Xu clan, and his is the Wuxian Xu clan, but we both have the surname Xu. Although he was a successful juren from Wanping, he didn't have a home in the capital, so he came to live with me through the guild hall. My eldest brother thought it would be a great honor to have a fellow jinshi in the future, so he let him stay at our house."
Zhu Yuhuan raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking, "I see."
Even in this era, the importance of changing one's household registration was well known. This Xu Juren was no ordinary person. More importantly, Xu Wangzhi was usually only interested in patients. Having been in the capital for so long, apart from a few neighbors, the only people Xu Wangzhi knew well were Zhang Zhong and Shi Jing. Yet, Xu Juren had single-handedly impressed Xu Wangzhi, suggesting he had some scheming.
"That sounds impressive. What's his name?" Zhu Youtong couldn't help but ask, "I heard Mr. Shang say the other day that he was going to inscribe the names of this year's Jinshi scholars on stone tablets at the Imperial College."
Xu Wangzhi was always carefree, so he said without hesitation, "Call me Xu Yun."
Zhu Yuhuan was not familiar with this name, so he just said, "You just said that this Xu Juren was introduced by the Guild Hall, right?"
Xu Wangzhi had no doubts and nodded, "Yes, the three of us were shocked at the time, but there are so many students from Jiangnan coming to Beijing that it's not uncommon for the guild hall to be full. It's just a matter of giving him a room. It's nothing more than a small matter."
Zhu Yuhuan already had an idea in mind and said with a smile, "I know."
If Xu Yun came to him on his own, Zhu Yuhuan could still treat him as an ordinary relative seeking refuge, but if he was introduced by the guild, there was a high probability that he was "intent to seek refuge" like Shi Heng.
After all, Wu Ning and Yu Ying, who helped Zhu Yuhuan write a book last time, directly obtained the status of Shujishi and were exempted from the selection process. I wonder how many scholars secretly envied them.
Xu Wangzhi was confused by her sudden question, but seeing Zhu Yuhuan's smiling face, she vaguely realized that this matter might not be that simple, so she stopped asking.
Anyway, His Highness wouldn't harm her, so the less she asked and the less she knew, the better it would be for her to live longer...
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