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[Quae] [Ray] [Victoria]
In fact, Xiao Liulang also felt a sense of unreality, as though he was in a different world.
He had been to the imperial palace so many times, but he came out of the Meridian Gate of the main entrance for the first time. This gate was only opened for the master of the palace, in other words, the Emperor. However, the top three Jinshi, namely Zhuangyuan, Bangyan and Tanhua were also eligible to pass through here once when coming out after the announcement of results.
He thought he didn’t care.
But the moment he really came out through this gate, he felt a different kind of feeling within him.
Even so, he wasn’t as excited as Feng Lin. He was still relatively calm.
He said to Feng Lin, "There are plenty of other opportunities to serve the court."
Feng Lin replied in a small voice, "But I don't want to go back to the county and get an official position there. I want to stay in Hanlin Academy. I really envy you for being able to directly enter the Hanlin Academy."
Zhuangyuan wasn’t the highest rank of scholar, but Academician was.
There was a saying that a non-Jinshi couldn’t enter the Hanlin Academy, and a non-Academician couldn’t join the cabinet. Since ancient times, Hanlin Academy had been a place for official reserves. Grand Preceptor Zhuang, Grand Secretary Yuan, and even Old Chief were all from Hanlin Academy.
Entering Hanlin Academy didn’t necessarily mean that you would rise head and shoulders above others. However, without entering Hanlin Academy, you basically didn’t have much to look forward to as a civil servant.
Xiao Liulang responded, "The second and third-class Jinshi will take the exam next month, so long as you pass the exam and become a Hanlin bachelor, you can stay in the capital. After a three-year term as a Hanlin bachelor, those with excellent results will also be promoted to Academicians of Hanlin Academy."
Feng Lin could only look forward to this.
……
Meanwhile, after watching her husband leave, Gu Jiao didn't find Liu Yisheng immediately, because she didn't know where he lived. She could only wait for Liu Yisheng to come to her himself.
But she didn't go back to the medical hall either.
Instead, she went to the Brisk Wind Tower.
The Brisk Wind Tower suffered a disastrous loss this time. There were too many people who bet on An Junwang, and those who bet on Yuan Yu were not small either. As for Xiao Liulang, not many of them bet on him!
Gu Jiao's 5,000 taels suddenly turned into 25,000 taels. This was because there were more than a dozen people who actually took risks in the later period, otherwise the winnings could have been higher.
Furthermore, those who bet on Zhuang Yuexi and Gu Jinyu to get flower hairpins also lost their wealth, not even their underpants were spared.
Gu Jiao’s name, which was isolated at the bottom of the flower hairpin list, had the highest winnings. But only two people bet on her, one was Zhuang Mengdie and the other was An Junwang.
An Junwang made a fortune, but he wasn’t the least bit happy.
Zhuang Mengdie wasn’t happy either. If she had known this girl could win the three flower hairpins, she wouldn’t be so stingy as to bet a mere penny on her. She would have bet all her fortune!
Gu Jiao, on the other hand, was all smiles. The Brisk Wind Tower handed all the money to her in cash, and carrying the gunny sack with glistening silver inside, she went back in a cheerful mood!
Neighbors in Bishui Alley also got the good news that Xiao Liulang had become the new Zhuangyuan, and their threshold almost broke from the number of visitors who came to send their congratulations.
"Aiya, Brother Huo, how do you two raise your children? Why is Liulang so outstanding? Meanwhile, the boy in my family finds it harder to study than to die!" Uncle Zhao suddenly thought of his youngest son who only knew how to fool around all day. This son was indeed born in vain.
“Don't say that, Yang boy is also quite good." Old Chief consoled Uncle Zhao, completely forgetting to straighten out the facts— that the relationship between him and the Empress Dowager were not that of a couple, but a pure relationship between a monarch and an official!—— and beg for the former Emperor’s forgiveness in his heart.
The elderly lady was in a joyful mood today. She deliberately lost some rounds while playing leaf cards, so that the neighbors lost only a little money.
Yao shi was also smiling from ear to ear, and she personally made some snacks. She seldom cooked after she got pregnant, but she was so excited today that Grannie Fang was unable to stop her.
Grannie Fang could only lend her a hand.
Yao shi made walnut biscuits, which several children didn't like, but she found that Xiao Liulang liked them very much.
She said while mixing the dough, "At first, seeing him treating JiaoJiao very well, seeing him work hard in his studies, I thought that was already enough. I never expected he would pass the imperial exam, and as a Zhuangyuan no less. So now, JiaoJiao is the wife of a Zhuangyuan!”
"Madame is right." Grannie Fang smiled and added a handful of firewood to the stove.
To be honest, Grannie Fang didn't look positively at this guye at first. Like Marquis Gu, she felt that guye wasn't worthy of the eldest young miss. After all, despite her growing up in the countryside, the eldest young miss was still of the Marquis’s bloodline.
On the other hand, what did guye have? There was no family background to speak of, and he was still a little cripple.
Although it was said that to be a scholar was to be the top of society, there was also a saying that scholars were good for nothing. She was always worried that guye would accomplish nothing in the end, and the eldest young miss would only suffer if she followed him.
Fortunately, despite harboring such skepticisms in her heart, she showed none of it on the surface. Otherwise, she would have gotten in an awkward situation having offended her guye now that he became the Zhuangyuan.
Gu Jiao and Little Jing Kong arrived home first. Looking at the silver-filled gunny sack that she brought back home, people were simply at a loss of what to say.
It wasn’t until dark that Xiao Liulang was sent home by someone.
It wasn’t Feng Lin nor Lin Chengye that escorted him home, but rather Ning Zhiyuan who was extorted by Xiao Liulang today.
Today was a major day for all Jinshi, so it was reasonable to have a few drinks, and as the new Zhuangyuan, Xiao Liulang was bound to down no less cups of wine.
Xiao Liulang had never had a drink, and his capacity for liquor was also weak. Still, a few cups of wine during the lunch banquet were not enough to get him really drunk, the problem was that after the banquet ended, some of them went to another place in twos and threes.
It was some place that was hard to speak about.
Xiao Liulang refused to stay there and insisted on going home. Naturally, everyone was not happy about it, so they told him to down three more cups of wine as punishment first before they let him go. Who knew that this guy really dared to drink, only, he immediately collapsed after drinking.
Ning Zhiyuan was a man with a family and he wasn’t fond of this kind of occasion either, so he offered to send the new Zhuangyuan back home.
"To the left, right? Is it that alley?" On the carriage, Ning Zhiyuan asked Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang was too drunk to talk to anyone.
Ning Zhiyuan shook his head and asked the coachman to move forward. Perhaps they were going too fast, they almost hit people just before they reached the entrance of the alley.
It was a pair of women, one in a Taoist robe and the other in a purple dress.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" The coachman hurriedly apologized to the other party.
Ning Zhiyuan also lifted the curtain, got off the carriage and bowed down to apologize to the two of them, "Are the two young misses all right? Apologies, we were in such a hurry that we almost bumped into both young misses."
Ning Zhiyuan was still wearing the official uniform of the Tanhua.
The girl in purple recognized him at a glance. She smiled and said in the ear of the young Taoist nun, "Sister, it's the dark Tanhua!" [T/N: Girl, really? (??；)]
Ning Zhiyuan: Am I that dark?!
Then his face got darker.
The young Taoist nun gave the girl in purple a warning look, and the girl in purple stuck her tongue out in response.
The young Taoist nun took back her gaze from her sister and bowed slightly towards Ning Zhiyuan, "No harm, we’ll take our leave first."
Having said that, she took his sister's hand and left.
References
1. — son-in-law (term used by the wife's family)
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