Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The results of the imperial examination were released and transmitted back to the Princess Danyang residence. Mu Wanyao was quite satisfied with the outcome of her hard work throughout the night.

She had neither offended the Grand Princess of Luling nor faced a disastrous result.

Yan Shang was actually somewhat useful after all.

However, although the maid Chunhua had long since known that Liu Wenji’s name was absent from the list, she still clung to a glimmer of hope and went out to inquire. Upon learning that Liu Wenji truly had not passed, Chunhua sighed, worried about her lover’s state of mind.

As she had anticipated, it was bad enough that others had passed, but the person who had not only passed but also secured the position of Third Place was Yan Shang—a man from the same region of Lingnan as Liu Wenji. Furthermore, because Liu Wenji had always considered himself superior to Yan Shang, he would inevitably be suffering even more than before.

Out of concern for Liu Wenji, Chunhua took leave from the residence to go search for him.

She truly could not find Liu Wenji in the place he rented. Fortunately, since Yan Shang was also in Chang’an, Chunhua pivoted and went to Yongshou Temple to ask Yan Shang if he knew of Liu Wenji’s whereabouts.

Yan Shang was in his quarters organizing his books, preparing to head out to attend a banquet. The greatest change since placing Third Place was the sheer number of invitations he received. While the great aristocratic families did not participate, mid-level families were numerous. Yan Shang needed the support of these people if he wished to establish a firm foundation in Chang’an, so he naturally attended such events actively.

Chang’an was like that.

Even the desire to become an official was like that.

Just as Feng Xianyu had previously participated in banquets so actively that his wife starved to death without him noticing, he had acted that way precisely because he knew the benefits of socializing. It was just a pity that his socializing had not succeeded, and now his wife was gone too.

Chunhua told Yan Shang her reason for coming, assuming Yan Shang would suggest several places Liu Wenji might have gone.

She did not expect Yan Shang to be an even better person than she had imagined.

Yan Shang, who was organizing his books, heard that Liu Wenji could not be found. His brow furrowed gently as he said, "I will go with you to find him. It just so happens I need to see Brother Liu and have a frank talk with him."

Chunhua: "Wouldn't that be improper? It will delay your banquet..."

Yan Shang replied, "Attending a banquet or not, it’s a trivial matter either way. It doesn't matter if I don't go."

He immediately left with Chunhua, told the page waiting outside the temple to pick him up that he would not be attending, and then departed with her. Chunhua was incredibly moved, feeling that with a friend like Yan Shang, what exactly did Liu Wenji have to be dissatisfied about?

Yan Shang and Chunhua went to several places together but failed to find anyone. By the time it grew dark, Chunhua was extremely anxious, and Yan Shang’s expression darkened slightly.

He said, "Let’s check the Northern Quarters."

Chunhua was taken aback.

She gave a dry laugh: "Erlang, you are joking. How could Brother Liu be in a place of rouge and powder like the Northern Quarters..."

Yan Shang glanced at her, his eyes mildly warm. He didn't say much else, only speaking softly, "Perhaps I was overthinking it."

Yet, Yan Shang had not been overthinking it.

They truly did find Liu Wenji in a building in the Middle Quarters of the Northern Quarters.

Liu Wenji was dead drunk, his face flushed a deep crimson.

He was sitting on a balcony on the second floor, enjoying a dance performed by a courtesan standing on a drum in the center of the hall below. It was unclear how well the courtesan danced, but Liu Wenji clapped and laughed loudly, tossing the silk rolls he had kept prepared by his side down to the floor, gifting them to the courtesan.

Liu Wenji was acting maniacally, laughing heartily: "Wrap her head for the lady!

"Give the lady a good omen!"

The expensive silk drifted down from the upper floor, landing on the large drum the barefoot courtesan was dancing upon, startling the veiled woman. Looking up, the courtesan saw Liu Wenji’s handsome face. Her heart stirred, and she bowed toward the upper floor, saying coquettishly: "Many thanks, young master."

Liu Wenji drank another cup of wine, acknowledging the floor below.

Behind him came an incredulous female voice: "Brother Liu!"

Liu Wenji turned back, squinting his eyes, seeing through the haze a young woman as beautiful as spring standing with his long-time friend.

His friend was as graceful as bamboo, still possessing an excellent temperament. But the young woman’s face was tragic, her brows knit as she looked at him.

Liu Wenji, drunkenly swaying the wine cup in his hand: "Suchen, Chunhua... it’s you two. Come, let’s drink together!"

Yan Shang sighed softly and said to Chunhua, "He has had too much to drink; let us take him away first..."

His mild, gentle voice was drowned out in the bustling hall, sounding very low; only Chunhua, standing next to him, could likely hear it.

Liu Wenji could not hear what Yan Shang said; he only saw Yan Shang turning his face, his delicate features facing Chunhua.

Liu Wenji’s face flushed red instantly as he lunged forward: "Yan Suchen, what do you think you’re doing? Did you snatch my merit, and now you want to snatch my woman, too?!"

Chunhua’s eyes widened in surprise; her mind went blank as she looked at this stumbling, lunging young master. He was a completely different person from the lover she saw every day.

Yan Shang blocked Chunhua, wrapping his arms around the unstable drunkard who couldn't stop spouting nonsense, feeling a slight headache.

This was exactly why he did not like to drink.

Yan Shang glanced at Chunhua.

Chunhua nodded, suppressing her emotions, and stepped up to help support Liu Wenji, saying softly: "Brother Liu, let us leave first..."

Liu Wenji shouted: "What are you whispering behind my back! What are you flirting about with your eyes?!"

He shouted loudly, and the revelers nearby looked over, pointing and whispering.

Yan Shang furrowed his brows and made a decisive move, covering Liu Wenji’s mouth to stop him from talking nonsense.

Chunhua’s face cycled through shades of green and white; the prying, suggestive gazes around her filled her with shame and indignation. But in the end, she listened to Yan Shang and did not quarrel with a drunkard.

The drunkard, half-supported and half-held by Yan Shang, became even angrier. He lunged out, grabbing Chunhua’s hand. Before Yan Shang could block it, Liu Wenji was already clutching Chunhua: "Chunhua, you cannot abandon me; you cannot look down on me, even you..."

Chunhua’s eyes softened, and she whispered: "Brother Liu, I would never look down on you."

Liu Wenji, with drunken, hazy eyes, stared at her, but then suddenly sneered: "You didn't look down on me, but you didn't side with me or help me, either!"

Chunhua asked anxiously: "How can you say that?"

Liu Wenji pointed at Yan Shang behind him: "He used the Princess’s connections to become a Third Place scholar! Don't think that because I don't pay attention to your affairs, I don't know!"

Chunhua managed to say: "...That was just submitting scrolls. Submitting scrolls does not determine the result..."

Liu Wenji looked at Chunhua and whispered: "Then why didn't you help me submit my scrolls? Aren't you a maid in the Princess’s residence? Aren't you the person the Princess values most? If you had just put in a word for me, why couldn't I have been the Third Place scholar? Why couldn't today’s honor be bestowed upon me?"

Chunhua stared at Liu Wenji in a daze, never having expected that he held such thoughts.

Yan Shang saw that Liu Wenji was clearly suffering from inner demons that had been hidden for days and were now being vomited out under the guise of drunkenness. Yan Shang sighed softly and pulled down the surrounding curtains, blocking this space from the rest of the room so no one else could pry.

Yan Shang stared at Liu Wenji; in truth, he was also curious about what Liu Wenji had been thinking all along.

For a person who had always been arrogant, was it true that they were untouchable and never willing to bow their heads?

Chunhua’s hand was still held by Liu Wenji. The smell of alcohol sprayed onto her face, and her hand was gripped painfully. But she forgot all this, simply looking at Brother Liu as if she didn't recognize him, muttering: "I wanted to help you submit your scrolls, but it was you who complained that I was being meddlesome and refused..."

Liu Wenji raised his voice: "But for a virtuous woman, if a man says he doesn't need it, do you really stop acting? You see Yan Er in the Princess’s residence every day; you see Yan Er fawning over your Princess like a dog, so why couldn't you, why couldn't you help me, help me put in even a single word..."

Tears welled in Chunhua’s eyes.

She said: "It was you who said you didn't want it.

"Besides, our Princess has a hard temperament. If you didn't ask her yourself, how could she help you just because of a word from me?

"Do you know that even for Yan Er, it wasn't that smooth? There were others trying to snatch Yan Erlang’s spot..."

Liu Wenji interrupted loudly: "I don't want to hear your excuses!"

He pushed Chunhua away, backed up, bumped into a table, and fell to the floor. The wine on the table tipped over, spilling onto his robes, leaving a dark stain. His hair was slightly disheveled, strands of loose hair brushing against his face, looking desolate and haggard.

He pointed his finger at Yan Shang and gave a tragic laugh: "And Yan Er! Ask your own conscience—is your talent truly better than mine? Is your poetry and prose truly stronger than mine? It clearly isn't! Everyone knows it isn't! But why do you succeed? Why are you able to succeed?"

Leaning against the curtains, he murmured foolishly: "Is it a mistake to be unwilling to use connections and want to rely on one’s own ability? Because everyone submits scrolls and I don't, will it never be my turn? Why is the world so unfair? Why is heaven so unkind?

"Why must one bow to power? Why must one bow and scrape, breaking one's own pride? How many talented people fail to pass because of connections, and how many people, after passing, end up wasting away for years with nothing to show for it, only to have to leave Chang’an... Why are the aristocratic families always strong, and why are we always weak?"

In his confusion, Yan Shang’s clear, calm voice rang out behind him: "Because since ancient times, the people who set the rules are the aristocratic families and the powerful. Not the rural squires, and not the common scholars. Whether it be the powerful families of the past or the present, when was the rise and fall of the world ever something you, Liu Wenji, could decide?

"You look down on the power and wealth of the aristocratic families, yet today’s imperial examination is precisely the result of them yielding power. Perhaps they did not yield power willingly, but there must be those among them who hope to make this society better, which is why they convinced others to yield power as well. The world belongs to everyone, and the common people are the pillar of the world. Who doesn't understand this truth?

"The world is already changing bit by bit. It is a pity you were born at the wrong time; you were neither born a hundred years ago among the commoners who couldn't even afford to read, nor were you born in a society a thousand years later where everyone is equal... You keep talking about unfairness and unfairness, yet why can't it be you who changes this unfairness instead of waiting for your predecessors to change it for you?

"Liu Wenji, why exactly do you want to pass, and why exactly do you want to become an official? Have you thought clearly? If it’s for power, then bow. If it’s for fame, then don't bow. Why does such a simple truth need someone else to say it?"

Liu Wenji turned back in a daze, staring blankly at Yan Shang.

He supported his head, appearing as if he had heard it, yet also as if he hadn't understood at all.

 

Yan Shang watched him in his confusion, sighed, and walked toward Liu Wenji: "This is also a question I have been pondering over the past two days regarding Brother Feng. Brother Feng feels it is unfair, and you also feel it is unfair; do I think it is fair? You say my poetry is not as good as yours, but in terms of practical affairs, strategy, and thoughtfulness, in what way do you equal me? If we were to truly compete on strategy and solving real-world problems, could you really beat me?

"I often use my weak points to compete with you all for a future. I haven't felt that taking the exam through poetry and prose is making things difficult for me, yet you always feel I have blocked your path. But in this world, who is always content?

"You are drunk today; you might forget my words when you wake up. But I hope you can remember one thing... I usually don't like to speak ill of people, but I must say, your temperament is so rigid that if you don't change, you will suffer a great loss in Chang’an."

Liu Wenji looked up to see Yan Shang crouching in front of him, and he opened his mouth: "Yan Er, I..."

Yan Shang said gently: "You are drunk; I won't talk any further with a drunkard."

Having said this, he raised his hand and chopped the back of Liu Wenji’s neck, knocking him unconscious.

Yan Shang turned back to look at the teary-eyed Chunhua.

Chunhua wiped away her tears and came over to help him lift the unconscious Liu Wenji. Afterward, they sent Liu Wenji back together, maintaining a mutual silence.

When Chunhua was about to leave, Yan Shang called out to her: "Lady Chunhua."

The night was dark; Chunhua turned back.

Yan Shang said: "Don't take his words to heart. His temperament is like this, but he is not a wicked man. Once he wakes from his drunken stupor, he will apologize to you."

Chunhua shook her head, tears almost falling again.

She stared at the young gentleman standing in the night wind and said tragically: "Yan Erlang, why is it that the man I like isn't you?"

Yan Shang was startled, his pupils shrinking.

Chunhua pressed her lips together, wiped the tears from her eyes once more, turned, walked out of the courtyard, mounted her horse, and left.

How could Yan Shang understand the depth of the disappointment in her heart?

It turned out that in the depths of Liu Wenji’s heart, he had always resented Chunhua for not helping him. It turned out that Chunhua already had a significant blemish in his heart.

Chunhua shed tears all the way as she rode back to the Princess’s residence. Once she returned to the residence, fearing the Princess would ask, she told everyone she was feeling unwell and hid back in her room to sleep early. The fact that her eyes were swollen for two days and she couldn't see anyone, leading to her hiding from the Princess for several more days, was a story for another time—

After Liu Wenji woke from his drunken state, he learned from Yan Shang what he had said while intoxicated. Yan Shang omitted Liu Wenji’s dissatisfaction with himself, only mentioning that Liu Wenji had said something that hurt Chunhua’s heart.

Liu Wenji panicked and hurriedly came to the Princess’s residence to apologize to Chunhua.

However, because Chunhua had been claiming illness, she neither went to serve the Princess nor went out to see Liu Wenji. Liu Wenji waited for several days and gradually fell into despair.

When Chunhua’s eyes were no longer swollen and she went to serve the Princess, she learned that they were going to attend the Qujiang Banquet.

Chunhua was combing the Princess’s hair, puzzled: "Why are we going to attend the Qujiang Banquet?"

Every year, when the smoke and water were hazy, the Qujiang Banquet was the grand banquet for the year’s successful candidates. The Emperor personally hosted the banquet at Qujiang, while the successful candidates, such as the Top Scholar and the Third Place, held banquets at the Apricot Garden, with the court footing the bill. Every year at the Qujiang Banquet, the powerful and wealthy were invited to attend.

Most of the powerful were willing to get to know these new successful candidates; some wanted to recruit talent, while others wanted to recruit sons-in-law.

These few days were the most triumphant times for the Top Scholar and the Third Place.

However, Princess Danyang rarely attended such banquets. Because Mu Wanyao neither wanted to recruit a husband from among them nor had the ability to snatch talent from the hands of other powerful figures. So why bother?

Therefore, Chunhua did not expect Mu Wanyao to say solemnly that she was going this year.

Chunhua held the Princess’s long, black hair, looking down at the Princess, and her heart stirred: "Could it be that Your Highness is doing this for Yan Erlang..."

Mu Wanyao was playing with a jade white hairpin in her hands; hearing this, she actually lifted her eyelids and smiled sweetly: "I am doing it for him."

Chunhua was stunned, almost dropping the comb in her hand.

She had thought Your Highness was for Yan Erlang, for Yan Erlang...

Mu Wanyao, however, merely rested her chin on her pink cheeks, her brows containing a smile, saying buoyantly: "Oh my, after all, these past two days might be the most triumphant time for our Yan Third Place scholar. If we don't see him for two days, perhaps we will never see him again."

Chunhua was dazed.

She watched Mu Wanyao gloating: "What’s so great about passing? It’s just glory for a few days, can’t they still not become officials? Those with ambition come to fawn over me. Those with pride just endure for two more years, waiting for whenever the imperial court happens to remember these candidates before assigning them official positions.

"Just thinking about our good-tempered Yan Erlang having to struggle in Chang’an for many years, perhaps eventually failing and rolling back to Lingnan like his useless father, makes me both sympathetic and... a little expectant."

Chunhua teased: "Your Highness, you are too wicked!"

Actually, what Princess Danyang said was not wrong.

The Great Wei’s official selection system was just like that. The imperial examination was one hurdle; whether you could become an official after passing this hurdle was another, and whether you could climb higher after becoming an official was yet a new hurdle.

How many people died of old age in Chang’an without passing; how many candidates broke their heads seeking help everywhere and couldn't become officials; and as for a lowly ninth-rank official, perhaps they would struggle their whole life just to be promoted to a minor eighth-rank official...

But then again.

Actually, if one truly wanted to become an official, the imperial court had opened a path—either wait for a few years or continue taking exams. This exam was countless times more difficult than the imperial examination, and it no longer tested poetry and prose.

Mu Wanyao was thoughtful, thinking of the Prime Minister’s tablet of Yan Shang she had seen that day at Yongshou Temple; she actually wanted to see if that calculation was accurate and if Yan Erlang could survive this new hurdle.

Chunhua thought of Liu Wenji saying she hadn't helped him, sighed, and said softly to the Princess: "Your Highness knows that Yan Erlang is facing a new difficulty, why not help him directly instead of making him ask?"

Mu Wanyao’s face pulled down with a swipe.

She said unhappily: "I love making him ask, is that not allowed?"

The maid immediately dared not say anything more—

After Yan Shang passed, he sent a letter to Lingnan, informing his family of the news on his side. He asked about the situation of his older brother and sister-in-law, asking when he would be able to hold his nephew; then he solemnly urged his third younger brother to study hard, saying that once he had studied enough, he should come to Chang’an for the exam, and not spend his days holding a bamboo pole, playing the wild king in the countryside with children when he was already sixteen or seventeen.

Finally, mentioning his little sister, Yan Shang became much gentler. Not to mention the gifts he sent with the letter, he had specifically bought a large amount of rouge, powder, silk, and satin from Chang’an for her. Yan Shang didn't understand these things himself; he just thought they looked pretty and bought a whole pile for his sister.

In the end, all his money was almost spent before he stopped, still feeling unsatisfied.

As for the Qujiang Banquet, Yan Shang, as the Third Place scholar, of course, had to go. He also wanted to inquire about what he should do next; besides, if he were lucky and could meet the Emperor at the Ziyun Pavilion in Qujiang, obtaining a decree to directly become an official, wouldn't that be a good thing?

The Qujiang Banquet was perhaps the only opportunity for these newly successful candidates to see the Emperor again after meeting him on the day they passed.

After all, the last time the Emperor was high and mighty, casually perfunctory toward them; but this time, the Emperor might come to the Qujiang to attend the banquet. This was a rare opportunity—

Qujiang Apricot Garden, smoke and water were bright and charming. On this day, there were colorful canopies, fresh carriages, and strong horses.

The candidates and the powerful drove their carriages to the gate of the garden, entering one by one to attend the banquet.

When Princess Danyang’s carriage stopped at the gate of the Apricot Garden, first, the year’s Top Scholar, Wei Shu, stepped out of the carriage. Wei Shu turned back, helping Mu Wanyao down. And the page boys who had originally been staring at the Top Scholar, seeing that the Top Scholar was with the Princess, dared not come up to embarrass the Princess.

Mu Wanyao saw so many carriages, horses, and crowds, and said: "Yo, so many people."

Wei Shu asked her: "Shall we go directly to the banquet?"

Mu Wanyao glared at him: "You follow me so closely, it makes me very inconvenient, do you know that?"

Wei Shu lowered his eyes.

Mu Wanyao saw he was young and cool, and although she felt some pity, she was, after all, a Princess with a bad temper, so she urged him: "I know, you follow me because you are afraid those people who are like wolves and tigers will pester you. Then you should go find Yan Erlang; with him protecting you, those people won't be able to eat you."

Thinking of a crowd of people rushing up, Wei Shu’s face turned slightly pale.

He was slightly shy, and holding on, said: "Your Highness is wrong, I am not afraid of people coming to look for me."

Mu Wanyao sneered at him.

From behind came a cold sneer.

A male voice sounded: "So big, yet still clinging to the Princess like a child that cannot be weaned; Qilang, you are truly living backward."

Once these words were out, Wei Shu’s face immediately turned cold, his lips pressed tight.

Mu Wanyao turned back and saw a young gentleman dressed in proper red official robes walking this way; as she stared, he bowed to her.

Mu Wanyao glanced over; red official robes—he must hold a fourth or fifth-rank official position. This person’s face was grave, his brows knit as if he were constantly frowning, and his features had some similarities to the young Wei Shu... Mu Wanyao said: "Wei family?"

The other side nodded: "Wei Kai greets Your Highness."

Mu Wanyao: "Never heard of it."

The other person’s face changed slightly, with some anger.

Mu Wanyao lazily looked at Wei Shu: "Who is he?"

Wei Shu’s lips curled slightly, somewhat loving that the Princess would not give the other party face in this way. He said: "This is my older brother, the current Secretariat Administrator, a fifth-rank official. Not mentioning the people of the previous generation serving in court, my older brother is the one with the highest official position among us."

Simply put, Wei Kai was the successor trained by the Wei family for this generation.

Completely different from a little pitiful person like Wei Shu who was raised by a mistress, unloved and unwanted.

Mu Wanyao said: "A fifth-rank official, huh? I thought the Wei family was so powerful, but it turns out there isn't much to it. I remember that someone—Yang Si—that official position of Crown Prince’s Equerry he holds, seems to be a fifth-rank too, right?"

Wei Shu nodded: "Crown Prince’s Equerry is just like the Secretariat Administrator, both are fifth-rank official positions."

Mu Wanyao clapped her hands, her eyelids lifting, creating a thinking posture; she smiled, resting her chin on her hand: "Let me think, how old is Yang Si this year? Is it eighteen, or nineteen? Although that Crown Prince’s Equerry position was completely given to him by the Crown Prince because he dotes on him, it is still an official position after all.

"I see that Yang Si doesn't have such great might in front of me, but Eldest Young Master Wei truly has more of the presence that a fifth-rank high official should have than him."

Wei Kai stared at this Princess.

After a long while, Wei Kai restrained the air pressure around him and bowed: "Your Highness’s lecture is correct. I was teaching my own brother out of brotherly love, but I ended up offending Your Highness."

Seeing the other person was tactful, Mu Wanyao gave a snort and said no more.

Wei Kai turned to Wei Shu and said faintly: "You have been making a scene with your running away from home for a year; that should be enough, right? The family has arranged an official position for you; come find me tomorrow."

Wei Shu said: "No need to bother, I don't need the family to arrange an official position for me. I can pass as a Top Scholar, and I can pass other exams."

 

Wei Kai stared coldly at this worrisome younger half-brother for a long time, flicked his sleeves, and left: "Suit yourself. You had best have the backbone to be a pure official for the rest of your life and not rely on the Wei family."

Wei Shu watched his older brother’s back; the boy who was always cool and detached actually blurted out a stubborn sentence: "I originally wanted to be a pure official for the rest of my life! I never wanted to rely on the Wei family!"

Wei Kai turned his head and glanced at him, his mouth twitching; he was too lazy even to comment.

Mu Wanyao watched these two brothers arguing, thinking in her heart that it seemed Wei Shu was indeed a little pitiful person who was unloved in his family. However, Wei Shu was still lucky; he was born in the Wei family, and the label on his body was Luoyang Wei family.

However, Mu Wanyao was very worried.

If Wei Shu’s relationship with the Wei family was this bad, then her uncle’s plan to marry into the Wei family through Wei Shu—was it actually useful?

But... Mu Wanyao looked at Wei Shu, thinking that the boy was a full four years younger than her... her face became indifferent.

Mu Wanyao impatiently urged Wei Shu: "Hurry up and go, don't cling to me."

Perhaps because what Wei Kai said just now about him being like a child that couldn't be weaned had stimulated Wei Shu, Wei Shu actually left this time and did not cling to Mu Wanyao again—

However, at today’s banquet, there were truly acquaintances one after another.

Mu Wanyao had only walked two steps when another voice came from behind: "Sixth Sister."

Mu Wanyao turned back and saw a young couple approaching, so she smiled slightly: "So it is Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law."

The fifth prince, Prince Jin, and the Princess of Jin came together to attend the banquet. Among the three princes currently alive, the fifth prince was the most unremarkable, and also possessed the softest temperament. And compared to the last time they met, the Princess of Jin had become much thinner, her brows and eyes covered with many sorrows.

This slightly softer Prince Jin was originally greeting his sixth sister; seeing the maid behind his sixth sister, he was stunned, and a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes: "Sister’s maid is..."

Mu Wanyao glanced at Chunhua, who was trying hard to shrink back after being sized up by the Prince of Jin: "The former Nonghua died, and this one is Chunhua. Nonghua died from torture because a man snatched her from me. Is Fifth Brother interested?"

Prince of Jin: "..."

He realized his sister was warning him not to have designs on Chunhua.

Prince of Jin laughed dryly: "Why must Sixth Sister say such things that spoil the mood?"

Then Mu Wanyao would say something that didn't spoil the mood.

Mu Wanyao turned to the Princess of Jin and smiled sweetly: "I haven't congratulated Fifth Brother yet; I heard that Fifth Brother is about to have his first child?"

Who knew that once these words fell, the Princess of Jin’s face turned white, showing a sorrowful expression.

Mu Wanyao was dazed.

Prince of Jin’s voice also became faint: "The pregnancy was not stable; the fetus died in the womb, and she also didn't make it."

Mu Wanyao: "..."

She suspected that the fifth brother’s descendants were cursed—

Yan Shang, meanwhile, had just arrived when he was met by the rushing Wei Shu. He was still dazed when he saw a string of people following Wei Shu.

Yan Shang: "..."

Wei Shu saw him, his eyes lighting up; the boy, who was always concise, rushed over, grabbed his arm, and whispered: "Brother Yan, I’m sorry, I offended you!"

Before Yan Shang could react, Wei Shu had already shouted loudly: "The Third Place scholar is here—"

Everyone’s gaze turned to Yan Shang.

Yan Shang stood stiffly in place, watching helplessly as a large group of people rushed toward him. And Wei Shu’s body lowered, drilling into the bushes behind him, hiding away.

Yan Shang was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds; after all, a young gentleman who was marriageable, handsome, and talented was too hard to find.

At the entrance of the Apricot Garden, at this moment, Yang Si leaped down from his horse, incredibly dashing. The person riding with him today was not some messy friend, but a delicate young lady.

This young lady was Yang Si’s cousin, Zhao Lingfei. She was dressed in riding clothes, looking cute and adorable, with apricot eyes and snowy cheeks; however, the movement of jumping off the horse was not much slower than Yang Si’s.

Zhao Lingfei was helped off the horse by her cousin and said with dissatisfaction: "It was all Father who insisted on driving me to attend this banquet, telling me to pick a husband. Pick, pick, pick, what is there to pick? I just don't like these literati who spend their days chanting poems, looking weak and feeble; aren't they sour? I still prefer the great heroes of the present world who can dance with swords and guns!"

Zhao Lingfei was very exaggerated: "Especially the Third Place scholar, who was actually selected based on his face! Chang’an is truly hopeless!"

Yang Si warned her: "Uncle asked me to look after you today; don't cause trouble for me."

Zhao Lingfei: "Bah, do you think I wanted to follow you? Following you is the most boring..."

Yang Si scoffed: "You say you want to find a great hero who can dance with swords and guns, but Uncle doesn't think so. When have you ever gone against your father, before talking about that."

She was kicked from behind by Zhao Lingfei instantly.

Yang Si turned his head to deal with this cousin of his, Zhao Lingfei ran away giggling immediately; when Yang Si took big steps out to catch her, someone greeted him from behind, and Yang Si looked over with a somewhat indifferent attitude.

By the time Yang Si finished greeting the person and went into the Apricot Garden to find Zhao Lingfei, he saw that Zhao Lingfei hadn't actually gone very far.

He walked over in confusion and saw his cousin standing there with a red face, staring blankly in one direction. Yang Si looked along that direction, and it was a crowd of people surrounding one person.

He snapped his fingers in front of his cousin: "Come back to your senses!"

Zhao Lingfei blinked, instantly becoming delicate, and hooked her arm around his: "Cousin, is that the Third Place scholar this year? Can you help me ask who he is? I think it wouldn't be bad to marry him."

Yang Si felt a wave of chill from her softness and affectation, shaking her hand away: "..."

He immediately mocked: "Didn't you say you wouldn't marry a flowery frame, someone who only has a face?"

Zhao Lingfei sighed: "But he is too good-looking."

Yang Si wondered just how good-looking someone had to be to make a bold girl like Zhao Lingfei suddenly become so delicate.

He looked over, and it happened that the surrounded young gentleman turned his face. Yan Shang had a helpless smile on his lips, his brows slightly knit, truly a clear moon, deceiving the world—

It was that frivolous youth he saw in the Northern Quarters drinking flower wine the other day.