After coming out of Linglong Pavilion, Shen Yao and Shen Zhuo got on the carriage. The Shen Mansion's carriage slowly passed through the streets and alleys.
Shen Zhuo was disturbed by Xiao Yi's look. He took the jade ornaments bought by Shen Yao and played with them.
"Jiaojiao, have you ever had any unpleasantness with the Seventh Prince?" Shen Yaochi asked.
Shen Yao has always been attentive, and she found that every time Xiao Yi appeared, Shen Zhuo became taciturn, completely different from his usual lively and smart person. She couldn't help but worry.
Hearing this, Shen Zhuo's originally loose and ruffian body couldn't help but tense up: "Why did sister say this?"
"Every time you see the Seventh Prince, you either have a cold eyebrow or a solemn look, as if he owes you something."
"Hey~~ I don't want to see any of those princes in the palace." Shen Zhuo snorted coldly, "They are all here for my father, but they have to pretend to be attentive to us."
"Jiaojiao..." Shen Yao shook her head helplessly, "Not everyone is as snobbish and false as you think."
Shen Zhuo has become more stable over the past year and doesn't get into trouble much. But for some reason, his temper has become extreme. He gets anxious with anyone who mentions the prince's palace, as if he has a deep grudge.
Shen Zhuo raised his eyebrows when he heard this and said, "Of course there are honest and sincere gentlemen in this world." As she said that, she smiled slyly, came up to Shen Yao, and said in a long voice, "For example...thank you Master."
"Pfft~~" "Pfft~~" Ying'er and Huan'er sitting in the carriage covered their mouths and laughed. Shen Yao's face turned red and she glared at Shen Zhuo angrily.
Since Xie Zhe went to the Pinqiu Poetry Club, his relationship with Shen Yao has become semi-public within the limited scope of the Shen Mansion.
At the Autumn Poetry Meeting, Shen Yuan and Xie Zhe recited poems and composed poems, talked about the past and the present, and had a great time chatting with each other. On the contrary, Shen Wei was left alone for a whole day by Shen Yuan.
Princess Pingyang made a special trip to Kyoto to hold a grand snow-walking tour to appreciate plum blossoms in order to thank her. The white snow and red plum blossoms made the young man in white look as graceful and gentle as jade. Princess Pingyang was so happy to see it that her heart, which she had been holding for Shen Yao, finally fell to the ground.
The Xie family has a long history, and Xie Zhe knows very well that the family does not want to marry into a noble family, let alone marry a powerful person. Therefore, Xie Zhe proposed to Shen Yuan that he would come to the Shen Mansion to propose marriage after he entered high school in the spring and had the strength to compete with the family.
"What will you do if you fail?" Shen Yuan asked.
"No." Xie Zhe looked directly at Shen Yuan, his eyes frank and his tone determined, "Students will not fail the exam."
A gentleman is confident but not arrogant.
Of course Xie Zhe would not fail the exam, and Shen Zhuo was secretly proud of himself. Her brother-in-law is the current beauty scout! When Xie Zhe was dressed in red and riding a horse through the streets, his handsome demeanor charmed many noble ladies from Kyoto.
Not everyone has had a past life and can know the outcome in advance, and not everyone is as confident as Xie Zhe. What's more, on the eve of spring, Xie Zhe had traveled thousands of miles to return to his hometown in Qingling.
According to common sense, students participating in the Spring Festival will arrive in Kyoto in advance to rest and adjust, visit teachers, make friends, and prepare for exams.
Xie Zhe indeed came to Kyoto ahead of schedule. Not only did he arrive early, but he also took the opportunity to become a master at Mingshan Academy. All this would have been fine.
But who knows, towards the end of the year, Xie Zhe received the news that his mother was seriously ill. He decided to return to his hometown without thinking about it. Qingling Tomb is thousands of miles away from Kyoto. Every time I go there... I will probably miss the spring.
Before leaving, he went to Shen Mansion to say goodbye.
"Spring is scheduled to be in February. Now that you are returning to Qingling, have you ever thought that you might miss this exam?" Shen Yuan's tone was slow and pressing.
"The student has thought about it," Xie Zhe said slowly.
"The student lost his father when he was young, and his mother worked hard to raise him. Now his mother is seriously ill and has to return."
"If we really can't make it in time for spring..." Xie Zhe paused for a long time before continuing, "Then we'll wait until next time."
"You can wait for next time, but some people can't wait for next time." Shen Yuan said meaningfully.
Xie Zhe was silent for a long time. He clenched his fists tightly and saw veins popping out on the back of his hands. Xie Zhe felt as if a knife was piercing his chest.
He tried his best to suppress the emotions in his eyes, stood up, bowed to Shen Yuan, and said with difficulty: "If you don't have Miss Shen, it will be a bad blessing for the student. The student only hopes that Miss Shen can find a good son-in-law, and we will be of the same mind and have a happy life."
Xie Zhe left anyway.
"My daughter is willing to wait." Shen Yao cried and fell into Princess Pingyang's arms.
Shen Yuan sighed, they could wait wherever they wanted.
Fortunately, God was kind and Chunwei was postponed for one year due to the invasion of the country. Xie Zhe returned to Kyoto in October of the following year. Xie's mother suffered a serious illness. Although her health was not as good as before, she gradually recovered. During this period, the Shen Mansion often sent various good medicines and supplements in the name of Xie Liuxi.
The first thing Xie Zhe did when he returned to Kyoto was to go to Shen Mansion to express his gratitude. Shen Yuan didn't see him, and only said one sentence: If you can't get a Jinshi degree, don't come again.
"What do you mean by that?" Princess Pingyang said angrily to Shen Yuan, "You know, there will be no more than fifty people who are born in each class of Jinshi! It would be great if you can pass the exam, what do you want to be born in Jinshi!"
"Is it so easy for me, Shen Yuan's daughter, to marry?" Shen Yuan had a straight face, rarely showing his unhappiness on his face.
Princess Pingyang glanced at Shen Yuan for a few times, and suddenly her heart was filled with happiness, and she suddenly said: "You are not willing to let Yao'er get married, right?"
"Cough, cough, cough." Shen Yuan suddenly choked and coughed a few times, and continued to defend himself with a straight face, "Why is my husband such a stingy person?"
"The better his grades are, the easier it will be for me to lobby His Majesty."
"Haha." Princess Pingyang glanced sideways at Shen Yuan and smiled without saying a word.
The closer spring came, the more anxious Shen Yao became. Seeing this, Shen Zhuo couldn't help but suggest: "Sister, let's go to Huguo Temple to ask for a good luck charm?"
"Good luck charm?" Shen Yao's heart moved.
"I heard that the talismans of Huguo Temple are very efficacious, and many candidates who come to take the exam ask for them. My second brother and Master Xie have to take the exam this time, why don't we go and ask for one too?"
Shen Yao thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Shen Wei passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen. This spring, he will also end up.
So three days later, Shen Wei, Xie Zhe, Shen Xi, Shen Yao, and Shen Zhuo went to Huguo Temple in a mighty manner.
"Xie Zhe went too?"
When Xiao Cheng heard Yan Wu's report, he frowned and his face darkened.
"Back to my lord, Xie Zhe and Shen Wei have a good relationship. They are attending the Spring Festival together this time, so maybe we made an appointment to go with them." Yan Wu noticed that Xiao Cheng's expression was wrong and immediately explained.
"Ha." Xiao Cheng sneered, with a stern look in his eyes, "Shen Wei is known as one of the top ten talents in Kyoto. No less than ten of his friends ended up this time. Why don't others go with him?"
Yan Wu was silent.
"Send someone to watch Xie Zhe to death for me. I want to know his every move."
