Cai Wenyan covered her mouth with her handkerchief and chuckled softly. Taking advantage of her brother turning away, she ran off with her maid. Seeing Cai Wuyi said helplessly to Zhao Zhiyuan, "See... I have absolutely no way to deal with her."
Zhao Zhiyuan smiled but didn't say anything.
Feeling bored, Jin Shanyao, standing some distance away, said to Meng Anzhi beside her, "Let's go."
Meng Anzhi exclaimed "Ah!" and asked in confusion, "Aren't we going to look for Anci? I saw him standing alone in the corner, looking rather pitiful. Why don't we call him out to play together?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "No need. The book says that when boys grow up, they like to play with other boys. Let's not worry about him."
"Alright..." Meng Anzhi withdrew her gaze and happily followed her aunt to continue admiring the flowers. You have to admit, the flowers in the Prime Minister's residence are much prettier than those in the flower market.
After Cai Wenyan appeared, Cai Wuyi indeed stopped making things difficult for Zhao Zhiyuan. He walked over to Meng Anci and sat down next to him, watching everyone frolic together.
Meng Anci her head to look at him, her gaze lingering on his eyebrows and eyes.
What did you think of that lady just now?
Zhao Zhiyuan turned his head, their eyes met... Suddenly, a smile played on his lips as he whispered, "You've taken a liking to me."
Meng Anci sneered, "You're deluding yourself. Countless men dream of marrying the Prime Minister's daughter; she's not a match for a nobody like you, a mere second-place scholar."
He paused, then asked uncertainly, "... And you? Do you want to rise to the top overnight?"
Zhao Zhiyuan looked at him with a beaming smile, "I'm afraid you'll hit me..."
His words were ambiguous, neither confirming nor denying, but Meng Anci laughed, " Zhao Zhiyuan, you're finished..."
Zhao Zhiyuan turned to look at everyone joking around, "Do you know when we first met?"
" Willow and Poplar County, Green Mountain Academy..."
"No, it was outside the Zhao Household's gate in Willow and Poplar County. Your whole family was sitting by the stone lions, waiting for my father to pay the bill. That year, I was tricked out of the mansion by Concubine Liu, and it was Aunt Yao who saved me through divination."
As Meng Anci recalled the past, his gaze grew increasingly unfriendly. "Good lad... he's certainly been hiding his true intentions well."
The banquet has ended.
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan stood outside the Prime Minister's residence waiting for their families.
About fifteen minutes later, Zhao's mother, along with Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi, came out together.
Zhao Zhiyuan quickly stepped forward, called out " Aunt Yao" to Jin Shanyao, and his gaze involuntarily shifted to Meng Anzhi.
"Sister Anzhi... did you enjoy the banquet today?"
Meng Anzhi smiled and nodded, "Everything is fine. How did things go for you?"
Zhao Zhiyuan to want to say something, but his lips moved and he swallowed it back. He simply stood there and smiled at her.
Watching from the side, Zhao's mother smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, it's getting late, we should go back."
Zhao Zhiyuan responded, glanced at Meng Anzhi again, and then followed his mother to their carriage.
Inside the carriage, Zhao's mother said softly, "The young lady is asking you a question, what are you grinning about?"
Zhao Zhiyuan exclaimed, "Really?"
Zhao's mother couldn't bear to look at her son anymore. He was usually so quick-witted and sharp, why was he so slow to react now? "Several families asked me today, 'Are you engaged yet?'"
Zhao Zhiyuan suddenly turned his head and asked urgently, "What did you say?"
Zhao's mother was startled by his sudden movement, clutching her chest and gently scolding, "What's the rush... I told you you're young, don't worry about these things now..."
Zhao Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and solemnly said, "Mother, I will decide my own marriage. Please don't arrange a marriage for me without my consent."
"Look at what you're saying! Those officials' wives can make a big deal out of nothing. Forget about marriage... I even made an excuse to refuse when the Prime Minister's wife invited me to the theater."
She took Zhao Zhiyuan's hand and sighed, "In officialdom, I can't help you... so why would I hold you back or cause you trouble?"
"Mom, what are you saying..."
Zhao's mother smiled without saying a word, only holding her son's hand with eyes full of satisfaction.
On May 25th, Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan attended court for the first time. The two were extremely cautious, afraid of making a mistake and becoming a laughing stock. They only dared to breathe a sigh of relief after the court session ended.
Zhen Shiqing led the two to the Hanlin Academy and went straight to the main room to pay their respects to Yan Shuan, the head scholar of the Hanlin Academy.
Yan Shuan was an old man with gray hair, sitting behind his desk, carefully checking the books... Zhen Shiqing knocked on the threshold, " Lord Yan, Zhuangyuan Meng and the Bangyan Zhao have arrived."
Yan Shuan then raised his head. He stared at the two of them in a daze for a while before quickly putting down his pen. "You've come at the right time! Quickly, come and help me take a look at this passage..."
He stood up as he spoke, and seeing the two still standing there in a daze, he scolded, "Are you stupid? Come in quickly! This old man's eyesight isn't what it used to be; I can barely read a few lines of text."
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan exchanged a glance, walked to the table, and their eyes fell on the book. It turned out that Yan Shuan was making a copy of an ancient book. The original book had light ink, and some parts were indeed blurry and difficult to discern.
Meng Anci looked down and his gaze fell on the line that Yan Shuan was checking. He said softly, "My lord, this sentence should be 'Only in this way can one be a parent to the people.'"
Yan Shuan leaned closer to the paper, squinting as he examined it for a long time. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh. "Yes, yes, yes! That's the sentence! I copied it three times, but I still couldn't recognize the character 'father' in this ancient clerical script."
Zhao Zhiyuan also pointed to a place and said, "Sir, this sentence is of no virtue. It is a variant of the ancient text and is rarely seen in the world."
Yan Shuan looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded repeatedly, "Good, good! This book is a treasured possession of the palace; if a page is destroyed, it's one less page. I was so afraid of copying it wrong. Now that you're here, I've finished all my work for the day."
He looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "When I passed the imperial examination, I wasn't much older than you. In the blink of an eye, my hair has turned white."
Recalling the past, his tone softened, "You all know that the Hanlin Academy is austere. But austerity has its advantages... no one is watching you."
If you can calm your minds and focus on reading, calligraphy, and writing, you'll have a solid foundation in three to five years. Then, whether you're appointed as a local official or transferred to one of the six ministries, you'll have plenty of opportunities."
He smiled like an ordinary old man, "You young people have plenty of time. I'm getting old, and I'm counting on you youngsters to work a few more years so I can have some peace and quiet."
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan bowed in unison, "You flatter me, sir."
Yan Shuan waved his hand, "Go ahead, let Lord Zhen show you around. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
The two left the main room, exchanged a glance, and neither spoke.
Zhen Shiqing led them on a tour of the Hanlin Academy and obtained writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones from Liu Wenbin, who was in charge of books.
Finally, back in the side room, he pointed to two nearby tables and said, "You'll be working here from now on," handing them each a prepared book.
"These two books are old; you can take them to be refurbished."
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan accepted the gifts and returned to their seats, officially beginning their grueling lives of working from dawn till dusk.
Meanwhile, Meng Anzhi was invited to the Pure Joy Pavilion for a medical consultation.
Brothels were places doctors least wanted to frequent, and the madam only came to try her luck after hearing that a female doctor had arrived at the Anzhi Hall.
Surprisingly, the girl only asked "Where?" before following them over, without a trace of disdain or disgust in her eyes.