Not Good Enough for Her
Because the old lady and Zhao Ruxi were still in the capital, Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu only brought two cooks with them when they came to Jiangnan. The cooks who could cook to the tastes of the old lady and Zhao Ruxi were left in the capital.
With the banquet arranged in such a rush, the kitchen was naturally overwhelmed. Liu Quan simply ordered two tables at the restaurant and asked the chef to prepare a few of his signature dishes to be served together.
He also knew that the Fifth Miss had achieved second place in the imperial examination, which was a cause for great joy; since the master had invited all his colleagues, he couldn't be stingy. Therefore, he ordered the finest banquets and had the chef prepare dishes that reflected the refinement and preciousness of a noble family in the capital.
Everyone was very satisfied with the meal and praised it repeatedly.
After the meal, while Zhao Yuanxun was seeing the guests off, Zhang Shun deliberately lagged behind and, emboldened by alcohol, said to Zhao Yuanxun, "Your daughter is intelligent and capable. At such a young age, she ranked second in the provincial examination, surpassing many men. I wonder if your daughter is married yet? I have a nephew who is sixteen years old this year and is also extremely intelligent. Last year he passed the provincial examination and was planning to take the metropolitan examination this year, but his teacher was afraid that his early success would make him arrogant, so he insisted that he take the metropolitan examination next year."
He patted Zhao Yuanxun on the shoulder. "Here's what we'll do, I'll have someone call him over tomorrow so you can meet him. If you don't like him, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Zhao Yuanxun has been in poor health since childhood and is very disciplined with his diet. Even though he was hosting today, he didn't drink too much alcohol. He's only slightly tipsy right now.
But Zhang Shun's words completely sobered him up.
At the dinner table earlier, everyone tried to find out about Zhao Ruxi, and they even brought up their own nephews and nieces, hinting at marriage alliances, but he just laughed it off.
Zhang Shun was shrewd; by bringing up the matter only now, he couldn't simply brush it off.
"Lord Zhang's nephew is certainly outstanding. But you don't know about my daughter; I can't make decisions about her marriage. Firstly, there's her teacher involved..."
At this point, Zhao Yuanxun smiled and said, "It's Mister Kumu. I wonder if Lord Zhang has heard of him? He's over seventy years old, highly respected, and treats my daughter like his own. He's always been very concerned about my daughter's marriage and has been inquiring everywhere to find a suitable match."
Zhang Shun was startled. "Mister Kumu? Could it be the master painter Kang Shilin?"
"Exactly," Zhao Yuanxun nodded.
"Besides Mister Kumu, my mother and wife are the most concerned about my daughter's marriage. My mother, in particular, is reluctant to see my daughter marry far away and has even declared that she will find her a husband in the capital. My daughter will turn sixteen this summer, and the elders have carefully selected several men, but it's still not settled. So I must apologize to Lord Zhang. This matter is truly beyond my control."
Zhang Shun only mentioned it casually, without much confidence.
They were powerful and wealthy nobles in the capital, far beyond the reach of officials from humble backgrounds like them. Not to mention, his nephew was only a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), not even comparable to Zhao Yuanxun's daughter in terms of academic achievement, let alone status, position, or wealth.
But seeing such an outstanding girl in front of him, who was also the daughter of his subordinate, he couldn't resist giving it a try.
What if it works?
He wouldn't have brought up his nephew if his eldest son wasn't already married and his youngest son wasn't still young.
Now that he heard that Zhao Ruxi was still Kang Shilin's apprentice, he simply gave up hope.
Although he had never served as an official in the capital, he knew more or less about the powerful people in the city. He had heard his mentor and fellow disciples mention this Mister Kumu in casual conversations; he was an extremely capable person who not only had a very close relationship with the emperor but also had disciples who were all extraordinary individuals.
"Haha, I was just saying. I know my nephew is not good enough for your daughter." Zhang Shun laughed, cupped his hands to Zhao Yuanxun, and quickened his pace to catch up with his colleagues.
In the capital, the imperial examination will be held half a month after the results are announced.
The imperial examination was held in the Hall of Literary Glory of the palace and lasted all day. The palace would provide the candidates with a meal at noon. The questions for the imperial examination were set by the emperor himself. There were only two or three questions, which asked the candidates to express their opinions on some current government affairs and even propose solutions.
The palace examination was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, but the candidates, fearing they would be late, gathered at the East Glorious Gate of the palace at 8:00 AM to wait for officials from the Ministry of Rites to lead them in.
"Brother Zhang, you've arrived?"
"Brother Wensheng, long time no see! Congratulations!"
Although East Glorious Gate was not inside the palace, the scholars did not dare to make a loud noise, but greeted each other in hushed tones.
After exchanging greetings, someone looked around and whispered to a close friend, "Why hasn't that person arrived yet? Are they going to wait until the exam starts?"
The other person scoffed, "They're of high status, isn't it normal for them to arrive late? Even if they're late, it's fine, they'll still get in."
Whether he's of high or low status is debatable; he probably wouldn't dare come so early, for fear of being seen.
People nearby overheard their conversation and quickly moved away, not daring to get too close to them.
These two are gossiping about Layperson Zhiwei in such a crowded and noisy place. Are they afraid that after passing the imperial examination, the Minister of Ministry of Personnel won't send them to the poorest places? Two fools.
The provincial examination ended and the palace examination began, with only half a month in between. If any candidate made a spectacle of themselves or caused trouble during this half-month, resulting in a bad reputation, they should not consider participating in the palace examination, and even if they did, the court would not accept them.
Therefore, before the imperial examination, these candidates often attended literary and poetry gatherings, but for the next two weeks, they stayed at home, not daring to go anywhere for fear of something unexpected happening. Sometimes trouble comes to you even if you don't look for it. Ten years of hard work, just one step away from the exam, so there is absolutely no room for error.
Therefore, many people will try it out after it's their first meeting.
However, since everyone had participated in the literary and poetry gatherings before the imperial examination, even though they were candidates from other places, they were all familiar with each other.
Zhao Ruxi, however, never participated in these literary or poetry gatherings.
The only woman to participate in the imperial examination, a noblewoman of the perfect age and still unmarried, became a master painter—a disciple of Kang Shilin and the junior sister of Wu Huaisi, the Minister of Ministry of Personnel. Many self-proclaimed young talents and unmarried candidates harbored ulterior motives.
If this woman weren't ugly, given her family background, connections, talent, and fame, she would definitely be a good marriage prospect for them. Leaving aside their complementary talents, just her family's connections alone would guarantee a meteoric rise in their careers, saving them ten years of hard work.
Therefore, several unmarried men who considered themselves to be quite talented and handsome inquired about Zhao Ruxi from the candidates in the capital.