Passing on a Message
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he swallowed it back. He only said, "I wonder how Miss Zhiwei's writing is, and whether it matches her calligraphy."
Xiao Ge knew that Eunuch Xie was suggesting he review the papers first. So he nodded and picked up the exam paper to look at it.
Eunuch Xie took a few steps back and quietly returned to his original position.
A moment later, he saw Xiao Ge slam his hand on the table again. "Excellent article, excellent article!"
After taking the photos, Xiao Ge dipped his brush in vermilion ink and began to write on the exam papers. Judging from the speed and force of his writing, Eunuch Xie knew that the Emperor was very excited at the moment. His brushstrokes were vigorous and flowing, and he wrote nearly a hundred words before stopping and letting out a soft sigh.
Seeing this, Eunuch Xie couldn't help but sigh softly.
Xiao Ge spent half an hour grading these exam papers.
Some articles are original, offering suggestions that are refreshing and insightful; he would savor them carefully, pondering their meaning. Other articles, though beautifully written and grand in style, lack originality. Xiao Ge would glance at such articles and put them down.
After reviewing the papers, he took a sip of tea, put down the cup, let out a long sigh, and said with a wry smile, "The difficult moment has arrived. According to my preferences, whether it's essays or calligraphy, Zhao Zhiwei is naturally the best. She deserves the title of top scholar, surpassing all the other candidates. But if I appoint her as the top scholar, I wonder how many people will be dissatisfied. Dissatisfaction is one thing; I'm not an emperor who fears the dissatisfaction of his subjects. It's just..."
He shook his head, sighing deeply, "Since I appointed her as the top scholar, she has to become an official, and she has to serve in that position well and not give up halfway. Otherwise, she will be criticized by the scholar-officials."
He looked up at Eunuch Xie: "Zhao Zhiwei, isn't it time to talk about marriage?"
"Yes," said Eunuch Xie. "Miss Zhiwei will be sixteen in a few months, which is the perfect age for marriage."
Xiao Ge asked curiously, "Is she engaged?"
Because Zhao Zhiwei was exceptionally talented, the Emperor paid close attention to her, and Eunuch Xie had done his homework on this matter.
He shook his head and said, "No. Many families in the capital have come to propose marriage, Earl of Suiping's Residence has rejected them all."
Xiao Ge was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Zhao Zhiwei so talented and beautiful, there are really few men in the world who are worthy of her. Moreover, it would be a loss for our Great Jin to confine such a woman to the inner quarters to bear children. Her marriage should not be arranged casually."
Suddenly, Eunuch Xie stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed deeply to Xiao Ge: "Before the palace examination, Mister Kumu entered the palace once. When he left, this old servant saw him off, and he asked this old servant to pass on a few words to the Emperor. He specifically instructed this old servant to say them after the palace examination, before the Emperor finished reviewing the examination papers and was about to appoint the top scholars."
"Oh?" Xiao Ge sat up straight. "What is it? Tell me."
"Mister Kumu said that Miss Zhiwei's greatest wish in this life is to serve as an official in another region, to see the magnificent landscape of the Great Jin, to understand and experience the hardships of the people, and to do something for the common folk. Mister Kumu said that if Miss Zhiwei's writing does not meet the Emperor's approval and she has no chance to become a top-ranking scholar, then there is no need to say this to the Emperor."
Xiao Ge was stunned for a moment.
After a long silence, he finally said, "You may rise."
He glanced down at Zhao Ruxi's exam paper, which was at the very top of the list, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He felt a pang of sadness for Zhao Zhiwei's ambition, and also for his uncle and junior sister's kind intentions.
While Zhao Zhiwei's desire to be transferred to a post outside the capital to realize her ambitions was partly the reason her uncle said these words, it was likely more out of a desire to avoid putting him in a difficult position. He probably used this as an excuse to ask Eunuch Xie to say these words.
He stared at the exam paper in silence for a long time, then pulled out the next exam paper to look at.
Upon seeing this, Eunuch Xie's lips twitched slightly, but he ultimately lowered his head and remained silent.
After finishing the palace examination, Zhao Ruxi felt completely relieved. She had intended to sleep in, but she still woke up promptly at six o'clock.
These days, without a cell phone or computer, it's difficult to even slack off or be lazy. Zhao Ruxi had no choice but to get up, practice her boxing twice in the yard, take a bath, have breakfast, and then practice calligraphy for a few days, earning two or three hundred points before finally dawdling until nine o'clock.
She changed her clothes, led Qingfeng and Dianjiang out the door, and just as they reached the hanging flower gate, they encountered the gatekeeper who came in to deliver the invitation.
"Miss, this morning, more than a dozen people delivered visiting cards and invitations. They said that the master is a tribute student and will be participating in the palace examination with you." The gatekeeper said, handing the cards to Dianjiang.
If they were all invitations, Zhao Ruxi simply told them to leave them for later and let Qingfeng deal with them when they returned.
If there's a formal invitation, then this approach won't work.
She frowned, sat down on the veranda, and took the invitations one by one, finding that there were more than ten invitations, all inviting her to literary gatherings. And these literary gatherings were not in one place, and the dates varied from the day after tomorrow to several days later.
There were two visiting cards, one from Duan Chen, the top scholar in the provincial examination, and the other from Lu Shanchu, a tribute student. Lu Shanchu was to visit the day after tomorrow, after the palace examination results were announced; while Duan Chen was to visit this afternoon.
The list of successful candidates in the metropolitan examination is basically the final list of those who passed the imperial examination; only minor adjustments are made after the palace examination. Therefore, Zhao Ruxi once Xiaole to copy a list of successful candidates from the metropolitan examination in order to understand the situation of this year's successful candidates.
She remembered that this scholar from Lu Shanchu was ranked fifth and was also a contender for the top-ranking scholar.
As for what this person looked like, she didn't pay any attention during yesterday's palace examination. If Duan Chen hadn't been standing alone in front of her and hadn't turned around to look at her, she wouldn't have even remembered Duan Chen.
The gatekeeper, not having received instructions from the young lady, dared not leave and instead stood by watching.
Seeing the young lady looking through the two visiting cards, he explained, "This visiting card from Master Duan was delivered by him personally, with a very humble and polite attitude; the visiting card from Master Lu was delivered by his steward, who said that his master would come to deliver it again in a couple of days to confirm whether the young lady would like to receive him and whether she would mind if he brought a friend."
The Earl of Suiping's Residence was very concerned about Zhao Ruxi's marriage, even though the gatekeeper was an old man in his fifties.
So he added at the end, "Both young masters are seventeen or eighteen years old and very handsome. Young Master Duan, in particular, is no less handsome than Lord Wu of the Court of Judicial Review."
Wu Zong had visited the Earl of Suiping's Residence several times, and the gatekeeper recognized him.
Kang Shilin was probably a looks-obsessed person, as all of his disciples were quite good-looking. Among them, Wu Zong was the most outstanding, a very handsome man with a refined demeanor.