Upon hearing Princess Yonghe speak up, Shen Qingyao remembered that there was still someone else beside her and Lu Zhao. She took two steps back and completely exited the range in front of Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao’s expression also softened, casually retracting his hand and putting it behind him, then looking at Princess Yonghe again with a cold demeanor. He nodded lightly and said indifferently, “Thank you, Princess.”
Princess Yonghe clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes staring tightly at Lu Zhao, filled with grievances, reluctance, and many more complex emotions that Shen Qingyao couldn’t understand.
“What exactly does this Princess mean?” Shen Qingyao narrowed her eyes. She felt something was off just now. Every word from this person seemed to carry some meaning, making it hard not to suspect this person’s feelings towards Lu Zhao.
“Why is everyone targeting Lu Zhao? Clearly, Xiao Mu is the male lead!” Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but complain, feeling very confused.
[Host, calm down. Since ancient times, the male lead belongs to the female lead, and the white moonlight belongs to everyone. Keep a normal mindset, okay?]
The system tried to comfort her but only received a glare from Shen Qingyao. She said, “Please be quiet.”
After a moment, she continued, “But I still feel something is off. If she likes Lu Zhao, why did she deliberately lead me during the palace banquet to make me think that Lu Zhao had something going on with my Eldest Sister? If she had the capability, wouldn’t she just make her own move and settle it once and for all?”
Gritting her teeth, Shen Qingyao moved aside, standing between Lu Zhao and Princess Yonghe, blocking the latter’s line of sight. It seemed like she couldn’t see the strange atmosphere between the two… no, it was the unilateral weird atmosphere from Princess Yonghe’s side.
Shen Qingyao smiled and said, “Princess, aren’t you still looking for a husband? You better hurry, or all the talented ones will be taken away.”
With that, Shen Qingyao turned slightly and hooked her arm with the ‘talented one’ she had chosen.
Lu Zhao raised his eyebrows, looking quite pleased. He didn’t move as she hooked her arm with his, and after she finished speaking, he chuckled, “Yaoyao, that’s not entirely correct. Since ancient times, the story of capturing a husband from the selection is considered beautiful because both parties have already agreed to the marriage. Mutual consent is what makes it beautiful. Forcing it will never last long.”
Lu Zhao spoke with a smile, but his gaze towards Princess Yonghe held no warmth.
Shen Qingyao’s lips curved into a restrained smile.
Princess Yonghe’s expression was no longer describable as just ugly. She stared ominously at Shen Qingyao, asking in a low voice, “Miss Shen, don’t you know who I want to choose as my husband?”
Shen Qingyao tightened her grip on Lu Zhao’s arm, thinking to herself that she didn’t care who Princess Yonghe wanted.
Fortunately, Princess Yonghe didn’t seem to actually want an answer from Shen Qingyao. After saying her piece, she looked at Lu Zhao again for a long while before finally saying, “Thank you for enlightening me, Young Master Lu. Yonghe has learned something.”
With that, Princess Yonghe briskly walked away.
Shen Qingyao watched her get into a nearby carriage with wide eyes. Shen Qingyao then exclaimed, “Huh? Not choosing anymore? There are still several talented candidates over there!”
The system scolded her and said, [Host, don’t cause trouble for others! What did those examinee NPCs do wrong?]
Shen Qingyao giggled mischievously, feeling quite pleased with herself. But with such a solid backing and her own built-in ‘detecting bad women’ radar, she couldn’t help but feel proud!
Suddenly, the nose of the proud little mischief-maker was lightly tapped by something cool. Shen Qingyao snapped out of her thoughts and realized it was Lu Zhao’s finger.
She shrunk her neck, thinking she had overdone it just now and made him unhappy. Trying to please him, she leaned over and said softly, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao! You’re so amazing!”
Shen Qingyao raised her thumb in admiration.
Lu Zhao was amused by her little antics and forgot what he had just wanted to say.
“Let’s go back first, it’s windy outside,” he said, without further ado, he pushed Shen Qingyao into the carriage, and then got in himself.
On the other side, Princess Yonghe sat silently in the carriage. There should have been only her in the carriage, but now there was another person.
That person was dressed in black, with an unpleasant expression. He leaned lazily against the carriage wall, his slender fingers tapping his knee with an unfolded fan, it was Xiao Jing.
“How is it?” Xiao Jing asked.
Princess Yonghe’s expression suddenly became excited, she was a little annoyed, her voice raised: “How is it? What do you think? Do you know what kind of person Lu Zhao is? It’s not easy to get close to him, let alone talk to him.”
As Princess Yonghe spoke, her tone involuntarily somewhat aggrieved. She stared at the man in front of her, her eyes slightly moist despite Shen Qingyao’s ridicule.
But Xiao Jing was not a tender-hearted person. He casually rotated the fan in his hand, lazily saying, “Yonghe, you should know how important Lu Zhao is.”
He finally turned his gaze, his eyes gentle and enticing. He lightly lifted Princess Yonghe’s chin with the fan, saying softly, “You already made a mistake last time in the palace, Yonghe, don’t disappoint me.”
A trace of humiliation flashed across Princess Yonghe’s face. She wanted to say that neither setting Lu Zhao up nor getting close to him was easy, but the words stuck in her throat. She turned her head in silence, moving her chin away, restoring her proud demeanor, and coldly said, “If there’s nothing to be afraid of, why doesn’t the Prince try to make a move on that girl from the Shen family himself?”
Recalling the humiliation he suffered in the restaurant the other day, Xiao Jing’s eyes darkened slightly. He coldly snorted and closed his eyes again, “You better take care of yourself first. Since you want to cooperate with me, you’d better obediently listen to what I say!”
Princess Yonghe didn’t say anything more. Only after the man closed his eyes did she finally stop hiding her admiration and affection in her eyes, gazing at Xiao Jing foolishly, a tear slowly falling from the corner of her eye.
After the Imperial Examination, everything related to the Imperial Examination entered the final stage, awaiting the final Palace Examination.
After Lu Zhao finished the Imperial Examination, he couldn’t accompany Shen Qingyao for long. Although the current Emperor was theoretically Lu Zhao’s uncle-in-law and maternal uncle1, considering Lu Zhao’s top performance in the Imperial Examination, it was almost certain that he would do well in the Palace Examination. But Lu Zhao’s demands on himself were not limited to this. The high-demanding White Moonlight was aiming for the title of Top Scholar in the final Palace Examination.
As for why, Shen Qingyao probably understood some reasons. Half of it was for his ambitions, and perhaps a small part of the other half… maybe for her. But she didn’t dare to fantasize like that, she could only wait anxiously every day, indirectly asking Shen Yushu about Lu Zhao’s preparation, adjusting her own state, and then another half month passed in a blink of an eye.
On the first day of March, the Palace Examination.
The Palace Examination was arranged in the palace, and Shen Qingyao couldn’t send Lu Zhao off like last time. But she found that even if she didn’t send him off, she couldn’t sleep. After tossing and turning in bed for a while, she sat up and decided to have breakfast with her Eldest Sister.
When she arrived, she found that Mother Shen was also there. Shen Qingyao was stunned for a moment, obediently calling out to her Mother. Mother Shen lovingly pulled her over, gently stroking the dark circles under her eyes, feeling a bit distressed, but considering what day it was today, Mother Shen felt it was only natural.
“Yaoyao, don’t worry. That child Lu Zhao has both the talent and the temperament for learning, he won’t be defeated by the Palace Examination,” Mother Shen comforted.
Shen Qingyao nodded, thinking to herself that it wasn’t exactly worry, she was just habitually anxious.
At this moment, Shen Qingli also came out. Seeing her sister looking haggard, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter, not giving her sister any face. She teased Shen Qingyao and said, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a Palace Examination. Why? Afraid that Lu Zhao won’t marry you if he doesn’t get the Top Scholar title?”
“Eldest Sister!” Shen Qingyao exclaimed, teetering on the brink of explosion. Was this really a matter of marriage?! Who will Lu Zhao be an indispensable assistant to in the future?!
Shen Qingli teased her for a few more sentences, then quickly reassured Shen Qingyao. The two sisters joked around, which alleviated Shen Qingyao’s anxiety quite a bit.
“He did it! Madam! Miss! He did it!! Young Master did it!!”
The servant shouted excitedly as he entered from outside the courtyard, his face flushed with excitement. The three women in the room stopped what they were doing upon hearing the sound, all stood up together. Shen Qingyao suddenly grabbed Shen Qingli’s sleeve, not knowing exactly what she was nervous about.
“What rank did he get?” Mother Shen’s face lit up with joy, eagerly asking.
“First place in the top rank! He’s the Top Scholar! His essay was praised by the Emperor himself!” The servant’s face was filled with smiles. “Congratulations, Madam! Congratulations, Third Miss! The family’s future son-in-law is now the Top Scholar!”
Upon hearing the news, Shen Qingyao’s tension loosened, and she let out a long breath, finally feeling relieved after days of anxiety. She exchanged a glance with Shen Qingli, both of them smiling. Mother Shen was also overjoyed; her son was the Top Scholar in the previous examination, and now her daughter’s husband is also a Top Scholar! She felt immensely proud. With a wave of her hand, she smiled at the steward beside her, “Rewards! Each courtyard will receive rewards!”
The servants below were delighted to hear about the rewards, and expressions of joy and gratitude filled the room for a while.
“The parade of the top three scholars is about to come out of the palace! They will pass through Zhengyang Gate and then Shenwu Street. Does Miss want to go and see?” It was still the same servant who brought the news, now he had received a large sum of gold ingots, smiling obsequiously at Shen Qingyao, as it was obvious whom she wanted to see.
Shen Qingyao’s heart fluttered, but she didn’t move.
“Hurry, go! Perhaps this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! There’s nothing to be embarrassed about!” Shen Qingli noticed her sister’s thoughts and pushed her sister teasingly.
Shen Qingyao turned around and saw her Mother and Eldest Sister looking at her encouragingly. She bit her lip and couldn’t resist the urge to go and see Lu Zhao’s parade. She hurriedly ran out.
When Shen Qingyao arrived at Shenwu Street, it was already packed with people, more crowded than ever before. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of this year’s Top Scholar.
She gently touched her chest, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, but found it impossible. She breathed heavily, trying to control her excitement.
Lu Zhao was this year’s Top Scholar, she thought, he truly had achieved it.
As the parade came out of the palace gates in high spirits, Shen Qingyao, amidst the crowd, immediately spotted the familiar tall figure. Lu Zhao had changed into the new Top Scholar’s crimson official robes, a color he never wore before. It suddenly appeared on him like flames on ice, bright and dazzling. Shen Qingyao almost forgot to breathe as she watched him.
rokumi’s note : Sorry for missing schedules previously, and suddenly changing the schedule to sporadic without notice. Anyway, updates will be back on schedule (every Monday and Wednesday) starting next week! This time, for real!
- the Empress is Lu Zhao’s paternal aunt, so the Emperor is his uncle-in-law (aunt’s husband). Also, his mother is the Emperor’s sister, hence the Emperor is also his maternal uncle. ↩︎