Jing Heguang turned over, put on his shoes and went to open the door.
The moment he opened the door, the wrinkled face of the old curator looked quite beautiful to Jing Heguang!
Jing Heguang asked happily: “Is it really me? Really!”
Did they get the wrong person?
This was Jing Heguang’s first reaction after being happy.
He never thought that he could get third place in the examination.
The ancient imperial examination was a competition between countless smart people. The third place in the test will be the top three in the country this time!
The old curator slapped Jing Heguang on the shoulder: “Silly boy! Everyone has already registered their name before the examination. Who else could it be if it weren’t you? You are the only one named Jing Heguang in our hall!”
The old curator felt a little sad when he said this.
After all…there’s only one person’s surname Jing in the hall, and this year he is also a jieyuan! Fortunately, the quality of this seedling is very good, he is among the top three. This is very honorable!
Jing Heguang got the affirmative answer and turned around to go back to the room to get the money.
It’s customary to give money to the person sending the good news. Before coming out, Zhang Xingyu was afraid that he didn’t know, so he warned him carefully.
Thinking of Zhang Xingyu’s murmurings before leaving, Jing Heguang wished he could fly up immediately and share his current success and joy with Zhang Xingyu!
Unexpectedly, the old curator suddenly turned around and grabbed Jing Heguang’s sleeve and said anxiously: “Let’s go! Why are you running back?”
Jing Heguang said: “Curator, I’m going to get some money for the guest. ”
The old curator flicked his sleeves: “What are you getting? I’ll give it to you! The good news is waiting for you! Hurry up!”
Jing Heguang said as he was being pulled away: “Then I’ll treat everyone to dinner later.”
The old curator smiled kindly and said the same familiar words: “That’s great!”
At the door of the administration hall, Jing Heguang took the good news from the good news sender and opened it amidst the sound of joyful gongs and drums.
Jing Heguang thought: The sound of these gongs and drums is so nice!
The candidates from the nearby administration hall looked over with envy. The old curator and the candidates from the halls who had felt so embarrassed before now puffed up their chests and felt extra proud!
What are you looking at us for?!
You may have been laughing at us behind our backs, but now we have gained a ‘big one’! Extra large!
This feeling was felt most strongly by the old curator. He lives in the capital all year round, and half of his friends are curators in other prefecture administration halls.
When everyone chats, they will laugh: “Your hall has only produced one Jinshi this year.” Such words were just a joke but the old curator felt uncomfortable hearing them over and over again.
Before Jing Heguang knew it, he was already the beacon of hope for this hall curator this year.
After receiving the good news, the old curator contacted a familiar restaurant and asked them to deliver the food, then everyone ate and drank happily.
As the most popular person today, Jing Heguang could not help drinking.
He drank one glass after another. When he felt a little dizzy, he thought of Zhang Xingyu again.
After being drunk, should he just cry to his husband like he did last time when he didn’t get to eat?
Then Jing Heguang saw a drunken juren crying on the table and immediately gave up the idea.
Many scholars have been buried in their desks for more than ten years. It’s really not easy when thinking about doing this for more than ten years.
Jing Heguang felt that getting these people drunk for a while wouldn’t make them so sad anymore!
It’s just…he feels really dizzy…
Jing Heguang felt that his eyelids were extremely heavy, then finally he couldn’t block the drunkenness and lay down on the table.
Seeing that Jing Heguang was so drunk that he fell asleep directly, the other candidates took back their toasting hands and toasted to each other instead.
As for the old curator…
The old curator was very happy as he counted the wine jars!
The food is from the restaurant and the wine is sold by him. He has made a lot of money this year!
After everyone had finished drinking, the old curator and his long-term worker moved the people into the room to avoid catching cold while sleeping outside.
Jing Heguang was taken by the old curator himself.
The old curator looked at Jing Heguang, who had not opened his eyes and was outstanding in appearance, and said with a bit of pity: “With this appearance, it will be easy in the future if he wasn’t married yet.”
Scholars usually get married late. They usually wait to marry after becoming a Jinshi to marry a daughter from a high status family to gets help from their father-in-law’s family.
With Jing Heguang’s appearance and character, the old curator felt that he was more than qualified to be an imperial son-in-law!
Jing Heguang fell asleep in a daze, but he felt as if he heard the word ‘married’.
He smiled silly and said: “I’m married! With Xing’ger!”
The old curator didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Okay, you’re married, now go to sleep.”
***
Some people here are happy, and others are sad elsewhere. There are also people who are busy.
“Has the whole list been published?”
“Check the information collected before and see which one is better. Those who are not married, those who are talented and handsome, circle them with red ink.”
“Master, why are you thinking about all this? The youngest of our family is ranked fourth in this year’s imperial examination. I believe it is not difficult to win first place in the palace examination. Our family background is not bad, I think he is the perfect match for the little princess!”
Being the imperial son-in-law was not subject to any control in their officialdom. Thus, on the contrary, because he is the emperor’s son-in-law, he will always be in the emperor’s heart, so it is quite popular.
After all, the emperor married off his daughter, not just finding a husband for his daughter.
A man who doesn’t want to be promoted and make a fortune doesn’t have to worry about making life difficult for the princess. Anyway, the imperial family has the greatest power, so they are not afraid of the imperial son-in-law having bad intentions.
The next day, the name Jing Heguang appeared on the lists of several people.
Jing Heguang’s prefecture was remote, the academics style was not very prosperous, and it was quite inconspicuous. Besides, jieyuan isn’t hard to find, which led to people in the capital leaving out Jing Heguang when they were collecting information about this generation of talents.
When they asked about it now, they found out that Jing Heguang is actually third place, and he is also very good-looking!
After asking around again, it wasn’t known which young master told them: This jieyuan is married, and the person he married is a butcher!
Being a butcher is a vulgar profession. It’s rare for anyone to be with a butcher, so it’s quite unpopular in the eyes of wealthy people.
Jing Heguang’s name was crossed off the list of people who needed to be watched out for, but he gradually became famous due to this incident, causing many people to not know who he was, but instead knew about Zhang Xingyu’s occupation!
***
On the eve of the palace examination, in the imperial garden.
Li Yujiao, together with the ladies and ger from other families, was having an autumn banquet with the little princess.
Li Wenxin is a powerful official, but he is not a local official. The ladies and gers from families in the capital don’t like Li Yujiao who grew up elsewhere, but they don’t dare to show her any disrespect. In short, they don’t pay much attention to her.
Fortunately, her grandfather has a large family. Li Yujiao has a cousin on the left and a cousin on the right. They eat cakes and talk about flowers, which is quite lively.
While chatting, Li Yujiao heard a familiar name – ‘Jing Heguang’.
Li Yujiao was so curious that she stopped eating cakes and secretly raised her ears.
“I heard that the scholar’s husband is actually a butcher!”
“Do you know what a butcher does? He kills pigs, but he might also kill cattle and sheep. It’s scary to think about it.”
“Why would a scholar marry such a vulgar guy? To marry such a vulgar guy, what kind of tastes and hobbies does he have? I think he’s also very vulgar…”
“That Jing Heguang is the jieyuan from the provincial exam, maybe he will even be the Tanhua Lang, ne?”
They were talking attentively, and the little princess, who had been listening for a while, was so frightened that her eyes widened and she retorted: “How can such a person be the Tanhua Lang?!”
Her father said, Tanhua Lang will be her future husband!
Li Yujiao was already annoyed when she heard this, but when she heard the little princess’s disdainful tone towards Jing Heguang, she immediately spoke out angrily.
“Jing Heguang is very kind! He is not a vulgar person as you say!”
Li Yujiao’s father is the highest in the prefecture, and she is also the highest among the ladies in the prefecture, so she is not used to bearing things.
As soon as she opened her mouth, Li Yujiao forgot what Qin Lu had told her about being tolerant to the little princess.
And because she grew up in a local area, Li Yujiao is not as ignorant of the sufferings of the people as the young ladies and gers in the capital.
She angrily glared at the group of people who looked down on Jing Heguang: “You all also eat meat! Since meat is so vulgar, don’t eat meat then!”
“Jing Heguang is not what you say! He is not only good-looking but he is also very handsome and a very nice person. Even if his husband is a butcher, he is also very good! Without butchers, how would we get meat to eat?”
Li Yujiao recalled so far that the scene that impressed her most about Jing Heguang was under the prosperous fireworks that filled the sky that night, Jing Heguang lonelily talking about missing his husband.
That kind of person, even if she doesn’t want to call him uncle, is still a very good person.
Her father and mother also think Jing Heguang is very good. Jing Heguang is very good, and so is Jing Heguang’s husband!
Li Yujiao’s cousin almost burst into tears when she saw the little princess being criticized. She pulled Li Yujiao and advised: “Yujiao, forget it, don’t scare the little princess!”
Li Yujiao’s cousin also said anxiously: “Yeah, how do you know about that outsider and his husband? This matter is inherently strange, were you deceived?”
Li Yujiao’s cousin still prefers to say that it was vulgar. In her opinion, pig killing was too despicable and vulgar work…
Li Yujiao became even more angry when her cousin, who clearly knew nothing about it, questioned her!
Li Yujiao was so angry that she put aside her firm idea not to call Jing Heguang uncle, and said loudly: “Why don’t I know? He is not an outsider, but an uncle of mine! We came to the capital together on the way!”
T/N: Good going, little niece. Uncle Heguang approves! (Of course, Singledog also approves! d(･∀･○))
