As the weather grew colder, their stall became even more profitable. People were willing to wait for hot, spicy skewers, and the presence of handsome scholars made it even more attractive.
Yuan Zhao distributed money clearly so they could all buy warmer clothes. Otherwise, they might fall ill before the results even came out.
Chengdu, as always pampered, even asked Yuan Zhao to buy clothes for him.
“I can’t do that for you!” Yuan Zhao frowned. “Just go buy them yourself!”
“You’re my senior brother’s husband, so you’re like our sister-in-law!” Chengdu said shamelessly.
Yuan Zhao puffed his cheeks. “Ah Xiang—look at him!”
Chengdu immediately turned around. “Senior brother—look at him!”
Shi Wuxiang rubbed his brow in helpless exhaustion. These two were impossible together.
Fu Ying finally snapped and punched Chengdu in the back. “Stop acting like a fool.”
In the end, Yuan Zhao still went along with it, because Shi Wuxiang lightly pinched his waist and he gave in.
Days passed like this—laughter, arguing, working, waiting.
Until finally, the day of the ranking arrived.
Outside the bulletin board, crowds had already gathered.
Yuan Zhao was so nervous he almost fainted. Shi Wuxiang and the others were also tense now that the moment had truly arrived.
“It will be announced row by row,” Shi Wuxiang said calmly. “Don’t rush.”
But even he could not fully relax. Talent existed everywhere, and he was not necessarily the best in the province.
The crowd roared as names were called. From the back of the list upward, until finally reaching the top ranks.
Then someone shouted—
“I can’t take it anymore!”
Hu Lu suddenly raised his voice. “I’m going to squeeze in and look myself. Waiting like this is torture!”
Shi Wuxiang looked at his trembling hands and sighed. “I’ll go.”
He made sure Yuan Zhao was settled, asked for tea upstairs, then pushed through the crowd.
It was packed three layers deep. He could barely enter, his clothes tugged and disheveled.
“Master Shi! Master Shi, you’re on the list!” someone shouted.
Shi Wuxiang froze slightly.
Before he could ask further, voices overlapped.
“All of them are on the list!”
“Shi Wuxiang is ranked as Jing Kui!”
He immediately pulled himself out of the crowd, avoiding being grabbed.
When he returned to the inn, Yuan Zhao nearly collapsed onto the table.
“I… I think I’m going to faint…”
“I think I’m crying…” he muttered.
Chengdu corrected him immediately. “That’s tears, not drool!”
Shi Wuxiang returned, already composed, and wiped Yuan Zhao’s tears.
“It’s a good thing,” he said softly.
Yuan Zhao sniffled. “We studied so hard… so long… I— I…”
“Know, know, I understand what you mean.” Shi Wuxiang lightly rubbed his hand, softly soothing him, “Don’t cry anymore, this is a good thing. In a while your face is going to crack from dryness, and you don’t even like applying ointment.”
“Mm…” Yuan Zhao sniffled twice more before barely stopping his tears.
The others had already accepted this news and were teasing them from the side. Yuan Zhao felt a little embarrassed and scratched his face, but then started laughing again.
The top scholar of the provincial exam was someone they did not know; it seemed to be the son of some high-ranking official. When he went to see the posted list, the people around automatically made way for him, and even did not dare to speak loudly.
However, this had nothing to do with them. As long as their names were on the list, they could participate in the metropolitan exam, and all they needed to do was seize every opportunity.
People like them—small-ranking presented scholars—would not be noticed. After receiving the result they wanted, they quietly returned to the small courtyard. The thin guy and the thin guy’s mother had not yet returned, so naturally no one knew whether they had passed or not, and the place was especially quiet at the moment.
“So what do we do next?” Yuan Zhao asked blankly, “Should we go home now?”
Shi Wuxiang subconsciously replied, “We have to wait for the soldiers who announce the rankings to deliver the golden flower placards. They will also send fast horses to the town to deliver the good news, and by then everyone will know.”
Yuan Zhao nodded thoughtfully, “Then let’s wait until we receive the golden flower placard before going home. I want to go home too, I wonder how things are at home.”
Yuan ge’er must be crying his eyes out missing him.
Sigh.
Shi Wuxiang wrapped an arm around his shoulder and gently comforted him, “I know. Once things here are finished, we’ll go home.”
Not only Yuan Zhao, but the others had also been away from home for so long that they all felt some longing for it.
Because of the posting of the rankings, the atmosphere in the provincial capital was especially lively.
In the afternoon, they heard the sound of gongs and drums in the city, clearly indicating that they were sending out the golden flower placards according to the positions written when entering the examination hall.
While waiting nervously and excitedly, after an unknown amount of time, the originally quiet alley suddenly rang with gongs and drums, getting closer and closer, as if already right in front of them.
“They’re here!”
“Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations to the presented scholars!”
The residents of the alley came out to congratulate upon hearing the noise, and saw the leading guards enter the courtyard.
“We have come to deliver golden flower placards and banquet invitation posts to the chief scholar and the three presented scholars, inviting you all to attend the Luming Banquet organized at the Denggao Restaurant tomorrow.”
“Thank you for your hard work, brothers.” Yuan Zhao repeatedly thanked them, then took out a pouch from his sleeve, “A small bit of celebration money, please have some drinks.”
“Many thanks, proper lord. We still have to go announce good news elsewhere, so we’ll take our leave.” The guards happily accepted the pouch, and though they did not look down on his clothing, their attitude became even more respectful.
“Hard work.” Shi Wuxiang politely thanked them and personally saw them out.
After the guards left, the small courtyard was immediately filled with people. Everyone knew that several scholars lived here, but no one expected that they would all pass the exam.
“Congratulations, honored presented scholars!”
“Your courtyard is really thriving—suddenly so many presented scholars! Truly remarkable!”
The thin guy’s family had never seen so many people. Even when his father died, there had not been so many people helping, yet now it was more lively than the New Year.
People from several alleys came to congratulate, almost crowding them into the house, rushing to express their thanks.
After a long while of liveliness, the people in the courtyard gradually dispersed.
When only they remained, each of them looked at the golden flower placards in their hands and could not help but smile. Years of effort had finally shown a path of hope.
Hu Lu was the first to stand and cup his hands toward Shi Wuxiang, “Since it’s only us now, I should congratulate Brother Wuxiang for becoming the chief scholar.”
Shi Wuxiang also immediately stood up, “All of you are talents among men, so it is naturally a shared joy. We will continue to strive hard for next year’s metropolitan exam!”
“That’s right!” Cheng Du immediately said.
They were all fellow students from the town and usually chatted and laughed freely, so there was no need for excessive formalities. Moreover, being serious outside was enough; among themselves there was no need.
Hu Lu, because of his own hidden shameful thoughts, always felt inferior when facing Shi Wuxiang. He knew this feeling was inappropriate, but he could not deny that Yuan Zhao was truly a very good ge’er.
Not spoiled or overbearing, nor self-pitying, always cheerful and smiling, occasionally a bit silly in a way that made people find him cute.
And even though he only got to know them because of Shi Wuxiang, he still sincerely took care of them properly. Hu Lu knew this was because of Shi Wuxiang, but if it were someone else, there might have been resentment.
Yuan Zhao had a kind of charm that made anyone who knew him feel hopeful and calm.
“What are you looking at me for?” Yuan Zhao keenly noticed his gaze, “Are you hungry? Is Ah Xiang hungry? If you are, I’ll cook. We won’t eat what the thin guy’s mother made; I’ll cook myself.”
His last sentence was very soft, afraid the thin guy’s mother would hear and be hurt.
Cheng Du clicked his tongue twice, “Listen to that—his husband being hungry is what matters, everyone else being hungry is just being hungry.”
Hu Lu, who originally had some worries, also found it funny after hearing Cheng Du. He accepted it well enough, since his connection with Yuan Zhao was through Shi Wuxiang.
Yuan Zhao snorted, “Of course.”
Shi Wuxiang, very satisfied, pinched his fingertip, drawing his attention. Then he said softly, “Tonight will probably be busy. Just help me. Also, I’ll need you to buy some alcohol—we won’t be able to go out easily.”
“I understand, I understand.” Yuan Zhao was very sensible. They were all hot items now; once they went out, they would be swarmed, “Are Scholar Hong and the others coming?”
“Yes,” Shi Wuxiang said.
Yuan Zhao nodded repeatedly, “Then I’ll buy more meat, some side dishes for drinking, and we’ll make hot pot, right?”
“You’re very smart. If you want sweet wine, you can buy a small jug.”
“I won’t drink. I need to take care of you tonight. If everyone gets drunk, no one can take care of things.”
“Listen to that! Listen to that!” Cheng Du sighed again.
Even the usually cold Fu Ying could not help but laugh.
The group laughed together. Along the way, although there were moments of tension and occasional arguments, because Yuan Zhao mediated among them, things never got too chaotic, and instead their relationship became closer.
As Hu Lu thought, Yuan Zhao indeed had a unique charm that made people feel hope and peace.
Hong Yu and Ling An arrived at night, refusing invitations from other scholars at the inn and coming alone, wanting to get closer to Shi Wuxiang and the others.
This time they did not come empty-handed; instead, they brought even more complete gifts than last time—knowing Yuan Zhao was a ge’er and inconvenient to drink alcohol, they specially brought refreshing tea.
It was also a way of repaying Yuan Zhao’s careful care last time.
Tonight, these scholars were the main characters. Since they still had to attend the Luming Banquet tomorrow, none of them planned to get drunk, mostly just chatting.
Yuan Zhao quietly ate the dishes Shi Wuxiang picked for him, drinking the refreshing tea alongside, and it was a different kind of enjoyment.
Hong Yu and Ling An, though not ranked as chief scholars, were still relatively high in ranking. They were very curious—how could such a small town like Mingqu County produce so many presented scholars? It was simply unbelievable.
“If not for my husband’s careful care, I might not have been able to persist this way.” Shi Wuxiang did not elaborate on his own effort, only saying that Yuan Zhao’s companionship gave him courage.
Cheng Du and Fu Ying also repeatedly agreed, “That’s true. Brother Zhao would come to the academy every few days to deliver food and care for us, offering encouragement. He was never absent even in wind or rain. We benefited from Brother Shi.”
If only one person said this, it might be coincidence, but since all of them said it, Hong Yu and Ling An could not help but look at Yuan Zhao in a higher light. A ge’er like this, as a husband, truly does not hold people back.
Yuan Zhao, hearing them praise him, did not boast; he only smiled shyly, knowing this was not the time to be proud.
While eating and chatting, they naturally spoke about tomorrow’s Luming Banquet.
Hong Yu said, “We plan to go. We can meet more presented scholars there, and if we can speak with officials from inside and outside the examination halls, even better.”
The purpose of the imperial exams was to enter officialdom; the more connections one had, the easier it would be. If one performed well in the metropolitan and palace exams, success would be within reach.
Ling An also nodded slightly; he simply admired the scholars ranked ahead and wanted to exchange a few words.
The Luming Banquet did not strictly require attendance, but everyone knew it was held for new presented scholars. If one did not go, not only would one miss connections, but one might also be excluded by other scholars, which would not be beneficial later.
However, whether to go or not seemed to depend on Shi Wuxiang.
They had also recently learned that some scholars, because they had not been discreet about their travel, had revealed their whereabouts in detail and were harmed by those with ill intentions, failing to reach the provincial capital before the exam ended.
If not for prior warnings, and their forced concealment of identity along the way, they might have suffered the same fate.
Shi Wuxiang said, “Of course we are going. Going to drink and see the world is also good.”
“Then we’ll see you at the banquet tomorrow.” Hong Yu said happily.
He had already told familiar scholars at the inn that he had close acquaintances who were chief scholars, planning to show off tomorrow. He had been worried Shi Wuxiang would not go!
The Luming Banquet was naturally a good gathering.
Cheng Du and the others also wanted to experience it. Now that Shi Wuxiang agreed, they would definitely go.
After eating until full, and since they still had to attend the Luming Banquet tomorrow, they naturally could not delay any longer. By this point, it was about time.
Hong Yu, out of excitement, ended up drinking a few extra cups. When he stood up, his steps were still somewhat unsteady, and a servant boy had to support him as he left.
Ling An, however, did not leave immediately. Instead, he gave a subtle, pointed reminder: “Speaking of which, it’s quite a coincidence. Brother Hong and I are staying in the same inn. After the rankings were posted today, he was very happy and kept proclaiming that he knows Brother Wuxiang. The scholars are all very curious about you. I’m afraid tomorrow they’ll be waiting eagerly.”
“Many thanks, Brother Ling.” Shi Wuxiang cupped his hands toward him, his tone sincere with a bit more warmth, “If there’s a chance in the future, we’ll treat you to drinks.”
This was an invitation to him alone.
Ling An naturally agreed with pleasure.
Shi Wuxiang could see the difference between Hong Yu and Ling An. The two always came together, so much so that others almost forgot they were not traveling companions.
Perhaps Ling An had also given that reminder because Shi Wuxiang was the chief scholar, but as the saying goes, judge actions, not intentions. That reminder was beneficial to him, so it deserved gratitude.
The exchange between the two made Cheng Du and the others a little tense. They could somewhat grasp the implied meanings, but they were unsure of Hong Yu’s true intent.
“There’s no need to be nervous over this,” Shi Wuxiang said. “Tomorrow there will be many outstanding ranked scholars. No one will truly care about a few of us from the countryside. Just know when to hide your edge—don’t stand out too much.”
The others understood this. Tomorrow’s Luming Banquet would gather nearly all the successful candidates. If they drew too much attention, they might become targets of resentment, which would not be worth it.
Yuan Zhao, however, did not understand that scholars also had hidden scheming. In his eyes, scholars were learned, refined, and talented—but that did not necessarily mean their character was equally good.