“Anyone with good connections would have heard the news!”
When people asked how the cheating had been discovered, or what the quarrel had been about and how it could escalate into a fight, the stall owner could talk on and on.
After so many years of the imperial examinations, he had accumulated enough material to speak for days and nights without finishing. Most of the people who came here were hearing these stories for the first time, and everything sounded fresh to them.
Lu Yang watched him speaking like a professional storyteller. The crowd around him was completely carried along by his narration—sometimes worried, sometimes breathing sighs of relief. It was clear that none of them could truly treat these stories as entertainment; everyone feared that the person who had quarreled with others might be the examinee from their own family.
As for cheating, anyone who had come here to receive someone could be certain their examinee had not been caught cheating.
Lu Yang sat for a while, then left the teahouse and waited outside the gates of the examination compound.
The grueling nine days had finally passed. The last session had arrived.
His heart had been twisted up the entire time, wearing him down. He wanted the exam to end quickly, yet he also feared that Xie Yan might only need a little more time to finish his paper. Because of that, he found himself wishing that nightfall would come more slowly.
By the afternoon, the front of the examination compound had become lively.
Many people who had come to welcome examinees gathered there. Whenever a candidate came out and was recognized by family members, they would rush forward in a crowd to congratulate him.
These groups arrived quickly and left quickly. Once one candidate had been taken away, they would wait for the next one. Their employers were still inside, so they lined up in clusters, occupying their spots, waiting to recognize the right person.
They were rather domineering as well. If someone was not there to receive an examinee, they would be pushed to the back for “blocking the space.”
Lu Yang did not want to start any conflicts. After all, this was meant to be a joyous occasion, so he hired people to help welcome examinees as well.
He wanted to stand at the very front. That required quite a bit of money. It cost one mace of silver to welcome a single person. He recognized four candidates, so he handed over one tael and told them to keep the change. The men even brought him a small stool to sit on.
Lu Yang: “…”
The two servants who had come with him and were still squeezing through the crowd: “…”
Money really did make things easier.
So when Xie Yan came out, he saw his Jingzhi sitting right in front of the gate, cracking sunflower seeds.
Behind him stood a noisy mass of people, shouting and jostling each other. Their commotion made that little husband sitting there eating sunflower seeds stand out all the more.
Xie Yan was not reserved at all, nor was he weak like some of the other candidates when they came out. The moment he saw Lu Yang, he shouted his name, “Jingzhi!”
Lu Yang looked up. The heart he had been holding tight finally settled.
All those tangled emotions he could not quite describe were instantly replaced with joy.
He stood up and waved. Originally, he had not planned to let anyone go forward to greet him—he intended to simply take Xie Yan aside himself. But the men he had hired were enthusiastic. Seeing that Lu Yang recognized this person, they asked who it was. The two servants rushed to answer, saying, “Xie Yan, Scholar Xie!”
The group of men laughed as they walked forward, rushing over together to greet him. A whole crowd charged toward Xie Yan with cheerful grins, startling him so much that he stopped in place and even stepped back several paces, nearly tripping on the steps behind him.
After listening to a string of auspicious congratulations, he was still dazed when the crowd scattered again like a receding tide.
When the crowd had dispersed, Lu Yang walked over and held out his hand to him.
“Ayan, I came to take you home.”
Xie Yan looked at him with a foolish grin spread across his face.
To be honest, the smell here was not much better than inside the examination compound.
There were too many people and too many odors mixed together. The scent that had soaked into his clothes inside the compound still clung to him. With every breath, his head felt dizzy.
But his heart and chest felt wide open, as if he had seen daylight again.
He wanted to walk close beside Lu Yang, yet he feared the smell on his body might be too strong and bother him.
Lu Yang reached out and looped an arm through his, deliberately leaning against him the way Xie Yan liked to cling to him. Chatting and joking the whole way, he made Xie Yan feel so pleased he could hardly contain himself.
They did not hurry back. Instead, Lu Yang took him to a nearby stall for a bowl of noodle soup.
Xie Yan had missed him terribly. Countless words were stuck in his throat. He had so much he wanted to say to Lu Yang. Yet when he looked closely at him, he could not resist touching the dark circles beneath Lu Yang’s eyes. All the other things he wanted to say were swallowed back. Instead, he asked what Lu Yang had been doing these past few days.
“You look like you have not slept.”
Lu Yang did not hide it from him and said plainly, “Without you here, I could not sleep at all.”
He had softened from his usual forceful manner. He was no longer forcing himself to stay strong, and even his voice sounded gentle.
He did not realize that the words sounded like he was acting spoiled. He simply thought he was teasing Xie Yan and said them with a cheerful smile.
Xie Yan did not expose him. Instead, he asked him to talk more about what he had been doing these past few days.
Lu Yang listed everything one by one.
“I wandered all over the provincial capital. I went to the Golden Buddha Pagoda, walked near the government offices, and even stopped outside the Provincial Administration Office. I reserved a private room so we can go watch the excitement when the results are posted. I walked through many streets—every lively and prosperous place in the capital. I also looked around near the examination compound. This morning I even heard stories about the exam hall. They said one candidate went mad, that someone was caught cheating when they entered, and that some people quarreled and got into disputes. I have not read much these past few days—I could not calm my mind. I have not gone into the kitchen either. I have been lazy for several days, letting others take care of my meals and clothes.”
Running around so many places and still not sleeping—Xie Yan looked at him again and felt that he had lost even more weight.
Lu Yang said, “It is fine. Now that your exam is finished, when you get home you can stew some soup for me. Once I recover a bit, I will gain the weight back.”
Xie Yan could not eat much. After finishing the bowl of noodle soup, he put down his chopsticks.
He took Lu Yang’s hand and squeezed his wrist. Just as he thought—he really had gotten thinner.
Xie Yan felt so distressed that his eyes reddened.
Only one stage remained. Once next year’s metropolitan examination and palace examination were over, Lu Yang would not have to endure this kind of suffering anymore.
Lu Yang could not bear to see him cry. “Why are you acting like a child? Even Liu-ge’er does not cry anymore, yet you are crying. If I cannot see you for a few days, being able to eat and sleep at all is already good enough. If I could eat well and sleep well, then I would truly have no heart.”
When Xie Yan heard those words, he could no longer hold back his tears. Across the corner of the table, he almost leaned over to hug him and cry.
The other diners around them were not surprised at all. They had seen plenty of scholars crying—every examination brought another round of tears. He was nothing unusual.
Xie Yan told him, “Yesterday I almost could not endure it anymore. The atmosphere was too oppressive. I was greatly affected by it. Sitting there, I did not dare to speak, did not dare to pick up my brush, and did not even dare to think too much about you. Now that I have seen you, I should be happy, but for some reason I feel terribly wronged. When I see that you have been suffering too, my heart aches for you.”
Lu Yang rubbed his head and gently pinched his ear.
“You love reading, and you love thinking and pondering things. If you were alone for a few days, you would not feel lonely. But if you are not allowed to read, not allowed to write down your thoughts freely, of course you would feel stifled. You also like writing those miscellaneous reflections, always saying they crowd your head. How could these past few days not feel suffocating? Of course you feel wronged—it is only natural. When we go home, I will take you to the bookshop and buy you many books, and some fine paper and ink. You can write whatever you want, read whatever you want, and make up for it properly.”
Xie Yan was soothed by him. He gazed at Lu Yang, no longer hearing any other sound around him. In his sight there was only Lu Yang, filling both his eyes and his heart. As his thoughts circled around, his mind was filled with Lu Yang as well.
He was truly fortunate to have Lu Yang as his husband. They were husbands, but also confidants.
He said to Lu Yang, “Jingzhi, you can also be my friend.”
Lu Yang understood and simply agreed.
More and more candidates came out, and the crowd in front of the examination compound gradually dispersed, leaving the place emptier.
A little later, they received Sheng Daxian. Some time after that, they welcomed Wu Pingzhi as well.
They continued waiting. When the final group of candidates came out, they received Ji Mingzhu.
Wu Pingzhi seemed to be in fairly good condition—better even than Xie Yan. While they waited, he first ate a bowl of plain noodles.
Sheng Daxian looked somewhat weak. His family was also waiting for him. After exchanging a few greetings and agreeing on a time and place to meet again, he left first with his household servants.
Ji Mingzhu was in the worst condition. He was supported by others as he came over. His legs had no strength, and his face was deathly pale.
He had eaten something wrong. Since yesterday he had been suffering from diarrhea and had not recovered today. Even so, he managed to finish copying his exam paper at the last moment—he had truly done his best.
Everyone present frowned, knowing that his chances in this examination were probably slim.
Wu Pingzhi told someone to take him to a medical clinic.
Ji Mingzhu said, “Someone touched my bowl…”
Xie Yan was furious. “Such despicable people! If they harbor the heart to harm others, how could they possibly have the heart to pursue learning!”
That rebuke struck straight into Ji Mingzhu’s heart.
Tears and snot streamed down his face. “I remember his name. If he passes the exam but I do not, I… I…”
