Chapter 30 Sending Flowers to the Top Scholar

Chapter 30 Sending Flowers to the Top Scholar

This list is indeed the official list; the yellow poster even has an engraved seal, making it a genuine list of the top scholars. Jiang Ru patted Pei Wu with delight and sincerely praised him, "How are you so amazing?"

Pei Wu felt embarrassed by her praise, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

After seeing the list, Jiang Ru's eyebrows were full of joy all the way back. She never repeated the words of praise she had given Pei Wu. Pei Wu just followed her silently. Every time she praised him, Pei Wu would humbly respond.

Just as he entered the guild hall, the officials who came to deliver the good news arrived. With the sound of gongs and drums and the music, the officials offered their congratulations. Pei Wu accepted the list of successful candidates, and the scholars in the guild hall also offered their blessings.

Although Pei Wu didn't interact with them much in the past, they all knew that Pei Wu was truly talented. From the few times they did interact, they could see that although Pei Wu was young, his knowledge was much stronger than that of everyone present.

Now that I see Pei Wu achieving the highest rank in the imperial examination, although I am envious, I also sincerely wish him well.

After winning the imperial examination, Pei Wu received countless banquet invitations and numerous visiting cards, all of which Jiang Ru blocked for him.

Next, Pei Wu only needs to prepare well for the palace examination.

The palace examination was held in April. A total of 248 people were admitted through the provincial examination, and they were ranked after the palace examination.

In the imperial examination, Zheng Qiuhong ranked seventh, Fang Zhi ranked fifty-eighth, and the other two ranked outside the top one hundred. Although their rankings were not so good, they were at least Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Before the palace examination, there was another very important event: Pei Wu's birthday.

Time flies when you're in Bianjing. Before you know it, almost a year has passed since she met Pei Wu.

During that year, Jiang Ru grew taller, and so did Pei Wu. Jiang Ru used to only reach his shoulder, and she still only reaches his shoulder now. The two of them were neck and neck, and by all accounts, Pei Wu was going to be a year older than her.

Jiang Ru tinkered for several days, but ultimately she didn't have enough money to buy anything, so she thought of making a net for Pei Wu.

Pei Wu usually wore plain clothes, so it would be perfect to make a net to decorate the place and also to store some small trinkets. It would be very practical.

Without hesitation, Jiang Ru went to the market to buy some materials and started weaving herself, but her weaving was not very good and she kept getting knots.

Jiang Ru had no choice but to go to the street, where many young women would be playing by the lake. Most of them were skilled at making this knot and were willing to teach Jiang Ru. A group of young women chattered and taught her everything.

After studying for several days, Jiang Ru finally finished weaving the net. The net was light blue, as Pei Wu always preferred light colors. Blue served as decoration without overshadowing the main subject.

Pei Wu's birthday arrived quickly. Since the guild hall had a kitchen available, Jiang Ru bought some noodles and made a bowl of noodles for Pei Wu.

Her noodle-making skills were only slightly better than Pei Wu's; they weren't particularly tasty, but they weren't bad either. She just wanted them to be auspicious, and as long as they were edible, that was fine.

That evening, Jiang Ru set up a table in the room. When Pei Wu opened the door, he saw two bowls of noodles on the low table.

He was taken aback for a moment, not understanding Jiang Ru's meaning. He walked over, looked down at the two bowls of noodles, and asked, "Why do you want to eat this today?"

Jiang Ru smiled and said, "Have you forgotten something?"

Pei Wu couldn't remember.

Jiang Rucai reminded him, "It's your birthday."

Pei Wu suddenly realized that he had stopped celebrating his birthday since his parents passed away, but he never expected that his cousin would still remember it for him.

Pei Wu stared blankly at the noodles in the bowl, speechless.

Jiang Ru smiled and said, "Eat up, but remember not to bite it off, eat it all at once."

Pei Wu picked up his chopsticks, his eyes lowered, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and stiffly picked up the noodles.

Jiang Ru made only one noodle, and the long noodle made a whole bowl. As soon as Pei Wu put it in his mouth, Jiang Ru emphasized again, "You must not bite it off."

Pei Wu could only do as she instructed and carefully finish the bowl of noodles.

Others make only one long noodle as a token, so it won't be too long and can be eaten quickly. But Jiang Ru makes a big bowl of noodles, not only for good luck, but also to make sure he's full.

Pei Wu ate with difficulty, and it was only after a long struggle that he finally finished a bowl of food and his tense body completely relaxed.

Jiang Ru also picked up her chopsticks to eat. She quickly realized that it was too difficult to bite through the noodles she had made, but she didn't want to ruin the good omen, so she could only grit her teeth and eat. After finishing, she quickly took a few breaths of fresh air.

No wonder everyone who passed by said she made the noodles wrong today and even laughed at her, saying that such long noodles could not be finished without lung capacity.

After finishing the noodles, Jiang Ru handed over the knot she had been making for a long time. The knot was very beautiful, with a round tiger head woven on the side. The tiger head was cute and lifelike. Pei Wu was born in the Year of the Tiger, so it was a perfect match for his zodiac sign.

It's rare for Jiang Ru to make a special effort to celebrate someone else's birthday like this. She had rehearsed it many times beforehand. After handing over the tassel, she quickly continued, "Today is my cousin's birthday. I wish my cousin a happy birthday and a long life."

Pei Wu held the tassel that Jiang Ru had made for him in his hands, feeling a warm glow in his heart. These past few days, Jiang Ru had been going out a lot. When Pei Wu asked her about it, she would say that she had made some new friends and was going out to play with them.

Pei Wu was happy to see her make friends, so he didn't stop her. He didn't expect Jiang Ru to be doing this. She secretly made nets and noodles, showing that she really cared about Pei Wu all the time.

Pei Wu slowly raised his head, looked at the girl's bright smile, and said softly, "Thank you, cousin, I'll remember."

This birthday celebration was a rare moment of joy, but in the coming days, Pei Wu would be preparing for the palace examination.

On April 19th, as dawn was breaking, the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) lined up and entered the palace. The officials in charge distributed the exam questions to them. The emperor did not appear that day, and they sat in the palace to complete the exam, which did not end until dusk.

Five days later, the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) participated in the grand ceremony of announcing their names at the Jiying Hall. The essay questions from the palace examinations in the previous days had to be ranked by the examiners, and Pei Wu was still ranked first among them.

Before long, the emperor appeared, and everyone bowed in respect.

The emperor was eleven years old, still looking like a child. He wore a dragon robe and his voice was still quite childish. He told them to dispense with the formalities.

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne in the main hall. Before him were the top ten candidates selected by the examiners. The young emperor picked up his pen and personally appointed Pei Wu as the top scholar.

The rankings for the Imperial Examination Ceremony are: Pei Wu (top scholar), Ji Chaoying (second scholar), and Ning Yiheng (third scholar). This has already been determined.

In addition, they were granted official positions of the highest rank. Pei Wu was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-rank official, while the second and third place winners were also appointed as editors in the Hanlin Academy, seventh-rank officials.

Immediately afterwards, they changed their clothes, put on red flowers, and walked out of the main gate of the palace. Surrounded by crowds, they mounted their horses and rode along the bustling streets. The forsythia on both sides of the road had turned the branches yellow, and the warm early spring sun shone down on the earth.

Spring is in full bloom, old trees are sprouting new buds, willow catkins are dancing in the wind, and peonies in Bianjing are in full bloom, with their vibrant purple and yellow hues, a breathtaking sight.

Jiang Ru was surprised that Pei Wuzhen had returned as the top scholar. Standing in the crowd, watching the tall horse pass by, she felt a sense of pride and her heart was filled with excitement.

Each of the men on horseback has their own merits. The top scholar is both talented and handsome, the second-place scholar is less handsome, and the third-place scholar has a face like jade. He is a handsome man with powdered face. Indeed, the third-place scholar's appearance is first-class.

but……

Jiang Ru's gaze fell on the figure at the front, and she felt that Pei Wu was more pleasing to the eye.

Pei Wu is about to turn sixteen, and his face is full of collagen. Although his features are much sharper and his outline is clearer than before, you can still tell that he is very young.

The people on both sides of the road also had eyes. Pei Wu was young, and the third-ranked scholar was too handsome, which put pressure on people. In no time, flowers were thrown at the second-ranked scholar as if they were free.

However, the people did not show any favoritism and showered Pei Wu and Ning Yiheng with flowers. Pei Wu wore a red robe with a large red flower on his chest and many other flowers on his body.

Red, yellow, blue, orange, pink—it was a riot of colors!

Jiang Ru felt a pang of jealousy just looking at it. People were constantly selling flowers with baskets on both sides of the street. Jiang Ru stopped a young girl selling flowers and asked, "How much is a bunch?"

The little girl answered, "Five coins a flower."

Jiang Ru was shocked: "Are you robbing me?"

A moment later, Jiang Ru, holding a bouquet of flowers, finally broke through the numerous obstacles among the crowds lining the road and caught up with Pei Wu.

Amazingly, Pei Wu happened to turn his head slightly, his gaze falling quietly on Jiang Ru's face. His eyes were gentle, and his gaze on Jiang Ru was like the warm sunshine of early spring, so gentle and warm that even the horse slowed down.

Jiang Ru blinked, picked a flower, and tossed it to Pei Wu.

She used less force, and the flower barely flew into the air, just an inch away from Pei Wu, about to fall. At that moment, Pei Wu reached out and caught the flower.

Jiang Ru threw a large red flower at him. The flower was the same color as Pei Wu's clothes and should have been invisible when it landed on him, but Pei Wu caught it with his hand.

Pei Wu's fingers were long with distinct knuckles. His slender fingers pinched the petals, and the image of them flashing before my eyes in slow motion was somewhat alluring.

Clearly, not only Jiang Ru saw it, but the people on both sides also noticed that Pei Wu had caught a flower. After only a moment's pause, all the flowers were thrown at Pei Wu.

In an instant, Pei Wu only had time to furrow his brow slightly before he was completely overwhelmed by a sea of ​​flowers. No matter what kind of flowers he had, they were all thrown at him.

As the flowers fell, Jiang Ru even saw a few scallion flowers thrown on Pei Wu's head. The scallion flowers only stayed on him for less than a second before being quickly pushed away by the other flowers.

The scene at that moment was hard to describe, and Pei Wu couldn't hide. Jiang Ru couldn't see the expression on his face, and could only watch the horse carry Pei Wu away into the distance.

Jiang Ru: "..."

The parade lasted for a full half hour. The horse carried Pei Wu and the others back to the guild hall. Pei Wu dismounted, and as he did so, the flowers on his body fell off in a flurry, forming a small pile of flowers around him.

But Pei Wu still didn't let go of the flower in his hand.

After thanking the excited crowd, Pei Wu turned and walked into the guild hall. As she walked, the remaining flowers on her body continued to fall, making her look like a flower fairy.

Not only him, but the second and third place winners also lived in the guild hall. When the three of them walked into the guild hall together, the ground was covered with flowers.

At this point, the people, having lost their initial excitement, gradually left the guild hall, though many people were still lingering outside.

Jiang Ru looked at the people gathered at the main entrance, thought for a moment, went around to the back entrance, and finally entered the guild hall.

Pei Wu went in for a while and changed out of his bright red clothes. There were no mirrors in the hall, so he couldn't be sure if he still had any flowers on him. He could only let his hair down and then tie it up again.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Pei Wu immediately guessed it was Jiang Ru. He intended to tie his hair up before opening the door, but Jiang Ru knocked a few more times, sounding very anxious.

Left with no other choice, Pei Wu went to open the door.

Pei Wu changed his clothes quickly. Not long after, he was back in a plain outfit. With his hair down, he saw that it was Jiang Ru. His gaze fell on the flowers in Jiang Ru's hand, and he chuckled, "I was just about to ask you where you found these flowers."

Jiang Ru casually replied, "I bought it."

Pei Wu clearly knew the answer, yet he still asked the question knowingly. He smiled slightly and said, "Cousin, may I tie my hair first, and then you can give me the flowers?"

Jiang Ru hummed in agreement and then saw Pei Wu turn her back and begin to tie her hair. Pei Wu tied her hair up with a ribbon, the simple ribbon exuding a fresh and refined air. Even the simplest decoration could not conceal her otherworldly temperament.

He walked over to Jiang Ru and said quite naturally, "Thank you, cousin."

However, just as he reached out, Jiang Ru dodged, and the bouquet of flowers slipped from Pei Wu's hand.

Pei Wu's hand froze in mid-air, unable to grasp the flowers. He tilted his head in confusion, and Jiang Ru pulled the flowers closer to her chest, saying, "I never said I was going to give them to you."

As she spoke, she gestured toward the table beside her, where the large hibiscus flower she had just tossed to Pei Wu was now resting quietly.

Jiang Ru: "You've already accepted the gift I gave you."

This flower has truly endured many hardships. When it was thrown to Pei Wu, it almost fell to the ground. When it was caught, its petals were accidentally rubbed. Later, during the parade, no matter how much Pei Wu took care of it, it always suffered some minor injuries.

At this moment, the flower lay wilted on the table, just like its owner.

Pei Wu was taken aback: "You're only giving me one?"

Jiang Ru originally wanted to tease him, but seeing his incredulous and pitiful look, she couldn't help but stuff the flowers into his arms: "Okay, okay, these are for you. Congratulations to my cousin for becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination."

This bouquet of flowers isn't cheap, Jiang Ru reminded Pei Wu, "Make sure to put it in a vase, don't let it wither."

There were no vases in the hall, so Pei Wu looked around, found a pen holder in his bookcase, filled it with some water, and put the flowers in the pen holder.

Then, he turned to Jiang Ru and asked, "Is it okay now, cousin?"

Jiang Ru nodded, indicating that it was okay.

Pei Wu walked over to her again, his gaze falling on Jiang Ru's hair bun, and said, "Cousin, there are flower petals in your hair bun."

Jiang Ru tossed her hair: "Is there any more?"

Pei Wu nodded: "There's more."

Jiang Ru patted the table with her hand: "And now?"

Pei Wu: "It's still there."

Jiang Ru shook her head.

Pei Wu: "It's still there."

After a few attempts, Jiang Ru lost her patience and waved her hand, saying, "Never mind, I'll comb my hair later and it'll be fine."

Just as she was about to leave, Pei Wu suddenly reached out. Due to the movement, Pei Wu's arm lightly brushed against her hair. Pei Wu's hand landed on her head. Without feeling anything, he plucked a flower from Jiang Ru's head.

Jiang Ru leaned closer and took a closer look; it was scallion.

At a time like this, who would throw a scallion at someone? Jiang Ru was speechless for a moment. Looking at the scallion, she couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Just throw it away."

Pei Wu hummed in agreement, put the scallions into his palm, and watched Jiang Ru return to her room.

Jiang Ru was in a great mood; her two braids bounced up and down, making her look incredibly lively from behind.

Pei Wu clenched the scallions tightly, turned around, and went back into the house.

The next day, officials came to take Pei Wu to his newly bestowed residence. The new residence was not far from the Hanlin Academy where Pei Wu was to take up his post, which would be convenient in the future.

After living in Bianjing for several months, their luggage was neither too much nor too little, but with the help of the officials, they moved it quickly.

The carriage was already waiting. After checking it over, the two exchanged pleasantries and said goodbye to everyone in the guild hall. Pei Wu then boarded the carriage carrying his "vase".

His pen holder was made of bamboo, and the few flowers in it looked a bit crowded. Jiang Ru was afraid that if he moved it around, the water would spill. She reached out to pick the flowers, but as soon as she got closer, she saw the scallion flowers floating on the water.

Jiang Ru felt like she had witnessed something outrageous. She looked at Pei Wu hesitantly and asked, "Are you sick?"

These scallions are inedible and don't look nice, so why does he keep them?