Chapter 191: Chapter 178: Wanwan Gives Birth—Whose Voice Is That? (Part 1)
The imperial examination is scheduled for April 26th, which is over twenty days away from now.
To prevent recurring fevers, Doctor Li advised Song Wei to stay home and rest during this period.
Song Wei had no objections. He’s been unlucky lately, and if he were to go out, who knows what trouble he might invite.
——
Songxiang Building in the Capital.
Hao Yun ranked eighth in the provincial examination, and classmates from Ningzhou were hosting a banquet to celebrate for him.
With a drink in hand, they praised him enthusiastically.
"Top scorer in the district exams, top five in the county exams, top ten in the provincial exams—Brother Hao indeed possesses exceptional talent. From the looks of it, you’re sure to be in the top two ranks."
"Of course! You all should know, he easily overshadowed Pingjiang County’s greatest scholar, Song Wei—how could he be ordinary?"
The mocking tone reminded everyone that Song Wei barely made it in the provincial exams.
Sure enough, his comment earned a round of laughter from everyone.
The previous speaker chimed in, "Previously, during the academy’s poetry competition, those who supported Song Wei acted as if they were ready to fight us to the death. It made me think Song Wei was someone exceptional. But what happened? He revealed his true colors once in the examination hall. Hey, I say, have the scholars in Pingjiang County gone extinct? Just this? And they call him the greatest scholar? Haha, that’s hilarious."
Hao Yun suppressed a faint smile on his lips and spoke up, "Now, don’t say that. Brother Song was the top scorer in both the district and county exams, which shows he has true talent and skills."
The person who laughed until he couldn’t breathe directly spat out his drink, "A top scorer who hangs at the tail end of the provincial exams? Brother Hao, I think you’re too naive. You probably haven’t heard the rumors that during the district exam, if you don’t show up, Song Wei is the default top scorer—he was supposed to win all three firsts, do you know why?"
Hao Yun feigned ignorance, "Why?"
The person said, "Because the previous Magistrate wanted a promotion, he prepared to fabricate an achievement by engineering a triple success to aid his smooth ascension to the Capital. So Song Wei became the predetermined choice, but since you participated in that year’s district exam, somehow it disrupted Prefect Chen’s plans."
Hao Yun said decisively, "No way. Brother Song is someone with genuine talent; he wouldn’t resort to favoritism."
Apparently defending, but actually retreating as an advance, he subtly shifted the concept, leading the classmates to directly conclude that Song Wei took shortcuts for his double top scores.
"How much genuine talent does he have? Have you seen it, Brother Hao? Are you very familiar with him?"
Hao Yun hesitated before shaking his head, "Not very familiar, we met during previous exams. From his speech and behavior, I think Brother Song is a gentleman."
"Brother Hao, you’re still too naive. Do villains’ faces have ’villain’ written on them? These days, there are many people who are double-dealing. You should stay vigilant; don’t think someone is a gentleman just because you’ve met them a few times. Otherwise, you’ll be helping count their money even if they sell you."
Hao Yun lowered his eyelashes with a faint smile, silently agreeing—Song Wei is indeed a hypocrite.
Suddenly, the door to the private room was kicked open.
Everyone turned their heads in shock, seeing a fourteen or fifteen-year-old noble-robed youth enter with several fierce-looking strong men.
The noble-robed youth was none other than Lu Yanqing, who had just overheard the scholars talking while drinking next door.
Lu Yanqing crossed his arms and squinted around the room before directly asking, "Who here is surnamed Hao?"
The extraordinary attire and carefree attitude led those at the table to guess the young man was likely a noble son from the Capital.
But they couldn’t understand why he suddenly barged in with others.
After a few candidates exchanged glances, their gaze fell upon Hao Yun.
Hao Yun tried to remain calm, keeping a light smile on his lips, as he looked at Lu Yanqing, "I’m Hao Yun. May I ask, what business do you have with me?"
Lu Yanqing sneered, "I never put on airs or play tricks behind someone’s back. If something doesn’t sit well with me, I’ll strike directly."
Having said that, he signaled to the strong men beside him, "Go ahead, make it as satisfying as you can!"
The strong men received the order and charged forward.
The candidates hurriedly dodged to the side, but were quickly pinned down by the strong men, who began swinging their fists at them.
Hao Yun was kicked in the leg, unable to keep his balance, and fell face-down on the ground.
The strong man took the opportunity to step on his back, grinding a few times powerfully, making Hao Yun groan in pain.
The other scholars had already been beaten with swollen faces, their cries of pain and pleas for mercy blended together.
Hao Yun maintained his position, being stepped on by the strong man, his hands clenched into fists, looking at Lu Yanqing with eyes full of coldness and resentment.
Lu Yanqing stepped forward, stamping a large shoe print on his face before pulling back, seemingly dissatisfied with dirtying the sole, so he reached out again to rub Hao Yun’s face.
Seeing Hao Yun’s eyes turn red with hatred, Lu Yanqing suddenly laughed, "I reside in the Changping Princess Mansion. If you’re not afraid to die, come and seek revenge."
Hao Yun’s face showed a momentary rigidity, his furious fists loosening upon learning the other’s identity, "I always believed I had no enmity with you, yet you directly sent people to injure my friends. Isn’t that a bit excessive?"
"I like being excessive." Lu Yanqing dragged a chair over and sat down, cocking his leg carelessly and lazily leaning back, "As for why to hit you, do I need a reason if I want to beat someone?"
Hao Yun heard this, the fierceness in his eyes turned to fury, but ultimately, he dared not act.
During his time in the Capital, he didn’t lack knowledge about the influential families. He knew that the Princess Mansion harbored a Little Overlord feared by all.
As expected, the person standing before him must be that very person.
Hao Yun couldn’t understand how he had offended him.
Did he offend him at all?
The reason Lu Yanqing ordered people to beat Hao Yun was simple: Song Wei was the one he intended to deal with. If he hadn’t bullied him yet, how could he allow others to gossip beside him?
No matter the intention, anyone who targets him deserves to die!
After Lu Yanqing left with his men, a classmate with a bloody nose asked Hao Yun, "How did you offend those playboys from the Capital?"
Hao Yun couldn’t explain, and the classmates all believed they were beaten because of him. One by one, they snorted coldly, brushed their sleeves, and left the tavern, having suffered such a great humiliation because of him today. They no longer wished to associate with Hao Yun.
Watching his classmates, who had called him brother earlier and now turned their backs on him, Hao Yun gritted his teeth.
Changping Princess Mansion!
It sounded like a place he could never afford to provoke in his lifetime.
But he was unwilling to endure today’s humiliation in vain.
——
Song Wei had no idea that because of him, Hao Yun got beaten by Lu Yanqing. On April 26th, he entered the palace with Xie Zheng to participate in the imperial examination.
The imperial examination is the final hurdle in the civil service examination, and only by passing it can one truly become an Emperor’s Student.
For these 280 candidates, the examination was both an anticipation and an anxious moment.
They hoped to shine in the last hurdle, yet felt apprehensive about meeting the current Holy Emperor, fearing they couldn’t withstand the Emperor’s might.
Song Wei didn’t know if others could handle it; he only knew that when he first saw Emperor Guangxi, he was directly stunned.
...
"My surname is Xiao, and I know all about what you two have done."
"Young man, tell me, why are you participating in the civil service examination?"
"Young man, we will meet again."
...
Song Wei always thought that when Mr. Xiao said "we will meet again," he was referring to that time they coincidentally picked the same bracelet in the silver building.
Only at this moment did he truly understand the meaning behind those words.
It turned out that Xiao was just part of his name; his surname was Zhao, not Xiao. The so-called "meet again" referred to the final stage in the civil service examination, personally overseen by him.
No wonder when they first met, the other party straightforwardly asked him why he wanted to take the civil service exam.
Emperor Guangxi’s gaze lightly brushed over Song Wei, his face smiling gently just like their first meeting, yet he cursed a little rascal inwardly.
Initially, he considered postponing his ranking, but instead, he performed so poorly that he directly ranked at the bottom.
Damn, he’s really good at losing face!
Song Wei was completely unaware that just after their first meeting, Emperor Guangxi was already cursing internally. He followed the candidates to perform the three kowtos before returning to his seat.
The answer sheets were handed out, and Emperor Guangxi set a topic on the spot: write a strategy essay on the aspects of securing citizens, promoting the worthy, and governance.
Song Wei prepared the ink, but as he raised his pen, he suddenly found his mind blank, like a temporary amnesia.
He knew very well that he wasn’t nervous about meeting the Emperor, so it was impossible that excessive anxiety caused him to forget how to answer.
Yet no answer came to mind.
——
On the day of Song Wei’s imperial examination, Wen Wan went into labor at night, but by morning the baby was still not delivered.
The midwife said Wen Wan’s pelvis was too small, and she was very likely to have a difficult labor.
Granny Song was anxious, pacing back and forth in the yard, instructing Second Lang’s wife to go to her mother’s side to see if there was a more experienced midwife, urging her to hurry back to help Third Lang’s wife give birth, ensuring both mother and child were safe.
For a woman giving birth, it was like taking a turn at the gate of hell.
Second Lang’s wife remembered the hardship during her childbirth with Sanyang and knew how bad the experience felt. As soon as Granny Song called, she immediately headed back to her mother’s house.
Granny Song couldn’t sit still, her heart was tense, and she frequently ran to the delivery room to listen.
Wen Wan naturally made no sound, but the midwife kept instructing her to exert herself.
Wen Wan was sweating profusely, feeling all her strength drained, yet the baby still refused to come out, and she became weaker.
In a daze, she seemed to see her husband sitting feverishly in the exam hall, using his body to block the rain leaking from the roof, and then collapsing unconscious.
Wen Wan felt sorry for her husband, and tears welled up, blurring her vision. She tightly grasped the bedsheet, trying to wake the person in her vision while exerting her strength.
"Husband—uh..."
"Wow wow—"
Two sounds simultaneously echoed inside the delivery room.
Yet, the large one was hoarse, the small one was loud.
When Second Lang’s wife brought the midwife into the courtyard, she happened to hear the baby’s cries. She was overjoyed and looked at Granny Song, "Mother, Third Lang’s wife has given birth."
Granny Song was somewhat dumbfounded, "Third Lang’s wife gave birth? That’s great...hey wait, whose voice was that just now?"