Chapter 195: Chapter 181: The Most Handsome Third Place, Son-in-Law by Marriage (Part 1)
The phrase "because he’s good-looking" rendered the essay-grading ministers speechless.
As for Song Wei, indeed, he is very good-looking, but his talents are also undeniably outstanding.
Clearly, he could have relied on his talents to secure the position of Champion Scholar, yet because of his looks, he ended up with third place.
What does this mean? It means that being good-looking isn’t always a good thing.
——
For the ministers grading the exams, it was a great regret that Song Wei missed out on being Champion Scholar due to his looks. But for Xu Shu, Song Fang, and Xie Zheng, Song Wei securing third place was like a thunderous cheer of the first spring, a startling achievement.
It’s noteworthy that during the metropolitan exam, Song Wei performed poorly due to a high fever, ranking near the bottom. In just over twenty days, he turned the tables against all odds, astonishing everyone.
Song Fang found it hard to believe, worried that Xu Shu’s people had made a mistake. He personally went to the area outside East Chang’an Gate to check. On the golden list, the spot for third place indeed bore Song Wei’s name.
Not only was the name there, but the registered place of origin also matched.
With that, Song Fang felt relieved.
After relief came a wave of unstoppable excitement.
——
The ceremony announcing the list of successful candidates had concluded, and the horseback procession through the streets was about to begin.
This year’s Champion Scholar and the runner-up were both from the Capital. The Champion Scholar hailed from Duke An’s Mansion and was already in his forties. The runner-up was from the Imperial College, a third-year supervisor, a few years older than Song Wei, and already married.
In the Great Chu Dynasty, the horseback procession through the streets involves all Three Top Scholars (Champion, runner-up, and third place) together.
The three mounted their horses, and as they rode to the street’s edge, Song Wei’s strikingly handsome face became exceptionally eye-catching.
As soon as they appeared, the young ladies waiting on the upper floors to throw embroidered balls to choose a husband were already smitten, eagerly aiming their embroidered balls in Song Wei’s direction, ready to make their move.
The runner-up, surnamed Wei, teased Song Wei upon seeing this, "It seems today the third-place scholar won’t be able to escape a disaster."
Song Wei smiled, "I’ve long been married, I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed."
Originally already handsome, this smile made him even more captivating, and someone couldn’t resist, throwing an embroidered ball down.
Song Wei noticed, subtly nudging his horse’s side with his legs. The horse quickly moved two steps forward, the colorful embroidered ball gently brushing past his broad shoulder and back, landing on the ground without hitting the target.
Having missed her intended target, the girl who threw the embroidered ball blushed with embarrassment but was also slightly annoyed that the third-place scholar sped up right when she was throwing.
...
Throughout history, there’s been an unwritten rule that the Champion Scholar and runner-up will assume great responsibilities in the future, focusing on talent alone. In contrast, the third-place scholar requires both talent and looks.
Thus, the third-place scholar serves as the face of the horseback procession through the streets.
In the triennial horseback procession, many good-looking third-place scholars have appeared, but this year’s seems even more remarkable: beyond outstanding looks, his temperament is impeccable.
Compared to the inexperienced young lads, some young ladies are more easily captivated by the charm of a mature man, the innate composure and restraint that he exudes. Without needing to display anything deliberately, every move feels naturally comforting to you.
Obviously, Song Wei, the third-place scholar in his thirties, resonates more with the hearts of the young ladies than the young handsome men of past years.
Song Fang pushed through the crowd, clearly seeing her third brother’s extraordinary demeanor on horseback. Looking at the young ladies on the upper floors, their pink cheeks flushed with admiration, she couldn’t help but feel amused.
Her third brother is indeed good-looking, but he is already quite aged. Could he really have such charisma?
Song Fang squinted her eyes, thoroughly observing the red-clad figure sitting upright on the horseback. Originally vibrant in color, yet worn by him with a unique charm, neither overly reserved nor excessively ostentatious, it just felt perfect on him.
Song Fang suddenly realized that there are advantages to a man being older.
No wonder the young ladies in the upper floors were entranced.
——
This day, some were joyful while others were troubled.
In contrast to the joy of securing third place in a small courtyard in the alleys, the air in Hao Yun’s room at the Bai Fu Inn was thick with the smell of alcohol.
He hadn’t lit a lamp; in the dimness, one could vaguely see the mess on the floor, the aftermath of sweeping teacups off the table.
During the metropolitan exam, Hao Yun ranked eighth, but in the palace exam, he fell to the third tier, being granted the title of a scholar of parallel rank.
What does being a scholar of parallel rank mean?
It means he didn’t reach the level of an advanced scholar. To comfort him, the Emperor allowed this group to be addressed similarly to advanced scholars, thus called scholars of parallel rank, but in reality, they are not advanced scholars.
Scholars of parallel rank can’t stay in the Capital; they can only seek a small official post in the local areas. Without someone to support and promote them, it might take decades to rise up.
In other words, his dreams of securing a position among the top two ranks of advanced scholars had just vanished.
Thinking of Song Wei, who recently became the third-place scholar and was proudly parading on horseback through the streets, Hao Yun’s eyes turned red with hate.
He blamed his own exam failure on Song Wei, convinced that if it weren’t for Song Wei, they wouldn’t have been attacked out of nowhere while dining at Songxiang Building, and were it not for that attack, he wouldn’t have spent over half a month recovering from his injuries, which delayed his study and caused his ranking in the palace examination to plummet.
But in reality, his ability to rank in the top five in the provincial exam and top ten in the metropolitan exam was merely a trivial matter for Emperor Guangxi.
Initially, Emperor Guangxi did consider making Hao Yun a stand-in for Song Wei, positioning him as a prospect for the Su Family. But later, after instructing Chu Feng to investigate, he found Hao Yun was nothing more than a troublemaker, always causing trouble wherever he went, all the while wearing an innocent facade that rivaled the scheming of some in the harem.
Emperor Guangxi decided against it, realizing that sending such a troublemaker to the Su Family would only stir up more trouble in the future, causing that waters to become even murkier, so it was better not to invite unnecessary trouble for his children, allowing Hao Yun to fall from whatever height he climbed.
When the golden list was posted, and the news of Song Wei’s success as the third-place scholar broke, it completely crushed Hao Yun, who was already down.
He hated it! He was unwilling to accept it! How could Song Wei, entangled with bad luck for thirty years, who ranked last in the metropolitan exam, suddenly succeed so spectacularly in the palace exam and stand over him like this?!
——
After attending the Qionglin Banquet, the new Advanced Scholars must begin their long official careers.
As the first-class third-place scholar, Song Wei directly entered the Hanlin Academy as an editor.
Xie Zheng, as a second-class scholar, had to take another exam to determine if he would remain at the Hanlin Academy as a scholar who lectures the Emperor or be dispatched to local officialdom.
Song Wei inquired about his exam schedule, to which Xie Zheng said it couldn’t be arranged anytime soon.
Seeing Song Wei silent, Xie Zheng had a thought, "Is Cousin thinking of requesting leave to go home and fetch your wife and the others?"
Song Wei indeed wanted to, but the round trip would take over twenty days, almost a month. Not only was it hard to get such a long leave as an official, but considering his situation, just starting his career, asking for a long leave at this time would be akin to giving up his position to someone else, and by the time he returned, he’d be too late.
Moreover, even if he managed to get a month’s leave, it wouldn’t necessarily be safe to make it back to Ningzhou.
Although he greatly wished to personally fetch Wanwan, Song Wei decided against risking it.
The few days of the metropolitan exam had already shown him the harshest reality — without Wanwan, he didn’t just have bad luck; it got infinitely worse.
Returning to the small courtyard in the alley, Song Wei consulted with Song Fang, asking her to take leave and return to Ningzhou to bring back their parents and Wanwan.
Without another word, Song Fang agreed, planning to request leave from her teacher at Hongwen Academy the next day.
However, Song Yuanbao didn’t agree, saying that if their aunt went to Ningzhou, she might not immediately be able to bring everyone back. Their mother had likely already given birth, and considering the months, the baby was too young for a long journey, likely requiring a one or two-month wait at home.
Hearing this, Song Fang found it reasonable. A month’s leave was already the limit; if it extended to a few months, she might as well not return to Hongwen Academy at all.
"Neither Cousin nor Third Brother can go, and I can’t either, so who will?" After asking this, Song Fang thought of Xu Shu and hesitantly said, "How about I ask Young Master Xu to arrange for someone to fetch them?"
Song Yuanbao said, "I will go. I’ll bring Mother and Grandparents back to the Capital."
"You?" Song Fang looked worried, "You’re just a child. How can you travel so far? What if something happens?"
Song Yuanbao said, "I plan to ask Uncle Xu to arrange for someone to protect me. He probably won’t refuse, right?"
Song Fang didn’t want her nephew to take the risk, but counting it out, the four of them, only Song Yuanbao had the freedom to travel.
After some discussion, they agreed on Song Yuanbao going back to bring them.
As for Xu Shu, Song Fang personally went to negotiate.
When she found Xu Shu, he was quite surprised.
Since their last spat, it had been more than a month without Song Fang taking the initiative to talk to him.
Song Fang didn’t look at Xu Shu, her gaze shifting elsewhere, saying, "I am going back to the General Mansion."
It wasn’t a tone of discussion; it was a flat-out declaration.
Xu Shu’s initial reaction was relief that she wasn’t mad anymore and the issue had been settled.
"But I have a request you must agree to."
Before Xu Shu could enjoy the momentary happiness, Song Fang’s voice interjected, "Yuanbao is going back to fetch my parents and sister-in-law. Arrange for more people to protect him, ensure nothing happens."
——
Xu Shu arranged several capable guards.
Song Wei personally saw off Song Yuanbao’s carriage out of the city, and upon returning, heard some gossip from Xu Shu.
"Do you remember that girl from the Su Family at the Prime Minister’s Mansion who I mentioned recognized her relatives?"
Song Wei had some recollection, as Xu Shu had told him about the Prime Minister’s youthful indiscretions.
"That girl, after only recognizing her biological father for a few days, was violated by a fellow exam candidate from your graduating batch while he was drunk. Although the Su Family is trying hard to conceal the incident, rumors have still leaked out. That candidate, seeking redemption, has agreed to marry into the Su Family as a live-in son-in-law."