Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 200 Everyone will be invited to a wonderful banquet. Guess who won't be there?

Yan Shifan, hunched over, staggered back to the Yan residence.

As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw that Madam Ouyang was already waiting there.

Seeing her son's distraught appearance, the old mother sighed softly, swallowing back the words she had originally intended to use to teach him a lesson, and said gently, "Qing'er, come here!"

"Mother! I failed the exam! Waaah!"

Yan Shifan rushed over and cried like a twenty-year-old child.

Madam Ouyang gently patted his back and comforted him, "Don't be sad, don't be sad. Your father also failed the imperial examination once, and only passed the second-class examination on his second attempt. With your intelligence, you will definitely have hope if you take the exam again next year!"

"There's...no hope left..."

Yan Shifan shook his head.

He knew very well that without Haiyue and others pulling him to study together, and without the teachings and discussions of the talented scholars from the Hanlin Academy, how could he possibly compete with those students who had studied diligently for years?
This subject is arguably the most likely opportunity to achieve top honors; if you miss it, you miss it forever.

"They are all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)...they are all Jinshi...but I am not!"

Yan Shifan thought about the glory that was to come: the imperial examination, the parade of successful candidates, the banquet at the Imperial Academy—none of it would be his business anymore.

Especially the Qionglin Banquet.

He was kidnapped by thieves halfway through the Deer Cry Banquet. He had hoped to make up for this regret at the Qionglin Banquet, but...

Everyone will be invited to a wonderful banquet, where all the newly appointed scholars will be present. Guess who won't receive an invitation?
You~~!
Seeing her son getting more and more upset, Madam Ouyang quickly said, "Isn't there still Gui Zai and Gui Deyu? They're not even a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination)!"

Yan Shifan was stunned: "Gui Deyu? Me...me compared to him?"

Gui'e died in her hometown, and Gui Zai observed mourning for her. He did not return to the capital for three years. When Yan Shifan thought about how he had fallen to a state of depravity compared to her, he was filled with grief and tears streamed down his face.

"You were just like Gui Zai in the past, never intending to take the imperial examinations, but instead hoping to become an official through hereditary privilege. Now that you've become ambitious, that's already a good thing!"

Madam Ouyang patted her son on the back and continued to comfort him: "Failure is not terrible; what is terrible is not even having the courage to try!"

Children's temperaments are still developing, and experiencing setbacks and trials is not necessarily a bad thing. If they can calm down, it may even be a blessing in disguise.

Of course, she couldn't offer too much advice, but she did think of her future daughter-in-law, Xia Qingwu. Once Yan Shifan's emotions had calmed down a bit, she said gently, "Qing'er, now that the imperial examination is over, the wedding date should be set!"

'Oh, right! There's also that area!'

Yan Shifan's eyes flashed, and his expression turned serious.

His path to officialdom has now failed midway. As a mere Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) who wants to avoid being ostracized by the other Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) of the Yixin Society, his status is gradually declining. The only way for him to achieve success is to make contributions in other areas.

The best opportunity lies with the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Liyuan Society.

He absolutely cannot miss this opportunity again!

Yan Shifan took a deep breath and, under Ouyang's approving gaze, nodded and said, "Please, Mother, quickly set a wedding date and give me some money. I want to buy some gifts and send them, along with the letter about my failure in the imperial examination, to the Xia residence!"

……

Just as Yan Shifan began to woo his fiancée, the newly appointed scholars were having a banquet.

Being from the same department and born in the same year represents the closest relationship in officialdom.

Because they both rose from humble beginnings, studied diligently through years of hardship and passed the imperial examinations, and more importantly, had no one to rely on in the officialdom, they needed to communicate with each other, support and promote each other in order to gain a foothold in the career path full of wealth and danger.

However, Jin Ke seems to be somewhat different.

Because a behemoth has already been born in the eyes of the new scholars.

I will do it!

Whether it was gaining His Majesty's favor or achieving half of the top ten accomplishments, it was truly awe-inspiring.

Therefore, when everyone was feasting and socializing, Lin Chun, who was ranked first in the first round of the banquet, was not as popular as Hai Yue, who was ranked second.

Haiyue was warm and considerate in the face of numerous invitations, never refusing them, which made people feel like they were basking in a spring breeze.

Many people were initially worried that the leader was arrogant and difficult to approach, but after meeting him, they were all completely convinced.

Especially when copies of "Journey to the West" were distributed and every new candidate had a copy, even the top scholar, Lin Chun, became engrossed in reading it.

Seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye, and the palace examination was approaching.

There was a gap of about half a year between the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination.

This is because candidates from all over the country will gather in the capital. Considering the long journey to the capital from remote areas and the possibility of not being able to adapt to the climate, everyone needs ample time to acclimatize to the capital. After the provincial examination, there is no need to wait for the palace examination. The two are usually a month apart, and considering that the results of the provincial examination are released in half a month, they are naturally just around the corner.

In order to adjust their condition, all kinds of banquets were suspended for the last two or three days, and Haiyue and her party returned to their dormitory at the Imperial College.

Lin Daqin looked at Yan Shifan's empty bed: "Donglou hasn't returned these past few days. Is he not planning to go back to the Imperial Academy?"

Hai Rui whispered, "We won't be coming back either..."

Once they had passed the palace examination and officially embarked on their official careers, whether they entered the Hanlin Academy, went to the Six Ministries to observe governance, or were to be sent to local areas as officials, they could no longer live in the Imperial Academy. The four-person dormitory where they would chat together at night and stay up for a long time would become a memory.

Lin Daqin inexplicably thought of his former fellow townsman Zheng Yishu and couldn't help but sigh, "Another parting is coming!"

Next, he would part ways with Yan Shifan and gradually drift apart.

Haiyue, however, thought differently: "As long as we are focused on our studies, fame and fortune will not be an obstacle for us. I believe Donglou can adjust and will not give up on himself or become despondent, whether he continues to take the imperial examinations or enters officialdom as a Juren!"

"Haha! Mingwei knows me well!"

A hearty laugh rang out as Yan Shifan strode in, cupping his hands in greeting. "I'm sorry to have worried you all. It's just failing the exam. How many great scholars have never achieved official rank in their entire lives, yet their names are still passed down through generations? We scholars must not place too much importance on passing the imperial examination!"

"What Donglou said is absolutely right!"

Hai Rui and Lin Daqin were quite impressed upon hearing this; in any case, this attitude was worth learning from.

Haiyue glanced at him, knowing that he had probably gained something else, and got up to help him make the bed.

As expected, Yan Shifan held back for a moment, but finally couldn't resist and leaned closer to whisper, "Mingwei, there's something strange going on with 'Female Bat'!"

Haiyue asked curiously, "Aren't you two not married yet?"

“You can still develop feelings even if you’re not married. Since I failed the imperial examination this time, I’ve been sending a letter to the Xia residence every day, along with a carefully selected gift!”

Yan Shifan chuckled: "At first she was a bit reserved, only comforting me in her letters. But as she gradually saw that I was in more and more pain, she sent her personal maid and also sent back many gifts. After a while, we became familiar with each other, didn't we?"

Haiyue agreed with this.

Yan Shifan initially only talked about turning the other party against him, but took no action. It seemed that once they got married, the husband would be the head of the household and Xia Qingwu would naturally become close to him.

That's pure conjecture.

Now that I have learned from my mistakes and gained a lot from Yun Shaochurou, Xiaoqin and Xiaofeng, it is indeed a viable way to cultivate feelings during this period of loss.

Haiyue encouraged them, saying, "Xia is secluded in her chambers and should not have committed any evil deeds. If we can truly win her over and expose the various crimes of the Liyuan Society, His Majesty will not pursue the matter. Donglou's actions will not only save the Xia family but also redeem countless people who have been misled by the Liyuan Society. His merit is immeasurable!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely! That's what I think too!"

Yan Shifan nodded repeatedly, then whispered, "I could vaguely sense her resistance between the lines. She wasn't resisting me, but rather this marriage. She didn't want to harm an innocent person like me, but she couldn't say it directly. So she cleverly hid her intentions in her letters. When I responded, her next letter showed a hint of surprise, and she became much closer to me!"

After a pause, Yan Shifan continued, "Mingwei, please don't be offended. I used you as a test!"

Haiyue asked, "How did you test them?"

Yan Shifan said, "You are not yet married, and now you have passed the imperial examination with flying colors. So I deliberately mentioned another talented woman from the capital, Shen Jinghong, but she did not intend to match you two up!"

There were two people known as "Female Bat". Lu Bing, along with the Imperial Guards, used the most basic method of investigation to discover Xia Qingwu's suspicious behavior. She had been abducted by thieves when she was young. Nine girls went missing at the time, but only two girls, including Xia Qingwu, returned.

Both girls have now grown up and become famous talented women in the capital. Xia Qingwu is one of them, and Shen's daughter is the other. Her maiden name is Jinghong. It is said that she is well-versed in the Book of Changes, has written a collection of poems, and is quite knowledgeable in feng shui.

Yan Shifan wasn't worried about arousing Xia Qingwu's suspicion when he mentioned this, because there were indeed many people in the capital who compared the two women. Now that Yan Shifan was engaged to Xia Qingwu and his good brother had passed the imperial examination, it was only natural for him to introduce a good marriage.

Haiyue asked, "As it turns out, the Xia family has no intention of facilitating the match. What do you think is the reason?"

Yan Shifan analyzed: "Either she thinks that with herself already lurking by my side, there's no need to arrange for another 'female bat' to come and marry into another official's family! Or she doesn't approve of this method, so she doesn't want to implicate my close friend, and therefore didn't take the opportunity to plant another spy by your side!"

Haiyue thought for a moment and said, "Recently, matchmakers have been coming to the door, and I haven't seen many of the betrothal letters. I wonder if this Ms. Shen is among them..."

"We'll have to look for Mingwei. I think there's a high chance she won't miss this good opportunity!"

Yan Shifan laughed and said, "If Shen Jinghong wants to marry you, it means that 'Female Bat' has her eye on us two brothers. My fiancée is indeed not without conscience!"

Haiyue pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "If that's the case, perhaps we can find a suitable opportunity to take down the Shen family, which would also help your defection operation."

"good idea!"

Yan Shifan immediately understood, his eyes lighting up: "Capture Shen Jinghong and cut off her escape route. Then, I'll use a two-pronged approach. I'm not afraid she won't obediently accept and reveal the secrets of the Liyuan Society!"

(End of this chapter)