Top Scholar

Chapter 295 Yang Shen Arrives
The scene of Prefect Jia's departure was very similar to that of Lu Zhaoye.

However, his reputation as an official was far better than that of Lu Zhaoye, and he also gained a reputation as a filial son. When the people saw him off, some were truly reluctant to let him go, and the crying was much louder than in Hejiang County.

During the final "removing boots to express affection" ceremony, Prefect Jia's boots were also removed, but he refused the new boots offered by the local gentry. Instead, he ordered his servant to take out a pair of worn cloth shoes from a bundle, which he then showed to everyone:

"These are the thousand-layered soles my mother made for me when I went to the capital for the imperial examination. After I was released from officialdom, I kept them carefully. Now that I'm free from official duties, I no longer need to wear those uncomfortable official boots!"

As he spoke, he bent down and put on his cloth shoes, laughing, "The shoes I made are still the most comfortable to wear!"

"Thank you all for seeing me off. I will return all the gifts. I will only take your kindness with me on my journey!" Prefect Jia bowed to the crowd, then turned around gracefully and boarded the small boat with light steps.

The boatman poled the boat, slowly pulling it away from the dock, and the people on the shore could hear the old man singing:

"Having shed his court robes, his sleeves are clean; the legacy of the sweet pear tree fills the mountain city with love."

The gentle breeze cannot unravel the words of parting; the zither and crane accompany the light shadow of the oars.

After drinking from the Greedy Spring, my heart remains pure; after years of official duties, my resolve is clear.

"We lay in mourning at the pavilion, tears streaming down our faces, yet we remained true to the people and to our name..."

Upon hearing this, the people of Luzhou became even more reluctant to leave. Even after the lone sail disappeared into the vast blue sky, many people still craned their necks along the riverbank, unwilling to depart for a long time.

~~
After Governor Jia's boat sailed away, the pier was reopened, allowing boats of all sizes to dock.

A sturdy 200-ton riverboat was finally able to slowly come to rest in its place.

Two young scholars on the boat, who looked alike, witnessed Prefect Jia's performance at the dock. The younger one exclaimed in surprise, "This former prefect of Luzhou was not only a filial son, but also an honest official. This is too rare!"

The older one was noticeably more handsome. He wore a jade-colored robe and a black gauze scarf on his head. His face was fair, his eyebrows and eyes were clear and bright, his lips were red and his teeth were white. His pupils were like black ink, and he exuded a scholarly and refined air.

"It's all an act. Look at his ship, the water's almost up to the side, who knows how much gold and silver it's loaded with." The young master smiled, his lips slightly upturned, displaying both the arrogance of a nobleman and the untamed talent hidden within, like a newly drawn sword, dazzlingly bright!
“Brother, you just don’t think the best of people. Can’t our Ming Dynasty have an honest official?” His brother was also wearing a scholar’s ​​robe and looked much more honest than him.

“An honest official wouldn’t be so shameless,” the young master laughed. “Our father was an official, after all. Do you see him wearing official boots more often throughout the year, or cloth shoes?”

"Uh..." His brother scratched the back of his head and said, "It seems like we wear cloth shoes more often."

"He's already a prefect, and his shoes were still so new when he went to the capital for the imperial examination?" the young master sneered.

"That makes some sense..." His brother, unable to argue with him, laughed and changed the subject, saying, "I wonder what your sister-in-law looks like?"

“I saw her once when she was little, a little girl with yellow hair.” The young master said worriedly, “I don’t know if she has grown up now. If she is still plain-looking, I will risk being punished by my father rather than agree to this marriage.”

“Brother, you should choose a wife based on her virtue,” his brother reminded him.

"That's just self-consolation for those who are forced into arranged marriages," the young master chuckled. "Besides, time will tell, and a person's true character will be revealed over time. What if the person is ugly? So let's take care of one thing at a time."

“That’s true. What else can you see on a blind date besides looks?” His brother was convinced. Just then, seeing someone coming to pick him up from the shore, he waved vigorously and called out, “Cousin!”

On the shore was Han Si, the younger brother of the commander of Luzhou Garrison. When he saw the two brothers on the boat, he smiled, but his smile was not excited at all; instead, it was very bitter.

"Yongxiu, Yongxu, you've finally arrived!"

It turned out that this elegant and handsome young man was none other than Yang Shen from Xindu, who was famous throughout the land, and next to him was his second brother, Yang Dun.

Once the planks were lowered, Yang Shen strode briskly onto the land of Luzhou, cupped his fists and smiled at Han Si who had come to greet him, saying, "Second cousin, it's been ten years."

"Yes, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye." Han Si looked at Yang Shen, who had grown up, and sighed, "The last time we met, you were only seven or eight years old. If it weren't for the fact that you and your brother both took after your uncle, I wouldn't have recognized you."

At this moment, the composed Yang Dun also disembarked and greeted his second cousin.

The Han family's servants also boarded the boat and helped the two men's pageboys carry the large and small bags ashore.

"Sigh, why bring so much stuff?" Han En sighed upon seeing this.

"I haven't seen my aunt for years, so I should bring more gifts," Yang Shen said with a smile.

"Besides, my brother can't visit his father-in-law empty-handed," Yang Dun joked.

"Get lost, it's not even close to happening yet. Uncle Huang will be unhappy if he hears this," Yang Shen said with a laugh.

"Anyway, he won't get angry at me," Yang Dun said with a nonchalant laugh. As he spoke, he noticed Han Si looked constipated and didn't even bother to tease his older brother. "Cousin, what happened?" Yang Dun asked softly.

"Sigh, let's talk about it in the car." Han Si sighed and pulled back the carriage curtain.

~~
The two-horse carriage of the Han family slowly traveled along the main street in the south of Luzhou.

In the rhythmically swaying carriage, Han Si met the questioning gazes of her two younger brothers and forced herself to say, "Yongxiu, you're late."

"Why am I late?" Yang Shen asked, puzzled. "Could it be that Miss Huang is already engaged?"

"You guessed right," Han Si said with a wry smile.

"Pfft..." Yang Shen chuckled, "Cousin, you still love to joke around."

"I'm not joking. Just yesterday, my uncle betrothed my cousin to someone else!" Han Si said helplessly. "My mother was so worried that she didn't sleep a wink all night. She didn't know how to explain it to you, so I had to make it clear to you before we got home."

"Didn't you tell Uncle Huang that my brother is already on his way?" Even Yang Dun, who is usually mild-mannered, was furious.

“Why didn’t you say so? I delivered the birthday invitation yesterday morning specifically to let you know!” Han En said, “My uncle’s reaction at the time was a bit strange; he kept complaining that the repair was too late.”

"What can I do? I accidentally passed the imperial examination with top honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations. The Grand Secretary wants to treat me to a meal, and the Provincial Governor and the Provincial Judge also want to invite me. There's also my grandfather in Chengdu and my elderly parents back home. How can I refuse any of them?" Yang Shen said helplessly, "Being able to come over in early June is already the best I can do, okay?"

"I know, but you are indeed too late." Han Si spread his hands and said, "He was already snatched away yesterday. You didn't see the scene. That kid invited all the big families in the city, the two former prefects, the retired Hanlin scholar, and the grandmaster who came to take the exam, all to act as matchmakers for him! He practically forced my uncle to give my cousin to him in marriage."

"Grandmaster?" It's one thing to be skeptical of others, but when the Yang brothers heard that Xiao Tixue had also acted as a matchmaker for the other party, they couldn't hold back anymore.

"What did my dad send him here for? To help someone steal my brother's wife?" Yang Dun angrily punched the car wall.

"Who on earth has such great influence that they would go to such lengths?" Yang Shen asked with a deep and unfathomable expression. "Is it the grandson of the Grand Secretary, or the heir of some prince?"

"No, he's just a poor kid from the mountains." Han Si naturally didn't have a good word to say about Su Lu, and said indignantly:
"By using his attention-grabbing skills, he earned the nickname 'Little Yang Shen of Luzhou,' and because of this, the county magistrate and the prefect appointed him as the top scholar. During the Grand Master Examination, he came with great momentum, seemingly ready to investigate thoroughly, but somehow he was bewitched again, and the prefect also appointed him as the top scholar!"

"Then isn't he also a minor top scholar?" Yang Dun exclaimed.

"Who says otherwise?" Han Si said dejectedly, "Do you think the Grandmaster has lost his mind? Everything is valued for its rarity, so double-yolk eggs are worthless!"

"..." Yang Shen glanced at his silly second cousin with dissatisfaction. How could he scold a bald man in front of a monk?

But the point is valid. The only "small triple crown" in history is more valuable than the only two.

He even began to reflect on himself, wondering if he had been too flamboyant and displeased the Grandmaster, so he was using this method to discipline himself.
That doesn't mean you can break up my wedding!

If the Grandmaster hadn't already left Luzhou, Yang Shen would have gone to ask him right now what grudge he held against him that he would treat him like this!
"Brother, what do we do now?" After Yang Shen came to his senses, Yang Dun asked angrily, "Tell me, I'll listen to whatever you say!"

They came to Luzhou ostensibly to celebrate their aunt's birthday, but their real purpose was to arrange a blind date for their older brother. However, before they even arrived, the interview was canceled!
The two young masters, accustomed to being pampered and fawned over in Shu, couldn't stand this humiliation. Yang Shen simply turned back, and Yang Dun wasn't surprised at all...

However, Yang Shen displayed the composure befitting a young master, and said with a smile, "Of course it's to celebrate Aunt's birthday. She's already suffering enough; we can't add to her distress."

"Yongxiu, you are so magnanimous and understanding!" Han Si was deeply moved and grabbed his hand excitedly, saying, "My uncle's biggest mistake in life was not to take you as his son-in-law!"

"I never intended to be his son-in-law," Yang Shen said calmly. "I have absolutely no interest in talented women; she certainly isn't as talented as me anyway."

"That's right, that's right. A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, while a woman's virtue lies in her talent!" Han Si nodded emphatically.

“That’s not entirely true,” Yang Shen said, withdrawing his hand and wiping it discreetly in his sleeve. “However, when choosing a wife, virtue is more important than talent. Compared to so-called talented or beautiful women, I would rather have Wu Yan as my wife, for she would be a good wife, a good wife, and bring prosperity to our descendants!”

"I never imagined that the greatest talent of our Ming Dynasty would be such a virtuous gentleman!" Han Si was filled with admiration.

Yang Dun's lips twitched, speechless... His older brother had been so badly beaten that he was talking nonsense.

This is completely different from what was said on the ship...

"Yongxiu, it's so good that you think this way." Han Si believed it and breathed a sigh of relief, "Otherwise, I was really worried that you would be sad when you saw your cousin."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Yang Shen shook his head resolutely and said, "I, Yang Yongxiu, a dignified seven-foot man, how could I be troubled by lust! Tomorrow I will meet you again and let bygones be bygones!"

P.S.: Today was a hectic day, and my left eyelid is so swollen I can barely open it. There are still several hundred words left in the next chapter...

(End of this chapter)