Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The day after the announcement of the winners was the day when the newly appointed scholars would parade through the streets on horseback.

Before dawn, both sides of Zhengyang Street were already crowded with people watching the spectacle.

Today marks two momentous occasions: the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) parades through the streets on horseback, and the newlywed Princess Chenjia is getting married.

On one side were young scholars in fine clothes and riding spirited horses, and on the other side were the long procession of princesses in phoenix palanquins. Both routes passed through Zhengyang Street. Such a grand scene was rarely seen even in the capital.

The elderly brought their small stools and secured their spots early, while vendors carried candied hawthorns and roasted chestnuts, weaving through the crowd and calling out their wares. Children rode on their fathers' shoulders, craning their necks to look out at the street corner.

A man stood in the crowd, dressed in a blue cloth robe with a gourd of wine hanging from his waist. He was standing on tiptoe, peering into the street corner with a face full of curiosity.

The man patted the shoulder of a plump shopkeeper next to him, his voice clear and cheerful with a hint of playful laughter, and asked, "Shopkeeper, may I ask why it's so lively today? There are horns and people clearing the way. This is the first time I've ever seen such a spectacle in the capital."

The portly shopkeeper, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, turned around and stared blankly at the man's face. Regaining his composure, he cheerfully began, "Young master, you must be from out of town! Today, two momentous events coincide: the newly appointed scholar parading through the streets on horseback, and Princess Chenjia's wedding!"

"Princess Chenjia?" The man raised an eyebrow and glanced at the street corner with interest.

The portly shopkeeper counted on his fingers as if reciting a familiar story: "This Princess Chenjia is no ordinary girl. First, she's the adopted daughter of Duke Dingguo, Fu Chong. Second, she's marrying Lord Xie, Xie Junheng. Third, her title of princess was personally bestowed by His Majesty, and it even includes the character 'Chen.' 'Chen' was the title of the former Consort Chen, a unique honor in the entire capital. Even a princess's wedding can't compare to this grandeur!"

Upon hearing this, a bright light flashed in the man's eyes, and he clapped his hands and laughed, "Wonderful! Wonderful! I thought coming to the capital would only mean watching the excitement, but I never expected to get a drink at a wedding banquet! I wonder which street the wedding banquet is on today? I'd like to contribute!"

The fat shopkeeper thought he was joking and didn't take it seriously. He turned around and craned his neck to look at the procession of scholars. A crisp sound of horses' hooves came from the other end of the street.

The newly appointed scholars rode tall horses and slowly approached from the direction of Chang'an Avenue.

Leading the group was Tang Nian, the top scholar in the imperial examination, followed closely by Shi Chao, the second-ranked scholar, and then Xie Yao, the third-ranked scholar.

All three were dressed in imperial robes bestowed upon them by the emperor, their hats adorned with palace flowers, and their bodies draped in red silk. The horses' hooves clattered crisply over the bluestone slabs. The onlookers cheered and pushed forward, the girls blushing and standing on tiptoe, their eyes all fixed on the last scholar, the third-ranked scholar.

Xie Yao wore the same Jinshi robes, yet he exuded a refined elegance that was unmatched by others. His posture was as upright as a bamboo stalk, and his peach blossom eyes, which should have been bright and sparkling, were now slightly lowered, revealing an incongruous gloom and coldness.

Even so, his face still attracted the attention of countless young women and wives.

"The third-ranked scholar! Look at the third-ranked scholar!"

"My goodness, what a handsome scholar! He's even more beautiful than in the paintings!"

Several girls huddled together, one of them tugging at her companion's sleeve, her voice barely audible yet brimming with excitement: "Look, look! That's the third-ranked scholar!!"

"My goodness, how could there be such a handsome young man in this world! He truly deserves the title of 'Third Scholar'!"

The girl in the light green dress beside him chuckled and chimed in, "We're lucky to get to see him like this. Once he enters the Hanlin Academy, he won't have the chance to watch the third-ranked scholar ride a horse like this anymore!"

Several girls nearby squeezed over and started chattering, "That top scholar isn't bad-looking either, but compared to the third-ranked scholar—"

"Stop talking, stop talking, he's watching this way!"

A little flower girl squeezed through the crowd, holding a half-full basket of peach blossoms. Even standing on tiptoe, she couldn't see clearly and anxiously tugged at the sleeve of the woman next to her: "Auntie! Auntie! What does the third-ranked scholar look like? Is he even more handsome than the top scholar?"

The auntie was pulled to the side by her, then turned around, patted the back of her hand, and said with a smile, "Silly girl, do you even need to ask? See for yourself—"

As he spoke, he pushed her forward, and the little girl stumbled two steps to squeeze to the front of the crowd. She looked up and saw Xie Yao passing by her.

The little girl nearly dropped the peach blossom basket in her hand. She stared blankly up at it for a long time before finally managing to stammer out, "...So beautiful."

The girls were chatting animatedly, but Xie Yao remained in his lazy and nonchalant posture, his gaze seemingly fixed on nowhere.

The portly shopkeeper, his hands tucked into his sleeves, watched with great interest. He was about to say to the man from out of town next to him, "Look, this is the grandeur of our capital," when he turned around and found that the person next to him was already empty.

When the procession of scholars reached the middle of Zhengyang Street, a low horn sound suddenly came from ahead.

That was the horn leading the way for the princess's entourage.

After the three bugle calls, the noise along the street gradually subsided.

The crowd automatically parted to the sides, making way for the wide imperial road in the middle.

Soldiers from the city defense battalion ran forward, blocking the onlookers to the side of the street, and shouted loudly: "Princess Chenjia's entourage—all unauthorized persons, please make way!"

Two young men who looked like scholars, standing at the front of the crowd, also began to whisper among themselves.

One person said that after Lord Xie gets married, he will become a princess's attendant. The marriage between a nobleman and a civil official will likely change the political landscape of the court.

Another shook his head and said, "What marriage alliance? Don't drag the imperial court into everything. Lord Xie even begged His Majesty for a marriage decree to marry this princess. He's clearly in love."

The one in front was about to say something more when his companion tugged at his sleeve, and the two of them fell silent, looking together at the imperial road.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached. First, two squads of city defense cavalry led the way, followed by eighty-eight imperial guards in golden armor, and then eight pairs of palace maids carrying fans.

The band followed closely behind, followed by a palanquin with a golden phoenix roof carried by sixteen men. The palanquin curtains were made of bright red brocade with gold threads, and red gold tassels with pearls hung from the four corners, shimmering with light with every sway.

A long procession of dowry carriages followed behind the sedan chair, stretching endlessly. By the time the first dowry carriage turned the corner, the last one hadn't even left the alley.

"Tsk tsk, look at this extravagance, this dowry..."

Fu Wenzhao was riding a horse alongside the sedan chair to escort the bride.

At the very front of the procession was Xie Junheng, the groom who was personally welcoming the bride. Many people came here just to see him.

Someone jumped up excitedly: "Look! It's Lord Xie! Lord Xie is here! Lord Xie's bearing... he's truly a literary star descended to earth!"

The onlookers were in an uproar.

An auntie carrying a vegetable basket craned her neck, her eyes wide with amazement, and exclaimed repeatedly, "I heard the Duke of Dingguo's dowry was 128 loads!"

A gaunt old man stroked his beard and said, "This is nothing. The betrothal gifts from Lord Xie's side are truly astonishing. The Duke of Dingguo's family is marrying off his daughter, and Lord Xie is taking a wife. I bet all the powerful and influential people in the capital are feasting at the Xie family's house today. I've lived to be this old and have never seen such a grand wedding."

Soon, the two groups inevitably met head-on at the intersection of Tianjie Street and Zhengyang Street!

The people were all astonished and amazed.

"My God! It's a coincidence! The scholar's parade through the streets and the princess's wedding have clashed!"

"This is incredible! A once-in-a-century event!"

"Look! They're about to meet!"