Chapter 6: Number 1 Scholar

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"Mistress?.”

Bai Ge occasionally saw her mistress smile brightly and happily, but it was rare to see her smile so gently.

As she saw Cui Ti in this state, Bai Ge suddenly remembered something. Cui Ti was not the type of person to celebrate her own birthday, but after much persuasion from Bai Ge, they began to celebrate it. 

During those years, on her birthday, Cui Ti would always be unusually quiet. Even when spoken to, she would maintain a faint smile on her lips, just like she was now.

Bai Ge automatically ignored the "again" that Cui Ti said, merely believing that the mistress was sad and simply talking nonsense.

The youngest daughter beat her mistress and the madam didn't even bother to ask in concern, let alone enact justice!.

Before, she hoped that the mistress would get married as soon as possible and leave this indifferent Xining Mansion, but is it really good to be married?.

Bai Ge frowned.

For the mistress' fate, or even her own fate, she felt deeply powerless.

At this time, Cui Ti was 'looking' out of the window again in a daze.

Bai Ge didn't dare ask, or say anything, and turned around and looked for something to do.

She couldn't sit still. Bai Ge was afraid that if she was too idle, thinking about things and worrying about their situation, it would affect the mistress’s mood.

Mrs. Xining is a proactive woman who takes action. When she received the completed portrait of her daughter, Cui Ti, she immediately began spreading the news that she was searching for a suitable husband for her daughter. 

Naturally, because of the praise of the prime minister's wife, several families expressed interest and presented their sons as potential suitors. 

The suitors were the second son of the Zhao family, a sixteen-year-old boy who was deaf in both ears and whose father held a fifth-rank official position, the nineteen-year-old lazy son of a concubine from the Qian family, and the fifteen-year-old one-eyed son of an admonition doctor from the fourth rank, the Sun family.

As the wives of these families came to Mrs. Xining's home to view the portrait of Cui Ti, they were taken aback by her beauty. They realized that physical imperfections such as blindness or deafness were not important, what mattered was good conduct, duty, and loyalty.

They praised Cui Ti's appearance, which was soft and gentle, not in a weak or cowardly sense. The crowd also praised Mrs. Xining for her ability to raise such an outstanding daughter with a great temperament despite her blindness.

After seeing off the crowd, Mrs. Xining went back to her room and looked at the name cards handed over by several families, and felt troubled. Among them, she felt that Mrs. Sun's son was the most compatible with Cui Ti, as Cui Ti was born beautiful and fully met the young man's strict requirement for beauty.

Mrs. Xining picked up the Sun family's proposal card, then picked up the Zhao family's card with her right hand, weighing the two, hesitating.

Both of the families had fathers and brothers who held official positions in court, but she still decided to further investigate.

What she found was that the gentleman from the Sun family had a very immoral and promiscuous character, with a lascivious temperament. He was known for being obscene and playful in his behavior, which made her reconsider her choice.

Mrs. Xining considered the second son of the Zhao family as a relatively better option, but his appearance was not up to par and couldn't be compared to Cui Ti's beauty, not even to Bai Ge.

Furthermore, Mrs. Zhao didn't treat her as warmly as Mrs. Sun did.

Cui Ti was the eldest daughter, and it was in line with the custom of Xijing to marry the eldest daughter off to a high-ranking family. The eldest daughters were expected to be married according to their parents' decision, while the younger ones could select from among the high-ranking families.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Mrs. Xining made a decision, but as she did so, she looked at Cui Ti's portrait and fell into deep thought.

This daughter of hers, she had loved from the moment she was born and was overjoyed when she learned she was pregnant. Regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, she was eagerly looking forward to the little one’s arrival.

However, this child was born to be at odds with her, causing her to suffer for several months, and almost killing her on the day of delivery. What’s more, she began bleeding profusely, and tried her best to bring Cui Ti into this world, but she was born with a flaw.

Her daughter is blind.

Because of Cui Ti's defect, her mother-in-law constantly criticized her, her husband resented her, and her unmarried sister-in-law mocked her, saying that the child was a disaster.

She was constantly subjected to negative comments and it was difficult for her to be a mother.

After giving birth to Cui Ti, not only did she fail to be caring, but Cui Ti's birth also caused injury to her pelvis, leading to her second child being born weak.

For more than ten years, she would unconsciously think of her second daughter who died young, and she couldn't love Cui Ti who had feuded with her in the womb.

So naturally all of the love was given to Cui Dai, the youngest daughter.

"Hm”

Ms.Xining put down the proposal card from the Zhao family and made a decision in an instant.

…

"I got it! I got it!.”

The servant of the Pei family came running into the courtyard, out of breath with excitement, to deliver the news: "Ma'am! The Young Master has won and has been crowned champion by His Majesty!".

Mrs. Pei's heart was filled with anxiety as she waited for her daughter's score, but upon hearing this news, her heart finally calmed and said, "Okay, okay, quickly take out the cakes and distribute them." 

The officials who had brought the good news were rewarded, and everyone in the courtyard was smiling.

However, despite Pei Xuan's talents earning her the title of number one scholar and first place in the examination, it was not an easy process for her.

After reading her exam papers, His Majesty asked her questions in public, and then on a whim, wanted to examine her handwriting. After looking at her handwriting, he sat on the dragon throne and stared at her for a long time. 

Furthermore, the results were delayed for a couple of days which made Pei Xuan wonder what went wrong. Was it because of her poor handwriting or had it been leaked that she had disguised herself as a man to take the imperial examination?

Fortunately, the title of No. 1 scholar was still given to her.

…

"The No. 1 Scholar has a noble spirit, and has outshined me. But with you in front of me, how can the ladies in Xijing see my presence?" Song Zizhen complained, feeling overshadowed by Pei Xuan's success.

The top three students of the imperial examination were dressed in red robes and red flowers, and paraded through the streets to show off their achievement. Pei Xuan was riding a horse gracefully, with an official walking beside her, and the scene was beautiful.

Facing the ridicule of her colleagues, she raised her eyebrows and smiled: "No way, besides, I can’t return it, can I?.”

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"Yes, you definitely….Ouch!.” As Song Zizhen was replying, he was hit in the face by flowers that were thrown at him. But he wasn't mad, as he looked at the beautiful women who were rushing towards them.

To this, Song Zizhen laughed loudly: "The scenery, what a scenery!.”

Not to mention, Pei Xuan is extremely beautiful and received the most flowers, and even the official who was leading the horse beside her was smothered in roses.

Pei Xuan knew that trouble was brewing, and quickly grabbed the flowers that were thrown at her and sighed helplessly, the people of Xijing were too enthusiastic.

It was not a surprise that the people were enthusiastic, since they had not had such a young champion in many years. Not only that, but the age of the second and third places were also in their early twenties

It was a historic moment for Xijing and the people were excited to praise the young and handsome champions.

Pei Xuan, who is beautiful and intelligent, couldn't shake off the image of the girl who lived in a poor ridden tile-roofed house with her maid. The thought of her filled her mind and she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing and sadness, as she wanted to know more about her. 

…

"I got it! The one who got first place was that gentleman of the Pei family, the son of the prime minister's family."

"That's amazing, the son of the Pei family, isn't he only eighteen years old!?.”

"Yes. What’s more, since he became the number one scholar and is the son of the prime minister, many people have been wanting to make him their son-in-law!.” The little maids covered their mouths and laughed cheerfully.

Overhearing their gossip, Bai Ge ran to the small south courtyard.

"Mistress!.” She shouted, but soon saw Cui Ti who was about to fall. Bai Ge was so frightened that she forgot what she was going to say, "Mistress, get up!.”

Cui Ti stood up with her strength, brushing her hair with her ears, and embarrassedly said: "I was distracted for a moment."

Bai Ge noticed that Cui Ti had been praying every day, at first she thought that the mistress was praying to God for her marriage, but after listening to her ambiguous words time and time again, she realized that she was praying for Pei Xuan!

Patting the dust off her mistress' clothes, Bai Ge happily said: "Mr. Pei has won first place!.”

"He won?" Cui Ti excitedly grabbed her sleeve: "Was he recognized as the 1 scholar? He didn't land in second place, right?".

“Yes, he is first place and has been crowned the new champion. What’s more, he is only 18 years old!," Bai Ge answered.

Speaking of which, the son of the prime minister's family, without the "graciousness of laying the mat", the 'No. 1 Scholar' might not have been given to him.

"Great." Cui Ti sincerely thanked God.

"Miss." Bai Ge asked her softly: "Mistress, are you attracted to Pei Xuan?".

Otherwise, why would you pray for him day and night, hoping that he would get first place?

He is the only son of the prime minister and a top scholar, neither of which her mistress could match.

Bai Ge felt sorry for her mistress's "infatuation" in advance, and was afraid of hurting Cui Ti with her words, so she forced a laugh: "Perhaps Mr. Pei Xuan is also thinking about the mistress."

"Do you think so?", Cui Ti said unsurely, a hint of longing in her voice.

..

At the end of the day, Pei Xuan dragged her exhausted body home, and was greeted by the smiling faces of her parents who were overjoyed and proud of her success.

In the study room, the Prime Minister got straight to the point: "Do you know why His Majesty stared at you in silence?".

Pei Xuan pondered for a moment and replied: "Your Majesty didn't want to give me the scholar title."

"Yes. He wants to suppress your sharpness and frustrate your spirit. You must know that a scholar career that is going too smoothly can destroy your future. It is sometimes not a good thing to step into the officialdom too early."

"According to what father is saying, why did His Majesty appoint me as the number one scholar then?" Pei Xuan asked with a hint of confusion.

The prime minister, Pei Xiang, raised his eyebrows to look at her daughter with pride in his eyes: "Of course you are too dazzling. His Majesty saw something special in you, something that he wants to cultivate, but he wants you to be aware of the challenges and obstacles that you will face in the officialdom. He wants you to be ready for it, to be humble and have a sense of perseverance."

"Besides, Your Majesty is old, and he wanted to prepare a loyal and reliable team for the prince. He chose you first, and from now on you can only follow the path of a prime minister."

"This child will remember.”

The higher she is placed, the more dignified she will be.

This is the difference between a daughter and a boy.

Pei Xiang didn't regret his decision back then, and neither did Pei Xuan.

"Okay, go accompany your mother. She is very happy today."

Pei Xuan chuckled.

Mrs. Pei has only one child and that child has really strived for success, landed first place and entered an official career. Furthermore, Pei Xuan had a noble character and high ambition, which is what she was most proud of.

"Mother saw that girl, she is pretty, good-looking, and good-natured. You two must get along well as friends."

Pei Xuan smiled and nodded: "She is different from others, she is better than other girls."

"Yes, yes, except for my Xuan, she is the best, but it's a pity that her life isn’t as fortunate. The Xining couple are also not hiding their behavior. How can they let the eldest daughter live in a dilapidated house and the youngest daughter live in a beautiful house? You know, I heard that his wife has been trying to find a husband for the oldest daughter…”

“Choose a husband? Which family's son are they choosing!?."

"What are you excited about?."

"I-"

She stopped talking and stood up, filled with determination in her voice: "I'll go find her!!."

 

 

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