Xi Jianzhi's eyes flickered with an emotion that didn't escape Shen Yun's notice.
He frowned, displeased.
This was his wife. If he looked, he looked. Why should anyone else look at her with affection?
That's right, as a man himself, Shen Yun could see the longing in Xi Jianzhi's eyes for Su Xiaoqi at a glance.
Shen Yun had always understood Xi Jianzhi well.
He was proud.
Just like in the imperial examinations and the final palace exam this time, he hadn't performed as well as Shen Yun, but it hadn't diminished his pride.
As the top scholar of the second rank, he was effectively fourth.
He quickly passed the selection for the Hanlin Academy and entered as a Shujishi.
In the past, Shen Yun had been indifferent to him, considering him just a classmate from the same region.
Their relationship seemed simple, yet for some reason, it had become complicated.
Logically, coming from the same place, they should have been in the same boat, like Chang Wanqing.
Regardless, they had the camaraderie of fellow scholars and the bond of a shared hometown.
But ever since they met, Xi Jianzhi had harbored a subtle hostility towards him.
Although Shen Yun didn't like him either, he could at least put on a mask when facing Xi Jianzhi, who was practically a stranger.
He could package himself in a way that hid his true feelings for Xi Jianzhi.
Xi Jianzhi, however, lacked in this regard.
Despite being intelligent, he was simply not good at controlling his facial expressions.
Someone like him would inevitably suffer in his future official career.
Without Shen Yun even having to make a deliberate move, he would stumble and fall.
But then again, Xi Jianzhi had helped him once.
Peach blossoms from Yizhou Prefecture, instigated by an unknown party, had been spreading rumors about him in the capital. Xi Jianzhi had stepped forward and spoken a few words on his behalf.
Therefore, this time, Shen Yun decided to let him off the hook.
After all, his wife was beautiful, and it wasn't entirely unreasonable for people to look.
As long as he firmly held onto his young wife's heart, that was all that mattered.
No matter how many people liked her, it would only be unrequited.
Shen Yun decided to treat Su Xiaoqi even better in the future, ensuring she would never be able to leave him.
"Miss Su..."
"Did Young Master Xi mistake me for someone else? It would be more appropriate for you to call me Madam Shen."
Su Xiaoqi noticed that Shen Yun, who had been silent since Xi Jianzhi appeared, had his jealousy piqued. She quickly sidestepped Xi Jianzhi's politeness and corrected his address for her.
"Is Madam Shen well recently?" Xi Jianzhi didn't insist. The woman before him had saved his life.
That time at the entrance of the Imperial College, if she hadn't intervened, he might have fainted right there.
Not only would he have become a laughingstock in the capital, but if the news reached the Emperor, His Majesty might have considered him sickly and unfit for officialdom.
Just like after the palace exam when the top scholars were being chosen, he had heard from insiders that he had the potential to aim for the top position.
It was just that, due to various reasons, he had fallen short.
They speculated it might have been related to his health.
That was why he had never been convinced by Shen Yun.
He felt that their scholarly abilities were on par.
And that Shen Yun's attainment of the top scholar position was merely due to a tiny bit of good luck.
Furthermore, due to the Great Liang Dynasty's regulations regarding the top three scholars' regions, only one of them was destined to claim that position.
Losing the top scholar's spot meant losing any connection to the top three.
No matter how outstanding their scholarship and talent, the second and third scholars would only be missed opportunities.
This was because the three top scholars could not be from the same place.
The top scholar represented the South, and the second scholar must represent the North. This north-south balance was crucial to achieving equilibrium among scholars from both regions.
Therefore, Xi Jianzhi harbored a regret towards Shen Yun, akin to "Why must Yu exist when Liang is here?"
He even wished they hadn't participated in the same imperial examination cohort.
Alas, all of this was just speculation.
The situation was as it was, and saying more was useless.
Although he admonished himself like this every time, Xi Jianzhi couldn't help but be reminded of these things whenever he saw Shen Yun.
Slowly, it became an obsession.
Even seeing Shen Yun's wife, he felt that Shen Yun shouldn't have such good fortune.
Not only was his wife beautiful, but she was also so capable.
Seeing her standing there, exchanging affectionate glances with Shen Yun, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Standing close to Shen Yun, their marital relationship seemed incredibly harmonious.
Heaven was too good to him, so good it made him jealous.
With this thought, Xi Jianzhi involuntarily brought up the matter of Su Xiaoqi saving him last time.
Su Xiaoqi smiled, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes. After a moment, she recalled the incident outside the Imperial College. She said casually,
"It was a small gesture, hardly worth mentioning. Young Master Xi needn't keep it in mind."
"To Madam Shen, it was a small matter, but to me, it was a matter of life and death..."
"Alright, my dear, you probably haven't eaten yet. Let's go back quickly and eat, lest you go hungry, which would break my husband's heart." Shen Yun helped Su Xiaoqi onto the carriage.
Her slender willow waist, easily embraced, clad in a long lake-blue dress, she was like a flowing silk ribbon, captivating the eyes of many.
Su Xiaoqi could see Shen Yun was displeased.
She was certain they weren't on good terms with Xi Jianzhi.
Considering Xi Jianzhi's future achievements in the officialdom, Su Xiaoqi wanted to remind him that it was best not to fall out with him for the time being.
But thinking of Shen Yun's temperament, if she said it directly, he might overthink it, so she simply kept quiet.
Thinking she would remind him when the opportunity arose, Su Xiaoqi felt a little helpless and smiled at Shen Yun before lowering the carriage curtain.
They waved goodbye, and the carriage departed.
Shen Yun watched the carriage until it was far away before turning to Chang Wanqing.
He called out to him and took the food box from the attendant, heading into the Hanlin Academy.
Within, there was a spare room not on duty, specifically designated for officials of the Hanlin Academy to dine in.
This was a special feature of the official residences in the Great Liang Dynasty, quite humane.
As they entered, the colleagues who had also brought their meals were just finishing.
They shifted their food boxes and quickly cleared a space for the three of them.
Chang Wanqing rubbed his hands together, opened the lid of the food box, and took out three plates of stir-fried dishes.
One was braised lamb, another was stir-fried beef noodles, and the third was stir-fried seasonal vegetables. A fragrant aroma instantly filled the air.
"Fragrant, so fragrant." Chang Wanqing chuckled.
He handed Xi Jianzhi a pair of chopsticks and invited Shen Yun to join them.
Shen Yun also perked up, smiling as he opened the food box. As soon as he opened it, an even more enticing aroma wafted out.
The Hanlin Academy officials, who had almost finished eating, all gathered around.
"Uh, Supervisor Shen, what delicious food has your wife sent you?"
"It smells so good, come, let me see."
"Oh, isn't this twice-cooked pork? From Sichuan."
"Ah, this, this is..."
Initially, only two or three colleagues close to Shen Yun had gathered around. Upon hearing others identify the dishes, more people crowded over.
The smile on Shen Yun's face deepened.
His dear wife was too thoughtful.
She had prepared three meat dishes, one vegetable, and a soup for him.
The quantity of dishes was not large, but the portions were ample.