Su Xiaoqi was suddenly pounced upon and stunned for a moment. Looking at Shen Yun, who was on top of her, she seemed to disbelieve her own eyes.
Shen Yun had always given her the impression of being gentle and refined.
Even when he was scheming against someone, it rarely showed on his face. Instead, he would calculate his moves calmly, almost as if it were nothing.
He was always gentle with her too, and rarely would he just lunge at her like this without a word, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.
Su Xiaoqi's mind was racing with jumbled thoughts.
Shen Yun had already left a mark on her lips.
"Niangzi, focus." Shen Yun made a move to slip his hand inside her collar.
As his calloused fingers brushed against her, a wave of electricity coursed through Su Xiaoqi. Startled, she quickly covered herself and pushed Shen Yun away.
"Niangzi?" Shen Yun nuzzled her cheek and called out plaintively.
Su Xiaoqi had to explain, "You, you haven't bathed yet, and, and we're outside."
After saying this, she felt even more embarrassed. She blinked her eyes at him cautiously, thinking to herself, what was she saying?
Wasn't this a veiled invitation?
As expected, Shen Yun chuckled lightly upon hearing her words, his deep eyes shifting, reflecting a starlight-like brilliance.
"I understand. After we get home and I've bathed, I'll..."
"Hey, no, don't," Su Xiaoqi quickly wriggled out from under his arm, escaping his embrace.
Shen Yun chased after her, and the carriage curtain swayed.
Leaning against the carriage wall, Su Xiaoqi glanced through the gap and saw Su Jiamo near the carriage.
She exclaimed, "Why is he here too?"
Shen Yun didn't even need to look to know who she was referring to.
"After the provincial examination, he will naturally participate in the imperial examination."
Su Xiaoqi turned back to look at him, her face full of suspicion, "You, you know who I'm talking about?"
"His examination number was next to mine, and his seat was relatively towards the back, so he naturally came out later."
Just as Su Xiaoqi was about to ask more, Shen Yun's hand landed on her shoulder, his ink-black eyes locking onto hers:
"Niangzi keeps asking about other men in front of your husband. Is this really appropriate?"
Su Xiaoqi choked, realizing it was indeed not quite right. However, she had only asked casually, out of mere curiosity.
"Su Yuru is also here?" Su Xiaoqi saw someone else by Su Jiamo's side who looked very familiar.
This time, Shen Yun did not nod, merely giving a soft "hmm" with a nonchalant air.
For some reason, Su Xiaoqi felt a flicker of happiness seeing Shen Yun's indifference towards Su Yuru.
However, with Su Yuru's presence, wouldn't it mean they would end up together as per the previous storyline?
Su Xiaoqi's mood suddenly soured, her heart pounding like a drum, and her cheeks flushed.
What's more, she didn't know how to explain it to Shen Yun.
Should she tell him that the woman you might have married in your previous life is here, and you can arrange a marriage with her?
Or perhaps, with me in this life, you cannot have any more entanglements with other women...
Su Xiaoqi's thoughts drifted wildly, her expression shifting from hesitant to resolute, causing Shen Yun to shake his head subtly.
He knew all her thoughts but couldn't comprehend the meaning of "previous life and this life."
He didn't ask; after all, his wife might not tell him even if he did. He would figure it out himself.
He tapped on the carriage wall. Li Shushao, who was accustomed to driving the carriage, received the signal and shouted for the carriage to speed up.
Just as they started to move, a person caught up, panting, and called out to Li Shushao.
"Li Shushao, right? I know your master. Can I have a few words with him?" a rough voice called out.
Before the two inside the carriage could respond, the person impatiently pulled open the carriage curtain.
A dark, sturdy face appeared outside the curtain.
Standing in the backlight, he resembled a large bronze statue. Coupled with him looking inside against the light,
His eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness inside, making it impossible to see anything clearly. He therefore widened his eyes even more.
"Hey, Brother Shen, it's me, Chang Wanqing." Chang Wanqing, judging by his own experience, realized he couldn't see Shen Yun clearly. Thinking that Shen Yun inside couldn't see him clearly either, he boldly introduced himself.
Shen Yun was about to properly reconnect with his "little darling" whom he hadn't seen in days, but his moment was abruptly interrupted. He frowned almost imperceptibly.
If Su Xiaoqi hadn't been looking up at him, she would have thought she was mistaken.
"Brother Chang, is there something important?" Shen Yun's words were subtle.
His implication was that if he could pull open the carriage curtain so rudely without inquiring about the reason, there must be something important, otherwise, he was too lazy to bother with him.
"Brother Shen, our dynasty's imperial examination has always upheld the principle of fair selection between the north and the south.
This time, it will likely be the same as in the past, with one of the top three scholars coming from the south, one from the capital, and one from the southwestern regions."
Shen Yun narrowed his eyes. This was a rule established by Emperor Gaozu.
Back when Emperor Taizu established the Great Liang Dynasty and restored the imperial examination system, there were no such rules.
The top three scholars were personally selected by the Emperor after the palace examination.
No region or background was considered.
However, after several cycles, it was discovered that more than half of the over two hundred successful candidates in the metropolitan examination were scholars from the south.
And all of the top three scholars were from Jiangling Prefecture.
While it didn't raise any eyebrows the first or second time, later on, scholars from the north, especially the capital, became impatient.
They directly seized upon the fact that the Minister of Rites, who was in charge of the examinations, was from Jiangling Prefecture in the south. They accused him of examination fraud and nepotism, claiming he deliberately selected only southern scholars while neglecting those from the north.
Emperor Taizu, who had built his empire on horseback, used his iron fist to banish a few people and issued a strict decree, after which everyone dared not cause trouble.
But Emperor Gaozu, who favored civil administration and military prowess, and advocated for recuperation, disliked large-scale conflicts and couldn't be as decisive as Emperor Taizu.
To appease the literati of the north, he decreed that henceforth, northern and southern scholars would be selected "equally," with each half.
Furthermore, the top three scholars could not all come from the same region.
Such a rule was only superficially fair.
It was fair to the literati of the north.
But what about the south?
Why should they be disadvantaged in the metropolitan examination compared to northerners who were less adept at scholarship, simply because they were from the learned south?
And miss the opportunity to become a Jinshi?
However, the folk customs in the south were not as fierce as those in the north. At most, they would only submit memorials in court and engage in verbal debates, but they dared not take any real action.
Thus, this superficially fair rule was passed down from generation to generation, and by now, it had become an ancestral rule.
Listening to Chang Wanqing, Su Xiaoqi's mind began to churn.
She vaguely remembered who the top three scholars were during this period.
The Zhuangyuan (top scholar) was Xi Jianzhi, who had fallen after leaving the examination hall.
She didn't really remember the Bangyan (second place) or Tanjian (third place); perhaps the author hadn't mentioned them at all.
"And what of it?" Shen Yun maintained his usual indifferent demeanor, appearing unconcerned about the matter.