Chapter 64: The Top Scholar

The person standing in front was none other than Xun Mao, whom Qin Zhao recognized. His pupils widened, and his thoughts became briefly muddled.

The emperor took the test papers and said, “Qin Zhao, step forward.”

Qin Zhao shook off his disordered thoughts, gathered himself, and stepped forward. He bowed deeply. “This humble subject greets His Majesty.”

The emperor’s gaze fell on this young man, who stood tall, with a handsome face and clear, calm eyes. He was quite pleased.

The emperor then called for Qi Qige to step forward. Qi Qige stood next to Qin Zhao and lazily saluted the emperor.

The emperor had already heard about them. Today’s exam had produced two dark horses, one of whom was Xu Jun’s disciple, and seeing them in person, he could see that their reputations were well-deserved.

The emperor said, “You two are young, but I’ve reviewed your papers. Although your methods differ, the results are the same.”

The doors to the hall were tightly closed, and the sounds of the emperor’s laughter and words of advice echoed inside. The chief eunuch glanced at the emperor and saw that he was quite pleased with the exam results.

The results of the palace exam came out quickly. As expected, Qin Zhao was the top scholar (Zhuangyuan), Qi Qige was second (Bangyan), and the third-place scholar (Tanhua) was someone they didn’t recognize.

When Cao Xi received the news of the victory, he instructed Ada to prepare a grand viewing of the procession, as it was customary for the top scholar to be paraded through the streets.

Ada was hesitant about the money, but since Zhuangyuan Tower was Qi Qige’s property and the procession would pass by the tower, the location was already reserved.

Cao Xi handed Ada a bouquet of flowers and positioned himself by the window early, eagerly waiting.

After about an hour, the sound of drums and horns grew louder as they approached. Cao Xi leaned out of the window and, barely visible, saw Qin Zhao dressed in the red robes of the top scholar, riding a horse at the front of the procession, with Qi Qige following behind.

Cao Xi, excited, pointed in the direction of Qin Zhao. “Ada, hurry, is that them?”

Ada, who had already recognized the young master, was even more excited than Cao Xi. He held onto the flowers tightly, almost hanging out of the window.

“That’s them, no mistake.”

The procession grew closer, and Cao Xi waved his flowers enthusiastically.

“Qin Zhao, Qin Zhao, I’m here!”

Ada shouted the young master’s name, but his voice was not as loud as Cao Xi’s, which cut through the crowd.

Along the way, flowers and handkerchiefs were tossed toward Qin Zhao and Qi Qige. It wasn’t often that the top scholar and second-place scholar were both so young, and if they caught the eyes of the people, it would become a lovely story.

However, the third-place scholar, who trailed behind them, was almost entirely ignored.

As Qin Zhao tried to avoid the flying flowers, he scanned the crowd for Cao Xi.

“Qin Zhao!”

Cao Xi’s loud voice rang through the crowd and reached Qin Zhao’s ears. He turned in the direction of the voice and saw Cao Xi’s half-body sticking out of the window. It nearly scared him out of his wits.

When Cao Xi saw Qin Zhao looking at him, he excitedly tossed the bouquet toward him.

The flowers flew toward him, and Qin Zhao couldn’t help but smile. He tightened the reins, steadied his horse, and reached out to catch the bouquet.

There was an exclamation from the crowd as the top scholar actually caught the flowers.

Qi Qige, riding behind, saw the bouquet being thrown to him, and his lips twitched. He almost pressed his body against the horse’s side to avoid it.

Ada, confused, wondered, Why didn’t the young master catch his flowers?

After the top scholar’s procession, Cao Xi quickly walked toward the courtyard. Due to the crowd from the procession, Qin Zhao and the others arrived half an hour later than Cao Xi.

As Qin Zhao entered the door, the red flowers on his chest were the first to come in. Though it was a festive occasion, it felt a bit silly.

Cao Xi saw Qin Zhao holding the flowers, his face flushed as he scolded him, “Why didn’t you leave these flowers behind?”

Looking at the stems, but not the flowers, the branches swayed, and Cao Xi, irritated, shook the bouquet violently, causing the petals to scatter everywhere. They were just outside Zhuangyuan Tower at the time.

To everyone’s surprise, Qin Zhao had been holding onto them all the way.

With a playful smile, Qin Zhao teased, “These flowers are from my mother, how could I just throw them away?”

Cao Xi reached out to remove the flowers from his chest. “You’re getting more cheeky by the day.”

Just as Qin Zhao was about to reply, he was suddenly shoved from behind. Qi Qige had just entered the courtyard and immediately brushed off the red flower on his chest.

“Scared you, huh?”

Ada followed closely behind, asking, “Young master, why didn’t you accept my flowers?”

At this, Qi Qige, feeling annoyed, kicked Ada’s backside, “Shut up, you idiot. What kind of man gives flowers to another man?”

Qin Zhao laughed heartily and looked at Cao Xi and Qi Qige, enjoying the playful banter.

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In the Bedroom:

Cao Xi sighed. “It’s been a while since the exam, but the academy’s studies are always so dry and boring.”

Qin Zhao lowered his gaze and smiled, taking Cao Xi’s hands in his.

“Mm, but now there’s more time to spend together.”

Qin Zhao’s smile became more playful as he mischievously teased Cao Xi, causing him to swat at Qin Zhao’s chest in embarrassment.

Cao Xi helped Qin Zhao remove the top scholar’s robe. “The fabric of the palace’s official uniform is good, it’s firm and smooth.”

Qin Zhao accepted the robe, hung it up, and led Cao Xi to the bed.

“You’ve worked hard,” Qin Zhao said.

“Don’t make excuses,” Cao Xi replied.

Qin Zhao hugged Cao Xi, resting his head on Cao Xi’s shoulder, his cheek brushing against his neck. He whispered in a soft, shy tone, “Sister.”

Cao Xi looked at him, confused. “What?”

Qin Zhao hugged him tighter, his face turning completely red where Cao Xi couldn’t see.

“Sister,” Qin Zhao’s voice was hoarse, and it pierced straight through Cao Xi’s heart.

Thump, thump, thump. His heart raced, and his body weakened. Cao Xi nearly lost his balance.

“Sister, I’ve worked hard. I became the top scholar, don’t you want to savor the taste of victory?”

“I… I’m just not good at holding back.”

“Ah, sister, let go.”

Cao Xi pinched Qin Zhao’s waist, causing him to grimace in pain.

“Do you dare tease me?” he demanded.

Qin Zhao felt wronged and let go of Cao Xi, pulling the flowers from his lap and placing them on his legs.

“Sister, is this how you talk? I studied so hard for the exam, and now that it’s finally settled, I wanted you to taste the feeling of being a top scholar, but you didn’t appreciate it.”

“How dare you! I just can’t hold back,” Cao Xi replied playfully.

Cao Xi swung his hand to hit, but the blow was intercepted mid-air. Using the momentum, Cao Xi lost his balance and fell onto the bed, the curtains falling to obscure the view of the room.

For a moment, Cao Xi lay there, savoring the experience. The taste of being a top scholar was indeed sweet. But by this point, his face was so red he couldn’t look anyone in the eye.

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Three days later, Qin Zhao and Qi Qige were summoned to the palace.

Luzhou was being invaded by foreign enemies, and the war had been relentless. The governor of Luzhou had died in the chaos, and the local officials were left in charge. The emperor, frustrated by the situation, sent out people to help with the war effort, though no one wanted to risk their lives.

Now that the imperial exam had finished, two candidates with no significant backgrounds had caught the emperor’s attention.

Qin Zhao was appointed as the governor of Luzhou, and Qi Qige was assigned to the Ministry of Rites.

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In the palace, Qi Qige was complaining.

“Why are they stopping me? I have martial skills to back me up. If I went to Luzhou, I could protect it, but now… they’ve tied me up like a chicken. How can I bring Cao Xi with me and survive in Luzhou?”

“Do you have to ask?!” Qi Qige grabbed Qin Zhao’s arm, his face filled with frustration and anger.

Qin Zhao smiled, “I understand your frustration. But the emperor has made the decision, and it can’t be changed now. The Ministry of Rites deals with foreign affairs, and you’re eloquent and persuasive—a silver-tongued fox. The Ministry of Rites is perfect for you.”

Qi Qige didn’t quite see it that way.

“You think I’m devious and vengeful, right? Well, speaking less and acting decisively is my style. If I went to the Ministry of Rites, they’d tremble at my presence.”

The two looked at each other for a long while before both bursting into bitter laughter.

Qi Qige suddenly hugged Qin Zhao tightly and choked out, “Qin Zhao, I don’t want to leave you.”

Qin Zhao gently patted Qi Qige’s back. “My mother is the same. She doesn’t let anyone get close when she’s outside, so it’s nothing unusual.”

“Ha!” Qi Qige couldn’t hold back a laugh and teased, “Serves me right for being scolded!”

“As soon as things are safe in Luzhou, I’ll give my all in the Ministry of Rites and try to bring about a ceasefire,” Qin Zhao promised.

“I believe you,” Qi Qige replied.