Pan Yu was listening at the side and laughed. "What are you talking about, Brother Jin? It was such a joyous occasion when we toured the Flying River together. Why are we suddenly so distant now?
I did not know that you were not a good host when you came to the capital. It was my fault. After the court examinations, why don't we find a place to have a few drinks?
What do you think? "
Kim Sung-gye admitted that he had made a slip of the tongue and hurriedly agreed. His father had told him to socialize well after coming to the capital, but he was too lazy to deal with it. He had been worrying about how to explain himself when he returned. This was also a good opportunity.
At this time, the doors opened and an official from the Ministry of Rites came out to explain the many things to pay attention to when entering the palace.
It was nothing more than trifling matters such as "do not make noise" and "do not look left and right".
The students all agreed submissively and felt somewhat anxious. They then boarded their respective carriages and headed for the palace under the protection of the Jin Guards.
The carriage was slightly crowded. Xu Xian placed Pan Yu in a corner and did not want to come into contact with others.
Pan Yu liked his attentiveness but did not know that it was Xu Xian's male chauvinism at work.
As the carriage swayed, although they could not be said to be intimate, they still stuck close to each other. There was a sense of charm in their hearts.
There were more than ten tributary scholars on the carriage. From their accents, they seemed to come from all over the world. After the greetings, there was no conversation. Some closed their eyes to rest while others muttered something.
Although they tried their best to remain calm, they could not help but feel nervous and uneasy.
The palace that they were about to arrive at was the most solemn and mysterious place for all the scholars. It was the true holy city.
And the Son of Heaven who proclaimed "long live" was the true god of the human world. He was much more dignified than the immortals in heaven.
Even the frivolous Jin Shengjie's expression changed slightly at this moment. Although he did not stop laughing and chatting with Xu Xian about the wonders of Hibiscus Garden, anyone could see that he was just as nervous as she was.
Only Xu Xian and Pan Yu were able to maintain their composure.
Kim Sung-gye asked, "Are you confident that you can enter the first rank this time?"
Xu Xian smiled and shook his head. "I'm not confident, but the top three is not a problem."
"Tsk, who has a problem with that?
Why don't we make a bet on our ranking in the court examinations? "
The other people in the carriage also showed a slightly disdainful expression. They all thought to themselves, What an unambitious person. If it were me, I would be able to enter the second rank. They looked at Xu Xian, wondering if he would dare to take the gamble.
Even though the scholars had passed a major hurdle in the General Examinations, the Palace Examinations did not mean that there was no difference in strength. There were three grades: First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade. The First Grade was the so-called Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua. The Second Grade was the Jinshi. The Third Grade had the most people, but it had an interesting name — Bestowed with the same Jinshi background.
Although it was called "the same Jinshi", it actually meant "different". It was the complete opposite of the Jinshi of the First Grade, who were considered to be inferior among the Jinshi.
In the eyes of outsiders, it was still extremely noble, but in the circle of Jinshi, it was relatively low.
When it came to the Jasper Forest Banquet, one would have to line up at the back.
Even though Xu Xian did not mind, Pan Yu could not stand others looking down on him. She said, "Brother Jin, if you really want to make a bet, why don't we make a bet?"
Kim Sung-gye was taken aback. Even though Pan Yu was smiling, he could sense that she was unhappy. It was obvious that she wanted to stand up for Xu Xian. Kim Sung-gye knew that they were close, but he did not expect it to be to this extent.
He was experienced in the ways of the world. He knew that it was easy to become friends with someone like Pan Yu, but it was extremely difficult to become a confidant.
He could not help but sigh. Xu Xian had really boarded a big boat.
In the beginning, although Kim Sung-gye admired Xu Xian's talent, he saw that Xu Xian was not good at socializing and would not be able to achieve great things.
Kim Sung-gye laughed, "Brother Pan has the aptitude for the Third Grade. How would I dare to make a bet? I can only take advantage of Xu Hanwen's lack of eloquence."
Hearing him speak so calmly, Pan Yu dispelled the unhappiness in her heart.
Xu Xian laughed, "Don't talk big. When the time comes, you may not be above me.
Tell me, what do you want to bet? "He casually patted Pan Yu's jade-like thigh, indicating that she did not need to worry.
Xu Xian's name caused a small ripple in the carriage. Even those resting with their eyes closed opened their eyes to look at Xu Xian. A Jinshi was the first to ask, "You are Xu Xian, Xu Hanwen?"
Xu Xian replied, "Yes, and you are?"
This tributary was a little strange. It was already spring and flowers were blooming, but he was still wearing a large scarf that covered his face, only revealing a pair of slightly protruding toad eyes. They were bright and full of expression, as if they were flashing with light. His hoarse voice came through the scarf, sounding a little muffled.
The Jinshi cupped his hands and said, "My name is Zhong Kui, from Mount Zhongnan.
I have long heard of Prince Xu's great name, but I have never had the chance to meet you. Today, my wish has finally been fulfilled. I really had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. "Xu Xian's poems were quite influential among the literati.
Xu Xian hurriedly returned the greeting, but laughed, "Zhong Kui?
What a good name. "Wasn't there a Zhong Kui who could catch ghosts in fairy tales? Wait, could it be this one?
That couldn't be right. Although he did not know much about the origins of this "deity", Zhong Kui should be some kind of deity or ghost.
Zhong Kui also laughed, "When my mother gave birth to me, she dreamed of Kui Xing entering a dream, so she gave me this name."
The ancients believed in ghosts and gods, so when he heard Xu Xian praise his name, he felt a little proud, as if he did not know Zhong Kui's name.
Xu Xian did not know if this era's Zhong Kui already existed, so he quietly asked Pan Yu for confirmation.
"Mingyu, have you heard of Brother Zhong's name?" In his heart, he was almost certain that it was this guy.
To Xu Xian's surprise, Pan Yu said, "Of course I have. You are too careless in Chinese."
Xu Xian was stunned. Could it be that this era already had a Zhong Kui, and the one in front of him was just someone with the same name?
However, he heard Pan Yu continue, "During the conferencing, Brother Zhong was ranked second."
She then cupped her hands at Zhong Kui and said, "Kui Xing entering a dream is a good sign. It seems that Brother Zhong will be the top scorer this time."
Zhong Kui hurriedly declined and praised, "If I'm not wrong, this brother must be this time's Huiyuan Pan Yu, Pan Gongzi!
You are indeed peerless, peerless! "His words were slightly sad at this point.
Then, he became interested and asked Xu Xian if he had any good works recently.
Xu Xian recited a few poems that he had copied recently, which earned Zhong Kui's praise. The other students also lowered their heads to appreciate the poems, thinking that Xu Xian was indeed worthy of his reputation. He was probably just being humble. With such talent, why would he be afraid of a small court examination?
It was he who had seen through the crack of the door.
Xu Xian was still wondering if this person in front of him was the legendary ghost hunter. From what Pan Yu said, there was no such person as Zhong Kui in this world.
He had never heard of Zhong Kui's name since he was young, so there was a high possibility that he was the one in front of him. He heard that Zhong Kui had an ugly face, so it made sense that he covered his face with a scarf.
What he was more concerned about was the four words "Kui Xing entering a dream". The so-called Kui Xing should be referring to the first of the 28 mansions, the White Tiger of the West, the Wood Wolf.
Could it be that Zhong Kui was also the reincarnation of the Star Lord? If that was the case, it would explain why he could become a ghost immortal in the end. However, he did not know how he became a ghost immortal. Did he become a saint through merit or some other opportunity?
However, Xu Xian was worried that he had underestimated the talents in the world. He had thought that Cheng Cangjian was already outstanding in literary talent, but he did not expect Zhong Kui to appear out of nowhere. All the reincarnations of immortals were far smarter than ordinary people. Zhong Kui was able to get second place in the general examination, so his knowledge seemed to be comparable to Pan Yu's.
In this case, it was not easy for Pan Yu to become the top scorer.
Yes, it seemed that Zhong Kui had once become the top scorer. The real name of "Kui Xing entering a dream" was "Kui Xing entering a dream".
In later generations, there was a kind of "Kui Xing Kicking Picture". In the picture, the Kui Xing held a big brush in his right hand, called the Zhu Bi, which meant that he used the brush to mark the names of the Chinese people. A blue-faced little ghost presented the book.
He held an ink cup in his left hand and stood on his right foot, stepping on the head of a big turtle in the sea. The meaning was that he would be the top scorer in the imperial examination!
Rumor had it that Bao Zheng and Bao Qingtian had dreamed of "Kui Xing entering a dream" and became the top scorer. This time, Pan Yu was really in danger.
Pan Yu saw that Xu Xian was frowning and did not say anything. She asked with concern, "Hanwen, what's wrong?"
Xu Xian said, "Nothing!"
Even though he would feel a sense of achievement if Pan Yuruo became the zhuangyuan, just the title of zhuangyuan was not enough to make him so excited. This court examination could very well determine the choice of Princess Roujia's husband.
Although Yin Hongxiu did not say it clearly, Xu Xian was not a fool.
Pan Yu was unmarried, and he was extraordinarily handsome. Furthermore, he had the backing of the Pan Family.
The result of the selection of the emperor's son-in-law was likely to be Pan Yu. If Pan Yu became the top scorer, it would be even more certain. The royal family had a tradition of marrying off their princesses to unmarried young top scorers.
Xu Xian was mentally prepared for this. Although it would be unfair for Rou Jia to marry a woman, Xu Xian could not change the royal family's choice.
However, firstly, it was impossible for Xu Xian to change the Imperial Family's decision. Secondly, it was impossible for him to expose Pan Yu's true identity, so he could only let it happen. Furthermore, this was not necessarily the best choice for Rou Jia.
She was physically weak and had a cowardly personality. If she married another man, she would probably suffer.
By then, she would already be someone else's wife, and he could not interfere.
It would be better to stay by Pan Yu's side and raise her until she was older. She would naturally be able to make her own choice, but the initiative would be in Rou Jia's hands.
But Xu Xian knew that this was only in his imagination. He did not have much confidence in how things would play out. It was a pity that he did not know where Yu Xuanji was. Otherwise, he could ask her.
Zhong Kui's appearance had undoubtedly added another variable to this matter.
Pan Yu seemed to see through Xu Xian's worries. She patted his hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I will do my best!"
Xu Xian nodded, but his heart was at ease. No matter how things played out, he would do his best to protect Rou Jia's happiness.
Not mentioning Xu Xian's various thoughts, the atmosphere in the carriage had just become lively for a moment when she felt the carriage come to a halt. Someone outside the carriage said, "Silence!"