The constant warfare at the Northern Border did not affect the normal performance of this year’s examinees.
After three sessions over nine days, Yuanbao erged from the examination hall feeling relieved.
The crowd was overwhelming; Xu Dengke had to squeeze through for quite a while before he found Yuanbao and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Can’t really say." Yuanbao was unusually modest, "It’s alright."
Xu Dengke chuckled, "For you to say such a thing suggests the exam went well."
"It’s useless for to think it went well." Yuanbao waved his hand, "Only if it catches the examiners’ eyes can it be considered good."
Although Song Wei was the chief examiner, there were eight examiners in total, and his opinion alone could not represent all. The combined tally from all eight examiners would determine the rankings and finalize the list.
The two exited the Imperial Examination Hall, Yuanbao spotted a carriage parked near a cassia tree not far away, and the maid standing outside was Xiang Ning, who served Ye Ling closely.
Yuanbao didn’t expect her to co, and his heart was slightly moved.
Xu Dengke followed his gaze, seed to understand sothing, and laughed, "A few fellow examinees just invited for a al, I’ll be off then."
Yuanbao nodded, "Take care, sir."
As he watched Xu Dengke leave, Yuanbao slowly walked towards the carriage.
Xiang Ning saw him, quickly bowed to greet him.
Yuanbao placed his index finger on his lips, making a gesture for silence.
Xiang Ning imdiately understood, stood aside, and remained silent.
Yuanbao stood outside the carriage window, cleared his throat, "May I ask, which family’s young lady is inside the carriage, her age, and graceful na?"
Upon hearing Yuanbao’s voice, Ye Ling’s heart raced, her face flushed as she bit her handkerchief and softly mumbled, "Rogue, why should I tell you?"
Yuanbao’s brow raised high, "If you don’t tell , the rogue will co up to see for himself."
"No!" Ye Ling was startled by him and hurriedly replied, "There are many people, don’t co up."
Yuanbao could imagine the young girl being scared by him, her face red with embarrassnt and annoyance, and couldn’t help but chuckle, "Why did Baby co?"
This term of endearnt made Xiang Ning’s face twitch with laughter.
Ye Ling wished she could find a hole to crawl into, speaking incoherently in anger, "Who are you calling Baby?"
"You!" Yuanbao said lazily, seemingly not seeing anything inappropriate in the term.
Ye Ling was embarrassed, "They all call Ah Yao, you should call Ah Yao, what Baby, I’ve already co of age, it’s so embarrassing!"
Yuanbao smiled, "You are Ah Yao to them, but you are Baby to , I naturally cannot call you the sa as them."
"Ah..." Ye Ling covered her face with both hands, feeling she couldn’t show her face in public.
Xiang Ning laughed while feeling happy for her young mistress.
The third young master always criticizes Young Master Song, but she thinks Young Master Song is the best. Though he is a bit weaker compared to those from a military family, he can make the young lady happy, and that’s enough.
Every ti the young lady sees him, the smile on her face never fades.
Gathering her thoughts, Xiang Ning said, "Miss, weren’t we here to deliver wine to Young Master Song? Let’s not delay."
Reminded by the maid, Ye Ling finally rembered her purpose for coming. She bent down to retrieve the wine jar from the hidden compartnt under the seat, took out a white jade cup, placed it on the small table, opened the cork and filled it with wine, then parted the curtain and handed it to Yuanbao standing outside, "This is for you."
"What?" Yuanbao’s gaze fell on the small hand holding the cup, unable to hide his smile.
Being stared at by him made Ye Ling’s face blush again, feeling dizzy from the heat.
"Champion Scholar Wine." She said, then retreated behind the curtain, no longer eting his eyes.
Yuanbao took the cup but didn’t drink imdiately. Instead, he looked aningfully at the curtains drawn tight by Ye Ling and said to the person inside, "I’ve rely passed the first trial, yet you’re letting drink Champion Scholar Wine. If I don’t win the championship in the imperial examination, will you not marry ?"
Xiang Ning quickly spat twice, "Young Master Song, don’t say such things. Your skills are known throughout the Capital. If you don’t win the championship, then there will be no champion this year."
"You can’t say such things; there’s always soone better."
"That, that..."
What about that, Xiang Ning also couldn’t continue the conversation.
Inside, Ye Ling had just about cald her emotions, she tugged the handkerchief, "Who ca for you just because you topped the imperial exams?"
"Oh?" Yuanbao caught the keyword, "If it wasn’t for my top exam score, then what for?"
"Naturally, it’s because, because of..." Ye Ling, forced by him, found her mind once again muddled. After a long ti, she finally blurted out, "Naturally, it’s the will of parents and words of the matchmaker."
Song Yuanbao laughed and drank that cup of wine, then asked her, "Then what if your parents want you to marry soone else, would you marry?"
"I..."
Ye Ling thought this man was such a jerk. No matter what she said, he always had sothing to block her.
After thinking for a bit, she annoyedly said, "That depends if my parents ever allowed it. If they did, I would definitely marry."
After she finished speaking, she noticed a complete silence outside, not a single sound.
The embarrassnt and annoyance faded from Ye Ling’s face and she softly asked, "Xiang Ning, what’s wrong?"
Xiang Ning stamred, "Miss, Young Master Song he..."
"What about him?" Ye Ling suddenly felt nervous, her face turned a little pale.
"Miss, you better see for yourself!" Xiang Ning cooperated by sobbing twice.
Ye Ling was truly scared, she hurriedly lifted the curtain, only to et Song Yuanbao’s smiling and handso face.
Realizing she’d been tricked by the two, Ye Ling stomped her feet in frustration, feeling like crying, "You, you’re just bullying !"
"I can’t even care for you enough, how could I bear to bully you?" Song Yuanbao pulled her hand over, placing a jade cup in her palm. His jade-like handso face wore a smile that seed to have a contagious magic, "I just wanted you to know, no matter who your parents betroths you to, in this life you can only marry ."
Ye Ling could clearly feel the warmth of his hand holding hers, with a kind of reassuring strength.
She suddenly gripped the jade cup tightly, pulled her hand back, and lowered her head, "But I’ve heard, there are many prestigious families hunting for a son-in-law this ti. Even if we are engaged, you are still their first choice. If by then your parents force you to break off the engagent and marry another girl, would you still want ?"
Compared to the prominent families in the Capital, the household of the Cloud General’s Mansion truly didn’t count for much.
Ye Ling had always been well aware that her own origins were ordinary, and to match with Song Yuanbao was reaching high.
Yet, this person always made it hard for her to eat and sleep properly. When annoyed, she was truly angry, he vigorously bullied her, but afterward, whenever she ate or slept, she would recall every word he had said, even the expressions he made when saying those words.
She thought this must be what liking soone is. She indeed liked Song Yuanbao, but unfortunately, the competitors were too many and too strong.
This ti, at the imperial examination, she heard Song Yuanbao was listed as the top choice for the match-making families. At that ti, she panicked, which was why she hurriedly had Xiang Ning prepare the Champion Scholar Wine and Champion Scholar Cake, also as a chance to show her face in front of him, not wanting to be overshadowed by other girls.
Song Yuanbao had already heard about this matter beforehand; those prominent families didn’t even regard the Cloud General Mansion as worthy. If it wasn’t for Ye Hongjiang’s northern expedition this ti, with the court giving great care to the Ye family, they would have had plenty of ways to ruin this engagent.
Song Yuanbao didn’t realize he had brought her such significant pressure.
Looking at her somber little face, he felt bad inside.
Taking two steps forward, he rested on the window, breathing so close to her, "If I marry a girl, it certainly won’t be because of her high birth, future advantages for my career, but simply because I like her. The Song Family is already part of the royal family and doesn’t need to marry into alliances. I just want to marry a wife I like and live a simple life; I don’t have such high demands."
These words undoubtedly reassured Ye Ling; she shyly bit her lip, at a loss for words.
Song Yuanbao continued, "When I first saw you at the polo field, I wanted to marry you. I’m not lying, it’s true. That day when I got ho, I told my parents, but unfortunately, they didn’t agree. They said I was reckless and gave a year to reconsider. If after a year I still wanted to marry you, they would have no objections. So I did, and a year later, I want more than ever to marry you. What do you think is happening?"
Ye Ling had never heard such words; she was so shy that she quickly covered her ears, "I don’t know, don’t ask , I’m leaving."
Song Yuanbao looked at her cute rabbit-like startled expression trying to escape, silently chuckled, "Even if you dodge today, you can’t avoid the wedding date in April. Be good, don’t let your thoughts run wild, stay at ho and wait for to co with eight palanquins to marry you."
When he had been talking for a while, Song Yuanbao noticed that Ye Ling ca today only with her maid, and casually asked, "How did your third brother agree to let you co see ?"
"Third brother is not here." Ye Ling lowered her hands from covering her ears, speaking earnestly.
"Where did he go?"
"I don’t know." Ye Ling shook her head, "My mom said he went out with so friends; we haven’t seen him for days."
Song Yuanbao made an ’oh’ sound and didn’t think much more about it.
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