Chapter 10: Little Xie Marquis
The academy examinations of Guang Wen Tang was held every tenth month of the year.
The academy examinations were a test for every student in the academy, especially for outstanding students who will be showcasing their talents and most importantly at that day there would be many high ranking officials who will be watching and princes will be looking at the side. If there were good students, perhaps career opportunities would be available.
In short, one would show off one’s talent for others to see and one would be famous. This was why in every academy examination everyone would use all their energy and effort to achieve the titles.
In level two, Shen Miao’s talent was the most extensive and would always stand above the crowd in the academy examinations. Although Shen Qing was not as good as Shen Yue in terms of poetry, her calculation skills were among the best and would usually get a few top rankings.
If one were to talk about no accomplishment, the bottom of it would be Shen Miao. She did not know any of the four scholarly arts and her arithmetic was the worst. In every academy examinations, she would always embarrass herself. Not so mention to showcase her talents, it would be very hard to even pass the tests. The Shen Miao in the last lifetime was the most afraid of the yearly academy examinations as she could only see Shen Yue and Shen Qing being proud of their success and was very envious in her heart.
And now when she looked, she only felt that that they were just jealousy among kids. What kind of battle she had not seen before, academy examinations was really nothing in her eyes.
She look at Feng An Ning and said, “What about academy examinations? I have never thought of fighting for whatever top or bottom ranking. What is there to contend?”
Feng An Ning was slightly surprised for a moment as she did not think that Shen Miao would be so magnanimous to say the truth of the matter. She looked carefully at Shen Miao in detailed and asked, “You must have hurt a lot else there would not be such a great change in temperament right?”
Shen Miao seemed to have a personality change overnight from a dull person to a magnanimous and confident person. It was like one should not have at this age. Because they were sitting on the same table, this change in temperament would only be more obvious.
“Yes it is.” Shen Miao smiled and no longer say anything more.
Perhaps it was because of the age of the young females, their instinct would be to respect of envy others would were more mature than themselves. Shen Miao’s gestures turned Feng An Ning attitude to her imperceptibly better.
After the accounting lessons were completed, the students head out to the garden outside Guang Wen Tang to play. The female were all in the academy playing chess or discussing about the new poetry but heard the sound of a horse passing.
“What sound is that?” Yi Pei Lan turn her head over.
“Lets’ go outside to see.” Jiang Cai Xuan proposed as she pulled Shen Yue up, “Lets’ go and take a look at what is it.”
Shen Miao had no intention of joining in the fun but it was Feng An Ning who turn back after taking two steps and grabbed onto Shen Miao’s hands after thinking for a bit, “Lets’ go and see!”
Shen Miao was somewhat surprise as Feng An Ning usually don’t like her, let alone displaying an intimate move. She was still puzzled but she was already being pulled out of the academy by Feng An Ning.
There were many students standing outside by the door chatting. When they heart Feng An Ning pulling Shen Miao over, they all cast a surprised look. Shen Yue’s eyes flashed slightly but she di
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d not make a sound but it was Shen Qing who saw it and scoffed. Ever since she knew that Shen Miao also love Prince Ding, she no longer hide her disdain or put up any pretence.
But what was surprising was not this. Cai Lin just squeezed out from the crowd and called out from the pleasantly surprise people, “Little Xie Marquis!”
Little Xie Marquis? Shen Miao took a look outside.
Outside of Guang Wen Tang’s red cinnabar door, there stood a red steed. The coat of the horse was bright and smooth and with one look, anyone could tell it was a good steed that was worth thousands of gold. The horse slightly kicked forward haughtily as his elegant body was attracting everyone’s attention.
But in the end it was not as dazzling as the person on the horseback.
The youth sat on the horseback, wearing a black embroidered robe and a dark purple mink coat was worn on top. His right hand lazily played the horse whip and his facial features were sharp and handsome. The corner of his lips were slightly hooked up like he was smiling but not and the gaze is his eyes was very cold.
There was a young female in the crowd that immediately blushed and not regarding what place this was, she courageously threw a silk handkerchief that was folded to a blossom to the youth. Ming Qi a liberalised country and was tolerant to the rules between young males and females.
The silk blossom fell into the arms of the youth and he twisted it in his hand as the corner of his lips hook up into a smile. The young female who threw the silk blossoms immediately flush as she already became silly in love.
In the next moment the stubborn and obstreperous youth’s smile fleeted away. The silk blossoms fell onto the ground and landed under the horseshoe of the red horse, crushing it into a ball of mess.
He lazily sat up straight, as if there was a naturally born strong evasiveness but because of his handsome face, it magnified his attractiveness. He had the innate ability to let one not move their eyes from his presence.
What a cold and nasty person.
Yi Pei Lan murmured, “It’s the little marquis of the Xie family.”
Shen Miao raised her eyebrows. Little marquis of the Xie family, Xie Jing Xing.
Most of the many old aristocratic vessel families in Ming Qi accompanied the late Emperor in the founding of the country and achieved meritorious services. After generations, the aristocratic titles were just only names and it was empty inside. Some families however became more prosperous and live splendidly.
Like Feng family who was a literary official, there were also like the Shen family kind of generals. If one were to say that the Shen family had a lineage of military background, it would be because they all lead troops to fight in wars and were recognised as honest people. Then there was Xie family had military power in their hands but always drift along and His Majesty was also helpless towards the Xie family.
Most likely there was some rebellious streak in the Xie family bones. All the deeds they done were absolutely disgraceful, such as ignoring the capital command to retreat thousands of miles away and continued to pursue the retreating enemy. At the end, they still glorifying it as ‘a general should judge and act according to the real situations at the battlefield and thus need not need to obey all orders’. But the Imperial family was helpless towards the Xie family, as they were invincible in battle.
The Shen family and the Xie family had an opposing relationship and this of course was provoked by the previous Emperor deliberately so that there will be checks and balances to stabilize the court. Shen Xin’s and the Xie Marquis’s views were never aligned as Shen Xin disapprove of Xie Ding’s weird tactics and orthodox methods. Xie Ding could not understand why Shen Xin still depend on military books during battles and was so conservative that he was not flexible. Both families, other than quarrelling in court, did not have any interactions thus the late Emperor was happy to see such arrangement.
After Xie Ding’s wife passed away, Xie Ding did not marry another wife. There was only one concubine household and the concubine had two sons. This meant that Xie Jing Xing had to Shu brothers from the same father. Perhaps Xie Ding’s was distress that the Di son’s mother died young and wanted to make it up to him, so he doted Xie Jing Xing since young, making Xie Jing Xing develop a undisciplined and out of control temperament.
Even so, Xie Jing Xing was a brilliant person. Other than his indifferent nature, he was smart in studies and had noble features which were well-known in Ming Xi, else many females would not have secretly admire him.
It was such a pity. Shen Miao’s heart sighed. This kind of outstanding young man, at the end had arrows shot into his heart and hung out after stripping his skin, such a tragic ending.
Perhaps her pitiful gaze was too obvious so the young man suddenly look over and his eyes, which were as deep as the stars, flashed as though as he did not understand her gaze.