GBP Chapter 391 I must be dizzy
Chapter 391 I must be dizzy
Chapter 391 I must be dizzy
"Scholar Jiang, are those your family members?"
Jiang Xiaoqi withdrew her hand and turned around: "Yes, it's my grandmother and sisters."
Is your sister a twin?
"Yes, my fifth and sixth sisters are twins."
"Oh, I see. I thought I was seeing things."
Jiang Xiaoqi's mental alarm bells went off: "No way, no way, has the top scholar taken a fancy to one of my sisters?"
How can this be allowed!? Well, it doesn't seem like it's entirely impossible~
After all, he was the third-highest scorer in the imperial examination; he wouldn't be at a disadvantage dating any of his older sisters.
"Xiao Tanhua, how's your forehead? Is it feeling any better?"
"I'm much better now, thanks to Scholar Jiang's ice bamboo tube."
Jiang Xiaoqi nodded, "We're from the same class and will be colleagues in the future, so let's not address each other like 'Scholar Jiang' or 'Third Scholar Xiao,' it sounds too formal."
“Um, Mr. Jiang, what you say makes sense. My name is Xiao Ming, courtesy name Guangcan.”
"My name is Jiang Mingfei. I am still young and have not yet been given a courtesy name. Brother Xiao, you can just call me Mingfei."
"Okay, Mingfei! Thank you for the ice bamboo tube, Mingfei. I feel like my forehead isn't so swollen anymore."
"Really? Let me see~"
With the change in how they addressed each other, their relationship instantly became much closer.
Liu Peng, the runner-up in the preliminary round, curled his lip, completely disapproving of such polite small talk.
It's just an ice bucket; the ice in his ice cellar can last all summer.
It's just that I didn't carry it with me. Besides, who would carry a bamboo tube of ice with them? That's just crazy!
Jiang Mingfei (who is purely ill): Better safe than sorry~
The scholars continued walking forward, while the women of the Jiang family returned to the table, picked up their chopsticks, and continued eating.
"Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, that third-ranked scholar looked at you two strangely just now!"
Jiang Feier and Jiang Weier paused, looked up at Jiang Lianer, indicating that they should let her continue.
"Oh, well, I've been staring at your faces for a bit too long, hehe, hehe."
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang immediately perked up: "Lian'er, are you saying that the third-ranked scholar has taken a liking to your sisters?"
So, did he fall for the fifth girl or the sixth girl?
Could it be that they both fell for the same thing? That won't do!
"Anyway, I saw him staring at Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister's faces for a long time. What else could it be but that he's taken a liking to them?"
"Alright, don't say anything more after we leave this room. A young lady's reputation is the most important thing. We'll talk about the specifics after your brother returns from the Qionglin Banquet."
One of them was the top scholar in the imperial examination, and the other was the third-ranked scholar. Now they are riding together on tall horses, so they must be very familiar with each other along the way.
"Once your younger brother gets home, we'll inquire more carefully. We don't know if the third-ranked scholar is engaged yet."
Jiang Lian'er nodded, agreeing with her grandmother's reasoning. She thought that once her younger brother returned home, she could inquire about this third-place scholar and see what his intentions were.
Jiang Feier blushed slightly, while Jiang Weier calmly ate her food, as if it were none of her business.
The main street of the capital was not long, and the parade finally ended before the scholars were covered in bumps and bruises.
Xiao Ming wanted to find a clinic to check his head. Although it wasn't so swollen anymore, it still hurt a bit.
However, the Ministry of Rites officials informed them that there was not enough time and they had to return to the palace to attend the Qionglin Banquet.
Xiao Ming was on the verge of tears when Jiang Xiaoqi took out a small bronze mirror from his pocket and handed it to him.
"Brother Xiao, you have some red marks on your forehead, but you can cover them up with some cosmetics."
Xiao Ming was a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, and attending the Qionglin Banquet with a swollen forehead was considered a breach of etiquette in front of the emperor, with no one to complain to.
Xiao Ming was curious as to why Jiang Xiaoqi carried a bronze mirror with her, but he still took it and looked at himself.
Yes, it's a small red patch, but it's more noticeable because his skin is quite fair. Although he's not as fair as Brother Jiang, he's really fair-skinned for a man.
Jiang Xiaoqi took out a small box, and when she opened it, it turned out to be face powder.
Xiao Ming looked at Jiang Xiaoqi with a strange expression for a moment, but Jiang Xiaoqi didn't have time to explain.
"Shall I cover you up?"
"Uh, oh~ okay, okay, I'll cover it up."
Xiao Ming, as if possessed, let Jiang Xiaoqi fiddle with it. After a short while, he raised the bronze mirror and looked at it. He really couldn't see any red marks anymore!
"This is incredible!"
Is it because Brother Jiang's skin is fairer and more delicate than mine that he often uses this powder? I think I need a whole box, what should I do?
As if she could read minds, Jiang Xiaoqi handed a box of powder along with a bronze mirror to Xiao Ming.
"Keep it for later use, in case your makeup smudges at the banquet, you can always touch it up."
"Ah? Oh! Okay! Thank you! Thank you so much, Brother Jiang, you're so thoughtful!"
"Hey, we're all brothers, no need to be so polite!"
"Hehe, yeah, good brother!"
Xiao Ming stuffed the now-warm bamboo tube into his bosom, then stuffed the bronze mirror and powder box into his bosom as well, making his bosom bulge.
Strange~ Why doesn't Brother Jiang look bulky with so many things stuffed in his arms?
Liu Peng curled his lip again, inwardly despising them as two effeminate men with makeup on!
It's truly embarrassing to be in the same league as two people like that!
People's hearts have changed, and the world is going to the dogs!
At the end of the main street, the three royal ceremonial horses were returned to their trainers, and the three members of the Imperial Academy and more than two hundred scholars walked together to attend the Qionglin Banquet.
Fortunately, the weather isn't hot now, otherwise, after all that effort, whether you're in the top three or the lowest tier of intensive care, you'd be drenched in sweat and sore all over.
Of course, there is time before the Qionglin Banquet for everyone to tidy their appearance, and the etiquette officers will also offer guidance during this time.
During the etiquette training, we were also taught the rules for attending the Qionglin Banquet. I'm just reminding everyone of them now.
The Qionglin Banquet was usually held at the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial Academy, but since the Great Zhou Dynasty was relatively new, the imperial family held the banquet in the palace to show their emphasis on the imperial examinations.
In addition to the newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), officials from the Ministry of Rites and Hanlin scholars will also participate, as will the examiners of the palace examination.
The emperor would sometimes attend, and sometimes he would send princes or other members of the royal family to attend on his behalf.
Of course, the emperor not only attended in person, but also brought his eldest son, third son, and fifth son with him.
This move prompted the court officials to speculate: Was this intentional on His Majesty's part? Or...?
The three hundred successful candidates in the imperial examinations naturally did not sit together. The three top-ranked candidates and the first-ranked candidate of the second-ranked candidates, who were all seated separately, each had their own seat.
The remaining 296 Jinshi and Tongjinshi all had two seats, meaning two people per seat.
Therefore, a total of 152 seats were set up for the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and with the seats for the officials in front, there were approximately 200 seats.
Fortunately, the palace was spacious enough to accommodate them.
The princes of Sanming sat below the emperor, arranged in order of seniority.
On the other side were Minister of Rites, Lord Tong, and others. Lord Tong looked at the three princes opposite him, without any sign of unease or discomfort.
Although he was the fourth prince's maternal grandfather, at this moment, he was a subject, the Minister of Rites, not anyone's maternal grandfather...