ALL NOVEL Chapter 101 - III
Wu Mingrui was obviously more excited. “Let’s go, let’s have a flower banquet tonight. Fortunately, the little princess is only a few years old, otherwise, you might be in trouble. Tomorrow’s parade is supposed to be a lot of fun; I heard many girls used to give flowers to the handsome candidates!”
Jing Xingzhi looked at him and said, “Brother Mingrui, do you know that I’m technically your brother-in-law? How dare you talk about girls to your brother-in-law?”
Wu Mingrui smiled. “Those girls won’t look for me!”
“They won’t look for me either,” Jing Xingzhi replied. “I am now the man with the best reputation among the girls and shuangers in the entire capital.”
Jing Xingzhi puffed out his chest in pride.
Submitting the exam results early for his wife and children might seem unreasonable among a group of candidates, and they would have been considered talented at most, but among the girls and shuangers, Jing Xingzhi had quietly become a new benchmark.
‘Look at Jing Xingzhi, the number one scholar; he’s thinking about going home to see his wife during the exam. What about you?’
‘Look at Master Jing; he has to go home and change his child’s diapers even after taking a test. What about you?’
From high-ranking families to urban residents, no matter who had a wife or child, Jing Xingzhi had quietly become a nightmare for many men.
Wu Mingrui looked at his friend’s arrogant expression and smiled inwardly, though he pretended to be concerned on his face.
“Okay, tell me… you won’t be thrown aside by those men who are forced to take care of their children and wash diapers, right?”
Jing Xingzhi froze. ‘Could it be true?’
He squeezed the mung bean cake in his hand. “No way! I’m the top scholar this year, I’m the number one!”
Wu Mingrui continued to tease his friend. “You don’t know, when I’m walking around outside, I often hear people saying, ‘Look at Master Jing, then look at you! What do you look like? Why don’t you take care of your children?'”
Jing Xingzhi was shocked. He knew that as soon as Su Mingyuan’s article was published, the official newspaper had sold out quickly, but he didn’t realize that he had become so famous.
What surprised him even more was that the reason for his newfound fame wasn’t his talent but because he loved his wife and was helping actively raising their children.
“Alas…” Jing Xingzhi sighed and slowly expressed his true feelings. “If you’re not envied by others, you’re just a mediocre person.”
Wu Mingrui: “…”
‘I also wanted to say that there are soldiers following us during the parade, but forget it.’
‘Anyway, I didn’t lie to my friends. Everyone in the market knows that “Master Jing” is real, and it has become an anecdote.’
.
After returning home, Jing Xingzhi mentioned the parade to Liu Fang. He was worried he would be pelted with flowers, so he asked Xiao Fangfang if there was any armor at home that could withstand such an assault.
Liu Fang burst out laughing. “You idiot! You’re the number one scholar. How could they throw flowers at you? But there will definitely be flowers from girls, and you’re not allowed to accept them from others!”
“No one will throw flowers at me,” Jing Xingzhi replied, genuinely thinking it was impossible. “I already have a wife. I’m just an old married man. How attractive can I be?”
But after the parade the next day, Jing Xingzhi found that he was half right, and Liu Fang was also half right.
There were indeed many people staring at Jing Xingzhi as he passed, including little girls and young shuangers, but most of them were adult shuangers.
These grown shuangers held flowers—bright red and purple, large and fragrant—and deliberately aimed them at Jing Xingzhi!
Jing Xingzhi, dressed in the bright red robe of the Number One Scholar, dodged left and right with a graceful and flexible posture.
A large flower was hurled past him, and Jing Xingzhi caught the first bouquet on the street, which was a peach blossom from Xiao Fangfang.
This gesture shocked the hearts of many shuangers and girls.
Very well, after enduring the nightmare of adult shuangers, Brother Jing had quietly won over the hearts of the young shuangers.
‘If you want to marry me, you must at least be the number one scholar, ride a tall horse, and accept my flowers with a smile in the spring breeze.’
This line later became the standard for many beautiful shuangers and girls from noble families.
But unfortunately, no one reached the standard for several years. In the entire Li Dynasty, there was only one Number One Scholar every three years, and they had to compete with countless married men. How could a young man do it?
As for young people who were capable, they loved reading even more. But was reading as fun as getting married? No.
Back to the present, Jing Xingzhi picked up Xiao Fangfang’s flowers and suffered another “beating by falling flowers.”
After a long time, a group of people on horseback paraded toward the saint’s temple, preparing to visit the temple and thank the saint.
At this moment, another team emerged, stealing everyone’s attention.
“Great victory! Your Majesty, great victory on the frontier! General Ning and General Zhang have captured the cities of Dingbei and Anbei!”
“Dingbei and Anbei have been captured!”
The Li Dynasty was vast, and Dingbei and Anbei were cities it had lost twenty years ago. However, after the sudden death of the late emperor, the throne was replaced, and foreign tribes colluded with rebels to seize five border cities.
Eventually, Li Yunxi took over, dispatched an army, and worked hard to regain three of the cities.
But Dingbei and Anbei were too far north and remained in enemy hands because Li Dynasty was not stable enough.
Now, nearly twenty years later, those lost cities had been reclaimed, and the territory was restored.
For a moment, not only the people across the city but even the scholars in the Saint’s Temple were beaming with joy. They wished they could roll up their sleeves and join the celebration, giving rides to the soldiers coming to announce the good news.
After a hurried salute at the Saint’s Temple, a group of new scholars rushed away, leaving the officials of the Ministry of Rites dumbfounded.
Jing Xingzhi, once walking at the front, now walked at the back, holding a peach blossom and walking slowly.
As a result, the second-place and the third-pkace each pulled Jing Xingzhi aside, and he was forced to follow the crowd of new scholars.
The once-large group of scholars merged with the common people, indistinguishable in the throng, like a stream blending into the sea.
Jing Xingzhi watched many people with tears in their eyes, shouting at the top of their lungs the names of Dingbei and Anbei, as if calling their lost and found children.
Suddenly, his body shook, and a buzzing sound seemed to fill his ears. Then, the spiritual energy within him began to flow on its own.
The spiritual energy gathered in his eyes, and his mind instantly cleared.
Jing Xingzhi seemed to see the entire capital glowing with glory, with waves of popularity rushing toward the palace. Finally, they passed through the palace and penetrated into the dragon veins underground, turning into threads of yellow air that strengthened the energy flow.
This dynasty was growing.
As for Jing Xingzhi, he had unknowingly touched the threshold of the fourth level of his Qi Refining Technique, which was said to be capable of turning mountains and seas when practiced to the fifth level.
At the fourth level, it seemed that what was increasing was not his ability, but his responsibility.
How important was it to be able to see the fate of the country?
Jing Xingzhi took a few quick glances and saw that the middle part of the dragon’s veins was stained with greyness. Then, his entire body drained of energy, leaving no trace of spiritual energy within him.
The hazy light faded from his eyes, and the world returned to its normal state. Jing Xingzhi’s vision darkened, and he lost consciousness, falling toward the ground.
His face turned pale, and the second-place and the third-place quickly helped him up. One went to look for Wu Mingrui in the crowd, and the other took Jing Xingzhi to the nearest medical centre.