TTTQF Chapter 137

In Need of Discipline, Aren't You?

"Your Majesty, this is the list of candidates who have passed the imperial examination. Please take a look." The chief examiner of the imperial examination stands in the imperial study, respectfully holding the list of passing candidates in his hands, waiting for Xu Hai to present it to Emperor Liangping for review.

Xu Hai takes the list, checks it briefly, and hands it to Emperor Liangping. The emperor smiles as he browses through the names. The imperial examination held every three years is the main method for the court to recruit talents, and the thick document in his hands lists the future pillars of the Liang Dynasty.

After flipping through two pages, he suddenly pauses. Staring at the fifteenth name, he mutters softly, "Pei Che of the Duke Zhongguo's estate?"

Xu Hai’s heart skips a beat. Just as he is about to speak, Emperor Liangping continues flipping through the list, seemingly unaffected by the brief interruption. Xu Hai glances sideways at the chief examiner standing below, understanding that the emperor harbors personal grievances against the Pei family. However, in the presence of high-ranking officials, he can't afford to show it.

"Minister Lu, you've exhausted yourself in selecting fine talents for the court during this time. Once the exam process is concluded, I shall properly reward all of you for your hard work," Emperor Liangping says.

Lu Xiuming, standing below, is moved. "Your Majesty, being entrusted with this important task is a blessing for this humble servant. I dare not speak of hardship, nor do I dare to claim any merit. It is the duty of a servant of the court, and I dare not seek rewards for it."

"Tomorrow is the day the results will be posted. Have the arrangements been made?" Emperor Liangping asks casually, shifting the topic after Lu Xiuming's humble response.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the list has been transcribed, and it will be posted on the announcement wall first thing in the morning for all to see." Lu Xiuming, though serving as the chief examiner of the imperial exam for the first time, has previously overseen provincial exams, so the process of announcing the results is familiar to him.

"That's good. Go back and prepare. This is a matter of great importance, and no mistakes can be allowed," Emperor Liangping instructs.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Your servant takes his leave." Lu Xiuming bows, takes a few steps backward, and then turns to leave the imperial study.

As soon as he leaves, Emperor Liangping's voice rings out.

"Xu Hai."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The heir of the Pei family has been studying at the Imperial Academy since childhood. A few years ago, due to being in a period of mourning, he did not participate in the previous provincial exams. In this session, he places eighth in the Liang capital's exam..." Xu Hai begins reporting the information he has gathered over the past few days.

Although Pei Che is married, and Emperor Liangping, due to the demands of state affairs, no longer pays as close attention to their every move as before, Xu Hai still habitually checks on them every few days—just for situations like today's.

Emperor Liangping nods. It seems Pei Che has some talent after all, placing eighth in the provincial exam and fifteenth in the imperial exam. Though not at the top, he is still among the leading candidates. What a pity—if he weren't Pei Shijie's son and could rank within the top ten in the palace exam, Emperor Liangping wouldn't hesitate to grant him the title of Tanhualang, which would certainly match his appearance.

Xu Hai observes the various emotions flashing across Emperor Liangping's face. After careful consideration, he ultimately chooses not to speak. The heir of the Pei family has once come from an aristocratic military background and has now entered the court, gaining the qualifications to hold an official position. If Xu Hai doesn’t watch his words carefully, he might bring trouble upon himself in the future.

…

"Pop! Bang! Pop! Bang!"

The deafening sound of firecrackers echoes down the entire street, and the ground is already covered with a thick layer of red paper from the explosions, reflecting the festive atmosphere and the joy of the host family.

Some people unfamiliar with the situation stop to listen for a while before rubbing their ears, sore from the noise, and ask those nearby, "What’s going on, why all the commotion?"

"You don’t know?" The person asked seems puzzled. Upon closer inspection, they notice the questioner is carrying a bundle, clearly having just arrived. "The heir of the Duke Zhongguo's estate, Pei Che, passed the imperial exam. Today, they’re hosting a grand banquet. Too bad you arrived late! Just before the firecrackers were set off, the servants came out and scattered baskets of lucky money!"

The person speaking is still savoring the memory, clearly delighted by the distribution of lucky money. The one carrying the bundle feels a bit regretful too—if only he had arrived earlier, he might have shared in the luck.

Inside the Duke’s estate, Pei Che and Jiang Miao are already quite adept at hosting guests. This banquet is arranged to the same standard as the one held after the provincial exam. Guests and hosts alike are all in high spirits, and almost everyone’s attitude is noticeably better than during the previous banquet. The way they look at Pei Che has changed as well; no longer do they see him simply as a junior.

Pei Che, however, remains humble. Passing the imperial exam is something he has expected. From the moment he saw the exam questions, he is confident that he would succeed. What he doesn’t expect is that his ranking would be so high.

Jiang Miao, on the other hand, finally feels like he can sleep well. From the day of Pei Che’s exam to the announcement of the results, Jiang Miao has been sleeping poorly, fearing that a bad outcome might hurt Pei Che’s fragile heart. Now that everything is settled, he no longer has to worry. After all, any student who passes the provincial exam and earns the status of "Gongshi" is guaranteed, at the very least, to achieve the rank of "Tongjinshi" after the final imperial exam, so there’s no longer any risk of failing.

At night, the two of them lie in bed. Jiang Miao, exhausted from a busy day, is on the verge of falling asleep when Pei Che suddenly asks, "Ah Miao, if I were assigned outside the capital, would you be willing to go with me?"

"Huh?" Jiang Miao takes a moment to process what Pei Che has said. "You are going to be sent out of the capital?" His sleepiness vanishes.

Pei Che turns to face him. "It's quite likely. Generally speaking, except for the top three ranked candidates—the zhuangyuan, bangyan, and tanhua—who are appointed to positions in the capital, the rest of the people have to be sent out of the capital to serve as officials for some experience." Then, people with backgrounds can be transferred back to the capital in as little as one year or as much as three years. People without backgrounds have to slowly build their seniority, or rely on connections through marriage or bribery to align with powerful court officials. Few rise through merit alone."

"I see..." Jiang Miao mutters, clearly in deep thought.

Pei Che waits nervously. Deep down, he hopes Ah Miao will go with him, but he also feels it would be selfish to ask. The capital, with all its prosperity and excitement, can’t be compared to anywhere else. How could he ask Ah Miao to endure hardship with him?

Jiang Miao sighs, causing Pei Che's heart to tighten. He can almost hear the rejection coming. He consoles himself, thinking it is fine. At most, he will be away for three years, and they can reunite as a family when he returns to the capital.

"If I go with you, would Xiao Shitou and Mu’er have to go too?" Jiang Miao asks.

"Of course," Pei Che replies. "I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them in the capital alone to continue their studies."

"Wouldn’t that mean they'd have to transfer schools again?" Jiang Miao frowns. Moving around during their primary education isn’t ideal.

Pei Che forces a smile, about to say something when Jiang Miao continues.

"Sigh, never mind. Who knows if the tutors out there are any good? But it doesn't matter. You’re well-educated, so teaching them yourself shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, isn’t there an old saying? 'Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles...'" Jiang Miao is mid-sentence when Pei Che suddenly grabs him and plants a kiss on his lips.

Startled by this bold move, Jiang Miao quickly pushes him away. "Hey, stop it! I’ve been exhausted all day—my whole body feels like it's falling apart!" He definitely doesn’t have the energy for any nonsense.

Pei Che buries his face in Jiang Miao’s neck and lets out a low laugh.

"Hey... don’t think you can get away with this just by acting cute!" Jiang Miao feels like Pei Che’s breath is burning him, his neck turning red all the way up to his ears.

"Ah Miao."

"Mm?"

"I’m really happy."

"Huh? What are you so happy about?"

"I’m happy that you’re willing to stick with me through thick and thin, to leave behind the wealth and prosperity of the capital and endure hardships with me out there." Pei Che holds Jiang Miao tightly. After all, when noblemen are assigned outside the capital, their wives almost never go with them. At most, they send a concubine or two to take care of things.

Jiang Miao laughs at his words. "I’m not that noble. It’s not like your money stops working once we leave the capital. What hardships? Besides, getting the chance to travel is great! If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have a chance to go anywhere in my life. I’m benefiting from your privilege."

His practical response doesn’t upset Pei Che—in fact, he feels even more touched. Ah Miao must’ve said this to keep him from feeling too guilty!

With that thought, Pei Che plants another kiss on Jiang Miao’s lips to show his gratitude.

"Hey, that’s enough! I’m trying to sleep!"

Smooch! Another kiss, this time on his left cheek.

"If you keep this up, I’m going to get mad!"

Smooch! A kiss on his right cheek.

"Are you serious right now? You really don’t listen, do you?" Jiang Miao is getting heated.

Smooch! A wet kiss landed on his forehead.

"You’re asking for it!" Jiang Miao suddenly flips over and pins Pei Che down, playfully enacting a scene where the "lamb" overpowers the "wolf."

Any trace of tiredness vanishes in the midst of their playful tussling.

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