Chapter 49: Top Scholar

Having recovered from being deceived by his master, Shen Xiuyan stared blankly at the ten taels of silver receding in the distance.

“……”

Envious, his wife’s generosity was even greater than the pocket money she gave him.

Wait, he was a top scholar now!!!

The gambling money was within his grasp.

A full thousand taels!

The little money lover quickly pulled out the certificate, left a message, and dashed off.

He was in a hurry to find the person and cash in on this large sum.

Leaving Su Mingyue standing there, feeling bewildered, she wondered why her husband seemed more excited about getting the silver than about becoming a top scholar…

Maybe the pocket money she gave him was indeed a little too low.

Su Mingyue began to reflect on herself.

At the agreed-upon location, Shen Xiuyan and the other man stared at each other.

The man couldn’t believe it, “You really passed the exam!”

“Why? Is there something wrong?” Shen Xiuyan said proudly, “I even topped the exam.”

The man, who had initially wanted to back out, “……”

Being the top scholar meant he couldn’t back out now.

What if he became an official and had to deal with him later?

With tears in his eyes, the man took out a thousand taels in silver notes.

Looks like he would have to live frugally this year.

He truly shouldn’t have acted on impulse.

Shen Xiuyan happily counted the silver notes, while saying to Su Mingyue’s belly, “Look, Daddy earned this much money for you. I’ll leave this with your mother to keep, and when you’re born, she’ll give you pocket money, but of course, it can’t be more than what your daddy’s.”

Su Mingyue looked at her husband, who acted like a child, and shook her head helplessly.

But before she knew it, Shen Xiuyan shoved all the silver notes into her hands, “Wife, you hold on to these.”

Su Mingyue, who had never planned to take a single coin, now had her hands full of money.

Well, she had started thinking about giving him an increase in pocket money, but it seemed there was no need for that now.

Having a husband who willingly hands over his wealth was a sweet burden.

After that day, Shen Xiuyan was invited to numerous gatherings.

People he knew, and people he didn’t, all eagerly invited him to small parties.

These were gatherings hosted by talented individuals from various places, and if he didn’t attend, it might harm his reputation among those who saw themselves as highly accomplished.

Reluctantly, he attended many of these banquets, and in the process, made some new friends.

Today, he was attending a banquet hosted by the local governor with a few friends.

Coincidentally, the Minister of Personnel was passing through the area with his family on a trip to visit relatives and was invited to the banquet as well, since he and the governor were old acquaintances.

At first, the banquet was fine, just some normal discussions of academic matters.

But gradually, it shifted to a more competitive tone.

Suddenly, someone remarked, “Your calligraphy is really lacking. I’ve had the honor of seeing Master Shen’s writing, and the calligraphy of various masters is easy for him to replicate, now that’s impressive.”

Since sitting down, Shen Xiuyan had kept to the principle of saying little to avoid making mistakes, focusing instead on eating his meal.

Hearing this, he innocently looked up, having said nothing, so why were they trying to make him the target?

Fortunately, the resentment didn’t escalate. The governor, intrigued, admired calligraphy and talent.

He smiled and said, “I didn’t realize that Master Xiu Yan had this skill. Why don’t you give us a demonstration?”

“Sure!”

“Go on, Brother Xiu Yan!”

With the governor’s encouragement, the scholars present also echoed the suggestion.

The atmosphere had been built up to this point, so the relentless eating machine had no choice but to put down his bowl and start demonstrating.

In one breath, he mimicked a dozen different styles of calligraphy, with each stroke, power, and flow nearly identical.

“Well, well done!”

“No wonder he’s this year’s top scholar. Not only is his knowledge impressive, but his calligraphy skills are enough to earn admiration.”

Thunderous applause followed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

The Minister of Personnel, Minister Sun, walked over and carefully examined the calligraphy. After a moment, he nodded and praised, “Indeed, each mountain is higher than the next. This writing is flawless!”

Shen Xiuyan: “Thank you for the compliment, Lord.”

“Minister Sun, you may not know, but this young man is truly remarkable. Not only does he write such beautiful calligraphy, but he’s also this year’s top scholar,” the governor couldn’t help but praise.

Shen Xiuyan modestly replied, “It’s just luck.”

Minister Sun, astonished, said, “Master Shen is truly a young talent! To rise above thousands of candidates—how can that just be luck?”

“Exactly. I think Master Shen is too humble,” the governor chuckled, patting his belly. “Come on, Old Sun, let’s go drink over there.”

Seeing them leave, Shen Xiuyan sighed in relief and found a corner to continue his transformation into the heartless eating machine.

“Yan’er, what’s going on over there?” asked Minister Sun’s daughter, Sun Yunrou, who was leaning against the pavilion.

Because of the separation of genders, the women of Minister Sun’s family and the governor’s family were in a nearby garden, admiring the flowers.

The maid, named Yan’er, replied, “Miss, I’ll go see.”

After a while, she hurried back. “Miss, it seems there’s a scholar over there with impressive calligraphy. He’s being admired by everyone, and even the governor and master praised him.”

“Oh? Father actually praised him?” Sun Yunrou was surprised. Very few people could make her father speak such high words.

The maid nodded, “Yes, and he’s this year’s top scholar. He must have some genuine skill to earn such high praise from the master.”

Sun Yunrou grew interested. She whispered, “Who is it? Show me.”

The maid, seeing no one around, led Sun Yunrou closer.

“Miss, it’s the man eating at the corner of the table.”

Just one glance, and Sun Yunrou froze.

Under the sunlight, Shen Xiuyan stood tall, his handsome, picturesque face complemented by soft, dark eyes. His green robe accentuated his youthful elegance, resembling a transcendent immortal.

At this moment, he stood in sharp contrast to the people around him. Even though everyone else was chatting and he was the only one oddly eating, he was still an undeniable presence.

Suddenly, someone next to him said something, and with his good temper, he smiled and stood up to chat.

Sun Yunrou stared at him blankly, feeling somewhat captivated.

“Miss, miss?” The maid gently nudged Sun Yunrou’s arm, “We should hurry back, if Master finds out we’re here, we’re done for.”

Sun Yunrou blushed and nodded, a ripple forming in her heart.

From then on, she had no interest in admiring the flowers, and her responses to her mother’s words became mechanical.

Her gaze uncontrollably kept drifting to the other side, and even when she could only vaguely see a shadow, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of happiness.