Chapter 633

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

After receiving unanimous agreement from everyone, the group boarded the carriage again and slowly drove out of the Princess Mansion.

Su Muchun turned back to gaze at the increasingly distant residence, a surge of indescribable anticipation rising in his heart.

He secretly resolved in his heart that he must transform this residence into a warm, comfortable, and unique dwelling.

After a short and peaceful carriage ride, the carriage arrived at the entrance of An Wang Fu. After entering the residence and finishing dinner, Su Muchun bid farewell to An Wang and his wife, then set off on the road home. Along the way, he was immersed in beautiful yearnings for his future life.

Time flew by like a white horse passing through a gap, and in the blink of an eye, the Spring Imperial Examination had drawn to a close.

Today was the day the new top scholar rode a horse through Jingcheng, and the entire city was filled with an atmosphere of joy and harmony.

Qianqian, who had prepared early, had already sent her personal maid Hua Hua to the grandest teahouse in the city to reserve an elegant private room right next to the window.

It turned out that on the day the results were announced, Qianqian had already discerned that this year's top scholar was Luo Shun, who had buried himself in his studies.

At first, Qianqian thought that since Luo Shun merely shut himself in the study to read books to death, relying solely on his own efforts, it would surely be difficult for him to make the Golden List and become the top scholar.

After all, if there really were such an easy way to obtain fame and rank, why would everyone seek out and pay respects to those virtuous and prestigious masters?

However, life is unpredictable; who would have thought that this Luo Shun would have divine assistance, with great luck and smooth fortune!

Speaking of the reason, it must be traced back to the last time Su Muchun wanted to speak to Qianqian but could not fully express his meaning.

That day, Su Muchun was about to speak to Qianqian about Luo Shun's situation, but their conversation was interrupted.

Later, Qianqian remembered and asked Su Muchun again; it turned out that what Su Muchun wanted to tell Qianqian that time was about a strange fate concerning Luo Shun.

It is said that when Luo Shun went to the bookstore to select books, he happened to meet a woman. The two hit it off due to their unique understanding and insights into the words in the books, conversing happily like old friends reuniting after many years.

From then on, although they never met, they kept in touch through letters, and over time they became close friends with whom they could talk about anything—the so-called "pen pal" relationship.

It was just that this mysterious and unpredictable woman was always unwilling to easily reveal her true identity information; presumably she was concerned about her own reputation not being damaged.

Thus, both parties agreed to use that bookstore—the place where they first met—as the place for future contact and gathering. However, since that unexpected encounter, neither the girl nor Luo Shun himself had personally visited the place; each time they sent their own servants to deliver messages or letters.

The two maintained close letter exchanges, allowing them to understand each other more deeply. However, fate is always full of drama and variables.

A sudden accident broke the original peace—the letter Luo Shun sent to that girl actually fell into the hands of her grandfather!

After carefully reading these letters, this wise and open-minded old man secretly sighed in his heart: "This child is truly a rare talent!"

After careful consideration, he found that the words in the letter were not improper at all, merely unique insights into books and articles.

Thus, the elderly man not only developed a fondness for Luo Shun.

Thereafter, whenever Luo Shun raised questions in his letters, the grandfather would cleverly pass the answers to him through his granddaughter.

Over time, he became increasingly curious about this young man named Luo Shun. Especially when he learned that Luo Shun was about to participate in this year's spring imperial examination, the grandfather's deep desire to take a disciple burned ever more intensely.

Finally, unable to restrain his inner impulse, the grandfather decided to go personally. He sent an invitation letter to Luo Shun in his granddaughter's name, hoping to meet the other party at an elegant teahouse.

Unfortunately, things went against wishes. After receiving the letter, Luo Shun mistakenly thought it was the girl who wanted to meet him, fearing this would damage her reputation, so he politely declined the meeting request without hesitation.

Facing this result, the girl's grandfather not only did not get angry or annoyed, but felt delighted instead.

After all, a man who knows how to respect women and uphold moral boundaries is truly rare.

Immediately after, in the next letter written to Luo Shun, the grandfather no longer concealed his true identity and sincerely invited Luo Shun to come for a meeting.

Perhaps feeling the old man's sincerity and goodwill, this time Luo Shun gladly accepted the appointment.

This meeting was of extraordinary significance. Luo Shun, with reverence, paid his respects to this mysterious person as his teacher. After the initiation ceremony was completed, he only then learned that the person before him was actually the famous Grand Tutor Shen Ji! Although the position of Grand Tutor seemed like an empty title, his strength and talent were genuine and unquestionable.

Shen Ji favored Luo Shun greatly and gladly accepted him as a closed-door disciple. From then on, every three to five days, the Grand Tutor would personally come to teach, carefully imparting the way of learning.

And Luo Shun did not disappoint expectations, often visiting the Grand Tutor's residence to seek learning and pay visits. In this back-and-forth, his opportunities to meet the Grand Tutor's granddaughter—Shen Jiayi—became increasingly frequent.

As contact deepened, affection quietly grew between the two, attracting each other as if destined by fate.

And all of this could not escape the discerning eyes of the wise Shen Ji; he had long perceived the subtle emotional fluctuations between the juniors. Thus, Shen Ji made a promise: if Luo Shun could make the Golden List and become the top scholar, he was willing to betroth his granddaughter to him.

Facing such tempting conditions, Luo Shun naturally did not dare to slacken in the slightest. Since the Childhood Examination, he had overcome all obstacles along the way, repeatedly taking the lead, and could be said to be unstoppable.

However, heaven has unpredictable winds and clouds, and people have sudden fortune and misfortune. When it came time to participate in the metropolitan examination, Luo Shun suddenly felt unwell and ultimately performed poorly in the final exam, ranking only fifth.

The reason was that although Luo Shun was unusually diligent in burying himself in his studies, he was somewhat lax in strengthening his body.

Especially whenever he burned the midnight oil late at night, the next day he would often oversleep and be lazy, with extremely irregular daily routines.

Over time, his physical quality was not as good as before, and it was inevitable that his condition would be poor during the exam.

After the metropolitan examination, Luo Shun felt increased pressure and did not dare to have the slightest slackness.

Thus, he began to strictly demand of himself, persisting in going to bed early and rising early every day, and actively asked Su Muchun, humbly seeking instruction in a fist technique to strengthen his body and enhance his physique.

Thereafter, whenever the first light of dawn appeared, Luo Shun would rise early and practice this fist technique on an empty stomach, only enjoying breakfast after finishing the fist technique. Day after day, without interruption.

On Qianqian's side, upon learning that Luo Shun had achieved the excellent result of fifth place in the metropolitan examination, she couldn't help but be overjoyed. She originally planned to immediately go find him to celebrate this good news together, but upon second thought, she worried that celebrating too early might disturb Luo Shun's state of mind when facing the final and crucial palace examination.