The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Chapter 1753 A Grand Banquet at the Prince's Mansion

"What good is it if this old man is in good health or not?!"

Upon hearing this, Wan Lianxing realized that this was just an angry remark! However, he had already anticipated what his sister-in-law would say upon meeting him, "I am preoccupied with official duties and have not had time to pay my respects to you, sister-in-law! Please do not blame me."

"Hmph! Do you really think I'm senile? Every time Zhong Siyu comes, she says you're in the Imperial Garden chatting and admiring flowers with ministers."

"What nonsense! The Empress must be mistaken. I rarely appear in the Imperial Garden."

"You're such a grown man, and you still dare to argue in front of your mother-in-law and younger relatives. You're supposed to be the ruler of a country."

Wan Lianxing vehemently denied it: "The Empress will arrive soon. I will ask her in person when I went to the Imperial Garden."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wan became even angrier at Wan Lianxing, "Don't even think about letting the Empress accompany you in calling a deer a horse. If you dare to make things difficult for Siyu, I won't keep you here."

Wan Lianxing took Madam Wan's hand, his eyes falling on her face and hair. His sister-in-law had aged considerably; not a single strand of black hair could be found in her silver hair. He was deeply saddened. "I hope you can continue to scold me like this, sister-in-law. May you live to be a hundred years old!"

Madam Wan had tears welling up in her eyes, but she swallowed them back. "You're the ruler of a country now, why are you talking nonsense? Siyu comes to see me often, so you don't need to worry about her. Always prioritize the affairs of the country. I can walk and walk, and I'll come to the palace to see you whenever I miss you."

Madam Wan couldn't hold back her tears. "Seeing you reminds me of your elder brother and the deceased Baiye!"

"Sister-in-law, don't cry. The imperial physician said your eyes are not prone to tearing."

"I know, I won't cry!" Madam Wan wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "What brings you here today?"

Wan Lianxing said with a smile, "The military reports from the border are constant, so I originally couldn't come out. It was your good grandson who participated in the autumn examination some time ago and passed it for you, becoming a Juren!"

Madam Wan stopped crying completely, her face showing a mixture of surprise and joy, as if she still couldn't believe it. "Our Wan family has produced a scholar?"

Wan Lianxing laughed, "It's absolutely true, and the result is outstanding. He ranked thirty-fifth, leaving more than a thousand people behind him. Your grandson is the youngest candidate this year!"

Madam Wan clasped her hands together, her face beaming with joy. "May the ancestors of the Wan family bless us! Our Wan family has produced a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, and we've even produced the thirty-fifth person. Feng'er, go to the ancestral hall later and tell your father the news. If it were an ordinary family, passing the imperial examinations would change their social standing. If your father knew that You Ning was so ambitious, he would be overjoyed."

Cheng Feng smiled and readily agreed, "Alright, I'll go to the ancestral hall in a bit to inform the ancestors of the Wan family that one of our Wan family descendants has become a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) through the civil service examinations."

Just moments ago, Cheng Youning was feeling down, but now she sat there smiling, her mood instantly improving.

Just then, a military report arrived from the northern border.

After reading this, Wan Lianxing said, "Sister-in-law, I must return to the palace to handle military affairs and cannot stay here with you!"

"Military affairs are of utmost importance. You should go back quickly. The Empress will come to the Prince's residence every few days. Your sister-in-law is doing well, so don't worry about her."

Madam Wan surprisingly escorted the person to the door.

Today's news brought joy to the entire Prince's mansion, with Madam Wan being the happiest. It was said that no one in the Wan family had ever excelled in the imperial examinations, not even a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar). This showed how significant Cheng Youning's Xiucai degree was to the Wan family—a true source of pride and honor for their ancestors!

For a time, the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) was considered more prestigious than that of Prince Cheng Youning.

Madam Wan asked Shang Xi, "Daughter-in-law, who have you notified?"

Shang Xi reported truthfully: "Mother, my uncle was here just now, but he didn't notify anyone else, just the members of our royal family."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wan exclaimed, "That won't do! Send someone to invite the Han family over!"

“Okay.” Shang Xi glanced at Yu Hua, who immediately made the arrangements.

Madam Wan then instructed, "Daughter-in-law, invite Jiu Tong's family members as well!"

"Mother, should we invite the Hong family?"

“When people ask for it, my grandson’s excellent result of thirty-fifth place should be announced to the world. Why not invite them and let them know how amazing their daughter’s husband is?”

"Alright, Mother's will. I'll send someone to invite them right away!"

"We should also invite the Sha family from the General's Mansion. Their little girl, Sha Lin, is engaged to us in Youning. Let them come and share in the joy of my grandson."

"Alright, I'll send someone to invite them!"

"Don't forget Brother Feng'er's family either, invite them all over."

When the final count was done, Madam Wan and the young couple Cheng Feng had sent out a huge stack of invitations. They had said it was just a family celebration, but when everyone arrived, they found that they couldn't even fit ten tables. Almost everyone invited by the Prince Pang's Mansion would come.

As soon as everyone entered the mansion, they asked why the Prince's mansion was hosting a banquet for them. Every time they were asked, the Wan family would pretend to be humble and tell everyone that their son, despite his talent, had passed the imperial examination and ranked thirty-fifth.

Everyone immediately realized this was just pure showing off! Knowing it was a display, they all wanted to flatter him. Every single one of them joined in, praising the Crown Prince's excellent achievements. Whenever the praise was given, the Wan family members were completely bewildered. This was because having a scholar who had passed the imperial examination was not just a rare occurrence in their family; it proved that even though the Wan family was originally a merchant family, they also had members who were literate and capable of achieving a high level of scholarship!

To add to the festive atmosphere, Boss Qian even invited the most famous opera troupe from the city to perform for everyone.

Even more outrageous, Cheng Feng invited the most outstanding students from the Imperial Academy, all of whom were sons of officials and whose academic performance was superior to Cheng Youning's. Among them was Song Qianyuan.

Cheng Youning, who was in a good mood, immediately felt annoyed when he saw the dozen or so people from the Imperial Academy. He muttered, "Why did my father invite all of them? Their grades are all better than mine. Especially that Song Qianyuan, inviting him is just like watching me make a fool of myself. Look at how smug he was when he received his reward today, so arrogant. I'll teach him a lesson during the provincial examination."

Qiao Rong whispered to her, "Your Highness, didn't the Emperor say that those who study well in the Imperial Academy will become pillars of our society and serve us? Your Highness, please don't worry."

At this moment, Shang Xi and her servants presented gifts to the dozen or so newly admitted scholars of the Imperial Academy. Cheng Youning was even angrier when she saw this. "Each of them has a small purse, but why did my mother give Song Qianyuan two! What's inside those purses?"

Qiao Rong had been looking at it for a while. "Your Highness, it's a gold leaf!"

"Hmph! Song Qianyuan really got off easy."

Just then, a dazed-looking man ran up to Cheng Youning and said in a loud voice, "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, I heard you passed the imperial examination! Congratulations!"