Shi Huai wore a moon-white robe, its ink-black sash accentuating his slender waist. His glossy black hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin.
His features were exquisitely refined: brows like distant mountains, eyes bright as stars, a straight nose, and lips neither too thin nor too full. The corners of his mouth curved faintly upward, giving him a naturally amused, half-smiling expression.
“Whose child is that? He’s far too handsome!” A middle-aged woman covered her mouth, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“I think he’s the young master of the Yongning Marquis’s Residence. I heard he’s a child prodigy who could already write eight-legged essays at the age of six,” whispered a scholar-like man beside her.
“Handsome and clever too? The heavens really do favor some people!”
Shi Huai naturally heard their comments, but his expression did not change in the slightest.
He showed neither pride nor embarrassment. As if he hadn’t heard a word, he walked into the examination hall at an unhurried pace.
Qinghe stood outside the examination hall, listening to the people around her. She felt both proud and worried, and her palms were slick with sweat.
The county examination lasted two days. When Shi Huai came out, his face was a little pale, but his spirits were still good.
“Young Master, how did it go?” Qinghe hurried over and handed him the water flask she had brought.
“Pretty well,” Shi Huai said after taking a sip. He rubbed his temples. “The questions weren’t difficult. There was just too much to write. My hand aches.”
Qinghe’s heart ached for him. She took his hand and examined it, only to find a blister rubbed raw on one of his fingers. Tears immediately streamed down her cheeks.
“Look at you! You’ve rubbed your hand raw.”
Shi Huai pulled his hand back and smiled. “It’s nothing. I’ll put some medicine on it when we get home.”
When the news reached the marquis’s residence, Shi Yuanzhi rarely took the initiative to have an entire table of dishes prepared to welcome Shi Huai home.
Madam Liu came as well, a smile plastered across her face, but the malice in her eyes was so thick it seemed ready to spill over.
Shi Lingyi sat beside Madam Liu, eating slowly. Every now and then, she glanced at Shi Huai, her gaze so faint and unreadable that no one could tell what she was thinking.
Shi Youlan, on the other hand, was full of energy. One moment she was piling food into Shi Huai’s bowl; the next, she was asking what questions had appeared on the exam, chattering away without pause.
“Second Sister, let me eat at least one bite first.” Overwhelmed by her questions, Shi Huai helplessly set down his chopsticks.
Shi Youlan pouted, but obediently fell silent. She poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, gazing at him with wide, expectant eyes.
Standing behind Shi Huai, Qinghe couldn’t help secretly laughing at the sight.
Half a month later, the results of the county examination were announced.
Shi Huai had placed first in the entire county, becoming the first-place scholar.
When the news reached the marquis’s residence, Shi Yuanzhi was drinking tea in his study. His hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the floor, shattering into several pieces.
“What did you say?” Shi Yuanzhi rose to his feet, his eyes widening.
“My lord, the young master placed first in the entire county. He is the first-place scholar!” The steward’s voice trembled, and his face was flushed with excitement.
Shi Yuanzhi stood stunned for quite some time before suddenly bursting into laughter, laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes.
He shoved the steward aside and strode toward Shou’an Hall. Halfway there, he turned back and ordered someone to search the storerooms for some fine gifts to reward Shi Huai.
When Madam Liu heard the news, she was in the courtyard pruning flowers.
With a sharp snip, the scissors cut through a perfectly healthy branch.
She stared at the fallen branch for a long while. Then, a cold smile slowly rose to her lips.
“First-place scholar?”
Madam Liu tossed the scissors onto the table. Her voice was as light as a passing breeze.
“A bastard like him dares to call himself that?”
Shi Lingyi sat by the window with a book in her hands. When the maid delivered the news, her fingers paused briefly as they turned a page before continuing as normal.
“I see. You may leave.”
After the maid withdrew, Shi Lingyi closed the book.
“How interesting,” she murmured, the corners of her mouth curving upward. “This is getting more and more interesting.”
Shi Youlan was genuinely delighted for Shi Huai.
The moment she heard the news, she ran over without even putting on her shoes properly. Panting hard, she burst into Shou’an Hall.
“Little Brother! You came in first!”
Shi Youlan’s voice was so shrill it nearly pierced the roof. She threw her arms around Shi Huai, tears streaming down her face.
Shi Huai was squeezed so tightly that he could hardly breathe, but he still patted her back.
“Second Sister, let go first. You’re going to strangle me.”
Shi Youlan released him and hurriedly wiped her tears away with her sleeve. Then she broke into a tearful smile.
“You’re the first-place scholar now. You mustn’t bully me in the future.”
“When have I ever bullied you?” Shi Huai asked with an exasperated sigh.
Shi Youlan thought about it. It seemed he truly had never bullied her. But every time he spoke, he made her blush and her heart race. As far as she was concerned, that counted as bullying.
News of Shi Huai becoming the first-place scholar soon spread throughout the capital.
Before long, the rumors that the young master of the Yongning Marquis’s Residence was an ugly bastard son were completely overturned. In their place arose a new story.
Not only was the young master of the Yongning Marquis’s Residence not ugly, he was as beautiful as a fairy child who had stepped out of a painting. He was also a child prodigy who had placed first in the entire county at the age of seven.
Invitations to banquets poured into the marquis’s residence like snowflakes, all of them inviting Shi Huai to attend.
Some aristocratic ladies wished to meet the legendary fairy child. The parents of other examination candidates wanted to curry favor with the first-place scholar.
And some were simply curious. They wanted to see what the child who had transformed from “the ugliest person alive” into a “fairy child” truly looked like.
Shi Yuanzhi accepted every invitation. As long as a card arrived, he had someone send back a reply saying that his son would certainly attend.
Madam Liu was furious, but she did not dare say anything in front of the marquis. She could only secretly trip Shi Huai up behind the scenes.
“My lord, the child is still so young. It isn’t very proper for him to be seen in public all the time, is it?” Madam Liu forced a smile.
“What’s improper about it? He’s the first-place scholar. He ought to go out and broaden his horizons.”
For once, Shi Yuanzhi spoke with unusual firmness.
“You keep him shut up in the residence all day long. How is he supposed to amount to anything?”
Madam Liu was left speechless. She could only watch helplessly as Qinghe helped Shi Huai change into a new outfit.
The first banquet was a chrysanthemum-viewing gathering hosted by the wife of the Vice Minister of Rites. All the guests were distinguished ladies from the capital’s aristocratic families.
When Shi Huai entered the Vice Minister’s residence with Shi Yuanzhi, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward him at once. Some were dazzled, others incredulous.
A few of the young ladies even blushed shyly.
Shi Huai wore a pale blue robe with a silver-gray sash around his waist. His black hair was tied up with a mutton-fat jade hairpin, revealing a small, fair, luminous face.
At seven years old, he already possessed the refined elegance of a young gentleman. His brows resembled distant ink-washed mountains, his eyes were as cold and bright as stars, and his nose was tall and straight. His well-defined lips curved faintly upward, carrying a calm, easy smile.
The Vice Minister’s wife was surnamed Wang. She was a woman in her forties, well-preserved and dignified in bearing.
The moment she saw Shi Huai, the round silk fan in her hand stopped in midair, and she stood frozen in place.
