They saw this year's new Zhuangyuan, radiating vigor and high spirits, sitting atop his horse, smiling like a blossoming flower as he approached them.
The red robe set off his jade-like face, making it stunningly beautiful and enchantingly handsome. His lips, red as cinnabar, curved slightly, imbuing the corners of his eyes and brows with a soaring joy.
The pure, precious pearls and the sparkling golden flowers adorning his hat seemed to shine even brighter because of his peerless, romantically charming countenance.
What a perfect image of the Zhuangyuan: "The spring breeze fills me with pride; I whip my swift horse, galloping without rest. The face and the peach blossoms reflect each other's red."
The capital's citizens lining the Imperial Street held their breath as they gazed at this Zhuangyuan, so beautiful he seemed to have stepped out of a painting, afraid any sudden movement might scare away this immortal from the artwork.
It wasn't until the ceremonial procession surrounding the Zhuangyuan's horse broke the momentary silence with drums, gongs, and music that the entire street erupted in noise.
"Who is this Zhuangyuan?!"
"How can he be so handsome?!"
"He doesn't look like the Shen family's young master, Shen Wennian!"
Although the capital's citizens hadn't seen Shen Wennian, they had heard descriptions of him: gentle as jade, elegant and poised like a tree in the wind.
But the Zhuangyuan before them didn't match those descriptions at all!
"It's Jieyuan Xu!"
Just as they were puzzled, someone who recognized Xu Huaiqian, or guessed his identity, exclaimed: "It's Jieyuan Xu, whose current affairs essay from Yong'an Prefecture shook the world last year!"
Xu Huaiqian was low-key and disliked showing off. After the Emperor distributed his provincial exam essay nationwide last year, he should have been famous.
Coupled with his outstanding looks, even a little packaging and promotion would have prevented him from being unknown.
However, after the provincial exams, Xu Huaiqian had stayed in Xinghua Village without socializing. After arriving in the capital, he quietly waited for the Metropolitan Exams without engaging in scholarly exchanges with the capital's students, so his reputation remained limited.
But his lack of fame didn't mean people didn't know him!
Last year, his current affairs essay circulated throughout the land. His thorough understanding, analysis of current affairs, and his stunningly brilliant calligraphy had left a deep impression on scholars everywhere.
Nowadays, scholars studied his current affairs essays to pass the exams. Moreover, he had achieved second place in the Metropolitan Exams despite Shen Wennian's presence and his own weakness in poetry!
Such a remarkable figure certainly had his admirers!
Therefore, upon seeing that the person in the Zhuangyuan robes wasn't Shen Wennian, they guessed this must be Xu Huaiqian—last year's Provincial Top Graduate Jieyuan and this year's Metropolitan Exam second-place!
Scholars who had only known of Xu Huaiqian's excellence in current affairs essays, and were unaware of his handsome appearance, went wild: "No! Now he's Zhuangyuan Xu!"
"Zhuangyuan Xu?!"
"Yes! Zhuangyuan Xu!" Except for a few scholars still hung up on poetry, most held a favorable view of Xu Huaiqian. "Since he's Zhuangyuan, we must call him Zhuangyuan Xu!"
"Zhuangyuan Xu! Zhuangyuan Xu!"
"What a handsome Zhuangyuan Xu!"
"What a good-looking Zhuangyuan Xu!"
Hearing the scholars' explanations, the capital's citizens quickly understood. Last year's famously talented Jieyuan was this year's second-place Metropolitan Graduate?
The Xu Jieyuan who enabled people in a remote county to earn about thirty taels of silver a year just from farming?
They never expected that not only would he defeat the Shen family's Shen Wennian in the Palace Exams to become Zhuangyuan, but his looks would be so outstanding—even more handsome than a scion of a powerful family!
The capital's citizens, who had never seen such a jade-tree-in-immortal-realm-like Zhuangyuan, were utterly excited, using all kinds of praises to acclaim him.
Even children held in adults' arms, seeing Xu Huaiqian's dashing appearance—his usual frail delicacy temporarily replaced by a spirited handsomeness enhanced by the red robe—clapped their hands, babbling with their few newly grown millet teeth: "So pretty!"
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Compared to others' restraint, Chen Xiaomei, after the initial shock of seeing Xu Huaiqian emerge first, was extremely excited. She pulled on Chen Liejiu's sleeve, elated: "Zhuangyuan! Zhuangyuan! Big Brother! Second Brother is Zhuangyuan! Second Brother is Zhuangyuan!"
Chen Xiaomei, who had always hoped Xu Huaiqian would be Zhuangyuan, was thrilled beyond words now that her wish was fulfilled. After pulling Chen Liejiu, she tugged Wang Wanwan: "Sister-in-law, look! Second Brother is Zhuangyuan! Second Brother! Second Brother passed as Zhuangyuan!"
"Mm!" Wang Wanwan widened her eyes in disbelief, looking at Xu Huaiqian amidst the crowd, and nodded heavily. "I see! Our Second Brother passed as Zhuangyuan! Truly amazing!"
A Zhuangyuan who achieved nationwide fame at twenty-one, with such exceptional looks—there probably aren't many like him in this world, right?
"Now, probably no one will be talking about Shen Wennian being the capital's famous talent anymore. They'll probably all be discussing our Second Brother?" Wang Wanwan thought about how she had heard all morning that Shen Wennian was renowned in the capital for both talent and looks, the deserved Zhuangyuan. Now that her Second Brother had taken the title, she couldn't hide her joy.
In her view, Shen Wennian, as a scion of a powerful family, was certainly excellent. But no matter how good he was, he couldn't compare to Xu Huaiqian, who was like family through daily interaction.
Although she was just a sister-in-law, in her eyes, Xu Huaiqian was her brother. What younger sister wouldn't want her brother to stand out and shine brilliantly?
Especially when her Second Brother was already so outstanding and excellent.
"Of course!" Chen Xiaomei raised her chin proudly. Her little ears had already picked up people around them reacting, saying things like, "I never expected Shen Wennian would be outshone by this Zhuangyuan Xu." She declared with immense pride, "Actually, they're already discussing it now! Hehe, who would have thought my Second Brother would end up as the Zhuangyuan!"
What's so interesting about a pre-determined Zhuangyuan? Only this kind of unexpected outcome is the most interesting and surprising!
Indeed.
Just like Chen Liejiu was extremely surprised right now. He could hear the shouts from the crowd and Chen Xiaomei's ecstatic cries, but the sounds weren't really registering. His heart and eyes were completely filled with his little husband, who had become the Zhuangyuan, riding the spring breeze of success, proud and peerlessly magnificent!
Chen Liejiu had seen Xu Huaiqian's handsomeness countless times: stunningly beautiful, enchantingly handsome, gentle, charming, sickly and delicate...
He had witnessed too many captivating versions of his appearance, but he had never seen him as high-spirited, supremely confident, and proud as he was today.
Easy-going as Xu Huaiqian was, when he passed the Xiucai and Juren exams, he was only happy for a moment. This time was different; he was truly overjoyed.
Dressed in the bright red robe, sitting on the horse with that triumphant air, the pearl-adorned wings on his Zhuangyuan hat bobbing with the horse's movement, he looked exactly like a peacock hoping the whole world would see its display!
So handsome!
Chen Liejiu had once seen a peacock displaying its tail on the streets of a southern prefecture during his escort days. Right now, he felt his little husband was just like that peacock's tail—magnificent, brilliant, stunning the entire audience, leaving him utterly mesmerized.
"Sister-in-law, let's throw the sachets for Second Brother." Chen Xiaomei and the others weren't as blinded by love as Chen Liejiu. After the initial shock, seeing Xu Huaiqian's horse about to reach them, they each grabbed a sachet, ready to throw it at him the moment he passed.
Sachets could be thrown for the most handsome Tanhua, but also for the most handsome Zhuangyuan!
Regardless of the Tanhua behind him, Chen Xiaomei and Wang Wanwan had already decided in their hearts that Xu Huaiqian was the most handsome Zhuangyuan they had ever seen, bar none!
Chen Liejiu, lost in admiration of his little husband's perfection, was jolted back to reality by these words. He remembered something he hadn't done yet. As Xu Huaiqian's horse approached them, he quickly picked up a whole basket of sachets and scattered them in front of Xu Huaiqian's horse.
He had heard that the more sachets thrown, the more it showed one's affection for the person.
No matter what happened with the other Jinshi, he was the most fond of his little husband, so he would scatter the most sachets for him!
A sky full of sachets fell before the Zhuangyuan's horse. Countless petals spilled from the sachets, lifted by the wind, drifting and scattering onto the beaming Zhuangyuan, making his already outstanding appearance even more extraordinarily beautiful.
"Zhuangyuan Xu!"
"So many sachets!"
"This man must really fancy you!"
Xu Huaiqian couldn't ride well, and the horse wasn't moving fast. When Chen Liejiu scattered the sachets, his horse stopped.
Moreover, Chen Liejiu controlled his strength, scattering them only on the horse, not hitting Xu Huaiqian. So, apart from the petals blown by the wind, Xu Huaiqian was unharmed.
The capital's citizens, who had been stunned by Xu Huaiqian's looks and forgotten to throw sachets, now saw a rather striking man throwing so many sachets at the Zhuangyuan. They all teased the Zhuangyuan, who seemed to have been startled into stopping his horse but actually stopped intentionally.
Xu Huaiqian had spotted his wife's undisguised, bold, and passionate gaze from afar. Arriving before his wife, having just received this public declaration of love, he heard the teasing and smiled triumphantly. "Thank you all for your affection!"
"I am also very fond of this man!"
The crowd was just teasing lightly. Although they didn't yet know the Zhuangyuan's name, as the nation's top scholar, it was assumed he wouldn't marry a man. They never expected the Zhuangyuan to acknowledge it!
This stunned the teasing crowd. But that wasn't the end. The Zhuangyuan's next move truly shocked them.
"Might I ask your name, sir, where you reside," the peerlessly beautiful Zhuangyuan in red lazily leaned on his horse's back and asked the man below, amidst thousands of onlookers, "and if you are betrothed? Would you accept me, with my Zhuangyuan status, marrying into your family?"
"Boom—" Xu Huaiqian's words were like boiling water thrown into the crowd, causing an instant uproar.
A Zhuangyuan, with a limitless future, was actually willing to marry into a man's family? Had they misheard?!
Or was this man's background so powerful that even a Zhuangyuan couldn't refuse?
No matter how the crowd buzzed with discussion, Chen Liejiu, under the gaze of thousands in broad daylight, showed no fear. Meeting his little husband's sincere gaze, he smiled openly. "I am Chen Liejiu, residing at No. 88, Yushu Street, capital. I respectfully welcome Zhuangyuan Xu's grand marriage into my family!"
"Whoa—!!!"
These two, one daring to ask, the other daring to agree, thoroughly shocked the onlookers. They couldn't comprehend this.
Were Zhuangyuans these days so unconventional? Daring to offer themselves for marriage on the very day they achieved the title?
Were men these days so audacious? Daring to demand a Zhuangyuan marry into their family?
Regardless of what others thought, Xu Huaiqian looked at his wife with burning intensity. This was his wife—fearing nothing, daring everything. If he dared to offer himself, his wife dared to accept.
Some in the crowd, fearing Xu Huaiqian might actually go through with it and ruin his prospects, stepped forward to kindly remind him: "Zhuangyuan Xu, you mustn't act recklessly! Marrying into a family is no small matter; you must consider it carefully!"
"Yes! Yes!"
"This kind of marriage is not acceptable!"
"My apologies, everyone!" Seeing more people chiming in, Xu Huaiqian, after a lingering glance with his wife, snapped back to reality. He smiled at the concerned citizens. "My husband and I were just playing a little joke on everyone."
"To be frank," Xu Huaiqian looked at Chen Liejiu, his smile growing even brighter, "I am already a man who married into his family. I entered his household when I was a Tongsheng. From Tongsheng to Zhuangyuan, my husband has supported me every step of the way. Without him, there might not be the me of today. So, I don't find it shameful at all to be the husband who married into his family."
"—What?!"
The citizens who learned the truth all looked at each other, unsure how to react.
A nation's Zhuangyuan, on the very day of his achievement, publicly announced that he was a man who had married into his husband's family!
This news was simply too explosive!
Especially since this Zhuangyuan was so extraordinarily handsome. Young men and women with budding affections, looking at Xu Huaiqian's face that made their hearts flutter and cheeks blush, were utterly envious of Chen Liejiu. Why couldn't they meet such a husband?
Even if it meant marrying into his family, they would agree!
Unfortunately, such things could only be read about in stories or dreamed of; they would never encounter them in reality.
No matter what they thought, Xu Huaiqian was satisfied seeing Chen Liejiu being envied by everyone.
They were husbands, after all! Husbands should share both fortune and misfortune! Today, he had achieved the highest academic honor; he had to let his wife experience a taste of that glory too!
If he didn't make his wife the most envied man in the world, what was the point of being his husband?!
"We've lost! We've lost!"
"Talented! So exceptionally handsome! And a husband who married into the family yet remains utterly devoted! What injustice were we even fighting for?"