Free Web NovelChapter 1498: Brother Feifei Extra 2
Yueyao looked at the exhausted Brother Feifei, and quickly let him take a bath and change clothes, then prepared a table of his favorite food.
Brother Feifei ate to his heart’s content and climbed into bed to sleep. Early the next morning, after having breakfast, he took the things prepared by Yueyao and went back into the examination hall.
This time, it was Brother Shengsheng who drove Brother Feifei to the exam; An Zhichen didn’t even show his face. In front of others, An Zhichen was quite calm, but only Yueyao knew that he was actually a bit nervous too.
After Brother Feifei finished the exam, he slept for a whole day and night before he felt better. Yueyao looked at Brother Feifei with his messy beard and smiled, saying: "The exam’s done, you should rest well."
Brother Feifei shook his head and said: "There’s still the palace exam! I can only truly relax after the palace exam." Although the results weren’t out yet, Brother Feifei was very confident in himself; passing was not a problem, though he didn’t know if he was number one. As confident as he was, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be number one. There were too many uncertainties.
After finishing the exam, it was just a matter of waiting for the results. During this time, it was Brother Feifei who suffered the most.
Yueyao started preparing for Brother Feifei’s wedding. His marriage was fixed for May, which was also because the palace exam was at the beginning of May, so the wedding date was set after the palace exam.
After the exams, the whole family was eagerly waiting for the spring imperial examination results. On the day of the announcement, An Zhichen, who was usually calm, stayed at home waiting for the results. Brother Shengsheng, Brother Xuxu, and Brother Yangyang were naturally also at home waiting.
Brother Yangyang ran in with a smiling face and shouted: "Dad, Mom, second brother passed, he’s number one. Dad, Mom, second brother is the top scorer of this subject."
Yueyao was so happy she couldn’t speak.
An Zhichen shouted aloud: "Reward, heavy rewards." Not only did he reward the bearer of good news heavily, but also gave every servant in the mansion a monthly salary bonus envelope.
Kexin knew Brother Feifei was number one in the exam and smiled so widely her mouth couldn’t close. She immediately ran to share the good news with Zhuang Ruolan, and then said: "Mom, I want to go back home." With such a big joyful event in the family, she naturally wanted to return.
Zhuang Ruolan naturally wouldn’t stop her: "Yes, such a big happy event, you should go back." Brother Feifei’s exam results were top at every level, and if the Emperor further appointed him as the top scholar, Brother Feifei would be the second person in the Great Yuan Dynasty to pass the imperial examinations at all levels. Such a big happy event, she certainly wouldn’t stop her son from going to the An Family.
Equally excited were the people from the Meng Family. Eldest Madam Meng was initially unsatisfied with the marriage arrangement, but once Brother Feifei got the provincial exam top score, she had no complaints. Now Brother Feifei was number one in the national exam, and she was so happy her mouth couldn’t close. Even though being number one was unexpected, the top three were assured.
Compared to everyone’s excitement, Brother Feifei, the person concerned, was the calmest. He was certainly happy about being first in the national exam, but Brother Feifei also knew he still had one last step to reach his goal. Only if he was first in the palace exam would his journey be complete.
An Zhichen watched how quickly Brother Feifei calmed down to prepare for the palace exam, and he couldn’t describe the joy in his heart: "Yueyao, you were right." If he hadn’t spent six years out in the world, even if Brother Feifei could be first in the national exam, he wouldn’t be so calm. To be first at all levels is very impressive, with a much higher starting point than others, but entering the officialdom, the most important thing is the temperament.
Yueyao turned down all invitations, saying only that her son needed to prepare for the palace exam and could not be distracted. In the days that followed, Brother Feifei settled down to prepare for the palace exam.
During this time, Old Mr. Min came over to guide Brother Feifei. Brother Feifei deeply respected Mr. Min, and benefited greatly from following him over the years. Apart from this, An Zhichen also told Brother Feifei about some preferences of the Emperor.
An Zhichen’s thought was that even if he wasn’t appointed as top scholar, but as top in the national exam, the top three can’t run away. Knowing more about the Emperor would help him perform well in the palace exam. Leaving a good impression on the Emperor would be very beneficial for Brother Feifei’s official career.
When the palace exam results came out, Yueyao heard from her maid that Brother Feifei was appointed by the Emperor as the top scholar, and she fainted on the spot. The surprise had turned into shock, and the Earl of Pingyang’s mansion was in chaos.
Yueyao opened her eyes and saw An Zhichen sitting by the bedside, grabbed his arm and said: "Heyue, Brother Feifei was appointed by the Emperor as the top scholar, it’s true, I’m not dreaming, am I?"
An Zhichen laughed and said: "It’s true, our Feifei passed at all three levels. Yueyao, our Feifei did it, really did it." The doctor had checked Yueyao’s pulse; she fainted because of excessive surprise, her body wasn’t hindered.
At first, An Zhichen thought Yueyao’s goal for their son was too far-fetched, but never expected that their son would really achieve it. With such an excellent son, An Zhichen felt his life was complete. Yueyao finally realized she wasn’t dreaming and asked: "Where’s Feifei?"
An Zhichen smiled and said: "Brother Feifei is still in the palace and won’t come out so soon. Yueyao, I’ve already given the orders; when the day after tomorrow Brother Feifei gets married, we will host a ten-day and ten-night feast at the Earl of Pingyang’s mansion.
Yueyao chuckled and said: "As you wish." Under normal circumstances, Yueyao absolutely wouldn’t agree to it, but now that it’s double celebration, ten days and nights of feasting were nothing.
Kexin knew Brother Feifei was appointed as top scholar and was very happy, though much calmer than when Brother Feifei was top in the national exam. It wasn’t that Kexin was a fortuneteller, but normally, the top of the national exam would become the top scholar.
Brother Minmin’s feelings were somewhat complicated, with both happiness and some sentiments. He used to disagree with his mother-in-law’s actions, but facts proved he was wrong.
Kexin returned home and realized that Yueyao had fainted from excessive surprise and was very worried: "Mom, what did the doctor say?" It’s important for older people not to experience extreme emotions, and Kexin was very concerned about Yueyao’s health. Though Yueyao hadn’t had any illnesses over the years, at her age, many things needed attention.
Yueyao smiled and shook her head: "It’s just that I’ve been too fatigued during this period; a good rest will be fine." Over the past month, Yueyao’s heart was always on edge, which is why she fainted from excessive surprise.
In the evening, Brother Feifei returned. The first thing he did upon coming home was kneel in front of An Zhichen and Yueyao, kowtowing to the two of them. Without his parents, he wouldn’t have achieved what he did today. To be precise, without his mother, he wouldn’t be who he is today.
Yueyao was very happy, and with joy, tears came out: "Get up quickly, the ground is cold, get up fast." She said this, and helped Brother Feifei up.
Brother Yangyang walked to Brother Feifei’s side and said: "Second brother, you are truly amazing."
Both Brother Shengsheng and Brother Xuxu also felt proud to have Brother Feifei as their brother.
Kexin smiled and walked to Yueyao’s side, saying: "Dad, Mom, second brother has been busy all day, he must be hungry, let’s eat!"
Three days after the palace exam was Brother Feifei’s wedding day. As the saying goes, life has four great joys: rains after long droughts, meeting an old friend in a distant land, a wedding night, and success in the exams. In just a few days, Brother Feifei experienced two of them.
