Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1109 - 1106_1

Chapter 1109: Chapter 1106_1

The day the results of the examination were announced was also the day Xiao’er’s children celebrated their full month. As everyone hoped, Jinghao aced the examination with the top score!

Prince Rui’s Mansion hosted a Full Moon Feast at the entire Four Seasons Restaurant.

The banqueting table was stocked to the top standard. It was filled with all kinds of rare delicacies. A single table was worth 1,000 taels of silver. Of course, this was the commoner’s price. If it were to the Emperor, the price would be 4,000 taels. He just was not aware of it yet.

Shangguan Xuanyi arranged for four hundred tables. Politicians and military officials of the whole Manchu Dynasty came! Even many uninvited people brought generous gifts for the celebration.

This was the most grand occasion hosted by Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi!

They usually threw a flower viewing party at Prince Rui’s Mansion on a rare occasion, let alone a banquet for all the court officials!

The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress appeared in civilian clothes to honor the event. The entire restaurant, apart from the guests, was full of hidden guards.

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi each held a child in their arms. The Empress and the Emperor also each held a child in their arms. They appeared just like an ordinary family. They took the stage to speak. The combination of handsome men and beautiful women was so dazzling!

The Empress Dowager sat at the main table under the stage. Seeing the four swaddled infants in front of her, she wanted to hold her great-grandchild and go on stage too. But she was still weak from her serious illness. She almost dropped the child when she received it just now. Neither the Emperor dared to let her hold the baby again nor did he allow her to take the stage to speak.

The Emperor took the stage and thanked everyone for attending the full-month celebration of his royal grandson. He noted that speaking on the stage felt entirely different from speaking on the gold throne. He loved this feeling.

He was considering that when the Fifth Princess gets married, whether he should also attend the wedding at the Four Seasons Restaurant in civilian attire.

Their wedding was imminent.

Shangguan Ruixi, looking at the warm family on the stage, suggested to Prince An, "Father, when my child turns one month old in a few days, shall we also throw a party at the Four Seasons Restaurant?"

Prince An nodded his head in agreement after hearing this. He said, "Sounds great! Let’s use the same menu. However, we only need to arrange for a hundred tables. We don’t need to invite so many people."

"Perfect!" Although it was Shangguan Xuanyi’s four children’s full moon feast, both of them knew that this was a private feast paid for by the Emperor. They certainly can’t arrange more tables than the Emperor.

When the speech was over, the four of them sat down at the main table.

At this time, many officials came forward to give the four royal grandchildren a money pouch. This was a good opportunity to get noticed in front of the Emperor! Many officials hoped that the Emperor would remember them and they could rise to the occasion.

The Emperor expressed his thanks like an ordinary grandfather, looking at the money pouches given to his grandchildren.

The Emperor simply wanted to play the role of a typical grandfather. He had no idea that his casual word of thanks had the officials walking on air.

The Emperor thanked them. The act of giving a red envelope to the little imperial grandson was a successful attempt of currying favor. Or it must have been a successful attempt of currying royal favor, to be precise.

Watching those officials looking pleased as punch returning to their seats, Xiao’er couldn’t help but laugh.

When the feast began, the men and women were seated separately.

The Emperor sat at the head of the main table. There were ten people at this table, including the Emperor’s four sons, Prince An and Shangguan Ruixi, Shen Chengyao and Jinghao, and the venerable Imperial Master Gu.

The examination just announced and Jinghao came first, the Emperor knew this. He had even read his answers. The eloquence and original insights were simply unimaginable for a youngster his age.

At this moment, they were all sitting at the same table. Seeing Jinghao, the Emperor couldn’t help but praise, "Marquis Shengping, you have two outstanding sons! Jingrui’s impressive performance in the examination was a surprise. Your younger son is even more prominent. The imperial examination is in a few days. I expect you to surpass your older brother and become a top scholar at a younger age. I will equally grant you a position of a Magistrate!"

Once these words from the Emperor came out, the officials at the adjacent table who heard the Emperor’s words were all in an uproar.

The Emperor does not joke. His words are gold and his commands are jade. Words spoken at this occasion must be the truth!

Is the Shen family on its way to the top? Yet another Magistrate!

Even for a top scorer, how many in this world can become a Magistrate when they’ve just started their political career? This has never happened before in the Minze Dynasty!

Those who were granted the title of Lady were already envious of Jinghao’s achievements.

The Shen family’s prestige was rapidly rising. They had gone from being peasants to the top echelons of society. The past was not an issue. Heroes don’t ask about origins. The glorious future that lay in store for the Shen family was evident.

Upon hearing this, Jinghao, neither proud nor overly modest, stood up and thanked: "I thank the Emperor for his generous favor. However, with my limited knowledge and experience, I am far inferior to my older brother. Even if I get the highest score in the examination tomorrow, it would be hard for me to take on the role of a Magistrate immediately."

The Emperor replied, "You can ask your older brother if you don’t understand something. There are many experienced officials who have taken on the position of a Magistrate, but they are not necessarily better than your older brother. Your political views are very similar to Jingrui’s. Since he can do it so well, I believe that you can too. Besides, a tiger never fathers a dog. When Marquis Shengping took up his position, he wasn’t even an accomplished scholar. He couldn’t even recognize some words. I found typos in his memorials. I even punished him by making him write that word a hundred times. Look at him now. He’s quite competent in his official role. As an official, as long as you are upright and have a heart for the people, you wouldn’t be far off. As long as it’s good for the people, even if you make a mistake, I won’t blame you."

The Emperor was in high spirits and had a little bit of wine, so he started to talk about things he usually wouldn’t.

Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, the other officials reflected on the reasons why Shen Chengyao and his family had risen so quickly. Having the ability is one thing, but having a heart for the people and the country is more important.

Xiao’er, sitting at the lead table, turned her head and asked: "Dad, did you really make a spelling mistake in your memorandum? What word did you mistake?"

Hearing her words, Shen Chengyao’s face turned red: "Emperor, that was such a long time ago. Could we not bring that up? You’ve got to give me some face! Where am I supposed to hide after you’ve said this in front of so many people?"

None of his children knew about this. Why would the Emperor expose his past in front of so many people?

Everyone laughed when they heard what Shen Chengyao had said.

The atmosphere was immediately lightened!

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