Chapter 281: What a touching, sacred, grand, beautiful, and pure love! (2 / 3)

On a stormy night, a gaunt, yellow-faced man stumbled into his home.

He hadn’t even waited for the final imperial exam before rushing back, utterly dejected. His frail little sister stood on a small stool, feeding the livestock through a window. The moment she saw him, she cried out in delight, “Brother!”

But the first thing the yellow-faced man said was, “Quick, help me take off my shoes!”

His little sister ran over immediately, using all her strength. She pressed her whole body down and then leaned back hard, pulling with all her might, much like the boat trackers along the Yangtze River hauling a vessel ashore.

With a loud pop, the shoe came off.

“Hiss—” The yellow-faced man sucked in a breath.

No wonder he had needed help removing his shoes—inside, they were soaked with blood. The soles of his feet were raw and mangled. But before taking off his shoes, he had been walking with such numbness that he hadn’t even felt the pain.

“I walked three to four hundred miles home to save money. My skin’s thick—I’ll be fine.”

As soon as he finished explaining, the grief of his failure surged back, threatening to drown his heart. Unable to hold it in any longer, he wailed, “Little sister! Mother! I didn’t pass!”

From inside the house, the sound of blankets being lifted was followed by something toppling over. A moment later, his mother hurried out and sat beside him. Her large, fan-like hand gently patted his back. “It’s alright, it’s alright. If you didn’t pass, we’ll try again. Didn’t you say there’s another exam in three years?”

A pungent smell of urine filled the air. The yellow-faced man sniffed carefully and realized it came from inside the house, mixed with the musty stench of old, damp corners. Looking down, he noticed faint water stains on his mother’s pant leg, and that she was wearing only socks, no shoes. It hit him instantly—she must have knocked over the chamber pot while getting out of bed.

If he saw the mess, he’d use it as an excuse to beat his mother. Maybe in the past, he would have held back a little. But now that he had failed the exam and wouldn’t become an official, there was nothing left to restrain him.

“Mother, you have to leave!” The yellow-faced man was frantic. “Take Little Sister and go, quickly!”

“Leave? Why are you suddenly talking about leaving?”

Seeing that his mother still hadn’t understood, the yellow-faced man grew even more anxious. “That man will beat you!”

But instead of running away or breaking into tears like she usually did, his mother smiled slightly.

Even his little sister grinned, looking completely unafraid.

The yellow-faced man glanced between them, utterly bewildered. Why were they reacting like this?

Then, he heard his sister cheerfully announce, “Brother! Father got beaten to death!”

His eyes widened. “What?!”

His little sister giggled. “After Father died, that night at dinner, Mother even gave me a braised egg!”

“Good riddance!” The yellow-faced man laughed. “She should’ve given you two! You can have mine, too!”

But he still worried. “How did he die? Did he cause trouble for someone?”

His father’s death was the best thing that could’ve happened, but would it bring trouble to their family?

His mother finally spoke, still smiling. “I just learned that gambling is actually illegal. They arrested him and gave him a hundred lashes. He was old, so he died right then and there.”@@novelbin@@

“What? Gambling is illegal?” The yellow-faced man was surprised—and a little delighted.

He had struggled just to read books; how could he have known the laws?

His little sister, her voice bright and clear like a silver bell, happily recounted, “That day, several officials barged in and took Father away. Mother and I were terrified! I peeked out the window and saw them strip Father’s pants off and start beating him. Mother drew water from the well and handed it to the officials, asking what was going on. She even offered them some coins—money that Father had planned to use to buy Fenjiu from Xinghua Village! But the officials didn’t take it. Instead, one of them gave me a piece of candy!”

At this, the yellow-faced man grew suspicious.

He had guessed that the people who beat his father were government enforcers. But how could enforcers refuse a bribe?

Unless… they couldn’t

take it.

The yellow-faced man asked quickly, “Did they say anything else besides giving you the candy?”

“Um… something about how amazing my brother is! They said you even know a high-ranking official in the capital. Someone sent a rider all the way here to inform the county magistrate about Father’s gambling, and told him to…”

Her voice changed slightly as she mimicked the official’s words:

“Uphold the law with integrity.”

“The capital…”

The yellow-faced man was dumbfounded. “But I don’t know any officials in the capital…”

His mother, seeing his confusion, was also puzzled. “Wasn’t it someone you knew? He even had the officials give me money, saying that if I could get a divorce, I should. If not, I should take Er Yatou and find you while that man was still bedridden. I thought it was money you borrowed from a friend.”

“Oh, right. The official also said that the one who helped us is surnamed Xu.”

“Xu—”

The yellow-faced man suddenly turned his head toward the capital.

That surname was uncommon. If it was this surname and someone kindhearted, there was only one possibility.

“It was him…”

The official who, despite his tardiness, had still let him into the exam hall. He remembered his name…

“Xu… Yan… Miao…”

“Xu… Yao… Hai…”

“Thud—”

With a heavy sound, the yellow-faced man knelt, facing the capital, as gratitude surged through his heart.

“Thank you… truly, thank you…”

[This should be enough, right?]

After offering prayers at the late Prime Minister’s grave, Xu Yanmiao went to find Princess Xiangyang. On the way, he briefly checked in on the yellow-faced man’s family and was relieved to find that the local authorities had properly handled the case after receiving his letter.

He had only given vague instructions, unaware that the violent gambler who had abused his family and tried to sell his daughter had been discreetly beaten to death by the county magistrate—eager to curry favor with a superior.

“Xu Yao Hai—”

The Princess of Xiangyang was calling him.

Xu Yanmiao looked up and waved. “Over here!”

The Princess of Xiangyang smiled and ran over, holding a large bouquet of freshly picked rapeseed flowers.

Her complexion was rosy, and she wore simple, practical blue men’s attire. As she ran, she looked both beautiful and full of energy. Her bright, glimmering eyes shone like two autumn pools under the sunlight.

A group of scholars, seemingly out on an excursion, watched from a distance, their hearts pounding. One of them even began considering what day he should have his relatives bring a wedding gift to her family.

This made Xu Yanmiao’s presence extremely irritating in the scholar’s eyes.

The young page beside the scholar glanced at his master’s expression and suddenly lit up with excitement.

His master had never taken a liking to anyone for years, causing his mother endless worry. She had tried introducing both men and women to him, but nothing worked. So, was it that his standards were simply this high?

“Master, should we ask which family’s lady she belongs to and send a matchmaker to propose?”

The scholar hesitated, staring silently at Xu Yanmiao.

The page immediately understood—his master didn’t want to steal someone else’s love interest. But in his opinion, as long as they weren’t married yet, there was still a chance to swoop in!

So, he smiled slyly and chirped, “Master, that young gentleman is also quite good-looking. Maybe he’s her elder brother. If you don’t go ask now, they might leave soon.”