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A few days later, the martial arts examination results were announced, and Yun Ke topped the list, becoming the top scholar in martial arts. Fan Kun was the second place. The emperor issued an edict to appoint Yun Ke as the Chief Vanguard of the Orchid Feather Guards, a sixth-rank military position, commanding the subordinates of Commander Feng Yinxiao.
The news quickly spread throughout the capital like a kite with a broken string, and suitors crowded at the door of the Duke of E's residence.
Second Master Qian Jinyu and Second Matriarch Qian Hanqiu watched enviously as the festivities unfolded at the Second House. Ever since their eldest son Yun Chen died on the battlefield and their daughter Yun Qing married into the Lanling King’s family, no matter how “glorious” they had been, both the First House and Third House felt a mix of envy and jealousy. Yun Jie and Yun Yao had one pass the imperial examination while the other failed; although passing brought some glory to the First House for a brief moment, it was overshadowed by Yun Ke's achievement as the top scholar in martial arts. The thought of having to busy themselves preparing for celebrations at the Second House that evening made them reluctant.
In the East Garden study, Yun Jie was reading at his desk when Yun Yao entered with his younger sister Yun Shan. They saw their mother, Sun Rulan, listening intently to the commotion coming from the Southern Courtyard, her expression dark.
“Mother, Third Brother has become the top scholar in martial arts; this is a great joy for our family. You shouldn’t be so unhappy,” Yun Yao couldn’t help but remind her. “It doesn’t look good to others.”
“Go away, what do you know?” Sun Rulan glanced at Yun Yao impatiently. “Hurry up and get back to your studies. If you fail again this time, just wait and see how I’ll deal with you. Don’t you learn from your elder brother.”
“I understand, Mother,” Yun Yao scratched his head and smiled. “After I failed, I studied late into the night every day; you can ask my elder brother.”
“Mother, I saw Second Brother studying,” Yun Shan blinked and defended her brother. “I kept pestering him to take me out to play.”
“Yes, I also saw Second Brother studying,” Yun Yao chimed in with a smile after being interrupted. “He cares for Sixth Sister, so Sixth Sister likes to cling to him.”
“This has nothing to do with you; go study. You must pass next spring’s examination,” Sun Rulan shot a glance toward the Southern Courtyard before turning back with annoyance. “Look at how well off the Second House is… Don’t end up like your father, just being an imperial physician for your whole life.”
“Don’t worry, Mother; entering Hanlin Academy is my ambition,” Yun Yao replied cheerfully.
Only then did Sun Rulan’s expression brighten: “Once you pass, I will personally find you a good match; don’t fall behind others…”
That evening, in the North Courtyard hall, everyone from the Yun family gathered together except for Third Master Yun Jinxiu to celebrate their family's first top scholar in martial arts.
“Grandma Feng, Cui, please invite Third Old Master over,” Yun Ci instructed. “Such an occasion feels incomplete without him.”
“Incomplete? Are we missing someone to eat?” Zhou, seated at the head of the table, sneered. “We should respect Third Uncle’s wishes; some people just can’t stand seeing others do well.”
"Goodbye, Mother," Yue Clan smiled and tried to ease the atmosphere as he handed Zhou a plate of food, "Today is a joyous occasion for the Yun family, so let's celebrate. Here, try this soup that Sister-in-law personally made for you."
Zhou finally smiled, accepting the lotus-patterned blue-and-white bowl from Yue Clan, and said:
"Today is a day for Ke'er to shine; we should pour him a drink first. The entire Yun family should toast to him."
"Grandmother, you are the eldest in the family; we should toast to you first..." Yun Ke poured himself a glass of red wine and laughed as he drank it down. "As for Ke'er, he merely became the top martial scholar; it's nothing too remarkable."
"Nothing remarkable?" Sun Rulan laughed, "Ke'er is the first martial scholar of the Yun family, which is a significant achievement for us and sets a good precedent."
"What you say is absolutely right," Fu Lianyin, despite feeling resentful about the brilliance of Second House, also praised him unwillingly. "Just look at how many noble young ladies rushed to propose marriage when the results were announced," she then turned to Yue Ziyun and asked, "But I wonder which girl Second Sister-in-law has chosen?"
"That still depends on Ke'er," Yue Clan smiled at Yun Ke and said, "He is still young and not in a hurry."
"Still young? Not in a hurry?" Yun Ci disagreed, saying, "Ke'er, there’s an ancient saying: 'Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.' 'Regulating the family' comes second, which shows that a man should establish his family and career early; no matter how good a girl is from a good family, she won't wait for you indefinitely."
"That's right," Zhou added, "Ke'er, now that you've become the top martial scholar, you have laid the foundation for your future. You really should consider Marriage, and it shouldn't be delayed any longer."
"I understand," Yun Ke stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle and Grandmother. Actually, I just want to wait until I reach my coming-of-age before marrying and having children. In these next two or three years, I want to do more for His Majesty."
In fact, Yun Ke had not revealed his true intentions: he had expressed to his parents that he wanted to wait until Seventh Sister Yun Yun Kexin got married before considering his own family.
"As long as you don't follow your Fourth Uncle..." Zhou looked at Yun Ke for a long time before suddenly speaking in a hoarse voice, "Year after year... Now the Yun family is cold towards Fourth Room."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room changed abruptly. The elders and their children felt heavy-hearted. Only Yun Yun Kexin, sitting next to the third elder, understood: Fourth Uncle was her grandmother's concern; part of the reason she couldn't stand seeing Second House being so 'glorious' was due to her grievances over Yun Cheng...
Before Zhou could finish speaking, a voice came from outside: "Mother, what are you talking about again?"
Yun Cheng energetically stepped into the hall without a hint of dejection.
"Cheng'er!" Zhou suddenly looked towards the door, both surprised and delighted, and said, "We sent someone to call you earlier, but you replied that you were busy with matters at the shop and couldn't spare the time? Come, quickly sit beside your mother."
Yun Cheng obediently walked over and sat down next to Zhou. Facing the table full of serious-looking people, he smiled and said, "Ke'er has achieved the top rank in martial arts; this opens a new chapter for the Yun family to have a military general. As a member of the Yun family, how could Cheng not come to celebrate?!", Yun Cheng held his wine cup with both hands and solemnly said, "Ke'er, I toast you on behalf of Fourth Uncle."
"Thank you, Fourth Uncle! Yun Ke will drink this in respect." After Yun Ke finished speaking, he downed the wine.
Yun Cheng did the same. Then, Yun Ke raised his cup to salute the Second Elder and Second Matriarch, expressing gratitude for the support from the elders of the Yun family.
"By the way, Second Sister-in-law, I suddenly remembered something," after finishing his toast and just sitting down, Fu Lianyin maliciously asked, "I heard rumors that the Duke of Yan's residence is planning to arrange a marriage with Second House. Is this true? If this marriage goes through, it would indeed be 'double happiness' for Second House, adding another joyous occasion for the Yun family."
Fu Lianyin raised her eyebrows slightly, her red lips curling into a smug smile: she had already received news that the Duke of Yan's residence had not agreed to this marriage. Her intention in asking was to see how Second Madam would respond and how she would handle this awkward situation.
"That's not true, Third Sister-in-law," Yue Ziyun saw through Fu Lianyin's intentions and said calmly, "Second House does have a private relationship with the Duke of Yan's residence, but there is no marriage arrangement. I wonder where Third Sister-in-law heard this; I will inquire about it tomorrow."
"Perhaps I misheard," Fu Lianyin said with a cold smile in her eyes. She then added "affectionately," "Second Sister-in-law, don't misunderstand; Third Sister-in-law is just feeling indignant for Fourth Young Lady. It's truly intolerable for such a fine young lady to have her engagement ruined!" The Fu Family's voice was sharp as they continued, "Our Eguo Duke's daughter is no less than any other noble young lady..."
"Mother, Auntie just said there was no such thing," Yun Kexin interjected lightly, "Think about it; 'arranging a marriage' and 'breaking an engagement' are significant matters. How could they possibly be kept secret? Moreover, if it were really as you say, how could Young Lord continue to associate with Yun Ke and bring him to participate in martial arts examinations? You can casually ask around whether the relationship between the two families is still as it used to be."
Fu Lianyin was left speechless by Yun Kexin's pointed question, staring blankly for a moment before awkwardly laughing and saying, "Seventh Young Lady is right; Mother was just making an analogy. If Fourth Sister were neglected by the Duke of Yan's residence, I would be the first to hold them accountable!"
Yun Kexin smirked coldly and retorted, "Mother can rest assured; if such a thing were true, not just Eguo Duke's residence but even Cousin Yun Ke wouldn't let the Duke of Yan's residence off easily. Would you agree?"
Fu Lianyin laughed and said, "Of course; an elder brother must protect his younger sister."
Yun Kexin turned her face away, not wanting to look at her any longer. She only heard Yun Yang coldly say, "Fu Family, you talk too much. If you continue like this, don't come to occasions like this in the future; it's annoying for everyone at the table to listen to you."
Fu Lianyin was startled into silence and sniffled before falling quiet.
"Alright, alright! How did it turn into an argument again?" The Second Elder Yun Jinyu seemed to wake up from a dream suddenly and poked at the table with his chopsticks as he said, "Today is a celebration for Ke'er; let's not drag on endlessly."
"That's right, Yang, you too," the Second Matriarch scolded Yun Yang, "the Third Madam is a woman who enjoys family matters; what's so strange about that? You, Second Aunt, talk a lot as well. Are you going to blame me along with him?"
"Second Aunt, my nephew is just teaching his wife a lesson and isn't involving anyone else," Yun Yang replied impatiently. "So don't overthink it."
Seeing that the celebration was on the verge of becoming awkward, Yun Cheng quickly interjected with a smile to ease the tension: "You're right, Second Master. Today is to celebrate Ke'er; let's not dwell on any unpleasantness. After dinner, let's hear how he became the top scholar in martial arts..."
The atmosphere in the North Courtyard gradually returned to calm, and Yun Cheng subconsciously glanced at Yun Kexin with admiration.
Three days later, something unexpected happened to Fu Lianyin. She mocked the Second House for their "double happiness" when suddenly—on November 10th of the Taihe Year Twenty-Three—the Wen Wang Mansion sent a marriage proposal to the Second House. The Heir Apparent, Wei Qing, was set to marry Fourth Sister Yun Yan. The sounds of gongs and fireworks echoed through the streets of the capital, and the betrothal gifts filled the entire Southern Courtyard, creating an impressive and lively scene.
This sudden move by the Wen Wang Mansion shocked both Fu Lianyin and Yun Yang: how could the Wen Wang Mansion be related to the Second House by marrying Yun Yan?!
When Yun Kexin looked at the bustling scene around her, she felt both joy and astonishment: Wei Qing marrying Fourth Sister? Is this real? How did this happen? Yet it seemed that the Second House was completely in control of everything, showing no signs of shock or confusion—as if they had been prepared all along. It felt like a slap in Fu Lianyin's face, delivering an unexpected twist: Yun Ke succeeded as the top martial scholar while Yun Yan married into the Wen Wang Mansion, becoming Consort Heir—a true "double happiness"...
Three days after Yun Yan's marriage, Wei Qing brought his wife back to visit. In a gathering with only three people left, Yun Kexin eagerly wanted to know what had happened. She patiently waited for her sister to return and finally got her wish; she had to get to the bottom of it.
"Heir Apparent, sister, what exactly is going on? You have to tell me!" Yun Kexin exclaimed excitedly and incoherently. "How did you two end up together? Don't tell me it was 'arranged by parents and matchmakers.'"
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