Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 160 Mandarin Ducks Playing in the Water

The palace examination lasted until dusk. After the exam papers were handed in and sealed, the candidates bowed and left the palace.

The scholars at the palace gates inevitably exchanged glances, with Shen Li receiving the most attention, though they hesitated to speak due to the taboo against men and women.

Shen Li returned the gaze with a friendly look but said nothing. Lian Qiao helped her walk towards the only carriage drawn by three horses.

The crowd was quite envious. They were all candidates, but most of them would never reach the third rank in their entire lives, even if it was just a nominal title.

Gu Chang'an wasn't in the car, but there was food prepared by someone he had arranged, brought from the nearest restaurant, guaranteed to be hot.

"So...you brought out ten food boxes in front of everyone on the street?" Although Shen Li wanted to eat, she almost covered her face after hearing Shaoyao's description.

In her previous life, she almost starved herself to death to maintain her dignified and elegant demeanor as a lady of a prominent family. Although she has let go of her inhibitions in this life, she hasn't gone to such an extreme as to disregard her reputation.

"Don't worry, Miss. Others will only think you're picky and won't know that you can finish it all," Peony comforted her from the side.

“That’s true.” Shen Li’s words were mumbled because she already had a crystal dumpling in her mouth: “You guys eat too.”

The group repeatedly declined, not because they didn't want to eat or were too shy, but simply because they were worried that if they took the young lady's food, she wouldn't have enough to eat.

Shen Li only ate one proper meal all day, and indeed, not a single bite was left.

The next day, the examiners took turns grading the papers and giving their scores. Since the palace examination did not require copying, Shen Li's paper was easily recognizable even with her name sealed on it.

Her calligraphy was so good and so famous that, regardless of whether it would be passed down to future generations, she would certainly be among the great calligraphers of the time. Everyone present was a person who was skilled in literature and calligraphy, so how could they not recognize her?

Upon seeing the exam paper, Shen Zizai, as the chief examiner, asked the emperor how to handle it.

"Give it to me, and I'll decide the ranking for her." Emperor Cheng was also very curious about what Shen Li had written.

As is customary, the ten best articles are submitted to the emperor, who then selects the top three in the first class.

"Your Majesty, please set aside personal feelings and judge fairly," Shen Zizai said sincerely.

To put it bluntly, the Shen family doesn't lack a good academic title, but those poor scholars need academic titles to have a place in the imperial court.

If he were to show favoritism while presiding over the imperial examinations, it would be unfair to the people and he would not be worthy of the position.

"Don't worry, if she writes well..." Emperor Cheng said as he read, but gradually fell silent, simply waving his hand to signal Shen Zizai to go about his business.

Emperor Cheng became increasingly engrossed in the reading, and seemed lost in thought.

Unexpectedly, this girl has profound insights into the tax system. Her direction of reform aligns with Gu Chang'an's, but her ideas differ and are relatively more moderate.

Knowing his daughter's sense of propriety, Shen Zizai was not worried and went to review the papers.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the imperial examination, Shen Li was completely relaxed and wanted to go home to visit her family, but her mother wouldn't allow it, saying that she needed to avoid suspicion.

She decided not to go back for the time being, since there were many people in the capital recently and she didn't want to go out. So she stayed at home reading, painting, teaching Yu Die to write and do her homework, and practicing martial arts for an hour every day without fail.

She had been living like this for many years, but in the last two days she had felt a bit bored. Perhaps it was because she had done too much in this life and was now restless.

Fortunately, she cheered up when Gu Chang'an came back in the evening. She had dinner with him, stayed with him on the couch while he handled official business, and then chatted until they ended up in bed.

"The results will be announced tomorrow. Has Ah Li thought about what kind of official position she wants to pursue?" Gu Chang'an asked.

“I want to do something practical, but that would require being sent to a remote area, and I’m reluctant to do that.” Shen Li was still somewhat confused: “It depends on the rankings.”

Gu Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that she did not want to be sent to a post outside the capital. Very few of the graduates from the same batch could stay in the capital. Most of them had to be sent to other places to gain experience, such as becoming a county magistrate or a sub-prefect.

However, this only applies to those who did not perform well in the second or third tiers. Those who performed well in the first tier and some outstanding candidates would remain in the Hanlin Academy and become nobles.

However, being a scholar-official was not always a privileged position. Every day, Hanlin scholars were exposed to important court affairs, confidential documents, and historical records. This was the best place to learn about practical politics and understand the workings of the court.

The imperial court has always had clear provisions that only members of the Hanlin Academy can enter the cabinet or take charge of the Six Ministries, which is the only way for those with real power to succeed.

"What do you think I should do, my husband?" Shen Li asked.

“Since A-Li can’t think of anything, then she should try to stay in the Hanlin Academy. That way, she can either go to the Six Ministries or be sent to a local area in the future,” Gu Chang’an suggested.

"Alright." Shen Li felt that she should learn more before becoming an official, otherwise she would not be very responsible to the people.

"Becoming a Hanlin scholar is not easy." She was somewhat worried about her grades.

Gu Chang'an earnestly praised: "Ah Li's ability to pass the imperial examination with top honors is enough to show her outstanding talent, and her calligraphy and painting skills are also among the best of her time. Even if she doesn't get the top honors, she will still be able to stay in the world."

"Thank you for your comfort, my husband." Shen Li smiled when she saw his serious expression and said, "It's getting late. We still need to check the results tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Just as Gu Chang'an was about to answer, he noticed a very unusual brocade box on the small table in front of him and casually asked, "What is this?"

If Ah Li takes a liking to something, he will definitely find the best for her.

"This..." Shen Li's languidness vanished, and she quickly rolled her eyes, saying, "They found this when they were sorting through the gifts for each palace today. They said it wasn't on the gift list and wanted me to see it. It's nothing special."

She secretly blamed herself for being careless; she had just glanced at it and left it there before going to dinner, forgetting to ask someone to throw it out.

"Oh, is that so? Then I'll carry A-Li to bed." Gu Chang'an could easily see the change in her expression. For A-Li to be so flustered, this item must have come from the Eastern Palace.

Since Ah Li didn't say anything, he didn't ask any further questions.

Seeing his doting expression as he hugged her, Shen Li couldn't bear the inner torment any longer and said, "Husband, please don't overthink it, okay?"

"It's okay if A-Li doesn't say anything, don't make things difficult for yourself," Gu Chang'an even comforted her.

"Now that you've said that, I'm even more determined to say it." Shen Li raised her hand and opened the box.

Inside the brocade box was a handkerchief, with the pattern facing upwards. One could see a mandarin duck on the handkerchief, and without a doubt, there was another one inside when it was unfolded.

It is a picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water.

Gu Chang'an's gaze unconsciously narrowed; this Li Heng was truly despicable and shameless.

“This was embroidered by him for me before I was married, but I adhere to etiquette and do not accept such tokens of love. I told him to keep it for himself and give it to me if we got married one day.”

As Shen Li spoke, she kept an eye on Gu Chang'an's expression. Although Gu Chang'an was very restrained, his expression was still unfriendly upon hearing this.

What does it mean to send it now?

"Husband, don't be angry. This is a mistake I made when I was young and ignorant. I don't care about him anymore, so I just forgot to throw it away," Shen Li explained, worried that Gu Chang'an might misunderstand.

If she valued it, she wouldn't have forgotten it after just one glance, but now it seems better to have taken it seriously and dealt with it sooner.