Ming Dynasty: Empress Ma and I swapped clothes!

Chapter 115 Xun Gui, the Top Scholar of the Prefecture, Steals the Show

"Did you see that? Ma Wenxiang, who came first in the prefectural examination, is one of my Xun Gui faction."

"Who says that everyone in our Xun Gui faction is a spoiled brat? Let me tell you, our faction also has top-ranking talents. This time, the top scorer in the prefectural examination has completely overshadowed you all."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Li Jinglong shouted loudly, and those who didn't know the situation thought he had taken the top position.

Besides Li Jinglong, Tang Ding, Feng Cheng, and the rest of the noble families were all beaming with joy, each loudly proclaiming, "Today, let's see who among the scholars of the north and south in this capital can rival our noble faction!"

They were all imperious, hands on their hips, and since what they said was indeed substantial, for a time no one dared to refute them.

On the one hand, those who consider themselves noble and powerful are notoriously difficult to deal with; on the other hand, this is also a fact.

In the early years of the nation's founding, although it is said that there is no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts, most scholars still managed to come up with some reasonable ideas.

The more established the nation was, the stronger the martial spirit became; but what happened later on is unknown.

This situation is truly heartbreaking.

Inside the Imperial Academy, amidst the crowd of Xun Gui's faction, stood a figure from the ranks of scholars.

Chang Sheng, also the second son of the Duke of Zheng, walked slowly in, accompanied by others.

As he approached, thanks to the care of the young men of Xun Gui, the Xun Gui faction did not ridicule him in the slightest. They all cupped their hands and greeted him in a proper manner.

"I had heard your boastful words when you were in the Imperial Academy, where you were a student of the Xun Gui faction, but I never imagined that your talent had reached such a level. I am truly humbled."

Since everyone was on the same side, and Ma Wenxiang knew that Chang Sheng was quick-witted, he wouldn't argue with him. He simply said humbly, "It was just a fluke."

If there were a next time, with Brother Changsheng's talent, he might very well be able to take his place.

Ma Wenxiang's words were humble and appropriate, which pleased Li Jinglong, Feng Cheng, Tang Ding, and even the other noble sons, who all exclaimed in admiration, "See?"

"These are the brothers of my Hoongui faction. They advance when they should advance, and retreat when they should retreat. They are passionate and spirited when they should be, and humble when they should be humble."

"When dealing with outsiders, one should be ready to use force and keep them all out of the gate; when dealing with one's own people, one should treat them like a gentle spring breeze and befriend them."

Chang Sheng did not stay in front of Ma Wenxiang for long; he simply came over to pay his respects and then left.

Although he belonged to the faction of scholars at the Imperial Academy, it did not mean that he was not a member of the Xun Gui faction.

However, the schools of the literati at the Imperial Academy, with their teachers and other resources, were indeed more learned and thus more beneficial for the imperial examinations.

This choice, in the eyes of most of Xun Gui's faction, is quite reasonable.

The members of Xun Gui's faction nodded in agreement, increasingly recognizing Ma Wenxiang's reputation as their leader.

……

At this time.

In Kunning Palace, Ma Xiuying leaned against the phoenix couch, a faint hint of resentment on her face.

Even with her status as Empress, she still felt somewhat unbalanced.

Ma Wenxiang took all the benefits. While other students had to study hard for many years, Ma Wenxiang relied on the Empress herself to write for him.

It is precisely because this matter is absurd and cannot be discussed publicly that, otherwise, if we look at all the students in the world, this would be considered somewhat suspicious of cheating.

However, the blame lies with those in the know who would never reveal it to outsiders, and even if they did, the number of people who would believe it would be extremely small.

So the matter was settled in this way.

"Your Majesty is right."

Su Qing'er and Sun Miaoran naturally sided with Ma Xiuying.

Su Qing'er puffed out her cheeks, waved her little fists, revealing two small tiger teeth, and said fiercely with a menacing expression, "That bad guy, all he knows is how to order the Empress around. Doesn't he even know what kind of noble lineage the Empress is? How dare he?"

With Ma Wenxiang absent and Empress Ma Xiuying backing her up, Su Qing'er spoke with far more courage than usual.

After all, Su Qing'er would have been more restrained if Ma Wenxiang had been around.

Even so, when Ma Xiuying saw this scene, she smiled slightly and teased herself, "Oh? Is my Qing'er thinking about someone else? Wasn't she so fond of this boy before?"

Why are you now protecting me, Your Majesty?

"Your Majesty."

Qing'er blushed and quickly said, "Isn't this standing on Your Majesty's side?"

"Your Highness is teasing me again."

Su Qing'er's eyes darted around, and she saw that Sun Miaoran was also watching the show from the sidelines.

She quickly changed the subject, talking about the trivial matters Zhao Gonggong handled, especially the interesting things that happened to Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gao.

Only in this way can we divert the lady's attention from her to Eunuch Zhao's work.

Su Qing'er was unwilling to be constantly ridiculed and suppressed by Sun Miaoran, even if it was only for a while, it could never last forever.

The weak often possess a desire to make progress.

"A birthday banquet... just a small cake and some longevity noodles..."

Ma Xiuying raised her eyebrows slightly, vaguely remembering that in the first few years after her children were born, when they were four or five years old, she would occasionally celebrate one or two birthdays.

But as they grew older, they became preoccupied with royal affairs and their own energy waned, and they gradually forgot about the matter, only occasionally remembering it.

Thinking of this, Ma Xiuying couldn't help but sigh slightly again.

I never imagined that the little cakes and longevity noodles I made on a whim would be remembered by the children for so long.

For a moment, even he himself felt that it was no wonder that his mistresses, including his second and third children, and even his other biological children, were so close to and fond of Ma Wenxiang.

broken.

While matters in the palace are indeed important, what child wouldn't want their mother to stay with them all the time?

Consider this from this perspective.

As a mother, she was indeed very unfit.

Su Qing'er was talking animatedly when suddenly, Sun Miaoran, who had appeared beside her at some point, gently kicked her.

Su Qing'er glared at him angrily, still looking puzzled, and then asked, "What's wrong? I'm here to report the situation in the palace to Her Majesty."

Sun Miaoran held her forehead with one hand. Sometimes Su Qing'er was quite clever, but other times she was incredibly stupid, truly lacking even the slightest ability to read between the lines.

I don't know how the Empress chose her in the first place to become a lady-in-waiting in Kunning Palace. It can't just be because she's stupid enough.