Entering the Imperial Palace once again, Ian Song was now clad in bright red official robes, walking in the front row alongside First-Rank Graduate Winston Wu and Second-Rank Graduate Marvin Ma, with hundreds of jinshi following behind them.
Soon, the group arrived outside the Taiji Hall, but they still needed to wait for the Emperor of Valeguard’s summons before entering.
After about fifteen minutes, a sharp voice rang out from inside the hall: "Summon the new First-Rank Graduate Winston Wu, Second-Rank Graduate Marvin Ma, and Third-Rank Graduate Ian Song to enter and pay respects!"
The three exchanged glances; Winston Wu led the way, with Ian Song and Marvin Ma following a step behind, and together they entered the grand hall.
Next came a round of formal prostrations.
"Please rise, honored scholars!"
The Emperor of Valeguard spoke with a smiling face, though his voice was filled with authority.
After that, a round of questions and answers followed.
However, less than fifteen minutes into the exchange, the emperor began yawning. Lately, he had spent every night happily drinking from his dragon-pattern glass cup.
Meanwhile, Marquis Leonard Wen of Puyang had already sold those fifty sets of wine cups over the past ten days, and demand still far exceeded supply. So, he took another hundred sets from Ian Song.
However, following Ian Song’s instructions, Marquis Leonard did not immediately sell the new batch. Instead, he planned to tease the nobles’ appetites before releasing them for sale.
During the exchange, Ian Song spotted Zachary Cai standing near the front left. Zachary had now officially taken up the post of Right Vice Minister of Rites, placing him among the top officials.
Moreover, just yesterday—
Ian had visited the Cai residence again, and Zachary Cai confirmed that his request for an outside posting had already been approved.
The process had gone surprisingly smoothly. Since Ian declined entry to Hanlin, and there were plenty of candidates eager to join, his absence simply freed up a spot. Thus, the Ministry of Personnel didn’t make things difficult for him. Instead, they 'compensated' him by appointing him as vice-prefect of a certain prefecture—a fifth-rank post.
The vice-prefect is the prefect’s deputy, mainly assisting with administrative duties. While the position doesn’t hold great power, it still makes him the number-two civil official in a place like Mingshan Prefecture.
Sure enough, once the exchange ended, a eunuch stepped forward to announce the appointments.
Winston Wu and Marvin Ma both entered the Hanlin Academy—Winston as a full sixth-rank editor, Marvin as a sub-sixth-rank academician.
Ian Song, however, was assigned to Liang Prefecture as vice-prefect.
Upon hearing Ian’s assignment to a field post, Winston Wu and Marvin Ma both shot him a surprised look, then their expressions turned cold. In their minds, Ian must have offended someone powerful to be sent out to the provinces.
Their futures lay in becoming ministers and generals, while Ian Song, at best, might reach the rank of third-rank regional governor—and that would be his ceiling. There was simply no comparison between them.
Besides, Liang Prefecture was a bitterly cold place bordering barbarian tribes, often subject to raids and kidnappings. Taking up the vice-prefect post there, one couldn’t even be sure of surviving to return.
After court, Zachary Cai immediately called Ian Song over and said quietly, "You can still change your mind. I can help you secure a posting in the capital, though not in Hanlin. You could still join one of the Six Ministries!"
"Teacher, I’ve already made up my mind!"
Ian replied.
"You!" Zachary Cai looked a bit annoyed. "Forget it, I won’t bother arguing with you. But what about you and Qiang’er? How do you plan to handle that?"
"Me and Senior Sister? What could there be?"
Ian Song looked utterly bewildered.
Zachary Cai scolded angrily, "You brat, don’t try to play dumb with me! You two have already exchanged love tokens, and these days Qiang’er can hardly eat or sleep because of you!"
"Wait, when did I exchange love tokens with Senior Sister?" Ian asked, confused.
"Are you still pretending to be clueless?"
Zachary Cai grew truly angry: "Wasn’t that jade pendant from you?"
"Yes, it was!"
"And did you accept Qiang’er’s handkerchief?"
"I did!"
"Didn’t you also write a poem for Qiang’er?"
"Yes, but Senior Sister asked me to!"
"You rascal, still trying to deny it! Qiang’er has always cherished plum blossoms, and her courtesy name contains the character for 'snow.' If you didn’t have feelings for her, why would you compose a poem about plum blossoms with snow in the verse?" (Note: In classical Chinese poetry, the plum blossom is a symbol of purity and perseverance, and 'snow' evokes both her name and her reserved character.)
Hearing this, Ian Song couldn’t help but cry out his innocence.
At that moment, Zachary Cai’s face softened into a pleading expression: "Ziyu, you know Qiang’er’s situation. Her fiancé died before the wedding, so even though she never married, she’s considered a 'remarried' woman. If she marries again, she can only be someone’s concubine. I can’t bear for her to suffer that fate. Since you and Qiang’er have feelings for each other, when you leave the capital, take her with you!"
"Teacher—no, Father-in-law, please rest assured. I swear I will treat Senior Sister with the utmost care!" Ian said earnestly, feeling flustered. He had only given Sylvia Cai the jade pendant for her protection, and hadn’t realized that accepting her embroidered handkerchief would be seen as exchanging betrothal tokens.
Only now, with Zachary Cai’s reminder, did Ian fully grasp the gravity of the situation. In this society, a woman’s chastity and reputation were held above all else; even the daughter of the Right Vice Minister of Rites could be forced to become a concubine if she had lost her fiancé, regardless of never marrying.
If he refused Sylvia Cai now, she would become the subject of ridicule, and might not even have the face to go on living.
No matter what, he couldn’t let a gentle girl like Sylvia Cai be ruined—especially since she was his teacher’s daughter.
Hearing Ian Song call him ‘Father-in-law’—
Zachary Cai’s face broke into a smile. "Come, let’s go back home and settle your marriage right away!"
In this era, marrying a primary wife required a grand, formal ceremony attended by family and guests, while taking a secondary wife (or concubine) was handled with a simple, private ritual and acknowledgment.
"Yes, sir!"
Ian Song did not refuse.
That night—
Ian Song, who had been half-drunk, sobered up as soon as he entered the bridal chamber. Hearing his footsteps, Sylvia Cai, sitting on the bed with her wedding veil still on, stiffened and her heartbeat quickened. "Junior Brother, is that you?" she asked.
"Senior Sister, sorry to keep you waiting!"
Ian walked over, gently lifted Sylvia’s veil, and spoke softly.
But she kept her head down, face flushed with shyness, only responding with a soft "Mm."
"Senior Sister, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come, let’s eat something first!"
There was food and wine already prepared on the table in the room.
Ian took Sylvia’s hand, almost like guiding a puppet, and led her to sit at the table. Picking up his chopsticks, he grabbed a piece of vegetable and brought it to her lips. "Open your mouth, Senior Sister!"
Faced with Ian’s gentle care, Sylvia’s heart melted. She parted her cherry lips and ate the vegetable, slowly chewing it.
"Have some meat too!"
Ian picked up a piece of meat and held it to her mouth.
"Junior Brother, let me do it myself!"
Sylvia Cai replied, her cheeks burning with shyness and her voice barely above a whisper.
"Alright."
Ian handed her the chopsticks, then picked up the wine jug and filled two cups. "Senior Sister, let’s drink together."
Sylvia picked up her cup, and Ian did the same, clinking them together and preparing to drink. But Sylvia stopped him: "Junior Brother, you’re not supposed to drink the bridal cup like that!"
Ian was taken aback, then smiled. "Please teach me, Senior Sister!"
"Junior Brother, you’re making things so difficult for me!" Sylvia protested, shooting Ian a shy, reproachful look, her heart fluttering with embarrassment.
Gazing at Sylvia’s stunning beauty up close, Ian couldn’t help but feel his heart race. He downed his wine in one gulp, then leaned in and kissed her cherry lips.