Wang Yu Apologizes
The next day, Mo Qingkuang was shaken awake by Tang Yu, his head still spinning from the effects of the alcohol. He looked puzzled at the various colorful clothes that the attendants were holding by his bedside.
"What's this?" Mo Qingkuang asked, confused.
"You're the Martial Arts Champion. Today, His Majesty has bestowed upon you the honor of a parade on horseback through the streets. After that, you'll have to enter the palace to express your gratitude! Of course, you need to dress formally. Hurry up and change!" Tang Yu said impatiently.
For anyone else, even after a night of heavy drinking, they wouldn't forget about the audience with the emperor the next day. But Mo Qingkuang seemed to have completely forgotten about it, as if the parade, which was such an honorable moment, didn't matter to him at all.
Mo Qingkuang looked awkwardly at the assortment of strange clothes, over a dozen pieces in total, brightly colored and extremely elaborate to wear.
"Don't dilly-dally! If you miss the auspicious time, you'll be punished! Hongyi and the Ninth Princess are ready. They're waiting for you," Tang Yu said with exasperation. If it were him, he would have been so excited that he couldn't sleep the night before.
"Alright, alright," Mo Qingkuang nodded reluctantly, letting a group of attendants surround him and fuss over him.
When Tang Yu led him to meet with Hongyi and Han Yan'er, the two women couldn't help but brighten up at the sight of him.
As the Martial Arts Champion, Mo Qingkuang's attire didn't need to be as solemn as those of the top literary scholars. Instead, it was relatively light and lively.
Compared to usual, there were more body-shaping designs, and additional ornaments like jade hairpins, belts, and pendants which adorned him.
He wore a tight-fitting silk inner layer and a golden long cloak embroidered with a mythical qilin on the outside. With Mo Qingkuang's already handsome face, he looked quite heroic and extraordinary.
"I didn't expect that you'd look quite decent when dressed up. You used to look so dull, lacking in temperament," Gu Hongyi commented with a smile.
Hongyi and Han Yan were both wearing attire bestowed upon them by the palace, with some makeup applied. Both of them looked extraordinarily beautiful, especially Han Yan, whose noble and elegant temperament couldn't be concealed even behind a light veil.
At this moment, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Mo Qingkuang. She was very satisfied with Mo Qingkuang's appearance.
What others didn't know was that each set of clothing worn by Mo Qingkuang and Han Yan had been personally selected by Han Yan herself through her status as a princess.
Now it seemed that her judgment was indeed correct. This outfit matched Mo Qingkuang perfectly.
The three of them arrived at the gate of the palace, where they saw the top three scholars of the literary exam already waiting. They were all dressed quite dignifiedly.
Many curious citizens had gathered there, eager to catch a glimpse of the top three scholars of both literary and martial exams.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Yu, who had suffered a great humiliation and left the banquet in anger the previous night, was also among them.
Seeing Mo Qingkuang arrive, Wang Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of shadow, but then he quickly put on a sincere smile on his handsome face.
He quickly approached Mo Qingkuang and bowed deeply. "Brother Mo, Wang Yu has come to apologize!"
Mo Qingkuang was almost ready to take action, but he was stunned by Wang Yu's unexpected move.
Was he actually here to apologize? The confrontation between Wang Yu and Mo Qingkuang last night had spread throughout the entire capital within an hour.
And then, overnight, it had spread throughout the entire Central Province.
Today's large crowd gathering early to watch was largely due to the events of last night. Seeing Wang Yu's attitude, everyone was surprised, considering he was the grandson of the prime minister.
The events of last night were well-known, and he was probably going to be ridiculed for his performance of 'Picking Lotus' for a long time. Many secretly cursed him, thinking, "How could such a talented man like the Prime Minister raise such an incompetent grandson?"
In reality, the poem Wang Yu presented, 'Picking Lotus,' was also excellent. It just didn't quite fit the occasion at the time, especially with 'Love for the Lotus' shining so brightly. As time passed, the version that spread was that Wang Yu was incompetent.
"Brother Mo, last night was my ignorance and arrogance challenging you. I sincerely apologize!" However, Wang Yu didn't care about the surrounding crowd's whispers and comments. His attitude became even more sincere.
"But I don't regret it. If it weren't for my persistence, 'Love for the Lotus,' such a famous article, might have been hidden by you for who knows how long. In the end, when it becomes famous throughout the world, I will still be a great contributor."
Hearing this, the crowd's opinion shifted, and they smiled kindly at Wang Yu. His sincere apology and humble attitude perfectly highlighted the Wang family's upbringing.
To be honest, at this moment, Mo Qingkuang even held Wang Yu in higher regard. According to the hints from his ancestor Mo Fan, Wang Yu's grandfather, the current prime minister Wang Hua, was a spy for the Blue Flame Empire.
The dispute between Wang Yu and Mo Qingkuang would to some extent tarnish the reputation of the Wang family. However, Wang Yu's admission of his mistake and apology could change people's perceptions. The Wang family indeed had strict moral education, and the willingness to admit defeat in a public setting like this demonstrated their magnanimity.
From this moment on, the struggle between Wang Yu and Mo Qingkuang was just a youthful contest, not a matter of the Wang family's upbringing.
This was also the answer that the public most wanted to accept as the Wang family gradually perfected their image. However, this also meant that the character and integrity of the Wang family became more solid, and it might require more effort for investigators like Dean Hua to uncover the truth.
"Brother Wang, that's not true. Your poetry is also quite good," Mo Qingkuang said as he helped Wang Yu up. Inwardly, he couldn't help but sigh. Originally, he wanted to be sincere friends with Wang Yu, but since Wang Yu was unwilling, he had no choice but to retaliate against him.
"Brother Mo, you're too modest. Compared to your 'Love for the Lotus,' my 'Picking Lotus' is hardly worth mentioning," Wang Yu replied with a humble expression. It was hard to imagine that a descendant of the prime minister would adopt such a low posture.
Seeing Wang Yu's excessively humble demeanor, Han Yan felt that something was off. She had interacted with Wang Yu since childhood, and in her impression, Wang Yu was hardly capable of swallowing such humiliation. But now, Wang Yu was publicly apologizing to Mo Qingkuang during the procession, which was truly shocking.
Han Yan'er slowly approached Mo Qingkuang and gently tugged at his sleeve. Mo Qingkuang understood her meaning from her eyes: "Be careful, he's not really this magnanimous." His heart warmed at her concern, and he responded with a knowing look.
Turning back to Wang Yu, he said, "Brother Wang, since we have become friends in earnest, let's put an end to this matter here. What do you think?"