Chapter 75 Wang Yu apologizes
Chapter 75 Wang Yu Apologizes
The next day, Mo Qingkuang was shaken awake by Tang Yu from his drunken stupor, looking groggily at the various colorful clothes held by numerous attendants by the bedside.
"Huh? What's this?" Mo Qingkuang asked in confusion.
"You're the martial arts champion, and today His Majesty has bestowed upon you the honor of parading through the streets on horseback. After that, you'll need to enter the palace to receive His Majesty's audience of gratitude! Of course, you'll need to dress formally for this, so hurry up and change!" Tang Yu said impatiently.
For anyone else, even if they had drunk heavily the night before, they wouldn't forget about the audience with the emperor today.
Mo Qingkuang, on the other hand, seemed to have genuinely forgotten about the event, not even acknowledging the honor of parading through the streets.
Mo Qingkuang looked helplessly at the peculiar clothes spread out around him. There were over ten pieces in total, brightly colored and intricately designed.
"Don't dawdle, or you'll be punished for missing the auspicious timing! Hongyi and the Ninth Princess are already prepared, waiting for you." Tang Yu sighed in exasperation. If it were him with this opportunity, he would have been too excited to sleep the night before.
"Alright, alright." Mo Qingkuang could only nod and allow the attendants to fuss around him.
When Tang Yu led him to meet with the two ladies, their eyes lit up at the sight of him.
Mo Qingkuang, being the martial arts champion, didn't need to dress as formally as the top scholars. His attire was relatively light and lively.
With more emphasis on body-fitting designs, his outfit was complemented by various jade accessories given by the imperial court, adding to his charm.
"I didn't expect you to look quite decent when properly dressed up. You used to look so dull and lacking in temperament." Gu Hongyi chuckled when she saw him.
Standing alongside the second and third place scholars, Mo Qingkuang's attire, although less formal, showcased his rugged charm.
"Turns out, your taste is not bad at all. This outfit suits you quite well," Gu Hongyi added with a smile.
In fact, unbeknownst to others, every outfit worn by the top three scholars in the imperial examination was handpicked and matched by Gu Hongyi herself.
Each year, the Imperial Tailor Bureau would design and produce a dozen or so outfits for the top scholars to choose from.
And both hers and Mo Qingkuang's outfits were personally selected by Gu Hongyi, leveraging her status as a princess.
Now, seeing how well Mo Qingkuang looked in the outfit she had chosen, she felt satisfied with her decision.
The three of them arrived at the gate of the palace, where they found the top three scholars from the literary examination already waiting, all dressed dignifiedly.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Yu, who had left in humiliation the night before after losing to Mo Qingkuang, was also among them.
Seeing Mo Qingkuang's arrival, Wang Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of gloom, but then he put on a sincere smile on his handsome face.
He quickly approached Mo Qingkuang and bowed deeply, saying, "Brother Mo, Wang Yu is here to apologize sincerely!"
Mo Qingkuang was almost prepared to strike, but Wang Yu's unexpected apology left him dumbfounded.
Was he really here to apologize? The contest between Wang Yu and Mo Qingkuang had spread throughout the capital within an hour.
And overnight, the news had spread across the entire central region.
Today, many people had come early to witness the event, largely because of the events of the previous night.
Seeing Wang Yu's demeanor, everyone was taken aback. After all, Wang Yu was the grandson of the prime minister.
The incident from last night was well known to everyone, and he was likely to be ridiculed for it and lose face.
Many people silently cursed Wang Yu in their hearts: "How could the wise Prime Minister raise such a worthless grandson?"
In fact, the poem Wang Yu presented, "Picking Lotus," was quite excellent. It was just that at that moment, it didn't fit the occasion, and with the brilliance of "Ode to the Lotus," it seemed overshadowed.
Gradually, the circulated version became that Wang Yu was untalented.
"Brother Mo, last night I was ignorant and presumptuous, attempting to challenge you. I sincerely apologize for my behavior!" Wang Yu said without caring about the gossiping onlookers, his attitude becoming even more sincere.
"But I don't regret it. If I hadn't pushed you step by step, a masterpiece like 'Ode to the Lotus' would still be hidden by you. Thinking about it, in the future when it spreads across the world, I will still be a great contributor."
Upon hearing this, the bystanders' opinions shifted, and they smiled kindly. Wang Yu's words and attitude were sincere, and his humble demeanor perfectly highlighted the family's moral standards.
To be honest, at this moment, Mo Qingkuang admired Wang Yu even more.
According to the hints from his ancestor Mo Fan, Wang Yu's grandfather, Prime Minister Wang Hua, was a spy for the Blue Flame Empire.
The dispute between Wang Yu and Mo Qingkuang last night would to some extent tarnish the Wang family's reputation, but this apology could change people's opinions.
It turned out that the Wang family had strict family education. The contest between young people was just a youthful struggle, not a problem of the Wang family's education.
This was the answer that the public most wanted to accept, which gradually painted a perfect image of the prime minister's family.
However, this also meant that Prime Minister Wang's moral character was even more solid, and the investigation by Hua Ge and others might require more effort.
"Brother Wang, we are friends after all from last night's encounter," Mo Qingkuang reached out to help Wang Yu up.
In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh. Originally, he sincerely wanted to befriend Wang Yu, but since he wasn't willing, he could only pretend to be close now.
"Brother Mo, you're too kind. Compared to your 'Ode to the Lotus,' my poem is not even worth mentioning," Wang Yu said humbly, making it hard to imagine that he was the grandson of a prime minister, speaking with such humility.
Seeing Wang Yu's unusually humble attitude, Han Yaner felt that something was off.
Wang Yu was also a noble descendant, and she had interacted with him since childhood. In her impression, Wang Yu was almost incapable of swallowing such humiliation.
But now, Wang Yu was apologizing to Mo Qingkuang in front of everyone during the parade. It was truly shocking.
Han Yaner gently pulled Mo Qingkuang's sleeve as she slowly approached him, conveying her concern.
Mo Qingkuang understood her meaning and replied with a knowing look.
Turning to Wang Yu, he said, "Brother Wang, we had a little disagreement last night, but now that you've sincerely extended your friendship, let's consider the matter resolved. Shall we?"