Chapter 541 - 202: Gu Lin (3)
The man’s surname was Xu. A jolt went through De’an. ’Mr. Xu... Could that be the "Xu" from Xu Suying?’
De’an subtly raised his head, secretly observing the man’s face.
He possessed a pair of soulful eyes, yet his demeanor was entirely devoid of a rake’s licentiousness. He was handsome and poised, carrying himself with an air of hidden virtue—like a flawless young nobleman from a prestigious house.
Only his eyes bore some resemblance to his mother’s. The rest of him looked nothing like her.
’Besides, there are only so many eye shapes in the world. In the vast sea of humanity, you’re bound to find people with similar eyes. You can’t just assume a blood relation based on something like that. If it were that simple, I’d have tens of millions of relatives.’
’So, am I just overthinking this?’
Just as De’an was starting to suspect he was overthinking things, the young Mr. Xu suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
His face was etched with anxiety, and his tone was somewhat aggressive.
"What is your name? Where is your family from? And your mother? Why isn’t she with you this time?"
De’an’s eyes went wide.
’If the man before him weren’t a deputy examiner, he’d have shot back, "Asking about my mother? You want to be my new father or something? I didn’t think someone so young would already be so crooked, trying to leech off a rich old woman!"’
He didn’t dare say that out loud, afraid he’d be beaten and thrown out.
But De’an’s expression soured. He turned his head away, yanked his sleeve free, and took off running.
Xu Yanlin never imagined that just by asking a few questions, he would scare the young man away.
’Did I say something out of line?’
On second thought, he really had been out of line.
If a complete stranger came up and immediately started prying about one’s mother, who wouldn’t see them as an arrogant and insolent lout?
The fact that the young man hadn’t thrown a punch already spoke to his excellent upbringing. Expecting a pleasant response was pure wishful thinking.
’But... he could have been cold to me, but he didn’t have to just turn and run!’
Xu Yanlin was about to give chase, but then he remembered where he was—the examination hall. He was a deputy examiner, still in his official robes. How could he possibly run?
Never mind running; even walking quickly would be considered a grave breach of decorum. If the Censorate officials found out, they would surely impeach him for "improper deportment and frivolous conduct." A light punishment would be a fine or a formal reprimand; a heavy one could jeopardize his entire career.
After all, Xu Yanlin had been raised with a proper Confucian education and had been disciplined and respectable since childhood; he was incapable of such rash and unseemly behavior. But in the blink of an eye, De’an’s figure vanished into the crowd, and a genuine panic seized him.
At that moment, what did he care for rules and decorum? He broke into a run and gave chase.
However, by the time he reached the entrance of the examination hall, De’an was nowhere to be seen.
Xu Yanlin stood at the entrance, looking around in a daze. He saw only falling leaves and a desolate, lonely scene that perfectly mirrored his heart.
He then recalled his uncle’s earnest instructions from the night before, urging him to keep watch at the examination hall and see if he could find a young man resembling their aunt among the failed scholars.
At the time, he had thought his uncle was being absurd. If his uncle had truly seen their aunt and his never-before-met cousin yesterday, then they surely wouldn’t have appeared at the examination hall.
After all, his grandparents and parents had all said that his young aunt was a master of literature, with a writing ability on par with an Advanced Scholar. The Wei Dynasty didn’t allow women to take the imperial examinations, but if it had, his aunt would have certainly returned as a Champion Scholar.
How could an aunt so erudite, so well-versed in policy essays and the Four Books, possibly raise a cousin who couldn’t even pass the Provincial Examination?
It defied all logic.
But he hadn’t dared to refute his uncle, so he could only wait here as requested.
Who would have thought that after all that waiting, he would actually encounter a young man whose features bore a slight resemblance to his aunt?
Furthermore, the young man’s age also seemed to match the one his uncle had mentioned.
But how did he let him get away!
Xu Yanlin started back dejectedly. As he passed a common office, he suddenly remembered: when the young man had collected his failed examination paper, he had announced his name and origin. He was Chen De’an, from Qingshui County in Xinghuai Prefecture.
Chen De’an from Qingshui County!
Paying no mind to Yuan Shixin’s calls, Xu Yanlin turned and rushed back outside.
In all likelihood, Chen De’an had to be his cousin.
He must also have his own doubts about his aunt’s identity. Unsure whether this stranger’s intentions were good or ill, he had chosen flight as the best course of action.
Any other scholar, even if they found his words offensive, would have surely tried to clarify things, to see if there was some hidden reason or misunderstanding.
But Chen De’an didn’t listen to anything, didn’t ask anything. He just ran.
This had to be his aunt’s son!
The best plan now was to send men to make inquiries among the scholars from Qingshui County who had taken the examination. He would definitely be able to find this Chen De’an!