20demayo Chapter 96 The Perfect Wife Has Arrived
Chapter 96 The Perfect Wife Has Arrived
Zhu Yuanzhang blinked, his lips twitched violently a few times, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Since ancient times, when choosing a wife, one should look at her character, her talents, or one's first impression."
"Selecting a wife through an exam? I've lived most of my life and this is truly the first time I've ever encountered such a thing, absolutely unheard of!"
He quickly looked at Zhu Yao and spoke softly with a hint of persuasion in his voice.
"Yao'er, this method is too novel and strange. Why don't you think about it again and come up with another way?"
Empress Ma, standing to the side, gently raised her hand to embrace Zhu Yuanzhang, her eyes gentle and her smile soft as she spoke.
"I think this method is excellent. It doesn't consider appearance or family background, but only knowledge and character, making it fair and just."
"Choosing a spouse based on genuine talent and learning is the most appropriate way to avoid worldly superficiality."
Seeing that Empress Ma agreed, Zhu Yuanzhang could only shut up in frustration and said no more in rebuttal.
"Then let's do it Yao'er's way!"
"Let Xiao Zong handle the specifics."
Zhu Yao explained the assessment method to Zong Yonghe.
"Please rest assured, young master, I will arrange it immediately!"
Zong Yonghe accepted the order, stepped forward, moved into the hall, and loudly announced the rules for selecting husbands through examination to more than twenty noble ladies.
Upon hearing this, all the pampered young ladies present froze instantly, their gentle smiles instantly vanishing.
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion and astonishment, completely stunned.
They had studied music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and traditional female virtues since childhood, and had never heard of having to take an exam to find a partner.
Only Xu Miaoyun and Deng Shengnan remained calm and composed, their eyes showing no emotion, and even a hint of relaxation.
The two had already spent half a month studying new arithmetic knowledge at Liu's residence, and were full of confidence, having long been accustomed to this kind of assessment.
Before long, all the test papers and pens were distributed, and the exam officially began. The entire room fell silent instantly.
There were no poems or classical texts on the paper; the entire paper consisted of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, mixed operations, and simple mathematical word problems.
Xu Miaoyun wrote with ease, her pen moving smoothly and effortlessly, answering the questions without the slightest hesitation.
Although Deng Shengnan was not as exceptionally talented as Xu Miaoyun, she had memorized the formulas and mastered the basics, so she answered the questions with ease.
The other noble ladies were completely baffled, staring at the densely packed arithmetic problems, utterly helpless.
Some people frowned, bit their lips, scratched their ears and cheeks, repeatedly writing and rewriting, making the paper look messy.
Some people stare blankly at the numbers, their eyes glazed over, having never been exposed to arithmetic since childhood, and have no clue what to do.
Some people grit their teeth and fill in the form haphazardly, not even knowing if it's right or wrong, feeling flustered and uneasy.
Half an hour later, the exam ended, and all the papers were collected. The noble ladies couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"This question is too difficult; it's not something we've learned at all."
"These are all strange arithmetic methods that I have never studied. I'm afraid no one will be able to pass them."
"These tricky questions are not for choosing a spouse; they are clearly meant to make things difficult for us."
Inside the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Yao, who seemed relaxed, and couldn't help but ask a question out of curiosity.
"Yao'er, tell me, what score do you need for this test to even look at it?"
Zhu Yao secretly thought to himself that these questions were nothing more than basic questions for sixth graders in later generations.
In today's Ming Dynasty, this would be a game-changer; scoring 60 points would be extremely difficult.
He raised his eyes and calmly said, "Sixty points is the passing grade. Those who score above sixty points are considered to have passed."
Liu Bowen, who was holding the exam paper, glanced at it casually, and his brows furrowed instantly.
His expression was solemn, and he sighed in a deep voice, "Young master, this test question seems basic, but in fact it is logically intricate and full of twists and turns."
"Ordinary young women, confined to their homes, have never been exposed to arithmetic. With such difficulty, I'm afraid no one could pass the exam."
Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly reached out and took the exam paper, then looked down and carefully examined it, his face gradually becoming blank.
He could understand a few simple addition and subtraction problems, but he couldn't understand the subsequent multiplication and division problems or application problems at all.
His eyes widened in disbelief, and he muttered to himself, "It's that difficult? We can't even understand most of it!"
Just when everyone thought no one could pass, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
Chen Zhong strode inside, his expression excited, and loudly bowed to report.
"Reporting to Young Master, Sir, and Madam, a perfect score was achieved on the exam! The paper is flawless, without a single mistake!"
These words landed with a bang, and the entire room fell silent instantly. Everyone, including Zhu Yao, was filled with shock.
Zhu Yao's pupils contracted slightly, his heart filled with surprise. He never expected that someone could actually get a perfect score.
Before everyone could react, Chen Zhong spoke again, his tone increasingly joyful.
"Not only did she get a perfect score! Another girl scored 70 points and also passed the qualifying round!"
"Your subordinate has escorted the two young ladies to the door; they may come in immediately!"
Zhu Yao suppressed his surprise, looked up at the door, and waited for the two to enter.
The next moment, two familiar, slender figures slowly walked into the hall.
Zhu Yao stared intently, his eyes widening in surprise as he instantly recognized the two individuals.
He was shocked, his face filled with astonishment, and he exclaimed inwardly: Aren't these Xu Daya and Deng Erya?!
Xu Miaoyun and Deng Shengnan walked slowly into the lobby, their eyes unconsciously falling on Zhu Yao.
An undisguised joy welled up in their eyes, their cheeks flushed slightly, and they lowered their eyes shyly.
The longing and anticipation of spending half a month together transformed into shy joy, and her heart began to beat faster.
Seeing Zhu Yao's astonished expression, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately clapped his hands and laughed, taking the initiative to explain.
"Silly son, what are you standing there for? These two girls are Old Xu and Old Deng's legitimate daughters."
"You've already met Lao Xu and Lao Deng before; they're the ones you didn't initially set your sights on."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao suddenly understood, all his lingering doubts were resolved, and he looked at the two women with a helpless wry smile.
"So she's the daughter of my two uncles. No wonder her features looked so familiar."
"Since you two came here for a blind date, why did you both conceal your identities and sneak into the house?"
Upon hearing this, the two women lowered their heads even further, too embarrassed to speak, unsure how to explain themselves.
Zhu Yuanzhang quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, smiling warmly and taking all the blame.
"Hehe, you can't blame the two kids for this. Blame us."
"They didn't know you very well before, and they were nervous and didn't dare to look at you rashly, so they thought of secretly getting closer to observe you."
"I resorted to this tactic only to find out your character and integrity. Son, for our sake, how about we let this go?"
Empress Ma spoke softly at the opportune moment, looking at Zhu Yao with gentle eyes, and asked the crucial question.
"Yao'er, now that your identity is clear and your destiny is sealed, what are your plans for this marriage?"
Zhu Yao slowly raised his eyes, his gaze gentle and firm, landing directly on Xu Miaoyun, whose eyes were filled with shyness.
"After going through many twists and turns, we finally reunited. It must be a blessing from heaven."
"I wonder if Ms. Xu would mind what happened before and be willing to try dating me and get to know each other?"
Xu Miaoyun suddenly looked up, her eyes shining brightly, no longer showing any shyness, and nodded vigorously.
Her voice was soft yet incredibly firm, each word clear and moving.
"I do!"
These three simple words resonated deeply, conveying half a month's worth of longing and boundless joy.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately clapped his hands with joy, his face beaming with delight, unable to stop smiling.
"Great! This is fantastic news!"
"If Old Xu knew that his daughter and my son were engaged, he'd probably be overjoyed all night and unable to sleep!"