Chapter 5: Serving in the Palace

Old Man Chen persuaded him earnestly, "Zhanshan, don't worry. When your third brother passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, he will bring honor to our family. By then, our family will be a well-known and prestigious one. Although Butcher Li has a cruel temperament, he is not stupid. He knows how to curry favor with the powerful. When the time comes, he will be busy currying favor with our family. Why would he bother Qing girl?"

Chen Zhanshan frowned and said with a bitter face, "Dad, this year is not a good year. Why don't you let my third brother take a year off before taking the exam? This way, we don't have to marry Qing girl to Li the butcher, and our family can live a better life."

Old man Chen lowered his head in thought. What the eldest brother said made sense. It was not easy to fill one's stomach these days. If the third brother failed the exam again, the remaining betrothal money would be difficult to use to get through the winter. He felt a little hesitant.

Seeing Old Man Chen remained silent, Chen Zhancai was so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. If he was not allowed to take the college entrance examination, how would he live his life in the future? How could he hold his head up in front of his classmates? No, he couldn't let that happen.

His face flushed, and he looked very angry. "What nonsense are you talking about? How can you not take the imperial examination just because the year is bad?

Dad, I've made all the preparations this year. Even the abbot of Jinguang Temple has read my fortune and said that I will definitely pass the exam and become a scholar. I'm confident I'll pass."

Old Man Chen's wavering heart finally gave in. "Okay, my dear son, Dad believes in you."

Chen Zhanliang glanced at the complacent Chen Zhancai with dissatisfaction, feeling angry. In the eyes of his parents, there was only their precious third son.

His son is already fifteen years old and has reached the age to get married, but because the whole family is supporting his third son's studies, the family is extremely poor and now they don't even have the money to hire a matchmaker.

Although he mentioned it to his parents several times, they turned a deaf ear to it. At this moment, he became more and more dissatisfied with his parents' partiality.

"Dad, my eldest brother is right. My third brother has been taking the exam for over ten years and still hasn't passed. This one chance won't make a difference. Even if we have to collect firewood and do hard labor, we can get through the hard times ahead. There's no need to force Qing to die."

Chen Qingqing was quite surprised by Chen Zhanliang's words. This second uncle was actually a good person and quite sensible. She looked at him with gratitude.

Old Man Chen's expression changed, and he glared at Chen Zhanliang angrily, "Just do your job well. It's not your turn to dictate what happens at home."

Chen Zhanshan said in a firm tone, "Dad, since you don't agree to let my third brother take a year off before taking the exam, then find another way to get money for him to continue his studies. Anyway, I don't agree to sell Qing girl."

Old Mrs. Chen, who had just calmed down, was so angry that she slapped her thigh and started yelling again with foam at the mouth.

"You unfilial thing! I've raised you in vain..."

"Mother, please, Zhan Cai's Shu Xiu, I'll think of another way to cancel Qing girl's marriage!"

Old Mrs. Chen stopped crying. She had heard a long time ago that the government was purchasing servants to serve the king in the palace. As long as they were castrated and became eunuchs, they could be given more than one hundred taels of silver. This was done every year, which was more profitable than selling her granddaughter.

If she gets along well and knows how to handle things, her master will be happy and reward her with countless gold and silver jewelry. With the money, she can wear gold and silver, so why not...

She blinked twice and said, "Zhanshan, it's okay if you don't marry Qing girl. Then send Chen Han to the palace to be a eunuch. This will also solve the current difficulties at home."

Chen Qingqing was completely speechless. She either wanted to sell her granddaughter or harm her grandson. Was she still human? Just as she was about to speak, she heard Chen Zhanshan say,

"Mother, Xiaohan is only eight years old. Wouldn't it be fatal to send him to the palace?"

Lin said loudly, "No, I don't agree."

Old Mrs. Chen glared at me, "This won't work, that won't work, what can I do? You unfilial son, you coward, since you can't bear to see your daughter and son suffer, why don't you go?"

Out of his fatherly instinct and filial piety to his parents, Chen Zhanshan's eyes were red and he kowtowed hard to the ground, "Okay, I'll go, I'll enter the palace."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Chen stopped howling and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Chen Qingqing was shocked. She knew that men entering the palace had to undergo a purgation process. No one would be willing to serve in the palace unless they had no other choice or could not make a living.

At this moment, her father actually wanted to take this path to protect herself and her brother. She was so moved that her eyes turned red.

When I looked up and saw the flash of joy in Old Mrs. Chen's eyes, my heart suddenly tightened.

She felt that the time was not right to bring up the idea of ​​dividing the family now. If she didn't let her parents see the ugly faces of these people, they would still be soft-hearted even if they separated and lived separately. If she wanted to make them completely disheartened, she had to let her parents see their true faces.

Lin's brain buzzed, and he staggered and almost fell down, his face full of panic.

"Dad, don't scare me. How are we going to survive if you leave us mothers behind?"

Old Man Chen looked up at his eldest son, shook his head and sighed, "Zhanshan, if you weren't so poor that you couldn't make ends meet, who would be willing to enter the palace and become a eunuch? That lowly job would make the whole village laugh at us. We can't let anyone poke holes in our family's backs. I can't afford to lose face!"

"Dad, I'd rather lose face than watch my daughter die!"

"Don't listen to hearsay. Our little girl Qing is very lucky. Maybe if she marries the butcher Li, he will change his temper and treat her well."

"As the saying goes, it's easy to change a country but hard to change one's nature. If Qing girl is really beaten to death, it will be too late for me to regret it."

After hearing what Chen Zhanshan said, Old Man Chen said nothing more. If he wanted to settle this matter, he had to let his eldest granddaughter marry voluntarily.

He glanced at Chen Qingqing and said with great patience,

"Qing girl, look at what you've done to your father. If you still have any filial piety, stop making trouble and marry Li the butcher obediently, so that your parents can have less worries, okay?"

"Are you mistaken? It was you who insisted on selling me to Li the Butcher and pushed me into the fire pit. It was you, not me, who made things difficult for my father.

If you don't want my father to enter the palace as a eunuch and really want to treat him as your own son, then quickly return the betrothal gift and let my third uncle take a year off before taking the provincial examination. As long as our family works together, we will definitely be able to get through this hard time this year."

Old Man Chen shook his head in denial, "How can we not let your Third Uncle take the Imperial Examination? If he misses this year's opportunity, how can he take the Imperial Examination next year? If he doesn't take the Imperial Examination, how can he pass the Imperial Examination? We are still counting on him to bring honor to our family in the future."

"Qing girl, stop being so stubborn. As the saying goes, the arm can't twist the thigh. This matter is settled."

"I won't marry. If you force me, I'll die in front of you."

Chen Qingqing pretended to hit the wall.

Old Man Chen grabbed her, his face darkening. "Zhanliang, go get a rope and tie her up for me. Send her to Butcher Li's house tomorrow. Even if she dies, she must die in the Li family."

"Dad, you can't do this to Qing girl. This is a life!" Chen Zhanliang stomped his feet and didn't move.

Chen Zhanshan originally wanted to scare his parents by saying that he would enter the palace as a eunuch, so that they would compromise, but he didn't expect that they still refused to let their daughter go.

He made up his mind and said, "Dad, please let Qing go. I have decided to serve in the palace."

"Get out of my way! I can't afford to lose this person..."

"What's so shameful about this? I think the boss's idea is a good one." Before Old Man Chen could finish his words, he was interrupted by Old Lady Chen.