Lin's Mother in Dream of the Red Chamber 3, Mwah!

Lin Hai had simulated the imperial examination no less than ten times in the system classroom. In order to test him, the examiners used all sorts of tricks and difficulties.

When he actually went to the palace to participate in the imperial examination, he found that he was not as nervous as he had imagined.

While answering the questions, he wrote a eloquent and insightful essay. Emperor Kangxi was delighted with it and initially intended to appoint him as the top scholar. However, considering Lin Hai's handsome appearance, he changed the title to the third-ranking scholar.

The grand ceremony for announcing the results of the imperial examinations was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Lin Hai, along with the top two scholars (Zhuangyuan and Bangyan), performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony, and Emperor Kangxi bestowed upon them the title of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Looking at Lin Hai, who stood out like a crane among chickens, with his elegant demeanor among the crowd, Kangxi was extremely pleased with himself. He was indeed prescient.

Only Lin Hai deserves the title of Tan Hua Lang (third-place scholar). To be fair, the Zhuang Yuan (first-place scholar) and Bang Yan (second-place scholar) are not bad-looking, but standing next to Lin Hai, they are made to look several times uglier.

Emperor Kangxi held Lin Hai in high regard and consistently treated veteran officials well. In addition, he had a good relationship with Lin Yan, and out of affection for Lin Yan, he also placed high hopes on Lin Hai, the son of his old friend.

He was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and promoted to the position of a member of the Southern Study, a promotion that was exceptional.

The rank of a sixth-grade official is not high, but the honor of serving in the emperor's presence and being able to meet the emperor every day is something that people envy.

Although serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, not everyone has the opportunity to appear before him. No matter how much you do, it's all for nothing if the emperor doesn't see it.

After leaving the palace, Lin Hai, along with the top two scholars, paid their respects to the chief examiner and others.

After everything was settled and he returned home, Lin Hai excitedly knelt before Chen Xia: "Mother, your son has lived up to your expectations..."

Chen Xia helped him up: "My son, you've worked so hard all these years. If your father knew this from beyond the grave, he would be very gratified."

The mother and son enjoyed a pleasant meal together. The next day, Lin Hai visited his maternal grandparents again. Chen Daiyue patted him on the shoulder excitedly: "Good lad, you've truly surpassed your parents, much better than your two foolish uncles."

The Chen brothers, Songnian and Henian, chuckled twice. They knew that their father would definitely use them as a stepping stone to praise Lin Hai.

They were used to it, used to it. In any case, in front of their father, the two of them were always as stupid as pigs. There was nothing they could do about it, since they ranked so low in the imperial examination and were just a little bit short of becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination).

Lin Hai became a compiler in the Hanlin Academy before he was even twenty years old, and was promoted to the position of Southern Study Room member, which aroused envy, jealousy and hatred from many people.

Many people are waiting to see how he will repeatedly run into obstacles in the officialdom. Being young means being inexperienced and lacking in shrewdness. In the officialdom, everyone is a seasoned veteran, and it would be easy to manipulate him.

What's truly astonishing is that this guy neither pretends to be mature nor tries to act innocent; he simply handles every task assigned by his superiors perfectly, leaving no room for criticism.

He stands firm when necessary, yet humbles himself when required. He speaks with impeccable precision, and acts with the shrewdness of an eel.

He's so young yet he knows how to flatter and fawn. The key is that he can make people happy while also making them feel that he's speaking with genuine sincerity.

Despite being a greenhorn, he has mastered the ins and outs of officialdom without appearing slick or greasy, which makes people inexplicably fond of him.

His skills were so impressive that even his two uncles admired him greatly. If they had their nephew's abilities, they wouldn't still only be fifth-rank officials, minor officials at the fifth rank.

Behind the scenes, Chen Xia, the unsung hero, was arranging flowers and drinking tea with a smile. You should know that the group of political mentors she hired for her eldest son included not only the renowned Fang Xuanling, Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Zhidong, and Fan Wencheng, who taught him the ways of being an official.

There was also Feng Dao, who served eleven monarchs. Masters of imperial psychology, such as Li Bi and Heshen, taught him the technique of "flattery without being blatant."

In addition, he also carries amulets for peace and good fortune, so he can be described as a walking, living lucky charm. It would be strange if Emperor Kangxi did not value and promote him.

As for the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, the other princes are now suppressed by the Crown Prince and the First Prince and have no chance to rise to prominence.

The eldest prince and the crown prince each form their own faction, and they currently look down on Lin Hai, a newcomer to officialdom. A mere sixth-rank official—let alone trying to win him over, they'd probably reject him even if he actively sought to get close.

Some shrewd old foxes saw Lin Hai's potential and prepared to go home and rummage through their clans to see if there were any suitable girls for marriage.

Invitations to Chen Xia for banquets increased; one family invited her to admire flowers today, another invited her to stroll in a garden tomorrow.

Chen Xia refused invitations from everyone, always citing her well-known reason: poor health. She and her husband, Lin Yan, were both notoriously sickly.

Chen Xia had discussed Lin Hai's marriage with him, and even had Lin Hai's mentor group analyze it for him.

At first, Chen Xia was inclined to marry into Zhang Ying's family.

In the fictionalized version of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Lin Ruhai married Zhang Ying's second daughter. But in the present world, his eldest daughter is clearly a more suitable age match for Lin Ruhai.

However, after analysis, the mentor team felt it was inappropriate. In this small world, the Lin family ancestors were incorporated into the Han Banner Army, while the Zhang family was not. Therefore, both families were subject to institutional restrictions.

Chen Xia was a bit of a headache. It turned out that his family could only choose a daughter-in-law from the Han Banner or other declining Eight Banner families.

Just as she was having a headache, Emperor Kangxi issued an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon Lin Ruhai, betrothing Tongjia □□, the second daughter of the third branch of the Tongjia clan.

To be honest, this marriage was a great honor for the Lin family. The daughter's father was Tong Guogang, Emperor Kangxi's maternal uncle and the head of the Tong clan.

His mother was from the Gioro clan. Although she was the second daughter of the legitimate wife, if Emperor Kangxi hadn't intervened and arranged the marriage, Lin Hai probably would never have dreamed that he could marry into the Tongjia clan.

After Emperor Kangxi bestowed the marriage upon him, Lin Hai was filled with trepidation. To refuse would be tantamount to an old man courting death. To accept, however, was out of the question: how could the legitimate daughter of the Tongjia clan possibly be interested in a lowly sixth-rank official like him?

Chen Xia also felt that Qi Da was not a good match and was afraid that there was something fishy going on. She sent her little system to Tong Jia's house to observe her attitude towards the marriage.

To be honest, Tong Guogang was not satisfied with Emperor Kangxi's bestowal of marriage, and even felt that he was making a fuss over nothing.

Although the Lin family had been marquises for generations, by the time it came to Lin Ruhai, there was no title left at all.

Even if he treats his old ministers well, how can he marry his daughter off to a poor man?

To put it bluntly, Tong Guogang's daughter could marry a prince or a duke.

Tong Guogang's son, Orondai, even threatened to beat Lin Hai up to show him that Tongjia girls are not so easy to marry.

The arrogant and unruly Orondai stood guard outside the Hanlin Academy. When Lin Hai and his colleagues came out, he deliberately tried to bump into Lin Hai and beat him up, but Lin Hai grabbed him and pinned him to the ground instead.

Everyone was stunned. Who would have thought that Lin Hai, who looked like a weak scholar, would actually know martial arts? He was a true master who kept his abilities hidden. Everyone knew Orondai; his martial arts skills were top-notch. He was the little tyrant of the capital, and no one dared to mess with him.

Despite being pinned to the ground and rubbed against it, Orondai wasn't angry. Instead, he grabbed Lin Hai's neck and insisted on becoming his disciple. Knowing Orondai's true identity, Lin Hai was so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear into the ground.

Before the bride has even entered the family, he's already pinned his brother-in-law to the ground. What should he do?

To curry favor with his brother-in-law, Lin Hai patted his chest and promised to teach him everything he knew.

On this side, Lin Ruhai successfully won over his brother-in-law, Orondai, by relying on the Kongming Fist, Lingbo Weibu, and Huashan Sword Technique taught to him by his martial arts master, Zhou Botong.

The system also sent a message that although Tong Jia was feisty, she was also well-educated and reasonable.

She was also very good at managing household affairs and finances, but there was one problem: she was spoiled by the Jue Luo family. She had said more than once that if she were to marry in the future, her husband would not be allowed to take a concubine.

Chen Xia breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. If she didn't want to take a concubine, so be it. She had a fiery personality and was very good at managing the household and finances. Once she married into the family, he would immediately hand over the management of the household to her.

In Chen Xia's opinion, marrying a feisty daughter-in-law is better than a delicate, easily-crying young lady. At worst, she, as the mother-in-law, can just give in to her and coax her.

What could be done? This was a marriage bestowed by Emperor Kangxi; we had to accept it, for better or for worse. On the other hand, with Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei around, there was no need to worry about our eldest son being wronged in court.

After the arranged marriage, Tong Jia secretly slipped out to meet Lin Hai, and any reluctance she felt vanished instantly.

Compared to the unattractive men her mother had previously arranged for her to meet, she really liked this handsome young man.

After returning home, Tong Jia said to her mother, Jue Luo Shi, "Mother, family background isn't that important. I think Lin Hai is a good person."

A young man of great talent, a mere nineteen-year-old who has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations—such a sight is rare indeed! His family is also a prominent and influential one; their daughter would surely suffer hardship if she married into such a family.

He has real talent; with Amado's help, his daughter can still achieve great success and wealth.

Jue Luo knew her daughter's temperament all too well. As soon as she heard her daughter's words, she understood that the Lin family boy was probably just good-looking and she had taken a liking to his face.

In response to her mother's question, □□ nodded frankly and admitted: "Nothing can be hidden from Mother. Let me tell you, Lin Hai's appearance is so handsome that it's no exaggeration to say that he's as good-looking as Pan An."

Du Fu's poem praising Cui Zongzhi perfectly describes him: "Zongzhi is a handsome and dashing young man, as radiant as a jade tree standing in the wind."

He's far superior to those good-for-nothing playboys you, Mother. No wonder His Majesty is so wise!

Jue Luo was both amused and exasperated. This child had been spoiled rotten by her; he spoke without restraint and dared to say anything.

Although she was dissatisfied with the Lin family's background, upon closer reflection, she realized that given the Tong family's current status, they no longer needed to use marriage alliances to solidify their position.

After all, they are the emperor's maternal family, and the eldest daughter of the third wife has even entered the palace as a concubine. She may well advance even further in the future.

My daughter is right. Lin Hai's official position isn't high, but he's young and promising. We can ask our husband to promote him more in the future.

Lin Hai and □□'s wedding was scheduled after Lin Ruhai's coming-of-age ceremony. Speaking of the coming-of-age ceremony, Lin Yan had passed away, and there was little contact among the elders of the Lin family. The most suitable person to perform the coming-of-age ceremony for Lin Hai was his maternal grandfather, Chen Daiyue.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Kangxi intervened, sending Tong Guogang to bestow a crown upon Lin Hai, jokingly saying that he had found him a good son-in-law.

Tong Guogang was initially somewhat dissatisfied with Lin Hai, but as he got to know him better, he realized that the young man was really quite good. Putting aside his family background, his daughter had truly struck gold.

Emperor Kangxi's favor towards Lin Hai went beyond simply betrothing his cousin to him; he also bestowed upon him a courtesy name, which, coincidentally, was also "Ru Hai" (meaning "like the sea").

Chen Xia breathed a sigh of relief. It was a dilemma to raise such a lovable eldest son. Fortunately, the courtesy name that Kang Laoda gave him was similar to that of his father.

Chen Xia had no idea that Kangxi's favor towards Lin Hai was not just because he valued talent. There were many talented people, but none were as highly regarded by Kangxi as Lin Hai.

Her husband, Lin Yan, didn't actually die of illness; rather, he died from an old injury that flared up and couldn't be cured. Lin Yan had been sickly since childhood, but his health had mostly recovered by then.

When Emperor Kangxi eliminated Oboi, he, as a companion to the emperor, took a blow from Oboi and suffered severe internal injuries. Although he took great care of himself afterward, he barely survived until Lin Hai was a teenager due to the damage to his internal organs before passing away.

He kept this matter a secret all along, and Kangxi felt guilty, which is why the Lin family was allowed to inherit the title for another generation.

Compared to Jia Daishan, who, after saving the emperor, begged for a marriage for his daughter and an official position for his youngest son, this was different.

Lin Yan was quite low-key. He knew that with Kangxi's temperament, if his son passed the imperial examination in the future, Kangxi would definitely give his son an important position.

Emperor Kangxi's temperament meant that whether he offered something willingly or you had to beg for it, the outcome would be completely different.

Lin Hai's coming-of-age ceremony was held in a grand and solemn manner. Tong Guogang looked at the tall and handsome young man, who was as upright as an ancient pine tree, and slowly walked up to him and bowed. He finally understood why his nephew was so fond of his future son-in-law.

Putting aside his talent and learning, he was pleasing to the eye. This was the kind of good eldest son he had in mind. He turned to look at Orondai, who had no proper posture, whether standing or sitting.

Tong Guogang wished he could kick him far away. It wasn't that he favored his illegitimate son Fahai, but that Orondai was really an eyesore!