Chapter 241 Autumn Letter (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"The provincial education commissioner Ma Shuhan has already spread the word that all those with official titles in Shu Prefecture must participate. Those who fail to do so will have their titles revoked and will never be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations again."

Chen Yunfan looked at Chen Yi and said seriously:

“You missed the annual examinations twice before. Even with Jinling Academy vouching for you, you have already been demoted from a government-subsidized student to a student with special privileges.”

"If you miss this opportunity, you can imagine the consequences."

Seeing that Chen Yi remained silent, he continued, "Furthermore, Ma Shuhan also submitted a memorial to the court, requesting His Majesty to amend part of the six-level promotion and demotion system."

"Oh? What was changed?"

Chen Yi knew that the six-level promotion and demotion system was actually similar to the evaluation results of "excellent, good, average, poor" or "A, B, C, D".

They are divided into "first class" to "sixth class", with first class being the highest and sixth class being the lowest.

First and second place winners receive rewards, while third place is considered a passing grade and receives neither reward nor penalty.

Those who reached the fourth level would be punished, usually by the academy teacher who would slap their hands.

Needless to say, those in the fifth and sixth grades were either expelled from the academy or stripped of their academic titles and demoted to the lowest level of the imperial examinations, having to start all over again.

Chen Yunfan's expression was unusually serious as he said, "Those below the third rank will have their academic titles revoked as appropriate."

"As appropriate?"

"Yes, in addition to the evaluation of the education commissioner, we will also consult the advice of the Shu Prefecture Provincial Administration Commissioner, the academy teachers, and the elders. This is called 'discretion'."

Chen Yi realized that this meant he now had some room to maneuver.

The key to evaluating someone, whether they come from a government office or are a teacher, lies in the person themselves.

If these people are well selected, then the students of Shu Prefecture will naturally achieve results similar to those of previous years.

If you make a bad choice... then who knows what the outcome will be.

Suddenly.

Chen Yi recalled the conversation he had overheard between Li Huaigu and Mr. Yue Ming at Guiyun Academy.

—The matter of Ma Shuhan, the educational commissioner of Shuzhou, inviting Mr. Yue Ming to serve as the deputy examiner for this year's annual examination.

I remember Mr. Yue Ming once said that he and Ma Shuhan were not on good terms, and that Ma Shuhan's invitation to him to serve as the assistant examiner was probably a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him.

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then asked calmly, "When did Ma Xuezheng make this decision?"

"He told me this when he came to the Provincial Administration Office yesterday."

"Judging from his tone, he clearly wanted to give the students of Shu Prefecture a proper lesson."

"I don't know what benefit he gets from doing this; it's utterly nonsensical."

Seeing Chen Yunfan cursing, Chen Yi understood and asked with a smile, "Do the two provincial governors have any objections?"

He knew that in the Great Wei Dynasty, the position of the provincial education commissioner was not high, at most a fourth-rank official.

He is far inferior to Liu Hong and Yang Ye.

However, the education commissioner was not a local official, but rather a position similar to an "imperial envoy," usually appointed by the emperor to assess the academic performance of scholars in a prefecture.

This also creates the unique nature of the position of educational administrator—they can directly reach the ears of the emperor.

Even if Liu Hong and Yang Ye were dissatisfied with Ma Shuhan's actions, they probably wouldn't express it too directly.

Chen Yunfan took a sip of wine and said disdainfully, "Of course Lord Yang is dissatisfied. He is in charge of the education affairs in Shu Prefecture, how could he allow that man surnamed Ma to run rampant?"

"But Liu Hong agreed."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow: "Lord Liu supports this?"

He made a mental calculation.

Judging by the timeline, Mr. Yue Ming should have already politely declined the position of deputy examiner with Yang Ye.

Did Ma Shuhan inform Liu Hong in advance about his request to amend the six-level promotion and demotion system?

But what was his purpose in agreeing?

It should be understood that failing the annual examination for students in Shu Prefecture would only bring harm and no benefit to Liu Hong, the minister in charge of the region.

Unless it was discussed and agreed upon by the two of them together.

Chen Yunfan hummed in agreement, put down his wine glass, and continued to persuade him, "I suspect that guy surnamed Ma isn't up to any good."

"You should participate this time. With your talent, passing the annual examination will be a piece of cake."

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother's words make sense."

He had already decided to participate in this annual examination, let alone in this inexplicable situation.

He was curious to see what Ma Shuhan... or Liu Hong, the provincial governor, intended to do.

Chen Yunfan glanced at him and snorted, "You've always been as stubborn as a mule since you were little. It's rare to see you listen to advice like this."

However, he also knew that if it weren't for the unexpected events of the past five years, Chen Yi would probably have passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom long ago, and would not have ended up in this situation.

Ultimately, he still needed to ask his mother, Cui Yu, to understand the reason behind it.

Eat, drink, and chat.

Most of the time, it was Chen Yunfan who was talking, such as how busy the Provincial Administration Commission was, and how he, as a councilor, was really unlucky.

"With Xiao Dongchen's death, I'm the only one left in the government office. I have to handle my own official duties, and I also have to take care of his affairs."

"If it weren't for Li Huaigu's help, I probably wouldn't have had a single moment of free time."

Upon hearing him mention Xiao Dongchen, Chen Yi naturally understood the reason and knew that his death was not a pity, but Xiao Wan'er's expression was still somewhat unnatural.

Seeing this, Cui Qingwu changed the subject and said with a smile, "Brother Yunfan has worked so hard, but he has also gained a lot."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yunfan raised an eyebrow, then said to Chen Yi with a hint of smugness:

"Qingwu is right. I have done so much, I deserve at least an A in the year-end performance evaluation."

Chen Yi knew he was showing off again, and smiled to himself, but still offered a few words of flattery.

"My elder brother has just passed the imperial examination and has already been highly regarded by the Emperor, who appointed him as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shu Prefecture. His future career should be smooth sailing."

To his surprise, Chen Yunfan's smile faded slightly, and he said with a sneer, "That person isn't so kind."

"Oh? There's another reason?"

"It's not clear yet, but based on what I've seen in Kyoto Prefecture, that man is a man of great talent and ambition, and he never does anything without a purpose."

"He exiled me and Li Huaigu to Shu Prefecture, probably because he has other plans for us later."

Chen Yi also had this guess. He had originally speculated that Chen Yunfan came to Shuzhou to succeed Yang Ye as the Right Provincial Governor.

Now that Chen Yunfan was speaking so frankly, he felt a little doubtful.

Perhaps the emperor sitting on the dragon throne is playing an even bigger game on the chessboard of Shu.

At this moment, Cui Qingwu stood up again to refill their drinks, and said with a smile:

"Since today is a family dinner, let's not talk about matters of the government office, shall we? What do you say, Sister Wan'er?"

Xiao Wan'er glanced at Chen Yi, and seeing his smiling face, she nodded as well.

Cui Qingwu noticed their expressions and couldn't help but smile more broadly.

These two... something's not right...

It was past midnight, and we had eaten and drunk our fill.

Chen Yi, Xiao Wan'er, and the others then got up and left.

Cui Qingwu and Chen Yunfan followed them to the outside of the store to see them off.

Cui Qingwu took over from Chunying and held an umbrella for Chen Yunfan, saying, "Sister Wan'er, I will visit you at the Xiao residence again in a couple of days when the restaurant business is stable."

Xiao Wan'er nodded slightly and smiled, saying she would be waiting at any time.

In contrast, Chen Yunfan and Chen Yi were not so polite, only exchanging a few casual jokes and banter.

But seeing that Chen Yi was still acting as if nothing had happened, Chen Yunfan couldn't help but say a few more words.

“Yi Di is now famous, his calligraphy is perfect, and he is also an instructor at Guiyun Academy. In the future, he will inevitably attract the jealousy of others.”

"You should spend more time practicing martial arts, so that you don't get attacked by some ignorant people."

“Brother, you should be more careful. You are the top scholar and are in the limelight. You are not married yet. You might be kidnapped and forced into marriage one day.”

Before Chen Yunfan could speak, Cui Qingwu, who had overheard their conversation, immediately interjected, "Who dares?!"

Chen Yunfan glared at Chen Yi, silently bringing up the very thing he shouldn't have, then waved his hand and said, "Brother Yi was just joking, don't take it seriously."

Then he looked at Xiao Wan'er: "Miss Wan'er, you must let my brother Yi practice martial arts more in the future."

However, it's clear that his words had virtually no effect.

Xiao Wan'er simply smiled gently, her beautiful eyes fixed on Chen Yi, without responding.

Seeing this, Chen Yunfan shut his mouth in frustration, muttered a few words to himself, and waved Chen Yi away.

Just wait, sooner or later I'll beat you until you bow your head and beg your elder brother to be awesome.

Chen Yi had no idea what Chen Yunfan was thinking. After saying goodbye, they took Xiao Wan'er back to the Xiao family.

He could vaguely hear Chen Yunfan and Cui Qingwu's conversation.

Phrases like "Don't worry, Yi-di was just joking. Don't you know my strength?" are common.

It was probably the words Chen Yi had said earlier that had an effect, making Cui Qingwu somewhat worried.

Amidst laughter and chatter, Chen Yi and his companions dispersed and disappeared into the rain.

But in a nearby tailor shop, a middle-aged man dressed in a servant's linen clothes was looking them over.

He looked at it for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

Phoenix, fledgling, Young Master Chen...

After arriving in Shu Prefecture, these people all changed their appearance.

After thinking for a moment, he waved to the shopkeeper behind him and said, "Contact Luanfeng and have her come here at midnight tonight."

"yes……"

...

The rare opportunity to go out made Xiao Wan'er feel much better.

Aside from the confirmation of the location for the medical academy in Tonglin Town, this was the first time she had ever been able to dine out with friends so relaxed.

Unlike before when she and Chen Yi went to Yingchun Tower to keep their appointment with Liu Zhaoxue, this time she didn't feel restrained when she was with Cui Qingwu, Chen Yunfan and others.

Of course, Chen Yi's presence also played a role.

In short, Xiao Wan'er was in a good mood.

Even when she was busy in Jiaxingyuan in the afternoon, she always had a smile on her face.

"Juan'er, take this simple drawing to Master Lai and ask him to take some people to Tonglin Town to take a look and provide detailed drawings as soon as possible."

"Yes, Miss."

"Cui'er, go and ask Wu Ge when he will be back. We'll have dinner in the garden tonight."

"And Huatang... I'd appreciate it if you could go to Chunhe Garden and tell your brother-in-law, and also have him write a reply to your second sister."

After everyone dispersed, Xiao Wan'er went to the study, took out paper and pen, and began to write a reply to Xiao Jinghong.

[To my second sister: All is well at home.]

My grandfather is in good health, but he has been worrying about the grain supplies in the three towns recently, which has affected his food and lodging.

Fortunately, my grandfather had already come up with a solution...

Xiao Wan'er paused slightly, her mind drifting to Chen Yi's recent situation and that poem, before hesitatingly writing:

My second sister must have heard about the poems Qingzhou wrote that night.

In my opinion, he was expressing his feelings through poetry; he was thinking of you... "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles." See how beautiful those lines are?

As she wrote this, Xiao Wan'er sighed softly, a relaxed expression on her face.

"Second sister, I'll be willful just this once..."

After putting away the letter, Xiao Wan'er got up and took Cui'er to the Qingjing Residence.

The matter she discussed with Chen Yi last night still required the old man's opinion.

Not only to select a suitable dean for the medical academy, she also hoped that a truly miraculous doctor would come to Shuzhou from the Great Wei Dynasty.

That way, perhaps the old man's serious illness can really be cured.

Inside Chunhe Garden.

When Shen Huatang arrived, she saw Chen Yi painting in the study.

She glanced at it only once before relaying Xiao Wan'er's instructions.

After listening, Chen Yi nodded, "I'll write it down and send it over later."

Shen Huatang hesitated for a moment, then swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, bowed, and turned to leave.

Things are different now than before.

At that time, Chen Yi had just married into the Xiao family, and she had run away from the wedding on the day of the wedding, so she had a very bad impression of Chen Yi.

Now that Chen Yi has become famous, the Xiao family's attitude towards him has changed.

Not only Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong, but even the old Marquis took good care of Chen Yi.

Not to mention Xiao Wuge, who had always been by Chen Yi's side.

Shen Huatang understood all this, so she could no longer speak frankly as she had before.

Thinking of this, she sighed: "In that case, I can only apologize to General Jinghong."

There was nothing she could do but pretend nothing had happened.

Chen Yi was unaware of what others were thinking. After finishing a landscape painting with just a few strokes, he began writing a letter to Xiao Jinghong.

This time, instead of writing a poem as he had done before, he wrote a letter home as a "husband".

Such as exchanging pleasantries and chatting about recent events.

However, at the end, Chen Yi thought for a moment and added a poem, even using a perfectly executed running script:

"Rain and wind weave a tapestry of late autumn, and I laugh at my busy life as I climb the tower."

"The book is finished as the wild geese fly in formation and the clouds begin to part; my heart, like the waves of rivers and lakes, finds its rest."

"But I urge you to eat more, for you are thin like a chrysanthemum; do not complain about the boat's slow journey because of our distant parting."

"There are lovers among the clouds and mist in the human world, I envy not the mandarin ducks, but the seagulls."

A certain mood emerged and enveloped the study, unlike the scene in "Prelude to Water Melody" which enveloped the pond.

Even at dawn on a rainy autumn day, Chen Yi and Xiao Jinghong could still be seen sitting side by side.

Chen Yi looked up and smiled, "Madam, I hope you will be more lenient with me in the future, considering how hard I've tried."

He asked for nothing more than that Xiao Jinghong would be less harsh in his punishment after discovering what he had done.

Thinking about it, he added some words and phrases afterward.

[A poem sent to my wife on an autumn day, for mutual encouragement.]

Finally, I've decided to take this year's exam just to get by, so don't worry about it.

I remember the promise we made, and I hope you do too.

What agreement?

Of course, it was an agreement that Chen Yi would spend his entire life as a carefree son-in-law in the Xiao family.

Although he had to secretly help the Xiao family because of their situation, he didn't intend to keep doing all that work.

After he was certain that all the monsters and demons in Shuzhou had been eliminated, he still longed to live a peaceful life, "picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence and gazing leisurely at the southern mountains."

Chen Yi blew the ink dry, found the envelope, put it away, and looked out the window.

The rain intensified at this point.

Amidst the rumbling thunder, a cold wind whipped through the flowers, grasses, and trees, and fallen leaves and petals drifted as raindrops pelted the stone slabs.

One piece upon another.

Noisy, yet a rare tranquility.

Chen Yi likes nature and quiet, whether it's sunny or rainy.

The only thing he dislikes is trouble.

He especially dislikes being disturbed in his peaceful and tranquil life.

Like Liu Hong and Ma Shuhan, like the hidden guards and those big spenders, like King Lando and Lin Huai'an.

"Your schemes against Shu Prefecture were originally none of my business, but you should never have dragged the Xiao family into it."

Even though Chen Yi knew that the Xiao family was an unavoidable part of Shu Prefecture, he still hoped that those people would take the initiative to avoid the Xiao family.

Whether those people can be avoided is beyond his consideration.

Chen Yi then continued to hone his painting skills and delve into the mysteries of painting.

I must say, the progress is encouraging.

Including the previous two days, he painted about a hundred paintings in total, absorbing the basic principles of painting and elevating his ink painting to the peak of proficiency.

The only pity is that ink painting emphasizes meaning over form. It is very charming when painting landscapes, but not enough when painting people.

Therefore, before eating, Chen Yi began to study other painting techniques.

Such as line drawing and meticulous brushwork.

He eventually came up with a solution.

"Prioritize the idea, and integrate ink painting, line drawing, and meticulous brushwork into one."

Chen Yi's thinking was very simple.

He has the art of painting to rely on, and he already has profound guidance on various painting methods. So as long as he can achieve the effect he wants, what does it matter what painting method he uses?

It simply means spending more time practicing the art of painting.

Having made his decision, Chen Yi was no longer in a hurry.

Seeing that it was getting late, he then called Xiaodie to tidy up the study.

After Xiao Wuge returned, the group had dinner and then went back to their rooms to rest.

One autumn rain brings one chill.

Autumn is the perfect time to go to bed early and get up early.

Unfortunately, after returning to his room, Chen Yi only practiced the Four Symbols Technique for an hour before getting up and changing into his night clothes.

Taking advantage of the rainy night when no one was around, he quietly left the Xiao family and headed straight for the house on Chuanxi Street.

Wang Ji and Zhang Dabao were already waiting there.

While having Zhang Dabao disguise him, Chen Yi asked Wang Ji, "Is the letter translated?"

Wang Ji quickly took out a stack of papers and handed him the top two, saying with a solemn expression:

"Sir, the contents of this letter are somewhat... You should read it yourself; I really dare not say more."

He became more cautious in the afternoon.

When he was looking for someone to translate the letter, he made sure to copy the contents onto dozens of sheets of paper, and then pieced them together after the translation was completed.

Although some sentences were incoherent and fragmented, it did not prevent him from understanding the specific content of the letter.

He was terrified when he saw it.

Chen Yi glanced at him, guessed some of the contents of the letter, and then calmly began to read it.

[To Lord Lando, I, Lin Huai'an of the Jizhou Merchant Guild, extend my greetings on behalf of my master.]

On the previous two occasions, you and my Jizhou Trading Company completed your transactions, which made everyone in the company very happy. This time, I, Lin, would like to do another transaction with you.

Ten thousand shi of refined iron, two thousand sets of heavy armor and horse armor, two thousand finely forged iron swords...

Chen Yi frowned slightly after reading it.

Jizhou Trading Company?

It seems that Jia Yuzhi mentioned this name around noon...

(End of this chapter)