Chapter 106
Half a month later, the Wen family packed their bags and embarked on their journey to the capital.
Old Man Wen exchanged all his money for silver notes and hid them close to his body. With such a large family, old and young, the journey would only take longer.
Amian was among them. She gave birth to a son for Wen Chuanzong, but she did not receive the attention she had expected.
Of course, she didn't dare say anything bad. She only hoped that Wen Chuanzong could become successful soon so that she and her son could have a better life. Right now, they had enough to eat and wear, but it wasn't exactly good.
Beijing
That noon, Wen Shi ran into Yang Xun while eating. Yang Xun had changed a lot recently. Although he was taciturn, his energy and spirit were much better than before.
"Brother Wen."
"Please sit down."
“My family has all gone back to our hometown. A few days ago, my aunt and I packed up and moved. We found a small courtyard with only two rooms. It's a place we can live in.”
A family of four living in a large courtyard doesn't really need to. Yang Xun isn't that well-off either. This will save him half the rent. He had been struggling to make ends meet for his family, but he couldn't hold on any longer.
Wen Shi nodded. There was no need to ask any further questions. It must have been a big fuss, but fortunately, the outcome was good. Yang Xun was a good person, and given time, he would definitely make a name for himself.
Life is better now, it would be even better if family members came over.
The money they need to spend for their family of four will only be less, as he only has one son who needs to go to school.
"What do you think of that school you're looking at? I'd like to switch my son to a different school."
"That's good, the teacher is very patient."
Wen Shi is very satisfied with her son's husband. He can't write with a pen now, and he can only recognize two characters each day. He spends most of his time sitting, playing in the yard when he has a spare moment, and chatting with his classmates of similar age after class.
Since there's no one at home to take care of him, he thinks sending him to school is the best option, but he doesn't expect him to learn anything there right now.
"I'll take him to see it later."
After the hot soup noodles arrived, he picked up his chopsticks upon smelling them. He really enjoys eating hot noodles when the weather gets cold. They are very filling, taste good, and are also very affordable. Recently, he has been having a bowl of hot soup noodles every noon, and he feels very comfortable all afternoon.
Right now, he is organizing and transcribing a new set of ancient books. He plans to finish organizing the set before the end of the year, which will mark the end of the year.
"By the way, Brother Wen, how's the construction of your house going?"
"Everything is in good order, and it won't be long before everything is ready."
It was just the beginning of winter, and it hadn't snowed in Beijing yet. Although the weather was cold, the fact that it hadn't snowed meant it wouldn't affect the workers building the houses, so Wen Shi was quite relieved.
He would go over to check whenever he had a spare moment. He had bought everything he needed, and he would pay the villagers once the house was finished. The villagers who were building the house were all full of energy and worked from morning till night, without resting except for meals. They all wanted to finish the project before the new year.
Wen Shi only hoped that the snow would come late this year, so that the house could be built sooner. As for the furniture, the carpenter could make it inside, which wouldn't be a problem. The wood was all ordinary wood, and the carpenter had plenty of stock, so there was no need to worry about that.
"In the blink of an eye, another year has passed. I wonder if I will have the chance to see His Majesty before the final exams next year."
Yang Xun had high hopes for this.
The emperor summoned him twice, and he met with more than ten people. Only Wen Shi successfully obtained an official position. Although the rank was not high, it was still enviable.
There must be something about him that the emperor valued.
"It definitely can."
The small restaurant gradually filled with diners. The two men, dressed in low-ranking official robes, did not attract much attention. This restaurant was near the Hanlin Academy, and most of the diners were officials from within the Hanlin Academy.
If you don't have much money, you can only eat at small restaurants. If you have more money, you can go to a restaurant and order whatever you want. Although being an official is respectable, there is no such thing as eating and dashing. Officials without money cannot have a high standard of living. The shopkeeper was very happy with the customers coming and going.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two left the restaurant. A cold wind blew by, and Yang Xun instinctively clutched the hand warmer in his hand, which he had only recently bought.
Wen Shi also has one, and if conditions allow, he should treat himself better.
"Let's go back."
When I returned to the duty room, most of my colleagues had already come back. Some were resting, while others were busy. I didn't rest for long either.
Copying, organizing, and proofreading books may seem simple, but it requires a lot of effort and repeated checks to ensure there are no mistakes. With the Chinese New Year approaching, they will be even busier.
It's almost the end of the year, and I need to help the emperor draft some edicts to reward officials in various regions, and then have him stamp them.
What people are most excited about is the reward. It is said that the Hanlin Academy gives out a lot of rewards every year, and the Grand Secretaries also distribute them, but no one knows how much.
Money is very important, especially money with a clear source.
In the afternoon, a notice was suddenly handed to him. He looked up and saw the Grand Secretary with a big smile on his face. The Grand Secretary was nearly fifty years old and had some gray hair, but he was full of energy.
"Five days from now, my family will be holding a wedding banquet. I will bring my family to the banquet."
That day happened to be a day off for all of them, and they couldn't refuse the leader's invitation. Wen Shi wasn't so clueless about social etiquette.
"This humble official will certainly go."
The red invitation was particularly eye-catching. After Wen Shi accepted it, the other colleagues also received theirs. After the Grand Secretary left, everyone started gossiping amidst their busy schedules.
"I heard that his daughter married into no ordinary family; she caught the eye of the Earl's son."
"It seems to be a concubine's daughter."
"She is a concubine's daughter, but I heard she is quite beautiful. Otherwise, she wouldn't have caught the eye of the young master of the Earl's Mansion, and the Earl's wife wouldn't have come to ask for her hand in marriage. She would have been the legal wife after marriage. However, the young master of the Earl's Mansion is also a concubine's daughter and has been raised under the legal wife's name since childhood."
"The old lord of the Ning family works in the Ministry of Personnel, and their family doesn't just have titles for nothing. Do you think our lord will be promoted this time?"
"That's hard to say."
A Grand Secretary is a fifth-rank official, a close advisor to the emperor. To become a Grand Secretary, one must naturally possess ability. The current emperor does not consider nepotism; he primarily appoints people based on their abilities.
After ascending the throne, he selected many officials who had no powerful connections but were very capable. He seemed to have a particular fondness for these officials from humble backgrounds.
"Brother Wen, what gift are you planning to give?"
He smiled upon hearing this, and then said, "I haven't decided yet."
Giving gifts is a troublesome matter, especially when it's for your boss. He'll definitely have to think it over carefully. It can't be too expensive, but it can't be too casual either, or it'll look bad. It's quite a dilemma.
The Grand Secretary naturally invited officials of rank; not everyone in the Hanlin Academy had the opportunity to have a banquet at his home.
These kinds of banquets are usually attended by couples, and they are considered a joyous occasion.
In the evening, Wen Shi went home and told his wife about it.
Yingxiang thought for a moment, then said, "Go to the market tomorrow after your shift and buy some auspicious and unique gifts. Put them in a nice box, and that will be enough."
It's impossible to give money or gold. Grand Secretaries don't concern themselves with promotions, and it wouldn't look good if word got out that you were bribing your superior. You might end up with your career in government. Wen Shi wouldn't be that foolish.
His wife's suggestion was good. He originally wanted to give her a set of calligraphy supplies, something simple and unremarkable, but now he was considering it again.
"My wife, if we go to the banquet together that day, we might be a little late picking him up again."
He sighed after hearing this.
"This time, we'll give Master Xu five packets of tea."
Hearing this, I smiled; that's how it should be.
Wen Shi was responsible for picking up and dropping off the children. After becoming an official, he couldn't manage his time well. He had a lot of things to do and couldn't afford to delay anything. Sometimes when he arrived, only Wen Leqian was left at the school.
Although he is smart, he is still young, and Wen Shi could not let him walk home alone, as that would be too unsafe. He could only wait.
Yingxiang's shop is in the exact opposite direction from that side.
That night, Yingxiang opened her closet to look for clothes. Counting the days, it was only a few days until the wedding banquet. Bright red was definitely out of the question—inappropriate. Light colors were also unsuitable—not formal enough.
After much deliberation, she chose a dark purple padded jacket.
On such a cold day, it's not appropriate to have a banquet in the courtyard. Although men and women are supposed to sit at separate tables, there will definitely be a lot of people attending that day. Married women are different from unmarried women; she needs to put on makeup and dress up to make Wen Shi look good.
This was the first banquet she attended after arriving in Beijing. Although she had sold a lot of clothing and jewelry before, she kept all the ones she liked.
She wore bracelets on both wrists, one gold and one jade. Thinking of something, Yingxiang took out several gold hairpins and jade hairpins from the box to decorate her hair. They couldn't be too plain or too dazzling, given her status.
This outfit, though making her look a bit mature, suited her current status. As husband and wife were one, she opened another cabinet and began helping Wen Shi choose clothes.
Finally, we chose a thick cotton robe in the same color scheme for him, and that was enough. All the two of them needed to do was take the invitation and go on time.
She would let the shop know a day in advance, and then she wouldn't be going that day. She had no worries about what Granny Yang was doing.
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