Chapter 83
Songxi County was far away from the capital, and any news that came back usually came half a month or even a month later. This meant that when they received the news that Lu Shang had won the top spot in the imperial examination, he might have already attended the Qionglin Banquet, and the next step would be to be appointed an official and return home.
Jiang Wanning thanked the two officials who brought the good news and personally delivered the red envelope. Considering that the two officials must have been exhausted after traveling all the way here, she sent a servant to take them to a famous restaurant in the city to rest for two days. All expenses including accommodation and food were charged to the Lu family account.
The two officers who brought the good news did not refuse too much. They thanked him and left with their servants, leading their horses.
The rest of Jiang Wanning and others did not stay at the door for long. She just took a look at the envelope in her hand and was taken back to the room by Jiang's mother and Grandma Lu.
All the way from the door to the bedroom, her eyes never left the two letters.
Even Jiang's mother teased her, "I don't know who was so cruel as to not even write a letter to the capital. She said such cruel words, but when she saw the letter from the capital, she was completely taken away..."
Jiang Wanning glanced at Jiang's mother with an angry look, but in the end she couldn't say anything to defend herself.
From that day on, letters from the capital came one after another. If there was a break one day, three or four letters would arrive at once the next day. Lu Shang seemed to have come to his senses and no longer asked about the situation at home like before. He mostly talked about what he saw and heard in the capital, and then complained a few words.
Like what—
Aning must have forgotten me, as she hasn't replied to my letter in such a long time [Sad Little Man].
Does love really fade? Aning's love for me only lasted a few months [crying little man]...
I don’t know whether Aning gave birth to a little girl or a little boy for me. Is she/he stealing Aning’s love for me [angry villain]!
These little complaints were always followed by a few simple drawings to express Lu Shang's feelings directly.
Jiang Wanning couldn't help laughing, and the resentment in her heart gradually dissipated.
She picked up the pen several times, but when she finished, she didn't know what to write. Then she calculated the time, it would only take one or two months. It would be better to wait for Lu Shang to come back. The couple could meet each other, and there was nothing that could not be said face to face.
In this way, Lu Shang waited from the beginning of the month to the end of the month, but still did not see the letter sent from Songxi County.
In the blink of an eye, the time for the Qionglin Banquet has arrived.
Since the announcement of the palace examination results, the second and third place Jinshi have been courted by various parties, while the top three in the first place have not had any contact with court officials for various reasons.
For a whole month, Lu Shang either stayed in the post house and felt sorry for himself, or went to various major trading companies in the capital. He even visited Li Hui's merchant ship on the way.
He and Zhan Shunan discussed it together for a long time, and finally decided to wait until they returned to Songxi County and quickly select people to send out to sea.
"Maritime commerce has been developing over the past few years, and only those who are the first to try it out can profit. The risk is a bit greater now, but once all the routes are understood, it will be nothing new." Lu Shang wrote and drew on the maritime map. "This route is the one the Li family often takes. According to Li Hui, there are not many merchant ships on this route. When Lu's Logistics starts to expand overseas, we can follow the Li family's lead."
"As for what will happen in the future, it's too early to say. The most important thing right now is to quickly select a group of people who can accept being away from home for a long time."
Zhan Shunan thought for a moment and said, "Songxi County isn't near the sea, so it should be difficult to find people there. I think we can go back and ask. If we can gather enough people, that would be the best. If not, we can go to the seaside to find some people who are also experienced in the sea."
Lu Shang nodded approvingly and added, "Those coming from Songxi County who are worried about their families can also bring their families to the vicinity of the capital. Lu Logistics can help rent a house, but you can't expect a private house. It's probably like the farmhand dormitory in Tang Town."
"Once they have earned enough money, if they want to settle down in the capital, I can also give them some silver as a reward for their hard work over the years."
Zhan Shunan took note and said, "Okay, I'll tell everyone what the boss said."
Zhan Shunan had stayed in the capital originally to escort Lu Shang and others back.
But now that Lu Shang has won the top spot in the imperial examination, even if he returns home in the future, he will be escorted by the imperial soldiers, so his presence or absence will not be so important.
It just so happened that Lu Shang wanted to start up sea transportation quickly, so after discussing with him for two days, he asked Zhan Shunan to go back first, on the one hand to see the situation of the logistics team in recent months, and on the other hand to find out the opinions of the villagers in advance.
It would be great if we could decide on someone who is willing to go to sea before Lu Shang returns.
Zhan Shunan agreed and spent another two days loading the things he wanted to take back into the carriage. When all the things were put together, the whole carriage was filled.
Not only are there gifts here that he brought for his new wife, but more are also gifts that Lu Shang prepared for his family.
Regardless of whether this was out of his good intentions or simply to please Jiang Wanning, all sorts of rare and precious things together filled three large boxes.
Of course, in addition to these gifts, there were two other handwritten letters from Lu Shang, both left for Jiang Wanning.
Lu Shang muttered as he wrote, "Aning has been ignoring me for so long, she must be mad at me. I wonder if Aning gave birth to a girl or a boy... It would be best if it's a girl, people say girls are caring."
"I don't know how long it will take to release me after the Qionglin Banquet. If I stay in the capital for two more months, I won't find my wife and children dead by the time I return... No, no, absolutely not!"
He was muttering to himself while writing the letter, and who knows what horrible scene came to his mind. His face froze, and then he shook his head like a rattle. He hurried out and bought two more phoenix hairpins, which he put in the letter.
After Lu Shang had packed everything, Zhan Shunan drove the carriage back to Songxi County.
Lu Shang was not annoyed that there was no one to hang out with him. He just went to various shops with his hands behind his back to explore and learn. If he was lucky enough to meet someone who needed a security guard to escort goods, he would go up to them and promote Lu's Logistics. After a few days, he actually managed to close two deals.
Following closely, the transfer point in the suburbs of Beijing also started operating quickly.
…
Lu Shang did not try to win over the court officials, and everything he did was his own fault.
As for the other two, Zhang Jianning's maternal grandparents were merchants, and he won the emperor's favor with his outstanding insights into business affairs. Many people were still watching out of contempt for merchants.
As for Bai Xiangchen, he came from a Jiangnan aristocratic family and had his own group of literati supporting him. Those of lower status in the court could not compare with him, and those of higher status had to think twice before inviting him, so as to avoid being accidentally reported to the emperor by some newcomer and being accused of forming a clique for personal gain.
As a result, in the end, the three most popular people in the first class became the least visited.
This desolate atmosphere continued until the day of the Qionglin Banquet.
When the other Jinshi scholars met up with their familiar classmates and gathered in groups of three or four, only Lu Shang and the other two were left with no one around them. Anyone who passed by them had to turn their heads away to avoid them.
If this year's candidates are like this, the smart people in the officialdom will not be able to stand out.
What's more, there were those who were deliberately trying to make fun of the situation. Seeing this, they thought to themselves, "So what if you're in the top three? In this officialdom, no matter how much talent and knowledge you have, doesn't it still depend on personal connections?"
Zhang Jianning and Bai Xiangchen stood to one side with their heads down. Although they did not look too embarrassed, they were not very comfortable either.
Only Lu Shang acted as if nothing had happened. He looked around and when he saw a dish he had never seen before but thought was delicious, he even asked the cook for the recipe so that he could wait to go home and cook it for his wife.
Just as the situation on the field was clear, there was a sound of armor rubbing against each other, and the emperor's personal eunuch arrived and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty has arrived--"
I saw everyone in the venue quickly standing and sitting in two rows, one row was the ministers of the court, and the other row was the new scholars, either according to the rank or the ranking according to the special examination.
They didn't even need to ask or discuss, they stood up so quickly that Lu Shang was stunned.
But he didn't have much time to think about it. Soon, Emperor Showa walked to the front under the escort of the imperial guards. Everyone bowed and respectfully invited the emperor to come in person.
After a moment's silence, Emperor Showa called out, gave a few simple words of encouragement, and then announced the start of the banquet.
According to the process of the Qionglin Banquet in previous years, after the banquet began, the emperor would call out to a few people to ask questions, and it was possible that those who answered well would be given official positions on the spot.
But this year, Emperor Showa called out Bai Xiangchen as soon as he opened his mouth. At first, all the candidates were the third place winners, and when he asked questions later, only the second and first place winners would be named.
Those Jinshi who were waiting to seize the last chance to catch the emperor's eye were shocked and hung their heads in dejection.
Emperor Showa first inquired about the recent situation of several elders of the Jiangnan Bai family, then examined Bai Xiangchen's homework. After nodding with satisfaction, he appointed him as a Hanlin editor on the spot.
This position is neither high nor low, and it is also the only way to become a top official in every generation.
Those who do well will be promoted all the way, and there are quite a few who become the prime minister. Of course, if you do not do well, you will be a seventh-rank official for your whole life, and when you retire, you will be just an editor.
After receiving the order and expressing gratitude, Bai Xiangchen respectfully stepped aside.
Sure enough, the next person to be questioned and advised by the emperor was the runner-up Zhang Jianning.
This time, Emperor Showa did not examine his academic performance. Instead, he inquired in detail about the Western Regions trade routes he had mentioned during the palace examination. Finally, he asked, "The Honglu Temple has just established a Foreign Affairs Department, and we are currently short of staff. If I were to ask you to work there, would you be willing?"
The Honglu Temple has four departments under it, which are responsible for royal ceremonies, court meetings and other matters, and occasionally also take care of foreign guests. Each of the four departments has a director, a sixth-rank official, two sixth-rank deputy directors, and several seventh-rank clerks.
But if we look at the rank, the Secretary and the Hanlin Editor are on par with each other, but one is a must-have for the cabinet, and the other is a marginal part that was only established after the new year. It is no exaggeration to say that they are as different as heaven and earth.
For a moment, the people below couldn't tell whether the emperor valued or despised the runner-up.
No matter what others thought, Zhang Jianning did not hesitate for a moment and knelt down to accept the order and express his gratitude.
Emperor Showa clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Good!"
The third and second place winners have been asked, and the only one left is the first place winner.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Showa suddenly coughed a few times, and after being served tea by the eunuchs, he used the excuse of feeling unwell to go to the attic at the back to rest early.
Not long after, he sent someone to invite Lu Shang to the attic again, reportedly saying, "I've already asked the first and second place candidates, and I can't leave out the top scholar, which would break the rules."
But Lu Shang had been in the attic for a full hour, during which time he seemed to hear the emperor's angry voice.
But when Lu Shang came out, he looked normal, but there was nothing unusual in his expression.
No one knew what Emperor Showa said to Lu Shang, but Lu Shang was the only one among the three people who were questioned who was not granted an official position. Even after the second and third class Jinshi all received external positions, there was still no news from him, the top scholar. Judging from the emperor's expression, it seemed that he had forgotten about him.
For a while, rumors were flying around outside.
Looking at Lu Shang, who was always at the center of the topic, he seemed to be completely unaffected by the outside world. As the other Jinshi were granted official positions, it was time for all the new scholars to return home to visit their relatives.
Feng He and Pang Liang were both exiled to Jing'an County. Although they were in two different counties and towns, they were not too far away.
Jing'an County is a land of fish and rice, and is a rare good place for officials sent out to other places.
After being appointed as officials, the two naturally did not forget to ask about Lu Shang's whereabouts. However, after he left the attic after the Qionglin Banquet, he was very secretive about his conversation with the emperor in the attic. Even if the two of them asked, he did not reveal a single word.
The two of them just thought that the conversation that day had not ended well. They looked at each other and remained silent.
The home visit leave is only four months. It takes more than one to two months just to return from the capital, and they also have to set aside time to take up their posts. Naturally, there is not much time left for them.
It just so happened that Lu Shang was also eager to return home. He had just been told the day before that he was given leave to visit his family. The next morning, he packed up everything, even the carriage and horses, and took Feng He and Pang Liang with him, and was the first to set out on the journey home.
The journey was mostly rushed, and Lu Shang was in a hurry, so they usually only rested for one night every two days. It was only because they had officers and soldiers to protect them and there was an inn where they could change horses that they were able to withstand such a hurried journey.
Even so, it was already mid-August when they arrived at Songxi County Capital.
That day, Jiang Wanning went to the private school to check her homework. She estimated the time and left the school before noon.
After she finished her confinement, the nameless private school reopened.
But the child at home was still young, and even with her grandmother and grandfather looking after her, she was no match for her mother. Jiang Wanning couldn't bear to leave her alone at home, so she reduced the time for teaching at the private school.
We can ask Qu Heng to take over the teaching for the boys' school temporarily, and it will be easier to arrange for the girls' school.
Jiang Wanning wanted to open a girls' school to the public, so she began to look for some outstanding students in the school. No matter if they were good at studying, as long as they had a skill, they could keep a record with her.
Good embroidery skills, good piano playing, anything will do.
After seven or eight days of registration, the dozens of people in the girls' school had basically found their own strengths.
Jiang Wanning only recorded their strengths, and the subsequent arrangements still need to be carefully considered.
She had just finished her private school today and was rushing home to spend time with her children. However, as soon as she arrived at the street where the Lu family lived, she saw a crowd of people in front of her from a distance. Someone shouted...
"The top scholar is back!"
Jiang Wanning was shocked all over, and suddenly raised her head and looked ahead in disbelief.
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