Chapter 88: Introducing Jade
County Magistrate Wu did not expect that there was such a connection between the two and was greatly surprised.
He glanced at the ordinary-looking jar of wine among the New Year gifts sent by Gu Mingda, and sighed: "In that case, wouldn't this jar of wine be a top-notch product?"
There were many wine lovers present, and upon hearing this, they all looked towards the jar of wine with fiery eyes.
The lid of the wine jar was opened, and everyone could only smell the intoxicating aroma of wine. Then they took another look at the clear wine and felt as if they were about to drown in it.
"Good wine!" praised Magistrate Wu.
After just one sip, he felt that the past few decades had been lived in vain. No jar of wine had ever fascinated him so much. He finally understood why the legend of yellow rice wine was still circulating in Guang'an County after more than ten years. He couldn't help but regret it and thought that he should not have brought this wine to the table.
If he had known that this wine was so fascinating, he should have kept it secretly and savored it slowly when he had time.
But things had come to this point, no matter how precious the wine was, Magistrate Wu could only share it with everyone with great reluctance.
Gu Mingda said softly, "I am a dull student. Thanks to your guidance, I have made some progress. My father has always hoped that I can achieve success in my studies. If he can wake up, I am afraid he would like to offer you a glass of wine."
Magistrate Wu had just tasted some good wine, and upon hearing this, his entire demeanor softened visibly. He looked at Gu Mingda with a hint of kindness in his eyes, and said in a gentle voice, "Zhongde, you don't have to be so modest. In fact, you wrote very well. If nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to pass the exam next year and become a juren."
Gu Mingda looked slightly excited, as if he had been greatly encouraged.
Most of the people at the table were scholars, and they were always deeply touched by this topic.
"To be honest, my family has always hoped that I could achieve academic success. Unfortunately, I am dull and have not been able to make any progress since I passed the examination for becoming a student." A clerk could not help but sigh.
Before Gu Mingda could open his mouth to say what he wanted to say, the topic inexplicably turned to the examination for the status of a successful candidate, as if by divine intervention.
Perhaps it was because the yellow rice wine that had been buried in the soil for more than ten years was too strong, after a few cups, the other clerk began to talk nonsense: "At least you passed the examination to become a student. I studied for so many years and I didn't even pass the examination, even in the years when it was easiest to pass."
Although the clerk is called an "official", in fact it is a "clerk". There is a world of difference between the two words. An ordinary clerk seems to have some power, but in fact he is just a literate soldier in the yamen.
"Which years are the easiest to pass the exam? Which year are you talking about?" someone couldn't help but ask.
Some of the clerks in the yamen are born smart, and are flawless in their words and deeds; others are casual and have flaws all over their bodies.
Now, the person who took the opportunity to complain was obviously a person who didn't know how to speak. "Which years could it be? Of course, it was the years when Lord Gou presided over the Tongsheng examination. At that time, anyone could pass the examination. It's a pity that such people showed their true colors in the academy examination."
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously.
After County Magistrate Wu and Master Chen exchanged a glance, Master Chen, as if receiving some kind of instruction, said casually: "The Tongsheng Examination is so important, who dares to mess with such a thing? Brother Wang, have you drunk too much?"
The drunkard couldn't stand hearing such talk, so he said immediately: "I'm not drunk. It was a secret in those years that anyone with money could become a student. It's a pity that my family didn't have money, otherwise I would have passed the exam."
Before Gu Mingda could reply, the drunken clerk suddenly pointed at him and said, "You, you too!"
Everyone present was stunned, and their eyes changed when they looked at Gu Mingda.
"Brother Wang, I passed the examination to become a student in the tenth year of Fengqi." Gu Mingda explained.
The drunkard said, "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about your brother-in-law! His last name is Zhang, and he's a particularly annoying one! If I hadn't seen you, I wouldn't have remembered him!"
At this moment, Gu Mingda felt extremely wonderful, as if he was acting in a play that had been rehearsed long ago. He didn't need to worry about the direction of the plot at all, he just needed to appear on time and everything would be arranged.
He had already prepared to reveal Zhang Guangzong's fraud at the banquet. He thought that even if he would be branded as a "teller on relatives and friends", he would still suppress Zhang Guangzong.
However, he didn't expect that God had his own plan. Someone took the initiative to step forward and perfectly pulled Gu Mingda out of this matter.
"That guy named Zhang got drunk and boasted outside, saying that if the college examination was also presided over by Lord Gou, he would have become a scholar long ago! He wants to become a scholar by relying on some filthy money he got from somewhere, bah!" the drunkard shouted.
Magistrate Wu looked at the drunkard as if he were looking at a treasure. If he had not received a secret order from his superiors, he would not have racked his brains to find something to hold against the previous magistrate as the year drew to a close.
Although Guang'an County is located in a remote area, the court's party struggles still affected it.
Magistrate Wu is just a small figure in the eyes of those in the capital, but his predecessor, Magistrate Gou, has been promoted step by step since leaving Guang'an County. Now there are rumors that Lord Gou will take up an important position soon after the New Year.
In official circles, important positions are like a piece of fat meat, and everyone is trying hard to take a bite of it.
If someone helps Lord Gou to the top, naturally there will be people who try their best to bring him down.
The imperial court attached great importance to education, and the crime of cheating in the imperial examination was much more serious than corruption.
It is precisely because the crime is so serious and there are so many stakeholders involved that many locals will keep silent even if they know about it.
If they hadn't been drunk, I guess no one would have brought this matter up.
As the county magistrate's confidant, Master Chen had such a big handle on the former county magistrate Gou. They were all outsiders and didn't care at all whether the local people of Guang'an County were involved.
"Zhongde, are you familiar with my brother-in-law?" Master Chen tried to dig something out of Gu Mingda's mouth first.
Gu Mingda frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Chen, to be honest, my wife and he are not born from the same mother. After my mother-in-law passed away, my father-in-law remarried and gave birth to Zhang Guangzong. When my wife was young, her family was short of food and clothing, and she had many grudges with her stepmother, so there is a gap between the siblings."
Master Chen understood the hidden meaning of Gu Mingda's words, which was that he wanted to draw a clear line between himself and Zhang Guangzong.
"Zhongde, don't worry. Whether your brother-in-law cheated or not, this matter will not implicate you." Master Chen first gave Gu Mingda a reassurance.
Gu Mingda pretended to be relieved and said, "Mr. Chen, I actually don't think my brother-in-law is the kind of person who would do such a thing. Although he strives for fame, he is always timid."
When Master Chen heard this, his eyes lit up: Being timid is good, as long as you are scared, you will blurt out everything.
Gu Mingda is well aware of the principle that the more you talk, the more mistakes you make. He would not take the initiative to say bad things about Zhang Guangzong, but would only say some facts that are unfavorable to him: "It's pitiful to say that he has been in a difficult situation recently. He went to the capital, and his wife ran away with someone. He stayed in the town for a few days, was beaten up, and a sum of money was extorted."
The excitement on Master Chen's face was about to overflow. He was timid and had a bad life. Such a fragile person would be easy to get his testimony. Not to mention what he had done, he would probably admit to things he had not done.
At this time in Qingshui Village, in the Zhang family house, Zhang Guangzong was lying on the bed with a blank look in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Mrs. Cai walked in from outside and said to her son, "Guangzong, do you have any money? Jinbao wants to eat meat. This child hasn't eaten meat for a long time..."
The first year that the Zhang family adopted Niu Niu was the happiest year in Zhang Guangzong’s life.
Not only did his wife, who had been infertile for years, become pregnant, but he also found a ginseng in the mountains.
He actually spread the rumor outside deliberately that he would use the money from selling ginseng to build a house.
How is it possible that when a koi carp comes into the house, it only gets one ginseng?
There was an abandoned temple in the Daqing Mountains. He dug up a jar of gold and silver under the roots of a tree outside the temple.
But no matter how much money you have, it will all be spent eventually. In the past few years, he has not been productive and has been busy eating and drinking all day long. He has been blackmailed repeatedly and has been spending more than earning, and finally he has reached the end of his rope.
"He wants to eat meat, but I want to eat it too!" Zhang Guangzong said viciously.
Mrs. Cai felt sorry for her grandson and wanted to persuade him again.
Zhang Guangzong became impatient and said, "Why do you feel sorry for him? It's hard to say whether he is my biological son or not."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
