The three-day exam was a tough time for the students of the Imperial Examination Hall, but to outsiders it was just a blink of an eye.
Jiang Sheng sat in the carriage early, looking out with her butt sticking out. "The Qi family's brother is here too, as are the Zhao family's brother and the Zhu family's brother. Oh, why is she here too?"
There aren't many people who can surprise a little girl.
Chang Yan reached out a fingertip and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain. With a quick glance, she spotted Jiang Chenghuan, the young lady of the Jiang family, who had clashed with them several times before, in the crowd.
Given the relationship between the Jiang siblings, Jiang Chengyuan should also be there.
A quick glance around the banquet revealed, sure enough, the eldest son of the Jiang family, who was still a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, among the crowd.
Both the Jiang and Fang families were families of military generals. General Fang died unexpectedly on the frontier. After the eldest branch of the family declined, the second branch took over the family's power and took the opportunity to guide the younger generation to take the imperial examination route, completely transforming the family into a family of civil officials.
The Jiang family is different. General Jiang has always stayed on the frontier, so how could he tolerate his only son abandoning military affairs for a literary career?
Chang Yan didn't understand, but he knew there must be some twists and turns involved.
The Jiang family is a large family.
Although the direct line of the family is small, with only two grandchildren, the number of illegitimate sons and daughters is quite large, and they all hold certain official positions in the court. Coupled with General Jiang, who is fighting on the frontier, the family's position as a top-tier aristocratic family is quite secure.
However, this stability is only valid while General Jiang is still alive. Once the Jiang family has no one left in the army and relies solely on a few official positions in the imperial court, the status of the aristocratic family will inevitably decline.
In the long run, it would be best if the Jiang family produced another general, but Jiang Chengyuan, the direct descendant, chose to take the imperial examination. Could it be that Jiang Chengfeng and others from the collateral branches are going to join the army?
Just as Chang Yan's doubts arose, he saw the纨绔子弟 (playboy) Jiang Er Gongzi (Second Young Master Jiang) waving a folding fan in his line of sight, and was immediately speechless.
Jiang Chengfeng and Jiang Chengyuan, as the eldest and second eldest grandchildren of the Jiang family, did not join the army. The younger children were even less willing to go, after all, it was a battlefield, a place where swords and spears had no eyes.
Chang Yan sighed; he seemed to understand why Jiang Chengyuan had abandoned martial arts for literature.
There must be a short-sighted but doting elder in the Jiang family who nipped Jiang Chengyuan's idea of joining the army in the bud and forced him to take the imperial examination. Even if the Jiang family's status declines in the future, Jiang Chengyuan can still live a worry-free life.
From a broader perspective, this idea is very detrimental to the Jiang family's development.
But from a mother's perspective, it's not wrong to want her child to be well.
"Why is it Mother? Why not Grandmother?" Jiang Sheng suddenly asked from the side.
Chang Yan then realized that while he was analyzing, he had unconsciously started muttering it aloud.
He pursed his lips somewhat awkwardly, and seeing his fourth brother and sister's curious expressions, he cleared his throat and replied, "Because if Old Madam Jiang were truly short-sighted, there wouldn't be the General Jiang we know today."
Madam Jiang could support her son in becoming a general, but she couldn't force her grandson to go to the battlefield, because her grandson still had a mother, and she was just a grandmother.
“That grandmother is truly a great person,” Jiang Sheng said crisply from the side. “Just like me, even though I’m very worried about my third brother, I still support him going to the frontier.”
Chang Yan suppressed a laugh and remained silent.
Wen Zhiyun looked up blankly, unsure whether her sister was praising Old Madam Jiang or flattering herself.
Only Jiang Sheng remained oblivious, climbing back onto the small window to peek out, where she met the gaze of the Jiang family members she had just been talking about.
"Little ginger..."
Jiang Chengyuan, the eldest son of the Jiang family, was beaming with delight as he fanned himself with a folding fan. He was about to go over and say hello when he caught a glimpse of his expressionless younger sister, Jiang Chenghuan, and stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong, brother?" Jiang Chengfeng asked casually as he approached. "Which girl have you taken a fancy to this time? I'll have Grandmother propose marriage to her later."
Jiang Chengyuan flicked him on the forehead, "What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?"
"I understand, I understand." Jiang Chengfeng flashed a bright smile. "We'll talk about it privately later, brothers, and keep it to ourselves."
Before Jiang Chengyuan could respond, the fourth young lady, Jiang Chengyu, became agitated. She stomped on her brother's toes and gritted her teeth in a barely audible voice, "Second brother, don't forget you still have your sister with you."
Jiang Chengfeng gasped and covered most of his face with his folding fan.
The Jiang family has two eldest granddaughters. Although the third daughter, Jiang Chenghuan, is a bit too aloof, her demeanor in public is impeccable. She is always gentle and meticulous, and she only helps her brother with his repairs, never stepping on his toes.
The fourth daughter, Jiang Chengyu, was much more fiery and unforgiving. She often had various conflicts with her older brother, Jiang Chengfeng, and they would quarrel and argue all the time, neither willing to give in to the other.
"I really envy you," Jiang Chengfeng muttered secretly, seizing the opportunity, "having such a gentle younger sister."
Jiang Chengyuan shrank his neck.
When his younger sister is happy, she is quite gentle, but when she gets angry, she is much more terrifying than his fourth sister. Sometimes he prefers to chase and play with his younger sister rather than constantly having to coax her.
However, the fourth sister was too fierce and unforgiving.
If only the two of them could be more well-rounded... like Little Ginger.
Jiang Chengyuan glanced at the carriage again, but unfortunately the little girl had already pulled her head back, and he couldn't see her round, smiling face.
Even if he saw it, he couldn't let his sister be sad for someone else's sake.
Jiang Chengyuan lowered his head dejectedly, waiting for the exam to end so he could learn from the students.
Jiang Chengfeng also kept quiet, which was rare for him.
When all around fell silent, the distant conversations went from being blurry to being clear.
"Hey, there was a wonton stall here yesterday, what happened to it today?"
"I heard he offended someone important. Shh, don't ask."
"I was there at the time, and it seems I offended an old lady. Luckily, a young girl helped me..."
Upon hearing those three crucial words, the Jiang brothers simultaneously raised their heads, their expressions shifting from dejection to heartache over their toes, all turning into seriousness and coldness.
They only found out last night that a few days ago, their grandmother had dressed simply to eat wontons and almost got ripped off by the wonton stall, but luckily a little girl came to her rescue.
Logically, the fewer people who know about such an embarrassing matter, the better. But for some reason, the grandmother told the four grandchildren of the Jiang family and instructed them not to retaliate against the wonton stall.
Jiang Chengyuan obediently agreed, but the wonton stall still disappeared.
His gaze swept over Jiang Chengyu, who couldn't hide his feelings, and Jiang Chenghuan, who wasn't close to his grandmother, before finally landing on Jiang Chengfeng, who was clearly guilty. He adopted the authority of an elder brother and said, "Tell me, what happened?"
"We are the Jiang family. It wouldn't be right for us not to step in if our grandmother was bullied," Jiang Chengfeng said sheepishly.
However, the wonton stall worker did not know the grandmother's identity, and it was indeed the grandmother who had not brought any money with her. The other party was just being a bit unreasonable, but it was far from the point that he would lose his livelihood.
“I think Grandma wanted us to be grateful to the little girl who helped us,” Jiang Chengyuan said in a deep voice, “not to retaliate against the wonton stall owner.”
Just then, Jiang Sheng jumped out of the carriage.
The man pointed excitedly, "That's her, that's her! She even called me 'uncle,' she's so sweet."
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