Upon realizing this, the siblings were both somewhat downcast.
Fang Heng racked his brains, drawing on his wealth and privilege from the previous nine years, and said, "Well... not necessarily. After all, the imperial examination is decided by the imperial family, and the eldest prince is only related to the imperial family as father and son."
That's all.
It would have been better not to say that.
Aside from husband and wife, only father and son can truly talk to each other. If a son makes a few pleading requests, can the father simply ignore them?
Even though the royal family is rife with conflict, and the imperial family cannot fully trust the eldest prince, the father-son relationship dictates that if the eldest prince tries to trip up Xu Mo, it will be much easier for him than for an ordinary person.
"My elder brother was the top scholar in the provincial examination, known throughout Fengjing. What could the Fang family possibly do to sabotage him in the palace examination?" Zheng Ruqian asked doubtfully. "Even if they did, wouldn't it be too absurd for a scholar to be ranked last in the palace examination, given his high academic standing?"
This is something laymen don't understand.
Why was the final stage of the imperial examination set as the palace examination?
Besides demonstrating the emperor's favor and preventing others from forming cliques and engaging in favoritism through promotion, it also prevented people from being bookworms who only knew how to do written work, which is commonly known as "armchair strategist".
In the long imperial examination process, in addition to being able to write articles, one also needed to have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, a humble yet confident demeanor, and a composed manner of speaking in order to stand out from the crowd.
In the previous dynasty, there was a top scholar who, due to his timidity and fear, made quite a few jokes in the Golden Palace. In the end, he hastily obtained the title of Tongjinshi, and his official rank remained at the seventh grade forever.
There were also those who had average exam results, but whose outstanding speech caught the emperor's eye, and they eventually became Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), or even ranked among the top three.
"The fact that the Fang family allowed my elder brother to win the top prize in the provincial examination shows that his status is not particularly remarkable. As long as he performs only averagely or even makes a mistake in the palace examination, he won't be able to make much of a splash in the future," Fang Heng sighed.
As I sighed, I started to feel guilty again.
It's all his fault. From the moment the six siblings stepped into Anshui County, all the troubles started with him.
If it weren't for him, would everyone have suffered so much pain and hardship?
Fang Heng felt increasingly distressed and suffocated, wishing he could just pick up a large cleaver and slaughter the Fang family to the last man.
Even if he ends up in jail, even if he loses his life, it's all worth it as long as his brothers and sisters are safe.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. The veins on his slender arms throbbed, and his calloused palms began to burn, as if urging him to hurry up, go, and kill.
Before he could even grip the hilt of the knife, a warm little hand reached out and grabbed his arm tightly. "Third Brother, don't be impulsive. It's not your fault. Even without you, without the Fang family, there would be the Zhao family, the Li family, or the Sun family."
Fang Heng turned around and saw his younger sister with a worried expression.
For some reason, today the eldest brother was silent, the second brother was taciturn, the fourth brother was lost in thought, and even the fifth brother had a pale face and didn't say a word.
Fortunately, Jiang Sheng was quick-witted and sensed something was wrong. She earnestly advised, "None of us wanted to see things come to this point, but since we've already come this far, let's face it properly. Don't feel guilty or sad. We're family, and family doesn't distinguish between each other."
When we cannot enjoy the benefits, brothers and sisters are close and affectionate; when we encounter difficulties, we share them with each other.
Family members should overcome difficulties together and help each other.
They voluntarily helped Fang Heng and voluntarily offended the Fang family. None of them regretted it and were willing to face the consequences.
"Besides, it's too late for regrets now. We should think about how to solve the problem." Jiang Sheng seemed to have returned to five years ago, using her rich survival experience to educate her brother, "Third brother, you're fourteen years old now, you need to be more mature!"
Fang Heng was both amused and exasperated, but he easily loosened his grip on the knife hilt.
“My sister is right.” Xu Mo came back to his senses at some point. “We’ve come to this point, and recklessness and regret can’t solve it.”
The key is how they will break this new deadlock.
“Perhaps we should ask the Jiang family for help again.” Zheng Ruqian scratched his head, and the layman began to offer suggestions. “Isn’t the He family willing to help Third Brother? With so many powerful families combined, they can surely rival the weight of a prince.”
The He family's motives are unclear, but their willingness to lend a helping hand to Fang Heng indicates that they will at least not become enemies.
“But the problem at hand is not with the aristocratic families at all.” Xu Mo closed his eyes and analyzed with everyone, “The fact that the Fang family was able to choose the eldest prince shows that they are betting that this prince has a great chance of becoming the next master of the Dayu Dynasty.”
He is the ruler, and you are the subject.
If the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die.
Whether it's the imperial examination or the struggle with the Fang family, the current situation, whether the two sides are evenly matched or whether one wins or loses, is just that—the current situation. Once the eldest prince becomes their ruler, they will be at the mercy of others.
"With this outcome, all our actions at this moment, including the results of the palace examination, seem so ridiculous and powerless." Xu Mo shook his head self-deprecatingly. "On the other hand, as long as the Fang family supports the eldest prince to successfully ascend the throne, their future can be considered bright and promising."
"Then can we also go and help the First Prince..." Wen Zhiyun had barely uttered the words when he shut his mouth.
Everything has a priority. The eldest prince and the Fang family have formed an alliance, and no one who comes later can surpass the Fang family's status. It is precisely because of this that the Fang family can wholeheartedly support the eldest prince.
When the two are combined, it becomes difficult for outsiders to intrude.
If they really wanted to survive, they had no choice but to curry favor with other princes.
"Of the four princes of the imperial family, the eldest prince has allied with the Fang family, the second prince's birth mother is unknown, the fourth prince is lame and disabled, and the fifth prince has been ill for a long time and does not come out." Xu Mo closed his eyes again.
They couldn't choose a suitable prince, nor were they qualified to curry favor with one.
The Jiang family is qualified, but how can a family with a century-old reputation for integrity tarnish its honor just to protect them?
Jiang Sheng couldn't bring herself to ask this request, and neither could her brothers.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess, and I shouldn't have come to the capital to take the exam." Xu Mo sighed. "Only now do I realize that without a background or identity, it's really difficult to move an inch in this vast city of Fengjing."
When they encountered the county magistrate, they sought to confront the prefect.
When they encountered a prefect, they sought the help of powerful families to restrain them.
When they encounter powerful families, they seek other large families to counterbalance them.
But if they encounter a prince, would they seek help from the imperial family?
Enemies are endless, and opponents are constantly growing stronger. No matter how hard they try, they will eventually encounter various difficulties and setbacks.
Even someone as composed and strong as Young Master Qingzhu felt somewhat dejected and powerless at this moment.
“Big brother…” Jiang Sheng stared blankly at him, “Are we going to give up? Give up everything we have now, give up going against the Fang family, give up our hatred for Third Brother?”
Even when he had nothing, he still dared to defy the county magistrate.
Why do we shrink back now that we have status and a future?
“Although I have no money, no status, I can still live, even if I eat chaff and wild vegetables.” She murmured softly, “But if we quit, what will happen to the aunts and uncles in the workshop, what will happen to Aunt Zhang, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Cui’er in Anshui County, and the Pang brothers who transport goods, the Gao brothers, the farmhands who transport lychees, and Doujiao in Xieyang County.”
There are no longer just six of them.
Behind them stood countless relatives and friends, long-term laborers on whom they depended for survival, and short-term laborers waiting to collect their wages.
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