Chapter 52: Exclusive 33 Let Chen Jinshi sacrifice himself tonight...
He looked up suddenly, and there was an indulgent smile in Chen Ying's eyes.
She said she wouldn't leave, at least not this spring.
Chen Jinshi grabbed her wrist with such force that she was a little surprised. But she could see the ecstasy in his eyes, and she liked it. She was satisfied with his happiness.
She has always spoiled him.
Zhang Ruoling glanced at the letter and smiled, "That's good that you're not leaving, Mom. We all don't want you to go."
Chen Ying felt hurt by his grip: "Alright, I won't leave for now. Chen Jinshi, if you don't behave, I will leave at any time."
Chen Jinshi finally let her go and said to Chen Jinxing, "Brother, let's go see the new house tomorrow."
Chen Jinxing's face was expressionless, he simply nodded calmly, "Alright, this house is indeed too cramped, and Ruo Ling is pregnant, so we need to move to a bigger house."
Under the table, Chen Jinshi repeatedly stroked the back of Chen Ying's hand with his fingertips, becoming more cautious and breathing more lightly.
Chen Ying's eyes lit up: "Ruo Ling is pregnant?"
Zhang Ruoling extended her wrist towards Chen Ying, lowering her head with a shy smile, "He makes such a fuss every day, how could there not be something?"
Chen Ying pinched Zhang Ruoling's wrist to check, and Chen Jinshi looked at her when he heard that.
Chen Ying lowered her eyes uncomfortably, her fingertips resting on Zhang Ruoling's wrist. After a moment, she smiled and nodded, "You are lucky. You should work less in the future."
Her eyes were filled with genuine joy, and Zhang Ruoling responded.
Chen Jinshi's gaze quietly fell on Shen Ying, and his hand unconsciously touched her waist, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Chen Ying noticed his movements and did not dodge. As a doctor, she knew that he made contraceptive medicine for her every day. Chen Jinshi probably had not thought about this, and she would not tell him that her unilateral decision to take the medicine had nothing to do with him, and it was even unfair to him.
Chen Jinshi's palms were placed on her waist, with warm strength, his fingertips rubbing, wandering, and pinching her waist and abdomen. When she sat down, a piece of soft flesh would bulge out from her waist and abdomen, which he pinched.
Chen Ying said to Zhang Ruoling, "Starting tomorrow, don't worry about the household affairs. I'll take care of it."
Zhang Ruoling's eyes were filled with warmth: "Amu, I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"We're all family, so there's nothing wrong with that."
After dinner, Chen Ying returned to her room to sort out her medicine chest. The door was gently pushed open. Chen Jinshi walked in, holding a piece of clothing in his hands. It was the imperial examination robe that was supposed to be worn on the day of the imperial examination.
"Am, can you help me take a look at this robe and see if it fits me?"
The Imperial College had just delivered the robe, so how could it not fit? I just wanted to find an excuse to see her.
Chen Ying walked over and he put on his clothes. She straightened the wrinkles on his shoulders for him. Chen Jinshi stared at her hand, his eyes softened, and suddenly he reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Chen Ying, let me drink those medicinal soups from now on."
Chen Ying pulled her hand back and lowered her eyes: "I made the medicine myself, it won't hurt your body, you don't have to worry about anything, and I don't need you to do anything."
Chen Jinshi stepped forward and gently held her arm: "This is our common matter, why would you rather bear it alone?"
Chen Ying looked back at him: "Brother Shi, you are my child. Besides, I can handle these things by myself."
Chen Jinshi gripped her wrist even tighter: "I'm not anymore, I'm your man." But his expression looked a little aggrieved.
Chen Ying met his serious eyes and suddenly didn't know what to say.
She is not someone who likes to rely on others. Even things like taking contraceptive pills, she likes to keep them in her own hands.
What hurt Chen Jinshi the most was that she never really regarded him as a man who could take on responsibilities for her.
Seeing her relaxed posture, he lowered his head, gently resting his forehead against hers, and said with a hint of pleading in his voice: "You make me very sad and depressed."
"Why?"
"I will never be as good as my father."
Chen Ying was startled and looked up at him.
"What about Xie Qingyue? Am, do you think he is more like a father? Do you think he will be more reliable?"
Chen Ying calmed down for a moment and pushed him away: "You have important things to do tomorrow, so you should rest early today."
Chen Jinshi's voice was choked with sobs, his forehead resting against hers, the light in his eyes frighteningly dark: "You don't want to rely on me, are you afraid that one day I won't be able to protect myself, let alone you?"
"I don't need anyone to protect me, Chen Jinshi."
Chen Ying tried her best to remain calm. Her judgment of a man did not depend on whether he could protect her.
But when she saw the fragility in his eyes, her heart softened.
Chen Jinshi is very pitiful. The path he is taking now is not the one he wants to take. What Chen Ying said to him seems to be comforting, but in fact it is a severe blow to his self-esteem.
He did not voluntarily become the person he is now, nor did he voluntarily let Chen Ying declare, "I don't need you to shelter me from the wind and rain."
"Amu, do you really like me? You ask too little of me. I can do so much more."
"Why don't you look at me more?"
"Look at me more, look at me more." He said a lot, in a fragmented manner.
"Chen Ying, you make me so sad."
The slap landed hard with a crisp sound.
Five finger marks instantly appeared on Chen Jinshi's face, and he froze in place.
She slapped him, and he started to cry freely.
His spine tingled, and he felt a sense of excitement.
He covered his face, feeling the pain, and leaned forward again, tears in his eyes: "Amu..."
Chen Ying's fingertips were still numb. She looked at his pitiful appearance and said in relief: "I will prepare medicine for you."
Chen Jinshi's Adam's apple rolled, and a glimmer of triumph flashed in his eyes.
At the hour of Mao the next day, Chen Jinshi followed Chen Jinxing to the Meridian Gate. He wore a dark blue silk robe tailored to the rules, with blue silk sleeves and a collar trimmed with plain silk. He tied a blue leather belt around his waist with a black tassel.
The soles of the boots made a dull sound as they stepped on the bluestone road.
In the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, more than a hundred tribute candidates stood in their assigned rankings, their blue robes forming a continuous carpet.
The clerk from the Honglu Temple was holding a list to verify identities, and Chen Jinshi was holding a locust wood tablet in his hand.
At three quarters past noon, the bell of the Hall of Supreme Harmony sounded on time, and the nine bells rang out.
The wind blew the flags and banners. The officials of the Honglu Temple wore scarlet round-collared official uniforms. The Honglu Temple Minister wore a scarlet round-collared robe with a egret patch on the chest. Holding the "Dengke Lu" copied on yellow silk, they led their subordinates down the steps of the Taihe Hall. Behind them, the Jinyiwei captains followed with swords drawn. Their voices echoed across the square:
"By imperial decree, the candidates for the palace examination of the 20th year of the Yongli reign are summoned to the palace to be selected!"
The tribute scholars entered the palace in order. Chen Jinshi followed the team onto the white marble imperial road. The coolness of the gold bricks touched by the soles of his boots came through his cloth socks. These gold bricks had to "make a sound when knocked and have no holes when broken". They were specially supplied by Suzhou kilns. Ordinary officials would not be able to set foot on them in their entire lives.
After entering the hall, all the tribute candidates knelt down according to the "east and west groups".
"The first place winner of the first class, Zhao Bingzhong, is awarded the title of Jinshi!"
"The second place in the first class, Shao Jingyao, is awarded the title of Jinshi!"
"The third place in the first class, He Chongye, is awarded the title of Jinshi!"
Every time the Minister of the Ministry of Rites read out a name, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would lead the scholar out of the ranks and perform the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows in front of the red steps.
Chen Jinshi listened with bated breath. When the second place was read out, the speed of speech became slightly faster until "The seventh place in the second place, Chen Jinshi, is granted the status of Jinshi!" Only then did he kowtow according to etiquette, without much emotion in his heart.
"Your Majesty, I, Chen Jinshi, thank you for your grace!"
He obtained the status of a Jinshi. The second-class Jinshi had to participate in the selection within three days after the announcement. Those who passed would enter the Hanlin Academy as Shujishi, and those who failed would be appointed as the director of the Six Ministries, the secretary of the Secretariat, or sent to be the magistrate of a county.
The top seven in the second class were mostly appointed to positions in the Hanlin Academy. Although they all started as minor officials of the seventh rank, they were able to enter the Hanlin Academy to compile history and draft imperial edicts. This was a path to becoming a close official, and was more important than positions in the six ministries.
After the announcement, the emperor returned to the harem, and all the Jinshi had to follow the officials of the Ministry of Rites to the Imperial College to perform the "Ritual of Offering Vegetables" and worship Confucius.
When he saw Chen Ying across the crowd, she was standing next to the stone tablet. She was wearing a moon-white skirt, a Han girl's style, with a light green bodice over it. In her hand was a bamboo food box covered with a blue cloth handkerchief. In the box was freshly steamed jujube paste cake and warm ginger tea.
"Mom." Chen Jinshi walked towards her, stepped forward quickly, and took the warm date paste cake.
Chen Ying smiled and said, "Seventh in the second class is an excellent ranking."
The two walked back side by side. He quietly took her hand, and under the wide Jinshi robe, the two went home hand in hand.
As the two of them left the imperial city, several fellow Jinshi scholars came to greet them. Leading the way was Jinshi Zhou, who had placed third in the second class. He bowed and said with a smile from a distance, "Brother Chen, congratulations! Your rank is a sure thing for you to be selected for the Imperial Academy. From now on, we'll be colleagues in the Hanlin Academy!"
The people in front of me seem to be in the top seven of the second class. The top seven of the second class plus the three of the first class are the top ten selected by the emperor. As for those behind them, they are not that important.
Chen Ying released Chen Jinshi's hand so that he could raise his hand to return the gesture. "The selection process for the museum still needs to wait for the subsequent assessment. I dare not make any rash statements."
Several people wanted to invite him to the Qionglin Banquet in the evening, and then go to the residence of Grand Secretary Yang to thank their teacher tomorrow.
Zhou Lin smiled and said, "Brother Chen, you're too modest. We've all reviewed your proposal on 'allowing military households to cultivate their own land to alleviate the problems of border settlements.' We only later learned that you're General Chen's son."
Chen Jinshi casually said a few humble words, and his words and actions no longer showed arrogance.
"In that case, let's meet in front of the Ministry of Rites at 3:30 PM. Don't be late. I heard that Grand Secretary Yang will also be there tonight."
After these people left, Chen Jinshi held Chen Ying's hand again, his fingertips were slightly warm: "Mom, let's go home first."
The two of them walked home at a slower pace than when they came.
"You should pay more attention to the Qionglin Banquet tonight. I see they can't wait to make friends everywhere. You should follow them..."
Although she didn't understand the ins and outs of officialdom, she knew that Chen Jinshi had to be sociable.
Chen Jinshi nodded: "Well, I want to accompany you a little longer. I know what to do at night."
Chen Ying was held by his hand. Chen Jinshi was still the same Chen Jinshi, but...
She stroked the thin calluses on his palms. She couldn't tell which ones were from practicing calligraphy and which ones were from practicing swordplay. She only knew that the touch was rough but warm.
She looked at his profile. His back was straight and he exuded a calmness that he had never had before.
She suddenly felt that she shouldn't stand by his side anymore.
She was definitely not being self-deprecating, but rather, she had a different path...
Their paths were different, and she stood beside him. Her appearance, her identity, everything was so incongruous.
He should marry a lady from a noble family like his classmates and colleagues, and have such a woman standing by his side.
Probably, he shouldn't be standing next to Chen Ying.
But he was wearing an official robe and she was wearing a Han dress that didn't quite suit her, and they still held hands.
"What are you thinking about?" Chen Jinshi noticed her gaze and turned to look at her with a hint of smile in his eyes. It can be seen that he was in a very good mood. "Do you think I didn't embarrass you today? Am, I have done everything I promised you. I am standing on the throne."
Moreover, he will tell everyone that he couldn't stand here without her care, and she is the most important person in his life.
Chen Ying couldn't help but smile: "Yes, you did it all."
"Then what reward are you giving to Chen Jinshi tonight?" he whispered in her ear.
Chen Ying blushed and couldn't open her mouth.
He added, "Isn't Chen Jinshi worthy of your reward? If not, then you are. Am, let Chen Jinshi dedicate himself to you tonight. Chen Jinshi will reward you."
Chen Ying's ears turned red from the words he whispered in her ear. She quickly pulled her hand back and took two quick steps towards the alley entrance. Chen Jinshi quickly caught up with her and grabbed her wrist again.
His palms were warm, and his strength was too strong to break free, but his eyes were full of smiles, and even his eyebrows showed the boldness of a young man: "Mom, please help me make a bowl of medicine tonight."
"I understand." She responded softly, her voice as thin as the wind, and Chen Jinshi had a hard time catching it.
The Qionglin Banquet was held in the garden behind the Ministry of Rites. When dusk fell, red lanterns were hung all over the corridors, reflecting the warm red colors of the flowers and trees in the garden.
When Chen Jinshi followed Zhou Lin and others into the garden gate, he saw Xie Qingyue was already there.
Xie Qingyue ranked among the top three, about seventeenth, and was also the best among the same class of Jinshi, but he was much more glorious than Chen Jinshi.
From a distance, Zhou Lin privately said to Chen Jinshi, "See? Third Young Master Xie is a truly remarkable figure. He made great contributions in the northern border last year, and this spring, the Emperor granted him the title of Jinshi."
Xie Qingyue stood in the corridor, his dark brocade robe trimmed with gold thread, looking regal, and the white jade pendant dangling from his waist was also of note. He was chatting and laughing with several officials in official robes, his left hand casually resting on the sword at his waist, and every word he said was echoed by others around him.
Even if Prime Minister Yang came and looked down at the students from a high position, he would still nod slightly towards Xie Qingyue and ask about his grandfather's health.
Chen Jinshi followed those gazes and heard Zhou Lin chattering incessantly in his ear. He glanced at him indifferently and could tell that Zhou Lin was of humble origin, or perhaps he was a bastard who was never valued in a large family.
Chen Jinshi thought that his family background was not high, especially in a place like the capital. However, he hated walking around with a fawning face like Zhou Lin, and he also hated his own arrogant attitude of being nothing.
Many things made him feel conflicted. He didn't know whether there was something wrong with him or he was simply not suitable for this place.
He has had a high opinion of himself since he was a child, and is used to the idea that winning is winning and losing is losing. He will blatantly grab what he wants, and he looks down on everything else.
Xie Qingyue walked towards him. He picked up the wine on the table and took a sip. The wine was clear and refreshing, with a slightly spicy taste in his throat. His eyes were calm as he raised his glass to Xie Qingyue: "Brother Xie, congratulations."
Later, Zhou Lin learned that Xie Qingyue was the apprentice of Chen Jinshi's father. He was depressed for a while. If he had such connections, he would have already...
Xie Qingyue sincerely congratulated Chen Jinshi: "You too, come with me, I have a teacher who wants to meet you."
Chen Jinshi nodded and followed Xie Qingyue.
Xie Qingyue led Chen Jinshi to the east flower hall. As soon as they passed the moon-shaped door, they saw several women dressed in silk standing in the corridor. They all had exquisite buns and wore pearl and jade hairpins.
The lady in the lead was wearing a dark blue jacket embroidered with dark patterns. She looked very graceful. When she saw Xie Qingyue coming over, she smiled and said, "Qingyue, is this the child of your master's family?"
"Master's wife, it's Chen Jinshi." Xie Qingyue bowed and saluted, then turned sideways to Chen Jinshi and said, "This is the wife of Grand Secretary Yang, and the ones next to her are the young ladies of the mansion."
Chen Jinshi hurriedly returned the gift.
Madam Yang said, "No need to be so polite. Qingyue brought me some pills a while ago, and they're very effective. I heard they were prescribed by your doctor, Dr. Shen. I'd like to thank her when I get the chance."
Xie Qingyue explained, "Brother Chen was in poor health when he was young, so my master invited a doctor from Loufan to stay with him and take care of him. Doctor Shen is a very good doctor."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinshi curled his fingers slightly, then raised his eyes and smiled, "Amu is just doing his job, Master's wife, you don't have to be polite."
Madam Yang then turned around and looked directly at Chen Jinshi: "I heard that she treats you not only as a doctor, but also as a teacher. No wonder you respect her so much. You are a good child."
Xie Qingyue continued, "Yes, the filial piety of the Chen brothers is a legend in Jinling."
As he spoke, Xie Qingyue smiled faintly at Chen Jinshi.
Chen Jinshi tried his best to remain calm, and said in a deep voice, "My mother has been so kind to me, like a rebirth."
Madam Yang glanced at Xie Qingyue and coughed lightly. "In that case, I must go and visit her. Her medicine has worked wonders for me, and it's worth Qingyue's repeated mentions to me."
As she spoke, she ushered out one of her daughters, Yang Zhiwei, and said with a smile, "Fifth Miss, haven't you always wanted to find a brother of good character to serve as a role model? Second Young Master Chen is so loyal and righteous, why don't you get to know him? Filial piety is the rarest and noblest quality."
Yang Zhiwei was only seventeen years old, not much younger than Chen Jinshi. She had two light pink pearl flowers pinned on her temples, and her hair was not tied in a complicated bun. She had a slender neck and stood tall and graceful.
She was wearing a smoky-colored jacket embroidered with broken crabapple branches, with silver thread rolling on the collar and cuffs, and paired it with a moon-white silk skirt, looking elegant.
This place and these women are not visible to everyone today. Chen Jinshi didn't understand why Xie Qingyue brought him here at first, but after this woman appeared, he suddenly understood.
"Mr. Chen is well."
When Chen Jinshi returned the gift, he happened to look her in the eye. There was no way that her eyes were filled with flattery, but there was no shyness or evasion at all. Instead, there was a hint of inquiry and clarity, as if she was seriously sizing him up.
Chen Jinshi didn't know how to react. He seemed to want to deliberately act in a way that would disgust the other person.
Chen Jinshi didn't like this place, so naturally he couldn't pretend to be nice.
Are we going to do something that doesn't save face for anyone, just like before?
Thanks to Chen Ying's teachings, he is no longer that kind of person.
Madam Yang smiled and took Yang Zhiwei's hand. "Fifth Miss has loved reading history since she was little. A few days ago, she was telling me that there was a pragmatic essay in this year's imperial examination, 'Military Households Farming on Their Own'. Now that I've met the author, I must ask Master Chen for his advice."
Yang Zhiwei took the opportunity to speak calmly, "Young Master Chen's policy proposal mentioned 'the garrison camp should balance border defense with farming.' I have a question. The climate in the borderlands is harsh, and spring plowing is often disrupted by barbarians. If this policy is implemented, how will we ensure that the military households have time to farm?"
She is not a woman who randomly finds meaningless topics, nor is she a woman who allows others to perfunctorily treat her.
Most men don't think it's necessary to carefully explain the contents of a policy paper to a woman, or they just say something casually, thinking that the other party is just asking questions and won't understand anything deeper.
It just so happened that Chen Jinshi was not that kind of person. Although he was arrogant, he would not show this arrogance in front of women.
He answered seriously, "I once heard my father mention that the local military households could use a rotation system. While half the troops were farming, the other half would set up sentries along the perimeter of the farmland. If they saw a small group of barbarians approaching, they would sound the whistle to warn them. If a large group attacked, all the troops would assemble. Although this method would require additional manpower, it would ensure the best possible conditions for spring farming."
Yang Zhiwei listened carefully and then pressed on, "How is the food stored? Winters are long in border areas. If the autumn harvest is insufficient, won't the military households starve?"
"At the end of my policy paper, I mentioned 'official granaries for storage.' After the autumn harvest, military households would keep enough food per head for their own consumption. The remaining food would be stored in government granaries and distributed as needed during the winter. This would prevent it from spoiling and also prevent heavy losses during barbarian raids."
The two of them asked and answered questions, and they chatted for a long time without realizing it.
Yang Zhiwei seemed to have just realized that she had been asking for too long. She smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, Master Chen, for clearing up my doubts. I have learned a lot from you."
Yang Zhiwei grew up with her father. Not only did she not mention his policy papers, she would occasionally discuss with him cases of border management in history books, from the military settlement system of the Han Dynasty to the Wei Suo system of this dynasty. Her arguments were clear and well-organized, and she quoted from classics without being pedantic.
There wasn't much about her that showed she was a woman, so Chen Jinshi inadvertently let down his guard.
Xie Qingyue glanced at him calmly and said to Madam Yang, "Jinshi has grown up under my care. I know him well. He is also skilled in martial arts and can be said to be a man of both civil and military talents..."
Madam Yang had a half-smile on her face. "I never prevent my daughter from making friends with the young men in the capital that she likes. She has seen countless of them in her father's study, and Zhiwei has never been shy about their conversations. She is very knowledgeable and has high standards. This Second Young Master Chen from Jinling may not be able to catch her eye."
Xie Qingyue nodded: "Zhiwei is not an ordinary woman. She should meet more people. It won't hurt to get to know one more person."
From beginning to end, the two of them never thought about whether Chen Jinshi would be interested in Miss Yang Wu.
Questions like this hardly require questioning.
No Jinshi in any subject can resist such a great benefit.
As they were talking, Chen Jinshi had already walked out, and Yang Zhiwei walked into the inner room. Xie Qingyue asked her how she was.
"Thank you, Brother, you're joking. It's a blessing to meet Master Chen. I've had a few conversations with him and learned a lot. Master Chen is not a man who talks big but doesn't talk big. It's just a pity. What hidden illness does he have?"
Xie Qingyue was stunned. He didn't expect Zhiwei to have such a high opinion of Chen Jinshi.
He pondered for a moment before saying, "He has had asthma since birth, often suffering from it in winter when he was young. He has gotten much better over the years thanks to Doctor Shen's treatment, but the underlying cause hasn't been completely eradicated, which is why he took the imperial examination. Otherwise, he would have become a military commander like his father."
Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, Yang Zhiwei frowned slightly. "Asthma? I've read a few medical books in my spare time, and I'm worried it might be passed down to future generations." Her tone contained no regret, only a hint of rational consideration. "However, his insights into border settlements suggest he might be suitable for a position in the Imperial Academy, compiling history, or perhaps a position in the Ministry of Revenue to manage settlements."
Xie Qingyue nodded: "We can discuss this matter with the teacher later."
Yang Lingyue, the sixth daughter of the Yang family, stepped out from behind the screen and said to her fifth sister, "I quite like the Second Young Master Chen."
Yang Zhiwei looked at her indifferently from the side.
Yang Lingyue explained, "Fifth sister, don't you think Mr. Chen is handsome? Even more handsome than Brother Qingyue."
Xie Qingyue was speechless for a moment, looking at the Sixth Girl, feeling both amused and helpless.
Chen Ying was sitting in the courtyard, boiling medicine, wrapped in a gray blanket. The air was filled with the aroma of medicine, and her heart was as calm as water.
Chen Jinshi walked over and gently hugged her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, as if he had finally returned to a harbor suitable for him to live in.
He placed his hand on her back, stroking the knot of her dress's ties, and whispered, "I want to untie it."
"Drink the medicine first."
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The author has something to say: What are you talking about? I want to go back and have sex with my mom.
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