Xu Siyu said respectfully: "My father-in-law wrote to you, asking me when I would leave. If I could arrive in Yanjing earlier, he asked me to visit his good friend Mr. Wu Yue. After hearing this, you asked me to come back early."
"Mr. Wuyue?" Xu Lingyi pondered, "Who is he?"
"This man's surname is Hong, and he is the instructor of Yongqing County. Although he is only a juren, he is a close friend of Shuntian Prefecture Governor and Minister of Rites Wang Zixin." Xu Siyu stopped here.
Xu Lingyi stopped asking and nodded, "It's indeed not easy to communicate via letters." Then he changed the subject, "Where do you live? Have you had dinner? Or why not move here! It's more convenient here."
They booked a courtyard and hired guards, servants, maids, and old women as their own. The west wing was left empty, which not only provided space and convenience, but was also safe.
"You and mother can eat it. I have already eaten it." Xu Siyu said with a smile, and asked the maid to tell Mo Zhu to move the luggage over.
Eleventh Lady said a few words to Xu Siyu, "Yingying is very cute now and can walk by herself." The luggage was delivered, and Xu Siyu saw that it was getting late, so he stood up and said goodbye.
"Is there something strange about Mr. Wu Yue that I don't understand?" Eleventh Lady asked Xu Lingyi in a low voice.
Xu Lingyi said nothing.
Eleventh Lady thought he didn't want to answer.
Who would have thought that when they slept in the same bed at night, he whispered, "There is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. The examiner's preference will directly affect the result of the provincial examination. Lord Xiang asked Yu'er to visit Mr. Wuyue, probably because he wanted to know the examiner's preference through Mr. Wuyue. This kind of thing can only be understood but not stated."
Eleventh Lady nodded slightly and said, "I remember that Lord Wang Zixin seemed to be the matchmaker for Zhun Ge's daughter-in-law..."
Moreover, Jiang Song also came from an imperial examination background, so he probably already understood the implication of Lord Xiang's words.
"It's like if you want to be a general in peace and stability, but don't settle those meritorious families, you will probably be in trouble. If you can get guidance from your family elders in the imperial examination, you will have more chances than ordinary people." Xu Lingyi smiled and leaned over to blow out the lamp. "You still have to ride in the carriage for a whole day tomorrow, you should get more sleep and rest your spirit."
Eleventh Lady hummed and closed her eyes.
I just slept for an afternoon, so I was no longer sleepy. While counting the sheep, my heart flew to Jing Ge'er, who I had just broken up with.
It was the first time she left her father. Would he be afraid? What was he doing at this moment? Was he fast asleep, or was he thinking about his family members who were going away like she was?
Thinking of this, she lost sleep even more.
There is a long and even breathing around me.
Eleventh Lady turned over gently.
Xu Lingyi was awakened.
"Thinking about Brother Jing?"
Eleventh Lady was slightly stunned: "Is the Marquis not asleep either?"
Xu Lingyi remained silent for a while before he said, "They should be anchored in Zhangjiawan tonight and will be in Tianjin tomorrow."
In the darkness, Eleventh Lady smiled slightly and held Xu Lingyi's hand.
* * * * * *
The next day, the brothers met and talked about their friendship again. Then Eleventh Lady took a carriage, and Xu Lingyi and his son rode horses, and they returned to Lotus Garden together.
The old lady was unhappy about Jing'er's departure, but she couldn't help but smile a little when she heard the news. That night, three tables were set up at the old lady's place and they had a lively meal.
They visited relatives, gathered with friends, and even had a private drink with the Xu brothers. By the time Xu Siyu went to visit Mr. Wu Yue, it was seven or eight days later.
Eleventh Lady received a letter from Jing'er.
"What's the matter? What's the matter? Read to me quickly!" The lady was dissatisfied with her poor eyesight, and before Mother Du opened the box containing her glasses, she was already impatiently urging Shiyi Niang to read to her.
"Grandmother, respectfully report: My uncle and I have now arrived in Cangzhou. My brother-in-law has brought my sister and two nephews here. An Jing is lively and cute, and An Xu is smart and clever. The last time we saw them, one was still innocent and the other couldn't speak..."
He also wrote an identical letter to Xu Lingyi and Shiyi Niang, except that the beginning was changed to "Dear parents, respectfully reported."
"Oh, you picked up the important thing to read!" The lady interrupted Eleventh Lady.
Eleventh Lady smiled and summarized the letter from Jing'er: "...he said he met Zhen'er and the eldest brother-in-law, went to the Shao family to visit, met Old Master Shao, and the eldest brother-in-law also took him to the most famous martial arts hall in Cangzhou. They stayed in Cangzhou for two days. Now they are on their way to Dezhou."
After hearing this, the lady let out a long sigh and said, "That's good, that's good." As she spoke, she showed a thoughtful expression.
Eleventh Lady didn't know what he meant and just waited quietly.
After a long while, the lady suddenly said, "I remember, I remember." The old lady shouted to Mother Du, "Don't you have a niece who married to Dezhou and is a clerk?" She seemed very excited.
"Madam has a really good memory." Mother Du said with a smile, "It is because of the grace of the Marquis that she got such a good job. She came to pay New Year's greetings to you and your wife during the New Year this year. Because there are many people in the family, she followed her mother to kowtow to you and your wife in the yard..."
"That's not what I'm talking about!" The lady said impatiently, "I'm saying that you write him a letter and tell him that it's my intention to ask him to go on board to see Jing'er. I wonder if he has lost weight after all the time on the boat? Is he eating well?"
Mother Du smiled and said “yes”.
Eleventh Lady hurriedly stopped her and said to the Lady Dowager with a smile, "Mother, this letter was sent three days ago. By the time the messenger arrives, I'm afraid Jing'er will have already left Dezhou."
The lady felt deflated after hearing this.
Mother Du said hurriedly, "It's okay, it's okay. I'll write a letter and send someone to deliver it. He knows that the Sixth Young Master is passing through Dezhou, so he will definitely go on board to kowtow."
The lady cheered up again: "Go and write it. I'll ask the people at the back office to send the letter to you."
Mother Du left immediately.
The lady-in-waiting asked about Xu Siyu, "He said he wanted to go to some teacher to listen to lectures on writing. Did he go? Did the teacher accept him?" As she asked, she took out a box carved with red lacquer crabapple flowers from the small drawer of the kang table and put the letter in it.
"He went!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "I heard that the gentleman was introduced by Lord Xiang and was also a student of Mr. Jiang. He was very polite and kept Yu Ge'er at his home that night. Mo Zhu and the others didn't expect it and were busy preparing bedding and luggage for Yu Ge'er. He also sent a servant back to get clothes. Yu Ge'er's wife just sent him away."
The lady said, "I'm afraid I still need to thank Mr. Wu Yue!"
Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "I asked Chang Xuezhi, the youngest son of Chang Jiuhe, to look after Zhuangzi for me. He is now a small manager in the Hui Office. He went to Yongqing County with Yu Ge'er's servant and brought a painting of "Snow Trees and Cold Birds" by Li Di of the previous dynasty."
The lady nodded.
The second wife came over and asked: "I heard that Yu'er is resting in Yongqing?"
Eleventh Lady described the situation.
"Since this is a teacher who has failed the imperial examinations many times, I think it would be better to send some calligraphy and paintings by famous artists of the previous dynasty as a gift." The second lady said, "This will make it look more noble."
"Eleventh Lady has sent someone to take it over." The lady smiled and patted the cushion beside her, motioning her to sit next to her. "Jin'er wrote me a letter!" Then she took out the letter and said, "Look!"
Just like a kid getting a delicious candy, he not only likes it but also feels a bit like showing off.
The second wife was a little surprised and took it with a smile.
The lady came over and said, "Read it to me!" as if she wanted to hear more.
The second lady read it with a smile.
The lady looked particularly relieved, as if she had eaten a ginseng fruit: "Where do you think he is now?" She put the letter back into the box.
"We should have reached Linqing," the Second Madam groaned, "but it's hard to say. If we hadn't stayed in Linqing for too long, we might have reached Liaocheng!"
The old lady trusted the second lady's judgment very much. She discussed with the second lady where Jing'er had gone every day, and then looked forward to hearing from Jing'er.
Eleventh Lady watched and instructed the messenger who came back to deliver the letter: "...Write a letter to the Madam wherever you go."
At first, he only wrote letters when he stayed in places like Linqing and Liaocheng, but gradually, he would write letters wherever there was a ship moored. Apart from other things, his letters became better and better. The letter delivery boy smiled and said, "... Uncle urges the Sixth Young Master to write letters every day. He also has to practice three pages of big characters and read one page of books."
I didn't expect to gain such a reward.
The lady laughed: "Our uncle is a scholar."
The people sitting nearby also started laughing.
The lady then talked about Luo Zhenxing: "... He is really considerate. Everywhere he goes, he takes Jing'er out to play. Jing'er told me last time that his uncle wanted to take him to Qufu to worship the Confucius Temple! That place is not a place that anyone can go to." The lady worriedly said, "I wonder if he made it?"
"Please wait patiently for a few more days." The Second Madam smiled and comforted the Madam. "Whether you can go or not, Jing'er will write to tell you."
"That's right!" The lady laughed when she heard it. "He told me about the time he went to Guangyue Tower with his uncle and someone stole his purse. Not to mention such a big event as visiting the Confucius Temple."
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of July. Everyone's attention was focused on Xu Siyu who was about to take the next exam.
The Taifu and the Second Furen went to Xiangguo Temple, Baiyun Temple, Ciyuan Temple, and Wenchang Pavilion to burn incense, while Shiyi Niang and Xiang Shi prepared clothes, writing brushes, baskets, examination curtains and other things for Xu Siyu for the next exam. On the first day of August, Xu Siqin and his brother came early in the morning and sent him to the examination room with Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie. On the way, they met Fang Ji, and they went to the examination room with a few chats and laughter. After the three exams were over, Xu Sijie immediately asked Xu Siyu for advice.
"Mr. Zhao gave you your first lessons, and Mr. Chang guided you in your studies. How dare I show off my skills in front of Lu Ban?" Xu Siyu said with a smile, "But if you want to ask me what to pay attention to in the next exam, I have a lot to tell you."
"Then second brother, tell me about it." This is also something Xu Sijie will experience in the future, so he is naturally very concerned.
Xu Siyu left home when he was young, and his relationship with Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie was not close enough. Perhaps being away from home made him realize the importance of family, so Xu Siyu valued the opportunity to strengthen the friendship between brothers and told Xu Sijie all his thoughts on the exams without reservation.
After hearing this, Xu Sijie admired Xu Siyu very much.
When he took the college entrance examination, Mr. Chang gave him detailed instructions. Unexpectedly, when Xu Siyu took the college entrance examination, Mr. Jiang did not say a word to Xu Siyu. In this way, Xu Siyu passed the examination and became a scholar.
However, the conversation between the two did not last long - the results of the provincial examination came out in mid-August, and Xu Siyu ranked fourth.
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I wish you all a happy National Day!
PS: Today is my nephew’s wedding. I didn’t expect it would take me so long to look up information for this chapter. I wrote it only now, which disrupted all my plans…
Because I have to go to a wedding, I can't update any more, and the update will be postponed to around 23:00. I apologize for the inconvenience!