In February after the New Year, the annual children's examination is held again.
There are nearly ten people in the Jiang family who have received a few years of education, from the second brother Jiang whose son is already ten years old to the third son of the second branch of the family who just turned sixteen. Some of them have taken the exam many times, and some are taking it for the first time.
Master Jiang was a legitimate juren, and was now a well-known fifth-rank local official. Master Jiang II did later buy a small position with money. Master Jiang II knew the importance of passing the imperial examination, so he paid more attention to his sons' knowledge.
Every day, the second wife of Jiang watched her husband watching the children study. The teacher in the private school also kept praising his third son, saying that he was gifted, the most talented among all the children and grandchildren of the Jiang family, and his writing was very spiritual.
The second wife of Jiang was really proud. She brought her daughters to visit old lady Jiang every day. She sighed and said that the second son of the first family was so old and still couldn't pass the exam, so it would be better not to waste money. She also said that everyone wanted to take the exam, but those who could pass were destined by heaven.
Although Old Lady Jiang didn't like Yan Yiming, she loved her two grandsons born to Mrs. Jiang very much. She was very unhappy when she heard what Second Mrs. Jiang said. She said with a stern face that she would talk about it after she actually passed the exam, so as to avoid being embarrassed if she failed later.
Mrs. Jiang rolled her eyes and snorted coldly before stopping. After a long while, she suddenly thought of Jiang Yi, who had been in her house for nearly two months.
"Why doesn't the kid that Lao Wu brought back go and try it?"
The daughter next to Mrs. Jiang raised her eyes and glanced at her own mother. "Isn't he only thirteen?"
Before she could finish her words, Mrs. Jiang said with a look of disdain, "What kind of books can he read? Just learn a few words and don't embarrass yourself!"
Everyone present laughed.
Old Madam Jiang has a bad temper, but she won't look for trouble. She generally doesn't want to see people she doesn't like, saying that seeing them will affect her mood, so she simply exempted Jiang Yi from greeting her every day, and asked him and Yan Yiming not to come over to her place to get in the way.
But once someone brought it up, Old Madam Jiang couldn't help but sneer and scold Jiang Yi impatiently for a while. Sure enough, she forgot what Second Madam Jiang had just said wrong, and happily talked about other things with Second Madam Jiang.
In a blink of an eye, the children's examination began.
The first county exam for children consisted of five examinations, which lasted for three whole days. Everyone looked haggard and thinner when they came back, especially those who were seeing such a scene for the first time.
Old Mrs. Jiang loved her grandchildren very much, so she prepared a family dinner in the evening so that the children could relax for a while.
At the family dinner, Mr. Jiang asked nervously what essays the Jiang family members who were taking the reference had written. If they wrote well, he would praise them with joy, but if they wrote something wrong, he would inevitably sigh.
After asking around, he thought that the article written by the third son of the second house was better. Mr. Jiang felt a little depressed, thinking that everyone has different talents. This child is only sixteen years old, but his comprehension is much better than that of his second son who is almost thirty years old.
Speaking of comprehension, I can't help but think of Jiang Yi.
Only then did he notice that Jiang Yi was not seen at the entire family dinner.
Master Jiang frowned deeply, and looked around carefully several times. There was really nothing there. Madam Jiang knew what was going on and asked, "What are you looking for, Master?"
"Where's the young master?"
No one knew who Shao Jun was. Mrs. Jiang looked at Old Madam Jiang with some embarrassment, and everyone suddenly understood.
Except for Mr. Jiang, Mrs. Jiang, and Yan Yiming, no one knew Jiang Yi's true background. When she heard Jiang Yi's name, Mrs. Jiang put away her smile and said, "Since it's a family dinner, why invite him?"
Master Jiang glanced at his mother and said, "Fifth brother entrusted the young master to us. I am a descendant of the Jiang family."
Young Master Jiang Wu, who had just been scolded by Master Jiang, glanced at the old lady and advised Master Jiang a few more words, saying that since it was a family dinner, there was no need to invite him, and besides, he might not understand what everyone was saying. Master Jiang suddenly became angry after hearing this.
He couldn't scold the second wife's son, but he could scold his own son however he wanted.
"What the hell!"
Mr. Jiang shouted so loudly that the chopsticks in the hand of Mr. Jiang Wu fell to the ground. Mrs. Jiang felt sorry for her grandson and glared at her son, scolding her own son for such an irrelevant person.
Master Jiang got even angrier, "He doesn't understand, but you do! You are the laziest in studying, yet you have the nerve to criticize Shaojun. Do you know that Shaojun is seven years younger than you but he passed the Tongsheng exam long ago, but you are not even a Tongsheng? Why don't you shut up!"
Everyone was shocked when these words came out. The smile on Master Jiang's face froze instantly. After a long while, he said, "Brother, did you say this wild... child passed the child's exam?"
Master Jiang snorted coldly, "It's absolutely true."
Old Mrs. Jiang still hasn't reacted. The Second Mrs. Jiang and the Third Young Master Jiang, who had been in high spirits, could no longer smile.
He was already a scholar at the age of thirteen. Compared with Jiang Yi, he was nothing.
When Jiang Yi showed up at the family dinner, the expressions on everyone's faces when they looked at him were very different from before. Old Mrs. Jiang was still feeling uncomfortable, perhaps unwilling to admit that Jiang Yi was talented. In the end, she could only awkwardly say that it was her fifth son who had taught him well.
Madam Jiang and Second Madam Jiang glanced at Old Madam Jiang at the same time, and for the first time, they turned away with a unanimous sneer.
Afterwards, when everyone saw Jiang Yi again, Jiang Yi had finally become a legitimate young master.
As for Yan Yiming, ever since Mr. Jiang found out that Jiang Yi was so capable at such a young age, and Mrs. Jiang persuaded him at night, Mr. Jiang never stopped him again and asked Yan Yiming, as his sister, to take better care of Jiang Yi.
Yan Yiming naturally agreed.
Jiang Yi personally came to Yan Yiming and thanked him seriously. Yan Yiming laughed helplessly and said, "You made it yourself. I was just telling you the truth. Why thank me?"
Jiang Yi said seriously, "I still have to thank you."
Yan Yiming glanced at him, picked up a green date with his slender fingers, put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly, saying, "Little kid, it's better to be more lively."
Jiang Yi glanced at Yan Yiming and turned his face away and said sullenly, "...I'm not a child."
"Only children will not admit that they are young," Yan Yiming smiled, and picked up another green date and stuffed it into Jiang Yi's mouth while he was not paying attention, "Anyone younger than me is a child, stop making trouble, eat a date."
I took a bite subconsciously, and the sweet taste of the green dates overflowed in my mouth.
Jiang Yi saw her slender white fingers retracted, met the smile between her eyebrows, and suddenly wanted to eat another one.
But it would be too childish to say anything more. I just said that I am not a child. It is better not to do it...
When he was struggling with the dilemma, Yan Yiming seemed to have guessed what he was thinking and naturally fed him another one. Jiang Yi subconsciously leaned forward slightly and took a bite of the date.
Yan Yiming looked at his face which clearly showed rejection, but his movements were not at all dragging, and he wanted to laugh but couldn't.
It's so awkward.
After finishing dinner together, Jiang Yi returned to his residence. He heard from the maids there that Jiang Yi would read for a long time every night. Yan Yiming had flipped through the books that Jiang Yi brought. The paper was very old and it was obvious that he had read it many times. There were annotations all over it, which showed how serious Jiang Yi was.
According to Mrs. Jiang, even Mr. Jiang was not so hardworking back then.
Even if one is gifted, he still has to work much harder than ordinary people.
Now, all the men in the Jiang family are studying desperately, but they are studying for the children's examination in a few days, while Jiang Yi is studying for the provincial examination in three years.
Jiang Yi was chosen as the top scholar at the age of seventeen, which means he passed the provincial examination when he was sixteen.
Compared to other people in the Jiang Mansion who still have time to waste, Jiang Yi needs to do a lot in three years.
Last time, Mrs. Jiang and Yan Yiming said that they would bring Jiang Yi over to talk sometimes, and Yan Yiming turned around and asked Jiang Yi for his opinion. Mrs. Jiang was Yan Yiming's mother. Jiang Yi also remembered that when he first met Old Lady Jiang, Mrs. Jiang spoke for him again. He immediately put down the book in his hand, straightened his robe, and went to talk to Mrs. Jiang with Yan Yiming.
I didn't expect to find out after entering that there was not only Mrs. Jiang, but also a group of concubines and sisters from the main house, as well as two ladies I had never seen before.
In addition to Madam Jiang, Mr. Jiang also married three concubines. Together, the concubines gave birth to five sons and four daughters for Mr. Jiang. Two of the four daughters have already married, and now there are two concubine daughters left. It is time to discuss marriage.
Even a little late.
After all, the youngest, Yan Yiming, will soon be sixteen. The third girl is one year older than Yan Yiming, and the fourth girl is four months older than her.
No one expected Yan Yiming to come. Even Mrs. Jiang, who was happy to see her daughter, didn't want her daughter to hear this.
Ever since the news of his daughter's illness was exaggerated by Mrs. Jiang II, no one has come to propose marriage to Yan Yiming. Now even the third and fourth daughters have matchmakers who say that their daughter is so talented and much better than them, but she is the one who can't get married.
Yan Yiming's marriage has become a thorn in Mrs. Jiang's heart, and she dares not touch it.
Just as she was about to ask Yan Yiming and Jiang Yi to go inside and sit down for a while, the matchmaker who came to talk about love saw Yan Yiming and his eyes lit up. After guessing Yan Yiming's identity, he couldn't help but praise Yan Yiming and said, "I've never seen anyone so outstanding."
Madam Jiang smiled, and the fourth and third girls suddenly laughed unnaturally. Aunt Zhao, who was sitting at the bottom, sighed and said, "Yes, our fifth girl is really a first-class beauty." At this point, she looked sad again, "But God is blind, and it just happened... Oh, what a pity..."
Madam Jiang immediately put away her smile. Yan Yiming glanced at Aunt Zhao and said calmly, "What a pity?"
Aunt Zhao was startled by this meaningless and icy voice. Thinking of the master's doting on Yan Yiming, she lowered her head and said nothing.
The matchmaker was also very smart. She understood what Aunt Zhao meant. She cursed Aunt Zhao for being nosy and quickly changed the subject. She glanced at the small but handsome Jiang Yi and exclaimed, "Whose young man is this?"
Mrs. Jiang smiled faintly and explained that this was the son of the fifth master in the family.
Although the matchmaker didn't know the details, she knew that Master Jiang Wu had eloped with a married widow, so she immediately kept her mouth shut and didn't mention it again.
After Yan Yiming and Jiang Yi went inside, they continued to talk about their previous marriage.
Jiang Yi and Yan Yiming were sitting in the inner room. The maids brought tea and they drank it slowly. Jiang Yi raised his eyes and looked closely at Yan Yiming's thin hands holding the teacup. Because his skin was so white, one could even see the blood vessels on it. At this moment, he sat there expressionless, and returned to his usual appearance in front of others.
Jiang Yi thought of what Aunt Zhao had just said.
What a pity, what a pity.
It's a pity that he died young. No matter how good-looking he was or how good his family background was, it was useless.
Why did Mrs. Jiang look so unhappy? Why could a concubine like Yan Yiming make her unhappy about this matter? It was because Yan Yiming was not in good health.
Because no one dares to marry a woman who is born with a deficiency.
Jiang Yi suddenly felt indescribable anger.
Because he had seen too good a side of Yan Yiming, he could hardly find any bad points in Yan Yiming. Yet, such a good person was criticized by one ignorant person after another.
Why do they do that?
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