Xu Rong's dowry was too large to be taken to the Duke of Ying's mansion, so it was taken directly to the Marquis of Yongjing's mansion.
With the help of Master Zhang, Lin Ding's house has been settled. It is also in the western part of the city. It was originally a residence bestowed by an old minister. When the minister reached retirement age, he retired and returned to his hometown, and the house was returned to the imperial court.
The location and building were excellent, but the interior was empty, with little furnishing and servants, so everything needed to be filled in.
The advantage was that there were plenty of empty rooms. Xu Rong casually found an empty courtyard in the outer yard to use as a temporary storage place for her dowry.
Then she threw herself into busy housework.
The large residence, adhering to the basic principle of "new people, new look," needed to be painted, appropriately renovated according to the regulations of a marquis's mansion, repaired for damage caused by being vacant, and various furniture and utensils needed to be purchased, from large chests, cabinets, tables and chairs to small teacups and candles...
She did have someone to help her; Lin Dingguan provided the money, and Wei Shiguan stayed by her side saying "okay."
Xu Rong was so busy she had no temper left.
However, there's a saying that holds true throughout history: money makes things easier. Lin Ding's accumulated wealth in Annam had already arrived in the capital and been brought into his residence. He temporarily stored it in an empty courtyard, guarded by a few of his personal guards. The army had already been rewarded and returned to their posts. These personal guards weren't officially military personnel; they were essentially Lin Ding's personal retainers. Among them were not only strong and healthy men, but also the elderly or disabled. The latter could no longer serve the court and had no family to rely on, so coming to Lin Ding was like providing for their retirement.
They were more than capable of guarding homes and courtyards, even if they weren't good enough for the battlefield. Because they were grateful to Lin Ding, they were exceptionally loyal. This saved Xu Rong a worry. With her limited knowledge, she never imagined that Lin Ding meant that money was easy to earn in Annam in such a way—like single gemstones, which were sold by the box, not by the case.
"Brother Xin's daughter-in-law, spend it as you like. Just let me know if you need more. Don't give me this stuff. I don't understand it. Besides, I'm busy."
As Xu Rong was holding the ledger, intending to report the periodic expenses to Lin Ding, Lin Ding said the following.
He wasn't lying; he was indeed busy. Busy with what? Busy arranging the garden for Mr. Wei.
Of all the household chores, this was the only one he was in charge of. Apart from social engagements outside the mansion, he devoted all his time at home to the plot of land designated as a garden. He was quite diligent and conscientious, and even dug two tree pits himself. He took Mrs. Wei to see them and was extremely excited.
What could Xu Rong do but turn around and spend the money?
Money flowed out of her hands like water, which was exchanged for the increasingly well-established mansion.
She was occasionally bewildered, wondering how she had ended up taking on such a big responsibility. She really didn't want to do it, but if she didn't, no one else would. Relying on Lin Ding, the head of the family, was probably impossible once Xiao Xin—no, Lin Xin had finished his examination, and he was still struggling with that garden.
"—Which match is this? The third one, right?" Xu Rong remembered and asked Bai Fu.
Bai Fu smiled and said, "Yes, the young master went yesterday. Grandma was so busy that she couldn't figure it out."
Busy times fly by, and it's already mid-February, the end of the provincial examinations.
When the Lin and Xiao families first announced Lin Xin's return to the clan, it caused a great stir in the capital. How should I put it, it was too dramatic. Such stories usually only happen in novels, but who knew that one would actually happen in real life?
Not to mention the numerous versions of the legend that arose from this, it was even discussed at a court meeting.
Because Lin Xin already possessed the title of Jieyuan (top scholar in the provincial examination).
His change of surname not only occurred between the two prefectures, but also had to be reported to the Ministry of Rites. With this change, his personal name, background, and even the history of three generations were all changed. Since it concerned the imperial court's talent selection ceremony, it had to be handled with utmost care. The matter went all the way to the Minister of Rites, who dared not make a decision on his own, and finally reached the emperor's ears.
The Emperor summoned Lord Xiao and Lin Ding to the court assembly for questioning.
Having come this far, Lord Xiao could no longer go back on his word. No matter how unwilling he was, he had to swallow his pride and accept it.
Lin Ding, of course, wouldn't let anyone down. He even expressed his gratitude to Lord Xiao and burst into tears.
With the parties involved agreeing on their story, the alteration of Lin Xin's file in the Ministry of Rites went much more smoothly. Some officials who still had doubts stepped forward and suggested that they should investigate more carefully. However, with the test looming, such a thorough investigation would be too late.
The Emperor pondered.
British public endorsement.
The Emperor consulted with the Crown Prince.
After thinking it over, the Crown Prince replied: "Lin Xin's academic achievements are the result of hard work and there has been no cheating or illegal activity. Moreover, he has never wavered in his determination. In that case, I think we should not let his family affairs interfere with the affairs of the country. Let him take the exam. If he can pass under such pressure, I congratulate Father. Father has gained another talented person."
The Emperor nodded and said, "Good," granting permission.
...
Lin Xin barely managed to complete all the necessary procedures before the exam and went to take it.
He took the imperial examinations for nine days straight. If he passed the provincial examination, he would soon take the palace examination. Naturally, he had no time to take care of family matters. Lin Ding and Madam Wei were both unreliable, so everything fell into Xu Rong's hands.
She was so busy that she didn't even have time to carefully examine her own dowry after bringing it back.
In truth, Xu Rong's mind was on this matter.
"What is Grandma looking for?"
Seeing that she was rummaging through things again, Bai Fu and Xin Cheng came over together to help.
After arriving at the Yongjing Marquis's residence, the happiest people were not Xu Rong, but the maids. In the Xiao family, although Xu Rong had been there to protect them and they hadn't suffered any losses, with a mistress like Madam Xiao, no one could truly enjoy themselves, and their lives were always somewhat constrained.
Now things are different. Wei Shi practically has the word "generous" written all over her face. No matter what Xu Rong says to her, she never refutes him and only says "good".
Life here is more comfortable than it was in the Marquis of Ji'an's mansion.
"It's nothing, just looking for an old, unused account I kept," Xu Rong said vaguely.
What she was actually looking for was her prenuptial agreement.
She clearly remembered seeing it when she ran away with the silver notes, but for some reason, she had been looking for it for almost half a month now without success.
Could it have been lost on the way?
Where did you lose it?
Xu Rong tried to recall but couldn't, and could only deduce that if it really was lost, the most likely reason was that it was lost when it scattered valuables to distract the pursuers.
—By the way, those two retainers have been returned to Lord Xiao, but their confessions are still in Lin Ding's hands. Even when Lord Xiao arrived at the Golden Hall, he didn't dare to go back on his word, which is also related to this leverage.
But now that things have gone smoothly on the other end, a series of problems have started to arise.
After yet another failed search, Xu Rong stared blankly for a while.
It's really annoying.
She hadn't really cared much about the contract, since it had no legal effect. She wrote it down simply as a prudent reminder to both parties.
But Lin Xin got his back, while she lost hers, which made her uneasy.
She felt that something had quietly slipped out of her control, and the more she couldn't find it, the more she wanted to find it.
...but I just can't find it.
She even secretly considered going through Lin Xin's things, since he couldn't possibly have brought the contract into the exam hall; he must be at home. However, after thinking it over, she ultimately decided that she couldn't stoop so low and gave up.
When the day of reckoning finally comes, if all else fails, just try to get him to agree to something for free. He can't possibly insist on her producing a contract before he'll acknowledge it, can he?
In the end, Xu Rong made this decision.
She hadn't figured out how to confront him or what to reveal.
I just felt that this day was bound to come, and that day is coming soon.
In order to avoid fighting an unprepared battle, Xu Rong, while managing the internal affairs of the entire Yongjing Marquis's mansion, also took some time to pack up her dowry.
She was skilled at this and it didn't take her much effort; the maids didn't notice anything unusual.
Lin Xin finally finished her three exams, looking exhausted and expressionless. She went straight to rest when she got back and stayed there for several days, seemingly unaware of what she was doing.
Xu Rong didn't know if she felt relieved, or—or something else entirely. She didn't want to figure it out, so she just went at her own pace.
"I wonder how the young master did on the exam this time."
“Grandma isn’t worried, I’m sure it will be successful.”
The girls gossiped, and naturally, they all changed how they addressed Lin Xin.
Xu Rong chuckled when she heard this. That made sense. After Lin Xin registered to take the exam, she stopped thinking about it. She had a strong feeling that he had no reason not to pass.
If there's still any suspense, it's the rankings.
The results will be released approximately ten days later.
These ten days went by incredibly fast, like flowing water, and it was over in the blink of an eye.
By this time, Xu Rong had roughly tidied up the house, and the main courtyards were ready for use. Lin Ding and Madam Wei naturally lived in the main courtyard, while Xu Rong lived in Chunsheng Courtyard, which was the second largest in size after the main courtyard. The name of the courtyard was originally left by the former Minister, and Xu Rong thought it was good, so he kept it. He just asked someone to make a new plaque.
She still reserved a study for Lin Xin, and in the outer courtyard, as Lin Ding had previously mentioned, she specially set aside a bright and spacious five-bay room for him, separated only by wooden panels with various patterns, as a formal study that could serve as both a place to receive guests and a place to read.
After finishing the arrangement, Xu Rong herself was quite pleased with it. Although she didn't like reading the books here, it didn't stop her, as a former scholar, from having a special feeling for the study.
In addition, there was a touch of melancholy, feeling that he was a simplified version of Zhuge Liang, having devoted himself to the cause and it was time for him to retire after achieving his goals.
February 27th.
Before dawn, while Xu Rong was still asleep, Lin Ding ran over and knocked loudly on the courtyard gate.
The maidservant hurriedly opened the door for him, and as soon as he came in, he urged her to go see the list.
His voice was booming: "Hurry up, the car is already waiting at the door! Why aren't you in a hurry at all?!"
Xu Rong hurriedly dressed and washed up. She wasn't very calm and still wanted to know the result, after all, there was always the possibility that she might fail the exam.
Lin Xin seemed unaffected in his studies, and he even went to visit Mr. Su again. But who knows what he was really thinking? After this dramatic change, he became much more reserved and stopped talking to people about many things.
Even Xu Rong began to feel that she couldn't understand him.
Under Lin Ding's persistent urging, a quarter of an hour later, they boarded the carriage to leave.
Unlike previous announcements, the list of successful candidates for the metropolitan examination was posted outside the Ministry of Rites.
Lin Ding's urging paid off at this point; they secured a good spot in the front row, while the official notice was still at the examination hall and hadn't been transported over to be posted.
However, a number of people came to see the list, and as time went on, more and more people gathered. Before long, it became a sea of people, extremely crowded.
Lin Ding brought his servants to protect him on the outside, but it didn't help much. At this point, even if he shouted out his marquis status, no one would probably listen to him. So what if he was a marquis? The lowest person who could come here to see the list was a scholar who had passed the imperial examination. Those scholars were vying for a government job, and they didn't eat his food, so what was there to be afraid of?
Lin Ding gradually showed a hint of awe: "—Xiao Bao, you'll take the exam with them."
Look at these fierce-looking guys, they could hold their own on the battlefield for a while.
Lin Xin did not respond to him, because a loud commotion was breaking out on the outside. The crowd, which was originally packed tightly together, began to make way in a chaotic manner as the soldiers beat them.
Based on his experience, he knew that the announcement had arrived.
After the road was cleared, two rows of soldiers were seen protecting a decorated pavilion, followed by seven or eight minor officials. Under the watchful, eager gazes of the soldiers, they proceeded to the wall. The long notice was carefully taken out and slowly unfurled on the wall as it was posted.
The last place ranking is revealed first.
"The 300th place, Wang Yuezhi from Dongyang County, Jinhua Prefecture, Zhejiang Province—!"
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but shout out, and the name of this lucky winner was spread by word of mouth, until finally, from some corner, a huge sob escaped: "Waaah, I won—I won!"
As more and more rankings were announced, equally ecstatic voices rang out from all directions. Near Lin Ding, there was a middle-aged man who ranked 232nd. He looked like he had studied very hard, and his hairline had receded quite a bit. Lin Ding glanced at his shiny forehead with envy—how come he had already ranked so well, but hadn't heard Xiao Bao's name yet?
Barely suppressing his anxiety, he continued to wait.
But as time went on, the scene became increasingly chaotic. Those who had won were dancing with joy, while those who felt hopeless were devastated. Everyone had different thoughts, and no one read the list as they had at the beginning. Lin Ding was dumbfounded and tried to open his eyes wide to look at the list himself—but he couldn't understand anything.
In this setting, he was probably the only illiterate person.
That was terrible.
As the notices were fully unfurled and posted, the surrounding area was bustling with noise, with people constantly joining and leaving. Lin Xin took one last look at the notices, then turned and said, "Let's go."
"Didn't...didn't you pass?" Lin Ding asked in alarm, then hurriedly reassured him, "Xiao Bao, it's alright. The examiner just wasn't paying attention this time. We'll try again next time, and we'll definitely pass!"
Lin Xin didn't even turn his head: "No need."
“Then it’s fine not to take the exam,” Lin Ding quickly changed his mindset again. “You have the title that your father earned for you, so you don’t care about the Jinshi degree.”
Xu Rong, who had been listening to the father and son's incoherent conversation, finally couldn't help but say, "My lord, does Xuancheng mean that he passed?"
Lin Ding stayed.
He placed his front foot on the heel of his back foot and maintained this strange posture for a while before letting out a loud "Ah!"
"What number?!" he grabbed Lin Xin and asked.
Lin Xin said calmly, "First."
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