Yu Jiao looked up, pretending she didn't understand what Xue Rong meant. "I often hear people say that Princess Changle is the most talented woman in the capital. She has been taught by masters since she was young, but it's just that girls can't take the imperial examinations to become officials. Otherwise, with Princess Changle's talent, she should have been able to pass the imperial examinations."
Xue Rong really dotes on her youngest sister Xue Qingshang. She couldn't stop smiling when she heard Yu Jiao's praise. She covered her lips and said, "Shang'er has loved reading since she was young. It's a pity that she is a girl. Otherwise, maybe she could have won the first place in the imperial examination as you said."
She took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and said worriedly, "That's right. She doesn't like all the young masters from noble families in the capital, and Yu Shidu is the first one. Shang'er has reached the age of marriage, and my mother passed away early, so she is the only sister. As the saying goes, an elder sister is like a mother, so naturally I have to take care of her. I sent a lot of portraits back to the mansion, but she refused to even look at them!"
Although Xue Rong was complaining, her love for Xue Qingshang was evident in her words. She chuckled, "It's rare that Yu Shidu is favored by her. Tell me about his personality. I heard that he was born in Qingzhou. How many brothers and sisters does he have? Are his parents still alive?"
Yu Jiao calmed down after hearing this. She sighed and said, "My fifth brother's family lives in a small mountain village in Changkui County, Qingzhou. His parents and grandparents are still alive. The grandmother of the Yu family married the old man later, so the old man favored the youngest son. The third room often quarreled over trivial matters. The fifth brother's father went to the mountains to dig herbs for money and broke his leg. Now he needs someone to take care of him. His mother is gentle and kind, and is always bullied. The family couldn't afford the fifth brother's tuition. After the Tongsheng exam, the fifth brother didn't go to school again. He relied on copying books for others to earn some copper coins to buy paper. It was really not easy for him to pass the imperial examination and become an official in Beijing."
Seeing that Xue Rong looked fine, Yu Jiao continued, "I remember before coming to Beijing, the old man of the Yu family said that if the fifth brother could pass the imperial examination, the whole family would move to Beijing to enjoy a good life. The fifth brother has four older cousins, and the old man of the Yu family said that as long as the fifth brother has a promising future, he would help and support his four older brothers. I also saw a letter from Chang Kui at the fifth brother's place the day before yesterday, blaming him for not sending someone to bring his family to Beijing to live a good life."
"His grandfather is really too unreasonable. Yu Shidu looks like he is just a young man. In the capital, he would just be old enough to eat, drink and have fun all day long. How could his family exploit him like this?" After hearing this, Xue Rong sighed that it was not easy for Yu Qizhe to get the first place in the imperial examination. In order to cultivate their children's studies, the wealthy families in the capital mobilized the whole family, invited good teachers to give lectures in their homes, and sent them to the best academies. It is really amazing that Yu Qizhe can get to where he is today by relying on himself.
Xue Rong was born in a baron's mansion, but had never seen a truly poor family. When marrying off a daughter in the capital, people would not consider the livelihood issue. They would only worry about whether the personnel affairs in the mansion were complicated. But after listening to Yu Jiao's description, she felt that the poverty of Yu Shidu's family was really shocking.
Yu Jiao smiled bitterly and sighed heavily, "To be honest, I paid for my fifth brother to go to Beijing for the imperial examination. I also sent people to buy him pens, ink, paper and inkstone. Even the house he lives in now was bought from a broker not long ago. His monthly salary is only a few dozen taels of silver. If we really bring that big family to Beijing, how can we feed so many mouths? My fifth brother has a dull personality and doesn't like to argue. When the time comes, as long as Mr. Yu puts pressure on him with the word filial piety, he will have no choice but to endure it."
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