Chapter 172: Got beaten again?
"Dad, the emperor appointed me as the official in charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
"Well, it seems that the emperor has read the policy paper you wrote. The emperor must have sent you to the Ministry of Personnel for a reason. The official selection system will have to be reformed sooner or later." At this point, Shen Yun said to his son, "In every dynasty, reform is not an easy thing."
"Yes, my son knows, and I am not afraid."
To reform means to get rid of the old, and the old is not just a description. Behind the word "old" are people who will try their best to prevent the arrival of the "new".
As soon as Shen Xu finished speaking, he was beaten with a bamboo stick. It had been a long time since he had been beaten, and it still hurt so much.
Shen Xu felt wronged, "Dad, why did you hit me?"
"Who told you not to be afraid? As an official, you have to be afraid. What do you want to do if you are not afraid of anything? Officials who are not afraid of anything will never have a good ending."
"I understand, Dad. I won't do anything rash."
"Hmm. What about the other two? What positions do they hold?"
"The first place winner, Li Ping, is a clerk in the Ministry of Maritime Trade, and the third place winner, Xu Heng, is a deputy director of the Guest Office of the Honglu Temple."
Shen Yun was a little puzzled. "Li Mu? Why is he just a Li Mu?"
Shen Su then told him what Li Ping wrote, and said that he was good at business, "The emperor must have his reasons for doing this."
"Yes, it would be a pity to let such a talent go back to business. He is now a clerk, but the Maritime Trade Department is just starting out. I guess if he does well, his promotion speed will be much faster than any of you. The Honglu Temple is a first-class leisurely government office. It seems that the emperor treats you well."
"I think that the third place winner Xu Heng seems a little dissatisfied as well."
For some reason, Shen Su felt that this person was a very scheming person and not someone who was easy to make friends with.
"It's normal to feel a little dissatisfied. Young people have ambitions in their hearts, so they naturally look down on the Honglu Temple."
At night, Madam Shen came to her daughter's room and said, "Xixi, I will sleep with you tonight."
"Mom, are you wondering what place Master Lu will get?"
"Yes, after he passes the imperial examination, we should discuss your wedding date. It will only take a few months. I hope he can take up a post in the capital. With your uncle around, I can rest assured when I return to Nanjing."
Except for the first class and the first few Jinshi, all the Jinshi and other Jinshi candidates who wanted to be appointed as officials had to wait for vacancies. The later they went, the fewer good vacancies there were.
"Don't worry, mother. Even if I'm assigned to a foreign post, it's just a way to make a living. You should believe in your daughter. She will be able to live a good life wherever she goes."
"Of course I believe you. I know you are smart. But no matter what, with your family around, no one will dare to bully you. I regret that I shouldn't have arranged a marriage for you so early."
Mrs. Shen felt reluctant to let her daughter get married. When her daughter got married, she and the old lady would be the only ones left in her hometown in Jinling. Life would be really boring.
Shen Xi smiled and leaned into her mother's arms, "Mom, then I won't get married and will stay with you."
"What nonsense."
The night before, Mrs. Shen was still worried about her daughter's life after marriage, but she didn't expect that the old lady would talk to her about this the next day.
"My dear wife, you have suffered so much over the years."
Mrs. Shen was confused. "Why did mother suddenly say this? Your daughter-in-law doesn't feel it's hard."
"I've been thinking about this since Kang Ge'er and the kid from the Lu family took the exam. When Xixi gets married, you can go to the eldest brother's place."
Madam Shen stood up directly this time, "Mother, what are you talking about? Do you want me to let you stay in Jinling alone? Besides, my family is also in Jinling, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that."
"Please sit down and listen to me. The eldest brother is not like the second brother. You take care of the family, and he also took a concubine. Although this concubine was sent by the superiors, it is difficult to refuse. But in the end, he is sorry for you. I also know that you have a rift because of this. The last time the eldest brother came, he also told you that he has sent away the concubine."
"yes."
When she came back for the Chinese New Year, her husband did tell her that he had already let the concubine go and married someone else, but the initial grudge could not be healed in a short time.
When Old Madam Shen saw her like this, she knew that she still had some resentment in her heart.
"I didn't say this when Xixi was still at home. When Xixi gets married, we will just be the two of us staring at each other. What's the point of living like this? I've already discussed it with the second brother. When Xixi gets married, I will come to the capital and live with the second brother, and you can go to the eldest brother. I'm not chasing you away. If you don't want to, you can stay in Jinling. The second brother also said that you can stay in the capital if you want. But after all, you are husband and wife, and you are still young. Are you going to live like this?"
Old Madam Shen said this from the bottom of her heart. Over the years, she had spent more time with her daughter-in-law than with her two sons. She had long regarded her daughter-in-law as her own daughter.
"Mom, you're joking. I'm not young at all. Just as you said, it's better for you to stay with your uncle in the capital than in Jinling. It's more lively here."
"I, an old woman, don't even say I'm old, but you think you're old? Maybe in the future, our family can all come to the capital to reunite."
After saying this, both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law laughed.
Shen Yuan also knew that after his elder sister got married, his grandmother would have to live in the capital forever, but now Shen Yuan was no longer afraid of his grandmother.
May 20th was the day of the Qionglin Banquet. Early in the morning, the Ministry of Rites would post a list of names and announce the rankings of the second and third places.
Lu Ne was very nervous. Jinshi and Jinshi are definitely not just one word different.
After an unknown amount of time, Lune finally heard her name.
"Jinling Prefecture, Lu Ne, 55th in the second class."
Second place, it's second place! Lune breathed a sigh of relief.
After the names were announced, the Qionglin Banquet followed, where the emperor personally hosted a banquet to entertain the new scholars.
"Xuan'er, your father said that there are many young talents among the new Jinshi this year. It's time for you to choose a prince consort. Today, I will let you take a look for yourself."
Da Zhao did not have a rule that the prince consort would not be given real power, so Princess Shang was naturally very honored. The emperor held a banquet today and specially brought all his children with him. He also told the queen privately that if his daughters liked anyone, they could recruit him as a prince consort.
"I think General Kuang's kid is good, and his family tradition is good, but I don't force you to choose him. You should take a closer look at him."
The Queen favors Kuang Qianfan. The Kuang family has a clean and honest family tradition and has been loyal for generations. Kuang Qianfan is also well-educated. She has also told the Emperor about this, and the Emperor has no objection, but he said that it depends on his daughter's own opinion.
He was the one who decided his son's marriage because he wanted the Ye and Liu families to keep things quiet. As for his daughter, Emperor Zhaoming still wanted her to marry someone she liked.
After hearing what her mother said, Princess Zhaoyang specifically asked the eunuch which one was the young master of the Kuang family. As a result, when she looked, she saw him talking to the person next to him with his teeth bared. He looked stupid and the princess was a little displeased.
How could Kuang Qianfan know this? He was ranked over 30, sitting in the crowd, thinking no one was watching him! If Kuang Qianfan knew what the princess was thinking, he would probably say that he was born to love to laugh, so how could he be so stupid? !