The provincial examination consists of three consecutive sessions, each lasting three days, which means that one has to stay in the small space like a cellar of an examination room for nine days and nine nights. The feeling is really sour and refreshing. It is not only a test of students' physical fitness, but also their psychological quality.
When he finally handed in his paper and walked out of the examination room on the last day, Yuan Jing lifted his sleeves to smell his clothes. Even though his nose was a little dysfunctional, he could still smell a sour odor. Tao Dayong did not dislike his son at all. He ran over and carried his son on his shoulders. He asked the servant who came with them to carry the examination basket and carry his son to the carriage.
Yuan Jing really enjoyed his father's meticulous care. When Yu Xiao and Zou Weiting came out to the carriage, they just lay down. Unlike Yuan Jing who could still sit there drinking tea and eating snacks, the two of them had finally held on until the last moment, but once they relaxed, they could no longer hold on. They looked weakly at Yuan Jing who was still in good spirits, closed their eyes and fell asleep.
Yuan Jing felt the pulse of both of them unnoticeably. They were tired, but there were no other major problems. During the time they lived together, he secretly mixed spiritual spring water into the tea they drank, so their physical condition was not too bad. Some students were carried out in the middle of the exam.
After returning, Yu Xiao and Zou Weiting were carried to the bed but did not wake up, which shows how tired they were. Tao Dayong arranged for a doctor to take the pulse of the three candidates. Naturally, Yuan Jing's condition was the best. The other two would be able to recover as long as they rested well for a while, and they did not need to take any medicine. Only then did Tao Dayong feel relieved.
After Yu Xiao and Zou Weiting woke up, they said that Yuan Jing, the youngest, was the most energetic, which made them jealous. However, when they thought of Yuan Jing's performance in riding and archery in the academy, they could only admit defeat.
When the results were announced, it was both unexpected and expected. Yuanjing was the top scorer in high school. The 13-year-old winner of the imperial examination and the first place in the college examination three years ago made the name Tao Yuanjing known to more people. Yu Xiao and Zou Weiting were also on the list.
They didn't know whether it was a bad fate or something, but in the last college entrance examination, one ranked second and the other third, and this time they were still next to each other, one ranked seventh and the other eighth. Zou Weiting was still better than Yu Xiao, which made Yu Xiao, who had recovered well after a rest, so angry that he wanted to bite Zou Weiting.
Tao Dayong was so excited that he danced with joy. He no longer had any hesitation and had to go to the capital. With such good grades for his son, it would be no problem for him to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi in the future. So according to the plan, after the results came out, Tao Dayong would return to Taojia Village first and persuade the whole family to move to the capital. Yuan Jing and the other two would go back to Bailu Academy first to report their grades to the teacher, and then go home from Bailu Academy and go to the capital with their families.
The dean of Bailu Academy is an old man with a bad temper. He has been like this since he was young, and it has become a little better as he gets older. Perhaps it is because he knows that his temper is not suitable for officialdom, so he devoted himself to the cause of education and trained generations of students to enter the court.
In his later years, he originally did not want to accept any more disciples, but he caught his eye with Tao Yuanjing. Now Yuanjing's performance also made him happy, and he thought that his last disciple did not embarrass him. Look, who can teach a 13-year-old to become the top scholar?
On the day the results were announced, someone copied the list and sent it to the academy. Dean Mao had been showing off for quite a while before Yuan Jing came back, making the other two deputy deans want to kick him out.
In front of his young disciple, Dean Mao was very calm. He encouraged when necessary and poured cold water on him when necessary. Winning the provincial examination did not mean that he would pass the subsequent metropolitan examination. Moreover, Dean Mao's requirements for his disciples were not just to pass the imperial examination. As his last disciple, not being able to win the first place would be a disgrace to him.
According to Dean Mao's idea, if he asked his disciple to wait for another three years and take part in the next joint examination, he would have a better chance of getting the first place. Moreover, his disciple was only thirteen years old. Even if he passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen next year, he would be too young in the eyes of others. They would not use him too much, which would be disadvantageous. But his disciple had already made up his mind. What else could he do? He had to listen to his disciple.
"I have taught you everything I should have taught you in the past three years. When you get to the capital, go find your third senior brother. Here is a letter I wrote to him. Your other two brothers are on assignment and are not in the capital. It won't be too late to contact them when you come back. It's a good opportunity for you to ask your third senior brother to give you some pointers."
Yuan Jing took the letter and bowed deeply to his teacher. The teacher had helped him tremendously, not only in his studies and life, but also in his future career in government. The teacher's connections would also pave the way for him, so people of this era would not easily accept disciples. If they did, they would treat the disciple as their own son. If Yuan Jing got into trouble in the future, his teacher would also be implicated.
"Teacher, don't worry. When I get to the capital, I will listen to my third brother. Because I am young, even if I pass the imperial examination, others will think that I am too young to be wooed, and I will not be drawn into the whirlpool of the capital."
Dean Mao stroked his beard and smiled: "That makes sense. It seems that your age has both advantages and disadvantages. It depends on how you do it. Go ahead. The teacher is waiting for your good news."
As Yuan Jing's teacher, how could Dean Mao not know that appearance and age can be deceiving? Even if his student is not a smart person, he has a calmness that does not match his age. That is why he did not blindly stop Yuan Jing from going to Beijing to take the exam, because he knew that the student must have his reasons for doing so.
Yuan Jing bowed again and turned to leave.
Yu Xiao and Zou Weiting decided to go to the capital with Yuan Jing to take part in the imperial examination. Even if they failed, they would just regard it as an exercise. Although they disliked each other, it was undeniable that in the eyes of outsiders, the three of them were the iron triangle of the academy and did everything together.
The three of them agreed to meet in the capital, and then went back to their homes.
Yuan Jing returned to Taojia Village full of glory. When the good news was delivered to Taojia Village that day, the whole village was excited. Tao Yuanjing from their village had become a juren, and the first place in the provincial examination. Would he become the top scholar in the future?
The villagers were so excited that they ran around telling each other the story, causing the nearby villages to feel envious and jealous. They wondered how come such a genius didn't appear in their village.
When Yuan Jing returned to the village, Taojia Village was bustling for several days. This time, the clan leader took the lead in organizing a grand banquet. Yuan Jing had no reason to object. What's more, the old lady had already agreed to go to the capital with him, and it was unknown when she would come back. Of course, he wanted to let the old lady enjoy herself before she left.
Wang was so jealous that her mouth was about to burst with jealousy, but she had to put on a smiling face to entertain the guests. Otherwise, not only the old lady, but also the people in Taojia Village would scold her to death. She didn't know why, but when she saw her nephew having such a glorious life, she thought of her daughter who had run away with the money and was now unknown whether she was alive or dead. Who knew what happened back then? Could she just listen to what her nephew said?
Fortunately, Yuan Jing didn't know what was in Wang's mind. Of course, he had never had a good impression of Wang, his aunt. Look at how she spoiled her son, and yet she was so confident that her son would be successful in the future.
After the excitement, the family sat down to discuss going to the capital. The old lady and Mrs. Song had both yearning and awe for the capital, the place under the feet of the emperor. Although they agreed to go, they wanted Tao Dayong and Yuan Jing to go first. They were either women or children, and going together now would only cause trouble. It would be better to wait until they were settled there, and then Tao Dayong would make the hard trip and come back to pick them up.
Yuan Jing thought about it and it made sense. After all, the old lady was not young, and his brother was still young. "If this happens, Dad will have to work hard. He will have to travel back and forth and suffer on the way."
Tao Dayong waved his hand and said, "It's okay. Dad is very strong. Yuan Jing, you can just focus on studying. I will take care of your mother and brother."
Ever since Yuan Jing came back, Niu Niu has become his little tail. Now he snuggles up to him and leaves his mother aside. Even though they have been separated for such a long time, this little one just remembers his brother and wants to be close to him.
The little one who understood what the adults said pouted his lips so hard that he could hang an oil bottle on them: "Then Niu Niu will have to be separated from his brother for a while again."
This made the adults laugh.
Before Yuan Jing left, he sent a batch of books to the village school for students to borrow and copy. He also sent a few books that were helpful for the imperial examinations from Master Chen, which he copied from the academy in his spare time. Some of the books were hard to find outside, and he also sorted out some of them himself. He sent a copy to Sun Wenmin, who became more confident after reading it and prepared to take part in the next provincial examination.
In the life before Tao Yuzhu was reborn, her original body brought the unmarried Tao Sanya to the capital and arranged a good marriage for her. In this life, Yuan Jing did not have much contact with the former Tao Sanya, the current Tao Erya. Although he thought she was a good child, he did not want to follow the old path of his original body and treat Tao Erya's affairs as his own and work hard for them, but in the end he might not get Wang's gratitude.
But before leaving, he talked with his grandmother alone for a while. After Yuan Jing and Tao Dayong left Taojia Village, the old lady forcefully suppressed Wang's opposition and made drastic arrangements for Tao Sanya. Because the old lady did not trust Wang as much as Yuan Jing did, and the eldest son was a soft-hearted person, he would be fooled by Wang and let her make the decision, and there was a possibility that she would sell the remaining two daughters.
Of course, this does not mean that Wang really sold her daughter, but that she only cared about the appearance rather than the substance when marrying her daughter off. She might marry into a family that would be a hindrance to her, as long as the betrothal gifts were large, and those gifts would definitely be spent on her precious child. If anything went wrong, her beloved grandson would have to step in to clean it up.
Wang was so angry that her teeth were itching. She thought that since the old lady was going to the capital, no one would be able to put pressure on her. She didn't expect that such a thing would happen before she left. Her own daughters couldn't even make decisions for themselves. She was not at all satisfied with the families her two daughters had been engaged to.
The old lady also had a trick up her sleeve. She gave all the gifts that the two families had agreed to give to the clan leader and instructed Tao Dazhui to give all those gifts as dowry to the two girls when they got married, and not to keep any of them, so that people would not think that the Tao family had to rely on selling their daughters to support their son.
Tao Dazhui took his mother's words to heart, otherwise his mother would have told him not to acknowledge her as his mother anymore.
The old lady also asked the clan leader to keep an eye on Wang in the future. The clan leader was indeed worried. The clan leader might have raised such a vicious and daring girl. The root of the problem might be Wang's mother. For the sake of Tao Yuanjing and the entire Taojia Village, of course he had to keep Wang under close watch.
Wang was so angry that her teeth were itching. She never thought that Yuan Jing was the one behind all this. Otherwise, she would have wanted to bite her nephew Yuan Jing.
At this time, Yuan Jing and his father finally arrived outside the capital following a merchant caravan. Looking at the tall city walls, both father and son were equally excited, but the purpose of their excitement was different.
Yuan Jing touched the jade pendant on his chest. He was finally here. He was finally going to meet Mu Chengan again.
This is the bad thing about ancient time and space. There has been no way to get in touch in the past three years, and the identity of the King of Zhenbei is extremely sensitive. Yuan Jing thought that even if he came to the capital, he and his lover would have to communicate secretly for a while, but it was better than not being able to meet at all. That was all he asked for.
The prosperity of the capital city is incomparable to that of Wenchang City. Tao Dayong was dazzled by it. He was also very excited to think about living here in the future. The father and son took Yuan Jing's servant Tao Zi to stay in an inn first, and then slowly looked for a house.
"By the way, Dad, you don't have to worry about money when you look for a house. Here are two thousand taels of silver notes. If it's not enough, ask me again." When Yuan Jing was at home, he had no chance to take out this money. Now that he thinks about it, he should take out less so as not to scare his father.
But even so, Tao Dayong was shocked: "Two thousand taels? Where did it come from?"
"Of course I earned it. Tao Zi also knows this." Tao Zi is an orphan. After being bought by Yuan Jing, he took his surname. When naming him, they happened to see a peach tree, so they gave him this name. Anyway, Tao Zi thought it sounded nice.
Tao Zi nodded. He was the young master's die-hard fan. He told Tao Dayong the way to make money in the future: "The young master is very good at growing flowers. A pot of flowers can be sold for dozens of taels or even more. The flowers grown by the young master are sold to those wealthy families through young masters Yu and Zou. The young master said that the money of those who pretend to be cultured is the easiest to make."
"So it was really you, Yuan Jing, who earned the money?" Tao Dayong repeated, holding his chin.
Tao Zi nodded vigorously to confirm.
Tao Dayong let out a long sigh and then became happy again. As expected, his son was very capable. He was not only good at studying, but also good at making money. His whole family raised sheep and grew herbs. The money they earned in the past three years was not as much as Yuan Jing alone. This time when she came to the capital, his mother handed most of her savings to him, a total of eight hundred taels. He thought it was enough, but who would have thought that it was not enough in front of his son.
Tao Dayong was extremely proud and wanted to leave some for his son, but Yuan Jing said that he still had some on him, enough for him to use. Tao Dayong only thought that he had a few dozen taels, and never expected that he had more than a thousand taels.
With the two thousand taels of silver, Tao Dayong became more confident about buying a house.
So next, Yuan Jing went to visit his senior brother and contact his classmates Yu Xiao and Zou Weiting, while Tao Dayong ran around looking for a house.
Yuan Jing's third senior brother's surname is Di Rong. He is obviously a scholar, but he looks like a warrior. Of course, it's just his appearance. You have to know that he was the top scholar in the imperial examination. When he saw Yuan Jing, he happily touched his head. In his eyes, such a junior brother is no different from his son: "Good, good, I have been looking forward to your coming to the capital since I received the teacher's letter. Now you are finally here, just as the teacher wrote in the letter."
Yuan Jing saw that the third senior brother was also quite friendly, so he asked: "What did the teacher say in the letter?"
"Haha, the teacher said that among the four disciples, only you, Yuan Jing, are the most beautiful."
Yuan Jing was speechless. Is it okay for the teacher to describe him like this? In his eyes, the most serious teacher was actually so naughty with his senior brother in private.
But in Di Rong's eyes, his junior brother is just a pretty boy with rosy lips and white teeth. In a few years, he will surely charm a lot of the young ladies in Beijing. Of course, the final result was not what Di Rong could have expected.
Di Rong even called his own son to come meet his uncle. When Yuan Jing saw the obvious disdain in his brother's eyes when his nephew came over, he probably understood how much he liked him, because his nephew and his brother were almost cut from the same mold, and perhaps his brother liked people who looked like him.
Yuan Jing heard from his teacher about his third senior brother's family situation. It was no wonder that his senior brother looked like that, because his father was a military commander and his senior brother was an outlier in the family. He had never liked martial arts but literature since he was a child. He also didn't like his appearance. He never expected that his son would be the same as him. What upset him the most was that his son actually liked martial arts more than literature.
When his son was born, he had so many expectations that he named him Di Yu, hoping to have a son who was talented and beautiful. Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.
But perhaps because he was born in a military family, although he chose the path of a civil servant, the third senior brother's temperament was obviously influenced by the military generals and he was very cheerful.
Although the junior nephew was only two years younger than him, Yuan Jing still brought a gift, a piece of jade he carved himself. The nephew took it with both hands and grinned: "Thank you, junior uncle."
He has the same personality as his senior brother. He was not affected by his father's dislike, and he was not jealous at all of his junior uncle, whom his father often talked about to highlight his stupidity.
"Where are you living now? The teacher has repeatedly told me to take good care of you."
"In the inn first. My father is looking for a house outside. He plans to bring the whole family over after he buys one." Yuan Jing answered truthfully.
"Okay then. I know you have no shortage of money. I'll ask the housekeeper to look around for you. If you find something good, let this kid send you a message." The teacher had boasted to him about his junior brother's flower-growing skills. By the way, he also had two pots of flowers at home that were grown by his junior brother, so Di Rong didn't bother to be polite with him.
"Okay." Yuan Jing did not refuse.
Senior brother now works in the Ministry of Revenue and has reached the fourth rank. Yuan Jing knows from this that although senior brother is cheerful, his emotional intelligence is also very good. Otherwise, as a person from a military family, he would not be able to reach this level in the civil service in just a few years.
When Yuan Jing returned to the inn, Tao Dayong also came back. He took Yuan Jing and walked out: "Yuan Jing, Dad has taken a fancy to a house. If you think it's good, we can decide on it."
What good luck! I only looked at a few houses and found one I liked so quickly? Yuan Jing was a little skeptical, but when he arrived at the three-story house and saw the layout and furnishings inside and the price the middleman mentioned, Yuan Jing realized that someone had deliberately sent this house to him.
Who could it be? There was no one else to think of except Mu Chengan.
Yuan Jing was very happy and bought the house on the spot.
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