Madam Lin thought her daughter-in-law's idea was bad, but she had no money. Her daughter-in-law begged her not to tell anyone, as long as she was willing to hold off Old Master Song for a while.
Lin was caught in a dilemma, torn between her son's wedding and the face of her elders. In the end, she was persuaded by Luo Fu.
Luo Fu said that as long as she stalled Old Master Song for a while and let her people go into the house to retrieve a painting, she could pretend she knew nothing about it.
Lin thought it was feasible, so she found an excuse to talk to Old Master Song that day.
After she came out of Old Master Song's room, Luo Fu's maid came to tell her that the matter had been settled. She breathed a sigh of relief, but her conscience was still very uneasy.
Isn't this tantamount to theft? But Luo Fu said that it's family property, and taking it for use doesn't count as theft.
Lin felt her heart pounding and couldn't settle down, so she quickly went back to her room and recited the sutra a few more times.
After acquiring the calligraphy and painting, Luo Fu quickly sold them. She took eight hundred taels of silver and told Lin that she had only sold them for five hundred taels. With the five hundred taels from the public coffers, plus the five hundred taels from the sale of the calligraphy and painting, her second brother's wedding banquet could be held quite well with a thousand taels.
But to her surprise, the painting she sold soon ended up in the hands of Yuwen Wuji.
This painting depicts a winter landscape of mountains and fields, with the entire mountainside covered in white snow. An old man wearing a straw hat, his back hunched, leans on a wooden cane and looks up at the seemingly insurmountable mountain.
The words "With lofty aspirations, I dare not think of the old hall" are outlined by the light and shadow of the trees on the mountain.
Yuwen Wuji, who was the top scholar in this imperial examination, felt extremely upset upon seeing this painting.
Song Zhao's words are simply outrageous! Does he think the previous dynasty was better than the current Chen dynasty?!
He still "holds lofty ambitions," but with his limited abilities, he'd have a hard time even managing to control a flood! He's just a mediocre talent who only knows how to talk the talk!
"Not daring to think of the old hall" means that one still thinks of the good things about the previous dynasty!
"I recall that the second son of the Song family was also on the list this time?"
Li Wei bowed and said, "Young Master Song was fortunate enough to be on the list."
"Hmph, I remember his elder brother cheated on exams. Have someone thoroughly investigate him!"
Li Wei wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking to himself that the Song family was truly doomed this time!
But then I thought about Song Wenyue, who had given birth to a prince, and I wondered if that was necessarily true.
Yuwen Wuji ordered the calligraphy and painting to be burned, hoping to avoid seeing it and being bothered by it. However, he was still resentful. The Great Chen Dynasty had been established for over ten years, yet there were still ministers who thought of the previous dynasty! This was a great disgrace to him as the ruler!
He shouldn't have been so lenient in the first place, sparing the officials of the previous dynasty. For the sake of his reputation, he even promoted many former officials.
If Song Zhao dared to have such thoughts, it's hard to guarantee that other officials wouldn't either.
"Call Ye Cang over here!"
Ye Cang, the Minister of Personnel, felt that he had the lowest profile among the Six Ministries. He really couldn't understand why he had been summoned.
"Take a good look at the list of those who passed the imperial examination this time. If any of their families held important official positions in the previous dynasty, keep them far away from me! Also, compile a list of all those who passed the capital examination this year and have connections to the previous dynasty!"
Ye Cang responded and went out. After leaving the Qiankun Palace, he couldn't help but spit out a curse.
This kind of personnel data integration is both tedious and difficult. The emperor can issue orders, but the people below are running themselves ragged!
But he dared not follow You Mingwang's example, after all, the man had only been dead for a short time, and his body might not have decomposed yet.
So annoying! He really doesn't want to do this job!
As Ye Cang walked out of the palace, he scrolled through his fingers. The last time he was tasked with cooperating with the Ministry of Revenue to investigate official corruption had cost him several days off; he needed to use up his vacation days before taking on this major task!
After the imperial examination, the list of successful candidates was posted, and the top three scholars were paraded through the streets. The Shangbei Academy was also bustling with activity that day, as the officials who came to announce the good news read out a long list of names and received generous rewards.
The bright red firecracker paper scattered like snowflakes, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder. But everyone had a smile on their face.
The dean had already bought candy and prepared several baskets of copper coins, waiting to distribute lucky money to passersby today.
Everyone in the academy received a few copper coins, sharing in the joy.
Shen Qingyu also came to help today. She was in charge of the kitchen. Today was a "victory celebration banquet" for the scholars and teachers, and also a mobilization meeting to encourage the next batch of students.
Cao Zhi was ranked second in the imperial examination this time. The top three in the first rank all came from prestigious families in the court. He couldn't compare to them in terms of family background, so he was quite satisfied with his ranking.
Today, he was surrounded by people, and wherever he went, people greeted him and asked him to stay and say a few more words. He didn't even have time to go and talk to Shen Qingyu.
How eager he was to tell Shen Qingyu this news!
When a person is eager to do something, it seems as if all the difficulties come rushing towards him.
Cao Zhi didn't see Shen Qingyu until the end of the banquet. When he inquired about her whereabouts, he learned that she had already returned to the city with the Princess of Xiaoyao's carriage.
With a sigh, he decided to go to the Tzu Chi Foundation to find her the next day.
However, before Cao Zhi had even fully woken up the next day, several of his fellow Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) dragged him to a banquet. The banquet continued, and by the time he came to his senses, he was already at the Qionglin Banquet.
After the emperor said a few encouraging words, he left. As soon as the emperor left, the scholars began to drink freely.
After years of hard study, they finally passed the exam and were riding high. Most of the people present were excited and imagined themselves as officials.
Previously at the academy, his fellow students who had passed the imperial examinations would play with Cao Zhi, but now, many of those present were of higher status than him, and his former classmates were already socializing with others for the sake of their future careers. Cao Zhi found himself with some peace and quiet and noticed someone sitting in the corner just like him.
Shen Qingque, Qingyu's younger brother.
Cao Zhi thought for a moment, then got up and moved to his table, hoping to build a relationship with his future brother-in-law.
However, someone beat him to it. Cui Yan, carrying a wine pot, stood in front of Shen Qingque with several people behind him, looking like he was looking for trouble.
Cui Yan's previous blunder had made him a laughingstock. However, some men still felt that Princess Yongle was promiscuous, arguing that women should only be chosen by men, not like Yongle who chose her own husband!
What kind of guy did he pick? A pretty boy! He looks like a boy with feminine features, and he looks so weak and frail, like a male prostitute!
"Young Master Shen, we had some misunderstandings before because of Yongle's matter. Today, I would like to make peace with you. I wonder if you would be willing to grant me this favor?"
Cui Yan poured a glass of wine and handed it to him, while the person behind him stared at Shen Qingque with a fierce look that seemed to say, "If you don't give me face, you'll see what I mean."
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