Putting down her chopsticks, Jiang Shuwan said calmly,
"The imperial examination is a major event, and the responsibility of supervising the examination hall is not light. Of course, the political achievements are also great. The imperial examination is held every three years, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites are all watching. I'm afraid they will fight tooth and nail."
"Yes, so what I mean is to see if you can put in a good word for me in front of His Majesty. This is also the Minister's idea. With His Majesty's approval, no one else can say anything if I get involved."
"...You mean, the Minister intends for you to participate?" Jiang Shuwan's alarm bells instantly went off.
Her father was obsessed with officialdom, and she thought it was his own idea, but she didn't expect that the Minister of Rites would also get involved.
In my previous life, many officials in the Ministry of Rites were imprisoned because of cheating in the imperial examinations.
Jiang's father was not qualified to participate, thus perfectly avoiding this disaster and even being promoted a level.
This time, the Minister of Rites persuaded Jiang's father to speak to the old emperor, and she couldn't help but wonder if this minister harbored ill intentions.
If something similar happens during the imperial examinations in this lifetime, the Jiang family might be doomed.
But her father looked like he desperately wanted to get involved...
Setting down her wine glass, Jiang Shuwan lowered her voice and asked,
"Father wants to make progress, and I will naturally support him with all my might. I wonder if the chief examiner for the imperial examination has been decided? It is said that harmony brings wealth. Even with His Majesty's support, it is not good for us to suddenly interfere. It would be better to inform the chief examiner first to avoid any misunderstandings."
"This is easy to handle, it's no big deal. The chief examiner is Madam Pei's brother, the current Grand Secretary Yun. I'm not stupid. If we weren't family, would I have gotten involved when the candidates for the imperial examinations were already decided?"
Father Jiang said, taking a delicious sip.
The various details of this year's imperial examination, as well as the officials in charge of key positions, were decided well before the Lunar New Year.
If it weren't for the appointment of Lord Yun as the chief examiner a couple of days ago, and Jiang Shuwan being granted the title of county princess, he wouldn't have dared to get involved at this time.
He didn't achieve any other political successes, but instead made enemies.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuwan's lips curled into a smile, but she immediately suppressed it.
The young girl said with a solemn expression, "Father, Lord Yun is already the chief examiner. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to go in now? Especially since the young master still has to take the exam. It doesn't matter if the results aren't out yet, but if they are, with an uncle and a father-in-law involved, the gossip will be terrifying..."
Father Jiang: "..."
Mr. Jiang was stunned. He was only thinking about his own future and hadn't considered this relationship.
Now, after hearing what Jiang Shuwan said, her fingers clenched tightly.
Pei Yanzhi's scholarship, which he had assessed before, was top-tier, and his ranking was definitely high, perhaps even second or third place...
If this comes true, public opinion can be a real threat...
Jiang's father was caught in a dilemma: was his own political achievement more important, or his son-in-law's future?
In the end, he decisively chose the latter.
There will be plenty of opportunities to boost his political achievements in the future. Pei Yanzhi's future is not something to joke about, especially since he is now the Vice Minister of Revenue.
He was promoted by the old emperor himself and is a close advisor to the emperor. If he gets good results in the imperial examination, his future will be limitless.
With a son-in-law like this, how could he, as the father-in-law, possibly not have a chance for promotion in the future?
Thinking about it, Jiang's father was so pleased with himself that he almost died.
He patted Jiang Shuwan's hand, "Good child, you were right to remind me. I almost made a big mistake. By the way, you should remind your son-in-law about this. Lord Yun is the chief examiner, and he is the examinee. We should avoid him for a while."
"knew."
Jiang Shuwan nodded perfunctorily, thinking to herself that what followed would be more than just avoiding suspicion; Pei Yanzhi and Lord Yun would both be imprisoned, and even the old Marquis would be dismissed from his post and stay at home.
The biggest problem now is what she should do...
Thinking about it, Jiang Shuwan suddenly felt a headache coming on.
She and Pei Yanzhi are now husband and wife. Pei Yanzhi was imprisoned (although he was eventually exonerated and released), but in the end, Lord Yun's health deteriorated in prison, and he retired and returned to his hometown not long after, eventually dying of illness on his way back.
Madam Pei treated her well, so she couldn't just stand by and watch Lord Yun go down this path.
But this matter is too complex, and how to manage it is a problem...
"Miss, it's getting late, it's time to go back to the manor."
As darkness gradually fell, it was still early winter in the capital in early February. The sky darkened quickly, and the cold wind was biting.
During this season, unless there is something important to do, Jiang Shuwan will go home early.
After bidding farewell to her father, Madam Song, and other relatives of the Jiang family, Jiang Shuwan returned to the Marquis's residence by carriage.
At the entrance, they happened to meet Liu Yunyan, who was carrying luggage onto the carriage.
Three days later, it will be the day Liu Yunyan is to be married. She will have to stay at the Liu family's residence in the capital for a while before being carried into the mansion by the Marquis's sedan chair.
When Jiang Shuwan got off the carriage, Liu Yunyan was directing the maids and servants to move things onto the carriage, except for the things she usually used.
Many of the items were new clothes and jewelry she had made recently, along with several cartloads of dowry.
Only a small portion of these dowries were prepared by her own family. Almost all of the Liu family's cash and silver had been squandered by the clansmen, and the land could not be sold, so she did not prepare much of her own dowry.
However, the old lady gave her a lot of things, and as soon as she saw Jiang Shuwan, Liu Yunyan came over to greet her.
Then she subtly showed off a few things, like how much jewelry and satin she had, but the old lady insisted on giving them to her, spoiling and pampering her, and it was no use for her to refuse.
"Since it was given to you by the old lady, you should keep it."
Seeing the undisguised smugness on Liu Yunyan's face, Jiang Shuwan said calmly.
She was a little tired after a busy day and didn't want to argue with Liu Yunyan.
Otherwise, if she were to reveal the dowry that the old lady had originally prepared for her to marry the eldest son of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Liu Yunyan would surely cry herself to death.
What is true love? What is true pampering? That is true love and true pampering.
The old lady is giving her less than a tenth of what she prepared beforehand.
She's only showing off because she doesn't know the inside story.
Thinking that Jiang Shuwan was jealous, Liu Yunyan covered her mouth and laughed.
"Then I'll be leaving now. I'll come to visit you again in three days, but I'll have to call you 'elder sister' then."
"..."
Her words stung Qingxing so much that her eyes reddened, but the little girl wasn't so impulsive anymore.
The maidservant curtsied to Liu Yunyan and said with a smile, "Miss Liu's words have really reminded me. You will be entering the manor in three days. Our young lady can leave everything else unprepared, but she must prepare a prayer mat. After all, you are a concubine, and we can't very well have you kneeling on the cold floor to serve tea to our young lady, can we?"
Liu Yunyan: "..."
Her face looked as if she had eaten shit, and she didn't care about showing off her dowry. She slunk away, holding onto Granny Xia's hand, and crawled into the carriage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
