Chapter 75 Passing the Imperial Examination
Four days after the funeral of Governor Dugu, Zhao Xingwu came to Anyifang to inform Du Min to go to the Chen residence the next day to visit the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel with Master Chen.
“Student Du, this winter coat belongs to my eldest son. My master instructed me to bring it to you. Wear it tomorrow.” Zhao Xingwu handed over the bundle in his hand.
Du Min hesitated before taking it. He peeked through a crack and saw a tuft of gray rabbit fur peeking out from the bundle.
Zhao Xingwu glanced at Du Min's drab winter clothes and said, "Dress smartly to boost your confidence and make a more confident demeanor. This will give the superiors a good impression."
"I come from a poor farming family. If I wear fur coats, will it give people the impression that I'm trying to appear vain? I'm worried that it might backfire," Du Min asked for advice.
“No, there are countless people in Chang’an who wear fur to keep warm, including merchants. It’s not surprising.” Zhao Xingwu looked him up and down and said, “People from Jiangnan are more delicate-looking than people from the North. You are one of the best among them, so you should dress more attractively.”
“Listen to Master Chen, if he can arrange it this way, it must be suitable,” Meng Qing said. “This reminds me that I should make you some nice clothes. Clothes make the man, and if you dress well, people won’t look down on you when you go out.”
“Madam Meng is absolutely right.” Zhao Xingwu nodded. “I have delivered the message. Scholar Du, please wait at the mansion before 7:00 AM tomorrow. Don’t be late.”
Du Min nodded, "I'll trouble Brother Zhao to make the trip."
After seeing Zhao Xingwu off, Meng Qing urged Du Min to change his clothes.
He wore a white robe and a sleeveless gray rabbit fur coat, the coat reaching his hips. After Du Min put it on, Du Li combed the rabbit fur for him.
After tidying up, Meng Qing nodded, "It's more presentable than you wearing your own clothes."
Du Min looked down at himself and asked uncertainly, "Isn't it too extravagant? I still think it's most appropriate to dress in a way that suits my status."
“No, it’s a gray rabbit fur coat, not a fox fur coat,” Meng Qing said. “Wear this tomorrow. I’ll have your second brother trim your hair later and make you look more presentable.”
Du Min tugged at his long robe and said with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, don't you think that among all the people wearing mink coats and furs, I stand out the most in my linen jacket and trousers? It's like me sitting in the prefectural school with a bunch of rich kids in linen clothes. Although it's not impressive, no one can ignore me."
“They won’t ignore you, but they want to get rid of you,” Du Li reminded him.
“Your reputation is already established; you don’t need to draw attention to your attire.” Meng Qing glanced at him, then thoughtfully said, “At this time, you shouldn’t try to grab attention by appearing weak. You’re about to enter the officialdom, where what’s valued? Talent, background, and connections. Superiors want subordinates who are talented and capable. You need to showcase yourself, not show weakness. This is different from the path of learning. A teacher educates and nurtures students; he will have compassion for his students and cherish their talents and weaknesses. But a superior might find weakness distasteful. Unless you have exceptionally outstanding talent and encounter a discerning mentor who truly values talent, do you agree with what I’m saying?”
Du Min nodded, pondering her words twice. "Yes, I was being too attached to appearances."
"So you were deliberately feigning helplessness at the prefectural school," Du Li said quietly. "If you had that purpose, why did you refuse to acknowledge your parents?"
"Can't I be competitive and vain?" Du Min said frankly. "I don't have a good background, but I have talent. This only highlights my intelligence and self-improvement. No one can laugh at me in this regard."
Du Li understood. "You are very satisfied with yourself and don't think you have anything to laugh at, but your family is a stain on your reputation, which can indeed make you a laughing stock."
“Very clever,” Du Min said expressionlessly.
Du Li scoffed. After Du Min went back to his room to change his clothes, he whispered to Meng Qing, "He has this idea, and he even has the nerve to ask his parents to love him unconditionally."
Meng Qing held up a finger and waved it near his lips. "Shh, he's no good. You're not new to know that."
Du Min changed into his old clothes and opened the door. He said calmly, "Second brother, trim the ends of my hair. I'll wash my hair later."
“我去烧热水。”孟青出门，一出门就看见望舟握着个冰坨舔来舔去，她大喝一声，抡着个藤条就去揍他。
"Father! Father—" Wang Zhou threw down the ice block and shouted loudly as he ran.
"Stop right there!" Meng Qing roared.
Wang Zhou was startled; he dared not run any further.
Meng Qing coldly grabbed his hand, "What did I tell you?"
"You can't play on the ice or in the snow," Wang Zhou said cautiously, glancing at his father and his third uncle with pitiful eyes pleading for help.
Meng Qing pinched his ear, and Wang Zhou cried out, "Mother, Mother, it hurts, it hurts—"
"You won't learn your lesson if it doesn't hurt." Meng Qing twisted his ear with one hand and whipped his buttocks with a rattan cane in the other, making him tiptoe to dodge.
Wang Zhou cried out, "Dad, save me! Third Uncle, please save me!"
Du Li and Du Min dared not interrupt, and both pretended to be deaf and dumb.
"Mother, I was wrong." Wangzhou was about to cry.
Meng Qing released the hand that was twisting her ear. "Want to play with ice again?"
"I'm not playing anymore." Wang Zhou covered his ears, and now not only his palms were burning, but his ears were too.
Meng Qing wasn't sure if he had truly learned his lesson or was just temporarily giving in. She glared at him and went to the kitchen to boil water and make ginger soup with a cold face.
“It’s so cold, your fingers are about to freeze off, why are you still playing with ice? Didn’t I tell you not to play with ice, you’ll get sick from the cold, why don’t you listen?” Du Li came over and led him back into the house to warm up by the fire.
"Feeling better now? You got a beating, didn't you? You brought it on yourself!" Du Min gloated. "Tsk tsk, those ears are really red. Let me touch them, they're so hot. Perfect for warming my hands."
"Geese aren't afraid of the cold; they even eat ice." Wang Zhou had been envious for a long time.
"Gooses have feathers, and you have feathers too?" Du Min laughed.
“I have clothes,” Wang Zhou declared confidently.
"Still arguing? I bet your mother hasn't beaten you enough yet." Du Min also tugged at his ear.
Wang Zhou sighed and fell silent, squatting down by the charcoal brazier to warm himself.
Du Min chuckled, "You're even sighing now? What are you sighing about?"
"I don't want to talk to you," Wang Zhou sighed again.
Du Li squeezed his winter shoes and cuffs. The cuffs were a little wet. He went back into the house to get a cotton coat for him to change into. "I'll buy you two fur coats tomorrow too."
After a while, Meng Qing brought over half a bowl of ginger soup and said with a stern face, "Drink it."
Wang Zhou was still hesitant. He glanced at her, not daring to say he wouldn't drink it, and had no choice but to obediently hold the bowl and swallow the spicy and pungent ginger water.
"I've finished drinking," he said, feigning innocence as he offered the empty bowl.
Meng Qing took the bowl, glanced at him twice, and turned to leave.
Wang Zhou let out a long breath, then hissed and inhaled several breaths of cold air, but his mouth still felt burning.
Du Min and Du Li both suppressed their laughter.
"Take out the scissors, I'll trim your hair," Du Li said, then turned to Wang Zhou and instructed, "You stay here by the fire, or go help your mother tend the fire. Don't go out into the yard to get cold."
Wang Zhou let out an "Oh," but he didn't stay still for long. He walked to Du Li's side, picked up the fallen hairs with his hands, and threw them into the charcoal brazier.
The room was immediately filled with a burning smell, and he was kicked out.
"Mother—" He shuffled into the kitchen as if nothing had happened, and buried his head in Meng Qing's arms, showing no signs of having just been beaten.
Meng Qing glanced at his ears; they were still red. This brat had already forgotten everything. He was so shameless and had such a big heart.
"Mother—" Wang Zhou called out again in a drawn-out tone.
"Go ahead and say it." Meng Qing picked him up and let him sit on her lap.
"I'm so bored," Wang Zhou sighed, full of melancholy.
"Want to go for a walk with the geese in the East Market?" Meng Qing asked. "If the weather is clear tomorrow, we'll go."
"I don't want to go." Wang Zhou kicked the firewood into the stove, but then he suddenly got excited and grabbed a half-burnt stick to scribble on the ground.
Meng Qing took two wheat stalks, braided them into a four-strand braid, and finally tied the two ends together, putting it on Wang Zhou's hand as a bracelet.
Wang Zhou immediately gave up drawing on the ground. He sat in Meng Qing's lap and followed along, holding two wheat stalks.
After braiding four strands, Meng Qing then used wheat straw to make flowers. She was surprised to find that Wang Zhou could keep up with her movements; he could copy her movements after watching them.
"Is the water ready?" Du Min asked as he came out.
"Alright," Meng Qing replied without looking up, guiding Wang Zhou to braid the wheat straw flowers into a four-strand braid.
Du Min brought in a basin, and he leaned closer to take a look. "Who made this?"
Meng Qing shushed him, telling him to be quiet.
Du Min went to fetch water, and he washed his hair in the kitchen, watching with his own eyes as Wang Zhou used his small hands to weave three straw flowers into a four-strand braid. He didn't bother to dry his hair, and picked up the bracelet Wang Zhou had made with his wet hair. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought that the straw flowers and the four-strand braid were one, rather than two separate things connected together.
"This... I can make this up too?" he asked.
“You can give it a try,” Meng Qing said.
"Okay, I'll come over after I dry my hair."
By the time Du Min dried his hair, it was already dark. After dinner, Meng Qing gave each of the four people two wheat stalks, and the four of them gathered together to weave flowers with the wheat stalks.
"Wait, did I make a mistake in this step... Second Sister-in-law, can you help me check how to proceed... No, no, I can't handle this turn well, Second..."
Wang Zhou stood up abruptly, covering his ears in annoyance: "It's so noisy."
Du Min shut up. He looked at the loose knot of wheat stalks in Du Li's hand and said, "It seems that it's not something anyone can do just by using their hands."
"Are you still making this up?" Meng Qing asked Wang Zhou. "I'll tell your third uncle to shut up and not let him speak."
Wang Zhou shook his head and yawned, "I want to sleep."
Du Li immediately got up to fetch water, and as if looking at a boat, said he wanted to sleep, and he really could fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. Sure enough, he closed his eyes as soon as he finished washing his face.
Du Min picked up the wheat straw flower woven by Wang Zhou and couldn't help but marvel at the child's talent. "This child is indeed worthy of being born of the Meng family. He is not even three years old yet and already shows signs of becoming a craftsman."
Du Li glanced at Meng Qing with concern; this was not good news for her.
Meng Qing smiled and said, "If someone really has this talent, I already have a successor."
Du Min realized what he meant and calmly corrected himself, "He's only three years old. He's just doing it for fun. I guess he's seen you making paper offerings too much and that's why he's suddenly interested in it. I don't know about anything else, but he definitely has a good memory. If I start his formal education in a couple of years, he might just follow in my footsteps and achieve great things in his studies."
Du Li hated Du Min's constant talk about Wang Zhou following him, so he said irritably, "Go to sleep, you have important things to do tomorrow."
Du Min nodded, then scooped up a basin of hot water and carried it back into the house.
Du Li and Meng Qing carried Wang Zhou back to the house to sleep, but in the middle of the night, Wang Zhou started coughing and vomited.
Du Min was awakened by the child's crying. He asked through the wall, "What's wrong with Wang Zhou?"
"It's okay, you can go back to sleep," Du Li replied.
"He just coughed, he didn't have a fever. He probably vomited because he licked ice water and it chilled his stomach," Meng Qing said calmly. "Get dressed, clean up the floor, and pour half a bowl of hot water."
"No need to brew the medicine? We also brought medicine for typhoid fever," Du Li said.
"No need for now." Meng Qing folded up her coat and let Wang Zhou lie on it with his head and back propped up. He stopped coughing and fell asleep again.
Du Min lay in bed and, hearing no more noise from next door, went to sleep.
The night passed, and Du Min put on new clothes, tied his hair up, ate the porridge cooked by Du Li, and went out in high spirits.
After he left, Meng Qing and Du Li took Wang Zhou to a clinic to see a doctor.
Du Min only found out that Wang Zhou was sick when he returned in the afternoon. "Was he crying last night because he wasn't feeling well?"
Du Li nodded, "He threw up, he threw up everything he ate last night."
Du Min felt uneasy. "Then why did you lie to me and say nothing was wrong?"
"You can't do anything about it even if you know, and worrying about him will only distract you." Du Li was intentionally hiding it. He didn't want Du Min to be distracted by Wang Zhou's illness, and he was even less willing to see Du Min completely unaffected. It was better to simply keep it a secret.
Meng Qing came out of the bedroom and asked, "Did you see the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel? How did you perform?"
"It felt pretty good. He remembered me and my name." Du Minqing couldn't help but smile. "Master Chen is also seeking an official position. He mentioned what the Vice Minister of Rites said a few days ago. I think the Vice Minister of Personnel took it to heart. In order for the paper offerings to appear in the royal sacrifices, he will also help me pass the imperial examination."
"That's good. Now you can focus on preparing for the provincial exam," Meng Qing said.
"That's what Master Chen said too. He also invited me to his house around the New Year so he could explain things about officialdom to me while he's free for the time being." Du Min looked at the closed door and asked, "How's Wangzhou doing?"
“He cried after taking the medicine and was covered in sweat, but he’s asleep now and is fine,” Meng Qing said. “You go about your business and don’t worry about him.”
Du Min didn't say anything more after hearing this. He took the money to the East Market to buy two nice sets of clothes, and bought Wang Zhou a sheepskin coat and a primer. After that, he began to go to the Chen Mansion to listen to Master Chen's guidance.
*
On the afternoon of the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Qing and Du Li returned from the East Market with Wang Zhou. As they approached their rented courtyard, she saw two people lingering outside the door.
"Who are you looking for?" she asked.
"Is this the home of Du Min, the student?" the servant asked.
“He does live here, but he’s not home. He’s at Master Chen’s residence. Who are you? And what brings you here? I can go and call him back,” Meng Qing said.
"This is my master, the newly appointed magistrate of Luoyang County. May we come inside and talk?" the servant asked.
Meng Qing immediately greeted them with a smile, opened the door and invited them in, leading the two into Du Min's bedroom.
"Please don't mind, sir. The courtyard is small and there are no rooms for guests. This is Du Min's bedroom. He has kept it fairly clean. You can make do with it," Meng Qing said.
Du Li brought over the charcoal brazier from his and Meng Qing's room, then turned around and went out to boil water.
Yin Mingfu was somewhat astonished. It was truly rare to see a woman stay to keep the guests company while the men busied themselves boiling water and serving them.
"Madam Meng, I've heard that the paper effigies made by the Chen family are your creations?" the servant asked.
Meng Qing nodded, "I guess so. My family runs a paper horse shop that makes paper effigies for funerary objects. I help out at my family's shop, and some of the paper effigies for the Chen family are made by me."
"Are you two accompanying Du Min to take the imperial examination? Will you return to Wu County next year?" Yin Mingfu asked.
Meng Qing thought quickly. She had never heard Du Min mention the magistrate of Luoyang before, so she asked directly, "Sir, do you know Du Min?"
“My surname is Yin. The Guangzhou official you met in Bianzhou is my cousin. He recommended the scholar Du to me,” Prefect Yin explained directly. “I have been in Chang’an for less than a month and have heard of the reputation of paper-made funerary objects, but I have never seen them in person. If paper-made funerary objects can replace pottery funerary objects and curb the extravagant burial practices in the Beiman Mountain area, the Luoyang County government is still short of a county lieutenant.”
Meng Qingxin was delighted and immediately replied, "My husband and I do not plan to return to Wu County. We will accompany Du Min to take up his post in another place in the future, and even my family can move there. I wonder when you will leave the capital, sir. If there is enough time, I can make a bronze paper horse for you to see."
"Leaving Beijing in February."
“There’s enough time. Besides the brass paper horse, I can also make a paper house and a paper sedan chair. Where do you live? Once the paper funerary objects are finished, I’ll have Du Min invite you over to take a look,” Meng Qing said.
Yin Mingfu glanced at his servant, who picked up a brush from the table and wrote an address on a piece of paper.
"The tea is here." Du Li brought over two cups of hot tea, while Wang Zhou followed behind, peeking out and holding a grasshopper woven from wheat straw in his hand.
With so many people, the room suddenly felt cramped. Yin Mingfu put down his teacup and said, "I won't bother you any longer."
Meng Qing and Du Li saw her off at the door. She tentatively said, "When Du Min comes back, I will tell him about this and ask him to visit you at your place."
"No need," Yin Mingfu refused outright.
"Okay, I understand." Meng Qing immediately changed her mind.
*
On the other side, Du Min quickly walked out of Master Chen's study. Hearing the sound of teacups being smashed inside, he didn't dare to linger and left the mansion directly.
Half an hour later, Du Min returned to Anyifang. "Second brother, open the door."
“Dad, my third uncle is back!” Wangzhou called out.
Du Li went to open the door, and as soon as Du Min came in, he went straight to the kitchen. "Second sister-in-law, Master Chen's appointment has come down. He is still a sixth-rank official, transferred from the Ministry of Food to the Ministry of Rites. He has not been promoted."
"He made such a big splash by using paper effigies to create funerary objects, yet he still didn't get promoted? The Vice Minister of Rites thought highly of him and even went to his house in person." Meng Qing was somewhat surprised.
“This shows that without the paper effigies, he might not have been able to become an official.” Du Min smiled. “He probably has no hope of being promoted in his lifetime; he’ll only ever be a fifth-rank official if he dies.”
“A fifth-rank official is not bad either,” Meng Qing said.
“You think it’s good, but he’s not satisfied. When the appointment was delivered to his home, he was so angry that he kicked over the desk in front of me, almost hitting me.” Du Min shook his head. “Luckily, I had already met with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel through him, otherwise, after this incident, I was worried that he would go back on his word.”
"Let's not talk about him anymore. I have good news for you. This afternoon, the newly appointed magistrate of Luoyang County arrived. It was Magistrate Yin, whom we met in Bianzhou, who recommended you to him. He wants you to go back to Luoyang with him to curb the extravagant funeral practices in Luoyang County." Meng Qing said excitedly, "He wants you to be the county lieutenant. You don't mind, do you?"
"I don't mind at all!" Du Min was overjoyed. When he was studying at Chongwen Academy, he would fawn over the son of the county magistrate. How could he possibly look down on the position of county magistrate?
“There’s something I haven’t dared to tell you. After passing the imperial examination, one still has to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to select officials. Only when an official position becomes available will the Jinshi be appointed. I heard from Master Chen that this waiting period could be as long as two or three years.” Du Min was very guilty. “I’ve been so worried these past few days. I’ve been asking Master Chen if there’s any way I can take office next year. I’ll take any position, I don’t care. But he keeps saying it’s impossible. I even thought about going to Lingnan to seek refuge with Magistrate Yin, but I couldn’t find his address. Heaven have mercy, a high-ranking official has actually taken a liking to me.”
"Is it really that hard to become an official? Wait three years? By the time three years are over, all the sharp edges of you scholars will have been worn away, and you'll have lost your arrogance. You'll be grateful for any official position you're given." Meng Qing sighed.
Du Min was taken aback; it seemed to be true.
"Let's not talk about that. Did the magistrate of Luoyang leave any message? Should I go and pay him a visit?" He didn't dare to think too deeply about it and quickly changed the subject.
“I asked him, and he said you don’t need to visit him. He’s leaving Beijing next February, and before that, I need to make a batch of paper effigies for him to see. This is my business, you don’t need to worry about it. You continue preparing for the provincial examination,” Meng Qing said.
Du Min thought for a moment and said, "Don't reveal this matter to anyone. Keep it from Master Chen for now. He might not be happy for me if he finds out."
Meng Qing nodded.
In the days that followed, Meng Qing and Du Li took Wang Zhou to stroll through the East and West Markets. Before New Year's Eve, they bought all the materials needed to make paper effigies. The two bedrooms and the low kitchen were used as drying rooms for paper when they weren't sleeping or eating.
The family didn't go out at all from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. They stayed at home all day making paper offerings, and even Wangzhou learned how to apply glue to tung oil paper.
At the end of the first month, Du Min invited Prefect Yin. In front of him, Meng Qing burned paper horses, paper houses, and paper sedan chairs. After seeing them, the prefect said clearly, "I will leave a servant in Chang'an. After the provincial examination results are released, if you are on the list, he will submit a memorial, and you will wait for the appointment."
Du Min's anxiety was finally relieved, and he then devoted himself to the provincial examination.
The provincial examinations began on the third day of the third lunar month.
On March 27th, the list of successful candidates for the imperial examination was posted at the examination hall, and Du Min's name was on the list. Because he was the youngest candidate for the highest rank in this year's examination, he was appointed as the third-ranked candidate to go to a famous garden to pick famous flowers.
*
"Mingzhang, your student is quite remarkable. Before the Ministry of Personnel could even make an appointment, someone had already specifically requested him." Lu Si was visiting the Ministry of Rites when he shared this news with Master Chen.
Master Chen's expression changed. "Where did you get this information?"
"Never mind that, the news is true anyway." Lu Sizheng picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. He said slowly, "It was a memorial submitted by the newly appointed magistrate of Luoyang County. Your student has benefited a lot from the trend of paper effigies. If he is lucky, he might even surpass his mentor in the future."
Master Chen stroked his beard and smiled. “Du Min is completely ignorant of officialdom. He doesn’t even know that a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) must wait three years to be selected, and he knows nothing about the selection process of the Ministry of Personnel. If such a person is allowed into officialdom, he will make a laughing stock.”
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