Those stories were basically written by scholars, who of course only wanted to please themselves and have all sorts of noble ladies vying for their favor. However, if too many noble ladies were vying for their favor, they probably wouldn't be that popular.
People of this era prefer to read books about imperial examinations rather than storytelling novels.
The stories of talented scholars and beautiful women are nothing more than the products of those scholars in disguise. Some scholars secretly hope that the prime minister's daughter will fall in love with them so that they can rise to prominence.
The reality is that not many noble ladies are interested in those down-and-out scholars. It is a very difficult thing to have a discerning eye for talent.
Liu Yulian didn't think she could tell how good or bad those people were. She couldn't tell what they did right or wrong just by looking at them.
"Why did you think of reading these novels?" He Xiyuan wondered.
"To kill time, if I read all those knowledge-heavy books, my brain will become dull," Liu Yulian said. "I'll just read a storybook like this, but... I'm not suited to it. I always feel like some of the actions don't align with reality."
Liu Yulian thought that since she was a science student, not a liberal arts student, it was difficult for her to appreciate the beauty of the book. Even if the words were beautiful, like the green grass stretching to the horizon, she really didn't think there was anything to appreciate. Her imagination was not that good.
Why did the saying "playing the lute to a cow" come into being? Liu Yulian thought that if the author of the story knew what she was thinking, he would probably think she was a cow too.
"If you don't like it, don't watch it." He Xiyuan said.
"I still prefer Liang Zhu." Liu Yulian did not like the tragic beauty of Liang Zhu, but she liked the one-on-one relationship between Liang Zhu. There were not so many people trying to bring Liang Zhu together, no maids were there to help, and Liang Shanbo did not marry Zhu Yingtai and then take in her maid.
Liu Yulian was currently reading some stories where the hero married the heroine and also took in the heroine's maidservant. With all these people together, how could they possibly have a happy ending?
Perhaps those ancient women did not think there was anything wrong with this. After all, many people brought maids as dowries when they got married, and some even gave their maids to their husbands.
Liu Yulian was not originally from this era, so of course she didn't like this.
"Liang Zhu is indeed good." He Xiyuan nodded, "A couple for life, that's also beautiful."
Why is Liang Zhu so famous? It's a simple love story without any complicated things. As for the family persecution and warlords, these are just background. What's important is the relationship between the two people.
He Xiyuan thought that the love between him and Liu Yulian was not that beautiful, but they could be together longer, unlike Liang Zhu who could not get married and turned into butterflies together.
"Do you want to write a storybook?" He Xiyuan asked.
"My writing is not that good," Liu Yulian said, "but I can write a little bit, just melodramatic and crude fiction."
Liu Yulian was eager to write some melodramatic stories, such as the overbearing prince falling in love with me, or the general of the enemy country falling in love with me.
People in ancient times lacked spiritual entertainment, and the storybooks they read were all the same and not stimulating enough.
"Dog blood?" He Xiyuan was puzzled. "How do you do it?"
"I'm the widowed sister-in-law of the future Prime Minister." Liu Yulian joked, "Traveling through time and space, into the past and into the future. Wouldn't that be too unorthodox? Would I get burned?"
Liu Yulian's thoughts on the love between a widowed sister-in-law and her brother-in-law completely subverted the ancients' ideas. If this kind of novel were printed, many families would probably burn it.
But this type of novel is very common in later generations, and this type of novel is still very popular.
"Maybe... it will be burned." He Xiyuan didn't think Liu Yulian's idea was bad. Creation should be imaginative, but the world might not accept it.
"Then let's write something else." Liu Yulian would never write this kind of novel just for the thrill, nor would she write about the story of a concubine who became the emperor.
In ancient times, concubines could not ascend to power, and concubines could not be promoted to the position of wife at will. It was not so easy for them to ascend to power. Liu Yulian has always disliked novels where the concubine ascends to power, unless the male protagonist has no wives or concubines, then it is okay for the concubine to ascend to power.
Otherwise, if the male protagonist has a wife and concubines, and the concubine takes the upper position, Liu Yulian will not think it is good, and she will feel aggrieved. The wife and concubine are legal, while the concubine is illegal and is a mistress, so how can the concubine still take the upper position?
"Even if it's not well written, no one will read it." Liu Yulian said.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you like it, just do it." He Xiyuan said, "You don't write storybooks to make money."
"No, I'm such a vulgar person. Of course I write storybooks to make money." Liu Yulian stood up suddenly. "You don't think I grew up drinking dew, do you? We have eaten together."
Liu Yulian didn't have such noble sentiments. She didn't think there was anything wrong with making money by writing storybooks. It was just that she hadn't written before because she wasn't well-known and her writing was not good. She didn't necessarily make money from her storybooks, and it would be easier to make money from embroidery.
However, Liu Yulian could just let it go when she thought about the overbearing CEO falling in love with a pretty girl. In fact, her novel writing skills were really not that good.
If her writing skills were that high, she would have written novels in later generations. She did not make a name for herself in the novel circle in later generations, let alone in ancient times.
In ancient times, when there was no internet, those people had even fewer opportunities to see her novels. With such a small audience and limited opportunities, Liu Yulian didn't think her novels would become popular.
"It's good to make money." He Xiyuan nodded seriously. "Becoming a juren can reduce taxes. Some people take the imperial examination just for this. Some people become juren, and then someone in their family registers the land in their name."
“…” Liu Yulian didn’t expect He Xiyuan to say that.
Well, it turns out that not everyone is so righteous.
In the Cen family, Concubine Cen had always been waited on since she was a child. Even when she was sent to the manor by the Third Prince, she had someone to take care of her. But this time, she had no maids by her side. The Third Prince did not let Concubine Cen take the maids with her.
The Third Prince thought that even if the Emperor confiscated the Cen family, it would be great if he could leave some money for Old Master Cen and his wife. The Emperor also asked Old Madam Cen to stay and take care of Old Master Cen, so the Third Prince would not dare to let Concubine Cen bring her maids with her.
If Concubine Cen had brought her maid with her, then Madam Cen and her husband would not have suffered any hardship.
The third prince was afraid that the emperor and the crown prince would be unhappy, so he just threw Concubine Cen over to them.
Old Madam Cen, the housekeeper, knew that people like them who lived in the city basically bought firewood and were unlikely to go to the mountains to chop firewood.
"Oh no, it's burnt." Mrs. Cen smelled burnt food and hurried to the kitchen.
It turned out that Concubine Cen put too little water in the pot and added rice, so the water quickly disappeared and the food became mushy.
Concubine Cen originally thought that the firewood was difficult to burn and would not burn easily, so she put less water in the pot. If she put too much water, she would have to boil it and work hard to fetch water, which also took a lot of energy.
Concubine Cen used to cook, but at that time, there were servants at home to light the fire, fetch water, and process the ingredients... Concubine Cen didn't have to do so many things, and she didn't have to cook.
"Be careful." Old Madam Cen had been watching the family cook more often since the Cen family was imprisoned. She knew they were only staying in the mansion temporarily, and those people couldn't serve them forever.
Old Madam Cen watched for several days, and even though her movements were not that agile, she at least knew a lot of things.
In order to survive, Mrs. Cen knew she had to learn those things.
"Grandmother." There was still dust on Concubine Cen's face.
"You..." Old Madam Cen sighed, "After you went to the manor and came back, did the Third Prince sleep with you?"
Old Madam Cen thought that it would be best if Concubine Cen was pregnant with the Third Prince's child. Old Madam Cen thought it would be better for Concubine Cen to continue to return to the Third Prince's Mansion. If Concubine Cen stayed in the Third Prince's Mansion, she would be able to get more things.
"No." Concubine Cen shook her head, "No children."
Concubine Cen understood what the old lady meant. Before she was sent to the manor by the Third Prince, the Cen family had hoped that she would get pregnant soon. Although the Third Prince seemed to treat her well at the time, he did not spend every night with her. Sometimes he would just go there to sleep.
"Alas." Old Madam Cen was helpless. Concubine Cen had no children, so there was nothing she could do.
"Things have come to this, and the Third Prince is unwilling to rescue Father and Grandmother..."
"Stop talking." Madam Cen waved her hand. "It's useless."
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent. Even when the Cen family sent people to assassinate the Crown Prince, Prince Su was not yet the Crown Prince. But now that Prince Su has been named Crown Prince and the Qin family is clinging to their claims, the Emperor will not let the Cen family off so easily.
"The emperor is kind and benevolent. He didn't implicate the nine clans or execute the entire family. This is already very good." Old Lady Cen certainly didn't want her son to get into trouble, but she had no choice. Once the truth was revealed, they couldn't escape.
"But..." Concubine Cen was thinking that since her family had to do so many things for the court, wasn't that how they were educated in the past?
"Stop talking." Madam Cen said, "Wash the pot and start cooking again."
Concubine Cen lived here, and since Old Lady Cen and Old Master Cen were the Third Prince's grandmother and grandfather, the Third Prince could still send some money over. This meant that Old Lady Cen didn't have to work hard outside. She was already so old, it was impossible for her to work outside.
Madam Cen knew that even if she went out to look for work, she might not be able to find it, and she might even be ridiculed. Madam Cen was not afraid of being ridiculed, but she was worried about not making money.
If she doesn't make any money, then what's the point of her running away.
Madam Cen wanted to keep things quiet so they could get some money from the Third Prince's mansion. If they made too much noise, they were afraid they would anger the Third Prince.
In the past, they were the ones who suppressed the Third Prince, but now, they have to rely on the Third Prince to survive.
"Grandma..." Concubine Cen's eyes were red. She didn't want to lose her father.
The weather was very good that day. Madam Cen and others left the capital and were to be escorted to the northwest.
The news from the capital spread to the northwest, and the emperor's decree had also arrived. The emperor's decree was to send the Cen family from the capital to the northwest first. Originally, the emperor wanted to dismiss the third master Cen first.
After Lord Cen received the imperial edict from the capital, he took off his official hat. He knew that his life was over.
"Father." Miss Cen opened her eyes wide. She couldn't believe that such a big thing would happen in her family.
The Cen family had never split up. If Lord Cen had separated from his family long ago, then perhaps the incident wouldn't have implicated Lord Cen. And since Lord Cen hadn't split up, Madam Cen and Miss Cen often used the Cen family's name when they were out there, so they couldn't escape.
The officials first asked the Cen family to stay at home and wait for follow-up news from the capital.
Those guards guarded the Cen family and imprisoned the Cen family members there.
"Father." Miss Cen couldn't believe it. If that was the case, how could she get married?
"I'm afraid you will have to marry a peasant in the future." Lord Cen looked at his daughter. He knew what she was shocked about.
"No." Miss Cen was not willing to do that. "This is all fake."
"Your aunt is gone," Lord Cen said, "and your grandfather also had a stroke."
Master Cen San knew that things could not go back to the way they were before, and he only hoped that they could keep their lives.
"How could this happen?" Miss Cen didn't believe it.
"But it's okay. You and the captain have already broken off the engagement, so you don't have to worry about them canceling the engagement again." Master Cen San really didn't expect things to turn out like this. Things developed too quickly and didn't give him a chance to breathe.
Master Cen San also felt that his daughter was disobedient and did not want to marry that captain. If his daughter was willing, things would be better.
"It's all because I spoiled you too much in the past." Master Cen San said, "Now, you are the daughter of a criminal. What kind of family do you think you can marry?"
"Father..." Miss Cen opened her mouth, she was very melancholy.
That was the first time Miss Cen had rebelled against her family so fiercely. She thought her reputation was ruined, so there was no need for her to maintain such good manners. Who could have imagined so many things would happen at home at once? She couldn't believe it.
"Did Princess Rongning come to the capital? She..."
"This has nothing to do with her." Master Cen San frowned, "She is just a weak woman. Besides, what your grandfather and others did has nothing to do with her."
That was a matter concerning the late queen and the crown prince, and Liu Yulian had nothing to do with it at all.
Mr. Cen San knew that his daughter didn't like Princess Rongning, but he never thought that his daughter would still want to blame Princess Rongning at this time.
"You and her have a small conflict, but it's not fatal." Master Cen San said, "Don't think about it. I'm afraid you can't take the things at home with you."
Mr. Cen San still wanted to take something with him, so they had to hide it, such as some banknotes and small change. If they didn't lose their lives, they would be exiled.
Their crimes were grave, unlike the Liu family who had previously been lax in their management of the household. The Liu family and the other brothers of Marquis Jingning had committed crimes, such as lending money at high interest rates and accepting bribes. They had not attempted to assassinate the crown prince, nor had they forced the late queen to death.
The Liu family was exiled and could not leave the northwest, nor could they return. They were still free, and they did not have to do anything for the court every year.
In the case of the Cen family, if they were exiled, their crimes would be serious. They would likely have to plant more crops each year, submit more grain to the court, and be assigned to do other hard labor.
Master Cen San knew that there was a difference between exile and banishment. If they were really exiled, their lives would only be worse than that of the Liu family.
"Master." Mrs. Cen San understood what her husband meant, which was that they had to find a way to take away some valuable things.
The Cen family was heavily guarded, and Aunt Qing learned the news when she went out.
Aunt Qing first thought of the conflict between Miss Cen and Princess Rongning. After she came back, she muttered a few words.
"This matter has nothing to do with Princess Rongning." Su Qiuya said, "No one else said anything, so please say less."
Su Qiuya thought Qing Yi Niang was a little crazy, and Qing Yi Niang only knew how to blame Rong Ning Princess. Su Qiuya knew that Qing Yi Niang did not want to see the Liu family's eldest wife living so well, and the Liu family's eldest wife lived so well mainly because of Rong Ning Princess.
When they returned to Beijing, Su Qiuya thought that she must pay more attention to Qingniang and not let Concubine Qing offend Princess Rongning.
"They are not here, what are you afraid of?" Aunt Qing thought Su Qiuya was too timid and cowardly, and the people from the first house were not in the northwest, so what were they afraid of.
Aunt Qing thought that if Liu Yulian had shown such great performance earlier, she would not have thought about dividing the family.
When Liu Yanbo returned home, he saw Aunt Qing and Su Qiuya having an unpleasant argument.
At night, Su Qiuya told Liu Yanbo about Aunt Qing blaming Princess Rongning.
"Tell me, what does the Cen family have to do with us?" Su Qiuya said, "Mother actually spoke up for the Cen family and even thought it was Rongning who caused the trouble. No matter how much the emperor values Rongning, he can't do such a thing so casually. If the emperor really did that, wouldn't he be a tyrant?"
"Yes, you are right." How could Liu Yanbo say that his wife was wrong? He was helpless against his own mother.
"Mom is always like this..." Su Qiuya sighed, "She's too persistent."
"She has been stubborn for so many years, how can she change all of a sudden?" It was not easy for Liu Yanbo himself to change, let alone Aunt Qing.
Aunt Qing has always loved Liu Yanbo very much, so Liu Yanbo couldn't blame Aunt Qing too much.
"Let's go to Beijing by the end of the year," Liu Yanbo said. "I'll try my best to pass the exam, even if I come in last. The teacher said I still have some hope."
Liu Yanbo thought that if he could pass the examination for a scholar, it would be good, because it was too difficult to pass the examination for a juren. Liu Yanbo thought about returning to the capital, and it would be the best if they could go back to the capital. He knew that Concubine Qing wanted to go back to the capital.
He also wondered if Concubine Qing would be in a better state if she returned to the capital. Su Qiuya's grandfather and others were also in the capital. Liu Yanbo knew that Su Qiuya wanted to see her grandfather more often, so it would be better if they could go to the capital earlier.
"Let's pass the imperial examination first, and then go back in the spring of next year at the latest." Su Qiuya said.
"That's fine. Three times is the limit." Liu Yanbo understood that the imperial examination could not be handled with the saying "three times is the limit". They could have kept taking the exam, but he thought that if he failed to pass the examination three times, then they should return to Beijing.
Liu Yanbo knew that even if he passed the imperial examination, it wouldn't be of much use. He was unlikely to become a teacher. He didn't particularly enjoy teaching and was afraid of misleading students.
"You can do other things." Su Qiuya didn't think of Liu Yanbo becoming an official. If Liu Yanbo didn't become an official, he would have other ways out.
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