Chapter 249: Going to Beijing for the Imperial Examination/Family Planning
Beijing capital.
It is the only prefecture among the nine prefectures of the Dayou Dynasty with the suffix "capital".
Because it was the political center of the Daiyu Dynasty, the center of economic and cultural activities, it was a higher level than Nakagawa, which regarded itself as an economic center, and was prosperous, solemn and dignified.
It was also the seat of the central government and a symbolic city of sovereignty during the Daiyu Dynasty.
All kinds of state agencies, both overt and covert, are concentrated in the capital of Beijing, including political, economic, cultural, civilian, and especially military agencies. It is the most numerous, most strictly regulated, and most powerful among the nine prefectures.
When Lei Li arrived outside the capital city in a carriage, he could see that on the magnificent and solemn city wall, there was a tall city guard lookout every few meters, and behind the lookouts were several teams of city guards patrolling in turn.
"These city guards are called the Kyoto Guards, and they are responsible for the security of the capital city of Beijing."
Seeing Lei Li and the others looking at the soldiers on the city wall, Zhou Yi explained, "Besides the Kyoto Guards on the city walls, there are also Kyoto Guards patrolling the city. Especially after curfew, besides the night watchmen, only the Kyoto Guards can patrol the city."
"And Beijing has a curfew at 11:00 PM, and no one is allowed to walk on the streets."
"It's so early in the evening?"
Lei Li was a bit surprised and disgusted, curling his lips. "In Xiling, the nightlife has just begun at midnight. But in Beijing, people can't go out even though the barbecue stalls haven't even been set up yet."
"The capital has more rules."
Zhou Yi smiled and said, "This is also for safety reasons. There are so many high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the capital of Beijing, and there are also many enemies and rivals. If there is no curfew at night, it is easy for them to take advantage of the situation and be assassinated and framed."
"Beijing has many wealthy families and a bustling night market. If there were no curfew, there would be a lot of petty theft, which would increase the workload for the capital's detectives."
"There are also constables in the capital?"
Zhou Zhou asked, with some confusion in his eyes, "Doesn't the capital have the Kyoto Guard? Why do we still need the county government and constables?"
"Of course we need a constable."
Lei Shengjiang smiled and said, "The Jingdu Guards are responsible for general security, while the government offices and constables are mostly responsible for matters related to ordinary people."
"For example, if someone stole an ordinary girl's wallet, it would be a small matter not enough to alert the Kyoto Guards. It would be the government office and the constables who would go and retrieve it."
"If the wallet that was stolen belonged to a wealthy lady, then if she saw the patrolling Kyoto Guards nearby, she could call on them to help her find her wallet. She could also choose to ask the constables for help."
"What constitutes power and nobility?"
Zhou Zhou was not very interested in studying or taking imperial examinations. He had not taken the examination for the title of Tongsheng at the age of ten, and he did not know how to read relevant books. Naturally, he did not understand the official hierarchy of the Dayou Dynasty.
"In Kyoto, only those who are at least of the fifth rank or above, not including the official fifth rank, can be called powerful and have the right to command the Kyoto Guards."
Lei Shengjiang said, "For example, if a fourth-rank official were in danger, he could ask the Jingdu Guard to protect him. And if his children were in danger and revealed their identities, the Jingdu Guard would also give him face for his sake."
"certainly."
"This protection includes escorts and residential protection. If civilians are in danger or get into a dispute on the street, the Kyoto Guards will intervene or even execute them on the spot."
"When necessary, to protect the people and the safety of Kyoto, the Kyoto Guards can shoot and kill officials, regardless of rank, and will not be punished afterwards."
"Wow……"
Zhou Zhou thought the Kyoto Guards were cool, and the armor and spears they wore were also very cool. He was very envious for a moment, "The Kyoto Guards have much more power than the constables, right?"
"Of course."
Lei Li patted Zhou Zhou's head and said with a smile, "Zhou Zhou likes Kyoto Guard? Do you want to be a Kyoto Guard?"
"think!"
Zhou Zhou's eyes sparkled. "I want to be the mighty Kyoto Guard. How do I become one?"
"I don't even know how to become a father. I should go through layers of selection before I can become a powerful Kyoto Guardian."
Lei Li deliberately frowned, "But our father has to urge us to study every day. This is a bit difficult. You can't be a Kyoto guard without education."
“And culture?”
Zhou Zhou also frowned.
He doesn't like studying. He can patiently listen to the teacher in class, but he will never read an extra page of a book after class. He even finishes his homework quickly in class and will never take it home if he can avoid it.
If he were to take the imperial examination, he would probably pass the examination for a student at best, and it would take him a long time to pass the examination for a scholar.
"Of course I have to."
Zhou Yi also laughed and said, "Think about it, if you were a Kyoto guard, and you saw a man in official uniform but couldn't tell what rank he was, and he asked you to do something, would you go?"
"No one below the fifth rank has the authority to command the Kyoto Guards. If you go to help him, it will be considered as desertion."
"If he's a second-rank official and you don't help him, it's considered insubordination and disobeying your superiors. If he reports you, you'll be punished."
“It’s so complicated.”
Zhou Zhou frowned, a small knot forming in his eyes. "You have to recognize what people are wearing... I thought it was just patrolling the city gates, and if there was any danger, I could just take action."
He muttered the last sentence quietly.
But Zhou Yi and the others were in a carriage, so they naturally heard his muttering, and the adults all laughed.
Liu Ye'er, Lei Dashan, Lei Jingsheng and Qing Zhi were sitting in another carriage. When they heard the laughter from their side, they looked over with some curiosity.
However, they were almost at the gate to Kyoto City, and whispering to each other would easily be misunderstood by the soldiers at the gate, so they suppressed their anger and decided to go inside the city first.
Lei Li and his group passed the soldiers' inspection.
Knowing that the family had come to the capital in advance because they were going to take part in the next spring imperial examination, the soldiers' attitude became much more gentle from routine.
The soldier also praised their family for loving their children, and praised Lei Shengjiang for his handsome appearance and great talent. After asking a few simple questions and checking the documents, he let them go.
"Why did that soldier's attitude become so much better when he heard that Jiang was here to take part in the Spring Examination?"
Miao Yurui was a little puzzled. "Although Jiang is a juren, that soldier has been in Kyoto for so many years. He may have met high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks. Why would he be so polite to us?"
The soldiers at the city gate do not belong to the Kyoto Guards. The Kyoto Guards would not do this kind of tiring, tedious, and unskilled work. The soldiers at the city gate actually belong to the government office and are one rank lower than the constables in the government office.
Soldiers are soldiers after all.
Although in terms of academic rank, Lei Shengjiang was a juren, which was slightly higher than an ordinary city gate soldier.
But this is the emperor's capital, where there are countless dignitaries and nobles, so a small scholar would naturally not be taken seriously. The people in Kyoto have a sense of superiority towards outsiders, and this is especially true for the soldiers who are used to seeing nobles and wealthy people coming and going.
And as the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than the little devils. If they don't deliberately find fault with you without bribery, it means they love their job and are dedicated to it.
"There are several reasons."
Lei Li smiled and taught him, "First, Jiang is young. He's already a Juren at such a young age, which shows that he's very talented. There's no guarantee that he won't pass the imperial examination next spring and have a successful career. As a mere soldier, he naturally wouldn't dare offend such a potential stock."
"Secondly, we're well-dressed. Although we're from far away, there's no guarantee we don't have relatives here. If this relative is some important figure..."
"Besides, we dared to come all the way to Kyoto City as a family just to accompany Jiang to take the exam. How could we not have some strength?"
"This little guy's ability to read people's expressions and decide what to do next is the most impressive."
“If Jiang was older, dressed more simply, and came to the capital alone, he wouldn’t be embarrassed by the soldier, but I’m afraid he wouldn’t be in a good mood.”
"So many ways..."
Miao Yurui frowned slightly, then sighed, "This Kyoto city is really complicated. There are so many tricks just by entering the door. In the future..."
If Lei Shengjiang really became an official, he would have to be cautious all the time in the officialdom. If he made a wrong step, he might be doomed.
"Luckily, Daddy and Grandpa are here."
As soon as Miao Yurui saw his two fathers, he felt at ease. With his father and grandfather's guidance, and the family having money to take care of things, it would surely be much easier for him to become an official.
"Of course Daddy and Grandpa are here."
Lei Li smiled and teased the young couple, "We're in an unfamiliar place, and what if Daddy and Grandfather aren't here? What if Sheng Jiang gets pregnant and stays in Kyoto as an official, busy with official duties all day? And if Yu Rui gets pregnant again, what will we do if we can't take care of her?"
"How can it be so fast..."
Miao Yurui blushed immediately, and Lei Shengjiang also lowered her head shyly, burying her face in her husband's neck, while one hand quietly reached out to touch her husband's belly.
As soon as his hand touched her, Miao Yurui felt it and her face turned even redder.
Miao Yurui and Lei Shengjiang have only been married for two years.
Because Lei Shengjiang was still young and studying in the county school, the couple did not have sex very often, only two or three times a month, unlike their two fathers who had sex almost every day and every night.
In addition, it is more difficult for boys to get pregnant than girls. For example, Lei Li and Zhou Yi had a child, Lei Shengjiang, five years after they got married.
So it will take several years for Miao Yurui to be pregnant.
However, Miao Yurui was actually a little anxious. He was eight years older than Lei Shengjiang and was already 25 years old. In a few years, he would be 30. It would be even more difficult for a man to get pregnant after he was 30.
It would be best if you could get pregnant with your first child within these two years, and then get pregnant with another one two years later.
This would not be a heavy burden on his body, and Shengjiang was older and suitable to be a father. Shengjiang also wanted his children to have the surname Miao, so if he had two children, one would have the surname Lei.
Miao Yurui thought about finding a doctor in the capital to take her pulse and prescribe some tonic medicine. After Sheng Jiang's spring examination, they would try their best to conceive a child as soon as possible.
Thinking that he might take the initiative to seduce Sheng Jiang to bed later, he blushed and felt embarrassed.
He is older than Jiang and always thinks of himself as the older brother, so he is always reserved and steady. He likes sex but will not take the initiative to ask for it.
She only half-heartedly gave in when Ginger wanted it, and was carried to the bed by Ginger.
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