Chapter 252 252. What a handsome scholar
However, Lei Shengjiang also has a little regret.
My brother cannot become an official and take the imperial examination. It would be great if Brother Xiaobao was a man. They could study together in the county school, take part in the autumn and spring examinations together, become officials together, and do practical things for the people.
Brother Xiaobao is smart, has a high level of comprehension, and is knowledgeable. He will definitely pass the exam and should rank higher than him. Many people praise his brother for writing better articles than him, and then he will be promoted all the way to become a high-ranking official respected by everyone.
But Miao Yurui himself had no intention of becoming an official.
He studied and taught because he loved books, and he also loved teaching children to read and write, and he loved seeing their happy smiles when they memorized an article or did their homework correctly.
In fact, he didn't like places like teahouses and taverns where there were many people, especially places with many men. He also didn't like talking to those strange men, and he was not interested in the poems they wrote.
A good poem or a good article is best when it is published in a book.
It doesn't matter who the author is.
Since this author has been frequenting brothels and has become a frequent client of prostitutes, there is no need to meet him anymore.
When Miao Yurui, Jingsheng, Zhouzhou and others went out to play, they accidentally ran into those scholars who were well-dressed in teahouses several times, but they went to brothels together.
Miao Yurui hates three things in his life: gambling, domestic violence, and infidelity.
And his ginger never does that.
Sheng Jiang doesn't gamble, and treats people gently and politely. If she sees injustice, she will try to reason with him before taking action. She is also very loyal. She has liked him since childhood and treats him even better after marriage.
So he preferred to stay at home and study with Jiang. While Jiang was reading, he would grind ink. When Jiang was tired, he would massage her shoulders or temples, or let her lean on him to rest for a while.
Ginger would hug his waist, lean on him very dependently, with her face pressed against his waist and abdomen, her eyes closed, and her lips slightly raised while she spoke, very much like she was acting coquettishly.
This sometimes made him feel a little embarrassed, because from the top down, he felt that this posture was very similar to when he was pregnant, and Ginger was listening to the movements of the baby in his belly.
Young men are always easily provoked.
Sometimes when Lei Shengjiang hugged him like this, she would suddenly blush and let go of him, looking shy and secretly glancing at him.
Miao Yurui thought Lei Shengjiang was very cute, so she would hold his face and kiss him, give him some sweet treats, and then coax him, "Be good, study hard by yourself, I'll go get some tea and some snacks."
After he leaves, Lei Shengjiang will be able to calm down by herself for a while. If he stays around, Lei Shengjiang will be shy for a long time and will not be able to concentrate on studying.
However, when Lei Shengjiang's body was almost warm, Miao Yurui would sit in his arms and kiss his lips and cheeks. Lei Shengjiang would understand and then carry him to the bed.
In short.
It is much better to stay at home with his young husband than to debate poetry with a group of people outside.
However, because Lei Shengjiang didn't go there often and always looked at him with expectant eyes, Miao Yurui was also worried that those scholars would lead him astray and take him out to drink and have fun, so he would follow him every time.
And every time he came up with a good idea, Lei Shengjiang's eyes lit up and his little expression of admiration as he looked at him was quite interesting.
—
It’s cold in February.
The Spring Examination consisted of three sessions, held on the ninth, twelfth, and fifteenth days of the second lunar month, each lasting three days. The results were announced ten days after the exam. Those who passed were called "Gongshi," while the top scorer was called "Huiyuan."
Lei Shengjiang achieved a very good ranking in the Spring Examination and successfully entered the palace examination.
The palace examination was held in the main hall of the imperial palace, with the emperor personally setting the questions and presiding over the examination.
The palace examination followed a fixed format, consisting of a single question about current affairs. Candidates were required to answer based on current national politics and submit their papers on the same day. The ministers who reviewed the papers would initially determine the rankings, which would then be determined by the emperor.
The results of the palace examination were divided into three categories: the top three in the first category were named Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua; the second and third categories were ranked according to their scores. Candidates who passed the palace examination were called Jinshi and were assigned to different grades.
Lei Shengjiang's poetry and prose can only be considered average, but his strong point is policy questions.
Facing the emperor who was looking down at him in the hall and walking among the candidates from time to time, he was nervous but not flustered. He successfully stood out and won the title of Tanhualang with his pretty face, ranking third in the first class.
Everyone in the Lei family was in high spirits.
Lei Li not only gave a big red envelope to the official who came to report the news, but also gave bonuses to the servants in the house. Later, he hired enough servants so that he could not always do the work of sweeping the snow by himself.
The agent who rented the house to them was also very happy. This was the house where the top scholar in the imperial examination was born. Once it became famous, it would definitely become a hot commodity next year.
Lei Li wrote letters and sent them out separately.
The most letters were sent to Qingmi County. One was sent to my grandfather's family in Silihe Village, three were sent to Miao Fulang and Liu Xiaocao in Sanlihe Village, and Gui Fulang who managed the tomato garden, one was sent to Zhu Zhuer in the county town, and two were sent to Mengluo and the new magistrate.
The new magistrate is also Lei Shengjiang's teacher. In addition to announcing the good news, Lei Li and the others were not around, which made the new magistrate hesitate and not dare to do anything to the villagers. Instead, he would take care of them.
Meng Yao is also Lei Shengjiang's teacher, so he should write a letter to him to inform him of the good news. And there is also Sister Huaer who married to a foreign grassland. She loves her younger brother Lei Shengjiang very much, and she will definitely be very happy to know that Shengjiang has passed the high school entrance examination.
All the letters that needed to be sent have been sent.
Lei Li finally bought a house in Kyoto, which was bigger and better than the two-story house he rented, and was also closer to the official circle of Kyoto.
Their Jiang is the third place scholar chosen by the emperor and a new Hanlin. He can no longer live in his original quiet but remote house, otherwise he will be looked down upon and laughed at by his colleagues.
——The top scorers in the palace examination will generally enter the Hanlin Academy first, do clerical work to gain experience, and then be transferred to the grassroots level to serve as officials or join important agencies, becoming the emperor's capable employees. Those who perform well can be gradually promoted to backbone positions.
Life in the Hanlin Academy is very leisurely.
Lei Shengjiang goes to work in the morning and can go home on time in the afternoon, but he always stays in the Hanlin Academy for a while longer.
The Hanlin Academy, also known as the National Library, houses the most complete and largest collection of books from the Dayou Dynasty and is a dreamland for scholars.
Lei Shengjiang would pick a book he liked, a book Miao Yurui would like, or a book they both liked, borrow them home, and read them together with his brother Xiaobao.
When you finish reading, return it, borrow another book and continue reading.
——However, it always takes a long time to read a book. If he comes across a particularly good book that he likes very much, Lei Shengjiang will go to the bookstore to buy a copy for his collection, or copy one himself.
While Lei Shengjiang was working at the Hanlin Academy, his family members were also busy.
When someone in your family becomes an official, you will actively or passively come into contact with officialdom and understand the human relationships and social customs there.
Officials should wear official uniforms of different ranks and colors, how should one treat the wives of officials of different ranks, which invitations can be declined, and which banquets must be attended.
You should know which official family the official and his wife have conflicts with, what the lady likes to eat and what she dislikes, what the carriage of that family looks like, and you should know to give way to carriages of higher-ranking officials.
It's all trivial stuff.
Lei Li hired a nanny who had worked as a housekeeper in a high-ranking official's residence to teach himself and Miao Yurui these things. At the same time, other family members also came to listen to prevent any shortcomings from hindering Jiang.
After just a few days of learning, Lei Li was already overwhelmed. Whenever he saw the nanny, he felt a headache and wanted to avoid her.
"Why are there so many things?!"
Lei Li studied all day, his temples aching. He couldn't help but complain to Zhou Yi, "If I had known, I wouldn't have let Jiang take this exam. Everyone thinks being an official is glorious, but in reality, it pays little, has a lot of work, and it can easily cost you your head."
"Why not learn business from me... No, you don't even need to learn. With the Meng family here, all you have to do is collect dividends. You can sit back and relax for a year without doing anything, and you'll still earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in dividends."
"Isn't this better than being an official?"
"Be generous."
Zhou Yi massaged his solar plexus and soothed him softly, "Our family's business is big, so we don't have to worry about anything. However, we can't rely on the Meng family all our lives. We still have to stand on our own feet."
"Ginger has great potential. He will get third place in the imperial examination and be able to enter the Hanlin Academy as an editor."
"He looks small, only a seventh-rank official, but isn't it said that the Hanlin Academy is noble and those first- and second-rank ministers almost all came from the Hanlin Academy? Maybe our Jiang can even reach the first or second rank."
"Sheng Jiang has great ambitions. He became an official to do practical things for the people. As his fathers, we should provide logistical support and give him more support."
"I understand the reasoning."
Lei Li sighed, "Even being a seventh-rank official isn't easy. Some people know about our family's relationship with the Meng family, so they're trying to ostracize Sheng Jiang and make things difficult for him. There are also some elders who secretly bully him, and this silly kid thinks we don't know."
"Meng Yao's senior brother was admitted to the Hanlin Academy. When he learned that Sheng Jiang had also been admitted, Meng Yao wrote a letter to his senior brother, asking him to take care of Sheng Jiang."
"It's a pity that his senior brother has little influence in the Hanlin Academy. He is already a loyal servant by revealing the news to us privately."
The Hanlin Academy is not a good place to stay. Meng Yao's senior brother has been there for seven or eight years and has never been released from the Hanlin Academy. He is so noble and clean that only clean remains.
"really."
Zhou Yi nodded. "Compared to becoming a Hanlin, I hope Sheng Jiang can get out of that place as soon as possible, even if it means becoming a magistrate in a small county. With us here, we will never let Sheng Jiang be bullied."
"yes."
Lei Li snorted, "We have money. We can use it to build a road. We can live in any small county town. Beijing is prosperous, but they still eat people without leaving any bones."
"Don't think too much, just let it go."
Zhou Yi touched his face and said, "I've put some hot water in. Go take a shower. I'll get you some clean clothes."
"Let's wash together."
Lei Li held his hand and said with a smile, "It's not even washed at all. I almost forgot what your body looked like."
"Didn't we do it a few days ago..." How come I can't remember what his body looks like? He works out diligently every day and keeps in good shape.
"There were no lights on at night, it was pitch black, how could I see or remember anything..."
Lei Li pulled Zhou Yi behind the screen. There was steam coming out of the big bathtub. There were two braziers next to the bathtub, and the charcoal fire was burning very vigorously.
It is still very cold in Beijing in March, but the house is warm.
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