Chapter 179 [VIP]
After the banquet for the top scholar, Wang Ying planned to take her family back to her hometown.
The imperial court granted Chen Qingyan a four-month leave to visit his family and settle his affairs. Only after the Mid-Autumn Festival could Chen Qingyan officially begin his duties at the Hanlin Academy.
Chen Qingyan now holds an official position, a seventh-rank Hanlin Compiler. Don't underestimate this position; the Hanlin Academy is a place for cultivating talent, and people generally don't stay there for long. They are usually promoted or transferred to another position after about three years.
As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes, his future career path is basically secure.
Before leaving Kyoto, Lord Liu Yaozhi had a special talk with him, mainly asking about his future plans.
Chen Qingyan had no connections or support, making it extremely difficult for him to gain a foothold in the court. Therefore, he sought advice from Lord Liu.
After all, the two families are related by marriage, so their relationship is closer than that of ordinary people.
Liu Yaozhi gave him a few words of advice: "If you want to be an ordinary official in the capital, wait until the three years are over and then look for vacancies in the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Works. Of course, the road to promotion will be extremely long. It's just a matter of accumulating seniority and waiting for the people above you to leave or disappear before you can slowly rise up."
"If you don't want to waste your talents and want to make a name for yourself, then I recommend you go to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel. However, whether you can gain a foothold in these two ministries depends entirely on your own ability; a slight mistake could lead to demotion or exile."
As for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice, Lord Liu didn't mention these two ministries. These are not places that one can enter simply by having ability; one must have connections and patronage.
Chen Qingyan remained silent for a while before saying, "I need to discuss it with my husband before I can make a decision. Thank you for your advice, Uncle."
"No need to thank me. You and Qinghuai are both quite good. I imagine you will achieve great things in the court in the future."
After returning, Chen Qingyan discussed this matter with Wang Ying, "Where do you think I should go in the future?"
"Of course we should go to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel, but it's too early to talk about that now. Let's wait until we're settled in Kyoto."
After three or four days of preparation, the Chen family traveled in three horse-drawn carriages straight to their hometown—Qingshui Town, Longquan County!
*
This trip back home was truly a triumphant return. After a long journey that took more than half a month, we finally arrived in Longquan County.
It has been more than a year since I last came back. The county town has not changed much. The weathered city gate tower and the familiar city clerk are still there.
They gave the clerk a string of cash when they entered the city, and were let in without much questioning. Chen Rong and the others didn't even know they were there.
Wang Ying said, "If we suddenly go back, it will definitely give Third Aunt a big surprise."
Li couldn't help but smile: "They've only been gone from the prefectural city for a few months, and we're back already."
A "Whoa?" came from ahead, and the carriage had stopped in front of the Cao family's house.
Er Shun got out of the car and knocked on the door. After a while, Lin Qiu's voice came from the yard asking, "Who is it?"
"Young Master, we're back."
Upon hearing the address, Lin Qiu knew it was her aunt's family and quickly greeted them, "Mother, Aunt and the others are back!"
Chen Rong was weaving inside when she heard the shouts. She put down her shuttle and rushed out. She was overjoyed to see the whole family getting off the carriage and slapped her thighs.
"We've finally brought you all back. I heard that Qingyan got the top score in the imperial examination, is that true?"
Li laughed and said, "Really? I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly."
The porters, who frequently traveled to the prefectural city, were naturally well-informed and had already heard the news reaching the county during the banquet for the top scholar.
Chen Qingyan and Chen Qingsong got off the carriage behind them. "Third Aunt."
"Oh my, my dear nephew, our Chen family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke! We never expected to produce a top scholar!"
Lin Sui, carrying Qing'er, also got off the carriage. "Mother."
"Guini came along too?"
Xiao Qing'er still remembered Chen Rong, and called out in a soft voice, "Grandmother..."
Chen Rong was stunned. "This child...this child can talk?!"
Lin Sui smiled and nodded, "It's a long story, I'll tell you later."
"Hurry up and come inside, everyone!"
The whole family crowded into the yard, and the dog at the gate barked along with them.
Wang Ying recognized it at a glance, "Isn't this the Wangwang we brought from our hometown?"
Lin Qiu said, "Yes, she's very obedient and can guard the house. Xiaomai, come out and see who's here."
Xiaomai ran out of the house and saw Yuanbao and Qing'er. She called out happily, "Brother Yuanbao, Sister Qing'er!"
The three children got together and jumped and danced with joy.
After the adults went inside, Lin Qiu took the money to book a table at the restaurant. It was inconvenient to cook at home with so many people, so he went to the porter's shop to call Cao Kun home.
Li and Chen Rong sat on the kang (a heated brick bed). Having not seen each other for a long time, they had a lot to talk about, and the two chatted about everyday matters.
Lin Sui held Erbao and cuddled him for a while. The little guy was almost a year old, had four teeth, and could walk on his own while holding onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He wasn't afraid of strangers and stared at them with wide, curious eyes.
"The second child looks more and more like his brother-in-law."
Chen Rong laughed and said, "That's right. When he was little, he looked more like Lin Qiu, but as he got older, he became more and more like the Cao family. This kid can eat a lot; he can eat a bowl of millet rice and two eggs in one meal."
Wang Ying exclaimed, "That's quite a lot to eat! Yuanbao only eats half a bowl of rice per meal now."
A child who can eat well is a blessing. In ancient times, medical conditions were poor, and infants were prone to dying young. Such a strong and chubby grandson was the apple of every old lady's eye.
After catching up for a while, Chen Rong couldn't help but ask, "How is things going with the Marquis? They were planning to get married in June, but now it's canceled."
The smile on Lin Sui's face faded considerably when Li Mulin was mentioned. "I don't know. I heard the fighting at the border is fierce. I might have to wait a while before I can come back."
Chen Rong was worried. "Swords and spears have no eyes, so please be careful not to get hurt."
Lin Sui nodded, feeling a mix of emotions. He dared not tell his mother the news of Marquis Wuping's death in battle, for she was already so old and still had to worry about him.
Wang Ying quickly changed the subject, saying, "Qingyan passed the imperial examination with top honors and was kept in the capital as an official by the Emperor. After we go back to our hometown to build an ancestral hall, we will have to go to the capital."
Chen Rong sighed again, "This child has been smart since he was a child. When he was three years old, his older brother taught him to read the Thousand Character Classic. He could memorize it after reading it a few times. At that time, I joked with my older brother that our Chen family would produce a top scholar in the future, and I was right!"
Chen's father only attended school for two years. At that time, the family's conditions were average, and his grandfather was in poor health, so he dropped out of school early to take over the family business. Later, his second brother Chen Biao and fourth brother Chen Jing both went to school.
Chen Biao also took the preliminary examination, but he didn't want to continue studying. Chen Jing passed the imperial examination and became an official.
Wang Ying thought to herself: The Chen family must have a scholarly gene, otherwise they wouldn't have produced so many promising students one after another.
"How did Qinghuai do on the exam? I haven't asked him about it. Are they doing well after they returned to Shanzhou?"
Chen Qingyan said, "My second brother ranked seventh in the second class of the imperial examination this time and has also entered the Hanlin Academy as a probationary official. Everything is fine after they returned to Shanzhou. However, there are frequent battles on the border. Shanzhou is adjacent to it, so it must have been affected to some extent. I heard from him that when he came, my fourth uncle had already sent a lot of people to support the border."
Chen Rong clutched her chest and said, "You mean they started fighting out of nowhere? Lately, a lot of people from other places have come to our county. They're all refugees from the border. They're renting or buying houses in the county, and the house prices have gone up as a result."
Li said, "Speaking of which, Aying also bought a few houses in the prefectural city a while ago. She rented them out to those people from other places when they came, and made a lot of money."
"Our Wang Ying is the smartest one. She can make money and manage the household well. Without her, this family would fall apart!"
Wang Ying blushed with embarrassment at the praise. "It's not as exaggerated as Auntie said. It's just two good things coming together. You're good to me, so I'm willing to be good to you too."
As they were talking, Cao Kun and Lin Qiu returned from outside. After not seeing him for several months, Cao Kun had grown a beard and looked several years older than before.
"Elder cousin, younger cousin, sister-in-law, aunt," he greeted them one by one, then pulled Chen Qingyan aside and said, "I heard that you passed the imperial examination with top honors?"
Chen Qingyan nodded.
"Wow, that's amazing! This is our county's first top scholar. I reckon the county government will be sending someone over soon." The county magistrate had spoken to Cao Kun a while ago, telling him that if Chen Qingyan returned, he must send someone to inform him, and that the top scholar must not be neglected.
Chen Qingyan was also willing to let his relative benefit from the situation, "Alright, the magistrate will come over to meet him later."
According to official rank, he is now at the same level as the county magistrate, both being seventh-rank officials. However, the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy is much more prestigious than that of a county magistrate. A county magistrate may never be promoted to the capital in his lifetime. Chen Qingyan stayed in the capital after passing the imperial examination.
It's like the saying goes: some people struggle their whole lives and never reach Rome, while others are born in Rome.
After chatting for a few minutes, Lin Qiu said, "Let's go eat first. After eating, you should get some rest. You must be tired after traveling for so long."
"Yes, yes, let's go eat." Chen Rong picked up her grandson and the group locked the gate and headed towards a restaurant in the city.
The restaurant I used to frequent had closed down, so today I went to a newly opened one. The owner was a friend of Cao Kun, and as soon as I came in, the manager took the initiative to greet me.
"Brother Cao, a large private room has been reserved for you upstairs, and the food has been arranged."
Cao Kun leaned close to him and whispered a few words in his ear. The man's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait until I bring you a jar of the cellared wine!"
Once upstairs, everyone sat down in turn. After a few rounds of drinks, Cao Kun took the initiative to ask Wang Ying, "Sister-in-law, you've been doing business in the prefectural city for the past few years. I'd like to ask about the rent for shops."
Wang Ying said, "The rent for the shops hasn't increased much yet. Are you thinking of developing your business in the prefectural city?"
"We do have that idea. The foot-carrying business has reached its peak in the county town. We've basically taken over all the work in the surrounding areas. If we want to continue developing, we might have to look to the prefectural city."
In fact, Cao Kun had long had the idea of developing his career in the prefectural city. He was a very quick-witted person, but his aunt's family had not yet established themselves in the prefectural city, and he was afraid of causing trouble if he went there.
Now that my cousin has passed the imperial examination with top honors, my cousin has married into an official's family, and my younger brother is engaged to a marquis, it might be easier for us to develop our careers in the prefectural city.
Wang Ying said, "Developing in the prefectural city is indeed a good idea, but there are also several porters in the prefectural city, so attracting business in the early stages may be a bit difficult."
"Those are minor matters." Everyone in their line of work has built their reputation through hard work.
Wang Ying thought about it carefully and said, "If you really plan to go there, I'll help you find out when we get back this time. The location of the porter's shop doesn't need to be too conspicuous. Just find a shop on Zhenghe Street. There are many merchants there, so it's convenient to get work."
Cao Kun said happily, "Then I'll have to trouble you, cousin-in-law!"
"We're all family, so let's not be formal. Besides, Qingyan and I will be going to the capital soon, so your presence in the city will be a good opportunity to help take care of my mother and Qingsong."
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