Chapter 193 [VIP]
Confucius said: "A gentleman does not seek to be full when eating, nor comfortable when dwelling; he is diligent in his work and cautious in his speech; he seeks guidance from those who possess the Way and corrects himself accordingly. Such a person may be called a lover of learning."
The sound of children reading aloud rang out from the Liu family's study. The teacher would read a sentence, and the children below would sway their heads and repeat it. After they had read it a few times, they were allowed to read on their own.
As noon approached, Yuanbao put on the little schoolbag his father had made for him and prepared to go home.
"Chen Ze, Grandmother said you should stay for lunch." The speaker was Liu Yunxi, the grandson of Lord Liu.
"I'm not eating anymore. My father said my third uncle is coming over in the next few days, and I have to go back and wait for him."
"Alright then, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
The friends said goodbye and went home. Yuanbao ran towards the door, where Chen Ju had been waiting for a long time.
"Young master, please get in the car!"
"Has Third Uncle arrived?"
"We're here. We arrived early this morning."
"Great! Uncle said he'd bring me a puppy last time, did he bring it?"
"Oh dear, I have no idea. Young master, you should go back and see for yourself."
The wheels creaked and spun as they headed toward the Chen family's house. This was their third year in Kyoto, and Yuanbao was eight years old.
Last year, Liu Yaozhi's son was transferred back from his post, and his grandson also came back with him. The family hired a tutor to start the children's education. It just so happened that Yuanbao was the same age as him, so they called him over to start his education together.
Besides the two of them, there were several other children from the Liu clan, all around the same age. Studying together made the learning process less boring and fostered friendships, achieving two goals at once.
Yuanbao has almost mastered the basic knowledge by now and has begun to study the Four Books.
The carriage arrived at the doorstep quickly. As soon as the carriage stopped, Yuanbao couldn't wait to get off and run into the house, shouting, "Third Uncle, Third Uncle!"
Just then, Wang Ying came out of the house. "Slow down, your third uncle and your father are in the study."
Yuanbao paused, then turned around with a big smile and strode towards the study.
In the study, Chen Qingyan was helping her younger brother prepare for the exam. Qingsong had successfully passed the prefectural and provincial examinations in the past two years, and last year he passed the provincial examination and became a Juren. Although his ranking was slightly lower, he was eligible to participate in this year's metropolitan examination.
Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock on the study door. "Father, Third Uncle, may I come in?"
The study door opened, and Chen Qingsong picked up his nephew in his arms. "Little Yuanbao, did you miss your third uncle?"
"I would like to, but Uncle, please put me down. I'm a big kid now."
Chen Qingsong couldn't help but chuckle and tapped his little nose. "Big kid, I heard you went to school. What are you studying?"
Yuanbao counted on his fingers and read aloud to him, "We've learned the Thousand Character Classic, the Three Character Classic, and the Rhyme Primer. These days we're learning the Analects."
"Wow, you've learned quite a bit. Study hard and become a top scholar like your father in the future."
"Good!" The child didn't yet realize the true value of being a top scholar; he would regret it later.
"By the way, Uncle said he would bring me a puppy last time, did he bring it?"
Chen Qingsong said, "I've brought it. Let's go take a look."
Chen Qingyan looked helplessly at her younger brother and son, and had no choice but to get up and go over to take a look.
The dog, only three or four months old, was kept in a wooden cage. It was a fluffy little ball of fur and looked very endearing.
This puppy is a descendant of Wangwang. When Wangwang was in Longquan County, she had a litter of puppies with a neighbor's dog. When Cao Kun went to Fucheng, he took two of them and kept them as guard dogs at the porter's shop. Later, one of them had another litter in Jizhou, and this is one of them.
Chen Qingsong let the puppy out. The little guy squatted by the cage, too scared to move. Yuanbao asked curiously, "Can I pet it?"
"Of course you can, but just be careful not to let it bite you."
Yuanbao reached out and touched its head. The soft touch made him smile. "So cute. I remember when I was a child, there was a dog and a cat that often played with me in my hometown."
"That happened when you were one or two years old, do you remember?"
"I remember, it was the cat that always bullied me. Every time I tried to pet it, it would jump onto the windowsill and tease me with its tail."
Chen Qingyan and Chen Qingsong laughed heartily, "Come inside and have some fun, your third uncle and I have some things to take care of."
"Okay." In no time, Yuanbao became familiar with the puppy and took it into the house.
Chen Qingyan and Chen Qingsong continued to discuss the provincial examination. "I heard that this year, candidates from the south accounted for 70% of the total, while those from the north only accounted for 30%?"
"Yes, only six people from our Jizhou passed the exam this year. When you add them all up, the seven northern prefectures combined have only a little over sixty people, while the seven southern prefectures had over one hundred and forty people pass the exam this year."
In Chen Qingyan's year, eleven people from Jizhou Prefecture passed the imperial examination. In just three short years, the difference was so great.
"You'd better study hard for the imperial examination. If you pass and become a Jinshi, you might be assigned to a small county as a magistrate."
"Hey, I also want to do well on the exam, but you have no idea how crazy this year's exam questions are. Many of them are things I've never seen before! Things like salt merchant taxation, agricultural policies, and industrial and commercial balance policies. They're giving me a headache."
Chen Qingyan frowned and tapped him on the head. "Correct your attitude. Your teacher taught us these policy essays a long time ago, but you were always too playful back then. Now that the exam is here, you've forgotten them all!"
Chen Qingsong stuck out his tongue, "Who knew the exam would be so varied..."
"While there's still some time before the imperial examination, don't be idle these next few days. Write three policy essays every day, and I'll check them when I get back from my shift."
"ah?!"
"What do you mean 'ah'? If three aren't enough, write five!"
"Alright, alright, three articles, three articles are enough!" Chen Qingsong ground the ink and was about to start writing.
Wang Ying knocked on the door and came in. "What are you writing? Third Brother just arrived and hasn't eaten yet. Rest for the night and you can write tomorrow."
"My sister-in-law is the best!" Chen Qingsong put down his pen and slipped out.
Wang Ying was overjoyed. This kid would be eighteen after the New Year, but he was still so childish. "Has the message been sent to Qinghuai yet?"
"I asked Chen Ju to inform them, they should be here soon."
A few years ago, Ma Zhandong changed his surname and joined the Chen family. When Tian Ju found out, he also insisted on changing his surname. There was no other way but to change his surname and register him under the Chen family. Now the two of them are considered servants.
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan have become more and more composed and reserved.
During his three years at the Hanlin Academy, Chen Qingyan received several commendations from His Majesty. Coupled with his relationship with Lord Liu, he was enjoying great success. After this year's imperial examinations, he was scheduled for a transfer next year. If all went according to plan, he should be transferred to one of the Six Ministries, but the specific ministry would depend on the arrangements made by higher authorities.
In recent years, there has been a subtle power struggle between the aristocratic families and the upright officials in the court. As a family of farmers and scholars, Chen Qingyan naturally belongs to the upright officials, and the leader of them is none other than Lord Liu Yaozhi.
However, the aristocratic families still hold the upper hand, and the upright individuals dare not make their struggles too obvious. After all, their strength is undeniable, and the aristocratic families have hundreds of years of foundation. To completely eradicate them is like an ant trying to shake a tree; it cannot be resolved overnight.
As for Wang Ying, his vegetable and ice businesses are doing quite well these days. A few years ago, he got involved with the wife of the Minister of Rites. Madam Xing is very shrewd in business, owning seven or eight shops in the city, including a restaurant, inn, incense shop, and silver shop.
Every winter, truckloads of vegetables are delivered to her family's restaurant. Now everyone in the city knows that Yaoyue Restaurant has the freshest fruits and vegetables in winter, and customers flock there every day. The two of them are making a fortune.
However, Chen Zhandong now manages the business affairs. He has seven or eight employees who are responsible for transporting goods back and forth and guarding the vegetable garden, and they are doing it very well.
Wang Ying continued writing in her spare time, and her second book is almost finished.
Speaking of agricultural books, the book written by Wang Ying was given the title "Qi Nong Geng Shu" by the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and he was signed with the courtesy name Jiaxuan Jushi, which was given to him by Elder Liang.
When this book was first published, it became a huge hit in Kyoto. Although the court valued scholars, agricultural science was still highly regarded, and there were many scholars who specialized in this field.
After obtaining the book, they began to study it, especially the descriptions and anatomical diagrams of various seeds, which astonished many learned scholars from farming families.
These people inquired everywhere about who the author was, but unfortunately, the Director of Agriculture blocked their way, and no one knew that the author was actually a young man.
However, Wang Ying's side did not come away empty-handed. Since the book was printed, the experimental field suddenly gained 10,000 experience points! In addition to these 10,000 points, the experience points increased every day in small increments. Over time, he concluded that the system would automatically add several hundred experience points for each person who read the book and learned the knowledge within.
Although the rewards are small each time, they accumulate over time. The experimental field is now more than halfway to level seven. At this rate, it should reach level eight in another year or two. I wonder what kind of rewards a level eight experimental field will give.
In fact, Wang Ying had always been curious about what this experimental field was. It was a bit like an upgrade game, but unfortunately, she never had an answer. She had a feeling that she would understand when the experimental field reached level ten.
*
That being said, Chen Qingsong came to Kyoto early to take the imperial examination because he wanted to learn some skills from his elder brother.
He had learned almost everything the teachers at the prefectural school had taught him, and since last year he had been traveling around studying, but with little success. It was his brother-in-law Liu Changyi who reminded him that instead of wasting time in Jizhou, he should go to the capital to take a look. His two older brothers were both excellent scholars there, and the academy in the capital was much better than the one in Jizhou. He should go there as soon as possible to prepare for the exams.
Chen Qingsong thought it made sense, so he rushed to Kyoto right after the New Year.
Soon after, Chen Qinghuai arrived with his wife. Bai was somewhat introverted and simply greeted them before falling silent.
Wang Ying was already used to her temper and warmly invited the two of them into the house for a meal.
"You're about to take the imperial examination, are you nervous?" Chen Qinghuai asked, patting his younger brother on the shoulder.
"It's alright. It's not as nerve-wracking as the provincial examination. Even if you don't pass the metropolitan examination, you'll still be a scholar."
Chen Qingyan got angry as soon as she heard this, and raised her hand to hit him on the head, "Look at your pathetic self!"
Wang Ying quickly stopped him, saying, "How old are you to still be hitting people? You're not allowed to hit anyone anymore."
Chen Qingsong wasn't annoyed. He just grinned and scratched his head, "My sister-in-law still cares about me the most!"
Bai Yanqing sat to the side watching the group, her brows furrowed slightly. She felt like an outsider, unable to fit into the family.
"I'm not feeling well, so I'll head back now." With that, he got up and left.
Wang Ying hurriedly chased after her to stop her, saying that if she was feeling unwell, she should call a doctor as soon as possible, lest she delay.
Chen Qinghuai said, "Sister-in-law, don't stop her, let her go back."
"What's wrong? Are you two having a fight?"
Chen Qingyan said, "We must not bully your sister-in-law. She has married so far away and has no relatives around her. We must not disappoint your in-laws."
Chen Qinghuai hesitated, then said, "No, you're overthinking it..."
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