Chapter 133 [VIP]
That evening, Aunt Chen prepared a large table of food, and the family sat together to celebrate Qingyan and Qinghuai passing the imperial examination and becoming scholars.
Mr. Liang, who had not drunk alcohol for a long time, made an exception and drank two cups of wine today.
After finishing his drink, the old man started chatting about all sorts of things.
"This year's prefectural examination questions were not too difficult, much easier than in previous years. Coincidentally, I had already discussed a few of Mo Yi's questions with you a while ago, so it can be considered that I predicted the questions correctly."
Chen Qinghuai nodded repeatedly, "That's right, of the ten major questions in Mo Yi, my elder brother and I have solved six of them!"
Liang Boqing stroked his beard with a hint of pride. Before the exam, he had reviewed all the past exam questions. Most of the questions that had been asked before would not be repeated, so he collected all the difficult and unexamined questions and gave them several days of intensive training.
Hard work pays off, and both of their efforts were rewarded.
"This is just a minor prefectural examination. Although your results are not bad, remember not to be arrogant or impatient. Your true abilities will be revealed when you achieve success in the provincial examination!"
There's a saying among the people that a successful candidate in the provincial examination is worth more than a gold-plated one, while a successful candidate in the imperial examination is worth more than a silver-plated one. The root cause of this saying is that the provincial examination was extremely difficult.
The saying goes, "Thousands of soldiers and horses cross a single-plank bridge," and those who pass the exam are the most outstanding talents. Moreover, passing the exam to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) qualified one to become an official, hence the name "Golden Juren."
The two put down their chopsticks and nodded in agreement.
It was getting late, and Yuanbao was getting sleepy, so Li and Fang Ling took the child inside to rest.
The others sat outside and continued listening to Old Man Liang talk about the imperial examinations.
Liang Boqing asked, "Have you seen who the second and third place winners are, and what their names are?"
Chen Qingyan recalled for a moment and said, "The second name is Lin Zhen, who seems to be from Guangyuan County. The third name is Shen Mengzhou, who is a native of Jizhou."
"It really was him. Those two Lin family boys are a year younger than you. He once wrote a parallel prose piece called 'The Gentle Breeze Sends the Bright Moon,' in which the bright, solitary moon shines, illuminating a thousand years of sorrow; the lingering melody carries longing across ten thousand miles. You two should have read it."
The Chen brothers were stunned. They had thought the article was written by an older scholar, but it turned out to be written by someone their own age! For a moment, they were at a loss for words.
Liang Boqing stroked his beard and said, "His literary talent is inseparable from his family's guidance. His grandfather, Lin Shiqiu, was a Juren in the seventh year of the Wuyun era. This parallel prose must have been guided by Lin Shiqiu. However, to be able to write such famous lines, he is a rare talent."
The three sat upright, knowing that Lin Zhen was not to be underestimated and that they would have to work even harder during the provincial examination.
"The third place is also an acquaintance; he is the son of Shen Lan, the instructor of the prefectural school." Both father and son are scholars. Shen Lan was a scholar when he was young, getting up to study before dawn every day and not resting until dusk.
Unfortunately, he was of average talent. Although he passed the imperial examination, he only ranked third. In addition, he had no background or connections, so he had to return to Jizhou Prefecture School to teach.
His son, Shen Mengzhou, was even more diligent than his father. Not only did he study, but he also copied books and did dictation every day, and he was almost never idle.
Previously, some people at the academy laughed at him for being a bookworm and studying to death, but Shen Mengzhou didn't care and continued to do so day after day.
Diligence can make up for lack of talent, and the result of his long-term efforts was that he won third place in the prefectural examination, which made his father very proud.
"You are in the north, which gives you a slight geographical advantage. If you were in Yangzhou, I'm afraid it would be difficult for you to become the top scholar in the prefectural examination."
Educational resources have always been unevenly distributed between the north and south. The south, as a prosperous region with well-developed waterways, has a natural geographical advantage.
With more wealthy people, everyone naturally wanted their children to study hard, enter officialdom, and wield real power. Most children began their formal education at age four and started school at age six, making the competition extremely fierce.
“In the past few years, there were more than 700 candidates for the county examination near Yangzhou City alone. As for the prefectural examination, there were no fewer than 1,000 candidates every year. The competition was even fiercer in the provincial examination, with the number of candidates being almost five times that of Jizhou Prefecture.”
Wang Ying picked up the wine pot to pour wine for the old man, but Liang Boqing quickly covered the mouth of the cup, saying, "You can't drink anymore, any more will be too much."
"It's alright, I'm happy today, so it's fine to drink a little more."
Liang Boqing moved his hand away and said, "Then let's have one last drink."
Chen Qingyan smiled and said, "This disciple will accompany you."
Before he had even finished half a glass of wine, Old Liang was already drunk. He leaned back in his chair and started snoring. Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai gently helped him into the house.
The servants cleaned the table, and Wang Ying prepared hot water in the bathroom.
Chen Qingyan had also drunk quite a bit, and once he entered the bathhouse, the heat made him feel the effects of the alcohol, and he became unsteady on his feet.
Wang Ying quickly helped him up, undressed him, and put him into the bathtub.
Are you dizzy?
"It's alright." Chen Qingyan leaned against the bathtub, her hair loose and hanging down her back.
Wang Ying combed her hair with a wooden comb, then applied shampoo made from cypress leaves and rubbed it in.
"Ah Ying, I'm so happy today."
"I'm happy too."
"No, I'm not just happy because I passed the imperial examination, but because I'm happy to find that I can face that past with equanimity."
Chen Qingyan turned his head, his eyes shining, and said, "When those people were surrounding me and talking about me today, I didn't feel angry at all. I wouldn't have dared to imagine that in the past..."
Wang Ying said, "That's how it should be. That matter wasn't your fault, and so much time has passed. If you're still dwelling on it, you'll probably never achieve anything great in the future."
Chen Qingyan clicked his tongue, "You sound like an elder."
“I’m older than you. You used to call me brother, but now you don’t even call me brother anymore.”
Chen Qingyan's ears turned red, and he reached out and grabbed Wang Ying's hand, pulling him into the bathtub with a force.
"Hey, I haven't taken my clothes off yet..."
"Brother, let's take a shower together."
With a few quick movements, his calloused fingers lifted Wang Ying's clothes.
After drinking, Chen Qingyan seemed to become a different person, abandoning his usual gentleness and becoming rather rough, causing Wang Ying both pain and pleasure.
Violent slapping sounds echoed in the bathroom, mixed with muffled groans from the two. Eventually, Wang Ying couldn't take it anymore and bit Chen Qingyan's shoulder, saying, "Let's go to the experimental field."
Upon entering the experimental field, Wang Ying finally let out a joyful cry, her moans driving Chen Qingyan's blood to boil; he felt an urge to crush her...
*
After the prefectural examination, the marriage between Liu Changyi and Chen Qingyun was put on the agenda.
According to the custom of Jizhou Prefecture, the man must first hire a matchmaker to visit the woman's home to discuss the marriage. After obtaining the woman's consent, he must take the two people's birth dates and times to a temple for a compatibility analysis.
Unless they are particularly incompatible, most couples who get together are a match made in heaven. Of course, there are also cases where one party disagrees or wants to break off the engagement. In such cases, they can use the excuse that the two people's five elements are incompatible to cancel the marriage and give both parties a way out.
The matchmaker Qin Furong hired was her sworn sister, the wife of the Prefect of Jizhou, whose surname was Gao.
Madam Gao and Qin Furong had similar personalities; both were forthright and cheerful. After receiving her sister's request, she chose an auspicious day to visit and propose marriage.
Because the two parties had agreed in advance, it was just a formality.
When Madam Gao arrived at the Chen family, she saw that their location was remote and their house was not spacious. She couldn't understand why her sworn sister had chosen such a girl from a humble background as her daughter-in-law.
However, since the task had been entrusted to her, she naturally had to handle it perfectly. Upon entering and seeing Madam Li and Madam Fang, she put on a smile and took the initiative to chat with them.
Through conversation, it was learned that the Chen family were not locals, but came from other places. Although they looked down on their luck, they had a lot to offer. Several of their sons were classmates with Liu Changyi, and one of them had just won the top score in the prefectural examination.
From this perspective, the two families are actually well-matched.
A good wife is one who is virtuous. A family that can raise such an outstanding child must have a good family tradition. My sister knows how to choose a good husband.
Madam Gao also saw Chen Qingyun. The girl was gentle and kind, with an excellent appearance, and spoke with great knowledge and reason. In the end, the two families exchanged birth charts and took them to consult divination for marriage compatibility.
After seeing Madam Gao off, Li finally felt relieved. She turned to look at Fang Ling, and both of them smiled.
Fang Ling said, "Madam Liu is quite methodical in her work, and the people she entrusts are reliable."
"Yes, I'm also afraid that the people who come will be difficult to talk to." She is most afraid of dealing with strangers; in modern terms, she has social anxiety.
Now that Qingyun's marriage is settled, she no longer needs to worry. "In a few days, let's go to the Taoist temple to have our fortunes told and see how the two children's marriages will go."
Fang Ling nodded, "I've heard that Qingfeng Temple outside Jizhou City is quite nice. I'll take Qingyun and Lin Sui there for a visit sometime."
*
As the weather warmed up day by day, by mid-April, vegetables in the market started to sell poorly.
Because the vegetables in the village are gradually coming into season, and they are affordable and fresh, most people no longer buy them from the shops.
However, Wang Ying was not in a hurry. He had been running a vegetable shop for so many years that he had long mastered the rules. It just so happened that there were not many vegetables left in the experimental field. After selling the last batch, he cleared the field and replanted wheat.
Since that flood, Wang Ying had developed a strong attachment to food. Whenever she couldn't grow vegetables, she would immediately plant wheat and millet. Money could provide for her, but in the face of a major disaster, only food could save her life.
It wasn't the season for selling ice yet, and business at the shop wasn't good, so Wang Ying simply closed the shop for a few days to rest and took her family out for a spring outing.
Right now is the best season of the year.
The sun was shining brightly but it wasn't stuffy; a gentle breeze was blowing, and as far as the eye could see, the mountains and fields were covered in shades of green, a sight that was truly refreshing.
Qingfeng Temple is located on Qingfeng Mountain, fifteen miles outside the city of Jizhou Prefecture. It takes about an hour to get there by carriage.
Uncle Chen drove the carriage, with Li Shi, Fang Ling, Wang Ying, Lin Sui, and Qing Yun, who was about to have her fortune told, sitting in the carriage.
Yuanbao originally wanted to come along, but the kid was too lazy to get out of bed this morning.
Wang Ying also heard that going to Qingfeng Temple required climbing steps, and Yuanbao's short legs would definitely not be able to climb them. Carrying this little chubby up the mountain would also be exhausting for her, so she simply left him at home to be looked after by his father.
Soon the carriage arrived at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain. Everyone got off the carriage and walked up the mountain, while Uncle Chen drove the carriage to the side of the road and stayed to wait.
Walking up the steps, surrounded by lush vegetation, with occasional glimpses of unnamed wildflowers and the melodious chirping of birds in the woods, the journey was truly a pleasant experience.
Occasionally, you might encounter pilgrims along the way, as well as peddlers carrying food on shoulder poles, making it look much like a modern tourist attraction.
When they reached the middle of the mountain, Li and her fourth aunt were a little tired. There happened to be a pavilion nearby, so they sat down there to rest.
A young girl carrying a wooden bucket came over and said, "May you be blessed with good fortune and health. Would you like to buy a cup of water? The cups are all washed. It's only two coins a cup."
Wang Ying waved to her, and the little girl walked forward with a smile, put down the wooden bucket, and untied a string of bamboo cups from around her neck.
The cups were all clean, but Wang Ying still washed them again, took a cup of water from each of them, and gave the little girl twenty coins.
Just then, while the group was resting, Qin Furong and Madam Gao also came to arrange a marriage for their sons. The two families unexpectedly ran into each other!
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