Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 668 Candidates’ Dispute at the Wine Bar
The Lu family’s deep courtyard,
In the main living room,

The servants who were serving him left early, and only the old housekeeper stayed there, standing behind Mr. Lu Ge, ready to take orders.

Down the hall,

On the chair at the east end,

Mr. Meng, the censor of Youjian City, was pouring out his bitter words with a grimace. When he spoke, he was as heartbroken as a woman. He spent so much time searching for young talents from various families in the capital for his troubled daughter. , asked many questions, fearing that my daughter would be delayed due to my negligence.

If it weren't for his suspicious character and Feng Yongwen's situation when the Ning Guofu family proposed a marriage, wouldn't it be his own? After all, the matchmaker proposed the marriage to him first.

what!
Thinking of this, I became suspicious. Why did Mr. Ge bring this up? Could it be that he was planning to marry his daughter?
"Mr. Ge, do you mean to marry the student's daughter?"

Meng Li came back to his senses and asked belatedly.

Lu Wenshan stroked his beard with a smile on his face. The quarrel in the Shuntian Mansion Yamen and the status of their trial of the case were unknown. If Marquis Luo Yun had not taken action, Feng Yongwen of Dali Temple would not be able to sit still and the case would not be tried. In this way, Jia Zhen, the Ningguo Mansion, is very likely to use this to escape the crime, and then her success will be in vain.

I don’t know who was behind it, but the matchmaker’s guarantee was so clever. It seemed that it was not long after the matchmaker arranged the marriage. If Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion hadn’t been stupid, he might have succeeded today. Come to think of it, that old guy Gu Yichen I have known about it for a long time and have just made arrangements.

Looking at the person in front of him again, after all, he is his close student. With this status, he should regard this wealth as a reward. He nodded and said with a smile;
"Since I asked, I have a fortune for you. Tell me the truth. Is your daughter really not married to anyone else?"

"Mr. Ge, from what you said, no student would dare to deceive you. My daughter is indeed not betrothed to another family and has been staying in the boudoir!"

Meng Li quickly responded and explained that he would never admit what happened in the past.

"Okay, in that case, I will act as a matchmaker and see a chance for the daughter of your family to enter the Rongguo Mansion. What do you think? The golden boy and the beautiful girl are a match made in heaven."

Lu Wenshan no longer plays riddles. This is a foreshadowing story where he takes the first move and seizes the opportunity.

Although there is opposition between civil and military forces, it is limited to the court. Outside the court, interests come first, and there are not a few civil and military marriages.

But Meng Li was a little confused when he heard what he heard below. There were two direct descendants in Rongguo Mansion, and Jia She, the eldest son, had two sons. The eldest son, Jia Lian, had long been married to the Wang family, and the other concubine had almost never been heard of.
Jia Zheng, the second wife, had three sons. The eldest son died of illness. The second son was the rich son who was born with a jade in his mouth. The other concubine had never been heard of. Who was saved?

Meng Li still hasn't realized how his children's in-laws are involved. Who can the elder Ge tell his daughter to be? He is still thinking about which family the son is from.

"Mr. Ge, the student is stupid and doesn't understand what Mr. Ge means. Which lord do you want to tell my daughter about?"

Lu Wenshan opened his eyes slightly and looked at Meng Li with a suspicious look on his face. It didn't look like he was cheating. How could such a shrewd person become so stupid when something happened to his daughter? However, it was reasonable to think that he was in the middle. , care leads to chaos,
"You, you are such a shrewd person, why can't you understand how many of those concubine children without family support can be promising? The matchmaker I protected was none other than the direct descendant of the second house of Rongguo Mansion, the man with the jade title Jia Baoyu was born to be rich. Do you know how much hard work it takes to become a teacher?"

When Meng Li heard this, he opened his mouth. It turned out to be him. In this way, his daughter entered the Rongguo Mansion and became the daughter-in-law of the second wife. However, the Rongguo Mansion has always been headed by a woman from the Wang family.
My daughter became the second wife's daughter-in-law. Wouldn't it be wronged?

"Elder Ge, it's not that the lower officials are unwilling. Although Jia Baoyu, the son of Jia Cunzhou of Rongguo Mansion, was born rich and noble, as a direct descendant of the second wife, if Jia Cunzhou's eldest son hadn't died of illness, where would it be his turn? Now that the eldest son has gone, leaving an orphan. The male is also the eldest grandson of the second wife. Even if the family is divided, he still needs to occupy the majority. "

The tone was quite heavy and a bit forced. Before anything else happened, Meng Li actually thought about what would happen after the separation for his daughter.

Lu Wenshan glared at him, a little angry, and insisted on speaking clearly, sighing,

"Look at you, how can I not even know this? Think about it carefully. Jia Zhen of the Ningguo Mansion has been deprived of her title. The title can only come from the direct descendants of the Jia family, excluding those from the concubine, and their eldest son Jia Lian. There is only one person, Jia Baoyu, the direct descendant of the second wife. Only she can make Mrs. Shi nod. Your daughter will be the eldest lady of Ningguo Mansion in a short time. You said, such a good thing, you don't want to know how to catch it. , What are you thinking about? If God doesn’t give it to you, you will definitely suffer from it!”

"Ah. Mr. Ge, what you said, no, it can't be!"

After Meng Li heard this, he was obviously a little shocked and stammered. According to Mr. Ge's analysis, as long as Jia Zhen is deprived of her title, the one who can inherit it is almost Jia Baoyu. If his daughter gets there first, she once looked up to her. The honorable person is actually his own in-laws. When Jia Rong said that he was going to get married, he might not have had this idea.

Nowadays, opportunities are rare,

suddenly,

Meng Li raised his head, looked at Mr. Lu Ge on the main seat, and asked carefully;
"Mr. Ge, how certain are you of what you said?"

"They all say that you, Meng Li, are suspicious. It's true. Nothing in the world is bound to happen. It's just a matter of whether you want to do it or not. If you do it, you have half the chance. If you don't do it, there is no chance at all. I have nine reasons for this. Cheng Cheng is sure that Mrs. Shi has managed the Jia family for so many years, and she will not fail to care about it. "

Lu Wenshan knows how powerful Mrs. Shi of the Rongguo Mansion is, but unfortunately she is a woman after all. She takes care of the interests of her children and grandchildren first. If it were him, he would not be able to give up the rights of the clan and let the people in the side house take over the rights of the main family. No matter how good he is, he is almost certain to be the only one who can conquer the title.

Meng Li looked a little in disbelief, but thinking about it carefully, Mr. Ge's words meant that he had found a good family for his children. In this case, it was not a bad idea.

Then he calmed down and returned;

"The students agree with what Mr. Ge said, but Mr. Ge, we can't agree to it. The Rongguo Mansion doesn't know if they are willing or not. After all, Jia Zhen and his son are still in prison, and the Rongguo Mansion is anxious to propose marriage, so It doesn’t make sense.”

Meng Li also knew at this time that this matter could not be carried out on one end and only on the other. Someone was needed to build a bridge and pull the strings. If the Rongguo Mansion did not agree, it would be in vain.

"You don't have to ask anymore. Today, I will write a letter and ask the housekeeper to send it over. Tomorrow, you will ask your daughter to visit Rongguo Mansion as a guest. You must remember that Rongguo Mansion is run by a woman. There are some things you need to do. I want to understand this matter sooner rather than later. I may not be the only one thinking about it in the capital."

Lu Wenshan knew that if he really wanted to protect the matchmaker, the old lady would definitely give him face. As long as he got the match, the matter would be settled. He was afraid that someone with good intentions would interfere. I am afraid there are people on your side who can think of it, but many people Just waiting and watching.

"I will listen to you, Master. I know what's going on. I will go back home and explain everything to you. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now."

Meng Li obviously also knew that the opportunity was rare, so he left in a hurry, wanting to go back and tell his daughter Yueyun about the matter, and discuss it with his wife carefully to see what should be done.

Lu Wenshan waved his hand and told him to go back. Things happened quickly and some were urgent.
As soon as the people left, the main hall became much cleaner, and the irritability just now disappeared. He ordered the butler serving beside him,

"When someone comes, I will take care of you with pen, ink, paper and inkstone. I also want to write a letter in handwriting. When I reply, you can send it to Rongguo Mansion."

"Yes, sir."

The old housekeeper walked in from outside the screen behind him. The boy behind him brought the four treasures of the study over and polished the ink.

Lu Wenshan picked up the pen, thought for a while, and immediately wrote a letter. After folding it, he put it in an envelope and handed it to the housekeeper.
"Take this letter, go to Rongguo Mansion, and hand it to Mrs. Shi of Rongguo Mansion in person. If asked, tell the truth. If not asked, don't mention it."

"Yes, sir, I understand." The butler accepted the letter, nodded in agreement, took the greeting card, and turned around to leave. After the people left, Lu Wenshan had people clean up.
Thinking about the court situation, I am not so optimistic. It is impossible for the nobles to sit idly by and ignore it. In addition, Jia Jing from Xuanzhen Temple outside the city is still there.
I have been practicing Taoism in seclusion for more than ten years, but I don’t know what I have accomplished. I looked at the distance through the window and murmured,
"You can still sit still after such a long time. Could it be that you have really cultivated Taoism and have forgotten the seven emotions and six desires!"

The reason why we are not 100% sure is that the biggest variable is Jia Jing from Xuanzhen Temple outside the city. If he takes action, something will happen. After all, the Supreme Emperor is still there.

Why.
Luoyunhou Mansion,

After Zhang Jinyu packed up and went out, she stopped riding the horse and directly got into the carriage that had been prepared.
After giving the order, he drove to Manchun Courtyard in Xicheng. In the past few days, Zhang Jinyu always traveled by car wherever he went. One was to keep the itinerary secret, and the other was to say that this carriage had soft paving inside, so you could sit and lie down. After a long time, I feel uncomfortable riding a horse.

Nowadays, there is a small table in the car, which is full of snacks and snacks. I open the curtain and peek out of the window. There are obviously more people coming and going, and more of them are students, gathering in twos and threes. Together, chatting, mostly at ease.

From time to time, I can take a look at the beautiful women in the attic around me, and my life is just fun.

suddenly,

at the corner,
a wine shop,
There were several students gathered around a table, arguing about something. The students on one side were dressed in gorgeous clothes, and they were obviously from wealthy families. On the other side, on the opposite side, there was a group of people wearing coarse cloth, with red faces and thick necks. They were obviously from poor families. More and more people gathered, and the sounds of quarrels started to spread.

The people at the other table at the same party also looked over. They were all scholars rushing to take the exam. They took the exam at the same time last year and knew each other. Unfortunately, they lost their names. This year, Enke will come again and try his luck.
I happened to meet an old friend, and we gathered at a table opposite each other.
Xu Changwen looked back at the quarrelsome people and asked;

"Brother Gao Wen, what are they arguing about?"

"What else can there be? We just don't like each other. It's said that Enke has two exams. By the way, long article, are you a red sign or a white sign this time?"

Gao Wen, who was next to him, also asked curiously. If a student from the capital wants a red ticket, it is not difficult to do so, but it is also difficult to say. After all, it is difficult to get a letter of recommendation. The other two people sitting there also looked curious. , after all, they are all from poor families, holding white lottery tickets, and red lottery tickets are now very popular.

Xu Changwen was stunned for a moment, but he didn't have that many thoughts. He just thought about this year's good student exam and trying to get nominated on the list.
"Three dear brothers, thanks to Master's care, I naturally got the red lottery. Is there any explanation for this?"

As soon as Xu Changwen spoke, Gao Wen's expression did not change. He knew that Xu Changwen was a student of Qinglian Academy. Regardless of whether he was from a poor family or a high-ranking family, as long as he was a disciple of the academy, he would be a red-collar student, and so was he. But the other two people around him, Zhuang Jinyun and Xu Dong, His face looks a little bad,

Xu Dong smiled bitterly and replied;

"Brother Xu doesn't know. There is a rumor in the capital that those who hold the red lottery take the exam in the palace, and there are more places than in the Gongyuan, so they have a higher chance of passing the exam. However, those from poor families and those who hold the white lottery are still in the old calendar, and now so many people have failed. There is almost no hope in the imperial examination.”

"Yes, as far as I know, there are three thousand students who hold the white-ticket examination. How can they pass the examination?"

Zhuang Jinyun lamented. He was not very good in studies. He didn't regret that he was far behind last year. He studied hard for a year and felt that he had made up for his shortcomings. Who would have thought that it would be like this?

When Xu Changwen heard this, he obviously didn't believe it. Last year, the court caused students to cause trouble because of the unfairness of this matter, so some of them added Enke this year. The lessons from the past are right in front of them. How could the court make such a mistake again?

"Brother Gao, you two worthy brothers, let's wait and see whether this is true or not. If it is true, the court will not ignore it. The events of last year are still vivid in our minds, and the court should take them as a warning. As for the matter of red and white lots, , I heard that it was proposed by Marquis Luo Yun, and he is also the chief examiner of Hanyuan Palace. The Marquis is upright and has done a lot of things for the people in the capital. It shouldn't be. "

With this said, the other three people did not look as sad as before. Thinking about it, Luo Yunhou is a distinguished noble. I heard that this is the first time to participate in the imperial examination. He would not be so unwise. Then why are there such rumors?

Look at the center of the wine shop again,

The people inside were all arguing about where they should take the exam, and even said that Hanyuan Hall and Gongyuan had different admission quotas. This made everyone dissatisfied, especially those from poor families, who felt dissatisfied and questioned. Then came,
But those officials' sons were arrogant, spoke arrogantly, and spoke even more arrogantly, which aroused public anger, so the two sides started to quarrel in the wine shop.
When Zhang Jinyu was passing by, he happened to be overheard. He was shocked. Why was there still a quarrel about Enke? It sounded strange.
He shouted outside,
"Ningbian, the carriage is parked opposite. You and I can take a few people over to take a look."

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

Ning Bian went to the wine shop and saw that something was indeed going on. He got off his horse and took a few people to prepare.

Zhang Jinyu tightened the belt around her waist, got off the carriage, and led a few people to the corner wine shop.

Just entered the door,

I heard people from both sides gathered around and making a fuss. The owner of the wine shop and his waiters were begging and persuading.
"Young masters, please have a rest. The little old man's shop is small and has no background. He can't bear the noise of all the young masters. Please spare the little old man."

The store owner is now so frightened that he doesn't know what to do. They are all literary stars in the imperial examination, so how dare they say anything else.

But the rich kids were obviously very angry. The leader took out a silver coin from his pocket and threw it into the shopkeeper's arms.
"This time, I've taken care of the wine shop. It's none of your business if you go down. I really want to hear if these idiots can rebel. Tell me why Enke is so naughty."

"That's right, I think they are just jealous because they don't have the chance to take the exam in the palace,"

"Well said, these mud-legged people still want to enter the palace and dream about it, haha."

Behind him, a group of rich kids burst into laughter, their faces...
Looking at Zhang Jinyu, I wanted to slap him. He was so arrogant and domineering. What else? He was just taking a test in the palace. Was he worthy of being so proud?

Seeing everyone gathered around the center of the restaurant, Zhang Jinyu spotted an empty table in the corner, and led a few people over to sit down and take a good look at what was being said. After all, the test was divided between red and white lottery holders. It was him who brought up the matter, how could it be a big deal?

Look at the field again,

Opposite those rich kids, there was a man in white clothes. Although his clothes were a little shabby, he looked like a Confucian.
I saw this man cupping his hands and fists in front of everyone, saying;

"Everyone, my Excellency, Xu Changwen, is from the capital. What you are talking about are all important topics. Now that Enke is about to come, we must not be so extreme. If we get into trouble with the Yamen, we are afraid that we will be deprived of the opportunity to take the scientific examination."

What Xu Changwen said was true. This was not the first time for him to take part in the imperial examination. Some candidates committed crimes and the Shuntian Prefecture had the opportunity to take them into custody and cross out the examination papers, so he left three people and came to stop them.

As soon as this word comes out,
People on both sides were touched and fell silent after hearing this, but the rich kids were not convinced.

"Having said that, those people actually made up stories about us at will. How can we just let it go?"

Who knows, such words obviously angered the leader opposite, and retorted;
"Everyone, what do you mean by random fabrication? There is a saying. The imperial examinations have always been held in Gongyuan, without exception. Now Enke has divided the red lottery and the white lottery. You know, we children from poor families all have white lottery, and those who The students of the Academy, the Imperial College, and the candidates from the official families all hold red visas and take the exams in the Hanyuan Palace in the palace, while we, the children from poor families, are still in the Gongyuan. There is a rumor outside that all of you who hold the red visas have already reserved your quota. "

"That's right, everyone outside knows it,"

"You spent your money and connections to take the palace exams. I, a poor family, studied hard, but I can't compare with your money. The learning of saints has been corrupted by you."

More children from poor families were arguing there with indignation. I don't know if they were really fooled by what they said or if it was true. Those children from rich families looked ugly and became cold for a while.
(End of this chapter)