Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 704 Mrs. Chu's Countermeasures
"My Lord, where are we going now?"

Just now!

Outside the palace,

Zhang Jinyu ran out of the palace first. Others left through the Meridian Gate, but Zhang Jinyu turned left and right, took the small road, found the direction, and entered through the Chongwen Gate. At the agreed time, he saw Ning Bian and his men waiting there.
As soon as he went out, Ningbian started asking!
Zhang Jinyu, who was about to get on the horse, was stunned.
correct!

Tomorrow is the day when the examiners will enter the hall, and the examination room should have been set up today. But it hasn't been done yet, so he can't leave yet. But how should it be done? He doesn't know nine out of ten things, but nothing. How can he know how to set it up!
I was worried and wanted to go back to the Hanyuan Hall to take a look. I hesitated for a moment and decided to go back to take a look. I was thinking about something and my words were not clear.

"I really forgot one thing. We haven't gone to the Hanyuan Hall yet. We will enter tomorrow and I don't know what to prepare. I remember that we need some people to check the officials and candidates one by one, right?"

While being asked the question, he withdrew his feet and blamed himself for leaving in a hurry and not asking Lord Chu Nian what other rules were required in the examination room.

So he asked Ning Bian and the others to dismount, and wanted to go to Hanyuan Hall to take a look. When he turned around, he happened to meet Lord Chu Nian, who came hurriedly and shouted;
"My Lord, please walk slowly! I have been looking for you for a long time. In the blink of an eye, I can no longer see you in the palace. I think you should be here.

I have something else to say. The renovation of the examination hall has been completed. I have also left the craftsmen to finish the work. I will let them leave tomorrow when the examiners come in. Now, we still need your men to come in and make the arrangements. Is your Majesty ready?"

Zhang Jinyu was confused by the question. What staff were ready? Wouldn't the examiner come tomorrow? If there was any preparation, they should be the ones to prepare!
"Master Chu, I left in a hurry just now, but now I'm back. What did you just say? My manpower? Aren't the examiners coming in tomorrow?"

Seeing the confused look on Luo Yunhou's face, Lord Chu Nian was also a little confused.
"My Lord, I remember that in the Yangxin Palace, didn't you say that you would prepare a hundred personal soldiers to enter the palace to maintain order? Why did you forget?"

Now it was Zhang Jinyu's turn to be confused. That was true, but what did it have to do with this?

"That's what they said. Aren't we going to come together tomorrow?"

"Oh, my Lord, you are mistaken."

Chu Nian suddenly realized that the Marquis really didn't know that these personal soldiers were just like the servants in the Imperial Academy, and they were required to check on the examiners and candidates. The Marquis didn't know this, and he was careless. Fortunately, he arrived in time today, and hurriedly explained;
"My Lord, you are wrong. Your personal guards are just like the imperial guards, responsible for checking and maintaining order. The inspectors are only inspecting during the exams, which is different."

"I almost missed something big."

After hearing Chu Nian's explanation, Zhang Jinyu finally understood. Although there were no examiners at the Imperial Examination Hall that day, there were many guards guarding it. This must be what he meant. The Hanyuan Hall was originally in the palace, and it was inconvenient to enter and exit, so he ignored this matter.

"Well, Master Chu Nian, I will not go to Hanyuan Palace to check it out. I will gather people today after I return home. If you need anything, Master Chu, please make a list and buy everything before the evening. Thank you for your hard work."

Zhang Jinyu, who wanted to go back to rest, no longer had the heart to do so. So, tomorrow the examiners will come in, the day after tomorrow the examinees will come in, today the chief examiner, the deputy examiner and others will come in. Oh, and where is the Marquis of Xiangyang?
"Ningbian, immediately send someone to inform Marquis Xiangyang to prepare his things and guard Hanyuan Palace before dusk today. There must be no delay."

"Yes, my lord, I will arrange it right away."

Ning Bian took over the call and asked a personal soldier to go to the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion to deliver the message.

After seeing that the Marquis had made all the arrangements, Chu Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared on his slightly tired face, and his clothes also had a smell. He had been watching day and night for the past few days, which was very exhausting.

"My Lord, since we have agreed, I will go back and change my clothes and come with you in the evening."

Zhang Jinyu couldn't bear it. There were only a few civil servants who could do things. It would be bad if they were exhausted. People would think that he was Marquis Luo Yun, who was harsh on civil servants. Besides, it would be the same if he stayed there sooner or later. It didn't matter if he left earlier or later. There was still plenty of time.
"Master Chu, don't be so polite. You have been so tired these past few days. You should go back and have a good rest, take a shower and change clothes. It won't be too late to come back tomorrow. This little time is not a big deal."

The words of consolation were true. The wrinkled official robe and the slightly greasy hair were obviously not washed for many days. Not to mention whether it smelled or not, Zhang Jinyu couldn't bear to look at it.
Don't know,
Master Chu Nian still shook his head.
"My Lord, this won't do. The rules of the Imperial Examination Hall over the years have been that the chief examiners have to come in early to guard and supervise each other. If I don't come, others will know about it and make a fuss about it. It's better to be cautious in everything."

Seeing that Lord Chu Nian was so determined, he agreed.
"Okay, Master Chu Nian, you have worked hard. Let's make a promise. Before sunset, I will buy some things and then bring the people here. After all, if there are more people, the expenses will be higher."

Zhang Jinyu thought about it and agreed on a time. After buying some things, he called everyone into the hall. There would be a lot of food for more than a hundred people for three consecutive days. They couldn't just eat dry food every day. At least they would have some soup to moisten their throats, or some meat to satisfy their hunger.

"My Lord, please prepare. I will not disturb you any longer. I will take my leave now."

"Cheng, Master Chu, take care,"

Chu Nian said goodbye in a hurry and went back. He still needed to prepare some things, not to mention taking a bath and changing clothes. He hadn't spoken to his wife for several days and there were some things he needed to explain!
After people leave,
Zhang Jinyu climbed back on his horse and turned back to ask;

"Ningbian, tell me, how much food and drink are needed for these 100 people?"

"Well, my Lord, if it were me, we can just eat dry food. There isn't much dry food for three days, so we can just bring some naan and salt. If that doesn't work, we can buy some pickles and add some chili peppers to satisfy our cravings.

Yesterday, I looked at the streets and saw candidates rushing to buy things like steamed bread, fire-baked bread, and naan. They were all the same. "

Ning Bian didn't know whether he wanted to save the Marquis's worries or to make him simple and efficient, so he just talked about the food during the march.
But why would Zhang Jinyu eat these things? She immediately frowned and glanced back at Ning Bian.
"You are just that capable. You still eat these in the capital. Three days, no, including tonight and one day, that's four days. There is also time for reviewing papers, plus three more days, it's seven days. You have been eating dry food every day, your teeth have been eaten out. Pickles are so salty, who would eat that stuff?"

After the reprimand, Ning Bian shrank back. It was true that according to the Marquis' calculation, seven days was indeed too long. If he really had to eat all this, how could the Marquis bear it?

"Then, Lord, what should we do? Where should we go now?"

"First, send someone back to the palace and ask the hundred selected personal soldiers to prepare the marching tents, the big charcoal fire, and the food. The rest of you, follow the marquis to the East Market to buy some things."

Zhang Jinyu thought about it and decided that the time was just right. It was noon and all the shops were open. The East Market was the most prosperous place and almost everything you wanted could be bought there. So, he could just go straight to the East Market and take a look.

"Yes, Lord Marquis,"

Nancheng Huamingjufang.

Lord Chu's mansion is located here. Although it is not big, it has a four-courtyard house, a garden, and an east pavilion. It has everything you need. It is a blessing for an official in the capital to have such a house.

In the backyard hall,
Many maids came in and out, bringing tea and snacks, and many maids even brought in meals.

In the flower hall,
Chu Nian's wife, Lin Xianghong, sat in the main seat with a smile on her face. She was wearing a green silk dress with a red hairpin. Not only was she still charming, but it was also obvious that she was not a simple woman.

"What are you all looking at? Eat. It's not easy to come here. We've come at a good time. If it's any later, you won't have to think about Enko's matter."

"Sister, it's not that something happened at home that delayed them. I saw that the time was almost up, so I urged them to hurry into the city. I didn't want to disturb you, but I didn't know that the inn outside was already full, so I had no choice but to come to your house."

Sitting at the lower table was a farmer, wearing coarse cloth and looking quite decent, who looked like a decent man. Further down were two young men, one was Lin Bochuan, and the other was Chu Ruolin, the son of Lord Chu.

"Hmph, you're still being polite to me. If you don't live with me when you come to the capital, I'll make trouble for you. We're all family, so why should we distinguish between you and me? It's been three years since I last saw Bochuan, and he's grown up so big."

Madam Chu glared at her brother, scaring him so much that he shrank his neck. Madam Chu was in charge of everything in the mansion, and the farm in the mansion was managed by her younger brother Lin Changhua. Although he was dependent on the Chu family, Madam Chu remembered all the benefits he deserved for his contributions.

"Sister, children grow up fast, especially in the countryside. Oh, by the way, sister, the harvest at the beginning of this year and the money from the sales are all here. I brought them all here."

Lin Changhua took out a stack of banknotes and an account book from his pocket and handed them over. He did this every year, and today was a coincidence, so he just brought them along.

Madam Chu took it in her hand and roughly estimated that it was about the same as last year. She took out one and put it on the table, and gave the rest to the maid beside her.

"I'll take these. You can use this thousand taels of silver first. Don't refuse. Bochuan is not a child anymore."

Seeing that Changhua still wanted to refuse, Mrs. Chu specifically mentioned Lin Bochuan. Lin Changhua had no choice but to take the banknote handed over by his sister.

"You are just an idiot. Why don't you thank your aunt?"

"Thank you, aunt."

Lin Bochuan stood up in a panic and saluted to Madam Chu, "Alright, we are family, don't be polite, come and eat first, Rulin, come over and eat with your uncle."

"Yes, mother."

Chu Ruolin was dressed in a white Confucian robe, gentle and elegant, worthy of being the son of the Chu family. In comparison, Lin Bochuan was much inferior.

Lin Changhua was quite envious and praised him.
"Rulin is still a great man. Just like my brother-in-law, you can tell at first glance that he is a man of great learning."

"Alright, we are family now, why be polite? If you praise him a little more, will you still take the Enke exam?"

Madam Chu complained a few words, but she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.
"Thank you for your praise, Uncle. Brother Bochuan is also very good."

Chu Rulin stood up, bowed, and replied.

Lin Changhua was a little flustered. He didn't know what was going on, and the water in the teacup spilled out. Madam Chu smiled;

"You are such a loser. You just accept the greetings from the juniors. Why are you so nervous? Stop talking. You guys should hurry up and have your meal. After that, you still need to prepare things for the imperial examination. It just so happens that your aunt will also prepare things for Bochuan."

"Thank you for your concern, sister. It is indeed good to have relatives in the capital. Otherwise, I don't know what to do. However, let me eat first. My brother-in-law hasn't come yet."

Lin Changhua was naturally grateful, but he also knew that it was not proper to have a meal without the host's brother-in-law being present, so he asked carefully.

"I told you to eat first, so you should eat first. He hasn't come back from Hanyuan Palace yet. Logically, he should enter the palace today, and we don't know when he will come back."

"Well, I'll start eating first."

When Lin Changhua heard his sister say this, he felt a little hungry and no longer concealed it. He picked up the bowl and started eating.

The two young masters were even more rude. They had already sat there and started eating. They wolfed down the food for a while, and ate most of it. The three of them drank some tea and then returned to their seats.

She let the maid serve her and cleared the table.

Mrs. Chu saw this and ordered;

"You two will stay in the west wing first and settle down. When you enter the venue the next day, go with Rulin so that you can take care of him. I will prepare two sets of food and water bags for you. If anything goes wrong, you two must report to the inspector and explain the reasons. You must not do anything else in private. I am not afraid of you even if you report your family members. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother, (Aunt)"

The two men's faces straightened and they bowed at the same time.

"Okay, Rulin, take Bochuan downstairs to rest first. I have something to talk to your uncle."

"Yes, mother."

Chu Ruolin responded, took Lin Bochuan out of the flower hall, and went downstairs with the maid.

People just left,
Lin Changhua asked anxiously;
"Sister, I'm a little worried about whether Bochuan can pass the imperial examination this time. I don't know if my brother-in-law can help. I heard that more people with red tickets in Hanyuan Hall are admitted than those with white tickets. The news has spread all over the capital."

"What nonsense! Where did you hear that? Your brother-in-law is the deputy examiner, and he has the chief examiner above him. As long as you review according to last year's effort, you will have no problem passing the provincial examination. Even the metropolitan examination will be a good opportunity. You have been doing this for so many years, and you still don't care."

Madam Chu frowned. She had also heard the rumors in the capital and naturally asked her husband about them. These rumors were completely false and she didn't know who spread them. She didn't know whether Marquis Luo Yun knew about these things or not. But she also knew that the increase in the number of students admitted to the special examination this year was true.

Hence the accusation.

"Sister, don't be angry. I am just anxious. If our Lin family produces an official, it will be a matter of honor for our ancestors."

Lin Changhua also looked aggrieved. Who doesn't want their son to be successful? It would be such an honor for him if his son could get into high school.

"Stop talking nonsense. The day after tomorrow, you will drive the carriage yourself and take them to Hanyuan Palace. I will ask the butler to bring you a servant. You must remember to send them to the examination room in person, wait and come back in the evening. I don't trust anyone else."

Mrs. Chu had a serious look on her face. This was no small matter. She was afraid that someone might do something bad and trip you up before you entered the examination room, alarming the officials, or if you had something extra on you, that would be troublesome.

This matter is serious, and it is never too careful. Lin Changhua also put away his smile. He knew that this was very serious. Many students fell into the trap every year. He knew it, and nodded heavily.

"Sister, don't worry. From the moment they leave the mansion gate to the tribute courtyard, they won't be able to get off the car."

"You fool, this is not the Imperial Examination Hall, this is the Imperial Palace, Chongwen Gate, Hanyuan Hall, hold the red sign."

Furious, Madam Chu slapped Lin Changhua on the head, and the latter cried out.
"It hurts, sister, I get it, Chongwenmen Hanyuan Hall, isn't this a mistake?"

"You still dare to quibble."

Mrs. Chu, Lin Xianghong, was so disappointed with him. Although he was loyal, he was a little stupid. Why couldn't he change?

"Sister, I'm not going to quibble. I know what I can and can't do. I must not use other people's hands. I'll need you to prepare more people for me the day after tomorrow. The capital is not peaceful. Just like last year, there was such a big commotion that many candidates didn't get into the examination room."

Lin Changhua's face flushed and he was a little embarrassed, but he had to say what he had to say. After all, it was about his son. Besides, what he said was not false. Somehow, last year, when the exam was about to start, some idle people would go to a place not far from the Imperial Examination Hall to look for candidates and bring bad luck to them, so that many students could not enter the Imperial Examination Hall. Although they investigated afterwards, the matter was aborted because of the students' trouble. No matter what, those unlucky people lost everything.

This incident caused quite a stir, so it spread. We should be extremely careful in this year's Enke and must not make any mistakes.

"I understand. I'll ask the steward to go to the escort agency to hire an escort. Together with the servants in the mansion, there shouldn't be any problem. You drive the carriage yourself, okay?"

"Yes, sister, don't worry, the person will be sent there."

"That's good."

Mrs. Chu felt relieved, as the most important matter had finally been settled.

outside the house.

Lord Chu Nianchu hurriedly got on the carriage and asked the driver to go faster so that they could return home as soon as possible.

Not long after, the carriage crossed the water bridge, turned a few corners, and arrived at the mansion.

Got off the carriage,

He quickly entered his own house.

As soon as I entered the backyard, I shouted;

"Madam, please prepare some hot water, and then go to the street to buy some naan and pickles. I will not be back tonight, and will follow the Marquis into the examination room first."

"What? So soon? You're a deputy examiner, you can go tomorrow. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Words of earnest concern came.
(End of this chapter)