Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 724 How about a small gamble

Hanyuan Hall,
Under the light of the bonfire, the humble house is still bright and majestic.

On both sides of the entrance gate,
The marching tents had already been set up and arranged neatly. Even the chevaux de frise were made and placed on both sides of the road. On the bluestone pavement, neatly arranged braziers were placed on both sides, illuminating the road as bright as day.

Beside the bonfire in the middle of the yard,

Zhang Jinyu and Bai Guangju, Marquis of Xiangyang, the reserve of Wuying Hall, sat side by side in the main and secondary seats, facing south, waiting for the arrival of the many examiners.
Looking at the spotlessly clean road, Zhang Jinyu smiled and asked;

"You two, since we have nothing to do right now, why don't we make a bet? Ten taels of silver are the stakes. Guess who will enter the gate first today?"

The two of them were obviously interested when they heard it. Xiangyang Hou Bai Guangju leaned back, changed to a comfortable position, and nodded.

"Since the Marquis has this taste, I will follow him, but the prize is a little small."

I don't know whether it's true or not, but the Marquis of Xiangyang actually put on airs.

Zhang Jinyu wanted to ridicule him and increase the stakes, but when he saw Master Chu Nian beside him, he had to save his face.

"Oh, you are worthy of being our Marquis of Xiangyang, you are rich and powerful. As the saying goes, small gambling is fun but big gambling is harmful to the body. It's nothing more than a joke, how can you take it seriously? Just tell me who can come first."

Hearing Zhang Jinyu's somewhat shameless words, Bai Guangju shook his head helplessly.
"Your Majesty is really good at talking. Everything you say makes sense. If you want to guess, then anyone can say it. I will not be polite. I will choose Lord Shen Zhongxin. He will be the first to come."

It's no wonder that Xiangyang Hou made such a choice. Shen Zhongxin has always been vigorous and resolute, and he does things in an orderly manner. I think he should be the first to arrive.
"That's true. Lord Shen is very meticulous in his work. This matter shouldn't be too late. He should be the first one to get in."

Lord Chu Nian sat beside him and thought about Lord Shen's daily behavior. Although he was not very hardworking, he was also a man who was dedicated to his duties. So, Chu Nian actually echoed him and said,
The two of them sang in unison, which made Zhang Jinyu chuckle. If you really want to praise someone, you don't necessarily need to praise them out loud.

"Ahahaha, oh my, I didn't expect that Lord Shen is so popular that he was praised by you two. If he knew, he would thank you two very much. But let me put it this way, anyone can come first, but he, Shen Zhongxin, will not be the first to come. Do you believe it?"

Seeing Marquis Luo Yun's smiling face, the two shook their heads in disbelief. According to the distance calculated from Lord Shen's residence, it would not be that slow. After all, it was not very far from the Imperial Palace. Chu Nian could not figure out why Marquis Luo Yun said this, so he asked;
"My Lord, since you say that, there must be some truth to it. Why don't you tell me a little bit and let me hear your explanation?"

"Let's not talk about this for now. Since we're betting, let's place our bets first. Are you two both betting that Shen Zhongxin will be the first to arrive?"

Zhang Jinyu waved his hand and asked, no matter what kind of gambling it is, you have to place the bet first and then you can leave.

Chu Nian replied with a smile and shook his head helplessly.
"My Lord is smart. He really bet on Lord Shen today. I think it should be him."

"Okay, in that case, I will choose one person as well."

Zhang Jinyu touched the tea bowl in his hand and thought about the people in his mind. Who could come first, the censors or the officials who were marking the papers? Suddenly, two people came to his mind, one was the censor Yan Cong, and the other was Feng Yongwen from the Dali Temple. But who could it be between the two of them?
"After thinking about it, there are indeed several candidates, but since the bet is on one person, I will choose the censor Yan Cong. He should be the first one to come in."

The reason why he was chosen in the end was simply because he was young and fast. As for Feng Yongwen, he would come first, but he sent a private message last time, saying that he invited his good friend Meng Li to review the papers together. In this way, he was afraid that Lord Meng would ask him to come here together, which would be slow. So in the end, Yan Cong was chosen. This person is upright and incorruptible. Although he was a little flexible after meeting once, it should be said that this person has strong adaptability. He also beat the drum for Ningguo Mansion to report. He is surprisingly courageous, rough but meticulous, and a person with ideas.
However, Marquis Luo Yun's words also made the two people beside him speechless. They all didn't understand why the Marquis would choose a censor. However, most censors were inspectors, so why would they come so early? They couldn't understand, especially Yan Cong. Others avoided him. Marquis Luo Yun was really...
"My Lord, the person you bet on is too much and unexpected."

Chu Nian opened his mouth, wanting to say that this person was too sharp, but in the end he said something unexpected. Yan Cong is now well-known to everyone. People are saying privately that this person is the number one censor in Dawu, a man who doesn't care about his life. Unexpectedly, Marquis Luo Yun actually treats this person differently.
Marquis of Xiangyang paused slightly. He didn't expect that the marquis would mention this person. Nowadays, all the nobles are gossiping about officials, especially this Yan Cong. Whoever mentions his name will be cursed with gnashing teeth. Although they can't do anything to Yan Cong, it's good to vent their anger.

But seeing Marquis Luo Yun's attitude, one knows that what Yan Cong did, at least, was in line with the Marquis's heart. On the contrary, the Jia family of Ningguo Mansion was in bad luck.

"Since the Marquis can choose him, Yan Cong, do you have any opinion?"

"I really don't have an explanation. It's just my intuition. I suddenly thought of him. Don't you think it's strange?"

Zhang Jinyu was also a little puzzled. As the saying goes, you will dream about something at night if you think about it during the day. He was thinking of this person before he even went to sleep. Was it because of the Ningguo Mansion incident? He was so grateful to him.

Such an explanation left Xiangyang Hou and the others speechless. Chu Nian could only pick up the tea bowl, take a sip of water, and ask,
"Okay, since we've already placed our bets, let's wait and see who can come first. Oh, the Marquis hasn't explained why Lord Shen can't come first. I've thought about it for a while, but I still can't figure it out."

Lord Chu Nian seemed to have won the victory and deliberately asked, who would be the first to arrive? The examiners who were marking the papers would not be the young censors.
"Then I'll tell you, Master Chu Nian, don't regret it."

Zhang Jinyu looked at Chu Nian and the other two. How did he say that? He was just trying to keep the secret.

"Your Excellency, please speak up. I am listening."

Chu Nian drank the tea in his hand and became interested.

"Okay, I won't keep you in suspense. On normal days, he might be the first one to come, but today, it's impossible. You know, even though the Ministry of Revenue has settled the accounts, there are still so many worries. In this case, Enke's matter came in a hurry, and he was not fully prepared, so he would be late."

Zhang Jinyu guessed that this should be the case, and he spoke very logically, which made Lord Chu Nian a little stunned. It seemed that what he said was right.
However, my personal opinion seems to be ever-changing and cannot be unchanging. I looked at Xiangyang Hou Bai Guangju beside me and saw that his expression did not change. I asked,

"Brother Bai, what do you think?"

"Haha, Lord Marquis, you are changing the subject. What you just said makes sense, but Lord Shen is different. As far as I know, Lord Shen is meticulous in his work. These things may have been prepared long ago. Even if he is in a bad mood, he will not delay the special examination. On the other hand, the person that Lord Marquis is betting on is Yan Cong, the censor of the six ministries. The case that this person sued Ningguo Mansion has been pending, and he must be distracted by this matter. In my opinion, he is anxious and may not be ready."

After saying that, he smiled slightly, touched the teapot on the table, refilled tea into his own and Lord Chuannian's tea bowls, and sat there smiling, as if it were real.

However, it may not be unreasonable.

Zhang Jinyu thought about it and felt a little unsure. He glanced at Xiangyang Hou, who was indeed a think tank among the nobles. No matter whether what he said was true or false, he had his own way.

"Brother Bai is really good at speaking. Let's wait and see if it's true."

Meng Mansion,

Lord Meng from the Censorate had just returned to the mansion. When he entered the door, he was met by the personal guards of the Luo Yunhou Mansion, who delivered a message:

"Sir Meng, the Marquis has issued an order that all examiners must enter the palace tonight without any delay."

"Yes, I accept the order."

Without waiting for Meng Li to ask another question,
The personal soldier jumped on his horse, pulled the reins and galloped away. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared at the street corner, and only the sound of horse hooves could be heard.

It seems to be very urgent. Come to think of it, there are many examiners in Hanyuan Hall, and each of them has a tight deadline. I also thought about the Censorate. I don’t know what happened to Shuntian Prefecture. They reorganized the cases accumulated over the years and sent them here. Some unsolved cases were also sent here. I don’t know what Lord Xu means.
While thinking, I stepped into the door.

"Master, are you back?"

"Well, where are the madam and miss?"

Meng Li asked casually, thinking of the day before yesterday when his daughter visited Rongguo Mansion and met the host and Jia Baoyu. From what his daughter said, it seemed that he was just an average-looking man, with no outstanding features. This was obviously inconsistent with the rumors from the outside world. Was Rongguo Mansion hiding its shortcomings or was it intentional? It was really puzzling, but he also heard from his daughter that this person participated in the imperial examination and held a red ticket. In this way, he could observe him carefully. He did not hesitate to prepare his things and pack up to go to Hanyuan Hall. He did not know why Luo Yunhou was so anxious.
Thinking all the way,

When he arrived at the backyard, he saw that the lights in the main hall were on. It was obvious that his wife had not yet gone to bed. He pushed open the door and saw his wife and daughter sitting on the kang in the inner hall, talking.
"Madam, why are you still awake?"

Mrs. Meng had already heard the noise and knew that her husband had arrived. She stood up and walked over to help Mr. Meng change his clothes.

"I am worried about you, Master. Yueyun can't sleep either, so I will talk to my daughter about some private matters. After all, it's all about the Rongguo Mansion."

Meng Li was about to take off his robe, but suddenly remembered that he had to go, so he stopped, which surprised Mrs. Meng who was about to take the robe and asked;
"My dear, is there anything wrong?"

"Well, I almost forgot. Madam, please pack up the things you have prepared. I will go to Hanyuan Palace tonight."

After saying that, he walked to the table, sat down, poured a bowl of tea and took a sip to moisten his throat. He walked in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to drink the water.

Madam Meng was obviously a little surprised. Shouldn't we go to Hanyuan Palace tomorrow? Why would we go tonight?

"My dear, why do we have to go tonight? Hasn't the imperial examination always been held one day in advance? How come it's so?"

"I don't know either. It was Marquis Luo Yun who sent his personal soldiers to pass on the order, saying that the Marquis ordered that all inspectors must enter the palace tonight without any mistakes. I don't know the details yet."

Meng Li really didn't understand why he was so anxious, but the examiner represented the emperor, so he had to listen.
Hearing her husband's words, Madam Meng's face turned unhappy. What was going on in the middle of the night? She stood up and called the maidservant beside her, asking her to pass on the message and load the prepared things onto the carriage. After making all the arrangements, she returned to the inner hall.
"Master, don't worry. The things have been prepared. Just load them onto the carriage. But you have to pay attention to my daughter's affairs. People inside and outside the mansion are waiting for news."

The reason why Mrs. Meng was anxious was because her daughter had reached the age. On the other hand, she accidentally learned that Mrs. Feng was planning to arrange a marriage for her daughter Feng Taiying by marrying a scholar.
"Why are you in such a hurry? You won't know until the Enke is over. Your husband has it in mind."

Meng Li hadn't even finished drinking his water when Madam Meng snatched his tea bowl away from him.

"You are just trying to fool me. Do you know that the Feng Mansion is planning to find a good husband for their daughter Feng Taiying? That way, no one will remember the Ningguo Mansion. As a father, why aren't you anxious?"

Seeing her anxious mother, Meng Yueyun was a little shy. She reached out and tugged at Mrs. Meng's sleeve and shouted,
"Mom, Dad just came back, you are like this,"

"What's this and that? You are such a loser. I don't know if it's your fault that you didn't meet a good family."

Before Meng Yueyun could finish her words, Mrs. Meng scolded her again. She was so angry that she would scold anyone she met.

"Madam, have some tea and calm down. What you said makes sense. Brother Feng had no choice but to do this. Although the matter has not been spread outside, after all, everyone who can know it knows it. His daughter Taiying is also the apple of Brother Feng's eye. He is so anxious that he can only resort to this last resort to eliminate the disaster here.

As for Yueyun, there are too many choices. Even if she enters Rongguo Mansion now, she will be the housekeeper's wife of the second branch of Rongguo Mansion. Even if the family splits up in the future, she can still be rich and powerful. After all, the eldest son of the second branch has passed away long ago, and there is no brother or sister-in-law to pressure her. Of course, isn't it better for Jia Baoyu to be talented? "

Meng Li put down his tea bowl and spoke from the bottom of his heart. In the past few days, he had inquired about the Rongguo Mansion. Although the matter was complicated, he had a general understanding. As expected of the old lady, the Wang family and Luo Yunhou were all involved. As long as he didn't make any mistakes, he would be rich and powerful.
Meng Yueyun didn't expect her father to change so much. This meant he agreed.
"Does father mean to agree?"

"Not yet. As the saying goes, I'm going to find my roots while I'm riding a donkey. If someone stands out in this year's special exam, it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn from Brother Feng's ideas, haha."

Meng Li actually laughed and joked, but Madam Meng looked unhappy and directly refused;

"What nonsense you are talking about. It's absolutely wrong. It sounds good to say that you are going to pick a son-in-law from the list, but firstly, we don't know his character, and secondly, we don't know whether he has concealed the fact that he has married a wife. How can we marry our daughter to him without knowing his background? It's not right."

Madam Meng was obviously anxious, her face flushed, and she complained that Lord Meng was talking nonsense.
Meng Li smiled bitterly and comforted her.

"Madam, please don't be anxious. I was just joking. Yueyun can't live a hard life like those candidates. Not only what you said, but also one more thing. People's words are scary. It sounds good to say that we can marry a son-in-law under the list, but since the establishment of the Dawu Dynasty, there have been no such rules. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. How can we do that? This time, my daughter will just like whoever she likes."

Hearing her husband give in, Mrs. Meng's face became much better. Usually, only her daughter was caring, and her son was still young and couldn't see it, so she naturally had to pick her in-laws.
"Okay, it's getting late. You and Yueyun should go to bed early. I'll leave right away. It's not good to be too late. I don't know where Brother Feng is."

Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still. He straightened his robe, put down his tea bowl, and actually stood up to leave. This made Madam Meng and Meng Yueyun a little worried. They wanted to go out and see him off, but were stopped by Meng Li.

"Don't follow me, my Lord. Be careful."

Leave a word,

Meng Li then turned around and left. When he got outside the mansion, he boarded the carriage.

"drive,"

With the driver's shout, the carriage slowly moved.

Sitting in the car, Meng Li looked at the large and small packages in the car, and felt warm in his heart. It was his wife who cared about him.

"Xiao Meng, let's go to Feng's house instead,"

"Yes, sir, please sit tight."

The driver waved his whip again and the carriage turned right at the street corner.

After people leave,
The gate of Meng's house was then closed.
Mrs. Meng took her daughter's hand and went back to the inner room.

"Okay, don't worry about your dad, come here, today, let's sleep in the same bed."

"Um,"

Meng Yueyun nodded obediently and sat on the chair, still thinking about what her father said, not knowing whether it was true or a joke.
Seeing her daughter like this, Mrs. Meng felt so distressed that she sat down and asked;
"Yueyun, you are still thinking about those things. As the saying goes, the boat will naturally straighten itself when it reaches the front, and the road is walked by people. It is useless to think too much. Just this time, let's see if Jia Baoyu, the second room of Rongguo Mansion, is really talented or just a silver spear and wax head. Of course, if he is really useless, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Do you understand?"

Mrs. Meng whispered in a low voice, which made Meng Yueyun very confused.

"Mom, how can you say that?"

"Hmph, what do you mean?"

Madam Meng snorted coldly. The affairs of the inner house were all about dealing with the concubines. It was nothing more than these intrigues. Who wouldn't want to get some benefits for their children?

"It all depends on how you live. As the wife of the principal wife, besides managing the expenses of the whole family, you also have to fight with the concubines. It's better if Jia Baoyu is a little stupid, so that you can save a lot of trouble. After you have an heir, you don't have to worry about him. If he is really talented and capable, you will be tired. Then he will definitely marry concubines. The affairs of the inner house are nothing more than these. You have been smart since childhood, but you still don't understand."

A few words,

It was so clear, how could Meng Yueyun not hear it? Her mother's inner meaning seemed to be the same. In Rongguo Mansion, the two legitimate sons only married wives and did not take concubines. No wonder the housekeeper's second wife was so powerful. Perhaps it was because of this.
(End of this chapter)