Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 798: The Announcement of the Beijing Special Examination Results
A mountain shout,
The soldiers around him also knelt down, showing their respect and arrogance. The eunuch in the lead quickly stepped aside, making room for him and standing aside. However, he could not bear the kowtow of Marquis Luo Yun.
Zhang Jinyu knelt on the ground and bowed deeply towards the Yangxin Palace before standing up and ending the conversation.

"Please tell His Majesty that I appreciate your grace."

"My Lord, it's okay. I will definitely bring it to you."

The eunuch in front of him even changed his tone of voice, from a jack of all trades to a servant, with a look of demeanor,

"Thank you, father-in-law. Someone, come and take the things. I need to go back."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Ning Bian waved his hand, and a row of personal soldiers behind him came over and took the official uniform, documents, seals and other items. The eunuch smiled bitterly, knowing that the marquis had chased him away, nodded and took his leave, leading the eunuch out of the yard without saying a word.

After seeing the people leave, Zhang Jinyu also felt that it was not easy for these rootless people. They served this and that, but in the end they were still slaves. However, they should not be underestimated. After all, the disaster caused by eunuchs was not small.

Seeing that the guards had brought the things over, Zhang Jinyu walked forward to take a look. The official uniforms were all new, not to mention the two sets for winter and summer, the documents and waist badges were all ready. It was a seventh-rank official uniform. When he picked up the waist badge, he saw that it was the badge of a seventh-rank county magistrate. Moreover, under the official uniform, a full two hundred silver coins were placed underneath, which looked very heavy.

Zhang Jinyu was a little surprised. He thought he was just a seventh rank official, but he turned out to be a regular seventh rank official. That meant Jia Lan was also a regular ninth rank official. He put down the badge in his hand and picked up the third person's badge. It turned out to be a regular ninth rank official. The badge also said he was on duty at the Imperial College. Although he was a small official, he was a Beijing official after all. Wow, good boy, what a lucky guy.

I looked at it for a few times and shook it. It wasn't very heavy. It wasn't an iron plate. It was a layer of something wrapped around the wood and poured on top.
Not realizing what was going on, Zhang Jinyu put down the badge in his hand and looked at the ten taels of silver on the dozens of trays. He didn't know if the internal minister was showing off on purpose by replacing all the ten taels of silver with one tael of broken silver and spreading it on the trays. It was glittering and too eye-catching, and it looked festive.
"My Lord, since the list and everything is out, should we just post it directly, or notify everyone one by one, so that no one can see it or something?"

Ning Bian looked at the many trays in front of him. It would take a lot of people to deliver them. It was too troublesome.
Zhang Jinyu turned around angrily and cursed;
"What are you thinking? You're not going to steal anyone, why are you doing it so secretly? How lively is it? Come on, firecrackers, and any singing groups, invite them all. Oh, by the way, how did the Imperial Examination Hall announce the results in the past?"

"Well, Lord, it seems that the list was posted, and then some people who came to announce the good news sang it, and the students came to see it themselves, and the people who came to announce the good news went to announce the good news, and there were also rewards to receive, that should be it."

This is difficult for Ning Bian. It is said that after the imperial examination, there would be huge crowds of people on the day when the results were announced. In addition, wealthy families would celebrate with gongs and drums, and would scatter baskets of copper coins. Nothing else was seen.

Hearing Ning Bian say this, Zhang Jinyu was also a little confused. He touched his head, looked at the tray in front of him, and the brand new official uniforms of the top three, and thought to himself that it was a mistake. How could such a proud thing be left at the Shuntian Prefecture government office? The people in the Nancheng Imperial Examination Hall had a special place. Outside the Dragon Gate was a cloth wall.

The Shuntian Prefecture is just a booth for posting notices, usually for handling cases. It's really unlucky.

I thought about it and thought that there was also a slanted wall shadow in my house. I could also paste it here. When I thought about it, I couldn't help myself.
"Ningbian, quickly send someone to the Taoyuan band leader and ask them to sing some Liushui opera on the west side of our mansion. There are plenty of empty spaces on the east side. Post the imperial edict high up and say it's inconvenient to post it in the palace. I'll move the edict here for now to get some literary air."

Zhang Jinyu became more and more excited as he spoke. He had to do more to make himself look good.

"Also, change more copper coins and scatter them freely. Then show all these and say hello. Let the personal soldiers of this mansion lead the way, announce the good news one by one, and present all the things according to the list. Let's have a lively time."

"My Lord, isn't this too ostentatious? Will Lord Nan from the Southern City Imperial Examination Hall think too much?"

Ning Bian was a little shocked when he heard this. If the Marquis made such a fuss, it would definitely spread throughout the capital. Who knows what kind of gossip would be spread by then.
"Humph, I just want to show off. I want to show the world that since I have become a master, I should behave like one. A tall tree attracts the wind, and a tall tree attracts canaries. Moreover, I want to relieve some of the pressure on Master Nan. You know, how can the number of admitted students be controlled within 300 out of more than 4,000 candidates?"

This was also what Zhang Jinyu thought in his mind. Although the number of places was increased, it was not a lot. No matter how many people there were this year, it still needed to be controlled at around 600 people, divided into two examination rooms, with half for each person. He had to keep a good sense of proportion. With himself in front, Lord Nan should be more calm, and it could be regarded as a way of repaying the friendship of those people in Wuying Palace. After all, everything Lord Chu did was seen.

"Yes, sir, I know what to do now."

"Well, that's good, go get ready."

A scolding,
Instantly, busy figures appeared in the courtyard, and the imperial guards were rushing around, leaving the palace in all directions.

Nancheng Gongyuan,

The eunuch who was in charge of delivering the list had also arrived at the Dragon Gate and got off his carriage. This was an old rule that the threshold of a saint could not be crossed by a carriage or a horse.

After entering the Dragon Gate, we headed straight to the official building. A group of old Hanlin scholars yawned while eating, and gathered around to chat. After packing up their things, they could go back.

Only Master Nan was there, leading Ji Mingping and Pei Shaoqing for a walk in the yard. They had only taken a few steps when they saw movement at the door.

I saw a palace steward eunuch leading a group of eunuchs into the courtyard.

"Lord Nan, look, someone has come to the palace."

Pei Shaoqing was sharp-eyed and spoke first to remind him,
The three of them immediately stopped and looked up. It was indeed the eunuch from the palace.
"Let's go over and have a look."

Nan Zixian spoke, feeling somewhat uneasy. Could it be that there was something wrong with the list and it needed to be changed? Or was there something wrong with Luo Yunhou?

The three of them went forward.

Met up,
The eunuch who came was wearing a dark purple imperial robe, holding the imperial edict in his hand, and smiling slightly;
"Congratulations, Master Nan. Our ancestors have asked us to hand over the list to you."

Although he said congratulations, he did not move the list in his hand. Pei Shaoqing naturally understood the rules. His mentor had accepted it. It was just a small matter, so how could he trouble his mentor to help? He quickly took out a hundred taels of silver from his sleeve and presented it to him.
"You have worked hard along the way, so please accept some of my gifts for now. I hope you will share in your good fortune. The teacher is very happy."

It can be regarded as a statement of identity, helping out on behalf of my mentor.

moment,

The eunuch who came here had a full smile on his face. He handed over the list with one hand and touched the hundred taels of silver with the other hand. In an instant, it disappeared.

This scene was seen by Lord Nan and Lord Ji. Nan Zixian remained silent, but Ji Mingping was angry. A eunuch dared to accept bribes so blatantly. Just as he was about to question him, he was interrupted by Lord Nan.
"Thank you for coming, but I don't know why the results were released so quickly. Was it the cabinet's approval or..."

After taking the imperial edict, he took a quick look at it and found it was exactly the same as the list he had submitted to the palace. He guessed in his mind that it must not have been written by the cabinet.

"Lord Nan is indeed discerning. At this hour in the cabinet, the elders have not yet entered the ministry."

The purple-robed eunuch smiled, knowing what Lord Nan meant by asking, and did not hide it.

As expected, Nan Zixian clasped his hands together and bowed towards the palace.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty,"

The two people behind him knelt down and kowtowed to thank him.

After getting up,
The purple-robed eunuch waved his hand, and a large number of eunuchs came in with trays.

"Master Nan, according to the regulations of this special examination, the top three will be given official positions. The first place will be a seventh-rank official, the second place will be an eighth-rank official, and the third place will be a ninth-rank official. As for those ranked in the top 1, they will all be rewarded with ten taels of silver. The silver and official uniforms are all here. Please take a look, Master Nan."

Pointing at the trays behind him, which were neatly arranged one by one, Pei Shaoqing looked at them in disbelief. How could a scholar like him become an official? He secretly glanced at his mentor, who actually didn't care.

Could it be that he had known about this for a long time? He calmed down and looked at the official uniform in front of him. The brand new official robe, the official badge, and the silver were also official silver. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
Even Lord Ji, who was standing beside him, found it a little unbelievable.

After Nan Da Ren checked it out, I couldn't ask what I wanted to say.
"Lord Nan, please ask someone to take it. I have to go back to the palace to report." "Excuse me, eunuch. Someone come and take the things."

"Yes, my lord."

Not far behind him, a group of servants hurried over and took the things. The purple-robed eunuch saw that everything was done, so he turned around and left with his men without saying anything more.

a long time,

Ji Mingping couldn't help himself any longer and asked;
"Master Nan, there is no precedent in the history of the dynasties for granting an official position just by taking the provincial examination. Why is it that this year's special examination..."

"If there is no precedent, then create one. Now there is one, right?"

Nan Zixian's eyes fell on the outside of Longmen. On the bustling streets, the people coming and going were still busy.

In the deep eyes, there is an inexplicable color flashing,
It is rare for His Majesty to make such a decision, especially when the list was drawn up, without any changes. This great favor fell on me, and it must be because of Marquis Luo Yun. Even so, the emperor's grace is great. Counting the joint examination and the palace examination, there are quite a few places for admission. I just don't know what those two old foxes Lu Wenshan and Gu Yichen will think.

The most important thing is, what does Prime Minister Li think?

"Lord Nan, since we have received the imperial edict, should we post a notice outside the door and ask the yamen runners to spread the news? We can also hang up firecrackers and colorful brocades to celebrate."

Ji Mingping was moved when he saw this, but he also knew that releasing the imperial edict was a big deal. The whole capital would be in action upon hearing the news. At that time, who knows how much trouble the names on the list would cause.
Pei Shaoqing didn't understand this, and hesitated.
"Sir, since the imperial edict has arrived, do we still need to wait for an auspicious time before hanging it up? In the past, copper coins and other things were needed. Do we need to prepare them in advance in the Imperial Examination Hall?"

After all, this is the first time I have encountered this, and I have only heard about many things but have not experienced them. However, I still have to prepare reward money during celebrations.

"Well, you two have thought it through. If I am right, Marquis Luo Yun should have made a big fuss. There is no need to rush for the list of the Imperial Examination Hall. Go and prepare the necessary things, such as copper coins, money and brocade, and find a troupe of actors to play the gongs and drums."

Nan Zixian had a hint of smile on his face. According to Marquis Luo Yun's personality, he would definitely not release the imperial edict without saying a word. Although he didn't know what he would do, he also knew that when it came to making a fuss, no one in the capital could compare to Marquis Luo Yun.

"Yes, sir, I will go right away, but I have some questions. Why do we have to wait? Shouldn't we post the list first and wait for Marquis Luo Yun?"

Ji Mingping was somewhat puzzled and unwilling to accept it. In this way, wouldn't he be outshined by the candidates from Hanyuan Palace of Marquis Luo Yun?

"You, think about it. You think it's ridiculous to give the top three officials an official position. What do others think? Although I am not afraid of trouble, with Marquis Luo Yun leading the way, it is better for the Imperial Examination Hall to have fewer disturbances."

The meaning was obvious. Someone had already tried the route first, so why risk it alone? The two of them suddenly realized and bowed together.

"Yes, sir. I understand."

Rongguo Mansion,
After yesterday's hard work, the masters of the mansion got up a little late.
Especially Jia Baoyu, who bathed and burned incense last night and felt much more refreshed. I don't know if he has become bolder or has gained some enlightenment, but he actually asked Xiren and Sheyue to help him bathe last night. They played around in the bathtub, making the two girls feel hot all over.

The wash lasted for an hour until the water became cold. Although I didn't know what happened, I saw a flash of milky white on the water surface, which was worth pondering.

I was exhausted, so I went to bed and slept till dawn.

"Second Master Bao, Second Master Bao, hurry up and get up. It's getting late. We still have to go and pay our respects to the old lady. Today you have to represent the people of the Second House to perform filial piety at the East Mansion."

Xiren could not help but worry. In the early morning, the Second Mistress sent someone to inform that all the men and young people in the mansion should go to the East Mansion to keep vigil today. After all, no one from the Ningguo Mansion had returned yet, so there must be no one left to show filial piety.
Furthermore, many servants were sent to the homes of the nobles to deliver messages and inform them of the death.

Baoyu opened his eyes and quickly turned over and got up after hearing what he said. He wondered what had happened and how Master Jing of the East Mansion had passed away. Thinking of how good Master Jing had been to him in the past, he became anxious and felt as if a knife had stabbed his heart. He coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "wow".

Xiren was frightened and at a loss as to what to do. Could it be that she had lost her yang energy last night? It was all because of that vixen, Musk Moon. She should ask for more. She hurriedly came up to help her and asked what happened. Then she wanted to go back to ask Lady Jia for a doctor.

Baoyu waved his hand, took a breath and felt much better. He smiled and said:

"Don't worry, it's irrelevant. This is caused by anger and blood is not flowing back to the meridians."

As he said this, he got up and asked to change his clothes. I don't know if he had ever experienced sex, but he put on a set of Confucian clothing. He had a calm and composed aura like a nobleman, but his face was much older.

Just take a quick wash,
After drinking some tea, he took Xiren and Sheyue to Rongqing Hall. It was the first time for the two girls to taste the forbidden fruit. Although they had a night's rest and were older, they still felt a little unnatural. The two girls looked at each other and understood what was in each other's eyes. They thought that being a concubine might not be a bad thing.

Entering Rongqing Hall,
He was the last one to come. Many other sisters, even the eldest sister-in-law Li Wan, came here with Lang Ge'er to wait. Seeing Lang Ge'er, Jia Baoyu felt a little unnatural. After all, he had seen Lang Ge'er in the front row during the palace examination, but he didn't know how he had done in the exam after three days.

Jia Baoyu, who has never cared about fame and fortune, now actually considers this matter. Although he has no intention of comparing himself with others, he does have the intention of comparing himself with others.
"Hurry up, Baoyu is here, sit down, have a bowl of porridge first, and eat something simple. There are a lot of things to do today, so you must not go hungry."

Grandmother Jia was sitting at the table. She called out and added a stool next to the second wife. Jia Baoyu sat down. Yuanyang brought him a bowl of porridge and handed him chopsticks.

"Thank you, Grandfather. I am actually feeling hungry."

Jia Baoyu took the chopsticks and thought that Sister Yuanyang was much prettier. Then he looked at the table and saw that the three sisters, as well as the second sister-in-law and the eldest sister-in-law were all there, but Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai were not there. He felt a little unhappy.

After taking a sip of porridge and eating a bun, she asked, not knowing whether it was done on purpose by Madam Xing;

"Ah, I haven't seen you for a few days. Baoyu and Lang'er have changed so much that I can hardly recognize them. They are indeed scholars. They are different."

It's a good compliment, but it doesn't sound right when it comes from Mrs. Xing.
The Second Wife frowned and said nothing, but the First Wife, Li Wan, smiled.
"Thank you, Madam. It's just that he took the special examination. There's nothing different about him. He's nothing like Baoyu. He's changed so much that I can hardly recognize him."

Li Wan put down her chopsticks and touched Jia Lan's head. Everyone's eyes then turned to Jia Baoyu. As expected, he had changed a lot, but it was hard to tell what had changed.

Originally, Li Wan and Wang Xifeng were not allowed to sit at the main table, but now both of them sat down openly. The others were very tactful and did not mention it, after all, it was Lady Jia's special instruction.

"That's true. When I saw Baoyu today, I felt something was different. He was reading a book written by a saint. What was it called? There was something about jade in the book."

Mrs. Xing wanted to show off her eloquence, but when she opened her mouth, she forgot about the beauty in the book. In the past, she had said this to herself, but when she was anxious, she couldn't think of it. However, she still remembered the golden house. If she changed it again, her words would not be ready, and she would make a fool of herself.
The second wife glanced at him with disdain in her eyes. She said that he was from a small family and not only did he not know etiquette, but he also talked nonsense and spoke nonsense.

Only Grandma Li Wan kept smiling and said nothing. Even at this moment she didn't know how to help!
Wang Xifeng didn't want to disturb him, so she picked up a bun and put it in her mouth, enduring the pain. Jia Mu was also amused and laughed and scolded;
"You just can't speak. There is a beauty in the book, don't say it if you don't know."

"Oh, it's always the daughter-in-law who is the dumbest, and the old lady is the most sensible. I forgot this sentence. I wonder how Baoyu did in the exam. What was the question?"

Mrs. Xing slapped her mouth lightly with her hand and asked in self-reproach.

This question,
The people at the table stopped eating with their chopsticks and turned their eyes to Baoyu. After all, no one in Rongguo Mansion had participated in the imperial examination for so many years. How could the specific questions not attract people?
Especially the eight-part essay, every time the examination topic appears, it will attract people's attention. I wonder what the list of this year's special examination topics will be.

"Yes, sister-in-law, do you know?"

(End of this chapter)