Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 805 Jalan Enko High School
In front of Ningguo Mansion,
After paying their respects, many people left one after another. Only some who wanted to watch the fun and some minor officials who wanted to explore the Jia family's background went to the main gate of Rongguo Mansion.

Before they had walked far, they heard a group of cavalrymen approaching the gate of Ningguo Mansion. They were all riding tall horses with bright flags and big red flowers on their horses, which was in stark contrast to the white and murderous atmosphere of Ningrong Street.

Not only is it extremely conspicuous, it also looks extremely weird.
The leading lieutenant of the Marquis' Mansion was puzzled when he saw this scene. He looked carefully and found that it didn't look like a funeral held by Rongguo Mansion, but a funeral held by Ningguo Mansion. So he could report good news. He nodded to the person behind him.

A man came down with firecrackers and a fire starter and lit them in the open space in front of the gate of Rongguo Mansion.
There were crackling and explosions.
Wang Xifeng, who had just arrived at the door, choked on the smoke.
"Uh, cough, these soldiers are so reckless,"

He fanned the smoke from his mouth with his hand in disgust, and walked over only after the firecrackers stopped going off.

"I'm here now, why are you making all this trouble, cough cough."

The leading captain saw that it was the second wife of the Rongguo Mansion, and he did not dare to neglect her. After all, there were few soldiers in the mansion who did not know the old lady's niece. He quickly greeted her and dismounted.

"Greetings, Second Madam. I, the lieutenant, have come to the Duke's Mansion to announce the good news on the orders of the Marquis."

"Well, since it's good news, it should be more lively."

Looking back, she saw that the door of the Duke's Mansion had not been opened yet. Wang Xifeng's face changed. Such a tactless person,
"What are you standing there for? Open the door, hurry up."

Hearing the Second Mistress's angry rebuke, the gatekeeper and the servants were so frightened that they hurried back and opened the main gate of Rongguo Mansion.

Inside the courtyard, Jia's mother had already arrived at the front yard with her people. She had someone bring out the incense table and light a bunch of incense.

Simultaneously,

Jia Baoyu also hurriedly changed into new clothes in the backyard.

"Oh, the one you just wore is enough, why bother changing into another one?"

Jia Baoyu's face was full of displeasure, and he did not feel any joy at all for winning the prize. After all, he heard that he would be an official for some useless thing, and it would be impossible to live comfortably in a mansion. Besides, the clothes he was wearing were all new, so why waste time.

But Xiren and Sheyue in the inner room were not willing to do that. They pulled out some brightly colored clothes from somewhere and came over.

"Second Master, change quickly. Today is your big wedding day. Wearing mourning clothes just now is a bit unlucky. Change into these now to show your happiness."

After Xiren finished speaking, without waiting for Jia Baoyu to speak again, she and Sheyue started to pull off Baoyu's clothes, one on each side. Baoyu stretched out his hands, took off his clothes, and changed into a bright red outfit, looking like a groom.
Musk Moon blushed, as if she had become a concubine, and praised;

"Master Bao, this outfit looks good on you. Look at your complexion."

It's true that Jia Baoyu is plump and has a rather slender figure. He is dressed in red and looks so rich and noble that no one else can compare to him.

When the three of them were pulling each other, they couldn't avoid touching each other. The two girls leaned on each other. Jia Baoyu didn't know whether he did it on purpose or he stretched out his hand absent-mindedly. He changed his clothes and the two girls were exhausted and panting.

Even Xiren blushed when she saw this. Thinking back to yesterday, when she had been fooling around in the bath with Master Bao and the enchantress Sheyue, she felt a little weak all over. If Master Bao really had an official position, wouldn't the position of concubine belong to her and Sheyue? It was finally over.
"Master Bao, hurry up. Not only have the old lady and the others arrived at the front yard, but many people have also come to announce the good news, including the elders of the clan and even the officials who are offering sacrifices. Many of them have come to watch the excitement."

Speaking of which,
Xiren stopped talking, after all, Baoyu didn't like these.
Jia Baoyu was no longer in a good mood at this time. Why would such a small piece of good news cause so much trouble? It would be better to let Langge win the prize, so as to save himself from so much trouble.
But since everyone was here, he couldn't delay going out, so he changed his clothes quickly, called Mingyan who was waiting outside, and hurried out.

At the main entrance,

The captain of the mansion had already dismounted, and had the people behind him line up, and stood outside the door.

"Second Madam, should we read it inside or here?"

Wang Xifeng looked around. There were so many people gathered around. This was a matter of honor. How could she go inside?
"It's right here. Wait until the incense table is brought out and the incense is lit before you speak."

"Yes, Second Madam, I'll listen to you."

A team of cavalrymen in distinctive armor were actually very respectful to the Second Mistress of Rongguo Mansion. This scene also stunned many people. It seemed that the Second Mistress's prestige was not only in Rongguo Mansion.
After a while, the servant brought out the incense table and placed it on the steps of the main entrance. Jia Baoyu, dressed in bright red, also came out, with the appearance of a scholar and a nobleman, and appeared in front of everyone.
Grandmother Jia's face was full of smiles. She quickly ordered Mingyan to take the incense and light it. Then she gave it to Baoyu, who first bowed three times and then put the incense on it.
Seeing that things were settled, the second wife winked at Feng Yatou, who understood and spoke.

"Come on, tell me the good news."

The captain heard the second grandmother's order, nodded, took out a piece of paper, read it out loud, and shouted;
"This year's imperial examination was a great favor. Those who ranked first were rewarded. The top three were given official positions. This year's imperial examination was held in the Hanyuan Palace. The third place winner was given a ninth-rank official position and 100 taels of silver based on a letter of recommendation written by Qin Ye, a doctor in the Ministry of Works. The Marquis was delighted and opened the gate of the Marquis' Mansion. All candidates were allowed to enter."

Then, he waved his hand and sent out the trays, official uniforms, documents, and badges behind him, thinking that someone would take them.

Who knows,

The people around him suddenly fell silent. The captain was still a little curious. No one shouted, "Oh!" The people around were buzzing with discussions. No one expected that it was not Master Bao from Rongguo Mansion who passed the exam, but Brother Zhu's son Jia Lan. He was indeed the descendant of Wenquxing, and his brain was very smart.
The onlookers, especially those from the clan school released from Shuntian Prefecture, gathered together and discussed in low voices.

"It's really God's will that Brother Zhu's literary spirit still remains."

Jia Qin felt a little emotional. He didn't expect that Jia Lan would be the winner. No one expected this.

"Yeah, I thought it was Uncle Bao's high school. Isn't this a wasted trip?"

Jia Fang spoke quickly, with some sarcasm in his words. They had long seen that Master Bao was somewhat jealous.
"Keep your voices down. Don't let it get out. Brother Qiang hasn't come out yet."

Jia Qing said something more, and several people nodded without saying much.

But others couldn't help asking around.
"That's not right. Didn't they say that only Master Bao from Rongguo Mansion took the exam? How could it be Jia Lan who won the exam?"

"Didn't you hear it? It was Jia Lan. He didn't use the recommendation letter from the Duke's Mansion. He used the one given by Qin or someone else."

"It's true. You said that the owner of Rongguo Mansion took all kinds of precautions to pave the way for Master Bao, but who would have thought that after the road was paved, someone else would walk on it."

No matter what the speaker was thinking, his words were ultimately unpleasant to the ear.

At the gate of Rongguo Mansion,

Grandmother Jia stood there in a daze for a long time. It took her no time to react and figure out who had won the prize. She asked again,
"The captain just mentioned who won the third place. I was far away and didn't hear it clearly."

Several people were standing together, all busy having fun. I didn't hear clearly what they said, but I didn't know the name of the third place was Jia Lan or Bao Yu, maybe I heard it wrong.

The Second Wife was not paying attention at this time. She was a little absent-minded due to excitement and did not hear clearly. However, she seemed not to hear Baoyu's name. She also blamed the soldier for saying it so quickly. But she did not dare to ask again for fear of losing face.
Among the few people, only Mrs. Xing came back to her senses and smiled. She had heard clearly that it was not Jia Baoyu who passed the exam, but Li Wan's son Jia Lan. She didn't know why, but she couldn't suppress her joy. She calmed down and became more cautious. She asked,
"Feng girl, ask him. I was in a hurry just now and didn't hear clearly. Who did he say passed the imperial examination?" There was no emotion in his voice, but the question was asked in time. The people in the gatehouse didn't care about etiquette and walked closer to listen to what was going on.
Wang Xifeng was close by, so she heard it clearly. She turned around to see the old lady and the others, and her heart skipped a beat. Today, the Second Madam had lost face. She didn't know what kind of fuss would happen next. She didn't dare to explain.
"Captain, please tell me the name of the high school student."

The leading lieutenant of the Marquis's Mansion clasped his fists, nodded, and shouted;
"This year's imperial examination, the third place winner of the Hanyuan Palace list is Jia Lan, a disciple of Rongguo Mansion."

Obviously,

The lieutenant also noticed that there was something strange about this matter, so he briefly repeated the story. At this time, everyone could hear clearly that it was Jia Lan who passed the imperial examination and was given an official position. How could he be Jia Baoyu?

The discussion among the people below became louder. The second wife couldn't hide her face and shouted angrily.
"Baoyu, what are you still doing standing there? Go back and change your clothes."

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, the Second Wife turned and left, taking Jia Baoyu, who looked annoyed, with her. He had said long ago that he didn't want to come, but he still changed his clothes and came. He couldn't help but feel relieved in his heart. He didn't like this official position. It would be better for him to stay at home and recite poems and compose couplets with his sisters.

Only Lady Jia and Lady Xing were left in the porch. Lady Xing was in a good mood. Seeing the Second Madam leave, she couldn't help but smile.
"What are you standing there for? Take the gifts, and then lead the people to deliver them to the Grandmother in the West Courtyard. It's amazing that in the blink of an eye, Brother Lan has become an official."

"Yes, Madam."

The remaining stewards, along with the servants, collected the things. When Wang Xifeng saw this, she knew that she should send the person who brought the good news back first. If she continued to discuss the matter, she didn't know how much more gossip would arise.

"Ping'er, give out silver, ten taels per person."

When Ping'er heard this, she stamped her feet in anger, but she dared not disobey. She took out the bag of silver in her arms and distributed it to the soldiers in the Marquis's mansion. The captain also realized that something was wrong and would report to the Marquis when he returned. He took the silver, thanked him, and quickly rode back to the Marquis's mansion.

The rest of the onlookers also left, but the discussions became louder and louder.
Especially the Marquis of Jinxiang and the Marquis of Dongchuan, who were at the corner of the street, had not walked far. They got off the sedan chair and turned back to watch. When they saw this scene, the corners of their mouths twitched. The Marquis of Dongchuan was a little unbelievable and asked;
"Brother Liao, what's going on? Just passing the provincial imperial examination can lead to an official position. This has never happened in all dynasties."

"Haha, Brother Miao is wrong. Just because there was no such thing in the past doesn't mean there won't be any in the future. Talented people can be used anywhere. I thought the Jia family was in decline, but unexpectedly, the Rongguo Mansion is indeed on the rise. As the saying goes, the way of heaven is unpredictable."

Liao Daping, Marquis of Jinxiang, stroked his beard with a look of emotion on his face. He couldn't help but be shocked in his heart. In the Rongguo Mansion, happy events happened one after another. The old lady's methods were amazing.

Hearing the praise from Marquis Jinxiang, Marquis Dongchuan felt a little embarrassed. He was rebuked by Marquis Shoushan in the courtyard and ridiculed by Marquis Jinxiang outside. He was also a man of honor, so he snorted coldly, turned around and left, leaving Marquis Jinxiang confused and shouting behind him,
"Hey, Brother Miao, why are you leaving?"

He shouted and chased after him.
"Endless spring sorrow across the green eyebrows,

A trace of shyness appeared on her cheeks.

Every step I take is like a willow swaying in the wind.
The sound of orioles talking comes from outside the flowers.

There is no such beauty in the world again."

The person on the stage sang a piece of Kunqu opera (Romance of the West Chamber) with the sound of mountains and rivers. As soon as his voice opened, long and graceful notes came out, and the people below cheered loudly.
Even Zhang Jinyu couldn't help but say "OK".

Several students around me found it incredible. Not to mention the singer, this tune is much better than the Jiangnan water-grinding tune.

"Teacher, where did you find this guy? This voice is much better than the one in Jiangnan."

Song Xingjun was not flattering this time, he was telling the truth. He liked to listen to music and went to brothels. He had heard all kinds of tunes, but he had never heard this tone. He thought it was not from the capital.

Zhang Jinyu replied with a smile, looking at the handles of a chair;

"Haha, you also think it sounds good, that's right, the person singing the song is the musician of the Marquis' Mansion, the mountain master in Jiangnan, what's his name, he sang in a sissy voice, and this Marquis can't stand it, so I've discussed with this girl, let's come up with a tune, called Luanshanyin, to outdo them."

Zhang Jinyu was not exaggerating. Looking at the cheering people in the audience and his own feeling when listening to the song, he really felt that this tone had great potential and might even be sung in the interior of the country.

Just these words made the students who had just become his disciples feel ashamed. The Marquis was really generous. Song Xingjun also shut up in time.
"The teacher is right. The students feel that it sounds much better than those messy sounds."

His ability to change his attitude according to the situation was truly unique, causing many students to look at him with disdain, but the latter seemed to be unmoved and continued to smile along.
Only Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help but stood up and clasped his fists.
"Teacher, the student has something to say,"

"Well, tell me."

Zhang Jinyu was just flattered and in a good mood. No wonder there were always a few jesters around the emperor in the past. Who doesn't like to listen to nice words? Not only does it make the ears feel good, but it also makes the heart feel good. How do you say it? When a person is happy, he feels good. When he feels good, his body feels comfortable and he feels happy. It forms a perfect closed loop, which is absolutely true.
"My Lord, I have a different opinion. Although the new tune is better than the old one, good wine needs to be hidden in the alley. Kunqu Shuimoqiang was invented by Lian Yuming, the headmaster of Jiangnan Bailu Academy, who spent two years to comprehend it. It is not a sissy tune, but a soft Jiangnan Wu dialect. The best tunes were spread to the interior of the country by those literati. So, if you want to suppress them, you need to think carefully."

This was like pouring a bucket of cold water on everyone, especially Song Xingjun, who looked unhappy and immediately retorted.

"You are so good, Zhao Mingsheng. You are clearly trying to boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige. No matter how deep the alley is, if the aroma of wine spreads, people will drink it. How can the reputation of the headmaster of the White Deer Academy be compared with that of the teacher? In a small piece of land in the capital, can they still stir up trouble?"

It was obvious that neither of them would give in to the other.

Zhang Jinyu laughed. It was true that three cobblers were better than Zhuge Liang. When there were more people, they would talk more and analyze more clearly. That would be easy to solve. It was just a song that needed more people. When there were fewer people, they would not be able to compete. This was really difficult to solve.
He looked up at Zhao Mingsheng. Although he was eager for quick success, he was very smart and quick-witted.

"In this case, Zhao Mingsheng, do you have any ideas? Tell me."

"Yes, teacher, I do have some ideas."

Zhao Mingsheng clasped his fists and bowed, ignoring Song Xingjun, who was so angry that his face turned red.

"Teacher, I think the first thing is the number of people. Let Master Li teach more people to sing this song as a backup. In addition, the poetry meeting in the capital is said to be advanced. In five days, people from the three major academies and the three major brothels in Jiangnan will come to hold a poetry meeting and an election of the most beautiful women in Yanchun Tower in the capital. At that time, it will be a place to shine. Master Li can suppress those who sing Shuimoqiang in person at the poetry meeting. Of course, the singing of Taoyuan should also be spread out."

Zhao Mingsheng's words gave Zhang Jinyu a refreshing feeling. What a talent! If he takes these steps, he may not be well-known in other places, but he will be famous in the capital. As long as he is famous in the capital, the whole interior will know about it.
"Okay, well said. You will take care of this matter. If they need money, I will give it to you. If they need people, you can ask Mr. Li to select them. The Taoyuan Opera Troupe has quite a few people, and there are also quite a few women who can sing. You can arrange it."

"is teacher!"

Zhao Mingsheng agreed excitedly, his face was full of excitement. As long as he could catch the teacher's eye, he could stay in the capital, wait for a year or two, rent a few houses, and bring his mother over to enjoy a good life.

The people behind were jealous when they saw Zhao Mingsheng got the advantage, but they didn't understand the matter and didn't know what to do, so they said nothing. Only Song Xingjun looked unhappy. After all the trouble and talking so much, you got the upper hand. That won't do.

After thinking about it, I found a way;
"Teacher, do you have any ideas?"

"Oh, you have an idea too, tell me about it!"

(End of this chapter)