Do you know: I am Yuan Wenshao

Chapter 258 Enke

"Officer, what do you think the Queen is thinking of conferring a royal title on a concubine?"

On the way back, Hua Lan asked on the carriage.

"Dazou died to save the Queen. The Queen did this to repay her kindness. However, there are many ways to repay her kindness. The imperial decree was a bit excessive." Yuan Wenshao shook his head.

"Yeah." Hua Lan nodded and said, "That little Zou doesn't seem like an easy person to get along with."

"What's wrong? Did something happen during the banquet just now?" Yuan Wenshao asked doubtfully.

"That's not true, but the little Zou family has a very good relationship with the officials and their families. She also said that she would walk around more in the future and treat herself as a real lady. Even the Shen family girl didn't say anything." Lan said.

"They were already close to the Dazou family, but now the nobles in Bianjing look down on those ministers who live in Yuzhou. The people in Yuzhou also look down on the people in Bianjing because they are the confidants of the officials. If there is going to be trouble in the future, let's not get involved. Just make peace." Yuan Wenshao shook his head.

"Yeah." Hua Lan nodded.

……

A few days after Shen Congxing took the concubine, Enke officially started.

The imperial examination is held once every three years and is very grand. Although this is Enke, it is the first imperial examination after the new king takes the throne, and it has a different meaning.

As the saying goes, there is an emperor and ministers in one dynasty, and imperial examination scholars are known as the disciples of the emperor. Zhao Zongquan came from Yuzhou, and he did not trust many civil servants.

Those who pass the Jinshi examination in Enke this time are naturally more likely to be reused than in previous years.

But this has nothing to do with Yuan Wenshao. He has been busy with the military camp these days.

A few days ago, the official positions after the official restructuring of the western suburbs camp have been handed down.

Yuan Wenshao was awarded the title of General of the Auxiliary State, Doctor Jin Ziguanglu, and Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Army.

General Fuguo is a military official of the second rank, and Dr. Jin Ziguanglu is a literary official of the third rank.

Qianshi, the governor of the Hou Army, was a post with the second rank.

This is what official positions were like in ancient times. They liked to add a lot of false titles.

There are no big benefits, but there are wages.

Including the food and property of the title, it means that Yuan Wenshao can receive four salaries.

Yuan Wenshao didn't care whether he had money or not, but with his official position, he needed to report to the Privy Council every day to discuss the restructuring.

While Yuan Wenshao was busy with military affairs, Enke also had results.

In the end, Qi Heng passed the first-class and 12th grade, and Sheng Hong's student Wen Yanjing also passed the second-class and 13th grade.

The Great Zhou Dynasty emphasized culture over martial arts, and every examination was one of the grand events in Bianjing.

Although it is only the general examination and has not yet passed the final ranking of the palace examination, the results of the general examination will not receive much less attention than the palace examination.

Fan Tower, in a private room on the third floor, Ru Lan saw that the place where the poster was posted at the entrance of the Gongyuan was crowded with people and very lively, but because the distance was too far, she could only hear noisy voices, and she stamped her feet angrily: "Go. Why hasn’t the boy who looked at the list come back yet?”

Naturally, the Sheng family would not be absent from such a grand event. Hua Lan had already booked a private room in the Fan Building and invited Mrs. Wang and the unmarried Rulan Minglan to watch the fun together.

"We're just here to watch the fun, why are you anxious?"

Mrs. Wang, who was chatting with Hua Lan, said angrily: "You are going to get married when we say goodbye, can you be quieter?"

"Mom, aren't I worried about my third brother?" Rulan said.

"Just him?" Mrs. Wang said disdainfully: "If he can pass the exam, the sun will rise in the west."

"Mom." Hua Lan said helplessly, "You should speak less of this kind of thing. If Chang Feng can pass the exam, he will also shine on the lintel of our Sheng family. And if dad hears it, he will be angry."

"He doesn't study every day and hangs out with those people in the room. I heard that a maid almost died after having an abortion last time. Your father took care of her. It's strange that she passed the exam. If he doesn't live up to his expectations, what does it have to do with me? What's the matter?" Mrs. Wang curled her lips.

"You are the legitimate mother, so it is inevitable that you will be lax in your discipline." Hua Lan shook his head.

"That's what your father said, let them discipline themselves and not let me interfere." Mrs. Wang said.

"The problem is, isn't his little mother gone now? As my aunt, shouldn't you be in charge?" Hua Lan said.

Seeing Mrs. Wang arguing with her eldest sister, Minglan came up to Ru Lan, bumped her with her shoulder, and whispered: "Fifth sister, you are worried about the one who missed the mark. Isn't it the third brother?"

A trace of panic flashed in Rulan's eyes and she said, "Who is it if it's not the third brother?"

"Really?" Minglan said with a smile: "For example, my father's student, don't you want to know whether he passed the exam or not? I heard that when Fifth Sister asked someone to inquire about it just now, she told him to inquire about his grades. On."

"He is my father's student. If he passes the exam, our Sheng family will be proud of it. Naturally, I want to ask someone to inquire about it." Ru Lan argued.

Minglan smiled without saying anything, and pointed out something: "That brother from the Wen family is my father's favorite disciple. If he wins, my father will definitely be happy. When my father is the happiest, if he makes some requests, my father will definitely not agree. I will refuse. If I wait until my father’s happiness wears off, I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”

Although she didn't agree when she persuaded her grandmother to help her last time, Minglan still wanted to help Rulan.

She thought about it carefully during this period, and realized that Sheng Hong was happiest when she learned that Wen Yanjing had won the exam.

If Wen Yanjing mentioned it at that time, and Sheng Hong had promised to marry Mo Lan to Wen Yanjing before, and he felt a little guilty, if Wen Yanjing mentioned it, Sheng Hong would most likely agree.

As long as Sheng Hong agrees, even if Mrs. Wang is unwilling, Sheng Hong will find a way to persuade Mrs. Wang for the sake of face.

But when today is over and Sheng Hong calms down, when Wen Yanjing speaks, Sheng Hong will also think of asking Mrs. Wang.

With Mrs. Wang’s character, it is naturally impossible for her to agree.

Although Rulan has a carefree temper, she is not stupid either. When she heard Minglan's words, she felt panicked. Could it be that Minglan knew something?

She quickly reassured herself that it was unlikely.

After all, although she and Wen Yanjing had met several times in private, they were very careful and would not be discovered.

But what did Minglan mean by telling her this?

Rulan was a little confused for a moment and asked tentatively: "Sixth sister, what did you mean by what you just said?"

"Whatever the fifth sister thinks it means, that's what it means." Minglan said.

"Sixth sister, you..."

Ru Lan was anxious when she heard this, and was about to ask when Minglan pointed outside and said, "Fifth sister, look, is that Brother Wen's brother?"

When Rulan heard this, she didn't bother to ask. She took a closer look and saw Wen Yanjing being grabbed by several people and being carried to a carriage. She immediately asked anxiously: "What are they arresting brother Jing for?"

"Brother respect? What the fifth sister calls you is really dear." Minglan said with a smile.

"Oh, it's been so long and you're still making fun of me."

Ru Lan stamped her feet and said, "No, I have to call someone to rescue him. Someone under the emperor dares to kidnap someone in the street. It's so audacious."

"Fifth sister, don't be anxious."

Minglan quickly grabbed Ru Lan and said, "Of course it won't work in normal times, but today is the day when the official list will be published. Have you forgotten that there is a tradition of catching a son-in-law under the list? If there are official servants following you, nothing will happen."

Catching a son-in-law under the official list does not mean taking the person back and forcing him to get married.

In fact, you just want to go back and negotiate the terms. If you can agree on the terms, you can sign a marriage contract. If you fail to agree, you will not only let him go, but you will also be given some money.

Generally, those who catch sons-in-law are businessmen and squires with little background.

Really wealthy people don't do this.

When the list is published, the government will also send many government officials over. If they find that a scholar on the list is captured, someone will follow them to ensure the safety of the scholar.

"Capture your son-in-law? That's even worse." Ru Lan became even more anxious upon hearing this.

"Dong dong dong!" Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Madam Wang said.

The maid at the door opened the door after hearing this, and a young man walked in and saluted: "Madam, the third young master has failed, but the master's student Mr. Wen has won the top 13, and the young prince from the Duke of Qi's mansion has won the first prize. A twelve."

Mrs. Wang waved her hand and asked people to get down. She smiled and said, "I didn't expect that your father's student actually won."

"Dad has a unique vision. Since he is accepted as a student, it means that he is very knowledgeable. It is not surprising that he can pass the exam." Hua Lan said with a smile.

Although Sheng Changfeng was just a student and did not pass the exam, the relationship between students and teachers was very close. Wen Yanjing himself was from a poor family and needed support from the Sheng family.

It can be said that since Wen Yan worshiped Sheng Hong as his teacher, he was labeled as a member of the Sheng family.

If Wen Yanjing becomes prosperous in the future, it will be of great benefit to the Sheng family.

"Mom, eldest sister, I just saw that Wen's brother was kidnapped. Please send someone to rescue him quickly," Ru Lan said.

"My silly sister, that's just trying to catch a son-in-law. It's a good thing for him, but the only people who can catch a son-in-law are ordinary businessmen. If Wen Yanjing, a boy from a poor family, can go to high school, he must be a smart man, no? I will agree." Hua Lan smiled.

Being an official requires not only having connections, but also having money to manage them.

Wen Yanjing was born into a poor family, and even with the support of the Sheng family, it was impossible for the Sheng family to invest too much money in establishing connections for him.

If he could find a wealthy family member to help him pay, his official career would be much smoother.

Rulan didn't think too much after hearing this. She was relieved when Hualan said that Wen Yanjing would not agree.

When Ming Lan heard that Qi Heng won the first and twelve prizes, a complicated look flashed in her eyes. She quickly came back to her senses and sighed when she saw Ru Lan's appearance.

For Wen Yanjing, he had a better choice like Ru Lan, so he would naturally not agree.

But with such a delay, Sheng Hong would probably hear the news about Wen Yanjing High School from elsewhere.

When Wen Yanjing comes back, he may miss the best opportunity to propose marriage.

However, she has done all she can do, and the next step can only depend on God's will.

……

"Mom, I'm lucky to have lived up to my destiny and ranked among the top 12."

With Bu Wei's help, Qi Heng squeezed through the crowd, returned to the carriage, and bowed to his parents who were waiting there.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Princess Pingning shed tears of excitement and said, "Such a big happy event must be celebrated properly."

Because they valued literature over martial arts, many meritorious families chose to abandon martial arts and follow literature.

But very few can pass the exam, and the highest ones are only among the top three.

Before this, no one among the meritorious disciples had even won the second grade, let alone the first grade.

Qi Heng was able to reach the first grade of high school, which was a precedent.

When the news spreads, it will definitely become a good story.

She pretended to be crazy and acted stupid to save her life. From then on, the Qi family became a joke in Bianjing.

And all this will disappear from today.

"Mother, we are celebrating at home, there is no need to celebrate in a big way." Qi Heng said.

Passing the imperial examination has always been his dream. If the official family had not granted marriage to Gu Tingye and Minglan, he would have been ecstatic at this moment and asked his mother to take him to the Sheng family to propose marriage.

However, it was already too late, and he couldn't be happy.

"How can that be done? So..."

"All right."

Duke Guo of Qi noticed something was wrong with Qi Heng's expression, so he quickly pulled his wife and shook his head at her.

Princess Pingning also reacted and said, "Okay, let's go home and celebrate by ourselves."

The family got on the carriage, Qi Heng was in a daze and said nothing.

Princess Pingning wanted to speak several times, but she didn't know what to say.

Returning to the Duke of Qi's mansion, Qi Heng saluted and said: "Father and mother, due to the imperial examination, the child is physically and mentally exhausted during this period, so he should go back and rest first."

"Okay, the meal will be ready in a while, mother..."

Before Princess Pingning finished speaking, Qi Heng turned around and left.

"Official, do you think Heng'er still hates me in her heart?" Princess Pingning shed tears of regret in her eyes.

"All right."

Duke Guo of Qi held his wife in his arms and comforted him: "I don't blame you for what happened at the beginning. Heng'er just felt uncomfortable. Heng'er is not young anymore. Let's help him arrange a good marriage. After a long time, he will leave naturally. Out."

"Well, the officer is right."

Princess Pingning wiped her tears and said, "But before we say goodbye, I have to go to the palace."

"What are you doing in the palace?" Duke Qi asked worriedly.

When King Yan rebelled, Concubine Rong wanted to take revenge on Princess Pingning. She had Princess Yong and Princess Jiacheng killed and then cut off their heads and sent them to Princess Pingning.

At that time, Princess Yong and the head of Jiacheng County were beheaded after being humiliated, and they died miserably.

After all this time, Princess Pingning still often wakes up from nightmares in the middle of the night.

The Queen Mother had summoned Princess Pingning to the palace several times before. When Princess Pingning thought of entering the palace, she thought of what happened back then and acted crazy.

Now Princess Pingning actually offered to enter the palace.

"I'm going to ask the Queen Mother to arrange a good position for Heng'er." Princess Pingning said with firm eyes.

The Duke's Palace of Qi has long been in decline, that is to say, she grew up in the palace and was as close to the late emperor as brother and sister. She had to take care of the late emperor to achieve her previous glory.

However, since the death of the late emperor and the fact that she had become a joke in Bianjing, no one cared about the Qi family.

Although Qi Heng passed the first-level exam, there are differences in the first-level officers when they are awarded officers.

The difference lies in the personal connections between each family.

Princess Pingning couldn't find any other relationship, so she had no choice but to go to the palace to seek help from the Queen Mother.

"But you..."

"It's okay, it's been so long, I've already looked away." Princess Pingning said.

"Then don't rush now. Let's wait until Heng'er takes the imperial examination and see his results. Maybe he will be appreciated by the officials by then?" Qi Guogong said.

The Duke of Qi did not say anything. Nowadays, the relationship between the official family and the Queen Mother is not so good.

If he goes to the Queen Mother for help, the official family will definitely not reuse Qi Heng in the future.

(End of this chapter)