After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 664 Inside Story
Haitang left the teahouse with her brother Haijiao, as well as a group of cousins ​​and friends.

Wu Qiong was still sobbing when she got on the carriage. She was sad that her cousin didn't make the list, and what was even more difficult to accept was that her cousin was ranked third on the vice list, just three people away from being on the list. Was it bad luck, or was there something wrong? If her cousin's essay was better, or if the examiner showed mercy, would her cousin have been able to pass the exam? Then her and her cousin's dream of moving out and starting their own business could come true, right?
However, my cousin failed the exam, and there was no need to mention his dreams anymore.

The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo has already picked out several candidates for her husband, and they are waiting for the results of her cousin's provincial examination to come out before they start discussing it formally, so that she can get married after the mourning period for her mother is over next year. Her cousin can wait three years to make a comeback, but she can't delay any longer. Could it be that she will never be able to live in her own home for a day in her life?

She was born in her maternal grandparents' home, grew up in the Cining Palace and Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion, and has lived in the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion until now. When she gets married in the future, she will have to live in her husband's family. When will she be able to live a day in a home that truly belongs to her? !

Wu Qiong couldn't stop crying. Wu Ke felt guilty and could only whisper to comfort her, help her cousin onto the carriage, and then said goodbye to everyone awkwardly.

Everyone didn't know what to say, so they just laughed and got on their horses and carriages and left. Haijiao Haitang saw Zhou Yijun off, while Jin Jiashu went home first, as he had to report the results of the provincial examination to his teacher Xie Wenzai.

Haitang and Zhou Yijun were sitting in the carriage, listening to Haijiao's instructions to the driver, and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Then they looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

Zhou Yijun lowered her voice and said, "Sister Qiong cares a lot about her cousin's results in this subject! I didn't expect her to cry so sadly. In fact, why bother? Brother Wu is still young. If he fails this subject, he can just try again in the next one. He is so young, but he has already ranked third on the vice list. If there are no accidents, he will definitely pass the next subject. At that time, he was only in his early twenties, and he was already a rare young talent in the world. What is there for Sister Qiong to be dissatisfied with?"

Haitang did get a glimpse of Wu Qiong's thoughts from her letter: "It seems that the cousins ​​have already made plans. If Wu Ke passes this exam, they will ask the Duke and his wife to move out and start their own business. Wu Qiong has always wanted to get rid of her life of living under someone else's roof. Now that her dream is shattered, she will naturally be sad."

Zhou Yijun suddenly realized: "So that's it! No wonder..." Although the Zhenguo Mansion has always been very good to the Wu brothers and sisters, how can living in someone else's home compare to being the master of one's own home? Moreover, Wu Qiong has been living under someone else's roof since he was born, so how could he not hope to have a home that truly belongs to him?

Zhou Yijun remembered something again, and whispered in Haitang's ear, "I heard from my mother that the Lady of the Zhenguo Duke and Lady Zhou Liu are looking for a wife for Sister Qiong. She will be out of mourning in half a year, and now she has chosen a man, so she can meet someone in half a year and get married in the second half of next year. She will be eighteen next year, and it's really not a good idea to delay any longer. It's not that our Zhou family doesn't want to keep her, but we're afraid that the students and old friends of the Wu family will gossip that our Zhou family is unwilling to arrange a marriage for her and is deliberately trying to keep her at home."

God have mercy on you! If the Zhou family wanted to marry Wu Qiong to their daughter-in-law, whether it was from the direct branch or the side branch, they should have proposed it a few years ago. But when Madam Gui wanted to marry her daughter to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the Duke of Zhenguo and his wife did not agree, and the Marquis of Cheng'en and his wife also declined. Things that were not agreed to at that time will not be agreed to now. The people that Madam Zhenguo chose for Wu Qiong were all famous and aristocratic families in Chang'an. They only picked those with clean and honest family rules and regulations, and also the young men with outstanding talents and good conduct from these families. They would definitely not let the old students of Wumen make mistakes.

This was also the good intention of the Duke and his wife. Although there are many outstanding children in the Zhou family, most of them, as long as they are healthy and have no bad habits, will be stationed in the border. If they encounter a war, it is common to die in battle. If Wu Qiong marries someone who encounters such a thing, what should she do? It is better to marry into a scholarly family and live a stable life in Chang'an City. If her husband is promising, he can go to Beijing to take the imperial examination and become an official, so as not to disgrace the reputation of her descendants of the Wu family.

The Duke and his wife also asked Wu Ke what he thought, and Wu Ke agreed. Wu Qiong herself had no objection. But thinking that she had never had her own family in her life, even if she married into a scholarly family in the future, she would not be able to be the head of the family, so she must have some complicated feelings, right?

Haitang didn't say much, just whispered to Zhou Yijun: "If Sister Wu really doesn't want to get married so early, it's okay to delay it for two more years. First, she is not yet fully in mourning for her mother. If she insists on waiting until she is done with mourning before seeing you, no one can find fault with her; second, she is a guest in Chang'an after all, maybe she would rather marry back in the capital? If her husband's family is in Chang'an, and Wu Ke returns to the capital to revive the family in the future, won't she be left behind in Chang'an? Even if the husband she marries is a scholar, it doesn't mean that he will definitely pass the provincial examination and go to Beijing to seek a career. What if he can only stop at the level of a juren in his life? What about their names? Now there are only Sister Wu and Wu Ke left in the Wu family. If because of marriage, the two siblings have to be separated by thousands of miles in the future and can hardly see each other for several years, it would be too pitiful. "Zhou Yijun suddenly said solemnly: "Sister Hai's words do make sense... In fact, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo has thought about finding a marriage for Sister Qiong in the capital, but the Sun family is in the capital after all, and the brothers who have returned home may come to the door by relying on their uncle's status... In comparison, it is safer for Sister Qiong to stay in Chang'an. Now we can only hope that her future husband can be more motivated and pass the exam to go to the capital..."

The two cousins ​​chatted and soon arrived at the third room of the Zhou family. Zhou Yijun got off the car and walked in. Haitang and Haijiao also went to pay their respects to their aunt Zhou Ma, sat for a while, and then stood up to say goodbye.

It’s not that they don’t want to stay as guests at Zhou Ma’s place for a while longer, but the third branch of the Zhou family is in chaos right now.

Zhou Jinpu and his wife took their eldest son back to their ancestral home for the provincial examination and have stayed there ever since. When Zhou Jinpu heard that he had failed again, he flew into a rage and started throwing things and cursing in the east courtyard, beating his wife and son. Zhou Shigong was furious when he heard this and rushed over to start a quarrel with his eldest son.

Although Mrs. Zhou Ma had long since stopped caring about her husband and stepson, and had handed over household chores to her daughter-in-law, she could sit still and remain calm even when she heard the noise coming from the east courtyard. However, the siblings Haijiao and Haitang did not want to get involved in their aunt's family affairs at all, so they naturally said goodbye and left quickly to avoid embarrassment.

When the brother and sister came out, they did not take a car, but rode two horses. Now they got on the horses and headed straight towards home.

After arriving home, Haijiao handed the horse to Dazhuang and went to find Xie Wenzai and other elders. He expected that after Jin Jiashu came back, he should have gone to the teacher first instead of returning home.

Haitang went back to the main courtyard to see her grandmother, Ma. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Ma talking to Aunt Cui with a serious face. She went forward to greet her, but before she could squat, Ma hurriedly pulled her to the kang and asked, "I heard that Xiaojin failed the provincial examination. Is it true?"

Haitang nodded: "Yes, Zhou Xiaojian has checked it out. Brother Jin is ranked first on the secondary list, but not on the main list."

"That's it!" Ma and Aunt Cui looked at each other and nodded seriously. "Sister Ma said there was something fishy about the result. Someone must have deliberately made Xiao Jin fail the exam. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?!"

What?
Haitang blinked and immediately lowered her voice: "What's going on?"

(End of this chapter)