Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 129: Successful
"Good news, good news!" A few days later in the morning, two government officials came to the door of Xue Mansion one after another, shouting repeatedly.

The housekeeper of the Xue Mansion hurriedly came out to check, and immediately recognized that this was someone from the Yamen who came to announce the good news. He thought that Jia Qiang had participated in the provincial examination before, and it goes without saying that this was Jia Qiang's high school.

He ordered the servant beside him to go in and invite the master and Jia Qiang, and then invited the two government servants who announced the good news to the door.

Jia Qiang came to the door at about the same time as Xue Tong. Xue Tong smiled and took out two pieces of silver and handed them to the two government officials who announced the good news.

"Congratulations to Mr. Jia for winning the Asian championship in high school!" The two government officials took the silver and felt the weight in their hands. Their faces almost broke out in laughter. They announced the good news loudly at the same time.

Jia Qiang was stunned when he heard this. He did not expect to take the Zhongya Yuan exam. Yayuan was the second place in Jinling Provincial Examination.

Jinling Township Examination has most of the candidates from Jiangnan concentrated here, and she won second place here, especially since Jia Qiang is also a supervisor of the Imperial College in Beijing. As a student from the north, such a result will definitely shock everyone.

Not to mention that Jia Qiang is only fifteen years old. It has been difficult for many years to have a fifteen-year-old candidate.

"Haha, congratulations to Brother Jia Xian!" Xue Tong laughed and congratulated.

Jia Qiang is Ya Yuan who lives in Xue Mansion, which brings great face to Xue Mansion. Many people from nearby families came to watch.

The next day, Jia Qiang changed into a brand new set of Confucian shirts. This time, he was sitting in a sedan chair, put Jia Jingang into the inventory, and headed towards Yingtian Mansion.

Confucianism values ​​righteousness and peace, and is unfazed by honor and disgrace. His performance was greatly appreciated by the people around him.

If this matter spreads, this group of candidates will probably be scolded by the literati in the south of the Yangtze River.

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat solidified and no longer as cheerful as before.

So when the servant threw the copper coins on the street, they were snatched up by the crowd in a blink of an eye, and everyone shouted congratulations loudly.

"Brother Ximing failed the list, but I barely made it to the list. I can't compare with Brother Jia. I feel very ashamed!" Xi Jinge shook his head and said.

The servants of the Xue family came out carrying two baskets filled with copper coins.

"Come on, isn't that right!" One Juren pointed at one of the several Juren who came with him and said.

"Brother Jia, wherever you live, let's have a drink and chat when you have time!" Xi Jinge invited with a smile.

If Jia Qiang does not do well in the exam, forget it. If she does, she will spread her joy to the people around her.

At the entrance of Yingtian Mansion, Jia Qiang walked out of the sedan with a smile.

"Ya Yuan Jia Qiang!" You Juren exclaimed.

The visitor was Xi Jinge from the Xi family in Yangzhou. He took part in the provincial examination a few days ago, but Jia Qiang did not see him due to the large number of people.

At this time, he saw several scholars dressed up like him, and they were all smiling when they saw each other.

After hearing that Jia Qiang was from Beijing and Yayuan, everyone's expressions changed.

"Jia Qiang in the capital has met everyone of the same age!" Jia Qiang introduced herself with a smile.

Jia Qiang talked with Xi Jinge, making the atmosphere more relaxed.

"Can you see Brother Ximing?" Jia Qiang asked, thinking of the other person she knew in Yangzhou and who had spoken of taking part in the provincial examination together.

Since their ranking is not as good as Jia Qiang's, everyone here feels that they cannot suppress Jia Qiang.

Almost no one would refuse this kind of copper coin. In addition to getting it for free, you can also get a share of Ya Yuan Gong's culture by making copper wire ornaments for children who study.

"It's just a fluke!" Although Jia Qiang was happy in her heart, her face remained calm and she replied with a smile.

Xue Tong had prepared this in advance, and he was more thoughtful than Jia Qiang.

The rest of the candidates looked at Jia Qiang. They did not expect that this year's Yayuan would be so young.

Ji Qinglin was walking and chatting with Tong Nian, but he didn't expect to be called out by so many candidates at the same time. He smiled and saluted them all.

Jia Qiang's height is about 1.9 meters, which is definitely the tallest among scholars, but his face is very childish, and you can tell at a glance that he is very young.

At this time, nearly twenty Juren gathered in front of Yingtian Mansion. They were also waiting for others to arrive before entering together.

"Brother Xi, I didn't expect to be the same age as you!" Jia Qiang was also overjoyed and stepped forward to salute.

"Jie Yuan is here!" the people shouted loudly.

It has always been the literati from the south of the Yangtze River who suppressed the literati from the north in the north. Where has it happened that the literati from the north suppressed them in the south of the Yangtze River?

"This is the same age, you are so young!" A gray-haired scholar looked at Jia Qiang and sighed with envy.

The rest of the people who knew Jieyuan also started to check.

"Brother Qinglin, you're here. Do you know where Yayuan is from this time?" Someone asked Ji Qinglin.

"Hey, Brother Jia is indeed you. I heard that Ya Yuan's name this time was Jia Qiang, so I guessed it was you!" In this atmosphere, a young man walked out of the sedan and said in surprise when he saw Jia Qiang.

There were more than a thousand scholars participating in the Jinling Rural Examination, and they needed to be inspected one by one. They were scattered throughout the Gongyuan, making it difficult for even the scholars they knew to meet each other.

Today, a deer-minging banquet will be held at Yingtian Mansion in Jinling. The examiner, Bachelor Mei Zhou, and many senior officials from Jinling will attend.

Jia Qiang was a little ashamed. He had not thought of this. Xue Tong was still thoughtful and thoughtful.

"Hurry up and send this good news to Yangzhou Lin Mansion to inform Master Lin Ruhai!" Xue Tong turned to the housekeeper and ordered.

The literati from the north and the south have always looked down upon each other. This has been the case since ancient times.

The Deer Ming Banquet is also an important gathering for people to get acquainted. These people are from the same year, and most of them will go to the capital to participate in the examination together in the coming year.

"Are you from the capital?" asked another person.

"Brother Xie Yuan Qinglin, why hasn't he arrived yet?" Yi Juren asked as he looked around.

Until Ji Qinglin, the Jie Yuan, came, the first place would be able to suppress the second place.

"Who are you from?" Ji Qinglin asked with some confusion.

"People from the capital!" the judge replied, then pointed to Jia Qiang and continued: "Look, that's the one!"

Ji Qinglin couldn't help but take a breath when he saw Jia Qiang.

He was only thirty-one years old, and he was considered relatively young among all the candidates. He didn't expect Jia Qiang to be even younger. The childish look on his face made it difficult to tell whether he was an adult.

Jia Qiang also noticed Ji Qinglin, who smiled and nodded in greeting.

Ji Qinglin has no intention of making things difficult for Jia Qiang because he is a student from the north. Such a young Juren has huge potential in the future.

If he becomes an official in the future, Jia Qiang is very likely to be a helper. The same year is an important political resource, how could it be destroyed by the dispute between the north and the south.

"We are all Daqian students, why should we divide them into north and south? Brother Jia Nian came to Jiangnan to take the exam, which shows that he loves Jiangnan!" Ji Qinglin bowed to all the candidates and persuaded.

No one is a fool, and a fool cannot stand out from more than a thousand people.

There are only twenty-seven candidates for the Jinling Provincial Examination this time. This friendship of the same age is particularly precious.

The public no longer excluded Jia Qiang, and the atmosphere returned to what it was before. When the agreed time arrived, the door to Yingtian Mansion opened.

Twenty-seven new candidates lined up to enter. The order of the queue was based on their ranking in the provincial examination. Ji Qinglin was first and Jia Qiang was second.

This time there were five Shangguan present, and the one who caught Jia Qiang's attention was the examiner of the rural examination, Bachelor Mei Zhou.

When Academician Mei Zhou saw Jia Qiang, he nodded slightly. His action made the other four officials present look at Jia Qiang.

Academician Mei Zhou has the highest rank here. In addition, he is a Beijing official and is rumored to be reused, so his every move is particularly eye-catching.

All the superior officials in Jinling knew that Bachelor Mei Zhou had no connections in Jiangnan. This was one of the reasons why he was selected as the examiner of the Jinling rural examination.

Besides, even if he knew a certain person, he would not take the initiative to express his knowledge in public as a bachelor of Mei Zhou.

The most important thing is that Bachelor Mei Zhou is the examiner, and he should not take the initiative to communicate with a certain candidate to avoid suspicion.

But Academician Mei Zhou still did this, and the other four Jinling officials carefully pondered the meaning.

All the disciples paid homage to the official, and then paid homage to the distinguished master, Academician Mei Zhou.

Then everyone sat down, raised their glasses and began to sing the poem "Deer Ming" from "The Book of Songs. Xiaoya".

"Yo yo, the deer roars, eating the apples of the wild. I have a guest, who plays the harp and sheng.

Playing the sheng, drums and reeds, carrying the basket is the general. When people treat me well, they show me how to behave.

Yo yo deer roar, eating wild wormwood. I have a guest, Deyin Kong Zhao.

......"

During the singing, the faces of all the disciples showed excitement. From today on, they have only one foot in the civil service of Daqian.

Some of them work in mediocre jobs, but their status as a judge is enough to give them a respected position in the countryside and are respected by the government.

The banquet started with singing, and everyone started to act casually.

Jia Qiang followed the crowd and came to Academician Mei Zhou with a wine glass, and respectfully toasted him with a glass of wine.

He didn't say any words of thanks, but he knew very well that he was able to get this Yayuan because of the great contribution of the other party.

Not to mention the matter of classifying him as a Yayuan, leaking the test questions to him and letting others know about it was a major crime, but Bachelor Mei Zhou did it anyway.

"I will return to the capital soon. I will leave you the address in the middle of the capital. We will talk in detail when you return to the capital!" Academician Mei Zhou said softly to Jia Qiang.

There are many people here, even if it is the residence of Bachelor Mei Zhou, he will not talk about confidential matters with Jia Qiang there.

With doubts, Jia Qiang went to toast the four Shangguan again.

When he toasted the wine to the guard eunuch Hui Le, the guard eunuch Hui Le only raised his glass politely at first.

But when he saw the string of beads on Jia Qiang's wrist, the guarding eunuch Hui Le was shocked. He quickly stood up, holding his own wine glass in both hands, and faced Jia Qiang's wine glass with great respect.

This time it was the others' turn to be surprised. Hui Le, the guard eunuch, had a very special status.

The superior officials in Jinling all kept a distance from him, not to mention offending him, and usually just kept him as a sacrifice.

The guard eunuch Hui Le has the power to directly submit the memorials. His memorials will reach the Holy Emperor through special channels, and may even appear directly in front of the Supreme Emperor, bypassing Emperor Jingwen.

His role in Jinling is to supervise Jiangnan. This responsibility can be said to be very small because he does not have much real power, but it is also very large, even boundless.

He can bring down any Jiangnan official, and can also influence many forces in Jiangnan.

His respectful and even humble attitude towards Jia Qiang surprised others.

Jia Qiang looked at the beads on her wrist. It was a gift from the Supreme Emperor. She didn't expect that the guard eunuch would recognize it. He must be an old man in the palace.

He shook his head at the guard eunuch Hui Le. Although he did not say what he meant, the guard eunuch Hui Le understood what he meant with his exquisite thinking.

Guarding eunuch Hui Le sat down again, but even though he understood Jia Qiang's idea of ​​not wanting to reveal his identity, the eunuch's instinct made him sit on the chair with only half of his butt wet.

At the following Lu Ming Banquet, everyone focused on Jia Qiang and did not dare to slack off on him at all.

Academician Mei Zhou looked at Hui Le, the guard eunuch, and then at Jia Qiang, making a judgment in his heart.

The same goes for the other three Shangguan, all of them are thinking about it in their minds.

Students from the capital came to Jinling to take part in the provincial examination, and Hui Le, the garrison eunuch, looked frightened. Could it be that he was a relative of the emperor?

Jia Qiang exchanged posts with every candidate. He still wants to become a civil servant, so he attaches great importance to his political resources.

As for everyone's suspicion, he pretended not to know.

After taking the provincial examination, he will not stay in Jiangnan for too long.

"Brother Jia Nian, I wonder if you will take part in the examination next year?" Jie Yuan Ji Qinglin approached Jia Qiang and asked.

Ji Qinglin was secretly glad that he expressed goodwill to Jia Qiang when they met, and he had a relatively better relationship with Jia Qiang among all the people.

"If there is nothing to delay, I should participate!" Jia Qiang could not give an accurate answer, he thought for a while and replied.

He has not made any big achievements in Jiangnan Salt Affairs. If Emperor Jingwen does not allow him to return to Beijing, he will not be able to participate in next year's examination.

He is not a jobless judge, he is an imperial envoy, and his responsibilities cannot be easily shaken off.

"Then I'll wait for Brother Jia Nian in the capital!" Ji Qinglin said with a smile.

"When I return to the capital, please invite Brother Ji to my house as a guest!" Jia Qiang also replied with a smile.

"Brother Jia, when are you going back to Yangzhou? Do you want to go back together?" At this time, Xi Jinge joined the conversation and asked.

"How many more days will it take? How many days will it take for my ship to arrive!" Jia Qiang declined politely.

He went back to take a Western-style gunboat. What happened outside Jinling City made it difficult for him to let outsiders know about the existence of Western-style gunboats.

That is to say, having the signboard of the Salt Transport Envoy Yamen will prevent officials at all levels from inspecting Western-style gunboats, which will reduce a lot of trouble.

"That's such a pity!" Xi Jinge shook his head and said.

"Brother Jia Nian, do you have anything to do tonight? We have made an appointment to go to Qinhuai with you!" Ji Qinglin came over to ask Jia Qiang after saying a few words to other people around him.

"I won't go!" Jia Qiang had no interest in visiting Qinhuai and shook his head.

"Haha, Brother Jia has taken over Yun Fei, the number one prostitute in the south of the Yangtze River. How can he look down on an ordinary vulgar fan!" Xi Jinge interjected with a smile.

"It turns out Yunfei and everyone are in brother Jia Nian's room. No wonder there is no news about Yu Nian!" Ji Qinglin said in surprise.

The rest of the same year heard the news about Yun Fei, and they all came over to inquire with great interest. In addition to the flourishing literary style in Jiangnan, the Qinhuai culture was also prosperous, and even the public officials were not exempt from it.

(End of this chapter)