Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1144 Baoyu's Thoughts of Retreating

Living quarters inside the building,

A candle was lit on the table, its dim light like fireflies in the darkness.

Hearing the three people's comforting words, Jia Baoyu's dejection dissipated somewhat. Thinking that he could go back to rest tomorrow, his mood instantly brightened, and he said softly:

"Thank you all, but I always felt that I wasn't cut out for studying. Fame and fortune are too mundane."

Upon hearing this, the three men looked somewhat embarrassed. Those who had come to study had all paid a great price. Their purpose in learning policy essays was simply to participate in the imperial examinations and bring honor to their ancestors. How could they think that fame and fortune were too vulgar? They wanted to explain, but when they thought of Jia Baoyu, who was the direct descendant of the Rongguo Mansion, even if he failed the imperial examinations, he would still enjoy a life of wealth and honor, which they could not compare to.

Just as they were wondering how to respond, Song Xingjun, Li Chongwen, Yue Muning, and Qi Shan entered the house together. Song Xingjun spoke quickly and laughed heartily.
“Brother Baoyu is right. Fame and fortune are too mundane. Reading these flowery words gives me a headache. It’s better to learn from my elder brother and go into battle. That’s what a man should do.”

“That’s right. If my father hadn’t forced me, I would have gone to work at the Military Command. What am I doing here?”

Qi Shan hated reading the most. He would get a headache as soon as he picked up a book. If he couldn't concentrate on reading, he would think about trying to find a way to get in with the military.

"That's not right."

Li Chongwen shook his head, led the way inside, bowed to the people in the room, sat down at the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Jia Baoyu.
“Reading is not just for the sake of taking the imperial examinations and pursuing an official career; it can also broaden one’s horizons and cultivate one’s character. Although Brother Baoyu is not good at policy essays, he is quite talented in poetry. The poem you wrote last time, ‘Autumn Window Musings,’ was elegant and charming. Even the teacher praised your talent.”

Li Chongwen watched the group making a scene, feeling helpless. If they were the eldest sons of the family, it would be fine, but most of them were born out of wedlock, and their families had long since lost their titles. If they didn't have any official positions, how would they survive in the capital?

Mentioning poetry, Jia Baoyu's eyes finally lit up. He recalled his time in the Duke's mansion, in the Rongqing Hall, when his sisters could compose poems effortlessly without difficulty. But when it came to classics, history, and policy essays, it was as if a demon haunted him. He sighed.

"Poetry is just a pastime, how can it compare to practical strategy? My father always says that if I don't pull myself together, what will become of me in the future... But I really don't want to take the path of the imperial examination. I just hope to be able to stay by my sisters' side and live a carefree life."

Perhaps sharing the same feeling, everyone in the room remained silent.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingming sighed softly:
“Brother Baoyu has a broad mind, which I am not as good at. It is said that every family has its own problems. My family has meager property, and my father hopes that I can pass the imperial examination and bring glory to the family. Sometimes I think that if I could live like a hermit in the mountains, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, it would be peaceful. But in the end, I am not in control of my own life.”

Song Xingjun, with his easygoing nature, interrupted the two with a smile:

"Why bring up these things out of the blue? Even if you live in seclusion in the mountains, you still need to eat and spend money. When you miss your wife, who can resist? Enjoy this world of pleasures first, then go back."

What he hated most were these self-righteous people, those hermits who pretended to be high and mighty. Did they think they didn't need money for food or clothing? Without money, they might starve to death.

He made a slip of the tongue while speaking, which startled the others slightly. Upon reflection, they realized it made sense. Seeing this, Li Chongwen smiled.

"There's no point in saying more. It just so happens that your household has sent over some late-night snacks today. Since everyone is here, why don't we all sit down for a meal, have a drink, take a nap, and then go home tomorrow on our day off? What do you say?"

"it is good,"

"it is good,"

The group was overjoyed and quickly moved a table from the room. They followed Qi Shan and the others, carrying food boxes in, and set out a table of dishes. After everyone sat down, they raised their glasses together.

While the group was eating and drinking inside,
In the south house,

Guo Wen, the academic administrator, was already sitting at his desk sipping tea, while Jia Lan, holding a brush, was reviewing the students' policy essays.

"Don't rush to grade them. Take your time to read each person's essay. Although some may have similar answers to the questions, their writing style and citations of classics will differ."

"Yes, Academic Director, I understand."

Jia Lan remained calm and continued reviewing the exam paper. Suddenly, Guo Wen put down his teacup and gave a word of advice.
"Jia Lan, come and take a look at this volume, what do you think?"

He casually handed over the essay on policy rewritten by Jia Baoyu of the Rongguo Mansion. Jia Lan, puzzled, took it and placed it on the table, carefully reading it. He immediately recognized its inferior writing, and the opening explanation of the problem was already somewhat off-topic. The content was mostly empty talk, and he failed to grasp its deeper meaning.

"Your Excellency, this student's writing is mostly perfunctory. Regardless of the neatness of the writing, he did not put his heart into solving the problem from the beginning. He hastily explained many things. If you ask the question in one sentence, you can solve the problem. Although the words are good, they are mostly empty talk."

Before long, Jia Lan shared his insights, which prompted the provincial education commissioner to sit up straight and express his approval.
"Your writing skills are becoming more and more solid. As you said, if you make a mistake in answering a question in the policy essay, there is no need to look at the essays you write afterward. Studying also requires talent. If you don't have that talent, you might as well find another way. The path of the imperial examination is difficult to take alone."

He slowly poured another sip of tea, giving him time to think, and then said;
"This policy essay was written by Jia Baoyu of the Rongguo Mansion. From the writing itself to the brushstrokes, it is of the lowest quality. Not to mention the provincial examination, it probably wouldn't even pass the unified examination of the Imperial Academy. More than a month has passed, and the essay has not improved. Perhaps we should ask your madam to find another way. She is still young, so she could buy an official position."

The education commissioner spoke from the bottom of his heart. After all, the Rongguo Mansion had produced an Imperial Noble Consort. If her brothers stayed at the Imperial Academy without making progress in their studies, thus delaying the important affairs of the Jia family, it would be difficult to give them an explanation. If they donated money to become officials, with the power of the Rongguo Mansion, they would have a chance to obtain a leisurely but substantive post.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lan was slightly taken aback. It was indeed written by Uncle Bao, which was quite inferior. But what was the meaning of the Academician? After pondering for a moment, he replied.
"The student council will relay what the academic official said. However, Uncle Bao's intentions are acceptable, but he still needs to study the policy essay. If he buys the official badge, his future in the imperial examination will be ruined. He should think it over carefully."

The imperial court had long established regulations that those who purchased official positions could no longer take the imperial examinations. If they wanted to obtain a substantive post, they had to wait, or they needed to have military merits. Ordinary gentry and powerful families considered it an honor to purchase an official position, while only sons of noble families valued the imperial examinations or military service, and only when they had no other choice did they purchase an official position.

"Hehe, Jia Lan, don't blame me for being nosy. In the capital, people are mostly judged by their family background. The head of the eight noblemen of the Rongguo Mansion, and the empress in the palace are Baoyu's close relatives. He is, after all, the emperor's brother-in-law. If he were to be granted an official position, he would surely receive some favor. Such an opportunity is rare. I am saying this to leave a good impression on the Jia family."

Or perhaps it's a matter of maintaining a good relationship, like having a shrine but not having one. As for whether the Jia family uses it or not, that's not his concern. But if he misses this opportunity, he'll lose the shop.

Jia Lan pondered for a moment and felt that Guo Xuezheng's words made sense. Thinking that he would be off work tomorrow and could return home to discuss it with his mother, he clasped his hands in a salute.
"Thank you for your guidance, Academician. I am deeply grateful."

As night gradually faded, the eastern horizon turned a pale white, and a red sun began to appear, instantly bringing the capital city to a bustling start in the morning.

Marquis Luoyun's residence,

Zhang Jinyu squinted and walked wearily out of the main hall. She took a brocade cloth, wet it, and wiped her face. She wiped it several times, but she couldn't shake off her fatigue.

Last night, I talked with those two officials until very late, and it was past midnight. In order not to disturb the madam's sleep, I could only go to the side room in the east wing. Unfortunately, today is the Ministry of Justice trial, so I should go early.

"My lord, the convoy is ready. The Ministry of Justice has been surrounded by eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial. They say they are acting on Eunuch Chen's orders to collect the memorials from the officials of the Six Ministries refuting Xu Changwen. Many officials have already submitted their memorials, but my lord, you haven't written yours yet."

According to the retired emperor, not only officials of the Six Ministries, but also many important ministers in the cabinet, had to write their reports. Even the Marquis, as one of the chief judges, had to prepare his.

Zhang Jinyu put down the brocade cloth in her hand, threw it into the basin of water with a huff, and cursed.
"Damn it, what kind of memorial is this? If they want to refute it, let them refute it. I have no time to deal with these things. Besides, how long do you think that dog can keep jumping around? As for the so-called planning after the fact, Chen Hui is not up to par in this matter."

Perhaps this was the eunuchs testing the waters, and neither Dai Quan nor Xia Shouzhong stopped them, ambiguously probing the cabinet. Today's court hearing, with civil officials facing off against the eunuchs, is quite interesting, tsk tsk.

Thinking of something happy, she sat down at the table, which was already filled with breakfast laid out by Baozhu. She picked up a steamed bun and put it in her mouth, never getting tired of it.

"Baozhu, has Madam risen yet?"

After drinking some plain porridge, he asked Baozhu, who was serving him, and the little girl immediately shook her head happily in reply.
"My lord, the madam got up early and went to Dongyun Tower to pay her respects to the old lady. She wanted to come back and have breakfast with you, but the old lady and Sister Yue'er asked her to stay for the meal. So I had to come back and serve you myself."

She pouted and blurted it all out, then added another bowl of plain porridge for the Marquis.
"Okay, keep an eye on things at the manor. You'll be busy with official duties at court these days and will be back late, so don't leave the door open. Go back to this room and tidy up. Oh, and have some of the food on this table."

After swallowing the last mouthful of porridge, Zhang Jinyu stood up, washed his hands, and without giving the little maid a chance to speak, turned and walked outside. He couldn't be late for the bustling Ministry of Justice. "Ah, Lord Marquis."

Behind him, the little maid Baozhu wanted to chase after him to ask if the Marquis would be back for dinner. But in the blink of an eye, the Marquis was gone from the courtyard, which made Baozhu stomp her foot in anger.

Subsequently,

The convoy in front of the mansion began to slowly head west.

On the street,
The scene was already bustling with activity. After the Imperial College announced a three-day holiday today, many students were already eagerly riding in carriages to return home.

Perhaps because he had been away for a few days and was anxious, as soon as he arrived at Ningrong Street, Chang Suimingyan immediately sat in the front of the car and drove away the people on the street.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

The loud shouts frightened the people, who hurriedly scattered. As a result, the carriage procession moved much faster. When they arrived at the mansion gate, the steward Lai Da had not yet started his shift. Jia Baoyu, already impatient, lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.

Then they entered the front courtyard. Just as they stepped through the hanging flower gate, an old woman rushed to report to Rongqing Hall.

Inside the hall, Grandmother Jia was having breakfast when she received the news. She immediately put down her bowl of porridge and hurriedly ordered Amber to...

"Quick, help me up. I wonder if Baoyu has lost weight since he came back."

Before the words were finished, Baoyu's laughter could be heard coming from outside the courtyard.

"Grandmother, your grandson has returned!"

Grandmother Jia stopped and looked ahead. Baoyu was dressed in a royal blue silk robe, with an exquisite jade belt around his waist and a scholar's cap on his head. He looked more spirited than when he left. She took Baoyu's hand and stroked it.
"It's good to be back, it's good to be back. You must have had a hard journey. Someone, tell Sister Liu in the kitchen to make a fresh breakfast and bring it over."

"Yes, ma'am."

Yuanyang responded and sent the maidservant to deliver the message. Then she came over to help Grandmother Jia.
“Grandma, there’s freshly made lotus seed soup inside. Master Bao has just returned and must be hungry. Why don’t you have a bowl to tide you over?”

"Alright, alright, this old woman had forgotten."

Grandmother Jia patted Baoyu's hand again, and pulled him back to Rongqing Hall. The other servants went to deliver messages to the First Madam, the Second Madam, and the Second Mistress. Before long, the ladies, along with Wang Xifeng, hurriedly arrived with their maids.

inside the house,

Jia Baoyu was wolfing down his steamed buns and drinking lotus seed soup. If anyone in the room saw him like that, their eyes would redden with heartache. The Second Madam took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears and said;

"Grandma, I wonder how much suffering Baoyu has endured over there. Look at the food he's eating; he must be starving."

Madam Xing didn't think much of it. After all, since Jia Lian returned, he had started wolfing down his food, unlike his previous refined eating habits. She had seen it so often that she had gotten used to it. However, given the current situation, there was nothing she could say. Fortunately, Jia Zong had already gone to the clan school to study and learn to read.

"Yes, it seems that Baoyu didn't eat well at school either, but when school ended in the evening, didn't Mingyan bring him dinner?"

Seemingly a reminder, the dinner was all sent from the mansion, and it was far more exquisite than what they ate at the mansion. It was just a joke, but it made Grandmother Jia curious, so she asked.

"Baoyu, have you eaten the food sent from your residence?"

"Yes, we ate, but there are four people in the room, so we can't all eat it ourselves. There's not much left when we divide it up."

Baoyu nodded. Among the four, two came from humble families, so they often shared their meals. Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia and the others immediately understood that although they had spent a great deal of money to go, the families of those who went varied greatly in their circumstances.

"Yuanyang, remember next time when you have someone from your household deliver meals, make extra steamed buns, enough to fill your stomach."

"Yes, ma'am, I remember."

Grandmother Jia's eyes were filled with heartache. If she had known it would turn out this way, she wouldn't have sent so much food. While others were eating dry rations, Baoyu, for the sake of saving face, would certainly not have enough to eat.

Perhaps because the atmosphere in the room was somewhat melancholy, Wang Xifeng was rather displeased. "Why are you saying these things so early in the morning?" she said, raising her hand.
"Look at what the old lady said. Studying together is a blessing from a previous life. These people may well be Baoyu's help in the future. Why make such a fuss about eating some dishes? Just send more next time. Today is a joyous occasion, so let's not talk about these things."

With Wang Xifeng changing the subject, the atmosphere in the room immediately became lively and changed completely.

While they were talking in Rongqing Hall,
Jia Lan went directly to the Ningguo Mansion by carriage. After getting off, he entered through a side gate and went straight to the backyard. When he arrived at the main room, he saw Sister Suyun serving his mother her meal, with Rong Mama accompanying her. He first went over and bowed.
"Mother, my son is back."

Upon hearing the noise Jia Lan made, Li Wan's expression brightened, and she quickly put down her chopsticks.

"Come here, why are you back so early today?"

Jia Lan stepped forward two steps and replied;
"Today is a day of rest for students in the west wing of the Imperial Academy, so I left with the supplementary students."

He simply explained the original flavor, sat down next to the table, still with some worries in his heart. He didn't know how to tell his mother about Uncle Bao's matter. Thinking about these things, he ignored the slight changes in his mother's body.

"It's good that you're back. Take a good rest today. Go and pay your respects to the old lady, say some nice things, and then come back. Suyun, bring me a bowl of porridge."

"Yes, grandma."

Su Yun also looked delighted. She sent someone to fetch some food from the kitchen, while she herself made a bowl of porridge for Jia Lan and placed it on the table.

Jia Lan had just taken the chopsticks and taken a few sips when she had to speak up and ask;
“Mother, last night when I was reviewing the students’ policy essays, Guo Xuezheng said something to me, which he wanted to pass on to our ancestors, but I don’t know how to say it.”

With a heavy heart and a hint of unease, Li Wan found it strange. Since he had become an official at the Imperial Academy and even taken the Chancellor as his teacher, the proper teacher-student gifts had already been given. Why should he make things difficult? She couldn't think of anything, after all, the Duke's mansion still had face. So, it must be about Jia Baoyu. With a dignified and noble expression, her delicate eyebrows twitched as she looked over.

“What could possibly be keeping to yourself? The Imperial Academy is a place for teaching and nurturing people; it doesn’t have as many of the dirty dealings of officialdom. But it must be something about Baoyu.”

"Mother sees things clearly. Last night, Guo Xuezheng said that he wanted Uncle Bao to donate money to get an official position. As the emperor's brother-in-law, he could use more money to fill a vacant but real post in one of the Six Ministries before the imperial concubine's visit home."

After briefly explaining the educational policy, Jia Lan agreed that what he said made perfect sense. However, Li Wan raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. If one were to buy an official position in the imperial court, would they be ineligible for the imperial examinations in the future? Was there some other reason? She then asked.

"But did Baoyu cause trouble at the Imperial Academy, or was there some other reason behind it?"

If there were any trouble, someone should have contacted the household. The fact that Jia Lan is saying these things suggests something else entirely.

"In response to Mother, Uncle Bao did not cause any trouble. It's just that the Provincial Education Commissioner read Uncle Bao's policy essay and concluded that he would not pass the imperial examination no matter what, which is why he said those things."

Jia Lan shook his head. Although he wanted to save face for the other party, he still had to say what needed to be said. In the realm of policy essays, if there were any improprieties, even a first-class essay would not pass.

"Hmm? Is that so? So you mean that Baoyu can't continue down the path of the imperial examinations!"

(End of this chapter)