Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 755 The Examination Hall Removal [Thank you! Thank you again! 32k words owed]

Although the Duke of Qi spoke reproachfully, he only had one son, Qi Heng.

Seeing Qi Heng's distraught appearance, the Duke of Qi felt a pang of sympathy.

Therefore, the Duke of Qi advised, "Yuanruo, don't be discouraged. The results of the provincial examination have not yet been announced, and everything is still uncertain."

Qi Heng was in a slightly better mood and nodded, saying, "Father is right."

"Alas!" Duke Qi sighed regretfully.

Looking at Qi Heng, who was looking at him with concern, the Duke of Qi said slowly, "Yuanruo, now it is clear to everyone that His Majesty is determined to recover Yan and Yun!"

"Just look at the recapture of Baigao, and you'll know that there will be far more opportunities to accumulate seniority and merit in the army than to serve as an official in the local area."

"But our Qi family switched from military to civil service years ago, and our relationship with the Great Zhou army has long been as distant as water."

Qi Heng nodded.

"Your mother also sensed His Majesty's intentions early on, and it was for your future that she came up with the idea of ​​having you marry a noblewoman from the Cao family."

"If you marry into the Cao family, no matter what happens in the future, out of consideration for our kinship, the Cao family will lend you a hand if you want to join the army."

“But you…” Duke Qi shook his head.

Qi Heng lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then looked at the Duke of Qi and said, "Father, what about my maternal grandfather?"

Duke Qi looked at Qi Heng and said, "Yuanruo, your maternal grandfather will help you, but not too much! First, he has been out of the game for a long time; second, things are different now, you have two maternal uncles! Your father-in-law will always think of his son's best interests."

"You mean your maternal grandfather will try to transfer someone to Marquis Xu's command?" Qi Heng asked.

Duke Qi shook his head: "You're mistaken, Yuan Ruo. She's being transferred to the command of the Marquis of Xu's heir."

The eldest son of the Marquis of Xiangyang was betrothed to the eldest daughter of Xu Zaidan.

Seeing Qi Heng's dejected expression, the Duke of Qi patted him on the shoulder: "Don't think too much! Our Qi family has a distinguished lineage, and you have a bright future ahead of you."

Even if things don't go well, Qi Heng will still be a first-rank duke in the future.

After a moment of silence between father and son, Qi Heng looked up and said, "Father, I have a question in my mind."

"explain."

"General Cao and General Xu, you both have rendered meritorious service in destroying a country, but I feel that your rewards are a bit too low."

Duke Qi smiled slightly: "Your feeling is correct! But I suppose the two marquises also know what's going on. Yuanruo, I don't think I need to explain this matter, do I?"

Qi Heng asked uncertainly, "Father, is His Majesty planning to have His Highness ascend the throne?"

The Duke of Qi smiled and nodded: "That's right."

"Don't be fooled by your mother's pale face today. Before returning home, she went to the temple to pray to the gods and bodhisattvas for your protection."

Qi Heng looked somewhat ashamed: "I've made Father and Mother worry."

"Haha, you are our son, who else would we worry about but you? You should study hard these days, you have to prepare for the imperial examination."

"Yes, father."

A few days later, it was the Cold Food Festival.

Quyuan Street, the residence of the Marquis of Yongyi.

The "Zitui Swallow" pasta, strung together with willow branches, hung on both sides of the Xu family's gate, swaying back and forth in the spring breeze.

The morning was sunny and bright.

The backyard of the Xu family, outside the house.

"Choo Choo Choo--"

An unidentified bird perched on a grape vine, its call clear and melodious.

The grass and flowers looked on with amusement at the little raccoon under the grape trellis.

inside the house,

Xu Zaijing sat by the bright window, reading a book.

Footsteps approached, and Xu Zaijing looked up to see Yun Xiang carrying a long-necked porcelain vase as she walked in.

Noticing Xu Zaijing's gaze, Yun Xiang smiled slightly: "Young Master, the Second Gate has just sent over some pear blossom branches."

Xu Zaijing nodded slightly: "The flower arrangement is quite good."

Yun smiled shyly: "Thank you for the compliment, young master."

After saying that, Yun placed the porcelain bottle on the table not far from Xu Zaijing and quietly withdrew.

A moment later, the laughter of the grass outside came: "Haha. Little thing, you got hurt! How old are you to be trying to catch birds?"

"Don't run away, come here, I have something delicious for you, let me give you a hug." This is what Hua Xiang is saying.

Qingcao added, "It's strange, though. The little thing's parents are terrified of the young master, but it keeps running towards our yard."

"Meow--"

Seemingly enjoying being touched, the little raccoon let out a soft cry.

Listening to the commotion outside between the maid and the cat, Xu Zaijing shook his head with a smile in his eyes and continued reading the book in his hands.

As the light and shadow around Xu Zaijing shifted, it was noon. Looking outside, he noticed that there were many more clouds in the sky.

As Xu Zaijing got up and stretched, Qingcao brought in lunch.

"Wow, this salted duck egg looks really big. Where did it come from?" Xu Zaijing asked with a smile.

"Reporting to young master, the eldest young lady sent someone to deliver these duck eggs! She said they were from Yangzhou, and the Marquis's residence specially selected the largest ones, which were then pickled and sent over."

As she spoke, Qingcao placed the tray on the table, peeled the salted duck eggs, and cut them in half with a knife.

Then Qingcao exclaimed, "Wow! Young master, look! It's a double yolk!"

Seeing Xu Zaijing's somewhat bewildered expression, Qingcao continued, "Young master, in my hometown, double egg yolks symbolize academic success and passing the imperial examinations!"

Xu Zaijing was taken aback, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Oh! Qingcao, you did a good job getting the eggs. Tomorrow, the three of you will be allowed to go out to a restaurant for a good meal."

"Thank you, young master!" Qingcao smiled and curtsied.

Besides the beautiful salted duck eggs, the tray also had a large bowl of thick rice porridge, steamed buns, fried fish, ham and cured meat, as well as pickled radishes and greens.

During the Cold Food Festival, cooking is not allowed; we can only eat the cold food prepared the night before.

After having lunch, Xu Zaijing rested for a while.

Looking at the dim light in the room, Xu Zaijing, who thought he had overslept, called out, "Qingcao."

"Young Master, you're awake?" Qingcao stepped into the room, poured a glass of water, and walked towards Xu Zaijing.

"What time is it? Have Mother and my sister-in-law returned home yet?"

"Reporting to the young master, it's only 1 PM, and the madam and the ladies haven't returned yet! Judging by the time, they probably haven't even had the coming-of-age ceremonies for the Sun family's daughters."

"Hmm." After taking a sip of the sweet, cool boiled water, Xu Zaijing handed the glass to Qingcao: "Looking at the sky, I thought it was already evening."

Qingcao smiled and said, "The sky is terribly overcast; I think it's going to rain soon."

Just as Qingcao finished speaking, Yunxiang's voice came from outside: "It's raining!"

"Hold an umbrella and have the gatekeeper hire a carriage to go to the Zhou family's house on Panlou Main Street, so we can bring that kid Yue Fei back this afternoon."

"Yes, son."

The sky was overcast.

The entire city of Bianjing was shrouded in a misty spring rain.

Springtime is a time of renewal, and the misty rain scene is dotted with greenery.

Inner city,

Prince Yong's Palace

In the backyard garden, there is a pond about an acre in size.

Under the veranda by the pool, several maids from the royal palace stood solemnly, each carrying a tray.

The maids exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with sympathy, as they looked at Princess Yong standing under the pavilion in the distance.

"Her Majesty must be mourning her eldest son again," a maid whispered.

Several other people nodded.

In the pavilion a dozen feet away from the pond, Princess Yong stared blankly at the surface of the water.

Raindrops fell incessantly, ripples spreading across the pond's surface. Looking up, one could see pavilions shrouded in rain in the distance, a unique and beautiful sight. "Surely it will succeed? Ha! If they're so sure, why did they even bother contacting us?" Princess Yong murmured.

The personal maidservant standing nearby said, "Your Highness, they said that our Prince is the oldest, so naturally the seat should be taken by the Prince!"

"Hmph! That sounds nice! So what are their conditions?"

"Your Majesty, the condition is that once the incident occurs, our household must incite the surrendered Nong soldiers to enter the city."

Princess Yong frowned and said, "The capital has strict gates. Even if we stir up trouble, how will we get into the city?"

"They said they have their own way of handling things, just listen to their news," the personal maid said from the side.

The pavilion was quiet for a moment.

“Alright, agree to their request!” The personal maid was about to agree when Princess Yong whispered, “But we must be fully prepared. If things don’t go well, we must cut off all contact immediately.”

"Yes, ma'am."

Princess Yong waved her hand.

After her personal maid left, Princess Yong looked at the pond and muttered to herself, "I lost one son, and you lost one son. It's fair!"

at dusk,

The spring rain gradually stopped.

Occasionally, glimpses of pale blue sky would appear through gaps in the clouds to the west.

The clouds were still quite thick at night, and not a single star could be seen in the sky.

The next day.

When Xu Zaijing was exercising in the morning, the sky was still overcast.

In this kind of weather, the well-organized and imposing Imperial Guard cavalry began to march in and out of the capital, displaying their military might.

During the Qingming Festival,

Most officials in the court have already taken leave, and people from all walks of life in the capital are going out of the city to travel.

The only exception was the officials in a certain place in Bianjing City, who were the examiners in charge of the imperial examinations, locked in the Ministry of Rites' examination hall.

Each paper, handwritten in vermilion ink, was judged by the examiners, who wrote different comments such as A, B, C, and D, before submitting it to their superiors for review.

The candidates studied diligently for years or even decades, and their results were judged by the examiners.

After the Qingming Festival, the weather gradually warms up.

Xu Zaijing sometimes read books and rode horses at home, and sometimes went on spring outings and banquets with his friends.

The courtesans of Bianjing certainly inspired the scholars.

While waiting for the results to be posted, Xu Zaijing heard several widely sung poems.

Most of the poems are related to the multi-talented Li Shishi.

Time flies by, and before we know it, it's the first day of the third month. The results of the imperial examination will be posted in a few days.

In the brothels of the capital, such as Qiyunlou and Feiyuntai, the figures of scholars reciting poems and singing songs disappeared almost instantly, and the brothels became much quieter.

In contrast, the temples and monasteries inside and outside Bianjing City saw groups of candidates coming to the temples and monasteries to sincerely burn incense and pray, hoping to pass the imperial examination.

At Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries like Yuqing Temple and Daxiangguo Temple, where prayers are said to be effective, candidates lined up to burn incense and pray for blessings, completely disregarding whether the gods and bodhisattvas could handle the workload.

On this morning,

Outside Bianjing City,

The Jinming Pond Garden was teeming with tourists, and the pond was filled with wealthy people who came to visit Jinming Pond.

Not only are there many tourists on the shore, but there are also many boats of all sizes in Jinming Pond.

On a large two-story cruise ship moored in the pool, melodious music could be heard, with the pipa being particularly beautiful.

Liang Han, who was sitting leisurely by the side of the boat, nodded to the music, and then suddenly pulled up the fishing rod.

"Ha! This fish is the perfect size!" Liang Han shouted as he tossed the fish into the boat.

The servant quickly stepped forward, caught the fish, removed the hook, put it in a bucket, and then moved the bucket aside.

Sitting to the side was Huyan Jiong's close follower, Fuding.

Fu Ding took the fish out of the bucket, hit its head with a stick, and then quickly removed its gills, internal organs, and scales. After washing it clean, he put it in a basin to marinate.

Seeing Fu Ding's very skillful technique, Xu Zaijing said to Hu Yanjiong, "Brother-in-law, it looks like Fu Ding has done this job quite often."

“Fu Ding is an old hand at this.” As he spoke, Hu Yanjiong glanced at Zai Zhang, Chang Bai, and the others beside him, and said, “Third Brother, what are you thinking about?”

"Huh?" Zai Zhang, regaining his senses, laughed and said, "Nothing! I just thought the scenery in the pond was quite nice."

Changfeng, who was fishing on the other side of the boat, said, "Brother-in-law is right! I wonder if the scenery will be even better in the latter part of the month! We might all come to see it! Hehe!"

"Changfeng, then I'll take your good wishes!" Gu Tingye nodded.

Xu Zaijing laughed and said, "Sixth Brother, you, Ye-ge'er, and Changfeng, put in a little more effort! Look, this fish isn't enough for us to eat!"

"Don't worry, Brother Jing, if it's not enough, we'll send a small boat to the shore to buy more," Liang Han said with a smile.

While everyone was talking, the servants and maids began to prepare the fish.

They can be steamed, boiled in soup, fried, or grilled; there are many ways to cook them.

The aroma of fish meat mixed with honey, ginger juice and dogwood sauce being grilled can be smelled from time to time.

Of course, Xu Zaijing was joking.

The people didn't rely solely on the fish they caught to fill their stomachs; most of them ate the food and drinks they brought from home.

The purpose of visiting Jinming Pond was to relax, and since it was on the water, the group didn't drink much alcohol, only having a few light sips.

After dinner,

Xu Zaijing and the others chatted on the first floor, while Zaizhang, Huyanjiong, and Changbai went up to the second floor.

Changbai turned his gaze away from the shimmering surface of Jinming Pond and looked at Zaizhang, saying, "Brother-in-law, you seemed distracted while eating. Were you worried about the imperial examination?"

Zai Zhang glanced at Hu Yanjiong and Chang Bai, and nodded, saying, "I suppose so."

Before his brother-in-law and brother-in-law could ask any questions, Zai Zhang continued, "If it's the provincial examination, I don't plan to continue taking it either. I will definitely join the army in the future. But now when I think about how I will have to part with your nephew after joining the army, I feel terrible."

Hu Yanjiong raised an eyebrow noncommittally, then laughed and said, "Third Brother, don't say that! Besides, I feel that you're not just doing this because of Zhong Ge'er, are you?"

Zai Zhang smiled somewhat embarrassedly and glanced at Chang Bai beside him.

Changbai naturally understood the meaning behind Huyan Jiong's words, knowing that Zaizhang was worried about Hualan, so he said, "Brother-in-law, there's no use in thinking about it! I think you'll definitely make it through!"

Zai Zhang patted his brother-in-law's arm and then put his arm around Hu Yanjiong's shoulder, saying, "I really didn't expect you to come back, brother-in-law."

Hu Yanjiong laughed and said, "I didn't have a chance to send you and Jing-ge'er into the examination hall, but I can't be absent from checking the results, can I?"

"I hope you don't want to see me make a fool of myself," Zai Zhang said.

“How could that be!” Hu Yanjiong shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Zai Zhang patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder again. Previously, Hu Yanjiong had been separated from An Mei for many years for the sake of the Hu Yan family's future.

As they spoke, the three looked toward the inner chamber on the north bank of Kimmyeong Pond, where the large dragon-shaped ship was stored.

Looking at the figures coming and going near the Okuya, Changbai asked in confusion, "Hey, what are those people doing over there?"

The knowledgeable Hu Yanjiong said, "It's for the maintenance of the Dalong Tower Ship! It's only used once a year. The rest of the time, the Dalong Tower Ship is in the water, and many parts of the ship need to be inspected."

"Oh!" Changbai and Zaizhang nodded repeatedly.

In the afternoon, everyone went home.

Meanwhile, in Bianjing city, near the examination hall, the imperial guards who had been patrolling the area ceased their patrols.

The antler-shaped barricades that were originally placed around the examination hall were also moved away by the imperial guards using carts and horses.

After the servants and idlers saw this scene, the news of the "removal of thorns from the examination hall" spread throughout the city.

The idlers spread the word about this to the candidates who were waiting for news, and they earned a lot of money in rewards.

The phrase "the examination hall has been cleared of thorns" indicates that the examiners for the metropolitan examination have completed the review, verification, and ranking of the candidates, and the list has been submitted to the Ministry of Rites.

The list of successful candidates in the metropolitan examination will be posted on the tall screen wall outside the Ministry of Rites tomorrow morning!
As the sun slowly sets, the moon, which rises around noon, and the stars in the night sky gradually become brighter.

That night, countless people were unable to sleep.

(End of this chapter)