Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The fifteenth year of Jiazhao, the second day of the second month.

As the first month of the year passed, the festive atmosphere of the New Year gradually faded, and the two palaces in the East and West gradually quieted down.

In fact, after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Jia Cong had closed the door to visitors and concentrated on studying in the East Palace.

Of course, he did this because the spring imperial examination was approaching and he needed a lot of time to study the classics and contemporary literature.

Another thing is to use studying for exams as an excuse to postpone all kinds of strange visits and socializing at the end of the New Year.

Nowadays, everyone in the official circles of Shenjing knows that the Jia family has produced a young patriarch who has inherited two titles. The family reputation has been revived and the future is limitless.

In addition to the noble and old relatives who had originally had dealings with the Jia family, all kinds of other people who had found some far-fetched relationships with the family, took the opportunity of the New Year holidays to come and pay their respects.

He attempted to establish a relationship with Jia Cong so that he could borrow his power and gain some advantages in officialdom at various critical moments in the future.

There is another group of people who behave in a slightly more elegant and respectable manner. They might ask others to invite Jia Cong to a banquet, or write letters to invite him to a literary gathering, or analyze and annotate Jia Cong's old works. There are many different ways of doing things.

Among them, Fu Shi, a student of Jia Zheng, had just been transferred to be the magistrate of Qinian Prefecture. He was feeling quite ambitious and was intending to make further efforts in his official career.

He had heard about the Jia family's deeds before the New Year, so how could he not come to flatter them? However, he and Jia Cong had no real relationship, so he visited them under the pretext of wishing them a happy New Year and celebrating Jia Zheng's new house.

When he was chatting with Jia Zheng, he talked a lot about how Jia Zheng had a keen eye for talent and taught the right people, which eventually led to the rise of this talented young man in the Jia family. In short, the topic always turned to Jia Cong.

He also talked about how outstanding Jia Cong was, and his words showed more respect for Jia Zheng and admiration for Jia Cong.

Jia Zheng was lifted up into the air by Fu Shi's words and felt a little dizzy. He didn't know how to come down, so he had to send someone to invite Jia Cong to come over and talk.

In the past, it was common for Jia Zheng to invite Jia Cong to the Mengpo Zhai study for a chat. It was quite fun for the uncle and nephew to talk about old stories in the officialdom.

So when Jia Cong heard the news, he thought that Jia Zheng was in the mood to talk again, and he himself was tired of studying, so he just came out and walked around for a while.

When he arrived at the East Courtyard and met Fu Shi, everything was fine. However, he didn't expect that Fu Shi also brought his sister Fu Qiufang, which made Jia Cong feel something was wrong.

Others don't know the details here, but Jia Cong knows it very well. Fu Shi is mediocre in talent and strategy, but he is eager for power and is always calculating how to climb up.

He is not much older than Jia Zheng, but he is willing to become his disciple, which is nothing more than relying on the powerful.

This Fu Qiufang is Fu Shi's biological sister. It is said that she is both beautiful and talented, and extremely intelligent. She has a good reputation among the wives of officials and nobles, and is known as a beautiful lady outside.

Fu Shi relied on his sister's outstanding appearance and wanted to marry her to a wealthy noble family. He thought that this would help his family rise in the officialdom, so he was unwilling to marry his sister to anyone easily.

As a result, to this day, Fu Qiufang is already in her twenties and still has no husband.

Just as Jia Cong sat down and chatted for a few words, Fu Shi called over the nanny from the Fu family who was accompanying them and introduced Jia Cong and Fu Qiufang to each other, saying that the two families were old friends and there was no need for them to be shy about being siblings of the same generation.

Now even Jia Zheng, who was slow-witted, understood what was meant and his face showed some embarrassment.

Jia Cong was his most proud nephew, and most of Jia Cong's marriage was arranged within the palace, which was not something ordinary families could interfere with.

Fu Shi was being too whimsical. Even if Jia Cong wanted to take a concubine, he would marry a young and beautiful woman. Why would he marry an old girl who was much older than him?

Seeing that the nanny from the Fu family had come out, Jia Cong couldn't lose face in front of them. If the news got out, it would be considered that the Jia family was too impolite to entertain guests. He would not suffer any loss if he looked around.

When he went to the backyard, Fu Qiufang was talking to Tanchun. When Tanchun saw Jia Cong appear, her face flushed and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she was obviously trying to suppress a smile.

Fu Qiufang was elegant and generous, and was also very beautiful and well-proportioned.

But when Jia Cong saw Tanchun's strange expression, he felt a little embarrassed in front of his sister. He was somewhat awkward and just said a few polite words, treated it as a formality, and then found an excuse to leave decisively.

Not long after she came back, this elegant incident somehow spread throughout the two mansions. Daiyu first laughed at it, but Shi Xiangyun was not afraid of the incident and often used it as a topic of conversation with a smile.

This made Jia Cong feel a little embarrassed among his sisters. After thinking it over, he really didn't want to encounter such boring things again, so he hung up the banner of no war, closed the door to visitors from that day on, and devoted himself to studying for the exam.

……

However, this did not discourage those who wanted to curry favor with him. Instead, because Jia Cong was studying at home and eagerly waiting for the spring examination, it made people think of the extraordinary potential hidden in him.

Everyone knows that Jia Cong, as the top scorer in Yongzhou, will surely become a Jinshi as long as he takes part in the spring examination. Even after passing the second place, is there still a chance for him to pass the third place?
Among them, shrewd people like Fu Shi, who are well versed in official promotions, can better see the hidden interests involved.

Thus, word gradually spread among the official circles in the capital that the young head of the Jia family would definitely be selected into the Imperial Academy after passing the imperial examination.

In addition, he has always been in the emperor's favor, and his path to becoming a fifth-rank civil official must be opened up. The military merits of the Jia family's two eastern and western mansions will soon be supplemented by the glory of literary merits.

The future and power of the young head of the Jia family will once again surpass his peers...

……

If such a rumor were spread about another person, it would probably cause the civil service community to sneer at it.

Because the Great Zhou Dynasty had been established for less than a hundred years, and although the control of the military by civil officials was not as deeply rooted as in the previous Song Dynasty, there was a natural confrontation between military merits and civil officials, and an invisible gap between them.

Throughout the dynasties, as long as the country has enjoyed peace for a long time, it is inevitable that the general trend is to control the military with the civil.

Since Taizu founded the country, there have been civil officials who are good at military affairs and have the potential to be famous generals, but there are very few high-ranking officials in the scholar-official community who come from noble families.

Because the children of families with military merits are influenced by the family tradition since childhood. They are either playboys or rough and martial. Very few of them have the ability to succeed in the imperial examinations, and naturally it is difficult for them to become the top civil servants.

Even if a family with military honors wanted to change their family traditions and replace military with civil, they would still be suppressed and resisted by the civil service group, either overtly or covertly.

In the past, Jia Daishan, the former Duke of Rong, wanted to protect the Jia family's wealth and inheritance in case of peace, as his generations of military merits accumulated would be too powerful and would arouse the jealousy of the royal family.

Furthermore, the two eldest sons, Jia She and Jia Zheng, are both mediocre in talent and it is difficult for them to carry on the Jia family's tradition of military exploits.

So he decided to change his family's reputation from a military career to a literary career. His eldest son, Jia She, inherited the hereditary title, but his second son, Jia Zheng, decided to start from the imperial examination.

However, fifteen years ago, the Wu King Rebellion broke out in Shenjing. Before Emperor Yong'an abdicated, he received Jia Daishan's last will and testament, and he agreed to the request that his two sons share the title.

He also rewarded Jia Zheng with the position of Director of the Ministry of Works. After Jia Daishan's death, he promoted Jia Zheng to the fifth rank of Deputy Director of the Ministry of Works.

……

Rather than being a favor to the Jia family, Emperor Yong'an's move cut off Jia Zheng's path to success in his studies, and also ended the Jia family's dream of switching from military service to literature.

Jia Zheng spent fifteen years in the Ministry of Works and took five examinations in the Ministry of Personnel. Although his talents were mediocre, he was conscientious, cautious and never made any mistakes.

Although there is a rule in the imperial court that those who are not Jinshi graduates cannot be promoted to civil positions above the fifth rank.

But a legitimate son of a noble family, with more than ten years of service, could not even be promoted to the fifth rank. How could there not be external factors behind this?

The reason is nothing more than that the king is not gracious and the minister wants to abandon him.

How could Emperor Jia Zhao, who ascended the throne with the cold eyes of the four kings and eight dukes, promote an old meritorious son with mediocre talents?

The civil service group in the imperial court would not allow a person with no literary background and only a mark of military honor to be promoted and become powerful.

Due to the combination of these factors, Jia Zheng was doomed to fail and became a famous mascot of the Ministry of Works, remaining in this position for more than ten years.

However, compared with Jia Cong and Jia Zheng, although they came from the same family, Jia Cong easily broke free from the shackles, as if he had created a new world.

Not to mention that he was a disciple of the contemporary Emperor Wenzong, had passed the imperial examinations twice, and was famous for his calligraphy and poetry. His military background had established a solid position for him in the literati circle, which was unstoppable.

The most important thing was that his magnificent essay "The Lack of Morality among Scholars" in the provincial examination and his thought-provoking four-character truth made him establish a lofty status among the civil officials.

When Ge Hongzheng, who was in charge of the Hanlin Academy, read this magnificent article, he was so excited that he submitted a memorial in court, recommending Jia Cong to be a seventh-rank librarian in the Hanlin Academy.

If Emperor Jia Zhao had not had concerns and suppressed his efforts, Jia Cong would have been able to enter the Hanlin Academy as a juren, setting a precedent in history.

Those who are interested in the matter, both inside and outside the court, still remember Jia Cong's past deeds clearly. They are naturally aware that as long as such a person takes the imperial examination, the trends and changes that will be brought about will inevitably be undercurrents that cannot be ignored.

Jia Cong's personal future, the noble status of the two Jia families, and even the four kings and eight dukes and other old nobles are all restless with the situation...

In addition, the tendency of scholars throughout the world to re-deconstruct the ways of civil and martial arts will be rewritten as a result...

It has always been the case that the affairs of the court and the people would often stir up waves due to some extraordinary and unique events, which would spread layer by layer and give rise to unpredictable situations.

Just as Jia Cong closed the door and refused visitors, concentrating on studying classics and contemporary literature, he was unaware that the outside world had already been stirred up by his failure to pass the imperial examination. At first, these ripples were only in the streets, and it seemed that there was no fluctuation in the court.

……

On the second day of February, the court ended its New Year holiday and the daily morning court was held as usual.

Various matters concerning the spring examination in the 15th year of Jiazhao began to become a frequent topic in the morning court.

The Ministry of Rites prepared various preparatory matters in accordance with the convention of previous years' spring examinations. The selection of the chief examiner for the spring examinations in the 15th year of Jiazhao became the focus of attention from both the court and the public.

Officials from various ministries recommended candidates for the chief examiner of the Spring Examination. Among them, Guo Youchang, the Grand Master of Rites, and Zheng Yan, the Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, were both on the recommendation list.

Both of them are great scholars of our time, and were the pride of the imperial examinations in their time. Both have served as chief examiners of imperial examinations at different levels several times. Both their knowledge and qualifications are well-deserved.

However, after several court discussions, many officials raised objections to the recommendation. After careful consideration, Emperor Jiazhao rejected Guo Youchang and Zheng Yan in the first round of selection.

The joint examination was the highest level of examination for the imperial examination. If a civil servant was fortunate enough to be selected as the chief examiner of the joint examination, it would be the pinnacle of glory in his official career.

Therefore, the selection of chief examiners for the imperial examinations was like a bloodless battle.

The various forces in the court were bound to engage in a hidden and fierce game over who would be the chief examiner of the imperial examination.

The ultimate goal may be for selfish interests, fame and honor, power division, or even as a shady trick to manipulate the admission of candidates...

Therefore, when there is fierce competition for the position of chief examiner, it is very common for the recommended candidate to ultimately fail in the selection.

Both Guo Youchang and Zheng Yan were world-renowned outstanding civil servants. They both had experience as chief examiners in imperial examinations and had achieved the pinnacle of glory in the civil service.

Therefore, their selection as the chief examiners of the imperial examination was just the icing on the cake, and even if they failed, it seemed to be of no consequence.

……

However, those discerning people who paid attention to the developments of the two Jia families saw something unusual in the fact that these two people failed to be selected as examiners for the imperial examination.

That is, Guo Youchang and Zheng Yan had one thing in common. The former was the chief examiner of the Yongzhou Academy Examination in the 12th year of Jiazhao, and the latter was the chief examiner of the Yongzhou Enke County Examination in the 13th year of Jiazhao.

Moreover, the two of them respectively selected Jia Cong as the top scorer in the academy examination and the top scorer in the provincial examination, creating the glory of Jia Cong's double success in the imperial examination. Both of them were Jia Cong's tutors in the imperial examination.

In the imperial examinations, the relationship between teachers and students is very solid. They prosper together and suffer together. It is also a solid support and barrier in the future officialdom.

Jia Cong is a popular figure in this spring's imperial examination. The fact that one of his two teachers serves as the chief examiner of the examination would raise some doubts.

Although all the examination papers were copied anonymously, Guo Youchang and Zheng Yan, who were Jia Cong's teachers, must have been very familiar with his writing style.

With their profound attainments in the imperial examinations, it is not impossible for them to judge people based on their writings.

If this happened, when Jia Cong took the imperial examination in the spring of the 15th year of Jia Zhao, he would not only win the title of Jinshi, but would also most likely be ranked first in the class, or even win the first place in the world...

If such a situation occurs, it will be something that all forces inside and outside the government do not want to see.

This has nothing to do with personal grudges or preferences, but is the normal thinking of the court forces in planning and gaming.

It is better to let a son of a poor family win the first place in the imperial examination than to let the son of a noble official with high rank and title rank among the top in the spring examination.

Because the latter is more easily controlled by various forces...

The civil servants in the court were well aware of such official routines, and the almighty Emperor Jiazhao was also well aware of it.

Therefore, whether it was Guo Youchang or Zheng Yan, they were destined not to be the chief examiner of the spring examination in the 15th year of Jiazhao.

……

Ningrong Street, Earl's Mansion.

Although there were undercurrents of disturbance due to the Spring Imperial Examination outside, the East and West Mansions of the Jia family gradually indifferent to the hustle and bustle of the festival and returned to a calm and peaceful state.

Ever since Shi Xiangyun moved back into the East Palace, things have become much more lively among the sisters.

Xiangyun is cheerful and lively, and has always admired Jia Cong very much. When she stayed at Jia's house in the past, she liked to chat with Jia Cong and hear from him about the latest news in the south and north of the Yangtze River.

But this time when she entered the East Palace, she seldom disturbed Jia Cong and just walked around and played with her sisters every day.

Because she knew that this was the critical time for Jia Cong to study for the exam. Although Jia Cong was the top scorer in Yongzhou, he would eventually become a Jinshi.

But if you study more seriously and get the first or second place in the exam, or even the third place, wouldn't it be more glorious and respectable?

Therefore, she had a tacit understanding with Daiyu, Yingchun, Baochai, Xing Xiuyun and others, and usually did not go to Jia Cong's courtyard to disturb them.

Jia Cong would stroll into Yingchun Courtyard during lunch break or sunset every day and see the sisters enjoying each other's company.

She couldn't help but think that Tanchun had moved to the east courtyard alone. It would be inconvenient for her to go out and move around, and she must be bored staying alone, so she mentioned it to Yingchun.

Yingchun knew that her brothers loved their third sister, so she asked the housekeeper to arrange a smart servant and a carriage. The next day, she went to the East Courtyard to pick up Tanchun to come to the West Palace to pay her respects to Lady Jia and visit the East Palace.

……

Baochai's life has been more relaxed recently and she often comes to the East Palace.

Because Aunt Xue used Xue Pan's marriage to evade Mrs. Wang's idea of ​​bringing Baoyu and Baochai together, she stopped planning Baoyu's marriage.

This eased Baochai's anxiety. With the etiquette and laws of the aristocratic family as a barrier, at least before her brother got married, her aunt would not interfere with their attempt to arrange a perfect match.

In fact, Aunt Xue delayed Baochai's marriage, but even she herself didn't know the purpose and significance of doing so.

Is it really possible to betroth her daughter to Jia Cong? I'm afraid it will be counterproductive. Jia Cong's high official rank is obvious to all, and the Xue family's family background is difficult to match.

But as her brother said, he had a long-term vision and did not care about the legitimate child. Aunt Xue was unwilling to accept this, as it would only be a waste of time. However, Baochai had already reached the age of marriage, so it would not take many years.

For some unknown reason, Baochai has been coming to the East Palace more often than before.

She always came to Yingchun Courtyard in the afternoon or at sunset. At these two times every day, Jia Cong would put down his books and go to Yingchun Courtyard to talk and chat with the sisters.

After Tanchun received Yingchun's arrangement, she went to the East Palace the next day. With Jia Cong's reminder, she paid more attention to the girl from the Xia family and occasionally asked Baochai about the marriage that the two families were considering that day.

Since that day, Baochai began to have doubts about Miss Xia, and deep down she did not want this marriage to go through.

Not only was she worried that something might go wrong in her brother's matchmaking with the Xia family, which would put the family in jeopardy in the future, but also because her brother's marriage had already been decided, she was afraid that trouble would come her way...

Baochai also told Tanchun frankly about her curiosity.

……

Half a month has passed since the day when the Xia family mother and daughter were invited to visit.

Originally, when they left, although Miss Xia showed no expression on her face, Mrs. Xia looked warm and was obviously very satisfied with this marriage.

Aunt Xue was delighted and certain that her son's marriage was settled. Besides, Miss Xia's appearance and manners were first-class, so Aunt Xue was very satisfied with her future daughter-in-law.

After the Xia mother and daughter said goodbye and left, Aunt Xue even began to plan and prepare for her son's marriage.

When Xue Pan met Miss Xia that day, he was immediately attracted by her beautiful and charming appearance. He felt itchy whenever he thought of her.

From then on, he could not forget her and just wanted to marry her as soon as possible. He urged Aunt Xue several times to come and propose marriage as soon as possible, and he was quite impatient...

However, eight or nine days later, when it was time for Aunt Xue and Mrs. Xia to invite them again, no one from the Xia family came, and no message from the matchmaker arrived.

Aunt Xue began to feel anxious, but since both parties should be willing to get married, Aunt Xue did not want to urge the Xia family for fear of losing face for the Xue family.

Xue Pan often urged his mother, which made Aunt Xue even more annoyed. She scolded her unreliable son several times.

At this time, Aunt Xue and Baochai both knew that this marriage would be full of twists and turns, and something must have happened in the Xia family. (End of this chapter)