Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

It was almost the middle of April, and the commotion caused by Jia Cong's birthday party last time was slowly subsiding.

Mrs. Wang has been visiting Rongqing Hall frequently these days. Today, she came early in the morning to pay her respects to Lady Jia, and the topic of conversation mostly revolved around Baoyu's coming of age.

Mrs. Wang was just saying, "Madam, according to the rules of our mansion, when a man turns fifteen, he must have two maids in his room.

Xiren already has one room in Baoyu's room. She originally wanted to get a suitable person from the old lady, but that didn't work out, so she had to give up. "

After hearing this, Jia's mother didn't know how to respond. Yuanyang, who was massaging Jia's legs, also had a blank expression on her face, as if she didn't hear it.

Mrs. Wang was a little unwilling, but she had no choice but to continue, "Master and I have discussed this, and the other one is Caixia."

After hearing this, Jia's mother said quickly, "Caixia is a good girl, honest and decent, but she is not confused and has some opinions of her own. She is much better than Caiyun.

Besides, she is pretty and a good person. In the future, she can help Baoyu with Xiren and give him more advice and service. It will be good for Baoyu to have more people to advise him in the future."

The reason why Jia Mu said that colorful clouds are better than colorful clouds is not groundless. Some things are done secretly, but they are not airtight...

Mrs. Wang knew the whole thing clearly, so she didn't want to say it out loud, so she quickly changed the subject.

He said, "Madam, Baoyu's fifteenth birthday is coming up in a few days. I was just thinking about how to celebrate it. I saw that the large flower hall that you built last year is very nice.

Not only is the place spacious, it is also convenient for you to move around, old lady, why not..."

As Mrs. Wang was speaking, she saw the curtain at the entrance of the hall being lifted, and Ping'er and Feng'er helping Wang Xifeng into the hall.

Ever since Jia Cong held his birthday banquet, it was almost the middle of the month, and Wang Xifeng seemed to be able to guess what her aunt was thinking.

Although she was now obese and had difficulty walking, she still took a sedan chair to visit Rongqing Hall to pay her respects every day.

It just so happened that she came again today, and when Mrs. Wang was talking about the key point, she went into Rongqing Hall.

There are some things that Mrs. Wang can say without hesitation when she is alone in front of Lady Jia, but when Wang Xifeng is present, she finds it difficult to say them...

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I got up early today and asked Ping'er to accompany me to do some chores in the mansion. I came here early to pay my respects to the old ancestor.

Just now I heard in the hall that Madam is going to celebrate Baoyu's birthday and hold a banquet in the grand hall of the West Mansion?"

When Lady Jia heard what Wang Xifeng said, she sighed inwardly and did not open her mouth to respond.

Mrs. Wang's face froze, she frowned and looked at her niece, and said, "In fact, we can also hold a banquet in the East Courtyard, but we want to save the old lady from walking around."

Grandmother Jia took the opportunity to say, "Baoyu's fifteenth birthday is a big event and must be properly planned. Feng girl, can you also tell me how to make it more appropriate?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Baoyu's dancing elephant birthday must be well prepared. If it were a few months ago, even if we held the banquet in the Grand Hall, it would be acceptable.

It’s just that Yue Chucong and his brother had held a birthday party, and they became more friendly with the children of their hereditary relatives, and they have been visiting each other frequently recently.

A few days ago, the prince of Chengyang Marquis's Mansion came to visit the mansion, because the old lady had promised him that she would give a pair of calligraphy works by the Cong brothers as a gift to his third daughter, and the prince came to ask for calligraphy.

At that time, the Cong brothers were entertaining guests in Rong Xi Tang, and the two of them had a very pleasant conversation and even made an appointment to meet again.

Yesterday, the son of Marquis Jingyang came to visit the mansion, and actually came to ask for a calligraphy. After the old lady started this conversation, it became inevitable that these children of the same generation from aristocratic families would come and go.

As these elderly relatives from outside come around more often, they naturally have more things to talk about.

The last time Brother Cong celebrated his birthday, the old lady invited all the ladies and girls from various families to the banquet, and they all had the feast in that big flower house. Now all the families are familiar with that place.

Now Baoyu is also holding a banquet there. What if word gets out that Baoyu is celebrating his fifteenth birthday and holding a banquet at his cousin's house?

Those ladies are very talkative, and they love to talk nonsense for no reason. If they exaggerate and talk nonsense, it will hurt the Second Master's reputation if the news gets out.

After all, the Second Master is currently an official in the imperial court, and those of us who move around in the officialdom must not make up things for others to talk about..."

When Grandmother Jia heard the word "handle", a chill rose in her heart as if it were a conditioned reflex.

She had allowed her son Jia Zheng to stay in Rong Xi Tang for a few more days, which resulted in a huge uproar. She still felt scared when she thought about it now.

In fact, with Lady Jia's experience, how could she not know that Rongguo Mansion was now the property of the first wife's family, and it was unreasonable to let Baoyu from the second wife's family hold a banquet in the first wife's house.

However, Grandmother Jia had hoped that Jia Cong and Wang Xifeng would not care about this matter. As long as they kept quiet, the matter would be resolved.

This would also fulfill Lady Jia's lifelong favor for Baoyu and make his coming-of-age banquet more glorious and dignified.

However, he did not expect that Wang Xifeng, the daughter-in-law of the eldest wife, was not at all ambiguous about this matter. Although her words were spoken politely, the clear meaning behind them was obvious.

Moreover, the concerns she expressed were not without reason and there was nothing wrong with them. If she ended up causing trouble for the second house, it would be more trouble than it was worth.

When Lady Jia thought about this, she became even less willing to speak.

Mrs. Wang was quite dissatisfied to see that her niece, whom she had brought into the Jia family, was now opposing her in everything.

Suppressing his anger slightly, he said, "Feng girl, aren't you worrying too much? Those noble ladies wouldn't be so idle as to meddle in other people's affairs every day."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Madam, there is some truth in what you said, but it's not possible for our family to just sit around the table and eat and drink for Baoyu's coming-of-age birthday banquet.

We have to invite relatives and friends to the banquet, and at that time, we have to invite the wives of the nobles. Otherwise, if Cong invites them and Baoyu doesn't, it will be embarrassing for the lady.

When the time comes and Baoyu holds a banquet in the Grand Hall, it won't be something that gets spread around the family, but these ladies from the rich families will experience it themselves.

When that time comes, ma’am, just wait and see. If those gossipy women don’t say nonsense when they go back, my last name will be written backwards.”

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she felt bitter and wondered why she hadn't thought of this.

It is Baoyu's coming of age birthday, so naturally he can't just have a meal at home. The table can't even be filled with all the people in the family, so how can it be so shabby.

Naturally, they had to invite guests to celebrate. Baoyu's uncle had to be there, and the old relatives in the family couldn't be left out, otherwise, if the news got out, it would make it seem that the second branch had fallen into decline...

Wang Xifeng saw that Mrs. Wang was dumbfounded, so she smiled and said, "If you don't care about these things, then you don't have to worry about what I said.

Brother Cong has nothing to do with him. His mind is now occupied with the imperial examination and becoming an official. As long as nothing goes wrong outside, he is too lazy to care about the little things at home.

Old lady, speaking of the imperial examination and becoming an official, I just heard yesterday that the Ministry of Rites is currently marking the examination papers, and they will probably start posting the results after the middle of the month.

With Brother Yicong's ability in studying and taking exams, he will definitely pass the imperial examination. By that time, I wonder how many people will be staring at him and the small piece of land at home..."

When Grandmother Jia heard this, her face changed and she said, "It would be nice to have Baoyu's birthday banquet in the East Courtyard. Although I am old, I am not too old to walk.

It’s enough for you to have this filial piety. I heard that the newly built garden in Dongluyuan is quite nice, so I might as well take the opportunity to go and take a look…”

……

Shenjing, the examination hall of the Ministry of Rites.

Since the end of the imperial examination on March 27, after the preliminary examination papers were sealed and copied, the formal examination marking has lasted for ten days.

The marking of the first test of calligraphy and the second test of imperial edicts and memorials has been completed, and the marking of the third test of policy essays has begun.

There were eighteen examiners' rooms on both sides of the examination hall. People came in and out frequently and the sound of talking was endless. They were all examiners and examiners who were recommending and discussing the examination papers and grading them.

The three chief examiners did not stay in the chief examiners' rooms as they did in the previous few days. Instead, they walked around the hall and frequently went in and out of the rooms of their fellow examiners to listen to the discussions on the examination paper screening in each room.

At this time, the examiners in Room 18 had already selected the top 25 candidates from the examination papers they had marked in their room, based on the weighted scores of the previous two examinations.

The top 25 candidates in the first two grading rounds were all the best among the more than 3,000 candidates.

As long as these candidates perform well in the three policy essays, they have a high probability of being on the list.

After the three policy essays are finally graded, there will be significant fluctuations in the ranking of the top 25 candidates in each room based on the poor grades of the policy essays.

Each room will grade the three essays of the candidates. Among the top 25 candidates in the first two rounds, eight will be left out in the second round. The remaining candidates can then be reported to the chief examiner for evaluation.

Compared with the previous dynasties, the selection of candidates for the imperial examination in the Great Zhou Dynasty focused more on practical ability, so the three policy essays played a significant role in the final selection of candidates. The candidates who were eliminated in the last round were all due to deviations in the three policy essays, or their policy essays were of low level, or were obviously weaker than their peers.

In the final policy essay marking, there were candidates in each room who were ranked outside the top 25 in the first two rounds, but they wrote magnificent essays in the three rounds and finally turned defeat into victory.

Moreover, after the examiners from each room submit their final selection papers, the chief examiner will conduct random checks on the failed papers of the examiners from each room in order to avoid missing out on any gems.

If it is found that among the poor candidates, the first two papers are graded at an average level, but the third policy essay is considered outstanding by the examiner, he or she will be unexpectedly included in the list due to the good luck of heaven.

Such things have occasionally happened in the past dynasties and are almost always regarded as good stories in the imperial examinations, but they are only extremely rare opportunities. It is like looking for fish in a tree for candidates to pin their hopes on them.

……

Therefore, according to this admission list, there were about 300 candidates who passed the imperial examination in the 15th year of Jiazhao.

The number of people who pass the examination this time is not determined randomly.

Instead, before the joint examination was held, the vacancies of officials in the Hanlin Academy of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the government offices in Beijing due to retirement and poor performance in examinations, as well as the vacancies of officials reported to the Ministry of Personnel by various states, were filled.

The number of candidates who will be on the list of this year's examination will be determined in the end, which can prevent the aggravation of official redundancy from the root.

……

After the grading of the three policy essays began, most of the candidates were actually doomed to failure.

However, for the small number of candidates who survive the battle, the competition for a chance to succeed in the imperial examination will become increasingly intense.

At this final juncture, what is being tested is not only the talent of the students, but also each person's opportunity, luck, and even destiny.

Some candidates have already reached a state of stability after copying their papers, some are at risk of being admitted or rejected, and there are still many candidates who are copying their papers, waiting for the opportunity to reach the sky...

……

At this time, in the sixth room of the examination hall of the Ministry of Rites, co-examiner Sun Shou was marking the examination papers carefully. Brought to his desk were the three examination papers from his room that had passed the preliminary screening.

Among the eighteen examiners, Sun Shouzheng was the only seventh-rank official and also the lowest-ranking examiner, and naturally the one with the least experience.

But compared with other examiners who had stable careers, Sun Shouzheng's career had some trends.

When other officials were worried about official disputes and interests and were reluctant to take action, Sun Shouzheng, a minor official of the seventh rank, dared to impeach the heads of the four kings and eight dukes and noble families.

Moreover, he was appreciated by the current emperor and was promoted one level as an exception. He was even granted the power to make direct reports by Emperor Jiazhao. Such an opportunity in his official career is rare.

Later, he was appreciated by Huang Hongcang, the right vice-minister of the Ministry of Rites, who recommended him as one of the 18 examiners, making Sun Shouzheng a prominent figure in the officialdom of Shenjing.

Although Huang Hongcang suddenly suffered an accident before the examination began and was unable to continue to serve as the chief examiner of this examination.

But Sun Shouzheng was still deeply grateful to Huang Hongcang for recommending him.

With his original official position and reputation, even if he had the good fortune to impeach Jia Zheng, it would be extremely slim for him to become a co-examiner in the imperial examination.

Therefore, the moment he entered the examination hall of the Ministry of Rites, he was determined to fulfill his duties as an examiner and live up to Huang Hongcang's recommendation.

This morning, several examiners from the Sixth Office have copied the examination papers of the top 25 candidates from the first two rounds, selected them, made preliminary examination comments, and sent them to Sun Shouzheng's desk one after another.

Sun Shouzheng read several policy essays in succession, all of which were of average standard. The writing of two of them was even awkward and lacked fluency, which made him shake his head in disappointment.

The person who set the questions for this essay was Xu Liangxiong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was unexpectedly selected and temporarily replaced Huang Hongcang as the chief examiner.

Sun Shouzheng felt somewhat frustrated that his paper, which ranked among the top in his room, was not of outstanding quality in terms of policy essays.

This situation occurred because the candidates who performed well in the first two rounds had their level decline in the third round.

The essay questions were mainly set by the chief examiner Xu Liangxiong. When Sun Shouzheng saw them for the first time, he felt that they were too obscure and difficult. It was not surprising that the candidates' answers were generally a bit awkward.

Sun Shouzheng also had some knowledge of Xu Liangxiong.

Although this person was only the first in the second class that year, he was a favorite to win the imperial examination, which shows that he was very talented when he was young.

Since Xu Liangxiong entered the court as an official, he has been famous among the scholars in the court and the country for his outstanding talent and knowledge of ancient and modern times.

Moreover, this person has outstanding talents, high vision, and a clean and honest mind. His behavior and words are different from the common ones...

The fact that he set such obscure and difficult test questions is closely related to his arrogant and conceited character.

At this time, Sun Shouzheng took the next copy of the examination paper and just read two sentences repeatedly, his eyes lit up slightly.

He chanted in a low voice: "The ancestors said: Use the heart of one person to integrate the heart of heaven and earth, and use the heart of heaven and earth to integrate the hearts of the world.

This is a truth that has been understood throughout the ages, and is found in all kinds of things in the world. Ordinary people know it, but some do not.

The Dao has endless merits, and only those with lofty aspirations can achieve the greatest merit; the Dao is not of small use, and only those with concentrated strength can achieve the greatest use..."

Sun Shouzheng only read a few paragraphs of the essay in his hand, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He couldn't help but exclaimed softly, "Good!"

This is the most outstanding piece of writing I have read.

Most of the other students' essays on this topic looked for the roots in classics, and then made extensive citations for their discussion. However, most of them failed to write them fluently because the topic was obscure and difficult.

This is also an important reason why the writing level of this policy essay is not up to standard.

However, this policy paper directly quotes the title: Use the heart of one person to integrate the heart of heaven and earth, and use the heart of heaven and earth to integrate the hearts of the world.

The author uses this as the key point to open the topic. The grammar is very bold and novel, and the words of the opening argument are high-spirited and closely connected with the context of the topic, which is quite rare.

Sun Shouzheng was feeling very proud of the fact that his own family had also produced an excellent policy paper, but when he read the article again, he suddenly felt something strange.

When he first saw the essay topic proposed by Xu Liangxiong, although he thought it was too obscure and profound, he could at least understand the origin and thinking of Xu Liangxiong in setting the topic.

This was all thanks to the fact that when he visited Huang Hongcang that day, he happened to be in his study and saw him flipping through the book "Selected Works of Liu Jichuan"...

Sun Shouzheng read the manuscript in his hand again, his brows slightly furrowed, but he had to admit that this was indeed an outstanding policy paper, worthy of being ranked among the top 18 in the room.

Immediately afterwards, several examiners from the sixth room sent in another batch of transcribed papers. The examiners had just finished reviewing the remaining first 25 transcribed papers.

There were another ten copies, all of which were ranked right after the top 25 in the first two rounds, and their policy essays were well reviewed.

These additional copies are screened by the examiners and used as redundant selection for co-examiners. If the top 25 candidates have abnormalities in their essays, ten candidates can be selected as replacements.

Sun Shouzheng put the excellent policy essay aside and continued to review the newly submitted paper.

Less than an hour later, he found two more copies of policy papers of excellent quality.

The presence of outstanding articles in the copied papers of this room was a good thing for the other examiners, but while Sun Shouzheng was delighted, he couldn't help feeling increasingly strange.

Because these two copied essays, like the first excellent essay he discovered, both break down the topic by cutting sentences from the title, with similar techniques and equally coherent arguments, they show considerable skill.

Although the latter two policy essays are slightly inferior to the first one in terms of literary talent and elegance, they are still excellent policy essays.

Moreover, although the grammar of these three essays is different and the emphasis of their discussions is different, their context and ideas are consistent, as if they were from the same school.

In fact, in a large-scale imperial examination, it is very common and not surprising that some people among thousands of candidates have similar writing styles and ideas.

This is because all students start their academic research with the Four Books and Five Classics, so it is somewhat natural that their writing styles are similar.

Although Sun Shouzheng thought carefully, judging from common sense, he could not find any evidentiary errors or omissions in these three excellent policy articles, so he could not do anything against his will.

Finally, he put the three copies into the selection list in his room.

However, having served as a censor in the Censorate for several years, his natural integrity and diligence, and his determination to get to the bottom of every question, had been ingrained in his bones.

It's like a person who can't tolerate sand in his eyes, but he doesn't know how someone threw sand in his eyes, and he can't rub it away no matter how hard he tries... (End of this chapter)