Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Shenjing, Qingyufang, Xia Mansion.

When Mrs. Xia heard her daughter's bold and arrogant words, veins on her forehead popped out.

He frowned and said, "Jia Cong was a successful young man, famous all over the world. Who in the capital city doesn't know his merits? Do you think you are the only one who can see it?

My daughter, I have told you long ago that a person like him is not something a family like ours can count on.

If his father hadn't died last year, he would have been arranged to marry by the palace long ago. Even Old Lady Jia couldn't decide his marriage. And you are still dreaming about it. You are really out of your mind.

It's all because I, as your mother, have spoiled you too much and made you so willful and arrogant. The truth doesn't sound good, but I still have to tell you.

You can't count on him in your life, so give up on this idea as soon as possible!"

When Miss Xia heard what her mother said, she felt as if she had been stabbed by someone. She stood up and threw things in the room everywhere. Her pretty face was filled with tears and she looked very sad.

Although Mrs. Xia felt distressed when she saw this, she let her daughter smash things to vent her anger, as if she didn't see it, but her words did not soften at all.

He said: "For a family like ours to be able to marry a noble son like Baoyu, and for you to marry into a duke's family, such an opportunity will never come again.

Although it's your parents' order and the matchmaker's words, I won't force you. If you don't want this marriage, that's fine too.

Mother can only help you find a marriage that is a good match for your family, a merchant family that is a good match for ours. You can marry a merchant like me and live a good life."

Miss Xia was filled with frustration and despair just now, and was smashing things in the room to vent her anger, but when she heard what Mrs. Xia said, she was stunned and her face turned pale.

As soon as Mrs. Xia saw her daughter's expression, she knew that what she had just said had truly touched her daughter's heart.

The daughter she raised herself naturally knew her temperament best...

Although the Xia family is an imperial merchant without official background, Miss Xia is the only daughter of the Xia family and is the most precious lady in the Xia family.
Although the Xia family and the Jia family are not of comparable status, the life that Miss Xia has led since she was a child is probably even more luxurious and noble than those of the Rongguo Mansion ladies such as Yingchun and Tanchun.

Mrs. Xia knew that her daughter had been used to a good life and had always been aggressive, proud and arrogant.

Over the years, Mrs. Xia has relied on the connections left by her late husband to have some contacts with high-ranking officials such as King Zhao.

But those were just monetary transactions and there was no close friendship between them. They were clearly separated from each other.

Because in the eyes of those powerful people, the Xia family is just a lowly merchant. The Xia family is a tool for them to make money. They give the Xia family a certain amount of protection, and that's all.

Therefore, the relatives and friends that Mrs. Xia interacted closely with were all from similar business families, and the peers that Miss Xia could interact with were also children of small business families.

His daughter's appearance and wealth naturally made her stand out among her peers. She looked superior to them, and over time, she developed a proud and domineering character.

However, since the last time she took her daughter to the Jia Mansion to discuss marriage, the marriage between the Xia family and the Xue family did not take place.

However, it was the first time that his daughter saw the luxurious life of Shixun's family. For a daughter who had only been used to a life of luxury, the shock and envy in her heart were extraordinary.

Not to mention that she had seen Baoyu and Jia Cong, outstanding nobles and noble sons, especially Jia Cong, who almost drove her crazy...

She had seen those kinds of people. In her daughter's eyes, the children of merchants and businessmen who used to visit her family were probably no match for her.

Now that my daughter has opened her eyes to the world, if I ask her to marry into an ordinary merchant family and become a mediocre merchant wife, given her personality, I'm afraid she would never want to do that even if she died.

Mrs. Xia said those words just now because she saw through Miss Xia's mind. She was betting on her daughter's mind. Between flesh and blood desire and glory and respectability, she could only choose one.

When Mrs. Xia saw that her daughter listened to her words, she stopped crying and smashing things, and just sat on the ground crying.

Although she felt very distressed, she did not go forward to comfort her, so as to force her daughter to think clearly.

Mrs. Xia walked out of the room and saw the maid Baochan standing outside the door, peeking into the room cautiously.

Mrs. Xia frowned slightly and said, "You have been guarding the girl day and night for the past two days. If anything goes wrong, I will peel your skin off!"

Baochan saw that Mrs. Xia's words were so harsh that she thought she must be in a bad mood. She shuddered uncontrollably, and her calves felt weak when she thought of the good things she had done at the Jia family today.

He quickly said, "Don't worry, Madam. I will take good care of the girl."

Mrs. Xia glanced at Baochan. She didn't know what was wrong today. She always felt that this maid was a little strange, but she couldn't see any clues.

She was too lazy to worry about the maid. The most important thing now was the marriage between the Xia and Jia families.

She hoped that her daughter would not be so foolish as to ruin her future and decent life for an unreliable love.

……

Baochan walked into the room with some trepidation and saw broken pieces all over the floor.

My girl was sitting at the head of the bed in a daze, her makeup was smudged by her tears, but her exposed skin was still tender and fair.

The girl's eyes were red, and her expression was depressed and haggard. She had lost her usual beauty and elegance, and even looked a little funny. But even if Baochan had two more courage, she would not dare to laugh.

Baochan felt a little dissatisfied. Jia Cong was just good-looking, but Baoyu was also not bad looking.

Moreover, Baoyu is so sweet-mouthed, making people happy, and his romantic ways are even more...

Baochan couldn't help feeling hot all over when she thought of Baoyu's heart-pounding manipulations in the Jia family's study.

The girl is also stubborn and all her thoughts are on Jia Cong. If she only looks at Baoyu a few more times, she will definitely know his good points.

Baochan and Baoyu had a romantic affair today, and she is even more devoted to him. She hopes that Miss Xia will agree to the marriage, and I am afraid she is more eager than Mrs. Xia...

"Girl, you should be more open-minded. What the lady said just now sounds reasonable."

Miss Xia was still in a daze just now. When she heard that damned girl Baochan actually dared to support her mother, she immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Why are you talking so much? Get out of here!"

When Baochan saw Miss Xia getting angry, she trembled all over, but she still didn't give up. She thought about what to say to persuade her girl to change her mind.

Miss Xia saw Baochan still in the room and scolded her, "Why don't you get out of here? Are you waiting to be punished?"

Baochan blurted out, "I dare not persuade the young lady, I just ask the young lady to listen to me, and these words are related to Weiyuan Bo."

Miss Xia saw that her maidservant had suddenly become bold. She was so angry that she stood up and prepared to give this little bitch a good beating to teach her a lesson.

She had just stood up, but when she heard Baochan's words, she stopped immediately.

The name Jia Cong was probably like a spell cast by a witch to Miss Xia, which could make all her shrewdness and unruliness disappear into thin air...

Baochan was so frightened when he saw his daughter coming up angrily that he took a few steps back.

She had been serving Miss Xia since she was a child. Although Miss Xia would not deliberately humiliate her, if she made Miss Xia angry, she would slap her in the face without any mercy.

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl stopped and the ferocity on her face softened almost instantly.

Baochan spat in her heart. Who on earth is Jia Cong? It's really weird. Could it be that he has cast a curse on the girl?
As long as I mentioned his name, the fierce girl would soften herself instantly, which was more effective than Master Bao's words to coax me...

……

Miss Xia was a little impatient and said to Baochan fiercely, "If you have something to say, please say it quickly. Are you looking for a fight by dawdling?"

Baochan swallowed again. Thinking of the fun and frolicking she had with Baoyu today, her heart beat faster. She was unwilling to end their relationship like this.

She mustered up her courage and said, "I heard that Jia Cong's biological mother was a prostitute in a brothel, of very low status.

Because she was beautiful, she was taken in by the eldest master of the Jia family, and that’s how she gave birth to Jia Cong. Because Jia Cong was born to a prostitute, he had a low status in the Jia family, and he was abused by his father since he was a child.

When Miss Xia heard this, she became furious and stepped forward to slap Baochan in the face. The slap was crisp and the force was quite strong.

He said angrily, "Shut up! Believe it or not, I will tear your mouth to pieces. You dare to say that his mother is a prostitute? Even if he was raised by a prostitute, he is still a hundred times more noble than that Baoyu!"

Baochan covered her burning face and said aggrievedly, "Don't be angry, young lady. I don't want to scold Jia Cong. I haven't finished what I want to say."

Miss Xia said angrily, "If you dare to humiliate him again, I will skin you alive!" Baochan was afraid. If she didn't want to have a future with Baoyu, she wouldn't have said such nonsense and stepped on her own girl's tail.

She continued, "Because Jia Cong was born into a poor family, his father and stepmother abused him. I heard that he was often beaten until he was covered in blood..."

Miss Xia couldn't help but curse, "His parents are such bastards. Fortunately, his father got his comeuppance and died early. I heard that his stepmother is still alive and has not died yet!"

Baochan felt that her daughter's words were a little unreasonable, but she did not dare to say anything more and continued, "His old lady is worried that he will be killed by his father and the whole family will lose face.

Therefore, Jia Cong was taken to Rongguo Mansion at the age of ten and raised in the second branch of the Jia family. Because Jia Cong was a good student since childhood, he was very much loved by the second master of the Jia family.

People outside say that Jia Er Lao Ye treats Jia Cong even more preciously than his own son Bao Yu, and Jia Cong also treats Jia Er Lao Ye as his own father, and the mutual gratitude and gratitude are deep and profound.

Miss Xia felt happy whenever she listened to Jia Cong's stories, especially those good ones.

He interrupted and said, "I have also seen the second master. He is the only decent man. The rest of the elders in the Jia family don't act like elders at all. Most of them are stupid people who eat dirt!

But his second master treats him well, what does it have to do with me? My mother wants me to marry Baoyu, what do you mean by talking nonsense, you dead girl?"

……

Seeing that her daughter was getting angry again, Baochan was frightened and didn't dare to keep her in suspense any longer.

He said quickly: "Miss, think about it, Jia Cong and the second master of the Jia family are like father and son, then he and Baoyu are just ordinary cousins, they are real brothers.

Jia Cong is the lord of the Jia family, and he has the final say in both Jia mansions. Since he regards the second master as his own father, how can he treat Baoyu badly? He must be trying to protect him.

I heard from outside that Jia Cong will definitely become a Jinshi in this spring imperial examination. He may even get the top spot in the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official soon.

If he becomes successful, he will definitely help his brother Baoyu and be his support, so as to repay the second master's kindness to him.

Jia Cong is too powerful, so the girl cannot marry him. But if you marry Baoyu, Jia Cong will become your great supporter.

Although the girl cannot marry him, he will protect her for the rest of her life, which is a very good thing. Girl, think about it carefully, this marriage is not a bad one. "

Baochan wanted to marry Baoyu and have a happy and romantic life in the future. She racked her brains to come up with these words after hearing him call her sister. It was not easy...

She saw that her girl had indeed become a little different after hearing her sweet words, and even became a little dazed and stupid.

She was still mumbling to herself, with a hint of obsession and delight: "He wants to be my big backer and protect me all his life..."

Baochan felt a little uneasy when he heard his daughter mumbling something with a strange expression on her face.

Miss Xia suddenly seemed to come to her senses and shouted at Baochan, "Where did you come up with these words? Did my mother teach you to persuade me to agree to this marriage? I will beat you to death!"

Seeing her daughter so moody and suddenly angry, Baochan was frightened and wanted to chase her to punish her. She screamed and ran around the room to hide.

He kept saying, "Girl, don't worry. What I said about Jia Cong's past is not a secret. Many people outside say so."

If the girl doesn't believe it, she can just spend some money and ask a few people to ask. After they compare their stories, they will know the truth of these stories.

Baochan is the young lady's personal maid, and she listens to her in everything. Everything I say is true. If I say anything to deceive her, I will die a miserable death!"

Miss Xia stopped only after hearing Baochan's oath and curse. She thought that Jia Cong was so famous that it would not be difficult to find out about him, so she was not afraid of this girl talking nonsense.

She suddenly thought of something, and with a look of ardent obsession flashing in her beautiful eyes, she said, "You said he will soon become a Jinshi, and even the top scholar, and become a high-ranking official?"

Baochan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his girl stop and no longer come over to fight with him.

He said quickly, "Miss, this can't be false. Last month, the Imperial Examination Hall was holding the Spring Examination. The news spread all over the streets and alleys, and everyone was talking about it.

Now, it has been nearly half a month since the Spring Examination ended, and I heard that the results will be announced soon. Jia Cong has always been famous for his excellent study, and people say that he will definitely become a Jinshi, and may even become the top scorer.

As soon as the gold list is posted, the girl will send a servant to take a look and immediately know everything. How can the girl miss such a big backer..."

I don't know if Miss Xia heard Baochan's last words clearly, but her face was full of excitement, and she murmured to herself: "He is really amazing, he can always come out on top in everything!"

……

The Ministry of Rites in the capital, the examination hall.

The three essays of the spring examination this year were graded. After many days of marking, screening and discussion by the eighteen examiners, the marking was finally completed and the grades of the essays of the candidates in this room were determined.

Each room referred to the results of the first two marking rounds and finally screened out the top 25 candidates in its room.

The rooms of the three chief examiners were originally connected to each other, but were separated by curtains.

Now all the curtains have been drawn, making it easier for the three examiners to discuss and deliberate on the final ranking.

In the middle of the three connected rooms, there was a huge long table, on which were placed eighteen high stacks of copied examination papers.

Each pile of copied papers is divided into three pushes, which are respectively for the three rounds of copying of papers by the candidates in each room.

The three chief examiners of this spring examination were Cabinet Grand Secretary Wang Shilun, Minister of Personnel Chen Mo, and Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Xu Liangxiong.

They looked at the transcripts piled on the desk. Although they were all top officials in the court with rich experience in officialdom, they found it difficult to calm down when faced with these top-ranked transcripts.

The expressions in their eyes were different, some solemn, some hesitant, some burning...

Eighteen fellow examiners were standing around the desk. They were looking at the carefully selected papers from each room and were all excited. They all hoped that the papers selected by their room would be the best in the end.

Each of the eighteen rooms will have their papers transcribed for this selection. Assuming there are twenty-five people in each room, there will be more than four hundred people in total.

After the final round of elimination and selection, there will be about 300 people on the final list, and these people will be the final winners of this year's spring examination.

The three chief examiners will become the teachers of these outstanding candidates. Among these 300 successful candidates, there must be quite a few with outstanding talents.

These rising scholars will surely become an important support and help for the future careers of the three examiners.

……

Among the three chief examiners, Wang Shilun was the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, a high-ranking official who had reached the pinnacle of civil service.

Even if he is cunning and cannot be easily seen through by outsiders, does he have no desire in his heart? Can he really remain indifferent when faced with a desk full of talented people?

Although Chen Mo, the Minister of Personnel, is already in his sixties, according to common sense, he will have to step down and retire in a few years.

When the retired emperor was in power, he was the top scholar in the country, with unparalleled talent and fame. Even before he had gray hair, he was still full of ambition.

It was only after experiencing dramatic changes in the dynasty and disasters in the royal family that his career was frustrated. From then on, he had to keep a low profile, behave tactfully, and protect himself. Was he really so heartbroken?
Among the three examiners, Xu Liangxiong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had the least experience, but he was once a top scorer in the imperial examinations. In his prime, he had already held a high position and was only one step away from being the top scorer among the six ministries.

Originally, he had no chance of becoming the chief examiner, but at the last minute of the spring examination, by chance, he unexpectedly became one of the three chief examiners.

This was a rare opportunity for Xu Liangxiong in his career. Perhaps it was his only chance in his life to become the chief examiner...

His career was more immature than that of Wang Shilun and Chen Mo, longer, and full of uncertain variables.

Therefore, the scholars who pass the imperial examination this spring will accumulate the most important reputation and support for his official career.

He had more obvious reasons than Wang Shilun and Chen Mo, and was full of burning desire and anticipation for the announcement of the results of the Spring Examination...

Wang Shilun, the chief of the three examiners, seemed to be walking leisurely around the huge case, looking at the more than 400 copies with a smile on his face.

When he walked to the ninth room with his fellow examiners, he saw the neatly stacked screening papers. He picked one up and placed it on the top. It was the paper that ranked first in the three examinations in the ninth room.

He picked up the copied paper seemingly unintentionally, turned to the first page, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he thought to himself that the examiner in Room 9 really had some vision.

Because, the number of the first copy of the third room is Yi Hai 97. (End of this chapter)