Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

Early that morning, Aunt Xue packed up and went out with her maid Tongxi. When they passed by her daughter Baochai's room, she saw the maid Jinchuan dressing her daughter.

Aunt Xue was puzzled and asked, "Bao girl, why did you get up so late today? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Today is the day when Congge's examination results are announced. Everyone says that he will definitely pass the imperial examination. Now both the East and West prefectures are getting busy.

Your sisters must be waiting for news in the East Palace, why didn't you go there earlier to join in the fun?"

Baochai said, "My second sister and sister Tanchun are taking care of things in the East Mansion, so it doesn't matter if I go there later.

According to the time, Brother Cong has been away for a while. I have inquired about the announcement of the examination results. The government has many procedures, so there will be no news for the time being."

When Aunt Xue heard that her daughter seemed a little listless, she couldn't help feeling a little strange, because her daughter had always kept Cong'er's affairs in mind.

In the past few years, every time Congge'er passed the imperial examination, his daughter would go to see him off early in the morning. Her heart was always warm. Now that Congge'er is about to become successful, why has she become cold instead?
Jin Chuan said, "Madam, the girl didn't sleep well last night. She didn't fall asleep until the fourth watch, so she got up late."

Aunt Xue was startled and asked, "Bao girl, it's late spring now, are you sick again?"

Baochai smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mom. Last time, Brother Cong asked that genius doctor Zhang Youpeng to diagnose me and he changed the recipe for Lengxiang Pills. I haven't had an attack for a long time and it's probably cured.

It's just that the weather is getting warmer and the air is hot, so I'm a little sleepy, nothing serious."

Aunt Xue heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Since you didn't go to the East Palace, come with me to Rongqing Hall.

In the past, the old lady had said that the most important thing for the descendants of the Rongguo Jia family was to protect their ancestral title and inheritance, and they did not need to rely on studying and taking the imperial examinations to change their family status.

Now that Cong has passed the imperial examination, the old lady will no longer be so arrogant. I'm afraid she is also waiting for good news from her grandson. I was just about to go over to her."

Baochai said, "Today is the day when Brother Cong will pass the imperial examination. I'm afraid my uncle will also be here?"

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Of course, your uncle cared most about studying for the imperial examinations in his life, and the one he admired the most was Cong, whom he treated like his own son.

When Congge's exam results are announced, he will naturally come early."

Baochai said: "If my uncle comes, given his personality, he will definitely bring my aunt and Baoyu with him. There will be many people in Rongqing Hall, and it will definitely be very noisy.

Mom, just go ahead. I'll go to the East Mansion to be with my sisters."

Aunt Xue knew the reason why her daughter was willing to go to Rongqing Hall. It was because her daughter and Cong'er supported each other in the rain last time, and her sister accused them of misbehavior.

How could my daughter not be angry when hearing such words that damaged her family's reputation, even though I stopped her in time.

But from then on, a rift developed between the daughter and her sister, and it was understandable that she would avoid each other whenever possible.

Aunt Xue didn't take this matter to heart, but she thought it was a little strange that her daughter was so worried today. She shook her head and went out first.

……

Jin Chuan also felt that Baochai was a little taciturn today, so she inserted a gold hairpin with a peony bead pattern into Baochai's hair bun, and the delicate face in the mirror suddenly became even more beautiful.

Curious, he asked, "What happened to the young lady today? The young lady should be happy that the Third Master passed the imperial examination."

Baochai smiled and said, "I am happy. I am naturally very happy. When we first moved into the Jia Mansion, Brother Cong lived in Qingzhizhai next door.

At that time he stayed at home and studied every day. He was so outstanding and smart, yet he was so self-motivated and hardworking.

He was able to pass the imperial examination, succeed in the imperial examinations, and be in a good position in front of others. These were all what he deserved and were earned through his own efforts. "

Jin Chuan was so moved by what her girl said that there was a light in her eyes that she couldn't help but smile slightly.

Baochai continued, "Although I am really happy that he passed the imperial examination, some things are different..."

Jin Chuan looked confused. What was the girl talking about? What was the difference?

Baochai smiled, charming and dazzling, and said, "Don't think about it anymore, let's go to the East Palace to see what's going on.

Our Xue family is the family of the royal merchants, and the people who came and went in the past were all merchants. Even Mr. Jing from the former East Palace, I had never met him.

I have never seen a Jinshi in my life, but today I saw this rare person. Who knows, I might even see a No. 1 scholar in the future...

I wonder if Brother Cong has received the news about the list. What place will he get this time?"

……

Ministry of Rites of Shenjing, east wall of the south courtyard.

Jia Cong was really amused and confused because of Cai Xiaoyu's prank.

He hoped that Fatty Cai would not be stupid and tell those candidates who Yu Zhang was.

Otherwise, he would become the public enemy of thousands of failed candidates in an instant.

Fortunately, Cai Xiaoyu was not as confused as Jia Cong imagined. He had calmed down from his ecstasy of being on the list. He smiled as if he had mastered the wisdom of the case and ignored the questions from the other candidates around him.

At this moment, not far from Cai Xiaoyu, in the crowded crowd, a scholar who was somewhat similar to Cai Xiaoyu in build and had a slightly chubby face was also cheering loudly.

"Brother Yichun, I won. I won the fifth place on the second list. Brother Baokun, I won the second list, haha!"

Lin Zhaohe, who was standing by, smiled and said, "Congratulations to Xiwen for passing the imperial examination. More than ten years of hard work has paid off. It is a great blessing for scholars!"

After the second list was posted, the three of them looked at it carefully for a long time. Except for Wu Liang, Lin Zhaohe and Zhou Yan were not on the list yet.

However, Lin Zhaohe looked calm and did not show any signs of nervousness or embarrassment, and his eyes showed confidence.

Zhou Yan, however, was far less confident than Lin Zhaohe. When the Ministry of Rites posted the last list just now, he found that his name was not on the list, but he still held out a glimmer of hope in his heart.

But when the second list was posted, he was still not on it, and he was filled with despair.

After all, Zhou Yan felt very bad about himself during this exam. After entering the Imperial Academy, he suddenly found that the chief examiner had changed from Huang Hongcang to Xu Liangxiong, which had a great impact on his psychology.

Originally, he was slightly inferior to Wu Liang in terms of talent, let alone Lin Zhaohe. Due to his unbalanced mind, his performance in the exam was further compromised.

He managed the first two rounds passably, but failed miserably in the third round. He knew his own situation well, and it was a pipe dream to think that he could still rank first in this state.

……

Finally, under the watchful eyes of the public, the scroll of the top scorer in the imperial examination in the 15th year of Jiazhao was held high above the head by an official from the Ministry of Rites, shown to the crowd, and then passed to the servants who climbed up the high ladder.

Two officers carefully unfolded the scroll of the top list, skipped the last and second lists that had already been posted on the wall, and posted it high on the east wall.

At first glance, the top list of the imperial examination is almost the same as the second and last list.

However, the bright yellow background of the top list of the imperial examination seemed unusually dazzling and solemn, and the neat black font of the official script was as eye-catching as if carved with a knife, and seemed to be able to burn the eager eyes of the candidates.

Although the last and second place lists of the imperial examination had been posted, there were only two hundred names on the list. Compared with the more than three thousand people who looked at the list, they were just a few lucky ones.

The vast majority of candidates who came to see the list on site still had their names not on the list, so their enthusiasm for seeing the list on site did not diminish even though two lists had been posted. Instead, it became even more intense!
The three thousand candidates looking at the list have all gone through numerous selections and trials in the imperial examination before they could enter the spring examination to compete. Almost everyone is confident in their talent and is convinced that they are the chosen one to achieve success.

There were only a few people like Zhou Yan who were not ranked at the bottom or second place in the imperial examination and were discouraged.

Those who are still not on the list have studied hard for ten years and half their lives, but their passion for passing the imperial examination will not allow them to easily accept failure.

Even if there is no name on the last or second list, there is still the first list to be announced. Too many candidates who are not on the list believe that they can turn things around, win the first place, and have the last laugh.

Two yamen runners had just posted the top list of the imperial examination when thousands of candidates who were looking at the list suddenly started to make a noise. The huge noise was so loud that even the birds flying in the sky were scared away in all directions.

The swarm of people checking the list instantly stirred up an undercurrent and rushed forward madly.

Hundreds of government officials armed with water and fire sticks and well-trained elite imperial guards looked nervous and alert, trying their best to stop the surging crowd.

As cheers rang out again in the crowd, the rushing crowd finally stopped, and the four officials from the Ministry of Rites who were responsible for posting the notice hurriedly retreated to the Ministry of Rites.

……

The one hundred candidates who made it to the top of the imperial examination list were the top performers in this examination, representing the highest honor of the imperial examination in the 15th year of Jiazhao.

Most of them will be among the first or second class in the palace examination, and many of them will be included in the Hanlin Academy or even become the best in the court.

In the crowd, Wu Liang's face was full of smiles. He was already satisfied to be included in the second list. The excitement in his heart had not subsided until now, which made him a little unconcerned about the contents of the first list.

Zhou Yan, who was standing aside, had a pale face and his feet were trembling slightly. He had also given up hope in his heart.

However, the passion for official career and fame was burning more and more wildly in his heart. His pair of bloodshot eyes still carefully inspected every name on the first list, trying to fulfill his last extravagant hope!

Even Lin Zhaohe, who was beside Wu Liang, lost his composure at this moment. He stared at the top of the list with his eyes wide open, and clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves.

Confident in his own talent, he did not look from the bottom of the list, but directly started from the top. In just a moment, his eyes widened and his face flushed...

...Jia Cong's carriage stopped outside the crowd. Although he could not see the list clearly, after the last list was posted, the accompanying steward had already sent a few servants to squeeze in front of the crowd to see the list.

Yingchun had heard in advance that the commotion during the examination was intense, and was afraid that her younger brother would be hurt.

Yesterday, he specifically instructed the butler to select servants who were nimble and capable of doing things, and to have them memorize Jia Cong's name and hometown in case they needed to check the list.

At this time, several servants from the East Palace had already squeezed to the front of the crowd, took out pieces of paper from their pockets one by one, and searched forward at the end of each notice.

It is said that the method of reading the list was taught by the eldest daughter of the mansion to the stewardess, and then taught to them, that there must not be any mistakes when reading the list.

When the first list was posted, one of the clever servants skipped the second list which he had not yet finished reading and went straight to the first list with the highest ranking.

As cheers broke out from the crowd from time to time, the servant, his face covered in sweat, checked the names on the first list from the back to the front.

Not long after, he finally saw the name on the list that he had already memorized so well.

He couldn't help but cheer, "Our uncle has also won!" As soon as he finished speaking, he squeezed out of the crowd and went back to announce the good news...

But amid the surging crowd and noisy voices around, no one would care about the cries of a servant.

……

As the first list was posted, time continued silently, and the entire crowd viewing the list fell into a final frenzy.

The cheers of a few people were accompanied by the despair of the majority, who even beat their chests and cried loudly.

Every time the examination results are announced, there are always joys, sorrows, anger and happiness...

In the crowd, Liu Xiaoping was extremely nervous, as his name was not on the last or second place list. Cai Xiaoyu was already in the middle and second place list, and his ranking was still in the upper middle, which added to his pressure.

He placed his last hope on the top list. After it was posted, he quickly started browsing from the bottom of the list, hoping to find his name.

Compared to Liu Xiaoping's nervousness and embarrassment, Cai Xiaoyu was in a very relaxed mood. He ranked above the middle of the second place in the list, and as long as he didn't make any major mistakes in the palace examination, he would probably be able to get into the second place.

He thought that after passing the imperial examination, he would no longer have to study poetry and books, and he would no longer have to sneak out of the study to see his father's mood.

Even if he did nothing all day, his family would not control him. Thinking of these happy moments, he could not help but feel happy. He felt that this life was enough. Maybe he could go to the 16th floor a few more times...

So, when the first list was posted, since it had nothing to do with him, Cai Xiaoyu did not start from the end of the list like Liu Xiaoping, but went directly to the top of the list in a leisurely manner.

As a newly-minted scholar of this year's imperial examination, he was still quite interested in those who ranked at the top of his peers.

When he saw the names at the top of the list, his eyes immediately widened, his mouth slightly opened, and his slightly chubby face was full of shock.

Liu Xiaoping on the side suddenly cheered loudly, shouting: "Xiaoyu, I got the 96th place on the first list. I got it, and I got the first place. It brings honor to our family, it brings honor to our family!"

Liu Xiaoping was so excited that the embarrassment and tension of not being on the list just now disappeared, and his speech was a little incoherent.

He just called out twice and found that his classmates didn't seem to respond, which made him feel a little strange.

Looking back, he saw Cai Xiaoyu staring at the top of the list with a dazed look, as if he didn't hear what he said at all.

He said angrily, "Zhongwen, look at the top of the list. Yuzhang actually got the top spot. He already got the first place in the case and the first place in the third place. He is going against the will of heaven!
When we were drinking that day, he even said that he did so-so in the exam and was so treacherous. This time when I go back, I must invite him to Chunhualou for ten days of banquets. No, I must invite him for a month!"

……

Jia Cong stood on the shaft of the carriage. Since the first and second lists were posted, none of the servants who had squeezed into the crowd to see the lists had returned.

This probably meant that he did not make it into the last or second list, so he could only hope for the first list. Even though Jia Cong was quite confident that he would make the list, he began to feel nervous.

He saw from afar that the first place list was posted. As the crowd cheered, someone suddenly shouted, "The first place on the list is Jia Cong, from Zhen'an Prefecture in Shenjing!"

The top of the list of the imperial examination has always been the focus of attention. The man’s exclamation quickly spread, and countless people began to whisper to each other.

"Jia Cong, that sounds like a familiar name."

"Jia Cong of the Imperial Capital could be that person, Jia Cong of Rongguo Mansion, who was given the title of Earl of Weiyuan."

"This man once won the first place in the Yongzhou case and the first place in the Jieyuan. His reputation for poetry and prose shook the world. His military prowess pacified the Jurchens. Now he has won the first place in the imperial examination. He is truly a child of destiny."

"It is a great honor for us to pass the imperial examination together with Marquis Weiyuan!"

"A noble official of the current dynasty, a legitimate official appointed by the imperial court, is actually competing with common students like us for the opportunity to rise to the top. Is there any justice in the world..."

"The Spring Examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents. It is the only way for poor scholars in the world to serve the country. However, the top of the list is a noble of the dynasty. Is it because of mutual protection among officials? I think there is something fishy..."

"Brother Zhou, please be careful with your words. These words may frame the examiner and criticize the imperial court. Be careful not to cause trouble..."

As more and more candidates saw the top name clearly, various discussions arose one after another, and the place became bustling.

Those who made the list were all happy and lucky, and naturally, they all had good intentions towards the top winner who was also on the list.

However, the thousands of failed candidates present at the scene were extremely depressed, and they naturally would not welcome the top spot being taken away from them with the highest honor.

In addition, due to Jia Cong's special status, these failed candidates were so angry that many of them made disrespectful remarks or even slanderous words.

At this time, even though the servants who were checking the list had not returned yet, Jia Cong knew that he had won the first place in this year's examination, and he was naturally overjoyed.

But when he heard all kinds of words coming from the crowd, especially those unfriendly words, his face turned slightly cold.

At this time, several servants who were checking the list squeezed out of the crowd and reported the good news to Jia Cong. Their words and actions attracted the attention of some candidates who were also checking the list.

Seeing that the news that he was on the list had been confirmed, Jia Cong did not want to stay at the scene any longer and cause trouble, so he ordered the butler to turn the carriage around and return home.

Some candidates who heard the news gathered around, some admired him, some were resentful, but none of them could see Jia Cong, except for the dust raised by the wheels...

……

By the time Jia Cong's carriage left the South Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites, a long time had passed since the first list was posted, and the candidates who had flocked to see the list gradually dispersed.

As the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad, but when the results of the imperial examination are announced, hundreds of families are sad in the end.

Lin Zhaohe, Wu Liang, and Zhou Yan also followed the crowd and left the east wall of the South Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites.

Lin Zhaohe and Wu Liang both had smiles on their faces, but Zhou Yan looked pale and listless.

After the first list of the imperial examination was posted, Lin Zhaohe finally found his name on the list and ranked third in the first list of the imperial examination, which even exceeded his expectations.

At this moment, he exclaimed: "Weiyuan Marquis Jia Cong is indeed worthy of his reputation and can actually win the honor of first place.

After we arrived in Shenjing, we heard a lot about his reputation. At that time I was half-believing and half-doubting, but now it seems that he is really extraordinary. I heard that he studied under Master Wenzong Jing'an, and it is true that a good teacher produces an excellent student.

It is a pity that we did not have the chance to meet him during our visit, which is a pity.

Wu Liang smiled and said, "Now he and we are in the same class and year, and we will take the palace examination together next month. Yichun doesn't need to feel regretful, there are plenty of opportunities to get to know him.

Yichun ranked third this time, right after Jia Cong, and brought honor to Hangzhou Prefecture. Perhaps you and Jia Cong will get to know each other and hit it off at first sight."

Both of them were somewhat complacent at the moment. Wu Liang saw Zhou Yan's expression and quickly stopped talking.

He said, "Brother Baokun, don't be discouraged. If you fail this year's exam, you can just try again in three years. With your talent and knowledge, you will surely win the first place."

Lin Zhaohe also advised: "Xiwen is right. Success and failure in the imperial examinations are common. Although Brother Baokun has suffered a little setback, those who succeed have accumulated a lot of experience. Brother Baokun is determined to learn and will surely get what he wants!"

Zhou Yan sighed and said, "I am not like my two brothers, who are full of vigor and youth. I am wasting my time and don't know when I can achieve anything.

People like me come from ordinary families, with no luck or family background to rely on. If we want to have a high-ranking career, we can only study hard.

I didn't expect that after all my years of hard work, never a single day of laziness, I still just had bad luck.

On the contrary, Jia Cong, a son of a noble family, is blessed with fine clothes and food, and has been awarded a high position. He is already so lucky, but he can add icing on the cake and win the honor of the first place. Heaven is so unfair."

After listening to Zhou Yan's complaints, Wu Liang also sighed slightly. He knew that Zhou Yan was nearly forty years old and was becoming increasingly anxious about passing the imperial examination. It was natural for him to feel resentful after failing this examination.

However, Lin Zhaohe couldn't help but frown slightly after hearing Zhou Yan's words. His friendship with Zhou Yan was not as close as Wu Liang's, so he didn't say much.

Zhou Yan clasped his fists and said, "Congratulations to both of you on your success in the imperial examinations. I have to go back to my family's villa to pack up a bit and then return home in a few days.

I will come back next year, and perhaps I can meet my two brothers again in Shenjing."

Wu Liang said, "Brother Baokun, you are not in good spirits today. How about Yichun and I take you back?"

Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly, and he said, "I am sorry to trouble you two, my dear brothers. Today, you two have passed the imperial examinations, and I am afraid that many of your classmates will want to celebrate. I appreciate your kindness."

After saying this, he waved to the two of them and left alone.

Wu Liang couldn't help but sigh. Lin Zhaohe looked at Zhou Yan's departing back, thinking about something, but saying nothing... (End of this chapter)