Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Fengzao Palace, and the women's quarters.

The sun was rising high in the sky, the early summer heat was scorching, and the sycamore trees in the courtyard cast large patches of mottled shade.

Yuanchun was a little restless and paced back and forth in the shade under the tree.

She wore a black gauze crown on her head, a red silk robe with a front opening and wide sleeves, a pink and white bodice underneath, and a plain pleated palace skirt. She was tall and graceful, elegant and graceful, and pretty.

His eyes often passed over the undulating parapet eaves and looked towards the east of Fengzao Palace, which was the direction of Huangji Hall.

Yuanchun lived in the deep palace and was isolated from the news. Although she knew that the ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examination would be held in Huangji Hall today, she did not know that the imperial edict of the palace examination had been posted on the east wall of the Ministry of Rites this morning, and she did not know what Jia Cong's name was on the list.

In the morning, Qian Cong won the first place in the imperial examination. The news had already spread throughout the harem. Yuanchun was overjoyed when she heard the news.

According to her speculation, Jia Cong could win the first place in the imperial examination, perhaps be ranked in the first class, or even in the upper second class. The list of candidates in the imperial examinations in spring has always been complicated, and it is difficult to make a conclusion before the list is posted.

Yuanchun had been in the palace for many years, so she was naturally familiar with the procedures of the palace's grand ceremony. As a successful candidate in the imperial examination, Jia Cong must enter the palace to pay his respects.

Early this morning, she relied on the connections she had accumulated in the palace over the years and asked her trusted maid Bao Qin to go out and gather information.

However, there was drum music coming from the direction of Huangji Palace for half an hour. Even when the sound died down, Baoqin did not come back to report the news. Yuanchun felt a little anxious.

Just as she was feeling a little uneasy, the courtyard door was suddenly pushed open, and Baoqin's pretty face turned red, and she was panting, as if she was jogging back.

When she saw Yuanchun, she shouted with a smile on her face: "Miss, I heard the news, it's really great news, at the Huangji Palace's grand ceremony, the Third Master was selected as the second place in the first class, it's so glorious.

I found an acquaintance the girl asked me to ask, and he took me through two palace barriers. From a distance across the Huangji Hall, I heard the herald officer call out the Third Master's name several times.

Every time he called out, the drums and music would roar to the sky, which was so glorious and impressive."

Yuanchun was overjoyed when she heard this and said with a smile, "The Jia family is really blessed by their ancestors. They have produced a talented boy like Brother Cong. He is so outstanding that he won the first place in the imperial examination and was selected as the second place. This is an honor that scholars can hardly obtain in several lifetimes."

Baoqin smiled and said, "Miss, this is not the most proud thing. I listened to the announcement of the names by the officials and waited for news there. I also asked every palace maid who entered and left the Huangji Palace.

Finally, I found out that the Third Master was not only selected as the runner-up, but was also appointed as a fifth-rank Imperial Academy lecturer by the Emperor."

When Yuanchun heard this, she was also stunned. Her pretty face flushed with excitement. She asked, "Are you serious? I know the rules of the palace. The top scholar is usually only appointed as a sixth-rank Hanlin editor. How can Brother Cong be directly appointed as a Hanlin scholar?"

Baoqin smiled and said, "I know this is a big deal for the Third Master, so I dare not be careless, so I waited nearby for a long time and asked three eunuchs and palace maids who entered and left the Huangji Palace, and they all said the same thing.

Girl, this is the emperor's imperial decree, who dares to speak carelessly, it is absolutely correct. "

After hearing the good news, Yuanchun seemed a little distracted, with excitement and longing on her face, and she walked back and forth under the shade of the tree.

He murmured, "Baoqin, this is a great event. Our Jia family not only has a second-place Jinshi, but also a Hanlin scholar. It's unheard of for a family with military honors to have a Hanlin scholar. It's a great joyous event. Our ancestors have appeared..."

Baoqin saw that her daughter was too happy and even started to speak incoherently, so she said with a smile: "Miss, the Third Master has more glorious things to say than these."

Yuanchun laughed and said, "You little girl, you are panting when you speak. Why do you speak in paragraphs? Come on, tell me what good news Brother Cong has."

Baoqin smiled and said, "The emperor also issued an edict to grant three first-class Jinshi to ride on imperial horses and to be officials in the imperial streets. All three hundred Jinshi will go with them."

Yuanchun smiled and said, "Imperial Street Praise Official, I heard this in operas when I was a child. I remember hearing it in the operas. Now Brother Cong has also had this honor, but it's a pity that I didn't have the blessing to see it."

Baoqin heard the deep regret in Yuanchun's words, and suddenly felt a little depressed. She said, "Yes, it's a pity that we can't see the glory of Third Master."

She carefully looked at the gate and said softly, "Miss, we have been here for almost ten years without being allowed to see anyone. Miss, don't you want to go out too? When can we go home?"

Yuanchun smiled slightly, reached out her hand to stroke Baoqin's hair, and said, "It will be soon. The other day, the new eunuch in charge of the inner palace came to Fengzao Palace to do some work and mentioned this matter.

The palace has always allowed people to return home after ten years. As long as there are no wedding or funeral ceremonies that delay us, or any changes such as population mobility, we will definitely be home by this time next year."

Baoqin was delighted when she heard this and said, "That's great. I can celebrate the New Year at home next year. But it's a rare event for the Third Master to praise the officials in the imperial street. I won't be able to see him again this time."

Yuanchun smiled and said, "Brother Cong is capable of great things. Who knows, there will be more glorious things happening in the future. It's hard to say. You will see something rare like this eventually..."

……

The palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Chengtian Gate.

Any scholar who could pass the provincial examination would have entered the scholar-official class. Even if he was originally penniless, he would have accumulated some wealth through land donations and other means.

Therefore, many Jinshi who entered the palace to attend the ceremony of announcing the names of successful candidates were accompanied by servants and carriages, and they would stay outside Chengtian Gate until their masters came out of the palace to pick them up.

Chengtian Gate is the gateway to the imperial city and is heavily guarded. The carriages, horses and servants gathered and waited, but they did not dare to make noise or move around at will. At most they just chatted.

Among the waiting crowd, one team of carriages and horses looked quite different from the others.

The carriage was pulled by two top-quality horses, and the driver was a neat and tall young man with delicate features and a calm expression, appearing quite capable.

The carriage was followed by three neatly dressed servants, whose movements and behaviors were different from those of ordinary people. It was obvious that they were the travel of wealthy nobles.

The surrounding carriages and horses subconsciously kept a distance from this team of carriages and horses. If the wealthy people were obedient, it would be fine. However, if they were arrogant and domineering, they would bring disaster upon themselves if provoked, so they would naturally stay away.

At this time, Jiang Liu was sitting on the shaft of the carriage, waiting patiently for Jia Cong to leave the palace.

When Jia Cong went out today, he took Jiang Liu with him to drive the carriage. This was also his daily habit. He didn't like to echo each other and felt it was too cumbersome.

But Yingchun felt that today was different from usual. Her brother was going to the palace to participate in a grand ceremony. Even if there was no pomp and circumstance, he would need more people to serve and take care of him. So she asked the butler to arrange for a capable steward to accompany him, and also to bring two flexible servants as his followers.

Jia Cong had been in the palace for more than an hour. Jiang Liu and others were getting tired of waiting when they suddenly saw several fast horses of the imperial guards rushing out of Chengtian Gate and heading in different directions.

Afterwards, five or six palace eunuchs came out and a team of imperial guards ran out of the city gate to drive away the crowded parked carriages and horses, causing some chaos at the scene.

A eunuch shouted, "The emperor has issued an order to grant a first-class Jinshi the title of Imperial Street Honorary Officer, and three hundred Jinshi will come to share the glory. Outside Chengtian Gate, all outsiders must stay away!"

Jiang Liu was slightly cheered up after hearing this, and hurriedly stepped forward to ask the eunuch who delivered the message for the detailed route to the imperial street official.

When the eunuch heard that he was a subordinate of the Earl of Weiyuan, he was not surprised at all and smiled politely, "So you are the follower of the Earl of Weiyuan. Your Earl is in great glory in the Huangji Palace today.

The top scholar in this imperial examination was only awarded the sixth rank of Hanlin editor, but your uncle was awarded the fifth rank of Hanlin lecturer, which is a great honor.

Tell this young man that this trip to praise officials on the Imperial Street will start from Chengtian Gate, pass the Imperial Examination Hall, go to Xiande Gate, and finally return to the Ministry of Rites. Tomorrow morning, a banquet will be held in the main hall of the Ministry of Rites.

You can drive your carriage to the southern courtyard of the Ministry of Rites and wait there, and then you can pick up your uncle."

Seeing that the eunuch was polite and spoke in great detail, Jiang Liu hurriedly thanked him.

Although he did not understand what the position of Hanlin Lecturer was, he knew that it was a great honor for a scholar to enter the Hanlin Academy, and he was naturally very happy.

While driving the carriage to the Ministry of Rites to wait, he repeated what he had just said to the accompanying steward and asked him to return home immediately to report the good news.

……

As the imperial guards in the palace delivered the imperial edict to the city on fast horses, the news about this year's top-ranking Jinshi being praised as an official in the imperial street spread quickly throughout the streets of the capital.

Zhen'an Prefecture and the Wucheng Bingmasi each urgently deployed personnel and sent out a large number of yamen runners and soldiers to maintain order in the streets where the Jinshi parade was passing.

The newly appointed Zhen'an prefect, Liu Binfang, even led three shifts of yamen runners to the streets to clear the streets and appease the people, doing things quite hands-on.

The heavy vehicles and horses on the streets, the mobile vendors, and anything that hindered the smooth flow of people on the road were cleared away as quickly as possible.

Even the scoundrels and ruffians roaming the streets were driven away by Liu Binfang, who personally led the yamen runners.

You have to know that parading a top-class Jinshi through the streets to show off his official position was an imperial decree, not to mention that there were three hundred Jinshi of the current year accompanying him, which was indeed a serious matter.

But there are not only three first-class Jinshi, but also 300 other Jinshi of this year, and most of them will stay in the capital to serve as officials.

If these scholars, who are full of high spirits, were to see that there is civil unrest on the streets they pass by, they would spread rumors and create trouble.

Liu Binfang, the new prefect of Zhen'an Prefecture, might have to move out before he even gets comfortable in his position, so he had to take things very seriously and go to the streets in person to handle the matter.

Moreover, the runner-up Jia Cong is one of the protagonists of this Imperial Street Official Praising Show. Five years ago, during the Rongfu Witchcraft Case, Liu Binfang, who was then an official under the Zhen'an Prefecture, had dealt with Jia Cong.

He knew very well what kind of person Jia Cong was. Zhang Shouan, the former prefect of Zhen'an Prefecture, fell into his hands. Liu Binfang still remembered it clearly...

Qingyufang, Xia Mansion.

Miss Xia was strolling alone in the backyard garden, looking tired and a little lonely.

Although she was extremely resistant to Baoyu in her heart, she eventually agreed to the marriage between the Xia and Jia families for various reasons. The disgust, fear, and fatigue in her heart were beyond words.

She was like a drowning person, trying her best to find a chance to breathe, like a prisoner trapped in a cage, longing to see the only light outside.

The more pressure she was under, the more the handsome and noble young earl of the Jia family's East Mansion became her only comfort.

Just like a poisonous wine that can quench thirst, even if it ruptures the intestines, the pleasure of paralyzing the nerves before death is intoxicating and makes people unwilling to give up...

During these two days, Miss Xia tried her best not to think about her marriage with Baoyu. She shifted all her attention to Jia Cong, trying to escape from the suffocating despair.

A few days ago, she gave Baochan a bag of silver and asked her to find out whether Jia Cong was on the list. Yesterday, she learned that the Ministry of Rites would announce the list today.

That morning, she asked Baochan to arrange someone to inquire about the news, and asked Baochan to wait in the outer courtyard and report back as soon as she got the news, but a long time passed and there was no movement.

Just as she was strolling in the back garden, feeling a little bored, she heard a sudden noise outside the wall, a commotion, and a lot of shouting and driving people away.

After hearing the noise outside the wall, Miss Xia felt a little annoyed. She called a maid from the inner courtyard and asked her to go to the outer courtyard to find out what had happened.

As the maid hurried out, Miss Xia came in and saw Baochan coming hurriedly with a strange expression on her face.

When she saw Miss Xia, she said, "Miss, the person I asked for information just came back with the news. He said that the Ministry of Rites posted the notice today, and Jia Cong was the second-place Jinshi in the first class."

When Miss Xia heard this, she immediately smiled brightly, and the annoyance and pain in her heart seemed to disappear at once.

Her pretty face smiled as brightly as a flower, very pleasing to the eye, and she said with a smile: "He is really capable, he is the best in everything, even if he passes the imperial examination, he will be the first in the class, he is really a rare person in the world."

Suddenly Miss Xia thought of something and asked, "The runner-up is the second place, how could there be someone better than him and steal his first place?"

When Baochan heard this, she felt uncomfortable and complained in her heart, "This girl is really crazy. Does this mean that Jia Cong must be the best in the world and no one can surpass him?"

But she only dared to think about this in her heart but didn't dare to say it out loud, otherwise the girl would definitely slap her in the face.

Ever since the girl finally gave in and agreed to marry Baoyu, her temper has become more and more weird and irritable, making Baochan nervous and cautious every day.

Sometimes she even thought in her heart that if the girl had tasted the goodness of Baoyu like her, maybe she wouldn't be like this...

Seeing that Baochan was so soft and didn't dare to reply, Miss Xia snorted and said, "Brother Cong is the first place in the imperial examination. It is natural that he should be the top scholar. How could he become the second place? The examiners must be blind!
A few days ago, it wasn't about cheating in the imperial examination. It was probably that the bastard number one scholar cheated in the palace examination and stole Cong's number one spot. How shameless!"

Baochan could hardly read, but she had some sense of importance. When her lady mentioned Jia Cong, she started talking nonsense.

She couldn't help but complain in her heart. If the girl was really crazy, it was a good thing she was at home. Otherwise, she might be sued for cursing the champion...

……

Miss Xia asked again: "Why is there so much noise outside the wall? Did something happen?"

Baochan had just returned from the outer courtyard, so she knew the reason and said, "I heard from the gatekeeper of the outer courtyard that the emperor in the palace issued an imperial decree to let the top scholars ride horses in a parade through the streets, which is called the Imperial Street Praise Officials.

Outside the wall is Hanzheng Street, where a top-ranking scholar is parading on horseback and will pass by here."

Miss Xia's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she said happily, "Brother Cong is the runner-up in the first class, so he must also ride a horse in the streets, which is really a glorious and respectable thing...

Baochan, please ask someone to go to the teahouse for ladies at the entrance of Hanzheng Street and book a room on the second floor facing the street with the best location. Then get the carriage ready. I want to go out."

Baochan hesitated a little and said, "Miss, the mistress is not at home today. It's not good for you to go out alone. The mistress will want to talk to you when she comes back."

Miss Xia thought that her mother was not at home and was just busy preparing a dowry for her so that she could look decent in the future and marry that effeminate guy.

Her eyes turned red when she thought of this, and she said fiercely, "So what? I'm going to go out anyway. When mother comes back, let her nag me."

Baochan advised again: "Young lady, now that the news has spread, these elegant rooms near the street are probably in great demand. Many people must want to book them to watch the fun..."

Miss Xia said angrily: "Do I lack silver? They spent ten taels and I spent a hundred taels. Can't I book a room?"

She pulled out a gold hairpin inlaid with oriental pearls from her hair and said, “I bought this hairpin for three hundred taels, and with it I can rent any elegant room in Shenjing City.

If you can't get things done, you won't have to eat tonight and you'll have to kneel on the stone steps until dawn!"

Baochan couldn't help shuddering when she saw Miss Xia suddenly lose her temper. She said quickly, "Don't be angry, Miss. I will definitely ask someone to book a room facing the street and satisfy you."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Early in the morning, after Jia Cong entered the palace, the East and West Palaces became busy inside and outside, and the atmosphere was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Because Jia Cong passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, most of the guests who came to the West Palace to pay their respects were old friends of the Jia family, nobles, and old relatives by marriage.

As the hour of noon was about to end, Jia Zheng took Mrs. Wang and Baoyu to the West Mansion. In Jia Cong's absence, he helped Lady Jia receive guests who came to congratulate her.

Although Mrs. Wang did not want to see Jia Cong being proud, she had no choice. Besides, it was her master's idea to go to the West Mansion to help entertain the guests. The husband is the head of the wife, so there was no reason for her not to come.

Besides, she was willing to come to Xifu more often so that she could show her face in front of her elder relatives in the aristocratic family.

Otherwise, others would think that the second branch had no connection with the main branch of the Jia family after moving out of the Rongguo Mansion, and would really think that the second branch had become a side branch, which would be shameful.

As for Baoyu, he is different from Mrs. Wang. Although he usually likes to stay in the West Mansion, he also uses this opportunity to get close to his sisters at home.

But these days are the days when Jia Cong is celebrating his success in the imperial examination, and Baoyu absolutely does not want to get involved in such a disgusting and corrupt business, otherwise he would be tarnishing himself in vain.

But Baoyu still boasted that his feelings were pure, his mind was not out of line with the mainstream, and his actions were independent.

As long as his father Jia Zheng snorted disdainfully at him, Baoyu would immediately reveal his true colors and become a coward. It has always been like this...

So, today was just like usual. Even though I was unwilling, I still followed with my head lowered.

As Baoyu approached Rongqing Hall, he saw the curtain at the entrance of the hall being lifted, and two women with graceful figures were coming out of Rongqing Hall.

His eyes couldn't help but light up. The two women were both fifteen or sixteen years old, with slim and graceful figures, and unparalleled beauty. They were both first-class figures.

Baoyu recognized one of them as Wu'er, the woman he had been thinking about all the time. The other woman had beautiful manners and an extraordinary temperament, and was even more outstanding than Wu'er.

Baoyu has always been very attentive to these things. Although this person seldom comes to the West Mansion and Baoyu does not see her often, he recognized her at a glance. She is Zhishao, Jia Cong's maid.

He had heard about Zhishao's story of becoming a nun and practicing Buddhism, and privately thought that it was somewhat in line with his own interest in Buddhism and Zen...

But this Miss Zhishao, with a kind and elegant mind, lived secluded in the East Palace and never liked to go out. Although Baoyu had admired her for a long time, he had never had the opportunity to get close to her and talk to her, which he deeply regretted.

Seeing her again now, he suddenly felt sad and admired Zhishao's beauty and charm, saying that no other maid around him could compare to her.

Then I saw her and Wu'er both holding exquisite jewelry boxes, their pretty faces flushed and their expressions shy. They looked charming but also a little strange.

He had come to the West Mansion with great reluctance, but he happened to meet two outstanding girls, and his original reluctance and unhappiness were instantly swept away.

I started to feel resentful again. If I had known this would happen, I should have come earlier so that I could have met Rong Qingtang and talked to him…

At this moment, his eyes seemed to be glued, following Zhishao and Wuer as they walked away.

It was not until Jia Zheng hummed a word in front that Baoyu followed happily.

But when he reached the door of Rongqing Hall, he couldn't help his curiosity and deliberately slowed down his pace to wait for Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang to enter the hall.

He quickly asked Hubo who had lifted the door curtain: "Sister Hubo, why did the two sisters, Dongfu Zhishao and Wu'er, come to Rongqing Hall so early in the morning? Is there anything important?" (End of this chapter)