The head of the Red Mansion

With nothing to do in the evening, Shen Ning, who was taking a walk with Jia Rong, finally learned about You Erjie's choice.

"Grandmother, do you also think that Scholar Ma is not a suitable husband for Second Aunt?"

Today, after the monthly exams, Jia Rong personally led his two aunts to visit Ma Juren, Zheng Xiaoqi Guan, and Qian Xiucai from afar.

While Ma Juren was indeed very outstanding, his shortcomings were also obvious.

His mother, because he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, spoke to people with her nose in her nose.

Jia Rong was immediately displeased.

But his dislike was useless; after seeing the three men, his second aunt clearly preferred Scholar Ma.

"...Whether he is a good man or not is not up to us to decide."

Shen Ning smiled and said, "It depends on whether this person, who has lived a long and fulfilling life, can be turned into a good man."

If it were You Sanjie, no matter how awful the Ma family mother and son were, she felt she could still use the dowry that the Jia family and You Shi had saved for her to force them to be good mothers-in-law and good husbands.

But it might not be the case for Sister You Er.

If she shows even a hint of devotion to her husband, she will face endless suffering in the future.

Often, it really is true that character determines destiny!
But that's all she can do.

Shen Ning sighed softly to herself, "Let's leave it at that! Marriage is a major life event, decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. We can just offer our blessings from afar."

They're having a lively discussion here, but the Ma family might not actually think much of Sister You.

In this era, men tend to marry young. Ma, a scholar, is over twenty but still unmarried, clearly hoping to find someone who can help him after achieving success in his studies.

Although the Jia family was involved in officialdom, You Erjie and You Shi were not related by blood.

Shen Ning let go of his hand and ignored it, then glanced at the purse hanging from Rong Ge'er's waist. "This bamboo purse is a new one that Ke Qing gave you."

"Yes!"

Rong-ge'er smiled and said, "My grandson got first place in the class in this monthly exam. He not only got a purse, but also a sachet."

"..."

Shen Ning was speechless.

If this were in modern times, she would definitely try to break up a couple if they started dating in junior high school.

Unfortunately, it won't work here.

Especially Qin Keqing, who was entrusted to their family by two emperors, "So what did you give her?"

"Her grandson is looking after Qin Zhong for her."

"Qin Zhong!"

Speaking of Qin Zhong, Shen Ning couldn't help but think of Bao Yu, "Is he doing well at the clan school?"

In the Dream of the Red Chamber, this young man got involved with Zhi Neng'er and ultimately lost his life.

"He's in the Montessori class, and he came in second in the Montessori class in this monthly exam."

"Qingzhu, go back and bring over two silver ingots for those who passed the imperial examination with top honors."

"Yes!"

Qingzhu, who was following along, quickly wrote it down.

"Grandma, what about me?"

Jia Rong tugged at Shen Ning's sleeve, her eyes full of anticipation.

He has businesses and is not short of money, but what his grandmother gave him was different.

Shen Ning glanced at him and laughed, "If you get first place, then you'll get two gold ingots for being the top scholar?"

“Thank you, Grandma!”

Jia Rong beamed with joy.

"You, you, you!"

Shen Ning was also very happy for him, "If you want my gold ingot in the future, then try to get first place in every exam."

"Yes, grandson will definitely try his best."

They were having a great time. Baoyu, who had passed the exam ahead of Lin Chang'an, was also happily holding the sachet given to him by Tanchun and the fan cover given to him by Daiyu.

Lin Chang'an was furious.

He had his eye on the fan cover that his sister had painstakingly made, but it ended up going to his second cousin.

hum~
"What's there to be so smug about? I'll definitely be number one next time."

"We'll talk about next time."

Anyway, he won this time.

Seeing that his eyes were red with anger, Baoyu, considering that he was younger than him, stuffed Tanchun's sachet into his arms, saying, "This sachet also has the effect of repelling mosquitoes, I'm giving it to you."

Lin Changan: “…”

He actually wanted the fan cover as well.

However, he was afraid that if he told anyone, he wouldn't even have a sachet left.

"Okay!" he said, tilting his little head. "I'll forgive you this time."

Baoyu: "..."

His hands were itching to be touched.

"You'd better not forgive me. Let's have a horse stance competition tomorrow!"

"When I'm afraid!"

Lin Chang'an was at the point when his competitive spirit was particularly strong.

He immediately patted his chest and agreed.

Meanwhile, Jia Rong, who was taking Shen Ning back and collecting his reward, remembered something else. "Grandmother," he said, "when I brought my two aunts back today, I ran into Liu Xianglian, the grandson of the Duke of Liguo. He was very enthusiastic and pulled me aside, asking when you would be free, saying he wanted to come and visit you."

"...To pay me a visit?"

Shen Ning is now curious whether Liu Xianglian and You Sanjie have met.

"Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"He's curious about Jin Yong and wants to learn more about him from you."

Rong-ge'er was also curious.

The recent bestseller "The Return of the Condor Heroes" in Beijing has sparked curiosity among many people about Jin Yong. "Grandma, am I your grandson? Why don't you tell your grandson who Jin Yong really is!"

"...You've read 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' too?"

Shen Ning gave an irrelevant answer.

"Huh? Look, I saw a little bit."

Rong-ge suddenly felt that something was wrong.

"Oh?"

Shen Ning smiled. "Rong-ge'er, have you calculated how many books you owe me?"

uh~
Rong-ge'er was stunned.

When I was young, I impulsively agreed to my grandmother's promise that for every book I read, she would copy three copies and give them to poor students.

he……

"grandmother!"

Rong-ge'er's voice was hoarse, "Grandson was wrong, grandson..."

“There’s a copy of Zhu Zhenheng’s ‘Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica’ in the storeroom,” Shen Ning interrupted with a smile. “That’s a medical book. Make three copies and distribute them to three medical clinics!”

what?
Thinking of the thickness of "Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica" and then of the thickness of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Rong-ge'er dared not say anything and obediently replied, "Yes!"

It’s really hard to guard against!

This time, he walked right into the trap.

Rong-ge'er sighed and left, holding the two gold ingots that symbolized his success in the imperial examinations.

He originally wanted to take a few days off, but now it's clearly not possible.

He had to copy books, but medical books are hard to copy!
To copy well without making mistakes, he had to read it through several times first.

Otherwise, even a single wrong word in something that can cure diseases and save lives could turn it into a harmful poison.

When Rong-ge'er pitifully left the courtyard, he unexpectedly ran into Qin Keqing, who was returning from the West Mansion.

"What's wrong?" Qin Keqing asked curiously, looking at him like a wilted eggplant. "Did you do something wrong?"

It shouldn’t be!

She has been studying here for a while now. Except for the time when he escorted the coffin back to his hometown and they couldn't see each other, they see each other almost every day.

Although Jia Rong is not quite perfect in his work, he has teachers at school, martial arts instructors from Jiao Da, and his grandmother at home.

Qin Keqing was actually quite satisfied with her young husband.

"Ok!"

Rong-ge'er was very weak, but when he saw Qin Keqing, he quickly thought of something, "Grandmother asked me to copy Zhu Zhenheng's 'Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica'. After I copy it, can you help me proofread it?"

"What did you do?"

The proofreading was fine; Qin Keqing was just curious about what he had done wrong that made his grandmother punish him by making him copy medical books.

“I secretly read ‘The Return of the Condor Heroes’,” Rong-ge sighed. “I know you’ve already read that book.”

Qin Keqing: "..."

Of course, samples of the book that's selling very well at my mother-in-law's place should be sent back!

Not only did she read it, but her aunts and cousins ​​also passed it around and read it. Even Mr. Zhan, who couldn't buy the book, was waiting in line to read it.

"Can you just help me verify it?"

Rong-ge'er looked so pitiful.

"I didn't say no!"

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "You just write, and I'll take care of the rest."

Compared to them, Rong-ge'er is much more pitiful.

However, Mr. Zhan said that it's nothing for boys to suffer a little when they are young.

Moreover, copying books is not a hardship at all; it helps people remember knowledge better.

Therefore, they also had the task of copying books, but there was no strict requirement that they had to copy three books in a row.

But Qin Keqing knew that her aunts and cousins ​​had all conscientiously confiscated the books in their homes.

Among those books were many rare and unique copies.

These are priceless treasures, if left out in the open.

"By the way, have you finished copying the 'General Discussion on River Defense' from last time?"

Qin Keqing still sympathized with him, saying, "If you've finished copying, bring it over, and I'll calibrate it."

It's unimaginable how many more books he will write in the future.

A hint of a smile flashed in Qin Keqing's eyes.

"I finished copying it the day before yesterday."

Rong-ge'er was very happy and hurriedly said to his servant, "Go and bring over the 'General Discussion on River Defense'."

He is also doing calibration.

However, so far, only one book has been completed.

"From now on... bring me all the books you want to copy."

Qin Keqing blushed slightly. "I'll copy one too, so my brother can see it."

"Okay!"

Sharing hardships is the most balanced thing.

Rong-ge'er immediately agreed.

At this moment, Sister You was also thinking about Liu Xianglian, whom she had seen today.

This person has qualities she likes.

Unfortunately, he was the grandson of the Duke of Li.

Although both her parents had passed away, how could she possibly aspire to the rank of Duke Li?

She sighed softly to herself.

I mustered my strength and reported to Old Lady You about the three people I had seen.

"Second Sister, which one do you like?"

After listening to the story, Old Lady You was more inclined to side with Officer Zheng Xiaoqi.

The city gate officers don't have to go to the battlefield.

Besides, there's no longer any fighting between the North and South. If my daughter marries Officer Zheng and has two more children, her future won't be bad.

“Mother, I think Scholar Ma is better.”

Sister You said shyly, “He has already passed the imperial examination. If he can enter the Jia family school, he might become a Jinshi like Liu Tang who passed the imperial examination this year. It won’t be long before he passes the highest level.”

That person even had their surname changed with the help of the Jia family.

Now he has passed the imperial examination and been appointed as a seventh-rank county official in Jiangnan.

I heard he left with his wife and children.

The Ma family only has one mother.

A mother would never harm her own son.

Second Sister You felt that the Ma family was much simpler than Liu Tang's original Chen family.

"Liu Tang is the son-in-law of the Jia family."

Before her mother could speak, Sister You said, "If he goes to study at the Jia family school, the Jia family won't say anything. But sister, what right does Scholar Ma have? Don't tell me you have your elder sister's opinion."

She strongly disagreed, saying, "There are too many relatives like us in the Jia family. If my sister really makes an exception for you, then she will be finished in the future."

The family academy provides food, drink, writing materials, and inkstones.

That alone is enough to make people desperate to get in.

"They all come begging to her, how can she refuse? If she doesn't, will the clan school still belong to the Jia family? Will the original funds still be able to maintain normal supplies?"

Second Sister You: "..."

She looked at her younger sister and couldn't help but feel a little sad.

When did the younger sister start ignoring her own older sister and instead protecting her more?

"Mother~"

She begged Old Lady You.

“...Your third sister is right.”

Old Lady You struggled for a while, then said, "Second Sister, you can marry Scholar Ma, but you can't ask your eldest sister to do anything for him."

"……it is good!"

Second Sister You agreed.

He told Madam You the next day.

Although Madam You was heavily pregnant, she still hoped to settle her second sister's marriage as soon as possible while she was still able to move around.

The Ma family were relatives of Jia Huang's wife's family, living just a few streets away.

To make a living, the couple often visited the Ningguo Mansion. Hearing that Lady You was looking for a husband for her younger sister, they specially recommended her to Jia Zhen.

Now that he heard that Madam You and Second Sister You were willing to meet, he went to the Ma family that very night.

Madam Jin, the mother of the scholar Ma, was not without worries about finding a daughter-in-law.

Unfortunately, she really looked down on ordinary families.

But wealthy and powerful families looked down on her family.

Even though her son is so outstanding, she chose to wait and see because he was only a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination).

But last year's winter clothes were all pawned because of my son's literary gathering.

If they don't get married soon to fill the void, they're all likely to freeze to death this winter.

She was sighing and complaining at home when, unexpectedly, a golden bride fell from the sky.

"...But since this is a successor, can Grandma You interfere?"

A strange light flashed in Jin's eyes. "Besides, wasn't Master You long ago gone?"

I heard that Madam You brought a lot of dowry with her, and the You family must have been emptied out long ago.

"She's a successor, but she's family!"

Little Jin looked at her aunt and said, "Otherwise, Brother Zhen wouldn't have taken it to heart and chosen a husband for her."

She added shrewdly, "Auntie knows that our eldest aunt in the East Mansion is particularly fond of her daughter-in-law. I heard that because of Sister-in-law You, she also takes a special liking to the mother and her two daughters and has given them a lot of gold and silver jewelry and silk fabrics."

Moreover, because she had her eye on it, the old ladies and mistresses from the West Mansion had all sent her gifts.

Just think how much that is?
These two families, if they just swept the cracks in the ground, would be rich for life.

This is such a wonderful kiss!

"So... what does that Second Sister You look like?"

Her son has very high standards; he won't accept anyone who isn't good-looking.

"Oh, don't worry about that, that second sister is as beautiful as a flower."

Madam Jin slapped her thigh and said, "If this marriage goes through, my cousin might be able to go to the clan school immediately. I heard that many of the assignments there were obtained by Master Zhu from the West Mansion from the Imperial Academy."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to pass the imperial examinations with three people at once last year.

"Then... let's take a look!"

Old Mrs. Jin smiled.

Ma, the scholar who was talking to Jia Huang next door, also laughed.

Finally, he found a good wife.

The Jia family!
Not only is the Jia family's clan school becoming more and more prestigious, but the Jia family's overall momentum is also getting better and better.

Once he becomes brothers-in-law with Lord Jia of Ningguo Mansion, wouldn't he be able to use some of the Jia family's connections for his own purposes?
Having frequently attended literary gatherings, he was well aware that although the Jia family was in the military, they had been highly regarded by scholars over the past year or so, thanks to Madam Shen. (End of Chapter)