Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 116 A happy event at home
The situation in the Jia family was mostly due to Grandmother Jia winning over the old servants and winning over Sister Feng, and then relying on Sister Feng and Lady Xing to suppress Lady Wang.

Aunt Xue was Lady Wang's biological sister, so the two naturally bonded. At this point, Lady Jia, relying on the Lai family and other old servants, had firmly grasped the various key points of the Rongguo Mansion, forcing Lady Wang to become a vegetarian and chant Buddhist scriptures. How could Lady Wang be willing to accept this?

Aunt Xue and Lady Wang discussed this privately and decided to win over the servants. How? It's important to remember that in this mother-in-law-daughter-in-law feud, the majority of the servants remain silent.

So at first the Xue family scattered money around, but then they felt that their actions were too conspicuous; and then it gradually evolved into opening a gambling game.

If they won, they would naturally remember the Xue family's kindness; if they lost, and lost a lot, the Xue family would simply forgive the debt. After all, no banker in this world would actually lose.

How did the "golden jade marriage" spread so widely? Or how did my engagement to Daiyu become so popular a while ago? I'm afraid it was all the Xue family stirring up trouble, with Mrs. Wang fanning the flames.

Chen Siyuan pondered inwardly, truly, one must have known the inner workings of the Rongguo Mansion before coming here. Previously, whether he was reading original texts or watching TV dramas, he had always focused on romantic relationships. How could he have imagined the fierce fighting here?
But it's a good thing for him.

The Xue family and Mrs. Wang both wanted to promote a "golden match" and naturally they were eager to marry Daiyu as soon as possible.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but think that Lady Jia was probably looking at him as a thorn in her side, while Lady Wang was a natural ally. Unfortunately, Lady Xing and Lady Wang had always been at odds, so he couldn't visit her in person and could only negotiate privately.

While he was thinking, there was a sudden knock at the door. Hongyu and Xiangling hurried to see what was going on. After a long while, Xiangling returned and said to Chen Siyuan, "It's that Madam Wu."

Chen Siyuan jokingly said, "Are you here to be a good person again?"

Xiangling covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "After paying back the two hundred yuan, that silly girl Yunxiang looked like she was almost kowtowed to him."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "It's really a bit silly. You've been sold and you're still counting money."

After a pause, he continued, "Xiangling is quite clever. Did she see everything clearly, but just kept it to herself?"

Xiangling was slightly surprised and said angrily, "Master, what are you saying? Even if I want to say something, who can I tell?"

Yes, she is now with Aunt Xue and Baochai, and rarely interacts with the maids and girls of the Jia family. Shouldn't she be depressed?

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "You can teach Hongyu and Yunxiang how to read later. Yunxiang can go with her. Hongyu is a thoughtful person, and it will be troublesome for her to be illiterate in the future."

"Oh, I see."

Chen Siyuan continued, "Have you almost finished reading those volumes?"

Xiangling said, "There's still some to go. I can't understand some of it. So, Master, are you going to teach me how to write poetry?"

Chen Siyuan was about to agree, but suddenly thought of Daiyu and said, "I'm afraid I don't know how to teach others—" This was the truth. Most of his poems were copied. If he were to write his own poems, he might not even be as good as Sanchun. "—But you can find a teacher for yourself."

"Master? Miss Bao?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Sister Lin. She comes from a family of scholars. Her father was a top scholar in the imperial examination. She was also taught by the Hanlin Academy. Although she is young, her talent is first-class. She is more than capable of teaching you."

Xiangling blinked, covered her mouth and smiled, "Okay, then I'll go look for Miss Lin when I have time."

She knew very well that Chen Siyuan wanted her to be a matchmaker to deliver letters.

The day passed quickly, and the next day, as it was a day off, Chen Siyuan left early in the morning by carriage. He went straight to the home of Tao Jiancheng, got out of the carriage, knocked on the door, and handed over his visiting card in a polite manner.

Unfortunately, Tao Jiancheng went out to visit a friend early that morning, and Chen Siyuan was disappointed.

The position of the Chief Supervisor of the Imperial College is a seventh-rank official position. It may look insignificant, but it is actually a low-ranking position with great power, and it is a truly lucrative position.

Someone will definitely ask, what benefits can an Imperial College under the Ministry of Rites bring?
There is a lot of money to be made!

Taking Dashun as an example, in addition to the excellent students, selected students, and recommended students, there was also an exception student, that is, the one who donated money to be admitted.

According to Ming Dynasty regulations, common people needed a travel permit to travel to other places. This not only led to extortion by petty officials, but also caused significant delays. This was no longer the case with the donation-based imperial examination system. The vast world offered freedom of travel. Merchants from all over the country, seeking to facilitate their business, donated money to become imperial students, allowing them to travel freely.

Furthermore, the concentration of talent in Jiangnan was incredibly competitive. The acceptance rate for the scholar exam alone was less than one percent, leading many to feel their talents were wasted and frustrated.

The scholar exam was difficult, but the provincial exam was easier, with an acceptance rate of at least 2%. So the scholars in Jiangnan became interested and simply donated money to become a student, skipping the difficult scholar exam and taking the provincial exam directly.

When the Dashun Dynasty was founded, Emperor Taizong Li Guo set a rule that those who wanted to become officials had to donate 1,000 dan of rice; when Taishang came to power, the rule was changed to 500 taels of silver or 1,000 dan of rice.

In the later years of the Taishang, the price was lowered again, to 250 taels of silver or 500 dan of rice. In the third year of the present emperor's reign, the custom of donating 88 taels of silver was established, and it has remained unchanged to this day.

The money donated for the certificate was handed over to the Ministry of Personnel. Since the third year of Yankang, an average of more than 800,000 certificates were sold every year!
The Imperial College had to issue a certificate, charging a handling fee of one tael and seven qian for each. The Imperial College earned 140,000 taels annually from these fees alone! This money didn't have to go to the national treasury or the imperial treasury, and the Imperial College only had a few officials.
Therefore, the Imperial College seems to be a clean government office, and the chief academic officer, the dean, etc. seem to be clean officials, but in fact they are very rich!
Therefore, the Rongguo Mansion married into the family of Li Shouzhong, the former chief academic officer of the Imperial College, for one reason, to change the family background, and secondly, they might have coveted Li Wan's dowry.

The man asked Chen Siyuan to wait in the back hall. After a while, he came back and said that he didn't know when Tao Jiancheng would return, and he would send a letter to Rongguo Mansion to invite Chen Siyuan the next day.

Chen Siyuan agreed, drank a cup of tea and then stood up to say goodbye.

After leaving Tao Jiancheng's house, Chen Siyuan began to think. He had initially thought that the Imperial College was a good place, and that he was a top student. At the very least, if he persevered for a few years, he could get a job as an official. Furthermore, his position was precarious at the time, and he could flee at any moment. Chen Siyuan had no time to think about it, and he never imagined that the person holding a handle on him would be the Prince of Yanping... Later, the Prince of Yanping even promised to guarantee his admission to the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination.

As the saying goes, 'Man proposes, God disposes', and nowadays, this excellent student's admission to the Imperial College has become a waste of time.

Taking ordinary students as an example, there is a major examination once a year. If you pass, you will be promoted to a prison. It will take six years to graduate according to the routine. Chen Siyuan is an excellent student, so it will take him three years to graduate according to the routine.

If he had known this earlier, he would have donated money to become a student and come back to give King Ping of Yan a good idea. After the provincial examination in August next year, he would have become a juren.

However, the official document from the governor of Ping'an Prefecture had already been delivered, and Chen Siyuan could no longer regret it. He could only hold his nose and find a way to graduate from the Imperial College as soon as possible.

He returned to Rongguo Mansion while thinking about it, but just as he got off the carriage, he ran into Jia Yun, who was rushing over. "Uncle Yuan!" Jia Yun bowed from a distance, his face full of smiles.

Purchasing flowers, plants, and trees and tending the garden was a good job, especially since the flowers and plants were very profitable. Having received two hundred taels of silver from Chen Siyuan in his earlier years of hardship, and having subsequently secured this good position through his recommendation, Jia Yun was naturally grateful.

Chen Siyuan took a quick glance, stopped and said with a smile, "Brother Yun is here?"

Jia Yun quickly walked up to him, bowed, and said, "My nephew just ordered some sweet-scented osmanthus saplings from the Xia family, and also bought some other plants. I hurriedly covered them with a quilt and brought them in, fearing they might freeze to death. Uncle Yuan, what's going on—"

Chen Siyuan thought for a moment and said, "Don't mention it. I have something to trouble Brother Yun with now."

Jia Yun said solemnly, "Uncle Yuan, what are you talking about? If it weren't for your kindness, I'd still be in dire straits. Just tell me what you want me to do!"

Chen Siyuan said, "It's not that difficult, but I'm unfamiliar with the place and it's hard to eavesdrop." He leaned in close and whispered, "Brother Yun, please help me eavesdrop. What does Minister Tao of the Imperial College do behind the scenes?"

Jia Yun was from the imperial branch of the Jia family, but even in public he had to address them as 'Second Master Yun'. Upon hearing this, he patted his chest and said, "I knew it wouldn't be a difficult matter. Just leave it to me, nephew. I'll give Uncle Yuan a definite answer in a few days!"

Chen Siyuan felt incredibly pleased, thinking to himself that this was the benefit of spending a fortune on friendship. Jia Yun, for the two hundred taels of silver, would surely help him with anything short of a life-threatening matter. And those three good brothers in the outer city must have known for a long time that he was in danger of losing his head, yet they still responded to his calls without questioning, truly proving the saying, "Money makes the world go round."

After a few more words of idle chat, Jia Yun hurried to deliver the flowers and trees to the demolished East Courtyard, and then the two of them said goodbye.

Chen Siyuan walked around the alley and returned to his own courtyard. As soon as he entered, Hongyu came up to him with a strange look on her face and said, "Master, there is a baby in the east courtyard."

Chen Siyuan knew it was about Madam Xing as soon as he heard it, but he pretended to be confused and frowned, "Which concubine is pregnant?"

Hongyu said strangely, "It's not some concubine...it's the eldest wife."

"what?"

As the two entered the main room, Hongyu muttered, "It's strange. I don't know how the first wife got pregnant after visiting the Miaofeng Mountain Niangniang Temple. Imperial Physician Wang personally examined her this morning, and he confirmed pregnancy after two examinations. The first wife is so happy she's planning to give out rewards to the East Wing Courtyard."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Where is the master?"

Hongyu said, "The eldest master was happy for a moment, but then he turned around and went to argue with the old master again. It seems that it is still about the villa for the visit of the mother?"

What was there to worry about regarding the imperial villa? All the responsibilities had been assigned to different people, and it was up to Jia She to frequently bring Jia Zhen along to supervise the work. I'm afraid the two brothers were still arguing over the position of the construction official.

Chen Siyuan felt slightly relieved, thinking that since Mrs. Xing dared to publicize it, it meant that Jia She must have passed the test.

Chen Siyuan said, "It's a great event. I have to go over and offer my congratulations... Well, I can't go empty-handed. I should go to the street and buy some gifts first."

Without stopping, he wrapped his cloak tightly around him, turned back, borrowed a carriage, and headed straight for Huguo Temple. Huguo Temple not only had a market, but also had a variety of shops and stalls. Compared to the outer city's Dashilan, it was a bit more plain, without so many people of all kinds.

Arriving at the place, Chen Siyuan found a southern food store and picked out some top-quality blood swallows. At the beginning of the Dashun Dynasty, top-quality blood swallows were only four taels of silver per catty, but now, they are still four taels of silver per catty, and there is no bargaining chip!

Chen Siyuan also made a big bet and bought fifty taels of blood swallows. He ordered the shopkeeper to find a bag to put them in, and then he went back. Suddenly, he saw a jewelry store nearby and went in to buy some more.

The five ounces of blood swallows, three or four in total, filled a large bag. When he returned to the cart, the driver was amazed and couldn't help but praise him, saying, "Master Yuan is truly filial. The first lady will surely be delighted to see him."

Chen Siyuan smiled but didn't answer. He thought to himself, "I'm happy, after all. Filial piety... but it's hard to say who's more filial." The last time they stayed at Nanzhuang, at the foot of Miaofeng Mountain, Mrs. Xing couldn't stand it any longer and ended up shouting everything out.

Returning to Rongguo Mansion, Chen Siyuan walked straight through the black oil gate. He often came and went, so he only waited a moment in front of the ceremonial gate before being taken in by Miao'er who came hurriedly.

Miao'er looked at the huge bag in amazement, but when he took it, it didn't feel heavy, so he asked, "Brother, what did you bring?"

"I bought some bird's nest for my aunt."

Miao'er was immediately amazed and said, "Brother, what a generous gesture! Madam will surely be delighted to see this!" After a pause, she continued, "Now Grandmother Zhu, Grandmother Zhen, the concubine, the second wife, the second mistress, and the second master are all here. Just now they said that only brother was missing."

As they were approaching the third-level ceremonial gate, Chen Siyuan shook his hand and handed over a brocade bag.

Miao'er laughed and said, "What?"

"Sister, just go back and see for yourself."

Miao'er's smile grew sweeter, and she quickly tucked the brocade bag into the handkerchief at her waist before leading Chen Siyuan into the main room. Tiao'er caught sight of Chen Siyuan and passed a message inside. Miao'er, acting mischievous, grunted as she carried the bag inside, happily saying, "Madam, my brother brought a large bag of bird's nests. My hands are sore from all the work!"

As they were talking, Chen Siyuan entered the inner chamber and greeted Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, Jia Lian, Sister Feng, Madam You, Li Wan, and the others one by one. Then, with a smile, he said, "I heard that Aunt is pregnant, and I didn't know what to send her, so I picked out some bird's nest. I heard it's very good for stabilizing pregnancy, so I thought it would be good to eat some every day."

Among the people in the hall, Mrs. Xing sat in the middle with a kind face, but her eyes looking at Chen Siyuan were ambiguous; Mrs. Wang, Aunt Xue and others also smiled, but only Jia Lian had a strange expression.

Madam Xing said, "If you're here to congratulate me, then just congratulate me. Why bother buying all this? I'm not going to need a bite to eat, am I?"

Sister Feng smiled and said, "Brother Yuan, you are so thoughtful. You really care about this."

Since everyone was present, Mrs. Xing couldn't say much and quickly had her servant bring a chair for Chen Siyuan to sit in. The atmosphere was filled with joy. Not only Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue, but even Sister Feng, who had had many disagreements with Mrs. Xing, were now only exchanging auspicious words, without a single exchange of words.

After lingering for a while, Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue stood up to say goodbye, followed by Li Wan, and then Jia Lian and Feng Jieer, so only Chen Siyuan was left.

But Jia Lian came out of the main room with a frown on his face. He thought for a while, then suddenly punched his palm and said, "No way—"

(End of this chapter)