The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

The county examination consisted of five sessions, one per day, for a total of five days.

Jia Jue arrived a day early, bringing snacks and food prepared by his family. Because of his status as a young master of the Rongguo Mansion, he was given a nice room.

At least it's quite clean here, and it's not next to the outhouse, so the smell isn't too strong.

When Jia Jue arrived at the examination hall, he didn't rush to sit down. Instead, he started cleaning.

At that time, the sanitary conditions were just so-so. Although someone had come in to tidy up beforehand, it was just a matter of putting up a table and a mat. All sorts of weeds and other garbage and filth were piled up there.

Jia Jue started cleaning, partly for the sake of cleanliness and hygiene, but also for his own safety.

In previous years, many people on scientific expeditions have died after being bitten by venomous snakes or other poisonous creatures that were not detected in the examination rooms.

Jia Jue was lucky; after tidying up, he didn't find any snakes or rats, so he sat down with peace of mind.

Then it's just a matter of waiting for the exam.

The exam only tested knowledge of the Four Books, five-character six-line poems, and policy essays. Jia Jue wouldn't say his policy essays were particularly good, but he could manage to get by.

Moreover, the county examination mainly focused on basic knowledge, so Jia Jue was quite confident that he could pass.

Just as Jia Jue was preparing for the exam, a major event was about to occur in the Jia family.

The Jia family does not refer to just the Rongguo Mansion, but to both the Ningguo Mansion and the Rongguo Mansion.

These two ducal mansions are located next to each other on the same street, with Ningguo to the east and Rongguo to the west, hence the street is known as "Ningrong Street".

In the past, the Dukes of Ning and Rong followed Emperor Taizu in his conquests, achieving great military exploits. Since the Duke of Ning was the elder brother of the Duke of Rong, the head of the Jia family was always a member of the Duke of Ning's family.

The current head of the Jia family is named Jia Zhen, and Jia Jue should call him "brother." Although Jia Zhen is already in his forties, Jia Jue is only thirteen years old.

Now, this important matter in the Jia family should take place in the Ningguo Duke's mansion.

It turns out that Jia Zhen has a son named Jia Rong, who is now seventeen years old. He is handsome and dashing.

However, Jia Rong was an uneducated and incompetent man who spent his days indulging in debauchery and frequenting brothels. He was also indiscriminate in his consumption of both raw and raw foods, and his reputation among the noble circles of the capital was not very good.

But now Jia Rong is grown up, and as the only direct descendant of the Cao generation in the Ningguo Mansion, he naturally needs to marry a young mistress.

So Jia Zhen busied himself proposing marriage to Jia Rong in various wealthy and powerful families.

However, due to Jia Rong's reputation, most of Jia Zhen's drinking buddies politely declined the invitation.

Left with no other choice, Jia Zhen had to search further down the search path.

Finally, he found out about one.

In the capital, there was a construction official named Qin Ye. He had a daughter named Qin Keqing, who was said to be beautiful, like a fairy descended from heaven.

So Jia Zhen decided to go to his house to propose marriage.

When he finally met Qin Ye, after they talked, he learned that Qin Ye's daughter was not his biological child, but an abandoned baby he had taken in years ago. At that moment, he felt remorse and even some anger.

Qin Ye, however, was secretly pleased.

Seeing Jia Zhen's expression, he knew that Jia Zhen disliked Ke Qing because she was not even considered a concubine's daughter and had a low status, and that he wanted to leave.

Qin Ye, however, had a plan.

So he quickly said to Jia Zhen, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and call my daughter out so that she can meet you."

Before Jia Zhen could refuse, Qin Ye ordered his servants to go to the inner courtyard and bring out Ke Qing.

It would have been better if Jia Zhen hadn't looked; once he did, countless troubles ensued.

When Qin Keqing came out, Jia Zhen turned his head and glanced at her, and was immediately stunned.

Qin Keqing walked out with delicate steps, like a lotus flower emerging from clear water. Though she wore no makeup, she was stunningly beautiful.

Qin Ye then became shameless and said directly to Qin Keqing, "Ke'er, meet your future father-in-law."

Qin Keqing had clearly not expected her father to disregard etiquette like this. Her pretty face flushed red instantly. Facing her father and the future "father-in-law" he was talking about, Qin Keqing could not turn around and leave. She could only force an awkward smile.

This smile stunned Jia Zhen. In his youth, he disliked studying, but he had read a few unorthodox literary works, especially those describing unparalleled beauties. For example, in the poem "The Peacock Flies Southeast," he only read "Her delicate steps were exquisite and unmatched in the world"; he had also read the Book of Songs, but only read "Her skin was like solidified cream, her complexion like snow, her face like a peach blossom, her countenance like jade."

He couldn't remember which article he had read before, but it contained the line, "One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation." When Jia Zhen first saw this line, he had fantasized about having such a stunningly beautiful woman. Now, seeing Qin Keqing, Jia Zhen seemed to have entered a fairyland, and his face had become rosy.

Qin Keqing was, after all, a young virgin, and it was naturally uncomfortable to be stared at so intently by Jia Zhen, so she could only look at her father.

Qin Ye seemed to realize something was amiss, so he said, "After you've seen her, Keqing, please go back first."

Keqing nodded in agreement, performed two bows, and then gracefully returned home.

Only then did Jia Zhen realize what was happening. He looked at Qin Ye and smiled, "Your daughter is generous, polite, gentle, and virtuous—a first-rate lady from a prominent family. I wonder what you mean, sir..."

Qin Ye then smiled and said, "Ke'er is slow-witted, but it is an honor for our Qin family to have caught your eye, sir. How could we refuse?"

Jia Zhen laughed and said, "You don't need to play games with me here. I promise you today that you, the daughter of the Qin family, will be formally married into my Ningguo Mansion in the future, and will naturally become the young mistress of my Ningguo Mansion. There will be a time when you can be called the matriarch!"

Qin Ye was quite surprised by Jia Zhen's words. He never expected that such a person from a family that upheld the rules of etiquette would say something so impolite.

They can even label someone as "unfilial" just by weighing them on a scale.

After discussing the date and other matters with Qin Ye, Jia Zhen prepared to return home.

Before leaving, he specifically told Qin Ye, "Tomorrow, I will send someone over to formally propose marriage. Remember that."

After saying that, he stepped onto the servant's back and got into the carriage.

Qin Ye was naturally overjoyed upon returning home, for no other reason than that he had now secured the powerful backing of the Jia family. Having toiled his entire life and faced considerable hardship in his official career, he was finally poised to rise to prominence thanks to his daughter's influence.

Thinking back, when her father asked her to adopt this abandoned baby, she was initially reluctant, but she didn't want to disobey, so she did. Fortunately, her mother treated her well, and she grew up to be so beautiful. Did the old master foresee this day back then?

Thinking of this, Qin Ye couldn't help but smile.

While Jia Zhen and Qin Ye were discussing Jia Rong's marriage, Jia Jue encountered another problem in the examination hall.