In еarly Арril, thе imреrial exаminаtion results wеre annоunсеd. Сhеng Хu ranked fifth in thе second class, a bеttеr result thаn Chеng Сhi hаd аchiеvеd in his timе.
Оld Мadаm Guo was naturаllу delightеd upon heаring the news. Shе instructed Zhеnzhu tо ореn thе trunks аnd take оut sеverаl Duаn inkstоnes, а few mеdiсinal ink sticks, аnd twо staсks of Chengхin papеr аs сongrаtulatory gifts fоr Сhеng Xu.
Zhоu Shаоjin аddеd twо boхеs of Нuzhou brushеs and sent thеm alоng.
Вut Мadаm Yuаn fеlt аs though she had bеen drenched in icу water in the dеad of wintеr, her fасe turning аshen.
Fifth in the second class!
Why hadn’t he pushed a little harder? Just one more rank, and he would have been the fourth-ranked scholar. Or if he had tried even harder, he could have made it into the top three...
Madam Yuan sat there in a daze, her mind completely blank.
The servants in her room were all trembling with fear, afraid that even the slightest noise might anger Madam Yuan and make them the target of her frustration.
Finally, Madam Yuan’s wet nurse cautiously stepped forward and whispered, “Madam, the official messenger bringing the good news is still waiting outside. Should we follow the usual custom and reward him with ten taels of silver?”
For such announcements, the customary reward was five taels, but the Cheng family was particularly generous, usually giving ten taels—neither stingy nor extravagant.
Only then did Madam Yuan feel as though she had “come back to life,” tears streaming down her face.
Her wet nurse had no choice but to signal to the maids in the room to quietly withdraw. She then gently consoled Madam Yuan, “The young master is only twenty-three this year, likely one of the youngest scholars in this examination. This is a joyous occasion that others could only dream of, and now the young master has effortlessly won it for you. What more could you ask for? Look at the top scholars, second-place, and third-place winners throughout history—how many of them ever became grand secretaries? Life is long, and it’s the future that matters. How do you know the young master won’t become a grand secretary like his father? Why must you insist that he compete for the top three?”
“What do you know?” Madam Yuan glared fiercely at her wet nurse. “Both the Yuan and Min families are full of talented individuals. If Jiashan doesn’t return as the top scholar, how will the Yuan and Min families ever take him seriously? How will they support Jiashan in his official career?”
Her wet nurse couldn’t help but sigh deeply. “Madam, no matter how outstanding the young master is, his surname is Cheng. Unless the Yuan and Min families have no scholars left, why would they support a son-in-law or grandson over their own sons or nephews?”
The wet nurse’s words struck Madam Yuan like a thunderbolt. Panicked, she stammered, “No, that can’t be. Surely a grandson is closer than a nephew?”
Is that necessarily true?
When an uncle dies, a nephew still visits his grave, but when a maternal grandfather passes away, what grandson would perform the ancestral rites?
The wet nurse thought it best not to continue. She stood up and said, “Madam, let me fetch a basin of hot water for you to wash your face. Soon, the young mistress will come to congratulate you. If she sees you like this, what if she takes it out on the young master?”
Min Jia had never been a gentle or accommodating person.
At this thought, Madam Yuan felt another wave of frustration.
Seeing that Madam Yuan remained silent, the wet nurse quickly instructed the maids to bring in water and arranged for the steward to reward the messenger. In this way, the matter was finally smoothed over.
Cheng Xiao had already followed Gu Xu to Taiyuan, but she had been keeping a close eye on Cheng Xu’s performance in the spring examination. When she learned he had passed, she was overjoyed and sent gifts.
Even Zhou Zhen sent congratulatory gifts.Old Madam Guo instructed Zhou Shaojin to prepare several tables of wine and dishes, inviting Cheng Jing and others to a meal during the rest day.
This way, among the five men in the family, four were now imperial scholars.
Old Madam Guo was overjoyed and drank a few extra cups. Teasing Yun Ge'er, she said, "Your grandmother hopes you'll earn a noble title for me!"
She was already a first-rank noblewoman. Even if Yun Ge'er became a first-rank official, he could no longer petition for a higher title on her behalf. The old lady's words were merely an expression of hope for Yun Ge'er, wishing him success in the imperial examinations.
Everyone laughed heartily.
Yun Ge'er didn't understand what everyone was laughing about, but he grinned along, revealing a row of tiny white teeth, utterly adorable.
Madam Qiu couldn't resist teasing him, "Yun Ge'er, in a few days, it'll be your first birthday ceremony. Have you thought about what you'll grab? Should your second aunt place a gold hairpin on the table?"
Recently, Yun Ge'er had inexplicably developed a fondness for gold ornaments. Whether it was Old Madam Guo's hairpins, Zhou Shaojin's earrings, or the maids' gold ear studs, whenever he saw them, he would reach out with his little hands to pick at them. Once, when Old Madam Guo opened a chest to sort through her belongings and took out a palm-sized gold deer, he clung to it and refused to let go. In the end, Old Madam Guo had no choice but to let him take the little deer back, placing it by his pillow. She repeatedly warned the maids and nannies attending him, "Make sure Yun Ge'er doesn't bite off a piece or swallow the deer's ears or hooves."
Pure gold is soft and can easily be bitten off.
This frightened the maids and nannies in Yun Ge'er's room so much that they took turns keeping watch by his bed, not daring to doze off even for a moment.
This became a source of amusement for everyone.
Zhou Shaojin also laughed.
She enjoyed such well-meaning jokes.
"If we're placing something, let's just put that gold deer on the table," she said with a smile. "He'll surely grab it then, though I wonder what grabbing a gold deer would signify?"
"Those who recite auspicious verses are all clever," Madam Qiu chuckled. "I think even if your Yun Ge'er grabs a scallion that day, they'll probably praise him as clever, sharp, and naturally gifted."
Everyone laughed again.
Madam Qiu slipped a gold bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Yun Ge'er to play with. "Look, what's this?"
Cheng Rang, sitting quietly behind his mother, lowered his head.
Now that Cheng Xu had passed the imperial examinations, everyone suddenly treated him like an adult. Even his previously critical uncle now looked at Cheng Xu with admiration and even instructed a maid to pour him a cup of wine. As for Cheng Rang, though he was only a few years younger than Cheng Xu and already married, after lunch, Old Madam Guo had called him over to sit with the female family members... still treating him like a child.
He felt somewhat disheartened.
Yet he couldn't blame the elders.
If he could study diligently like Cousin Xu and bring home an imperial scholar's plaque for the family, wouldn't he also be able to sit at the outer tables and join the conversation?
Cheng Rang hung his head even lower.
Someone gently tugged at his sleeve.
He looked up.
And met his wife's eyes, bright as stars."Elder Brother-in-law studies diligently every day, leaving no time to accompany his wife," his wife whispered in his ear. "He didn't even go for the spring outing a few days ago. A Bao and A Ren were envious of the kite you made for me. When you have some free time, could you make a few for A Bao and the others? In a few days, we'll go out to fly kites again."
A warm current seemed to flow through Cheng Rang's heart.
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted. He quietly responded with a "Yes."
Madam Xie pursed her lips in a smile and handed the small sweet white porcelain bowl of red bean soup from the tray in her hands to Cheng Sheng, who was not far away.
Cheng Sheng smiled gently, her gaze towards Madam Xie soft and filled with a touch of relief.
Although her sister-in-law did not possess Madam Min's looks or background, she was gentle and pleasant—just right for her younger brother.
Perfect compatibility was priceless.
Mother truly had found a good wife for her younger brother.
She called Rui Ge'er over to have some red bean soup: "This was made personally by your aunt!"
Rui Ge'er took one bite and ran off.
A Bao and A Ren were more appealing to him than red bean soup.
Cheng Sheng smiled, eating the red bean soup spoonful by spoonful, finding it exceptionally delicious.
Zhou Shaojin began arranging the furnishings in the room, preparing for Yun Ge'er's first birthday ceremony.
Chang-shi's younger brother arrived in the capital with his two sons and eldest grandson, weary from the journey.
Cheng Chi personally went to Chaoyang Gate to welcome them into the city, settling them in Yuqian Hutong and sending Nanny Shang to personally attend to the Chang family.
Due to the separation between men and women, Zhou Shaojin and the others could not visit in person, so they all sent people to pay respects to the Chang family's elderly uncle.
The Chang family's elderly uncle was addressed as such due to his seniority; in reality, he was only thirty-eight years old. His two sons were twenty-three and twenty years old respectively, and his eldest grandson was just four years old, carried by a wet nurse to represent the Chang family in paying respects to Old Madam Guo.
Zhou Shaojin saw that the young master of the Chang family was fair-skinned and delicate, bearing a seven or eight out of ten resemblance to Chang-shi, and took an immediate liking to him. In addition to clothing and accessories, she also gifted the young master a bamboo dragonfly and a kraft paper kite.
The young master of the Chang family was delighted and soon began kicking his feet, wanting to get down.
How could the wet nurse dare to let him run around? She hurriedly said, "Our mistress is in poor health and cannot endure the hardships of travel. The second master is unmarried, and the eldest young mistress was diagnosed with a three-month pregnancy just before departure, so I had to bring the eldest young master to the capital. We apologize for any impropriety and hope the old madam will not take offense."
"This is perfectly fine," Old Madam Guo replied with a smile, exchanging a few pleasantries with the woman. Seeing that the young master of the Chang family was already growing impatient and eager to play with A Bao and the others, the wet nurse feared something might go awry. After a few more words, she carried the young master out of the residence.
Old Madam Guo was well aware of what the wet nurse was worried about.
The elderly lady chuckled and was about to speak to Zhou Shaojin when a young maid announced that Madam Yuan's wet nurse had arrived.
Unsure of the reason, Old Madam Guo invited Madam Yuan's wet nurse in.
The wet nurse entered, kowtowed to Old Madam Guo, and glanced around the room.
Zhou Shaojin rose to leave.
But Old Madam Guo stopped her, saying, "You manage the household affairs in this residence; you should also listen."
Madam Yuan's wet nurse couldn't help but glance at Zhou Shaojin. Seeing no one else in the room, she then said, "The madam and the eldest young master have quarreled. The madam took out the family discipline to beat the eldest young master, and the eldest young master neither dodged nor resisted, allowing her to strike..." At this point, her eyes nearly welled up with tears.
Old Madam Guo frowned slightly and asked, "What has your madam done this time?"The wet nurse couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
In her mother-in-law's eyes, Madam Yuan was actually such a person.
The wet nurse couldn't help but feel sorry for Madam Yuan.
She whispered, "This time it really isn't the lady's fault. It's the young master—he said he won't take the Junior Scholar Candidate examination anymore. After Young Master Yun's first birthday celebration, he plans to seek an appointment outside the capital... Our lady was so angry she couldn't even speak..."
Not participating in the Junior Scholar Candidate selection meant giving up the opportunity to observe governance in the Six Ministries and abandoning the chance to serve as an official in the Hanlin Academy.
In the imperial court, there had long been the practice that "only Hanlin scholars may enter the Grand Secretariat." By doing this, he was essentially giving up any future opportunity to become a Grand Secretary.
No wonder Madam Yuan was furious.
Old Madam Guo quickly asked, "What time is it now?"
"Three quarters past noon," Zhenzhu replied.
Cheng Jing wouldn't return from his official duties until the late afternoon.
Old Madam Guo stood up and said, "Quickly, help me get dressed. I need to go to Apricot Grove Lane."
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Dear readers, here is today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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