novelraw Chapter 54 The Red Mansion
Chapter 54 The Red Mansion
Back at Rongguo Mansion, Jia Lian told Jia Mu and Jia Zheng that Lin Huaiyu would take the imperial examination next year.
"Brother Huai will only be 13 years old next year. Why are you in such a hurry to take the imperial examination?" In Jia's mother's impression, people usually take the imperial examination at the age of fifteen or sixteen. "He is still young, so he can take the imperial examination a few years later."
"Brother Huai's husband thinks that he can give it a try. With Brother Huai's intelligence, he can pass the exam." Jia Lian said with a smile, "After three years, Brother Huai will be able to take the provincial examination. After passing the exam, he will be selected." , Brother Huai will be able to come to the capital to participate in the general examination and palace examination."
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Then we will wait for Brother Huai to come to the capital to take part in the examination."
Aunt Xue on the side complimented: "Madam, with Brother Huai's intelligence, he will definitely be able to come to the capital to take part in the examination, and then you will be able to see him." For more than four years, Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai have been living together. In Rongguo Mansion.At first, they wanted to move out, but Mother Jia disagreed and insisted on keeping them, so they had no choice but to continue living in Rongguo Mansion.
"Well, I ask them to come to the capital every year to see my old lady, but they haven't come once in the past few years." For more than four years, Jia's mother still misses Lin Huaiyu and Xiao Daiyu a little.
Jia Lian defended Lin Huaiyu and said: "Old ancestor, Brother Huai also wanted to study. They started studying the next day after they left the capital and returned to Yangzhou." Jia's mother would write several letters to Lin Ruhai every year, inviting Lin Huaiyu and his brother and sister I came to the capital to play for a while, but was rejected every time, which made Jia's mother a little unhappy. "Over the past four years, Brother Huai has basically been studying and studying every day. How can I come to the capital to play?"
"Brother Huai said that if he is lucky enough to come to the capital to take part in the examination in four years' time, he will definitely ask you for his crime in person, and you will punish him then."
Jia Mu was amused by Jia Lian's last words, and said with a smile: "Okay, I will punish him when he comes."
Aunt Xue said jokingly: "Four years later, if brother Huai comes to the capital to take part in the examination, then you will be busy, old lady. At that time, brother Huai will be 16 years old, so it's time to say kiss, old lady You have to be busy kissing him."
Mother Jia waved her hand and said, "Brother Huai's marriage, I can't decide. His father will arrange a good marriage for him."
"You are Brother Huai's grandmother. If you don't arrange a marriage for him, who will arrange a marriage for him? After all, Brother Huai and the others don't have a mother." Aunt Xue waved the exquisite round fan in her hand, and continued to say in a joking tone, "Brother Huai Your grandmother still needs to worry about your son's marriage."
"Hey, if Min'er is alive, I'm afraid that Brother Huai's marriage will be arranged now."
"Old lady, you can also arrange it now."
"No rush, wait until Brother Huai comes to the capital." Jia Mu smiled, "Maybe I don't need to arrange a marriage, and the emperor will give me a marriage at that time."
"A marriage from the emperor?"
"Brother Huai, if he passed the Tanhua exam like his father, he might be given a marriage."
Jia Lian followed what Jia Mu said: "It's really possible. After all, Brother Huai is good-looking. Maybe he will be favored by the emperor and choose him as his son-in-law."
When Aunt Xue heard this, the smile in her eyes faded a bit, but she still kept a smile on her face.
"Brother Huai has grown up, isn't he more handsome than before?"
"Brother Huai has grown a lot taller, and his facial features have also grown, and he is even more beautiful than four years ago." Jia Lian thought of Lin Huaiyu's appearance, and was amazed, "Old ancestor, you don't know that Brother Huai is now in Yangzhou A well-known handsome man. I heard from Madam Zhang that the little girls in Yangzhou really like Brother Huai. Sometimes when Brother Huai goes out, those bold little girls throw handkerchiefs, sachets, and fruits at him.”
When Jia's mother heard this, she immediately became interested, and asked curiously: "There is another thing, this girl from Yangzhou is quite bold."
"More than that, I also heard from Madam Zhang that many men also admire Brother Huai very much. They admire Brother Huai's talents and learning, and they often invite Brother Huai to participate in poetry clubs or literature clubs to discuss knowledge together." Jia Lian flaunted The tone said, "Brother Huai is still a well-known talent in Yangzhou. I heard from Madam Zhang that in the past two years, many matchmakers have come to marry Brother Huai, but my uncle rejected them all."
Mother Jia said with a smile on her face, "Brother Huai, this child has lived up to the expectations of his father and mother."
"Old lady, you are really blessed to have such an outstanding grandson." Aunt Xue felt a little heavy.
"It's better to be taught by his father." Jia's mother still wanted to hear about Lin Huaiyu, so Jia Lian would talk about it.
Jia Lian told Mother Jia everything he heard about Lin Huaiyu from Madam Zhang during his trip to Yangzhou.
After Jia Mu heard this, her heart was full of pride, and she kept praising Lin Huaiyu in her mouth.
Mrs. Wang, who had been sitting silently by the side, was very dissatisfied when she heard that Jia's mother had been praising Lin Huaiyu.Thinking that Lin Huaiyu will take the imperial examination next year, and Jia Baoyu is not studying well, Mrs. Wang's mood becomes worse and worse.
Jia Lian talked to Jia's mother for a while, and then left to return to her yard.
As soon as he returned to his own room, he picked up his son and kissed his son's little face.
The son was kissed by his father, and he smiled very happily with his small mouth open, and called indistinctly: "Father..."
"Hey!" Jia Lian promised loudly, "Good son!"
Seeing Jia Lian holding his son high, Wang Xifeng was worried about frightening his son, so he hurriedly said, "Put him down."
"My son likes to be lifted high." Jia Lian said, and "flyed" his son up, making him giggle.
Seeing her husband and son having so much fun, Wang Xifeng couldn't help laughing.
Jia Lian played with his son for a while, then sat on the couch with his son in his arms, and told Wang Xifeng about his trip to Yangzhou this time.
"In the past two years, Brother Huai has opened [Jiangjin Winery] in Yangzhou, Gusu, and Jinling, and the business is also very good."
After Lin Huaiyu returned to Yangzhou, she opened branches of "Yueji Rouge Shop" and "Jianjinjiu Chateau" in Yangzhou.In the past two years, both the branches of "Yueji Rouge Shop" and "Jianjinjiu Chateau" have been very prosperous.
The Jiangnan branch of "Yueji Rouge Shop" has been handed over by Lin Huaiyu to her younger sister Xiao Daiyu since last year.In fact, it is to let Xiao Daiyu manage the account books of these branches.Xiao Daiyu has been learning from Aunt Zhao, and she didn't panic after taking over the "Yueji Rouge Shop". On the contrary, she did a good job with the help of Aunt Zhao and Xiangling.
In the second year after returning to Yangzhou from the capital, Lin Huaiyu changed the prescription for Xiao Daiyu. Instead of letting her take the previous ginseng Yangrong pills, she changed to the prescription given by the system.
Since taking the prescription given by the system, Xiao Daiyu's body has gradually improved, and the number of illnesses has become less and less, and the cough that came from the mother's womb has also gradually improved.Although she is not very healthy yet, she is at least eight percent healthy.
Over the past few years, while she continued to learn the rules from Aunt Zhao, she also managed the shop and designed jewelry. She lived a very fulfilling life.Although she is only ten years old now, she is a real little rich woman.Not only that, she is also quite famous in Yangzhou, after all, she is very good at writing poems.It is no exaggeration to say that she is a famous socialite in Yangzhou.
The topic is far away, let's continue to talk about Jia Lian and the others.
"Brother Huai means to let us open more branches in the north, for example, in the northeast." Jia Lian said while making faces to make his son laugh, "Brother Huai said that there is a lot of food in the Northeast, so if we open wineries in the Northeast, You don’t have to worry about food, I think Brother Huai is right, and I plan to visit the Northeast after a while.”
"You just came back from Yangzhou, are you leaving again?" Wang Xifeng said unhappy, "Can't you stay at home for a while before leaving?"
"Okay, listen to you, I'll go to the Northeast to visit after a while." For more than four years, Jia Lian has been busy with the business of the winery and often travels far. "The weather is a bit hot now, let's go there in autumn."
Hearing what Jia Lian said, Wang Xifeng smiled immediately: "It was just the autumn harvest at that time."
"By the way, Brother Huai is going to come to the capital to take the imperial examination in four years. Maybe Brother Huai will stay in the capital." Jia Lian thought for a while and said, "I've decided to build a village in Pingshui Village next year. The Zhuangzi has been built." For more than four years, Jia Lian has earned a lot of money in charge of the winery business, and it is no problem to build a Zhuangzi.
"That is to build Zhuangzi." Wang Xifeng said again, "In the past few years, we have bought a lot of fields, but we haven't bought a mountain yet. In two years we will also buy a mountain."
"You are right, now that we have money, we can buy mountains." The couple sat on the couch, discussing the future.
"By the way, my wife came to see me today and asked me to manage the mansion." For more than four years, Wang Xifeng has been making excuses not to continue to manage the mansion.Mrs. Wang didn't notice it at first, but after a long time, she naturally saw it. "I said that brother Ang is only one year old, and I don't have the energy to manage the affairs of the house for the time being. Besides, when I gave birth to brother Ang, my body was a little damaged and I needed to rest."
"I'm afraid the second aunt won't believe it?"
"I really don't believe it. Hearing what I said, she immediately lowered her face and told me that the Rongguo Mansion will belong to our husband and wife in the future, and that she is too old to manage the mansion." Wang Xifeng said here , let out a mocking laugh, "My wife has hardly been sick in the past few years, and she is not in good health. I think she has paid a lot of money to the middle kilometers in the past four years, so she is anxious to find the two of us who have been taken advantage of to continue to manage the mansion. .”
Jia Lian sneered and said, "Because we haven't managed the affairs of the house these few years, she sees that our noses are not noses, and our eyes are not eyes."
"I have been pretending to be sick and not managing the affairs of the mansion, and she has nothing to do with me." In the past four years, Wang Xifeng has not managed the affairs of the mansion. You don't have to be exhausted by the things in the house.
In the past few years, she and Jia Lian have been secretly busy with the business of the winery, earning a lot of money.This is much more lucrative than managing the mansion.
Since they didn't manage the affairs of the mansion, the life of the husband and wife has become much more comfortable.If possible, they really want to move out of the mansion.
"Just do it." Jia Lian also didn't want to manage these messy things in the mansion. Not only was it thankless, but it was also a waste of money.
In another place, Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai were talking about Lin Huaiyu.
"Lin Huaiyu will take the imperial examination next year. If he takes the imperial examination and palace examination in the capital in four years, if he succeeds in the examination, he may be married by the emperor."
Xue Baochai was reading a book, and when she heard Aunt Xue's words, she stopped turning the pages in her hands, and looked up at her mother in surprise: "Mother, you said Mr. Lin will take the imperial examination next year?"
"Yes, what Lian Er said, I can't be wrong." Seeing her daughter's surprised appearance, Aunt Xue raised her eyebrows slightly, "Lin Daiyu didn't tell you about this."
"No, she didn't tell us." Xue Baochai frowned slightly, "Besides, she hasn't written to Rongguo Mansion for a long time." Write letters, but in the second year, Xiao Daiyu only wrote a letter every two or three months.In the past two years, Xiao Daiyu basically only wrote a letter in the first half of the year.So far this year, Xiao Daiyu has only written one letter.
"I thought Lin Huaiyu would take the imperial examination in a few years, but I didn't expect to take the exam next year." Aunt Xue's face was a little ugly, "Lian Er said that Lin Huaiyu was very famous in Yangzhou, and many matchmakers went to Lin's mansion to talk about matchmaking, but Lin Ruhai I didn't agree, I'm afraid I have to wait for Lin Huaiyu to take the exam, and maybe I will be married by then, so what should you do?"
Xue Baochai felt a little flustered at this moment, and didn't know what to do for a while.
"Mother, let me think about it."
"Oh, if we knew this, we might as well move back to Jinling, the closest to Yangzhou." Aunt Xue said with a sad face, "It is impossible for us to move back to Jinling now. Also, your aunt..."
Xue Baochai took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Mother, I will not marry Baoyu."
Aunt Xue said: "I don't want you to marry Baoyu either, Baoyu is not good enough for you."
Today, 12-year-old Jia Baoyu is still the same as before, eating the lipstick on the lips and blush on the face of the maids all day long.I only know how to eat, drink and have fun all day long. I don't learn the rules and etiquette, I don't study hard, and I don't make any progress at all.
Originally thought that Jia Baoyu would become sensible when he grew up, learn the rules and etiquette, and study hard to prepare for the exam, but he didn't change at all.
Two years ago, when Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang saw that Jia Baoyu was still ignorant and did not learn well, they became anxious. They told Jia's mother that they would strictly teach Jia Baoyu to learn the rules and study. Jia's mother agreed, but as long as Jia Baoyu complained, Jia's mother immediately felt distressed and refused to let him continue to learn, which led to Jia Baoyu still not learning anything for several years.
Seeing that Jia Baoyu was so ineffective, Jia Zheng completely gave up on his son and left him alone.He disciplined Jia Baoyu very strictly in the past two years, and made Jia's mother unhappy. Jia's mother lost her temper and said that she would take Jia Baoyu back to Jinling.
As a son, it's not good for Jia Zheng to be against Jia's mother all the time, otherwise he will be called unfilial by Jia's mother.He was very disappointed with Jiamu and Jia Baoyu in his heart, and he didn't bother to care about them anymore.
Mrs. Wang was angry, but as a daughter-in-law, she couldn't say anything about Jia's mother. She could only watch her son grow up year by year, but he never made any progress.
With a bang, Mrs. Wang grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it hard on the ground.
Fragments of the teacup splashed to the feet of Zhou Rui's family. Seeing Mrs. Wang's gloomy face, her heart tightened, and she said cautiously, "Madam, calm down..."
"Calm down?" Mrs. Wang raised her hand and patted the table on the couch vigorously, "I'm about to die of anger."
Zhou Rui's family knew what Mrs. Wang was angry about, "Madam, you have to pay attention to your body, don't get angry."
"I think I'm going to die." Mrs. Wang felt angry, unwilling and jealous when she thought that Lin Huaiyu would take the imperial examination next year, and her son would behave mischievously all day long. Get pissed off."
"Ma'am, it's nothing for Second Master Bao to take the imperial examination if he doesn't study." Zhou Rui's family said cautiously, "With a concubine in the palace, Second Master Bao will be safe all his life. Why do you force Second Master Bao to go to study and take the imperial examination?"
"Don't you know what's going on in our family?" Mrs. Wang said with a sullen face, her tone full of anger, "If Baoyu doesn't study hard to get a good name, Lin Huaiyu will step on her feet for the rest of her life."
Mrs. Wang has always been jealous of Jia Min. She does not allow her son to be worse than Jia Min's son, and she does not allow her son to be trampled under by Jia Min's son.
"Madam, you have a concubine." Zhou Rui's family persuaded, "with a concubine, Second Master Bao will definitely be able to enter the court as an official in the future. Besides, with the support of the concubine, Second Master Bao will definitely be more promising than Young Master Lin in the future."
"Yuanchun has no children." Madam Wang sighed at this point, "If you don't have children, you have no real power. Otherwise, why would the master still be Yuanwailang?"
"Maybe in a few years, the empress will give birth to the little prince."
"We have found many remedies for Yuanchun in the past few years, but there is still no good news for Yuanchun." The daughter has been concubine for more than four years, but she has not been pregnant for a long time, and Mrs. Wang is very worried.Not asking for a prince, even giving birth to a princess is good. "If Yuanchun does not give birth to a prince or princess, her position will not be stable."
"Ma'am, I'm going to look for a folk prescription again, but I won't be able to find it."
"I hope." In the past few years, Mrs. Wang has not only given Jia Yuanchun home remedies to have a child, but also prayed to gods and Buddhas everywhere.She also specially asked Jia Yuanchun for a statue of Avalokitesvara in the Guanyin Temple. Jia Yuanchun enshrined it in her palace and would offer incense on the first and fifteenth day of every month. She was very devout, but it was useless. "No, I have to write a letter to my mother and ask my mother to arrange a husband for Baoyu."
"Ma'am, didn't your mother send a husband to teach Second Master Bao before?" Zhou Rui's family said, "The old lady thought the husband was too strict, so she drove him away."
"This time, Madam, please arrange for a good gentleman to teach Baoyu."
Seeing that Mrs. Wang insisted on doing this, Zhou Rui's family couldn't persuade her anymore, otherwise she would make his wife angry.
Here, Mrs. Wang is annoyed by Jia Baoyu's reading.Over there, Lin Huaiyu was brushing up questions.
It is good to have a father who is an official, that is, it is easy to get the test papers of the imperial examinations in previous years.
Although the children's examination is the easiest of all the imperial examinations, Lin Huaiyu did not dare to take it lightly, and took the attitude towards the college entrance examination to deal with it.
First of all, take the county exam. Lin Ruhai found all the county exam questions for the past ten years for Lin Huaiyu.
The ancient imperial examinations are also different from the modern college entrance examinations.The modern college entrance examination is divided into national papers and provincial papers, while the ancient imperial examinations are unified across the country, and there are no private questions from various regions.
All the examination papers of the imperial examinations are written by several important ministers in the court, but the scope of the questions written by the ministers is different.For example, Song Xiuwen, as a cabinet bachelor, he is responsible for publishing the test papers for the general examination and palace examination.Sometimes Ye Wenfu is in charge of the test papers for the country test.
The ministers who write the questions for the imperial examinations are different every year, and the ministers are selected in turn.Four years ago, Song Xiuwen was in charge of issuing the test papers for the general and palace examinations, so the next time the test papers for the general and palace examinations would have to be produced by someone else.
Since Lin Huaiyu decided to end up taking the imperial examination, Song Xiuwen and Ye Wenfu who were far away in the capital specially gave him the test paper.The two of them often produce papers and know the scope of the imperial examination very well. It is too easy for them to produce papers for Lin Huaiyu.
The test papers given by Song Xiuwen and Ye Wenfu were very difficult, even more difficult than the annual county examination papers.When Lin Huaiyu received the test paper, she always felt that it was not the test paper of the county test but the test paper of the county test or the general test.
Lin Huaiyu first brushed the county examination papers for the past ten years, and he did very well, otherwise Mr. Lu and Lin Ruhai would not let him take the imperial examination next year.However, Lin Huaiyu did so well in the test papers sent by Song Xiuwen and Ye Wenfu, so he was severely scolded by Ye Wenfu.
Ye Wenfu wrote a thick letter, in which he scolded Lin Huaiyu bloody.To sum up the content is, you kid can't even pass the test papers given by me and Lao Song, so what face do you have to take the imperial examination next year.Didn't you study hard after you returned to Yangzhou? If you don't pass the exam next year, don't say you are my student.
Lin Huaiyu could only hold her nose and be scolded obediently, but she couldn't justify herself.Obviously it was Ye Wenfu that the test papers they gave were difficult, but he couldn't say.
After Jia Lian left Yangzhou, he received another test paper from Ye Wenfu and the others, which was more difficult than the previous test paper.
"Father, do Uncle Ye and Uncle Song think highly of me?" Lin Huaiyu saw the test paper Ye Wenfu and the others sent, and the corners of his mouth twitched, "The first test I will take next year is the county test, and the two of them sent it to me. What are the test papers for the palace test?" Ye Wenfu said that the test papers they sent were of the difficulty of the palace test.
To use an analogy, the county examination is like the entrance examination from elementary school to junior high school. Of course, the actual difficulty is much more difficult than the modern examination from elementary school to junior high school.The rural examination is the difficulty of the high school entrance examination, the general examination is the difficulty of the college entrance examination, and the palace examination is the difficulty of the postgraduate entrance examination.
He was going to take the entrance exam for elementary school and junior high school, but Uncle Ye and the others sent him the test paper for the postgraduate entrance examination directly. This... thinks highly of him!
Lin Ruhai also felt that Ye Wenfu and the others were exaggerating, "Don't bother with them."
"I don't want to answer, but Uncle Ye wants me to send back the completed test questions, I..." Lin Huaiyu was extremely helpless.
"Don't worry about them, you still continue to do the county examination questions from previous years."
Lin Huaiyu decided to listen to his father, but as for Uncle Ye and the others, they stopped talking for now.
For the county test, Lin Huaiyu is still very confident.However, he has little confidence that he will win the test.It is said that there are a lot of candidates taking the county examination this year, and many of them are very famous.He still shouldn't set too high a goal for himself, just pass the county test, and don't even think about getting the number one in the exam.
Although Lin Huaiyu was very confident in passing the county examination, he still did not relax in his study on weekdays. On the contrary, he worked harder than usual. Even during the Chinese New Year, he did not relax at all, reading and studying until late every night.
After the Lantern Festival, Lin Huaiyu became more diligent.Once the Lantern Festival is over, there are not many days left before the county test.
The eighth day of February is the day of the county examination. On the seventh day of February, the atmosphere in Yangzhou City is very serious.