novelraw Chapter 633: The Antagonist Cannon Fodder in the Imperial Examination Story 17
Chapter 633: The Antagonist Cannon Fodder in the Imperial Examination Story 17
Could it be that Third Young Master He's interest was simply a thirst for knowledge?
An Ning, who had faced her dear mother, Lady Lin, countless times, couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
Forget it, it was her fault for understanding too much.
Facing her eldest sister's extremely suspicious yet utterly clear and innocent gaze, An Ning couldn't help but reflect on herself.
Not far away, the eleven-year-old Xuan Yu quietly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Seeing Shou’an Hall right in front of them, the three sisters finally stopped their chatting and laughter, their demeanor becoming dignified and proper.
Inside the hall, the Liang family's Sister-in-law, Lady Jiang, had already been waiting there for some time, sitting slightly behind and to the side of Madam Wu. Seeing her sisters-in-law arrive, a smile quickly appeared in her eyes.
Who wouldn't like a sister-in-law who was lively, charming, and didn't cause trouble!
Although she hadn't been married into the family for long, the county town was only so big, and Lady Jiang had come to understand the temperaments of her several sisters-in-law to some extent.
The Eldest Miss was straightforward and carefree, lively and active. The Second Miss was clever and perceptive; it was said that in her studies, even playing around every day, she was much more brilliant than that little uncle who had become a certified student at a young age.In comparison, the youngest Third Miss, although her personality was a bit weaker, was also the most diligent and hardworking. She spent most of her time every day reading and practicing calligraphy, and just the lamp oil she used each month cost quite a bit.
It was said that earlier, because of writing materials, she had even had a period of conflict with Concubine Wang.
In recent years, that concubine had also reduced the amount she sent to subsidize her maternal family.
Putting herself in their shoes, Lady Jiang naturally appreciated such diligence and eagerness to learn.
Similarly, An Ning and the others also had a good impression of this gentle, magnanimous, and scholarly elder sister-in-law before them.
These past two years, the family had been busy with their younger brother's imperial examinations, so Eldest Brother Liang's marriage had naturally been postponed a bit.
Of course, the most important thing was that he had truly witnessed the gap in intelligence between himself and his younger siblings. Compared to him and his eldest sister, who had six out of seven apertures for learning opened (meaning they were quite clueless), his second brother and second sister were simply... something else.
They were full siblings, yet the gap separating them in the middle was probably wider and bigger than a city moat.
Especially Second Sister, who had almost completely inherited Concubine Lin's intelligence.
Eldest Brother Liang... Eldest Brother Liang couldn't help but cry tears of envy.
He himself was hopeless, but even for the sake of his future sons and daughters, he had to marry a smart person who was good at studying.
And so, Lady Jiang stood out.
Eldest Sister-in-law Liang's original name was Jiang Yuewei; just hearing the name, one knew she was a girl from a scholarly family. Her father had even passed the provincial exams and become a provincial graduate before he was thirty, a rare Master Juren in the county.
Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. Not long after he passed the exams, a serious illness took Juren Jiang early, leaving an orphan and a weak mother to rely on each other.
Fortunately, he was, after all, a Master Juren. Even though he was gone, there were still Xiucai scholars who had received his kindness before. Miss Jiang herself was even more impressive; at a young age, she managed the few remaining fields and shops flawlessly.
On top of that, in the gaps between her studies, she still found time to organize the writings and notes her father left behind.
In short, Miss Jiang's scholarly aura and intelligent mind almost instantly struck Eldest Brother Liang right in the heart!
Regarding this, Father Liang and Madam Wu had no intention of objecting either.
Since the second son was destined to walk the path of imperial examinations, the family would have ready-made resources in the future. Compared to starting from scratch, any child of the eldest son, if they had even a bit of talent, would find it much easier to take this path.
Besides, Miss Jiang was indeed intelligent and reasonable.
Well, the important thing was that among the several children in the family, the gap in talent was... a *tiny bit* large.
But grandchildren having prospects always makes the elders happy.
After the whole family chatted happily for a while, and the sisters received a wave of beautiful jewelry, An Ning and her sisters finally left together, arm in arm.
In early August, when the He family once again brought their son to visit, Shu Yu's marriage was quickly settled.
As the wedding day approached, even someone as carefree as Liang Eldest Miss felt quite reluctant in her heart. These days, the sisters spent even more time together.
This daily dose of sticky, affectionate behavior even made Liang Jing, who had just returned from the prefectural school and had visibly matured quite a bit, shiver uncontrollably. He couldn't help but come over and say with a sour tone:
"It's been so long, doesn't Second Sister miss her brother at all?"
Speaking of which, the two siblings were born of the same mother, with only a few moments separating their birth times. This was the first time they had been apart for so long.
An Ning's gaze subconsciously paused on him for a few extra seconds. Thanks to the long-standing authority of his younger sister, Little Liang Jing instantly straightened his back.
Hmm, taller, and the whole person looked much more open and bright.
In the morning light, the young man before her had a tall, slender build, wearing a sapphire-blue plain brocade robe with plum blossoms and a straight collar, a green jade pendant hanging at his waist. His skin was as white as snow, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his features naturally carrying seven parts of handsome elegance.
Truly worthy of two-thirds of a Beauty Pill!
A moment later, An Ning couldn't help but chuckle:
"Looking at Second Brother's appearance, it doesn't seem like you went to suffer hardships!"
Hearing this, his own sister didn't even feel sorry for him. Sitting down to the side as if in a huff, Liang Jing couldn't help but grin.
In this dynasty, certified students had the opportunity to directly enter the prefectural school, but for him, his mother and younger sister were more reliable. Thinking of the massive pile of notes his mother had helped him organize before he left...
The little tail that Little Liang Jing had just begun to perk up because of being a young certified student instantly drooped.
Especially his own sister, who understood those things as easily as breathing.
Sigh, darn it!
But his mother and sister also had a point. The Liang family, after all, came from a merchant background. Without resources, no matter how hard they tried over the years, they couldn't compare to the rich collections of those scholarly families.
Leaving other things aside, just the collection of books in the prefectural school was enough to benefit him immensely.
This time when he returned, he had specifically memorized and copied quite a few to bring back!
Mother and sister definitely hadn't seen these!
Boldly ruffling his younger sister's round little head, feeling he had scored a point, Little Liang Jing became much more pleased with himself.
However, a moment later, watching as both his mother and sister, without needing a teacher's explanation or seeking guidance, still had no trouble with these obscure and abstruse books...
His sister was one thing, but his mother...
For a moment, Liang Jing almost suspected his mother had read these long ago, even having lecture notes for them.
But how could that be possible? What were their family's circumstances!
Liang Jing: "..."
Forget it, forget it.
Is this the difference between geniuses and mere mortals?
Fortunately, there were plenty of people outside with worse aptitude than him, like his future brother-in-law, Third He, with that level of effort...
Forget it, he was actually still one of the lucky ones.
The mother and daughters read like this for the whole evening. Before leaving, Liang Jing suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead, and said with great enthusiasm:
"Oh right, Mother, and little sister, I forgot to tell you, I just met a classmate who's also really smart, just like little sister, with an amazing memory!"