Chapter 28: Palace Examination (3rd Update)

After having enough wine and food, the servants helped Mei Hanlin back to his room to rest.

Although Feng Zhu accompanied him from beginning to end, the maids were responsible for persuading him to drink. He drank only a dozen cups from beginning to end. At this moment, he could still sit on the recliner, enjoying the service of the maids while listening to the report of Ji Guanshi.

"If you say so, there is no one useful among these scholars today?" Feng Zhu turned around and patted his back, signaling the maid to increase the force.

"Master, two hundred taels can make them smile. Such a person, what great responsibility can he take." Ji Changgui stood aside.

"What's wrong with liking money. There are so many people who love money in the world. It's a pity that they can't grasp the sentence: get it in a proper way. Is that what you say?"

"Master is knowledgeable."

Feng Zhu snorted lightly. As the chief steward in the mansion, Ji Changgui was very trusted by him. Even if he made some stupid mistakes occasionally, he didn't care. After all, money can't buy loyalty, but money plus sincerity can make everything go smoothly.

"What's the matter with that seven or eight-year-old kid? What do you think of him?"

"He is the first in Taixing County, named Chen Heng. Because he is young, he said he can't drink, so I didn't persuade him. He ate very little at the banquet and didn't talk much." Ji Changgui began to recall Chen Heng's behavior tonight, "Forgive me for my poor eyesight and not seeing anything."

"You saw something." Feng Zhu laughed, thinking that he was just a child, so he didn't take it seriously. The topic of the two returned to how to entertain Mei Hanlin tomorrow.

"Master, is it really necessary to treat him like this? If this old man had someone in the court, he wouldn't have ended up in Yangzhou as a schoolmaster."

"What do you know? There are many people in this world who can't accomplish anything. But if they are asked to do bad things, they often succeed." Feng Zhu shook his head and said with anticipation, "Think about it yourself. In the future, the Yangzhou Academy will gather talents from all over the state. Among them, how many people can Mei Hanlin teach to speak for us?"

"So that's how it is. I am demented and I understand the good intentions of the master."

Feng Zhu smiled. He had seen that Ji Changgui was intending to let him show off, but he was too lazy to point it out. He liked to see the servants trying to figure out his thoughts.

"Since Lin Ruhai has chosen Dingjun Mountain for us, let's perform the story of sleeping on straw and tasting gall this time. Let others see whose play is better."

Just as Ji Changgui was about to praise, a voice suddenly came from outside the door asking for an audience. After getting Feng Zhu's approval, the man ran in in small steps. Ji Changgui looked and saw that it was Steward Huang.

"What's the matter?"

"Master, a servant just reported to me that someone left a hundred taels on the scholar's table." Steward Huang took out the silver note from his sleeve.

"Left behind?" Feng Zhu asked suspiciously, and waved his hand to let Steward Huang keep it. He thought for a while, then smiled at the two of them, "It seems that someone can't tolerate our money."

"Master, do you want to investigate?" Steward Huang asked sternly.

"It's just a scholar who is more likely to cause trouble than to do good things. Can he ruin our business? There's no need to make trouble. Such a small character, don't even give him the opportunity to perform on the stage, let him go."

"Yes."

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On the way back, he still took a sedan chair.

As soon as Chen Heng returned to the inn, he saw Chen Qi who had been waiting outside the inn for who knows how long. When he saw his son, Chen Qi didn't care about much else. He rushed forward and hugged Chen Heng, staring at him fiercely in the night.

"It happened suddenly, and I made Dad worried." Chen Heng hurriedly apologized.

"It's okay, it's okay, the shopkeeper told me, but I was worried, so I waited at the door." Seeing that his son was safe and sound, Chen Qi finally let go of his worries after hanging for a long time.

God knows how nervous he was when he returned to the inn and found that Chen Heng was not there. Chen Qi once thought that he would be expelled from the family tree by Chen Gaishan.

Now at the door of the inn, it was inconvenient to say more. Chen Heng pulled Chen Qi, "Dad, come with me."

The father and son came all the way to the small courtyard in the inn and hid under the tree in the dim moonlight. Chen Heng took something out of his arms and handed it to Chen Qi.

Chen Qi took it and saw it in the moonlight. It turned out to be a hundred-liang silver note. He was so scared that he covered his mouth on the spot.

"Heng'er, aren't you going out for dinner?"

"The host over there said that the prefect ordered him to give it, and every county's case leader has one." Chen Heng grinned and whispered, "Dad, when we return home, you can give it to grandma and mom. My eldest sister will get married in a few years. You give mom forty taels.

The family's money has been spent on ourselves in the past two years, you give grandma another forty taels and let her keep it for my second sister and Shuangxi. You can save the remaining twenty taels for me. If there is any expense in the future, we will use this money first."

Seeing that his son had even arranged the use of the money, Chen Qi still worried: "Heng'er, tell me, is this money safe? If not, we will send it back."

"Don't worry, Dad. This is the prefect's intention. The salt merchant should not have the courage to pass on a false order. Since every case has it, we will be hated if we don't take it. If it spreads out, it will ruin the reputation of others and make ourselves perfect. What do you think, son, is it right?"

Chen Heng made a thorough analysis, and Chen Qi thought about it carefully and it was really the case. Everyone gets it based on their ability. You have to pretend to be noble and make yourself unique. Such people will be criticized even in Shanxi Village.

Now that his worries were put to rest, Chen Qi could not help but start to worry about how to keep the banknote. He finally found a way to wrap it up with cloth and keep it close to his body.

At night, when the two of them were squeezed in the big bunk bed, Chen Qi was still a little worried and held Chen Heng with his hand. The two father and son were close to each other, just sandwiching the hundred taels in the middle.

Chen Qi was a farmer who usually fell asleep, but at this moment he became a frightened bird. Chen Heng was so amused that he had to comfort him: "Dad, sleep peacefully. Our family will get better and better in the future."

Chen Qi groaned, and after a long time, he said: "Dad knows that with Heng'er here, our family will get better and better. Dad just feels that it's too fast. I didn't take good care of you when you grew up. You are already much better than Dad."

Chen Heng smiled strangely: "Then can you let go of your hand? I don't feel at ease sleeping like this."

"Sleeping like this will make Dad feel more at ease. You are a child, just make do with it and sleep."

"..."

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Five days later, it was the day for Chen Heng to take the prefectural exam. As usual, we had to get up and wash at dawn. After Chen Qi packed Chen Heng's luggage, he started to go to the Imperial Examination Hall.

Yes, the Imperial Examination Hall is the examination hall set up for the imperial examination. The scene is obviously a step up from Taixing County. The scholars who co-guaranteed Chen Heng this time were all from Taixing County, and the guarantor did not need to be changed. It was still the same as before.

But compared with the two taels of silver in Taixing County, the premium this time has increased to three taels. People don't know what to say for a while. I can only say that it is worthy of being Yangzhou City. Everything is more expensive.

PS: I wanted to continue writing about the prefectural examination, but thinking about this content, I decided to wait until I woke up after a good sleep and was in a better state to write.

PS2: Regarding the arrangement and character setting of Mei Hanlin, I think that a person who agrees to the marriage when the father of others is alive and the family is good, and regrets the marriage when they are down and out, is almost like this. I am quite satisfied with it personally.

Ask for some votes, I'm going to rest first. I'll check for typos tomorrow.