Chapter 62

Chapter 62

The Yun family maintained a strict generational naming system for all children, whether boys, girls, or "ge'er" (a third gender in this setting, often translated as "sons" but distinct from biological males).

For Yun Changxie’s generation, boys were part of the "Chang" (长) generation, whereas girls and sons were part of the "An" (安) generation.

For the next generation, boys belonged to the "Yu" (玉) generation, while girls and daughters were part of the "Ting" (亭) generation.

Upon returning from the main household, Yun Changxie began the task of naming his child. The first character was already set, making the second character relatively straightforward to choose.

He had procrastinated primarily because he found naming challenging. Moreover, as this was his first child, he felt that no matter what name he chose, it wouldn't quite live up to his child's worth.

After much deliberation, Yun Changxie finally penned several options:

Yun Tingxue, Yun Tingyue, Yun Tinglou, Yun Tinghe—each quite beautiful.

While the meanings weren't necessarily profound, the imagery evoked by these names was strikingly poetic, capable of conjuring a vivid, beautiful scene.

As for why the names sounded somewhat masculine—

In Yun Changxie’s eyes, there was little practical difference between a ge'er and a boy.

Besides, a good name didn't necessarily have to be delicate. In that ancient feudal society, he didn't wish for his ge'er to grow up overly soft.

He hoped his child would be strong, brave, and kind, yet also sufficiently independent and powerful.

After discussing with Su Qingruo, they ultimately settled on the name Yun Tinglou for their child.

Su Qingruo jotted down on a piece of paper: "We can save the other names for future children."

Yun Changxie looked at him with amusement. "Are you already planning for another ge'er or daughter?"

All the names Yun Changxie had chosen belonged to the "Ting" generation, intended for girls or ge'er. If Su Qingruo wanted to use them, they would indeed need to have another ge'er or daughter in the future.

Furthermore, Yun Changxie had initially thought one child would suffice.

In his view, quality parenting for one child was far superior to merely having many.

With too many children, parents would inevitably struggle to provide adequate care and attention to each.

Just like Yun Changxie himself, who found it challenging to care for even one child, leading to a less intimate relationship with his ge'er.

If they had too many children, and Yun Changxie, as a father, was often busy with official duties, the time he could spend with them would be even more limited.

In such cases, children might suffer from a lack of paternal affection, or his love might be unevenly distributed, potentially causing issues among siblings.

In multi-child families, no matter how diligently parents tried to be fair, true equality became impossible once the number of children increased.

Well-behaved and sensible children often received less attention than those who were lively or willful. Children who cried and made a fuss invariably drew more parental concern and care.

But Su Qingruo held a different view. Firstly, he came from a large family and believed that having more children would foster mutual support in the future.

Secondly, his recent childbirth had been remarkably easy, making him feel that bearing children was not difficult for him. Given this ease, he felt it would be a shame not to have more.

In truth, most women and ge'er, when married to someone they loved, were happy to bear more children for their beloved.

In later eras, many women became unwilling to bear children—not because they had grown selfish, but because they couldn't find someone they truly loved.

Some men had become overly shrewd; not only were they unwilling to spend money, but they even began to scheme for women's wealth.

Under such circumstances, women in later generations became increasingly reluctant—and afraid—to have children.

Of course, issues between men and women were only a small part of the problem. The larger issue was the deteriorating social environment.

Environmental pollution, employment challenges, human trafficking, societal pressures, and more.

The harsher the environment, the more hesitant people became about raising children.

They feared that the children they cherished and nurtured with all their hearts might one day be treated as mere resources by the wealthy and powerful.

Their beloved children, whom they couldn't even bear to scold at home, might be dragged into slaughterhouses and cruelly exploited.

…

Su Qingruo was not from the future, and Yun Changxie had always protected him well.

With the Yun family as their powerful backing, and Yun Changxie's future as an official, there was no need to fear their children being bullied.

And with a capable, handsome husband, Su Qingruo was naturally willing to have more children.

As for whether to have a second child, Yun Changxie didn't press the topic with Su Qingruo. Their eldest was still very young; even if they decided to have another, it would be years away.

By then, Su Qingruo might no longer desire more children as he aged.

After naming their first child, the couple waited two or three days before bringing the baby to the main household to have the name recorded in the Yun Family Tree by the elder uncle.

Yun Tinglou, as Yun Changxie’s legitimate ge'er, was eligible to be included in the Yun family's ancestral registry.

While registering his child, Yun Changxie also took the opportunity to ask his elder uncle to add Su Qingruo’s name to the family tree.

Though Su Qingruo came from a humble background, he was Yun Changxie’s lawfully wedded spouse and had now borne him a child. It was only right that Su Qingruo also be recognized in the Yun family registry.

The elder uncle did not make things difficult for Yun Changxie regarding this matter.

Seeing this, Yun Changxie did not press his luck. He planned to wait until he passed the imperial examination and secured an official position before finding a way to also include Liu Shi in the Yun Family Tree.

Yun Changxie's insistence on having them registered in the family tree had its reasons.

In ancient times, only those listed in the family registry were recognized as full members of the clan.

Even if Yun Changxie were to die one day, as long as they were in the Yun Family Tree, no one would dare to mistreat the widowed spouse and fatherless child.

Regardless of their personal feelings toward Yun Changxie, the Yun family members would still be obligated to care for them out of familial duty.

This was their protection—and the dignity Yun Changxie wished to bestow upon them.

After the names were officially added and ancestor worship was performed, the couple stayed for lunch at the main household before returning home with their child.

From then on, Yun Changxie diligently resumed his studies, preparing for the upcoming palace examination.

During this period, one of Yun Changxie’s tutors personally visited him, bringing with him a collection of past palace examination papers from previous years.

Yun Changxie spent a considerable amount of time working through all these exam papers.

Unfortunately, time was too short; otherwise, he would have liked to go to the academy and have his tutors review them.

Soon, the palace examination arrived.

Unlike the previous imperial examinations, the palace exam was almost guaranteed to pass, provided no major mistakes were made.

The only difference lay in whether one would rank in the first, second, or third tier.

The palace examination lasted only one day, but candidates had to enter the palace several days in advance to learn proper etiquette, to avoid offending the emperor during the exam.

The palace also provided them with uniform attire, including preparations for the subsequent ranking ceremony.

On the morning of the palace examination, they had to wait outside the palace gates from early dawn.

While outside, they could still speak in hushed tones, but once inside the palace gates, no one was allowed to speak.

The entire atmosphere was quite oppressive and difficult to endure.

No speaking, no looking around, and no loud footsteps were permitted.

Two to three hundred people moving in near-total silence was, frankly, quite eerie.

When they finally entered the grand hall, the emperor was not present—it was said he would arrive around noon.

Yun Changxie didn’t pay it much mind. Finding his assigned seat, he began preparing his ink at a relaxed pace.

By the time he finished grinding the ink, the palace examination officially commenced.

The exam lasted only one day, and the number of questions wasn't overwhelming.

It mainly consisted of two "tie jing" (fill-in-the-blanks from classics), one "mo yi" (explanation of classical texts), one poem, one "ce wen" (policy question), and one legal question.

Having gone through so many previous exams, Yun Changxie had long since honed his speed in answering questions.

He could now write quickly while maintaining neat and legible handwriting.

While Yun Changxie and the other candidates were completely absorbed in their papers, heads bowed in concentration, His Imperial Majesty finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

The emperor of Great Zhou was a middle-aged man nearing fifty.

He was quite handsome, though his gaze seemed slightly unfocused—likely due to age-related farsightedness.

As one aged, farsightedness was common.

And without reading glasses in ancient times, farsightedness was indeed quite troublesome.

Yun Changxie’s seat was near the entrance of the hall. As the emperor passed by, he paused briefly, his gaze seeming to linger on Yun Changxie for a moment.

Indeed, the emperor had noticed Yun Changxie, who stood out sharply among the older candidates like a crane among chickens.

Moreover, he bore a strong resemblance to Yun Changyu, the emperor’s trusted confidant, with whom the emperor was quite familiar.

At the sudden sight of Yun Changxie, the emperor nearly mistook him for a younger Yun Changyu.

How time flew—more than a decade had passed.

Yun Changyu was no longer the spirited top scholar of his youth, and the emperor was no longer in the prime of his life.