Chapter 179

Chapter 179

After the Top Scholar banquet, Wang Ying planned to take the whole family back to their hometown for a visit.

The court had granted a four-month leave for family visits and settling affairs. Chen Qingyan could only officially begin his duties at the Hanlin Academy after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Now, Chen Qingyan held an official position—a seventh-rank Hanlin Compiler. Don't underestimate this role; the Hanlin Academy was a talent pool, and officials usually didn’t stay long, typically getting promoted or transferred after about three years.

As long as he didn’t make any major mistakes, his official career path was essentially secure.

Before leaving the capital, Lord Liu Yaozhi had specifically sought him out for a conversation, primarily to discuss his future direction.

Chen Qingyan had no foundation or backing, making it difficult to gain a foothold in court, so he sought Lord Liu’s advice.

After all, the two families were related by marriage, making their bond closer than most.

Liu Yaozhi offered a few pointers: "If you wish for a steady, uneventful career as a capital official, look for vacancies in the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Works after three years. Of course, promotion will be incredibly slow—it’s all about accumulating seniority. You’ll have to wait until those above you move on or pass away before you can slowly climb up."

"If you don’t want to waste your talent and wish to make a significant impact, I’d recommend the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel. However, establishing yourself in these ministries depends entirely on your abilities. One wrong move could mean demotion or exile."

As for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice, Lord Liu didn’t mention them. These weren't places one could enter based solely on ability; connections and backing were essential.

Chen Qingyan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I need to discuss this with my husband before deciding. Thank you for your guidance, Uncle."

"Don’t mention it. Both you and Qing Huai are promising. I believe you’ll achieve great things in court in the future."

Upon returning, Chen Qingyan discussed the matter with Wang Ying. "Where do you think I should go in the future?"

"Need you ask? Of course, the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel. But it’s still too early to say. Let’s discuss it again after we’ve settled in the capital."

After three or four days of preparation, the Chen family set off in three carriages straight for their hometown—Longquan County, Qingshui Town!

*

This return was a triumphant homecoming. After a long journey of over half a month, they finally arrived in Longquan County.

It had been over a year since their last visit. The county hadn’t changed much—the same weathered city gate tower and familiar guards.

They gave the guards a string of coins upon entering the city, and without much inspection, they were let in. Chen Rong and the others hadn’t known they were coming.

Wang Ying said, "Showing up suddenly will surely give Third Aunt a pleasant surprise."

Li Shi couldn’t help but smile. "They left the prefectural city just a few months ago, and now we’re back again."

A "Whoa!" sounded from the front as the carriage stopped at the Cao family’s doorstep.

Er Shun got off and knocked on the door. Soon, Lin Qiu’s voice came from the yard, "Who is it?"

"Cousin, it’s us. We’re back."

Hearing the address, Lin Qiu knew it was his aunt’s family and quickly called out, "Mom, Aunt and the others are back!"

Inside, Chen Rong was weaving. Hearing the call, she put down her shuttle and hurried out. Seeing the whole family getting off the carriage, she clapped her thighs in delight.

"Finally, you’re back! I heard our Qing Yan topped the imperial exams. Is it true?"

Li Shi laughed. "It’s true. I didn’t expect the news to travel so fast."

The porters from the Porter Guild often traveled to the prefectural city, so they were well-informed. The news had reached the county as early as the Top Scholar banquet.

Chen Qingyan and Chen Qingsong got off the carriage behind. "Third Aunt."

"Oh, my dear nephew! Our Chen family ancestors must be overjoyed. I never thought we’d have a Top Scholar in the family!"

Lin Sui, holding Qing Er, also got off the carriage. "Mom."

"Did you bring my sweet girl too?"

Little Qing Er still remembered Chen Rong and called out in a soft voice, "Grandmother…"

Chen Rong was stunned. "This child… this child can talk?!"

Lin Sui smiled and nodded. "It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later."

"Come inside, everyone, hurry in!"

The whole family crowded into the yard, the dog at the door barking along.

Wang Ying recognized it at once. "Is this the Wangwang we brought from home back then?"

Lin Qiu said, "Yes, he’s very obedient and guards the house well. Xiaomai, come out and see who’s here."

Xiaomai ran out of the house and, seeing Yuanbao and Qing Er, cheered, "Brother Yuanbao! Sister Qing Er!"

The three children jumped around together, overjoyed.

The adults went inside. Lin Qiu took some money to reserve seats at a restaurant—it was too inconvenient to cook for so many people at home. He also went to the Porter Guild to call Cao Kun home.

Li Shi and Chen Rong sat on the heated bed. Having not seen each other for so long, they had much to talk about and chatted about daily life.

Lin Sui, holding Second Baby, doted on him. The little one was almost one year old, with four teeth, chubby, and could already walk holding onto the edge of the heated bed. He wasn’t afraid of strangers, staring curiously with wide eyes.

"Second Baby looks more and more like his father."

Chen Rong laughed. "Absolutely! When he was little, he looked more like Lin Qiu, but as he grows, he resembles the Cao family more. This little guy has a big appetite—he can eat a bowl of millet rice and two eggs in one meal."

Wang Ying exclaimed, "That’s really a lot! Yuanbao only eats half a bowl per meal now."

A child’s appetite is a blessing. With poor medical conditions in ancient times, children were prone to early death, so a strong, chubby grandson was every grandmother’s treasure.

After catching up for a while, Chen Rong couldn’t help but ask, "How are things with the Marquis? The wedding was originally planned for June, but it can’t happen now."

At the mention of Li Mu, Lin Sui’s smile faded. "I don’t know. I heard the border battles are fierce. It might be a while before he returns."

Chen Rong worried, "Swords and spears have no eyes. I hope he doesn’t get hurt."

Lin Sui nodded, her feelings complicated. She didn’t dare tell her mother about Wuping Marquis’s death in battle—her mother was already old and didn’t need to worry about her.

Wang Ying quickly changed the subject. "Qing Yan topped the exams and was retained by the emperor to serve as an official in the capital. After we build an ancestral hall in our hometown, we’ll head to the capital."

Chen Rong sighed again. "This child has been clever since he was little. When he was three, his father taught him the Thousand-Character Classic, and he could recite it after just a few repetitions. I joked with his father back then that our Chen family would produce a Top Scholar someday, and it actually came true!"

Chen’s father had only studied for two years. At that time, the family’s circumstances were modest, and with his grandfather in poor health, he had to drop out early to take over the family business. His younger brothers, Chen Biao and Chen Jing, both studied.

Chen Biao also earned the title of Student Scholar but didn’t wish to continue his studies. Chen Jing passed the imperial exams and became an official.

Wang Ying thought to himself: It seems the Chen family has a scholarly gene. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have produced so many scholars in a row.

"How did Qing Huai do? I never asked about him. How have they been since returning to Shan Zhou?"

Chen Qingyan said, "Second younger brother ranked seventh in the second class and also entered the Hanlin Academy as a Shujishi. They’ve been well since returning to Shan Zhou, though the frequent border conflicts have affected them somewhat since Shan Zhou borders the area. He mentioned that Fourth Uncle has already sent many people to support the border."

Chen Rong said, holding her chest, "You say it started for no reason? Lately, many outsiders have come to our county—all refugees fleeing the border. They’ve been renting or buying houses here, and housing prices have risen because of it."

Li Shi added, "Speaking of which, A Ying recently bought a few properties in the prefectural city. Coincidentally, when those refugees arrived, A Ying rented the houses out to them and made quite a profit."

"Our Wang Ying is the most clever—he knows how to earn money and manage the household. Without him, this family would have fallen apart long ago!"

Wang Ying’s ears turned red from the praise. "Third Aunt, you’re exaggerating. It’s just when both sides treat each other well—you treat me well, and I’m happy to do the same for you."

Just then, Cao Kun and Lin Qiu returned from outside. After months apart, Cao Kun had started growing a beard, making him look several years older.

"Big cousin, cousin, sister-in-law, aunt," he greeted each in turn before pulling Chen Qingyan aside. "I heard you passed the top exam?"

Chen Qingyan nodded.

"Incredible! You’re the first zhuangyuan from our county. I expect the county magistrate will send someone over soon." Earlier, the magistrate had asked Cao Kun to notify him immediately when Chen Qingyan returned, so as not to neglect the zhuangyuan.

Chen Qingyan was happy to share the honor with his relatives. "Good, I’ll meet with the magistrate when he arrives."

In terms of official rank, he was now equal to the county magistrate—both seventh-rank officials. However, a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy was far more prestigious. The magistrate might never advance to the capital in his lifetime, whereas Chen Qingyan had secured a position there right after the exams.

As the saying goes, some spend their whole lives striving to reach Rome, while others are born there.

After chatting for a while, Lin Qiu suggested, "Let’s go eat first. After the meal, you can rest properly. You must be exhausted from the long journey."

"Yes, yes, let’s eat," Chen Rong agreed, picking up her young grandson. The group locked the gate and headed to a restaurant in town.

Their usual restaurant had closed, so they went to a newly opened one instead. The owner was a friend of Cao Kun’s, and the manager greeted them warmly as soon as they entered.

"Brother Cao, I’ve reserved a large private room upstairs for you. The food is all prepared."

Cao Kun whispered a few words to him, and the man’s eyes widened in surprise. "Let me bring you a jar of our finest aged wine!"

Upstairs, everyone took their seats. After a few rounds of drinks, Cao Kun asked Wang Ying, "Sister-in-law, you’ve been doing business in the prefectural city these past few years. I’d like to ask about shop rental prices there."

Wang Ying replied, "Shop rents haven’t risen much recently. Are you thinking of expanding to the prefectural city?"

"That’s the idea. The Porter Guild has already developed to its peak in this county—we’ve taken on almost all the local work. To grow further, we’ll need to look toward the prefectural city."

In truth, Cao Kun had long considered expanding to the prefectural city. He was quick-witted, but he had hesitated earlier, not wanting to burden his aunt’s family before they were firmly settled there.

Now, with his cousin becoming the zhuangyuan, his younger cousin marrying into an official family, and his own brother engaged to a marquis, expanding to the prefectural city seemed more feasible.

Wang Ying said, "Expanding to the prefectural city is a good idea, but there are already several porter guilds there. It might be challenging to attract business at first."

"That’s a minor issue," Cao Kun replied. In his line of work, reputation was built through hard work.

Wang Ying thought it over carefully. "If you’re serious about it, I’ll help you look into it when I return. The guild’s location doesn’t need to be too prominent—a shop on Zhenghe Street would suffice. There are many merchants there, making it convenient for finding work."

Cao Kun said gratefully, "Then I'll trouble sister-in-law!"

"We’re family—no need for formalities. Besides, I and Qing Yan will be leaving for the capital soon. If you come to the prefectural city, you can help look after my mother and Qing Song in the prefectural city."