Chapter 193

Chapter 193

"The Master said: 'A gentleman seeks neither a full belly nor a comfortable home. He is quick in action and cautious in speech. He associates with men of virtue to be set right. Such a man may truly be called eager to learn.'"

The clear, resonant sound of reading aloud echoed from the Liu family study. The teacher recited each line, and the children, swaying their heads, repeated after him. After several repetitions, they were left to read on their own.

As noon approached, Yuanbao slung his father-made satchel over his shoulder, ready to head home.

"Chen Ze, Grandmother says you should stay for lunch," said Liu Yunxi, grandson of Lord Liu.

"I can't. My father said Third Uncle is coming these days, so I need to go back and wait for him."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After bidding farewell to his little friends, Yuanbao scampered toward the gate, where Chen Ju had been waiting for some time.

"Young master, please get in the carriage!"

"Has Third Uncle arrived?"

"Yes, he arrived early this morning."

"Great! Last time, Third Uncle said he’d bring me a puppy. Did he bring it?"

"Ah, I’m not sure, young master. You’ll have to see for yourself when you get back."

The carriage wheels creaked as they turned, heading toward the Chen residence. This was their third year in the capital, and Yuanbao was now eight years old.

Last year, Liu Yaozhi’s son returned from his official post, bringing his grandson back with him. The family hired a tutor to educate the children, and since Yuanbao was the same age, he was invited to join the lessons.

Besides the two of them, there were several other children from the Liu clan, all around the same age. Studying together not only made learning less tedious but also fostered friendships—a win-win situation.

By this year, Yuanbao had largely mastered the basics and had begun studying the Four Books.

The carriage soon arrived home. As soon as it stopped, Yuanbao eagerly jumped out and dashed into the house. "Third Uncle, Third Uncle!"

Just then, Wang Ying stepped out of the room. "Slow down! Your Third Uncle and your father are in the study."

Yuanbao paused, then turned with a joyful smile and hurried toward the study.

In the study, Chen Qingyan was helping his younger brother with last-minute exam preparations. Two years earlier, Qingsong had successfully passed the Prefectural and Academy Entrance Exams. Last year, he passed the provincial-level exam and became a Provincial Graduate, though his ranking was somewhat low. Still, it qualified him to take part in this year’s Metropolitan Examination.

Knock, knock, knock. The study door rattled. "Father, Third Uncle, may I come in?"

The door opened, and Qingsong scooped his nephew into his arms. "Little Yuanbao, did you miss Third Uncle?"

"I did, but you should put me down now. I’m a big kid already."

Qingsong couldn’t help but chuckle and tapped him on the nose. "A big kid, huh? I heard you’ve started studying. What have you learned so far?"

Yuanbao counted on his fingers: "I’ve learned the 'Thousand Character Classic,' the 'Three Character Classic,' and the 'Rhythm Enlightenment.' These days, we’re studying the 'Analects.'"

"Wow, that’s quite a lot! Study hard, and maybe you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps and become a top scholar one day."

"Okay!" The child, unaware of the immense difficulty of achieving the top scholar title, made a bold promise he might regret in the future.

"By the way, Third Uncle, you said last time you’d bring me a puppy. Did you bring it?"

Qingsong replied, "Yes, I did. Come on, let’s go take a look."

Chen Qingyan watched his brother and son with a resigned expression, then stood up to follow them.

The puppy was kept in a wooden crate, only three or four months old—a fluffy little ball, utterly adorable.

This pup was a descendant of Wangwang. Back when Wangwang was in Longquan County, he had a litter of puppies with the neighbor’s dog. When they moved to the prefectural city, Cao Kun took two of them to keep at the Porter Guild as guard dogs. Later, one of those dogs had another litter in Jizhou, and this puppy was from that batch.

Qingsong let the puppy out of the crate. The little thing crouched by the crate, too timid to move. Yuanbao asked curiously, "Can I pet it?"

"Of course, but be careful not to get bitten."

Yuanbao reached out and stroked its head. The soft fur made him beam with delight. "It’s so cute! I remember when I was little back in our hometown, there was a dog and a cat that often played with me."

"You still remember things from when you were one or two years old?"

"I remember. The cat always bullied me. Every time I tried to pet it, it would jump onto the windowsill and tease me with its tail."

Chen Qingyan and Qingsong burst out laughing. "Go play inside now. Your Third Uncle and I still have some matters to discuss."

"Okay." In no time, Yuanbao had befriended the puppy and took it into the house.

Chen Qingyan and Qingsong returned to discussing the Metropolitan Examination. "I heard that this year, candidates from the south make up seventy percent of the examinees, while the north only has thirty percent?"

"Yes. This year, only six from Jizhou passed. Altogether, the seven northern provinces have just over sixty candidates, while the seven southern provinces have over a hundred and forty."

In Chen Qingyan’s year, Jizhou had eleven successful candidates. In just three years, the gap had widened so significantly.

"You must work hard for the Metropolitan Examination. If you only manage to become a Second-Class Graduate, you might end up assigned as a county magistrate in some remote town."

"Hey, I want to do well too, but you have no idea how twisted this year’s exam questions are! Many topics I’ve never even encountered before! Things like salt merchant taxes, agricultural policies, craft and trade equity strategies—it’s giving me a headache."

Chen Qingyan frowned and rapped his brother on the head. "Get serious! Our teacher covered these policy discussions ages ago. You were always fooling around back then, and now you’ve forgotten everything!"

Qingsong stuck out his tongue. "Who knew the exam would be so all over the place…"

"Since there’s still some time before the exam, don’t idle these days. Write three policy essays daily, and I’ll check them when I get off duty."

"What?!"

"'What' nothing! If three aren’t enough, make it five!"

"Okay, okay, three is plenty!" Qingsong started grinding ink, ready to begin.

Wang Ying knocked and entered. "What are you writing? Third Brother just arrived and hasn’t even eaten yet. Let him rest tonight; he can start tomorrow."

"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Qingsong put down his brush and slipped out.

Wang Ying couldn’t help but laugh. After the New Year, this kid would be eighteen, yet he still acted so childlike. "Have you sent word to Qinghuai?"

"I asked Chen Ju to notify him. He should be here soon."

A few years earlier, Ma Zhandong had changed his surname to join the Chen family. When Tian Ju found out, he insisted on doing the same. They had no choice but to register him under the Chen name as well. Now, both were considered household servants.

Three years had passed in the blink of an eye. Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan had grown even more composed and reserved.

During his three years serving in the Hanlin Academy, Chen Qingyan had received multiple commendations from the emperor. Coupled with his connections to Lord Liu, his career was flourishing. After this year’s imperial examinations, he planned to transfer out next year. Barring any surprises, he would likely move to one of the Six Ministries—which one exactly would depend on arrangements from above.

Over these years, a subtle rivalry had developed between the aristocratic families and the scholar-officials in the court. As someone from a farming and scholarly background, Chen Qingyan naturally belonged to the scholar-official faction, led by Liu Yaozhi, Lord Liu.

However, currently, the aristocratic families still have the upper hand, and the Qingliu scholars avoid open conflict, as the disparity in strength is evident. The aristocratic families have centuries of accumulated power, and attempting to eradicate them entirely is like ants trying to topple a giant tree—it cannot be resolved overnight.

As for Wang Ying, his vegetable and ice-selling businesses are now doing well. A few years ago, he linked up with the wife of the Minister of Rites. Madam Xing is a shrewd businesswoman, owning seven or eight shops in the city, including restaurants, inns, perfumeries, and silverware stores.

Every winter, vegetables are transported by the cartload to her restaurant. By now, the entire city knows that the Inviting Moon Tower offers the freshest fruits and vegetables during the winter, attracting a nonstop flow of customers daily. Both parties have reaped considerable profits.

However, the day-to-day management of the business is now run by Chen Zhandong. He oversees seven or eight workers responsible for transporting goods and guarding the vegetable garden, and he manages it all effortlessly.

In his spare time, Wang Ying continues to write, and his second book is nearly finished.

Speaking of agricultural texts, the book Wang Ying wrote was given the title "Qi Farming Techniques" by the Minister of Agriculture, and it was published under the pen name Jiaxuan Lay Buddhist, which Old Liang had previously suggested.

When the book was first released, it caused quite a stir in the capital. Although scholars are held in the highest regard in the current dynasty, agricultural studies still rank prominently, and there are many scholars dedicated to this field.

After obtaining the book, they began studying it, particularly the descriptions and anatomical diagrams of various seeds, which astonished many farming authorities.

These scholars tried to inquire about the author’s identity, but with the Ministry of Agriculture keeping it under wraps, no one discovered that the author was actually a young man.

Nevertheless, Wang Ying did not come away empty-handed. After the book was printed, the experimental field unexpectedly gained 10,000 experience points! In addition to this one-time bonus, scattered experience points accumulated daily. Over time, he deduced that every time someone read the book and learned from it, the system would automatically add a few hundred experience points.

Although the amount given each time was small, the cumulative effect over time was significant. The experimental field has now surpassed the halfway mark to level seven. At this rate, it is estimated that in another year or two, it will reach level eight, though it remains unknown what rewards level eight will bring.

In truth, Wang Ying has always been curious about what the experimental field truly is. It somewhat resembles a game with leveling up, but he has never found an answer. He has a faint feeling that he will understand once the experimental field reaches level ten.

*

Returning to the topic, Chen Qingsong came to the capital early to participate in the Metropolitan Examination, hoping to learn from his elder brother while there.

He had already mastered most of what the prefectural school teachers had to teach. Since last year, he had been traveling to study elsewhere but with limited results. It was his brother-in-law, Liu Changyi, who reminded him that instead of idling away in Jizhou, he should go to the capital. His two elder brothers there were exceptional students, and the capital’s academies were far superior to those in Jizhou, so it would be better to prepare for the exam there early.

Chen Qingsong thought this made sense and hurried to the capital as soon as the New Year passed.

Before long, Chen Qinghuai arrived with his wife. Bai Shi was somewhat introverted and only offered a quick hello before falling silent.

Wang Ying was already used to her shyness and warmly invited them inside for a meal.

“The Metropolitan Examination is coming up soon. Are you nervous?” Chen Qinghuai asked, patting his younger brother on the shoulder.

“I’m alright. It’s not as nerve-wracking as the Provincial Examination. Even if I don’t pass the Metropolitan Examination, I’ll still be a Provincial Graduate.”

Chen Qingyan grew angry upon hearing this and rapped him on the head. “Look at your lack of ambition!”

Wang Ying quickly intervened. “How old are you to still be hitting him? No more of that.”

Chen Qingsong wasn’t upset and just grinned foolishly, scratching his head. “Sis-in-law always looks out for me!”

Bai Yanqing, sitting nearby, watched the group with a slight frown, feeling left out and unable to blend into the family.

“I’m feeling unwell and have no appetite. I’ll head back first,” she said, rising to leave.

Wang Ying hurried after her, trying to stop her. If she was unwell, she should see a doctor early and not delay.

Chen Qinghuai said, “Sis-in-law, don’t stop her. Let her go back.”

“What’s wrong? Are the two of you having a disagreement?”

Chen Qingyan added, “You mustn’t bully your wife. She married into this family from far away and has no relatives here. Don’t disappoint her parents.”

Chen Qinghuai hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back. “It’s nothing. You’re overthinking it…”