Ten days later, Tanchun actually moved in from the Zhou family. It turned out that Zhou Qiong had been transferred by imperial decree. Because he had to mobilize the army, he had to bring Tanchun back to take care of things. When the new appointment was completed, he would be sent to the capital to take an examination. Knowing that the Jia family wanted Tanchun to temporarily take care of the household, he asked her to wait in the capital. From then on, she temporarily stayed in the Grand View Garden. Jia Lian took care of the family matters, picked a date, and set off to return to the south.
That day, Madam Wang called Tanchun, Li Wan, and Ping 'er to the upper room and gave them some instructions.
Tanchun and the others went to Baochai's room to discuss it carefully and decided to continue working in the meeting hall outside the garden gate.
He immediately passed down the order to clean up those few halls. Every morning, the three of them would gather together to take care of the household chores. They would only leave after noon.
Tanchun woke up the earliest. One day, after washing up in Autumn Studio and visiting Haitang, he went to Madam Wang to say good morning. She was chatting with Ping 'er and Madam Wang. Hearing the self-ringing bell announce Chen Zheng, he invited Ping 'er to the meeting hall. At this time, the bright sunlight brought warmth, and the shadows of flowers filled the curtains. The two talked for a long time, but Li Wan did not come. "Eldest Sister-in-law, you've come very early in the past. Don't feel unwell, right?" Tanchun said.”"I saw him fine last night!" Ping 'er said. Perhaps he had something on his mind and couldn't be bothered to come today?”
Just as they were talking, Wu Xindeng's family and Lin Zhixiao's family came over with a group of their daughters-in-law. First, it was the birthday gifts of the Marquis of Jin Xiang and the Earl of Lin An. It is also the death of the imperial mandate of the Duke of the State, and the sacrifice should be carried out. It was also Zhou YiNiang's brother Zhou Deshun who got married and was rewarded with silver. Zheng Haoshi's daughter-in-law also asked for the salary of the pergola inside and outside the courtyard, and added silver to the bamboo curtains. The rooms came to pay the monthly fee again. Ping 'er checked the old accounts and showed them to Tanchun. After checking them, she gave them the cards.
Lin Zhixiao's family replied,"There used to be a small kitchen in the garden. Since Grandma and the girls moved out, they cut the small kitchen." Now, they had moved to the garden and worked here. The big kitchen was sending food back and forth. It was possible that when it was older, the food would be cold. I think I'd better tidy up the small kitchen again. All the furniture was readily available there, so it was not a problem.”"In the past, when we had a small kitchen, did the grannies and ladies still have to pay for the food in the big kitchen?" Tanchun asked.”"It's the usual expenses," said Pinger. That time, our grandma looked at the accounts and picked out the money. From that month onwards, it was cut.”
"Since that's the case, we've transferred the food from the big kitchen to the small kitchen, so there's no need to use anything else." There was only one difficulty: now that there were fewer people living in the garden and there was no future, who would be willing to pay for it?”Ping 'er said," Mrs. Liu, who used to manage the small kitchen, was poor. Wu' er sent her away and didn't find anyone to marry. The mother and son relied on needlework to survive. If he was looking for him, there was no one who would not come. It would be enough to find two or three maids to help.”
"Sister-in-law Ping, can you ask him if he's willing?" Tanchun asked. Let's talk about it later." Lin Zhixiao's family retreated.
Suddenly, she heard a clamor and Tanchun asked hurriedly,"What is it?" The old woman went out to take a look and said,"It's the good news. Brother Lan won the 45th place."”Tanchun and Pinger were delighted and quickly ordered the reward to be prepared. Then they went to the upper room to congratulate Lady Wang. Coincidentally, Li Wan was also there, and they all congratulated her. "Eldest Sister-in-law is now the old Feng Jun!" This is really helping big brother to become a strong family. It's not in vain.”"Brother Lan has always liked to read since he was young. In the eyes of the old lady, she would also secretly touch books." We all said that he was going to make a fortune.”
Li Wan was extremely happy, but she was secretly crying. Madam Wang also thought of Jia Zhu and couldn't help but feel sad! If Baoyu was here and won the lottery together this year, how happy would we be? As she thought about it, she kept crying! At that time, Xichun, Xiangyun, Li Wen, Li Qi and Xing Xiuyan heard the good news and came together to congratulate them. Everyone cheered, and Lady Wang's thoughts of Baoyu were interrupted. After sitting for a while, Madam Xing and Madam You's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also came over and were having a lively conversation with Madam Wang. Tanchun, Xichun, Xiangyun and Xiuyan took time to visit Baochai.
At that time, Baochai was already full of months and was about to give birth. Madam Wang did not allow him to leave the room, only Aunt Xue looked after him, Ying 'er, Qiu Wen and others took care of him, and prepared to use things. When he heard that Brother Lan was hit, he also secretly felt sad! Just as the sisters walked in, Baochai wanted to stand up and greet them, but Qiu Wen quickly went forward to support Zhu Xiangyun and said with a smile,"Sister Bao! You are such a big belly Maitreya Buddha, you can't move at all, and you still have to write poems. I really owe you!" "I've been shut up in my room," said Baochai,"and I've been so bored. How can I be happy to take this opportunity to relieve my boredom?”"Look at that day's composition, which one was better?" Tanchun asked.”"Of course I'm catching up from behind," said Baochai. I wonder if I have the right taste?”Xichun said,"If we're talking about catching up from behind, your song was the last to arrive."”"If you count me in," said Baochai,"it's not like we're talking about this! I think Yun 'er's poem is really a stroke of genius. I wonder how he came up with it?" "Didn't you see Yun 'er that day?" Tanchun laughed. Holding Spray of Flowers, he sat on the Taihu Lake rock. His eyes were straight, and his hands and feet couldn't move. He didn't even make a sound no matter how many times I called him. I was afraid that he would pass away. Fortunately, she hit him, and he still said,"'Otherwise, I'm going to cry!" Everyone laughed. Everyone was afraid that Baochai would be touched, so they did not mention Jia Lan's success. Xing Xiuyan went to the inner room to see Aunt Xue and said something. When Xiuyan came out, they chatted for a while before they went their separate ways.
That night, Baochai was half-asleep. In a daze, she saw Guanyin Bodhisattva wearing a green hood on her head and a white robe embroidered with bamboo. She was holding a child and handing it to him. He said,"Watch this child carefully. In the future, he will have boundless glory and fortune!"”Baochai took it and saw that the child was adorned with jade and looked very cute. When she woke up, she felt a stomachache. Qiu Wen hurriedly asked Aunt Xue to get up. Granny Wang, who had been staying in the lower room for the past two days, hurriedly called him over. Madam Wang also came over when she heard that. And Xida was born smoothly, abdominal pain more and more tight, not long after giving birth to a brother, far away can hear the cry.
Granny Wang congratulated her wife and concubine and said many good things. It was the time of the day. Baochai drank the ginseng soup and calmed down a little before telling him about the dream in detail. Only the memory of the two words Lan Gui was not real, it seemed to be Lan Hui again. Lady Wang was even more delighted when she heard this and quickly sent Yuchuan 'er to inform Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng was talking in Empress Zhou's room. He was very happy when he heard this, so he named him Jia Hui according to the cursive characters. The day Jia Lan reported his victory was the day Jia Hui and Yu Lin were born.
Generally speaking, the princes and marquises who had family ties with the Jia family, as well as close relatives such as Shi, Xing, Wang, Xue, etc., heard that Jia Zheng's grandson had won the Jinshi and that he had another grandson on the same day, they were busy congratulating and sending gifts. Jia Zheng did not open the banquet to accept the congratulations because his mourning clothes were not full.
On the day of Brother Hui's birthday, Lady Wang held a small family banquet in the inner living room where Grandmother Jia usually held banquets. Tanchun, Xichun, Pinger, Xiangyun, Xiuyan, Li Wen, and Li Qi were all dressed up that day. They first went to Lady Wang's place to congratulate her, then to Baochai and Aunt Xue in the delivery room. His aunt was hugging him. Everyone looked at him and said,"That look of his is like the shadow of Second Master Bao.”The young man also opened his small eyes and looked around. When Aunt Xue mentioned Baochai's dream, everyone found it strange.
Xiangyun smiled,"Sister Bao, your apricot blossom poem,'Tomorrow I'll see the new green leafs', is the green shade." I always said that you would be blessed by the way you treat others, but you never believed me. In the blink of an eye, he had grown up. Just like his brother, he had passed the imperial examination. Wouldn't it be a blessing in the future if he passed the imperial examination?”"What do you think of this little blood bubble?" Baochai asked.”"How can we not believe the Bodhisattva's prophecy?" Xichun asked.”Tanchun said," Speaking of which, it's also fast. The first two years, Lan boy was still childish. I saw him jumping around, pulling a small bow in his hand to shoot the birds at home! Wasn't he already accomplished?”"There are many in the world who have arrived long ago!" Xing Xiuyan said. Even Sister Qin's father-in-law, Mei Hanlin, was promoted to a scholar at the age of 17. It was because he was late. Otherwise, he would have gone up long ago!”
Ping 'er asked the little girl to bring over a can of Gui Yuan cream and said,""It's the most suitable for eating. It's delicious and good for the body. Second Grandma Bao, try it." Tanchun smiled." It's just as Second Brother said. The prescription passed down by Taoist Wang to cure jealousy is steamed pears with rock sugar. It's sweet and delicious. You won't find it too much to eat for a lifetime."”While everyone was laughing, Madam You's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law also came to congratulate Baochai. He took out a small golden seal and a white jade longevity star and said,"This is just a small token. This brother became an official early on and caught the seal. You live even longer than the birthday boy." Baochai took it and told Nai Zi to carry him over to thank Big Nai. She hoped that in the future, he would be like the golden mouth of an auntie.
Qiu Wen came in and said," Eldest Mistress is here. Mistress is inviting Grandma and the ladies to the room!"”Everyone went out together and saw Lady Xing walking into the room with Yanhong. First, he congratulated Madam Wang and met everyone. Madam Wang asked Madam Xing to sit on the kang. When You shi saw Li Wan here, she smiled and pulled his hand, saying,""Sister-in-law Zhu, I really didn't expect you to become an old lady so soon! I remember I was here when I married you. Everyone said that the old lady was blessed, and the old lady even joked,'I'll only leave after Zhu' er's daughter-in-law becomes an old lady!'"Now, you're an old lady. Unfortunately, you're only two years away. The old lady won't be able to catch up!”Li Wan smiled and said,"I don't have your ready-made fortune. I've long been an old lady!"”"Then what about the money donated by the Jinshi of the Silver Division?"”"Although the old lady has passed away, we still rely on her good fortune!" said Madam Wang.”
When Lady Xing saw Madam You, she asked,""Is your brother Cong often in the East Mansion? Can he learn archery and horse riding?" Madam You said,"I heard his big brother say that Brother Cong comes every day. His pommel horse is very stable, and his horse archery is also keeping up."”"Skill is secondary," said Lady Xing. I'm just afraid that he'll use the name to practice archery. Maybe he'll run away blindly with Huan?”"Are they all like Huan 'er?" said Madam Wang. If it wasn't for that black-hearted mother, she wouldn't have raised that bastard!”
When Madam You saw Ping 'er, she thought of Sister Phoenix and smiled at Ping' er."You are now Second Grandmother, so I have to disturb you when I return.”"Now that we don't have our grandmother, will she still be willing to come to our house?" Ping 'er asked. The sun was really rising from the west!”"I heard that your Second Master went back to the south. Have you arrived yet?"”
Ping 'er said," We just left by the canal five days ago. If there weren't any obstructions, we would have already passed Texas. We still haven't received any letters!"”
Lady Wang and Li Wan invited them to sit in the hall. Although there was no music or opera, there was a group of female ancestors telling stories. Turning around the courtyard, he heard the sound of strings and drums. There were already many guests in the hall. When they saw Lady Wang and Li Wan, they greeted them one by one and congratulated them. The room was filled with flowers, and it was impossible to tell who was who! Only Jia Lan's younger sister, Xi Luan, and Jia Qiong's younger sister, Si Jie, had stayed in the garden for two days during Grandmother Jia's 80-year-old celebration. They were familiar with Tanchun and the others, so they sat down together. Madam Wang invited Aunt Xue to sit at the head of the table. Then, Wu Xindeng, Lin Zhixiao, and the others led their families to the front of the hall and kowtowed. It was also the daughters-in-law of each family and the servant girls of each room who came to kowtow. It took a long time to finish. Madam Wang returned to her seat and began the banquet.
The female lead came up to kowtow and asked the taitai, aunties, grandmothers, and young ladies to sing. Aunt Xue said,"I'm familiar with all of this. It's quite annoying." You pick the interesting one and say it!" "There's a new book called 'Shuang Gao Yuan,' which is the story of Zhang Lan of the Tang Dynasty."”Madam Wang said,"Tell me about the plot in the book first and let Aunt listen."”"This Zhang Lan lost his father in his early years," the female ancestor said with a smile."It was thanks to his mother that he was raised and became the top scholar and prime minister." His uncle and brother, Zhang Gui, was also a solitaire. Zhang Lan supported him in his studies and also passed the exam. This was not surprising until later when the two of them became the left and right prime ministers and held the court. At that time, the two great madams were still alive, and the emperor respected his filial piety and family and gave him a letter of commendation. He even gave him a board with the words 'Orchid, Gui, Qi Fang'. This was a good story in the "Shuang Gao Yuan".”When Aunt Xue heard the words "Orchid, Gui, Qi Fang", she smiled at Madam Wang and said,"So these four words are also in the book. Isn't it a coincidence?”When Madam Wang heard this, she also agreed. "You can say this." The girl came down first, immediately played the string to answer the tune, from the beginning to tell.
When Tanchun heard the plot in the book, she smiled at Li Wan and said,"It's as if this book was written for them. But it's strange. We didn't say the words 'Orchid, Gui, Qi, Fang', so how did he know?”Xiang Yun said,"In the ancient times, we haven't seen a lot of them. This can't be made up." However, it was a coincidence today!”Xi Luan said,"I heard that when the old lady celebrated the Lantern Festival, the book they talked about was 'Wang Xifeng'." Could it be that he was also making it up to tease his grandmother?”
Xiang Yun said,"Later Sister Feng went to the temple to ask for a lot. The lot said,'Wang Xifeng returned home in glory.'That was rigid, who could make it up? Let's not criticize blindly!"
After the book was finished, he read another book, Zhuge Liang's Great Destruction of Cao Cao's Camp. He said that Cao Cao cut off his beard and left. Everyone laughed when they heard it. "Cao Mengde has been a treacherous hero for his whole life," said Xiangyun."He has his bad days.”"If Zhaolie had followed Zhuge Liang's plan and joined forces with Wu to attack Wei, we might have been able to defeat Cao Cao."”"History has always been criticized for being reckless," said Tanchun. In my opinion, Cao Cao is still a good person. He only became the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, but his son usurped the throne and stuck him inside. Later on, those treacherous officials were forced by his son to take the throne, but they could not become the emperor. That would be a joke!”Then, he listened to a few more segments. He only rested when the evening banquet was over.
In a few days, Jia Lan would go to Zhonghe Hall for a re-examination. The palace was tight, not as crowded as the examination hall, so Lady Wang, Li Wan, and others could rest assured.
At this time, Governor Wu transferred to the assistant minister of the Ministry of History and was ordered to read the papers. Seeing that Jia Lan's examination paper was a classic and elegant one, it was enough to be the best in the entire hall, so he took first place. Only when the list was released did he know that he was Jia Zheng's eldest grandson. He had a deep friendship with Jia Zheng, and he also had the thought of cherishing talents, so he had the intention of helping Jia Lan become a cauldron armor. That day, after coming down from the inner court, he did not return to his residence and went to the Rong residence to pay his respects to Jia Zheng. Speaking of Jia Lan's article, he praised her greatly and said,""When the audience saw this extraordinary work, they guessed that it was a hero under his name. Now I know that he is from Wensun, which shows the origin of his family's learning. Brother, look at the writing in the volume. Not only do you have the hope of carrying the tripod, but you will also achieve great success in the future.”Jia Zheng could only be humble.
Assistant Minister Wu wanted to see Jia Lan's curls. It turned out that the atmosphere at that time was that before the court examination, the new rich had to make countermeasures in advance. The empty words of the first few lines were written in large volumes, and all those who had friends in the court and were expected to read them were sent in advance. It was called a curly head, like a joint. The old family of the Jia family had made friends with all the officials, but because Jia Zheng had always walked in all directions, he did not send him off at all. At this moment, when Assistant Minister Wu mentioned the cursive script, Jia Zheng could not refuse him. He only said,"Little Sun has gone out to pay his respects. He will come to the hall another day."”Assistant Minister Wu left. When Jia Lan returned, Jia Zheng told him what Assistant Minister Wu had said. "It's not easy to only fight for the top three in the court examinations. Our family of Shilu should give up to Han. You can only go to Teacher Wu to thank him. There's no need to give him the curls.”Jia Lan obeyed.
Following that was the court examinations, and Assistant Minister Wu sent the officials to read the papers. The first to read the paper was Grand Tutor Sun, Assistant Minister Wu's teacher. He was the one who discussed the top ten. Assistant Minister Wu wanted to look for Jia Lan's paper, but he couldn't recognize it. He finally saw a paper with similar handwriting, so he recommended it to Grand Tutor Sun and listed it as the first one to be presented. When the day came that the Little Chuanlu sang first place, it was someone else with the surname Wang. It was only until the second son did he see Jia Lan's name, and Assistant Minister Wu sighed with regret! Following the imperial examinations, Jia Lan was also selected as one of the top ten students. He was introduced and selected as a scholar of good fortune in the Imperial Academy.
Jia Zheng led him to the ancestral hall to pay his respects to his ancestors. Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, and the others received him and congratulated him. Jia Zheng said,"Lan 'er's writing is usually barely able to be a Ci minister, but now I think he's empty and useless." It's better for you to learn archery and horse. You can contribute to the country.”"It seems a pity that you didn't get the cauldron armor this time." You must know that ever since our family started from Duke Rong and Duke Ning, we have always been particular about keeping our position and suffering losses. You were lucky when you were young. If you didn't rely on your ancestors 'merits, how could you be so cheap? You have to know that you're ashamed." Jia Lan quickly agreed." Yes, yes." Jia Zheng brought him to thank Dai Ru. Dai Ru had been stubborn all his life, and there was actually a student who liked Ci Lin even more than Jia Zheng and said many good things about it.
Jia Lan returned to the Rong Manor and once again paid respects to the elders, each of them giving their own words of encouragement. Li Wan recalled the hardships she had gone through in the past to get to where she was today. He also remembered that Jia Zhu had not seen his son become famous, and tears fell like rain. "Now that you've finally gotten your name, do you know how much effort your mother put in?" It wasn't easy either! When you entered the family school, you were only with Third Uncle Huan. Now that he is walking his path and you are walking yours, there is a world of difference. In one's life, every step would lead to a wrong path. Don't think that you've gotten a name in the examination. Those scholars and scholars were also poor for their entire lives! Just look at the Eldest Master of the East Mansion. He was also a scholar. How could he be so unorthodox and vulgar that there was no result? If you want to be someone, from today onwards, you must stand firm and run forward! If he thought that he was lucky enough to advance, then there was no hope!”Jia Lan agreed.
As the mother and son were talking, Biyue replied,""Third Aunt, Great Aunt Shi are here.”
Li Wan hurriedly entered. Jia Lan kowtowed to Tanchun and Xiangyun before retreating. Tanchun sat down and said to Li Wan,""I didn't come here for nothing. I have something to tell Eldest Sister-in-law. If you say it, I still want to eat your wedding wine!”Xiang Yun said,"He said his, but I still want to say mine!"”If you want to know what they are talking about, listen to the next chapter.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。