Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 109 County Examination Completed

"Young master, I have already inquired about the person you mentioned!"

Ahead, Xu Changqing, relying on his tall and strong physique, charged straight through the crowded throng, carving a bloody path for Sheng Changquan!
"Wu Qihao is from a small county town in the south, I think it's called Jiangning?"

Xu Changqing was a little unsure. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "However, I have found out about his family situation!"

"Their family came from a merchant background. I heard they were in the cloth business. It wasn't a large business, but it wasn't small either. At least in the Jiangning area, they were quite well-known."

"Judging from his behavior, his family must be quite well-off!"

Xu Changqing's tone was filled with a faint disdain, as if he looked down on him.

However, this is not surprising. After all, in the eyes of everyone in the world today, merchants are the lowest of the low. It was only because the founding emperor of this dynasty was enlightened and allowed merchant families to participate in the imperial examinations that those born into merchant families would have faced an even more difficult situation.

Since his ascension to the throne, Emperor Taizu of this dynasty has not only attached great importance to agriculture for the people, but also paid close attention to commerce.

He believed that the existence of merchants was like a living spring, capable of irrigating and revitalizing the entire world, contributing to the people's peaceful and prosperous lives, and that the way of commerce was an indispensable part of a peaceful and prosperous era.

Therefore, since the beginning of this dynasty, the status of merchants has improved. At the very least, the court allows the offspring of merchants to take the imperial examinations.

However, this is not absolute!
In other words, not all the offspring of merchants were eligible to take the imperial examinations; the imperial court imposed restrictions on this.

For a merchant to have the opportunity and qualifications to participate in the imperial examinations, one must have a clean reputation, with no transgressions in the past five generations, and a family with a good reputation for virtuous conduct.

However, apart from the second one, which is fixed, the rest require special officials from the imperial court to measure and review them, as well as the approval of local prominent families, clan elders, and everyone else, before they can have a chance.

If one party disagrees, that person will be disqualified from taking the exam.

Therefore, in general, commerce flourished during this dynasty, and although the social status of merchants was still at the bottom, it had improved and made great progress.

"Jiangning?"

Sheng Changquan discerned one of the problems.

"Isn't Jiangning a place in the Jiangnan region?"

"How could he still participate in the preliminary examination for the imperial examination in Yin County?"

Sheng Changquan was puzzled: "Could it be that his family has some connections in officialdom?"

Because the preliminary examinations for candidates had to be taken in their place of origin, and Sheng Changquan's observation of Wu Qihao's behavior did not seem to suggest that he had been instructed by someone in officialdom, he asked this question.

"Ok!"

Xu Changqing nodded, confirming, "Young Master, you guessed correctly!"

"I heard that Wu Qihao has an uncle who is an official in the imperial court, so..."

"No wonder!"

"I reckon his uncle didn't come from a family that passed the imperial examinations either."

Sheng Changquan shook his head, somewhat amused: "Then he's in trouble this time!"

"what?"

Xu Changqing didn't understand: "What do you mean, young master?"

"hehe!"

Sheng Changquan laughed and explained, "I mean, Wu Qihao is going to be in trouble!" In fact, the court's permission for the sons of officials in the capital to take the imperial examinations nearby was subject to restrictions. It was stipulated that only the direct descendants of officials in the capital were allowed to do so. Of course, compared to the strict enforcement during the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the court's supervision was much more lenient now.

Even if they are not direct relatives of officials in the capital, as long as no one investigates deeply, the court will turn a blind eye to avoid people criticizing the court for being too harsh on the law. After all, the law is not without human feelings!

Therefore, although Wu Qihao took a shortcut, it was not difficult to handle. If the examiner did not investigate strictly, it would not cause any problems.

Unfortunately, Wu Qihao was far too arrogant. He actually left the examination hall in front of the chief examiner. So unless he had extraordinary talent, he would surely be punished by the chief examiner, Lord Cui.
As Sheng Changquan explained the ins and outs of the passage, he walked out.

"So that's what it is!"

Xu Changqing suddenly realized, and then looked at his young master with admiration.

"Truly a scholar who has a family member in officialdom!"

Xu Changqing sighed inwardly, "He really has a lot on his mind!"

"Ah~"

Sheng Changquan stretched, loosening his muscles and bones: "By the way, Changqing, have you booked an inn yet?"

The preliminary examination for candidates for the imperial examination was divided into the county examination in February and the prefectural examination in April. Only by passing both examinations could one be considered to have passed the preliminary examination and become a candidate for the imperial examination, thus embarking on the path of the imperial examination.

"Young master, everything has been ordered!"

Xu Changqing had already led Sheng Changquan to the carriage. He carried Sheng Changquan's examination basket in one hand and placed it in the carriage, while turning around and saying, "As you instructed, I have booked the Zhegui Inn here."

"Young master, you must say, the decor there, and the food, is really quite good!"

"Ha! That's natural!"

Sheng Changquan smiled and shook his head, saying, "This is an inn recommended by my second brother, Changfeng. It's also the place where my second brother and his classmates stayed when they took the imperial examination."

To be honest, among the three sons of the Sheng family, only Sheng Changfeng enjoyed making friends and was keen on participating in poetry gatherings and other diplomatic activities. Of course, he was talented, but people's energy is limited, and Sheng Changfeng was not some kind of prodigy or genius. So when Sheng Changfeng focused all his attention on socializing, his academic achievements were bound to suffer.

"So this is where Young Master Changfeng used to live!" Xu Changqing exclaimed in realization. "Then it must be a wonderful place!"

Clearly, Xu Changqing was also very familiar with Sheng Changfeng's abilities and tastes.

"Alright, Changqing, let's go back first. We've had exams all day, and I'm exhausted!"

Sheng Changquan leaped into the carriage and waited quietly for his return.

"Alright, young master!"

Xu Changqing responded loudly, then pulled on the reins, turned the carriage around, and began to return.

Sheng Changquan planned to stay in Yin County for two months until he passed the county and prefectural examinations before returning home.

……

Shengfu.

At this time, Aunt Wei, whom Minglan had been eagerly anticipating, had not yet arrived in the capital, but the wife of the Earl of Yongchang had come to visit. Moreover, not only her, but also the old lady's good friend, Madam Yu, happened to come with her granddaughter.

Madam Yu is the wife of Grand Secretary Yu, who came from a poor family. It was during his impoverished years that he met, fell in love with, and became acquainted with Madam Yu. The two shared joys and sorrows, weathering storms together, going from cold to warm, until they reached the present day.

However, precisely because of this, Grand Secretary Yu inevitably spoiled his wife excessively, which is why Madam Yu still retains a "pure and innocent" nature to this day.

(End of this chapter)