Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 139 Clan Rules
"mother!"

Seeing her younger brother struggling to speak but unable to get a word in edgewise, Shen Jun chuckled and then advised, "Why don't you let your brother rest for a bit and catch his breath?"

"How can he possibly begin when you're looking like this?"

Shen Jun gently persuaded her mother while slowly helping her sit down.

"what?"

Only then did Madam Shen realize what was happening, and then belatedly exclaimed, "Yes! Yes!"

"Jun'er is right!"

As she spoke, Madam Shen herself laughed and said, "It was Mother who was too hasty. Li'er, please speak slowly!"

"hey-hey!"

Shen Li stared blankly at his mother, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, right, little brother!"

Seeing Shen Li's appearance, Shen Jun spoke first: "Did you pass the preliminary examination for the imperial examination this time?"

The voice was soft, and seemed to tremble slightly, as if the person was very nervous.

At this moment, not only Shen Jun, but even the eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen family changed her expression, revealing a tense look. She seemed somewhat uneasy, no, it should be said that she was anxious and worried!

In fact, Shen Jun and her daughter were well aware of Shen Li's level of academic ability. After all, the Shen family was a family of scholars and etiquette, and they were quite knowledgeable about these matters.

"Sister!"

I passed!

Upon hearing his sister's question, Shen Lifang finally came to his senses and knew what he should say.

"However, my ranking this time wasn't high, but..."

"Just last place."

In the end, Shen Li stammered, seemingly somewhat embarrassed.

"Son!"

Madam Shen hugged her son tightly, bursting into tears of joy!

"My son, it's good that you're alright!"

"It's over now..."

Madam Shen cried and laughed at the same time: "My son!"

"In your mother's heart, as long as you can be on the list, it's as if our Shen family's ancestors have opened their eyes!"

"..."

Madam Shen knew her son's talent and understood that his ability was limited. No, it should be said that Shen Li's success this time was truly due to luck!

In the eyes of Madam Shen, Shen Li was not a scholar.

In the past, Shen Li studied very hard, but some things are just so cruel, the input and the return are not proportional at all!
No matter how hard Shen Li studied or tried, his writing was always exceptionally poor, as if he simply couldn't learn anything from it!
Naturally, his son's outstanding achievements could not be kept secret from his father, Shen Shouzhen. However, even though the cunning Shen Shouzhen racked his brains and used every means at his disposal, he could not improve Shen Li's abilities. Over time, Shen Shouzhen's expectations for his son dropped from the top scholar to the highest degree, then to the provincial degree, and finally to the lowest degree of the county-level scholar.

After all, as the eldest son of the head of the Shen family, Shen Li should at least have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level)!

Otherwise, Shin Shou-jung's branch of the family would decline.

Because there is a rule in the Shen family clan that if the eldest son of a branch does not have an official title, he cannot succeed to the position; the position must be taken over by a member of his direct relatives who has an official title.

In other words, if Shen Li did not have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations at the county level), then the position of clan leader of Shen Shouzheng's branch would have to be inherited by one of Shen Shouzheng's brothers from the same lineage. Moreover, the connections and relationships that Shen Shouzheng had accumulated over the years would also have to be given up and passed on to the next head of the Shen family.

After all, Shen Shouzhen's high position over the years was due to the combined power of his entire family, so he also needed to abide by such family rules.

The Shen family is a family with a history of nearly a thousand years, and its well-established rules and traditions are naturally not to be broken.

Most importantly, Shen Li had no biological brothers, not even half-brothers. Over the years, Lord Shen had taken several concubines, but he never received the reward he desired.

Of course, not all of these concubines were childless; at the very least, Shen Li had three or four younger sisters born out of wedlock.

For this reason, Shen Li must have an official title to support his family's reputation; otherwise, even if he could inherit Shen Shouzhen's wealth, he wouldn't be able to hold onto it for more than a few years.

After all, having talent but no power is like a child carrying gold in the bustling city; it's no wonder it attracts covetous eyes!
Even a powerful and prestigious family like the Shen family is not immune to those who might have ulterior motives. With Shen Shouzhen's wisdom and shrewdness, he would naturally be able to see through this. Therefore, he would entrust most of his family's assets to the clan in the hope of ensuring the safety of his descendants for life.

However, relying on outsiders is ultimately not safe enough. If possible, Shen Shouzhen still hopes that Shen Li can pass the imperial examination and inherit the position of clan leader, which would be a guarantee.

Of course, it is too early to say these things now, but those who do not plan for the long term are not qualified to plan for the short term, and those who do not plan for the whole are not qualified to plan for a part.

Planning ahead is what makes a hero!
"mother!"

At this moment, Shen Jun couldn't help but shed tears.

Unlike Shen Li, who was unaware of the ways of the world, Shen Jun knew about this matter in the family. Because of Shen Li's talent, Shen Shouzhen and his wife deliberately concealed the truth from their children, only letting them know about the existence of the clan rules and requiring Shen Li to work hard to pass the imperial examinations.

After all, clan rules cannot be kept secret.

However, Shen Jun was intelligent and worldly-wise. She had already figured these things out from her parents' daily behavior. But because of her younger brother, she could not say it outright. She could only secretly think of ways to help Shen Li and help him pass the imperial examination.

"Mother, elder sister!"

Shen Li's eyes also reddened at this moment!

He supported Madam Shen and choked back tears, saying, "Mother, it's all my fault. If I had tried harder, you...you wouldn't have had to go through this!"

"It was my fault……"

Shen Li was unaware of his mother's and sister's feelings, only assuming that they were moved to tears by his unexpected success in the exam, which made him feel even more uneasy.

"If I could top the list like Changquan, then my mother and elder sister wouldn't have to shed tears because they were worried I would fail!"

While blaming himself, Shen Li couldn't help but have a strange thought: "If Chang Quan were my own younger brother, then I wouldn't have to bear the burden of the Shen family's affairs!"

Shen Li was naturally aware of the clan rules. Although he didn't understand the intricacies, he understood the most basic things: if he didn't have any official rank, his father's position as clan leader would be lost.
After all, the position of patriarch of the Shen family has always been inherited by the eldest branch of the main line.

Of course, the prerequisite is having official rank and title.

Many thanks to the generous donations from Shu Dingkai, Jingluo Nishihai, yuzhonayi, Minglun, Book Friend 20200614203013150, and Book Friend 161026214431800!
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(End of this chapter)