Simulation becomes reality, have I ever looked down upon the eternity?

Chapter 264 If you don’t return home in glory, a distinguished guest will come to visit!
[Three more days passed! ]

[You continued to study and write as usual. Xie Yuan never appeared again. The days passed like flowing water, without any disturbances, continuing the peace that had been common in the past few years.]

[Today the weather is nice and the sun is shining, which has dispelled the chill of autumn. ]

[The sun shines dappled on the corners and window frames, and the glittering light warms people's hearts.]

[Today, the courtyard welcomed a familiar guest, Zhang Yuanlai, a guest from Xie Yuan's residence.]

【Zhang Yuanlai had been in frequent contact with Xie Guan, the illegitimate son of the Xie family, since their first study.】

[On the contrary, He Xiao never came to the courtyard again after he started studying. ]

【Zhang Yuanlai was born in a poor family. His parents died early in his life and he was driven out by his brother and sister-in-law. After going through hardships, he studied hard and finally got to where he is today. However, he still feels that he has accomplished nothing even though he is over 30 years old. He can’t help but feel sad.】

[Although Xie Guan was born into a prominent family, he was treated differently from other young masters and young ladies since he was young. His childhood experience was quite similar to Zhang Yuanlai's.]

【Xie Guan studied hard and never gave up. This tenacity impressed Zhang Yuanlai.】

[Two people sat in the courtyard.]

[Zhang Yuanlai asked with concern: "Master Guan, you are already twelve years old. Has the Xie Mansion arranged anything for him to learn?"]

[“That Dong Shao, it seems, hasn’t come in the past few months. I thought he was well-educated, except that he was a bit old-fashioned. I didn’t expect him to be a sycophant.”]

[Then he answered himself: "However, judging from the young master's current knowledge, there is really no need for enlightenment."]

[You smiled calmly and said, "For me, studying at home is no different from studying in school."]

[Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanlai asked with concern: "Master Guan, are you interested in taking the annual exam next February?"]

[The Suishi, also called Tongshi, is held once a year and is a preparatory test for the imperial examination. It includes three stages: the county test, the prefecture test, and the academy test. A candidate who passes the three tests will become a scholar.]

【Zhang Yuanlai was a scholar, so he knew that the annual examination would test the Four Books and Five Classics and Confucian classics.】

[After becoming a scholar, also known as a student, one is eligible to participate in the provincial examination every three years. ]

【The provincial examination was held in the golden autumn, so it was also called the Autumn Examination. Although it was called the provincial examination, it was not held in the countryside, but in the prefectures of each province, with the purpose of selecting talents in a province.】

【Those who pass the provincial examination are considered as successful candidates.】

[Those who passed the imperial examinations were already qualified to become scholars, but their status in the Qi Dynasty was very different from that of ordinary people.]

【Zhang Yuanlai passed the examination for the title of scholar at the age of nineteen. He has taken the examination every three years since then. He has taken five examinations so far, but he has not yet been named a juren.】

[Now he is thirty-seven years old. Although his life has been wasted, he has never given up and has been preparing for the exam every year.]

[However, He Xiao had already given up and was nostalgic for brothels, mainly because Confucianism was popular in the Great Qi Dynasty, and when people read, they taught their children, which was the most important thing.]

[Especially now, most of the people in the capital are wealthy and prominent families. Every provincial examination is full of talented people, but the number of admissions is limited.]

[You smiled and looked at Zhang Yuanlai and said, "I remember that Mr. Zhang seemed to have not returned to his hometown for several years."]

[Zhang Yuan self-deprecatingly said: "When I left home, I made a vow that if I didn't pass the imperial examination and ride back home on a big red horse, I would die of old age in a foreign land."]

[If you don't return home when you are rich and noble, it's like walking in the night in fine clothes. If you don't get rich and noble, you will die in a foreign land. ]

[You smiled lightly upon hearing this, and said jokingly: "Mr. Zhang, why do you have to be so persistent in life? Why not find someone you love, get married, have children, and share the joy of family life? Being alone in this prosperous Bianjing, you will lack some of the flavor of life after all."]

[Zhang Yuanlai sighed and said: "I don't have a house or a piece of land, and my future is bleak."]["How can I miss a beautiful woman when I am penniless, and how can I enter a prosperous city with my clean hands?"]

[He paused, with a tone of self-mockery and helplessness: "This may make Master Guan laugh, but I was born without the ability to please others, nor can I learn the ability to read people's expressions, and I can't say those nice words. The road to study is even more bumpy, and I am not talented enough. I have not achieved anything so far."]

[“Back then, I passed the provincial examination and left my hometown with great ambitions. I stepped into the prosperous Bianjing. I thought that taking part in the provincial examination would allow me to embark on a road to success and that I was the gold in the furnace. But who would have thought that along the way, I would fail again and again and become discouraged again and again. In the academy in Bianjing, I met too many talented people. It suddenly dawned on me that in this capital of Daqi, there was gold everywhere.”]

[Just as you were about to say something comforting, there was a noise outside the courtyard.]

【Wutong returned from the market with a lot of goods, his face was full of joy. 】

[You put down the book in your hand, walked out the door, took the heavy package from Wutong, and asked curiously:]

【“Why did you buy so much today?”】

[Wutong smiled when he heard this and said, "That's the good news from the Fourth Miss. I heard that the Sima Jiedushi of Jiannan Road will go to the capital to report on his work today, so he made a detour to Xie's house to visit the Fourth Miss."]

[“The Xie Mansion is very lively today, with banquets one after another, and all the masters and sons have been summoned by Old Lady Xie.”]

【Wutong walked into the courtyard. 】

【“Mr. Zhang, he’s here too!”】

【Zhang Yuanlai smiled and greeted: "Miss Wutong."】

[He had long been accustomed to this pair of young master and maidservant who did not look like master and servant.]

[Wutong gently opened the small bamboo basket in her hand, which was filled with delicious pastries. She smiled and said, "This was given to me by Luya when I met her in the courtyard just now."]

[Luya is the fourth young lady's personal maid.]

[You certainly know that there were rumors two years ago that the marriage was going to be arranged at the beginning of the year, but due to the constant wars between Da Qi and Da Sui, and the rebellion of demons in Jiannan Road, the marriage was delayed, and it has been two years in a flash.]

[Si Ma Ting, the governor of Jiannan Road, specially visited the Xie family when he returned to Beijing to report on his work because of the unrest in Jiannan Road.]

[Zhang Yuanlai also knew about this, otherwise he wouldn't be so free today. All the favored ladies and young ladies in the compound were called to the banquet, so they, the group of guests, had nothing to do early. He Jin had already gone to Xifeng Tower happily.]

[He added: "Not only this Sima Jiedushi, but also the son of the Zhao family and the people of the Li family have come, and a grand banquet is being held in the mansion."]

[The Sima family is one of the nine major surnames, and the marriage between the two families is undoubtedly a political means. ]

[Among the nine major families, five openly support Su Jing, and almost follow the lead of the Su family.]

[The other four remained neutral, or were closer to the academy, but of course we don’t know what they were doing behind the scenes.]

[Zhang Yuanlai thought in his heart, the Zhao family and the Li family are both one of the nine surnames, and they came to Xie's house together today. In addition, the war between Jiannan Road and the west is tense at this time. They gathered together in such a grand manner, which is definitely not a simple gathering.]

【Just then, footsteps were heard outside. 】

[Wutong looked over and was a little surprised. The person who came was Gan Zhi, the head maid of the Second Courtyard.]

【Ganzhi did not perform the salute.】

[“Master Guan, Madam has instructed that the courtyard is busy today and there are not enough people, so let Wutong go over to help.”]

(End of this chapter)