Yongfeng County, Longtan Zengjia Village.
"Hey!"
"Fish is what I want; bear paws are also what I want. You can't have both..."
On the hillside, a handsome boy of about twelve years old was holding the back of a book in his left hand and a branch in his right hand to prevent the pig from running out of the team.
Although life is miserable, there is no trace of sadness on the young man's face.
At this time, a woman in blue clothes and coarse cloth came running to call him with a smile on her face.
"Ziji, Ziqi, stop herding the pigs and follow mother back quickly."
Wang's hair was obviously scattered because she ran too fast, and the only wooden hairpin on her head was crumbling.
"Mom, your bun is messed up. I'll straighten it out for you."
When Zeng Qi saw this, he was not in a hurry to ask what was going on, but put the book into his arms first.
He wiped his hands on the clothes again, and then reached out to hold the hairpin in place for his mother.
But Mrs. Wang grabbed her son's hand and said in a tone full of joy.
"Son, go back with mother quickly. The mountain chief of Bailu Cave and the Prime Minister of Su County are here. They said they are here to pick you up to study in Yingtian Mansion."
Two years ago, Suxian Cheng picked up his son and went to Bailu Cave to meet the mountain chief.
They always gave gifts during the New Year and holidays, so she knew that her son was most likely to be taken aback by someone.
Those officials love to train disciples and scholars, and they will support each other on their official career in the future.
For a poor family like theirs, this is actually the only way to turn around.
Otherwise, if no one supports your studies, no matter how good your talent is, it will be in vain.
Thinking of this, Wang suddenly burst into tears and felt like she had seen the light of day.
"My son, you must study hard, give your mother a chance, and make your second wife and your cruel father look at you with admiration. Do you hear me?"
Wang's life was not good. She had been married to her great-father for eighteen years.
It was only five years after I entered the family that I gave birth to a son. It should have been a blessing in disguise.
But at that time, the second uncle fell ill and died, and the young and widowed sister-in-law wanted to go back and remarry.
The mother-in-law couldn't bear that her youngest son had no offspring, so she asked her sister-in-law to follow the example of the Tang Dynasty and have her husband and her sister-in-law have a child to continue their bloodline.
The husband favored the son he had with his sister-in-law, and gave all the good things to his second wife. However, his son was so tired that he fed pigs and chopped firewood every day.
Fortunately, God has eyes and gave her son another way out.
"Mother, if my son is gone, how can he be filial to his mother?"
Zeng Qi was a free and easy-going boy. He liked reading just because he liked it. He didn't want to study and become an official just to achieve success or repay failure.
At this moment, I am more worried about my mother's difficulties at home than my own future.
"You silly boy, what do you care about me?" Mrs. Wang pulled her son and said word by word: "As long as you have a good future, who dares to bully your mother?"
"In the past two years, the mountain chief and the Su county magistrate have been so close to you that your father didn't dare to beat you again. Your grandmother even gave you half of your brother's eggs."
"Son, do the eggs taste good? Don't they taste so good without being beaten? Do you want to be loved by your father and your grandma all the time?"
Of course he hopes that his father and grandma will love him, but it is also important to be filial to his mother, but that is to go to Yingtian Mansion to study...
I heard from the village chief's sixth brother that Yingtian Mansion has the best scholar in the world.
Zeng Qi lowered his head and touched the book in his arms with his right hand. This was "Mencius" given to him by the village chief, and it was also his only book.
He borrowed other books to read and had to return them after reading them.
After going to Yingtian Mansion, will I be able to read more books?
Mrs. Wang held her son's shoulders and said in a tone of experience.
"My child, all family ties are fake. Only when you are successful and capable will your father and grandmother be kind to you."
She didn't want to tell her son such a cruel fact so early.
But the fact is that children from poor families are destined to become masters early.
Her son understood earlier and could avoid detours. Mrs. Wang touched her son's hair lovingly, her words full of longing.
"Su Xian Cheng said that the person who will take you to Yingtian is a fourth-rank official in the capital, Mr. Gu, the censor of Zuoqiandu."
"He said that Mr. Gu also has a young lady who is nine years old this year. Mom doesn't know what this means, but if Mr. Gu is really interested in you, you must not refuse, do you understand?"
Seeing his frown, Mrs. Wang added, "I helped you study and take exams, and pulled you out of the quagmire. You have to be grateful to me, you know?"
If others really mean this, it is their son's blessing and face.
When Zeng Qi saw his mother crying, he couldn't help but knelt down and wiped away her tears.
"Mother, if your son knows this, he will definitely study hard, be filial to Master Gu, and be filial to his mother. He will not dare to slack off at all."
My father favors his second aunt and younger brother. His mother does all the hard work at home. If he has the skills, his mother will be much easier.
"Good boy, good boy~"
Mrs. Wang nodded happily. In this life, she could only look after her son.
Zeng family.
"Chief Yang, County Magistrate, although my eldest son has some talent in reading, he is not as smart and intelligent as this little one."
"Look..."
Although it would be great for his eldest son to have a bright future, his father wanted his younger son to have a bright future even more.
Therefore, he pulled out his eight-year-old son and wanted to take his eldest son's place.
"Uncle, I don't want to study, I don't..."
Zeng Zhu was spoiled by his family. When he heard this, not only was he not happy at all, but he also kept hiding behind his mother.
"This child, sir..."
"Husband, I have called Ziqi back."
The great-father was angry and anxious. Just when he wanted to speak for his son, he saw his wife coming back with his eldest son, so he had to shut up.
Mrs. Wang secretly glared at her husband, wishing she could go up and tear him in half.
It's okay to be partial to the small, but now I even want to be partial to the small in this kind of thing.
unacceptable!
Su Xian Cheng put down the rough porcelain tea bowl in his hand and beckoned Zeng Qi to come to him.
After gesturing his height, he praised with a smile.
"Well, it's much higher than what I saw during the Chinese New Year."
"Son, let me ask you, do you want to go to Yingtian Mansion to study?"
This child is extremely talented. In fact, he is not the only one who is interested in this child and wants to sponsor him. The prefect is also interested in this child.
It's just that the son-in-law is a royal censor of the capital, so no one wants to steal it from him.
Now the son-in-law has been promoted to the fourth rank of Beijing official, and is also a powerful censor.
In this place, no one would compete with their family.
"Think about it, Mr. County Magistrate, this child dreams of studying, wants to go to Yingtian Mansion, and wants to be taught by Mr. Gu."
Before Zeng Qi could speak, Wang quickly rushed to answer for her son.
"Madam, let the child speak for himself."
Although Su Xian Cheng is a local powerful man, he never forces others. Everything is done voluntarily.
It was true for Gu Chen in the beginning, and it is true for Zeng Qi now.
Everyone was waiting for Zeng Qi's answer, but they only heard the child answer loudly.
"Lord County Magistrate, of course I want to go to Yingtian Mansion to study, but I just can't worry about my mother..."
After saying that, he lowered his head.
He would never do such a thing as lying.
"Okay, he is a good and filial boy."
Su Xian Cheng was not angry at all, and was even very satisfied with it.
"Brother Zeng?"
When my great-father saw the county magistrate calling him, he quickly acted like he was listening.
Su Xian Cheng said: "Although it is common among the people to marry both mother and father, it is against etiquette and law."
"People believe that two wives are equal and have the same dignity, and they also understand it, but in our Ming Dynasty's laws, they don't recognize it..."
"If you really go too far, you will be brought to court in the future. There is no doubt that you two will be convicted of treason."
"According to Ming law and your relationship with your second wife, I'm afraid you will be sentenced to death by hanging."
Brothers and wives should not be bullied. If they are bullied, they will die.
Of course, as long as it doesn't go to court, the county magistrate won't bother to care about your folk customs and will just turn a blind eye.
But as long as things go wrong, my great-father and his younger siblings will only suffer.
Although the wife can't tell her husband, it's hard to tell if the rabbit is in a hurry.
Upon hearing this, my great-father was so frightened that he swore that he would never bully his wife again.
His younger brother and sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, also immediately said that from now on the housework would be shared equally and they would no longer be lazy or playful, but they still felt itchy in their hearts.
It's different if you climb a high branch. I'm afraid you'll have to be a little lower in front of the Wang family in the future.
With his father's guarantee, Zeng Qi felt confident that he wanted to study.
"Father, mother, the child is gone."
After Zeng Qi packed up some tattered clothes that didn't quite fit him, he said goodbye to his parents and left with the mountain chief and Su Xian Cheng.
