The final list of thirty people was announced by Taiyuan University. The names Ye Changshan and Yingping unexpectedly appeared on the list. For a time, students from all over the world were talking about it, especially Ye Changshan, an unknown person who was honored as a literary scholar. He won the first rank in the ranking list and became famous for a while. The major gambling houses conducted detailed research on these two people, but in the end they could not find out any information. Some gambling houses even wanted to visit the two young men in person, but they were all treated politely by Yi Hongyan. The ground declined. However, these gambling houses still refused to give up, and tried to come to the house with generous gifts for several days. Finally, Qin Jingqing came forward and scolded the gambling house spies who came, and these people left unwillingly and angrily. The reason why Qin Jingqing dared to go out and scold these people was because Yingping was naturally a little impatient. He just didn't want to offend the major gambling houses intentionally or unintentionally. Those who came to inquire were all right. People sneered, if it wasn't for the boss's instructions, if it wasn't for the sake of money, how could he accept this idleness?
Qin Jingqing has almost become the personal guide of Yingping and others. After driving away all the people in these gambling houses, he introduced the next part of the cold test to Yingping with a smile.
"You two young masters, the students who will take the re-examination tomorrow will all gather at Taiyuan College. We will inform you of the relevant matters for the re-examination at that time."
Yingping was not worried about the re-examination. Instead, he showed great interest in Jiang Changming and said, "Will Young Master Jiang also come?"
"That's natural. No matter how arrogant Mr. Jiang is, the reputation of Taiyuan College and Hanmen cannot be refuted."
"Then...these people from the gambling house will also harass Young Master Jiang?"
"Tch! Given the ambition and courage of these dogs and rats, they don't dare to go to the Jiang family to cause trouble. Don't accidentally offend the Jiang family. The gambling shop will be gone!"
"Hey! Is the Jiang family so influential?"
"The three major families in Chang'an are not just for boasting. Each family has a big tree with deep roots. Their network of relationships is intricate and deeply rooted in the imperial capital. If you just stamp your feet casually, Chang'an will shake. Unless these people are alive, I'm tired of it, otherwise how could I dare to harass the Jiang family without knowing what I mean?"
Yingping's eyes widened, and then he asked: "Besides the Jiang family, which of the three major families are there?"
"The other two families are the Wang family of the current empress and the Chang family of General Chang Da, the leader of the military."
"Oh? Brother Qin, please elaborate."
"Needless to say, the Wang family. In addition to Queen Wang, their elder brother is Wang Yanqing, a first-class bachelor of the current dynasty, a member of the Qinzheng Palace, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Their father, Wang Songling, is a veteran of the three dynasties. In my university, The prestige of the Tang Dynasty was very high. When the Holy Emperor suppressed the rebellion, Mr. Wang sat in the middle of the court and stabilized the ministers, playing the role of calming the sea."
Ying Ping was a little shocked. The status of the Wang family was at its peak. Their achievements and favors were so high that no other family could match them.
Before Yingping could digest the shock in his heart, Qin Jingqing said again——
"As for the Chang family, three generations of General Chang have served in our Tang Army. They are full of loyalty and have a high prestige among the officers and soldiers of the three armies. General Chang's father was the most powerful general under the late emperor at that time, and General Chang was even more popular in the tenth century. During the civil strife more than a year ago, he stood on the side of the Holy Emperor without hesitation, led his troops to serve the king, and suppressed the rebels of all kinds, and thus won the trust of the Holy Lord. Now, General Chang's son has also joined the army, starting from a small position in the army. Starting from the school, you should take the lead, how can you disobey the army officers and soldiers?"
Hearing the words 'General Chang', Yi Hongyan's expression suddenly changed slightly. He wanted to say something, but he held back the words and chose to sit aside and continue to remain silent.
Qin Jingqing continued: "The Queen's Wang family can be said to be the most prosperous of the three families. Not only is the Queen the Empress of the Tang Dynasty, her mother-in-law is respected in the world, but her eldest brother Wang Yanqing... is even more powerful. There are rumors in the market. , if Prime Minister Yin retires and returns to his hometown in the future, the position of prime minister must belong to Mr. Wang. The queen's nephew Wang Shaojing is also very high in cultivation at a young age, and he is already a strong man in the Daman realm at a young age. , the future is promising and limitless.”
"The power of the Queen's family is too great, isn't it?"
"Hehe... After all, the Queen and Lord Shangshu helped the Holy Lord a lot back then, which is why we have the momentum we have today. Besides... we, the common people, naturally cannot discuss the affairs of the government and the public."
When it comes to the Queen, Qin Jingqing, who has always been fearless, seemed a little apprehensive.
Hearing this, Yi Hongyan couldn't help but frown slightly. He sighed quietly, seeming to have a lot of thoughts.
Yingping was silent for a moment, and then he snorted with great disdain and said: "Hey! Who cares, my trip to Chang'an is for a poor family. If I can get into a low-income family, I will be your apprentice. The three major families should also look at the face of the humble family."
"Of course, everyone in the Tang Dynasty relies heavily on Sir."
Yingping nodded with satisfaction, as if he was quite pleased with the knowledge of the three major families.
"So, the two young masters don't have to worry about offending these gambling houses. If they are accepted as disciples by Mr., how can these gambling houses dare to be disrespectful at all?"
Seeing Qin Jingqing mention gambling houses, Yingping looked puzzled again and asked: "Eh? Brother Qin, there is something I don't understand. Why are these major gambling houses so interested in the cold test?"
Qin Jingqing looked proud. It was obvious that he could show off in front of Yingping again. He said, "Hey, young master, you don't know something. Han Shen is a big business in the eyes of these gambling houses!"
Yingping seemed to be very interested in this aspect and said, "Oh? Come and tell me."
"Human beings all have greed and gambling nature, and gambling houses have captured the 'greed' and 'gambling nature' of these gamblers and put out various bets to make these fat fish take the bait. Look at it. , you can bet on the number of people in the A list, you can bet on the number of people in the B list, you can bet on whether there are more students from the Tang Dynasty or Northern Wei in the A list, you can bet on any subject in the preliminary examination... it can be said to be all kinds of things. , as long as you have money, this gambling house will dare to bet with you. Although the court clearly does not allow such things, it turns a blind eye most of the time. After all, there are more and more secrets behind these big gambling houses. There is less trace of a big family.”
"Hey! Is there still such a business?"
Yingping looked amazed at first, as if he had opened a new world, and then his eyes started to spin, wondering what the hell he was thinking about.
"That's natural. When the Humble Clan opened its doors for the third time, a rich man took out ten taels of silver and bet that the Humble Clan would accept a female disciple. Guess what?"
"What's wrong?"
"In the end, the rich man was really fooled that time, and he won tens of thousands of taels of silver and went back. That time, the business of the gambling shop got better and better, and more and more people placed bets."
"Then... can students who take the re-examination buy their own bets?"
"Of course..."
"Nonsense! You don't learn anything serious every day, but you think of some crooked ways!"
Yi Hongyan was so familiar with Yingping that she knew what he was planning as soon as he heard it. He couldn't help but became furious and scolded Qin Jingqing loudly before he could finish his words.
When Yingping saw that his adoptive father was suddenly so angry, his neck subconsciously shrank and he stuck out his tongue.
"Hey! Mr. Yi, please calm down. Naturally, the young master is not the only one who thinks of such things. Therefore, this poor family strictly prohibits such things. Anyone who is found to bet on a student taking the exam will be disqualified from the exam, no matter who it is." You are not allowed to participate in the cold examination!" Seeing Yi Hongyan's anger, Qin Jingqing smiled and acted as peacemaker.
"Hey...this poor family is quite lenient." Yingping whispered to himself. Then, he made a silly smile and said to Yi Hongyan: "Hey, I was just asking, asking..."
Looking at Yingping's playful smile, Yi Hongyan snorted heavily, obviously warning Yingping.
Yingping still smiled naively and said nothing more.
…
…
There was peace in the Jiang Mansion, and no one congratulated Jiang Chang, because in the minds of everyone in the Jiang family, this result was a matter of course - in fact, not only the first test, but also the first place in the retest should be our eldest son! If such a genius as the eldest son cannot enter a poor family, then it must not be the problem of the eldest son, but the problem of the poor family! To be disrespectful, maybe...maybe the door owner is dim-sighted. After all, he is almost 200 years old, so it is inevitable that he will make mistakes. At present, these servants have begun to prepare the ingredients, tables and chairs for the banquet. The eldest steward said that this cold test will most likely belong to our eldest son. This banquet must be held, such a big happy event. , you’re right to prepare in advance!
On the dining table in the main hall, several exquisite dishes were placed, and a bowl of delicious and tender saury was presented in front of Jiang Taigong. At this time, he was using the jade chopsticks in his hand to gently pick up a handful of the tenderest meat on the fish, put it into his mouth, and chewed it slowly. It was fragrant, moist, fresh and smooth. Jiang Taigong nodded, very satisfied with the taste of the fish and the skill of the cook.
"My dear grandson, you are so thoughtful. The meat quality of this Chujiang saury is much inferior after the Qingming Festival. Is it difficult for you to get such a delicious saury for grandpa this summer? You have wasted a lot of effort, right?"
Jiang Taigong loves fish and loves to eat delicious fish the most. Chujiang saury is known as one of the "three delicacies of the Yangtze River" and is naturally expensive, especially in this off-season. Even if the Jiang family is rich, it is priceless and cannot be bought. Naturally, it took a lot of effort to get such a swordfish.
Jiang Changming said with a smile: "As long as grandpa likes to eat, if grandpa wants to eat, my grandson can find it for you even in the coldest month of winter."
"Filial piety is rare, filial piety is rare!"
Jiang Taigong was greatly relieved. Jiang Changming was cold and aloof in front of the world, but in front of the grandfather who raised him, he always looked like a virtuous son and filial piety. This made Jiang Taigong even more gratified.
Seeing that his grandfather was happy, Jiang Changming felt better. Just as he was about to pick up the chopsticks to pick up the food, he heard a sound like a silver bell coming from outside the door, and saw a girl with two braids coming out of the door. Come running.
"Grandpa, grandpa! I heard that my brother brought you good things, why didn't you call me!"
This girl is in her prime. Although she is much different in age from Jiang Changming, it can be seen that her appearance is somewhat similar to Jiang Changming, especially her eyes, which are as beautiful as grapes that have just been soaked in water. They are dark and beautiful - it is not difficult to tell. , the girl will definitely be a great beauty in the future. The girl exudes a hint of youth, is lively and smart, and underneath her youth is a hint of childishness, innocence and innocence. Anyone who sees her will marvel at the beauty of youth.
When Taigong Jiang heard the little girl calling him, his already smiling mouth widened. He squinted his eyes and the wrinkles on his face deepened.
"Hey, it's Yaya! Come on, come to grandpa."
"Grandpa didn't call Yaya. Yaya was unhappy and Yaya couldn't come over."
After saying that, the little girl stood at the door with her lips on her lips and her hands on her hips, refusing to come in.
"Ya Ya, be obedient and come in quickly!"
Seeing his sister, Jiang Changming, who had always been expressionless, actually started laughing. At this moment, his sister was standing at the door fuming, so he put down his chopsticks and walked over to her, bent over and scratched her beautiful nose, and coaxed softly: "It's my fault that I didn't tell you this good thing. I'll give it to you another day." I’m looking for a gift to apologize to you.”
Jiang Changming, who is as cold as ice, also has such a gentle and whispering side, which would definitely surprise outsiders when they see it, but the girl named Ya Ya is used to it, and she still ignores Jiang Changming like a proud little peacock, holding her head high.
Jiang Changming seemed to be used to this kind of situation. He took out a candied haws stick from his sleeve like a magic trick and waved it in front of the little girl. He saw that the candied haws fruit was like magic. Yaya's eyes straightened. Jiang Changming turned his hand around, staring at the candied haws.
"Give me!"
Ya Ya lost her reserve and reached out to reach for the candied haws in Jiang Changming's hand. Jiang Changming's childlike innocence was so great that he raised the candied haws high and let it jump wildly in front of him, but refused to give it to him.
Yaya was anxious and said coquettishly to the old lady: "Grandpa! My brother is bullying people! Please help me to judge!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Old Mrs. Jiang couldn't help laughing when he saw the naughty behavior of the two younger generations. For him, gold and silver are easy to come by, but the happiness of family love is hard to come by.
"If you sit next to grandpa, my brother will give you this candied haws."
"snort!"
Although the little girl snorted disdainfully, she walked obediently towards Taigong Jiang.
Seeing his sister's coquettish and cute look, Jiang Changming suddenly felt funny. He stopped teasing her and handed the candied haws to her.
My sister quickly stretched out her hand to take the candied haws, and couldn't wait to eat it, one bite at a time, as if it were some delicacy in the world, even more delicious than the Chujiang saury on the table.
"Ya Ya, you said you are such an older girl and your teeth have changed all the time. Why do you still like to eat these candied haws?"
This little girl's name is Jiang Yaya, and she is Jiang Changming's youngest sister. The Jiang family has a prosperous male population, but very few girls. Jiang Changming's father has a daughter in his old age, and she is one of the few girls in this generation of the Jiang family. This girl The baby is not only beautiful, but also smart and intelligent. At a young age, he is wiser than the other brothers. Therefore, the whole family loves him and regards him as the apple of his eye, especially the old lady. , it can be said that he dotes on his granddaughter to the extreme, even more than Jiang Changming. When Yaya was young, Jiang Yaya was probably the only one in the entire Tang Dynasty who dared to lie in Jiang Taigong's arms and pull the old man's beard. Even Jiang Changming was respectful to the old man when he was a child and did not dare to make a mistake.
"Ya Ya likes the candied hawsed haws at Lao Sha's house in the south of the city. He will always like it all his life!" Jiang Yaya said vaguely while eating the candied haws.
"Tanghulu, candied haws, you will marry this candied haws in the future." Jiang Changming joked when he saw his young sister's cuteness.
"Hmph, I want you to take care of it!" Jiang Yaya stuck out his tongue and made a face at Jiang Changming, "Brother, don't worry about me, just take care of your own marriage first! Don't let dad push you every day, I'm tired of listening to it. "
"you......"
Jiang Yaya was as big as a brat and was very articulate. Jiang Changming was choked by one sentence and had no ability to fight back. If you asked Jiang Changming who he was most afraid of in the world, it would naturally be this ghostly little sister.
"Yes, Chang Ming, don't delay this important matter of marriage. Don't blame grandpa for talking too much. A real man will be born in his thirties. He should get married first and then start a career..."
After hearing the word marriage, Jiang Taigong suddenly put down his chopsticks and transformed into an ordinary old man, earnestly persuading Jiang Changming.
Jiang Changming was helpless for a while. He devoted himself to practice and did not worry about the affairs between men and women. It was okay for his parents to nag him about this matter, but he always felt guilty when facing the old lady. Although the old lady was still in good health, he was still seventy years old. He also hoped that the old lady could meet his true love as soon as possible. Sun, but this matter between men and women is his own business after all. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. He can't force it, so he can only stay silent at this time.
Linglong Yaya saw that her brother was a little embarrassed, so she immediately changed her words and said to the old man: "Grandpa, don't worry, my brother is so handsome and handsome, with both civil and military skills. I'm afraid the ladies who want to marry into my Jiang family will be able to be arranged to be promoted to Daliang." Ah! Brother is concentrating on cultivation now, and one day when his merits are complete, he will naturally get married. Don’t worry, right? Brother? "
After Yaya finished speaking, he blinked secretly at Jiang Changming.
"Ah? Oh, yes, yes, Yaya is right..." Jiang Changming reacted, nodding his head like a chicken pecking rice, and secretly cupped his fists to signal to Yaya.
Although Jiang Taigong is the Taishan Beidou in Chang'an City, he can't do anything when facing his two grandchildren.
"Hey, as an old man, I can't control the affairs of young people."
After saying that, Jiang Taigong had no choice but to pick up the jade chopsticks again and taste the delicious food on the plate again.
