Snowflakes are falling, and the sky and earth are vast.
There was a fire pit burning in the house, and there were smoke and birds on the chimney on the roof. The fire pit against the wall of the house was warm.
Wang Lishi woke up leisurely and looked at Wang Zhong sitting by the kang. Thinking of the conversation between the two before she fell into coma, tears overflowed in her eyes involuntarily.
"Uncle, I..."
"Drink the medicine first!" Wang Zhong held the still steaming soup and said, "Don't worry, this is for nourishing the mind and treating the fetus."
Mrs. Wang Li was doubtful, but she still drank the decoction Wang Zhong handed over.
"The fetus in your belly is less than three months old now, so you still have time to think about it slowly."
Wang Zhong didn't expect that after hunting geese all day long, he would be pecked in the eye this time.
After all, I was still too conceited, thinking that everything was under my control, and I ignored things that I should have noticed a long time ago.
Mrs. Wang Li poured the decoction into her belly in one gulp, handed the medicine bowl to Wang Zhong, looked at Wang Zhong and said: "I have thought about it. From now on, I will live with Sister Qian and the child in her belly, and will not return to Yangzhou." Already."
Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows slightly, a little surprised: "Aren't you going back to Yangzhou?"
Wang Li looked at Wang Zhong, facing the gaze that could almost see through people's hearts, she nodded solemnly and said: "I won't go back!"
"Have you really thought about it?" Wang Zhong asked again.
"Think about it!" Ms. Wang Li said firmly, "I have never thought of deceiving my uncle, and I never dared to expect to follow him. My uncle is going to do great things in the future. You can't drag him down because of me!"
Seeing Wang Li's frank eyes and expression, Wang Zhong felt even more lonely.
Wang Li's feelings for her were genuine, but once the resentment was established, it would be difficult to eliminate it.
"Then let's settle down in Tokyo with peace of mind!"
The next day, Wang Zhong sent Wang Erxi and Yu Chuer back because there was no one in Yangzhou.
He also personally found a dentist, selected two little girls who were twelve or thirteen years old, had received some simple training, and knew some needlework, and followed Wang Li and Wang Qier to find a mother-in-law to do some heavy work. He is the kind with a more honest temper.
Seeing that the New Year was approaching, Wang Zhong prepared a lot of gifts and went to visit Sheng Hong's fellow student named Lu at his house. From his mouth, he learned about the candidate for the examination and his temperament. He also spent a lot of money. I got a lot of articles about the past and present exam chiefs.
Wang Zhong can be considered as having done a lot of hard work.
The New Year of Jiayou's second year was a bit boring. The city of Tokyo was indeed prosperous, but compared to the unrestrained Xiaozhu Village, it was far less attractive to Wang Qian'er.
Seeing that the little girl was bored and even a little depressed, Wang Zhong found Ren Yazi again and bought two little girls about the same age as the little girl, letting them study, practice martial arts and play with the little girl every day.
Time passed day by day, and gradually came to February, and the spring period officially began. The process was not much different from the autumn period. All the officials gathered in the Gongyuan, and after nine days and ten nights, the results were released half a month later. He won the first prize in one fell swoop and became the founder of Jinke Huiyuan. In an instant, the name of Prince Edo spread throughout Tokyo.
Generally speaking, Huiyuan means that the first and third rankings of the palace examination are scheduled, and the weights are different.
At the beginning of March, Wang Zhong and other tributes gathered in the Chongzheng Hall to take part in the palace examination. It is said that the current imperial family personally set the questions for this palace examination.
Wang Zhong caught the eye of Emperor Jiayou with an article focusing on benevolence and education, and was appointed by Emperor Jiayou as the top scholar in modern science.
Before dawn, Wang Zhong and a group of candidates gathered outside Donghua Gate, waiting for the roll call.
The so-called good boy outside Donghua Gate refers to this situation.
After the roll call, Wang Zhong, Zhou Ru, who was also ranked second in the first class, and Tanhua Lang Xu Shi, were led by the chamberlain to change into green official uniforms and have an audience with the officials.
In the main hall, Wang Zhong and the others were led by officials from the Ministry of Rites, and saw the current emperor of the Song Dynasty. However, in Wang Zhong's eyes, this ninety-five-year-old man was just a man who looked sixty or seventy years old, and his beard and hair were already half silver. There are many wrinkles on his face, and he is just an old man showing his age.
But over fifty years old,
He looks like a man in his sixties, which shows that he must be working hard every day.
After some worshiping, Emperor Jiayou said: "Look at our new top scholar, he looks quite mature, he doesn't look like an eighteen-year-old boy!"
Emperor Jiayou didn't know Wang Zhong's age until he selected the top candidate. At first, several examiners wanted to lower Wang Zhong's ranking and hone Wang Zhong's ranking, but Emperor Jiayou refused. .
The eighteen-year-old number one scholar has never been seen before in this dynasty, let alone in the previous dynasty. If such young talents are still suppressed and tempered, wouldn't it violate the original intention of the imperial examination to select talents?
If you really want to practice, it is not impossible to practice again when you are awarded an official.
The three of them stood in a triangle, with Wang Zhong positioned slightly forward. The first thing Emperor Jiayou saw was naturally Wang Zhong.
When Emperor Jiayou spoke, there was a hint of old age hidden in his magnetic voice, but there was no hint of condescension in his tone, just like that of an elder next door.
Wang Zhong bowed his hands respectfully and said, "Xu Shichen often travels outside and is exposed to the sun and rain. It seems that he looks more mature now that it's getting darker!"
"Oh?" Emperor Jiayou was quite surprised: "The Number One Scholar is so talented at a young age, but he doesn't study hard at home day and night? He still has time to travel outside?"
Wang Zhong explained: "My mentor taught me that after reading thousands of books, I also need to travel thousands of miles and combine them with life to understand them all!"
A smile appeared on Emperor Jiayou's face: "This is a great statement. To have such insight, the mentor of Zhuangyuan Lang must be a great Confucian! Do you know the name of your master?"
Emperor Jiayou once supported Duke Fan Wenzheng in carrying out reforms. Although he failed in the end, the various reform strategies left by Duke Fan Wenzheng allowed the court and the people to enjoy practical benefits. Emperor Jiayou was not one of those who only knew how to implement reforms. The talkative emperor.
Wang Zhongdao: "Your Majesty, my mentor emerged in the mountains a few years ago!"
"Is the mentor of the Number One Scholar a real person?" The word "evolution" is not used casually, and Emperor Jiayou became more and more curious.
Wang Zhongdao: "My mentor's name is Wuwei Sanren. He has learned all three sects. He is a strange person who has never been born in the world. However, my talent is stupid and I can't learn more than one or two of my mentors."
Emperor Jiayou asked: "Is there such a strange person in the world?"
Wang Zhongdao: "My mentor once traveled all over the world, hanging pots to help the world. Before he became immortal, he once said to his ministers: No matter how exquisitely you practice the art of medicine, you can save hundreds or thousands of people, but you can't save tens of thousands or tens of millions. To help the people of the world, only by serving as an official in the court, carrying out Your Majesty's benevolent government, educating the people of the world, promoting agriculture and mulberry trees, and diversion of water can the country be strong and the people live a prosperous and happy life!"
Even Emperor Jiayou couldn't help but clapped his hands and cheered after hearing this, "Your Majesty has the common people in your heart, and the champion should remember your Majesty's teachings!"
"The number one scholar has the ambition to educate the people of the world. This is a good thing. I should support it. However, the number one scholar is still young and has little experience. It is better to be a secret editor first. After he is crowned, he can be trained somewhere else. ?」
"O minister, I sincerely obey the Holy Will!" Wang Zhong bowed and said.
Emperor Jiayou stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes moved to Zhou Ru, who was second on the list to the left and behind Wang Zhong: "The second on the list is..."
The first three people in the first class were all directly appointed officials by Emperor Jiayou. Wang Zhong had the highest rank, which was the sixth rank. The second rank and Tanhualang were both the seventh rank, and they were all officials in the capital. If they were released, they would either He is the magistrate of Wang County, or the general magistrate of a state, which is just higher than his colleagues in the second class.
After coming out of the palace, Wang Zhong and the other three followed the officials from the Liyuan to collect the corresponding official uniforms. They could only receive the seal letter and other items after reporting to the Ministry of Personnel.
Yangzhou, Shengjia.
"What, you said that boy Wang Zhong won the first prize?" Wang Ruofu stood up with a look of shock on his face.
"The official issued an order on the spot in the Golden Palace. He named Zihou Fengzhilang, compiled in the secret pavilion, and received the rank of sixth grade." Sheng Hong said with a smile on his face.
"Even though he is only one level lower than me." When he said this, Sheng Hong couldn't help but sigh. He had worked hard for nearly twenty years, and so far he was only a general judge of the sixth grade. Although he would be able to return to Beijing next year. He was promoted to one level, but compared to Wang Zhong's one step to reach the sky, there was a huge difference!
The difference between first-A and second-A,
Like a chasm.
"How is it possible? He actually won?" Wang Ruofu hadn't recovered from the shock. The mud-legged man who had not been much looked down on in the past actually won the top prize!
The Wang family is a scholarly family with many generations of officials. The Sheng family is also a high-ranking civil servant. Most of their relatives and friends are civil servants. Not to mention first-class, just second-class, which is enough for the Sheng family to take seriously.
Wang Ruofu couldn't let go: "So what if I won the top prize? The Yuan family is an earl's palace. The officials themselves said that the Yuan family had suffered hardships before. Unlike those dandies from other noble families, the children know how to make progress. Yuan Wenshao has also been seen by the officials in person. He is a kind-hearted, humble and polite man, and has a deep chest. Aren’t these things the officials said?"
Wang Ruofu also used his own words to block Sheng Hong!
"Yuan Wenshao's kid is indeed good, but compared with Prince Hou, he is still a little behind." Sheng Hong said: "Our Sheng family and Wang family are both scholarly families with clean civil servants. The Yuan family is a distinguished one, and although Yuan Wenshao is He is the legitimate son, but not the legitimate eldest son. In the future, it will be Yuan Wenchun, the eldest son of the Yuan family, who will be in charge of Uncle Zhongqin's mansion, not Yuan Wenshao's child."
Wang Ruofu said: "The official is so determined that he wants to marry our son to that prince?"
"Is it possible that the new champion in a new subject is not worthy of our Hua'er?" Sheng Hong looked at Wang in confusion.
Mrs. Wang said: "So what if he is the new champion? The Wang family is just a banker's family with a meager financial background. Prince Hou is even more alone, with no relatives to care for him and no brothers to help him. Even if he seriously enters an official career, he will definitely succeed. Is the sky going straight?"
Sheng Hong's eyes narrowed slightly and he said, "I think you are dazzled by the wealth of the Earl's Mansion!"
"Aren't I thinking about Hua'er?" Wang said: "Although Wang Zihou is the number one scholar, who can guarantee that his career as an official will be smooth sailing for the rest of his life? If he is demoted in the future, what will happen to us Hua'er?" What to do? Is it possible to follow him to those bitter and cold places to suffer hardship?"
"Then Yuan Wenshao may not be as rich as the prince, but after all, the Yuan family has a title to protect him. Even if his official career is not smooth, he can still keep his wealth."
Wealth, wealth, wealth, in addition to wealth, there is also the word "noble".
In the land south of the Yangtze River, rich people with huge wealth are not only everywhere, but they are definitely not a few, especially the salt merchants in Lianghuai and other places. Their families have a lot of money, but Si Shenghong, a civil servant, is a clean and tidy man who can marry a daughter-in-law. When you married your daughter, you never considered those rich salt merchants?
"You only know the wealth and honor of the Earl's Mansion, but don't know the dangers inside!" Sheng Hong said: "Then the Earl's Mansion must be good? You are the eldest lady of the Sheng family. Are all the intrigues and secrets in the inner house still there? Do you want me to tell you?"
"Hmph!" Wang Ruofu said coldly: "Are all scholars necessarily good? Can you guarantee that Prince Hou will not be like you in the future, doting on concubines and destroying wives?"
"You!" Sheng Hong was in pain when he was poked, and his expression changed. His eyes widened, and he pointed at Wang Ruofu, wanting to have a fit, but what Wang Ruofu said left him unable to defend himself.
"We are talking about Hua'er's marriage, what are you talking about?" Sheng Hong turned around with a flick of his sleeves and sat back on the big chair.
Wang Ruofu held a gun and a stick and said: "You are allowed to do it, but I am not allowed to say it? Who in the entire Yangzhou city's official records doesn't know that you Sheng Tong sentenced your concubine to destroy your wife, and even handed over the power of the middle-income family to you?" After marrying that bitch, I am also the official wife you married in a big sedan chair, but now I have become a joke in the eyes of others. Is this the family tradition of your Sheng family?"
"You... you... you... are so arrogant!" Normally, Sheng Hong, who had figured out Wang Ruofu's temperament, would not be too easy to coax Wang Ruofu into coming. But once he mentioned Lin, Sheng Hong Hong felt that he had no confidence in himself. He was speechless and unable to defend himself after being retorted by Wang Ruofu every time.
"Unreasonable!" Sheng Hong walked away angrily.
In fact, Wang Ruofu had a good impression of Wang Zhongde, and Wang Zhong won the first prize again. But when Wang Ruofu thought of what Sheng Hong had done, he was always worried that the scholar chosen by Sheng Hong would be like Sheng Hong. Just like Hong, doting on concubines and destroying wives is completely out of order.
After all, the Sheng family has a tradition of doting on concubines and destroying their wives. Sheng Hong’s father, the once-famous Tanhua Lang, married the legitimate daughter of the Yongyi Hou Mansion. At that time, in the Yongyi Hou Mansion, Lao Hou Yechun
Qiu Hengsheng was at the forefront even among the nobles in Tokyo City, but Sheng Hong's father, Tan Hua Lang, doted on his concubines and destroyed his wives. If he hadn't died young, where would he have been? And today’s Sheng family.
Wang Ruofu's inner opinions towards Sheng Hong had been suppressed for many years. Now that they came out, he felt much relieved. The more he thought about Wang Ruofu, the more he felt that his worries were justified.
Sheng Hong is an excellent example. He has already walked the road and must not let his daughter go through it again and make the same mistakes.
In order to accept the king as his son-in-law, Sheng Hong worked hard, but he hit a wall with Wang Ruofu. Seeing that he could not convince Wang Ruofu, Sheng Hong first tried to persuade his son, but with little effect, and then wrote to him. He asked his brother-in-law and mother-in-law to come forward and persuade Wang Ruofu, but Wang Ruofu was as determined as if he had eaten a weight. He was determined not to marry his daughter to Wang Zhong. No matter who tried to persuade him, he would not let go.
If Wang Ruofu refused to let go, even if Sheng Hong tried to marry his daughter to Wang Zhong, it would not work. Sheng Hong would be completely ruined by Wang Ruofu.
Even Wang Ruofu's mother and Sheng Hong's mother-in-law were somehow persuaded by Wang Ruofu to fall in love with Yuan Wenshao, the second son of Uncle Zhongqin's Yuan family.
Including Wang Ruofu's brother and sister-in-law, they all sided with Wang Ruofu.
Sheng Hong was completely at his wits end.
Time flies, not long after the Qionglin Banquet, Wang Zhong officially took office and became a librarian. Wang Li's belly was getting bigger and bigger. Wang Zhong rented another courtyard to house Wang Li. He and Wang Qier continued to live in Tianshui Lane,
Just before June arrived, Mrs. Wang Li successfully gave birth to a son.
Wang Zhong named the child with the character "Xu", which means like the red sun rising, its path will be bright.
In July, Mrs. Wang Li moved back to Tianshui Lane with her son. The female servants who had been serving Wang Li in the rented yard were also sent away. Wang Zhong returned their deeds and gave them The money allowed them to go home.
The little girl and her mother had been separated for half a year. As soon as she saw Ms. Wang and Li, she felt a surge of longing in her heart. She hugged Ms. Wang and burst into tears.
As for the infant brother that Wang Li brought back, according to the little girl and the outside world, he was born to Wang Zhong’s first wife, and was adopted to Wang Li to inherit the lineage of Wang Zhong’s brother. .
Wang Zhong and Wang Li still addressed each other as uncle and sister-in-law, and it was as if nothing had happened between them.
Everything remains the same.
After having her son, Mrs. Wang Li's face became more smiley. She spent every day in the courtyard playing with the children, taking care of her daughter, making clothes and cooking. She didn't have to worry about outside business or her livelihood. She felt a little happy.
It's just that after a long time, living in the city is inevitably a bit too restrictive. Wang Li has some good looks and has taken good care of herself in the past few years. Wang Zhong can't be by his side all the time. If he encounters those rogues, it will be troublesome.
Wang Zhong simply stayed outside the city again and spent a lot of money to buy a small village with more than 200 acres of land from a local member of the Communist Party of China. He placed Wang Li and her two daughters in the village. Wang Zhong still lived in Tianshui. Lane, I only went to Zhuangzi to see them every now and then.
Mrs. Wang Li knew that because she had hidden the affairs of Wang Zhong's mother's family, Wang Zhong had a knot in his heart. The layer of window paper that had just been pierced between the two people was once again exposed, and this time it was not only Not just a layer of window paper, but a wall.
Fortunately, Mrs. Wang and Li were self-aware and had no ambitions. They just lived peacefully in Zhuangzi and took care of their children without causing any trouble.
Although the city of Bianliang is prosperous, both the Wang Li family and Wang Qian'er prefer the quiet and comfortable life in Zhuangzi. On Zhuangzi, Wang Qian'er can run wild as much as she wants. When she wants to go to the city, she can hitch a carriage and go there. After a day of walking around the city, you can stay at Tianshui Lane in the evening. You can stay there for a day or two and then come back.
In late September of the third year of Jiayou's reign, Wang Erxi followed the Caobang people to sail north and disembarked at the Bianhe River Pier. He took several brothers from the Caobang and Yu Chuer, pulling several large carts of things, to Wang Erxi, Tianshui Lane. Outside the heavy house.
