Chapter 89

As for what happens next, we'll talk about it later, but how to deal with the current trouble? It seems there's no way to avoid it. The lean man and the other clerks were shamelessly blocking his way.

They didn’t scold him, nor did they hit him. Instead, they smiled and pleaded, holding the document and asking him to sign and stamp it. They even borrowed ink and a brush on the spot, preparing everything for him in advance.

What could Yu Qing do?

Before, he could still say he suspected something was wrong and act stubbornly, but now it was confirmed. Some things wouldn't allow him to act recklessly without end. No one could indulge in such behavior indefinitely.

The problem now wasn't whether to accept the document or not, but what would happen afterward.

If he accepted it, he would still have a chance to catch his breath.

If he refused and continued to resist, he would have to face some things today.

Which one to choose?

For someone who truly wanted to escape, it wasn't hard to make a decision. Yu Qing decisively signed and then took the document, asking, "Can you move now?"

The lean man, feeling relieved, immediately waved his hand, "Move, move, quickly move."

The group of clerks immediately made a path, allowing Yu Qing to leave. They then shook their heads and sighed, realizing how high and mighty this gentleman was.

The lean man waved his hand, signaling everyone to follow.

This commotion left the people reading the public notice confused, not knowing what was going on.

Similarly, Zhan Muchen and others, who were watching other candidates' papers not far away, also noticed the abnormality.

Pan Wenqing chuckled and pointed, "Isn't that Brother Shiheng?"

The group took a closer look and indeed saw that it was Shiheng coming out from the group of clerks.

"We should go and congratulate him," Zhan Muchen suggested, and he was the first to walk over quickly. The others immediately followed.

However, they didn't get a chance to greet Yu Qing. Yu Qing got into his carriage and left, throwing the document to Du Fei, who followed him into the carriage.

Du Fei was taken aback. This thing was so hot that many people would beg for it.

The carriage rolled away.

The lean man, leading the group, waved his hand again, "What are you standing there for? Get on your horses and follow!"

One of the clerks was suspicious, "We've finished our job, why should we go and see his sour face?"

The lean man immediately kicked him in the buttocks, "Are you stupid? We chased him out of the Zhong family's house. Given his current influence, if anything happens on the way, we'll lose our jobs. If we take him back to the Zhong family's house, any problems afterward will be none of our business."

"Ah, ah, ah."

The group immediately understood and quickly untied their reins, climbed onto their mounts, and chased after him.

Zhan Muchen and others, who arrived late, could only stop and watch.

Su Yingtao sighed, "The grandeur of a top scholar is different. Just walking around, he already has so many officials and attendants protecting him."

Who could disagree? The group looked envious...

After sending Yu Qing back to the Zhong family's house and watching him enter the main gate, the group of clerks lingered at the entrance for a while.

After all the trouble, they didn't get any benefits and felt a bit disappointed. However, they couldn't go in again; the Zhong family's gate wasn't easy to enter, and the gatekeepers wouldn't take them seriously.

With no choice, they had to give up and could only curse their bad luck.

The group had just ridden out of the alley and hadn't gone far on the street when someone shouted, "Gentlemen, please wait a moment."

The group turned around and saw that it was the Zhong family's steward with two people chasing after them. It seemed something good was about to happen, so they immediately dismounted and smiled.

Sure enough, the steward took out a stack of silver bills from his sleeve and gave one to each of them, "Thank you for your hard work. This is a small token of appreciation from Mr. Zhong. I hope you won't mind."

The silver bills were worth 100 taels each, and the group of clerks immediately had stars in their eyes. They couldn't earn this much in a whole year, and this was a huge sum of money.

The Zhong family's gift was indeed generous this time. First, they encountered a great event, and second, Yu Qing had gone to the Lianzhou Guild Hall and caused a commotion.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhong, thank you, Mr. Li."

The group was overjoyed, repeatedly thanking them, feeling that the trip was worth it, and all their dissatisfaction vanished.

The steward smiled and asked, "I didn't finish what I wanted to say. Does my young master need to fulfill any more procedures with the guild hall?"

The lean man replied, "I don't think so. If there was, they would have asked us to pass on a message. I'll check for you when I get back. If there is anything, I'll come back and inform you. Besides, Young Master will be going to the guild hall in a few days, and any matters can be handled then."

After some polite exchanges, both sides were satisfied and left.

In the main hall of the Zhong family's inner quarters, a round table was placed in the center, made of dark red wood. Wen Jianhui sat in front of it, holding the document and admiring it, with her two daughters standing behind her on either side.

Du Fei had brought the document back, and it had only been in Mr. Zhong's hands for a short while before Mrs. Zhong took it to look at.

"Tsk, tsk, look at this bright red seal. This is the seal of the Ministry of Rites. The seals given to private individuals by the six ministries are different. They look grand, and ordinary families can't have such things. Most people might never see one in their lifetime." Wen Jianhui pointed at the document, flipping it over and over, talking non-stop.

Mr. Zhong, who was talking to Du Fei, felt a toothache and turned to stretch out his hand, "Give it to me."

Wen Jianhui: "Oh, I haven't seen it before. Let me take a closer look. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it."

You take care of it? Mr. Zhong's eyes widened. He thought, "If you want to look, go ahead." But now he was unhappy and walked over in a few steps, snatching it back and scolding her, "What are you thinking? This isn't something you can show off to a bunch of idle women."

Wen Jianhui immediately stood up and argued, "Which ear did you hear me say I was going to show it off?"

Mr. Zhong, who knew the nature of these women, didn't want to argue with her. He turned and called Du Fei to go to the east courtyard to see Yu Qing.

Wen Jianhui was angry, but the anger came and went quickly. She walked out of the hall, stood under the eaves, and waved to call over a group of nearby servants.

Her first words stunned the group of servants, "You've all heard that our son-in-law has passed the examination as the top scholar, right?"

"Son-in-law?"

The group of servants looked at each other, and one asked, "Madam, are you talking about the young master in the east courtyard?"

Wen Jianhui: "Who else could it be? How many top scholars can there be in one examination? If he weren't our son-in-law, would he have stayed in our east courtyard for so long? He and Ruochen were betrothed when they were young. This time, he came back to the capital to take the examination, but the most important thing after the examination is to marry Ruochen."

Inside the hall, Zhong Ruochen's face turned red, not expecting her mother to suddenly make this public.

Wen Ruowei leaned over and whispered, "Sister, look at our mother, she can't help but start showing off. Her old friends won't be able to avoid it."

Outside, someone exclaimed, "So the top scholar is our Zhong family's son-in-law!"

Wen Jianhui's face was full of pride and satisfaction. She huffed, "What did you think? What did you think I didn't know you were gossiping behind my back, saying why the eldest daughter is still unmarried and suspecting there's something wrong with her. I'm telling you, those are the thoughts of small-minded people. A Zhong family daughter can't just marry anyone. How many people in the world can compare to a Zhong family son-in-law?"

"Wow, so the young master is our son-in-law!"

The group of servants immediately started chattering, feeling honored and excited.

Wen Jianhui waited until they had said enough and then said, "Liu Mama, go to the east courtyard with the tailor and take the young master's measurements. The young master will be going to the palace to take the imperial examination in a few days, and he will meet the emperor. He can't look shabby. We need to hurry and make him a new set of clothes.

The material must be the best; we can't skimp on this.

Sigh, forget it, you people are too careless. I need to go and supervise this myself.

Also, Zhang Mama, take a few capable people and thoroughly clean the east courtyard.

The young master is now an official. After the examination, if some classmates or colleagues come to visit and see a dirty place, what would that look like? It would be my fault as the mistress of the Zhong family, or it would look like we are mistreating the young master. We need to help the young master maintain his dignity.

Also, Old Qi, from today on, the young master's diet must be carefully prepared. He will be taking the imperial examination in a few days and will meet the emperor. This is a huge event, not something that just any family can encounter. If the young master gets a stomachache, what would we do? The ingredients and seasonings must be the freshest.

Sigh, forget it, you people are lazy. I can't trust you with this. I'll discuss it with Mr. Zhong and have the young master eat with us. After all, he's not an outsider; he will be part of the family soon. I can watch over him myself, and I'll feel more at ease. Otherwise, Mr. Zhong will say I'm not managing the household well."

Soon, Zhong Ruochen will be sitting at the same table with Shiheng? Zhong Ruochen thought, her heart racing.

Wen Ruowei also leaned over and giggled, "Sister, you'll see him soon. Are you nervous?"

Outside, after a long talk, Wen Jianhui sent the servants away, went back into the house, and drank some tea to quench her thirst. She then sat and looked at her shy daughter, teasing her, "Now, are you still upset that your parents aren't worried about your marriage?"

Zhong Ruochen couldn't bear the teasing and denied it with a red face, "I've never been worried."

"Oh, come on, I've been a young lady before.

In any case, now you know how good your parents are to you, how far-sighted they are.

A husband like this is hard to find, even with a lantern. As a top scholar's wife, you might even become a top imperial scholar's wife. How many women in the world have such good fortune? My dear, you have a good destiny. When you marry, you'll be a high-ranking official's wife, destined for such good fortune, envied by all women.

The only problem is where you will live after you get married. If you continue to live in the east courtyard, it might not look good for the young master, making it seem like he's living in our house. He will be a man of the world and needs to maintain his dignity. People might talk, and your father is very particular about such things.

If you move out, we need to find a suitable house in advance. A good house is not easy to find.

Sigh, I won't be at ease if you move out. You, who know nothing, can't take care of your husband or manage a household.

You also need to learn a lot about dealing with his colleagues. I will have to run back and forth between the two households. This family is enough to keep me busy, and I will have to continue worrying about your household. I was born to work hard. What can I do? You are my daughter, and there's no one left in the Shiheng family. Your father is busy, so who else will take care of both households?

There's a big hurdle to overcome. From planning to preparing for your wedding, everything must be perfect for you two. I will have to make sacrifices. Sigh, your father is carefree, and I will have to worry a lot..."

Zhong Ruochen could only lower her head and blush, her thoughts following her mother's endless chatter, imagining what it would be like to live with the man she had seen before, wondering what he would look like in his official robes.

Wen Ruowei sat half-slumped on the table, one hand supporting her head, looking at the ceiling, occasionally poking her ear with her little finger, and occasionally giving her mother a disdainful look.

While she was bored, counting her fingers, Bang! Wen Jianhui suddenly slapped the table, startling her.

Looking up, she saw her mother pointing at her and scolding, "Do you look like a young lady? You sit without proper posture and stand without proper form. When you go out, people will see you as uneducated. Who would want to marry a girl like you? If you want to marry a good family like your sister, forget it! As