The Limitations of the County Examination

When Jia Yun returned home, he told his mother, Bu Shi, what his grandmother had said.

When Ms. Bu heard that she could be freed from the arduous task of washing clothes and instead take a leisurely and respectable job in the main kitchen, she could hardly believe her ears.

She held Jia Yun's hand, tears streaming down her face again: "My son! Is it true? We...we've finally made it through? From now on, your mother can hold her head high..."

She choked up as she spoke, which made Jia Yun sigh: Women really are made of water.

"Mother, please don't cry. This is a blessing from our ancestors. We will remember it in our hearts. Things will only get better from now on."

After the initial excitement subsided, Madam Bu suddenly remembered something and quickly wiped away her tears, saying, "Yun-ge'er, there's something else I need to tell you. This morning, Yuanyang, the maidservant of the old lady, quietly came and handed me a bundle, saying that the old lady had given you paper and pens for studying, as well as fifty taels of silver. She also specifically instructed me not to go and express my gratitude, but to focus on preparing for the exam."

As she wiped away her tears, she took out the blue cloth bundle from deep inside the cabinet.

When Jia Yun opened it, he found two reams of high-quality Xuan paper, several exquisite Huzhou brushes, and a heavy package of snowflake-patterned silver.

Looking at the gleaming silver, Jia Yun pondered for a moment before saying, "Mother, take thirty taels of this silver to the Tonghui Bank tomorrow and deposit it there, making a deposit slip. Keep ten taels of the remaining twenty taels with you, as the family always needs some expenses. I'll also keep ten taels for my studies."

He knew that although the Jia family seemed prosperous now, it was not necessarily stable inside, and keeping some private money in hand was always a way out.

Mrs. Bu had always trusted her son, and although she did not understand the deeper meaning, she quickly nodded in agreement.

However, the fact that Jia Yun had won the favor of the matriarch and was arranged to teach in the inner courtyard, along with his mother's transfer, eventually became a hot topic of conversation within the mansion.

At this moment, in the study next to Rongxi Hall, the brothers Jia She and Jia Zheng were gathered together, a rare occasion, but the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Jia She rubbed a snuff bottle in his palm, his face dark as he snorted, "Mother is increasingly distrustful of us two sons. She values ​​this distant, collateral relative more than her own grandson! She's letting him into the inner courtyard and arranging good jobs for his mother—what's going on here?"

Jia Zheng, holding the teacup, frowned slightly. Although he was also somewhat surprised by Grandmother Jia's actions, he valued the young man's ambition for learning more, so he said, "Brother, you are mistaken. Yun-ge'er is, after all, surnamed Jia. If he can truly make progress, it will be an honor for the family. Mother may simply be appreciating his talent."

"Cherish talent?" Jia She scoffed, glancing sideways at Jia Zheng. "Isn't our Baoyu good enough? I think Baoyu is quite good! He's innocent and carefree, not understanding those worldly ways and economics. That's the kind of demeanor a young master from a family like ours should have! You should scold him less in the future."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone clearly provocative: "No matter how successful Jia Yun is, he's not your biological son! You're praising him now, but do you think he'll be there to help you at your funeral?"

These words hit Jia Zheng right where it hurts!

His proudest achievement was having Jia Zhu, a promising son, while his greatest sorrow was Jia Zhu's early death.

Jia She's words clearly implied that since your own son has died, you shouldn't blindly support a distant relative in the hopes of expecting anything in return.

Now that Jia She had so bluntly exposed his wounds and even implied that his legitimate son was inferior to that of the collateral branch, he was so angry that his face turned ashen.

He slammed his teacup on the table with a bang, glaring at him angrily: "Brother! What... what are you saying! Isn't Baoyu my own son? But look at him now! And look at you! How much have you cared about Lian'er's current state?"

Enraged, Jia She retorted, "How could I not care? How much silver did I spend on his future, how many connections did I make? Take Jia Yun for example, if it weren't for the fact that he seemed to have gained Prince Xin's favor, would I have given him all those good things? Now look what's happened, Prince Xin has fallen silent, all my investment has gone down the drain, and Mother is praising him to the skies! I've suffered a huge loss!"

This is the root of Jia She's anger.

He initially favored Jia Yun because he thought he had gotten in touch with Prince Xin, and he even bleed money for it.

Unexpectedly, this connection was broken in just a few days, but Jia Yun, through his own abilities, found another way and gained the approval of Grandmother Jia.

This made Jia She feel frustrated, like he had tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead, and he also started to dislike Jia Yun.

When Jia Zheng heard him mention Prince Xin, he felt even more that the prince's intentions were impure, and he despised him even more.

The two argued back and forth, each sticking to their own version of events, until they were both red in the face and almost came to blows.

Ultimately, Jia Zheng still cared about brotherly affection and family tradition. Seeing that arguing wouldn't lead to anything, he suppressed his anger and sighed, saying, "Enough, elder brother, there's no point in us arguing here. Since Mother has made her decision, how can we, as her sons, possibly disobey her?"

Jia She knew the matter was settled, so he snorted and accepted the situation as an excuse to back down.

His eyes darted around, and he said coldly, "Since you, Second Brother, also say he's talented, then let's see just how capable he really is! Isn't he going to take the imperial examination? Fine! If he can pass the county examination in February and become a student, then he'll have some real ability. If Mother wants to promote him, we'll just turn a blind eye and let him do as he pleases."

If he can't even pass the preliminary imperial examination, it proves he's nothing but a showy empty shell, all show and no substance. Then don't blame us for disregarding kinship and making him and his mother behave themselves as soon as possible, lest they harbor any further improper thoughts! What do you say?”

Jia Zheng pondered for a moment.

He secretly hoped that Jia Yun would pass the exam, which would prove that his judgment was not bad, and give the family more hope.

But Jia She's words also gave him a way out, a standard to test whether Jia Yun was worth investing in. So he nodded: "As you say, elder brother. Let's use the county examination in February as the deadline."

The incident was temporarily quelled by the tacit "consensus" between the two gentlemen.

But at the same time, the scene in Sister Feng's courtyard was quite different.

Wang Xifeng dismissed the old woman who had come to report, and then lay alone on the kang (heated brick bed) in the warm room, holding an account book in her hand, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Jia Yun's encounter today once again astonished her with the young man's abilities and luck. However, what weighed heavily on her mind was the family's increasingly dire predicament, unknown to anyone else.

Only after she took charge of the household for several years did she truly realize the many problems hidden behind this "immense wealth".

The mansion's population grew, and its grandeur increased, yet its income declined year after year. The ancestral titles were diminished, and the favors bestowed upon the family were no longer what they once were.

The harvests from the farms outside were getting worse year by year, and the accounts reported by the farm managers were only trustworthy for about 50-60% of the total. The once grand mansion was now living beyond its means, and its coffers were gradually running dry.

Otherwise, why would she, the legitimate granddaughter-in-law of the Duke's mansion and the current Second Mistress of Lian, risk her reputation by secretly taking public funds to lend money at exorbitant interest rates? Wasn't she driven to this by the money that was being spent like water but not coming in?

Whenever she thought of this, she felt a tightness in her chest, as if a huge rock was pressing down on it.

Now that the old lady has entrusted her with the task of promoting Jia Yun and even arranging a marriage alliance, Feng Jie has pondered the deeper meaning behind it again and again.

The old lady is a shrewd and perceptive woman; she is surely aware of the difficulties facing the household. This move may well be a way of hoping that promising young men like Jia Yun will one day be able to support the family. As for myself, I must both follow the old lady's wishes and plan for my own future.

The thought of "marriage alliance" inexplicably stirred a faint bitterness in Sister Feng's heart.

Jia Yun is indeed handsome... Compared to Master Lian, who is now out there indulging in debauchery and whose body has been drained by those filthy women, he appears much more upright and spirited.

Second Master Lian... wasn't he handsome and dashing back then? But now... she sneered inwardly, suppressing the emotions she shouldn't have had.

She sat up, feeling a hot and sticky sensation all over her body, and called out, "Ping'er!"

Ping'er responded and lifted the curtain to come in.

"Ping'er, I feel strangely sticky and uncomfortable right now. Go and tell the maids to bring the boxwood bath tub to my suite, and also boil some water for me. Make sure the water is piping hot today. Also, prepare the rose ointment and jasmine powder in the mother-of-pearl box." Feng Jie tidied her sideburns and instructed in her usual tone.

However, she then added seemingly casually, "Oh, right, have Feng'er quietly go to the west corridor and tell Yun-ge'er to come over in an hour. I have something to tell him."

Ping'er's eyes flickered slightly.

Knowing that her second mistress must have something important to do, she didn't ask any more questions, but simply replied "Yes" and turned to make the arrangements.

Silence returned to the warm pavilion. Wang Xifeng gazed at the sunlight outside the window, her fingers unconsciously twisting a handkerchief. A scheme revolving around Jia Yun, concerning the future of the Jia family and her own position, had quietly taken shape in her shrewd mind.