The Young Master of the Jia Family in the Red Chamber

Returning to Jinling, Jia Lian is full of confidence. The past year can be said to be the most serious year since he started studying. It would not be too exaggerated to describe it as catenary on the head and pricking the buttocks.Compared with Jia Hu and Jia Zhu who put pressure on each other since they were young, Jia Lian's life at home is much easier.At that time, Jia Zhen had already been admitted as a scholar and hired famous teachers, and Jia Hu and Jia Zhu also entered the palace as accompanying students. Except for Jia Lian, who was a young master from the West Mansion, the others were all the children of the clan who came to attend the school. , he is naturally far ahead without any pressure.

After all, Jia Lian's enlightenment was completed by Zhang and Jia Hu, and his foundation is very solid. He is also very smart by nature, but he doesn't work very hard, and he is not comparable to those children who started their enlightenment after entering family education.Perhaps Jia Hu's precocity and prudence misled Jia She and Zhang, making them feel that their children should be naturally sensible, and they were never too hard on Jia Lian's homework, just passable.On the contrary, Jia Hu saw the essence clearly through the phenomenon, and beat Jia Lian a few times, but he got used to it, and Jia Hu's words didn't work.

Until last year when he took the children's exam, Jia Lian was still enthusiastically saying before the exam that he must surpass his brother's grades that year.As a result, both the county examination and the government examination were ranked in the middle, and the hospital examination was not passed directly. Only then did Jia Lian realize that the gap between himself and Jia Hu seemed to be a bit big.

Therefore, Jia Lian threw away his self-righteousness in the past, and began to study his homework with an unprecedented level of assiduousness.Seeing that his younger brother hit the south wall with his head, Jia Hu was not only not discouraged, but instead realized his shame and was brave.

Before going out, Jia Lian assured Jia Hu: "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely pass this exam, just wait for my good news." Jia Hu raised his hand and patted Jia Lian's shoulder, and said with a light smile: " Of course I'm relieved, didn't you say that I'm your lucky star?"

Jia Lian smiled embarrassedly, and then said: "That's what I said, why do you keep remembering it?" Last year, Jia Hu accompanied Jia Lian to the county and government exams, and he passed both times. He went for the college exam by himself, but failed, that's why he said that.

Jia Hu laughed loudly and said, "Remember to remind you, you must take the exam well, and don't ruin my name as a lucky star." In fact, Jia Hu was just joking with Jia Lian, he had read his homework, The progress is obvious. As long as he performs normally this year, he will definitely pass the college examination.

Sure enough, on the day when the list was released, Jia Lian's name was at the top, even higher than his house's ranking in the test.

When Jia Lian was selected as a scholar, the clansmen in Jinling were very happy, and they celebrated him with a lively family banquet.For those of them who depend on the Ningrong Second Mansion to survive, the more promising the young masters of the two mansions, the better their life will be in the future, and they can enjoy the shade by leaning on the big tree.

At this time, there were less than three months before the township examination. Jia Hu didn't want to go back and forth, and planned to stay in his hometown to study, so he asked Jia Lian if he wanted to stay in Jinling for a while, or go back to Yangzhou first.Jia Lian thought about it, and although he felt that Yangzhou was more fun, he stayed there with great loyalty.

After the college examination, Jia Hu wrote a letter back to the capital to announce the good news, but before the start of the rural examination, Jia Amnesty and Zhang's reply letter arrived.

There were several things mentioned in the letter, the most important of which was that Situ Yan had not long ago conducted a sub-subject examination for the officials below the fourth rank of the Six Departments.Jia Zheng, as a member of the Ministry of Industry from the fifth grade, is also within the scope of reference personnel. Unfortunately, he failed to pass the exam three times.

Since Situ Yan set up a patent office under the Ministry of Industry three years ago, the workload of officials of the Ministry of Industry has doubled several times.As the first person to eat crabs, Carpenter Hu's treatment was envied and hated by countless people. Suddenly, countless treasure donors flocked to the Patent Office.

Although most of them are outdated and useless antiques, as long as one percent of them are innovative and useful, the workload will be terrible.In just three years, the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry sent four applications to Situ Yan, asking for more manpower.

Situ Yan agreed without hesitation. Anyway, the Ministry of Officials had a lot of Jinshi and Juren waiting to make up their posts, and the Ministry of Industry wanted to take it as much as they wanted.But I never thought that most of the past candidates recommended by the Ministry of Officials were returned every time. The reason was that they didn't understand anything. Not only would they not be able to help, but they would also cause chaos.Seeing that something was wrong, Situ Yan sent Situ Jing to go to the Ministry of Industry in person to see what was going on, whether it was because the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry was too picky, or the quality of the recruiters was too low.

Situ Jing honestly stayed in the Ministry of Industry for half a month. When he came back, he told Situ Yan two things. One is that the mode of selecting officials must be reformed. The second is to provide opportunities for those with special skills. What the Ministry of Industry currently lacks is this kind of people. They may not study much, but they must be proficient in a certain specialty.In the end, the Ministry of Industry's manpower shortage problem was solved by posting notices to recruit workers. Although it was still not enough, it could barely make do.

It was precisely because of Situ Jing's suggestion that after the palace examination the year before last, the new Jinshi had an extra round of sub-subject examinations, and then decided their whereabouts according to the direction they were good at.Since last year, the subjects of the examination have become officials below the fourth grade of the Six Departments. Situ Yan did not do it right. Instead, he announced the examination in advance, and also announced the scope of the examination, so that people can review in advance, and cross-departmental reference is also allowed. .

After the first test, nearly half of the officials failed, and Situ Yan didn't do anything to them, telling them to prepare for the make-up exam while working.It's not that Situ Yan is kind, but that there are too many people, and if so many people don't work, the court cannot continue to operate.

Fortunately, among so many officials who failed the exam, not everyone failed the exam because they did not understand. After passing the past, they let the past go, and cheered up one after another, and took up the posture of preparing for the provincial and general exams to review. Therefore, after the second round of the exam, more than half of the people passed the test.

For those officials who failed the exam twice, Situ Yan was not so polite. He temporarily suspended his job, went home to concentrate on reviewing, and returned to work after passing the exam. If he failed the exam, he would never come back.Jia Zheng just failed the exam twice. The first time was that he didn't take the exam seriously and took the exam almost without reading the books, and ended up coming home with the lowest score in the exam.The second time he took his heart, but his foundation was too weak, and it was useless to cram his feet temporarily. He was still at the bottom of the exam, so he was sent home by Situ Yan, waiting for the last make-up exam.

If he failed the first exam, Jia Zheng could still comfort himself with the excuse that everyone was like this, but when it came to the second time, he wished he could bury himself in the ground.Jia Amnesty always liked to laugh at Jia Zheng the most, but this time Mrs. Zhang stopped him, saying it was to save him some face.

Jia Zheng was not the only one who failed the two exams. Some people did not give up, and they were really still reviewing when they got home, but they passed the third time.Jia Zheng, on the other hand, had no intention of making progress. When he returned home, he would treat guests with jokes, or sleep with his little wife in his arms.

Jia Lian read the letter by Jia Hu's side. Although Jia Amnesty's tone was very gloating, he asked uncomfortably, "Brother, the second uncle has been dismissed. Is it true that our family has lost all real positions in the court?" ?” Compared with Dongfu, they are really far behind.

"Yes." Jia Hu nodded lightly, and said seriously, "So we have to work hard, we can't be like Uncle Second, you know?" From today onwards, Jia Zheng has officially become a negative teaching material in Jia Hu's mouth, Not only used to educate Jia Lian, but also educated Jia Baoyu.

To be honest, whether or not Jia Zheng was dismissed has no real impact on Jia Hu's life. Anyway, he is in the Ministry of Industry, so he is just an idler.In recent years, the Ministry of Industry has been very busy. Everyone has been promoted, but Jia Zheng has been wiped out by others.

But outsiders don't see it that way. They will only see that the Ningrong Second Mansion came from the same ancestors. For Jia Zheng, who was dismissed from office, the gap is really too big.

If Jia Hu passed the test, there would be someone who would succeed him, otherwise, Xifu would really be inferior.Jia Hu looked indifferent on the face, but Jia Lian was very worried. If he didn't pass the exam, what would happen to them when they returned to the capital, they would definitely be laughed to death.

It's not like Jia Hu didn't see Jia Lian's worries, but he didn't say anything, just leisurely preparing for his own exam.He could see that the psychological quality of the exams was better than that of people from childhood to adulthood. Jia Lian had to work hard on this aspect.

Jia Hu took the exam for nine days, and Jia Lian worried at home for nine days. He even felt that this was more nervous than taking the exam himself.Perhaps it was due to his martial arts training since he was a child. Jia Hu came out of the examination room nine days later, in better spirits than anyone around him, and he didn't look like he had taken the examination.

Seeing him like this, Jia Lian's worries disappeared. If Jia Hu couldn't win, the others would certainly not.Jia Lian's confidence did not come out of thin air. When the results of the township examination came out, Jia Hu ranked seventh in the province and successfully passed the Juren examination.

After being away from home for two years, Jia Hu and Jia Lian were eager to return home. They declined the kindness of their clansmen to persuade them to stay, and hurried to Yangzhou.

"Big Brother, Second Brother." Lin Daiyu, who is one and a half years old, is the smartest girl Jia Hu has ever met in his two lifetimes. Recognizing him and Jia Lian is really a good memory.

"Yu'er still remembers the second elder brother, Yu'er is really smart." Jia Lian hugged Lin Daiyu, sighed a lot, then took out a small rattle from his sleeve pocket, handed it to her with a smile, and said gently: "Yu'er, come on, This is given to you by the second brother, take it quickly."

Lin Daiyu didn't reach out, but looked back at Jia Min, seeing her nodding slightly, Fang took the rattle and said with a smile, "Thank you, second brother." While talking, she shook the little hand holding the rattle, making a ding ding dong dong sound. crisp sound.

Seeing that her daughter was staying in Jia Lian's arms without crying or fussing, and chatting non-stop with him, Jia Min spoke to Jia Hu with confidence, "I originally wanted to keep you for a longer stay, but I thought you would leave After a long time at home, big brother and big sister-in-law must be thinking hard, so they won't stay this time."

Jia Hu hurriedly smiled and said, "Auntie is being polite. I have disturbed my uncle and aunt for so long, so why bother me any longer?"

"They're all one family, so why not talk about two families." Jia Min said angrily, "Besides, our family is small, so it's more lively with you here."

"The lack of people is just now. In a few years, my aunt may feel that there are too many children in the family, and there will be a lot of noise." Jia Hu came back from the Jinling exam, and Jia Min was found to be pregnant with a second child. At that time, it was time to add younger brothers and sisters to Lin Daiyu.

Jia Min was amused by him and smiled, "If that's the case, my aunt will thank you for your good words." Then she sighed: "If the four generations of the Lin family can give Yu'er a younger brother, the two of them With support, you and your uncle will be very satisfied."

Lin Daiyu was talking to Jia Lian when she suddenly turned her head and said seriously, "Brother, I want a younger brother."

Jia Hu couldn't help laughing and said: "It is said that children's eyes are the brightest. Auntie can rest assured, you can take care of your body at ease, which is the most important thing right now." The Lin family is short of a son, and Jia Min is pregnant again, of course It's a good thing, but she is not young, and the two babies are quite close to each other, so it seems to be very difficult. Even if Jia Hu doesn't know medical skills, she thinks that her complexion is very bad, even worse than when she was pregnant with Lin Daiyu.

Jia Min shook her head lightly, and calmly said: "Hu'er, don't worry, I know my own body well." Then he talked about the things that his brothers brought back to the capital.After staying in Yangzhou for several days, Jia Hu and Jia Lian finally embarked on the long-lost journey back home.

In late September, Jia Hu took Jia Lian back to the capital, and the West Mansion accepted the letter early and sent someone to wait for them at the pier.Jia Hu was also eager to go home, and when he got off the boat, he left everything to Lai Da who came to pick them up, and he and Jia Lian hurried home.

Needless to say, Jia Amnesty and Mrs. Zhang were waiting in the Rongxi Hall early on. Even Shi Taijun, who never wanted to see Jia Hu, kept sending people over to inquire about the news.Shi Taijun was a smart person, she had seen Jia Zheng's incompetence for a long time, but she refused to accept it, but this time, Jia Zheng was directly dismissed from office, and the reason was still incompetence, so she gave up on Erfang.Jia Zheng had only one son, Jia Baoyu, and when he caught Zhou, he caught Rouge Pollen, and the news spread to everyone, and she had no idea what would happen in the future.

It is the long house that she has not been optimistic about. Although Jia She is mediocre, her two sons are well-raised. At a young age, one was selected as a scholar, and the other was selected as a scholar. Her Baoyu and Yuanchun cannot be relied on by her own father. , I can only rely on my uncle and cousin.

Jia Hu and Jia Lian entered the house, went straight to Rongxi Hall, and both knelt down in front of Jia She and Mrs. Zhang, "Father! Mother!"

"Get up! Get up quickly!" After not seeing her son for two years, Zhang choked up without saying a word, even Jia Amnesty raised his hand and wiped the corners of his eyes.

Yingchun was only three years old. She didn't know why Zhang was crying, so she raised her little hand and wiped her tears with her handkerchief, and said softly, "Mother, don't cry, I'll wipe it for you..." Interesting What's more, as she talked, she began to cry herself, and she cried quite sadly.

Jia Hu had no choice but to comfort Zhang Shi softly. Jia Lian's sister-in-law personality broke out, and she simply hugged Yingchun and coaxed the little girl into tears in just a few words.Seeing this, Jia Hu could only feel ashamed. Jia Lian was always better than him at making girls happy.

Finally, Jia Lian comforted Mrs. Zhang, and the family of five sat down quietly to talk. Just after saying a few words, Shi Taijun sent someone to ask again.Mrs. Zhang hurriedly replied that Jia Hu and Jia Lian had just returned, and after changing their clothes, they went to greet the old lady and sent them away.

Before going to Shi Taijun's courtyard, Mrs. Zhang probably told Jia Hu and Jia Lian about the situation at home.Mrs. Wang continued to be grounded. She copied scriptures and worshiped Buddha every day. She never cared about family affairs, and was only allowed to come out during the holidays. It is estimated that nothing will happen.

Yuanchun and Baoyu, born to the Wang family, were raised by Shi Taijun's side. In addition to their siblings, Jia Zheng's concubine Aunt Zhao also gave him a pair of children.The daughter was born in March last year. Shi Taijun gave her a baby name Tanchun, and raised her with Baoyu, presumably because he wanted to find a playmate for Baoyu.The son has just been born for two months, and has not yet been named, because the Wang family is no longer involved, and Aunt Zhao is currently raising her by her side.

Entering Shi Taijun's house, Jia Hu and Jia Lian greeted the old lady politely. They could see that Shi Taijun's attitude towards him was obviously more cordial than before.Then the brothers and sisters greeted each other, needless to say, the younger ones almost rolled into a ball, but Yuan Chun, who said "big brother" generously, made Jia Hu almost unresponsive. It seems that when they were dealing with each other in the past, It is so little.

It is impossible for Jia Hu not to see why the attitudes of Shi Taijun and Yuan Chun have changed, but Shi Taijun is an elder, so he doesn’t have to care about her, but Yuan Chun, he is not interested in meddling, she has a father and a mother, and everything is decided by others. It's not his turn to be a cousin.