Aristocratic family's career in the Red Chamber

Anyone who has participated in the imperial examination knows that it is never a simple matter to take the examination in the Gongyuan.The boxy cubicle has such a thin wall that the person next door can clearly hear the cough twice.There is only a broken curtain at the front window to keep out the wind and rain, but this cannot be completely closed. If the inspector thinks that you are doing something shameful inside, it will be bad luck.

The exam lasted for seven days, eating, drinking, and sleeping in this bird cage. You are not allowed to move around at will. During the autumn, the tiger is still giving off residual heat, and the buzzing flies make people restless. There are also mosquito bites all over the body, so I can't rest well at all.The most frightening thing is the smell accumulated by those hundreds of people taking the exam together - even those who have been pampered since childhood and have not suffered from hardships with a little less stamina can be fainted by this smell.

Chunwei is better, the weather is cold, and if you bring some cooked food, you can eat it for a few days, and there are fewer flies and mosquitoes.But there are good and bad. In order to prevent candidates from being entrained in the imperial examination, only single clothes and single bedding are allowed.There is no cotton or jacket here, rich and wealthy families can still have a fur fur, while those who are a little poorer can only grit their teeth and stiffen, not to mention that their fingers are frozen during the exam and they can’t make a fuss at all. There are all those who have gone.Eating is not hotter than the sky, and you can eat it when it is cold. You have to cook with charcoal, and if you don’t know how to do it, then you can barely make do to survive. After seven days in a row, you will have the strongest bones, and you will be the strongest when you come out. Gotta go Half-Life.

Jia Zheng had participated in the Spring Festival twice before, and the whole family of Jia's mansion also had experience. Early on, Jia's mother prepared for Jia Zheng two quilts made of lamb fur, a mink fur cloak, cooked beef pancakes, and a charcoal pot for Jia Zheng. I have done it a few times and got proficient. I also took the best hundred-year-old wild ginseng from the warehouse and cut it into slices for Jia Zheng to prepare. When he was tired in the tribute courtyard, he took a slice to refresh himself.There is also the medicine for frostbite and wind-cold medicine. They all went to the doctor Wang to get the pills and took them with water. It can be said that Jia Zheng has considered all aspects, and he is afraid that Jia Zheng will be wronged.

Just like that, Mother Jia was still worried, and was worried about the Zhang family and Wang family who went to ask for peace: "The second child's body and bones have always been not very strong. That year, he participated in Chunwei for the first time. This mansion has never This experience? I went to Dongfu to ask your aunt for advice. I prepared a lot of food and bedding for him. Everything was in order. Seeing the second child coming out, I was so anxious that I waited until the end when the second child was helped out from inside. Poor thing, his face was flushed red, and his voice was so hoarse that he couldn't hear him anymore. It took almost a month to get better! But I was in a hurry."

As soon as Jia's mother talked about Jia Zheng's suffering, her heart ached and she panicked, "Chunwei is really a tormentor. If it weren't for your master who insisted that the second child take the imperial examination, let me tell you, it would be better than ours." I beg your Majesty, it's over if you give the second son an official position, why bother to suffer?" Jia Zheng was raised by Jia's mother as an eyeball since she was a child, and Jia's mother picked out all the furnishings in the house. The best things are supported, but this Chunwei Gongyuan is broken by wind and rain, and it is not easy to eat and wear. How can Jia Mu not feel distressed?

Ever since Jia Zheng entered the Gongyuan, the Wang family was worried and panicked. Hearing the words, he echoed: "I also heard from my brother that the Gongyuan was left over from the previous dynasty. It's just a little patching of the roof and walls so that there are no holes, but they are all old and can't stop the wind at all. When it's cold, the cold wind blows in through the cracks and blows on the face, which hurts more than a knife .”

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked together, looking at Zhang with poison in their eyes, thinking, if Jia Zheng can win the title, why would he suffer so much?Obviously, his talent is a hundred times stronger than that of Jia She, but in the end, he has to fight for everything by himself!

Mrs. Zhang also experienced this kind of thing three years ago, and she is used to it.They watched as long as they wanted, she was too lazy to talk to them, she just sat there by herself, she would answer if Jia Mu asked a question, if there was something harsh, she just went in her left ear and out of her right ear, didn't take it to heart, turned around Learn from Jia Amnesty once, and tell him to listen to what his wife and sister-in-law mean.

Jia Amnesty was naturally unhappy when he heard this.But what can I do? The ones talking are his own mother, younger siblings, he can’t say anything according to his mother’s filial piety, and it’s hard for him to say anything because his younger siblings are in the next room to avoid suspicion. It would be better for Jia Zheng to be carried out in the tribute courtyard when he has a fever and is confused. He doesn't care if he wins the exam and makes his family famous. After another ten years, his son will be able to earn the fame for him. There is no need. Second room to add luster!

The Zhang family was similar, never had a good impression of Erfang. Jia Zheng spent seven days in the tribute courtyard, and she just worshiped the Buddha for seven days. "Now the master and wife have forced us to die, and the second master is going to win again. In the future, in the Rongguo Mansion, where will our family of four have a foothold?!"

But I don't know if it's because Jia Daishan, Jia's mother, and the second room Jia Min in the mansion are praying for Jia Zheng. Jia's curse of pardoning Zhang's family has not been fulfilled. They didn't hear it at the gate of the Gongyuan until the exam was over on the seventh day. The guards came to report that Jia Zheng had been carried out.When the servants reported that the examination time had come and the tribute courtyard had opened, Mrs. Zhang could clearly hear Mrs. Jia's mother and Wang's long sigh of relief. Her expression of relief made her very eyesore: "It's finally over. Those who took the exam for seven days were able to come out for two nights in the middle of the previous court to give the examiners a rest, but today is good, and they have been in that cell for seven days in a row."

The Zhang family and the Wang family were all scared out of their wits by Jia Mu: "Madam~" Doesn't this mean that the current dynasty is not as good as the previous dynasty?How can Mother Jia say such things? If it spreads out, it will not be an exaggeration to be charged with treason!

Mother Jia was taken aback when she realized it. Why did she just say such treasonous things in a moment of confusion?All of a sudden his face turned pale.

Fortunately, in the afternoon, Mother Jia was in a hurry and waited for news from Jia Zheng. She was annoyed and thought the servants were noisy, and drove everyone away. Now all the people serving by her side are confidantes, loyal and trustworthy, so there is no need to worry too much.It's just that Mrs. Zhang's mood is unavoidably subtle. Because of this little son, Jia's mother is confused. How much does she love her little son?

Scared by this, the three of them stopped talking and just waited quietly for Jia Zheng to come back.Mrs. Zhang didn't care about Jia Zheng, she just sat there leisurely and carefree, while Mrs. Jia's mother Wang was not as relaxed as him, she looked up at the door, as if Jia Zheng would appear there in the next moment.

I don't know how long it took, it was getting dark, and all the girls came to ask if they wanted to eat, but Jiamu drove them away angrily: "What to eat, the second child hasn't come back yet, he has suffered so much, Why can't we even wait for dinner later?!" The words were directed at the girl, but the eyes were directed at Mrs. Zhang, who was too lazy to pay attention to her and drank tea with her eyes downcast.

"Madam, grandma, the second master is back, the second master is back!" Lai everyone yelled and ran into the house, his head was sweating, and his face was smiling like a flower: "Madam, The concierge sent a message that the second master is back."

Seeing her unruly appearance, Mrs. Zhang snorted coldly, but Mother Jia stood up happily: "Really? The second child is back? What does the concierge say, how is he doing now? In the tribute courtyard Are you suffering?"

Everyone Lai couldn't answer, and said very shyly: "I was in a hurry to tell my wife that the second master was back, but I didn't have time to ask carefully. It was just that the person who answered said that the master had already called Dr. Li from the mansion to give the second master Feel the pulse, the news will come in a while."

Mother Jia was not happy: "Why is he called Dr. Li? Although he is our family's enshrinement, how can his medical skills compare with Wang Taiji? Why should we invite Wang Taiji over here?"

Mrs. Wang was still a little sober at last, and said with a smile: "I'm afraid everyone is in a hurry today. How many children have been sent out of the tribute hospital? Now the second master's health is critical, and Dr. Li's medical skills are also good. Let him give the second son first. Take a look, Lord, let’s wait for the prince’s doctor to come and make a diagnosis tomorrow.”

Mother Jia thought about it, and it was true.So many sons came out of the tribute courtyard, and how many nobles and eunuchs were there, Wang Taiyi might be favored by which family, and if he went to invite him again, he didn't know how long it would take to go back and forth.At this thought, he gave up his original idea, and hurriedly asked Lai everyone: "Where did the second master go? Did he come to the main courtyard?"

Everyone Lai shook his head: "Master is sympathetic to Er Ye's hard work, and asked him to go back to the house to rest first, and said that he would come to pay his respects to the master and wife after he has recovered."

Mother Jia couldn't help complaining that Jia Daishan had too many rules: "He must be so tired, why should he come to say hello? I'll just go and see him." After finishing speaking, she asked someone to quickly pick up the sedan chair and send her to Jia Zheng. courtyard.

As a result, the house full of people had to follow along. Mrs. Zhang thought about it, and told Mother Su to go back and call Jia She: "My wife and the elders have all gone to visit the second master. The elder brother is the eldest brother. It is a must." Go see."

Not to mention how unwilling Jia Amnesty was when he heard Su's mother's message, he still held his stomach and came here. When Jia's mother and his party arrived in Jia Zhengyuan, they were all startled by Jia Zheng's face.

How can there be the spirit of seven days ago?

His face was as pale as paper, without any trace of blood, his lips were dry and cracked, his eyes were bloodshot, his face was sallow and sallow, probably not for a long time, and he couldn't tell if he had lost weight, but his listless appearance looked like It looked like he had been seriously ill.

Jia's mother shed tears immediately, wiped her handkerchief and cried, "Why did it become like this?"

Mrs. Wang pulled Jia Zhu and wiped away her tears, and went to Jia Zheng's side and asked repeatedly, "Second Master, what's wrong? Is it a cold? Didn't eat well? Didn't sleep well? Did you suffer?"

Mrs. Zhang also sighed and said, "Is there any place ahead that I haven't prepared properly, why did it become like this~"

Although Jia Zheng didn't look well, he didn't have a problem speaking. Seeing his mother and wife like this, he tried his best to twitch the corners of his mouth, and comforted him, "Don't worry, grandma, I'm fine, but I'm just tired."

Dr. Li shook his head when he heard this, and said, "Second Master, don't take my words to heart. You've hurt your foundation this time. If you don't take good care of it, it's hard to guarantee that you won't fall to the root of the disease."

Jiamu Wang and the others were taken aback: "What do you mean, is it hurting your vitality?"

At this time, Jia Amnesty also arrived. Hearing these words, he was overjoyed, and hurriedly asked: "Mr. Li, you are the one we invited to support you in the mansion, and I will point to you to take care of you. My second brother." If there is something wrong with this, you can't hide it from us."

Jia Zheng called Big Brother, fell silent again, and glanced at Dr. Li, as if wanting to stop him.

Jiamu's tone was a little offended, and she said to him: "You still refuse to say, you are dying of anxiety for me." Then she asked Dr. Li: "Doctor Li, how is my son?"

Dr. Li was in a hurry when he was asked, he couldn't hold on, he looked at Jia Zheng apologetically, and said, "Second Lord was too anxious before the exam, and he felt a little uncomfortable. Pian Erye seemed to have caught a cold in the tribute courtyard, the cold entered his body, and he was exhausted, busy with the imperial examination, and his mind was exhausted. Finally, someone raised ginseng and did not fall down, but this only suppressed Er Ye's illness , it is not a cure, and I can’t eat well or sleep well for a few days, but it hurts the second master’s body from the inside. Looking at the young ones, if you want to recuperate well, at least two or three months need to be recuperated. Only then can we stop Curse."

"My poor son~~"

As soon as Dr. Li finished speaking, Mother Jia burst into tears, stepped forward and touched Jia Zheng's head, face and arms, and jumped up remorsefully: "I shouldn't have listened to your father, insisting on you going to take some imperial examinations, look now , the body is about to fall to the root of the disease~~"

Wang also cried: "Second Master, Second Master~"

The two surrounded Jia Zheng from left to right, weeping heartbroken, contrasting with Zhang's Jia She, who had no tears on his face, like a wolf, the couple had no choice but to look at each other, squeezed out a few tears, Followed by a few words: "Second brother (second master) is suffering."

Jia Zheng was very at a loss by Jia Mu Wang's tears, and hurriedly said: "Madam, don't be sad, the doctor also said, the son will be fine after two or three months of recuperation, nothing serious!"

It's easy to talk about it, which coaxed Jiamu Wang to stop her tears.Jia Zhengfang talked about his work in the Gongyuan.

"The things my wife prepared for me are all good, and they all came in handy. If it weren't for these things, I might have been carried out." Jia Zheng smiled gratefully at Jia Mu, and was a little sad, lost, and said, "I know I'm unlucky. The room I got was not very good. I don't know what happened to the wall. There were a few holes. Not five days ago, it suddenly became cold again. I put the The cloak is wrapped, but when you write, you always have to stretch out your hand? It doesn’t look good when you wrap it around your head. If the patrolman sees it, I don’t know what to say. The cold wind blows into the neck, and I always feel that the soles of the feet are coming up at night. It's cold, thanks to the ginseng slices in my mouth, and the heating..."

Having said that, Jia's mother had already cried out for pity several times in distress, and Jia Zheng looked at her apologetically: "It's all because the son is useless by himself, and that poor family may not have such good things brought in. In this way, it is really useless and unfilial for your son to come out in this appearance to make you worry."

"Nonsense!" Mother Jia said, distressed and relieved, "How can those poor children compare with you? They came out of hardships and are used to hard times. They have rough skin and thick flesh, but you are a thousand respectable people in the house." Raised by Wangui, how can the two be the same. It’s all my fault that I didn’t think well at first, I should bring you some more fabric so that you can paste it on the wall.” He also scolded the people in the semicolon for mourning Tianliang said, "Blind his dog's eyes, he didn't see what a noble man my son is, but he allocated such a room to my son. I was so tired that my son suffered so much." The son asked Jia Daishan to clean him up.

Jia Zheng hurriedly said: "Mother, please don't be like this. The invigilator arranged the room in charge early in the morning. It's not deliberately embarrassing my son. It's just my son's bad luck, and I have no one to blame."

Mother Jia, who is as cute as her life, can't listen to it, but seeing Jia Zheng anxious and panicked, she just said it, but she made up her mind in her heart, she must mention it to Jia Daishan, and take care of the room in charge. people.

After talking, Jia's mother sent someone to report to Jia Daishan, saying that Jia Zheng was a bad person and wanted to drink medicine to rest, so she didn't go to ask for his peace, and asked someone to take the medicine according to Dr. Li's prescription After being dressed by Jia Zheng, he watched him fall asleep in person, then got up and left, and told Wang when he left, "I'm so good to take care of your husband, if you need anything, please send someone to my place to let me know." When he left, he didn't even give Jia Amnesty Zhang an extra look.

After returning home, Mrs. Zhang looked at Jia She with a sneer: "Madam, this is annoying you."

Jia Amnesty twitched his jaw, snorted, flung his sleeves and left.Mrs. Zhang looked at Su's mother angrily: "Look at him, he is still showing embarrassment to me, and his wife gave him face. If he has the ability, he will get angry at his wife."

Mother Su persuaded her: "Grandma, don't be angry with the uncle. The attitude of the wife makes the uncle feel uncomfortable."

Mrs. Zhang said angrily: "He's angry, so I'm not angry anymore? This afternoon I just stayed with her and waited for others. Up to now, I haven't had a bite of the meal. Even if there is no credit, there must be hard work. Look at just now, It's as if I don't exist. Hmph, whoever didn't come here like that, all the students who lived in the Gongyuan before survived, but he is precious. Look at the way the wife treats us, as if the second master is sick, all We did it!" With a sneer, "If she has the ability, she gave birth to the second master as the eldest son. She didn't choose a good day for her beloved son to be born, so it's no wonder that the uncle didn't make way for her son!"

"Grandma!" Seeing Mrs. Zhang talking more and more, Mother Su hurriedly shouted, looked around, and saw that there was no one, so she was relieved, "Grandma, just bear with it. Madam looks like this, not twice a day." God."

Mrs. Zhang couldn't hold back her tears, sobbing: "How can I bear it? Three years ago, the second master was sick, and my wife looked like this. At that time, my mother's family collapsed, and what she said was so ugly, I can't bear it? But now, My son is a little bit older and sensible, and she is still like this, let Brother Hu see, what face do I have?!" He was angry with Jia She, "He knows how to be filial to his wife, and he dare not say a word. Mrs. You have seen that appearance, even if he said a few words, at least let people know that he still has a bit of a temper. Now it's like this... He doesn't want to think that Brother Hu is at the age of visiting with his master, and people are in Talking behind his back that Brother Hu's parents are useless, is it true that Brother Hu's face is radiant?! Brother Hu's parents are suppressed, can he live a good life in the mansion?!" Pazi covered his face and cried , "Mom, I just can't swallow this breath! Well, the second master was unlucky and was assigned a bad room. What does it matter to us? It turned out to be a good thing, she took all her anger out on us!"

Su's mother sighed for a long time: "What can I do, who calls her a wife..."

Mrs. Zhang cried for a while, but slowly put away her tears...

That day, Jia Hu accompanied Xu Wei and others to visit Zeng Sa, who was so tired that he was out of human form. He came back late and was stopped when he wanted to visit Jia Zheng. Comfortable, want to rest and see no one.Jia Hu didn't care, and went back to see Mrs. Zhang, but Mrs. Zhang said that it seemed to be a bit cold, and he was afraid that it would be too late, but he didn't see him. Jia Amnesty saw it, but he was drinking alone, and ignored him. Jia Hu A few words of persuasion were useless, and she was driven back, so she had to ask Mother Chen to find out what was going on, and fell asleep first at a loss.

As a result, when he got up the next morning, he heard that Jia Zheng had a high fever and started talking nonsense.

All the masters of the Rongguo Mansion rushed to Jia Zheng's yard. When Jia Daishan saw Jia She, who was just waking up from a hangover, his eyes were on fire, and he snorted coldly, scaring Jia She's already bad complexion even more. It is pale.

Dr. Li shook his head and withdrew the hand that took Jia Zheng's pulse, and said heavily: "Second Master is depressed in his heart, and he is too hard-working to let go, which leads to a persistent high fever. If this knot is not opened, it will be Hua If Tuo is reborn, it will be difficult to heal the second master."

Immediately, Jia's mother couldn't bear it and began to cry, she pulled Jia Zheng and asked directly: "What are you worrying about, tell mother, mother is in charge of you! You can't bear it if you hold it in your heart."

Jia Zheng just shook his head and said it was all right: "Mother, my son is all right, it's because he's too tired, rest for a few days, and he'll be fine soon." What Mother Ren Jia said was useless, she just didn't say anything.

Jia Daishan, on the other hand, seemed to have guessed something. After watching Jia Zheng for a long time, he sighed and asked Dr. Li to prescribe Jia Zheng's prescription first.

Strange to say, it seemed that Jia Zheng was really bothered by something, and he had a bad heart. The prescription prescribed by Dr. Li had no effect after drinking it for a few days, but Jia Zheng lost his appetite. The person became thinner and thinner, and Jia Mu was so anxious that she gave Dr. Li a face-to-face meal, and turned her head to ask for Dr. Wang to rush.

Unfortunately, Imperial Physician Wang didn't satisfy her either, and gave Jia Zheng medicine for a few days according to the prescription, but there was still no improvement at all, and Jia Zheng's complexion looked even worse.Jia's mother has been arguing with Jia Daishan for several days, saying that he should not let Jia Zheng take the imperial examination. As for Jia's pardon of Zhang's family, it is even more picky, and he can scold him head and face when he catches a quarrel.Jia She got drunk more and more often.

Jia Hu was a little surprised about Jia Zheng's illness, so he asked Dr. Li to ask him privately, but Dr. Li couldn't figure it out. He just said that Jia Zheng's illness was really strange, as if he hadn't taken the medicine at all, and there was no improvement at all.

Jia Hu became more and more suspicious, but looking at Jia Zheng's disfigured appearance, he couldn't figure out what was wrong.Jia Zheng's illness dragged on longer and longer, and it didn't improve for a long time. Jia Min heard the news and came back to see it several times. She Zhang's eyes became more and more unkind.Jia Daishan's words became less and less. When Jia Hu saw him several times, he always had a solemn expression, with a look of worry and loss in his brows and eyes, full of preoccupations.

Just when the atmosphere in Rongguo Mansion was solidified, this year's imperial examinations were finally released.Jia Hu didn't go out that day, and sat at home with Jia She and Mrs. Zhang for a whole day waiting for news. From morning to afternoon, there was no accident, not even a shadow of the announcer—the three members of the family looked at each other, and there was no sign of it. How to behave, but Jia Hu can see clearly, Jia She Zhang's eyes are full of gloating.Su's mother and Chen's mother were more straightforward, whispering and laughing early.

The husband and wife discussed that they should go and see Jia Zheng. Although Jia Hu thought the purpose might not be that simple, the family of three went to Jia Zheng's yard together. Before entering the house, they heard The girl exclaimed in surprise: "Second Master, what's wrong with you, Second Master? My God, Second Master is almost out of breath!"

Before Jia Hu and the others could react, they heard Jia's mother howl heart-piercingly: "Whatever the imperial examination is, it's still important to have your body, as long as you are in good condition, nothing is important. My son, as long as you Well, I don’t ask for anything~~”

Jia Daishan also exclaimed in surprise: "Come here, come here, please go and get the doctor!" He hurriedly comforted him, "It's no big deal, at most, I'll just take the exam next time, second child, you can think about it!"

Jia Hu suddenly realized, who said that Jia Zheng was pedantic?This bitter trick, he sang wonderfully!