The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

Since the new emperor came to the throne, in addition to amnesty and rewards, there will still be an Enke as usual to show the current emperor's great kindness, advocating talents and virtues.

Enke opened in the second year of Jianyuan in early February.The spring is cold and the wind is cold, but the scholars who want to take the imperial examination have to wear single clothes in this weather and the simple examination room for a whole nine days.Some weak and powerless scholars could not bear such torture. Those who fell ill and fainted in the middle of the exam and were carried out of the exam room by the guards were regarded as giving up this year's scientific exam.Ten years or even dozens of years of cold windows have turned into floating clouds.

The gong sounded to prohibit answering papers in the examination room, and the proctors and guards who had been waiting for a long time passed by the end of the long corridor and put away the test papers without their names.

Unable to bear the cold, Chen Rong rubbed his hands, and after the guards collected his examination papers, he packed up his things and left the examination room.The carriage servants of the Chen family were all guarding outside the examination room. Seeing Chen Rong come out, they swarmed up to put on big cloaks and hand stoves.

Thick woolen clothes were draped over his body, which immediately cut off the cold wind outside.Just as Chen Rong bowed and was about to get into the carriage, he was stopped by the people behind him.

"I wonder if Brother Feng Ju will be sure of his fate this time?" The visitor also wore a gorgeous crane cloak and held an exquisite blue and white porcelain copper hand stove in his hand, and asked with a smile.

Chen Rong turned his head, smiled and cupped his hands and said, "So it's Brother Hu. Seeing how good Brother Hu looks, I think we'll be able to win this time."

When Hu Jinzhong heard this, he couldn't hide his smug smile and said, "It's easy to say, easy to say. If there is no exception, you should change your name to call me brother-in-law after the list is opened."

After hearing these words, Chen Rong became more and more happy.Chen and Hu's marriage has been settled for several years, because Chen Wan is still young, and the Hu family insists on marrying Chen Wan only after Hu Jinzhong is admitted as a Jinshi, so it has been delayed for several years.Now that Chen Wei heard Hu Jinzhong's confidence, he couldn't help laughing and said: "As the saying goes, the night of weddings and candles in the bridal chamber is the time for the gold list. It seems that Hu Shixiong will take it all."

Hu Jinzhong probably did better in the exam, so he kept smiling from ear to ear.He opened his mouth and said: "Brother Feng Ju is talented and intelligent, and good at practical work. With Mr. Xu personally training him, it must be no problem to be named on the gold list this year."

Chen Wei smiled slightly.He has always been low-key and pragmatic, and he doesn't like to talk about it.Even if you are fully sure of everything, you are only humble to the outside world.What's more, now that he just finished the exam and it's not yet time to release the results, Chen Rong would never boast that he will definitely go to high school.So Chen Rong just said with a smile: "That's not sure. It's just doing my best."

While they were talking, a group of people walked over from the two of them.Hearing Chen Rongqian's words, one of the leaders couldn't help but sneered and said: "Brother Feng Ju's words are too modest. Who doesn't know that Brother Feng Ju's father is the famous Chen Yu and Master Chen. Now the new The emperor is enthroned, Mr. Chen is in the heart of the emperor, Yourong, and now his only son is going to take the scientific examination, how can it be unreasonable? In my humble opinion, I think that brother Fengju must be in high school. At that time, I have to ask for a glass of wedding wine to eat. yes."

The man spoke in a high-pitched voice all the time, which immediately attracted the attention of the scholars around him.

Chen Ling frowned in a subtle way, and said directly: "You can eat indiscriminately, but you can't talk nonsense. The meaning of what Mei Shixiong said is to suspect that this year's Enke is suspected of cheating? Mei Shixiong's mouth is white." I don't know if I dare to bear the consequences of saying these words?"

Then Mei Shixiong was stunned when he heard the words, and immediately said with a resentful smile: "It's just a casual joke. Why should Brother Fengju get angry seriously?"

Chen Wei smiled when he heard the words, glanced at the students around him, and said with a smile: "This matter has nothing to do with me, and I don't need to be angry. It's just a matter of congratulations for Brother Mei Shi. After all, the chief examiner of this session of Enke is the head of the current cabinet. Assistant Zhang Huai Yuzhang, Mr. Zhang was born in a master of poetry and etiquette. He is a man of great learning, wealth, talent, humility, integrity, and integrity. Besides, he is full of peaches and plums. With the old mind of Zhang Ge, he will naturally not care about Brother Mei Shi. If it is another person, it will be very good. You will be seriously annoyed after being accused by Brother Mei?"

Before he could finish his sentence, the candidate surnamed Mei suddenly turned pale with fright.He looked at Chen Rong with some taboo, and didn't dare to say any more, before the others had recovered, he walked away in desperation.

Hu Jinzhong looked at this scene with a spring breeze on his face, and still kept smiling and said: "Feng Ju is still reasonable. Otherwise, today's matter has changed to someone else, and he will not be ashamed and angry. Go directly to Mr. Zhang."

Chen Rong glanced at Hu Jinzhong, then at the crowd, and said pointedly: "Brother Zhang is here, why do I need to be talkative?"

Everyone heard the words and looked around, only to see a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy in the crowd, with a handsome appearance, a romantic manner, and a brilliant figure.At this moment, he was looking at the direction that the scholar surnamed Mei left with a gloomy face.

Hearing what Chen Rong said, the man reluctantly curled his lips, cupped his hands and said, "My father is upright in nature, and he would never do such a thing of favoritism and fraud. Some people don't know enough on their own, and they like to speculate on others at will. It's really ridiculous."

After finishing speaking, he only exchanged a few hasty greetings with Chen Rong and Hu Jinzhong, and left uncontrollably.

Hu Jinzhong hooked the corners of his mouth gloatingly, and smiled at Chen Rong: "What's this called? I don't have the brains to say bad things about my father, but my son overheard it. It really is retribution in the eyes of others."

After saying that, they exchanged some pleasantries with Chen Yu, and then they got into the carriage and went home separately.

The members of the Chen family had already prepared hot soup for bathing, they just waited at Chen Rong's house, and immediately waited for Chen Rong to wash and rest properly.

Chen Rong slept for a whole day and night, and only then woke up.Mrs. Xu hurriedly brought over the ginseng chicken soup that had been warming on the stove for a long time.Chen Rong drank three big bowls full, ordered someone to stew a stewed ham and elbow, and ate it all with Bigeng rice. Then he smiled and said, "I don't think about anything during these nine days in the examination room. I just want to hurry up. After the exam, there will be meat to eat when you go home. You don’t know the taste of eating dry buns and thinking about elbows.”

Mrs. Xu couldn't help shaking her head with laughter, and after serving on Chen Rong's dressing, the two of them went to the upper room to say hello with their elder brother in their arms.

At that time, Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Chen Gui and Mrs. Feng were all there, discussing about Chen Rong's imperial examination results.Chen Gui himself is a donator, and he has never experienced anything like this.Then he thought about waiting for Chen Rong to come to his senses and bring him to visit Yue's family, to hear Xu Zichuan's intentions.

After hearing Chen Gui's idea, everyone in the Chen family naturally took it seriously.

When they saw Chen Rong coming in, Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen were busy asking about their health, hugging their eldest grandson and saying that they were thinner, and then thinner again.Chen Rong had a conversation with his grandfather and grandmother, and then followed his father to visit Xu's house.

Xu Zichuan's own son had passed high school as early as the last imperial examination, and now he is studying in the Imperial Academy.When the Chen family's father and son visited, the Xu family's father and son were also discussing the imperial examination results of their son-in-law and brother-in-law.

Chen Rong has experienced failures all these years, but this time the imperial examination is very sure.He silently gave his father-in-law and elder brother all his stereotyped essays on strategies and theories, and the two of them took Chen Rong's essays to study in the study for half a day. Sworn and made a decision——

"Nine out of ten will be able to go to high school."

Although it was not yet time to open the list, the Chen family and his son were relieved after hearing the assertion of the Xu family and his son.After all, this is the evaluation of senior officials in the imperial examination, so it must have reference value!

As soon as the Chen family's father and son were happy, they drank for a long time at Xu's house.It wasn't until it was time to light the lights that the drunken family went home to wait for the announcement.

A few days later, the imperial court released the list, and both Chen Rong and Hu Jinzhong were indeed on the list.Chen Rong is the No.7 in the second class, and Hu Jinzhong is the No.11 in the second class.Both of them had good grades.Moreover, because of Chen Gui, Chen Rong was hand-picked as Hanlin after high school.It can also be regarded as a member of the noble civil servants.

As for Hu Jinzhong, although he was not designated as Hanlin, but the Hu family was secretly dealing with it, and Chen Gui, the old man, was in charge. When he was released as a state official, he was directly assigned to Shanxi, the base camp of Shanxi merchants.I believe that with the help of Chen Gui, the father-in-law, and the financial support of his own Yutai Commercial Bank, Hu Jinzhong's three years of exile are just three years of accumulating qualifications.At that time, it is expected that the three-year assessment will be based on the score.

However, the most urgent task is not that Hu Jinzhong is going to Beijing to take up his post. It is true that Hu and Chen are going to arrange a marriage for a couple of children.The wedding was scheduled for early May.

As an important minister of the imperial court, Chen Rong is the most trusted and confidant minister today. His only daughter is going to get married, and the civil and military meritorious officials of the Manchu dynasty, including today's sages, will naturally express themselves.

Although the Hu family is not more powerful than the Chen family, the name of Shanxi merchants is widely spread all over the world, and Yutai Commercial Bank is even the leader among Shanxi merchants.The eldest grandson of their patriarch, Fang Di, was going to marry a wife after he became a scholar in high school, and he was marrying the only daughter of Chen Gui's family, the servant of the household department... All those who had friendships with Yutai Commercial Bank but did not have friendships also flocked to them out of the heart of being enthusiastic.

When the sage was still at the court meeting, he specially wrote a handwritten letter of "a match made in heaven" to Chen Gui.And he also said with a smile that when the Chen family held a happy event, they would send the prince and princess to join in the fun.

When the sage said this, his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help thinking of the past, and said, "I remember that when your elder brother got married, I and the queen went there in person. And all the younger brothers also went. Now When your girl gets married, I will send the prince and princess there. It seems to be taking advantage of you."

As soon as these words came out, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty once again realized the favor and intimacy of today's saints towards Chen Gui.I couldn't help watching Chen Gui with envy and jealousy for several years.

Chen Gui has long been accustomed to the eclectic way that today's saints get along with him in private.However, it is the first time that the two monarchs and ministers are acting like this.Chen Gui was stunned at that moment.Immediately he came to his senses, so he had no choice but to step forward and turn the words around calmly.

However, no matter how excited the sage was, and how the Chen and Hu families made plans, a sudden disaster disrupted the arrangements of the two families.

Not half a month after the release of the imperial examination results, a rumor quietly spread in Beijing, but it was said that there were people in Enke who were cheating for personal gain this time, and the examination room was unfair.Some even spoke with certainty, as if they had seen it with their own eyes.

As a result, the rumors became more and more intense, and finally developed to the point where the candidates who failed the exam gathered and knelt in front of the ritual department to petition.

As soon as this incident came out, the ruling and opposition parties were shocked.The saint was even more furious.Order the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple to investigate the matter strictly.If anyone commits malpractice for personal gain, he must be severely punished.If no one cheats, the imperial court can't easily slander the rumors in the market.It is imperative to find out those who spread rumors and deal with them severely, so as to make an example of others.And ordered that all candidates who applied for Enke this year retake the exam.The examination room is located in Daming Palace, the examination room for those who have passed the Jinshi examination is in Qinzheng Hall, and the examination room for those who have not passed the examination is at the Gate of Supreme Harmony. This time the examination is supervised by the saint himself.After the exam, all examiners and candidates are not allowed to leave, and the papers will be judged on the spot.

Because of being in the whirlpool of rumors, the marriage between the Chen family and the Hu family had to be delayed for a while.Only after the re-examination of Qinzheng Palace, we will make further calculations.