On the other hand, in Jinling Prefecture, the Xue Pan had been staying at home ever since she passed the county exam. She was trembling with fear, holding a book and the exam papers she bought a few years ago. She had been memorizing the exam papers for days and nights. She was so focused on memorizing the exam papers that she lost her focus.

Even Mr. Wan said to Mrs. Xue in private, "No matter what the result is, don't blame the child. She really did her best."

If it had been someone who was slightly more enlightened, they would have been able to fight for riches and honor. However, this student's family did not lack riches and honor. Just for the sake of making the child learn well, this point alone was enough to make everyone happy.

On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, Mr. Wan personally arranged the basket for the exam. He also asked the second butler and his errand boy to send the student to the exam venue.

Mrs. Xue had lit incense ever since her son left the house. She recited all the famous gods and Buddhas in the universe. She only hoped that someone who happened to pass by would take pity on her family and ask her son to leave the exam venue smoothly. She didn't care if he did well or not.

This year, his family was very lucky. The questions he set were all questions that Master Li Wan had pointed out in the past. Therefore, although Xue Pan was suspected of copying the questions mechanically, in the end, he did not succeed. However, he steadily filled in all the questions.

The two strokes of words were really hopeless. They could barely be maintained horizontally and vertically. It didn't look good, but it was clear at a glance. This was also a method that Mr. Wan came up with when he had no other choice.

The Xue Pan stayed in the exam venue for four days. On the day of the exam, the second butler ordered his family's servants to drive a car and wait nearby. He brought a few strong men and crowded in front of the entrance of the exam venue.

When the drum beat sounded, the door opened. The soldiers guarding the exam venue helped to put away all the exam papers. They shouted loudly and drove the stupefied candidates out.

The second butler shouted for a young man to climb up a tree and stretch his neck to look. It was hard to see the Xue Pan floating out with the crowd.

"Master is out!"

The servant on the tree shouted. The butler and the other people squeezed forward and just happened to catch the Xue Pan and carry her out. During the county exam, the second butler was inexperienced, so he only brought his errand boy. Fortunately, he didn't leave the Xue Pan on the street. This time, he was well prepared. A few strong young men carried the Xue Pan out. They went straight to the carriage and the driver swung his whip. The carriage drove towards the Xue family's house.

The carriage ran back to the house without stopping.... The Xue Pan was helped down to the bed.... She was still muddle-headed........ new underclothes..... and put her in bed....

In any case, these servants were all manservants. Would they really need maids?

.....

Gather together in the kitchen to embrace the handsome wife

The doctor had been waiting with a medicine box. At this time, he was asked to come in and take the pulse.

The old man stroked his beard for a while. Then he turned to Mrs. Xue, who was sitting behind the screen anxiously. He cupped his hands and said, "Mrs. Xue, don't worry. Your son's body is fine. He's just tired.

The young man just needs to have a good sleep. There's no need to take medicine.

Just don't give him any meat when he wakes up. Rice porridge, vegetables, and thin noodles are good for his stomach. After three to five days, you can give him fish. "

Mrs. Xue was so happy that she prayed to Buddha. She hurriedly asked the servant to wrap a red envelope and send the doctor out. Then she thanked Mr. Wan and asked Mama Li to take good care of him. Only then did she have the mind to get up and go to the temple to burn some incense … No matter what kind of deity it was, it was a good deity.

The Xue Pan lay on the bed for three days. She slept until she was snoring like thunder. She rubbed her eyes and sat up by herself at noon on the third day.

When she saw that there were bowls and chopsticks on the table outside, she immediately sat down and ate the steamed buns and porridge. When she was full, she slowly went to wash up and change her clothes to see her mother.

Mrs. Xue saw that her son's face was tired. He looked like he had been reborn. She didn't even know how to pray to Buddha.

After going through this ordeal, although the Xue Pan was still fat, the wretched expression on her face was gone. She stood with her back straight and looked very reliable.

Her behavior was also much more refined than before. She didn't look greasy at all. At most, she would be called rich.

"Mother, I'm back. I'm sorry to have made you worry."

The Xue Pan obediently bowed before getting up and sitting down. Mrs. Xue was gratified and sad at the same time. She was happy that her son had become successful.

She waved her hand to let the Xue Pan come closer. She couldn't help but stroke her son's hair and said, "When your father passed away, I wanted to go with him. I couldn't help but live a few more days because I saw you and your sister.

I didn't expect my son to be so proud now. Your father must be laughing in the underworld. "

The Xue Pan had long been impatient with her mother for treating her like a child. However, after experiencing it, she knew that family was precious. She endured it again and again and finally stopped her mother from patting her on her head. "That's enough, Mother. No matter what, let's first prepare for going north. Sister needs someone to take care of her."

Baochai regularly wrote letters to her mother to tell her that she was safe. She also wrote letters to her brother from time to time.

Different from the previous one, the one she wrote to her brother was full of details about the impoliteness of the Jia family. It only made the Xue Pan feel that the Rong and Ning Manors were as scary as the Black Wind Demon Cave. She made up her mind not to live there. She only wanted to see how her sister had cleaned up the old mansion.

The Prefectural Exam's Minister of Education and several examiners were waiting for the minor official to pick up and mark the papers that had been smeared with names. Those that had been smeared with illegible handwriting were thrown out without even looking at them. Then, they threw out those that didn't make any sense. They only took out the rest of the papers that were acceptable and carefully judged them.

Everyone marked the papers that they thought were outstanding and placed them on the table. When the final recording was done, the ranking would be decided.

“?

G？

This student is interesting. Everyone, come and take a look! "

Official Liu picked up the paper in front of him and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The handwriting is ugly and the sentences are strange. However, I can't find any fault with it.

The idea is okay, the paper is okay, and the length is okay.

The beginning is okay, the ending is okay, and everything is okay. It's rare. "

Everyone heard this and came over to take a look. After they finished reading, they all looked like they had been hit by a fish bone. "This, this … it's completely for the exam. It's mechanically copied and swallowed whole!"

The Prefectural Exam's Minister of Education also came over and lifted a corner of the paper to take a look. When he saw the character "Xue", he knew that this was the eldest son of the imperial merchant Xue family that the prefectural magistrate had told him about.

Although this essay was a bit ridiculous in the eyes of the scholars in Jiangnan, if they really wanted to find fault with it, they could at most say that it was utilitarian. There was nothing wrong with it.

He stroked his beard and said, "Forget it. The most important thing in learning is to study and persevere.

For example, that student from a humble family. No matter how good his aptitude is, he would be stuck at the level of the teachers and classics. It's not easy for him to get to this point.

Just raise your hand and give him a background. Who knows, he might be able to go further in the future.

Moreover, although this essay is immature, it's interesting. Let's just take it at a low price. "

Since the Prefectural Exam's Minister of Education had nodded, no one else was dissatisfied. Indeed, they couldn't find any fault with it. After they finished reading all the papers and looked back, they actually felt that this essay was somewhat interesting.

Thus, they casually recorded ninety-ninth place, which could be considered as giving him a background as a scholar.

The Xue Pan didn't know that he had stepped on dog shit luck. He only wanted to stay at home and pester his mother to move to the old residence in the capital.

The girl repeatedly complained in her heart that it was inconvenient for the Jia family to live there. Such a big boy still hung around the house all day. Even if there were servants who persuaded him not to enter the courtyard, they would still bump into each other when greeting each other. He would call them sister and sister intimately. It was as hateful as it could be.

In terms of the imperial examination, to others, it was a road to advancement. To the Xue Pan, it was the eighty-one difficulties that led Sun Wukong to the path of Buddhist scriptures and finally achieved Buddhism.

Not to mention other things, Mr. Wan broke down the "Law" and "Decree" issued by the imperial court and explained it to him. In any case, he let the Tyrant know that not everyone in the world belonged to his parents. If he violated the law and did something that was not tolerated by heaven and earth, even if his family was rich, he still couldn't escape. He would be stabbed in the neck.

Therefore, the Xue Pan wasn't familiar with other things. What he was most familiar with was the various laws and regulations, as well as the customary judgment between the common people. He even included the judgment of women. Of course, he knew what would happen to a woman who had a reputation of being pure.

Therefore, he gritted his teeth and didn't want to stay in the Jia family. He was afraid that the girl would be taken advantage of by a useless coward.

Mrs. Xue could persuade her daughter, but she couldn't persuade her son. She directly said that she was going to the Jia family to visit the relatives and elders. She wouldn't stay for a few days and then leave. She didn't have the heart to think about how he did in the prefectural examination. She was wholeheartedly searching the storeroom to see what she needed to bring.

This was different from when she sent her daughter to the capital. If she brought too little, she would inevitably be looked down upon by her relatives. If she brought too much, she was afraid that people would say that she had a temper. Even the gifts she sent to each family had to be carefully prepared.

It really occupied all her thoughts. She couldn't care about anything else.

Fortunately, Mama Li and Mr. Wan were worried for her. When the day came for the results to be released, as usual, the Second Housekeeper and the servant squeezed together to look at the results.

They saw a sea of people at the entrance of the examination courtyard. It wasn't easy to squeeze in. One person looked from the head to the tail, and the other looked from the tail to the head.

Unexpectedly, the name of the Xue Pan was recorded in the middle. The two people looked for a long time and their hearts were half cold. They thought that there was no chance. Unexpectedly, there was a person looking at the results one by one, looking for his own name. He just happened to read the name of the Xue Pan. The Second Housekeeper heard it and looked a few more lines before he saw it.

After checking it several times and confirming that it was his master's name, the Second Housekeeper was so happy that he was dizzy and couldn't see the way. He still asked the servant to pull him out of the crowd. He cried and laughed all the way, and even his shoes fell off as he ran home to report the good news.

Mrs. Xue opened the big storeroom and was hesitating whether to bring silk or cloud brocade. Suddenly, she heard that her son had passed the prefectural examination and wasn't the last. She was so scared that she scattered the valuable materials in her hands and didn't have time to clean them up. She hurriedly grabbed the servant girl and asked with all her strength, "Are you sure?

It's really my son?

Don't tell me that someone with the same name bumped into him! "

She repeated this several times before confirming that it was really the Xue Pan. She was so happy that she immediately called for someone to open the door. She used a wicker basket to scatter copper coins and broken pieces of silver. "Also, tell the waiters of the restaurant under my name to work hard. For the next three days, anyone who comes to eat will be free of charge. Take it as a congratulatory gift to your master!"

At this time, the person who reported the results came to the door. Mrs. Xue generously sealed two banknotes and left. She turned around and walked in circles in the courtyard, not knowing what to do.

She only felt better when the Xue Pan came back from Mr. Wan's place. Even so, she still hugged her son and said in a daze, "Did my son really pass?

Don't let the child suffer anymore! "

Mr. Wan was also thinking the same thing. Xue Pan's Xiucai title was more or less an exaggeration.

He didn't have a smooth and slick temperament. When he came to brute force, he was dull and stupid. He only taught him how to know what to do and what not to do, which tired his teacher half to death. If he really went to take the Jinshi exam, even if a great scholar didn't step in, he would still be so angry that he would have a disease. Therefore, he only taught him how to deal with the last college exam and didn't talk about the other exams after that.

In any case, with the Xue family's relationship with the four princes and eight dukes, as long as this Local Bully didn't court death himself or wasn't an idiot when it came to politics, he wouldn't be defeated at this stage. It could be said that Xue Pan's Xiucai title was already in his pocket.

Xue Pan felt like he was in a dream. He was muddle-headed and actually became a Xiucai!

From now on, he didn't have to kneel when he saw officials. His family's taxes were also reduced. When he went out with a girl, he could call himself a student instead of a scholar. In short, his heart was filled with joy.

At home, he held a banquet and invited many friends and relatives to eat. During the banquet, he didn't hear any sarcastic remarks from the elders, only praises and compliments. Xue Pan, who had become "someone else's child", felt as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit. There wasn't a single part of his body that felt uncomfortable.

In his heart, he thought that even though the imperial examination was so difficult, there were still so many poor people who racked their brains to score one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven. Looking at it now, it was indeed a great joy in life. Unfortunately, his own talent was limited, and his sister was also a girl. He actually missed this great opportunity to turn things around!

Every time he drank, he would sigh about how good and wonderful studying was. He sighed so much that those dissolute disciples of the clan, who usually couldn't find him in the past, had calluses in their ears. They all looked at him and walked away.

When Xue Pan woke up, he found that all his friends at the table had run away. At that moment, Xue Pan went back to his house and memorized the Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty. He was afraid that he would lose face in the last college exam. If he was defeated, it would be boring.

On the other side, the news of the Xue Pan Prefecture Entrance Examination spread like wildfire into the capital. When Wang Ziteng received the letter and read it, he was so happy that he slapped his thigh. He called his nephew Wang Ren over and scolded him, hating him for not making any progress. All day long, he wandered around the red-light district, the red-light district, and did not understand the hardships of his elders.

He scolded Wang Ren until one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven. He thought that it was fine if this Xue Pan didn't come to the capital. Now that he came to the capital, he had to teach him a lesson.

In the Jia Mansion, when Lady Wang heard the news, she wanted to use the news to discuss Baoyu's marriage with the old lady. For a moment, she was like a deflated balloon. Who would have thought that her stupid, fat, and slow-witted nephew would actually pass the exam and become a xiucai?!

Let's not talk about whether or not this xiucai was bought. In any case, the eldest son, Jia Zhu, had already lost half his life trying to pass the exam. If he continued to pass the exam, he would simply die. The second son, Baoyu, had been in school for three days and two days. The old lady only said that this child had great luck, but did not try to urge him to make progress. Every day, she indulged the child to mingle with a group of maidservants. Whenever he said a few words, he would make some noise. In this large courtyard, there was not a single person who could understand his heart!

When Baochai received the letter from the servant, he was also unable to contain his joy. In his previous life, his older brother had already shouldered the debt of someone's life. Jia Yucun had been sentenced to death in the Gourd Case. In order to avoid the limelight, he had no choice but to move north and rely on the Jia family to survive.

Now that his older brother had a good family background, that Xiang Ling no longer had anything to do with his family. In the future, she would no longer have a sister-in-law like Xia Jingui. Seeing that his family was on the verge of escaping the fire pit, Baochai immediately rolled up his sleeves and was about to make a move on the lazy workers in the capital.

The Xue family's shops in the capital were first a pawnshop, second a rice shop, and third a cosmetics shop. The last shop was bought from the palace and did not have to worry about food and clothing. However, it was also the biggest mistake.

Baochai, along with Bai Lu and the head steward, traveled day and night to close the account book. When he saw it, his anger surged, but he did not know whether to laugh or cry. A bowl of water cost two taels of silver, and an egg cost five taels of silver. Did they think that the owner was blind?!

When this kind of account book was presented to the higher-ups, it was fine if they did not check it. If they did, the Xue family would not be able to escape the name of embezzlement.

Immediately, Baochai gave out a stick and had Head Steward Xue invite all the shopkeepers of the shops into the Jia family.

He did not say anything and did not let them go. He specially separated them from each other and ordered a manservant to serve them.

On the other hand, he secretly sent a servant to scare the shopkeepers, saying that the theft had been reported to the authorities. He sealed the door of the warehouse and threw the account book in front of the shopkeepers. "Logically speaking, I am a girl who has not married out of the house. It is not good for me to interfere with the business of the family. However, uncles, do you think that my Xue family is extinct?

How could you make this kind of account book that is so laughable? Are you not afraid that you will be dragged out and beheaded?! "

Manager Wu, who was in charge of purchasing, opened the account book. There was a series of forgeries circled in cinnabar. It was shocking to see. How could he imagine that a girl who was only thirteen years old in nominal age could read the account book and know the market price outside?

Just as he was about to make excuses, he heard the voice of the woman behind the bead curtain say, "Everyone, you must think carefully. The contract is still in my hands.

Let's not talk about anything else. I only need to let each of you go. After you leave this Jia family, how many of you will be able to live until the sun rises tomorrow? "

Manager Wu knelt on the ground with a thump. He trembled and kowtowed, "Young Lady, please save my life!"

Baochai only snorted and said, "You and I can't save you. There is a 50% chance that your family will be safe and sound. You dare to falsify the Imperial Tribute. You have the guts to cover the sky!"

Hearing her words, Manager Wu sat paralyzed on the ground. He could only mutter, "I regret what I did" and "I have been schemed against".

Then he heard the young lady say from behind the bead curtain, "If you can leave behind a copy of the things behind the scenes, maybe I can consider protecting your family."

Manager Wu hesitated for a long time. Finally, he said in a daze, "None of the shops are clean. Why do you have to make a move on me?"