at I like to eat anyway."Sun was choked by this statement, her smile faltered, and she awkwardly looked at her husband.Meng Dongyuan scolded in a low voice, "You rascal, how dare you speak to your mot...Today is the day when the results of the provincial examination are released.
Everyone in the household was on edge, for the second young master had taken this year's entrance examination. If he passed, he would be eligible to take the palace examination.
Only those who have qualified for the palace examination, that is, those who are jinshi graduates, can participate. There are only three places in the first rank, which is too extravagant to hope for, but the second rank can be fought for, after all, the starting treatment of the second and third ranks is different.
Apart from the men who were already at the government office or at the academy, all three brothers were gathered at Granny Gu's place, including Gu Xiuhong. They were waiting for the servant they had sent out to check the results to return and report.
If one is on the list of honored, then the Hou Mansion would also gain face. As members of the same family, if one person excels, everyone in the family shines. But if a single person brings shame upon themselves, the entire family suffers. Previously, Gu Xiuming was an example. His outrageous actions brought ridicule to the entire Hou Mansion.
Zhang saw that her nephew was calmer than the elders, and asked curiously, "Xiuhong, everyone is nervous, why aren't you"
Gu Xiuhong replied, "Aunt, there's no use being nervous now. If it doesn't work out, we can come back in three years. In three years, my elder brother will also be able to take the exam. We might even all pass together then, just like last year's Autumn Examination."
Hearing this, Madam Gu cast a praising glance at her grandson and said, "Xiuhong has such a good heart. Even if he fails the exam this year, he will surely be on the list in three years' time."
“Xiu Hong has always been a very steady child. This time, Zhang (the person who picked up the good words) probably guessed that Xiu Hong would pass the exam and said some nice things, after all, saying nice things doesn't cost money, it just comes out of his mouth. Turning to Chen (the wife), “Second sister-in-law, I think you can make arrangements for Xiu Hong's marriage this time. If the marriage is finalized by the end of the year, maybe next year we could even have a fat grandson."
Chen gave her son a glance and said helplessly, “I also hope to hold my grandson as soon as possible, but this kind of thing is up to fate. If he fails the exam this year, then we'll wait a few more years. Xiu Hong, this child, is stubborn and insists on waiting until he passes the imperial examination before considering marriage.”
Elder Madam Gu smiled and said, “Xiao Xiuhong has such ambition. As elders, we should support him. Starting a family can be done later too. He can focus on building his career first. He’s only eighteen this year. Even if he waits a few more years, it’s no problem. Once he achieves success, there will be plenty of good girls who want to marry him.”
When mentioned about marriage in front of several elders, Gu Xiuhong's face flushed slightly.
Chen agreed, saying: "Mother is right."
Before long, a maidservant came in to report: “Madam, Little Six who went to look at the list has returned.”
As soon as those words were uttered, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Even Gu Xiuhong, who had always been composed and collected, unconsciously clenched his fists, a look of anxiety creeping onto his face.
"Hurry and let him in," Madam Gu said quickly.
A moment later, Xiao Liu came in, bowed to his masters, and said with a smile: "Madam, the second young master passed, ranking 48th."
48th
Everyone was astonished. These forty-eight examinees were not to be underestimated. They were all talented scholars from across the nation. At only eighteen years old, Gu Xiu Hong's ranking of forty-eighth was already exceptionally impressive. Many people couldn't even pass the exam until their twilight years. A ranking of forty-eighth in the provincial examination meant that, under normal circumstances, he would be a second-class Jinshi during the palace examination. Even if he performed poorly, he would still be a third-class Jinshi.
Chen was overjoyed, her face lit up with excitement as she looked at her son. Tears welled up in her eyes, tears of joy. She had seen all his hard work over the years and now, finally, there was a good result. It wasn't for nothing that he had studied so hard for over a decade.
Gu Xiuhong was also surprised. He estimated that he might be on the list, but he didn't expect to rank 48th. This was beyond his expectations, a pleasant surprise. Last autumn's imperial examination, he ranked 18th. In the capital, his ranking was considered high. However, in the provincial examination, with scholars from all over the country participating, even if he made the list, it would be outside the top 100.
Zhang felt a surge of envy. Last year, although her brother Xiu Yuan had passed the autumn imperial examination, he only ranked 120th, seventh from last on the list. Even if he participated in the spring imperial examination this year, there was little hope of him being promoted.
Seeing her granddaughter so successful, Madam Gu was overjoyed. She nodded repeatedly: "Good, very good!" Then she gave a wink to the maidservant beside her.
The maidservant understood and immediately gave Xiao Liu the reward money that had already been prepared.
Little Six received the reward money and hurriedly thanked his master before withdrawing.
Grandmother Gu praised, "Xiu Hong has brought glory to our Gu family once again. With such outstanding descendants like you, our Gu family will always be prosperous."
Gu Xiuhong was praised a bit embarrassed, humbly said: "Grandmother, this time being able to be on the list, thanks to Uncle Three these days for helping his grandson, and plus this year's Huìshì exam questions are just what his grandson is good at, it's just a coincidence that he has good luck."
Mrs. Gu waved her hand dismissively and said, “That’s because you are capable. If you weren’t, even if you had the emperor’s top scholar as your teacher, you wouldn’t pass the exam. Besides, relying on the imperial examinations also requires a certain amount of luck. If you happen to encounter questions in your strengths, then it increases your chances of being on the gold list. This is the ancestors' blessing.”
She paused for a moment, then continued, “There’s still some time until the palace examination, so you mustn’t relax. Keep working hard and strive to achieve a good ranking in the exam.”
Gu Xiuhong hurriedly said, "Grandmother, please rest assured, your grandson will continue to work hard and strive for excellence."
Old Madam Gu smiled with satisfaction and said to Lady Chen, "Our family has good news today. We will hold a banquet tonight to celebrate. As the mother, you are in charge of preparing the dinner. After the palace examination is over, we will open the ancestral hall and inform our ancestors of the good news."
Mrs. Chen smiled and replied, "Yes, Mother."
When there is joy in the family, it brings honor to our household. Even then, my wife's smile never faded.
They weren't from a scholarly family background. Their ancestors, during the time their great-grandfather fought alongside the founding emperor, were illiterate warriors who made a living as bodyguards in a security firm. During times of widespread chaos, even security firms struggled to survive.
It just so happened that Emperor Gaozu was recruiting talented individuals at the time. Emperor Gaozu's reputation was already widespread, and he was revered as the future Ming Lord by many. Many capable people followed him. Our ancestor and the other鏢師 from the鏢局 were hoping to take a chance. If successful, it would be an opportunity to make a name for themselves.
Having gambled his life and fortune, the Emperor Gaozu overturned the tyrannical rule of the previous dynasty, quelled rebellions from all sides, ascended to the throne, and established a new dynasty. Of the escorts who initially joined Emperor Gaozu's banner, only two survived: Jiangning Hou and their ancestor. Unfortunately, Jiangning Hou lost his beloved son in middle age and his wife had also passed away. He was no longer interested in remarrying and eventually died without an heir, passing away even earlier than their family patriarch. The other survivor was their ancestor, who, as a meritorious official, was naturally granted the title of Marquis and became a general, bestowed with the title of Changxing Hou, hereditary and perpetual.
Though Changxing Hou held a high position, he couldn't even write an official document. His manners were also rough, and the civil officials ridiculed him behind his back as a crude and illiterate soldier who didn't know a single character.
The ancestor, because he had no opportunity to study when he was young and suffered the disadvantage of illiteracy, relied on his martial arts skills to create good conditions for his descendants. He allowed his descendants to study and even hired renowned teachers to guide them. He didn't aspire for his descendants to become top scholars, but only wished that they wouldn't be ridiculed as illiterate warriors. He was extremely strict in educating his descendants.
Later, the Gu family unexpectedly transitioned from warriors to scholars, producing three top ranking civil servants (狀元郎) in succession. The third one was Gu Jingxi. They also had numerous Jinshi (進士) graduates, gradually transforming into a prestigious scholarly family.
As for generals, of course there are some. There are men from the collateral branches who serve in the military, but their positions are not high. Now that it is a time of peace and prosperity, with no wars, it is not easy for generals to make great achievements and be promoted. They can only slowly accumulate experience in the army or look for opportunities to distinguish themselves.decent dowries when they get married. That's why we had this crooked idea."Meng Dongyuan heard this, and feigned a look of astonishment: "Madam, you, you really did this"Meng Jinyu and Meng Chenxing w...