The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

After having enough wine and food, a servant helped Mei Hanlin back to his room to rest.

Although Feng Zhu accompanies him from beginning to end, he has his own maid to do the work of persuading him to drink. He only drank more than a dozen drinks from beginning to end. At this moment, he could still sit on the recliner, enjoying the service of the maid, while listening to Manager Ji's report.

If you want to put it this way, there is no one available among the scholars today? Feng Zhu looked over and patted his back again, indicating to the maid to increase his strength.

Master, two hundred taels can make them smile. How can such a person hold such a big responsibility? Ji Changgui stood aside.

What's wrong with liking money? There are so many people in the world who love money. It's just a pity that they can't grasp the saying: get it in the right way. Is that what they say?

The master is knowledgeable.

Feng Zhu snorted lightly. As the chief steward of the mansion, Ji Changgui had his trust. Even if he was a little stupid occasionally, he didn't care. After all, money can't buy you a dead end, but money combined with sincerity can bring you success.

What's going on with that seven or eight-year-old kid? What do you think of him?

He is the head of the case in Taixing County, his name is Chen Heng. Because of his young age, he said he didn't know how to drink, so I didn't persuade him. He ate very little at the banquet and didn't talk much. Ji Changgui began to recall. Regarding Chen Heng's behavior tonight, I'm sorry for my blindness, but I didn't see anything.

Don't you see something? Feng Zhu laughed, thinking that he was just a child, so he didn't take it seriously. The topic between the two of them returned to how to entertain Mei Hanlin tomorrow.

Master, is it really necessary to treat him like this? If this old man had someone in the court, he wouldn't have ended up in the miserable state of Yangzhou as a scholar.

What do you know? There are many people in this world who can't accomplish anything. But if they are asked to do bad things, they usually do it right. Feng Zhu shook his head and said longingly, Think about it for yourself. In the future, in Yangzhou Academy, all the people will be in charge. Among them, Mei Hanlin can teach many people who can speak for us.

So that's it. This little kid with dementia actually understands the master's good intentions.

Feng Zhu smiled. He had already seen that Ji Changgui was deliberately letting him show off, and he didn't bother to point it out. He just likes to see his servants trying to figure out his thoughts like this.

Since Lin Ruhai has ordered us to play Dingjunshan, this time he will let us play the role of suffering hardships. Let others see who's performance is better.

Ji Changgui was about to praise him when a cry for permission suddenly sounded outside the door. After getting Feng Zhu's approval, the man ran in in small steps. When Ji Changgui saw it, he turned out to be Manager Huang.

What's the matter?

Master, a servant just told me that someone left a hundred taels on the scholar's table. Steward Huang took out the banknote from his sleeve.

Left behind? Feng Zhu asked suspiciously, then waved his hand and asked Manager Huang to put it away. He thought for a while and then smiled at the two of them, It seems that someone can't tolerate the smell of copper all over us.

Master, do you want to check? Manager Huang asked sharply.

He's just a scholar who has failed to achieve anything but failed. He can ruin our business. There's no need to add any extraneous details. For such a small role, we don't even need to give him a chance to sing on stage. Just let him be.

yes.

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On the way back, I still took the sedan chair.

As soon as Chen Heng returned to the inn, he saw Chen Qi waiting outside the inn for who knows how long. As soon as he saw his son, Chen Qi didn't care much. He rushed forward, hugged Chen Heng, and gave him a hard look in the night.

The incident happened suddenly, which made dad worried. Chen Heng quickly apologized.

It's okay, the shopkeeper told me. It's just that I couldn't bear to worry, so I waited at the door. Chen Qi saw that his son was completely beard and tail, and after being worried for a long time, he finally let go.

God knows how nervous he felt when he returned to the inn and found that Chen Heng was not there. Chen Qi once thought that he was going to be expelled from Chen Gaishan's family tree.

It is inconvenient to say more at the entrance of the inn. Chen Heng pulled Chen Qi and said, Dad, come with me.

The father and son walked all the way to the small courtyard inside the inn and hid under the tree under the dim moonlight. Chen Heng took out something from his arms and handed it to Chen Qi's hand.

Chen Qi took it and looked at it under the moonlight. It turned out to be a 100-tael silver note. He was so scared that he covered his mouth on the spot.

Heng'er, aren't you going out to eat?

The master over there said that the prefect ordered him to give it to each county's capital. Chen Heng grinned and whispered, Dad, when we get home, you can give it to grandma and mother. The eldest sister will also get married in a few years. You give your mother forty taels.

In the past two years, the family's money has been spent on themselves. Give grandma another forty taels and ask her to keep it for the second sister and Shuangxi. You can save the remaining twenty taels for me. If we have any expenses in the future, we will use this money first.

Seeing that his son had even arranged the use of the money, Chen Qi couldn't help but worry: Heng'er, tell dad, are you sure you can get the money? If not, we will send it back.

Don't worry, dad. This is what the prefect meant. That salt merchant shouldn't have the guts to falsely pass on orders. Since there is one in every case, if we don't take it, we will make people hate us. If it spreads, it will ruin the reputation of others. Come on. Fulfill yourself. Are you right what your son said?

After Chen Heng analyzed it, Chen Qi thought about it carefully and found out that this was really the case. Everyone gets it based on their ability. If you insist on pretending to be aloof and independent, such a person will be stabbed in the back even in Shanxi Village.

Now that the worries in his heart were put aside, Chen Qi couldn't help but start to have a headache on how to keep this bank note. He finally resorted to wrapping it in cloth to keep it close to his body.

When the two of them were crowded in Datong Pu in the evening, Chen Qi held Chen Heng's arm with some worry. The two father and son were chest to back, with one hundred taels sandwiched between them.

Chen Qi was usually a farmer who fell asleep, but now he became a frightened bird. Chen Heng couldn't laugh or cry, so he had to comfort him: Dad, sleep peacefully. Our family will get better and better in the future.

Chen Qi groaned and said after a long time: Dad knows that with Heng'er here, our family will get better and better. Dad just thinks it's too fast and doesn't take good care of you when you grow up. You are already much better than dad.

Chen Heng smiled weirdly and said, Can you let go of your hand? I won't feel at ease sleeping like this.

If you sleep like this, dad can be more at ease. You are a little kid, so you can just sleep.

...

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Five days later, it was the day for Chen Heng to take the government examination. As usual, he had to get up at dawn and wash up. After Chen Qi packed Chen Heng's luggage, he started to go to Gongyuan.

Yes, Gongyuan is the examination room specially set up for the imperial examination nowadays, and the scene is obviously a step higher than that in Taixing County. The scholars who are co-guarantors with Chen Heng this time are all from Taixing County, and there is no need to change the guarantors, they are the same ones as before.

But compared with the two taels of silver in Taixing County, the premium this time has risen to thirty taels. People don't know what to say for a moment. They can only say that it is a Yangzhou city, and everything is more expensive.

PS: I originally wanted to continue writing about the government examination, but after thinking about the content, it would be better to wait until I get up from sleep and be in a better state to start writing.

PS2: Regarding Mei Hanlin’s arrangement and character design, I think a person who agrees to an engagement when someone else’s father is still alive and is well off, but regrets it when he is in a bad situation, is pretty much like this. I'm personally quite satisfied.

Please give me some tickets. I'm going to rest first. I'll check for typos tomorrow.