There were many small rented courtyards next to the Imperial Examination Hall. After the candidates came to Beijing, most of them studied in this area.
Although the yard is small, it is actually not cheap. In the surrounding environment, eight out of ten yards are occupied by candidates. Everyone likes quietness, so even if it is not cheap, many candidates live here.
It is also close to the Imperial Examination Hall.
If you really have no money, several candidates can rent a room together. This is much cheaper than staying in a hotel.
Staying in a hotel for a long time is not a temporary solution after all.
Gao An also lived here, and it was a separate small courtyard. With his ability, he could only share the rent with others at most, but later he met Mrs. Gao, and then had the opportunity to meet the then Minister Liu. After that, he didn't have to worry about money.
The scientific expedition is about to begin, who wouldn't care? This area is especially quiet.
Gao An had just returned from outside and knocked on the door of his own courtyard. The door opened and a servant came out: "Sir! Someone is here to see you!"
"Who?" Gao An frowned and asked.
"He said he was from the Minister's residence. I asked someone to wait for him inside." The servant leaned forward and looked around.
The engagement between Gao An and the concubine's daughter in the Minister's house has not been announced yet. Although the affairs of Minister Liu's house have faded away, they are still a joke among others.
Minister Liu was certainly unreasonable, and the man who thought he had a good mistress was also a joke. She only took her as a concubine and prepared for the marriage in a high-profile manner, but in the end she even harmed her own son. I heard that she was in tears when she entered the Minister's mansion. Her life was not easy.
Gao An didn't want to become a laughing stock in the eyes of others.
After entering the door and closing it, a maid in the yard came up to greet him with a smile: "This old servant greets the eldest brother-in-law!"
At Minister Liu's residence, Gao An finally found a way out.
"Who did you send?" Gao An asked with his hands behind his back.
"I was sent by the county lady. I finally found out that my brother-in-law lives in a place like this, so she asked me to come here specially." The old woman said with a smile.
"What's the matter?" Gao An was stunned. Although the county lady was also the daughter of Minister Liu, he had never seen her before.
When he went to the family's house to recognize his relatives, he only saw Minister Liu and Liu Jingxiang. Hua just came out to look at him and then went back.
After just a few days of not seeing each other, Hua seemed like a completely different person, dull and haggard. Liu Jingxiang also looked haggard. The two of them later talked to each other for a few words. Liu Jingxiang just kept crying and repeatedly told him that the lady in the Liu Mansion had harmed her brother and she would definitely take revenge on her in the future.
Although Gao An comforted her with a few words at that time, he felt in his heart that she was being unreasonable.
Is that Madam Liu something they can plot against? Their only strength is the ten-year-old Liu Qingle, but now she has been almost manipulated by Hua.
Gao An has heard this matter several times. Several people have different versions of the story, and there are also different versions of the story outside. In Gao An's opinion, no matter which version it is, it shows that Hua is stupid.
He is about to succeed, but he gets too proud of himself and thinks he is the master of the house. He doesn't even look at his own status and thinks that he will be satisfied with a better position. Does he really want to compete with Madam Liu and Lady Jingyu
Of those two, one is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Qi, and the other is about to become the Crown Princess. Hua and her children should seize this opportunity and get close to Madam Liu and her daughter to get the status of a co-wife.
Originally, at this time, if we calculated it a little, we could do it.
If Hua was a concubine, Liu Jingxiang could be considered a legitimate daughter. Marrying a legitimate daughter of a minister's mansion was a blessing he had accumulated over eight lifetimes, and would be of great help to his future career.
Therefore, he put a lot of effort into it.
But in the end, Hua was ruined. He got a headache just thinking about this. He had to marry her for sure, but how and what could he say to make this matter go away
He didn't want those discussions to fall on him. He just wanted to choose the most reasonable interests so that his own interests could be maximized.
He had thought about it before, that it would be best if he could get close to Lady Jingyu, after all, she represented the crown prince, but he had never met Lady Jingyu.
It was a big surprise to him that Lord Jingyu sent someone over at this time, but even so, he still controlled his attitude and looked very calm, as if everything was in his control.
"I heard that the eldest brother-in-law is about to take the exam, so our county lady specially sent some silver here, asking him to eat more good food in the next few days to replenish his body and do well in the exam." The old woman took out a silver note from her sleeve and handed it over with a smile.
The servant looked at Gao An and took it. There was a thousand taels written neatly on it.
One thousand and two taels of silver. The servant looked up at Gao An excitedly. This was the largest sum of silver they had ever received, and Gao An was indeed a little short of money recently.
Before Hua's accident, every time Gao An went to see them, Liu Jingxiang would secretly give some silver to the servants. Of course, it wasn't much, but it was definitely enough for them to live a good life here.
But recently, something happened to the Hua family, and Liu Jingxiang didn't seem to have expected that Gao An was indeed a little short of money.
Looking at the banknote in the servant's hand, Gao An's face darkened: "What do you mean, Lord County? I won't accept the reward without any merit!"
The mother-in-law laughed and said, "Son-in-law, what do you mean by 'no merit, no reward'? If you do well in the exam this time, you can become an official in the future and serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince together with you. How can you say 'no merit, no reward'? We are a family, so how can there be so many merits and demerits to talk about!"
This explanation made Gao An's face look better, but he was still a little hesitant: "Report to the county lord, this is originally Gao's business, it is not a big deal, please take back the banknotes."
"Son-in-law, you are our son-in-law, and the county lady is our second daughter. We are all family members. Even if we were not familiar with each other before, won't we still interact with each other in the future? We are family members, and if there is anything, we can help each other. The last thing the county lady wants is for something to happen in the mansion, for something to happen to her family, and for outsiders to laugh at her."
The old woman was very good at talking. She continued to talk: "Now is the critical moment of the eldest brother-in-law's imperial examination. The county lord cannot come in person, so I asked this old servant to bring silver. I wish the eldest brother-in-law a successful start and pass the imperial examination in one go. There will be no limit to the smooth road ahead."
These words sounded nice, and every word expressed blessings, without any condescending attitude, as if Gao An was sincerely accepted as the son-in-law of the Liu family.
Gao An was still happy that the son-in-law of a concubine's daughter could be recognized by Jingyu County Lady.
Going deeper
This is the future Crown Princess. The old woman’s words were very clear. Her purpose was to recruit him. On the one hand, it was for the peace of the mansion. If something happened again in the Liu Mansion, it would be embarrassing for everyone. This was actually what Gao An was worried about. County Lady Jingyu’s idea of seeking family harmony and prosperity coincided with his.
On the other hand, it also means that if he passes the imperial examination, Jingyu County Lord will definitely intervene, and his official career will be smooth from then on.
This was what he had been thinking about all along. He did not expect that County Lord Jingyu would come to him on his own initiative. Gao An was overjoyed. He could be valued by the future Crown Princess and become the brother-in-law recognized by the future Crown Princess. Even if he failed the exam, there would be unlimited possibilities in the future.
This is the best news he can get right now.
"Thank you, Lord County." Gao Dang suppressed the shock in his heart and said, "I will report to you when I get back. I will definitely serve you."
Lady Jingyu is worthy of being the future Crown Princess. Her knowledge is far beyond that of Liu Jingxiang. She was able to take the initiative to show her goodwill to Gao An and gave him a way out. How could Gao An not accept it? He was extremely excited.
"You are too polite, brother-in-law. Our county lady is looking forward to the day when you pass the imperial examination. On the day of the imperial examination, the county lady and the eldest lady will go to the outside of the examination hall to take a look. If we are destined to meet, we will meet. I will take my leave now!" The old woman said with a smile when she saw that the matter was settled.
Gao An was very excited, nodded repeatedly, smiled, watched the old woman leave, and let out a long sigh. For a moment, he was in high spirits. Even though the process was not so good, the ending was still good. He could finally get in touch with the future Crown Princess, and he would be able to talk to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the future. If he had the Crown Prince's protection, he would not have to worry about his career going smoothly...
As for the fact that a harmonious family brings prosperity, it would be even easier for him to do it...
The spring examination began. On the first day of the examination, Miss Zhou Er invited the two brothers of Qu Moying and Hongqu to accompany her to the examination.
The so-called escorting to the exam actually means that you are not allowed to follow them into the examination room. You will be stopped far away from the Imperial Examination Hall.
"Fourth sister, Miss Zhou Er, we are going in, you can go back too!" Qu Minghui did not stutter today, which was rare. Although his face was still a little red, at least he spoke a complete sentence.
"Young Master, you should do well in the exam!" Miss Zhou Er blushed and said softly.
"Don't worry, I got it!" Qu Minghui looked at the beauty he loved, who seemed to be hesitant to speak because of the crowd around him, and whispered that he was quite talented, and according to his father and second uncle's predictions, he would be able to pass this time, but in front of so many people, he couldn't say it out loud to appease Miss Zhou Er, so he could only say it vaguely.
“You…you guys go in!” Miss Zhou Er glanced at him, lowered her head, and looked reluctant to leave.
"Brother, let's go in!" Qu Mingcheng spoke from the side. He had been silent all the way here. Compared with before, he looked much gloomier. After speaking to Qu Minghui, he said to Qu Moying and the others, "Fourth sister, Miss Zhou Er, I'm going in with brother!"
He said this and cupped his hands.
Qu Minghui had no choice but to follow suit and bow, and the two brothers turned and left.
Miss Zhou Er raised her head, her eyes following Qu Minghui's departing back, her brows slightly furrowed, and she looked a little uneasy.
"Miss Zhou Er, let's go to the teahouse over there and sit down. I have booked a private room upstairs. From there, we can see a part of the area in front of the Imperial Examination Hall." Qu Moying pointed to the teahouse next to her. She had booked a private room before coming here, and now that Miss Zhou Er didn't seem to want to leave, it was just right.