This day was destined to be an eventful one. After Chen prepared breakfast, the whole family sat at the table and hadn't taken two bites when another person from the Zhu family came in.
Zhu Ping'an's grandfather walked in first with his pipe in his pocket, followed by several village elders, and finally Uncle Cunzheng. Well, there was another one behind him, and that was his uncle Zhu Shouren, who had not gone out for several days.
"Dad, Uncle Li and Uncle Wang..." Father Zhu quickly put down his chopsticks and walked out of the house to greet them.
"Grandfather, Grandpa Li, Grandpa Wang, Uncle"
Zhu Ping'an followed closely behind, and followed Zhu's father into the yard to greet his grandfather and others who came in.
"Well, good, it's good that Zhu'er is back." Grandfather was quite satisfied, and then looked at the several village elders and village chiefs behind him, with a proud face, "This is my Zhu family's excellent horse."
The village elders and Muramasa and others flattered on their faces, but they were somewhat disapproving in their hearts. When Shouyi's family was divided, it was not like this. The village elders and Muramasa and others had advised him, but the grandfather did not listen. He insisted on protecting the reputation of the eldest son and cruelly separated Shouyi's family. Now he is talking about a good horse, but what about the original
After the grandfather finished speaking, uncle Zhu Shouren's face suddenly turned red. In the past, the words "a good horse of a thousand miles" were all referring to him. However, as the eldest uncle, he had taken the exam for 10 to 20 years and hadn't even passed the exam to become a scholar. His nephew had only taken the exam for half a year, and he had directly passed the exam to become a juren!
This is envy, jealousy and hatred.
Really, really, but my nephew passed the imperial examination, so I can take the examination for the scholar or something.
Uncle Zhu Shouren felt sad but happy at the same time. It must be said that people with thick skin are happier!
"Dad. Uncle Li, Uncle Wang, and Muramasa, please come in and eat more."
Mother Chen stood at the door and enthusiastically called Muramasa and others to come inside to eat more. But she ignored Zhu Shouren behind her and rolled her eyes.
"Zhi'er has really made our Zhu family famous this time. When you accompanied your uncle to take the Tongsheng exam, your uncle saw that you would have a great future. I didn't expect that I would be lucky enough to pick you. You will definitely have a bright future in the future. Don't forget your uncle in the future."
Uncle Zhu Shouren was very elegant. He took some credit for Zhu Ping'an's success in passing the imperial examination without blushing or breathing heavily. He also asked Zhu Ping'an very directly to take good care of him in the future!
Chen almost went berserk when she heard this.
She shamelessly borrowed money from loan sharks, and let her husband take the blame after the incident. Her husband's legs were almost broken for no reason. He was still studying. Zhao Zhi'er was far worse. When the truth came out, she was not ashamed to beg her father with tears and snot, causing her family to be separated and live in a broken thatched house. It was not windproof and rainproof. I don't know how my family survived. Even the fourth brother's family knew to take care of her, but she didn't say a word as the culprit! She even borrowed money from her husband to take the boy's exam without telling me, and she hasn't paid it back yet!
Now that Zhu'er has passed the imperial examination, he shamelessly takes credit for it and even asks Zhu'er to look after him! He really has the ability to take the exam himself!
Chen had no good feelings towards Zhu Shouren at all!
"No, Shouyi's. We have already eaten. We came here this time because we have something to discuss with you."
An elderly village elder, leaning on his cane, shook his head, coughed a few times, and mentioned his purpose. Then he gestured to Muramasa, who was following behind, to speak.
"It's like this. Ping'anlang passed the imperial examination. This is an honor for our entire village. We also checked the county annals and discussed it privately. This is also a custom passed down from our ancestors. We thought of erecting a monument in the center of our village. On the one hand, it is to show our family Ping'an, and on the other hand, it is also an encouragement to the younger generations in our village."
Muramasa stepped forward and briefly explained his purpose.
Zhu's father thought about it for a while, but before he could say anything, his mother Chen's eyes lit up. This was good news. What else was he thinking about? She walked up to Zhu's father and pinched him hard on the back without leaving any trace.
"Oh, okay."
No one knows a wife better than her husband. Zhu's father understood Chen's meaning very well. He couldn't help but scream in pain from being pinched and then said "Okay".
Mother Chen was very satisfied with this, and she was in high spirits and beaming with joy.
Chen herself has the potential to show off, which was developed through a series of conflicts in the old house with her eldest aunt and fourth aunt. After she passed the imperial examination in primary school, she was worrying about how to let more people know about it. Now, if she erects a monument, wouldn't it be very glorious
The more Mother Chen thought about it, the more excited she became.
Both parents agreed, so Zhu Ping'an naturally would not object. It is of course a good thing to erect a monument to encourage the younger generations in the village to study. Reading is very necessary whether in ancient times or modern times. If a monument is erected to create a trend in Xiahe Village where people are proud of studying, it will also be a valuable asset for Xiahe Village.
"Ping An Lang has brought honor to our family this time. We will also erect a flagpole stone in front of your Zhu Family Ancestral Hall to show our achievements and comfort our ancestors. From now on, the villagers will go to your Zhu Family Ancestral Hall to burn incense and kowtow during festivals."
After Muramasa finished saying the first thing, he said another thing.
This time, it was Zhu Ping'an's grandfather who first agreed. When the village chief and the village elders went to the old house to talk about this matter early in the morning, the grandfather was very excited. Now that he heard that the village chief had officially decided on this matter, the grandfather was very excited. This was a matter of honor for his Zhu family. When he thought of this, the grandfather felt full of energy. A hundred years later, he would be able to face his ancestors with dignity.
Zhu Ping'an knew about the flagpole stone, and he had looked up relevant information in modern times. In the feudal imperial examination era, whenever someone passed the imperial examination, the clan members would erect a flagpole stone in front of the village's ancestral hall or ancestral house, erect a flagpole, and hang a flag on it. The flag would be inscribed with the name of the candidate, his rank in the imperial examination, etc., to show his achievements and bring honor to the family. The flagpole stone is the base of the candidate's flag, and information about the candidate would also be engraved on it.
Both erecting a flagpole stone and a monument would bring fame, so naturally the Zhu family members were all actively and enthusiastically in support of the project.
Only the Zhu family agreed, and the village elder said that the monument had been selected and only the words needed to be engraved, and the same went for the flagpole stone.
It seems that the stone tablet has been prepared long ago, just waiting for Zhu Ping'an to come back and tell Zhu Ping'an. This is too proactive.
In fact, the village elders and the village chief attached great importance to Zhu Ping'an's success in the imperial examination for practical reasons. In feudal society, it was a great honor for a village to have a successful candidate. In addition to reputation, various welfare policies in the county would be tilted towards the village in the future, and taxes and corvée would be more taken care of. In addition, other villages would also look up to their own village, and it would be much easier for young people in the village to find wives. (To be continued...)