No matter how turbulent the previous dynasty and the harem are, the important things that need to be done still have to be done.
At the end of January, the position of chief examiner for Nan Qichun Examination was finally decided, and it was appointed by Academician He.
The He family is a century-old family of scholars, and Academician He himself is a great scholar who served in the cabinet during the previous emperor's reign. Although he has been silent in recent years, he still plays an important role.
All the officials in the court were surprised at his appointment, but they could not say a word of opposition.
Of course, it would be bad to not give the Chen family any face. Among the people who assisted, in addition to the son-in-law He Xinyan and the Minister of Personnel Xu Jiangbai, there was also Ning Chen's cousin, the eldest son of the Duke of England.
As expected, the He family was surprised and more excited.
The He family father and son are talented, but they have to restrain their talents just because they became the master.
After all, in order to prevent the prince consort from becoming too powerful by clinging to the royal family, most dynasties would not give the prince consort any real power or important position.
Moreover, not only the son-in-law had to avoid suspicion, but the entire He family had to avoid suspicion, which led to the fact that Grand Secretary He took the initiative to take on the unskillful task of compiling documents.
Now that Ning Chen has issued this decree, he is undoubtedly going to activate the He family.
After all, there is no clear regulation on whether to use the son-in-law of the emperor's wife important or not, it all depends on the emperor himself.
Ning Chen is young, and he has the courage and vision to employ the He family. Moreover, given the current situation, employing the father and son of the He family can also solve many problems. This is a win-win situation.
He family.
Ning Jin and her husband had a very good relationship, so even though there was a princess's mansion, she did not live there, but lived in He's mansion.
"Madam, the emperor issued an edict today, appointing my father as the chief examiner for the Spring Examination. I will also be involved. I'm afraid I'll be very busy during this period." He Xinyan couldn't stop smiling.
Young talents are full of ambition and all want to achieve success.
Ning Jin was stunned at first, then she laughed, "It's not easy for my husband to get this opportunity. I have delayed you all these years. Now that the emperor can see your talent, it's worth your hard work over the years."
"Don't talk nonsense. I am lucky to have you as my wife." He Xinyan hugged Ning Jin tightly. "You gave birth to a son and a daughter for me. This is enough for my life."
Ning Jin felt soft in her heart and she hugged her husband back.
At last, she said slowly, "There are some things that I, a woman, should not say, but I can't help but remind you. The reason why the emperor values us this time is that our He family has no connection with the others. My husband, don't be confused. Since the emperor has appointed us, we must work for the emperor wholeheartedly. We must not follow the footsteps of those families. We may look glorious for a while, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future."
He Xinyan took her hand, his eyes clear.
"Madam, don't worry. If my father and I were the kind of people who covet fame and fortune, we wouldn't have taken the initiative to ask you to marry us."
Speaking of this, Ning Jin's face turned lightly red.
Her marriage was not arranged by the late emperor, but was requested by Grand Secretary He on his own behalf for his son.
Originally, the late emperor did not want to agree, because the He family was in need of employment, and once the prince married, it would be difficult to reuse him. However, He Xinyan insisted, so the Grand Secretary He pleaded for his son.
He Xinyan really likes Ning Jin, otherwise he wouldn't have ignored his future.
All in all, everything is going well for now.
The He family was able to take on this important task, and because of their relationship with Ning Jin, they were loyal to Ning Chen. It was really a good move.
But for the British Palace, this is not very comfortable.
My son is not a talented person, so even if he can get involved, he won't be of much use.
It was also at this time that Aunt Su, who was already favored in the backyard, showed up.
Su was a resourceful woman. She gave birth to the Duke of England's second son and also a daughter, who is thirteen years old this year, a prime age.
Although the legitimate son is not very talented, the illegitimate son is surprisingly smart.
That is why the Duke of England doted on Su for so many years.
"Go tell the second young master that he must pass the imperial examination this spring. Our Chen family doesn't have time to wait for another three years." The Duke of England said in a low voice.
The emperor grew up little by little. As he got older, he would have to retire. Since his legitimate son was no longer useful, he could only train his illegitimate son.
The Chen family cannot be without a successor. If the illegitimate son fails to pass the imperial examination and become an official this time, the next autumn examination will take another three years.
In three years, the emperor's power will be even stronger. By then, the Chen family will not be able to stand firm and will inevitably be stripped of their real power.
After spending half his life planning and finally reaching a high position in the government, how could he be willing to be a rich and idle person
When Chen Xianyi, the second son of the Chen family, received the news, he and his sister Chen Suzhi were having lunch in Aunt Su's courtyard.
After sending the messenger away, Aunt Su smiled.
"Look, isn't this an opportunity? Even if he is the prince or something, as long as your father values you, you will get a position in the future and have your own mansion. You won't have to stay in this Duke's Mansion and have to obey their orders."
As he spoke, he served food to his son and daughter.
"It is true that the Duke's Mansion is noble, but we should not be greedy. Only by establishing our own family can we get rid of the control of the Madam and the Prince. Yi'er, Auntie knows your talent. As long as you are well, your sister will be able to marry into a good family in the future."
Aunt Su was a very intelligent woman. She knew the significance of a legitimate wife and legitimate son to a large family.
Since his son can't get any benefit in this mansion, he might as well not think about it at all. He should just grow up and get away from here when the time is right.
Only then could he be truly proud. As long as he did not leave the Duke's Mansion, his status as a bastard's son would always make his own son inferior to him.
"Don't worry, auntie. My son will live up to your expectations." Chen Xianyi responded in a deep voice.
Because of his intelligence, he has been suppressed by the main wife overtly and covertly over the years. However, in order to be seen by his father, he cannot hide his incompetence completely, and his life is very difficult.
Now that he finally has the chance, he won't let it go.
The Duke of England never thought that the illegitimate son whom he had raised would not inherit anything from the Chen family.
Back to the present, after the chief examiner of the Spring Examination was decided, news came from outside the palace that the two young masters of the Chu family had arrived in Kyoto.
Naturally, they live in the Ye Mansion. It just so happens that Ye Zhe has not left Beijing yet, so the cousins have someone to accompany them.
Bianzhou, where the Chu family lived, was very close to the capital. It only took five or six days to get there by horse and carriage, so it was normal to arrive in the capital more than a month in advance.
Those who have the means will come early to familiarize themselves with the environment.
He brought a lot of good things to the capital this time, such as a batch of jewels and cloth from the Western Regions, as well as some exquisite little gadgets, and gave a lot of them to Ye Jun in the palace.
As a return gift, Ye Jun gave two blocks of jade ink and two sets of wolf-hair brushes, in addition to two pairs of shoes and two sets of knee pads.
The Spring Examination requires one to stay in the Imperial Examination Hall for three days and three nights. It is cold at night, so these things will come in handy.
If the first two are formal return gifts, the last two are intentional ways to narrow the distance.
Sure enough, the two young masters of the Chu family outside the palace were very pleased with the things they received.
When people have enough material things, they will pay more attention to emotions, and Ye Jun really knows how to handle it.
But it wasn't all show. After all, the Chu family treated her well and there was real affection between them, but they just needed to manage it better.