Because she had not taken much of the medicine before, she asked Xiaocao's opinion and immediately poured out a few pills. She drank them with warm water and swallowed them easily without any signs of nausea. This was probably the smoothest time that Madam Wenren had taken medicine in all these years.
"Thank you for your hard work, little girl."
"Don't worry. As long as grandma is well, it's worth it." Xiaocao said with a smile.
Xiaocao chatted with Madam Wenren for a while before leaving.
After returning from Madam Wenren's place, Han called Xiaocao to meet her family formally. Naturally, she needed to prepare some gifts, not only for the elders, but also for her younger brothers and sisters, as well as her nephews and nieces. Xiaocao had nothing in her hands, so these things were naturally prepared by Han.
Han knew basically everything about the preferences of the Wen family's masters. As for those who had no presence, she could just ask anyone and find out. The reason why she tried her best to please them was just to help Xiaocao gain favor. Everyone should know this, but it was actually a matter of attitude.
Now I just let Xiaocao take a look at it so that he can at least have an idea of it.
Xiaocao nodded, there must be nothing wrong with it.
Just at this moment, a servant came to report that the master had returned and was in the front study with several other masters and the eldest master.
"Dad, have you left the court so early?" Xiao Cao looked at the clepsydra. It was only three quarters past six in the afternoon, which was about four forty-five.
"Your Majesty is kind and benevolent. As long as the work is done, he is not a strict person. When he is not busy, he will leave the yamen in the afternoon. Of course, this is usually done by people who have private matters. They usually stay until around noon. If he is busy, it is normal to rest in the yamen at night. The imperial examination has just passed, and the Ministry of Rites does not have much to do for the time being. It is normal to leave the yamen at this time. Besides, there is a family dinner today. I sent someone to the yamen to tell your father. I also think your father came back late." Han smiled.
Xiao Cao thought, this emperor is quite humane. As for the rest of the words, Xiao Cao just ate them as dog food.
During the past two or three years in Kaiping, I have indeed heard a lot of people praising the current emperor.
"Go and tell the eldest master to come over after he finishes talking to the other masters," Han ordered.
"only."
A quarter of an hour later, the maid came again to report, "Madam, Cheng Huiyuan is here. The master told someone that the time is a little uncertain."
"Got it." Han waved her hand and asked them to leave.
Xiao Caoyuan thought Cheng Huiyuan was a person's name, but then she thought that as a maid, it was impossible for her to call the guest by his name. Then she realized that it should be referring to the champion of this imperial examination.
During the imperial examinations held every three years, the Kaiping Imperial City would always be bustling for a while, and even the slums were no exception.
Xiaocao missed the last imperial examination, but she got to experience it this time. Of course, to her, it didn’t make any difference.
The imperial examination is truly a competition where thousands of troops cross a single-plank bridge. To be the top winner in the examination, this person must be extraordinary. However, no matter how extraordinary he is, in Xiaocao's eyes, he is still the same. People from two completely different fields will not have any intersection.
Besides, even if you become the top scorer in the imperial examination, your future may not be bright.
Although the top scholar is rare, with only one appearing every three years, there is still one every three years, and there are many other Jinshi candidates competing in the same year.
The results of the imperial examination were announced only two days before the exam. Even if someone used various connections, it would be impossible to get the result in such a short time. Therefore, Cheng Huiyuan probably hooked up with Wenren Taibo before the exam, or was related to Wenren Taibo. Oh, by the way, "Mom, you don't know my father's position in the court yet."
"Minister of Rites."
Xiaocao only had a general understanding of the official system of the Qi Dynasty. When she was studying with Tingyu, she heard Mr. Che say that although young prime ministers existed in ancient times, in a prosperous and peaceful dynasty, most people still paid attention to seniority, especially civil officials. It was quite remarkable that her father could reach the third rank at the age of more than 40.
After all, among the higher ranks, only military generals hold real power, while civil officials are mostly given honorary titles. For example, the six ministers and the chief imperial envoy are all second-rank officials, but they basically have honorary titles of the first rank. In some special cases, even those with lower ranks are given titles. These people have double salaries. Of course, if they also have titles, it would be even more powerful.
But now it seems that there is no one with all three.
In fact, the founding emperor of the Qi Dynasty conquered the country by force of force. Therefore, from the very beginning, the status of civil officials in the Qi Dynasty was slightly lower than that of military officials. For example, in local areas, the highest civil official rank was the second rank, and the highest military official rank was the second rank.
However, as time went by, the country became more peaceful and the people more prosperous, and the status of civil officials tended to slightly suppress that of military officials.
In times of peace and prosperity, this seems to be inevitable, governing the country with culture and maintaining peace with military force.
Xiaocao sincerely praised him, and Han was naturally happy. However, looking at her daughter, she had more thoughts in her mind. "Cheng Huiyuan and our Wenren family's ancestral land belong to the same state, but they belong to two counties, but they are relatively close. Before entering the imperial city to take the exam, he received a letter from the prefect. The prefect was your father's student and thought that Cheng Huiyuan was not bad. He wanted to promote him and also wanted to have more connections. When your father saw him, he was also very impressed. He is handsome, in his twenties, upright but not pedantic, tactful but just right. Although his family is poor, he is determined and motivated, and he is very filial. He has not yet married, and his mother is a widow..."
Xiaocao was listening quietly, but why did it seem like something was wrong the more she listened
Han saw Xiaocao's emotional look and immediately came to her senses and blurted out her words. "... I didn't expect that he would win the first place in the imperial examination. Your father is very happy. I believe that he will also get good results in the palace examination in a few days."
Xiaocao nodded without any extra expression.
Han felt regretful and knew that she was anxious, but she did think that Cheng Wenzheng was a good person with good character and a simple family. Although there was a five or six year age difference between them, it was all trivial. The most crucial thing was that according to Xuan'er's situation, Cheng Wenzheng was the best candidate she could think of. If she only looked at Xuan'er, it would not work.
Cheng Wenzheng has not yet decided on a marriage partner, and his purpose is obvious. His family is not well off, and he just wants to find a good marriage partner after passing the imperial examination, which will help his future. After the palace examination, marriage will probably be put on the agenda immediately. The person she likes, others are not blind, and maybe there will be a good story of "catching the official under the list".
Her daughter Xuan'er just can't be impatient.
Wen Renying stood outside the door. Apart from the handkerchief in her hand being clenched a little tighter, there was nothing unusual on her face.
I turned my head to look at the yard. The sun was shining brightly today, and the flowers and trees cast mottled shadows. I was absent-minded for a moment.