Chapter 312 - 313: Attending a Banquet
Chapter 312: Chapter 313: Attending a Banquet
Unfortunately, Gu Lingjiao was far too confident. Ever since she goaded Gu Dashishi into taking a second wife and tried to sow discord in his marriage, the Gu Family Brothers had been holding a grudge against her.
They had held back before, constrained by filial piety and not wanting to blow the situation out of proportion.
But things were different now. Gu Dashishi had only just left, and she had already made a scene in front of the entire village. The brothers decided it was time to secretly teach her a lesson.
Not long after Gu Lingjiao returned to the village, several sordid rumors about her began to circulate.
The stories were told with such convincing detail that they gradually blew up, making it impossible for the village chief to turn a blind eye, even if he wanted to.
For the sake of the village’s reputation, he came to her door and told her to remarry quickly. The alternative was to return to her maiden family, but they had disappeared without a trace while fleeing a famine long ago. Even if she wanted to go back, she couldn’t.
Gu Lingjiao had been wronged with no one to plead her case. Enduring the strange stares of the entire village, she went to Gaoling Village to cause a scene a few more times, but in the end, she couldn’t bear the pressure and married a widower.
As for Gu Dashishi, when he returned, he was only melancholic for a few days before resuming his leisurely life as the old master. But that is a story for another time.
On this day, Ancient Wen Heng officially took up his post.
Dressed in the official robes bestowed upon him, Ancient Wen Heng looked much more stately.
He had only just arrived at the Hanlin Academy when a eunuch came to deliver a verbal edict, summoning him for an audience with the Holy Emperor.
After a long wait in the Upper Study Room, Hua Shunming finally concluded his court session. Suppressing his unease, Ancient Wen Heng followed the proper etiquette between sovereign and subject, prostrating himself on the floor.
"You may rise." Hua Shunming walked past him. "How are things? Are you adjusting well?"
"Your Majesty, I have not yet had the chance to interact with the other officials, but I am confident I will adjust well." Ancient Wen Heng rose to his feet, thinking, ’That’s a strange question.’
Hua Shunming glanced at Le San, who quickly reminded him in a low voice, "Mr. Gu previously returned to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. Today is his first day at the Hanlin Academy."
Only then did Hua Shunming recall. The timing did seem right. "In that case, get along well with them from now on. You can always learn something from those old foxes, but be sure to filter out their bad habits."
Ancient Wen Heng listened quietly with his head lowered. Hua Shunming stared at him for a long moment. "You’re a bit different from what Bai Jinglie described. Don’t be so reserved in my presence."
"Frankly, given your formula for glass, I considered placing you in the Ministry of Industry, but I felt that would be a waste of your talents."
"You may go for now. Come see me again once you’ve settled in."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "As you command, Your Majesty."
Even after he had retreated from the hall, he still couldn’t figure it out. ’What was the point of summoning me today?’
’A young emperor shouldn’t be summoning his officials on a whim, right?’
"Your Majesty, I just saw the Ancient Scholar leave with a completely bewildered expression, trying to puzzle out why you summoned him." Le San, seeing his master in a good mood, decided to tease Ancient Wen Heng a little.
Hua Shunming snorted. "Bai Jinglie’s nerve is getting bigger and bigger, asking me to openly show my support for Ancient Wen Heng. The man hadn’t even set foot in the Hanlin Academy, and he was already summoned to the palace."
Le San was speechless. ’This might not necessarily be a good thing.’
Back at the Hanlin Academy, as soon as Ancient Wen Heng entered, someone was already leading him to meet his various superiors.
Academician Gong Zhengping was his direct superior, and below him were Readers-in-waiting, Expositors-in-waiting, and others. It took Ancient Wen Heng a good while to sort out everyone’s positions.
Reader-in-waiting An Youliang handed him a large stack of files. "Here are some documents for imperial seals, edicts of investiture, and the like. Take a few days to familiarize yourself with them. The next time there’s an assignment, you can take it on directly."
He thought for a moment, then added, "You need to become familiar with all this material, as the Holy Emperor may summon you at any time."
He wouldn’t have offered such advice to anyone else, but this new top scholar was different. The man had been summoned to the palace before he even stepped into the Hanlin Academy. Who knew if he would be the next imperial favorite?
His first day at the Hanlin Academy passed uneventfully. Although Ancient Wen Heng felt many probing gazes, he didn’t sense any malice from them.
「 」
Meanwhile, at their residence, Jin Qianqian was preparing to attend a banquet at the home of the man who took third place in the imperial examination.
"Madam, which set of jewelry will you be wearing today?" asked Li Qiu, who was in charge of coiffure, as she prepared to style her hair.
"Let’s use the set my husband first gave me. The He Family comes from a long line of scholars, so their style is likely simple and elegant. We shouldn’t be too ostentatious." Jin Qianqian knew to pay attention to such details for different occasions; she had done her homework.
For instance, He Nan, who placed third, came from a scholarly family in Hua City. The entire clan was well-established and influential, with seven or eight members currently holding official positions, not to mention several elders who had retired to their hometown. A family with such a deep heritage would naturally have many more rules.
As for Ning Yuchen, the runner-up, he was from a truly poor family in West City. He only had the travel money to come to Shangjing for the examination because he married the daughter of a local landlord.
His family was now renting a cramped three-room home. Since the top scholars were taking turns hosting, he had already sent his apologies and bowed out.
Jin Qianqian nodded in satisfaction at her simple yet elegant appearance, then carefully instructed several nannies to look after her two boys. Only then did she depart with her four personal maids.
The moment her carriage stopped outside the He Mansion, Yang Wenlan came out with her attendants to greet her. Jin Qianqian quickly smiled and said, "I’m sorry to have troubled you, Mrs. He."
Yang Wenlan walked over personally and took her by the hand. "You are our honored guests today. I couldn’t possibly neglect you."
"And please, don’t be so formal by calling me Mrs. He. I’m a few years older than you, so you should call me Sister Yang, and I’ll take the liberty of calling you Little Sister Jin. Let’s be closer."
Jin Qianqian squeezed her hand and laughed. "That would be wonderful. With all the ’Madam this’ and ’Madam that’ all day, sometimes I forget my own name."
"Isn’t that the truth? Calling each other sisters is much warmer." This was not their first meeting. After a few tentative interactions, Yang Wenlan had formed an excellent impression of Jin Qianqian.
She had previously worried that, being from an Imperial Merchant family, Jin Qianqian would have the reek of commerce about her.
But it turned out this "little sister" was a delightful person. No matter what they discussed, she could always contribute, and she often had unique ideas that they found exceptionally interesting.
Jin Qianqian was also hoping to make a few close friends here, so her sincerity was genuine. "Sister Yang, I heard last time that the Old Madam of your household was coming to visit. Has she arrived yet? I should go pay my respects."
As she led her inside, Yang Wenlan explained, "The plan was for her to travel by water, but she gets seasick, so she switched to traveling by land. It’s taking a bit longer, so it will probably be some time before she arrives."
Jin Qianqian said, "It’s best to be cautious. In that case, I will come to pay a formal visit once the Old Madam has arrived."
The He family’s matriarch was a titled lady of the second rank. Unfortunately, her husband, the old master, had passed away years ago, after which she returned to their hometown with her sons.
Now that He Nan had won third place in the examinations, this residence had been reopened and tidied up for the entire family to move back. Since there were several brothers in this large family, the courtyard was sure to become lively.