Chapter 116: Secret History of the Shen Family

Xiaoxiao looked at the tall, handsome horse outside the courtyard gnawing on her courtyard fence, and couldn't help but think of the County Lieutenant who sat on that high horse yesterday.

She said: "Uncle Zhou, is that County Lieutenant really Jiang Brother's second brother?"

She had actually always held a skeptical attitude about this matter. After all, the original book not only didn't mention that Jiang Yu had a second brother, but even Shen Que didn't appear in the book at all...

Shopkeeper Zhou paused upon hearing this, then shook his head helplessly: "Sigh, the fact that Young Master Shen and Young Master Jiang are brothers with different surnames is not a strange thing in the capital, but to some outsiders who don't know the cause and effect, it is indeed a bit unbelievable, especially for Young Master Jiang's biological mother. As a woman who remarried, she often has to endure a lot in this era..."

Jiang Xiaoxiao moved her lips silently and didn't speak.

She understood what Shopkeeper Zhou meant, but for her, a person with modern thinking, she didn't think that a woman marrying twice was a shameful thing, or how shocking it was... Instead, she felt that such women were very brave, especially in such an era, they were brave enough to break free from the shackles that this era imposed on them.

"Xiaoxiao, do you know who Young Master Shen's biological father is?" Shopkeeper Zhou suddenly said.

"Eh, who is it?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked subconsciously.

"General Shen of the Dingguo Public Mansion." Shopkeeper Zhou said word by word, "A founding hero who helped our Dayin Emperor conquer this country!"

Jiang Xiaoxiao's eyes widened suddenly: "Then isn't Young Master Shen's mother..."

The General's wife of the Dingguo Public Mansion!

No, then why would Shen Que's biological mother give up the good position of General's wife and marry Jiang Yu's father?

If she remembered correctly, she remembered that the original book said that Jiang Yu's father was just a merchant family, which was completely incomparable to the dignified General of the Dingguo Public Mansion!

Seeing the shock on Jiang Xiaoxiao's face, Shopkeeper Zhou said slowly: "But eight years ago, General Shen had already died in battle in Mobei."

Jiang Xiaoxiao was caught off guard and stopped suddenly: "General Shen... died?"

Although Dayin has been peaceful and prosperous in recent years, it has always been at odds with Mobei.

Mobei is located in a remote area, while the capital area is rich in water and grass, with herds of cattle and sheep. However, the successive monarchs were ambitious, fierce, and fierce, and sent troops to attack Dayin several times.

The men of the Shen family guarded the border, resisted foreign enemies with their flesh and blood, defeated Mobei many times, and achieved twenty years of peace at the border, becoming famous in both countries.

The Emperor was overjoyed, and naturally, there was no shortage of titles and positions.

But such great military exploits eventually attracted the jealousy and envy of countless people.

Eight years ago, on the way back to the capital after the army, General Shen suddenly suffered from an old illness and died. His body was brought back to the capital along with the victory report from the border...

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but click her tongue. Such a tough man who defended his country and had iron bones eventually became a victim of power struggles.

But...

"What does this have to do with Madam Shen remarrying?"

"Sigh." Shopkeeper Zhou sighed deeply, "This was all a helpless move..."

General Shen had only two sons, Shen Que and his elder brother.

After General Shen died, the Dingguo Public Mansion lost its pillar. Many people stared at his two sons, wanting to cut the weeds and remove the roots to eliminate future troubles.

Shen Que was only ten years old at the time, small and weak, and his elder brother was even more heartbroken by his father's death and fell ill. The huge family business could not be guarded at all under the covetous eyes of those people.

Madam Shen simply decided to do it once and for all, declined the Emperor's generous rewards, and married Jiang Yu's father, who was only a merchant at the time, with her two sons.

Jiang Yu's father was just a small, wealthy merchant, and could not make any waves in the eyes of those noble families in the capital. Madam Shen's move made those wolves and leopards completely at ease, convinced that the two sons of the Shen family would not have much achievement in the future, and would not follow their father's old path.

After listening to Shopkeeper Zhou's account of the decline of the Shen family, Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a little emotional, but she felt more admiration for this Madam Shen whom she had never met.

Under those circumstances at that time, in order to preserve her son's life, how difficult it was to marry under great pressure...

This is the difficulty of being a woman, and even more the difficulty of being a mother.

Jiang Xiaoxiao looked up at the boundless sky. There is no such thing as quiet years in this world; it is just that others are carrying the burden for them. Such peaceful and stable days are exchanged by others with flesh and blood.

"Also because of these things, Young Master Jiang has had no movement since he passed the exam at a young age..." Shopkeeper Zhou said, his eyes couldn't help but look at the cellar in the distance.

Jiang Yu was smart since he was a child. Since he entered the academy, he was praised as a genius by the Mountain Chief in the academy. He also lived up to expectations, passed the child exam at ten, the scholar exam at twelve, and the provincial exam at fifteen... It was a sensation in the academy at the time, and everyone who heard it was envious and admired.

Even Jiang Xiaoxiao, who knew through the original book that Jiang Yu had achieved something in the imperial examination, couldn't help but be stunned. Passed the child exam at ten, the scholar exam at thirteen, and the provincial exam at fifteen... This is too amazing!

The academy exam in this era is held every two years, and the provincial exam is held every three years. What does this mean? Jiang Yu passed from child exam to provincial exam without failing once, so he became a provincial exam master that everyone envied at the young age of fifteen!

"Then why didn't Jiang Brother continue to take the exam?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked suspiciously.

A fifteen-year-old provincial exam master. Even if she is not a person of this era, she understands the gold content of these two words.

The Old Li family was thinking about producing a scholar to bring honor to their ancestors. Li Shoude passed the child exam at nearly twenty and was treated as a treasure. Now he is in his thirties and is still trying his best to pass the scholar exam.

In this era, there are many people who have exhausted their lives and only managed to pass the child exam. Many old child exam masters are sixty or seventy years old and are still tirelessly participating...

But in an instant, she suddenly remembered the plot in the original book. Jiang Yu did indeed pass the top scholar exam in his twenties as he wished, but that also became his death warrant.

—He eventually ended up dying miserably in prison!

"Xiaoxiao, do you know what it means to pass the provincial exam in our Dayin?" Shopkeeper Zhou asked back.

Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded silently.

Not only in the world constructed by this novel, but in the ancient world she knew, the imperial examination system always implemented the idea that those who excel in learning should become officials. As long as you pass the provincial exam, it means you have the qualification to be an official.

How could those people in the imperial court watch Jiang Yu embark on an official career? Wouldn't that be creating an enemy for themselves? Even if he was not the descendant of General Shen, such a talented person could not be guarded against.

She understood Jiang Yu's intention to hide his edge, give up his official career, and embark on the path of business.

But... in the original plot, why did he suddenly change his mind and embark on an official career?

What was the reason that changed his mind?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 117 =====