Chapter 217

The servants Jia Zheng had sent to find Jia Cong had not yet returned, but the messengers from the Ministry of Rites bringing the good news arrived first.

At the gate of the Rongguo Prefecture, gongs and drums were clamoring, and firecrackers were booming!

Jia Zheng and the guests were already waiting in the Rongxi Hall. The messengers from the Ministry of Rites were led into the Rongxi Hall, and after announcing the academic success, they presented the official notice of success from the Ministry of Rites.

Jia Zheng saw the official seal of the Ministry of Rites on the notice, which read: First place in the provincial examinations of the Emperor Jia Zhao 13th Year Grace Exam. Below it was Jia Cong's name, along with the personal signature and seal of the chief examiner, Zheng Yan.

He could not help but beam with joy, wishing he could take his place.

Ranking first in a provincial examination, while not yet comparable to the glory of passing the metropolitan examination, is still a height that most scholars dream of their whole lives but find difficult to reach.

Moreover, Jia Cong's success as a provincial top scholar was different from the ordinary; he had already ranked first in the Yongzhou prefectural examination, and now he had achieved success in two consecutive exams. This status as a top provincial graduate was becoming increasingly valuable and rare.

When the news reached the inner quarters, Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, and Xichun were all incomparably happy. If it were not for the fact that the Grandmother and the Lady were in the Rongqing Hall, they would have likely forgotten themselves even more.

They all knew that Jia Cong studied diligently and had hopes for the provincial examinations, but they never expected that he would rank first just as he had in the prefectural examination.

Daiyu thought of how her father had passed the metropolitan examination and earned the title of Third Place Wu Wu Ju Ren—what glory that was! Yet even he had never ranked first in the provincial examinations. The Third Brother had already achieved success in two consecutive exams; he was actually even more outstanding than her father had been.

Yingchun was not particularly concerned with the title of top provincial graduate, but knowing that Brother Cong had first passed the prefectural examination and now the provincial examination, perhaps in the future he would even pass the metropolitan examination.

Although Lady Wang still felt that Baoyu was perfect in every way, when comparing him to Jia Cong, her inner calculations and considerations could no longer be as condescending as they had been in the past.

And that astonishing scene from the morning when the results were posted at the Examination Hall did not take long to begin spreading.

She had always felt that Baoyu was born with jade in his mouth and was unimaginably noble; how could he be compared to a concubine-born son like Jia Cong?

Once the crowd at the gate of the Examination Hall dispersed, these scholars flowed to all parts of the Love Shenjing, and through oral and written accounts...

When Lady Wang heard that Jia Cong had again earned the title of top provincial graduate, she could not help but feel a heavy sense of powerlessness when thinking of her own Baoyu.

In fact, this was not strange; the scholars participating in this Yongzhou Grace Exam covered all the sons of officials in the Love Shenjing who were taking the exam, and everyone had witnessed the strange event at the gate of the Examination Hall with their own eyes.

In the eyes of other Jia family descendants, and perhaps in the eyes of most scholars, the road to the imperial examinations was full of dangers, yet the Third Brother could walk it so brilliantly. How outstanding he must be! They could not help but feel their hearts flutter.

Among so many Jia family descendants, most spent their days in pleasure; which one could compare to her own brother? Even if the Grandmother did not like him, it could not stop him from being so outstanding, and she felt a sense of pride in her heart.

Aside from being a legitimate son and having that piece of jade from the delivery room, if one were to say that other aspects were more valuable than Jia Cong's, I fear...

A man in this world must have responsibility and must achieve something. The Third Brother is likely the best example of this.

The Grandmother was also stunned when she heard the news. Jia Zhu, whom she had cherished in the past, had been very successful in his studies and had entered school at a young age, so the Grandmother understood a little about the matters of scholars and provincial graduates.

Seeing Tan Chun was accustomed to seeing Baoyu's way of studying, and her own brother Jia Huan was even more lazy about books. Her own brother by the same father, Jia Zhu, had entered school at a young age but had died early due to overwork from studying.

But with Jia Cong being granted an official rank, performing meritorious service in Jin Ling, and having his birth mother posthumously granted a title, he had now become a top provincial graduate.

She naturally knew the weight of a top provincial graduate, and she was speechless in her heart. Although she had not been close to this grandson since childhood, his ability and luck were truly extraordinary.

News regarding Jia Cong, the top graduate of the current provincial examination, and that soul-stirring, magnificent policy essay, spread to all parts of the Love Shenjing at an extremely fast speed.

The Jia family of Rongguo was a top-tier noble family of the Great Zhou, with old family friends, students, and former acquaintances spread throughout the Love Shenjing. Although the Jia family's influence had declined over the past two years, its lingering prestige had not diminished, and its foundation of connections in the Yongzhou region remained.

Over the past two years, Jia Cong had risen abruptly in the Jia family, which had already attracted attention. Several months ago, because his mother was posthumously granted a title, he had caused such a great stir in the Ningguo ancestral hall that he had become even more eye-catching.

Now, he had actually captured the top spot in the Yongzhou provincial examination in one fell swoop, and he also held the title of success in two consecutive exams. This had not appeared in the Great Zhou for decades, making people feel even more that the Jia family had been visited by the auspicious omen of a phoenix.

For the rough-and-tumble noble families of military merit, the appearance of such a literary wonder in a military family just made them feel that the Jia family had been lucky to produce such an outstanding descendant; it was nothing more than glory and envy.

But for those noble families with delicate minds, such as Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding, or those who had produced literary official descendants in recent years, their considerations regarding this matter were a different scene altogether.

And for the pure literary official group like Guo Youchang and Zheng Yan, their feelings about this matter were even more profound.

In the eyes of these big figures, a provincial graduate was not yet considered all that remarkable, but the title of success in two consecutive exams carried some weight. Such a person would definitely be able to enter the gate of the metropolitan examination in the future.

More importantly, the magnificent policy essay written by Jia Cong was, for any scholar, a temptation that was deafening. The exquisite four-character phrases within it were enough to qualify as a foundation for establishing one's words.

Throughout the ages, how many people have been able to establish their words? This was a literary achievement even more remarkable than singing romantic songs with a few poems.

And this person was now only a teenager.

As long as he stepped into an official career, relying on his literary talent and his ability to establish words, in a few years, he would definitely become a pillar of the literary officialdom.

By then, what kind of scene would the Jia family of Rongguo be? Those with foresight would even see much further than this...

Thus, there were friends and relatives, those who admired his literary talent, and those who sought to build good relationships in advance.

Not even a full day had passed since the provincial examination results were posted, and the Jia family of Rongguo began to show signs of a bustling household.

At the intersection south of Ningrong Street, drums and music played in unison, red curtains were displayed, and a wedding procession with an impressive display was slowly approaching.

In the procession, an eight-bearer sedan chair draped in red and decorated with colors was very eye-catching. Beside the sedan chair followed a young girl in red clothes with delicate and spirited features; she looked like the bride's dowry maid.

When the wedding procession passed the main gate of the Rongguo Prefecture, the maid could not help but look toward the mansion gate.

And the curtain of the sedan chair was lifted by an imperceptible amount. A pair of bright, water-like eyes gazed at the plaque with gold characters on a black background that read "Imperially Built Rongguo Prefecture," with what seemed like tears shimmering in them.

The main gate of the Rongguo Prefecture was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the ground was covered with firecracker debris. The servants guarding the gate were still holding gongs and drums, and many guests were bringing gifts in and out of the mansion gate, creating quite a bustling atmosphere.

It looked as if it was not just the Ningguo Prefecture holding a wedding, but the Rongguo Prefecture also seemed to be holding some kind of celebration.

When the wedding procession walked to the main gate of the Ningguo Prefecture, the steward Lai Da had already brought the family servants and matrons to wait at the gate. The prepared drums and music sounded, and the main gate of Ningguo slowly opened; this was the ritual for a legitimate first wife.

Lai Da looked respectful and flattering, gazing at Jia Rong, who was dressed in wedding attire, and diligently helped him off his horse.

Yet in his heart, he could not help but sneer. With the Eldest Master in this state, to still be marrying a wife with such great fanfare—after a long time, who could he fool? The incense of the Ningguo Prefecture could be considered extinguished; I fear that in the future, they will only be able to adopt an heir to inherit the title.

At this moment, a servant ran to his side with a panicked expression. It was not until the wedding procession had entered the Ningguo Prefecture that he whispered in Lai Da's ear: "Second Master, things are not good. The Eldest Young Master has been beaten by someone!"

Lai Da was startled and asked: "Who is so bold? Are you all dead? Who beat him? Is the injury serious?"

The servant trembled and replied: "The Young Master said he couldn't tell who beat him; he was knocked unconscious from behind. His body is covered in bruises, and he has two broken ribs. The physician said he needs to rest for two months to recover."

Lai Da's face turned livid: "Have someone investigate who did this!"

(End of chapter)