[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-88":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310886,4515,"Chapter 88: Secrets of the Inner Palace (Please Collect and Follow!)","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-88",88,"\u003Cp>Jia Cong came in from outside and said to Daiyu, “I just went to your room; Zijuan said you’d come to Third Sister’s place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tanchun pushed Shi Xiangyun forward: “Third Brother Cong, this is Xiangyun from the Shi family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong smiled: “I already met her at Rongqing Hall—Xiangyun Sister saw me cursing someone. Forgive my rudeness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Xiangyun teased: “Third Brother Cong, every word of yours is like a knife—so satisfying! I truly admire you. I won’t dare argue with you again, or I’ll end up skinned and bone-deep like Wang Zhangshi. Hahaha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong found her frank and pure, open and bright, lovely and charming, with a touch of tomboyish innocence—her nature was undeniably appealing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let his sisters choose from the perfumes he’d brought; such things were always most beloved by young ladies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daiyu asked him about the academy examination. Jia Cong replied only that tomorrow was the day the Ministry of Rites would post the results, and he’d arranged to go with his classmates to see them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jia Cong returned to Qingzhi Studio, having been away so long, Wu’er and Qingwen, with the little maids, had swept and cleaned the entire front and back of the studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Eastern Study, Jia Cong returned to his desk, where near the window stood a small rosewood table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng glanced at his wife and sighed inwardly; since their eldest son died and Baoyu was born, his wife had changed greatly, spending her days indulging Baoyu with the old matriarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they never found Zhi Shao’s body, Jia Cong had clung to hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But years passed, and though he tried to inquire, he got no answers—he and Wu’er had both begun to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the old matriarch and so many elder relatives, she humiliated Cong’s mother as low-born. Did she care a whit for the Jia family’s honor? If she was publicly punished, it was her own doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu’er and Jia Cong both knew today was Zhi Shao’s birthday. Jia Cong stared at the silver filigree bracelets, remembering the days he’d spent with Zhi Shao in the storage depot, his heart sinking into gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The husband is the wife’s standard; though Jia Zheng was usually mild-mannered, when truly enraged, Wang Lady would never dare defy him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Jia Zheng’s stern tone, Wang Lady felt shame, her face pale, dabbing tears from her eyes with a handkerchief but saying not a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a woman from a great family, with deep thoughts and strict adherence to propriety—this was how she preserved herself in the Jia household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wang Zhangshi left today, she’d wept to Wang Lady, saying she’d come merely to wish the old matriarch a happy birthday, yet been so humiliated—how could she ever dare show her face again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brother-in-law is a high-ranking official of the court—how could such a thoughtless woman be his wife? Truly incomprehensible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong took out a pure white porcelain bottle and placed it beside the bracelets; inside was perfume he’d distilled from peony petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old master has always held him in such high regard; on the old master’s account alone, he shouldn’t have acted this way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t slept in Wang Lady’s quarters for years—otherwise, how could Zhao Yiniang have borne two children?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother returned from his official duties in Dezhou tonight—he sent word he’ll come to the mansion early tomorrow to pay his respects to the old matriarch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words left Wang Lady troubled—she blamed her sister-in-law for her reckless behavior today, yet hated Jia Cong for his cutting words, leaving her not a shred of face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the table stood a small purple-copper incense burner; Wu’er had lit a stick of Qinghun incense beside it, along with the pair of silver filigree bracelets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the left wing of Rongxi Hall, in Jia Zheng and Wang Lady’s chambers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She made it impossible for him to discipline their son, and now he’d grown into Baoyu’s character—indulgent mothers ruin children. He was deeply disappointed in his wife, and their marriage had grown increasingly distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cong’s words today went too far—so many elder relatives present, not a shred of courtesy left. He’s still their junior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng tossed his book onto the desk: “Hmph. Your sister-in-law publicly mocked someone’s birthday gift as humble—did she show anyone else any courtesy? That’s not the conduct of a great lady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ministry of Works has urgent business tomorrow—I cannot be absent. Let Elder Brother receive him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Wang Lady’s heart ached—her husband favored Cong so deeply, yet her sister had humiliated that boy at Rongqing Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old master is displeased with the Wang family—he won’t even meet his own brother, who came to pay respects on the old matriarch’s birthday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng saw Wang Lady’s expression; after years of marriage, he knew exactly what she was thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t overthink it—it’s truly urgent ministry business. Tomorrow, the Vice Minister will summon us to discuss the construction of the Great Cian Temple in Jin Ling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Cian Temple was built by His Majesty for his birth mother, Empress Xianxiao. This is the Ministry of Works’ top priority—how could I possibly be absent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Wang Lady finally felt reassured; born into a noble family, she knew a few court secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current Empress Dowager is merely the Emperor’s stepmother; his birth mother is someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said His Majesty’s birth mother was once a Zhang palace maid in Jingxiu Palace, favored by the Retired Emperor, and bore him the imperial heir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to palace rules, a birth mother of low status had no right to raise a prince, so His Majesty was raised by the Empress from childhood, never close to his birth mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, when His Majesty was sixteen, his birth mother fell ill and died, remaining only a fifth-rank Jieyu, obscure and forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only years after ascending the throne did His Majesty, against all opposition, posthumously honor her as Empress Xianxiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that His Majesty rules all under heaven, his reverence for his birth mother has only deepened—he feels she lived in poverty, never knowing honor or splendor, and it haunts him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Empress Xianxiao was from Jin Ling, he ordered the Great Cian Temple built there, to provide her with incense offerings and fulfill his filial duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Court ministers clinging to old customs fiercely opposed this, but the Emperor, resolute in his will, stood firm against them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though construction of the Great Cian Temple in Jin Ling has already begun, imperial censors still occasionally raise objections…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet my brother-in-law came hoping to speak with the old master about securing the Nine Provinces Commander post—what use is seeing that drunken, idle uncle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main hall of the Ministry of Rites’ southern compound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In midyear, the Emperor appointed former Ministry of Rites’ Left Vice Minister Guo Youchang as Academic Commissioner of Yongzhou, chief examiner for the Yongzhou academy examination of Jiazhao 12.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Yongzhou academy examination was held in the imperial capital, and the Ministry of Rites oversaw the imperial examinations, Guo Youchang retained his office without relocation—convenient indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yongzhou academy examination ended nearly ten days ago; the Ministry of Rites has summoned over thirty scholar-officials, all jinshi graduates from the Imperial Academy, the Six Ministries, and county offices, to serve as graders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men must select nearly two hundred top-performing candidates from thousands of candidates to grant them the shengyuan degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nearly ten days of relentless, sleepless grading, they’ve already finalized nearly two hundred successful candidates and determined most of their rankings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the top three positions remain undecided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top three will be chosen from among the already-selected top ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yongzhou is a prefecture under the capital, the foremost prefecture of the Zhou realm, where northern scholarship is most flourishing; those selected among the top ten are all literary masters of exceptional talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they were chosen from thousands, the differences in their scores were minuscule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thirty-odd graders divided into five groups, each selecting three candidates from the top ten to become the final top-three contenders, with Chief Examiner Guo Youchang deciding the final rankings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely this step took the thirty-odd scholars two full days of heated debate before they settled on the three candidates and submitted their papers to Chief Examiner Guo Youchang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Youchang was the runner-up in the Yongshun 15 palace examination, renowned for his scholarly brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three papers selected from thousands were among the finest of this generation’s candidates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Guo Youchang, with his vast learning, was delighted—each of the three papers had its own merits, hard to distinguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his gaze lingered longest on one particular paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The examination’s eight-legged essay topic came from the Analects: “A gentleman who is not solemn lacks dignity; learning without firmness leads nowhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This essay opened with: “The gentleman’s pursuit of learning lies in its essence and the full realization of its way.” Clear, original, incisive, utterly refreshing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Essence without dignity cannot sustain learning; yet if the way is not fully realized, how can achievement be attained?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sages meant: the gentleman cultivates himself through learning, and must first establish dignity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If his speech and conduct are frivolous and light, he lacks gravity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If his dealings are crude and careless, he shows no solemnity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though one says learning reveals goodness, I know his grasp is fleeting, unlikely to hold fast and never lose it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though one says learning restores one’s original nature, I know he gains and loses it at once, unlikely to strive earnestly to reach it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Youchang nodded repeatedly; for a mere candidate to possess such profound, expansive, and substantial understanding was exceedingly rare—no wonder dozens of graders had chosen it among the top three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what drew Guo Youchang’s gaze was not merely the brilliance of the eight-legged essay—it was the calligraphy: ancient, elegant, uniquely magnificent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many candidates among the thousands excelled in calligraphy, but none matched this candidate’s mastery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this script style had never been seen before—it already bore the hallmarks of a distinct school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if this candidate never pursued officialdom, his calligraphy alone could make him a master of the art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Youchang glanced at the sealed name on the paper: Candidate Ding 137.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1709,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f429eace80003e9542fb5186c1c281eb54c1a4411b2b83033b32887612f81da7","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-89","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-87",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]