Chapter 94

Rongqing Hall.

Jia Mu sat upright on the couch in the center, her expression somewhat weary.

Jia She sat in the lower seat and said: "Old Matriarch, you saw it today too. This beast thinks that because he has read a few days of books, he is becoming more and more self-righteous.

It is simply too lawless. He actually dared to draw a saber and commit violence, tormenting the son of the dignified Regional Commander of the Capital Battalion into that state. Wang Ziteng is a high-ranking official of Grade 1B after all.

Fortunately, the Wang family is our relative by marriage, so there is still some face to be saved. If it were another family, wouldn't it have brought a monstrous disaster to the Jia family?

If you ask me, such a rebellious beast should have been expelled from the family long ago, to save him from leaving trouble behind in the future!"

Lady Wang was filled with hatred in her heart at this moment. Jia Cong had disciplined her nephew into that state, and her own brother, a dignified Regional Commander of the Capital Battalion, had come to offer birthday wishes only to have his face thoroughly disgraced.

Hearing Jia She say that he wanted to expel Jia Cong from the family, a flash of light appeared in her eyes.

Jia Mu said angrily: "Just shut your mouth. You, as a father, don't help your own son, and that's fine, but you can't even see the reason clearly. Your son's actions today were indeed a bit excessive.

But if it weren't for that Wang family boy coming to the door to stir up trouble himself, would it have turned out like this? The reason is on our Jia family's side!

He is protecting the face of our Jia family. Otherwise, anyone would come to gossip. You don't want face, but I still want this old face of mine.

Yuanyang replied: "Yesterday I heard Qingwen say that today is the posting of the Academy Examination results at the Ministry of Rites, and Third Young Master Cong made an appointment with his classmates to go see them. Old Matriarch, should I go and inquire about the news?"

She also asked Yuanyang beside her: "Did he say just now that he was going to see the list?"

And that Wang family boy is a descendant of a military family and practices martial arts; how could he fall into that boy's hands in two or three moves, at his mercy to be beaten or killed?

How many more things does he have that we don't know about? You, as a father, don't have a clue in your heart. He doesn't come back a few times a year, so you should also provoke him less, and everyone will be quieter."

Although Jia Mu does not favor Jia Cong, she is also extremely biased when it comes to her children and grandchildren, but after all, she is not completely senile. She can distinguish between her own family and others, and she wouldn't be biased toward the Wang family.

Some people didn't find their names on the first three lists, and although they still held a last glimmer of hope, they were eventually disappointed, their faces ashen, as if they had lost their parents.

You beast who only knows how to eat and drink, you are always thinking about calculating against your own son, and you still say such nonsense about expelling him; aren't you afraid of others laughing at you!"

Finally, everyone's gaze looked toward the top of the list.

Some people found their names on it and were ecstatic, even crying bitterly.

This first list seemed to have the magic to bewitch people's hearts.

Countless hot gazes focused on this first list written on red gauze paper, as if they wanted to set the list on fire.

The posting of the first list of the Yongzhou Academy Examination pushed the atmosphere at the list-watching site to the peak.

Jia She was scolded by Jia Mu until his face turned red, and he didn't dare to speak.

Under the east wall of the South Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites.

Lady Wang's face turned pale upon hearing this. The Old Matriarch is blaming the Wang family in her heart.

This is a lucrative job that these red-clothed yamen runners look forward to every year, and only students who enter the first list have this kind of treatment.

Jia Mu said: "It's good to pay attention. After all, he is a son of the Jia family, so save him from gossiping. No one in the family remembers things like taking exams, but Zheng'er will definitely ask when he returns."

At the same time the first list was posted, a group of yamen runners in red clothes appeared under the list. These people were there to send letters and report good news to the candidates on the first list. In addition, there was a Ministry of Rites official holding a roster.

Once the first list is posted, these people will go to report the good news to the candidates' residences according to the distance recorded in the roster. Every candidate who passes will have generous rewards offered by their families.

"Before, we only knew he liked to read books; who would have thought that a piece of his calligraphy would be so treasured even by the Retired Emperor.

The crowd surged, and countless people were squeezing forward, wanting to get closer to see clearly which lucky person was the top candidate of this Academy Examination.

Scholars rack their brains and burn the midnight oil; isn't it for this moment of hot-blooded glory?

The surging crowd even squeezed Jia Cong to a more cornered place. In this position, he was still blind, and he couldn't see the content of the names on the list at all.

Finally, more and more people saw the name on the top of the list, and countless voices spread among the crowd: "Jia Cong! Jia Cong!"

Soon this name spread to the surroundings like a fast tide. When Jia Cong heard everyone around him chanting his name, his whole person fell into a state of stagnation.

He was still satisfied with his performance in the Academy Examination. After the exam, he copied his test paper according to his memory and showed it to several instructors at the academy.

All the instructors praised his answers this time, saying that as long as the examiner's grading was in a normal state, he would almost certainly pass.

This is also the reason why he seemed to have a peaceful state of mind when watching the list this time. Even if he stood far away and couldn't see the list clearly, he wasn't in a hurry. Since the probability of passing was extremely high, there was no need to be anxious for a moment.

But when he heard countless people chanting his name, he realized that he had actually won the top spot in this Yongzhou Academy Examination!

Back when he was still struggling to survive in the East Courtyard, even though he had been removed from the family school by Jia She, he still read without putting the book down.

During his nearly three years at Qingshan Academy, he studied hard day and night, not daring to slack off for a moment.

Fortunately, he had the guidance of books gifted by Master Jing'an. Because the old man also lived on Mount Luocang, he often gave him face-to-face teachings without reservation, which was a great help to his studies.

He also had the insights on reading and writing from the Third Place Scholar copied by Lin Daiyu, which made his understanding of the imperial examination increasingly profound.

The academic foundation of Qingshan Academy allowed him to build a solid foundation in his studies.

With the accumulation of various internal factors, plus a little luck in the examination hall, he actually won the honor of the top spot in the Academy Examination.

It would be hypocritical to say he wasn't happy. Jia Cong was truly happy in his heart. After years of hardship and suffering, he finally had results. He had entered the hall of the imperial examination, and in the future, he would have the power to seek his own future.

In the Jia family, which had not produced a student who passed the exam for many years, the top spot in the Academy Examination had a significant weight. He already had a foundation to stand on, and no one could ever slight or ignore him again.

At this moment, among the crowd watching the list, there were also many students from Qingshan Academy. They naturally knew who Jia Cong was and were excitedly looking for his figure in the crowd.

But at this time, Jia Cong's wish had been fulfilled, and he had already left the South Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites quietly by himself.

The news that the student of Qingshan Academy, the young master of Rongguo Prefecture, Jia Cong, had won the top spot in the Yongzhou Academy Examination in the 12th year of Emperor Jia Zhao, spread rapidly among thousands of students and throughout the entire Divine Capital.

Several government bailiffs in red clothes scrambled to report the good news to the Rongguo Prefecture on Ningrong Street in the East City.

Jia Zheng was participating in the preparatory meeting for the construction of the Jinling Daci'an Temple at the Ministry of Works. The four offices of the Ministry of Works clarified their respective duties, and Vice Minister Li Dekang transferred the Construction Lang Qin Bangye to Jinling to coordinate the construction affairs of the Daci'an Temple.

In the imperial court, many civil officials and nobles had complaints about the Emperor building the Daci'an Temple for his birth mother to pray for blessings.

When the Emperor first ascended the throne, he posthumously granted the title of Empress Dowager to his birth mother, who was only a Grade 5 palace lady during her lifetime, which had already caused waves in the imperial court.

But at that time, although the Emperor had only been on the throne for a few years, he had already achieved quite a lot, worked hard to govern, and his authority had been established.

Court officials had also remonstrated. After a right censor who was keen on submitting memorials was investigated by the Judge's Office for corruption and demoted to the wilderness, the voices of opposition in the court died down.

It was just a woman who had been dead for many years, and a seemingly noble but empty title.

But now the Emperor wanted to build the Daci'an Temple for his birth mother who had been dead for many years, which touched the nerves of the court officials' ancestral rites and laws.

They argued one after another that since the current Empress Dowager was still in the Middle Palace, building a temple and erecting a monument to pray for blessings for the long-deceased Empress Dowager would make the living Empress Dowager feel awkward, and this act was contrary to filial piety and ritual law.

But the Emperor's mind was made up and would not tolerate refutation.

In the final analysis, the current Emperor ascended the throne through a miraculous opportunity, and sitting firmly on the throne was quite difficult, so he inevitably left a haze in his heart.

After ten years of tempering, he had now subdued the world, his imperial power was growing daily, and his longing for his birth mother was indeed sincere, but he also wanted to use this matter to measure the world and see if he could truly be the only one with the sacred heart!

The court's discussion was not yet settled, but the Emperor's golden mouth had already opened, and Li Dekang turned a deaf ear to the court's discussion and put the construction of the Daci'en Temple on the Ministry of Works' agenda.

(End of chapter)