0p0 Chapter 1 Passing the Imperial Examination
Chapter 1 Passing the Imperial Examination
Despair, helplessness, and no place to be buried.
The short sword pierced his heart, and blood filled his throat. Memories of the past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern; he resentfully recalled everything he had endured...
......
"Hey! It's done! I won!"
Accompanied by this frantic shout, a poorly dressed scholar fell backward to the ground, his mouth wide open, revealing a set of white teeth, but he could only breathe in but not out; he had already fainted and was unconscious.
The passersby were all shocked. Several people came over and quickly carried the scholar to a roadside stall. The stall owner gave him two ladles of cold water, and he finally recovered.
The scholar slowly opened his half-closed eyes, and his consciousness, which had just fainted from ecstasy, gradually returned. After a moment, he let out another loud shout:
"Hey! I won!"
His shouts drew the attention of the passersby who had rescued him, who asked with curiosity, "What happened to you?"
The scholar rushed back to the wall, pointed at a name, and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha! I passed the imperial examination!"
On this brick wall hung a piece of brocade cloth, on which were arranged one hundred names from front to back. The name the scholar was pointing to was none other than Zhang Yunling, the top scorer in this provincial examination.
In order to personally witness the situation of his exam, Zhang Yunling waited here for three days and three nights. When he was hungry, he would spend some copper coins to buy a sesame seed cake, and when he was sleepy, he would sit in a corner and lean against the wall to make do with a night's sleep.
Finally, on the fourth day, he got the result he wanted. Amidst the envious gazes of the surrounding villagers and other scholars, he ran all the way back to his village.
Ten years of hard study go unnoticed, but one success brings fame throughout the land. Zhang He, originally a farmer, had always barely made a living by cultivating a small plot of land, but he knew that without education, his descendants would follow in his footsteps.
So he scrimped and saved every day, just so he could afford to send his only adopted son to school, to study the classics, and to make a name for himself so that he could bring honor to the Zhang family.
Now, the twenty years of hardship have come to an end. Zhang He's adopted son, Zhang Yunling, although he is already thirty years old, has won first place in this provincial examination, which has already rewritten the fate of both father and son.
A few days later, the Zhang family father and son moved into the county town. Zhang Yunling was appointed as a county magistrate by the imperial court. The magistrate also gave him three hundred taels of silver and exempted him from corvée labor for life. In this way, his adoptive father Zhang He no longer had to work hard to farm and pay taxes every day.
With this large sum of money, Zhang Yunling immediately took out 150 taels of silver to buy a small mansion in the city and hired two servants, living a very comfortable life.
One day, after returning home from get off work at the yamen, Zhang Yunling hurriedly went to find his godfather and asked how the two servants had been taking care of him these past few days.
Zhang He was a poor man who had never experienced being served before. The sudden appearance of two servants to take care of his daily needs made the old man feel a little uncomfortable, but he was very satisfied with it.
Seeing his only adopted son so successful, the father was very proud and began to talk at length about all the things that had happened in the past few days.
Those who used to look down on him in the village are now making a special trip to the county town to curry favor with him. Zhang Yunling was happy for her godfather when she heard this.
The Zhang family, who had previously suffered contempt and ridicule, finally retaliated in the best way possible today.
Upon hearing the final words, Zhang Yunling's pupils constricted sharply, and he was speechless for a long time, utterly shocked. He didn't care about the common people's flattery, but the village bully, the Li family, actually wanted to form a marriage alliance with his Zhang family!
You should know that the Li family is the richest family in the entire village, while the Zhang family was once just a poor family that Zhang He, an old bachelor, struggled to support through farming.
Normally, the father and son would always be meek and respectful towards the Li family, never daring to show the slightest disrespect. But now, the Li family wants Zhang Yunling as their son-in-law! If this really happens, wouldn't he be tied to this village bully from now on, enjoying a beautiful woman and a life of comfort and security?
"Father... what did you just say?" Zhang Yunling asked in a trembling voice, afraid that he had misheard.
Zhang He excitedly repeated what he had just said: "Son, the Li family is going to betroth their second daughter, Li Mengxuan, to you!"
Zhang Yunling felt a wave of dizziness, her vision blurred, as if she were in a dream. Every word her godfather had just said kept echoing in her mind, and she couldn't help but grin foolishly.
"Li Mengxuan, Li Mengxuan, you finally couldn't resist and succumbed to the charm of the great scholar Zhang, hahahahaha!"
Sure enough, once someone passes the imperial examination, their entire family rises to prominence. The Zhang family, once looked down upon, now has Zhang Yunling, an official. Even the high and mighty Li family has to extend an invitation to win them over.
For the Li family, being able to associate with Zhang Yunling means that their future development will be far more than just becoming a village bully.
If things continue like this, Zhang Yunling's good days are finally about to begin.