Chapter 107.4: Just a Child, Poison, Court Examination
“Then, in mama’s view, was it that eighth brother just didn’t sleep well last night, or was it this kind of situation?”
“Nine tis out of ten, it’s the latter.”
“Have to say, people who act out against innocent little children truly are unforgivable.”
“Hasn’t miss already warned that Huan Yiniang? As long as she’s a smart one, she’ll know what to do. She probably won’t dare to do anything to eighth young master again. At most, she’ll just let eighth young master beco closer with her, so as to disgust third madam. Eighth young master’s symptoms right now are light, so as long as it doesn’t reach the nightmare stage, he’ll be fine in a few days.” Moreover, the other dicine was a kind concocted dicinal liquid, the scent very faint. The best ti to use it was at night, and just one drop on the pillow or blanket will suffice. And by the next morning, one won’t be able to find any marks. This kind of thing wasn’t sothing that Huan Yiniang could easily get her hands on. Most likely it had sothing to with wangye again, just he probably didn’t expect that this woman would be this malicious, using it on a child. Severing her source should take care of it. However, if she’s indifferent to miss’s warning, then wangye perhaps will just dispose of this chess piece. According to wangye, anyone that goes against miss are all unnecessary existences, even though Huan Yiniang herself probably isn’t even aware that her encountering Luo Rong Ping wasn’t really the will of heaven, but actually human-caused.
“However, if eight brother didn’t co today, I would’ve already forgotten about Luo Jing Ying. How is she, does mama know?”
“Her daily als have all been simple congee, and the clothes sent in have also been changed to coarse fabric and hemp garnts. At first, she threw a tantrum, so the old madam had soone firmly sort her out twice, and she finally settled down. However, she was still unwilling to eat. Old madam didn’t bother with her either, just letting the servants send the als on ti. If she doesn’t eat, then just imdiately carry it away. After enduring for two days, the als that were sent later on were imdiately eaten clean. In the recent few days, she’s actually been admitting to her mistakes and repenting everyday, hoping the old madam can let her out.”
“Soone like her, as expected, needs to be sorted out in this sort of manner.”
“Miss letting third madam go beg old madam herself, this is preparing to let fourth miss out?”
“Having been locked up for this long, this should more or less be enough. Can’t exactly have her locked up forever. And even if no one goes to plea, prior to third brother’s wedding, grandmother will still have to let her out. After all, when ti cos, with that many people coming to the manor, soone will eventually ask. Overall, it’s not good to say that she’s still sick, too unlucky. In any case, family scandals must not be aired out.”
Gong mama nodded. Letting her out was also good, else wangye’s plans won’t be able to carry out. Fourth miss is a very important link in it after all.
Liu-shi perhaps thought this was Jing Wan’s advice for her, and thus actually went to go beg Luo Old Madam. Luo Old Madam indeed didn’t make things difficult for her either, just neither lightly nor heavily said a few words, letting her properly educate Luo Jing Ying after going back, and if there’s a next ti, she won’t be forgiven this easily.
The next morning when going to give her morning greetings, Jing Wan saw Luo Jing Ying who’d lost quite a bit of weight, though it did also fit her recent ‘still sick’ image, feeble and weak, as if the wind could knock her over, really making one pity.
Just don’t know whether or not she was sorted out again by Liu-shi after she went back. This while, she actually had her head lowered the whole ti, appearing rather quiet, seemingly as if she’d truly deeply reflected upon herself. However, exactly what she was thinking, no one really knew. In any case, Jing Wan didn’t believe that Luo Jing Ying would recognize her own mistakes this easily. When they were at the Grand Elder Princess Manor, that burst of resentnt towards her, afraid, was impossible to erase in this lifeti.
“Today is the court exam. After the court exam ends, the top three successful candidates will parade through the streets. Those that are interested in going out to see the excitent, at the end of the chen hour (9am), go outside the second gate and head out together with your brothers. Today, there will be nurous people in the streets, so don’t wonder off. ————Fourth girl, you don’t need to go out.”
Luo Jing Ying’s body uncontrollably flinched, “Yes.” Her voice sowhat choked up and carried a indescribable grievance.
Regardless whether this grievance was feigned or real, all in all, no one paid her any attention.
Speaking of which, at the mont, the three hundred candidates for the imperial exam that are participating in the court exam were already waiting outside the palace gates.
Because there were still so ti at hand, they gathered in groups of three and five, chatting with one another. One has to know, among these people, so might beco colleagues in the future. After entering officialdom, there were three kinds of relationships that were the most intimate, and that was between schoolmates, between those from the sa hotown, and as well as between those in the sa administrative division. Having good relations with these people, there would only be benefits and no harm for oneself.
Moreover, among these people, there were quite a few that had people from their family currently serving in court as officials. If one were to inadvertently beco friends with soone that had an important figure behind them, then one could perhaps struggle many years less.
Chen Zheng Min also had two three good friends he made after entering the capital among them, and at the mont, they were currently chatting with him. Those that were close by naturally learned that he was the one being paid attention to yesterday. Speaking of which, the incident that happened in front of the list of nas yesterday could also be considered strange, so naturally there were people that just couldn’t help sizing him up. If one has to say what his greatest characteristic was, it was probably his youth, looking to be no more than sixteen seventeen years of age, yet didn’t, because of his good results in the tropolitan exam, exhibit the high-spirits that youngsters ought to have. The feeling he gave others was tranquil, and that sar of coldness between his brows made others feel he was difficult to approach.
A person’s temperant, unless having experienced through the great calamity of life and death, was unlikely to change this thoroughly. It was probably still because he montarily haven’t completely co around, more or less subconsciously feeling that others all harbored malicious intentions towards him, laughing at him, and thus was sowhat unapproachable. After so ti, he probably won’t be like this anymore.
Among these people, there was no lack of people in their thirties and forties, each and every one all can’t help but inwardly think to themselves, the youths of today really were impressive, if each and every one were all like this, then ‘old fellas’ like them all don’t need to struggle anymore.
“Zheng Min.” Luo Rong Wei walked before Chen Zheng Min.
“Fourth biao[1] uncle.” Chen Zheng Min quickly greeted him, “Still haven’t congratulated biao-uncle yet.”
Luo Rong Wei waved his hand, “Nothing worth congratulating, your biao-uncle, I, is just a diocre one. Yesterday, I received news that back at ho, they didn’t even prepare any good fortune money[2], and can be said to have thoroughly ignored . Even your fourth biao-aunt rolled her eyes at .”
Chen Zheng Min laughed. Have to say, the Luo family really were busy lately, and moreover, his own grandfather even went to make a ruckus yesterday. Perhaps it didn’t get made known to everyone, but it still wasted quite a bit of paternal great aunt’s ti. Perhaps it was just that the matriarch of the household had forgotten, thus the people below couldn’t do anything either. This while, he was sowhat apologetic, “Afraid it was because of grandfather……….”
“Has nothing to do with this. It was your great uncle that instructed, if one doesn’t enter the top fifty, won’t get even a single copper coin. He said, back then, he just casually took the exam and got first place in the tropolitan exam, and if not for his good looks and youth, how could he’ve been appointed as the flower snatcher[3], he was soone with the talent of a top scorer[4]. The thickness of that old face, even third girl couldn’t keep watching and stabbed him with a few words……….” Seeing Chen Zheng Min’s smile fading a little, Luo Rong Wei just knew that he’d accidentally stabbed his sore spot. Last night, his old father had said that there was no need to distance this child. “Yet he doesn’t realize, how could everyone in the world all be the sa as him?”
(T/N: There’s a popular belief that the third place ranker in the imperial exam is picked for their good looks, or rather third place is the handsost of the three top rankers. No idea where this idea originated from, but it is a popular belief.)
“Great uncle’s learning is indeed good to the point that it makes one speechless. The few rare tis one has gotten guidance from him have all been beneficial.”
“You rather have the chance this ti to walk his steps.”
“Zheng Min will do one’s best.”
Luo Rong Ping nodded his head, “I’ll go stroll around, you all chat.”
[1] Biao – Relative of a different surna, whereas relatives of the sa surna are referred to with ‘tang’. It’s been quite a while since this address popped up again, guess should also had this to the historical notes page.
[2] Tip given on a happy occasion.
[3] Title for third place in the imperial exam, I’m fairly certain the results are determined from the final court exam. The origins of this title cos from the idea that the person in third place snatched the flower from the rest of the people below. The flower is referring to this red ball of fabric (pictured below) that the top three scorers get to wear.
[4] In chinese the title is ‘zhuang yuan’ which literally just translates to ‘strong first place’.
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