Chapter 585 - 217: Holding Court (Part 2)
Chapter 585: Chapter 217: Holding Court (Part 2)
Zhao Jing pressed her, "What does ’bankrupt’ mean?"
Chen Wanqing ignored him, got dressed, and went to wash up.
As they walked out of the courtyard, De’an came over, yawning.
Seeing the two of them, De’an listlessly raised a hand to greet them.
"My head hurts so much. The wine yesterday was terrible. The aftereffects are pretty bad."
The wine yesterday was sponsored by the merchants of the Prefecture.
These merchants were extremely well-informed. The moment they heard the new scholars were having a gathering, they sprang into action. Not only did they sponsor the food and wine, but they even hired famous courtesans to accompany them.
Naturally, the courtesans were sent back. After all, they were all "upright gentlemen," and no one dared to act dissolutely while the Lord Prefects were still in the Prefecture.
You would think that since the merchants had spent a good deal of money, the wine and food would have been top-notch. The food was indeed not bad, but the wine was another story. It was either watered down or counterfeit.
It tasted fine going down, but the kick afterward was too much. Even he couldn’t handle it.
De’an asked Zhao Jing, "How about you? Does your head still hurt?"
Zhao Jing said, "I’ve never had a headache. It probably wasn’t the wine’s fault. You just drank too much yesterday."
"And you didn’t drink hard? Besides, half the wine I drank was on your behalf."
"Don’t try to take credit for it. You drank that for yourself."
Chen Wanqing was curious. "Did a lot of people toast De’an? Why?"
So Zhao Jing explained the rumors that had been circulating these past few days.
Xu Yanlin and Xu Shiling had made several trips to Orchid Alley, which had been noted by observant people. If Fan Ju noticed, then others surely did as well. It’s just that everyone chose to wait and see, not rashly exposing the matter.
With the release of the selected essays, everyone saw his skill. They realized that although the rankings were heavily influenced by the chief examiner’s personal preferences, they were, on the whole, still fair.
Besides, De’an wasn’t on the list of successful candidates. So, Xu Shiling and Xu Yanlin’s visits to the Chen family couldn’t have been for official business; it must have been due to a private relationship.
The students from Qingshui County knew a little more and made the connection that Xu Suying also had the surname Xu. Since she shared a surname with Xu Shiling and Xu Yanlin, they figured she must be a distant relative, however many generations removed.
It didn’t matter if you were a distant relative or a close one. As long as you had a promising future, people would help you out and direct resources your way. Otherwise, even if you were of noble birth but utterly useless, no one would give you a second glance.
Thinking of all this, they became much more enthusiastic toward De’an.
They hoped to be introduced to Xu Shiling and Xu Yanlin through De’an. If they could just catch the eye of either man, their futures would be limitless.
Even if they weren’t noticed by these important figures, befriending De’an had everything to gain and nothing to lose for them.
After all, he had Zhao Jing as his own brother-in-law, whose future prospects were certainly not small.
After explaining all this, Zhao Jing then told Chen Wanqing about the selected essays.
"My copy of the selected essays is with Uncle."
On the day the selected essays were printed and distributed—that is, the morning of the Lu Ming Banquet—they were sent to all the new scholars. A copy was meant to be delivered to him, but since Xu Shiling arrived at the government office early, they gave both his and De’an’s copies to Xu Shiling instead.
Sheng Mingchuan’s original intention was for Xu Shiling to pass them on. However, as Xu Shiling was passing through the streets, he heard some rumors and realized that people were speculating about his relationship with the Chen and Zhao families. Not wanting to cause trouble at such a critical moment, he decided to hold onto the books for the time being.
Just as they were talking about the selected essays, CuiYe came running into the back courtyard, flustered and carrying two books.
"Master, Master! Someone in the front courtyard delivered the selected essays! They said they’re for you and Young Master De’an."
Chen Wanqing took the books. Seeing a formal invitation card among them, she ignored it for the moment and, holding the selected essays, asked CuiYe, "Where’s the person who delivered them?"
CuiYe said, panting, "He... he already left. He... he said he’s an attendant of Mr. Xu and that Mr. Xu can’t be without him, so he had to go right back."
Then she pointed to the invitation card in Chen Wanqing’s hand. "He said... said Mr. Xu is coming to the house tomorrow."
Chen Wanqing handed the selected essays to Zhao Jing and opened the invitation card. It was indeed from her uncle.
Chen Wanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "If Uncle wants to come, he can just come. Why send a formal card? It’s so polite, it feels distant."
Zhao Jing took the invitation card to have a look and couldn’t help but chuckle. "This card isn’t for you. It’s for Mother."
’Her uncle is making a personal visit. Isn’t it obvious he wants to back up his niece?’
’Although she doesn’t need the backing at all. Wanqing’s word is law in this house; no one would dare cross her. Still, it’s best to let Uncle see for himself how she’s living. That way, he can rest easy.’