Chapter 085: Letter from the Duke.
Shen Yichen tore off the sealing wax, took out the letter inside and saw that it was only a thin piece.
It seems that Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong did not write any pretentious nonsense. A piece of letter paper is enough to get straight to the point.
Spreading out the letter, Shen also came over. Although she was not very literate, she was eager to know what Duke Cheng had written and could not wait a moment.
The handwriting on the letter paper was not good, but it was vigorous and powerful, which was in line with the military habits of Duke Chengguo.
The content is also described very simply. Zhu Yong learned that Shen Yichen had won the first place in both the county and prefecture cases, so he asked him to study at the Imperial College in the capital.
However, this time he did not rely on his ancestors' influence, but took another channel for admission, that is, becoming a tribute student.
The so-called tribute students, from the name alone, meant to contribute talents to the emperor. Under normal circumstances, those with excellent grades or qualifications from Fu, Zhou, and County students were selected and sent to study in the Imperial Academy, which can be simply understood as modern special enrollment.
Because of the time and distance in ancient times, Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong only knew that Shen Yichen won two first places and became a student, but he did not know that he had already won the top three places in the imperial examinations and became a scholar.
But Duke Cheng also understood the unspoken rules of the imperial examinations. If one won the first place in the prefectural examination, he would definitely pass the examination as a scholar, which was enough to be selected into the Imperial College as a tribute student. What's more, Shen Yichen won two first places in a row.
To be honest, when Shen Yichen saw that the content of the letter was about admission to the Imperial College, he felt a little complicated.
After all, before Duke Cheng , the last thing he left to discuss was to send him to the Imperial College through the Yinjian method. Unexpectedly, after more than half a year, this nominally "cold-blooded" father still remembered this matter and even changed his method.
"Chen'er, I saw on the letter that you were born in the capital. What does the master want you to do?"
Looking at the complicated expression on her son's face, Shen felt both expectant and nervous.
What I expect is that Duke Chengguo wrote a letter to Shen Yichen, which at least means that in his heart, he has never forgotten that he has this son.
And now that Shen Yichen has become promising, maybe he can gain the attention of the Duke, be recognized as an ancestral figure and included in the family tree, becoming the true son of the Duke.
She was nervous because she was afraid that there might be something unfavorable in the letter. After all, she had not forgotten that her son had a special status and might disturb some people. She and Shen Yichen were not with the Duke. What if the Duke believed the slander of some villain? What should she do?
"The Duke wrote in the letter that he wanted me to study at the Imperial Academy in the capital as a tribute student."
Even though Shen was not familiar with the imperial examination, he knew the status of the Imperial College in Beijing. It was just like how even rural farmers in later generations had heard of Tsinghua University and Peking University.
"The master asked you to go to the Imperial College in the capital?"
He was surprised at first, and then he couldn't help but feel happy. Duke Cheng helped his son to enroll in the Imperial College in Beijing. Wasn't this a disguised recognition of the father-son relationship between Shen Yichen?
And there is another very important point, that is, Shen Yichen went to the capital, which was equivalent to staying with Duke Chengguo. This is crucial for cultivating the relationship between father and son.
After more than ten years of anticipation, Shen did not expect that this day would come so suddenly. Her son finally saw the hope of being included in the Zhu family genealogy.
"Yes, I enrolled as a tribute student."
Compared to his mother's joy, Shen Yichen seemed extremely calm. You know, he had already been invited by Duke Cheng once, so it was naturally impossible for him to be surprised.
And to be honest, the current Imperial College in the capital is no longer very tempting to Shen Yichen.
I have already passed the examination and can legitimately participate in the provincial examination in the year of the big exam. There is no need to take the shortcut of the Imperial College. In addition, the ninth year of Zhengtong is exactly the node of the big exam year, and there are about three months before the provincial examination.
Shen Yichen needs to make a decision, whether to spend three years studying or take the exams in a hurry.
After taking the imperial examinations several times, Shen Yichen is no longer the rookie he used to be who was afraid of failing.
With my current memory and level of knowledge, plus the connections I have accumulated in the civil service and academic circles, it should not be difficult for me to pass the examination and become a juren.
Of course, this could also be due to Shen Yichen's blind self-confidence. After all, there are many cases of talented young men failing the provincial examinations in ancient history. It is hard to guarantee that he will not be among them and become the next famous example.
However, Shen Yichen had no idea about his ranking in the imperial examination.
Because the ranking of Jinshi, in addition to the extremely high academic requirements, is also subject to a lot of variables caused by various factors. Even during the palace examination, whether the emperor likes you or not may change your ranking.
To put it bluntly, unless you are so powerful that you can defeat everyone in your fight, the rest really depends on your looks.
Moreover, the first, second, and third place rankings also have a decisive impact on one's future prospects. The connections with nobles and civil officials that one currently possesses may give one a small advantage in the preliminary examinations of the imperial examinations.
Even in a big city like Nanjing, it can seem like there is someone behind you.
If it were in the capital, it would be completely insignificant, and interest groups would not lend a helping hand simply out of favoritism or something. That would be pure jungle law of the officialdom.
If you want to quickly stand out with your own strength, you must be a second-class Jinshi, and it cannot be lower. Those who are third-class Jinshi are likely to be sent to serve as local officials. They will wait for the three-year assessment to be promoted step by step throughout their lives. It can be said that they can see in advance what the end of their life will be like.
So now the question is, how to ensure that you will be ranked second or above?
"Okay, okay! Chen'er, since the Duke wants you to go to the capital to study, then don't delay. Think about the departure date and leave as soon as possible."
Shen was a little excited at this moment. Whether it was studying in the Imperial Academy in the capital or gaining the recognition of Duke Chengguo, it would be of great help to Shen Yichen's future.
Although she was reluctant to see her son leave, Shen understood better that a good man should have ambitions. Shen Yichen should follow his father and explore a wider world!
Seeing his mother's expression of wanting to kick him out of the house, Shen Yichen felt a little amused. However, he could understand Shen's feelings at the moment. After all, what she had been looking forward to for more than ten years was to be accepted by Duke Cheng. Now the opportunity was right in front of her.
"Mom, let me think about it and we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Shen Yichen still hadn't made up his mind. After all, he had different ideas from Shen Shi, and he had to consider many interests. Even the so-called father, Duke Cheng, did not consider family affection first, but how to achieve an exchange of interests.
It is not known whether it was the thinking of Duke Cheng that influenced Shen Yichen, or whether Shen Yichen, because of his inner anger and unwillingness, used the greatest "malice" to speculate about Duke Cheng Zhu Yong.
Anyway, the two people's ways of thinking are becoming more and more similar. There is almost no room for emotion, and it's all rational calculation.
"Chen'er, what is there to consider? Now that the master has taken the initiative to accept you, do you want to miss it?"
"No, it's just that many things need to be planned. Let me think about it again."
"Chen'er, mother knows that you have resentment in your heart, but the master is still your father, don't go against his decision!"
After all, Shen is his biological mother. Just because she doesn't mention many things doesn't mean that she is not clear about Shen Yichen's attitude.
Especially in the past year, Shen felt that her son seemed to be becoming more and more estranged from the grandfather, and even his previous desire to trace his roots was gradually disappearing.
Even when paying homage to the Zhu family's ancestor's spirit tablet, Shen Yichen was somewhat reluctant. This was something that had never happened before.
Shen didn't know what Shen Yichen thought, and why he would change so much, but the father-son relationship and blood ethics were inseparable. Even if Shen Yichen's surname was Shen instead of Zhu, Shen didn't want the name of this illegitimate child to accompany her son throughout his life.
In Shen's eyes, tracing one's ancestral roots was not for the sake of wealth and glory, but she wanted to compensate her son so that he could hold his head high and live a proud life.
Shen Yichen looked directly into his mother's eyes. He didn't know how to explain many things. There were differences between modern and ancient concepts, and there were also things like family affection. In the homes of emperors and nobles, it was actually completely different from that of ordinary people.
Can you say that you don't care about taking your mother's surname, and that you don't care whether you are included in the family tree or not?
The answer is no. The ancients could not understand it and felt inferior to others.
Then how can I say that the Duke of Chengguo actually has no father-son relationship, and his willingness to support me is based on the principle of shared prosperity for the duke's family?
No, because doing so might shatter the mother's only beautiful imagination of Duke Chengguo, and it would be difficult for the housewife to understand the deeper meaning of it.
So this is the difficulty in life. There is no right or wrong, but it is difficult to find the best of both worlds.
"Mom, if I am just Shen Yichen from now on, will you be unable to accept it?"
Hearing her son's plain question, Shen was stunned for a moment. She understood the meaning behind this sentence.
Shen Yichen, his surname is not Zhu.
"me……"
Shen's mind went blank for a moment. After she left Duke Cheng's Mansion, all her goals and hopes in life were to let her son return to the Mansion and get the status he deserved.
But now when I heard these words from Shen Yichen's mouth, I suddenly felt as if my life had been turned upside down, and I didn't know how to answer or choose for a moment.
Looking at his mother's appearance, Shen Yichen also understood that this kind of thing was too much of a shock to her.
So before this, Shen Yichen had always chosen to avoid talking about it, predicting that such a scene would occur.
"Mom, it's nothing. I just said it casually on a whim."
"By the way, mother, I have also decided to follow the invitation of the Duke and go to the capital."
Shen Yichen didn't want his mother to fall into this dilemma, and he suddenly figured out the answer to one question, which was how to ensure that he would rank second or above?
The answer is Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong!
That's right, because of various original memories and the injustice suffered by his mother Shen, he always had a psychological resistance to Duke Chengguo Zhu Yong.
Since we don't need to use emotional thinking to judge the relationship between father and son, and just look at it from a rational perspective, is there anyone in this world who can provide more help in the imperial examinations than Duke Cheng, who is currently at the peak of his career?
The number of people Shen Yichen could think of could be counted on one hand.
In the past, the idea of "one prosper together, all prosper" was forced upon us by Duke Cheng. Shen Yichen did not agree that his life was the "bricks and tiles" of Duke Cheng's mansion.
But now he has figured it out. The prerequisite for making contributions is to be successful and famous. Otherwise, he is not even worthy of being a stepping stone for the government.
In this case, I might as well share the prosperity of Duke Chengguo with you and use it as a stepping stone to my own success!
