Chapter 2: The Wind Rises from Zhongshan Mountain Chapter 14 Nothing is difficult in the world except Zhao Hao
In the evening, Zhao Jin came back from work and learned that the restaurant was a hit and had made back its investment on the same day, which made his brother very happy.
Zhao Shouzheng took the opportunity to suggest having a drink to celebrate.
Zhao Jin was in a good mood. Seeing that Zhao Hao did not object, he smiled and said, "It's time to have a good drink. I have good news to tell my uncle."
They didn't bother going to the restaurant. They asked Qiaoqiao to prepare a few side dishes, and the three of them started drinking in the main room... Of course, what Zhao Hao drank was the loquat juice squeezed by Qiaoqiao.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhao Hao smiled and suggested, "Brother is now an official appointed by the court. It is not proper for him to live in Caijia Lane all day. Why don't I buy a house near the Censorate and bring my sister-in-law from Zhejiang to reunite with us."
"Well..." Zhao Jin had naturally thought about this question. He took a sip of liquor, shook his head and smiled, "I appreciate your kindness, but the Chief Justice seemed to hint in his words during the meeting today that I won't be able to stay in this position for long..."
"So you want to be promoted, nephew?" Zhao Shouzheng was overjoyed when he heard that. "That's what I told you. How can I let you suffer for more than ten years in vain?"
Zhao Hao thought, it was mainly because of Gui Tongnian's help...
"No matter where we go next, it probably won't be in Nanjing." Zhao Jin smiled reservedly and said, "So I have written a letter to my family, asking them not to leave until I am stable here."
"Well, this is very safe." Zhao Hao agreed: "Then it won't be too late to buy a house after my brother takes office."
"That's right." Zhao Jin nodded and said, "This Caijia Lane is quite close to the South Courtyard , and my uncle and brother are here, so I would like to stay in Zhuyan for a while. I wonder if my uncle and brother will take me in?"
Zhao Hao naturally nodded repeatedly. He was afraid that his elder brother would run away, and he wanted to tie Zhao Jin up at home with a rope. How could he object?
"Need I say more?" Zhao Shouzheng smiled and patted his nephew's hand, saying, "I'm used to your strictness all day long. I'm not used to it without anyone to supervise me for a day."
"Uncle has already neglected two days of study." Zhao Jin said solemnly, "Diligence is the key to success, uncle!"
"Here it comes again, my head hurts..." Zhao Shouzheng couldn't help but laugh and cry, and suddenly he felt that drinking had no taste at all.
"It's not that my nephew is deliberately spoiling the fun, but this imperial examination is a good opportunity for your uncle." Zhao Jin then told the second piece of good news, "I just heard today that Geng Dingxiang, the Imperial Censor in charge of the imperial examination, is a disciple of Lord Xu, and he will definitely not be in the same boat with Gao Gong!"
"Really?" Zhao Shouzheng did not look happy when he heard this, but instead showed a look of regret.
"Father, did something happen in the Imperial College?" Zhao Hao finally couldn't help asking, "You seem distracted all day."
If it were usual, Zhao Shouzheng would have boasted to Zhao Jin long ago, after being praised by so many scholars. But tonight, he did not even mention what happened during the day, which made Zhao Hao suspicious.
"Oh my, I wanted to tell you last night, but today is your big day, how can I spoil your fun?" Zhao Shouzheng looked at Zhao Jin and Zhao Hao, and said dejectedly after a while: "I'm afraid there's no hope for me this time."
"Why are you saying such discouraging things before you even take the exam?" Zhao Jin's expression darkened as he said, "Although my uncle is a little slow to react, his writing is already at the right stage, and we should not underestimate ourselves."
"Alas, it was this Geng Tixue who announced yesterday at the Imperial College that this year's students will not have any special marks on their examination papers for the Autumn Examination." Zhao Shouzheng said with a wry smile, "In the past, I still failed to pass even when I had the character 皿 (Slice) at the bottom of my examination paper. This time, without the special treatment, my hope is naturally even slimmer."
"There is such a thing? I haven't heard of it." After all, it was Zhao Jin's first day at work, and there were still many things he didn't know. He looked worried when he heard this.
In previous years, when copying the examination papers of the Imperial Academy students, they would stamp the papers with the Chinese character "皿" to distinguish them from ordinary candidates. The imperial court had a fixed quota of about 30 admissions for the Imperial Academy in the north and south, so the probability of the Imperial Academy students passing the exam was naturally much higher than that of ordinary students.
Now that the "皿" character at the end of the name has been removed, the imperial students and ordinary students are treated equally. The latter are naturally very happy, but it is a big blow to the former.
Zhao Hao was not surprised at all, for he had known that Geng Dingxiang had this sudden idea, which later caused quite a stir and forced the court to announce that the next imperial examination would restore the "皿" character as the base.
Therefore, the students in this subject can be said to be the most unlucky one.
But so what? They are not discriminating against the students who are being supervised, they are just making it fair for all the candidates to compete.
If I can't pass the test even though I have my elder brother to tutor me and I know the questions myself, my father might as well just find a piece of tofu and kill himself...
…
"What's even more unexpected is that Geng Tixue announced that in order to compensate the students, the Imperial College will hold its own entrance examination. This is certainly a good thing for others, but for me, it's terrible news."
"Misfortunes never come alone..." Zhao Shouzheng gulped down a glass of wine, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "Zhou Jijiu has always been narrow-minded. The old man kicked him out of the house before. It would be strange if he could let me pass."
"How can this be!" Zhao Jin slammed the table in anger and said, "If Zhou dares to target my uncle, I will report him for personal revenge!"
"Don't do anything rash. You and I are relatives now. If you report him, won't you be asking for trouble?" Zhao Shouzheng smiled bitterly and waved his hands.
"That's true..." Zhao Jin sat down dejectedly. The Ming Dynasty gave the censors great power, but also many restrictions. This was to prevent them from abusing public resources for personal gain and using the country's inspection machinery as a tool to resolve personal grudges.
"No problem." Zhao Hao stood up, filled his father's glass with wine, and said with a firm smile, "Father, just study hard. Zhou is better at the exam. We will definitely pass this time."
"What do you mean?" Zhao Shouzheng was stunned when he heard that.
"Didn't grandpa leave you a weapon for self-defense?" Zhao Hao reminded with a smile.
"Oh..." Zhao Shouzheng thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "You mean, use that Engagement Letter to exchange for passing the imperial examination?"
Zhao Hao nodded.
"I'm afraid this road is blocked." Zhao Shouzheng shook his head and said, "Mr. Zhou is terribly afraid of Gao Gong, why would he give me a backdoor?"
"It's a different time now. Just because it doesn't work now doesn't mean it won't work in the future." Zhao Hao said decisively, "I don't think Gao Gong will last much longer. When he steps down, Zhou's place will naturally not be a problem."
"If Gao Gong steps down, things will indeed be much easier. But Gao Suqing is the emperor's confidant, how could His Majesty let him go?" Zhao Jin also shook his head, obviously not optimistic about this.
"Didn't my brother tell me that Gao Gong wanted to punish Hu Yingjia, but was impeached by the censors, and ended up losing face, and was slapped in the face by Lord Xu?"
Zhao Hao blinked and asked Zhao Jin a question in return.
"Oh, I did say that." Zhao Jin suddenly realized, but sighed and said, "But after Hu Yingjia was transferred out of the capital, Gao Gong continued to serve as his Grand Secretary, and the matter was settled."
"No, this is just the calm before the storm." Zhao Hao stood at the door with his hands behind his back, looking at the starry sky and said, "Lord Xu has become a mother-in-law after many years of being a daughter-in-law. She is ready to make great plans and change her previous image of being a flatterer to Yan Song and serving the late emperor."
After a pause, he looked back at the two of them, talking about worldly affairs like Kong Ming was reborn. "Gao Gong is very aggressive and has a bandit spirit. He always looks down on Xu Ge Lao like a young wife. The two of them are simply incompatible. If Gao Gong continues to do this, Xu Ge Lao's prestige, which he has worked so hard to establish, will be gone. So he will definitely take advantage of the victory and take down Gao Xinzheng in one fell swoop!"
"Is it really like this?" Zhao Jin couldn't help but take a breath, thinking that what Zhao Hao said made sense. But when these words came out of the mouth of a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, it was always hard to believe them.
"It is difficult to offend the public anger. Lord Xu restored order with the late emperor's will, and the whole court is grateful. This is the general trend - the day when the whole court will fall is not far away!" Zhao Hao raised two fingers and said, "If you don't believe me, I bet that if Gao Gong doesn't leave within two months, I will never urge my father to study again."
"Okay, it's a deal!" Zhao Shouzheng high-fived Zhao Hao immediately and said with a grin, "Don't cheat."
"But in these two months, father must continue to work hard!" Zhao Hao said with a blink.
"Oh my god, my life is going to end..." Zhao Shouzheng immediately turned into a deflated ball.
