Having a Baby Before Marrying a Wicked Husband - Chapter 76

After the provincial examination, more than forty selected candidates would undergo the final assessment in front of the Golden Chamber. They would enter at sunrise and submit their papers at sunset, spending the entire day for just one examination of essays.

Under the Emperor’s signal, the chief examiners unveiled the test topic. There was only one question, one single character:

“民” (people).

Jiang Manyue did not write, but was deep in thought. Jiang Mantian was not far behind him, holding a pen and staring at Jiang Manyue’s back. In the last exam, his name was far behind Jiang Manyue’s. Although he passed the exam, he was merely average.

Although his teachers said that given his age, this achievement was already commendable. Many people had been trying for decades without success. He was just in his early twenties, considered exceptionally gifted and valuable!

However, Jiang Mantian was very dissatisfied. He disliked seeing Jiang Manyue’s name ahead of his and among the top few. It seemed like a silent mockery directed at him.

Just when he entered the palace, Jiang Manyue didn’t even look at him. His classmates, noticing the resemblance in names and appearance between him and Jiang Manyue, questioned him curiously about any connection between them.

Jiang Mantian didn’t want to admit their previous connection and simply claimed not to know him. The person asking wasn’t from the capital and wasn’t aware of their family affairs, so naturally, he was fooled.

But the people from the capital had guessed who Jiang Manyue was as soon as they heard his name. Although they didn’t mention it openly, they would laugh at Jiang Mantian behind his back.

Even the mouthy ones are not afraid of the young master of the Jiang family and deliberately come to ask Jiang Mantian.

“Well, isn’t that Jiang Manyue your eldest brother? I heard he’s quite talented. After so many years of absence from the capital, he unexpectedly ranked among the top few when he returned. Why don’t you learn from him?”

Learn what? Jiang Mantian felt like cursing, but he held it back. These few were all big shots he couldn’t afford to offend. Otherwise, why would they dare to talk to him like this and deliberately provoke him?

People with discerning eyes could see that Jiang Manyue had already severed ties with the Jiang family.

He refused to accept losing to Jiang Manyue. Jiang Mantian, who has been under the aura of his eldest brother since childhood, has regarded Jiang Manyue as a thorn in his side.

Why should he lose?

No, he wanted to win. Jiang Mantian clenched his fists and told himself that Jiang Manyue wasn’t anything special. Perhaps the glory of being a child prodigy had long been washed away from Jiang Manyue, after all, the story of “Injuring Zhong Yong” was known throughout the world.

Otherwise, how could he lose to the others? Many people had bet on him to take the first place back then. Lin Zhu from Jiang Manyue’s hometown, Lu Yansheng, the son of the sacrificial official of the Imperial Academy, and even the dark horse this time, Zhang Yun, a farmer’s son.

Look, talents emerge generation after generation, what’s Jiang Manyue! Yes, he’s nothing.

I can do it too.

Jiang Mantian closed his eyes, then opened them. He picked up the pen and wrote down the first word – “road”.

The scene was silent, only the sound of breathing could be heard. Some people were nervous, their hands trembling as they saw the Emperor for the first time, the ink dripping messily onto the white paper.

The Emperor descended from the dragon throne and walked among the examinees. Most students wrote well, but some, due to nervousness, had messy handwriting.

The Emperor frowned, obviously dissatisfied with someone. Their mental qualities were not enough to enter the grand hall.

He walked a few steps and came to Jiang Manyue’s side. At first, he didn’t know the relationship between Yan Cai and Jiang Manyue, he only thought they were brothers, but later learned that Yan Cai was Jiang Manyue’s male spouse.

Therefore, the Emperor felt dissatisfied. He really liked Yan Cai, this straightforward and sincere friend despite the generation gap. However, the other party ended up marrying someone else. It must have been due to social pressures and forced helplessness.

The emperor deliberately investigated the origin of the matter and found that it was indeed the Jiang family that was responsible. This Jiang Nan, being so old, was surprisingly foolish.

However, he rather enjoyed seeing the scene where the eldest son of the Jiang family severed ties with them.

Master Fu’s disciples are spread throughout the court, and he is well aware of it. However, his influence runs deep and cannot be uprooted in a short time. Moreover, these days, Master Fu has been keeping away from court affairs under the pretext of illness, revealing no signs of involvement whatsoever.

Thinking about it, he looked at Jiang Manyue’s answer sheet again.

Jiang Manyue had long felt the Emperor’s footsteps, yet he was undisturbed, calm and composed. The Emperor glanced at the white paper on his desk, filled with hundreds of words, demonstrating a surging flow of thoughts.

The theme, however, was quite unique. Few scholars would write about this aspect.

The title this time has only one character: people, but the scope is actually very broad. It could encompass all aspects of the people’s livelihood and affairs.

​But Jiang Manyue’s theme is about the border people.

“The smoke on the frontier never clears, the border people and soldiers work the fields…”

The content is very extensive, including several situations during wartime and peacetime, emphasizing the importance of militia, and the court must not overlook the border. Otherwise, the border people may despair or even have the intention to surrender to foreign tribes…

Extensive and detailed, all about border affairs.

It’s unexpected that this person cares so much about border affairs. For a scholar, it’s indeed rare. However, he didn’t know that there were hardly any military officials in the court who were Jiang Manyue’s match.

He practices a form of internal martial arts with quick effects. Although he can’t practice the techniques verbatim, perseverance and accumulation over many years may lead to achievements. He certainly has time now. Moreover, he has never forgotten his skills in fist and footwork.

After reading Jiang Manyue’s paper, the Emperor moved on to the next person. This person came from a humble background, with only a few acres of thin land in his family. He had a dark complexion and a sturdy build, not like a scholar, but more like a military general.

It is said that he only has an elderly mother at home, so he has been studying while doing farm work. Although the Emperor was a little repelled by his appearance, filial piety to his mother and diligence were commendable. His writing was also solid; the Emperor glanced at it, and it was about the relationship between rulers and the people.

What audacity. To write such content, not afraid that it might make the Emperor uncomfortable if he was not careful. The emperor shook his head and moved on to the next one.

Some wrote about officials encroaching on farmland, while others wrote about developing commerce… At this point, no one who ascends to the Golden Palace is a fool. Whether it is talking on paper or dropping a book bag, they all had some ink in their bellies. There weren’t any people without any ability.

But it wasn’t until he reached a certain test paper that the Emperor’s eyes truly lit up. This one truly touched his heart. Seeing this, the Emperor returned to the rear hall contentedly.

At dusk, with three drum beats, the exam ended. Jiang Manyue stood up, stretched lazily, and handed in his paper.

But as he turned around, he happened to meet Jiang Mantian’s resentful gaze. Passing by Jiang Manyue, he coldly said, “This time, I’ll beat you.”

Jiang Manyue’s response was silence, directly ignoring him as he brushed past. Jiang Mantian was so angry he almost tore up his test paper.

No, he couldn’t. He mustn’t get angry. Jiang Mantian recalled his test paper once again. Flawless, the Emperor would surely be pleased.

Outside the palace gates, there were many people waiting for the successful candidates to come out.

Yan Cai sat under a tree outside the palace gates, even bringing a small stool along. The family ate fruits and snacks, leisurely as if not waiting at all.

Jiang Manxing felt extremely embarrassed, lowering his head, too afraid to make eye contact with the people across from him, who happened to be from the Jiang family.

Yan Cai shook his head; the child’s face was thin-skinned. He felt embarrassed like this. He handed the child to Jiang Manxing, stood up, and prepared to find something to do to ease the tension for his brother-in-law.

“Feed your nephew.”

This seems even more embarrassing…

(*The story “Injuring Zhong Yong” is a historical tale from ancient China that illustrates the power dynamics and political intrigue prevalent during that time. It revolves around an incident involving Zhong Yong, a prominent official during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

According to the story, Zhong Yong served as the Chief Minister (Chancellor) during Emperor Ling’s reign. He was highly respected and wielded significant influence in the imperial court. However, his authority and integrity posed a threat to the eunuchs who held considerable power behind the scenes.

The eunuchs, fearing Zhong Yong’s growing influence, sought to undermine him. They devised a plan to frame him for treason, thereby discrediting and eliminating him as a political rival. The eunuchs orchestrated a fabricated conspiracy, implicating Zhong Yong in a plot against the emperor.

Despite Zhong Yong’s innocence, the eunuchs’ machinations led to his arrest and subsequent execution. His downfall serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of political intrigue and the vulnerability of even the most esteemed officials to manipulation and betrayal in the complex power struggles of ancient China.)