Chapter 385 - Chapter 385: Chapter 381: Provincial Government Rural Examination_1 (1/2)

Chapter 385: Chapter 381: Provincial Government Rural Examination_1

Jiang Da Bo and his wife, upon hearing the announcement from the courier, rushed out of the courtyard to see two couriers dismount their horses and salute them, “Pardon me, but is this the home of Young Master Jiang Yuanbao?”

Jiang Da Lang laughed heartily, nodding his head repeatedly, “Indeed! This is Jiang Yuanbao’s home, I am his father!”

The courier saluted him, “Congratulations, Lord Jiang Da Lang. Your son, Young Master Jiang Yuanbao, has achieved the ninth position in the Prefectural exam!”

Jiang Da Lang returned the salute, “Very happy, very happy! You’ve worked hard, please come in for a cup of tea.”

Mrs. Zhou, equally overjoyed, turned to go and prepare the tea.

Soon, their neighbors, Clan Leader Chen, and the teacher from the schoolhouse came to offer their congratulations.

All the while, old man Jiang and his eldest son were busy entertaining the guests while leading the third and second sons to arrange for the feast.

“Such joyous news indeed, your family has produced two scholars,” the Clan Leader sighed with envy.

It’s bad enough that his own son had failed, even his grandsons were unsuccessful, with none of them able to secure the title of a scholar.

The only grandchild who was somewhat intelligent, Yaoyao, had chosen to learn martial art, intending to take the Military Examination when he grew up.

Alas, it was beyond frustrating.

Old man Jiang laughed, “We aren’t there yet, we will only know after he takes the college exam.”

“He already ranked ninth in the Prefectural exam, earning the scholar title is guaranteed!,” Chen Changsheng from West Village also came to offer his congratulations, saying, “Once he passes the college exam, we will have to bother you for another celebratory drink.”

“Of course, of course!” Old man Jiang and his eldest son returned the salutes to all.

Yingbao was also quite pleased.

Yuanbao was living up to expectations as well, having passed the County and Prefectural exams on his first try, it seemed as though the college exam should be no problem for him.

All of this owed much to Master Wu.

However, Yingbao still felt a bit uneasy, as she was unsure about how long their new dynasty could last.

If there were more upheavals in the government, it’s unknown whether the scholar status of her younger brother and Yuanbao would still be valid.

“Yingbao,” Wen Shu approached her, “What medicine pills did you prepare for Jiang Jie for his exams? Can you prepare similar ones for my husband?”

Since the new dynasty was established, the Emperor had convened an extraordinary examination and had even allowed foreign students to apply for the exam.

People like Li Xu only had to reapply for citizenship at the local County Government to be allowed to participate in the local examinations.

However, during application for citizenship, they required five Class-A households to vouchsafe for them.

This was easy to obtain since he had taught for so many years in Dongchen Village, finding five Class-A households to vouch for him wasn’t difficult.

Thus, Li Xu, who reapplied for citizenship this fall, would be taking the country exams with Jiang Jie.

Yingbao nodded, “Okay.”

It was May already, Jiang Jie had applied at the County Government and was preparing for the country examination in the Provincial Capital.

This time, she would accompany her father and him, of course, Master Wu would also be present.

Master Wu has said that regardless of whether Jiang Jie passes the country examination or not, he intends to take him back to Jiankang for a visit.

A few days later, Yingbao left for the Prefecture City with her two younger brothers.

Due to a recent shortage of ships, they would be travelling via horse carriage.

Yingbao and Jiang Wu shared a carriage, driven by their father, while Jiang Jie and Master Wu were in another, driven by a servant from the Wei family.

Wei Zhan’s family was also returning to the Prefecture City, forming a grand procession with more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages.

Lady Wen did not go back, and since Wen Shu was pregnant, she could not accompany them. So, a servant from the Wen family took charge of the horse carriage to transport Li Xu to the Prefecture City.

Of course, having Yingbao and Jiang Sanlang as company would offer reassurance to Li Xu, even if he was by himself.

The old lady of the Wen family and her party had departed in March, supposedly for Beijing.

The grand procession traveled rather smoothly without encountering any bandits or refugees.

During their noon breaks, Yingbao would bring out a small charcoal stove to cook dumplings for everyone.