jdhmnovel Chapter 381 Before the Imperial Examination
Chapter 381 Before the Imperial Examination
Chapter 381 Before the Palace Examination
The study in the Jiang residence became the most literary corner in the entire mansion.
Springtime brings vibrant colors, summer brings lush greenery, the temperature is just right, the windows of the large study are open, letting in plenty of light and a gentle breeze.
Occasionally, there would be the sound of pages turning, whether from someone reading or from a playful spring breeze, it was hard to tell.
Servants and young men passing by all tread lightly and hold their breath in silence.
The noisiest things in the house were the birds that occasionally flew by and the fat carp that would occasionally leap out of the small pond.
Outside the gate of the Jiang family mansion, a person dressed as a palace servant stood for a long time.
He looked up at the plaque of the Jiang family's gate, stepped forward, and gently knocked on the door.
Old Li, the gatekeeper, had been observing this person for a long time through the small window left by the gatekeeper, and was worried that he had come to cause trouble at the Jiang family's house.
Now is a crucial time for the masters and young masters in our family, and we must not allow outsiders to disrupt their preparations for the imperial examination.
As soon as this person stepped forward, Old Li tensed up.
He waited for the knock on the door before leaving his "workspace" and opening the door from the inside.
Old Li poked his head out. Although he didn't recognize the clothes of the palace eunuchs, he had a feeling that this person was no ordinary visitor.
"May I ask who you are?"
A person who knows proper etiquette should take the initiative to present a visiting card or introduce themselves. The person should remain silent and secretly peek through the crack in the door.
Old Li's mind went blank. Could this be the suspicious person the master had mentioned earlier?!
Old Li nimbly squeezed through the crack in the door, then turned his back and closed the door tightly behind him.
"Sir, what brings you to the Jiang family?"
The visitor remained silent, leaving Old Li somewhat uncertain.
Just as Old Li was about to ask another question, the man suddenly took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and held it in front of Old Li's eyes.
Old Li took a closer look and felt that the jade pendant must be quite valuable, seemingly even better than the one his grandfather always wore.
"Give this to your master and say... say that we will meet at Zhuyun Tower after the palace examination."
"Well... please leave your name, sir, so that I can answer your questions."
"When he sees this pendant, he will know my name. Please pass on a message for me, saying... I wish him success in the imperial examination."
Old Li felt this man was strange, but he didn't ask any more questions, knowing the man wouldn't answer anyway.
Old Li, the gatekeeper, carefully accepted the valuable jade pendant, and the man turned and left.
He called someone to take his place, secured the door, and then carefully carried the jade pendant into the main courtyard.
Old Li didn't know why, but he just knew that the "master" the other person was referring to was his own young master, maybe because of the later addition, "passing the imperial examination."
After all, the real master of the house now is our young master, who is preparing for the imperial examination.
The master and the old master have already entered the court as officials. As for the other members of the Jiang family, they are just temporary residents. No one would send things over without specifying who they are for.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Li. You did a good job. You should indeed be more cautious. You can go now."
Jiang Xiaoqi took the jade without being too surprised, and simply said that she knew.
When Li Mo saw his grandfather rushing over, he thought something had happened, but it turned out he had just brought a gift.
He thought he would ask his grandfather carefully when he got back to his own courtyard that night, so that if anyone caused trouble, he could protect the young master.
With the imperial examination just around the corner, young master cannot be distracted by worldly affairs. Passing the exam is the most important thing for young master right now, and everything else must take a backseat to it.
Jiang Xiaoqi sighed and tossed the jade pendant to Wenbin beside her.
"Keep it; we'll talk about it after the palace examination."
Wenbin naturally wouldn't carry it with him. After receiving the jade pendant, he immediately returned to his room and carefully put it away.
Jiang Xiaoqi turned and went back to her study, ignoring the questioning looks from Jiang Yan and Jiang Hao.
Old Li returned to his post, but before he could even sit down properly, he saw a green-canopied horse-drawn carriage parked outside through the small window.
The person who got off the carriage looked like a minor official. Unlike the previous people, this person went straight up the steps after getting off the carriage, raised his hand and knocked on the door without any hesitation.
Old Li got up immediately and opened the door as quickly as possible. Unlike before when he only opened it a crack, this time he opened it halfway.
The visitor was not arrogant and stated his purpose directly: to inform several members of the Jiang family who were tribute students to prepare for the palace's etiquette training for tribute students.
Before the imperial examination, the palace would provide professional etiquette training for the candidates to ensure that they behaved properly in front of the emperor and would not behave improperly in front of the emperor.
The training content mainly includes the following aspects:
Gongsheng (tribute students) were required to learn the etiquette for meeting the emperor, such as kneeling and kowtowing, and to master basic manners such as advancing, retreating, and standing.
Before the emperor's arrival, tribute students should be careful to use appropriate language to avoid being impolite, while maintaining a humble and respectful attitude.
Students were required to dress according to regulations, ensuring their attire was neat and conformed to etiquette. Of course, these clothes were uniformly distributed by the palace, also to ensure the emperor found them pleasing to the eye.
In some dynasties, the palace would arrange mock imperial examinations to familiarize candidates with the process and reduce their anxiety.
When it came to the actual palace examination, one had to be adaptable and prepared to answer any sudden questions the emperor might ask.
Of course, with 300 tribute students, the emperor couldn't possibly ask about them all; he didn't have the time. He might only ask about one or two, or he might not ask about any of them at all.
However, it's best not to gamble on things that involve probability; most people practice how to handle such situations at home.
If there are previous successful candidates in the imperial examinations in the family, you will naturally have an advantage.
The clerk who notified the training time and location left, leaving behind six sets of uniform Confucian robes worn by the tribute students.
The sets for Jiang Wenhai and Jiang Wenhan were naturally sent to the residence of the Vice Minister of Works. These six sets were for the six people living in the Jiang family.
A large trunk was carried into the front courtyard by palace servants, and then taken to the study by servants of the Jiang family.
The students will be entering the palace for etiquette training in three days. The clothes were sent today so that the students whose clothes do not fit can have time to have them altered.
Gongsheng were all future Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Although they did not have official ranks, the palace still valued them highly and treated them with great care as future pillars of the nation.
There were no clothes for Jiang Hao, but he was very curious and asked Jiang Lin and Jiang Yan to let him try them on.
The two cherished it very much and naturally refused, afraid of getting it dirty.
Jiang Hao was somewhat disappointed and felt that he had been asking too much of him, since this was the kind of clothing one should wear when meeting the emperor.
"Give."
A blue robe appeared before Jiang Hao.
"Try it."
It's just a trial, it's not made of paper, it's not that easy to break. Even if it breaks, what can't I buy from the system?
With wide sleeves and a round collar, the robe extends to the ankles and is tied at the waist with a belt. Paired with a matching scholar's cap, it is simple yet dignified and elegant, perfectly embodying the charm of a scholar.
Because it was the official attire designated by the palace for those participating in the imperial examination, this robe was a symbol of honor.
A flash of surprise crossed Jiang Hao's eyes, but after thinking for a moment, he still did not accept Jiang Xiaoqi's robe.
"Mingfei, I'll just look and touch it. There's no need for me to try it on. But after you finish the palace examination, you can let me have some fun."
Jiang Xiaoqi was somewhat surprised that his youngest cousin had changed his personality and suddenly become more mature.
I won't say or advise much; their child has grown up, so we should support them.
"Alright, then let my cousin try it out after the palace examination."
"Yeah, Mingfei, you're really my good brother, so loyal! Not stingy at all!"
Jiang Lin VS Jiang Yan: ...