Zhao's family passed the imperial exam and had been busy for several days when a teacher named Mendou came to deliver a message, saying that Zhao Wen needed to hurry to the provincial capital to fill out some kind of family registry. So three generations of the family bought wine and meat, entertained Mendou well, and even gave him a generous tip. After Mendou left, Zhao Wen began to worry. How on earth was he going to fill this thing out? Fortunately, he consulted with Old Man Wang, who taught him everything that needed to be filled out. Zhao Wen was overjoyed. His grandfather talked his in-laws into inviting Old Man Wang to go to the provincial capital together for easy consultation. The in-laws couldn't say no to the old man and were also pleased with the success of their nephew, so they naturally agreed. The old man was so grateful, he nearly cried, and after consulting the almanac, he chose the fifteenth day of the tenth month, saying it was a lucky day for it, and decided to set off on that day. Since the family's livestock was not enough, they borrowed two donkeys from the in-laws. In the following days, relatives and friends came to send off gifts and well-wishes, which Zhao Wen accepted one by one.
Before they knew it, it was the fourteenth. Zhao Wen's grandfather and father were busy all day, not sleeping at night, running around like headless chickens preparing this and that for him. Early on the fifteenth day, after Zhao Wen finished washing up and eating breakfast, the animals outside were also ready. Before long, Fang Bikai and Wang Xiaolian arrived. Zhao Wen bowed to his grandfather and father to bid farewell, and Zhao's grandfather also bowed to Wang Xiaolian, asking him to take care of his grandson. Wang Xiaolian repeatedly returned the gesture. They saw them off, and they headed towards the city along the main road.
A few days ago, Squire Wang sent a letter saying that if Zhao Wen went to the provincial capital to take care of family business, he could also stay at his house for a few days. So, Zhao Wen and Wang Xiaolian took half a day to get there and finally entered the city, heading straight to the stone gateway. Wang Xiaolian was familiar with the way, and the gatekeeper recognized him, so he let them in directly. This was Zhao Wen's first visit, and he was usually very observant. After dismounting, he carefully observed his surroundings. He saw a pink wall in front of the gate with the words "Hongxi" written on it; there was a flagpole on each side; the gate was flanked by V-shaped walls made of blue bricks; the gate itself was black, with gleaming copper rings. Outside the gate hung a sign that read "Qinjin Disaster Relief Fund"; on two tiger head plaques, it said "Important Office, Unauthorized Personnel Keep Out," with two half-red, half-black banners hanging on them. Inside the gate were six blue-painted screen doors, with a red and gold plaque above them that read "Jinshi Hall"; there were many lists of successful candidates posted on the walls, some familiar, some not, all from the same year; there were also a few official hats, red and black, along with two leather whips hanging on the wall. Because they were with Wang Xiaolian, the gatekeeper let them in. Passing through the screen doors, there was a corridor, and beyond that were three spacious halls, sparsely furnished. Scattered on the walls were some official title plaques, such as "Third Class Scholar of the Bingzi Examination," "Gengchen Jinshi," "Granted Jinshi Status," "Appointed Chief Official," "Imperial Censor of Jiangxi Province," etc. Zhao Wen understood that these were all official titles of Squire Wang. There were also a couple of old sedan chairs on display. Passing through another screen door, they arrived at a large courtyard with five large halls in front. In October, a heavy red curtain hung in the center.
Last time, the same guy who'd followed Wang Xiangshen to the countryside and bought those sesame seed cakes for Wang Xiaolian was shuffling down the hallway with his potty in hand. When he saw them coming, he quickly stopped. He remembered what happened last time and hurried over to greet Wang Xiaolian, asking, "When did you arrive?" Wang Xiaolian replied, "Just got here." The second master glanced at Zhao Wen, seeming to recognize him but then ignoring him, all the while ushering them inside and chatting. Zhao Wen followed them in.
In the center of the room are three main rooms, with a room on each side. Above the main rooms hung a plaque with the words "Chongchi Hall" written on it, signed by Wang Mingluan. Zhao Wen had read "Ink Scrolls" and knew that Wang Mingluan was Master Liu, the author of "Drafts of Self-Strengthening Zhai," a renowned literary figure, and he felt a deep respect in his heart. In the center of the hall hangs a stone rubbing of an imperial inscription reading "Dragon Tiger." On both sides are a pair of couplets, signed by Yan Danchu. On the table are an ancient tripod, a bottle, and a mirror. In the middle is a square table, with eight chairs on each side, and four tea tables. There are also several red lacquered and gilded niches that look like small shrines for ancestor tablets on the beams, which look quite nice. Zhao Wen didn't know what they were, so he quietly asked Wang Xiaolian. Wang Xiaolian said, "Those are for storing honorific scrolls." Zhao Wen still didn't know what an honorific scroll was and was about to ask when Wang Xiangshen came out wearing slippers and holding a long-stemmed pipe. Wang Xiaolian promptly went forward to bow, and Wang Xiangshen helped him up. Zhao Wen also hastily knelt down, and Wang Xiangshen quickly helped him up. Although he said thank you, he didn't move his legs. After Zhao Wen stood up, he returned the gesture. Then they sat down as host and guests. Zhao Wen sat in the second chair on the east, Wang Xiaolian in the second on the west, and Wang Xiangshen took the third chair on the west to keep them company. Wang Xiangshen first asked about Zhao Wen's grandfather and father. Unexpectedly, Zhao Wen was so nervous that he couldn't speak. His grandfather had told him to greet Wang Xiangshen before leaving for the city, but the words wouldn't come. Even when Wang Xiangshen spoke to him, he froze. His face turned red, and after stuttering for a while, he managed to say, "Yes, sir." Seeing him like this, Wang Xiangshen didn't ask any more questions and just chatted with Wang Xiaolian for a few moments.
Wang Xiangshen talked about a relative of his, named Qian Bofang, who is his wife's second brother and used to be a local official in Jiangnan. The newly appointed prefect had not been in office for three months when he dismissed Qian Bofang out of the blue. However, even though he only held one official position, Qian made quite a bit of money. The new houses you see in town were built by him. Being an official, whether big or small, you gotta be like him to make it worthwhile. Now he has found a chance to get reinstated through someone and plans to go to Beijing after the New Year to see if he can find a good job, even if he has to go back to being a local official. Wang Xiaolian said, "Since there’s a way, why not try to become a county magistrate? That’s a real official!" Wang Xiangshen replied, "I’ve advised him a few times, but he has other ideas. He says being a higher-up means you can't get your hands dirty, you're stuck relying on underlings, and by the time anything trickles down to you, there’s not much left. So it’s better to be a local official, personally taking care of everything." Wang Xiaolian said, "Yeah, as the saying goes, 'It's all about the money, that's why people become officials.'" Wang Xiangshen agreed, "Exactly! Next year, my nephew Zhao Shixiong is going to Beijing to take the civil service exam, so I’ll let him go with Qian Bofang and take care of him. Qian Bofang is very shrewd and capable." Wang Xiaolian said, "That would be the best!"
Wang Xiaolian saw that Zhao Wen was sitting there in a gloomy mood, and Wang Xiangshen was not paying much attention to him, so he told Zhao Wen about the conversation just now. Zhao Wen just said, "Okay," without any other reaction. Wang Xiaolian asked again, "Should we visit Qian Bofang's house?" Wang Xiangshen said, "He's out collecting rent in the countryside today; let’s see him next year, I’ll arrange it for you." Then he let them have dinner and stay overnight in a room on the west side of the living room. The next morning, they set off for the provincial capital. They traveled day and night, and it took several days to reach the provincial capital. They found a place to stay and unpacked.
Although Zhao Wen passed the civil service exam, he was completely clueless about official matters. In the previous year's exam and this year's successful attempt, although he had seen the examining officials, he only received his exam papers and did not speak much. This time, after passing the exam, he had to pay a visit to the examiner, and naturally, he had to make small talk. Normally, he would get too nervous to speak properly when meeting someone of slightly higher status, not to mention an important official like the examiner, who was quite intimidating. Zhao Wen was already terrified before meeting him. Thanks to Wang Xiaolian helping him with everything, teaching him how to bow and how to respond, it was like practicing etiquette in a rehearsal room, and it took a lot of effort to teach him. Zhao Wen was also quite clever, and after practicing all night, he remembered the etiquette by daybreak. When Wang Xiaolian woke up, Zhao Wen hurriedly urged him to get up and wash, changed his clothes, and took the invitation card. Wang Xiaolian also prepared four silver coins as a small gift and brought some money to cover various expenses.
When they arrived at the yamen, they found the patrol officer. Zhao Wen bowed to him, handed him the invitation card to pass it to the examiner, and gave him a bit of "grease money" of one coin. The patrol officer grumbled that it wasn't enough and haggled, only agreeing to go after adding two hundred coins. After waiting for a while, the patrol officer came out and said, "The examiner is not seeing visitors today." He asked if Zhao Wen had filled out the paperwork. Upon hearing that the examiner was not seeing visitors, Zhao Wen felt relieved and quickly went to the clerk's office to fill out the forms and explain everything clearly. All expenses were prepared in advance by Wang Xiaolian, and Zhao Wen only gave a few small bribes, without any other trouble. After finishing the business, they returned to their lodging, packed their belongings, and went back to the countryside together. Wang Xiaolian even helped him draft his essay for the imperial exams, preparing him for next year's provincial exams.
Wow, New Year's Eve came around faster than I thought! Zhao Wen's family is busy preparing to go to Beijing for the civil service exam. One day after dinner, a letter arrived from Wang Xiangshen. Zhao Wen opened it and saw the usual New Year's well-wishes, then the letter continued: "I have already arranged for Qian Bofang to accompany you and watch each other's backs. My old butler, He Gen, has been with me for many years; he's trustworthy and knows the northern roads like the back of his hand. I hope you can use him." Zhao Wen knew that this was a recommendation from Wang Xiangshen for a butler.
He Gen wore a red hat, a blue satin cotton robe, a green satin jacket on top, and pink boots on his feet. When he saw Zhao Wen, he bowed and said, "Thanks for the food, young master," and then added, "Master Wang says to come in." Zhao Wen was stunned to see his fancy clothes, something he had never seen in the countryside, and didn't know what to say. Luckily, He Gen was quick-witted. Seeing Zhao Wen speechless, he invited him to see the master. Zhao Wen had no choice but to follow him in and first meet Wang Xiangshen. Wang Xiangshen said, "This is the person recommended by Wang Gonggong; out of respect for Wang Gonggong, we cannot neglect him." He put him up in the study. During the meal, Wang Xiangshen made sure he got a full bowl of rice and a couple of dishes. They didn't let him lift a finger. Later, Wang Xiaolian arrived and said, "He's our butler now, so no need to baby him. Let him get to work; he'll be going to Beijing with you soon enough." Then Zhao's family finally put him to work.
On the 18th, it was a great day to set off. The details of the farewell aren't worth mentioning. That day, Mr. Wang still took them to the city. Since he was traveling with Mr. Qian, they first went to the Qian household to drop off their luggage, then headed over to visit Mr. Wang's place. After the visit, they had dinner together, but only Mr. Wang, his brother-in-law, and his nephew were talking at the table, leaving Zhao Wen unable to get a word in. After dinner, as they were leaving, Mr. Wang bowed to him and said, "Safe travels!" He then bowed to his brother-in-law and said, "I won't be seeing you off tomorrow. Once you get to Beijing and settle in, let me know as soon as you can." He also told Mr. Wang, "See you later!" before heading inside. The three of them returned to the Qian household and spent the night there. The next day, Mr. Qian and Zhao Wen set off together, and Mr. Wang only returned to the countryside after seeing them off.
Now, let's talk about Mr. Qian. He was usually a real penny-pincher. Knowing that He Gen was recommended by his younger brother, he didn't bring a steward at first and let He Gen handle everything. After a few days, Mr. Qian forgot about this and started acting all high and mighty, not realizing how many times He Gen had scolded him behind his back. Zhao Wen was going out for the first time and didn't understand anything, so he didn't pay much attention. Mr. Qian had been in officialdom for a long time, and seeing Zhao Wen as a rising star with unlimited potential, he secretly ripped Zhao Wen off while treating him exceptionally well on the surface. He had also heard that Zhao Wen's teacher, Wu Hanlin, had just been promoted and was now an official in the capital, well-connected and powerful, so he wanted to curry favor with Wu Hanlin.
One day they checked into an inn for the night and dinner. After the meal, Qian Dianshi asked He Gen to make the bed and light the lamp. Zhao Wen was outside reading a new test prep book at that time. Qian Dianshi said, "It's windy in the hall, go read on the bed." Zhao Wen obediently took the book to the bed and lay down to read, even mumbling to himself. Qian Dianshi didn't want to interrupt him, so he smoked, ate fruit and snacks, drank tea, smoked a pipe, and enjoyed himself. Later, unable to stand Zhao Wen's reading voice, he started venting on He Gen. First, he said He Gen was lazy and didn't work, then he said He Gen bought steamed buns for four cents each but insisted on giving five and a half cents, earning eighteen cents for twelve buns, calling him a good-for-nothing! He Gen was already upset for being accused of being lazy, and now he was accused of making money and being called a good-for-nothing, he couldn't bear it and started muttering curses, "I'll use my money to bury you!" "Good-for-nothing, he’s our brother-in-law!" When Qian Dianshi heard this, he was furious, put down the pipe, picked up a tobacco pipe, and was about to hit He Gen. He Gen didn't back down, he bumped his head into Qian Dianshi's arms, "Hit me, hit me! Not hitting is our brother-in-law!" Qian Dianshi couldn't do anything about him, so he shouted, "You little rascal! Go back and tell your father, that guy he recommended doesn't give me the time of day!" He Gen was about to retort, but fortunately, the shopkeeper heard the commotion, came in to intervene, and pulled He Gen away. Qian Dianshi was still trembling with anger.
Zhao Wen originally wanted to break it up, but he didn't know how to step in. After seeing the shopkeeper pull He Gen away, he paused before saying, "It's getting late, and Old Man Qian should go to bed." Qian Dianshi immediately said with a stern face, "Look here, Zhao Wen! You gotta show some backbone! If you let your steward walk all over you, how're you ever gonna manage a bunch of peasants?" Zhao Wen knew that Qian had brought this on himself, but he was meek and couldn't say a word, so he could only listen to Qian Dianshi. Qian Dianshi continued, "When I was an official in the south, although the yamen was small, there were several stewards, as well as clerks and constables. I had to manage them, but I was often deceived by them. You can't even control a servant; what kind of person are you!" Zhao Wen said, "Because he was recommended by Lord Wang, the master asked me to be polite to him, so I just let him do his thing." Qian Dianshi sneered, "You'll coddle him into a full-blown rebellion! This kind of person, I scold him at least a hundred times a day, and still have to be polite to him—give me a break!" Zhao Wen said, "Since Old Man Qian said so, I will manage him tomorrow." Qian Dianshi said, "I'm not asking you to manage him; I'm teaching you the principles of being an official." Zhao Wen wondered in his heart, "What does this have to do with being an official?" But he couldn't argue, so he could only listen with his ears erect. Qian Dianshi continued, "Take care of your own house before you try to run the country, and run the country before you try to bring peace to the world. These two sentences should be known by scholars like you. If you can't even manage a steward, how can you achieve harmony in the family? Without harmony in the family, you can't govern the country. Why does the emperor want you to be an official? You don't even need to take the exams. As for me, although I have only been a small official, I have indeed contributed to the royal family. Not to mention the people in the yamen, nobody dared to mess with me!"
Zhao Wen, although a rural person, also knows that the position of a magistrate's clerk is smaller than that of a county magistrate. Seeing Qian Dianshi speaking enthusiastically, Zhao Wen deliberately teased him and asked, "Hey, old timer, is the position of a magistrate's clerk bigger or smaller than that of a county magistrate?" Qian Dianshi thought Zhao Wen was ignorant, so he said, "Pretty much the same. He manages the same areas as I do. In fact, when it comes down to it, I'm still the biggest in this county. When handling official business, I give him face and let him sit in the boss's seat, so he's called 'the boss's seat'; I sit beside him, so I'm called 'the second seat.' In reality, it's the same, there's no difference." Zhao Wen said, "The magistrate's clerk is still smaller than the governor, right?" Qian Dianshi said, "He's in the prefecture city, I'm in the county; I can't control him and he can't control me. Zhao brother, don't underestimate the magistrate's clerk; it's harder than other officials. Once you get skilled at it, you won't even want to be the top scholar. This is not to look down on the top scholar; it's often said that the people in the Hanlin Academy are noble, and in the future, whether they are examiners or supervisors, they naturally have subordinates to respect them, without needing to worry themselves; but there's a layer of separation, ultimately inconvenient. We magistrate's clerks are different. Unlike officials in prefectures and counties, who have to announce their presence with gongs and drums when they go out to let people know they are officials, we can go out in plain clothes, to teahouses, brothels, gambling dens, anywhere. Those who know me, the whole county are my subjects; who dares not to flatter me? Those who don't know me, if there's no issue, then that's fine, but if there is, I'll be impartial. In less than two years, who won't know me? In a year, my birthday, my wife's birthday—these two birthdays must be celebrated. Then it's the master's and mistress's birthdays, the son's wedding, the daughter's marriage—at least several times a year." Zhao Wen said, "I heard from Brother Wang that you don't have a son yet; how come you're celebrating happy occasions?" Qian Dianshi said, "You haven't been an official, so you don't know. We magistrate's clerks rely on birthdays and celebrations to make money. We charge a fee for each event; five or six events a year, so we collect five or six times; a couple hundred bucks each time, adding up to over two thousand. That's not a small amount. Don't mention having no sons or daughters; even my parents passed away many years ago when I became an official. They're just names in my hometown, not in office, just a formality. This money is all above board; there's no problem with collecting it. And those bribes, as long as you're willing to put in the effort, there's no end to them. This time I came out to be an official; I didn't think of anything else, just wanted to take office early. No matter how difficult the task, as long as you have the ability, you can always make a fortune." At this point, suddenly someone outside the window said, "It's not early; guests should sleep; we have a long journey tomorrow." It turned out to be the carriage driver getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, passing by the window and hearing the conversation inside. Qian Dianshi smiled and said, "I got so caught up in the conversation, I completely forgot about our trip tomorrow!" So he urged Zhao Wen to sleep and smoked a few bags of tobacco before sleeping. The next day, they were off again.
The three of them—master, servant, and Zhao Wen—traveled, making day's journeys and spending nights at inns. They encountered a blizzard in Henan and didn't arrive in Beijing until after the 20th of February. Qian Dianshi, with his own staff, was constantly busy with social calls. Zhao Wen, on the other hand, delegated the exam matters to a fellow student, saving a lot of trouble. The second exam was over, so he had to wait until the 28th for the palace exams with the rest of the candidates. Surprisingly, Zhao Wen passed, placing third, and was allowed by the emperor to participate in the imperial examination. Zhao Wen was overjoyed and wrote a letter to his grandfather and father to share the good news.
Upon arriving in Beijing, the first thing they did was pay their respects to their teacher. Zhao Wen asked his fellow student, wrote a greeting card, prepared a gift of two taels of silver and a four-string cash gift. His teacher, Wu Zanshan, lived outside of Shunzhi Gate, not too far from where Zhao Wen and the others were staying in Mishihutong. On that day, Zhao Wen woke up very early, causing Qian Dianshi to also get up and help prepare things for Zhao Wen. Qian Dianshi personally helped Zhao Wen put on his robe and tie his belt. He also had He Gen take the greeting card and quickly call a carriage. Soon, a spanking new sedan chair stopped outside the door. Zhao Wen got in, and Qian Dianshi saw him off at the door. The driver cracked his whip, and the horse pulled the carriage away. In no time, they arrived at Wu Zanshan's door. Zhao Wen got off the carriage and looked up to see a notice on the gate: "Notice from the Grand Secretariat: No noise allowed, violators will be punished." It was too early, and the Wu family had not opened yet. There was a pair of couplets on the door: "Imperial favor is vast and profound, cultural governance shines brightly." Zhao Wen thought to himself, this must have been written by the teacher himself. He waited outside for a while, then heard a yelp as the door opened and an old steward came out. Zhao Wen handed over the greeting card, smiling as he explained the purpose of his visit. The old steward recognized him as a successful candidate from last year’s exam and quickly invited him inside, taking the greeting card and gifts and running inside. After a while, with still no sign of the steward, Zhao Wen started to wonder what was going on.
Turns out, these broke Beijing officials, only getting a three-year break, want to recruit more wealthy students to pay off old debts and rack up new ones. Since the beginning of February, Wu Zanshan has met many new scholars who have come to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination. He'd pump Zhang San for info on Li Si, then Li Si on Zhang San. If they were from the same prefecture and county, they naturally knew each other. Even if they were from different counties in the same prefecture, he'd just shrug it off if he didn't get an answer. It was common practice, not just for Wu Zanshan.
Wu Zanshan had already inquired clearly that Zhao Wen was a loaded guy from Chaoyi County, a real upstart. He thought Zhao Wen's gift should've been at least two or three hundred taels – that's what he expected. When the family brought the card, Wu Zanshan was still snoozing. When he heard the name "Zhao Wen," he ordered, "Show him to the study and get him some tea." The family went to do as instructed. Fortunately, Mrs. Wu was attentive and asked, "Did he bring a gift?" By then, the servant had already given the card and two measly taels to the maid. She weighed it – just two measly taels. Wu Zanshan hadn't paid much attention before, but upon hearing this, he jumped up from bed in a flash, not even putting on his coat, grabbed the invitation letter and saw that there were indeed only two taels. He felt like someone punched him in the gut. His face dropped. After a while, he suddenly laughed and said, "Did they bring the door curtain too? Zhao Wen's loaded – this can't be all he brought, can it?" The old servant said, "There's another four taels, but Zhao Wen said that was all he was giving." Upon hearing this, Wu Zanshan was furious and shouted, "Return it! I don't want his lousy two taels! Tell him not to come see me again!" With that, he angrily climbed back into bed and went to sleep.
The old servant had to tell Zhao Wen that Wu Zanshan wasn't feeling well. He tossed the card on the table, pocketed the two taels, and sent Zhao Wen packing.
Zhao Wen came back without seeing him and went home feeling defeated. Qian Dianshi quickly asked, "Why did you come back so soon? Did you see the teacher?" Zhao Wen said, "The teacher is not seeing visitors today." Qian Dianshi said, "Then let's go again tomorrow." The next day, Zhao Wen hurried over early again. But the gatekeeper didn't even respond to him, making him wait in the gatehouse for half a day before saying, "You should just go home. Don't bother coming back tomorrow." Zhao Wen was completely baffled, about to ask what was going on, when the gatekeeper said, "I'm going out, you don't need to wait." Zhao Wen had no choice but to take the car back. Qian Dianshi knew that he hadn't seen Wu Zanshan again, feeling that something fishy was going on, so the idea of using Zhao Wen to get in with Wu Zanshan gradually faded.
A few days later, it was the first day of the exam. Zhao Wen prepared seriously, wrote three articles, and neatly copied them on the paper. He'd heard that the exam paper cannot be altered, and a neat paper can get extra credit, so he was especially careful. Who knew that on the second day of the exam, when it was almost dark, he still hadn't finished a poem, and suddenly a group of people came, shouting "steal the exam papers," and someone was blasting a horn right next to his ear. He was in a hurry, quickly picked up his pen to write the poem, but unfortunately couldn't write well. He was four lines short on his eight-line poem and just threw in twenty extra words, which pissed him off. He hurriedly packed up his exam basket, handed in the paper, and left. He was stressed until the next day when the list was posted, and he didn't see his name; he finally relaxed. After three days of exams, he was exhausted, and after the exams, he slept for two full days and nights before waking up.
Next, students gave gifts to the chief examiner, and the students of the same grade visited each other. Because the deputy chief examiner went home to attend ancestral rites and has not returned to Beijing, only Wu Zanshan was invited. Zhao Wen also dressed formally and was among the crowd. Qian Dianshi sneaked in to watch the excitement. Wu Zanshan was seated, observing, with Zhao Wen far away from him. Until the end, Wu Zanshan did not pay any attention to him. After everyone dispersed, Qian Dianshi said privately, "Even the already successful teachers can't befriend, what should we, who want to be disciples, do?" From then on, he no longer held Zhao Wen in high regard. However, upon second thought, the future of scholars is unpredictable. What if Zhao Wen passes the exam? It's better to wait and see.
After Zhao Wen finished the exam, he copied the first article twice, sending one copy back home and keeping one with him for others to critique. Everyone praised his writing and believed he would pass the exam. He also felt confident. Someone said that the results would be announced on the 9th of April, and the list would be posted on the 8th. He had been sleepless for days. Early on the 8th, before dawn, he woke up He Gen and asked him to go to Liuliang Street to wait for the announcement. He Gen said, "Good heavens! Everyone is still sleeping at this hour, what are you going to do?" Zhao Wen insisted that he go, and He Gen wanted to sleep a little longer. A heated argument ensued between master and servant. It was Qian Dianshi who couldn't bear it and came out to help Zhao Wen, and He Gen muttered under his breath and stomped off. That day, Zhao Wen was like a cat on a hot tin roof, unable to eat, restless. In the afternoon, someone came to report that someone had passed, someone had passed. Unfortunately, He Gen had left early in the morning and had not returned by evening. Zhao Wen was anxious and restless. In the evening, people on the street said that all the lists had been posted, and they were waiting for the number one scholar. He Gen knew there was no hope, so he finally returned.
Zhao Wen glared at He Gen, seething with rage, and scolded him: "You heartless thing!" He Gen was furious but said, "The results for the top five scholars haven't been posted yet; I'll go find out." After saying that, he ran off. He found a street vendor selling sesame cakes, and the two of them schemed together to pretend to bring good news, claiming that Young Master Zhao Wen had won a top scholar title, in order to con him out of some cash. The vendor agreed and went to Zhao Wen's house to deliver the good news. He Gen had been waiting at the door and followed the messenger inside. When Zhao Wen heard the news, he was naturally overjoyed and asked, "How much should I reward him?" He Gen said, "He's the first one to bring good news, so throw him a few taels!" Zhao Wen replied, "Give him two taels." The guy thought two taels was insulting and insisted on a big silver ingot. After some arm-twisting from He Gen, he finally received ten taels of silver. As the messenger left, He Gen demanded to split eight taels of silver, but the vendor only agreed to give him five. They got into a right row, and just then Qian Dianshi came out to pee and overheard them arguing. He said, "He Gen, your young master didn't pass the imperial examination, are you still cheating him for money?" He Gen shot back, "None of your beeswax! What does it have to do with you if I cheat him for money? If anyone dares to speak out, we'll beat the crap out of them!" Qian Dianshi was so scared by this that he didn't dare say anything more. Poor Zhao Wen, he'd shelled out ten taels for nothing, and he spent the whole night in happiness, only to find out the next day that his name wasn't even on the list in the "Imperial Examination Record." He'd been had! Curious to know what happens next? Tune in next time!
