In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1188 - 1100: You’ve Started to Go Bad, Too!

Chapter 1188: Chapter 1100: You’ve Started to Go Bad, Too!

Elder Xue, as a Scholar of the Hanlin Imperial Academy, naturally was also one of the Review Officers for this occasion. If it is said that Xue Qian might be able to know the results in advance, Su Ke is still willing to believe it once.

This statement added a touch of embarrassment to Xue Qian’s face.

He glared resentfully, "You well know that the Review Officers cannot return home during the review period. I do wish to know the results, but where are they? I can’t even see my father’s face, let alone the results!"

Su Ke couldn’t help but laugh inappropriately.

"Everyone says ’The nearer to the water, the first to get the moon’, you, as the offspring of an official family, will surely inherit titles of nobility in the future. Yet you still rely on the Spring Imperial Civil Service Examination; why trouble yourself?"

"It would be all right for others to say so, but don’t you also have the status of Uncle-in-law? I think you’re not the one with the aching back because you are standing up straight."

Xue Qian obviously looked somewhat dejected, "They all believe that we noble sons, with titles to our names, have an easy time entering the Court to become officials. But who can understand the difficulties? His Majesty is wise. When it comes to inheriting titles and walking the career path of an official... it’s not so easy a matter."

These words from Xue Qian, Su Ke had deep understanding of. In the previous dynasty, the path to enter the Court as an official was mostly through hereditary positions granted by aristocratic families, or perhaps through achieving military merits from a major victory on horseback. To become an official, apart from being born into a well-to-do family, the only other method was to fight and kill the enemy.

The remaining path was to receive other officials’ recommendations to enter the Court as an officer. For instance, when His Majesty served as a lowly Clerk under Jun Ruochen, it was through a recommendation. But such a minor Clerk position naturally didn’t require any more formalities. If you desired to enter the Court, you must be assessed by the Imperial Court, and then be employed. And to receive an official’s recommendation, you must submit past works.

By the time of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the distinctions had become even more detailed.

The emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, intentionally or unintentionally reduced the power of the aristocratic families, weakening their influence, with aspirations to reform the old system of the Court. The hereditary positions of offspring of aristocratic families were also progressively weakened with each generation; the positions they could hold were mostly titular and without real power.

If Xue Qian did not go through the Spring Imperial Civil Service Examination but instead inherited a title, at most he would probably be given a sinecure.

Xue Qian was a man with great ambition; how could he be satisfied with merely a nominal position? That’s why he was fully prepared to tackle the challenges of the Spring Imperial Civil Service Examination.

If a student from a humble background truly had talent and learning, with a clear family background and ancestors free of disgrace, he could participate in the Imperial Court’s examination. Only after succeeding could he qualify to squeeze into the sea, becoming a drop in the sea.

For these students from humble backgrounds who wanted to get into the officials’ line of sight for protection, they had to submit past works; if an official was taken with their works, they then became his protégés.

However, these offspring of families with titles found it much easier to enter the Court as officials than ordinary people. Like Xue Qian, a noble son with a title, often just needed a word or two from his elders in front of His Majesty, and sometimes His Majesty would directly grant an official position upon seeing that you had inherited a title.

But such an official position was generally hard to advance from. For instance, if your father was a third-grade official, your whole life, you’d probably reach at most a third-grade position.

And if you desired to advance further, you had to vie for entry through the examination hall’s door.

On this point, Xue Qian and Su Ke surprisingly shared the same view.

As the topic of conversation drifted further, neither of them spoke.

After a while, Xue Qian changed the subject, "I heard that there’s a top courtesan contest at the Willow Bank by the moat outside the city. How about we go and take a look together?"

"Top courtesan? No, I won’t go."

Su Ke decisively refused. He had absolutely no interest in the courtesan contest.

Ever since he learned that Qin Shuan’er was betrothed, he had given up hope, keeping himself distant from women. Moreover, given his young age, people had not yet pressured him, and naturally, he had his way.

"Brother Zi Qian, don’t tell me you’ve also started to pick up bad habits!"

Xue Qian was stunned for a moment and then began to laugh heartily!

"Just for that remark, we absolutely must go to Wentao Pavilion and have a grand feast today," he said, reaching out to pull him up, emphasizing earnestly with a laugh.

"I really don’t have any silver coins."

Su Ke spread his hands, honestly saying, "I spent quite a bit on medical expenses recently, and now my pockets are empty. I still have to wait until next month when the Food Salary is disbursed before I can go buy rice." Most importantly, he didn’t want to worry his parents.

Such an attitude immediately amused Xue Qian.

Though not as deeply rooted as other mansions, the Su Family’s Mansion was, after all, the residence of the Uncle-in-law to the nation. How could it be short of silver?

"Stop kidding, if it comes to it, this young master will cover all the expenses today! You, you are really stingy! Come on, let’s go out together to clear our heads."

Xue Qian’s hand was on Su Ke’s shoulder, "Staying in the examination hall for nine days felt like being in jail. Now I’ve been sick at home for a few days. If I stay any longer, I reckon even a healthy man would fall ill. Let’s go, let’s go out and stroll."

Without further ado, he dragged Su Ke out onto the street.

Su Ke, with nothing to lose, didn’t bother to explain further, even though he knew Xue Qian didn’t believe him.

Su Family’s Mansion couldn’t compare to those estates with deep resources. They had only moved to the capital a year ago, and besides this mansion, all they had were the rewards bestowed by his Fourth Brother-in-law and sister. However, the national treasury was empty at the moment, and often times, so-called rewards were only good in name!

For example, the phrase "a reward of four hundred gold" does not mean four hundred taels of gold, but four hundred copper coins. Copper coins, metal, gold, he found these things ridiculously confusing at first.

But the value of a reward isn’t in the gift’s worth; it’s the intention behind it, signaling favor from His Majesty.

His sister’s private savings were once under his management, but for the Spring Imperial Civil Service Examination, he entrusted them to Lui Muyi to handle entirely. How desperate His Majesty and the Empress were for silver and how they struggled was not something he was unaware of.

Therefore, the Su Family’s usual spending was naturally frugal whenever possible. He couldn’t bring himself to squander money in the brothels.

Shengjing was divided into an inner and an outer city, separated by a moat.

Around Willow Bank by the moat, opposite the examination hall across the water, lay Shengjing’s famous district of entertainment and pleasure.

Aside from the usual prostitutes standing outside calling for patrons, there were also performers who did not sell their bodies, and notably, the famed Yangzhou skinny horses congregated there, making it a place where countless scholars and writers lingered.

Engaging the company of courtesans was quite popular among the literati. It also gave rise to numerous romantic stories that have been passed down through the ages.

Wentao Pavilion, located on the banks of the Poplar Willow River that connected the examination hall with the brothels, was the Great Zhou Dynasty’s renowned landmark establishment, the ideal place for poets and writers to drink and be merry.

There were indeed many rules to enter Wentao Pavilion; one needed talent, money, as well as power and status.

According to the rules of Wentao Pavilion, every day a Poetry Question would be hung at the entrance. Only those scholars who responded with a poem that met the requirements were allowed inside.

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