I'm not a fortune teller.

Chapter 120 Prediction
"Oh, son, you have to take a good look at her this time. The fourth girl has been listless for two days."

Inside the mansion, Zhang Rui had just washed up and was ready to leave. It was still dark when his mother Feng blocked him. Zhang Rui immediately rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, mother. I'll take it to heart." Zhang Rui said helplessly.

In fact, the situation this year is quite turbulent. If possible, he still wants to keep Si Ya in the mansion for one more year, and make plans after the situation stabilizes.

"Are you really serious about it? Do you have a candidate?" Feng asked with narrowed eyes.

Zhang Rui was helpless after hearing this, but he still said, "There are two candidates that I like. One is Du Cheng, a Jiangnan native, a fellow student in Bailu Academy. His father once served as the county magistrate of Fanchun County in Jiangnan. His family is wealthy, and there is a high probability that he will pass the imperial examination this year. If he passes, with his family's strength, he can run for a good local official position, and even have the opportunity to return to Jiangnan to serve. If my sister can follow him, it will be much better."

"Oh, this is good, this is good!" Feng clapped her hands repeatedly upon hearing this.

"There is another one named Sun Yufan, from Dongzhou. His family is in the shipping business and is very well-off. Although they are not from a scholarly family, they are quite wealthy. Once he passes the imperial examination, his life will be much better than that of an ordinary farmer's son. He is generous and gentle, and not too old. In my opinion, he is more suitable than Du Cheng."

"That's right." Feng Shi understood the situation and whispered, "Although the son of Du is very good, his family of scholars may dislike Si Ya. On the contrary, the son of Sun is from a merchant family, and you are a Beijing official, which is the most needed connection for their family. They may be cautious and treat Si Ya better."

Zhang Rui found it funny when he heard this. I have studied these things thoroughly in one day.

"Have you mentioned that?"

Zhang Rui sighed: "Mom, you've been busy with exams these past two days, why are you so anxious? It won't be too late to ask after the exams are over."

"That's right." Feng nodded, then remembered something and said, "There are two more things."

"Two?" Zhang Rui looked at the sky and said, "Mom, if you have anything to say, please tell me quickly. I am in charge of the imperial examinations here. After entering the palace today, I will not be out for three days."

"It won't take you long." Feng chuckled and said, "One is your brother's job. Do you have a plan?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rui looked outside and soon found the shadow in the corner. It was obviously his brother's wife who was listening quietly.

When I was studying, my second younger brother was the main labor force in the family and contributed a lot to my imperial examinations. Now that I have become an official in Beijing, I must try my best to repay him.

"I have some ideas about my second brother's whereabouts. I originally wanted to arrange for him to work for me in the Dali Temple, but after thinking about it, I think this approach is not a good one. The Dali Temple is responsible for important cases, and it is dangerous for officers to work there. I have a good relationship with Commander Hong these days. After this mission is over, I will see if I can ask him to arrange for my second brother to serve in the city defense or the imperial guards."

"Is this okay?" Feng was immediately happy.

City defense is a good job. You only need to patrol day and night and don't have to go out to fight, but you will receive the same preferential treatment as a soldier.

The Jin Dynasty treated military households very preferentially, and the court provided subsidies for their children whether they were studying or practicing martial arts. There was a military household in their village at that time. Not only did they enjoy tax exemptions on their land, but their son also had a place to study at the Bailu Academy. The court arranged everything for them, so they were not jealous at all.

It’s a pity that the man died in battle in the north the following year. Although his family received a benefit, the price was huge.

But city defense is different, it is a safe and secure job.

"It should be okay." Zhang Rui said with a smile.

If this matter can be resolved perfectly, even if Hong Lie owes me a big favor, asking him for such a small favor shouldn't be a big problem, right?
"Okay, okay!" Feng rubbed her hands and laughed. Her sister-in-law, who was hiding in the dark and eavesdropping, also smiled when she heard the words.

My man is a stubborn one. He has obviously done a lot for his elder brother, but he is unwilling to ask him for help. I have to go to my mother to plead for him. He is really a stubborn donkey.

However, this eldest brother does have a conscience. If he can arrange for the defense of the city, he and his children will not be merchants in the future. When he returns to his parents' home, he will be able to stand up straighter in front of his parents.

"What's the other thing?" Zhang Rui asked directly. Judging from his mother's attitude, she would not let him leave until he had resolved all the problems.

"Your sister is coming to the capital."

"Huh?" Zhang Rui frowned. "What is she doing here?"

"It's all because of her mean and sour mother-in-law." The old lady sighed, "At the beginning, everyone said that Aunt Xu was a good person, generous and transparent, and her family was quite well-off in the village. I thought your sister would not have a hard life if she married into the family, but who would have thought that the thief old woman secretly had that kind of personality. Fortunately, your brother-in-law is a down-to-earth man, but now the whole family is planning to come to the capital to take advantage of you, you have to be prepared."

Zhang Rui: “.”

What a mess.
The capital city is in such a mess now. If his mother had told him earlier, he would have stopped his sister from coming. In his memory, his eldest sister was an extremely gentle and virtuous woman. She worked hard at home and was also good at embroidery. If he could have become successful earlier, his sister would never have married so badly.

Now several major families in the capital are secretly planning big things, and the emperor is also secretly sharpening his knife. He wants to send his family back to Jiangnan first, but his sister still comes all the way to join him.

Zhang Rui sighed and looked outside.

But when I think about it, it seems not so bad. In my current state, I can only move forward and not retreat. If something happens, how can my whole family be safe even if we hide far away?

If we can gain a foothold in Beijing, what can a family do here? The key is still strength!

It seems that some things need to be planned in advance.
-
"Master Zhang is here?"

Outside the Xuanhe Hall, Hong Lie was still guarding in high spirits, but Zhang Rui was obviously in poor condition and looked quite decadent after staying up late.

Hong Lie was speechless as he looked at Zhang Rui. His Majesty did not ask him to guard him all day long, but at such a critical moment, he actually dared to take time out to go back and take a bath. He was really carefree.

"Thank you for your hard work, Commander." Zhang Rui bowed and smiled, "Did everything go wrong last night?"

"Master Zhang still cares about what happened last night?" Hong Lie rolled his eyes: "I thought Master Zhang ran away overnight."

"Haha." Zhang Rui laughed dryly twice, and then said: "Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief. The person in the dark will not easily expose himself despite taking such a big risk. I even think that there is a high probability that there will be no problems in the first two days of the imperial examination."

"Why do you say that?" Hong Lie raised his eyebrows.

"At the beginning, Lord Shen and I speculated that the monster wanted to sneak into the harem and plot against the queen first before making subsequent plans. But now it seems that the other party wants to get everything done in one go. However, although the queen is of noble status, she actually has little power. If you want to reverse the situation in a short time, it is better to plot a big one."

"Master Zhang said..."

"Your Majesty. Or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Some noble families know your Majesty's strength." Hong Lie whispered, "You also said that the monster may not be strong in a head-on battle, so it is more likely to plot against the crown prince, right?"

"That's not necessarily true." Zhang Rui shook his head. "If a sorcerer plots against a warrior, as long as the plot is done properly, even a master can get into trouble under certain circumstances. We don't have the information about that person's magic, so we can't conclude that he won't attack Your Majesty."

"That's true." Hong Lie nodded, "If that's the idea, then there should be no problems in the past two days."

The first two days of the imperial examination test classics, history books and current affairs. The first two test the basics, and according to past practice, Your Majesty will not come in person. Only for the third test, current affairs, Your Majesty will bring the Crown Prince to observe the candidates and take a general look at the candidates' views on current affairs.

Many smart candidates will deliberately write their essay titles in a radical and distinctive way at this time to attract His Majesty's attention.

If this is what you are planning, now is the best time to do it!
"Father, for tomorrow's affairs of state, why don't I go alone?"

In the imperial study, the prince stood upright and asked in a low voice.

The emperor looked up at the prince he had trained for many years and asked with concern, "How is your health?"

"Your Majesty, I'm much better now." The prince said with a smile.

These days, he has been examined and nursed back to health by a large group of imperial physicians, and his complexion has indeed improved a lot, but the prince is very clear about his true physical condition.

If this continues.
"I will go with you tomorrow." The emperor said with a smile, "The situation is turbulent now, and you should have your own team. Take a closer look at this class, especially the kid from the Qi family. If you can win him over, try your best."

"Father." The prince looked at his gentle father with a touched expression.

Even though such a big thing happened, my father still supported me as always and trained me as his heir.

Unlike that cold queen mother, who seemed as if his life or death had nothing to do with her.

"Father, will the Qi family be willing to retreat to Xijing this time?"

"What do you think?" the emperor smiled.

"The Qi family is on the decline and can no longer recover. No matter how powerful Minister Qi is, he is old after all. I estimate that if Qi Xuan becomes successful, Minister Qi will choose to bide his time and retreat to Xijing."

"You think so?" The emperor nodded: "Okay, then I will go with you to take a look tomorrow."

"Father doesn't think so?" The prince was a little nervous.

"No." The emperor shook his head and smiled, "Go and rest early. I will go with you tomorrow."

"I'll take my leave then."

As he watched the prince leave, the smile on the emperor's face gradually faded and became cold again.

"Teacher," the emperor looked at the prince's departing back and said quietly, "Please don't let me down."

(End of this chapter)