Aunt Chen is back from the world of cultivation

Qin Zhenniang was very puzzled.

Qin Dafu said:

"The Zhang family is now a notorious hotbed in the court. They are too arrogant. How could they accept our teacher and friend as their own just for money? You should advise our teacher and friend to give up this idea and stop thinking about climbing such a high branch."

Let it go. Zhenniang won't be able to report back.

Fortunately, they were her own parents, so it was okay to pester them a little, so she said coquettishly:

"But how do we know it won't work if we haven't even tried it?"

"For my husband's future, I have to give it a try no matter what."

"No! You are not allowed to even try!"

Qin Dafu said firmly.

As a shrewd man like him who is good at scheming, the provincial examination is approaching, and for the sake of his son-in-law's future, he will naturally find ways to find out information about the examiner's candidates, preferences, and so on.

However, when he learned that the man was Zhang Jinghong, the eldest cousin of the wife of the Marquis of Jingnan, he decisively chose to do nothing.

Given the relationship between the Marquis of Jingnan's Mansion and Cihang Temple, if Zhang Jinghong knew that the Qin family was the most devout believers of Cihang Temple, he would have been lucky not to make things difficult for Qiao Shiyou, the son-in-law of the Qin family. It would be a dream to expect him to look at Qiao Shiyou differently.

The more it is at this moment, the better it is to stay still.

Moreover, even if his flattery was effective, he would not do it.

It is said that a loyal minister does not serve two masters.

The master of the temple favors the Qin family so much, how could he go to the master's enemy and do such servile and flattering things?

It’s great that our friend Qiao just failed the exam this time. It’s not like he can’t wait for the next one.

If you study for three more years, you can pass both the autumn and spring examinations at once, and it won't delay anything.

Lower-class students like the Qiao family, who had no family background, naturally did not know about the in-law relationship between Zhang Jinghong and the Jingnan Marquis' Mansion.

Even Teacher Qiao and his friend didn't know, and Zhenniang, a woman in the inner chamber, had no way of knowing.

Seeing that her father was determined not to agree, she felt extremely helpless.

"Father, please give it a try! If my teacher and friend can become Master Zhang's disciples, it will be like our Qin family becoming related to the Zhang family, which will also be extremely beneficial to our business!"

She didn't understand why her father didn't agree and could only beg desperately.

Otherwise, how would she explain herself to her boyfriend when she returned?

Seeing her so frightened and embarrassed, Mrs. Qin saw something was going on.

"Did your son-in-law ask you to come?"

A trace of guilt flashed across Zhenniang's eyes:

"No, how could he say such a thing? He has read many books of sages and has always been indifferent to fame and fortune!"

For a scholar, reputation is the most important thing. Having a reputation of being greedy is not good for one’s future.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. How could Mrs. Qin not see that she was lying?

Qin Dafu also looked at his daughter carefully for a while, and finally said in a tough tone:

"Go back and tell him that if he wants to improve his studies, the Qin family can donate money to him to get a place in the Imperial College. As for spending a large sum of money to help him get close to the Zhang family, that is absolutely impossible."

He was not worried at all that his son-in-law would be able to get involved with the Zhang family.

As the chief examiner of the provincial examination, all the outstanding candidates of the same year would compete to show themselves in front of Zhang Jinghong. How did Qiao Shiyou stand out?

If Mr. Qiao was really that outstanding, he would have been snatched up as a son-in-law by those upright civil servants or noble families in Southern Capital City, and would never have been chosen by a merchant family like the Qin family.

Zhenniang had no choice but to say goodbye and leave with a sad face.

After all, she is a married woman who got married with such a generous dowry. It is not right for her to always trouble her parents.

However, I felt a little uneasy because I hadn't done what my husband asked me to do.

I was afraid that it would affect his exam, so I didn't even dare to tell him when I got back.

I just secretly prayed that a place in the Imperial College would help my husband calm down a little.

Watching her leave in the rain, Qin Dafu and his wife felt a little sad.

Especially Mrs. Qin:

"Will the son-in-law feel resentful because of this?"

Qin Dafu sneered:

"Have a grudge? I think I took too much care of his self-esteem in the past, which made him treat the Qin family as fools and become more and more unreasonable!"

Mrs. Qin thought of Zhenniang's situation and couldn't help but sigh:

"I can only blame myself for not knowing how to judge people and for wanting to find a son-in-law with achievements for the Qin family. Now I am really afraid of the consequences."

A hint of coldness flashed across Qin Dafu's eyes:

"He is just a scholar, yet he dares to bully Zhenniang like this. Who knows what will happen if he becomes more successful in the future. Let's wait and see. If he really dares to be so ruthless, don't blame me, Qin Dafu, for ruining his future!"

The reason why Mrs. Qin chose Master Qiao was that she dreamed of having her daughter become the wife of an official.

On the other hand, Qin Dafu was not opposed to this kind of long-term investment, hoping that the Qin family would gradually have people of their own to rely on in the court.

But now it seems that they really chose the wrong person.

Rather than waiting for Master Qiao to pass the imperial examination and be appointed an official, and then be promoted to a position high enough to provide protection for the Qin family, it is better to be loyal to the abbot.

Now, as the most beloved followers of the temple master, no matter it is the Duke Dingguo, the co-governor, or the Censorate, all of them respect them highly.

The Qin family today is no longer something that a small scholar or juren can control.

Not to mention these commoners who have no official positions, even if the governor of Nandu, a fourth-rank official, came, he would not dare to exploit them as he did in the past.

Just as I was thinking about Cihang Temple, I heard a servant come to report:

"Master, someone outside brought a letter."

Qin Dafu took it and opened it, his expression suddenly became serious.

"Master, what happened?"

Qin Dafu dismissed his attendants and said:

"It's a letter from Taoist Master Huiyun. The abbot has ordered me to gather all the devout believers in Nandu City to go to Cihang Temple the day after tomorrow. He also pointed out that it would be best if someone in the family who can make the decision went."

Although this happened suddenly, it was inevitable that people would be confused, but Mrs. Qin did not ask any more questions and said directly:

"Then I will go tell my mother that we should split up and pass on the temple master's order as soon as possible."

Qin Dafu nodded.

The family of three immediately took action.

The Qin family is already well aware of the devout believers in Nandu City.

After all, those people are the first to arrive on the first and fifteenth day of every month.

These people also knew the status of Qin Dafu's family in the heart of the temple master. Therefore, even the doorman of the Dingguo Mansion did not dare to ignore the Qin family's post.

That afternoon, except for the Censorate, everyone was notified and in place.

Early in the morning of the third day, although it was raining and the mountain road was slippery and difficult to walk on, everyone gathered in the front hall of Cihang Temple before noon.

In addition to Qin Dafu and his wife, the men who came to several wealthy families were all masters of the house. Even Mrs. Yan had a middle-aged man with a high position of authority standing beside her, who was obviously Yan Tongzhi.

The Zeng family and the Duke Dingguo's family were represented by two old ladies, while the Zheng family was represented by Zheng Yuannai and his wife.

This was the first time that the temple master took the initiative to call on believers, and no one dared to ignore it.

Everyone looked at each other, secretly surprised at how seriously other families took Cihang Temple's orders.

Look, even Tongzhi Yan took leave even though it wasn't his day off.

However, no one was sure why the temple master suddenly called them together.

Someone tried to get some information from Qin Dafu.

Qin Dafu didn't know either, but that didn't stop him from expressing his opinion:

"Why think so much? If the temple master has any instructions, we should just follow them. Isn't this a great opportunity for us believers to show our sincerity?"

His loyal appearance made many people feel jealous in their hearts.

Damn, no wonder the Qin family is so favored by the master, look at how good they are at showing their loyalty.

I just regretted that I was too slow to react, which allowed Qin Dafu to show off his skills again.

It wasn't long before noon came. Huiyun came out, glanced at everyone, and said:

"Everyone, please follow me to the reception hall, where the master will see you."

Most people felt excited.

They have been in Cihang Temple for so long, but have never been invited to the reception hall, let alone meet the abbot in person.