Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

After hearing what Xiao Yankai said, Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng looked at Duan Hong with some curiosity.

Duan Hong picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, put it into his mouth, and then spoke.

"My two dear nephews, General Xiao is right. It is important to be good at studying, but it is equally important to have a strong body."

Duan Hong picked up the wine glass and gestured to Xiao Yankai, then they both drank it in one gulp and continued.

"Last spring, a total of 128 Jinshi were admitted. In addition to the top three in the first class, 23 Jinshi were admitted in the second class, and 102 Jinshi were admitted in the third class."

"The three people in the first class were personally selected by His Majesty as Hanlin scholars. The remaining 37 people in the second and third classes who passed the examination and performed well were admitted as Shujishi and entered the Hanlin Academy to continue their studies. The remaining 88 people were selected by the Ministry of Personnel and are waiting to be appointed as officials."

Seeing that Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were listening carefully, Duan Hong continued to explain.

"Among the eighty-eight people, there was a Jinshi named Tang Yong, who ranked slightly behind the top three Jinshi. He had been waiting for nearly a year in the selection of the Ministry of Personnel. After the Chinese New Year, the magistrate of Wanghai County under the jurisdiction of the Nanhai Provincial Administration returned home to attend the funeral of his mother's death. According to the court's requirements, he had to mourn for three years. Tang Yong happened to be on the list, so the Ministry of Personnel granted him the position of magistrate of Wanghai County."

Xiao Yan picked up the wine glass and returned it to Duan Hong. They both drank it in one gulp. Duan Hong picked up another piece of food with chopsticks, put it into his mouth, and continued talking.

"Tang Yong received the appointment letter from the Ministry of Personnel and happily went to Nanhai to take up his post. But yesterday, the Ministry of Personnel received news that Tang Yong had spent the year waiting for his appointment eating and drinking with friends and had little exercise, so he had gained a lot of weight. The journey from Shengjing to Nanhai was a long way, but he died on the way to his post before he even reached Nanhai."

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were both shocked after hearing this. Tang Yong was too weak. Mr. Cai was so old, and it was not a big deal for him to travel all the way from Yuzhou Prefecture back to Shengjing. He was really an unlucky guy!

"Hey! So, nephew, you two should listen to your uncle's advice. Don't just focus on studying on weekdays. You have to exercise your body!"

Hearing Xiao Yankai's sigh, everyone felt sorry for Tang Yong.

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng raised their glasses at the same time and toasted Xiao Yankai and Duan Hong. Xiao Jingxing and Duan Yu also raised their glasses. Everyone drank together. Only Xing Wang was chewing a chicken leg with relish.

As they were drinking and chatting, Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng heard from Duan Hong and Xiao Yankai's conversation that tonight's meal was intended for Duan Hong to ask Xiao Yankai to be a matchmaker for his son Duan Yu, and he specially hosted a banquet to entertain Xiao Yankai.

Then, Duan Hong asked Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng some gossipy questions, asking whether they were engaged.

"Uncle Duan, we have just been admitted to the Imperial College. Now is the time to study hard."

"Hahaha... Don't be shy, my two nephews. Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. Engagement does not necessarily mean getting married right away. If you get married, you will have a wife to take care of the family, so you can focus on your studies with more peace of mind."

Duan Hong saw that Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were both handsome men, and had become disciples of Cai Jijiu, and were currently studying at the Imperial Academy. He thought that their future was limitless. Duan Hong's youngest daughter was coming of age this year, and was of good appearance and of the right age to get married. If she could marry one of these two men, that would be a rare match.

Xiao Yankai saw through Duan Hong's thoughts. Although he and Duan Hong were quite friendly, he knew that his brother-in-law had high standards and might not look down on Duan Hong's daughter, so he interrupted him.

"Old Duan, I'm sure you've heard of my brother-in-law. All of his disciples have passed the imperial examination before they can get married. If you want to arrange a marriage for these two children, I'm afraid you won't be able to get past my brother-in-law."

Think about Cai Zhengqing's five disciples who have already entered officialdom. All of them are Jinshi graduates, and now all of them are in positions of power. He himself is already in his forties, and has just managed to become a fifth-rank doctor. Zhu Yuchun and Zhao Mubai, Cai Zhengqing's disciples, are only in their early thirties, but they are already fifth-rank officials. The fourth disciple, Wang Xinkuan, has even made an exception and retained the sixth-rank position of Like Du Shizhong, who is specifically responsible for supervising the Ministry of Personnel. Even his immediate superior has to give him some face.

Duan Hong was seeing that since the two children had not yet taken the exam, he might still have a slight chance. If he really waited until these two people passed the imperial examination, there would be countless powerful and influential people vying to propose marriage to them. With his family's background, he might not have a chance.

Duan Hong also knew that his hope of marrying his daughter to Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng was slim, so he tried every means to bring Duan Yu closer to the two men. They were all studying in the Imperial College, so it would be great if they could forge friendships.

As they drank and chatted, everyone became more familiar with each other, and then Duan Hong mentioned a person, and this person was somewhat familiar to Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng.

"Two days ago, I heard that the second son of Dingyuan Marquis's mansion had his engagement broken off."

When Ye Changyan heard the name Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, he felt that it sounded familiar. After careful recollection, he remembered that the man who had a conflict with Sang Li when he registered at the Imperial College a few years ago was from Dingyuan Marquis Mansion. So he pricked up his ears and listened carefully, but saw that Liang Jingcheng seemed to be listening seriously as well, and they both smiled at each other.

"Marquis Dingyuan is the second prince's in-laws. How could his second son be rejected by someone else?"

When Xiao Yankai heard Duan Hong say this, he was a little confused. The Second Prince was a popular candidate for the Crown Prince, and he was very good at winning over court officials. There were quite a few people standing on the Second Prince's side. It was surprising that Marquis Dingyuan, as the Second Prince's in-law, was rejected for engagement.

Duan Hong had a strange look on his face. He looked around and then spoke in a low voice.

"Recently, I heard rumors from the outside world that the second son of Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, Jin Wenshao, is unruly and often hangs out in brothels. Recently, there are rumors that the second son of Jin seems to have contracted a strange disease. Every full moon night, he will get sick and his whole body will itch. His body has been scratched to the point of blood and flesh."

When Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng heard this, they were suddenly shocked. On that day, Jin Wenshao humiliated Sang Li in public, and Liang Jingcheng could not bear to see it and tried to stop him. He also had a conflict with Jin Wenshao. Fortunately, Kang Yuanping, the director of the Imperial College, stepped in and calmed the matter. They almost forgot that Jin Wenshao was possessed by the angry Sang Li.

At that time, Sang Li said that every full-moon night, people who were infected with the grass ghost would feel extremely itchy and no medicine could cure them. This kind of torture would happen every full-moon night. Just now, Duan Hong said that Jin Wenshao's body had been scratched to a bloody mess. Thinking of this, a horrible picture appeared in front of Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng's eyes, and they both shuddered.