The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

She didn't know if this Qian family was the same Qian family she had heard of in the palace.

Thanks to Miss Qian's guidance, I was able to leave the palace safely. It was fate!

I don’t know what happened to Miss Qian later. How come she suddenly became my brother’s wife?

Liu Ya was also confused.

After a visit to the palace, she had clearly realized the gap between the social statuses and knew that the daughters of aristocratic families would not marry down easily, especially the legitimate daughters. Even the Juren or Jinshi who seemed very impressive to her might not be so-so in the eyes of the aristocratic families.

It is very difficult to cross the class barrier.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Ya finally asked, "I've heard of the Lin'an Qian family since I was in the palace. Why are they suddenly planning to marry into a family like ours?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's because your younger brother is so handsome," Xu muttered.

"Sixth sister, do you know anyone from the Qian family?" Zhang Ping'an looked up and asked in surprise.

Liu Ya nodded: "I heard about her when I was in the palace, and Miss Qian helped me. I don't know if she is the same person as the one I proposed to marry!"

"What kind of person is Miss Qian?" Zhang Laoer asked.

In fact, he had always been very curious about this marriage and was a little uneasy, but it was not easy for him to find out about the girls in the boudoir of a wealthy family.

In addition, his son also agreed, and his family simply could not afford to offend such a family, so he agreed!

It would be great if Liu Ya could know some news.

"Extremely intelligent!" Liu Ya replied without hesitation, "She is the smartest woman I have ever met!"

"Sixth sister, it should be the same person. As far as I know, each of the four major families only had one legitimate daughter who entered the palace for selection. The matchmaker also said that this Miss Qian came out after the palace selection," Zhang Pingan analyzed.

After a pause, he continued, "I feel like you think highly of her, Sixth Sister. I wonder what you mean by that? Did something happen in the palace?"

Liu Ya recalled the scenes in the palace in her mind. This was a scar deep in her heart, and she didn't want to open it again. She just said calmly: "If it really is that Miss Qian, the brains of our entire family combined may not be as good as hers. If she were a man, she would be the role in the storybooks of generals and ministers!"

"Is it really that magical?" Xu didn't believe it.

The expression on Zhang Laoer's face clearly showed that he didn't believe it.

Only Zhang Ping'an's eyes darkened after hearing this and he didn't respond.

Liu Ya shook her head. "If you don't believe me, forget it. You'll understand in the future. I'm uneducated, so I don't know how to explain it clearly. Miss Qian's intelligence isn't just about learning quickly, but also about the way she does things. It's... well... very straightforward."

After organizing her words, Liu Ya continued, "But God is fair. He gave her a perfect family background, a smart mind, and first-class looks, but he didn't give her a good body. I heard that her health is not good!"

"What, if you are not in good health, can you still have children?" Mrs. Xu was very concerned about this.

Seeing her mother's anxious look, Liu Ya spoke frankly, "Mom, I'm not a doctor, how would I know? We didn't live together, and we met by chance in the garden. I heard all this from other people, but I saw that she looked very pale, and she was gasping for breath after walking a few steps. The rumors might be true."

"He's panting even when walking, he's just a sickly sick man," Xu shouted, slapping her thigh.

In her opinion, if someone can't even walk properly, he is no different from a disabled person.

"Alas," Zhang Laoer looked worried after hearing this, and even his enthusiasm to go shopping was much less.

"It's okay. According to what Sixth Sister said, Miss Qian is a person of outstanding character and appearance. In fact, I am marrying above my station. There is no such thing as having the best of both worlds in this world. With this said, I feel a lot more at ease," Zhang Pingan smiled.

Then he got up and went out.

Watching the mule cart leave, Zhang Laoer sighed again in the main hall: "This is the only way!"

After saying that, he went to the yard and drove out another mule cart. Time was tight and the shopping could not be delayed.

No matter from which perspective, this marriage must be treated with the best attitude by the family. Zhang Laoer understands this principle.

Spending tens of thousands of taels of silver was actually quite tiring. Zhang Ping'an and Zhang Laoer went out shopping for a whole day, but they didn't even finish half of the items on their list.

Look at the samples, select them, and then ask other stores to deliver the goods. The quantity is too large, and most stores do not have enough stock, so you have to pay extra to make it custom-made and ask others to rush the work.

In less than half a day, the whole Xian'anfang in the east of the city knew that a scholar was going to propose marriage soon, and his offer was generous and easy to talk to.

Such customers are fat sheep!

The shop assistants in each store went over to recognize Zhang Ping'an's face, so wherever Zhang Ping'an went from then on, the shopkeepers were extremely enthusiastic, with such a good attitude and full of patience!

Zhang Ping'an didn't go home until the store was about to close.

Zhang Laoer had already returned. There were so many things piled up in the main room that there was almost no place to step.

"Son, you're back. You've worked hard. I'll ask Mrs. Hu to set the table now," Mrs. Xu said hurriedly.

"Okay," Zhang Ping'an replied, rubbed his forehead and sat down to rest.

Shopping is so tiring!

"Son, there are still a lot of things that have not been delivered. If we send more, we can only leave them in the yard. I'm afraid they will get wet by dew. What should I do?" asked Zhang Laoer.

"Let them send it to the new house tomorrow. It's closer to Xian'anfang, and the house there is probably not small," Zhang Pingan replied after thinking for a while.

Zhang Laoer hesitated: "Are you talking about the house that the Qian family gave you as a gift?"

"Yes, we have to go there in the next two days anyway, so we have to make some arrangements in advance. We might as well put the things there. I roughly calculated that there must be about 120 loads of betrothal gifts, which we definitely cannot accommodate," said Zhang Ping'an.

"Okay," Zhang Laoer replied.

I felt a little reluctant in my heart, always feeling that a nest of gold or silver was not as good as my own doghouse, and my own home was not a doghouse either.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an took his family to the new house.

This was also his first time here. The housekeeper gave him the key yesterday. He thought it was an empty house, but he found that the doorman, servants, and butler were all arranged and the house was very tidy.

"Grandpa, Madam, Master, please come this way, this is the front yard," the butler said with a bow.

After saying that, he took a few people around. This was a large house with three courtyards. It was well maintained. Pavilions, rockery, flowers and plants were scattered around, with the characteristics of Jiangnan architecture.

Moreover, such a house is not too eye-catching in the east of the city, but it is definitely comfortable enough to live in, and the geographical location is also good. This arrangement can be said to be very suitable for Zhang Pingan's actual situation.

Now just waiting for the owner to move in.

Zhang Laoer and Xu Shi tried to maintain their composure in the mansion but were completely discouraged when they came out.

"Mom, it's so tiring," said Xu, patting her chest.

Zhang Laoer deeply agreed.

The purchased items were delivered one after another.

The next step is to notify relatives and friends to help propose the marriage.

This news caused quite a stir not only in Zhang Lao Da, Zhang Lao San, and Xu Xiaojiu, but also in the Imperial College.

P.S. Dear readers, I have something to do today so I will skip one chapter and make up for it tomorrow.