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

Time flies, and by the time my brother-in-law took up his post in the Northwest, it was already mid-October, and the autumn wind was chilly.

Even so, they rushed over at top speed.

This time, apart from his confidants and attendants, he did not bring any family members with him.

Zhang Ping'an only found out after asking that Zhuzhu was engaged to Li Yue of the Li family.

Daya, Donkey Egg, and the others will stay at home to help with the preparations and will be able to come over after Zhuzhu gets married next June.

At this point, Liu Sanlang was both happy and somewhat regretful. "On my way to take up my post, I ran into Brother Lin and his group on the road. I saw Maodan and Li Yue. After their experiences in the Western Regions, they are now more mature and steady. Li Yue is also an upright person, and the Li family has a good family tradition. I am quite at ease marrying Zhuzhu into such a family. It's just a pity that I can't personally send her off on her wedding."

“I noticed you were quite fond of that guy during the royal autumn hunt, but in the end, he still managed to snatch our precious daughter away,” Zhang Ping’an joked with a smile.

Liu Sanlang chuckled along, not minding at all. "Actually, the Li family had already tested your eldest sister's intentions before, but at that time, Li Yue's life or death in the Western Regions was uncertain, and I was afraid that something might happen to him, so I didn't dare to make a decision easily. This has been delayed until now, and your eldest sister is also anxious. In addition, the Emperor has arranged for me to take up a post in the Northwest, and I estimate that it will be impossible to return in three to five years. A girl's prime is short, and I can't wait. I'm not familiar with the Northwest yet, so I definitely can't bring Zhuzhu with me. So when the Li family brought it up again this time, I agreed, exchanged the betrothal gifts, and left your eldest sister and Donkey Egg at home to handle the arrangements."

At this point, Liu Sanlang said with some concern, "I won't be around when Zhuzhu gets married next year. You'll have to keep an eye on her and help her keep an eye on things. She's my only daughter, and I can't let her be looked down upon or bullied by her husband's family."

"Don't worry, brother-in-law, I'm here. I already thought about it when you said that. When the two families discuss the specifics of the wedding, I will definitely make time to accompany my sister to handle the arrangements. Even if you're not here, with me as your uncle backing you up, I don't think the Li family will dare to mistreat our Zhuzhu."

When he said this, Zhang Ping'an was very confident. He was confident that he now had the ability to protect his family.

"Thank you so much! With you here, I feel much more at ease!"

"Why be so polite? We're all family, it's only right. When Zhuzhu gets married, I, as her uncle, will have to prepare a dowry for her. She's the only girl in our family, so I'll definitely make sure she has a grand wedding with a magnificent procession."

Zhang Ping'an always doted on this niece, who was also the first daughter in the family to get married, so he would always give her the respect she deserved.

Liu Sanlang knew that he was not short of money now, and it wouldn't look good to keep refusing, so he didn't refuse, smiled sheepishly, and thanked him again.

Zhang Ping'an didn't want to keep thanking everyone, so he asked about the rest of the family instead: "How are the rest of the family? Are they all doing well? How are Dad, Mom, and Xiaoyuer?"

"Your parents are both in good health, and Xiaoyuer is well-behaved and sensible. Since you left, I feel he has grown up a lot. I heard that the teacher often praises him, saying he is a promising student. The child lacks nothing in terms of food and clothing, but without his parents by his side, and being an only child, he is still a bit lonely. Your eldest sister often feels sorry for him and says that he is pitiful. Sigh, I hope you won't be sent out again after you return to the capital this time, otherwise the child will grow up in the blink of an eye and really miss out on a lot." Liu Sanlang rambled on.

Therefore, he never envied his brother-in-law for his rapid promotion; it all came at a great cost.

"It's good that everything is alright. I really owe this child a lot," Zhang Ping'an sighed upon hearing this, but he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be sent to other places again in the future; it's all uncertain.

It still depends on His Majesty's arrangements.

"Oh, right, there's something else you don't know, is there? The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are currently choosing study companions. I heard they were initially interested in Xiaoyuer, but the Emperor rejected them. I wonder if they'll try to get Xiaoyuer again later. You'd better keep an eye on him when you get back. Xiaoyuer's personality is definitely not suited to serving the princes in the palace," Liu Sanlang suddenly remembered something.

"Is that so? Why wasn't it mentioned in the letter I received?" Zhang Ping'an frowned upon hearing this.

Being a "study companion" sounds nice, but it means staying in the palace to accompany the princes in their studies and play. If you get along with them, that's fine, but if you don't, you'll often be bullied. At a young age, you have to be mindful of the princes' moods and act accordingly.

Zhang Ping'an didn't care if his son became a study companion.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an's bad expression, Liu Sanlang quickly comforted him: "Don't worry, as I already said, the Emperor has already rejected it. He must be thinking of your hard work and contributions to the court, and he can't bear to let Xiaoyuer enter the palace to serve you. I just mentioned it casually to remind you to keep an eye on it."

“Okay, I understand,” Zhang Ping’an nodded. He had been away from the court for a long time, and although he could often receive letters from the capital, he still missed some information. Such trivial matters were easily overlooked.

"I've been away from the capital for too long. Brother-in-law, tell me properly, what new developments are happening in the court? I'd like to be mentally prepared."

“New developments?” Liu Sanlang scratched his head: “Actually, it’s usually written in the official gazette, and you often receive letters from the capital, so you must know about most major events. If there’s any news in private, it’s probably about the Crown Prince.”

"What happened to the Crown Prince? I heard he is very diligent and studious, and is now able to help His Majesty with many political matters," Zhang Ping'an said, somewhat puzzled. Matters concerning the Crown Prince should be of great importance, so there was no way he hadn't received the news!

"Cough...cough cough, I only heard about it, I don't know if it's true," Liu Sanlang cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, and then glanced outside the tent a few times.

Once he was sure no one was around, he continued in a low voice, "I've heard that the Crown Prince is impotent, and many officials are talking about it in private. Of course, no one dares to say it openly."

"Huh?" Zhang Ping'an's eyes widened in surprise, incredulous: "Where did you hear this earth-shattering gossip?"

"It seems to have come from the Eastern Palace. The reason for this is that someone was urging the Crown Prince to take more concubines or women of lower rank so that he could have children as soon as possible. But somehow the rumor spread that the Crown Prince was impotent, which is why he has no children to this day."

Liu Sanlang felt embarrassed after saying these words, but he was afraid that his brother-in-law might not know the truth and say the wrong thing, so he just said it briefly.

“That’s not right. Didn’t a concubine in the Eastern Palace have a miscarriage before? She was the daughter of the Privy Councilor Guo,” Zhang Ping’an recalled.

The wind direction changed so fast!

Liu Sanlang frowned: "Sigh, I don't know what happened either. Anyway, even I have heard about it. I guess most people of a certain rank know about it. It is said that the Crown Prince was injured last autumn, so no concubine in the Eastern Palace has become pregnant since then. I don't know if it's true or not, but the Eastern Palace did secretly have a group of palace servants beaten to death because of this rumor. When you return to the capital, be careful not to say anything out of line!"