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

“Okay, Dad, I’ll do whatever you say,” Little Fish nodded, appearing incredibly obedient.

But he was still indignant for his father. "Serving a ruler is truly like serving a tiger. Father, you have devoted yourself to the Great Zhou Dynasty for decades, making great contributions. Without you, would there be Annam rice? From south to north, you have cleared so many obstacles for His Majesty. In the end, because of some unfounded suspicions, His Majesty wants to put you to death. It's too disheartening!"

“When the emperor commands a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Everything we have now was given to us by His Majesty. He can give it, and he can take it back as well. There is nothing to be indignant about. The difference in status is an insurmountable chasm. Only when Father can one day reach a position second only to the emperor in the court will he have a greater say.”

While the Privy Councilor held a high position and wielded great power, it was not enough in the face of absolute imperial authority.

Especially now that the world is at peace and there are no internal or external troubles, it is not particularly difficult to bring him down.

Zhou Ziming didn't even need to do it himself.

"Also, don't let your grandparents know about this. They are old and don't understand the situation in the court. Telling them will only cause them more worry. It's enough for my son and me to keep it to ourselves."

"Father, I know that, so don't worry!"

Xiaoyuer is very sensible, which makes Zhang Ping'an feel quite gratified.

Even the worries about the unknown have lessened a bit.

He acted swiftly, and within two days, he invited the most famous official media in the capital to the Prince of Qin's residence.

Because this move carries a testing element, there is a high chance of it failing. Both families are prominent in the capital, and it wouldn't look good if word got out that it didn't work.

Therefore, the official media did not think much of Zhang Ping'an's instructions and wisely kept quiet, acting very discreetly.

We set off very early in the morning.

He left the Prince of Qin's residence at noon, went to the Zhang residence, and came to reply to Zhang Ping'an's letter.

Zhang Ping'an politely offered the man tea, then asked, "How did it go? What was the result?"

Judging from the official media's tone, Zhang Ping'an guessed that the trip was unlikely to go smoothly.

"Speak freely, marriage is a matter of fate."

The official matchmaker was a woman in her forties, dressed very smartly, whose ancestors had been in this line of work for generations.

Because she frequently moved among imperial relatives and aristocratic families, she was politely addressed as Madam Ji.

Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people, they were considered to have some status.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an's question, she didn't beat around the bush and respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, it is indeed not going smoothly. Although Princess Qin did not explicitly refuse, I have been in this business for almost thirty years. Whether a marriage will succeed or not can be seen from the attitude during the matchmaking. In my opinion, I'm afraid the Qin Prince's Mansion..."

Without needing to spell it out, Zhang Ping'an understood the unspoken meaning.

"Madam Ji, thank you for your trouble today. Since the Prince of Qin's mansion has no intention of arranging a marriage, let's just drop this matter and there's no need to come again."

"Ah, I understand. In my opinion, your young master is both scholarly and martial, and handsome. With your family background, even if the Prince of Qin's mansion rejects him, there are many other high-ranking families to choose from. Why not take a look at other families? I have quite a few eligible girls here," Madam Ji comforted her, and then recommended other families.

In her opinion, the marriage between the Zhang family and the Qin Prince's Mansion was not too much of a mismatch. Although there was a difference in their family backgrounds, this time it was about the second daughter of the Qin Prince's Mansion, while Xiaoyuer was the only son, which evened things out.

In addition, when it comes to marriage, it's not just about family background; the man's future prospects are also very important. A good-for-nothing who is good for nothing is incomparable to a man who is both scholarly and martial.

Xiao Yu'er has always been known for his talent, and this marriage should have been a perfect match.

But the Prince of Qin's mansion didn't consider it at all.

This likely involves significant interests within the imperial court.

Zhang Ping'an had no idea that the matchmaker had thought of so much in such a short time; otherwise, he would have praised her for her sharp mind.

Those who survive in the power vortex of the capital, regardless of their position or status, all possess their own survival wisdom.

Even ordinary people are no exception.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Madam Ji. Since it won't work here at the Prince Qin's residence, we can wait until my son finishes the imperial examination next year. We'll have to trouble you again then," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile, politely declining the offer.

If it doesn't work out at the Prince of Qin's residence, there's no need to even consider other places.

Little did he know how annoyed Qin Qingshan was when he returned home that evening and learned of the matter, and he couldn't help but scold Princess Qin.

Princess Qin also felt wronged and argued, "When I mentioned wanting to arrange a marriage with the Zhang family before, didn't you immediately reject it? So when the matchmaker came this time, I didn't send anyone to inform you and just refused. How come it's my fault now?"

"Times have changed. Now is a sensitive time. If you do this, you will expose my attitude, which will make things very troublesome later. Although Zhang Ping'an has always kept a low profile in the court and seems indifferent, he is actually a man of great substance. He is very perceptive. If you refuse, he will probably be able to guess His Majesty's intentions."

Qin Qingshan was furious with his silly wife but couldn't vent his anger on her.

Coming from a humble background, he lacked shrewdness and underestimated the complexities of social interactions.

"Is he really that capable? If it weren't for His Majesty's constant support, how could he have risen to the position of Privy Councilor at such a young age?" Princess Qin frowned.

She was not entirely ignorant of court affairs, and knew that His Majesty had previously shown great favor to this minister.

"Heh, what do you think? Even if His Majesty helps him get on the horse, he still needs to be capable of sitting on it firmly. Let's not talk about when he was in Lin'an, or about the matter of taking back military power during the trip to Guazhou. Just look at the Privy Council. The Privy Council Deputy Commissioner and the heads of the Six Departments under him, which one of them is easy to control? He has been able to sit on it so steadily for so many years, that's no simple matter," Qin Qingshan sneered.

"Then what should we do? From what you're saying, His Majesty doesn't want to keep him anymore? He valued him so much before, why is that?" Princess Qin asked, puzzled.

"Sigh," Qin Qingshan sighed, his expression somewhat desolate, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger!"

I didn't say anything more.

He was afraid that his own husband wouldn't be able to keep a secret.

Upon hearing this, Princess Qin became somewhat anxious. She sat down and leaned closer to ask, "Don't just sigh. What exactly is His Majesty planning? Why has his mind changed so suddenly? Let's not talk about the Zhang family for now. The Empress sent someone over today to deliver a message, saying that you must help the Second Prince with his matter."

"What? You're still in contact with the Empress?" Qin Qingshan couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and curse.

"You spendthrift woman, are you trying to kill our whole family? How many times have I told you, you're not allowed to contact the Empress, you're not allowed to contact the Empress! How dare you still do this?"

"I...I had no choice. We grew up together. She is the Empress and she still came to beg me. I can't just turn a blind eye. I can't be as heartless as you," Princess Qin said, her voice lacking confidence as she saw the situation.

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he pleaded, "This is the last time. Sister Wei said it's the last time. Let's help her if we can!"