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

Little Fish was overjoyed to hear this, both surprised and delighted. It wasn't that his family couldn't afford a Ferghana horse, but rather that such a thoughtful gesture was rare.

"Thank you, Fourth Uncle!"

Then he added with some regret: "However, after the Qionglin Banquet, I will be going back to my hometown to visit my relatives. I will definitely not be there when the Akhal-Teke horse arrives. I'm afraid I will have to wait until I return to ride it to the countryside for a spring outing and hunting."

"Then just wait until you get back to ride it. It's not going to fly away anyway," Qian Yu patiently reassured her.

He has a large family of children, more than a dozen, and is almost a grandchild, but he doesn't pay much attention to his other children, except for his eldest son.

Therefore, whether it's true or not, he put more effort into Xiaoyuer than into his own child, which is a fact that Zhang Ping'an is very grateful for.

Although Xiaoyuer lacked maternal love, he received a lot of love from the people around him growing up.

Qian Yu was much more direct in praising people than Zhang Ping'an. He didn't hold back in praising Xiao Yu'er's ranking and performance in the imperial examination. Xiao Yu'er was so impressed that he became embarrassed in the end, saying, "Fourth Uncle, I'm not as amazing as you say. There were even top scholars ahead of me, and their knowledge was better than mine."

After saying that, he excitedly pulled Qian Yu to the backyard to see his foal. "My uncle gave me this foal when I was a child. After it grew up, it was bred and gave birth to a new foal. It is very majestic and has four snow-white hooves. I named it Ta Xue (Treading Snow). Now the whole family feeds it in the backyard. The three horses probably eat a lot of beans and hay every day."

Qian Yu wasn't going to spoil the fun. He put his hands behind his back and smiled, "Alright, then take me to see them. Your eldest and second uncles will be coming over later. They're so happy that you became the third-ranked scholar and they want to come and congratulate you in person."

The two then went to the backyard.

After everyone had gone far away, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi came out of the flower hall, with Xiao Hu accompanying them.

Xu felt a little sour and resentful. "He used to look for his grandparents as soon as he came back, but after seeing his fourth uncle, he even forgot about his grandparents. He was always worried that he would get cold or hungry, that he would be bullied by others, or that he would get hurt. But when his maternal relatives came, they brought some nice things and they just coaxed him away."

Zhang Lao Er, being more magnanimous and rational, found the words somewhat amusing and gently scolded, "You old woman, you don't have any conscience when you speak. When that fourth young man from the Qian family came over, didn't he first greet us, the two of us, with our luggage? He was very courteous, and he brought so many things, going to such lengths. He's doing this for your precious grandson; he only does this because he loves children. It's a rare occasion for him to come, so don't put on a bad face later. I think this is good; we can't let Xiaoyuer be constantly hanging around us two old folks."

Before Zhang Ping'an could even utter a word of comfort, Xu's resentment was immediately suppressed by Zhang Lao Er.

Xiao Hu hadn't seen Qian Yu for a long time either. He met him just now and found that he was a little different from what he remembered. "The fourth master of the Qian family is becoming more and more imposing. He looks all smiles, but he doesn't dare to let anyone be negligent."

"Right?!" Zhang Ping'an smiled. "I also think that this person is becoming more and more refined with each practice."

When Xiaoyuer and Qianyu returned from the stables in the backyard after checking on the foals, Qianying and Qianjie arrived just then. The two of them also brought a lot of gifts, and the table in the main room was almost full. The servants tactfully carried the gifts to the storeroom.

Qian Ying remained as gentle and refined as ever. He patted Xiaoyuer on the shoulder and said with emotion, "Now you are a third-place scholar and have been granted an official position. Although you haven't reached adulthood yet, you are already an adult and must learn to stand on your own."

"Yes! Uncle, I will!" Little Fish nodded vigorously.

Qian Jie laughed heartily, took out a short dagger from his pocket and handed it over: "As expected of my nephew, you will definitely have a bright future! This dagger is something your father and I traded for from a foreign merchant when we were in the Northwest. It can cut through iron like mud and sever a hair with a breath. I used it for self-defense before, but now I'm giving it to you. Even though you are a civil official, you still need to be able to protect yourself. Don't be like those pedantic people who are all weak and frail."

Little Fish's eyes lit up when he saw it, but he hesitated before taking it. "Second Uncle, when my cousin asked you for this dagger before, you wouldn't give it to him, saying you were used to using it yourself. Now you're giving it to me... this isn't quite right..."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jie shoved the dagger into Xiao Yu'er's arms without a word, glaring at him. "My things are mine to give to whomever I want. Who has the right to tell me what to do? Besides, haven't you been eyeing this for a long time? It's not right for you to be so hesitant and refusing now! A real man should be decisive and not drag things out!"

Upon hearing this, Little Fish didn't say anything more and simply replied loudly, "Okay! Thank you, Second Uncle!"

Seeing their grandson receive so many good things, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi were happy, but also a little embarrassed. They smiled kindly and invited everyone to sit down.

The Qian family had strict family rules, and Qian Ying and Qian Jie were always very polite to their elders.

The atmosphere in the main room became cheerful for a moment.

After sitting for a while, Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi tactfully invited Xiao Hu to go to the backyard, leaving them space to talk.

Qian Ying and Qian Jie inevitably asked about Xiao Yu'er's future.

Unlike Qian Yu, Qian Ying felt that the Hanlin Academy was a very good starting point.

“Our Heming is highly talented, handsome, and comes from a distinguished family. Even if he enters the Hanlin Academy, a place where seniority matters, it won’t be too difficult for him. People will give us both some face and won’t make things difficult for him. After a few years of training in the Hanlin Academy, he can enter the Court of Imperial Sacrifices as a Reader-in-Waiting, a Grand Secretary, a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, a Minister of the Six Ministries, and eventually a Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat. It will be much smoother than being sent to a post outside the capital.”

Qian Jie nodded in agreement, "That's right. Even if you train at the Hanlin Academy for a few years, you won't be afraid of being sent to serve as an official elsewhere. Your starting point will be much higher than others."

After hearing this, Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but glance at Qian Yu. The two sides' statements were quite different. Qian Yu subtly curled his lip, his gaze somewhat disdainful, clearly not agreeing with his elder brothers' words.

However, Qian Yu had long worked in local government, and his views on many things might indeed differ from those of people who had long worked in the core of the imperial court.

Zhang Ping'an is a rather conservative and cautious person. Any unstable factors around him will make him wary. At this moment, he secretly thought to himself that he would find some time another day to have a good talk with Qian Yu.

A correct decision absolutely requires sufficient information gathering.

Little Fish, unaware of the situation, sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere and quickly tried to smooth things over with laughter.

"Now that His Majesty has granted me an official position, I should take advantage of this leave to visit my family back home. I'll work at the Hanlin Academy for now and then plan for the future."