On the twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month, after dinner, the sky gradually dimmed, and candles were lit in the Shen family's study.
In the flickering light of candles, Shen Heng, dressed in a white robe, stood opposite Shen Yi.
Shen Yi sat on the main seat, glanced at his brother, and then said silently: "Tomorrow, I will leave for the south."
Shen Heng nodded and said with a smile: "You know, my eldest brother can rest assured that he can go south to do things. My father and I are taking care of things at home, so I don't have to worry about it."
"I'm not really worried about family matters. You guys should be safe in Jiankang. What I'm worried about is your studies."
After Shen Yi sighed, he looked up at Shen Heng and asked, "Are you sure you will take the exam this year?"
He said slowly: "Brother, I'm doing quite well as an official now, and our family doesn't have any imminent difficulties. I can..."
"I'll give you three more years."
Shen Heng smiled and said: "Brother, are you afraid that I will fail?"
"It's not that you're afraid of losing your place."
"It's a good thing to fail."
Shen Yi lowered his head slightly and said, "I'm afraid that because you are young, your performance will be abnormal in the examination room and you will come back with a top three Jinshi."
"If you win the Jinshi exam, you won't be able to take the next exam."
Shen Heng shook his head slightly and said: "Brother, don't worry, little brother... I still have some confidence."
"I'm not worried about your knowledge."
Shen Yi said slowly: "I also visited Master Gu yesterday and asked about your academic problems. I was mainly worried that you were too young and would perform abnormally in the examination room."
Shen Yi paused and continued: "But since you insist on taking the exam this year, my brother still supports you. Seeing that spring is not far away, try to relax during this period and don't force yourself too much."
The two brothers have been dependent on each other since childhood, and Shen Yi naturally knows the character of his brother.
Shen Heng looks gentle and sensible, but he is very strong at heart. Shen Yi is worried that he will not be able to withstand the huge mental pressure in the examination room.
In fact, his requirements for Shen Heng were not high. He did not necessarily have to win the first A. As long as he could win the second A, then there would be no "academic qualification" threshold in the officialdom.
"Um."
Shen Heng smiled and said: "My younger brother has memorized everything my brother said, but..."
Shen Heng hesitated for a moment, lowered his head slightly and said, "Brother, I have something to ask of you."
Shen Yi raised his head and glanced at Shen Heng unexpectedly.
In recent years, he has rarely heard the word "Qiu" from Shen Heng's mouth.
He was originally writing a letter. When he heard this, he put down the brush in his hand, took a deep look at Shen Heng, and said seriously: "Just tell me, if you can do it, my brother will definitely do it for you."
"I…"
Jiulang, the youngest of his generation in the Shen family, hesitated for a while, bowed his head slightly in embarrassment and said: "Brother, I want to marry you..."
Young lady…
Chen Youniang, Chen Qing's sister.
Chen Youniang joined the Shen family a few years ago, mainly to take care of Shen Heng's daily life. When Shen Heng came to Jiankang to take the Qiuwei exam last year, he brought her to Jiankang with him.
This pair of boys and girls are of the same age. They have been together for a long time and have been in love for a long time. It is not so strange.
Shen Yi glanced at his brother and smiled: "As long as the girl is willing, I will naturally not object. Why should you tell me this kind of thing?"
Shen Heng lowered his head and said, "Brother, if I win the Jinshi this year, I'm afraid my father won't let me marry my younger wife."
Disparity in status.
Shen Heng is now a member of the imperial examination and is a member of the "shi" class. Once he becomes a Jinshi scholar, he will basically be an "official".
Chen Youniang, on the other hand, was just a peasant girl.
What's more important is that if Shen Heng wins Jinshi this year, one of the most popular "unmarried Jinshi", even the prime minister may end up trying to catch his son-in-law!
When the time comes, those waiting for Shen Heng will be a group of the best women in Jiankang City. Apart from anything else, at his age and with his brother Shen Yi, marrying a girl from a second- or third-class family is not a problem at all. No.
At that time, even if Shen Zhang is still open-minded, he probably will not agree to him marrying a peasant girl as his wife. Instead, he will persuade Shen Heng to take Chen Youniang as his concubine.
Shen Yi lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked up at Shen Heng and said, "Brother, I can help you with this matter, and I can also withstand the pressure from my father, but there is one thing that we brothers must agree on in advance. "
"I can help you make the decision about your marriage, but if you are not satisfied with this marriage in the future and feel that you can marry a better one, you can't blame me, your brother, for ruining your future."
Everyone will grow.
Shen Heng is seventeen or eighteen years old this year. It is the time when his "love brain" is in charge. He naturally sees Chen Youniang as having a lot of good things and will become an official in the future. As he gets older, his love brain may gradually fade away. .
When the time comes, he may regret that he didn't marry a prime minister's daughter today.
Shen Heng took a deep breath, looked serious, and shook his head: "Brother, don't worry, I will never regret today's decision in this life."
"Um…"
Shen Yi nodded and said: "Okay, then you can rest assured about the exam. Your marriage...I can guarantee that you will make the decision yourself. As for your father..."
"I'll go tell him."
Shen Yi is now the absolute pillar of the Shen family. Since he is the pillar, his right to speak is naturally becoming more and more important. Although he cannot directly disobey Shen Zhang, Shen Zhang still respects the opinions of his eldest son.
Of course, if Shen Heng really married Chen Youniang, Shen Zhang would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Because Shen Yi's father-in-law, Lu Anshi, although not an official, could be called an "academic clan". He had great influence in the court and officials, and his status was very high.
As for Chen Youniang, her family is really just an ordinary farmhouse. Although her brother Chen Yan is studying at Ganquan Academy, it is still unknown whether he will be able to succeed in education in the future.
However, Shen Yi is confident that he can withstand these pressures from Shen Zhang.
That night, the two brothers talked for an hour in the study, holding a candle, before Shen Heng went back to the room to rest.
Shen Yi also turned off the lights and went back to the bedroom to accompany his wife and children.
Early the next morning, Jiang Sheng prepared a carriage early at the gate of Shen's house. Mr. Shen said goodbye to his family one by one at the gate of Shen's house, and then took the carriage all the way to the south gate of Jiankang.
At the south city gate, Zhang Jian and Zhao Jizhou came to see Shen Yi off.
Shen Yi separated from the two at the city gate, then took his carriage and continued southward along the official road. When he arrived at Wuliting outside the city, another carriage was already waiting on the roadside.
It is the carriage of Cheng Tingzhi, the new governor of Fujian.
Mr. Shen got off the carriage and walked towards Cheng Tingzhi's carriage. Cheng Futai also got off the carriage at this time. Before the two came closer, they bowed to each other from a distance, with polite smiles on their faces.
After a few polite words, Shen Yi looked up at the sky and said with some embarrassment: "There are too many family members at home, which wasted a lot of time and kept Zhong Cheng waiting for a long time."
"It doesn't matter."
Cheng Tingzhi smiled and said, "I didn't wait long."
Shen Yi asked again: "Should we go south directly, or should we go to Zhongcheng's house first?"
Cheng Tingzhi told Shen Yi that his home is near Jiankang, and he plans to take his family to Fuzhou this year.
Cheng Tingzhi shook his head slightly and said: "I have already informed my family. They are on their way to Fuzhou now. We will meet in Fuzhou."
Shen Yi thought for a while, shook his head slightly and said, "No, Zhongcheng should send them a letter and ask them to go to Yueqing first. After arriving in Yueqing, I will send someone to escort Zhongcheng's family to Fuzhou."
Cheng Tingzhi thought thoughtfully: "Master Shen, don't you go directly to Fuzhou?"
"I will stay in Yueqing for a while to discuss with the new Coastal Commander-in-Chief the establishment of a Coastal Commandery."
"The new capital commander..."
Cheng Tingzhi was stunned for a moment and asked: "Dare I ask Scholar Shen, who is this person..."
"You should wait at Shiliting in front."
Shen Yi smiled and said: "Zhongcheng will see you soon."
Cheng Tingzhi nodded, turned around and got into his carriage, while Shen Yi also returned to his carriage, and the two carriages slowly set off on the road again.
After Mr. Shen got on his carriage, he sat in the carriage and closed his eyes to meditate.
After meditating for a while, he felt around in his arms and found a sign.
A pure gold brand.
There is a whole side of cloud pattern on the back, and the word "朜" written in seal script is cast on the front.
Master Shen took the sign that was delivered to him last night, played with it in his hand, and then murmured in a low voice.