After Lu Weirui came to Chenjiawu, Chen Caozhi breathed a sigh of relief, because since late June, except for the eight major gentry families in the county, almost all common people with high status and considerable land have hired matchmakers.
I came to Chenjiawu to propose marriage, saying that this girl is beautiful and that girl is smart, and is the perfect match for Mr. Chen. Even Liu Shangzhi’s father, Patriarch Liu, personally came to the house to betroth his niece to Chen Caozhi——
Not only Qiantang County, but also nearby Yuhang, Yuji, Shanyin, Jiaxing, and even Wujuncheng have matchmakers from afar. The one in Wujuncheng must be a bold and passionate girl who once gave a sachet to Chen Caozhi.
, begged his father and brother to hire someone to act as a matchmaker.
At the end of June and the beginning of July, there were several matchmakers coming to the door every day. They were treated to a meal with good wine and food from the county, and those from other counties had to arrange for them to have a night's rest. Laifu's wife Zeng Yuhuan added a lot of work.
, Fortunately, I was in a happy mood. Every day I saw matchmakers coming to Chenjiawu in cars and on foot. Zeng Yuhuan, his eldest daughter-in-law Zhao, and her pregnant second daughter-in-law Huang guessed whose matchmaker this was. Sometimes in the banquet hall
There were several matchmakers sitting there having dinner, staring at each other as if they were enemies.
Feng Mengxiong's wife, Sun, heard the news and took her daughter Feng Lingbo to visit Chen's mother again in the name of family friendship.
If Lu Weirui hadn't come this time, Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, would have been swayed by those eloquent matchmakers who even wanted to defeat Zhang Yi and Su Qin. She would have inevitably urged Chen Caozhi to make an early decision.
Extreme filial piety is really very embarrassing, but now, Chen's mother, Li, has been in trouble. Miss Lu is so beautiful and gentle, and even gave her a "hand bow" gift, even though she knew that it would be difficult to marry a girl from the Lu family.
, but since Chou'er is in love with Miss Lu, she, as a mother, must not separate the two of them. No matter how difficult it is, she must let her son fight for it——
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, thought to herself: "My eldest daughter-in-law, Ding Youwei, of the Chen family in the west building, is so outstanding. The ugly girl is even more talented and beautiful than Qing. Maybe she can really marry a girl from the Lu family."
So Chen's mother Li made up her mind and declined all those matchmakers. The only person who made Chen's mother Li feel guilty was Feng Lingbo. This girl had a good temperament and appearance, and Feng Mengxiong was a close friend of Chen Caozhi's late father. She was a good match, but
Now, Chen's mother Li Shi recognizes Feng Lingbo as her adopted daughter, truly worthy of Chen Cao's brother and sister.
Although Feng's wife, Mrs. Sun, was unhappy, she had not heard of any family that Chen Caozhi was engaged to, neither in this county nor in other counties, so she felt a little better. She went back and said to Feng Mengxiong: "I am a matchmaker for Chen Caozhi."
When people cross the threshold of Chenjiawu, Mother Chen refuses them all, and even my Ling Bo doesn't like them. It seems that Chen Caozhi wants to catch up with the noble girls."
Feng Mengxiong smiled and said: "With Cao Zhi's current reputation, it is not impossible to marry a girl from the noble family. Didn't Qing Zhi marry a girl from the Ding family back then?"
Feng's wife, Mrs. Sun, muttered: "That won't have any good consequences." The matter was over, and the marriage with the Chen family was never mentioned again.
On June 24th, Xie Daoyun sent a letter to ask Chen's mother whether Li Shi was well. She also said that her third uncle Xie An was worried about the Northern Expedition and went to Huainan at the beginning of the month to make suggestions for her fourth uncle Xie Wan. He did not seek merit but sought no fault.
Dao Siji had a chat with Zizhong in Wu County, and they will come to Chenjiawu again with his younger brother Youdu in the cool autumn——
Along with the letter came the "Dongshan Silk and Bamboo Picture" painted recently by Xie Daoyun. It is surrounded by mountains and pavilions. It depicts the scene of Xie An and his guests playing. The composition and color are of a very high standard. Chen Caozhi felt that he was not as good as him.
Chen Caozhi had no painting in return, but the two paintings he was quite satisfied with were "Fog Rises from Jiuyao Mountain" and "Picture of Plumed Clothes and Roses". Because Lu Weirui liked it, he gave it to Lu Weirui, and he immediately wrote a reply and included the newly compiled "
A volume of Ice and Snow Essays with dozens of articles was asked by Jian Pu to take it back. After thinking about it, he drew a corner of the chessboard with a quill and wrote out a life-or-death question for Xie Jian Pu to take with him to Xie Daoyun.
Chen Caozhi said something strange about Xie Daoyun's visit after Qiu Liang. Is Xie Daoyun still free to roam around? It's not easy to ask Xie's healthy servant whether Xie Daoyun and Wang Ningzhi are engaged? Wang Ningzhi is twenty-five or six years old. If they are engaged,
, I should be able to apply for it soon, I’ll welcome you in person.
Thinking of Xie Daoyun's words of lifelong friendship, Chen Caozhi was stunned. It is every man's dream to have a confidante like Xie Daoyun, a loving wife and a tired friend, is that okay?
In the afternoon of the second day of July, Chen Xian's eldest son Chen Shang returned from Jiankang. Chen Xian and Chen Shang's father and son set off for the capital after the Dragon Boat Festival. It has been two months now. The whole family is worried about it, and no one else except Chen Caozhi knows about it.
Why did the patriarch and his son go to the capital?
As soon as Chen Shang came back, he first went to the south building to say hello to his mother. Before he could talk to his two brothers, he came to see Chen Caozhi.
People need experience. Chen Shang never left his hometown before, and Wu Jun only went there once with his father. He read thousands of miles of books and traveled thousands of miles. No matter how many books he read in a cramped village, he was just a little Confucian. This
The next time I went to Jiankang with my father, I saw the majestic mountains and rivers, and visited many dignitaries who were only famous before. I gained a lot of knowledge and my temperament became calmer and more sophisticated.
Chen Shang first greeted Chen's mother, Mrs. Li. Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, asked Chen Shang and his fourth uncle what important matters they had in Jiankang these two months. Chen Shang responded vaguely, and Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, did not ask in depth. Chen Shang immediately stood up and talked to Chen Shang.
Cao Zhi went to the study to have a secret talk. The two sat across the desk from each other. Xiao Chan served tea and then left.
Chen Caozhi said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, third brother. The round trip is more than two thousand miles, and the journey will take more than a month. Is fourth uncle still staying in Jiankang?"
Chen Shang couldn't hide his excitement and said: "Yes, my father is staying in Jiankang and will come back when the weather gets cooler. I will go to Jiankang again in a few days -" The conversation changed and he spoke in a seemingly
Qian Shi said in a cheerful tone: "Sixteenth brother, it's so hard for you to hide this from me. On the way to Jiankang, my father never told me what happened. It wasn't until I saw Jiankang City that my father told me about this important event.
, I have suffered all the way, and dad said it was a test for me, so that I can develop my patience——"
When Chen Caozhi saw that Chen Shang was so calm and was not in a hurry to tell the result, he knew that there must be good news, so he smiled and said: "The third brother is also trying to temper my brother's patience now."
Chen Shang smiled heartily, raised his eyebrows lightly, and said in a deep voice: "Sixteenth brother, dad asked me to come back first to tell you that I, the Chen family of Qiantang, are expected to be naturalized as nobles. When my father and I arrived in Jiankang, Xi joined the army and had not yet returned to his aunt.
, when my father went to see Jia Bi's brother Jia Lingshi with Xi Canjun's letter, he happened to meet Xi Canjun. Xi Canjun praised his sixteenth brother very much, saying that a talented person in this world must not be relegated to the bottom, and asked Jia Lingshi to try to restore Yingchuan.
The Chen family is a member of the Qian and Tang dynasties——"
Chen Caozhi nodded. The Chen family in Yingchuan was originally a wealthy family, and the idea of restoring their scholar status was more convincing.
Chen Shang continued: "Jia Lingshi has carefully studied the changes in aristocratic families since the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is very familiar with the gentry in the Central Plains and the gentry who migrated to the south. He looked at my family history and family history, pondered for a long time, and analyzed the current gentry in detail with my father.
In terms of the situation, in terms of clan status, there are three major clans in Yingchuan: the Xun clan, the Chen clan and the Yu clan. The Chen clan is still ranked above the Yu clan in Yingchuan. Today's major clans are the Langya Wang clan, the Taiyuan Wang clan, and the Gaoping Xi clan.
Their fame only became famous during the Huan and Ling reigns of the Later Han Dynasty. The Xie family of Chen County was a latecomer. During the Han and Wei dynasties, the real aristocratic families such as the Fan Yang Lu family, the Boling Cui family, the Hongnong Yang family, and the Hedong Pei family all remained.
In the north, they did not cross the Yangtze River to go south. These large clans lived together in groups, were deeply rooted, and had many tribes. Whether it was the Xiongnu Liu Yuan, the Jie Zhao Shile, or the Murong clan who now occupied the Central Plains, they tried their best to win over these large clans, so
It is said that most of the real big families that have been passed down for hundreds of years are still in the north. Those who crossed south were some emerging families that were closely related to Emperor Yuan. These families had little foundation in the north, but they gained more status by following them southward, while others
The big northern families who crossed the river, such as the Chenliu Ruan family, the Yingchuan Xun family, and the Langya Zhuge family, were not reused and were reduced to second-class noble families. Some branches even became common people and poor families. I, the Chen family of Qiantang, was one of them.
."
Chen Shang talked for a long time, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and then said: "These are not Jia Lingshi's original words. There are some words that Jia Lingshi would not say so clearly, such as new tribes and old tribes. Wouldn't that offend people?" I summed it up after listening to Jia Lingshi’s words and reading the Genealogy of Surnames compiled by Jia Lingshi.”
Chen Cao said: "What the third brother said is absolutely true. For the Sima family, they are reluctant to let those powerful clan clans cross the river. They are afraid of endangering their imperial power. It is more secure to support new clan clans, so they are blocking it." There are many refugee clan commanders in Huainan and Huaibei, and these people have become a barrier for Jiangzuo - Third brother, how will Jia Lingshi help me, the Chen family, to restore their status as a scholar?"
Chen Shangdao: "Jia Lingshi said that it was extremely difficult for a poor family to become a scholar. Even the emperor was unable to promote a Han family to a noble family, because this would shake the foundation of the noble family and break the rules. The Jiangzuo Qiao family and the Sanwu family would both be People are criticizing, so it is extremely difficult to say that the difficulty is extremely difficult. Fortunately, the Chen family in Qiantang is not a poor family with no origins, but is the successor of Chen Changwen. Chen Changwen is so famous that no one knows it among the gentry today. The nine-level Zhongzheng system has benefited the gentry. In fact, the descendants of Duke Chang Wen have become common people, which makes the gentry all over the world lose face. Of course, just promoting the Qiantang and Chen family to become gentry will still put too much pressure on them, and many people will find fault, such as Questioning the authenticity of our clan, criticizing the low official status of my father and ancestors, etc., this requires us to unite with other old clans who have been reduced after the southern migration to create momentum and restore these old clans to scholar status at the same time. In my Chen family Before meeting Jia Lingshi, the Mei family of Runan, the Sun family of Langya, the Zheng family in Xingyang, the Liu family in Zhucheng, and the Lu family in Fanyang all came to ask for Jia Lingshi, and some even went to Situ Mansion to see Sima Yu, the great Situ, and asked. Restoration of scholar status - Jia Lingshi's intention is to gather together these old tribes in the North who are now poor, and apply to the Situ Mansion together to request court approval and request to be included in the scholar status. The hope of becoming a scholar is great."
Chen Caozhi nodded and said: "Very good, Jia Lingshi's method is feasible. By the way, third brother, is the Langya Sun clan the Sun Tai clan?"
Chen Shangdao: "Exactly, I came back this time to ask Sun Tai to go to Beijing together. Sun Tai is a high disciple of Du Taoist priests and has many followers in Jiankang. The Sun family of Langya is also a noble family in the north. The family after crossing the river has no permanent property. Scholars His name is unknown, and Du Zigong thought that he had tried to seek admission to the gentry for the Langya Sun clan, but failed, so for this naturalization of the gentry, if he invites Sun Tai to go with him, it will give him a better chance of winning."
Chen Caozhi frowned slightly, Sun Tai, Sun En's uncle and nephew will start a chaos that will destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty more than thirty years later, but now Sun En has not been born yet, and Sun Tai is only a disciple of Tianshi Tao, and he is still from a poor family. We can't blame Sun Tai for the chaos that hasn't happened yet. Since Chen Caozhi's soul has merged into this world, something must have changed——
Chen Cao said: "Well, the third brother is going to be affected."
Chen Shang said excitedly: "This is the most important event for our family. If we successfully become a scholar, all the ancestors of the Chen family will be glorious, and future generations will benefit from it. My hard work is nothing, and after becoming a scholar, In the Qiyun Mountain Gathering of the following year, Brother Mo and Brother Tan can participate as members of the noble clan, and their grades will be six or above. The Sixteenth Brother can also be re-ranked. With the talent and reputation of the Sixteenth Brother, how can he be ranked the second grade? Disaster."
Chen Caozhi asked: "Third brother, what did fourth uncle give the order? Can this be announced to the clan now?"
Chen Shangdao: "Father has told me not to tell the clan members until the naturalization is confirmed. Now I am only talking about seeking an official position for me."
After chatting for a while, Chen Shang returned to the South Tower before realizing that the sun was setting. After a while, another letter came, which was written by Xi Chao to Chen Caozhi. Xi Chao's cursive calligraphy was inherited from his ancestor, Sikong Xi Jianhe.
My father Xi Min's calligraphy style is superb and elegant, with smooth writing style and elegant style. There is not a single word in the letter about helping Chen family become a scholar.
He also asked Chen Caozhi if he had seen Xie An of Dongshan and whether the old monk of Qiguang Temple had paid tribute to him?
After Chen Caozhi read the letter, he asked Chen Shang: "Did Xi Canjun tell you how to reply to the letter?"
Chen Shang shook his head and said: "Xi Canjun only said that he hopes to see you again soon, and we will talk to you all night long by the candlelight."
After a night of silence, Chen Shang rushed to Du Mansion to see Sun Tai early the next morning. Sun Tai was quite dissatisfied with Chen Caozhi and was very indifferent to Chen Shang at first. But when he heard that he was joining the gentry, he was overjoyed and
Invite Chen Shang to go with him to meet his father-in-law Du Zigong.
After listening to Chen Shang's narration of Jia Bizhi's words, Du Zigong nodded slightly and asked, "Who introduced the Chen family of Qiantang to Jia Bizhi?"
Chen Shang hesitated for a moment, then said truthfully: "It's Xi Jinping who is joining the army."
Du Zigong said with a smile: "There are rumors in Wu County that Xi Jingbin, who is extremely virtuous, met Chen Cao, one of Jiangzuo Weijie, and talked all night long. It seems that the rumors are true. Xi Jingbin really cherishes Chen Caozhi's talent and wants to help Qian Tang and Chen Cao."
"Registered as a scholar, it means that Chen Caozhi will join the Xifu in the future -" he turned to Sun Tai and said: "Jingyuan, if the Sun family of Langya can be re-registered as a scholar this time, you should thank Chen Caozhi well."
That's right, if it weren't for the help of guest Xi, how could Jia Lingshi help so wholeheartedly!"
Sun Tai looked weak on the outside, but felt quite uncomfortable in his heart.
Du Zigong said: "It's not too late. Even if we set off for Jiankang tomorrow, I will accompany you. We will definitely succeed this time."
Sun Tai and Chen Shang were both overjoyed. Du Zigong's reputation in Jiangzuo was extremely high. Although this reputation was not the reputation of a celebrity, the influence of Tianshi Tao was huge. With Du Zigong going with him, it would be much safer.
