newbobooks Chapter 163 Backer
Chapter 163 Backer
Chen Cui was speechless. She wanted her sons to get married later so that they would be relatively mature physically and mentally, which would help their future marriage life. But she did not say that they had to complete their studies before getting married.
They all said that they would only consider starting a family after passing the provincial examination, as if passing the imperial examination was a piece of cake for them, and that passing the provincial examination was a sure thing!
Don’t you see how many old scholars have been trying to get the title of Juren, and some have even turned gray in their beards. If the imperial examination was really that easy, there wouldn’t be so many people wasting half their lives in vain.
Is it because these three people had such smooth sailing in the exams that they have such arrogant ideas?
Chen Cui couldn't help but reflect on whether she had gone too far in secretly supporting and helping them along the way and reducing obstacles to the imperial examinations, which made them a little ignorant of the immensity of the world!
However, she did not regret doing so. If she had the opportunity to get some convenience during the provincial examination, she would still find ways to work hard for her son.
The road to the imperial examination in ancient times was far more cruel than the modern exam-oriented education. At that time, family background, status and personal connections played a big role in the imperial examination, and this role was more obvious in the upper class.
Some information that is mysterious and rare to the lower-class people is almost semi-public in the upper-class circles. Many resources will only circulate within a certain range and are difficult for outsiders to know.
Therefore, the children of officials' families, because they have the support of their fathers, grandfathers and in-laws, often have a smoother process in the imperial examinations, avoid many detours and have a smoother path to becoming an official. However, the children of common people lack resources, and only a very small number of them can succeed.
Their family was originally from the grassroots level, and it was not easy for them to achieve what they have today, and a lot of it was thanks to her support.
But now they have not really escaped from the bottom of the social ladder. However, if they want to truly cross the circle, the next generation or even the next generation must continue to work hard, so the choice of in-laws is particularly important.
Although nepotism is despised by many people, it cannot be denied that it is a relatively effective way to expand one's own power.
Moreover, girls from different backgrounds have different perspectives and insights, which also involves the future education methods and approaches for their children, which are crucial to the entire family.
From this perspective, Chen Cui agreed with her sons' ideas, but she did not agree with their idea of getting married after passing the imperial examination.
But no matter what, it was a good thing that the children had this determination. She couldn't rashly say something to undermine their self-confidence, so she expressed her agreement and understanding of their ideas, and then went to wash up with a feeling of depression.
Since her son had no such idea, Chen Cui did not bother to find out the details of the so-called Ning family.
Three days later, when matchmaker Xu came to the door again, Chen Cui rejected her with her own words: the master had predicted that her son should not get married early, and that he should not talk about marriage until he was at least 20 years old!
Even though Chen Cui gave her another red envelope and politely sent it out, Matchmaker Xu still had a sullen look on her face. She knew that what Mrs. Chen said was just an excuse. She just liked the Ning family. Who would wait until he was twenty to get married if they had a good son?
Two days later, Chen Cui went to visit the palace and told Zhang Ruomei about this as if it were a joke. She also mentioned the bold words of her sons. Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly laughed.
Chen Cui didn't understand what she meant, but Zhang Ruomei did not hide it and told her directly that someone had asked her to propose marriage to Changping.
Chen Cui smiled bitterly: What kind of thing is this? How come all of them happened at the same time?
Zhang Ruomei quickly explained, "If that's the case, I'll go and tell the other party that it's just as you said. The master said it's not advisable to get married early. It's over with just saying that. It's not a big deal."
When Chen Cui heard this, she knew that the other party probably didn't come from a well-connected family, and she didn't know how they got attached to Mrs. Zhang and proposed marriage through her. Unfortunately, her sons had great ambitions and didn't have the heart to do so, and she didn't want to be a mother who held them back.
"I'm sorry to trouble you. These kids are really stubborn. They only care about studying and taking exams, and don't care about anything else. To be honest, I'm happy and worried at the same time. I'll be worried about the future!"
"What's the big deal? To be honest, I hope that Brother Yun can have this drive in the future and make a name for himself in the imperial examinations. It's better to build a career first and then start a family. It's better than being young and ignorant and ruining your future!"
Zhang Ruomei's son was only three years old, but she had often imagined his future. She simply hoped that he would be successful in the imperial examinations and have a foothold in officialdom.
Chen Cui smiled and said, "How can it be the same? Brother Yun is born in your belly, which is a great blessing. His future is limitless. There is no need for you to worry about him!"
It was only last year that she found out that Zhang Ruomei's maiden family, the Zhang family, was not just an ordinary wealthy family in Shu, but a large family with a profound heritage. Although most of the family members were still engaged in business, there were also many who studied and worked as officials.
Every official must have the "three similarities", namely: fellow townsman, fellow schoolmate, and fellow seniority.
The relationship between these "three similarities" may not be very strong, but they have built a network of relationships in officialdom and can help each other at critical moments.
The fact that Wang Hengzhi was able to reach the position of fifth-rank Tongzhi at a young age was related to his own talents, but it was also due to the help of his connections.
More importantly, one of Zhang Ruomei's cousins married into the Shu King's Palace as a concubine and gave birth to two sons. It is said that they and their sons were highly valued by the Shu King.
The fruit canning and hotpot businesses they jointly run were thanks to the care of this concubine, who stamped them with the imprint of the Shu Palace, which dissuaded those who had ulterior motives from doing so, and the business has been running smoothly in the past few years.
After all, although the King of Shu was not very favored, he was the emperor's own son after all. Who would dare to snatch food from his mouth?
Zhang Ruomei gave 30% of the profits from these two businesses to Concubine Zhang, and asked someone to deliver them to the palace every year as a sign of her sincerity.
After Chen Cui knew about this, she felt very sorry and thought that the 30% could not all come from Zhang Ruomei, so she offered to pay 10% as well.
But Zhang Ruomei disagreed: "You are getting what you deserve, so just keep it. I have a lot of property, and what I give to the concubine is just a small part of it, it's nothing."
Chen Cui gained a new understanding of the Zhang family's wealth, and was once again grateful that she met the kind-hearted Zhang Ruomei.
Having lived in ancient times for so long, she has a deeper understanding of the darkness of society. If she had been replaced by someone with a crooked heart, he might have kicked her out after getting the prescription and kept it for himself, or even tried to harm her to prevent future troubles.