stonecrandall Chapter 6 Cousins
Chapter 6 Cousins
Three days later, the ship slowly docked at the Yangzhou wharf.
Although Wang Min sent a letter to the Sheng family in advance, given the transportation conditions in the Song Dynasty, it was difficult to determine the exact arrival time in advance.
Upon arriving at the dock, naturally no one came to pick me up.
The accompanying servants disembarked first and hired two carriages.
Feng and Wang Youcai disembarked and took a carriage to Yangzhou.
Upon entering Yangzhou, Wang You lifted the carriage curtain to survey the city.
"Yangzhou is indeed much more prosperous than Shouzhou," Wang You remarked.
"Yangzhou is an important city in Jiangnan. Scholar Ouyang and Vice Envoy Han served as prefects of Yangzhou in previous years. Their achievements during their tenure were outstanding, and naturally, the city became prosperous," Madam Feng sighed.
While competence and background are important for an official, the location where one serves is also crucial.
Yangzhou was already a prosperous city, and in recent years two high-ranking officials of the court were demoted to Yangzhou.
Even if the successor officials do nothing, as long as they follow the old rules, their performance evaluations will not be bad.
Wang You thought to himself, "Scholar Ouyang must be Ouyang Xiu, right? As for Minister Han, it's undoubtedly Han Zhang."
The Song Dynasty adopted a system of multiple prime ministers, but the title "Xianggong" in officialdom did not exclusively refer to the prime minister.
Mid- to low-ranking officials respectfully address officials of the third rank in the imperial court as "Xiang Gong" (Prime Minister).
After the failure of the Qingli Reforms, Han Zhang requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital. At that time, he served as the Deputy Privy Councilor, not as a prime minister in the true sense.
Wang You had no idea that both of them would one day serve as prefects of Yangzhou.
In that sense, Sheng Hong was born at the wrong time. If he had come to Yangzhou to take up his post a few years earlier and gained the appreciation of the two men, his wish to retire with honors as a third-rank official would have been easily fulfilled.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Sheng residence. The accompanying servant stepped forward to speak with the gatekeeper, and Madam Feng and Wang You, who was carrying the mountain tiger, got off the carriage.
It's a bit strange, but Shan Jun is lazy by nature. He rarely goes out with Wang You and usually stays in the courtyard.
But on the day he set off, the mountain king seemed to know, and followed him the whole time.
Wang Yourang handed the boy to the maid, and Shan Jun didn't make a fuss, but just looked at him with a wronged expression.
In the end, Wang You softened and brought Shan Jun along.
He was often nagged by Feng for this.
It's usually wealthy ladies and young ladies who love keeping cats and dogs.
Those who kept cats and dogs were almost a symbol of spoiled brats.
Wang You was sensible from a young age and excelled in his studies, which is why his desire to keep a cat was not opposed by Wang Min and Madam Feng.
But who would carry that with them when they go out? Wouldn't people laugh at them?
She was even planning to show off her son after arriving at the Sheng family home.
But when Wang You pleaded, Madam Feng softened her heart.
Madam Feng agreed to take them, but stipulated that they should be cared for by a maid, and that she should say they were raised by her.
Unexpectedly, Shan Jun got seasick and was listless the whole way, clinging to Wang You.
Feng complained about this quite a bit, saying that the name "Shan Jun" was a waste.
However, she also adored the little guy, and despite her stern words, she still let Wang You hold him.
When the gatekeeper learned that his mistress's sister-in-law and nephew had arrived, he quickly sent someone in to announce their arrival and respectfully welcomed Madam Feng and her entourage inside.
"Sister-in-law!"
As soon as they arrived at the front yard, they saw an ordinary-looking woman, supported by a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old, hurrying towards them.
Although they hadn't seen each other for several years, Wang You still recognized the woman; it was none other than Madam Wang.
The young girl beside Madam Wang should be Hua Lan.
The last time he saw Hua Lan was four or five years ago. In just a few years, she seemed to have become a completely different person, and Wang You didn't even recognize her for a moment.
"Little Aunt".
Mrs. Feng greeted them with a smile, and the two held hands with joy on their faces.
"Ever since I received my mother's letter, I've been looking forward to it every day. Finally, my sister-in-law has arrived," said Madam Wang with a smile.
"I also wanted to come earlier, but I have old people and young children at home, and your brother is usually busy with official duties, so I have to take care of the whole family," Madam Feng said with a smile.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two then invited their children to pay their respects.
"Hua Lan greets her aunt. May your aunt be well and your younger brother be safe and sound."
"May Aunt Yi'an, and may my eldest cousin Zhuang'an."
"I haven't seen You-ge'er for several years and he's grown so much. I almost didn't recognize him."
Madam Wang stepped forward, pulled Wang You aside, and looked him over for a while. She laughed and said, "Mother said you're going to take the prodigy exam. You're really promising. You're much better than my Bai-ge'er."
"Stop praising him."
Madam Feng laughed and said, "How can he compare to Brother Bai? Mother-in-law often says that Brother Bai is very much like his father-in-law and will surely amount to something great in the future."
"Don't even mention it. When I heard that Brother You was going to take the prodigy exam, I thought that Brother Bai was not yet fifteen, so he could also participate."
But his father said that Bai Ge'er's knowledge was still shallow, and he would not pass the exam even if he went, which would only delay his studies.
"In this respect alone, he is far inferior to Youge'er," said Madam Wang.
Although the Sheng family was a scholarly family, Madam Wang grew up at her uncle's house.
In terms of knowledge and experience, they are far inferior.
Even if Sheng Changbai were to pass the imperial examination and be selected as a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy, she would still look down on him. She has no idea about the intricacies of the prodigy examination.
Although anyone under the age of fifteen can participate in the prodigy test, the assessment standards differ as one gets older.
At Sheng Changbai's age, he was almost as good as someone who had taken the imperial examinations.
This is the real reason why Sheng Hong didn't allow Sheng Changbai to participate.
But Madam Wang didn't understand. She thought that her nephew was nine years old and could participate, but her son was thirteen. Sheng Hong said that the chances were slim and wouldn't let him participate.
That is, one's own son is not as knowledgeable as one's nephew.
Although she was closer to her son, she was just as close to her nephew, so Madam Wang was still very happy.
"Mother, this is not the place to talk. Aunt and Brother You have had a long journey. Please invite them to sit down and rest in the hall first, and we can catch up later," Hua Lan reminded them.
"Look at me, I was just too happy."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang apologized and quickly invited Madam Feng and Wang You into the main hall.
"Where are Brother Bai and Sister Ru?" Madam Feng asked.
"I was just talking to the old lady about Hua'er's coming-of-age ceremony when I heard that my sister-in-law had arrived, so I rushed out to greet her. I'll have someone go and call them over right away."
Madam Wang gave an instruction to Liu Mama who was standing beside her, and then pulled Feng Shi aside to inquire about her mother's condition and the recent situation of the Wang family.
When two elders chat, the younger generation naturally has no right to interrupt.
Hua Lan, afraid of neglecting Wang You, started chatting with him.
"Is this cat your little brother You's pet?" Hua Lan asked.
"Um."
Wang You patted the mountain tiger's head and said, "It insisted on coming with us, so we had no choice but to bring it along."
"..."
Hua Lan listened to it and always got the feeling that it was the image of a spoiled brat.
The two chatted casually for a while before Sheng Changbai and Rulan walked in.
Sheng Changbai was thirteen or fourteen years old. His face was young, but he gave people a sense of composure.
This composure isn't something you can fake by putting on a stern face and never smiling; it's the feeling you get from your every move.
Hua Lan, standing next to her, kept a straight face the whole time, and even when she smiled, it looked somewhat unnatural, as if she was trying too hard to be dignified.
Of course, this is not meant to belittle Hua Lan. Because she is about to come of age, Hua Lan always tries to project a mature image.
But sometimes, being too deliberate can make things look awkward and out of place.
Rulan looked to be six or seven years old. She wore a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), had her hair styled in two sideburns, and had a round face. Her eyes revealed three parts innocence and seven parts arrogance that came from being pampered.
"Quickly, greet your aunt." Madam Wang waved to the two as they entered.
"Greetings, Aunt. May you be well, Aunt Yi'an."
Sheng Changbai bowed, and Rulan curtsied in return, paying her respects to Madam Feng.
"Okay, okay."
Madam Feng nodded repeatedly and instructed the servants to bring out the gifts she had brought.
She prepared a fine She inkstone for Sheng Changbai and a golden hibiscus-shaped hairpin with pearls for Rulan.
Because Hualan is about to come of age, the gift she received was much more valuable.
In addition to a pair of gold earrings set with rubies, there was also a pair of purple jade bracelets.
Seeing this, Madam Wang exclaimed that it was too expensive.