Turning the tide in the Red Chamber

Chapter 4 [004] Jiangnan Lin girl is here
Jia Chen was stunned, but he was slightly happy. It seems that Jia Dairu wanted to introduce himself to Jia Zheng!
I am only thirteen years old this year, and want to get ahead without the protection of a senior elder?Pure daydreaming!

And Jia Zheng is the only reliable elder in Ning Rong's two mansions, apart from Jia's mother.

Jia Zheng, courtesy name Cunzhou, is the highest authority in Rongguo Mansion except Jia Mu, but like Jia Mu, he does not often manage the big and small affairs of the mansion.

He is upright and upright, humble and kind, with a clear reputation, respects the virtuous and corporal, helps the weak and helps the weak, and has a great ancestral style, but he is lost in pedantry.

He wanted to be a good official, but he didn't understand the world. He just bowed and bowed, and sat all day long as a clay sculpture. He was deceived many times and made his reputation notorious.

For such a pedantic and incompetent person, Jia Chen couldn't say that he disliked him.

At least Jia Zheng's character is not bad, but his ability is not good, and he is always prudish, full of benevolence and morality, and high-sounding, but when he is drunk, he will reveal his secrets, sometimes he will slip up and make some unscrupulous jokes.

Jia Chen followed Jia Dairu to Rongxi Hall, where Jia Zheng was fighting against several Qing guests reciting poems.

When he saw Jia Dairu coming to the door, Jia Zheng got up and gave a salute, then gave up his seat sideways, and said pleasantly:

"Master Xueli, you are a rare visitor, please sit down!"

Jia Dairu smiled and said:
"Master Zheng, great joy from heaven, our Jia family has produced a good seedling who is studying!"

Jia Zheng was taken aback when he heard the words, looked at Jia Chen beside Jia Dairu, and asked with a smile:

"Grandpa is talking about this handsome young man? Our Jia family has many branches, and I can't recognize them all, but I don't know which family he is from? What is his name?"

Jia Dairu said:

"This is the only son of Jia Xun and Jia Lao Liu, whose surname is Jia Mingchen."

Jia Zheng frowned slightly, showing displeasure on his face, Jia Yan was regarded as his distant cousin, but died of Hualiu's disease, it was really indecent and humiliating.

Seeing Jia Zheng's expression of displeasure, Jia Dairu knew that he hated Jia Yan, so he quickly praised:
"Jia Chen has already memorized the Four Books and Five Classics at a very young age. He is truly a unique young talent in our Jia family!"

Jia Zheng's face paled, and he asked in surprise, "How old is Chen'er this year? Can he memorize so many books?"

Jia Chen saluted and said, "Master Huizheng, my nephew is thirteen years old."

Jia Zheng's eyelids trembled, and he gasped.

The faces of the Qing customers around also changed greatly, and they sighed endlessly.

Jia Zheng wondered if Jia Dairu was too old-fashioned, or if he was deceived by Jia Chen to speak such unbelievable big words.

"Grandfather has already passed Chen'er's school exam?" Jia Zheng asked suspiciously.

Jia Dairu smiled and said:
"I asked him three questions, and he answered them all fluently. It really opened my eyes and I was overjoyed."

Jia Zheng looked Jia Chen up and down suspiciously, and said:
"Then I'll test you again."

Jia Chen said calmly, "Master Zheng please come up with a question."

Jia Zheng paced back and forth a few steps, stroked his goatee, pondered for a while, and asked:

"A peacock flies southeast, wandering about five miles away. Thirteen can weave vegetables, fourteen learns to tailor clothes. Fifteen plays the harp, sixteen recites poems and books. Seventeen is a gentleman's wife, and his heart is always bitter. Since the king is a government official, Keeping the chastity will not change. The concubine stays in a vacant room and sees each other rarely. What is the second half?"

Jia Chen blurted out:

"The cock crows into the weaving machine, and there is no rest every night. If five horses are cut in three days, the adults think it is too late. If it is not late for weaving, the wife of the monarch will be hard! Send them back in time."

Jia Zheng's eyes lit up, he clapped his hands and praised:
"Okay! Word for word, nothing wrong!"

Jia Dairu pursed his lips a few times, and couldn't help reminding:
"Master Zheng, this is not the content in the Four Books and Five Classics, but "The Peacock Flies Southeast" in "Han Yue Fu"."

"Uh" Jia Zheng was speechless immediately, the corners of his lips twitched slightly, his face flushed slightly from embarrassment, he coughed lightly and said:

"I misremembered, I thought it was a passage from the Book of Songs."

The Qing guests around couldn't help laughing, but they were moths who depended on Jia's house for survival, cheating food and drink in Jia's house, so they couldn't dare to offend Jia Zheng, so they could only squeeze their lips tightly and hold back.

His face was flushed from holding back, and he didn't dare to show a smile.

Embarrassed, Jia Zheng hurriedly changed the subject, scanned the crowd, and asked:

"You are all well-educated people, can you comment on my nephew's talents and learning?"

Qingke Zhan Guang hastily flattered him:

"My nephew is quick in thinking and memorized in his extensive knowledge. He is really a role model for us scholars!"

Shan Pinren on the side immediately echoed:

"Brother Zhan said it is true. Mr. Chen is well-educated and talented. It is really admirable."

Not to be outdone, Cheng Rixing said with a flattering smile:

"Mr. Chen is so talented that he will be famous in the capital one day. He will rise to the top and become a marquis and prime minister. He will surely shine on the lintel of Jia's family and live up to the glory of his ancestors."

The rest of the Qing guests also flattered and flattered them one after another.

Although they were trying to please Jia Zheng, they thought that Jia Chen was very talented, and he had already memorized the Four Books and Five Classics at a young age, even if he was called a prodigy, he would not be too much.

Hearing the praises of the Qing guests, Jia Zheng was so intoxicated that he was intoxicated.

When the Qing guests praised Jia Chen, it was equivalent to flattering him as an uncle.

Jia Zheng likes to listen to these flattery words the most, and these so-called clean-ups become Jia Zheng's guests only by flattering their horses, flattering them, and making fun of them.

In fact, most of these Qingkes were not even children. They just relied on studying for a few years to do what they liked. Jia's house eats and drinks.

Jia Chen is disgusted with these vampires parasitic on the Jia family, but now they have Jia Zheng's support, Jia Chen has nothing to say for the time being, and can only clean up the house when he takes over the power of the Jia family in the future.

Jia Zheng smiled triumphantly and said:
"Everyone is overrated. Chen'er must not be arrogant and arrogant. He must be vigilant day and night, and work hard day and night to strive for an early entry on the gold list, so as to comfort the souls of Ning Rong and Er Gong."

Jia Chen saluted again:
"Little nephew will keep this in mind, and will definitely live up to Master Zheng's expectations."

Jia Zheng nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile:
"It's too rare to call Mr. Zheng, you can call me Second Uncle."

"Okay, Second Uncle!" Jia Chen called out instead.

Jia Zheng felt relieved, although Jia Chen was not taught by him, but after all he is a distant relative of the Rong Mansion, so he still feels honored.

Then think about his ineffective son Jia Baoyu, who is far behind Jia Chen.

How good would it be if Jia Chen was his son?
Jia Zheng sighed in his heart, looked at Jia Dairu, and asked with concern:
"Chen'er hasn't taken the county test yet, right?"

The county test is the first test in the children's test, and only if you pass it can you get the qualification for the government test.

Jia Dairu said: "Not yet."

Jia Zhengyu exhorted earnestly:

"It's not easy for our Jia family to produce such an amazingly talented young man, so we must cultivate it carefully."

Jia Dairu fully agreed:

"That's natural. It's just a matter of the county examination registration. We still need to ask Mr. Zheng for help."

The county examination has an extremely strict registration process. In addition to registering with the county ceremonial house, filling in the name, place of origin, age, and three-generation resumes, it is also necessary to obtain the county's life insurance certificate to ensure that there is no false identity, concealment, replacement, False names, clean net worth, and non-official descendants of Youzhuan Zaoli are allowed to take the exam.

Jia Zheng immediately said: "Don't worry about this matter, I will personally guarantee Chen'er."

Jia Dairu smiled and said: "If so, then I can rest assured."

Jia Chen saluted, "Thank you, Second Uncle, for being my guarantor."

Jia Zheng laughed and said:

"You don't need to say thank you, you don't need to talk about two families, if you can pass the imperial examination, it will be the glory of our Jia family!"

While talking, a servant suddenly ran in from the outside and said:

"Second Master, Miss Lin, the daughter of Master Lin's family in the south of the Yangtze River, has disembarked at the Tongzhou Wharf. Along with her is a Jinshi Master surnamed Jia and nicknamed Yucun.

Miss Lin knew the book and was polite, so she first sent a servant to the mansion to report. "

Jia Zheng hurriedly ordered:
"Yu'er came from a long way, trekking through mountains and rivers, the journey is tiring, so send a sedan chair to meet her."

"Yes!" The boy took the order and left.

Jia Dairu said: "Master Zheng has his family members visiting, and this old man is inconvenient here, so I will take my leave first."

Jia Zheng stayed behind and said:
"It's rare for the grandfather to come to the door once, and he also cultivated Chen'er, a young talent. It can be said that he has made great achievements. It is almost noon, please stay and have dinner with Chen'er!"

(End of this chapter)