"Ah? Him? Is he a Xiucai? So deeply hidden? I actually couldn't tell at all," Fang Zichen said.
"No," Lao Wang said: "His father-in-law is a Juren from the 93rd year of the Da Xia Dynasty."
The Tongsheng exam required a candidate to have guarantors. The minimum requirement was one Xiucai and four villagers. However, this was just the baseline. If a candidate was well-connected and could secure a guarantor of a higher status—such as a Juren, a County Magistrate, a Zhuangyuan (top ranked jinshi), a Prime Minister, or even the Emperor himself—that was perfectly acceptable. Having a Xiucai was not an absolute necessity.
Fang Zichen stood up: "Then I'll go find him."
Lao Wang pulled him back, saying: "Don't rush, listen to me finish."
Lao Wang wasn't old in years, but he already had the habits of an elderly person—he loved to chatter. Normally, Fang Zichen could chat with him, but right now it wasn't the time: "It's getting dark, I still need to hurry home for dinner, make it short!"
At this critical juncture, with only a few days left until the imperial exams, and he still hadn't found a guarantor, he didn't seem anxious at all. He even had the mood to be thinking about food. Lao Wang was exasperated at his lack of ambition and shot him a disdainful look, asking: "Which is more important, eating or your imperial exams?"
Fang Zichen fell silent for a moment, his eyes rolling around.
What was the purpose of the imperial exams?
Initially, it was to avoid the military tax, but to be blunt, for some it was about personal ambition, wanting to serve the country and the people, to shine for the Da Xia Dynasty.
Others were simply for climbing the social ladder, to ascend to the seat of power and prestige, wanting silver, wanting to eat well and stay warm, wanting to not have to depend on others or be oppressed.
Fang Zichen hadn't thought about it that much before, nor was he that vulgar. Back then, he was also an upright, positive, and exuberant youth, with an ardent heart eager to serve his homeland for the country and its people.
Right after he arrived here, he even thought that if things got really bad, he could rely on his looks to get by. That was until he went hungry for a night, almost starved to death, and ate a few meals of wild vegetables...
Then he came to his senses.
Now, he just wanted to solve the basic needs of food and clothing first.
Only after being well-fed and clothed could he consider other things.
Now, the family had no silver. Although Zhao Ger had earned some, it was far from enough.
He was the most unlucky time-traveler in history, without a single golden finger. He went from being able to swipe cards freely to having no house, no car, and no savings... If he were in modern times, he'd probably be destined to grow old alone in a nursing home.
But good people get good rewards.
He acted bravely for a just cause, heaven took pity, and he gained a fulang and a son. But his fulang worked hard all day, his backside never got a chance to get intimate with a stool, and his son was as thin as a wild monkey.
Ambition and such should be put aside for now! The primary goal is to eat well and stay warm.
Lao Wang saw him silent for a moment, as if seriously reflecting.
"I still think eating is more important," Fang Zichen said.
"...Skipping one meal won't starve you to death," Lao Wang said irritably.
Fang Zichen pursed his lips.
It wouldn't starve him to death, but it would starve his dear fulang and his adorable little son.
The reason Lao Wang said that was because Yang Mutao's relationship with his father-in-law wasn't very good.
Yang Mutao's wife was the niece of the Old Lady Yang, and his ninth concubine was the daughter of Wu Juren.
Although Wu Juren didn't hold an official post, his disciples were everywhere. He only had one fulang.
It was difficult for a ger to get pregnant, and Wu Juren was famously devoted. His fulang risked his life, and in his lifetime, he only had one son and one daughter.
Wu Juren doted immensely on his only daughter. When she was sixteen, he secretly began looking for a match for her.
That person was a student in his academy, upright in character, honest and, diligent in his studies. He took the exam at nineteen and became a Xiucai. Moreover, his family circumstances were excellent, and his parents were also very easy to get along with.
He originally wanted to match him with his own daughter. Who knew that during the Ghost Festival when she was eighteen, she met Yang Mutao on the street.
[The Ghost Festival: a Taoist and Buddhist festival when the dead are believed to visit the living. It falls on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month.]
Yang Mutao was a businessman, with a very glib tongue, and having traveled north and south, his knowledge was broad.
Miss Wu, a daughter kept in the inner chambers, had never traveled far. The "glamorous world" from Yang Mutao's mouth fascinated her.
Judging from Yang Mingyi's looks, which could rival Fang Zichen's, it could be seen that Yang Mutao was probably not bad-looking in his youth.
Not long after they met, he eloped with Wu Juren's treasured daughter, taking her back to Fu'an Town
At that time, Yang Mutao already had enough concubines at home to make up two tables of mahjong. Furthermore, he came from a merchant background. The family didn't lack food or clothing, but with so many people in the backyard, his daughter was naive and inexperienced, and would likely only be bullied. Wu Juren did not agree.
But not agreeing was useless. Wu Huifang was determined to marry. Her eyes just reddened, and without her even needing to resort to hunger strikes or the tricks of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, Wu Juren would be at a loss.
After Wu Huifang married over, it took several years before she gave birth to a ger for Yang Mutao.
She injured her body during childbirth and passed away less than two years later.
Wu Juren disliked Yang Mutao. Over the years, although he often traveled to Fu'an Town, it was only for the sake of his grandson. He stayed in an inn and never set foot in the Yang residence.
This time, asking Yang Mutao to help, even if he was willing, Wu Juren probably wouldn't be happy to.
Fang Zichen waved his hand: "It's fine, I'll ask Yi Ger to help me."
Lao Wang pondered for a moment and said: "That might work. I've heard that Wu Juren dotes on his grandson immensely. If he is willing to speak for you, Wu Juren should agree."
Once there are many women in the inner courtyard, it easily becomes foul and chaotic, a complete mess.
Yang Mingyi always stayed at Zuixiao Restaurant until evening before returning home.
Fang Zichen waved goodbye to Lao Wang and ran to Zuixiao Restaurant to find Yi Ger.
He rarely asked for help, so Yang Mingyi agreed.
It was already late. With the major issue settled, Fang Zichen hurried home.
Zhao Ger and their son were waiting for him to come home for dinner!
From afar, he could see Guaizai sitting on the threshold of the courtyard gate, his hair a mess.
His two still somewhat sallow little hands were propping up his cheeks, and he was staring fixedly into the distance, as if pondering some profound question.
A high-speed operating CPU needed to dissipate heat through frizzy hair. His hairstyle at the moment was like Einstein's, wild and unrestrained. With the dilapidated adobe house behind him, the withered trees and fallen leaves on the mountain in late autumn, the scene full of desolation added a touch of melancholy to his aura. This little look—if an adult hadn't shouldered a few mortgages or car loans, they couldn't possibly portray this melancholy temperament.
"Son," Fang Zichen called out.
Guaizai's eyes lit up. He ran over, grabbed his hand, looked up with his big head, and said sweetly: "Father is back. Guaizai miss you."
"I miss you too," Fang Zichen said, patting his head.
After dinner in the evening, after putting Guaizai to sleep, Zhao Ger told Fang Zichen that he had already invited the clan elders, the village chief, He Daleng, and Uncle Liu—these four people—to act as his guarantors. But he couldn't find a Xiucai.
Fang Zichen gently smoothed his furrowed brow and said, "It's alright, I've found someone. Don't worry."
If Yang Mingyi was effective, he should get a definite answer tomorrow.
Wu Juren happened to be in Fu'an Town at that moment. After Fang Zichen left, Yang Mingyi had a servant prepare the carriage and set off immediately to find Wu Juren.
Wu Juren doted on him immensely. As soon as Yang Mingyi explained the matter, he immediately wrote a letter by hand and even stamped it with the seal of the Qingwen Academy.
This matter was settled.
Fang Zichen held Zhao Ger and slept soundly, but at He Daleng's house, the clan elder's house, and Uncle Liu's house, it was chaos.
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