Binghao Passes the Imperial Examination

Leaving the Qi family residence, Jiaoyan headed straight back home. She first went to the east wing to check on Gu Chenren, finding that although he was still weak, his spirits were fair. She also asked Mrs. Li and learned that Gu Chenren had not suffered any more bouts of stomach upset during the morning, which finally set Jiaoyan's mind at ease.

"You don't need to take the medicine quite so often now; three times a day will be enough. My master will come over again tomorrow to see if we need to change the prescription. Also, give your Fifth Uncle a little salted water to drink—don't give him plain water directly," Jiaoyan instructed before leaving the east wing and returning to her own house.

Mrs. Feng was busy cooking when she saw Jiaoyan return and asked, "How is your Fifth Uncle?"

"He's all right, seems to have no major problems now. He just needs to rest and recover properly," Jiaoyan answered casually, then sat down on a small stool to help her mother tend the fire.

"Sigh, what kind of fate does your Fifth Uncle have? He had to fall ill right when he went for the examinations. All these years of studying have gone to waste just like that. Who knows if there will even be that prefectural examination next year? If there is, fine; if not, we'll have to wait several years," Mrs. Feng sighed.

In the south, the prefectural examinations were held twice every three years, but in the north, the scholarly atmosphere was not as strong, so they were generally held once every three years. Mrs. Feng was not very familiar with the north and therefore unaware of this. Jiaoyan was also rather unclear about it, so she shook her head as she sat there. "Who knows? At worst, we just wait three years, it's no big deal."

"Sigh, you can't just say it's no big deal. Back then, the He family took a fancy to your Fifth Uncle's talent, believing he would surely pass as a xiucai and continue along the imperial examination path. Now that your Fifth Uncle hasn't passed, who knows if there will be any changes to the engagement? Let's hope nothing happens, otherwise, your Fifth Uncle will be completely ruined," Mrs. Feng thought a bit more deeply, and talking about this, she could not help sighing.

Jiaoyan paused in her stoking of the fire. Indeed, whether this marriage engagement would hold up now was truly hard to say. It would be fine if the He family were honorable and the betrothal still stood; otherwise, her Fifth Uncle would never be able to turn his fortunes around.

"Mother, you're overthinking it. When the engagement was first made, my Fifth Uncle was only a minor scholar; no one guaranteed he would definitely pass as a xiucai. If the He family breaks off the engagement just because my Fifth Uncle didn't pass, then they would be in the wrong. Besides, once a settled engagement is broken, the He family's daughter won't find a good match in the future either," Jiaoyan said, curling her lips.

"Forget it, let's not dwell on it. How are we supposed to know what the He family is thinking?" Mrs. Feng shook her head, dropping the subject, and lowered her head to dish out the vegetables from the pot.

"Go tell your father and your brothers to come back for dinner. Everyone has been working hard lately; eat and rest a little afterwards," Mrs. Feng said as she tidied the table and told Jiaoyan to go call the men.

Just as Jiaoyan stepped out of the Gu family's main gate, she saw Wensheng driving a carriage back, pulling up right in front of the gate. Wensheng didn't even take time to tether the horse; he rushed straight into the courtyard. "Grandfather, Grandmother, Little Aunt's husband has passed the xiucai examination! Little Aunt's husband has passed the xiucai examination!" Wensheng shouted as soon as he entered the yard.

Jiaoyan was momentarily stunned. So it was Little Aunt's husband who had passed the examination, and Wensheng had rushed back to deliver the good news. Unfortunately, her Fifth Uncle hadn't passed this time, and she wondered if he would fall into deep despair because of it. Jiaoyan turned her head and ran toward the place where her father was working. Finding Gu Chenyong, she told him the news that Jiang Binghao had passed the xiucai examination.

Gu Chenyong, his brothers, and the old grandfather were all working. Upon hearing this, everyone was quite pleased. They packed up their tools and hurried back home. When they returned to the Gu family, Wensheng was already telling Mrs. Li and Mrs. Wu about the lively celebration at the Jiang household that morning. "Early this morning, the messengers delivering the good news arrived at Little Aunt's husband's house. When I dropped Little Aunt and Little Aunt's husband off at home, there were already quite a few people gathered around the Jiang house to congratulate them."

"Heaven bless us, Binghao has passed. Good, good." Although Mrs. Li said it was good, tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. If Gu Chenren hadn't fallen ill, he probably could have passed this year as well. But now, Gu Chenren was still lying on the kang bed; how could she, as a mother, not feel a pang in her heart?

The grandfather naturally thought of his own son as well. "Forget it, don't dwell on that. This is all fate, destined as such, and no one can force it. Here, quickly prepare some congratulatory gifts, and let the eldest son deliver them this afternoon. This is a joyous occasion for the Jiang family; we must not be negligent." The grandfather was a man, and even if he felt sorrow inside, he would not show it. Being very thorough in his thoughts, he instructed Mrs. Li accordingly.

No matter what, with the son-in-law passing the xiucai examination, the Gu family still saved some face. Mrs. Li wiped away her tears and nodded, "I understand, I'll go prepare them right away."

Since it was just noon and time for a meal, everyone went indoors to eat. Gu Chenyong went to check on Gu Chenren before returning to the western courtyard with Jiaoyan. Coincidentally, Wenshi and Wenqi also returned from the mountain, and the whole family hurried to eat their meal.

Gu Chenzhong went to deliver the congratulatory gifts to the Jiang family, and how the Jiang family celebrated need not be repeated. Suffice it to say that although Gu Chenren felt distressed inside, he had managed to hold onto his life and thus let go of his obsession with the examinations. Under everyone's persuasion, he rested and recuperated in peace. A few days later, his physical condition had recovered quite well, and he was able to get out of bed and walk around.

In the blink of an eye, it was already September. Gu Chenren had recovered physically, but his heart remained gloomy and depressed, devoid of any joy. Having suffered a severe illness, Gu Chenren had grown much thinner, and coupled with his melancholic mood, despite Mrs. Li's relentless efforts to nourish her son's health, Gu Chenren remained in the same state.

Anxious and not knowing what to do, Mrs. Li called her daughters-in-law over to discuss the matter.

"Mother, Fifth Brother has something weighing on his mind. If you ask me, we might as well hurry up and hold his wedding. The auspicious joy of a marriage will wash away any bad luck," Mrs. Feng suggested after pondering for a moment.

"Yes, yes, Second Brother's wife is right. We originally said they would marry in the autumn, and the time has come. We should quickly make preparations for Fifth Brother. Taking a wife is a great joyous event; once we get busy, Fifth Brother might just forget those troubles," Mrs. Wu chimed in.

Mrs. Li nodded, as this was what she had been thinking too. "All right, tomorrow I'll make a trip to the county town, find a matchmaker, and go ask the Yang family about the wedding arrangements. If it's agreeable, we'll hold the ceremony in the tenth month."

With the matter decided, Mrs. Li took Mrs. Xu with her to the county town the very next day. Upon arriving in the county, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law naturally went first to Gu Xiulan's house, then found a matchmaker and, carrying gifts, went together to the Yang family's residence. However, when they reached the Yang family, they did not see anyone from the household. The steward only told them that the Yang family's matriarch had been in poor health recently, and the entire family had gone to the prefectural city for medical treatment.

Failing to see anyone from the Yang family, Mrs. Li felt a shadow of doubt cast over her heart. She strongly suspected that the Yang family had heard about Gu Chenren failing the examination and suffering a severe illness, and therefore wanted to break off the engagement. At this thought, Mrs. Li felt her heart turn half cold; if her son failed to become a xiucai and the marriage fell through as well, things would truly be ruined.

The group returned to Xiulan's house, and as soon as she stepped through the door, Mrs. Li burst into tears. "My daughter, you tell me why your Fifth Brother's fate is so bitter! He was always completely fine at home, so why did he have to fall ill when he went to the prefectural city for the exams? And he fell so gravely ill that he almost lost his life. Now he hasn't passed the xiucai exam, and his marriage hangs in the balance. Tell me, how can I face your brother when I go back? Won't this just cost him his life?"

Gu Xiulan was also sorrowful. The siblings got along very well, and Xiulan deeply cherished this younger brother. Seeing him in such a state now made her feel as though her heart were being pierced by a knife. "Mother, there's nothing to be done about this. Who can blame Fifth Brother's fate? Mother, please stop crying; be careful not to make yourself sick from grief." Xiulan wept along with her.

At this sight, Mrs. Xu stepped closer, a mysterious expression on her face. "Mother, Eldest Sister, don't you find all this rather strange? Everything went smoothly for our family in past years, so why has everything been going so poorly this year? Could it be that we've offended something? Or is there some unclean entity making mischief?"

People of that era were often very superstitious, and whenever they encountered trouble, they were always inclined to view things from that perspective. With Mrs. Xu saying this, Mrs. Li also began to feel that something was amiss. "Indeed, this year our family has faced endless troubles, with very few smooth days."

"Mother, why don't we find someone knowledgeable to take a look? Fifth Brother was in such grave danger this time; if there are other matters at play, our family won't even be able to live in peace," Mrs. Xu suggested in a low voice. "Don't they say capable people can perform Daoist rituals to lift curses and dispel disasters? Why don't we find someone with high spiritual attainment to examine us and see if there's a way to resolve this?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Li's eyes lit up. "Right, that makes complete sense. Xiulan, do you know if there's anyone in this county town who is good at foreseeing and resolving such matters?"

Gu Xiulan thought for a moment and nodded. "Now that you mention it, there actually is such a person. This person's surname is Hu, a Daoist nun in her forties who is said to be quite capable. Not long ago, I heard she lifted a disaster for a certain family, saving their child from a bloody calamity. Mother, why don't I take you over to see her?" Gu Xiulan also believed quite strongly in these things, and at her mother's words, she quickly thought of this nun Hu.

"Then when shall we go?" Mrs. Li was rather anxious. With so many misfortunes befalling her family, if they didn't find someone to break the curse quickly, what would happen if more disasters struck later?

Gu Xiulan looked up at the sky; it was already noon. "Mother, not today, we must go tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, we'll bring some offerings. This nun Hu has a rule: she only divines and sees people in the morning, never in the afternoon, and she doesn't work on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month either. Tomorrow is the third day, so let's go early in the morning and have her take a good look."

Being older, Mrs. Li had also heard of such rules; matters of divination were indeed only handled in the mornings. "All right then, we'll stay here for the night and wait to go ask for her help tomorrow."