noffsinger Chapter 342: Daming Prefecture Waiting for Examination 2
Chapter 342: Daming Prefecture Waiting for Examination 2
Secondly, despite his physique, he never fell behind in his studies. This was certainly due to his intelligence and talent, but no matter how smart a person was, if he wanted to take the imperial examination at Hua Zhihe's age, he would have to work hard and be diligent.
Bai Jingzhou could feel his deep obsession with passing the imperial examination and becoming an official. It was an obsession that was even deeper than Jiang Yuheng's eagerness to change his family background, and one that he was determined to achieve at all costs.
Apart from this obsession and his mother, Hua Zhihe had no interest in anything else. Naturally, getting married and having children were also among the things he had no interest in.
Finally, by observing Hua Zhihe's words and deeds, Bai Jingzhou deduced that this man most likely had a tragic life experience and carried a blood feud that belonged to him alone.
Bai Jingzhou didn't mind helping Hua Zhihe where he could out of friendship, such as treating and conditioning his illness to make his perennially sick body as healthy as possible, or lending a hand to help Hua Zhihe get revenge in the future when he needed it. However, he would not regard Hua Zhihe as a candidate for brother-in-law just because he sympathized with his friend.
Compared with them, Su Yunzhan, who was not within Bai Jingzhou's investigation scope at the beginning, became a more suitable candidate for Bai Jingxin, contrary to Bai Jingzhou and Gu Wenxuan's expectations.
Su Yunzhan was born in Lincheng County, next to Qingshan County. His grandfather was a juren and one of the influential local gentry. His father was an official in Luzhou and was a sixth-rank magistrate.
He originally went to his father's post with his mother and sister, but because he had to take the imperial examination, he returned to his hometown at the beginning of the year accompanied by his servants. He currently lives with his grandparents, brother and sister-in-law, and niece who stayed in his hometown.
With such a family background, and the fact that Su Yunzhan himself was an undisputed top choice in terms of temperament, character, appearance and talent, Bai Jingzhou had a preconceived notion that even if he had not yet been engaged, he would definitely be a very popular candidate for son-in-law among families with daughters.
However, as the two became more familiar with each other, Bai Jingzhou gradually discovered that Su Yunzhan had a gentle personality, noble character, and a strong sense of friendship... He indeed had countless advantages as a friend, but a noble man like him who lacked attributes such as shrewdness, tactfulness, decisiveness, and even ruthlessness and cunning was actually not suitable for the dirty officialdom where intrigue and deception were commonplace and there were countless gray areas.
This is just one of his shortcomings. His other shortcoming is that his grandparents, father and mother do not hide their special preference for elder brother Su Yunzhan.
Of course, there is a reason for this preference.
His eldest brother was injured while protecting his grandfather during the war years, leaving scars on his body and face, and his path to becoming an official through the imperial examination was cut off from then on.
His grandparents, father and mother felt guilty, so they not only decided to leave 90% of their wealth to his brother, but also planned to leave as much of the Su family's connections as possible to his eldest brother's son.
Su Yunzhan himself had no objection. If one tenth of his family's wealth was converted into physical objects, he could own a house, a shop, and a farm. He felt that with these, he could already support his family.
As for the expenses he would need to continue studying for the imperial examination after he got married, he planned to find a college after passing the exam and earn a little bit by teaching.
His plan was good, but those families who considered him as a candidate for son-in-law kicked him off the list.
The reason is very simple. Su Yunzhan himself is a noble young man who is out of touch with the world. If his family is unwilling to give him 30% to 40% of the family property according to the rules, and is unwilling to use their family connections to pave the way for him, then when he separates from the family after marriage, his future will inevitably be very limited, and his wife will most likely have to live a "hard life" with him.
Even if any political enemies wanted to attack Su Yunzhan, the fact that he only received 10% of the family property would be enough to accuse him of being unfilial.
Although the Su family can explain it, as the saying goes, "Gossip can melt metal, and repeated criticism can destroy a person." When it comes to rumors that harm people, the most important thing is never whether the rumor is true or not.
The risk is too great, the return is too low, and there is a high probability of losing money if investing. It would be strange if those people did not give up on Su Yunzhan.
After Su Yunzhan's grandparents, father and mother made public their property distribution plan, they anticipated that Su Yunzhan's marriage would be affected, but they did not expect that Su Yunzhan would end up in such a state. Even without looking at his family background, there was no way he could marry a smart, capable householder with a good appearance and temperament.
Brother Su Yunzhan had never agreed with the decision of his elders from the beginning. When things developed to this point, he felt that he saw an opportunity to persuade his elders, so he once again lobbied his grandparents and parents, hoping that they would give up this outrageous distribution plan.
His grandparents and parents were slightly shaken, but Su Yunzhan became even more determined to take only 10%.
He has a good relationship with his brother, and it was his brother who taught him personally when he was a child.
His brother originally had a bright future, but now because of the scar on his face, he can only work as a farmer despite his academic title. He, like the elders in the family, feels very sorry and distressed.
The most important thing is that his brother was successful at a young age and married a wife who was good in every aspect. His brother's future was ruined and his sister-in-law's family had many complaints.
Maybe it was because she had heard too much gossip from her mother's family, but her sister-in-law had been worried and nervous over the years, which was one of the reasons why his grandparents and parents made this decision.
They hoped that his sister-in-law could settle down and live a good life like before, instead of worrying about all sorts of things every day, torturing herself and inadvertently torturing other people in the family.
Because of Su Yunzhan's insistence, the Su family's property was finally divided according to the elders' original idea, but the "silly" Su Yunzhan became increasingly unpopular among families with girls.
Those who are willing to marry a girl to him usually do so either because the girl herself has some problems, or because the girl's family wants to gain some benefits from his grandfather or father.
Su Yunzhan's parents and grandparents picked and chose, lowering the requirements again and again, but in the end they still couldn't find one that met their standards for him.
Fortunately, Su Yunzhan is not yet twenty years old, so he can still afford to delay it for another three to five years. They don't have to continue to lower the standards.
Bai Jingzhou was very good at asking questions. Su Yunzhan didn't notice anything wrong, so Bai Jingzhou spent more than ten days and several times to find out his background.
Of course, the most important thing for them right now is to prepare for the exam. Even if they find out Su Yunzhan's background and think that he is a good match for Bai Jingxin, Bai Jingzhou will not choose this time to match them up.