A Crossover of Film and Television: Miao Miao's Life Transmigration

Chapter 184 Dream of the Red Chamber - Lin Jiyu 17

“He is indeed the eldest son of the Lin family,” Liu Fengqing replied.

After saying this, seeing that the Emperor did not speak, Liu Fengqing continued, "Lin Jiyu gave me a hemostatic medicine, which is better than any other hemostatic medicine on the market."

Liu Fengqing handed the hemostatic medicine to the Emperor, who nodded slightly: "It's a good thing. Are the medicinal materials needed to prepare this dose precious?"

"Your Majesty, I inquired before coming here and found that they are all common medicinal herbs. If they could be used on the soldiers, many soldiers would not bleed to death."

"This deserves credit for the Lin family, but this matter should not be publicized. We will reward them after Lin Ruhai's eldest son passes the imperial examination."

The Emperor chatted with Liu Fengqing for a few more minutes about how to deal with the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Lin Jiyu knew nothing about what was happening here. After the New Year, Lin Daiyu had to start learning how to embroider her wedding dress and manage the Lin family's affairs, making her even busier.

Logically speaking, Xue Baochai is already seventeen years old and should be preparing for marriage or engagement. However, the Xue family is still staying in the Rongguo Mansion. Last time, Grandmother Jia used the crab feast to satirize the Xue family, but the Xue family, thick-skinned as ever, did not leave.

In March of the new year, the imperial examinations were about to begin, and the capital city began to bustle with activity. Candidates from all over the country flocked to the capital, and all the inns in the city were full.

These things did not affect Lin Jiyu. When the provincial examination came, he went through the process again, and the questions were similar to those of previous years, not too obscure.

After finishing the imperial examination, Lin Jiyu slept soundly at the Lin residence. When the results were announced, Mozhu immediately went to take her seat.

Lin Jiyu, Wei Chi, and Shen Hui participated in the same imperial examination. As for why only the three of them were there, Qi Yunchu had already become an official and it wasn't his day off yet, while Jiang Zhujin had been summoned by his father.

"Brother Lin is the most reliable among us, so why worry about failing the exam? I'd like to congratulate Brother Lin in advance," Wei Chi teased.

After his engagement to Lin Daiyu, he became more closely associated with the Lin family, and he had the best relationship with Lin Jiyu.

"Hahaha, I dare not celebrate in advance. I'll wait for my servant to report," Lin Jiyu said modestly.

"My father said that whether I pass or fail this time depends entirely on the examiners' preferences," Wei Chi sighed.

“We are still young. Even if we don’t pass this time, we will have another chance in three years,” Shen Hui said. He really didn’t like the imperial examinations and usually preferred to compose poems and paint. He never expected that his father would insist on making him take the imperial examinations.

Following Lin Jiyu's gaze, he saw a dense crowd gathered there, and he realized that the results had been announced.

Mo Zhu squeezed to the front. The red paper had just been posted when Mo Zhu quickly glanced at it and saw that Lin Jiyu's name was second. Unable to contain her joy, she shouted as she squeezed out, "Our master got second place!"

After finally getting out of the crowd, Mo Zhu ran towards Yu Feng Lou. On the way, she encountered Shen Hui and Wei Chi's servants. The three of them looked at each other and laughed, but dared not delay and went straight to Yu Feng Lou's private room.

“Look, they’re here,” Wei Chi said, pointing to the three of them.

"Speak quickly!" Wei Chi demanded.

"Great news! Great news! You've won second place, sir!" Mo Zhu exclaimed first.

The two servants behind him also mentioned Wei Chi and Shen Hui's rankings. They were among the last few, but at least they made the list, which was still a cause for celebration.

"Hahaha, great, great! We can finally serve as officials together in the imperial court." Lin Jiyu said this because the palace examination wouldn't eliminate anyone, and the rankings wouldn't change much.

During Lin Jiyu's time taking the imperial examination, two major events occurred in the Rongguo Mansion. First, at Wang Xifeng's birthday banquet, Lin Daiyu was invited to attend. Jia Lian secretly ate something behind Wang Xifeng's back and was caught red-handed by Wang Xifeng. The matter was brought to the attention of Grandmother Jia, while Lin Daiyu silently ate a melon.

The second matter was that Jia She of the Rongguo Mansion wanted to marry Yuanyang, who served by Grandmother Jia's side, as his second wife. Yuanyang refused, and the whole Rongguo Mansion's servants knew about it. The story spread like wildfire, and Lin Jiyu overheard it while preparing for the exam.

Lin Jiyu returned to the Lin residence. Not long after, government officials were beating drums and gongs. The steward hurriedly greeted them, and Lin Jiyu followed them out.

"Congratulations, Master Lin, you've come in second place! Congratulations, Master Lin!" a constable said with a wide grin.

"Thank you, brother." Lin Jiyu clasped his hands in thanks and gestured to the butler with his eyes.

The steward was a shrewd man; he took out the reward money he had prepared beforehand and handed it to the officers.

"Gentlemen, why don't you come in and have a cup of tea?" the butler invited.

"No, I have other lords to visit." The leader refused and led the others to the residence of the next scholar to deliver the message.

The steward had his servants bring up auspicious snacks and copper coins, which were to be distributed to the surrounding people to celebrate.

The surrounding people had already lined up, thinking it was a blessing. They hoped that their sons and grandsons could also pass the exams if they could share in the good fortune of these lords.

Seeing that there was nothing more for him to do, Lin Jiyu went straight back to the courtyard. Before she even reached the Berlin Courtyard, she encountered Lin Daiyu.

"My brother is truly a reincarnation of the God of Literature," Lin Daiyu said with a smile, pulling Lin Jiyu along. The smile on her face lingered for a long time.

"I'm not as good as you say, sister," Lin Jiyu said, feeling embarrassed by the praise.

A servant boy trotted into the Rongguo Mansion through the west corner gate.

"What are you so busy with? What are you rushing to do?" Lai Da scolded. Lai Da was the head steward of the Rongguo Mansion.

"Steward Lai, I have something important to report, that's why I'm in such a hurry," the servant said hurriedly.

"What is it? Speak quickly!" Lai Da rolled his eyes, a calculating glint in them. If it was good news, he would report it and earn Grandmother Jia's praise; if it was bad news, he would pretend he knew nothing. After thinking for so long, Lai Da loudly questioned him.

"Yes...yes..." The servant was reluctant to say it, after all, he still wanted the reward money.

The servant looked up and saw that Steward Lai's expression was not good. The servant quickly said, "It is Master Lin of the Lin family who has come in second place in the imperial examination and is now a tribute student. I came here to congratulate him on his success."

It was indeed a joyous occasion. Lai Da sent his servant to do the work, but what could the servant do? Lai Da was the steward of the Rongguo Mansion, in charge of countless affairs. The servant went down unwillingly.

Lai Da carried the message to Rongqing Hall. When he arrived, Grandmother Jia was chatting and laughing with several young ladies and Jia Baoyu.

Lai Da sent a maid in to report.

"Reporting to the old lady, Steward Lai has something to report and is already waiting outside," the maidservant replied respectfully.

"Hahaha, what big thing could it be? Since Lai Da is already here, let him in!" Grandmother Jia said with a laugh.

Jia Baoyu was so captivated by what was happening that he immediately stopped talking with his sisters.

Lai Da was led in. When he saw Grandmother Jia, he bowed respectfully and said loudly with a happy expression, "Congratulations, Grandmother! Congratulations, Grandmother! Master Lin has come in second place in the imperial examination and is now a tribute student."

Grandmother Jia stood up excitedly, pointed at Lai Da, and said, "Is it really true?"

“Grandma, it’s absolutely true. The officials have already gone to the Lin residence to report the news,” Lai Da said.

"This is wonderful news, Grandma!" Li Wan's words were filled with joy.

When Jia Baoyu heard that it was Lin Jiyu again, who was fond of traitors and parasites, he realized that he really disliked Lin Jiyu. Every time, his father would compare him to Lin Jiyu, and every time he was inferior to Lin Jiyu, his father would punish him by making him copy the Four Books and Five Classics.

As a result, Jia Baoyu disliked Lin Jiyu even more, and Lin Jiyu had recently stopped visiting the Rongguo Mansion. Even when she did come, she wouldn't go to the Grand View Garden to play with them.

“We need to host a banquet to invite the Lin family over. Yuanyang, go and tell Fengya to send them an invitation. We’ll make sure it’s a proper celebration,” Grandmother Jia suggested.

Jia Tanchun understood the Lin family's attitude towards the Rongguo Mansion. They maintained a distant relationship, not too close, not too far. Lin Jiejie had a good relationship with the sisters, and if they held a banquet now, the Lin family might not come back, and the Rongguo Mansion would be the one to lose face.

Jia Tanchun quickly advised, "Grandmother, the Lin family's eldest son will be taking the imperial examination in a month. The Lin family definitely won't have time to host a banquet. Why don't we wait until after the examination and then invite them over for a proper celebration?"

Grandmother Jia was so happy that she mentioned the banquet. Now that she has calmed down, she realized that if a banquet were to be held, it would be hosted by the Lin family. Although the Rongguo Mansion is Lin Ruhai's in-laws, Jia Min has passed away, and their connection has been severed.

"That makes sense, but let's wait until Lin finishes the palace examination before discussing it further." Grandmother Jia didn't bring up the matter again.

Lin Ruhai returned to his residence this month and spent his time tutoring Lin Jiyu for the imperial examinations, speculating on the policy essay questions the emperor might ask.

The palace examination does not eliminate candidates, and there is only one question, usually the question the emperor wants to ask. If the answer is good, the emperor will personally review the paper.

Time flew by. Lin Jiyu, Shen Hui, Wei Chi, and others waited in the outer hall according to their ranking in the imperial examination. Eunuchs would give them instructions on etiquette, since they were going to meet the emperor and could not be improperly dressed.

When the time came, Lin Jiyu calmly followed behind the first-place winner. The first-place winner was a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a dignified appearance and not very tall. He came from Jiangnan, a region with many aristocratic families and a strong academic atmosphere. Lin Jiyu had no complaints about coming in second place.

Upon entering the Fengtian Hall, one finds it lavishly decorated. Inside and outside, the beams are painted with colorful designs, the doors and windows are inlaid with diamond patterns, the lower part is decorated with reliefs of cloud and dragon motifs, the pillars are carved with dragon patterns, the floor inside the hall is paved with gold bricks, and a throne is placed on top.

The seating arrangement was based on the rankings of the imperial examinations. Lin Jiyu sat in the second seat. Shortly after, the Emperor entered the hall, and everyone bowed in unison. After the Emperor sat down, he asked them to stand up.

Lin Jiyu caught a glimpse of the Emperor out of the corner of his eye. He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in a dragon robe, a nobleman of the imperial family. When their eyes met unintentionally, he quickly lowered his head.

Then the Minister of Rites had the examination papers distributed. Lin Jiyu received the examination paper, glanced at the questions briefly, and found that they were about land annexation.

After pondering for a while, Lin Jiyu picked up a pen and wrote down the main measures on the draft paper. He thought of the strategies implemented by Zhang Juzheng in ancient times.

Zhang Juzheng's strategy was to consolidate all land taxes, corvée labor, and other miscellaneous levies from various prefectures and counties into one unified collection of silver, calculated on a per-acre basis. However, collecting silver could easily lead to low grain prices and harm farmers, requiring the imperial court to strengthen its control over local areas.

First, survey the land to expand the scope of tax collection and make the tax burden relatively equitable.

……

The Emperor, sitting on the throne, was bored. He had just made eye contact with the young man and, after inquiring with the Minister of Rites, learned that the young man was Lin Ruhai's eldest son.

This time, the strategy question was set by him personally. Since the founding of the country, the annual tax revenue has dropped from more than ten million taels of silver to more than six million taels of silver. The emperor understands that the reason for the low tax revenue is that the land has been occupied by the old nobles and powerful families. So this time, he is holding the imperial examination to see if any of these new people can come up with a solution.

The emperor walked down from above, sometimes strolling slowly, and sometimes stopping to look. The scholars being looked at were extremely nervous, their hands covered in cold sweat. Upon seeing this, the emperor immediately left, as if staying any longer would have caused one of the scholars to faint.

Thinking of Lin Ruhai's eldest son whom he had just mentioned, the Emperor walked over to Lin Jiyu's side and became engrossed in the conversation. He never expected that this fourteen-year-old boy would have such insight.

Lin Jiyu caught a glimpse of a figure in bright yellow in the corner of his eye. The figure remained composed, writing down his insights and adding some measures, his writing flowing like a divine inspiration.

The emperor stood beside Lin Jiyu for a quarter of an hour before sitting back on his throne. He sat for another quarter of an hour before getting up and leaving the Fengtian Hall. Only when the emperor was completely out of sight did the scholars turn their attention to the examination questions.

The palace examination had ample time, usually four hours. Many candidates submitted their papers early. After Lin Jiyu and others submitted their papers, they also submitted their papers early. Before participating in the palace examination, many candidates paid attention to their food. Although the Fengtian Hall provided toilets, many candidates preferred to hold it in rather than be impolite.

Lin Jiyu left the palace and saw Mozhu waiting for him outside with a carriage. Upon seeing Lin Jiyu, Mozhu quickly ran forward.

Lin Jiyu was allowed to rest in the carriage. After Lin Ruhai returned to his residence, Lin Jiyu recited his answers from memory, which greatly surprised Lin Ruhai.

"I never expected my son to be so talented. This question is almost perfect, and I have no suggestions. His Majesty has taken a liking to him, so he may become the top scholar." Lin Ruhai stroked his beard.

Lin Ruhai pondered for a moment, then became a little worried. Since ancient times, top scholars have always been conspicuous. Lin Jiyu is only fourteen years old now, so he can't be too flashy.

With a sigh, Lin Ruhai could only be thankful that the Emperor valued Lin Jiyu.

In the side hall of Fengtian Hall, Chen Fangxu held Lin Jiyu's examination paper and sighed inwardly. It was indeed a good paper, but if it were to gain the emperor's favor and be implemented, how many people's interests would be affected? Nevertheless, Chen Fangxu placed the paper at the top of the list and waited for the emperor's ranking.

Only three days after the palace examination, officials rushed to grade the papers, and the top ten, including Wu Qianyi, the Minister of Rites, handed the papers to the emperor.

The Emperor gave Wu Qianyi a meaningful look. This old man was the Emperor Emeritus's man, and who knew what tricks he was up to. The Emperor glanced at the ten papers and found that four of them belonged to disciples of the Emperor Emeritus's men.

I caught a glimpse of Lin Jiyu's paper and read it carefully. It was indeed a good idea, but it needed to be implemented with the force of military power. Apart from Xu Yingshi, whose paper made some sense, the others dared not offend the powerful families and only scratched the surface.