Chapter 442: Chapter 431: The Farmer Top Scorer
"Qiuwa, showing affection to your sister is good, but you can’t always keep her confined at home, right? There’s a saying that if you keep someone too much, it turns into resentment. The girl has grown up and should get married. You can rest assured about my nephew, nobody speaks ill of him. So, I am making this decision for you, tomorrow our families can meet up again." Ye Wangshi spoke more and more convinced that this marriage would be beneficial.
If his niece marries Ye Qiu, it is still under Ye Qiu’s control, she can hardly take any advantage. But if Xiuya gets married off to her maternal family, it’s different; once married, she becomes part of another household. Girls are outward-facing, and wouldn’t she then consider her own small family?
Ye Wangshi thought more and more joyfully, as if she already saw Silver waving towards her.
She didn’t feel at all that Ye Qiu would object, as in her eyes Ye Xiuya was indeed old enough, and without parents or elders in the family, marrying into her maternal family was already marrying up. To refuse would simply show a lack of gratitude.
But what she didn’t expect was that Ye Qiu actually rejected the proposal outright.
"Aunt Wang, I appreciate your concern for Xiuya, but her marriage arrangements are already taking shape, there’s no need to bother you." Ye Qiu smiled and said.
"Who is it?" Ye Wangshi suddenly tightened her face, looking somewhat fierce.
"Since Xiuya is still in her mourning period, the marriage has not been officially settled yet. We will notify you to celebrate with us once the date is decided."
Since Ye Qiu did not directly answer, Ye Wangshi became suspicious again, wondering if he was deliberately deceiving her?
She chuckled and asked: "Why are we being so formal between us? I wouldn’t spread it around. Who is the groom? It’d be good to let me offer some advice. You don’t understand, there are serious conventions for discussing marriages, not only the groom himself but also seeing how his family is like. You said the engagement isn’t formally set yet, so if you break it off, no one will say anything. Listen to your aunt, you know I’m trustworthy. Wouldn’t my nephew be a good catch? He’ll surely excel in the future and treat Xiuya well."
Ye Qiu chuckled as well: "Aunt, the other party is a classmate of mine, someone whose character and conduct I trust deeply. I also cannot easily go back on the promise I made, or how would I, a scholar, face Confucius? Since you say your nephew is good, I’m sure he can find an even better match in accordance to your words. Our Xiuya has been somewhat spoiled by my indulgence, it’s best to not proceed."
"Xiuya has been spoiled, but can’t she be corrected? It’s not that I am saying, but which girl in the village is not working in the fields like your three daughters, and even hires maids to serve her, it’s simply too improper..." Ye Wangshi continued energetically, then noticed Ye Qiu’s increasingly cold gaze and slowly stopped talking.
Ye Qiu, with a cold voice, questioned: "Aunt Wang, the money was earned by two younger sisters themselves, aren’t they useful by not working the fields? Should they earn money just to let others spend it? What’s wrong with having maids to serve them? Don’t the ladies and misses in the city all have maids and nannies to serve them?"
Ye Wangshi awkwardly laughed, somewhat annoyed and furious: "You’re even blaming me now, am I not considering your best interests? Wouldn’t you need money when you marry a wife and raise children? What will you do if you spend all now? Your sisters need to marry too, would they still be pampered like this in their marital homes?"
Ye Qiu, expressionless, spoke firmly: "I will support my wife and children myself, we’ll live within our means. As for my sisters, if they can’t be properly provided for, they shouldn’t marry. If a woman married fares worse than if she were single, why marry at all?"
Ye Wangshi’s face twisted with anger; she thought that Ye Qiu truly did not know how to appreciate favors. A village girl still acting so spoiled, really thinks she is a lady of great wealth! She was eager to see who Xiuya would eventually marry. A girl without parents, being married into her own maternal home was an honor for her, yet her standards were so high, she should be careful not to get the marriage proposal retracted by others!
Humph! Even if they were to kneel and beg, she would still consider whether she was willing or not.
"Knock knock... Brother Qiu, are you home?" The one knocking was Wang Zhaoxing, who was sixteen this year and had grown into a graceful young man.
Ye Wangshi was about to leave, but upon seeing him, her eyes sparkled. In her mind, Wang Zhaoxing was the ideal candidate for her son-in-law; a young Scholar, and not just a Scholar, but the top scorer. This is someone who will aim to be a government Official! If her daughter were to marry him, wouldn’t she be an official’s wife in the future? This is far more impressive than Mrs. Xiao Wang, the governmental officer’s wife. In the future, he could even support her son.
The more Ye Wangshi thought about it, the more passionate her gaze towards Wang Zhaoxing became. Unfortunately, in her prior subtle attempts to bring this up with Wang Zhaoxing’s parents, they always avoided the topic of marriage proposal. Could it be that she, the girl’s mother, had to make the proposal herself?
Ye Wangshi felt somewhat annoyed, but for the sake of her daughter’s and son’s future, she thought that she could discuss this opportunity that could elevate their family’s status with her father-in-law after returning home today. Her father-in-law was very clever and likely would not miss this opportunity.
Wang Zhaoxing felt a bit creeped out by her staring and subtly stepped behind Ye Qiu, remaining silent.
"Zhaoxing, have you just come back from school? I heard that this year’s Imperial Examination at the State Mansion is in the autumn, do you feel confident?" Ye Wangshi asked with a smile.
His name being mentioned, Wang Zhaoxing could no longer pretend to be a turtle hiding in its shell, but he still avoided Ye Wangshi’s eyes and modestly said, "The Imperial Examination attracts many talents. I dare not say I am confident, only that I will do my best."
Ye Wangshi laughed heartily at his response, "Yo, still so shy! How will you manage when you get married in the future, I heard that you are the top scorer, how could the top scorer not perform well?"
"As the top scorer in the State Mansion, there are more than a dozen others, how dare I presume?"
"Scholars are always so modest. According to Aunt Wang, your becoming a Scholar is inevitable." Ye Wangshi’s eyes rolled around, as if she had already seen Zhaoxing become her son-in-law, and imagined him in his majestic official robes.
In this dynasty, passing the examination qualifies one for government service, but typically scholars do not take this route. They usually wait for the imperial examination conducted every three years, known as the Imperial Examination, after which they are called Imperial Examination graduates. Then they go through another test, the highest-level Imperial Examination, after which they are titled Advanced Scholar, which is divided into three classes. First Rank comprises the top three positions: top scorer, second place, and third place. Second-class includes ninety-seven, and third-class has two hundred.
Those in the First Rank not only parade on a horse but are also personally granted an official position by the Emperor immediately. Those who place in the second class need to study at the Hanlin Academy for one to three years before being granted an official position, and it is even more challenging for those in third. The process of granting official positions to Advanced Scholars who placed in third-class is also not easy, let alone for a Scholar, right? Though it sounds good that passing the examination qualifies one for government service, in reality, very few actually do become officials; nearly everyone attempts to reach the higher level, as who would not want to glorify their ancestors with a parade on horseback?
Ye Wangshi’s vision is still too limited, only thinking of Zhaoxing passing the examination, not considering his future attempts for higher examinations in the capital. Perhaps she also thought about it but feared her daughter might end up unmatched and thus avoided mentioning it.