freenovelworld Chapter 948 The Top Scholar Announces Good News (Part 2)
Chapter 948 The Top Scholar Announces Good News (Part 2)
Many people shared the same thoughts as the woman, and upon hearing the name 'Zhang Qian,' the crowd fell silent instantly.
In fact, the villagers initially held Zhang Qian, who was literate, in some respect.
After all, it's much easier for a literate person to come from the countryside to write a couplet, keep accounts, or read a letter home.
But as Zhang Qian grew older, the situation changed.
If a man in his twenties doesn't work in the fields or arrange to get married and have children, the villagers will see this as a waste of time and as irrefutable proof of his unfilial behavior.
The more closed the environment, the more likely it is to reject those who are different.
In the minds of these villagers who toil in the fields, farming is their duty, and education is a distant and unattainable dream.
Zhang Qian's insistence was seen by them as a delusional fantasy detached from reality, a betrayal of the way of life passed down from their ancestors.
Although Zhang Qian didn't eat their rice, it still made everyone feel uneasy.
That class divide sometimes comes not from external oppression, but from the imprint it has on their own hearts.
But if an outlier emerges among them who attempts to cross this chasm, they will be attacked from within without the need for pressure from powerful families or imperial authority.
Seeing that the crowd remained silent and no one responded, Magistrate Lu Wen was sweating profusely and became even more anxious.
His gaze swept across the crowd and landed on the village elder of Zhangjia Village at the front. He immediately pointed at him and shouted, "Zhang Xiao! Tell me! Does your village have anyone named Zhang Qian? Where are his family members?"
The clan elder was called out by name by the county magistrate and trembled with fear.
He quickly turned around to look at the sea of villagers behind him and asked in a trembling voice, "Where's Zhang Laonian? Has Zhang Laonian arrived?"
Someone in the crowd mumbled a reply, "It seems...it seems he's still in that field on the south slope and hasn't come back yet..."
Upon hearing this, the clan elder stamped his foot in alarm: "What are you waiting for! Hurry up and call them here... no, invite them here!"
"Bring the person over here respectfully! Go now!"
A quick-witted young man responded and took off running towards the south slope.
"Wait a minute."
Liu Dafeng suddenly spoke, causing the young man to freeze in place.
He looked at the anxious Lu Wen beside him and said in a calm tone, "Magistrate Lu, we have come here on the Emperor's orders to deliver good news. How can we wait here ourselves and make the old man go through all this trouble?"
"How about this, the two of us go to the field to greet this old man ourselves, shall we?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Wen felt somewhat indignant.
When has this dignified county magistrate ever gone to the fields to greet an old farmer?
But since even a fourth-rank official from the capital personally went to greet him, he dared not utter a single word of objection.
He quickly forced a smile, bowed, and said, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. It was my oversight. This is the proper way, the proper way!"
Thus, a strange scene unfolded in Zhangjia Village.
A government official and a "hundred-mile marquis" walked towards the fields, surrounded by a group of soldiers in red robes.
The curious villagers couldn't resist following behind at a distance.
In the field, Zhang's father was bending over, swinging his hoe, sweat dripping down his wrinkled face onto the parched earth.
He was single-minded, only wanting to finish weeding the bean field before the sun became too strong.
Suddenly, he heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him, as if many people were walking towards the edge of the field.
He straightened his slightly aching back in surprise, raised his hand to his brow bone, and squinted at the sight.
Upon seeing this, he froze instantly, as if he had been frozen in place.
The ridges between the fields were now filled with people.
The two men at the head of the group were dressed in different styles: one in a blue official robe and the other in a crimson official robe.
Behind them stood two rows of soldiers in bright armor and red robes, standing solemnly like Vajra Arhats in a temple.
Further behind, there was a dense, dark mass of Zhangjia Village residents.
Those familiar faces all wore extremely complex expressions at that moment.
Shock, awe, fear, and even a hint of inexplicable flattery.
Zhang's father had never seen such a scene before.
He was so frightened that he dropped the hoe he was holding.
He was at a loss, and instinctively tried to kneel down in the mud: "Your... Your Excellency... This humble subject... This humble subject..."
His kneeling startled Lu Wen, turning his face pale.
My goodness! What is your status now? The father of the top scholar!
If you kneel and shout like that, and this official from the capital sees it, how the hell am I supposed to live?!
She should still have ten concubines waiting to be taken care of at home, but she couldn't bear to leave so soon.
Lu Wen rushed down the ridge in one stride, not caring that his official boots were covered in mud, and hurriedly reached out his hands to help Zhang's father.
Their voices were trembling with anxiety: "Father-in-law! You mustn't do this! You've offended me!"
Mr. Zhang was even more confused by his reaction.
Wasn't the county magistrate supposed to love it when people knelt before him? I heard that a few years ago, when the magistrate went to the countryside, he encountered people who didn't kneel, and he even had one of them whipped ten times.
What happened today?
Mr. Zhang was stuck in place, unsure whether to kneel or stand up, his face blank with confusion.
Just then, the high-ranking official in scarlet robes slowly walked down the ridge of the field.
"Old man, don't panic. Are you the father of Zhang Qian, the newly appointed top scholar?"
Upon hearing his son's name, Mr. Zhang's heart tightened.
Forgetting his fear, he hurriedly looked up, his voice trembling, "Zhang Qian is indeed my son. May I ask, sir, has something happened to my Qian in the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Dafeng's smile grew even warmer.
He reached out and gently patted Zhang's father's arm, which was tense with nervousness: "Don't worry, father-in-law, it's a good thing, a great thing!"
"His Majesty has specially ordered me to come and deliver the good news to you about your son's good fortune in the capital."
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty? To...to bring me good news?"
Mr. Zhang felt a buzzing sound in his head, as if a million bees were flapping their wings at the same time.
The emperor, that true dragon emperor who only exists in plays, sent a message to this old farmer whose neck is buried in yellow earth?
Is this...is this even human language? He can't quite understand it.
Not only was Zhang's father stunned, but the other villagers were also dumbfounded.
No... I've never heard of Zhang Laonian being related to His Majesty. How come he's even exchanging letters with the Emperor?
Seeing Zhang's father's completely stunned expression, Liu Dafeng smiled understandingly and took his arm: "Father-in-law, this is not the place to talk. Let's go upstairs first, and I will explain everything to you slowly, shall we?"
The force from the arm brought Zhang's father back to his senses.
He glanced at the imposing official before him, then at the obsequious county magistrate beside him, and his muddled mind finally came to its senses.
His son has really made something of himself! So much so that even the emperor knows about him! He even sent such a high-ranking official to visit him!
He nodded hurriedly, his voice choked with emotion: "Yes! Yes! Okay...okay...I'll do whatever you say, sir!"
With Liu Dafeng's help, Zhang's father staggered onto the ridge of the field.
After standing still, Liu Dafeng's smile faded, and his expression became solemn and dignified.
He took a step back, straightened his clothes, and then took out a roll of black silk from a brocade box respectfully held by a servant beside him.
The silk shone with a noble and dazzling light under the sunlight, eliciting gasps from onlookers.
This fabric alone could probably be exchanged for ten pounds of grain!
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
"Zhang Qian of Fenzhou, despite his humble origins and poverty, persevered in his studies."
This year's imperial examinations have produced outstanding scholars who have astonished the world and won the top prize. I am very pleased.
The son's success is the father's achievement. Zhang's father was skilled in educating his son, nurturing talent for the nation; therefore, he was granted a special privilege: to move to the capital and be given a residence to enjoy his remaining years in peace.
Although Zhang's mother passed away early, she was credited with raising and nurturing him, and was posthumously granted an imperial title to comfort her soul.
Xiaoyi County was rewarded for its meritorious service in education and was granted a three-year exemption from land tax. A "Top Scholar Stele" was erected at the county gate to forever commemorate its literary style.
The Zhang family built the "Zhuangyuan Ancestral Hall" to establish a lineage of worship, holding spring and autumn sacrifices to bring glory to their family.
Admire this. "
After the imperial edict was read aloud, Liu Dafeng smiled and said to Zhang's father, who was trembling all over:
"Sir, His Majesty has also bestowed upon you a thousand taels of silver and ten bolts of silk to help you acquire household items. In three days, I will personally escort you to the capital to reunite with the top scholar."
Upon hearing this, silence fell over the fields, except for the autumn wind rustling through the rice paddies.
With each sentence Liu Dafeng uttered, the villagers' mouths opened wider and their eyes widened, their shock intensifying.
For these farmers, the emperor, imperial edicts, and the capital city were all things that were out of reach.
They could only understand that His Majesty, out of respect for Zhang Qian, had exempted them from taxes for three years.
This means that in the next three years, every household will be able to save more money to survive!
A monument commemorating the top scholar was erected, and from then on, people from Xiaoyi County would feel proud when they went out.
What they coveted most was building a shrine for the top scholar and establishing a lineage of incense offerings!
The descendants of the Chinese nation value clan and respect their ancestors the most.
Having your family tree start a new page is already the highest honor you could never even dream of.
What does it mean to be able to establish an ancestral hall in one's hometown and enjoy the incense offerings of one's entire clan?
Many villagers subconsciously turned their heads, their gazes drifting towards the direction of the Zhang family's ancestral graves behind the village. They were determined to go and see if the Zhang family's ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke.
However, Zhang's father didn't care about any of that; he just wiped away his tears and asked:
"My lord... how is my Qian'er doing in the capital? He... he hasn't suffered any injustice, has he?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of emotion flashed in Liu Dafeng's eyes.
"Don't worry, old man. The top scholar was personally chosen by His Majesty in the Golden Hall. He is a role model for all scholars in the country and is highly respected in the capital. Who would dare to wrong him?"
"His Majesty has already bestowed upon him a residence, and he is now living in the new courtyard. He is just waiting for the Ministry of Personnel to grant him an official position so that he can serve the court."
Upon hearing that his son was safe and sound, the wrinkles on Mr. Zhang's face finally smoothed out, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
Only then did he have the mind to think about the matter in the imperial edict:
"My lord, I don't quite understand... According to you, does this mean my son has become a high-ranking official?"
"A high-ranking official!" Liu Dafeng nodded firmly.
"How big is it? Is it as big as our county magistrate?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Wen, who had been standing to the side, felt his legs go weak and almost knelt down before Zhang's father on the spot.
He was inwardly groaning: 'Old man! Why are you always picking on me?'