Chapter 110: Chapter 49: Change_2
Yuehuan felt somewhat disappointed. Although she had denied in her heart that Yueyao was a transgressor, she still hoped to encounter someone from her hometown so she wouldn’t feel so lonely and helpless. However, judging by Yueyao’s behavior and reactions, the Third Young Lady could not possibly be a transgressor.
Yueyao returned to the courtyard and after speaking with Nanny Deng for a while, she went to take a nap. This was a habit she had cultivated in Jiangnan. After sleeping at noon, she would be energetic in the afternoon and evening.
When Yueyao woke up, she saw Nanny Deng enter with a joyful expression on her face, saying, “Young lady, the Young Master (cousin) succeeded. The Young Master (cousin) succeeded too.” For the Young Master (cousin) to succeed was a tremendous joy.
Yueyao didn’t respond right away, “Who succeeded?”
Nanny Deng, elated, said, “Young lady, it’s the Young Master (cousin) who succeeded. Uncle Master specifically sent someone to report to the young lady.” From the Uncle Master’s attitude, it could be seen that the Young Master (cousin) becoming a Juren was partly the young lady’s merit.
Yueyao opened her mouth, and then swallowed back the question of how her cousin could have succeeded. But Yueyao’s heart was stormy; how could her cousin have succeeded? In her past life, her cousin had remained a Scholar until his death, so how had he succeeded now? What was going on?
Ma Peng indeed had succeeded, although his rank was not very high. He ranked two hundred eighty-eight out of three hundred, the twelfth from the bottom.
Seeing Yueyao in a daze, Nanny Deng cautiously said, “Young lady, the Young Master (cousin) becoming a Juren is a happy event!”
Regardless of whether it was her doing or not, her elder cousin’s destiny had changed, which also implied her own destiny could surely change. Naturally, it was an excellent cause for joy. Yueyao said softly, “It is a joyous occasion, a great joyous occasion.” Regardless, success was good. Even if it was the three hundredth rank, success was still success. For an official’s family like theirs, it was also a stepping stone. Failing the metropolitan examination but having the Juren title could involve just working some connections, donating for an official position, and everything would be different. More importantly, with the Juren title, marriage proposals would be of a higher class.
Upon learning of his success, Ma Peng’s first reaction was disbelief. After confirming the news was accurate, he fainted from happiness.
Ma Peng had gone to the exams without any expectations. His teacher had said there was no hope this time, and his father had told him to go and get acquainted with the environment, to try harder next time. So when Ma Peng entered the examination hall, he did so with the mindset of preparing for the next year. He never expected to succeed, and even though he was towards the bottom, it was certainly a pleasant surprise.
Ma Peng’s fainting frightened Granny Liu. She quickly called a doctor. When the doctor arrived and took his pulse, he chuckled, “The young master fainted from excessive joy. I’ll just give him a shot and he’ll be fine.” Although it was rare, the doctor had seen it before.
Ma Chengteng was naturally more delighted than Ma Peng. After listening to Yueyao’s persuasion, he had sought out Ma Chengteng’s teacher. The teacher had clearly stated that Ma Peng had no hope this time. So, he hadn’t counted on it. But unexpectedly, having no expectations had led to success. Naturally, he was overjoyed. However, he didn’t react as dramatically as Ma Peng; while happy, he didn’t faint from happiness. But the first thing he did was send someone to report the good news to Yueyao. This matter also greatly involved his niece.
Ma Peng’s success pleased some but displeased others. Although Lady Cheng was in the Small Buddhist Hall, something as significant as the Eldest Young Master becoming a Juren was hard for Lady Cheng to ignore.
Lady Cheng looked extremely upset: “What are you saying? He succeeded? How did he succeed?” How could that blockhead possibly have achieved the Juren title? There must be a mistake in the news.
Old Lady Chen inwardly complained: “Madam, there’s no falsehood in such things. It’s all on the official list.” Now that the Eldest Young Master has become a Juren, soon the Old Master will arrange a good marriage alliance for him. Madam is about to lose her influence. What’s most crucial is that the Second Young Master still only knows how to live a life of pleasure. In the future, everything will belong to the Eldest Young Master.
The day after his son became a Juren, Ma Chengteng went to the Peng Family to discuss his son’s marriage. Ma Chengteng intended to secure the marriage agreement based on the current situation, planning for the wedding to happen after the spring imperial examination.
Ma Chengteng’s visit was also because the Peng Family had previously indicated they would prefer it if Ma Peng had a title, at least a Juren, before discussing the marriage, to maintain a good appearance. Now with Ma Peng having attained the Juren title, albeit ranked near the end, he indeed met the Peng Family’s requirement.
Unfortunately, Vice Minister Peng did not immediately agree to the marriage. He didn’t outright refuse either, only suggesting waiting until after Ma Peng’s metropolitan exams were complete. The implication was hoping that Ma Peng would pass the Palace Graduate exams and then discuss marriage.
Ma Peng looked very upset. Previously, the Peng Family had said they hoped Ma Peng would have a title before discussing a marriage alliance, and when Ma Peng became a Scholar, the Peng Family hoped for more. Now, having passed as a Juren, they still wanted more. This was clearly just an excuse. To say that with the title of a Scholar it wasn’t suitable to marry the legitimate daughter of the Peng Family made some sense. But now that he was a Juren, their continued evasiveness showed they clearly didn’t want this marriage.
What was crucial was that Ma Chengteng was aware this success was a fluke that his son achieved by heeding his niece’s advice. If it hadn’t been for his last-minute talk with his son, urging him to relax during the exams, he definitely wouldn’t have passed.
Although he had passed this time, it was near the bottom. Achieving success in the metropolitan exams would be like expecting a pie to fall from the sky. Vice Minister Peng was well aware of this yet continued to stall, clearly not wanting to proceed with the marriage.
Originally, because his son was unassertive and considering Vice Minister Peng’s promising future, Ma Chengteng wanted to use this marriage to boost his son. But now he felt provoked: “In that case, I won’t delay your esteemed daughter’s prospects any further. Farewell.” At this point, he no longer wanted to proceed with the marriage. Although his son had ranked low, he was still a Juren with a title. Moreover, their family was financially stable; without the Peng Family’s daughter, there were other suitable families. He believed that finding a match of equal social standing was not a difficult task.
However, when he inquired about daughters of proper age in families of his colleagues and friends and sent out matchmakers, they all tactfully declined. Once he learned the reason, he regretted it deeply. By marrying Lady Cheng, he had sabotaged his own son.