Chapter 75: Inviting Guests

  A meal lasted for two hours.

  The more you talk, the deeper the topic becomes.

  Yang Zhi Zhou was once a high-ranking official, and for half his life he had been diligent and cautious, careful with every word, even to the point of not daring to fully reveal his true thoughts to others, including his own sons.

  It's a habit developed over many years.

  But when speaking with Chen Yun, even if he reserved all his words, Chen Yun could still understand and immediately get the meaning without asking further questions.

  When we met by the Yuanyuan River in Wangxian, I knew that Chen Jing and I had similar temperaments. Now, the more I understand him, the more I find our personalities are alike.

  He even told Chen Jie about his family in the capital: "...... This time, I'm going south to return to my hometown and relax. My old wife and children are all in the capital, and next autumn we will set out to go back."

  He also said that he has four sons. The eldest is twenty-three years old, not a big official, but with a great reputation. The youngest one was born by his concubine and is only twelve years old.

  Chen Jing thought: "Not a high-ranking official, but with many titles, he must be the emperor's confidant, perhaps someone who read to the emperor in his childhood?"

  He made such a guess and didn't ask deeply, but just said: "Unexpectedly, you are only over twenty years old."

  In this era, some men get married at the age of sixteen or seventeen.

  Yang Zhi Zhou is already fifty-six years old, his eldest son is only twenty-three, getting married and having children a bit late.

  "At that time, I took the imperial examination to become a scholar-official four times, and it took more than ten years! When I was young and vigorous, I wouldn't marry a woman from a humble family. I had to have a lady from a noble family. It wasn't until I passed the imperial examination and became a prefect that I went to propose marriage." Yang Zhi Zhou said with a smile.

  Chen Jiong knew it was difficult to pass the imperial examination.

  After studying for over a decade, being able to pass the exam is already a blessing from ancestors, not letting those years go to waste. Having passed the imperial examination, wanting to become an official still requires another test. Throughout the process, Yang Zhiyou described it lightly, but Chen Jing knew how extremely difficult it was.

  Yang Zhi Zhou was lucky, after spending several decades studying, he finally achieved success and fame. Many scholars wasted half their lives, until old age they couldn't even pass the imperial examination to become a Tongsheng!

  In this era, only a handful of scholars were selected for each subject, which meant that the vast majority of students would fail to achieve their ambitions and sell themselves to imperial families. Chen Jiao felt a chill run down his spine.

  It's better to practice medicine than to study for an exam.

  Now, with two Zhejiang roads doing well in the medical field, I have established a reputation as a "divine doctor" and my name is known throughout the land. In the future, if there is an opportunity to go to the capital, it just so happens that I will encounter the emperor or empress in the palace, or perhaps one of the princes or princesses who has contracted a strange illness, and I will cure them, earning a noble title and becoming a wealthy and leisurely person, which would be a fulfilling life.

  Chen Jiong felt that his chances of passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar-official were lower than his chances of coincidentally running into someone from the emperor's family who was ill.

  Everyone gets sick, but not everyone can become a scholar-official.

  The Chen family's ancestral tomb emitted a green smoke, which allowed his brother to pass the imperial examination and become a jinshi. It is estimated that it will not emit a second green smoke again.

  "What are you shaking your head for?" Yang Zhi Zhou saw Chen Jing deep in thought, then suddenly shook his head vigorously, and couldn't help but laugh.

  Chen Jiong smiled: "I heard you say that you took the imperial examination for over a decade to become a jinshi, and I feel that studying is really difficult."

  "Which road is not difficult to walk?" Yang Zhi Zhou sighed, "What, you also want to go and try?"

  "I didn't think of that." Chen Jiong said.

  Even if it were his own son, Yang Zhiyou rarely forced them to do anything, let alone just acquaintances? Chen Jing said he didn't want to take the exam, and Yang Zhiyou had no intention of persuading him.

  People always yearn for what they cannot get. Therefore, those who require their children and grandchildren to take the imperial examination or become officials are often the elders who did not pass the examination themselves and did not become officials themselves.

  Like Yang Zhi Chou, he was also from a scholarly background and achieved the official position he desired, which can be considered successful. Looking back, he didn't think it was anything special and wouldn't advise younger generations to make studying for exams their lifelong pursuit.

  Fame and wealth are for others to see, but only oneself knows what's worth it or not.

  Like Chen Jiong, with a body of medical skills, able to revive the dead and bring people back to life, no matter where he goes, there is always food to eat.

  Plain and unadorned is not necessarily bad.

  If it happens again, Yang Zhi Chou would be willing to do so. After experiencing all the luxuries, one's mindset will also become indifferent and free from desires.

  Yang Zhiou drank a whole jar of wine by himself during dinner.

  After drinking, his face was not red, his footsteps were steady, and he showed no signs of intoxication.

  Chen Jiong couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Getting better with age, your drinking capacity is really good!"

  "Always talking about being old!" Yang Zhi Zhou was actually getting drunk, and his words were no longer so cautious. He always treated Chen Jing as an elderly person with dissatisfaction, "With a rascal like you, I can take down ten of you with one hand!"

  No one likes it when young juniors always say they are old.

  "Oh, impressive." Chen Jiong said.

  Yang Zhi Zhou was finally satisfied.

  Chen Jiong sent him to the gate of the hospital.

  He waited for him to come back, and the servants had already started cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks.

  After washing and dressing, Chen Jing fell asleep. Because it had rained, the night was exceptionally cool, and Chen Jing slept particularly soundly. Perhaps because he was about to return home, his mood was also good.

  Yang Zhi Zhou couldn't sleep soundly.

  Because I drank some wine, I have a bit of heartburn. And that numbness and pain in his two arms, which had eased up for over half a month, has started to recur again.

  This pain is not intense, and if there's something big going on to distract me, I won't even notice it.

  "Tomorrow, let's go see Dr. Zhong again." Yang Zhi Zhou originally was quite hesitant about this. When he was young, he had been injured once and never wanted to mention it again. He feared that the pain in his arms was caused by that injury years ago. The doctor asked for the reason, so he had to tell the truth.

  Forget it then.

  Yang Zhi Zhou would rather be in pain than bring up past matters again.

  When Chen Jing first said it, Yang Zhi Zhou didn't know he really had such formidable medical skills and hadn't taken it to heart.

  Now he knew that Chen Jing was good at medicine and wouldn't ask too many questions, so he had the idea of letting Chen Jing take a look at his arm.

  It was late at night when Yang Zhi Zhou fell asleep in a daze.

  The slight pain in both arms also disappeared.

  These days, Yang Zhi Zhou still has something important to do. Anyway, he will return to Wang County and go with Chen Jing, it's not late to slowly treat him after returning to Wang County.

  Yang Zhi Zhou called Yang Dai Zhou's eldest son, Yang Yun, to his side and instructed him: "When your father was ill, which officials sent visiting cards to inquire about his health?"

  Yang Yun didn't expect his uncle to ask this, and he was taken aback for a moment before saying: "I'm not too clear about it. Uncle said that he didn't want anyone disturbing him, so all the invitations received were being kept by the doorman, I haven't seen any of them."

  Yang Yun is actually only ten years younger than Yang Zhiyou.

  Yang Zhi Zhou, due to his pampered upbringing, had a rosy complexion and looked youthful, without any signs of aging, making him appear to be around the same age as Yang Yun.

  Yang Zhi Zhou left Mingzhou at the age of 20 to take the imperial examination in the capital. At that time, Yang Yun was only 10 years old and didn't understand things well. Afterwards, Yang Zhi Zhou rarely returned to Mingzhou. After he became an official, every year he would send people to deliver money and goods, but he himself never had time to return.

  So, the uncle and nephew didn't have much of a relationship.

  Yang Yun was calling out "nephew" and "uncle" one after another, with such sincerity and affection.

  "Go and take a look." Yang Zhi Zhou said, "No matter who sent the invitation card, we will respond one by one, saying that our family will set up a banquet in two days to celebrate your father's recovery, and let them all come."

  "Yes." Yang Yun hastily agreed, but his heart was full of doubts.

  He knew Yang Zhi Zhou was keeping a low profile this time he returned to his hometown.

  There are sixteen prefectures in the two Zhejiang circuits, and Mingzhou is just one of them. Each prefecture has many county towns. There are officials for each prefecture and county, with over a dozen for each prefecture; and among the sixteen prefectures of the two Zhejiang circuits, there are hundreds of large and small officials.

  Although there was an imperial examination system, becoming an official was largely based on birth rather than talent.

  Relationships are especially important.

  Among these hundreds of officials, there were many who were well-informed and knew that Yang Zhiqiu had returned to Mingzhou, so they flocked to his door to pay their respects.

  The Yang family refused outright.

  This is very unusual. The Yang family has relied on the reputation of Yang Zhiou to collect a lot of money and gifts from officials in Liangzhe Road over the years, so their family is particularly wealthy.

  This time it was not seen, anyway confirmed speculation.

  It is also heard that Yang Dazhou is ill, and officials have more excuses to visit him with a card.

  Yang Zhi Zhou was furious and wouldn't let a single one of them enter the door.

  Unexpectedly, Yang Zhi Zhou actually took the initiative to say, setting a banquet to entertain them!

  Yang Zhi Zhou has indeed retired. However, his influence in the capital is not weak, and being able to curry favor with him will naturally make one's future official career smoother.

  These officials from Liangzhe Road came to Yang's house with their heads bowed.

  Yang Yun came out and had someone call his son Yang Shaoze over, instructing him to take care of it.

  "Did Uncle really say that we should hold a banquet to entertain those people?" Yang Yan's son, Yang Shaoze, was also astonished. "Father, you didn't misunderstand his meaning, did you?"

  "These are your great-uncle's words." Yang Yun said, "Since we're having a banquet, wine and meat can't be lacking. Tell Zhuangzi to send two hundred pieces of mutton over, the rest will be discussed separately."

  Yang Shaoze said yes.

  He was still puzzled and asked another question: "When Uncle Grandfather returned, didn't he say that no one should be told? Why is it now being made public?"

  "What do I know about this?" Yang Yun said, "Hurry up and handle your affairs, what are you making a racket about!"

  Yang Shaoze hurriedly went to the gatehouse and retrieved all the visiting cards from the manager.

  There were more than fifty of them.

  Among the officials on both sides of Zhejiang, there are those with strong bones and thin wallets who have not submitted their visiting cards. Those who have submitted their visiting cards are all thinking of furthering their own interests by currying favor, and they also often extort money from the people.

  Yang Shaoze helped his father write a reply letter.

  Yang Zhi Zhou also called Ming Feng to pass on the message: "The old master said, it's just thanks to those officials for their inquiries, so please invite them to drink. When writing the reply note, clearly write: No need to send gifts. If you bring gifts, you are not allowed to enter the door."

  Yang Shaoze glanced at his father.

  Yang Yun also slightly paused.

  "Yes, don't worry, Uncle." Yang Yun came back to himself and hastily replied.

  White liquor and meat?

  I don't know what's on that old man's mind!

  If you want to be clean and honest, then don't entertain those officials. Since you've entertained them, others will naturally suspect that gifts were given, and not receiving any would be a loss.

  Accepting a small gift, what's there to fear?

  The two Zhejiang roads are rich and those officials have made a fortune!

  However, Master ordered so, Yang Yun had no choice but to follow, and did not dare to question.