socalfunplaces Chapter 333 The Legal Education Competition Begins
Chapter 333 The Legal Education Competition Begins
August 5th, the 22nd year of Shun'an
The sun is shining brightly today; it's a wonderful day.
It was also the day the legal education competition began.
In order to arrange an examination venue that could accommodate thousands of candidates, Shuntian Prefecture searched repeatedly and then paid money to rent a newly built residential building. It was six stories high and was no different from the residential buildings previously built by the Ministry of Revenue, except for the difference in layout.
This residential building was not built by the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue no longer engages in real estate business, but it set an example for all merchants. Now, there are countless merchants in various prefectures and counties of the Great Chu who are engaged in real estate business. Many people have their eyes on this highly profitable industry.
Without exception, each of them had the power and connections to acquire land, since without connections, it would be impossible to obtain land, let alone build houses.
The residential building rented by Shuntian Prefecture was built by merchants from the capital. It had only been completed for a month and was being aired out when Shuntian Prefecture rented it.
Shuntian Prefecture converted this place into a temporary examination site for thousands of candidates.
It was actually a bit crowded, but this was the best place Shuntian Prefecture could find to accommodate the examinees.
The most suitable examination venue in the capital was the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall), but the Gongyuan was a sacred place in the hearts of scholars throughout the country. Only those who had passed the provincial examination were qualified to enter, and it was impossible for the Shuntian Prefecture to use it.
In that case, scholars all over the world could drown Shuntian Prefecture with their spittle.
Although this apartment building is a bit cramped, and you have to make use of the hallways, at least it allows people to take exams smoothly.
Everyone who came to participate in the competition was aiming for that one and only minor official position, and these small hardships were just the right thing to test their will.
Everything was ready, and the competition began.
This morning, all candidates entered the examination hall with their admission tickets checked. Then, according to the order of arrival, candidates were arranged starting from the leftmost room on the first floor. After one room was arranged, the next room was arranged.
After all the arrangements were completed, half an hour had passed, and there were still several queues waiting at the same time.
Wen Zongji watched the candidates enter the examination hall from a carriage not far from the residential building.
After all the candidates had entered the residential building, Wen Zongji dismounted from the carriage and entered the examination hall.
At this time, a row of examinees was also arranged in the corridor, leaving only a passageway for one person to pass through.
Shuntian Prefecture had no shortage of yamen runners. In order to supervise the candidates and prevent them from cheating, Shuntian Prefecture sent most of its yamen runners. There were yamen runners patrolling and supervising the examination in the rooms and corridors.
Upon seeing Wen Zongji enter, the yamen runner immediately bowed and greeted him: "Prefect..."
Wen Zongji waved his hand: "Don't disturb the senior students during this special time."
However, the candidates who were engrossed in their work still subconsciously raised their heads when they heard the voice. Recalling the way the yamen runner had addressed them, many realized that this was Wen Zongji, the Prefectural Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, who had single-handedly organized this legal education competition.
Some people instinctively tried to stand up to greet the examinee, but as soon as they lifted their buttocks, they realized something was wrong. The yamen runners had already warned them not to move around, or they would be treated as cheating and expelled from the examination hall.
Thinking of this, he put his bottom down and sat up straight again, but couldn't help glancing at Wen Zongji out of the corner of his eye.
This fourth-rank official, the Prefectural Assistant of Shuntian Prefecture, is so young and has such a powerful background; he has a very promising future.
Wen Zongji was unaware of the stares of the crowd. I was inspecting the examination rooms floor by floor, and only after confirming that all the candidates had started their exams did he leave the residential building.
He doesn't need to personally proctor the exam here, nor does he need to grade the papers.
He has done everything he was supposed to do. Now all he needs to do is wait for the influence of the legal education competition to take hold, and adjust the arrangements for the second legal education competition based on the results of this competition.
……
Upon returning to the county magistrate's residence, they found Wen Shuxuan there as well.
When Wen Shuxuan saw Wen Zongji return, he called out to him, "Third Brother."
Wen Zongji nodded: "Are you talking about the newspaper again?"
Because of the birth of Lingjie, Pei Rujing once again entrusted the newspaper's affairs to Wen Shuxuan. Wen Shuxuan was already very skilled at it and handled it in an orderly manner, but as usual, he would come to report to Pei Rujing from time to time.
Pei Rujing said, "With my younger sister here, I don't need to worry about the newspaper."
Wen Shuxuan said modestly, "Sister Wei and Sister Lan also helped a lot."
"We all received a share. Let's get together at your residence another day to express our gratitude."
"Third sister-in-law, you're being too polite. We've all witnessed the newspaper's growth, and we're very pleased that the newspaper's dream is getting better and better."
With their seniority, they can be considered veterans.
Wen Zongji said, "No matter what the reason, it's always good to get together. It's been a long time since I've seen Yong-ge'er. Why didn't you bring him along?"
Wen Shuxuan smiled and said, "Yongge'er has left the manor with his father-in-law."
Duke Zhao has given up on treating his eldest son Zhao Hongrong. Since Yongge'er was born, he has been focused on raising him and will not allow Lady Zhao to interfere, for fear of spoiling him into another Zhao Hongrong.
Wen Shuxuan was happy to see this happen, even if it would reduce the time she spent with Yongge'er. But it would benefit Yongge'er, so she was willing to compromise.
Wen Zongji nodded and turned to go to the inner room to change his clothes.
After he left, Pei Rujing said to Wen Shuxuan, "I heard that Zhao Hongrong hasn't returned to the Duke's mansion for quite some time?"
Wen Shuxuan said calmly, "He kept a mistress outside. His mother-in-law spoiled him, and his father-in-law didn't care about him, so he stopped pretending."
He not only kept a mistress, but also had a son.
He's only a few months younger than Yongge.
Wen Shuxuan already knew about this, but she just didn't expose it. Anyway, since Zhao Hongrong wasn't returning to the manor, she felt more at ease.
As for that concubine's son, the Duke of Zhao's attitude says it all.
A concubine's daughter whose status is even lower than that of a son of a concubine is someone Wen Shuxuan would find foolish to even glance at.
Pei Rujing looked at you: "You..."
Wen Shuxuan smiled at Pei Rujing, looking relaxed: "Don't worry, Third Sister-in-law, I think things are pretty good now. Taking care of the newspaper office for you and watching Rou'er and Yong'er grow up is really great."
Seeing that she wasn't being insincere, Pei Rujing didn't say anything more.
As Wen Shuxuan said before, no one can guarantee that she will find someone better than Zhao Hongrong after divorcing him. Since that's the case, it's better to maintain the status quo.
At the very least, her Yongge'er is the eldest grandson of the Duke of Zhao's family, and he has no shortage of status and prestige.
Mr. and Mrs. Wen Zongji invited Wen Shuxuan to have lunch before letting her leave.
Pei Rujing sighed, "What a pity for my younger sister."
She always felt that Wen Shuxuan's marriage to Zhao Hongrong was a waste of her time.
Wen Zongji was speechless and sighed, "Fortunately, my younger sister is broad-minded."
In reality, everyone knows that Wen Shuxuan can only be tolerant; otherwise, what else can she do? She doesn't only have herself; she also has the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion and her two children.
There are too many things in this world that are beyond our control.
Most importantly, this era was too harsh on women, especially those who lived off the land.
Pei Rujing and Wen Zongji exchanged a glance and tacitly agreed not to bring up the matter again.