RPAGF Chapter 951 A Family with Exam Takers
Chapter 951 A Family with Exam Takers
Besides matters of the court, Zhang Ping'an has two other worries lately.
One issue is that Cui Ling seems to have recently discovered some clues about Li Mingxuan and has been frequently testing him. Although Li Mingxuan has dodged and evaded these questions, it's still quite annoying.
He guessed that Cui Ling probably didn't have any direct and compelling evidence yet, otherwise it wouldn't be a test, but a direct confrontation to extract benefits from him or arrest him.
Another thing is that Xiaoyuer will be taking the provincial examination in a few days. Although I know my son's foundation very well, I am confident that he will pass the examination with a high chance of success.
But I was still a little nervous. After all, the imperial examination was held only once every three years. If I didn’t pass this time, I would have to wait another three years. The golden years that determine one’s fate often consist of just these ten years!
To be honest, Zhang Ping'an didn't want his son to wait until next time. He hoped that his son could make the list this time, no matter what the ranking was!
This way, there would be room for maneuver during the palace examination. With his influence, the emperor could at least grant him a second-class degree, which would guarantee his future and greatly reduce the pressure on him.
Everyone in the family moved quietly, trying their best to provide a quiet reading environment for Xiaoyuer and Pengpeng.
Zhang Lao Er even had his servants move the stove for decocting medicine to the downwind side, just in case the smell of the medicine bothered the two of them and affected their concentration on studying.
As the exam drew closer, Pengpeng became increasingly anxious, with several large blisters appearing around the corners of his mouth, forming a red ring that made him look both comical and pitiful.
In contrast, Xiaoyuer became increasingly confident as the exam approached, clearly demonstrating the difference in their abilities.
Zhuzhu is currently in her postpartum period and cannot go out, but she is still thinking about the two of them taking their exams. She sent someone to deliver a lot of tonics to show her concern.
Letters and packages from the Liu family in Lin'an arrived like snowflakes, every few days, filled with concern and inquiries, yet they dared not ask too many questions, quite unlike the frugal way Er Ya and her husband usually were. It was clear how much they had high hopes for Peng Peng's upcoming examination.
The candidates who came to the capital to take the imperial examinations were much more astute and cautious than those who took the county-level or provincial-level examinations; they were extremely careful about the food they ate.
Just then, Pengpeng suddenly fell ill, vomiting and having diarrhea.
Xu and Zhang were so frightened that they immediately called a doctor, thinking they had eaten something unclean.
Little Fish couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing about something like this.
It was the same old doctor who had treated Zhang Lao Er before who came over. After carefully examining Peng Peng's condition and asking about today's menu, he shook his head, somewhat puzzled: "This shouldn't be the case. It doesn't look like he ate something bad. There's nothing wrong with the menu, and he hasn't been poisoned!"
Xiaoyuer, with her hands behind her back and a frown, said, "It can't be a problem with the food at home. My cousin and I eat the same things, and we haven't left the house today. How could we suddenly have stomach problems?"
Madam Xu anxiously explained, "That's right, they're about to take the imperial examinations, so I'm extremely careful about their food. I've been watching them in the kitchen from beginning to end, how could there be a problem?"
The old doctor couldn't see anything wrong, so he could only say, "Let me prescribe a medicine to help you regulate your body first!"
After saying that, she thought of something and pointed to the dark circles under Pengpeng's eyes, saying, "You can't stay up late anymore. I see that you have a weak spleen and dark circles under your eyes, and your pulse is irregular and your heart is excited. If this continues, it will affect your lifespan."
Speaking of excitement, Xiaoyuer's eyes suddenly sharpened as he looked at Pengpeng: "Cousin, did you eat some kind of hibiscus paste?"
Mrs. Xu had never heard of this before and asked, "What is it? Is it a snack?"
The old doctor suddenly realized, slapped his thigh and said, "It really does look somewhat like it. Why didn't I think of that before?"
Pengpeng's eyes darted around, and he denied it, "No, I haven't eaten anything. I've had all my meals at the manor."
Xiaoyuer sneered, having already made up her mind. Suddenly, she called a servant in and said, "Search the room and see if Young Master Biao has any Hibiscus Cream hidden there."
Zhang Lao Er felt this was inappropriate and stopped him, saying, "What is Hibiscus Cream? What's going on? Let's clarify things before deciding what to do. Peng Peng is, after all, a young master from the family."
The implication was that Xiaoyuer should give her cousin some face.
Xiaoyuer said coldly, "If not, I'll apologize to my cousin!"
Seeing this, the old doctor shook his head helplessly and explained to the two of them:
"Grandpa, Grandma, you may not know this, but this Hibiscus Ointment is a kind of ointment that has suddenly become popular in the capital recently. It is said to relieve fatigue and make people energetic. The effect of learning it for one day is equivalent to that of two or three days normally."
However, the dosage needs to be strictly controlled. If you take too much, it will cause hallucinations, vomiting, diarrhea, and chills. Most importantly, this stuff is extremely addictive!
Ordinary people may not know this, but in my opinion, isn't this just another form of the Five-Stone Powder that was popular in the previous dynasty? All things in heaven and earth are mutually generating and restraining, yin and yang are combined, and there is nothing that can keep a person vigorous for a long time. If there were, it would inevitably damage the body's foundation!
In short, this is harmful stuff! We can't let the younger generations in the family become addicted. If they get hooked on this stuff, their descendants will be ruined.
Madam Xu's face turned pale. "Is it that serious?"
Zhang Lao Er was also horrified.
The old doctor said solemnly, “If the old master and madam do not believe me, they may go out and inquire. What I say is absolutely true. It is said that in the previous dynasty, quite a few people went crazy after eating this stuff.”
At this moment, the servant searched a hidden compartment in the drawer and found a package of dark stuff. Little Fish recognized it as Hibiscus Cream.
"Cousin, how do you explain this?"
Pengpeng looked down at the questioning and muttered softly, "It's not that serious."
Little Fish was furious and raised his eyebrows: "Didn't you hear what the old doctor said? If this thing were something good, why would it suddenly appear during the exam? It's obviously aimed at the candidates for this exam. There's no such thing as a free lunch. There's always something fishy going on. You don't even understand such a simple principle. You've wasted your time studying!"