Tianliangyuan

Chapter 81 Yellow Mud Falls into My Crotch

Finally, Xu Wenxian couldn't help but say, "Mother, we will find a way to deal with Huaizhi's matter, but the problem is that we need to let Huaizhi figure out whether he still wants to take the imperial examination. If he doesn't take the examination, it won't be difficult to find him a job, but if he continues to take the examination, then he can't get a job."

Xu Han nodded, "That makes sense."

You can't have it both ways!

Moreover, getting a job requires favors. Not to mention money, can you just casually owe favors to your colleagues?

Moreover, both brothers are military officers. Xu Wen has now entered the Ministry of War and is also a military officer, while Sun Huaizhi is a scholar. Even if the two brothers have connections in this area, it won't be that quick or effective!

"Huai Zhi is determined not to take the imperial examinations again, and the Jiang family is unwilling to make any further moves. Your brother-in-law has no choice. Otherwise, would he not want Huai Zhi to continue taking the examinations? In the end, it was those people who cheated who ruined Huai Zhi!"

Xu Han's eyes darted around. Had Sun Huai really not cheated?

He doesn't believe that!

It can only be said that his methods were more covert and went undetected.

Based on the Jiang family's attitude at the time, Xu Han didn't believe Sun Huaizhi was innocent.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now, but we can't rush things. My second brother and I will think of a solution. But does Huaizhi want to stay in Beijing or be sent to another region?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady became anxious: "Of course he should stay in the capital! He's still young, he hasn't even married yet, it's definitely more appropriate for him to stay in the capital."

What the old lady didn't say was that if you stay in the capital, you two uncles will take care of you. But if you leave the capital, there will be no one to protect you, and who knows how much suffering you will endure!

Xu Han and Xu Wen exchanged a glance. They couldn't just listen to the old lady about this; they had to ask Sun Huaizhi and Xu Lin for their opinions as well.

Neither of the brothers felt good; they felt uneasy.

They were the ones who helped, so why should we rush to find that mother and daughter?

The more I think about it, the more frustrated I feel.

After Xu Han returned to his room, a maid came up to greet him, but he immediately chased her away.

Wang Ruolan was laying out the quilt in front of the bed. Unless there were special circumstances, she usually liked to do these things herself, since there was no third person between her and her husband.

Wang Ruolan turned her head and saw that the maids had all gone out, so she went to the outer room to see what was going on.

"Where did you get upset?"

Xu Han snorted and just sat there, not changing his clothes or making any attempt to wash up.

Wang Ruolan had been married to him for over twenty years; how could she not know him?

"You must be tired these past few days. Take off your clothes first, and I'll give you a shoulder massage in a bit."

His wife spoke gently and smiled as she came forward to serve him. Xu Han could no longer put on airs, so he stood up, stretched out his arm, and cooperated in changing his clothes.

"You've heard about what happened to Huaizhi, haven't you?"

Wang Ruolan hadn't even massaged him twice before Xu Han couldn't hold back anymore.

"Yes, I've heard some of it. They say he was so frightened that he lost all interest in scientific research."

Xu Han sneered: "What frightened him? I think he knows his own limitations and doesn't want to embarrass himself any further!"

Wang Ruolan couldn't respond to this. He was Xu Han's nephew, and in the heat of the moment, no amount of scolding was too much for him. Once he calmed down and saw the good in Sun Huaizhi, he would change his tune and praise him.

But Wang Ruolan couldn't scold him, or even show any disdain, for fear that this stubborn ox would become estranged from her again.

"Huaizhi is quite talented. He used to be rated as excellent in exams. I think this trip to the Dali Temple must have frightened him. After all, he's still young and not married yet."

Xu Han disagreed: "Such a big man, with no missing arms or legs, he only stayed at the Dali Temple for two nights, what's there to be afraid of? I think he's just feeling guilty! After this incident, the Jiang family will definitely not dare to interfere in next year's imperial examination. I think Huaizhi has lost his confidence, which is why he doesn't want to continue taking the imperial examination."

"Why do you care? If he doesn't want to take the exam, he doesn't have to! Anyway, with you and my second brother as his uncles, how bad can his future be? If it really comes down to it, you and my second brother can try to find him an easy job. He needs to have something to do first, so he can marry a wife."

That makes perfect sense no matter how you look at it.

Xu Han felt a bit better now.

Moreover, he felt that his wife was right; Sun Huaizhi really couldn't be left idle forever.

Scholars have many flaws.

If we let him have too much free time, who knows what bad habits he might pick up!

"This is not a good matter. My second son and I are both military officers, while Huaizhi wants to get a civil official position. Tsk, I have to spend money and use my connections, and there's still no guarantee that I can satisfy the mother and son!"

This is what's giving Xu Han the biggest headache.

This kind of thing has happened before.

More than a decade ago, Sun Qingyang came to Xu Han's door seeking an official position, but Xu Lin was still not satisfied despite Xu Han's hard work.

Because of that incident, Xu Han's attitude towards Xu Lin became much colder.

"Well then, don't be too anxious. I'll find some time in the next couple of days to have Xu Lin and Huai Zhi come over, and I'll also ask them what they think. After all, a Juren (successful candidate in the provincial examination) can't expect to get a very high official position, but if he's sent to a post outside the capital, he should be able to keep his rank at the seventh grade, right?"

Xu Han shook his head: "It's hard to say! There were two Jinshi in the last imperial examination. Isn't that a better degree than Juren? In the end, one was only appointed as a county magistrate, and the other was assigned to a lower-ranking county as a county magistrate, a seventh-rank position! Huai Zhi is only a Juren. Even if someone recommends him, his starting point can't be too high."

Most importantly, Xu Han dared not seek out any important official positions for him, for fear of attracting the emperor's attention again.

Wang Ruolan understood her husband's predicament, but since the old lady had already spoken up, and Sun Huaizhi did indeed call her husband "uncle," how could she really ignore it?

"Don't you have any civilian officials in your military camp?"

Xu Han rolled his eyes at her: "Yes, there are, but the important civil officials in the military camp are all appointed by the Ministry of War or by the Emperor himself. How can I interfere with them at will? If a civil official is too idle, he will never get ahead in the military camp and will have difficulty getting promoted in the future. Wouldn't that just let him waste his life as a minor official?"

Wang Ruolan shut up; this was indeed quite a tricky situation.

In fact, Xu Han and Wang Ruolan both knew very well that the reasons they had just mentioned were not what truly troubled them.

Sun Huaizhi was implicated in the cheating case. Although he was ultimately found not guilty and his academic titles were not revoked, it was clear to anyone with eyes that the Jiang family had played a role in it.

Therefore, Sun Huaizhi's reputation is now like mud stuck in his crotch—even if it's not excrement, it's still excrement.

The next day, Wang Ruolan mentioned this matter while chatting with Xu Zhaozhao.

"If you ask me, what's wrong with Huaizhi if he could be a little more assertive and take the imperial examination in a few years? What kind of shock could possibly last for years? I also think your father is right, he's just feeling guilty!"