Chapter 3: Overstepping Boundaries

However, the Liu family truly hopes to achieve success through education by relying on the absent third son. The third son, Liu Jian, is only thirteen this year, yet he has already passed the preliminary examination for students. Although he did not succeed in the scholar examination on his first attempt, he is still young, and with his talent, he will surely have opportunities in the future. Currently, the third son is studying at the county academy, making him the most promising candidate in the Liu family to become a scholar or a successful candidate in the imperial examination. Liu Laoye's hope for the third son is simply to pass the successful candidate examination; as for the highest degree, he does not dare to be overly ambitious. Currently, the third son is studying at the county academy, making him the most promising candidate in the Liu family to become a scholar or a successful candidate in the imperial examination. Liu Laoye's hope for the third son is simply to pass the successful candidate examination; as for the highest degree, he does not dare to be overly ambitious.

As for the second son, there is no need to mention him; he has been unruly since childhood, completely unwilling to study. Initially, I wanted him to work the land at home, but he was restless and ran off to associate with those dubious friends. However, this boy is quite clever; he actually managed to enter martial arts school and became a martial student. One could say he is a martial scholar. If he were to participate in the provincial martial examination in the future and succeed in becoming a martial graduate, he could also become a military official. Although martial achievements are not as esteemed as literary ones, if he can attain an official position, whether military or civil, it would bring glory to the Liu family.

Especially in the past two years, Liu Jiao's second son, Liu Jun, has been engaged in martial arts in the capital, while the eldest son, who is just as soft-natured as Liu Xiu, has allowed others to take advantage of him even more

The Liu family can only be considered a middle-class household in the town, while their neighbor, known as Zhang the Butcher, monopolized the meat trade in the town through some connections and made quite a bit of money. The previous year, he used his wealth to secure a position for his eldest son as a student, which made him quite proud. To make matters worse, his second son was also quite impressive, first passing the Xiucai examination and then the Juren examination, which further inflated Zhang the Butcher's pride, leading him to consider himself a distinguished elder. Since the Liu family lived next door to him, they often found themselves in conflict.

Liu Jun smiled slightly with a hint of pride and said, "Alright, let me tell you what these few sentences mean: 'Preparation leads to success.' In any endeavor, having preparation beforehand can lead to success, while lacking preparation will result in failure; if one prepares before speaking, they will not be at a loss for words or lack sound reasoning; if one prepares before acting, they will not encounter difficulties or setbacks; if one plans ahead before taking action, they will not make mistakes that lead to regret; if one understands the principles of being a person and makes sound decisions in advance, they will not find their efforts futile. Remember, these words are from Dai Sheng during the Western Han Dynasty, as stated in the "Li Ji" (Book of Rites) and "Zhong Yong" (Doctrine of the Mean)."

The more this is the case, the more he isolates himself from the world, focusing solely on his studies. The result of this is a significant weakness in his social skills. Just like now, having been bullied to this extent, he only dares to vent a little in front of his family at home, not even having the courage to stand at the Zhang family's doorstep and curse a few words.

As they were speaking, they saw the maid Bao'er running over, and from a distance, she called out to Liu Jun: "Second Young Master, the eldest young mistress, the master has fainted"

The pig unexpectedly ran to the front of Zhang's house, and then the butcher Zhang directly opened the door and drove the pig into his own pen. The Liu family went to demand it back, but the Zhang family claimed the pig belonged to them. In the end, they said that if they wanted the pig, they could buy it for five taels of silver.

Liu Jun's mother was even more of an inconspicuous old lady, sitting quietly to the side without saying a word

Therefore, this student is actually just slightly above the ordinary common people, yet in reality, he possesses not even the slightest privilege. Once one passes the examination to become a xiucai, at least he can be exempted from two days of corvée labor at home and does not have to kneel when meeting officials; however, the student does not enjoy such treatment.

Uncle! As soon as the little nephew saw his uncle, he immediately forgot about reciting his lines and hurried over.

The village where Liu Jun and his family live is called Xiwang. Due to its proximity to the county town and its strategic location on a major transportation route, it has long developed into a sizable market, housing over a thousand families, including a number of wealthy and powerful households

As Liu Jun entered the main hall, he immediately heard a voice filled with exasperation. Recognizing the tone, he knew it must be his elder brother Liu Zhao. Just as the voice suggested, Liu Zhao was a somewhat weak and ineffectual man. Having followed their father to begin his education at a young age, he had studied for over twenty years, yet he was still merely a student.

What is going on? Liu Jun asked

Perhaps in his early years, being merely a pig butcher, he felt somewhat inferior when facing Liu Laodai, the scholar, and suppressed much of his feelings. Now that he has gained power, he often deliberately seeks trouble with the Liu family. Liu Jun's father, Liu Xiu, an old scholar, spent his entire life studying and taking the imperial examinations. He is not the type of person who enjoys arguing or competing with others, especially now that Zhang the butcher has a son who has become a jinshi.

Moreover, isn't it said that women during the Qing Dynasty were the most conservative? How is it that the elder sister-in-law is so familiar with herself?

If our family also had a successful candidate, how could that butcher Zhang dare to bully us like this? After letting out a sigh, Old Zhang began to take the opportunity to encourage his own descendants. Unfortunately, when he glanced at the several young men in the room, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had three sons; although the eldest was diligent in his studies, he simply was not cut out for it. After many years of study, he had only managed to become a student of the lowest rank, not even as accomplished as Zhang himself, who at least had passed the examination to become a licentiate.

Liu Mei and Liu Zhao's families arranged a betrothal for their children many years ago. Six years ago, Liu Zhao formally married into the Mei family, and a year later, they had a son named Liu Hong

Mei felt a bit dazed upon hearing her brother-in-law's words to her son, filled with confusion in her heart

This beautiful woman, who appears somewhat fearful, is Liu Jun's sister-in-law, Mei. She is the wife of Liu Zhao, Liu Jun's elder brother, and hails from the Mei family of Qilugang in Macheng, which is the leading family among the four prominent families of Macheng. However, she is from a branch of that family. Her father was also an old scholar, who studied alongside Liu Jun's father, Liu Xiu, in their youth. Both of them took the imperial examination for many years without success, yet they maintained a very good relationship with each other

From memory, Liu Jun realized that this sharp-witted person, his sister-in-law, was actually the same age as him. Liu Jun is twenty this year, while his sister-in-law is only three months older than him

This butcher Zhang is excessively bullying others; how can he act this way? Is there no law or justice left?

Wang Fa? Zhang the butcher's son-in-law is the county magistrate, and his eldest son has even paid a fee to become a candidate for the imperial examination. Now, his second son has just passed the provincial examination. In this Xiwai Town, who can still suppress Zhang the butcher? Forget it, it's just a pig, worth only two taels of silver. Let's just say it died of swine fever; one pig won't impoverish us, nor will it affect them

Sister-in-law Mei Lingran persistently followed behind, saying, "I see that Second Uncle is not young anymore, and now he is a respectable martial artist. It is time to consider personal marriage matters. How about I help you arrange something?"

Today, Liu Laodie planned to slaughter a fat pig raised at home because his second son had returned. However, when he was about to take action, he accidentally let the pig escape.

Fortunately, he married a good wife. Although the Mei family is merely that of a scholar, the Mei family is the foremost among the four prominent families of Macheng. Their financial situation is relatively prosperous, and when she married, she brought a substantial dowry, including forty acres of land and a shop. This has allowed him to be a hands-off manager of his business for these years.

Liu Jun could only shake his head helplessly upon seeing Liu Laoda like this; a man who is so inept yet happens to have good fortune, marrying a good wife and having a well-behaved son.

At this moment, Old Liu had already woken up, lying on the bamboo chair with a dispirited expression and a lack of interest. Faced with the Zhang family's bullying, he could only swallow his grievances and endure, choosing to appease the situation and keep the peace.

"It is still that butcher Zhang bullying others with his power!" The young girl, panting, led Liu Jun and the others into the room while explaining.

At this moment, Sister Mei said to her son Liu Hong, "Did you hear what your grandfather said? Study hard, and if you can pass the imperial examination and become a jinshi, then we will no longer have to fear being oppressed by others."

"All matters are established through preparation; without preparation, they will fail. If words are predetermined, there will be no hesitation; if matters are predetermined, there will be no confusion; if actions are predetermined, there will be no regret; if the path is predetermined, there will be no end to it." Liu Jun held his nephew and then recited the part that his nephew had just failed to memorize, saying, "You have read the Doctrine of the Mean so quickly; you are surely destined to be the top scholar in the future. Uncle asks you, do you know the meaning of this part I just recited?"

Liu Jun caught Liu Hong in one swift motion, and surprisingly, he felt no sense of unfamiliarity with this nephew who clung to him. It seems that the original Liu Jun had a good relationship with this nephew.

Usually, he is oblivious to the affairs outside his window, solely focused on reading the classics. He disregards all matters of daily necessities, while Old Liu has taken up a position as a teacher to earn some money. In contrast, Liu Zhao has been at home living off others, merely extending his hand without contributing financially

The younger brother-in-law was not particularly fond of studying; he usually preferred to practice martial arts and socialize with friends. Eventually, the father-in-law had no choice but to abandon the idea of having him pursue the imperial examination and a career in government, and instead hoped he would return home to farm diligently. However, this younger brother-in-law turned out to have some talent. With the connections he made through his friends, he managed to enter the martial arts academy of Huangzhou Wei, becoming a martial student. He was granted a robe and enjoyed exemptions from various minor duties.

It seems that the younger brother-in-law has spent two years outside and has indeed learned some skills. Not only has he studied martial arts and archery, but he has also gained considerable knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics.

This is nothing short of robbery. Not to mention that this pig originally belongs to the Liu family, even if one were to buy a pig at the market, it wouldn't cost this much. A pound of good pork is merely two coins, and a hundred pounds of prime pork would only amount to two taels of silver

As a result, the Liu family retreated, but this only emboldened Zhang the butcher to become even more ruthless.

Old Master Liu engaged in a theoretical debate with the butcher Zhang and his son, but an old scholar could hardly compete with a butcher. In the end, not only did he fail to reclaim the pig, but he also fainted from anger at the doorstep of Zhang's house, requiring others to carry him back.

Liu Zhaowen does not succeed, nor does Wu, continuously reading and studying, taking exams, and it is certain that they must continue to read and take exams.

The term "tongsheng" refers to a candidate who has participated in the imperial examination and has passed a total of eight examinations, including the county and prefectural tests, but has not succeeded in the final examination at the academy, thus failing to obtain even the title of "xiucai".

Liu Zhao lowered his head in some embarrassment, fully aware of his own situation. The more exams he participated in, the less confidence he had in passing the scholar examination.

Liu Hong shook his head, "It was my second uncle who taught me"

Liu Jun felt overwhelmed; in his previous life, he was a confirmed bachelor, having had numerous girlfriends but being most afraid of marriage. Now that he had just arrived in the Ming Dynasty, everything around him was shrouded in darkness, and he was being urged to go on blind dates and get married. This was far too early for him, and he noticed that even beautiful women like his sister-in-law had bound feet. If he were to be introduced to a scholar's daughter with small feet, how could he possibly accept that