The Lucky Farmgirl

Yin Huo chuckled, "You’re in good health and can use your wits, so studying shouldn’t be difficult for you."

Bai Erlang: "Difficult? Nothing in this world is more difficult than studying."

Manbao: "That’s what you said when you were sowing wheat and transplanting seedlings too, that nothing in this world is harder than farm work."

Bai Erlang leaned back in his lounge chair, rocking it as he closed his eyes, pretending not to hear her words.

Seeing this, Yin Huo smiled and imitated him, leaning back entirely as the lounge chair began to rock. He turned his head past Manbao and asked Bai Shan, "Didn’t you want to ask me something before lunch?"

Bai Shan glanced at Manbao, and seeing she had no objections, asked, "Since the Imperial Academy’s climate has improved, why hasn’t the atmosphere in the capital improved? Can’t the sons of officials of the fifth rank and above enroll in school?"

"That’s because there are quotas," Yin Huo laughed. "Take my father, for example; he is a third-rank magistrate in the capital and has two slots to send students to the Imperial Academy. But our family only has me, so there’s a slot left that could be saved for a future nephew or a relative’s child."

Yin Huo paused for a moment, then continued, "But how many in the capital have as few heirs as my father? Who doesn’t have a plethora of children and grandchildren? For officials of the fifth rank and above, if it’s the father, it’s not bad; he can give the slot to his son, those with many sons give it to the eldest legitimate son, and those with many eldest legitimate sons give it to the eldest grandson. But when it comes to the grandfather, and the children have had children, naturally the slot goes to the eldest legitimate grandson. If the eldest legitimate grandson isn’t smart, for the sake of the family’s future, some elders will choose the most intelligent among the grandchildren to send."

Manbao immediately understood and, not wanting him to say too much, interjected, "I understand, where there are benefits, there is competition. Contention within the family leads to contention between families and clans once they are outside, hence the chaos."

Yin Huo nodded slightly.

Bai Shan said, "So very few descendants can enroll, and most are still outside. Although the Imperial Academy’s etiquette has improved, the dandyism in the capital has not improved much?"