Chapter 418: Completely Breaking Away from Old Pei’s House (5)_1
Pei Zongli could only offer the Zhao family empty promises. Behind them was the Qian family, big and prosperous; even if the Government Office didn’t need Zhao Yaocheng, the Qian family could still secure him a position. Wu Dongsi would not be the County Magistrate of Yuanyang forever, nor could he protect Pei Qin indefinitely. There would come a time when they would fall out, and Zhao Junchao’s academic honors wouldn’t be an issue. In the future, when Pei Wenli climbed up the ranks, he would surely pull up his brother-in-law Zhao Junchao with him, supporting each other.
The reputation of Old Pei’s House might be whatever it is now, but in the eyes of the higher-ups, they were simply a family of sweet potato farmers who had received an imperial reward, which would always make it easier for them to take the academic examinations than others.
The Zhao family didn’t believe it; after all, Shen Songming was the son of the Jinan Magistrate. With them standing in the way, even if Old Pei’s House had the backing of the Qian family, they couldn’t beat them.
Pei Zongli went on to explain how he had managed to obtain the imperial reward this time. The Shen family had many political enemies, and even though they held the position of Magistrate, they were just arrogant at the lower levels. When it really came down to Capital Jingcheng, they weren’t considered significant at all.
As for the matter of the Shen family not only having a Jinan Magistrate but also a current First Rank Elder Statesman, Pei Zongli didn’t even mention it with a single word.
The Zhao family found the pie he painted quite appetizing. It was just that Zhao Junchao really disliked Pei Wenlee, looked down on her, and was unwilling to marry her.
At home, Pei Wenlee also strongly objected. "Why should I have to take the one that little wretch doesn’t want!? Being used to bear the brunt when there’s trouble!"
Lady Chen could not persuade her, so she handed the task over to Lady Zhu.