As he approached, he rushed up and asked, "How did it go? Did they pass the preliminary exam?"
Oldest Song raised his head and shook it. His face looked suppressed, and his voice was low, accompanied by a heavy sigh that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
"Yongnian and Yaozu's names are not on the list."
Old Man Song stumbled backward. Although he had prepared himself for this, he still felt an empty void inside.
He took a deep breath and forced a smile. "It's fine. Scholar Zheng said this time was just for practice. The main focus is next year."
They originally thought that even if the boys didn't pass the main exam, they would at least pass the preliminaries. Failing even the preliminaries meant they were far from becoming child scholars.
For an entire day, the rooms of the two Song family branches were eerily quiet, with hardly anyone speaking.
As soon as Song Yongnian returned, he locked himself in his room to read. Tears rolled down from his eyes onto the paper. He quickly tried to wipe them away with his sleeve, eventually soaking the fabric completely.
In the second branch's courtyard, Song Laidi walked out carrying a wooden bucket full of laundry. She was still wearing the clothes Song Jinzhao had given her for the New Year.
Song Pandi, following beside her with a basin, looked disappointed as she muttered softly, "I knew he wouldn't pass, but I didn't expect him to actually fail."
Song Laidi stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to look through the window. Song Yaozu was sitting at the table, chewing on the end of his brush. Not a trace of sorrow over failing the exam could be seen on his face; instead, he looked completely indifferent.
How could this not make someone angry?
In order to support his studies, the family ate worse than before. After two years of paying for his education, this was the result. At this rate, he probably wouldn't pass next year either.
"Grandpa only promised to subsidize three years of tuition. If he doesn't pass next year, Dad won't let him continue studying."
Cutting back on food and clothing with no return to show for it—the one who absolutely couldn't stand this the most was the usually lazy Second Song.
The heavy atmosphere between the two branches of the Song family lasted for two whole days before it finally eased a bit.
Having bragged so much outside before the exam, Second Song and his wife didn't leave the house for three consecutive days, afraid of being mocked by the villagers.
The weather cleared up and temperatures began to warm. Every household started repairing their farm tools in preparation for the upcoming spring plowing.
A piercing sound of gongs and drums came from the village entrance, shattering the peace of Song Family Village.
As the sound grew louder, people stepped out of their homes one after another, wanting to see what was happening.
As the seventh-grade county magistrate's procession entered the village, with gongs and drums clearing the way and three groups of yamen runners surrounding the official sedan chair, the roadsides fell into a dead silence.
Why was there another high official coming to the village? What were they here to do?
Watching the procession pass by their doors, many villagers followed from a distance, not daring to get too close.
The official sedan chair was set down in front of the old house. Standing at the door, Old Man Song and the others saw Zhang Yuanzong step out of the chair, and they immediately knelt, kowtowed, and shouted, "Commoners pay their respects to the Lord Magistrate."
Seeing this, the villagers watching from behind the sedan chair also knelt and kowtowed.
Why had the county magistrate come? And stopped right in front of Old Man Song's house.
Zhang Yuanzong's gaze fell on the slightly gray-haired Old Man Song. He quickly stepped forward to help him up. "Old Mr. Song, there is no need for such formalities. I have come today to offer my congratulations."
Old Man Song and his family were stunned, completely unaware of what had happened.
Congratulations? Congratulations for what?
Didn't they fail the exam? They didn't even pass the preliminaries.
They welcomed him into the house to sit down. The uneven floor caused Zhang Yuanzong's official hat to tilt slightly as he sat on the chair, and he didn't dare lean all the way back.
He grinned widely and said, "Miss Song came up with the idea of building greenhouses in the dead of winter to grow vegetables inside, and she freely offered this off-season planting method to the imperial court. His Majesty has specially granted her the title of Township Lady Linghui. This is an honor for our Xining City."
"To be able to raise such a virtuous and talented granddaughter who is loyal to the imperial court, it is all due to your excellent guidance..."
Faced with Zhang Yuanzong's endless stream of praise, the people sitting or standing in the main hall had turned into a bunch of dimwits, not knowing how to react.
Second Song and Second Aunt Song, who had just walked to the door, stood dumbfounded on the spot, their souls having already flown out of their bodies.
Township Lady? Who was he talking about? Song Jinzhao?
The oldest girl in the Song family was Song Jinzhao; besides her, they couldn't think of anyone else.
When Old Man Song spoke, his lips trembled, causing the loose skin on his face to wobble up and down.
"Lord Magistrate, are you talking about my eldest granddaughter, Jinzhao?"
Zhang Yuanzong nodded happily. "Besides Song Jinzhao, what other commoner woman in the world could achieve this? Blessed by His Majesty's profound grace, this is a great event that brings honor to your ancestors."
For Xining City to produce a Township Lady, it not only brought glory to Zhang Yuanzong's face but also counted as his political achievement.
Coupled with being the first to build a waterwheel the year before last, with a little more effort, his position as county magistrate could be moved up next year.
Second Aunt Song's legs went weak, and she flopped to her knees on the ground.
Zhang Yuanzong looked toward the door curiously, and Old Man Song quickly explained, "This is my Second Song. They live elsewhere and just rushed over."
Recovering his senses, Oldest Song quickly gave Second Song a look, signaling him to help her up.
The couple tremblingly stepped over the threshold and stood against the wall. Their chests heaved erratically, as if experiencing a tsunami.
Township Lady... Did Song Jinzhao become an official?
She was just a girl, how could that be possible!
Zhang Yuanzong sat in the Song family's old house for nearly half an hour, chatting about everything from Song Jinzhao's childhood to the passing of her parents. He praised her the entire time, even flattering her deceased parents to the heavens.
It wasn't until he left his congratulatory gifts and his procession departed that the Song family and the others finally began to fully process what had happened.
Oldest Song's voice stuttered as he hesitantly asked, "How high of an official is a Township Lady?"
No one answered, and no one knew.
Old Man Song had just sat down to drink a bowl of water to calm his nerves when the village chief, Song Mancang, rushed in with some people.
"Old Man Song, I heard that Jinzhao was granted the title of Township Lady by His Majesty. Is it true?"
He had just asked the yamen runners guarding outside, and at first listen, he couldn't quite believe it.
Old Man Song looked at Song Mancang. As he spoke, his head, hands, and body all trembled, almost spilling the water in his bowl.
"They said she is Township Lady Linghui."
Second Song reached out and grabbed Song Mancang's arm. "Village Chief, what kind of official is a Township Lady?"
Song Mancang tightly gripped the armrest with his right hand as he sat down, his eyes losing focus.
"A Township Lady is not an official, it's a noble title. A seventh-grade imperial mandate holds a distinguished status. Usually, only imperial relatives or the wives and daughters of exceptionally high-ranking officials receive such a title."
Oldest Song shrieked, "Seventh grade? Doesn't that mean she's as big as the county magistrate!"
Old Man Song and the others felt a buzzing in their heads. No wonder the county magistrate's attitude had been so gentle earlier, full of praise in every word. It turned out her rank was the same as his.
Song Mancang shook his head and explained, "A Township Lady has no actual power, so it's not the same as an official position. But her status is highly respected; even the county magistrate must treat her with courtesy when they meet."
He slapped his thigh with great regret. "The most important thing is that a Township Lady receives an annual stipend, and people registered in the same household can be exempt from corvee labor. Old Man Song, you split up the family way too early."
Not only did they fail to reap the benefits of Song Qiming being a scholar, but now even Song Jinzhao was eating imperial grain, yet the imperial grace couldn't benefit the other two branches. It could be said they suffered a massive loss.
The room fell into a dead silence. Seeing that none of them were speaking, Song Mancang pondered for a long while before saying, "Old Man Song, what do you think about writing a letter to have Jinzhao come back for a visit? For such a joyous occasion, we absolutely must open the village ancestral hall to offer sacrifices to our ancestors and comfort the spirits of our forebears."
Old Man Song snapped back to reality and spoke up, Jinzhao has a lot on her plate in Anyang Prefecture and probably will not have the time. How about we wait until they come back to discuss this?
Song Mancang pondered for a long time. Thinking of the vast distance to Anyang Prefecture, he said, Then we will hold the ceremony twice. Tomorrow, we will open the inner ancestral hall and you can pay respects to the ancestors on Jinzhao's behalf. We will hold it again once they return.
Old Man Song had no objections to this. His mind was still a bit muddled, and the title of Lady of the County kept floating before his eyes. He needed some time to process it all.
