"Chang Wu, don't be so pessimistic. You still have hope in the martial arts examination. But you want to join the army. I wonder if Uncle Wei and my aunt are ready to return your body wrapped in horse leather?"
Sheng Changbai still encouraged Sheng Changwu.
Sheng Changwu was eight feet tall, with long arms and legs, and was born into a wealthy family like Dafang.
He is not lacking in nutrition, and he likes to use guns and sticks. He has naturally developed a good body and is indeed a good candidate for martial arts training.
If you have enough strength, the cultivation of skills will be relatively simple.
The standards for the martial arts test are just there, including infantry shooting, mounted shooting, weaponry, and strength. Finally, the requirements for the literary test are not high, that is, it is a simple martial arts scripture that can be memorized and understood.
Without literary examination, it would be subjective and abstract. If you can meet the standards, you have met the requirements.
Sheng Changwu could meet the requirements of the martial arts examination, but he could not be said to be a fierce general.
When he reaches adulthood, he may be a little stronger than Yuan Wenshao.
However, Yuan Wenshao is a noble son, and he can remain in the imperial army no matter how unpopular he is with the emperor.
Even if Sheng Changwu, a civilian like him, won the military examination, he would not be assigned a good position.
Most of them are assigned to warehouses, tax supervisors, mine supervisors, or as low-level military attachés in remote areas.
Without a backer and an opportunity, you will never get ahead in your life.
With the help of the second room, Chang Wu can be transferred to the Forbidden Army.
As a regular army, the Forbidden Army has many more opportunities for meritorious service and promotion.
However, all the imperial troops of the Great Zhou Dynasty had to take turns to guard the border and go to the battlefield with real swords and spears.
Because of the rise of Xixia, the northwest border of the Great Zhou Dynasty was very unstable.
There are not many large-scale conflicts, but there are constant small-scale conflicts.
When the old emperor left, the country's leaders were replaced by old and new ones, and the situation in the country was in turmoil.
It is impossible for foreigners not to take advantage of the situation and invade, and a war is inevitable.
Changwu was about to take the martial arts examination, and he happened to be in time for the big battle.
"Chang Wu, let me and my father think about your martial arts exam for a while."
Changsong said to Changwu. The two father and son obviously only considered the benefits of changing the family, and did not think deeply about the dangers of joining the army.
"Brother Changsong and Uncle Sheng, if you still want Chang Wu to do martial arts after careful consideration, my father and I will do our best for Chang Wu."
Sheng Changbai promised on behalf of Erfang.
I talked about the disadvantages of martial arts, just to make the eldest brother consider it carefully, and not to imply that the second brother is unwilling to contribute to the eldest brother.
The four brothers and sisters chatted and played in the yard, and had dinner together.
After having some wine, Sheng Changbai went back to the yard arranged by the main room to rest.
The next day, Sheng Wei went to prepare for the ancestor worship. Sheng Changbai still had nothing to do and was waiting in the ancestral house while various tribesmen came to visit his Tanhualang.
Many people came one after another, including elders and grandchildren.
Except for the third room, the clan members who are closest to Sheng Changbai are almost out of the fifth server.
We have to greet each other with a smile and treat each other warmly. To be honest, it is quite troublesome.
Sheng Changbai wanted to understand how the real common people lived in the Zhou Dynasty.
The conversation with the tribesmen was lively, happy and willing.
Wang Ruofu is not interested in these things, so it is no wonder that he is unwilling to return to Youyang and deal with these tribesmen.
Relatively speaking, the people of the Sheng family live a pretty good life, and their food, clothing, and clothing are still guaranteed.
Even if you don't have property or land of your own, you can still find an errand and a job in a big house's business.
A tribesman with good ability can work as a shopkeeper or accountant, which is enough to ensure that the family income exceeds that of most common people.
Even if they don’t have any skills, farmers can at least farm, and they can also work as tenants for big houses, and they can pay relatively less land rent.
If the family has no labor force, Shengwei can also provide assistance.
Generally speaking, Sheng Wei, the clan leader, manages the clan members well, treats them kindly, and the clan members are willing to listen to Sheng Wei.
Of course, when there are more people, not all of them will be so sensible.
There are always some people who like to get something for nothing and enjoy leisure and work. Looking at the big house and wealth, they just want to come to the big house to enjoy the autumn breeze.
The representative of this group of moths is a large family headed by three generations of grandparents.
Sheng Changbai had already followed Sheng Hong's instructions and gave the third house a gift worth 100,000 yuan.
This big family is still not satisfied. The Third Master also wants to seek benefits from Sheng Changbai as an elder.
Sheng Changbai had a bad look on his face and drove him out.
If it weren't for the fact that they share the same ancestor and are descended from the old man, the most important person in the fortune, Sheng Changbai would have wanted to teach these people a lesson.
A mere third-fang man dared to ruin Sheng Changbai's reputation by saying that Sheng Changbai treated his clan members harshly.
Even Sheng Changbai dared to make Sanfang and his gang of moths unable to survive.
"Changbai, the county magistrate An and Master Liu have come to our house."
After a while, Sheng Changsong informed Sheng Changbai.
"I'll go greet you."
Sheng Changbai arrived yesterday, and these two people arrived at Sheng's house today. It didn't take much thinking to know that these two people came for Sheng Changbai.
Not to mention the status of the second generation official Sheng Changbai, Sheng Changbai himself has a higher official position than these two people.
After the county magistrate and the chief registrar arrived, the squires from various large households in the county followed one after another.
Although there are no telephones or telegraphs, we really cannot underestimate the speed of news dissemination in this era.
The news spread quickly that Sheng Changbai, the beauty scout, had returned to his hometown.
Ordinary people don't get the news, but people with a certain status in the county are better informed than the last.
Such a large group of people arrived a long time before the meal, so the Sheng family could only kill chickens and sheep to prepare a banquet for the guests.
Some of the pork from the Zhou Dynasty could not be put on the banquets of wealthy families.
As an important production tool, cattle should not be slaughtered indiscriminately.
Among domestic animals, the most suitable for making banquets and eating is sheep.
As a successful businessman, Uncle Wei still likes to do things like this.
Everyone from the county, big and small, came to the Sheng family to attend the banquet, which once again reflected the Sheng family's status.
I learned from Dafang that the magistrate and chief registrar of Youyang County were doing well as officials.
There are some cases of corruption, but they are still within the scope of the rules.
This can be regarded as a good official, and Sheng Changbai is happy to communicate with the two of them more.
We cannot require everyone to be like Sheng Hong and not use their power to commit corruption.
None of these officials are brothers who can do business. If they want to make money, they can only use these lowest and most direct methods.
After all, the salary from the imperial court could only ensure that officials lived a middle-class life.
If you are career-minded, you should always manage relationships in the officialdom.
If you don't have a career ambition, being an official is just a job. In addition to the status, there is only money.
As long as he is not too greedy, arbitrarily giving to the people, increasing taxes and gifts, and extracting a little filial piety from the squires, Sheng Changbai can understand.
Sheng Changbai still lacks experience in how to govern local areas.
Chatting with the two people, in addition to some poems and songs that literati must talk about, I also learned a lot about the practical experience of running a place from the two people.
It was Sheng Changbai who asked, and the two of them took the initiative to talk, wanting to show off their shrewdness and ability.
They don't expect Sheng Changbai and his son to recommend them, they just want to help spread their reputation.
The banquet was quite successful, and both the host and the guests had a great time. Both the host and the guests returned home satisfied.
These squires came just to get acquainted with Sheng Changbai, hoping that if something happened to them, Sheng Changbai would give them a hand for the sake of their fellow countrymen.
If the court has any policy that is not conducive to You Yang, the father and son can speak out in the court hall.
On the third day, the married girls from the Sheng family, Sheng Wei's biological sister, Sheng Changbai's cousin Sheng Jun, and Sheng Wei's eldest daughter, Sheng Changbai's cousin Shulan, all returned to their parents' homes one after another.
Needless to say, my cousin Sheng Jun was very close and enthusiastic to Sheng Changbai because of my relationship with the second wife. She was a woman with a straightforward and enthusiastic personality.
At a glance, you can tell that only when your life goes smoothly can you still have this kind of personality in middle age.
Sheng Yun is also one of the few women in this era who engages in free love and achieves marriage.
Married to a farmer, Hu Erniu, and lived a harmonious and beautiful life after their marriage. With the help of his brother Sheng Wei, the couple also earned a considerable fortune over the years.
In this land of Youyang, Sheng Yun lived a very comfortable life.
My cousin not only returned to her parents' home, but also brought back her own children.
My son Taisheng, who is in his early ten years, and my little girl Gui Jieer.
After Sheng Changbai, there were two more children.
Shulan didn't just go back to her parents' home by herself, she also brought back her "prodigy" son-in-law Sun Zhigao.
"Are you Sun Zhigao?"
Sheng Changbai looked at this legendary prodigy, who was almost the same character as Zhong Yong in "Shang Zhong Yong".
Sun Zhihao's facial features are those of Zhou Zheng. He looks like a human being and looks like the same person.
But that's all this is about Sun Shintong. His face is pale, his eyes are dark, and his limbs are weak. At first glance, he looks like a drunkard.
Fortunately, it was not the Wei and Jin Dynasties, otherwise Sheng Changbai would have thought that Sun Shintong had taken a hit and was a drug addict.
It can be seen that Dafang is really eager to change the entrance hall.
After a "child prodigy" appeared in Youyang, Dafang hurriedly married his daughter off without getting to know his character better.
"I am your brother-in-law."
Sun Zhigao raised his head and replied with an arrogant expression.
Sun Shentong had no fame at all. He was admitted to the county school at the age of twelve. He didn't know what he was so proud of.
"I heard, 'brother-in-law,' that you are a famous child prodigy in Youyang. Do you think your level of Jingyi is pretty good?"
"Then it makes sense to say that my grandson has learned the Six Classics and is going to be the top scholar in high school and roll his name outside the Donghua Gate."
Sun Zhigao said confidently. Sheng Changbai could tell that Sun Zhigao's confidence was not a disguise, but really came from his heart. He just didn't know where Sun Shentong's confidence came from.
The Six Classics are the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, the Book of Music, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. The imperial examination only requires candidates to be proficient in one subject.
At Sun Shentong's age, when it comes to studying the Six Classics, you need to understand clearly what each passage in each book means to be considered a master, not just reading it a few times.
It is also a tragedy that after becoming famous at a young age, he lost himself in the constant praise.
"Then brother-in-law, why didn't you get any results in the provincial examination of Jinke? Look, I forgot. Brother-in-law Sun, you haven't even passed the examination, so you are not qualified to take the provincial examination of Jinke."
Sheng Changbai secretly mocked Sun Shentong.
"You are hurtful and arrogant with your harsh words. How can you speak like this to your brother-in-law?"
In a small place like Youyang, Sun Shentong was used to being praised by others, but Sun Shentong had quite a temper.
"What the hell, I'm not your relative now. I'm talking to you as a senior in the examination room. Do you dare to let me take you to the first exam?"
"What qualifications do you have to test me?"
"Is it enough that I'm a top candidate in Jinke? Do I have to go to the county and invite Jiaoyu here so that I can take your test?"
"Just ask!"
Sun Shintong raised his head and replied. His eyes are in the sky and he cannot look down. If Sun Shintong lives in Bianliang, he will be beaten many times.
"How can we explain the sharpness of advance and the speed of retreat?"
"There are noble and inferior bodies, big and small. There is no way to harm the big with the small, and there is no harm with the small to harm the noble. Those who raise them to be big are called villains, and those who raise them to be big are called big people. What's the explanation?"
"How can a gentleman maintain his integrity and cultivate his body so that the world is at peace?"
"Being poor without flattery, being rich without being arrogant, what's the explanation?"
"If you don't have a problem, you don't know it. If you have a problem, you don't know the person. How can you explain it?"
"You are also a person who writes books from sages. Which of these have you accomplished?"
"If you want to straighten your family, you must first cultivate your body; if you want to cultivate your body, you must first rectify your heart. If you want to rectify your heart, you must first be sincere in your intention; if you want to be sincere in your intention, you must first understand it. How do you explain it?"
"Like hating bad odors, like loving sex, this is called self-effacing. Therefore, a gentleman must be careful about being alone. It is not good for a villain to live idle, and he will do everything. When he sees a gentleman, he will be disgusted with him, cover up his bad qualities, and only focus on his good qualities. How can we explain it?"
"You can't even understand the Book of Rites, yet you still study the Six Classics, benefit me modestly, but you don't even understand it at the expense of me?"
After some questioning, Sheng Changbai could only say that Sun Shentong's level of classics and meaning was still far from enough.
Sun Shen Tong is just beginning to understand "The Analects" and "Mencius", but many places cannot be explained clearly.
"Book of Rites" was even more difficult for Sun Shentong, and he didn't even understand what it meant.
For Sun Shentong, applying what he learned was even worse. Sheng Changbai asked questions about moral cultivation, but Sun Shentong couldn't do it at all.
"Uncle Wei, Sister Shulan, do you know what's going on with Brother Sun?"
Sheng Changbai had such a bad attitude towards Sun Shentong today, so he questioned Sun Shentong in advance.
This is to let the people in Dafang know Sun Zhigao's true face as soon as possible.
Regardless of Dafang's choice, let Shulan properly control Sun Zhigao, make Sun Zhigao calm down, aspire to study, resume the imperial examination, and save Sun Shentong.
It is better to divorce Sun Shentong as soon as possible, and the two of them can divorce each other as soon as possible.
It's better than Shulan staying at the Sun family all the time, sending money and flowers to the Sun family, and being bullied by her mother-in-law and Sun Zhigao.
The status of women in the Zhou Dynasty was actually quite high.
Whether she is divorced or widowed, it is not uncommon for a woman to remarry.
All the queen mothers of the Zhou Dynasty remarried.
After a divorce, a woman can marry the emperor and become a queen or queen mother.
Not to mention it is a commoner's home, with the wealth of the big house and the background of the second house.
After Shulan got divorced, it was really not difficult to find a down-to-earth husband.
