There is no reason not to go when Minister Zhao invites guests, especially family banquets. This is a very high honor, which shows that Minister Zhao regards him as one of his own family members.
Shen Yi and Zhang Jian got on the carriage and soon arrived at the door of Zhao Shilang's house. It was already evening and the head of Dachen's money bank had gone home from work. Zhang Jian and Shen Yi met Zhao Shilang together. and Mrs. Zhao, and then served dinner.
At the dinner table, Shen Yi ate in a disciplined manner. In comparison, Zhang Jian seemed a little more out-of-the-box, joking with the two Zhao brothers from time to time. However, in front of Zhao Changping, Zhang Jian's out-of-the-box temperament also restrained, and his performance It's quite restrained.
Halfway through the meal, Zhao Shilang put down his rice bowl, looked at Shen Yi, and asked: "Autumn will be here in more than ten days. How are Qi Lang's preparations?"
Shen Yi had almost finished eating now. He put down his chopsticks and said with a smile: "Mr. Gu taught me very well, and my nephew also tried his best to learn. Mr. Gu also said that the policy I wrote to Mr. Gu a few days ago was good. Nephew…”
"There is a chance of winning."
Shen Yi's words were very modest. When he handed in his homework to Mr. Gu a few days ago, Mr. Gu commented that he had an 80% chance of passing the examination. As for whether he could be among the best in the provincial examination, it depends on the subjective intention of the examiner. No one else can know. infer.
Zhao Shilang nodded and said, "It'll be good if you can pass the test. You can go to my study later and write out the two policy papers I've written recently. I'll take a look at them for you."
As he spoke, he stroked his beard and said, "As an uncle, I must do my best to prevent Jizhong from complaining about me if I meet him again in the future."
It is not easy to write a policy out of thin air, but it is not difficult for scholars of this era to write down the articles they have recently written.
Being knowledgeable and memorizing is the basic skill of a scholar. After all, even an ordinary scholar is as rare as a scholar from the Northern Qing Dynasty in later generations.
Shen Yi nodded in agreement.
Zhao Changping looked at Zhang Jian beside him again and said with a serious smile: "When will Yi An return to Jiangdu?"
Zhang Jian smiled and said, "I haven't seen the teacher for a long time, so why don't I spend a few more days with him?"
Zhao Changping frowned, then stood up silently and said in a deep voice: "Let's talk in the study."
After that, he stood up and left the dining room.
Zhang Jian and Shen Yi also stood up one after another. After saluting Mrs. Zhao and the Zhao brothers, they stood up and left the dining table, following Zhao Shilang to his study.
After entering the study room, Zhao Changping looked at Zhang Jian, sighed slightly, and said slowly: "You, you haven't been making progress for a long time, why are you slacking off again? It should be the autumn harvest season soon, and you are here. Jiangdu, please do your job well, prepare the autumn harvest well, and collect all the autumn grain this year."
Zhao Shilang looked serious: "Jiangdu County is a big county. It is very difficult for ordinary people to fill this vacancy. In this position, you must do your job well. If you do this job well, it will be good for you. It’s a rare qualification.”
Speaking of this, Zhao Changping looked at Shen Yi, hesitated for a moment, and lowered his eyebrows and said: "Prime Minister Zhang told my master in private that he will retire next year. Since he has taken the initiative to retire, your Majesty should have some respect for your family." En reward, if you have done well in this position of Jiangdu, I may transfer you back to Jiankang next year and give you a sixth or even fifth rank official in the capital."
Jiangdu County is the capital of Jiangdu Prefecture and one of the few fertile counties in the world. As long as you do this job well, it usually only takes two terms or even one term, and you can be promoted to the prefect of other places, and you may even be transferred to Jiankang. Come!
Zhang Jian gave a wry smile, lowered his head and said, "Teacher, this disciple has been working hard on errands in Jiangdu for more than half a year. During the spring plowing this year, the student took officials from the county government and traveled almost all over Jiangdu without slacking off for a moment..."
"Not even Chen Yu found fault with the students."
He lowered his head and sighed: "The student will only stay in Jiankang for three days this time, and will leave for Jiangdu the day after tomorrow."
"Don't blame me for being a harsh teacher."
Zhao Changping had a good relationship with Zhang Jian's master and apprentice. Seeing him like this, he sighed slightly: "In fact, Mr. Zhang has high hopes for you. In the future, when Mr. Zhang retires, your Zhang family will have to rely on you to continue to support it."
"yes."
Zhang Jian also became serious, bowed his head respectfully and said, "Teacher, don't worry, the students will do their jobs well and will not lose the face of my grandfather and you."
"Um."
After Zhao Shilang finished training his students, he looked at Shen Yi and asked, "Is Qi Lang still writing residence reports for the court?"
"Um."
Shen Yi nodded and said: "I just handed over one this afternoon..."
"For the next half month, please stop writing."
Zhao Shilang pointed to a low table in his study room and said, "Take your own pen and ink and write down the policy silently there."
Shen Yi nodded quickly, took a pen, ink, paper and inkstone from Zhao Changping's desk, and spread it on the low table. Then he knelt down on the soft cushions on both sides of the low table, lowered his head and thought about it, and wrote down the two policy papers he wrote to Mr. Gu yesterday. Written silently.
The two policy papers were neither long nor short, and together they were about two thousand words. Because he was afraid that Zhao Changping would be anxious, Shen Yi did not write too neatly, but silently wrote the two policy papers in running script.
Zhang Jian was sitting next to Shen Yi. After Shen Yi finished writing on a piece of paper, he took the piece of paper, dried the ink, and handed it to Zhao Changping with a smile.
It took about half an hour for Shen Yi to write out the two policy papers silently. It is worth mentioning that the content he wrote down was the version that Mr. Gu had already guided, not the version he had originally written.
Today, Shilang Zhao rarely put down his official duties. Together with Zhang Jian and his apprentice, he read carefully what Shen Yimo had written. After reading it, Shilang Zhao lowered his head and thought for a while, and then looked at Shen Yi with a rare expression on his face. He showed a smile: "It's not easy. It's already much better than what you wrote during the college exam."
Shen Yi had a little ink stain on his hand. He washed it in the basin nearby, and then stood in front of Minister Zhao with his hands lowered and his face respectful.
"Uncle, thank you for the award."
Shen Qi said very humbly: "According to Mr. Care's instructions, my nephew has been writing almost one essay a day in the past few months. He worked hard to make up for his shortcomings, and this is why he has made some progress."
"Very good."
Zhao Shilang nodded with satisfaction and said, "Jizhong is very fond of you. If you pass the provincial examination this year, he will also be happy for you in Jiangdu."
Zhang Jian, who was standing aside, put down the article in his hand when he heard this and said with a smile: "Uncle Lu has a beautiful and fragrant daughter in his family. If I were not already married, I would probably be attracted to her. This time Qilang If you can pass the provincial examination, after returning to Jiangdu, Master Lu may be so happy that he may marry Junior Sister Lu to you, Qilang."
Hearing Zhang Jian mention Miss Lu from Jiangdu, Shen Yi's heart was shaken, then he shook his head slightly and said with a bitter smile: "Senior brother, don't talk nonsense. If word spreads, it will affect Junior Sister Lu's reputation."
Zhao Shilang, who was always serious, became thoughtful after hearing Zhang Jian's words. He looked at Shen Yi with a smile on his face.
"If you can get into the top 50 in this year's Jiankang Provincial Examination, my uncle can talk about this matter for you."