The weather is indeed abnormal. It started snowing continuously in early November last year. Tens of thousands of orange trees in Xieyan were frozen to death. Old farmers in Shanyin said that they had not encountered such heavy snow in decades. After the New Year's Lantern Festival, the weather gradually became worse.
The days are getting warmer. By the end of the month, the sun is shining brightly every day. Walking in the sun, even wearing just a jacket, you feel hot. It is like summer is coming immediately after winter. There is no spring anymore. Zhang Yuan brings Wu Ling to Shang's Mansion.
Second, both of them had a slight sweat on their foreheads. Seeing his brother-in-law Shang Zhoude, Zhang Yuan presented Dong Qichang's letter. Shang Zhoude opened the letter and read it, and sneered: "As expected, like father, like son. This
Dong Qichang apologized in name, but it was as insincere as his son's apology that day. He also said that his son's waist and hips were bruised and he delayed medical consultation. Is this an apology or an apology?" Zhang Yuan said: "Second brother, there is no need to be angry.
Anyone who commits unjust acts will be punished by his own death. Dong Qichang will be punished sooner or later for protecting his shortcomings like this."
Shang Zhoude threw the letter aside and asked about Zhang Yuan's preparations for the county examination. When he learned that he had just signed up, he nodded and said: "With your craftsmanship, there is no problem for children to try Lianjie." He asked, "What do you want?"
Are you going to see Dan Ran?"
Zhang Yuan thought: "It goes without saying.
"He said with a smile: "I hope that my second brother will be kind."
Shang Zhoude smiled and said, "Go ahead and have lunch here."
When Zhang Yuan met Shang Danran, Shang Danran was copying Song Huizong's "Lychee Picture". After seeing the original "Lychee Picture", Zhang Yuan felt that the previous third brother Zhang E's tearing up Dong Qichang's painting was nothing.
Zhang Yuan barged in without anyone announcing it. Shang Danran was so focused on painting that she didn't pay attention. Seeing someone approaching, she even ordered: "Get a handkerchief." While painting, her fingers were accidentally stained with vermilion, and when she put down the brush, she picked up the towel.
After wiping with a hand towel, I realized that the person handing him the hand towel was Zhang Yuan. His pink face was suddenly covered in red, and the two maids beside him were covering their mouths and laughing.
Zhang Yuan then saluted, and Shang Danran hurriedly returned the gift and asked shyly: "Why are you here?" Zhang Yuan told about the letter sent by Dong Qichang, and also said that he had just gone to the school to register, Shang Danran lowered his eyebrows and said
: "Well, I wish you good luck in your scientific examination."
Zhang Yuan looked at her shy look and suddenly wanted to ask if he failed to pass the exam and was just a member of the Dong Zhang family, would Shang Danran marry him?
Shang Danran raised his eyelashes, turned his eyes on Zhang Yuan's face, and asked softly: "What do you want to say?" Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "It's nothing, I forgot everything when I saw you." He thought to himself: "Ask.
Those words are meaningless. Love and marriage are conditional and can only be brought about by the combination of various factors. You can't list those additional factors one by one to say that I can't pass the exam to be a scholar, I'm penniless, I'm deaf.
If you are blind, will you marry me or not? This is meaningless nonsense."
Shang Danran's pretty face was still flushed and she didn't dare to raise her eyes to look at Zhang Yuan, as if she was feeling very uncomfortable.
Zhang Yuan said: "Then I'll go back."
Dan Ran raised his head, surprised and disappointed.
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "I mean I will eat here and then go back."
Shang Danran's face turned red again, he bit the red chun lightly with his teeth, and glanced at Zhang Yuan angrily, but he could not hide the joy in his heart.
Seeing Shang Danran acting so promiscuous, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but think of the beauty of lighting candles in the bridal chamber one day. There was no way he could be calmer, but his body was too young, and he was always eager to try one or two maids and refused to leave.
, Zhang Yuan could only say: "I want to learn painting from you in the future." Shang Danran responded: "From now on, you read to me at night." Shang Danran's face remained red, and he responded in a very soft voice:
"good."
At this time, Xiao Jinghui came. When he saw Zhang Yuan, Xiao Jinghui said "ha": "I don't even know Mr. Zhang is here. He has been here for a long time. I missed a lot of words and didn't hear them."
.”This is a super light bulb.
Zhang Yuan asked her: "The weather has warmed up early. The peach trees by Dongda Pond are in bloom. Let's go and have a look." Zhang Yuan, Shang Danran, and Shang Jinghui left the back garden accompanied by several maids.
When I came to the Dongda Pond, I saw that the peach trees on the west bank were really bright and bright, making the river turn red.
Zhang Yuan asked Jinglan when the Jingshu sisters would go to the capital, and Shang Danran said: "It should be next month, when the eldest brother sends someone to pick them up." Xiao Jinghui looked at his aunt, then looked at Zhang Yuan, and said: "
I suddenly don’t want to go to the capital anymore.” Shang Danran stretched out a finger as white as an onion to brush his niece’s bangs, and asked: “Why, haven’t you been saying all day long that you want to go to the capital by car or boat?
"
Xiao Jinghui said: "My sister and I went to the capital. Wouldn't it be lonely to leave my aunt and Mr. Zhang's brother here?"
Zhang Yuan and Shang Danran looked at each other with smiles in their eyes, and then they both nodded seriously and said: "Xiao Hui is right." Unexpectedly, Xiao Jing Hui's bright eyes blinked a few times and said: "But I still want to
Go to the capital and stay far away from you, so you will all miss me, right?" On the eighth day of February, the Shanyin County Examination started. Zhang Yuan got up early in the morning, took a shower and changed clothes, and went to the exam fresh and fresh. Wu Lingti
There is a long-eared bamboo basket followed by a long-eared bamboo basket. There are pens, ink, paper, inkstones, a porcelain bottle of water and a few sumi cakes. The county examination only takes one day, and two eight-legged essays are written. After entering the room at 9 o'clock, the entrance to the examination room is
It is closed and no entry or exit is allowed. The door will not be opened until the end of the afternoon to let the scholars who have finished the exam come out. This is called putting out the first sign. Then the door has to be closed. When the curtain is thin, the second sign is put out. When it gets dark, the students have to be forced to close the door to rush out.
People came out, so even if Zhang Yuan finished two pieces of eight-legged essay early, he would have to wait until the end of the day before he could come out. He had to bring some food to satisfy his hunger and go out at dawn. First, he went to Xi Zhang Zhuang Yuan, and called his eldest brother Zhang Dai.
His bailiff also had to be present. Zhang Dai came out with a yawn and said, "Jiezi, you owe me a share of the bail money."
Of course, when a village student acts as a guarantor, he must charge a certain amount of money and things, usually two to three taels of silver. There are only a few dozen village students in a county, and the number of scholars who take the county examination sometimes reaches thousands, so one person is often
Linsheng has to guarantee dozens or hundreds of scholars, which is a huge amount of income. Although it only comes once every three years, it is enough to nourish him. Of course, he must give some money to the academic department, otherwise he will be let go next year.
You were demoted to the fourth grade. Of course Zhang Dai was impatient to earn the money from Lin Bao. He only guaranteed Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Then what does the elder brother say the younger brother should pay you for the guarantee money?"
Zhang Dai said: "Take the exam well. The year after next, our brothers will go to Hangzhou to take the provincial exam together. You treat me to a drink."
Zhang Yuan said "uh", this eldest brother is a veteran of the prostitutes. "Tao'an Mengmei" records many stories of lingering in brothels. Wang Yuesheng, Gu Mei, Dong Bai, Li Shiniang, Yang Neng and other famous Qinhuai prostitutes were all with the eldest brother.
Very friendly and very popular~
Zhang Yuan nodded and said: "Okay, that's settled."
Zhang Dai laughed loudly and said, "The Shang girl is going to scold me."
The two brothers chatted and laughed outside the gantry of the examination shed behind the school. Shanyin is a large and prosperous county in the south of the Yangtze River. It has a specially built examination shed. However, in some poor counties, county examinations are usually held in the county government lobby or in the school office.
There are so many candidates in Shanyin County that there is no room for them in the county government hall. As early as the twelfth year of Jiajing, a large examination booth that could accommodate two thousand people taking exams at the same time was built behind the academy. The gate of the examination booth is called Longmen, and outside the Longmen is an eight-foot
On the high platform, Hou Zhihan, the magistrate of Shanyin County, is sitting on the stage. The subordinate officials are separated below the stage. The thirty junior students from the county are basically here. Each junior student is followed by dozens of scholars. The subordinate officials are holding the roster.
A group of Confucian boys are named under the name of a Linsheng. This way of naming each other will avoid confusion. When a Confucian boy's name is called, the Linsheng will look at it. If they recognize each other correctly, they will say: "So-and-so protects you." This qualification is considered to be a qualification.
After confirming, I went to the subordinate staff to collect the test papers, and then went to the inspection office to wait for inspection. The inspection was not so strict during the county examination, but I still had to take off my clothes for inspection, take off my shoes and socks, and only wear a pair of shorts. It was really humiliating.
Be polite, but there's nothing you can do about it. If you don't do the inspection like this, cheating will become common. Zhang Yuan looked at the two or three thousand candidates, some of whom had gray beards and hair, some of whom were still young children who had lost their teeth, and some of whom were holding hands.
Holding candles and some carrying lanterns, they all came here in the dark. Some were laughing and crying. I couldn't help but sigh to myself: "This road to the imperial examination has attracted so many people who have spent their whole lives working hard on it."
At this time, I had no time to express my feelings, thinking that it would take only one or two hours for so many people to check one by one, when would I be able to enter the venue!
Hou Zhihan was sitting on the high platform, looking east and west. When he saw brothers Zhang Dai and Zhang Yuan, he whispered a few words to the clerk in the reception room next to him. The clerk looked in the direction of Zhang Yuan, quickly came down from the stage and came over with a smile.
: "Two Young Masters Zhang, the county magistrate specially arranged for Young Master Zhang to enter the venue first."
Zhang Yuan was overjoyed, so he and his eldest brother Zhang Dai followed the clerk to the dragon gate. They called for a roll call and received the examination papers. They took the long-ear examination basket from Wu Ling and went to the inspection office. Liu Biqiang and six other people were in charge of the inspection.
All the famous yamen officials recognized Zhang Yuan, Liu Biqiang said with a smile: "Do you still need to bring in Mr. Zhang's talent and learning? Come in, come in."
Several scholars who were taking off their clothes nearby turned to stare at Zhang Yuan when they heard this. Sometimes it is not easy to enjoy privileges. Someone was supervising Zhang Yuan and said with a smile: "Everyone is taking off their clothes, I will take off my clothes too." After undressing and taking off his belt,
He also jumped up and down a few times.
All the government officials laughed and said, "Hurry in and grab a good seat."
Zhang Yuan looked at the test paper and saw that it said "Bingchen Seat, East Hall, Second Hall". This has a seat number. Can I still grab a seat?
Liu Biqiang said: "It's not that strict. Just match the hall number. Sit anywhere you want. Just find a seat that is brightly lit and out of the wind and sun."
Zhang Yuan tied up his robe and quickly walked into the venue with the examination basket. He first found the second examination room, and then found the east room. He saw rows of long tables in the room, so he found one close to the side where he would not be easily disturbed.
After sitting down, I opened the test paper and took a look. It had more than ten pages, with fourteen lines per page and eighteen characters per line. There were horizontal and vertical grids drawn with red lines, but I didn't see where the test questions were.