At the door of Earl Sinan's Mansion, a handsome young man took the invitation, looked at it for a moment, then stared at Su Mingzhe and the others with a pair of beautiful big eyes:
"Suzhou Su Mingzhe? Is there Suzhou or Hangzhou?"
When Su Mingzhe heard the young man's question, he smiled slightly and replied:
"There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. There is Suzhou, and naturally there is Hangzhou. Suzhou is to the west of Danzhou, and Hangzhou is to the south of Danzhou, both about a hundred miles apart."
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Well, Danzhou's location is roughly equivalent to the modern Magic City.
"That's really interesting."
When the young man heard Su Mingzhe's words, he immediately laughed innocently:
"Just wait, I'll inform you."
Danzhou is an outlet to the sea along the river, and there is an endless stream of ships going out to sea for business.
Some merchants who are related to Earl Sinan's Mansion will come to visit the pier when they arrive in Danzhou.
Over time, this handsome young man got used to people coming to hand him greeting cards. After bowing his hands towards Su Mingzhe, he patted his butt and stood up and walked towards the house.
Not long after, a housekeeper came out to greet her and asked her to meet the old woman.
Su Mingzhe handed over the gift and gift list according to etiquette.
When the housekeeper saw that Su Mingzhe had given two small porcelain vases, he couldn't help but open the gift list and read it, and saw that it read:
Ten capsules of "Jiuhua Yulu Pills" (can detoxify hundreds of poisons, can be used externally or internally. External application needs running water to dissolve, and oral administration can be chewed and swallowed).
Ten pills of "Nine Transformations of the Pill" (dispersing menstruation and promoting blood circulation, increasing Qi and strengthening the vitality, one pill every ten days for warriors, one pill per month for ordinary people).
"Xiao Langjun, please come this way."
The butler received the gift list, handed the two porcelain bottles to the servants next to him, and then led the way.
The butler continued to explain as he walked away.
There are only two owners of Earl Sinan's Mansion in Danzhou, namely Earl Sinan's mother, Mrs. Fan, and Earl Sinan's illegitimate son.
The illegitimate child was inconvenient to entertain guests, and the old lady was not in good health, so she could only invite Su Mingzhe to the backyard for a ceremony.
Naturally, Su Mingzhe didn't say much. He only said, "Please help me to guide you" along the way.
Not long after, a group of people passed the screen wall, walked through the corridor, and finally passed through a hanging flower door before arriving in the backyard.
The handsome young man who had been at the door delivering a message to Su Mingzhe was now standing aside, supporting an old lady with gray hair.
Judging from the appearance of the two of them, this young man must be the illegitimate son of Uncle Sinan according to the housekeeper.
The housekeeper came to the five steps below the steps, stopped, and first reported to the old lady, "The guest has arrived," and then introduced to Su Mingzhe:
"Mr. Su, this is our old lady from the Earl's Mansion."
"Su Clan Su Mingzhe, please pay homage to the old lady."
Su Mingzhe has spent hundreds of years in both the worlds of "Soul Ferry" and "Siteng". He is no stranger to ancient etiquette, so he bowed deeply.
Seeing that Su Mingzhe didn't kneel down, the old lady didn't take it seriously. She just smiled and waved her hand, signaling Su Mingzhe not to be too polite. They entered the room and sat down together. A maid served tea, and the old lady asked:
"Master Su, where did you come to Danzhou from?"
"To return to Madam, I came back from overseas."
Su Mingzhe explained the fabricated information and then smiled:
"My master said that although my parents have passed away a long time ago and do not need to serve around me, as children, they should establish their moral integrity and be famous in future generations to show their parents and fulfill their filial piety. I am also preparing to follow my master's arrangements and come back to take the scientific examination."
What Su Mingzhe said was half true and half false.
He was indeed planning to find a reason to "take part in the imperial examination" and go to Nanqing and Kyoto for some fun.
In ancient times, the emphasis was on 'learn martial arts and sell them to the emperor's family.'
Su Mingzhe went away to study art for ten years and came back to serve the imperial court. This seemed to outsiders to be a very reasonable thing.
However, Su Mingzhe was not planning to take part in any imperial examination.
After all, after taking part in the imperial examination, you will definitely have to kneel down and bow down three times to deal with the messy worldly affairs in the officialdom.
Su Mingzhe didn't have any relatives or friends to take care of in this world, so naturally he didn't want to tie him down any more.
"Yes, filial piety to a husband begins with serving relatives, ends with serving the king, and finally establishes one's integrity."
After listening to Su Mingzhe's words, the old lady nodded approvingly and said with a smile: "You are also a good boy if you can listen to your master."
The old lady said, and looked back at her grandson beside her, as if you were also a good boy.
The handsome young man responded with a bright and sunny smile, which made people feel like a spring breeze and made them feel happy.
A few people chatted for a while, and then a maid came over to report that the dinner was ready.
The old lady excused herself because she felt unwell and could not bear to sit for a long time, so she asked her grandson to entertain her.
The handsome young man introduced himself:
"Brother Su Shi, my name is Fan Xian. I grew up in Danzhou since I was a child. I don't know the secular etiquette and I don't treat you well. Please don't blame me."
Fan Xian's words were really not polite.
Although he grew up in Earl Sinan's Mansion and was taught by two masters, in terms of literature and etiquette, he really relied on his memories from his previous life to get here.
Among his two masters, one of them was Fei Jie, the director of the Third Division of the Nanqing Procuratorate.
As a master of poison, Fei Jie taught Fan Xian the knowledge of 'medical skills' and 'poison skills'.
The other master is Wu Zhu, the bodyguard left to him by his mother Ye Qingmei.
Wu Zhu's method of teaching him was quite special, that is, beating him with iron to train his reaction and ability to resist beating.
Therefore, when Fan Xian said that he was not familiar with secular etiquette, it was naturally not a polite thing to say.
Su Mingzhe also knew this, but at this time, he only regarded him as being humble.
Later, Fan Xian led Su Mingzhe to the side hall for a banquet.
As for the four maids, Xiaojin and Xiaoye, they were taken to the west wing where the guests rested.
At the banquet, Fan Xian was like a curious baby, chasing Su Mingzhe to ask about the geography and humanities knowledge of the world.
Su Mingzhe also told Fan Xian everything he knew.
Su Mingzhe can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, while Fan Xian can drink like water.
The banquet, with this friendly exchange, lasted until late at night.
Su Mingzhe waited until the food and wine on the wine table changed twice before he said goodbye.
On the second day.
After Su Mingzhe got up, washed up, and had breakfast, he came to see the old lady and said goodbye.
The old lady was considerate of Su Mingzhe's long absence from his hometown and was deeply homesick, so she didn't do much to persuade him to stay.
However, when Su Mingzhe left, the old lady asked the housekeeper to go to the warehouse to pick some gifts as a return gift, and finally gave her a carriage as a means of transportation.
Su Mingzhe did not refuse these gifts.
There are comings and goings, this is the principle of communication between aristocratic families and the continuous friendship.
Fan Xian, as the host, sent Su Mingzhe to the city gate before waving goodbye.
Su Mingzhe waited until Danzhou City became farther and farther away from him, and then he couldn't help but murmur to himself:
"This Fan Xian is not a black man..."
After leaving Danzhou, Su Mingzhe and his party of five drove a carriage and arrived in Suzhou that night.
When the Su clan heard the news about Su Mingzhe's return, they came to visit him one after another.
When everyone saw that Su Mingzhe was dressed in luxurious clothes and had four beautiful maids waiting around him, the ordinary tribesmen showed envious expressions.
The direct descendants of the Su family also came forward to inquire about the results of Su Mingzhe's ten years of study abroad.
Su Mingzhe was experienced in the world and knew what these people wanted to see, so he didn't hide it and waved his palm directly towards the deserted place.
It seemed like a light palm, but the wind of the palm was so fast that it shattered a large bluestone at the door.
When everyone was stunned and at a loss, Su Mingzhe smiled and said:
"I studied literature and martial arts with my master for ten years. In terms of knowledge, I only read the Four Books and Five Classics, and some miscellaneous matters. I didn't ask for a thorough explanation. My knowledge is still relatively shallow. However, my martial arts talent is pretty good, and I am now at the ninth level.
My master told me that if you want to be promoted from the ninth level to a grand master, you need to refine your mind in the world of mortals. I just said goodbye to my master and came back to prepare to travel around the world and gain some experience."
Su Mingzhe's answer to his tribe was completely different from his previous answer to Mrs. Fan in Danzhou.
This is what people say when you meet people, and people talk about ghosts when you see them.
When facing Mrs. Fan, Su Mingzhe said that he respects his teachers and is filial.
After hearing this, the old lady felt extremely comforted.
Facing these tribesmen whom he had not seen for many years, Su Mingzhe showed his authority.
When these tribesmen saw Su Mingzhe's strong force, they did not dare to underestimate him.
When Su Mingzhe left Suzhou, the family property he entrusted to the clan leader to be managed on his behalf was immediately sent back.
This is human nature.
That night, at the invitation of the patriarch, Su Mingzhe attended a reception dinner.
In the next half month, Su Mingzhe received visiting relatives and friends while sorting out the property left by his parents.
As for the authenticity of Su Mingzhe's identity, it is not that no one has doubted it.
After all, 'the young man left home and the old man came back', and 'old friends meet but don't recognize each other'.
There will definitely be people who question whether Su Mingzhe's identity is true or false.
However, even if someone raised questions, Su Mingzhe didn't need to pay attention.
After all, he is now a ninth-level martial arts master, and he is only one step away from being a grand master.
Although this short distance has blocked countless geniuses, no one dared to accuse or question him face to face due to his status as a ninth-grade martial arts master.
By mid-July.
Su Mingzhe took the road guide, said goodbye to the Su clan, and went to Nanqing and Kyoto to participate in the scientific examination.
The scientific examination is divided into civil and military examinations, both of which are held every three years.
(In the novel, it is written once a year, but once a year is too frequent, and the number one scholar is not valuable. Here it is changed to once every three years, which is more realistic.)
Among them, the literary examination is divided into two parts. The first one is a rural examination held by various counties and counties. If you pass the examination, you will get the status of a scholar.
Then take the scholar certificate and go to Kyoto to participate in the examination.
Because the Civil Service Examination is held in February or March in spring, it is also called Chunwei.
There is only one martial arts competition, and it is held at the Kyoto Castle Guards' school grounds.
The time is set in August or September in autumn, so it is also called Qiuwei.
The civil and military examinations are not held in the same year.
In order to show that it valued literature and ink, the imperial court usually took the civil examination first and then the martial arts examination.
The most recent literary examination was taken last year.
This year it’s the martial arts competition’s turn.