"Commander, the road ahead is blocked and the carriage cannot pass. []"
"It's weird, why is it so busy in front?"
"Deqiu, go find someone and ask what's going on."
Zhao Qiang just sold another Dongzhu at a low price to the owner of the antique shop. Zhao Qiang was still feeling pain, but he finally got Zhou Peigong's approval. The loss was worth it. As soon as he came out of the antique shop, he was in a hurry
He had to rush to the Jingchu Guild Hall, because the shopkeeper said that the painter lived in the Jingchu Guild Hall, and Zhou Peigong’s hometown was Hubei, so Zhao Qiang urged the coachman to rush to the Jingchu Guild Hall without saying anything. He didn’t want to have just arrived at Chongmen, and the road ahead
It was blocked, and the sea of people was so busy that the huge road was packed to the brim. No one of the carriages and horses who were also blocked behind the crowd shouted for the people in front to give way, whether it was the driver or the people in the car.
The host and the guests were all looking forward, pointing and talking, and nodding with admiration from time to time. Seeing this formation, Zhao Qiang was also surprised. Normally there was no room in front of him.
It may be that the new top scholar is parading through the streets, because it is the first month of the year, no matter where in the country, no subjects are held to get scholars at this time. It is said to be a Lantern Festival, it is already the end of the first month, and the New Year atmosphere has long disappeared, what kind of festival is it?
It's not a good year, and there is no one to be the number one scholar. Why are the people so crazy? The situation in front of us will definitely not be able to survive for a while. If the detour is too far, Zhao Qiang has no choice but to let De
Qiu went to ask what play was being sung in front of him and when the onlookers would disperse.
Deqiu was nimble and agile. After receiving the command from the commander, he came to the front with a smile on his face. He walked around in the crowd and found out what happened in the front without any trouble. He came back and told the commander that it turned out that the people in the front were participating in the meeting.
Under the organization of the Ministry of Rites, people from all over the world who are knowledgeable in Hongru science are touring the city of Beijing. No, as soon as the parade arrived at Chongmen, the people were vying to see the face of "Hongru", so they all came to join in the fun. If it weren't for Shuntian Prefecture and Wucheng
The people from the Military and Horse Division are maintaining the situation, but they are afraid that things will be in chaos long ago.
Erudite Confucianism? Zhao Qiang was startled after hearing this. He remembered that this Erudite subject was opened once during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, and later in Lin'an after Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty went south. After that, this subject was not opened in the Yuan and Ming dynasties to obtain scholars, so
This subject is also regarded as an act of emperor Longfa. The original name of this erudite Hongru should be "Boxue Hongci", but now it is called "Hongru". It must have been changed by Kangxi. Generally speaking, people from all over the country come to take this subject.
Regardless of whether a person is a scholar or not, he can get the status of "Hongru", which is very honorable and honorable. Therefore, as soon as the news came out that the imperial court had opened a scholarly academic department, the emperors from all over the country rushed to the capital in a swarm.
Those readers who were late to receive the letter and who were thousands of miles away from the capital, such as Guangdong and Yunnan, could only stomp their feet and lament that they were born at the wrong time or did not have such good luck. On the contrary, those who stayed in the capital for a long time to take the exam
However, those who are close to the water and towers get the moon first, so they are in a hurry to catch this good thing.
In Zhao Qianglai, the establishment of Erxuehong Confucianism was of great benefit to both the candidates and the rulers of the dynasty. It can be said to be a win-win policy. The Qing court could use this subject to attract scholars from all over the world.
The heart can also be mixed with the best and admitted, and quality is the key to selecting outstanding talents. However, it is not often possible to set up a "Erudite and Confucian" subject. Generally, setting up this subject has certain political significance. Zhao Qiang guessed that Kangxi organized this subject
The purpose is probably to promote its peaceful and prosperous age and peace within the country, so as to show the power of the Qing Dynasty. After all, the three vassals in the south have been peaceful, and the Zheng family has surrendered to Taiwan. The Qing court has no visible enemies in the customs, and its rule is becoming increasingly stable.
And Kangxi was an emperor who liked to put his face on the line, so the best way to show the stability of the Qing Dynasty's rule was through his erudition and Confucianism.
From the day when the news of the opening of the school was released, there was an endless stream of filial piety candidates from all over the country, including buses and trains, gathering in Beijing. All kinds of sedans, horses, cars and boats crowded the streets, temples and halls, restaurants and teahouses in and outside the capital.
It has become a place for boarding parties. The most prominent ones are the erudite scholars from all over the country who took the exam. These people came by water, riding on the high-rise boats of the feudal officials; by land, they came in eight-person official sedans.
, the bearers who took turns carrying the sedan chair were all riding tall horses, shouting and cheering in front of them. They all had apricot-yellow tiger head signs saying "taking orders to take the exam" and "quietly avoiding" when they came to Beijing.
, which really caused a sensation in the city of Beijing and became a great joyous event at the end of the first lunar month.
In the affairs of this world, some people are happy and some are worried. Just when those scholars who bought their reputation as "Hongru" based on their true ability or money are parading in the streets with joy, there is a young scholar who is sitting sullenly with his head in his hands.
There, he would throw the people around him to the ground from time to time as if to vent his anger, but there was always a young man sitting next to him. He was not old, but half of his hair was gray, and there were a few vertical wrinkles on his forehead, and his face was full of vicissitudes of life.
It was Zhou Chang and Zhou Peigong that Zhao Qiang was looking for, and the young man was his brother-in-law Ge Anxi.
Ge Anxi is the only younger brother of Ge, the wife of Zhou Peigong. His parents always had a son, and they doted on him. They were afraid of falling when they held it in their hands, and they were afraid of melting when they were held in their mouths. Therefore, since he was a child, Ge Anxi never
He endured half the hardships, didn't realize how hard it was to get the money, and was used to spending a lot of money. He was really a playboy. When he was seventeen years old, his parents died of illness, so Ge Anxi went to live with his sister and brother-in-law. In the early years, Zhou Peigong was an official.
It was the time when the emperor put him in high regard, and there were many gifts and no shortage of money on hand. Ge Shi felt sorry for his younger brother, so he didn't talk about him, leaving him to live in debauchery, as long as he worked harder in his studies. Mr. Zhou Peigong
He was away on war for many years, so he naturally had no time to discipline his brother-in-law. When he was at odds with the local commander-in-chief while serving in Shandong, he became an official and took his wife and brother-in-law back to his hometown in Hubei in anger. This would be a disaster for Ge Anxi and Zhou Peigong.
He has always been a generous person. When he was in the army, he often distributed his rewards to his subordinate officers. Therefore, he did not have much savings, and his family had a prodigal wife and younger brother. It is conceivable that he did not have much money on hand. When he was an official,
, I receive my monthly salary on time, and I don’t have to worry about food or clothing. Now that I am no longer an official, my life is getting more and more tense. But Ge Anxi doesn’t know that his brother-in-law is already in poverty, so he still spends a lot of money, making friends with friends everywhere.
Although she knew it was not good, she only had a younger brother and her parents died early. If her sister couldn’t take care of her, who else could take care of her? But she also knew that it would not be good for her brother to continue like this. He still had to have a reputation.
I happened to hear from the county that the imperial court was favoring erudite education, and scholars from all over the world, regardless of whether they were famous or not, could take the exam. When Ge Shi heard this, he quickly persuaded his younger brother to take the exam. No matter how bad he was, he could still make a fortune.
The reputation of "Hongru" is not that it will always be helpful when taking exams in the future.
Ge Anxi thought about it. He was already in his twenties and could not stay with his sister and brother-in-law all the time. He immediately agreed to go to the capital to take the exam. Zhou Peigong always listened to his wife, so naturally he would not object. He knew that the capital was thousands of miles away.
, it cost a lot of money to go back and forth, and the family was already poor, so how could they raise such a large sum of money? In the end, Geshi pawned his jewelry and sold some other items, and collected five hundred taels.
The money was used for his younger brother to go to Beijing. Because his wife was in poor health, Zhou Peigong was afraid that she would fall ill at any time and would not have money to hire a doctor, so he asked her to keep some money for self-defense. He did not want to leave any money for Ge, but gave it all to his younger brother. Zhou Peigong
Seeing this, I could only sigh in my heart and couldn't say much.
With five hundred taels of silver with him, Ge Anxi was very confident. He made an appointment with a few friends and took the county bus to the capital. He knew that he had some ink on his chest, so he would definitely have no hope based on his ability.
So as soon as he entered the capital, he went around asking for disciples, but he didn't understand the rules here. He had to pay a sum of money to pass a certain threshold. He was everywhere headed by "Brother Kong Fang". It took him four hundred taels of silver to get acquainted with the second son of Suo'etu Mansion.
Housekeeper. Now after counting, he still has twenty-two-six dollars in cash, and he still has money for the sixteen-liang room and food he owes to the store. He doesn't have to worry about it. He relies on his brother-in-law and sister to feel sorry for him. Knowing that he has spent all his money now, he will definitely
I asked someone to deliver it, so I asked someone to send a letter to my sister. I kept showing off and told the shopkeeper to "just keep the accounts." This shopkeeper was originally from a guild business. He was well-informed and experienced in the world. Although Ge Anxi made tea every day
Surrounded, the actors made a fuss, but gradually became stingy with money. Knowing that the situation was not good, he agreed with his words, but his face showed disrespect. Ge Anxi secretly hated it, but he could do nothing. Finally, he looked forward to it.
I came to see my brother-in-law, but I didn't expect that my brother-in-law was also very poor. He didn't have ten taels of silver per dollar, and he also brought bad news that his sister had passed away.
After all, she was her own sister, the one who had loved her since she was a child. When Ge Anxi heard this, she was in agony and cried to death. No matter how Zhou Peigong comforted her, it would not help. When a person dies, no matter how much he cries, it will not help.
When he came back to his senses, Ge Anxi realized that he was in trouble, because he had promised the second housekeeper to give him a thousand taels of silver in two days so that he could make arrangements for himself. This matter could not be delayed. If it was delayed any longer, the day lily would be cold.
!
But two thousand taels of silver plus one is more than ten taels, which is not enough to repay the debt of the shop owner! Where can I find these two thousand taels of silver?! It’s not like the sky will drop silver!
When Ge Anxi was about to despair, he saw his brother-in-law sighed, took out a long scroll from his luggage, and unfolded it. It was a calligraphy and painting by Zhengming, a talented man from Jiangnan! Zhou Peigong told him that this painting was originally gifted to him by the emperor, and he had always
He kept it in his collection. If his sister hadn't entrusted it to him repeatedly before her death, she would never have been willing to sell the painting.
"For your sister's sake, this painting will be sold. It is also beneficial to keep it. If it is helpful to you, your sister can rest in peace under the Nine Springs." When Zhou Peigong said this, his face was filled with sadness.
Thinking of his late wife's request before her death, he felt extremely painful. So he knew that his brother-in-law was not a good person, but for his wife's last wish, he could only help her fulfill her unfinished wish.
Surprised by the surprise, Ge Anxi didn't care how much sadness and memories the painting contained for his brother-in-law. Without looking back, he consigned the painting to an antique shop and asked the shop owner to sell it on his behalf. Zhou Peigong told him that the painting
The minimum price is 3,000 taels of silver. The shopkeeper in Naina lowered the price, saying that if the painting were to be put here, it could only be sold for 1,500 taels at most. If he insisted on selling it for 3,000 taels, he would probably have to wait for some time, and it would definitely not be possible now.
You can take action.
Waiting is absolutely impossible. We have to send the money in time in these two days. How can we afford it? Ge Anxi slapped his head and approved the shop owner, but he asked the shop owner to pay a thousand taels in advance and then wait for the painting to be sold.
After paying the remaining five hundred taels and having the painting in hand, the shopkeeper naturally agreed. After taking the money, Ge Anxi casually told the shopkeeper the address of the Jingchu Guild Hall where his brother-in-law lived, and told him that if the painting was sold, he would send someone there.
Give a notification.
When he learned that the painting was only sold for 1,500 taels of silver, Zhou Peigong was so angry that he trembled all over, but finally endured it, silently returned to the Jingchu Guild Hall, and asked Ge Anxi to do it himself. In fact, he was in Beijing.
There are many old friends, and if he came forward, he might not be able to use a single penny. However, Zhou Peigong seemed to always have a grudge in his heart, and he just refused to see his former colleagues, and he didn't want people to know that he had come to the capital.
I thought that when the one thousand taels of silver was delivered, my fame would be settled. But when Ge Anxi happily went to send the silver, the other party told him that one thousand taels was out of date, and now I need two thousand taels before I can arrange it for you.
Because the market for this subject was rising, there were too many scholars who wanted fame and fame. They even told him, "If you don't save the money quickly, then you will have no choice but to get fame and fortune."
Two thousand taels!, you are kidding me! Ge Feihu was so angry that he was about to vomit blood. He couldn’t help but wonder what his identity was, and what his own identity was. His arms could not twist his thighs. This matter was not what others said.
, I only have the right to pay, and there is no reason to bargain.
Two thousand taels are absolutely impossible to get together. Even if the balance of the painting plus the painting is only 1,500 taels, the remaining five hundred taels cannot be raised even at death. Listening to the laughter and laughter coming from outside, Ge Feihu just
Zhou Peigong could do nothing to sulk with such regret. If he could put aside his face and ask for help, he would have gone there long ago and would not have caused his brother-in-law such pain.
Alas, it seems that I can only take him back to his hometown. After sitting in the house for a long time, Zhou Peigong finally couldn't think of a solution. He could only harden his heart and persuade his brother-in-law to go back to his hometown with him. This erudite and Confucian scholar could no longer
I'm not going to take the exam anymore. Just as I was about to get up, I saw someone knocking on the door: