In early June of the 30th year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, as the scorching sun spread its enthusiasm wantonly, the entire capital also entered the hottest moment of the year.
The Xincheng Railway Station in the South District of Beijing is more lively than ever. From the trains, you can see a large number of candidates dressed like scholars coming out in groups.
In today's Ming Dynasty, trains have been built for a long distance in the mainland. Candidates from many places can take the train directly to the capital to take the exam, which is very convenient, easy and safe.
Therefore, trains have become the first choice for many candidates to take the college entrance examination in Beijing, and candidates in many places have never taken a train before, so they can experience it by taking a train.
"Haha~ Finally arrived in the capital!"
Zeng Ziying got off the train excitedly and looked at the bustling train station in front of her. She looked very excited.
Starting from Black Earth Province, we first rode horseback, then took a boat, and then a train. The journey took almost three months. It was really a very long journey.
"There are so many people here in the capital, and it's really lively."
Jiang Xi sighed as he looked at the bustling train station.
"Finally, we arrived in the capital smoothly. The capital is indeed as prosperous and lively as the newspapers said. Look at the flow of people at the station and you can see how prosperous the capital is. This is my first time in the capital.
"
Sun Tianjing also started shouting.
Chen Peter was also very curious. This was also his first time in the capital.
He had already heard a lot about the prosperity, liveliness, and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty's capital. He also chatted with many people along the way. After listening, he talked about how prosperous, bustling, and bustling the capital was, and so on.
We have just arrived in Beijing, and the train station in front of us is very grand, with a large flow of people and a lively atmosphere.
Along the way, Chen Peter had a very direct impression of the vastness and attachments of the Ming Empire. The vast plains, the rolling snow-capped mountains, the desolate Gobi, the desert, and the prosperity and wealth in the pass. Along the way, what he saw and heard
You can hear more than what you have seen and heard in the past 20 years or so.
When we arrived in the capital, even though we had just arrived, we could already feel the prosperity and wealth of a powerful imperial capital.
Look at the people in the train station in front of you. They are all well-dressed, with rosy complexions and tall figures. The women are all wearing all kinds of beautiful and fashionable clothes. Many of them are slightly pink and pink, and they look much prettier than those in other places.
.
Look at their demeanor, the arrogance that is exuding invisibly, this is the kind of pride that is engraved in the bones that only people from powerful empires have.
"This is the capital of the Ming Dynasty!"
Peter Chen was also slightly excited and couldn't help but want to have a good tour in the capital.
At this time, several more people dressed like scholars came out and shouted to several people.
"Brother Li, Brother Yun, Brother Wang~"
The four people also shouted quickly.
These three people met when they were in Nanyun Province. They were also candidates for the exam in Beijing. They had a good chat with each other on the train, so they came to Beijing together.
In addition, they all took the imperial examinations in the same year. From now on, they will be in the same year and at the same time. They may even become officials in the same court in the future. According to the nature of the Ming Dynasty literati, this relationship is very close.
But these three people are actually not pure Ming people.
Li Xiangdong is an authentic Georgian from a local tribe in Nanyun Province. He is tall, with a high nose and deep eyes, but his clothes are no different from those of Ming Dynasty scholars, and he also holds a fan in his hand.
Yun Tiankong is also an authentic Caucasian from the local tribe of Nanyun Province. He has fair skin, tall body, high nose and deep eyes. He is also dressed like a Ming Dynasty scholar. He is wearing a long gown, holding a fan in his hand, and is followed by two bookboys on their backs.
Carrying luggage and books etc.
Wang Xuan is half Han Chinese. His father was a soldier stationed in Nanyun Province. After retiring, he immigrated to Nanyun Province and took wives and concubines. Wang Xuan's mother is a local woman of her own ethnic group, one of his father's children.
Concubine.
Because the conditions in the family were quite good, his father had made many military exploits and received a large amount of land, money and slave rewards. In addition, the Wang family used to be a mud-legged family, so his father also left everything he had in the capital.
Of the dozen or so brothers who were sent to study, only Wang Xuan was the most promising, and passed the Juren exam in one fell swoop. This time he also came to the capital to take the exam.
"Let's go, let's find a place to stay and rest first. Then we can go on a parade together. I heard that this capital city is the most prosperous and lively. There are many places that we must go to."
"Like the football stadium in Beijing, you must go to see a football match. There are also theaters in Beijing, where you must come and listen to a song. There are famous plays from all over the country."
"There is also a zoo. It is said that there are thousands of animals from all over the world, including tigers, lions, elephants and crocodiles. You must go and see it."
Zeng Ziying smiled and talked to several people.
"I've heard about it a long time ago. I must go and see it."
Sun Tianjing also followed suit.
Several people walked out of the train station while talking. As soon as they left the train station, a heat wave hit them. Not only was the capital very hot now, but also the prosperity and excitement of the capital hit them.
There are a lot of people in the square outside the train station. A large number of people gather together. The spacious cement road is also bustling with traffic. There are many Mercedes-Benz cars, motorcycles, bicycle factories, rickshaws, and horse-drawn carriages, each walking in different lanes.
, the flow is steady and orderly.
There are many pedestrians on the sidewalks on both sides of the road. The shops are very lively and busy with business. The glass on the high-rise buildings reflects the sun and looks very dazzling.
There are also overpasses that are convenient for crossing the road. They all look so fashionable and trendy, and there are also a variety of advertising plaques that are dazzling to see.
“It’s so lively!”
"As expected of the capital of my Ming Dynasty!"
Li Xiangdong said with sigh.
"Yes, it is really very lively. It is far from comparable to the cities in our Nanyun Province. There are too many high-rise buildings, and the roads are neatly planned and very spacious."
Yun Tiantian sighed.
"You gentlemen, do you need a ride?"
At this time, a rickshaw driver came over and asked with a smile on his face.
One look at the clothes of Zeng Ziying, Sun Tianjing, and Li Xiangdong revealed that the Juren master was coming to the capital to take the exam. Although several of them looked like barbarians, there was nothing unusual about them.
In previous years' imperial examinations, there were many candidates from minority tribes. The Ming Dynasty had a vast territory and ruled hundreds of tribes. For people in the capital, this was already commonplace.
"Are there many students coming to Beijing to take the exam?"
Zeng Ziying looked at the rickshaw masters around her and asked.
"Yes, yes, a lot of them have come now. Students have already arrived in the capital a few months ago, from all over the country. In a few months, there will be even more."
The master replied quickly.
“Where does everyone generally live?”
Zeng Ziying asked again.
“Usually, I basically stay at the Daming Royal Hotel. Although it’s a bit more expensive, the environment is good and the service is good. There are also many inns nearby. Some people who don’t have enough money will choose to stay in relatively cheap ones.
Inn."
"That area is basically filled with inns, hotels and the like. It is also the favorite place to live for students who have taken exams in Beijing over the years."
The master said without thinking.
"Brothers, how about we stay at the Royal Hotel?"
Jiang Xi is very wealthy. Although he immigrated to Black Earth Province, his family is quite well off. He owns tens of thousands of acres of land in Black Earth Province, and his family also runs some sales and businesses.
"Okay~ I have no objection."
Zeng Ziying and Sun Tianjing also nodded and said.
"I heard that this Royal Hotel is quite expensive. I'm tight on money, so I'd better stay in an inn."
Yun Tiankong thought for a while and said.
He is a native Caucasian from Nanyun Province, and his family is just an ordinary petty official. It is already extremely difficult to train him to study. This time he came to Beijing to take the exam, which almost emptied his family's savings.
Money was very tight, and Li Xiangdong was in a similar situation, so he nodded and said: "I also heard that this Royal Hotel is very expensive. It costs two or three taels of silver to stay for one night. Our stay here will cost at least as much."
I won’t be able to afford it for a few months.”
"The accommodation expenses of these two brothers are mine."
At this time Peter Chen opened his mouth and said very grandly.
He brought a lot of money this time, and his family had already told him that if he wanted to make more friends, giving a little money wouldn't be a big deal.
"How can this be so embarrassing~"
"Yeah~"
Li Xiangdong and Yun Tiankong said quickly, while others looked at Peter Chen one after another. They didn't expect that Peter Chen, who had always been taciturn, could be so majestic.
If this is the cost of accommodation for two people, it will cost at least several hundred taels of silver in the past few months, which is very rich.
"It's just a little gold and white. Don't worry about it, brothers. It's rare for you and I to go to Beijing together to take the exam. It's so late to meet each other. This is fate. A little money is nothing."
Peter Chen said with a smile.
"Yes, yes. Since Brother Chen is interested, you two should stop rejecting me. Meeting each other is fate. It's just a little money. Don't worry about it."
Zeng Ziying also followed suit.
"Yes, yes, we will stay at the Royal Hotel together."
Wang Xuan also said that his family also gave him a lot of money this time, which was enough for him to eat, drink and live comfortably in the capital.
Basically, those who are admitted to the examination are from quite good families. There are poor scholars and poor scholars, but there is no such thing as exhausting the candidates. Generally speaking, at the stage of the examination, even if the conditions in the family are not good, there will be some.
People with money are willing to help you.
For example, if you are still young and have no wife, many wealthy masters will be willing to marry their daughters to you and give you a large dowry.
Generally speaking, when they reached the level of electing people, they were already members of the scholar-bureaucrat class of the Ming Dynasty. They could directly become officials, but they still didn't take a little money in their eyes.
"This will cost Brother Chen a lot of money~"
The two of them thought for a while and thanked Peter Chen.
"It's just a little silver, what's the point? Let's go, let's go~"
Peter Chen shook his head grandly and said.
PS: In ancient times, the status of a successful candidate should be pretty good~
