The sky was gray, and the rain had fallen since last night, and now it was getting worse, and it was gradually becoming a torrential rain.
In the dark corridor outside the thick building, two figures were illuminated by candlelight.
"Xiao He, how is your father feeling today?" This was Ye Zifan who responded to his father's summons.
"Second Master, the old lady is in a good mood and doesn't have to worry about things for the sake of the children of the clan."
"That's good, I understand..."
With the same hint as before, Zifan responded with a bit of bitterness.
This woman's status is a bit aloof and she won't reveal too much, but as the head of the second household, she has her own information channels and is generally aware of the matter.
He was ranked third in the palace exam and was born with the same Jinshi background. He only needs one final step to understand the metaphysics and break the barrier between Tao and Dharma before he can truly achieve success.
For such an adult, there is only a thin line between achieving immortality, even though this thin line is the difference between heaven and earth.
However, according to the custom of the imperial court, the first, second and third place winners all receive Taoist titles in person, and have the opportunity to enter the sect of three Tao Lords.
Second-ranking Jinshi can choose Dijun or other immortal sects for further study.
Although the three rankings are basically not destined to live forever, they are all the backbone of the imperial officials. There is a good chance that they will be appointed prime ministers in the future. They will be appointed as county magistrates in this small county. They are just going through the motions. They will be promoted to full-time positions immediately after the old Ming Dynasty agrees to serve.
.
For such a person, his father was once a civil servant, so he might be able to maintain a little face, but he is just a scholar, how can he violate this?
All the hard work and planning will come to nothing.
"It's just a poem, I'm really unwilling to accept it." Ye Zifan thought in his heart as he stepped forward.
Ye Qing returned to his yard, a gust of wind hit his face, and the autumn rain made him feel chilly. He squinted and saw that the whole Yezhuang was covered in the autumn rain, hazy, and he couldn't help but say: "What a autumn rain!"
Following the road to the west and then north, we passed the corridor, but there was not much rain.
Arriving at a main hall, I saw that the main hall was quiet, the windows of the two rows of side rooms were all tightly papered, and I could hear the faint sound of human voices.
Not far from the corridor, I planted an orchid. This branch branched into two branches, stretching out three feet, with buds. The fragrance of autumn was overwhelming. I felt more energetic when I smelled it. I stretched out my hand to caress it and thought deeply in my heart.
In the ancient earth, the imperial examinations based on the Four Books of Confucianism and the Five Classics lasted for thousands of years, and the identities of the scholars were different. But in this world, those who are familiar with it are the Taoist scriptures, which not only contains knowledge, but can also be transformed into practical power.
A Jinshi, even a fellow Jinshi, is a talent needed by the Taoist sect, and he is also a people-friendly official in charge. Even a wealthy family must consider it carefully and will not offend him casually.
After all the hard work and planning, it's not a pleasant feeling to be inferior to others. I guess your uncle has also experienced it, right?
Thinking of this, Ye Qing pressed the copper cup in his arms and stopped his desire to continue to make wishes. Although he was now incompetent and had no luck, making a wish this time must have consumed a lot of money.
And this time, even though I passed the boy test, I couldn't hide this trick. I was afraid that I might have offended my uncle and grandpa, so I had to be more careful.
"Luck is not something I can control now, but I have a clear goal and can foresee it. I can one day surpass these geniuses."
He stopped watching and walked all the way back to his own yard without anyone stopping him.
When we arrived in front of the yard, it was still the same as usual. Smoke was coming from the chimney at the back of the house, and it was obvious that a fire was burning inside.
"Qianqian, I'm back." Ye Qing closed the courtyard door and walked towards the house.
Qianqian was making porridge and wanted to bring him some simple food. When she heard his voice, her eyes suddenly turned red. She ran out three steps at a time and threw herself into Ye Qing's arms.
"Master..."
Ye Qing was startled and a little embarrassed. The girl's body was getting better and better, and the strong feeling in his arms made him feel a little strange.
"Don't get excited!" Ye Qing patted the girl on the back and said. In his two lifetimes, he had never seen her in such a weak manner, but he suddenly understood.
No matter how she grows later, she is just a sixteen-year-old girl now, restricted by her age and experience.
Under his comfort, Qianqian woke up quickly, but she couldn't get out of her body. She blushed and changed the subject: "Master, aren't you going to be grounded for three months?"
"That day I wrote a poem in the deserted temple, and the county magistrate happened to take a fancy to me. He admired my talent and summoned me. This is your young master, and I am very talented!"
This was a big statement, but Qianqian agreed with it. She couldn't help but nodded and asked, "What about the ban?"
Ye Qing listened and smiled coldly: "Actually, the ban has not been officially abolished, but no one dares to confine me to the school again. As long as I don't leave the house, nothing will happen."
"Oh..." Qianqian was a little confused. Although she was familiar with Ye Mansion, she seldom went out and had no idea about the official position of county magistrate. She only thought that she was a high official, and asked in a low voice: "Master, what will you do if you take the exam for a child student?"
?”
"It's okay. With this person speaking, I wonder who will dare to stop him?" Ye Qing paused and continued: "But there are still ten days before the boy's test. I should calmly ponder the meaning of the scripture and wait quietly.
Until that day is the best option!"
Seeing that Ye Qing had made a plan, Qianqian put down her thoughts and lay quietly in his arms.
"Hey, aren't you worried at all?" Ye Qing pretended to be dissatisfied.
"I'm worried, but the young master has never disappointed Qianqian before as promised!"
"That's right." Ye Qing was dumbfounded, looking down at him with a hint of tenderness.
outside the building
The father and son sat across from each other. Ye Zifan looked melancholy, looking at the window paper blown by the wind. After a long while, he listened to Ye Mengqiu ask: "Are you ready for the Cheng Yi test this time?"
"In this regard, there is a special clan school treasury. My son just counted it yesterday. There are still 137,851 taels. Every routine expenditure is recorded, even if it is one tael or one cent outside the account,
, Without your words, no one can use it!" Ye Zifan responded.
"You are in charge of this money, I feel relieved!" Ye Mengqiu sighed, looking into the distance, and said: "This autumn rain is really cold. After this rain, the weather will warm up briefly. You can pay all the fees for the boy's test."
!”
"yes!"
"Also, when the weather gets cold, the clan also needs to conduct inspections. Those who are poor in the clan and those who have no food to eat must be provided with clothes to keep out the cold and some food rations."
"There are some 1,700 people in the tribe who are poor, but they are not without food. They all have food rations. When families in the tribe have children (servants), they are still poor and without food. But I have made an account.
One hundred pieces of cold clothes and seven hundred stones of rations are prepared."
"You have done a good job. The clan members are important, but we should not neglect the birth of children in the family. Although the clan gods suppress it, it is not a problem to damage the moral character. The luck of the family is accumulated bit by bit and cannot be wasted at will.
.”
"yes!"
There was nothing to say at this time. There was a silence between father and son. Seeing this, Ye Mengqiu sighed in his heart and said: "You are destined to be a scholar because of your fate. You can't continue and take care of the family affairs by yourself. I see it in my eyes.
You act fairly and conscientiously, and even if you show little partiality, it is only human nature. I take your grievances into consideration."
As soon as he said these words, even though he was dozens of years old, he still felt warm in his heart. Ye Zifan couldn't bear it any longer, leaned down and said: "Father... With your words, my son will have no grievances."
.”
At the end of the sentence, his voice was trembling. He paused and asked again: "Is that what happened? When my son gets back, he will delete Sheng'er's name!"
"It's not necessary... that adult has to give you face. If Qing'er wants to take the boy's exam, we can't stop him, so we can apply together."
At this point, Ye Mengqiu really smiled coldly: "You have forgotten that this quota is not fixed. The emperor's reform can be used as a reference for scholars all over the world. It's just that the luck of each clan is limited. In order to concentrate on a few disciples, it is
Gradually, we have a list of people within the clan."
"And the government has to make selections based on actual conditions and have a balance to consider. They cannot select only the children of one clan, no matter how outstanding they are, so there is a process for accepting this list in advance."
Ye Zifan was startled and suddenly realized something.
The purpose of the imperial examination is to select a group of people with wisdom, temperament, and luck to practice Taoism. The competition is not only about literary talent, but also the luck and destiny of each person. If you want to sign up, no one will stop you. You only need to pay a ten-coin handling fee.
This is the will of the Red Emperor.
But whether you can take it or not depends on your fate and luck.
It is under this background that the family has to take the elite route and concentrate the family's limited resources or luck on the best few children.
"Bring me my gold pen and red paper!" Ye Mengqiu waved his hand and said.
"Yes!" Xiao He looked at her and answered the order outside. After a moment, a piece of red paper with a gold pen was handed over respectfully.
Ye Mengqiu paused for a moment, stared at the candle light, calmed down, and then raised his pen. In a moment, four names were listed on it, and the last name was Ye Qing.
I drew three circles on the first, second, and third names, and on the last name Ye Qing, I drew only one circle. Then I stopped writing, looked at it, nodded with satisfaction, and said: "
Just follow this and report to the county, do you understand?"
"Understood!" Ye Zifan responded hurriedly, holding the red paper in his hands, and respectfully stepped out.
After leaving the building, I walked to my own yard to the west. At this time, the rain had passed and the sky was clear. Several children from the family were standing in the distance and saluted. Normally, I would return the greetings seriously and without any pretense. Now I was in a good mood. I smiled and nodded to them.
Just went inside.
"Husband!" As soon as they entered, they saw Ye Gu stepping forward and asking anxiously, which showed that she had also received the news.
"Don't worry, just look at it carefully." They were both an old couple, so Ye Zifan didn't hesitate and showed her the red paper. Ye Gu took a look at it and sighed when he saw his son's name.
Written by: "Infinite Taoist Master!"
After calming down, he continued to look at the list. Then he saw Ye Qing's name on the fourth list. He was stunned for a moment and then asked carefully: "Didn't you say that the Ye Clan only has three places?"
"Three is the norm. The county magistrate has said that four is not impossible." Seeing his wife still frowning, Zifan clicked on the paper and said, "Look carefully."
Ye Gu took a closer look and saw that the circles were different, and he realized something: "Could this be..."
"Humph, even with the luck assigned to the clan this time, my father said, that adult has to give you face. If Qing'er wants to take the boy's exam, we can't stop him. This clan can't give him any luck either.
However, since Ye Qing forced himself to take the exam and is very self-sufficient, the clan’s one-tenth share this time must be enough.”
Speaking of this, Zifan sneered.
This Ye Qing is so unwise, he must have offended his father now!