In the fifth year of Tianbao, February 29th is the day when the list is released in the spring.
On this day, Zhou Jun got up early.
When he got dressed and came to the middle hall, he found that his parents had gotten up earlier than him.
Mother Luo Sanniang sat down in the hall for a while and stood up again. She was still holding a string of Buddhist beads in her hand and kept reciting scriptures.
His father, Zhou Dinghai, was even more unbearable. In the heavy snow that was flying all over the sky, he paced back and forth in the yard, completely ignoring the snow falling on his body. He made a circle in the snow.
Xiao Qingchan walked from the side room to the hall, handed Zhou Jun a hot hand stove, and said: "It's freezing outside, please be careful of the slippery road."
Zhou Jun took the stove and nodded.
After a simple breakfast, Zhou Jun accompanied Zhou Dinghai and rushed to Anshangmen outside the imperial city.
Riding on horseback to the courtyard outside Anshang Gate, Zhou Jun looked around and saw people everywhere.
There were candidates who came to see the results, family members who were accompanying them, and many people who came to watch the excitement.
Zhou Dinghai handed the horse's rein to Zhou Jun and said, "I'll wait outside the door. Jun'er, you go and send the horse to the stable first."
Zhou Jun responded, went to the nearby stable, sent the horse and returned to the stable.
It was now three o'clock in the morning, the sun was getting stronger, and the number of people in the venue was increasing. At a glance, it stretched from Xingdaofang to Wubenfang, with no end in sight.
Zhou Jun felt troubled for a moment when he saw so many people.
There are no communication tools such as mobile phones at the moment, so trying to find Zhou Dinghai is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
In desperation, Zhou Jun could only stand in the corner of the square gate and wait there from a distance.
After waiting for another quarter of an hour, the side door opened with a creaking sound.
"The results are released! The results are released!"
Amidst the overwhelming shouts, officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, accompanied by military guards, came to Anshangmen and began to post the examination results.
After the list was posted, the crowd suddenly surged forward.
Suddenly, the courtyard was like a pot of boiling water, boiling with difficulty.
Some people were named on the list and fell to their knees with tears streaming down their faces; others were missing out on the list and wept as if they were mourning their heirs.
The release of the results after the Spring Festival has become a stage for all aspects of life, with joy, anger, sorrow, and joy all visible to the eye.
The people who were waiting to watch dispersed. Zhou Jun tried his best to squeeze his way to the front of the list. After spending a long time, he finally found Zhou Ze's name on the list.
Zhou Jun felt happy for a moment and let out a long breath.
Turning his head, Zhou Jun spotted Zhou Dinghai's figure in the corner not far away.
The latter was seen squatting there with his head lowered, wiping away tears.
Zhou Jun walked closer to Zhou Dinghai and heard the other person keep saying words like "Ancestors bless you, the sky has eyes".
Seeing Zhou Jun approaching, Zhou Dinghai quickly looked serious, stood up as if nothing had happened, and said with a smile: "Then you've won!"
Zhou Jun first followed up with a smile and said: "Yes, big brother has been hit."
Zhou Dinghai looked around and asked, "I wonder where Ze'er is now?"
Zhou Jun: "If eldest brother knew that he had passed the exam, he would definitely go home to announce the good news."
Zhou Dinghai: "That makes sense, let's go! Go home!"
The two of them hurried home on horseback and told Luo Sanniang the good news, which caused the latter to burst into tears of joy.
Zhou Jun waited at home for more than half an hour, and Zhou Ze finally came home.
Compared with the last time we met, Zhou Ze has lost a lot of weight, and even his eye sockets are a little sunken, but only one pair of eyes is still bright.
As soon as he entered the house, he knelt down in front of Zhou Dinghai and Luo Sanniang, and said, "My son is pregnant in spring, and I would like to ask my parents to agree to my marriage to Yu Junniang."
Zhou Dinghai and Luo Sanniang's faces were originally full of smiles, but when they heard these words, they suddenly froze.
Zhou Dinghai trembled, raised his palm, and wanted to hit Zhou Ze on the head, but Luo Sanniang on the side quickly stopped him.
Luo Sanniang first whispered a few words to Zhou Dinghai, and then said to Zhou Ze: "Ze'er, even if you want to get married, you have to find a date and choose a matchmaker, right?"
When Zhou Ze heard this, he thought his parents were relieved and looked happy.
Luo Sanniang added: "Tomorrow, all the Jinshi who have passed the exam will go to Qujiang for a banquet. After the banquet is over, we can go and talk about the marriage."
Zhou Ze believed it to be true and stopped talking.
On the second day, southeast of Chang'an City, Qujiang Pool.
The Qujiang Banquet, also known as the Wedding Banquet, was initially just a private gathering for failed candidates. Later, more and more new scholars held banquets here, and it even became a custom.
Although the Qujiang Banquet is held in Qujiang Garden, it is still a private banquet in the final analysis.
The organizing organization for the banquet is a private commercial organization called "Tuansi", and the funding source is jointly raised by the new Jinshi. Under normal circumstances, it is shared equally.
As the specifications of the Qujiang Banquet are upgraded every year, the funding requirements are also increasing, so the share of money each Jinshi has to bear is also increasing year by year. Some Jinshi with average family conditions even have to borrow money for this.
Let’s get back to the topic, on the day of the Qujiang Banquet in Tianbao’s fifth year, Chang’an City was packed with people. Temporary shops built in the park were lined up along the riverside, and tourists were bustling.
There will also be singing and dancing performances at the banquet, and the princes, nobles, and wealthy businessmen in the capital will also take this opportunity to select a son-in-law from among the new Jinshi.
Zhou Jun and Xiao Qingchan stood by the Qujiang River and looked at the lively scene in front of them.
Xiao Qingchan pointed to the south of Qujiang Pool and said: "There is a 'Purple Cloud Tower' built in the palace. Every year during the Qujiang Banquet, the saints would take the princes and royal family members to climb the tower to enjoy the view."
Zhou Jun: "The saint is spending the winter in Dongdu this year. I'm afraid he won't come."
Xiao Qingchan nodded, looked at the Jinshi by the Qujiang River, and asked Zhou Jun: "Why don't Erlang go take a look?"
Zhou Jun smiled and said: "Look what they are doing, they are here to enjoy the garden today, not to make friends."
Xiao Qingchan glanced at Zhou Jun, nodded slightly, and responded.
Zhou Jun took Xiao Qingchan and walked along the bank of Qujiang River. He saw a few familiar people next to the singing and dancing stage.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Walking over, Zhou Jun cupped his hands and said: "I know all the answers, layman."
Xie Qin and Song Ruo'e turned around and were stunned when they saw Zhou Jun and Xiao Qingchan.
Jie Qin played Wanfu and said: "Mr. Zhou."
Song Ruo'e first glanced at Xiao Qingchan, then at Jie Qin beside her, and finally said angrily to Zhou Jun: "Erlang is really in a good mood to be with a beautiful woman."
Xie Qin pulled the corner of Song Ruo'e's clothes and said to Zhou Jun: "Beili has sent an official today, and I have taken over the errand of the Jiaofang. As for the lay people, she is here to see..."
Song Ruo'e interrupted and said, "I came here to accompany Xie Qin."
Zhou Jun looked at Song Ruo'e and didn't criticize her. He just asked: "Among those Jinshi, is there Zhong Jialang?"
Before Song Ruo'e could speak, Xie Qin smiled and nodded.
Zhou Jun cupped his hands and said to Song Ruo'e: "Congratulations, layman, congratulations to layman."
Song Ruo'e looked shy and stopped talking.
Jie Qin looked at Xiao Qingchan and asked, "Who is this...?"
Zhou Jun replied: "She is my maid, named Qingchan."
When Xie Qin heard this, the smile on his face did not diminish, and he exchanged blessings with Xiao Qingchan.
Song Ruo'e said at the side: "The script of "The Butterfly Lovers" has been spread in Chang'an City, and now there are more and more guests visiting every day, which is very annoying."
Xie Qin: "It's also thanks to Erlang that there have been a lot more guests recently. In addition to the graduates who stayed in Beijing after the Spring Festival, Zhongqu has been overcrowded recently. Beiqu and Nanqu are jealous when they see it."
Hearing Jie Qin mention Nanqu, Zhou Jun looked around and asked, "Has the layman Jie Duzhi and the layman ever met Yu Jun's mother?"
Song Ruo'e said: "Earlier, I met her and said a few words. Later, she stood on the bank of Qujiang River, looked at her from a distance for a while, and then left."