Hearing Chen Xiang’s words, Zhang Yue also had some feelings.
When you were complacent about earning two guan of money, and then heard about Huang Haoyi's dowry of 5,000 guan, was there a moment when you didn't want to work hard?
Zhang Yue once asked his senior brother a question?
If you meet two girls on a blind date who have similar other conditions, one is very beautiful and the other is average, and they both fall in love with you at the same time, then which one should you choose?
Senior brother said decisively, choose the beautiful one.
Why? Because a beautiful girl pursues so many people, but she just chose you.
If it’s just so-so, maybe the only one she can choose is you.
Hence choose beautiful ones.
At that time, Zhang Yue heard the truth and planned to put it into practice. Later, through a blind date, he discovered that first of all, there must be a girl who can like you. As for two girls, he couldn't even think about it.
In the Song Dynasty, men and women did not meet each other, and marriages were all determined by the orders of parents and matchmakers. Marriage between two families or even two families was definitely not determined by the beauty of the woman.
However, Chen Xiang advised himself not to look at the woman's dowry, but to marry a virtuous wife.
“When Cai Taishou (Cai Xiang) learned about Fuzhou, he made an announcement: What is the meaning of marrying a wife? If you want to pass on an heir, how can it be for wealth? This statement is very reasonable.”
"I have seen so many marriages, but when they care about the funeral utensils and are greedy for temporary wealth and honor, the woman often takes advantage of her wealth. There are few women who do not underestimate their wives and are proud of their uncle." Chen Xiang said seriously.
Zhang Yue put down his chopsticks, stood up, walked to the table, bowed his head to Chen Xiang and said, "Student, remember."
Chen Xiang said happily: "It's just a matter of family affairs, so just keep it in your heart. Sit down and eat, otherwise the food will get cold."
“Mr. Xie.”
Zhang Yue and Chen Xiang were finishing their meal in the hall. When the servants came to clean up, Zhang Yue was just about to leave. At this time, he heard someone outside calling directly: "Is Mr. Gu Ling here?"
After speaking, a middle-aged man walked out of the screen wall led by an old servant.
Zhang Yue took a quick look and saw that the man's appearance was very solemn.
After Zhang Yue came to the Song Dynasty, he had met many famous people such as Ouyang Xiu. When he saw this man, he couldn't help but wonder, who is this man?
But seeing Chen Xiang smiling as he stood up from the table and walked to the court, Zhang Yue also stood up and followed Chen Xiang.
The two of them bowed to each other in the court. Zhang Yue also bowed behind him. The other party smiled and said, "Mr. Gu Ling still eats so early."
Then Chen Xiang said with a smile: "It's natural. In the past, when my family was poor, I couldn't eat enough breakfast, so I ate dinner early, and then lay on the bed to rest, thinking that I would not be hungry when I fell asleep, but I didn't know
He actually woke up hungry in the middle of the night."
They both laughed, and Zhang Yue also laughed twice.
Chen Xiang smiled and said: "Zi Gu, come inside and talk."
Zi Gu and Zhang Yue were stunned after hearing this. Could it be that the other party is...
"That's fine." The other party nodded and looked at Zhang Yue, and couldn't help but ask: "Who is this?"
Chen Xiang smiled and said, "This is my new student who has come to learn some poetry."
Zhang Yue bowed and sang.
The other party said: "It turns out to be Mr. Zhang Sanlang."
Chen Xiang said: "Of course."
Then Chen Xiang said to Zhang Yue: "This is Zeng Zigu, a native of Nanfeng. He became famous in the capital with his articles when he was twelve years old. You should ask him for more advice on the art of writing and how to establish himself."
Zhang Yue suddenly realized that it turned out that he had indeed met the second member of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Zhang Yue remembered that Zeng Gong’s reputation was not prominent among the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Some people even said that he bought seven and got one free.
But in fact, he misunderstood Zeng Gong. Among the eight great writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were a total of 316 articles, of which Zeng Gong alone had 128 articles.
Zhang Yue said with some excitement: "I once heard Scholar Ouyang mention that Mr. Zeng said, 'Hundreds of people have passed through my family, and I am only happy to meet Mr.'. Now Yue finally meets Mr. Zeng."
"You actually know Bachelor Ouyang... Yes, you are Zhang Ziping's kinsman and Zihou's younger brother." After saying this, Zeng Gong looked at Chen Xiang, his expression was clear, he was thinking, how could he be yours?
student.
Chen Xiang smiled when he saw this scene and said: "Sanlang, Zigu and I still have something to talk about. You can go back first! Learn poetry according to the method I taught, and come here again in the future."
“Students remember!”
Zhang Yue immediately said goodbye to Chen Xiang and Zeng Gong.
Zeng Gong looked at Zhang Yue's back, nodded appreciatively and said, "The nephews and nephews of the Zhang family really have the demeanor of the children of famous families!"
Chen Xiang smiled and said: "Although Zigu and Sanlang are descendants of the Zhang family, unlike Ziping and Zihou, they actually come from the Han family."
“What’s going on with the Han family?” Zeng Gong said disapprovingly, “Aren’t you and I also born in Han Confucius?”
Chen Xiang smiled and said: "That's true. Although this boy comes from a poor family, he is actually a man of talent."
Zeng Gong’s father Zeng Zhan was an official from Yi to Dr. Taichang, and Zeng Gong’s grandfather Zeng Zhiyao was an official to the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
But Zeng Gong called himself Hanru because his father had been dismissed from office long ago and was in poor health. After the death of his eldest brother, although Zeng Gong was the second son, he took on the responsibility of raising four younger brothers and nine younger sisters. As a result, his life was very poor for a time, and then he failed in the imperial examinations one after another, which was a serious blow.
Zeng Gong was once discouraged and told his teacher Ouyang Xiu that he planned to give up his official career. Fortunately, Ouyang Xiu persuaded him to stay.
But things took a turn for the better in the second year of Jiayou's reign, when Zeng Gong, his brothers Zeng Mou and Zeng Bu, his cousin Zeng Fu, his second brother-in-law Wang Wujiu, and his sixth brother-in-law Wang Hui passed the Jinshi examination together.
This incident made scholars all over the world know about the Nanfeng Zeng family.
However, Zeng Gong's ranking was not good. He was ranked in the C Division, which is the fifth-level Jinshi.
The fifth-level Jinshi cannot be appointed immediately and must be elected. The so-called candidates who select candidates must pass the examination and selection by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and be promoted to official positions after passing the selection.
The same treatment as Zeng Gong was Su Shi's younger brother Su Che, and later Zhu Xi was also awarded the fifth grade of Jinshi.
Therefore, Zeng Gong is now in Bianjing, waiting for the official examination and appointment. He often visits the houses of Ouyang Xiu, Chen Xiang and others in his spare time.
Zeng Gong's sixth brother-in-law, Wang Hui, was from Fuzhou and happened to be a student of Chen Xiang's family. Zeng Gong came to Chen Xiang's house as a guest that day and happened to see Zhang Yue.
Zeng Gong heard Chen Xiang praise Zhang Yue and couldn't help but said: "Scholar Ouyang also praised this son in front of me. With Mr. Gu Ling's knowledge of people, this son is definitely not a thing in the pond."
Chen Xiang asked curiously: "Brother Zigu, why do you have all these inquiries about me?"
Zeng Gong said: "To be honest, I just entered the house and saw this handsome, upright, well-behaved and well-behaved man. I wanted to ask after he left, but I didn't expect that he knew my identity. Now I have seven mothers and eight mothers. Jiu Niang is not yet married."
Chen Xiang suddenly said: "What a great Zeng Zigu, it turns out that it was my student's idea that you took."
Zeng Gong solemnly said: "How dare you not do what your father and brother told you before they died? If you don't have a place for one day, I won't be able to sleep well."
Chen Xiang glanced at Zeng Gong and admired him sincerely.
After Zeng Gong’s father and brother died of illness.
As the eldest man in the family, Zeng Gong trained his younger brothers to become talents and also chose excellent marriages for his younger sisters.
For example, the eldest sister’s husband Guan Jinghui was from Shanyin, Zhejiang Province. Although he was not a Jinshi, he had outstanding literary talent.
The third brother-in-law, Wang Anguo, comes from the Wang family in Linchuan and is the younger brother of his close friend Wang Anshi.
There are two other men, Guan Jingyi and Wang Yanshen. Although they are not outstanding in literary talent, they are also gentlemen with good conduct.
Zeng Gong was outstanding in both raising his younger brother and choosing his brother-in-law. More importantly, his writing was also excellent.
Zeng Gongben fell in love with Zhang Yue at first glance, and received praise from Ouyang Xiu and Chen Xiang, so he immediately became interested.
Seeing how Zeng Gong had inquired in such detail, Chen Xiang couldn't help but laugh and said, "Selecting your sister-in-law is such a big deal. I advise you, Zigu, to be cautious and not to listen to my one-sided words. If anything goes wrong in the future, don't blame me."
Zeng Gong said: "When choosing a sister-in-law, you should be very cautious, but you should also be decisive. There are always many men pursuing women from IKEA and Yishi. Of course, the same is true for this young talent. There may not be anyone who can be one step ahead of me, so I should make my decision early.
It's better to make an early decision. Besides, I can definitely trust the judgment between you and Bachelor Ouyang."
Chen Xiang said with a smile: "As the saying goes, 'When an official reaches the third rank, he doesn't read photo books, and he recognizes noble people because he has read a lot.' At the beginning, it was also Academician Ouyang who recommended this boy to my family. I regard Academician Ouyang's vision as a way to recognize noble people."
He was accepted into his sect. But since Zigu said so, I won't say more. But there is one sentence at the beginning. Even though this boy has broad talents, his writing was insufficient when he took the examination. I'm afraid there will be something wrong in the exam.
It’s a waste of time, and a child from a poor family can’t make a single mistake.”
Hearing this, Zeng Gong said: "I was like this at the beginning. I was not good at applying for the imperial examinations, so I failed in many tests. I was lucky enough to get the Jinshi. As for my sister-in-law, I can't get it, as long as he has good conduct.
“As for the girls in my Zeng family, when their parents’ family was in difficulty, the sisters would sit together to weave, embroider, sew, etc. When they get to their husband’s house, they must be able to be diligent and frugal.”
“When it was difficult to survive on a vegetarian diet at my parents’ home, if I lived calmly and did not covet prosperity, I would be able to remain poor in my husband’s home.”
Chen Xiang praised: "Zi Gu's family education is like this. No wonder there are so many talented people. It is really admirable."
Zeng Gong laughed and said, "That's ridiculous."
A few days later.
At Ouyang Xiu's house.
Ouyang Fa’s wife Wu is wearing Weaver Girl Red by the window, while her son is studying hard at his desk.
At this time, Ouyang Fa strode over, as if he had something to say. When Mrs. Wu saw him, she waved her hand, telling him to be gentle and not to disturb her son's reading.
Mrs. Wu quietly closed the door, and the two of them walked to the back room. Ouyang Fa said to Mrs. Wu, "I was serving dad in the study just now, and Zeng Zigu happened to come. Do you know what he said to dad?"
Wu, while knitting women's red, said nonchalantly: "What else could it be? Isn't it just the way to discuss articles?"
Ouyang Fa shook his head and said: "Madam, you never thought that Zeng Zigu came to ask dad to find out the news."
“Who are you asking for information from?” Wu said without raising her head.
“It’s that Mr. Sanlang of the Zhang family!”
“Oh?” Mrs. Wu immediately put down her daughter and said, “What is Zeng Zigu asking about Mr. Sanlang?”
“You are still to blame for this.”
“Blame me?”
Ouyang Fa nodded and said, "That's natural. When my father asked me to ask you to find a good match for Mr. Zhang Sanlang among the girls from a good family in Bianjing, now more than half a year has passed and you haven't even heard from you."
"It's good now. Zeng Zigu has fallen in love with Mr. Zhang Sanlang. I think now I'm trying to find out the news. I'll ask dad to arrange a marriage in a few days."
