The place where Chen Xiang lives is considered to be a remote alley, and the sound of firecrackers set off by the neighbors is very noisy.
In the narrow hall, several old servants were busy.
On such an occasion, Chen Xiang and Zhang Dun were talking.
When Chen Xiang saw Zhang Yue, he asked him to sit down and talk.
Zhang Yue sat on the side and Zhang Dun sat in front.
After Zhang Yue sat down, Chen Xiang smiled and said to Zhang Yue: "I was just talking about poetry with Zihou. Don't be greedy for good sentences, which will lead to incomprehension and become a language problem."
“For example, I said, ‘The remonstrance grass in my sleeves goes to the sky, and the flowers in the palace on my head return to the banquet.’ Sincerely, it is a good sentence. However, when remonstrances are given, they must be written in chapters and chapters. How can I use the principles of manuscripts?”
"But Zihou gave an example, the Hanshan Temple under the stage in Gusu, the bell rang at midnight to the passenger ship. It is really a good sentence, but then I thought about it, is it the time to ring the bell at midnight? You must remember it carefully, and you must not write poems in the future.
If you are greedy for good words, you should put plainness and approachability first."
Zhang Yue heard this and said, "Students have remembered it."
Chen Xiang nodded, but Zhang Dun said: "Sir, I'll go first."
Chen Xiang waved his hand and said, "Wait a minute."
Chen Xiang said to Zhang Yue: "Sanlang, first tell me what you have learned in Taixue this year?"
Zhang Yue said: "Reporting to Sir, in addition to poetry and articles, I have gained everything from food, clothing, housing and transportation."
Chen Xiang smiled and said, "How about food?"
Zhang Yue said: "Reporting to Sir, students in Taixue often don't have enough food to eat. There is no limit on vegetable soup. Students can eat by themselves, so they often scoop out a few more bowls of soup to satisfy their hunger. The vegetable soup is boiled in such a large amount
If you don't stir the pot with a spoon on weekdays, it will look crystal clear. Everyone wants to make some vegetable soup to fill their stomachs, but how to make vegetable soup is a science, and students have not learned it in the restaurant this year.
Yes, I learned how to scoop vegetable soup."
Chen Xiang laughed: "This is really a lot of knowledge, Sanlang, please tell me."
Zhang Yue said: "It's sir. Students have accumulated experience over time and passed it on to their classmates in a formula. This formula is 'slip to the edge, sink to the bottom, fish lightly, and rise slowly'."
After Zhang Yue finished speaking, the old servant beside Chen Xiang couldn't help laughing.
Zhang Yue also said to the old servant in a serious manner: "I may not understand, so I'll explain it more carefully. It's like 'one spoonful till the bottom, then rise slowly along the side, don't panic, it's all soup!' This ladle of soup is really good."
A subject of knowledge that is truly profound and profound.”
Chen Xiang didn’t feel dissatisfied when he heard this.
Zhang Dun said: "What's the use of talking with a gun and a stick? I heard that your homework was very poor, and you were almost dismissed by the Imperial Academy and returned to your hometown."
Zhang Yue kept silent.
Zhang Dun said: "Since you have been in the capital for almost a year, you still don't know how to meet your second aunt?"
Zhang Yue said: "I've seen it."
“When did you see me?”
“I met Brother Dun when he was sending a letter home.”
Zhang Dun looked at Zhang Yue and said, "With your words now, you still blame me for not sending a letter home?"
"How can I blame you? When Brother Dun ran away from marriage and left home, I no longer dared to have such extravagant hopes."
Zhang Dun said: "Okay, it seems you want me to make it clear today, don't you?"
Zhang Yue said: "Of course, I have heard it from different people. Brother Dun, you are trying to find reasons for your escape from marriage. No one else is as good as you. I will believe whatever you say."
Zhang Dun was silent.
Chen Xiang said: "You brothers talk to yourselves."
With that said, Chen Xiang left.
The atmosphere between Zhang Dun and Zhang Yue solidified for a moment.
Zhang Dun said: "You are just like a fool who points to the moon, and looks at the finger but does not look at the moon. He who cares about names does not see my reality."
“Is running away from marriage a month or a reference?”
Zhang Dun said: "The reason you want is that even if you want to give an explanation, I might as well tell you that although I was the first in the county school in my hometown, Jianzhou was really a hidden dragon and a tiger. If I want to get the first place in the exam,
It was even difficult to pass the provincial examination. So I left home just because it was easy to pass the Suzhou Cao examination, but it was difficult to pass the Jianzhou examination, that's all."
Zhang Yue said: "Then he passed the imperial examination, so why didn't he accept the order and be appointed an official in the end?"
Zhang Dun solemnly said: "Without him, Emperor Zhenzong issued an edict that 'brothers should not be treated equally'. Have you forgotten about your cousin's grandfather?"
“But all four brothers in the Zeng family were awarded Jinshi.”
Zhang Dun said: "How can the affairs of today's officialdom be compared with those of the Zhenzong Dynasty?"
During the Zhenzong Dynasty, two brothers from the Zhang family, Zhang Pin and Zhang Di, were both awarded Jinshi, but Emperor Zhenzong decreed that only one of the two brothers could pass the Jinshi. In the end, Zhang Pin gave up the Jinshi and gave it to his younger brother Zhang Di.
Zhang Pin is Zhang Kai’s grandfather, and he is related to Zhang Yue and Zhang Heng before they even entered the fifth server.
Zhang Dun said: "Six years later, my great-uncle passed the imperial examination and became the secretary of the provincial school secretary. He learned about Nanchang County. What can you tell?"
Zhang Yue said: "The Examination Secretary and Provincial Secretary are the posts in the capital. Only two or three Jinshi in a subject can be awarded the position in the capital. The rest of the Jinshi are selected candidates."
Zhang Dun said: "Of course, this is Emperor Zhenzong's compensation for his great uncle. Ziping had already won the Jinshi in the previous subject, and the official family suppressed my ranking for the sake of balance."
"Instead of rushing to become an official, it is better to take the examination for the system subject or defer one subject. It will only be a delay of two years in becoming a Jinshi."
Zhang Yue said: "I also say that you are arrogant and unwilling to accept the order."
Zhang Dun said: "It depends on how you choose. How many chips you have in your hand will determine how many chips you can lose."
“Just like in life, you will meet many people, and many people like you. Because of this, some of them you don’t like, so you can throw them away when you need to, and you don’t have to cherish them.”
Zhang Yue laughed angrily and said, "So my brother and I are the ones you left behind, Brother Dun?"
Zhang Dun said: "If you want a reason, I will give you a reason. When I won the Jinshi, I heard that my brother had collected a lot of money in my name, and you immediately stopped thinking about making progress and went around chasing girls.
went?"
Zhang Yue couldn't help but hesitate, this is indeed true.
Zhang Dun said: "If you are like this, then I don't need to take a fancy to you."
Zhang Yue looked livid and said: "I understand, Brother Dun is always a person who cares about himself. In the past, I had some fantasies, or I kept looking for excuses for you in my heart, but now I completely understand."
Zhang Dun nodded and said, "As long as you understand, study harder and study harder. If you can become a Jinshi in the future, it will be considered a high honor."
"You write a letter for me and go home. Bring your brother, sister-in-law and Xi'er to live in Bianjing. My second aunt has an empty house in the east of the city and now she gave it to me. It's empty anyway. Xi'er
It’s the material for reading. If I stay with my brother, I’m afraid I’ll be spoiled in the future.”
Zhang Yue said resolutely: "No, it's very good for Xi'er to become a disciple of Mr. Boyi. Besides, there is a sister-in-law watching over her, so she will never go astray. Besides, why didn't Brother Dun write a letter himself?"
Hearing this, Zhang Dun stood up from Zhang Yue's side, turned his head and said, "My brother, the person who cares most about you has always been you, no matter how incompetent you are, even your father is the same."
Zhang Yue felt that Zhang Dun's tone was a little different from before.
After a pause, Zhang Dun said: "Li Taibo (Li Gou) is rigorous in his studies, and his speech is a bit unpleasant, but he is a man of knowledge and knowledge. From his disciples, you can learn a thing or two about the character of a scholar at the very least."
“As for you, sir, both in terms of governance and knowledge, you can learn everything from them. If you can learn 10% from them, that’s impressive.”
"But remember one thing: to be eager to learn is to use your heart, to be sincere is to use things, to reason things is to use reason, to understand reason is to use nature, and to be harmonious with nature is to use spirit. When studying, it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself. This is not only true for reading, but also for life in the future. Don't always
Expecting to rely on others and just sit back and enjoy the success, that is what I hate the most. Study hard, if you can't stand out, I will be ashamed to see you in the future."
Zhang Yue said: "Brother Dun, just take care of your own future. Don't worry that my brother and I will drag you down. If you fail this test, it will really become a joke."
Zhang Dun said: "That's good. Remember to write a letter to your brother and leave."
After saying this, Zhang Dun strode away.
Zhang Yue didn’t even look at Zhang Dun.
The sound of firecrackers could be heard in the hall, and the old servant was serving the New Year's Eve dinner to the table.
Chen Xiang personally brought a plate of vegetables and placed it in front of Zhang Yue and said with a smile: "This is the rice dish of my hometown. The villagers brought it to the capital. Everyone in my hometown eats it during festivals. I will steam it myself now."
, you can also enjoy it as a reward."
“Thank you sir. I don’t have much appetite.”
Chen Xiang smiled and said: "Sanlang, you are a man of honest character, but I am not telling you this to ask you to repay evil with kindness. Why should we worship the Buddha when we see him?"
Chen Xiang said: "I don't want you to bend down, but I want you to know that you need to be respectful in your heart. Just like spending money to give money does not buy merit, but it warns you not to be greedy."
Zhang Yue looked at Chen Xiang, but saw that the other party smiled and said: "When I was young, I was tired of the philistines in the countryside. I just wanted to get a good name early, not only to honor my ancestors, but also to leave the remote countryside. Now that half of my life has passed, I have experienced
The world has been so hot and cold, and I realize that nostalgia is the most important thing. Bianjing seems to be prosperous, but what does it have to do with me? I will eventually go back."
Zhang Yue thought a little when he heard the words.
"Eat some, some of your senior brothers will come later, and I will introduce them to you one by one. They are all greedy and I'm afraid there won't be much left."
Zhang Yue nodded, picked up a piece with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
"how?"
“It’s delicious.” Zhang Yue nodded sharply.
Chen Xiang smiled and said: "The outside is made of Ruo leaves to support the base. When steaming, the fragrance of Ruo leaves will be mixed into it. The filling inside is glutinous rice, so it is safe."
“Yes, it’s Chinese New Year.” Zhang Yue said with a smile.
At this time, there was a knock on the door. Chen Xiang said with a smile: "Your senior brothers are here. When they give you something, don't refuse it. Just accept it."
“Okay, sir.” Zhang Yue said.
After Chen Xiang pushed the door open, he saw a group of scholars had gathered outside the door...
“I’ve met Mr.”
Zhang Yue saluted and said: "I have met senior brother..."
“What? Didn’t hear...”
Zhang Yue looked at Chen Xiang, who smiled and said: "This person is your senior brother Wu Daowu. He is the most unruly..."
Zhang Yue knew that the most famous member of Chen Xiang's family was Sun Jue, but now he was an official abroad, followed by Zhang Dun and Wu Dao, and the rest were not well-known.
But everyone was smiling and not at all restrained. Zhang Yue felt that the atmosphere in his sect was just right for him.
The wine has been prepared in the hall. Chen Xiang, Zhang Yue, teachers and students gathered together, chatting over wine, and they were having a good time.
Jiayou’s three years passed uneventfully.
Jiayou arrived in the fourth year of his reign.
The spring comes after the beginning of spring in the fourth year of Jiayou's reign.
Compared with Jiayou’s second-year ranking, Jiayou’s fourth-year ranking has a slightly dimmer star, but it is still a battle between dragons and tigers.
The results of the rankings came out, and the number one winner was Zhang Yue's chief, Liu Ji, who changed his name to Liu Hui.
Although Ouyang Xiu did not take charge of the provincial examination, he was the examiner of the palace examination. Before marking the examination, he said to his left and right: "It is our duty to eradicate evil, and now we must scold those who are frivolous and frivolous in order to eliminate the harm caused by our essays."
At that time, a scholar wrote an article in the palace examination and said: "The Lord collected the essence and hid it under the crown."
Ouyang Xiu read the paper and said confidently to his left and right: "I have already won Liu Ji." After saying this, he was about to dismiss this person.
The title of the palace examination at that time was "The Fu of Yao and Shun on Nature and Benevolence".
One examinee said: "Therefore, being quiet can prolong life, which is the longest life span of the Five Emperors; being active can lead to courage, which is the punishment for the four sins."
Ouyang Xiu greatly praised him and considered him to be the number one scholar, so he was promoted to the first place.
Later, when I changed the name, I found out that the number one scholar was Liu Hui. Others told Ouyang Xiu that this was Liu Ji who changed his name to Liu Hui.
As for the article that Ouyang Xiu mistakenly thought was written by Liu Ji, it was actually written by Xiao Ji from Wu.
Ouyang Xiu was stunned for a long time when he learned the truth.
However, Ouyang Xiu still admitted his failure with great grace. He found the Liu Jijuan again and saw a sentence in it: "The virtue of accumulating safety and conduct within it is a blessing to heaven." Ouyang Xiu thought that the word "accumulation" was close to learning, so he mentioned The pen was changed to the character 'Yun'.
As for the second place Hu Zongyu, he is the nephew of Hu Su, the chief examiner of the provincial examination.
As for Zhang Dun, who had abandoned his studies in the previous subject, he got the first and fifth place this time.
It can be said to be Gaudi.
Many scholars don’t understand why Zhang Dun got such a good name despite his arrogance and abandonment of the imperial edict.
But because there were too many redundant officials, the emperor wanted to suppress the number of junior officials.
Except for Liu Hui, the number one scholar, who was awarded the title of Judge of Dali Temple, and Hu Zongji, who was the second best scholar, and was awarded the title of Guanglu Cheng, the rest of the Jinshi were not allowed to be officials in the capital, and they were all selected to be released.
Although Zhang Dun was the fifth Jinshi, he was only awarded the magistrate of Shangluo County.
In addition to Zhang Dun, among the people Zhang Yue knew well, Cai Que also became a Jinshi and served as the manager of Pizhou to join the army.
This is the lowest level of official positions for selecting people. There are prefecture managers, sihu, judicial officers, household officers, law officers and soldiers, etc. Although they are state officers, they are at the same level as county chiefs and county captains, and lower than the county magistrates. Even lower than the county magistrate.
Even so, Zhang Yue was still happy for Cai Que.
Besides Cai Que, there is another person who is from the same house, Xiang Qi.
The lower rank of Xiang Seven is only the fifth one, and must be elected, but even if it is elected, if nothing happens, he will still be an official in the future.
Looking at the list that day, Zhang Yue burst into tears of joy on the spot when he saw Xiang No. 7 Middle School Jinshi. Then he was spotted by five or six businessmen, who surrounded him and fought for a while, and staged a scene of catching his son-in-law under the list.
Zhang Yue and Huang Haoyi felt shameless and a little envious when they saw Xiang Qiyu refusing to greet him.
As for Liu Zuo, who was a classmate and good friend, he just smiled.
Zhang Yue thought to himself, one of his two friends won the Jinshi, and the other went home to do business. From then on, Yunni was no longer the same.
“Sanlang, Shiro, what are you doing standing there in such a daze? Chief, no, Lord Zhuangyuan has invited us to have a drink at Qingfeng Tower tonight!”
All the classmates burst into laughter, and someone on the side asked enviously: "Are you the classmate of the number one scholar in this subject?"
One person smiled and said: "Not only are we classmates, we are also in the same room."
"I admire you!"
The custom in the Song Dynasty was that everyone admired scholars from top to bottom, and the number one scholar was even more admired. When the common people heard that Zhang Yue and the others were Liu Hui's classmates, they immediately made way for them.
All the students were smiling.
“Let’s go, let’s go to Qingfeng Tower for a drink.”
Zhang Yue also smiled and was about to stride away, but when he looked back, he saw Liu Zuo looking into the distance.
Zhang Yue followed his gaze and saw that it was exactly where Xiang Qi was.
Liu Zuo saw Zhang Yue smiled and walked over and said, "What do you think about Xiang Qi being a Jinshi?"
Zhang Yue said: "I'm a little envious."
Liu Zuo smiled bitterly and said: "I feel uncomfortable. Thinking about bragging to Xiang Qimei about something that happened in the examination in the future, my heart will ache when I think about how I failed. I'm afraid this friend will have nothing to do..."
“The head of the house…”
Liu Zuodao: "Don't blame me for being stingy. I'm just speaking from the bottom of my heart. Xiang Qi is very good. Although his family is poor, he has always been holding back his energy in his heart. He wants to make a blockbuster one day and let people who looked down on him in the past look at him. His current situation. Now he has finally come to the end of his hardships. I am really happy for him from the bottom of my heart, but I just hope that he will not be happy in front of me."
Zhang Yue said: "Chief, you really will never return to Taixue from now on."
Liu Zuo nodded and said: "I will go back and take care of things, Sanlang. I have told you this before, but our friendship cannot be broken. You are a kind-hearted person. If you become successful in the future, I will only be happy for you. There will never be any jealousy."
Zhang Yue said sheepishly: "If the head of the house really thinks highly of me, it's good that he will come to see me more often in the future."
"Of course, if there is any difficulty in Bianjing, Sanlang can let me know."
After speaking, Liu Zuo looked at Xiang Qi again.
However, I saw a wealthy and powerful man who relied on the strength of his crowd to force Xiang Qi into a sedan chair and drove away playing music and singing. Others laughed and pointed along the way, and several children clapped their hands and sang happily.
That night of Zhang Yue, Huang Haoyi drank all night long in Qingfeng Tower.
Liu Ji was also very capable. After drinking, he summoned twenty or thirty more official prostitutes. These were all well-known official prostitutes in Bianjing, many of whom were excellent in both sex and art. On weekdays, many high-ranking officials and nobles were seen casually.
There were less than one, but now they all came for the sake of the No. 1 Scholar.
Everyone stayed up all night eating, drinking and having fun. After returning to the studio, Zhang Yue also slept until the sun was shining.
On this day, Taixue will be very reasonable and will not check the dormitories, allowing students to spend the night outside.
At noon, I saw Xiang Qi coming back.
Yesterday, Xiang Qi was still wearing a plain coat, but now he was wearing a brocade robe and fine satin leather boots, and returned to his studio in splendor.
Zhang Yue saw Xiang Qi and hurriedly pushed Huang Haoyi to wake him up.
“Qilang, are you an uncle now?”
Xiang Qi laughed, but did not say anything directly. He immediately sat on the chair and said, "I don't have any water to drink. I'm dying of thirst."
Huang Haoyi said kindly: "There is water in the clay pot, go get it yourself!"
Xiang Qi complained: "Silang, you don't even look at me at all. I'm going to be an official now, and you don't know how to serve me. How can I support you in the future?"
Huang Haoyi laughed and scolded: "Well, Xiang Qilang, you are just a fifth-level person, and you are just pretending to be here with me and Sanlang."
Xiang Qi laughed and said, "It's just a joke. We are common friends. No matter what happens to me in the future, you and I will still forget our friendship."
After speaking, he cupped his hands to Qi Xiang and Zhang Yueyi and said, "Sanlang, I have received more kindness from you, Xiang Qiping, and I will definitely repay you well in the future."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Qilang, what do you mean by these things? I don't think I have done anything to help you on weekdays."
Xiang Qi said sternly: "Sanlang, I know you have always been generous and never care about others. But Xiang Qilang, I will remember it in my heart even if I have received a little favor from others over the years. That's right, where is Liu Zuo?"
