The excitement continued, and officials visited the Five Sacred Mountains Temple and the Yuqing Palace one after another.
After a few more days of excitement, the lights were finally turned off.
The people of Bianjing went out to visit the capital one after another, which was a lot of fun.
To the south of the capital, there are places such as Yuxian Temple and Wang Taiwei Garden. To the east of the city, there are places such as Happy Forest outside the gate, Bo Napi, Dule Gang, Inkstone, Spider Tower, Maijiayuan and other places.
There is Li Prince Consort Garden in the north of the state.
After passing Jinmingchi in the west of the state, there are more places to play.
Most of the areas around the capital are gardens, and there is no farmland within a hundred miles.
When everyone is visiting the Spring Festival, it is the time when the Imperial College students from various states and counties are being elected to Beijing, and it is also the time when the Imperial College students are preparing for the Imperial College Examination in August.
It only lasts for half a year.
Zhang Yue, who is the chief of the village, originally planned to draw a countdown sign on the water sign similar to "How many days are left until the college entrance examination." However, after feedback from his classmates, facing such a sign every day was too stressful, so he decided to forget it.
Zhang Yue understood that Taipei students were indeed more stressed than senior high school students.
High school students can repeat their studies in the next year, while Tai students must wait at least two years, and sometimes even five years. Perhaps they secretly hope that the official family of the Song Dynasty will collapse immediately, because the new emperor will open Enke after he ascends the throne.
Failing an exam means you have to wait two or three years. How many two or three years do you have to waste in your life?
Now that the weather is getting warmer, Zhang Yue still insists on going out to Taixue for morning jogging every day.
This has become Zhang Yue’s habit.
Zhang Yue made a trip and was about to return to Taixue, when he met an acquaintance in the Qiji Courtyard next to Taixue.
The other party was wearing a blue official robe, followed by several attendants carrying luggage, and four or five officials were waiting to greet him.
The other party turned around and smiled: "Yes, Sanlang!"
That’s right, this person is none other than Zhang Heng and Zhang Ziping.
Zhang Yue stepped forward and asked, "When did Senior Brother Ziping return to Beijing?"
Zhang Heng smiled and said: "I have completed my term in Huzhou. Now I am recalled by the imperial court to go to Beijing to report on my duties and then give new orders. Now I live in Chaojiyuan."
Zhang Yue thought to himself, "It's so fast. It seems like just yesterday that Zhang Heng won the first prize."
Unexpectedly, he has been in office for three years.
The official system of the Song Dynasty was conducted once a year and served every three years. However, those who were appointed as local officials in the Beijing Dynasty had a two-year term, except for the supervisory department, which had a three-year term.
Zhang Heng had only served as an official for two years. After all, he was the number one scholar and he only served as a local official for a resume. In the end, he had to return to the central government and be awarded a post.
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Unexpectedly, Senior Brother Ziping has expired, and I will have time to visit him from time to time."
Zhang Heng smiled and said: "Of course, I have some free time today, so let's go and sit under the house, Sanlang."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Then I would rather obey your orders than be respectful."
Immediately, Zhang Yue followed Zhang Heng into Chaojiyuan.
This Chaojiyuan is equivalent to the Jinzouyuan in the Tang Dynasty. It was an official residence built by the imperial court in the fourth year of Xianfeng when officials were exempted from returning to work. They lived in a hotel to affect the image of the imperial court.
However, as far as Zhang Yue knew, officials were actually subject to quite a lot of restrictions after living in Chaojiyuan.
Therefore, many officials come here quietly when they come to Beijing. They first hide in the homes of relatives and send people to inquire about the news or to smoothen the relationship. After everything is settled, they report to the pavilion gate and wait for the officials to summon them.
After Zhang Yue and Zhang Heng took their seats.
Zhang Heng said that after entering Beijing, he immediately went to the pavilion gate to report, and then notified Chaojiyuan from the pavilion gate, and was then welcomed and moved into Chaojiyuan by people from Kaifeng Prefecture.
Zhang Yue heard this and said, "That's not right. As soon as you came to Beijing, you went to the door to report and waited for the emperor to summon you. During this period, you did not do anything to smoothen the relationship. After the report is correct, it is very likely that you will not be assigned a good official position."
As for entering the court, it will be difficult. All entrances and exits must be accompanied by soldiers from Kaifeng Prefecture. Except for the temples, provincial departments, and Cao official offices, they are not allowed to go anywhere.
Fortunately, I can receive guests, but I have to register my name.
All of this is, of course, to prevent officials from running away from office in Beijing, and also to prevent them from using their time in Beijing to form cliques for personal gain.
So many officials have learned a lesson and sneaked into Beijing to settle the relationship before moving into Chaojiyuan.
As for Zhang Heng, it was clear that he had no such intention and everything followed normal procedures.
Zhang Yue sat down in Zhang Heng's house. Zhang Heng looked at Zhang Yue and said with a smile, "I just saw him and ran away for a while. What were you doing?"
Zhang Yue said: "After I entered Taixue, I would run several miles or even ten miles every morning. It was the same as when my senior brother was in Zhoujin Hall, he shot arrows to keep fit."
Zhang Heng laughed and said: "That's true, but after running fast, you will easily sweat, and you will easily catch wind and cold through sweat through heavy clothes, so it is better to shoot arrows."
Zhang Yuexin said, yes, this is why scholars in the past did not recommend running for exercise. Running requires sweating. The ancients did not have the conditions to bathe frequently, and it would be good if they could change their clothes every ten days.
However, after Zhang Yue entered the Imperial College, he still followed the habits of later generations and bathed frequently or prepared a lot of clothes to change.
Immediately Zhang Heng brought his own clothes for Zhang Yue to change into.
Zhang Yue thanked me and said: "Senior brother is right, I also have a barbaric body and a civilized spirit. After all, studying is like climbing a mountain. It will never be possible without a good body."
Zhang Heng laughed after hearing this and said: "Barbaric in body, civilized in spirit, it seems like this is the first time I have heard of it."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "I also run every day, and I like it more and more. I don't know how many miles I have run. Anyway, it is the intersection of this street today and that alley tomorrow."
“It’s better to run a little farther each time. It will feel hard when you run, but when you finally arrive, you will have a sense of accomplishment in your heart.”
“Brother, do you know what this feeling is? It’s the feeling that every time you run to the place within your reach, you seem to be reaching immortality.”
Zhang Heng smiled and said: "The feeling of ascending to immortality, the more Sanlang talks about it, the more interesting it becomes. What kind of truth are you trying to say?"
Zhang Yue said: "Yes, senior brother, this is when all my wishes come true, and it is also when I identify with myself the most. At this time, I don't have the worries about gains and losses that I usually have when studying. To put it bluntly, I don't fight with myself."
Zhang Heng nodded and said: "It makes sense. Studying is like climbing a mountain, and the long journey of life is like this. From one peak to the next, one peak after another is higher, but when you reach the top, that's..."
Zhang Yue said: “This is the moment when you are most attached to the Tao.”
Zhang Heng smiled and said: "Sanlang is right. After I won the top prize, my joy did not last long. The most important thing is the relief and clarity that will make me the best."
"I am the number one scholar, the most outstanding scholar in the world. At this moment, you can put aside the Tao of body and function, and there is no need to pursue where the Tao is, because I have become one with the Tao. In other words, I am
road."
"When I am the Tao, I can forget myself and have no self. At that moment, I will feel more calm and peaceful about other things, and I can handle things with ease and without doubting myself."
“This is what Zen Buddhism calls ‘attaining the Tao’. From ancient times to the present, there are two ways to achieve the Tao. The first is self-enlightenment, the so-called knowing one’s mind and seeing one’s nature. This is also a method used by many Zen practitioners.”
"But there is also a class of emperors, generals and ministers, who are number one among scholars. It can be said that they have achieved success step by step, and finally climbed to the top and saw the scenery that people at the foot of the mountain have never seen. Therefore, they are also enlightened people.
Sanlang, do you understand what I mean?"
Zhang Yue nodded.
Zhang Heng is encouraging himself.
How to attain enlightenment?
The first level is to have a clear mind and see one's nature, to truly and completely understand oneself.
The other level is to climb to the top. When you climb to the top of the mountain, that is "I am the peak of the mountain." You are the person who is infinite or closest to the Tao.
This is the peak experience.
Achieve the status of the first person in any industry. This is the time when this person achieves the most perfect self-realization. At this time, you are the most perfect version of yourself. You will see things more clearly and keenly, and you have overcome many negative experiences in the past.
mood.
Be master of yourself and your industry.
To put it bluntly, it is the pursuit of success.
Continuous success, and finally the greatest success, will make people constantly affirm themselves, and gradually undergo radical changes. When they are completely certain of themselves, it is the time of self-realization. The heart is not influenced by external rules. This is the Tao.
Those who can understand everything without success are the realm pursued by transcendental philosophy.
The former is difficult to do, because there are too few people who can achieve it, and at the same time, it is impossible to define what the greatest success is.
The latter is easier to do, but according to Zen Buddhism, there are still many people who can achieve it.
But Zhang Yue understood from Zhang Heng’s words that he wanted to take the road to success on his own.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but ask: "So, Senior Brother Ziping, if you win the first prize, will you become enlightened?"
Zhang Heng shook his head and said with a smile: "Otherwise, in fact, among the scholars of the same discipline, I am not the best in terms of talent. To be fair, I am still not as good as your second brother after all."
Zhang Yue did not expect that Zhang Heng and Zhang Dun would fight for so long and finally admit that Zhang Dun was better than him.
Zhang Heng said: "When you first entered the clan academy, I thought you looked quite similar to Zi Hou. Later I found out that you were Zi Hou's younger brother, and I was relieved. But now that I have met you... I feel that your talents are not necessarily weak.
Yu Zihou."
Zhang Yue heard this and said without confidence: "Senior Brother Ziping, are you telling the truth?"
Zhang Heng smiled and said: "I have heard a little bit about you and your second brother. The merits of this are family matters after all, and I can't comment. If you want to compete, stand taller than him!"
Zhang Yue said: "Senior brother is right, I will not engage in unnecessary disputes."
Zhang Heng said: "I was the number one scholar in the second year of Jiayou's reign, and your brother was fifth in the rankings of the fourth year of Jiayou's reign. Now it's your turn in the sixth year of Jiayou's reign. You should stand up."
Zhang Heng glanced at Zhang Yue, and there was one more thing he didn't tell him.
Zhang Wangzhi of the clan has offended Cai Xiang, and a major case is now brewing. As a descendant of Zhang Wangzhi, he will definitely stand up for him. I wonder if Zhang Yue will be involved in it.
That day Zhang Yue returned to Zhaishe from Zhang Heng.
He thought about it in his dream all night, and mentioned the two words "Fajie" where he originally read in the dream. However, after thinking about it, he felt that he had no ambition, so he changed it to "Jinshi", and finally thought about it. It was called "Provincial Yuan", and then I thought about it and changed it to "Zhuangyuan".
It’s ridiculous to say the same.
The next day, Zhang Yue woke up and was startled when he looked at the roof.
I don’t know who it was, but the word ‘number one scholar’ was written on the beam!
