Jiapingguan Chronicle

Ning Cheng recalled it for a while, and shook her head slightly at Jin Jing who asked the question, expressing that she didn't know.

"I'm not sure about this. They should have begged someone and used money. After all, in Xijing City, there are not a few people who want to send their children to Bilu Academy. Moreover, every time Bilu Academy recruits students The quantity is limited, and you can’t just send it in if you want to.”

"That's right." Shen Cha nodded, "There are only [-] places each month, if you want to come, please come early, if you are late, you will be out of date."

"My good fellow, if you are the one doing this business, this business will be ruined sooner or later."

"But there is no yellow until now!" Shen Cha smiled, "Some businesses have to do this, and rare things are more expensive, right?"

"You are always right." Jin Jing looked at Ning Cheng, "I think, Ning Chang Kingdom should have put a lot of thought into it."

"Yes, the requirements of Bilu Academy are very high. Ningchang Kingdom has indeed left the relationship, but he will not say who the relationship is with. Even if he did, the patriarch and elders would not tell us. But, now that I think about it, although Ningchang has been released abroad for many years, his connections in Beijing are still there, and his tutor from back then is also there, so it shouldn't be particularly difficult to find connections, right?" Jin Jing nodded, and Ning Cheng continued, "And seriously, Ning Chang has lived in Xijing City for many years. In the few years after the scientific examination, although his official career was not very satisfactory, he still integrated into the life of the capital. , after returning, there is no special adaptation required. According to this standard, Ning Changnian is also qualified to enter the academy."

"Based on this, it is indeed qualified." Jin Jing nodded, then turned to look at Shen Cha, "How much money does Bilu Academy have in a year?"

"One year?" Shen Cha raised his eyebrows, showing a standard profiteer's face, and said with a smile, "Guest officer, our academy collects money on a ten-year basis, and three times a month at thirty."

"Oh!" Jin Jing was not surprised at all, as many academies are like this, "How much is a ten-day?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, it's ten taels of silver every ten days now." Seeing Jin Jing's surprised expression, Shen Cha raised his eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

"Twelve?"

"Yeah!" Shen Cha nodded as a matter of course, "You think it's expensive?"

"It's really not cheap."

"Then you see where and what level of academies you want to compare with. You also know that the gentlemen we invite are not young, so the remuneration for the old gentlemen is naturally higher. In addition to the remuneration of the gentlemen, There are also students' pens, inks, papers and inkstones, as well as the cost of books, which is not a small expense."

"These are all understandable, but don't you need ten taels?"

"Hey, don't worry, I haven't finished yet. Apart from the previous ones, our academy is also responsible for three meals a day, and two additional meals in the morning and afternoon. The academy has its own small kitchen, and the chef hired is from The ingredients are fresh, clean, and available in various flavors. Of course, this part of the fee is not mandatory. If you are not used to eating, you can send someone to deliver it. If you come to deliver it at home, then you don’t need Ten taels of silver, just pay eight taels."

"Not much less!"

"This is natural." Shen Cha smiled, "Bilu Academy is in the suburbs of Xijing, if you really want to deliver food, the food will be cold when it is delivered."

"A profiteer, a proper profiteer."

"Hey, it's not me who decided this matter, but Master Xuanyuan. If you are dissatisfied, you can tell the boss yourself after you return to Beijing."

"Forget it, give me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare." Jin Jing waved her hand, "So, almost everyone has twelve taels?"

"Yes, anyway, it was like this when the academy was first established, but I don't know about it later." Shen Cha nodded, "When Ning Changnian was studying, there was a little fluctuation, I don't know."

"There is no fluctuation, General, it is still ten taels." Ning Cheng smiled wryly, "Although there is no fluctuation, ten taels of silver is not a small number, even in a rich place like Jiangnan, it is enough for an ordinary family of five to live a year Yes. Although Ningchang Kingdom has been released to the south of the Yangtze River for many years, and was transferred back to Xijing as a member of the Ministry of Rites, but it is really necessary to think carefully about spending 30 taels of silver a month."

"It's a fact. Yuanwailang's monthly salary is only 30 taels, which is mixed with a subsidy of 40. In addition, he gives lectures for the East Palace, and at most it is [-] taels a month. After deducting a month's expenses, Reluctantly pay Ning Changnian one month's fee for Bilu Academy." Shen Cha raised his eyebrows, "Of course, he has some savings after being an official for many years, but he can't sit and eat, can he? So, shouldn't he Have you asked your family for help?"

"Ask for help from the family?" Ning Cheng thought for a while, "The patriarch and elders will give everyone an account of how much income and expenditure the family has every month, but we really didn't see that Ning Chang's school expenses went to the public. Account, if you ask for help, it should be the patriarch's own private treasury, the patriarch at that time was his biological father, and it is reasonable to subsidize his youngest son."

"Then it's not something the tribe can manage, it's their own business."

"Actually, even if they leave the public account, the clansmen won't say anything." Ning Cheng sighed, "Since he was released as an official, the business in the family, the family's guests, and people who come here for fame The number of students who defected gradually increased, and the income also increased. This month’s extra expenditure of 30 taels is actually not a big deal, and the clansmen will not take it to heart.”

"That is to say, you don't know whether he asked his family for help?"

"Yes, I didn't know about it, and my brother never mentioned it. I dare not lie to the general and adults about this."

After hearing Ning Cheng's words, Shen Cha looked at Jin Jing. The two of them looked at each other for a while, and saw the same meaning in each other's eyes. They guessed that it was the empress dowager who was a noble concubine who walked through the back door for Ning Chang country. At that time, the Academy had not yet been entrusted to the Daiwang Mansion, and the Xuanyuan family was still in charge. If the Empress Dowager spoke up, the Xuanyuan family would not deny her face.

As for how Ningchang Kingdom can solve the high school fees in Ningchangnian, it will be easier to handle. As long as Ningchang Kingdom steps into the territory of the Empress Dowager, it is absolutely impossible to run away. And means, there are ways to make him submit.

"Ah!" Ning Cheng suddenly yelled, and seeing several people looking at her, she smiled embarrassedly and said, "The student suddenly remembered something, which should be related to Ning Chang's increase in his income. He once gave the patriarch He wrote in his letter that he had found a good job. The other party admired his talents and wanted to ask him to teach the children in the family. Although there are government schools and academies, it seems that the children of this family are not convenient to go out, so I asked Ning It is not necessary for Changguo to give lectures at home too often, once every seven days, half an hour to an hour at a time is enough. The remuneration is paid according to the number of times. Ningchangguo did not say how much money each time, only that Ningchang went to Bilu every year The cost of the academy will be settled now."

Hearing this, Shen Cha couldn't help but slightly twitched the corners of his lips. This so-called lecture was probably the first step for the Empress Dowager to win over Ningchang Kingdom.

According to her review of the dossier about the empress dowager, the empress dowager’s natal family had a niece, the daughter left behind by the elder brother whom she schemed against. This lady is weak and can't go out to attract attention. She can't go to a special academy to study like other famous daughters, so she can only invite her husband to come home.

Among these gentlemen, there are many educated young people who have won the imperial examinations in the past few times, Tanhua, and second place. At that time, there were rumors in Xijing that it was false for the imperial concubine to invite these young talents to give lectures for her niece. It is true that my niece recruits a son-in-law.

When Shen Cha saw this, he said that the rumors were not credible, which was too ridiculous.

Although the Grandpa and the Empress Dowager had no real relationship, they married for the sake of repaying their kindness, and when they got married, it was just a display. When it comes to recruiting a son-in-law, it is justifiable to ask Grandpa Huang to help select a few suitable candidates. Grandpa Huang will not refuse if he wants to come. There is no need to expend such a lot of effort.

But now it seems that the empress dowager wants to kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, she casts a wide net to recruit young talents in Xijing City to become her niece and son-in-law; information network to prepare.

It's just that Shen Cha couldn't remember whether the young lady's son-in-law was selected from among these young talents, but the Empress Dowager's most powerful helper was really found from here.

Thinking of this, Shen Cha sighed heavily. The Empress Dowager wants to build her own network, so she urgently needs someone who is capable and can be used by her, and the Ningchang Kingdom needs to find a backer in Beijing. Find a stable source of income, so the two hit it off.Of course, apart from the fact that the two had a certain relationship and intersection before, there is probably only one thing they have in common, and that is the Qinglian Sect.

According to the records in the file, both of them are loyal followers of Qinglian Sect.

"Little Cha!" Jin Miaomiao bumped Shen Cha with her elbow and whispered, "What did you think of? You're smiling so creepily!"

"It's very interesting to think of a very interesting thing." Shen Cha gritted his teeth at Jin Miaomiao, and looked at Ning Cheng, "Do you know that Ningchang Kingdom believes in the Qinglian Sect, a fanatical believer?"

"Indeed, it's not just Ning Changnian, the Ning Mansion in Xijing was all believers before the Qinglian Sect was encircled and suppressed."

"As expected." Shen Cha muttered in a low voice, which no one could hear except Jin Miaomiao beside him.

Although Jin Miaomiao heard it, she didn't say much, she just glanced at Shen Cha lightly, and continued the interrogation below.

"From this point of view, the Ningchang Kingdom really spent a lot of money and painstaking efforts for the Ningchang Nian. Although they are not brothers and have no blood relationship, they are more attentive than brothers. It is absolutely right. It's the Ning family in Zhongzhou."

"Who said it wasn't?" Ning Cheng sighed, "At the very beginning, Ning Changnian was also struggling. After studying at Bilu Academy for three or four years, he was ready to give it a try. It wasn't because he was arrogant, it was him The master at Bilu Academy recommended him to try. And he was lucky, just in time to catch up with Enke back then. Although his grades were not particularly good, they were considered very good. Ning Changguo was one year younger when he took the exam. Later, Ningchangguo felt that it was not good to take the exam too early, so he didn't take the next exam and went back to the academy to study."

"He's also a young genius, so it's not in vain to spend a lot of money to train him. But..." Jin Jing looked at Shen Cha, then at Ning Cheng, "Ning Changnian must have returned to his hometown to take the scientific examination, right?"

"Go back to your lord, yes."

"Do you know that Ning Changnian took part in the imperial examination and won many battles, because Ning Changguo wrote a letter back?"

"Yes, and the intention of showing off in the letter is very strong. My elder brother said that if Ning Changguo came back from Beijing to visit relatives, he might have to show off. Sure enough, when he returned to Zhongzhou to visit relatives, he deliberately turned around and returned When I came to Chaozhou, I really told everyone that Ning Changnian was very smart, and he was able to win the Juren at such a young age, he is worthy of being another child prodigy of the Ning family."

"It's normal. There is such a powerful kid in the family. It's not for showing off. It's understandable." Jin Jing nodded, "It's just that there didn't seem to be a high school champion named Ning, so he didn't take the exam. ?”

"My lord's guess is right. Ning Changnian has never ended up since then."

"This is strange. With such a good talent, why don't you continue to take the exam? Are you worried that you will lose face if you don't pass the exam? He is still young, and he failed once, and there are two more times. The ranking is probably not a shame."

"It's not that I'm worried about failing the exam, but I'm worried that if I pass the exam, it will bring more trouble to my family."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"It's such an adult, listen to the students speak slowly." Ning Cheng thanked the guard who fed him water, moistened his throat, and continued, "After Ning Chang came back to visit relatives, it must have been a year or two. He wrote a letter from Beijing, which mentioned Ning Changnian, saying that he was interested in doing business, and he had already set up a shop in Beijing, and was going to start business."

"Business? Scholars, farmers, businessmen, but the most despised thing, Ningchang Kingdom doesn't object?"

"Not only did he not object, but he was very supportive. He wrote to the patriarch to explain why he did this. After reading his explanation, the patriarch and elders also felt that Ning Changnian did not continue the imperial examination. This choice was correct. .”

"This is very strange."

"It's not surprising at all." Seeing Jin Jing's puzzled expression, Ning Cheng said, "At that time, Ning Chang State made a splash in the capital several times and received several foreign missions. Xia has earned a lot of face, and he is praised a lot inside and outside the palace, and he can be regarded as a red-handed celebrity in Xijing City."

"Flowers are like a raging fire cooking oil. It's okay to be out of the limelight. If Ningchang Kingdom really wants to gain a firm foothold in the capital, it's better to keep a low profile." Shen Cha took two sips of tea and said slowly, "If Ningchang If you continue to take the imperial examination at this time of the year, you will still be successful in a high probability. Even if you are not the top three, even if you are a Jinshi, it is enough for people in the capital to talk about it for a long time. This is for Ning, who wants to keep a low profile and not be noticed As far as Chang Guo is concerned, the harm outweighs the benefits, so the only way to keep Ning Mansion safe is to be sorry for Ning Changnian and completely cut off his official career. Otherwise, Ning Chang Kingdom will be besieged by his colleagues in a short time. Even if he has a backer behind him, he can only save his life, no amount of it will save him."

"What the general said is what the patriarch and the elders said. It can't be because of Ning Changnian that it will affect the official career of Ningchang Kingdom. After all, there is such a person in the family. It can't just be lost in vain. Fortunately, Ning Changnian He is not very interested in being an official, nor does he want to continue his studies, let alone become an official through the imperial examination. He is indeed more interested in doing business, and he is also very talented. He originally bought a shop, and then slowly It became two or three, and half a year later, Ningchang Kingdom sent another letter from Xijing City, and the number of shops in Ning Changnian had expanded to seventeen."

"Seventeen?" Shen Cha smiled nonchalantly, "Do you know what the shops in Ning Changnian are called?"

"It wasn't clear at the beginning, but later the scale was expanded, and a unified name was given, so that people can tell at a glance that the owner behind this is the same one." Seeing Shen Cha staring at herself, Ning Cheng swallowed a mouthful of saliva , Said, "These shops were confiscated and confiscated after the Ningchang Guodongchuang incident, and they should have changed their names by now."

"Tell me the name from before." Shen Cha looked at him coldly, "Don't worry about what happened later."

"Back to the general, it's Fuliu Pavilion."

Hearing the name, Jin Jing turned to look at Shen Cha, and then at Jin Miaomiao who looked surprised. Seeing Shen Cha nodding towards him, he sighed heavily. This is really a business. It's just not for the Xijing Ning Mansion, nor for the Ning Family of Zhongzhou and the Ning Clan of Chaozhou, but for the Empress Dowager and Qinglian Sect.

"My lords..." Ning Cheng looked at Shen Cha, then at Jin Jing, then at Ying Wu and Ying Seventeen who had also changed color, "Is there anything wrong with this Fuliu Pavilion?"

"There's nothing wrong!" Jin Jing sneered, "Are you sure that Fuliu Pavilion is Ning Changnian's property?"

"Yes!" Ning Cheng nodded, "Besides, in order to repay Ningchang Nian for the kindness of upbringing and upbringing, Ningchang gave Ningchang [-]% of the dividends every year. Ningchang kept half of the money and the rest Half of them were sent back to Chaozhou."

"He is indeed a person who knows how to repay his kindness." Jin Jing nodded, "But how can such a person betray his brother? Two people have loved each other for so many years, why did they turn against each other in the end?"