Prime Minister

Chapter 152
Hearing Chen Xiang's words, Zhang Yue was also touched.

When I was complacent about earning two pennies for one engraving, and then listened to Huang Haoyi's dowry of five thousand pennies, was there a moment when I didn't want to work hard?
Back then Zhang Yue asked his brother a question?
If on a blind date, you meet two girls with similar conditions, one is very beautiful, the other is not so good, and they both like you at the same time, which one should you choose?
The brother said decisively, choose the beautiful one.

why?Because a beautiful girl pursues so many people, but she chose you.

If it is so-so, it may be that the only one she can choose is you.

So choose beautiful.

At that time, Zhang Yue heard the truth and planned to apply it in practice. Later, he found out through a blind date that first of all, there must be a girl who can like you, and as for two, he dare not even think about it.

In the Song Dynasty, men and women did not meet each other, and marriages were all based on the orders of parents and the words of matchmakers. The marriage of two or even two families was definitely not determined by the appearance of the woman.

However, Chen Xiang persuaded himself not to look at the woman's dowry, but to marry a wife and a worthy man.

"Cai Taishou (Cai Xiang) once announced when he knew Fuzhou, what is it to marry a wife, and if you want to pass on an heir, is it for wealth. This statement is very reasonable."

"I see so many marriages, but if you care about the dowry and marry for a moment's wealth, the woman often coerces her wealth, and it is rare for her to be proud of her uncle." Chen Xiangyu said earnestly.

Zhang Yue put down the chopsticks, got up and walked to the table and bowed to Chen Xiang: "Student remember."

Chen Xiang said happily: "However, if you are talking about the parents, just keep it in your heart. You sit down and eat, or the food will be cold."

"Mr. Xie."

Zhang Yue, Chen Xiang was eating and eating in the hall, when the servants came up to clean up, Zhang Yue was about to leave, when he heard someone outside calling directly: "Is Mr. Gu Ling here?"

After speaking, a middle-aged man stepped out from the screen wall led by an old servant.

Zhang Yue took a look, but saw that the man looked very dignified.

After Zhang Yue came to the Song Dynasty, he had met many famous people such as Ouyang Xiu, and when he saw this person, he couldn't help thinking, who is this person?

But seeing Chen Xiang smiled and got up from the table and walked to the court, Zhang Yue also stood up and followed Chen Xiang.

The two bowed to each other in the court, and Zhang Yue also bowed behind him. The other party smiled and said, "Mr. Gu Ling still eats so early."

Then Chen Xiang smiled and said: "It's natural. In the past, my family was poor and I couldn't eat breakfast enough to fill my stomach, so I ate dinner early, and then I lay on the bed to rest, thinking that I would not be hungry when I fell asleep. How about waking up hungry in the middle of the night.”

Both of them laughed, and Zhang Yue also laughed twice.

Chen Xiang smiled and said, "Zi Gu, let's talk inside."

Zigu, Zhang Yue was taken aback when he heard this, could it be that the other party is...

"Alright." The other party nodded and looked at Zhang Yue, and couldn't help asking: "Who is this?"

Chen Xiang smiled and said, "This is a new student who came to me to learn some poetry."

Zhang Yue bowed and sang.

The other party said: "It turned out to be Mr. Zhang Sanlang."

Chen Xiang said: "Of course."

Then Chen Xiang said to Zhang Yue: "This is Zeng Zigu, a person from Nanfeng. He became famous in the capital with his articles when he was 12 years old. You should ask him more about the way of articles and the way of standing in the future."

Zhang Yue suddenly realized that it was really... I met the second Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties.

Zhang Yue remembered that Zeng Gong's reputation was not prominent among the eight great masters in Tang and Song Dynasties, and some even said that he bought seven and got one free.

But in fact, he misunderstood Zeng Gong.Among the banknotes of the eight great masters in Tang and Song Dynasties, there are 310 six articles in total, and Zeng Gong alone got 120 articles.

Zhang Yue said with some excitement: "I once heard Scholar Ouyang mention Mr. Zeng's 'I have passed hundreds of thousands of people in my family, and I am only happy to have Mr.', and now Yue finally sees Mr. once."

"You actually know Bachelor Ouyang... That's right, you are Zhang Ziping's relative and Zihou's younger brother." Speaking of this, Zeng Gong looked at Chen Xiang with a clear expression of heart, why is he yours? student.

Seeing this scene, Chen Xiang smiled and said: "Sanlang, Zigu and I have something to say, you go back first! Learn poetry and Fu according to the method I taught, and come here again in the future."

"Students remember!"

Zhang Yue bid farewell to Chen Xiang and Zeng Gong immediately.

And Zeng Gong looked at Zhang Yue's back, nodded appreciatively and said: "The Zhang family's nephews are really like the children of famous families!"

Chen Xiang laughed and said, "Zi Gu, although San Lang is a child of the Zhang family, he is different from Zi Ping. Zi Hou is actually from a poor family."

"What happened to the Han family?" Zeng Gong said disapprovingly, "Aren't you and I also from the Han Confucian family?"

Chen Xiang smiled and said: "That's true. Although this son is from a poor family, he is indeed a talent for making."

Zeng Gong's father, Zeng Zhanyi, was an official to Dr. Taichang, and Zeng Gong's grandfather, Zeng Zhiyao, was an official to the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

But Zeng Gong called himself a cold scholar because his father had been dismissed long ago and his health was not good. After his eldest brother passed away, Zeng Gong, although he was the second son, took on the responsibility of raising four younger brothers and nine younger sisters.As a result, his life was very poor at one time, and then he suffered a series of disadvantages in the imperial examinations, which dealt a severe blow.

Zeng Gong was once discouraged and told his teacher Ouyang Xiu that he planned to give up his official career, but fortunately Ouyang Xiu persuaded him to stay.

But in the second year of Jiayou, Zeng Gong, his younger brothers Zeng Mou, 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 the Nanfeng Zeng family known to all scholars in the world.

However, Zeng Gong's ranking was not good. He was ranked in the third division, which is the fifth best Jinshi.

The fifth-ranked Jinshi cannot be awarded an official immediately, but must be selected.The so-called selection and selection must pass the examination and selection of the Ministry of Officials, and pass the selection of officials.

Su Shi's younger brother Su Zhe was treated the same as Zeng Gong, and later Zhu Xi was also a top five Jinshi.

Therefore, Zeng Gong is now in Bianjing, waiting for the Ministry of Officials to take an examination to appoint an official, and he visits the homes of Ouyang Xiu, Chen Xiang and others in his spare time on weekdays.

Zeng Gong's sixth brother-in-law, Wang Hui, was from Fuzhou and happened to be a student of Chen Xiang's school.This day Zeng Gong came to Chen Xiang's mansion as a guest, and happened to see Zhang Yue.

Hearing Chen Xiang's praise of Zhang Yue, Zeng Gong couldn't help but said: "Scholar Ouyang also praised this son full of praise in front of me. With Mr. Gu Ling's knowledge of people, this son is definitely not something in the pool."

Chen Xiangqi said: "Brother Zigu, why do you have such inquiries about this son?"

Zeng Gong said: "To be honest, I just entered and saw that this son is handsome and upright, well-behaved, and I know what is extraordinary. I was going to ask after I left, but I didn't expect him to know my identity. Now my family is seven mothers and eight mothers. Nine Niangs are not yet married."

Chen Xiang suddenly said: "What a Zeng Zigu, it turns out that you played my student's idea."

Zeng Gong said solemnly: "How dare Gong not give up on what my father and brother confessed before they died. If there is no one, I will not be able to sleep for a day."

Chen Xiang glanced at Zeng Gong and admired him sincerely.

After Zeng Gong's father and brother died of illness.

As the oldest 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 elder sister's husband, Guan Jinghui, is from Shanyin, Zhejiang. Although he was not a Jinshi, he has outstanding literary talents.

The third sister-in-law, Wang Anguo, came from the Linchuan Wang family and was the younger brother of his close friend Wang Anshi.

There are also two others, Guan Jingyi and Wang Yanshen, although they are not talented in writing, they are also gentlemen with good conduct.

Zeng Gong is outstanding no matter how he trains his younger brother or chooses his brother-in-law. What's more, his writing is excellent.

Zeng Gong fell in love with Zhang Yue at first glance, and got praise from Ouyang Xiu and Chen Xiang, and he was immediately moved.

Seeing that Zeng Gong had inquired so thoroughly, Chen Xiang couldn't help laughing and said: "Choosing a sister-in-law is such an important matter, Zigu, I advise you to be more careful, don't 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 cautious again and again, but you should also be decisive. There are always men who pursue women in IKEA and IKEA. Of course, the same is true for this young talent. It may not be that no one is a step ahead of me, so it is better to seek early. It's better to break it early. Besides, you and Ouyang Bachelor's vision, I definitely can trust it."

Chen Xiang said with a smile: "It's the so-called 'officials to the third grade, don't read photo books, know yourself as a nobleman, because he has read a lot." At the beginning, it was Scholar Ouyang who recommended this son to me. He was hired under the door. But since Zigu said so, I will not say more. But there is one sentence above, although this son has a wide range of talents, but his essays are not enough when he applies for the examination, I am afraid that there is a problem in the examination room. After a lot of time, a child from a humble family can't make a mistake."

Zeng Gong heard the words and said: "I was also like this at the beginning. I was not good at applying for the exam, so I failed many times. By luck, I won the Jinshi. As for my sister-in-law, if he can't win, he won't win, as long as he is a good character.

"As for the daughters of my Zeng family, when their parents' house was in trouble, the sisters would sit together weaving, embroidering, sewing, etc. When they arrived at their husband's house, they would definitely be hardworking and frugal."

"When the vegetable and food in the parents' house are difficult to sustain, deal with it calmly and don't be greedy for prosperity. When you get to your husband's house, you will definitely be able to stay in poverty."

Chen Xiang praised: "Zi Gu's family education is so good, no wonder there are so many talents, it is really admirable."

Zeng Gong laughed and said, "That's ridiculous."

a few days later.

Enter Ouyang Xiu's residence.

Ouyangfa's wife, Wu, is weaving the girl by the window, while her son is studying hard at the desk.

At this time Ouyang Fa came striding forward, seeming to have something to say, Wu Shi saw him and waved his hands, signaling the other party to be gentle and not disturb his son's study.

Wu closed the door lightly, and the two went to the back room, but Ouyang Fa said to Wu: "Just now I was serving Daddy in the study, and it happened that Zeng Zigu came. Do you know what he said to Daddy?"

While weaving female red, Wu said casually: "What else can it be? Isn't it just to discuss the way of writing?"

Ouyang Fa shook his head and said, "Ma'am, you never thought that Zeng Zigu came here to ask Daddy for information."

"Who are you looking for?" Wu said without raising her head.

"It's that Mr. Zhang Family Saburo!"

"Oh?" Wu immediately put down the girl and said, "Why did Zeng Zigu inquire about Mr. Sanlang?"

"You're still to blame for this."

"Blame me?"

Ouyang nodded and said: "That's natural. Back then, Daddy asked me to entrust you to find a good marriage for Mr. Zhang Sanlang among the girls of a good family in Bianjing. Now more than half a year has passed, and you haven't even heard from me."

"It's good now. Zeng Zigu has taken a fancy to Mr. Zhang Sanlang. I think it's time to inquire about the news. In a few days, I will ask my father to talk about marriage."

(End of this chapter)