The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

When Su Jin brought the dejected Zhao Zhibai to apologize in front of Lu Tixue and Bao Zheng, when Bao Zheng and Lu Tixue opened their mouths so much that they could stuff a big pumpkin into their eyes, they almost fell to the ground and shattered.

Zhao Zhibai sincerely apologized for the rude behavior just now. After waiting for a long time, he did not hear the reaction of the two adults; Su Jin looked at the two adults who were in a daze and hurriedly coughed to remind them that they had returned to normal and went downhill to comfort them. After a while, Zhao Zhibai was sent away.

Zhao Zhibai hadn't left twenty steps before Lu Tixue pulled Su Jin and asked, "Mr. Su, why are you doing this? You must have spent a lot of money to mediate this matter before he apologized! Why is that necessary?"

Su Jin couldn't help laughing and said: "What is the price? The student reasoned with him and moved him to come."

"How is this possible? Zhao Zhibai knows it. How can he bow his head and admit his mistake because he is a conceited fool."

Su Jin chuckled and said, "It depends on who persuades him. I persuade him not only to come to apologize obediently, but also to be grateful to me from the bottom of my heart."

At this moment, Zhao Zhibai, who was about to step out of the courtyard, turned around cooperatively and said loudly: "Thank you, Su Xiaoguan."

Su Jin laughed loudly, blinked at Bao Lu and the two, turned his head and raised his hand to Zhao Zhibai and said, "No need for fate."

Lu Ti studied Su Jin and raised his thumbs up: "Mr. Su is indeed a talent. Your sales promotion method that day has made the old man feel fresh. Later, the few new words sung in Luzhou City are said to be from your hands. Today, the old man discovered again. Your eloquence is really rare."

Bao Zheng also echoed: "Young Master Su is indeed the most unique young talent I have ever seen, so I have always been interested in him."

The three of them sat down while talking, and the servant made a cup of tea for Su Jinye. Su Jin took a sip of tea and frowned in agony.

Lu Tixue laughed and said, "How about this tea, Mr. Su?"

Su Jin said: "It's beyond words."

Lu Tixue said: "Take another look."

Su Jin clicked his mouth like a fish on the shore, and slowly a sweet scent permeated into his throat and tip of his tongue. After a while, the fragrance filled his mouth with endless aftertaste, and he couldn't help but praised: "It's amazing. I thought it was willow leaves at first, but I didn't expect it. There is such a tea that comes after suffering.”

Bao Zheng pointed at Su Jin with a smile and said, "Willow leaf tea, are you kidding me? How could a master treat guests with willow leaf tea?"

Lu Tixue pouted his beard and pointed at the dark green tea in the cup and said, "This is the bitter tea produced in Jianghua, Guangnan. Although the climate in Guangnan is mild, there are high mountains and mountains in the territory. The snow on the top of the mountain does not melt this bitter tea all the year round. It grows in the high mountains because of the cold climate, and the picking time needs to be midsummer. Speaking of which, this is still a new tea.”

Su Jin clicked his tongue and said: "Lord Lu really knows how to enjoy such a good tea in life. You can treat Master Bao to entertain students, but it's a waste. Students almost treat them like willow leaves. They are really cows chewing peonies and don't know how to appreciate them."

Master Lu looked at Bao Zheng and said, "Unexpectedly, Mr. Su is also very humble."

Bao Zheng said: "Young people should be humble. If Mr. Su is really humble, it's because his cultivation is good. I'm afraid it's fake humility."

Su Jin was pierced face to face by Bao Zheng and said embarrassingly: "You old man, I regard you as an idol but show no mercy; it seems that you can only live in this era if one day you are smashed by a book If I die, I will travel back to the era I lived in, and I am afraid that within three days, I will be beaten so badly that I cannot take care of myself."

Lu Tixue smiled magnanimously and said, "Young people always have vigor. If everyone is as old as you back then, it would seem dull."

Bao Zheng nodded and said: "What my teacher taught is true."

Lu Tixue turned to Su Jin and said, "I let you drink this bitter tea for a purpose. Just now Master Bao told me about your situation and I will give you two news, one is good and the other is bad. Which one do you listen to first? "

Su Jin cupped his hands and said, "Tea is bitter before sweet, like life; listen to the bad ones first."

Bao Zheng laughed and said, "Have you learned so quickly to realize that tea is like life? Don't be naughty, or you will suffer in the future."

Su Jin respectfully said: "Keep in mind the teachings of adults, and follow the example of adults, you will never make mistakes."

Bao Zheng said: "Don't learn from me. You and I have nothing in common. In the future, I will have a good chat with you. I'd better listen to what my mentor said about your imperial examination."

Su Jin nodded in agreement, but listened to Lu Tixue: "The bad news is that you may not be able to take the big exam this autumn."

Su Jin said in surprise: "But the quota is full or the students are not qualified to take my Huainan West Road test?"

Lu Tixue said: "It's not that the young master has a great reputation in Luzhou, and Mr. Bao's recommendation qualifications are not a problem. In fact, there are not many qualified students in Luzhou than you."

Su Jin said: "Why is that?"

Lu Tixue said: "The imperial court has just issued the power to suspend the tribute examination. Due to the tight war in the Northwest, the imperial court has no time to take care of the accidents of the scientific examination. This year's examination is postponed to August next year. The imperial examination will naturally be postponed to the next year. This is the imperial court. The big policy is not limited by the number of places and qualifications."

Su Jin was a little annoyed, what is this?The imperial examination is related to the fate of many students in the world. It's like child's play to stop and push. It's like a child's play; the Northwest War has been fought for more than three years, but this year there is no time to prepare for the scientific examination?

In fact, Su Jin didn't know that the court's publicity was about face-saving. It's not a matter of having time, but the court really didn't have the funds to hold this year's big exam. Maybe some people think it's not a lot of money, but it's not the case. Even travel expenses are paid nearly 200 in the whole Song Dynasty, and Ziguang’s travel expenses cost hundreds of thousands of money, not to mention the setting of the examination room, the expenses of carriages and horses for the relevant personnel, food and beverage subsidies, and the subsequent examinations and palace examinations. The imperial court will spend at least nearly [-] million guan on various expenses such as ceremonial reception and reception.

Such a sum of money was simply not taken seriously in the past few years, but the more than three years of border wars is a bottomless pit, and more than [-] soldiers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every day on the border, which has already emptied the treasury of the Song Dynasty; If it has not been confiscated, there is really no money to hold the imperial examination. The imperial court wants to save face and suffer, and refuses to say that it can only use the tense war in the Northwest as an excuse to postpone the imperial examination until next year.

Few people know about these things, but they can figure them out secretly, otherwise, such a big thing as the imperial examination will have a wide impact, and the court will definitely not push it just by saying it.

Su Jin is annoyed, but he can't think about the affairs of the court. How can he be controlled by a grassroots person? It's just that the enthusiasm that he had just brimming with was extinguished. Thinking of Li Chong's various tricks in the imperial examination, he felt that it was quite difficult. Back off.

Lu Tixue saw Su Jin's dimmed look in his eyes, and felt clearly in his heart, he said with a smile: "Life is like tea with bitterness and sweetness, which is easier said than done."

Su Jin was so ashamed that she croaked and boasted a lot just now, and now the bullshit is self-defeating, it is really embarrassing.

"Do you want to hear the good news?" Lu Tixue asked.

"Why don't you listen." Su Jin became angry.

"Hehe, the good news is that this old man would like to recommend you to go to Yingtian Academy to study for the exam next autumn, what do you think?"

Su Jin shook his head like a rattle and said, "No!"

Both Lu Tixue and Bao Zheng looked at him in surprise, as if he had seen a monster. After a long while, Lu Tixue passed by and said, "Yingtianfu Academy is a prestigious and noble institution in the Song Dynasty. How many students dream of entering the academy to study in the academy?" Most of the famous teachers are my dynasty. The outstanding figures in the early years include Yang Wei, Qi Tong, and Cao Cheng. More recently, there are Fan Xi and Yan Tongshu. Nearly [-]% of the students have been promoted to official positions. The world’s talents are flocking to them.

Su Jin rolled his eyes and said: "It's too far away, I'm afraid it's boring to live on campus."

Bao Zheng and Lu Tixue almost stumbled and fell to the ground. How could any student in the world give up the opportunity to enter Yingtian Academy because of this reason? The journey from Luzhou to Yingtianfu is only six or seven days. It took three or four months to come to Yingtian College to study the light path from thousands of miles from the house, but it was never too far away.

Lu Tixue wished he could spit on Su Xiaoguan's face and stomp his feet a few times to relieve his anger.