The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

The two chatted for a while to see how the weather was approaching. It was almost time for two quarters to go to the Chongsheng Temple to perform the ceremony of worshiping teachers. Xia Silin took a big package from his carriage and followed Su Jin to the academy. Seeing Su Jin shaking his hands, Xia Silin couldn't help asking: "Brother Su, why are your hands empty? Didn't you prepare something for cultivation?"

Su Jin said: "I'm ready, but if my family is not rich, I can't produce any good things. I don't know if Master will blame me for just a few gadgets."

Xia Silin snorted and said: "It shouldn't be based on my understanding that the ceremony of Jinshuxiu is purely ancient. Now the ceremony cannot be discarded, so it has been handed down; Yingtian Academy has advocated the following since Princess Fan Xifan presided over the affairs of the dynasty. As much as [-]% of the students who are hard-working and frugal and poor will not be required in this course."

Su Jin nodded and said: "That's good, that's good, but I'm still worried that I won't be able to get these little gadgets out of my hands."

Xia Silin said a little depressed: "However, brother Su is not from a poor family. Didn't he fight with Hao Kuo for that house with me yesterday? Why is it against his will to say that his family is poor now?"

Su Jin looked at her with a somewhat reproachful expression and almost blurted out: I just wanted to make things difficult for you.

But in his mouth he said solemnly: "Poverty is relatively speaking. I can live comfortably, but compared with Brother Xia, I am a beggar. For example, your car is drawn by five-flowered horses, and mine can only be a big green mule. Therefore, the ceremony of concluding cultivation is absolutely inferior to little brother Xia’s magnanimity, and it’s better to hide clumsiness; besides, the ceremony of concluding cultivation that you said is a voluntary ceremony, so why bother to compare.”

Xia Silin couldn't help but chuckled when he thought of Su Jin's stubborn mule pulling the cart: "It seems to make sense. I didn't bring anything good, just a Duan inkstone and a sapphire beading stone."

Su Jin smacked his tongue and said, "Isn't that good? Duan inkstone is the world's famous inkstone and paper stone, and you gave me sapphire. How can poor people like me compare with it? These two are probably worth a lot."

Xia Silin smiled and said, "I don't know how much it was. It was all brought from Dad's study. It's mainly to show the respect for the teacher and the heart of Dao. This kind of heart is priceless."

Su Jin rolled his eyes and said in his heart, "The scars are healed and the pain is forgotten. I was treated for heat stroke in the afternoon. Now you are still talking about respecting the teacher. I saved you. Why did you just throw it away with a pot of ice-cold soup? It's not authentic."

Seeing that Su Jin was silent, Xia Silin didn't know what he was thinking, did he hurt his heart by saying the gift of Shuxiu?

"Brother Su, can you let me see the gift you brought?" Xia Silin suddenly wanted to know what gift Su Jin brought. Seeing that his hands are empty and there is no package, it must be a small object, but the smaller the object, the better. Time is more precious.

Su Jin thought in his heart: This is to show me a good look! It's not natural for me to come here with a gift worth a hundred dollars.

"Really want to see it?" Su Jin looked at Xia Silin and asked.

"Is it convenient?" Xia Silin was a little confused by Su Jin's solemn tone.

"It's very convenient." Su Jin smiled and took out a small blue cloth bag from his arms, held it in his hand, and carefully lifted off the fur skin, revealing three white and blunt white flour cakes.

Xia Silin felt dizzy for a while, hurriedly supported a small tree by the side of the road to take a breath, and looked carefully, it was indeed three pancakes.

"Is this the ceremony of Shuxiu?" Xia Silin trembled.

"Yeah, isn't it qualified?" Su Jin blinked and asked.

Xia Silin took a deep breath to calm down the depression in his heart, and said in a calming tone: "It's not impossible, but it's too shabby. The pancakes cost a penny each. You have three pancakes, but you can get them at the market for three pennies. If you take this as a gift Sending it off is not an expression of respect but a suspicion of contempt."

In Xia Silin's view, even poor students should give a ruler and a small fan, which is much better than pancakes.

Su Jin didn't argue with him, so he wrapped the pancakes and hid them in his arms. Xia Silin was so anxious that he had no time to figure out the difference between men and women. He stretched out his hand to pull Su Jin and ran back. Said: "What are you doing? What are you doing? Why are you running back from the Chongsheng Hall?"

Xia Silin said: "My car also has an ivory pen holder, we took it as a gift for you, hurry up, it's almost too late."

Su Jin said solemnly: "Don't dare to treat such a precious thing as an ivory pen holder, you keep it for your own use, besides, this pancake represents my reverence, nothing can compare to it, don't worry about it, we will be late for a while, let's take a step ahead, brother Xia. .”

Xia Silin gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, but there was nothing he could do. The bastard was as stubborn as their family's big green mule. He and he had only casual acquaintances, and it was not easy to force him to do anything, so he followed Su Jin, calculated countermeasures, and walked towards the Chongsheng Temple.

The huge Chongsheng Hall is full of people. The new students and old students add up to five or six hundred people with a futon sitting cross-legged on the ground in an orderly manner according to the division and number of the school. After noon, Cao Min's dismounting presides over the entire Chongsheng Hall. Although there are many people, it is quiet and orderly.

Su Jin wandered around in the crowd and saw Wang Anshi sitting on the right hand in Yiyitang, and he was also looking at himself.

Cao Min, the professor of the academy, walked up to the crowd and said loudly: "Everyone, the gathering of the sages in the Chongsheng Temple today is a grand event in the academy. There are a few things that need to be dealt with properly this afternoon, because the official start will start tomorrow. Let’s talk about your food, clothing, housing and transportation needs to be properly resolved.”

The crowd waited silently for Cao Min to continue.

"Everyone stand up and salute the portraits of the saint and his disciples!" Cao Min shouted.

Everyone got up, held their fists and bowed, and followed the front row of mountain leaders, lecturers, teaching assistants and other people to salute the portraits of Confucius and his 72 disciples enshrined in the Chongsheng Temple.

"The academy will maintain the students and pay homage to Master Qi Shan, all the lecturers, and the assistant teachers will perform the ceremony of worshiping teachers." Cao Min's spirit was obviously raised, and his tone was obviously raised. It is a gift of honoring the teacher. In fact, these gifts are collected and sold, and part of the money is reserved for the academy and the rest is divided.

Twice a year, Shuxiu Academy receives money ranging from five to six thousand guan, as little as three to four thousand guan, and the daily expenses of the academy are all allocated by the Ministry of Rites. This money naturally becomes everyone’s pocket, Qi Shunbin, the head of the academy In fact, most of the money went to the lecturer Cao Min and several small officials sent by the court, so Cao Min's spirit was always excited at this time.

The old fritters who maintained the meeting moved more than [-] big chairs. Qi Shunbin, the head of the mountain, sat in the front row in the middle, and lined up in a row were the lecturers of the school and officials such as Cao Min; the back row was a dozen people. teaching assistant.

Under the leadership of the old students, everyone went forward to give lectures and gifts to their respective masters. Those who gave gifts nodded and laughed, and the gifts were placed on the long table in front of them.

Su Jin's eyes were wide open, and he saw that the tables in front of the teachers were full of valuables, gold, silver, treasures, pearls, agates, enamel paintings, and the four treasures of the house. There were also folding fans, gift crowns, shoes, clothes, etc. Someone gave coppers. Basins, bronze mirrors, kettles, teacups, etc.; What’s even more amazing is that a guy gave a silk apron, saying that it was the best piece of brocade from a clothing store in Jeju Prefecture at home, made into a small coat, and sent it to the master. The teacher immediately provoked a burst of laughter, Cao Min angrily rolled his eyes and looked at the person a few more times, deeply imprinting this person's face in his mind, and prepared to deal with him slowly in the future.

It was Su Jinchang's turn, and Su Jin respectfully gave three pancakes to everyone who wished the master a good appetite and a sudden thunderbolt.

All the students whispered and wondered if this little official who looked like five people and six people lost his mind and went crazy. The edges of the three pancakes were speckled. Compared with a folding fan, it is not worth it, even if it is thrown to a dog, the dog will not bother to sniff it.

For a while, everyone watched the teachers' reactions eagerly to see if they would accept it or not.

Su Jin calmly held the three pancakes as if holding a baby.

Surprised and silent, Cao Min finally couldn't help shouting: "The three pancakes for the student are also considered a gift for the ceremony. Are you playing tricks on the teacher?"

Su Jinqi said: "The more Professor Cao talked about the students, the more they couldn't understand. Why did the students disrespect the teacher? The students just followed the example of the virtuous elder and sent pancakes thousands of miles away to show their respect."

Cao Min was even more annoyed and shouted: "Hugh's nonsense and rude behavior turned into another kind of respect in your mouth. It's unreasonable to insist on pulling him out of the Hall of Sacred Saints. How can this person be allowed to mess around."

The members of the maintenance committee stood up one after another and forced Su Jin to drive Su Jin out.

Su Jin hurriedly said: "Wait a minute, doesn't Professor Cao even give students a chance to defend themselves?"

Cao Min said: "Who wants to hear you, a disrespectful person, gossip."

A group of people from the Maintenance Committee were about to make a move when they heard an old voice say: "Let's hear him say that Yingtian Academy is a place of debate and debate. How can we not give people a chance to speak."

It was the mountain chief Qi Shunbin who spoke. Qi Shunbin is the mountain chief. To put it bluntly, he is the principal, and Cao Min is only the role of the dean of students. "Qi Weng Renhou asked you to talk about the reason, if you can't give a reason, then you can pack up the package and go from where to where."

Su Jin didn't look at him, but just cupped his hands at Qi Shunbin and said, "Thank you, Shan Chang. The student is not a fool. I heard that Fan Xigong went to Tianfu Academy in the past. He worked day and night and used water to fertilize noodles when he was tired in the winter moon. There is nothing to eat. Millet porridge followed; he went to sleep day and night for five years without taking off his clothes. He often couldn’t even drink the porridge. In hard times, he often divided the porridge into four portions and ate one portion when he was very hungry. Later, Fan Gong was able to go to high school and now he is the pillar of the country. Those in the past Isn't Xu leftovers and cold porridge a credit?"

Everyone stared blankly at Su Jin telling this old story. Some of them knew that what Su Jin said was indeed the truth. Zhi finally became a person admired by the world.

The white-haired Qi Shunbin sighed and said: "It makes sense, I have heard my ancestors talk about this matter with the public, and this is the first time I have heard people talk about Fan Gong's demeanor in those years. Yingtian Academy has always been adhering to the motto of 'be as poor and humble as the world, be unyielding, work hard and study hard'. I am ashamed of myself."

Cao Min twisted his nose angrily and said, "Don't believe that Weng Qi is irrational." He turned his head and shouted at Su Jin, "Isn't it good to pretend that everyone here is a three-year-old kid who you can tease with a smooth tongue? Disrespecting the teacher won't keep you in the academy."

Su Jin said solemnly: "It's not easy to think about the origin of a porridge and a meal; half a thread and a half strand of constant memory is difficult; these three pancakes cost farmers a lot of blood and sweat, and they can be used for a meal. Is it really the most precious thing in the world? Besides, this pancake is my family... The old mother brought it all the way from her hometown to Yingtian Academy when she baked it herself. But priceless."

Qi Shunbin nodded repeatedly and said: "The old man Cao taught me that what he said is reasonable and the ritual of repairing comes from the heart and doesn't care about the price of the gift. Don't make things difficult for him."

Cao Min's face turned green and red alternately, and his teeth itched with hatred, he checked the list silently, keeping Su Jin's name in his heart, and there was another one added to the list that needed to be beaten and tortured in the future.

Su Jin was about to retreat triumphantly when she heard someone from Hall A say, "Brother Su, why haven't you taken away your gift? Didn't you say that you would temporarily put it at my younger brother's place and give it away when you finish your training?"

Su Jin looked back in astonishment, but saw Xia Silin holding a dark purple inkstone and waving at him. The people who knew the goods recognized it at a glance. After a lot of limelight, he actually wanted to offer another Duan inkstone. Now it's another scene.

Su Jin was helpless, it seemed that Xia Silin divided half of her gift to herself and gave the sapphire pressed paper stone to herself, but left the most valuable duan inkstone as a face for herself. Although the inkstone belonged to her, Su Jin still felt a heartache. If he got this idea, he would take the inkstone and hold it back for himself. Sending it now is like beating a dog with a meat bun and never returning.

Presenting Su Jin on the inkstone table Returning to the original position, sitting down sullenly, in Su Jin’s view, he didn’t want to see this bundle of repairs, and offering three pancakes actually just didn’t agree with this spoiler of openly accepting gifts, and finally racked his brains to get over it After passing the pass, Xia Silin made him feel anticlimactic, and it seemed that he finally compromised.

A few uninformed students didn't know what was going on in Su Jin's mind, and they all gave him their thumbs up, praising him for his sharp words and generous hands.

Su Jin cursed inwardly: "You're the fucking rich, and your whole family is rich."