Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 174 Spring begins

In the seventh year of Tianbao, in the year of Wuzi and Rat, it is the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month.

Du's house, west wing.

The wind gradually stopped, the blown window paper stopped shaking, and the constant creaking finally stopped.

It was not long before dawn, and the people in the house were moving in a hurry.

"It's time to go back."

"I don't want to move. I envy Yang Yuyao so much that she can live in her own house and do whatever she wants."

Following these complaints, someone jumped to the ground in the darkness, put on his embroidered shoes, and drifted away.

Xue Bai turned over in the bed with the warm breath remaining, and fell into a deep sleep...

I don't know what time it was when I woke up again, but I saw the bright spring light outside the paper window. He got up leisurely, stretched out in the courtyard and started to move around. While watching the Du family members busy preparing gifts, they were going to Xue The house pays Xue Sanniang a betrothal gift.

On the surface, it seemed that Du Wulang had the ability to convince his father and mother. In fact, Du Zhai was worried that he would not be worthy of the Xue family if he delayed it any longer. He hoped to make an agreement on the marriage first and then choose a date to get married after spring.

Xue Bai stayed at Du's house for two days on the pretext of discussing marriage.

"Xue Lang, Alang has returned home. Please wake up and come over."

When I got to the study room, I saw a belt on the desk with a silver fish bag hanging on the belt. The fish charm was outside. Engraved on both sides were "Libu Gongkaosi" and "Langzhong Du Youlin".

Du Youlin was wearing a red official uniform and was sitting on the bed. He looked a little hesitant. When he saw Xue Bai, he said, "There was a little trouble. Someone asked about Xue Ling."

"It's just that someone wants to fight for this status."

"I don't know, but Cui Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites has some contacts with me. I said privately that many scholars have complained, saying that Xue Ling has not shown up for a long time or is dead. You must observe filial piety and cannot participate in the Spring Festival of this year."

As he said that, Du Youlin said: "I didn't think it through well, but the marriage proposal between you and me attracted the attention of interested people."

"It doesn't matter." Xue Bai said: "Some people have already said that our two families are discussing marriage, and Xue Ling's absence only makes them more convinced of the matter."

"Do you have any concerns?"

"It's what makes them noisy now. When I find Xue Ling, I can make them shut up."

"It's good if you can find him." Du Youlin stroked his long beard and reminded in a low voice: "You should pay more attention to the names you call him. It is always not good to call him by his first name."

"Don't worry, that's how it is in front of uncle."

Hearing that Xue Bai was so close, Du Youlin raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but laugh.

But he was actually murmuring in his heart. Now that he was about to get engaged to the daughter of the Xue family, there were voices like this. How would these children live if they really wanted to bring back the promiscuous gambler.

As soon as the seventh year of Tianbao begins, people feel a sense of unfavorable passage.

~~

Xue Bai left the study and went to the back garden. He held hands with Du Jin and went behind the rockery to talk.

"Why did grandpa ask you to come over?" Du Jin deliberately frightened him and asked, "Did you find out about us?"

"No." Xue Bai said: "Xue Ling's matter, where will he be placed? Bring him out and show his face."

"Before the New Year, I asked Da Xi Yingying to hide in another place. I asked her to take her back to Chang'an."

"Okay, on the spring day, let him show up near the Ministry of Rites. Just treat it as a visit to see me and let the officials of the Ministry of Rites see him."

"I know, I'm checking who is spreading the rumors. It's not easy to find out."

"That's what happens when my reputation is too high. Everyone knows that I'm going to be defeated."

Xue Bai said, with a thought in his mind, he muttered: "When we bring Xue Ling, let Lao Liang and Jiang Hai watch in secret to see if anyone is following."

Du Jin asked: "Are you worried that he will be killed and have to keep his filial piety... Is there someone behind this that is dealing with you?"

"I haven't noticed anything strange yet. Li Linfu is busy and Li Heng is hiding in the palace. He is just being cautious."

"Okay, then you prepare well for the exam and I will keep an eye on you."

"Thanks a lot."

Du Jin leaned close to his ear and whispered: "Then you...accompany me on the day when the results are unveiled."

"it is good."

"Stay a little while longer, and I'll hold my mother-in-law to talk."

"..."

In fact, Du Jin said it right at night. It is always inconvenient to stay in Du's house. When Xue Bai came out of the back garden, Du Wulang looked at him with a strange expression, as if he knew some secret.

"what happened?"

"I've been looking for you and my second sister for a long time."

"Is something wrong?"

Seeing that Xue Bai's face did not change, Du Wulang became a little confused and said: "Thirty-five years old in the front hall, the friends you have made are really getting older and older."

"He is still younger than General Wang."

"No, I asked, he is one year older than General Wang."

Time is wasted like this. Even if Du Wulang lived to the age of Gao Shi and accomplished nothing, now everyone has to take the exam together and treat each other as brothers, which is always a bit embarrassing.

Xue Bai was not embarrassed and said: "It doesn't matter, I will call you brother Zimei and we will be friends as equals."

Du Wulang couldn't help but roll his eyes at him and muttered: "I am two generations younger than him..."

The two of them met Gao Shi in the front hall, and as usual, they first discussed current affairs.

"Now that the Holy Will has been decided, General Gao is ordered to take over as the governor of the four towns of Anxi, and his husband Meng Lingcha is called back to the court to serve as an official."

"Ah?" Du Wulang asked, "Why? General Gao has indeed violated a taboo."

"In the battle to destroy the Xiaobolu Kingdom, General Gao performed so brilliantly that the commander could not suppress him and threatened to kill him. If General Gao dies for meritorious service, who will sacrifice his life for the court?"

But in the final analysis, the reason why this matter has this result is to some extent influenced by the saint's preferences. Fortunately, the world prefers Gao Xianzhi, and there is no criticism.

Gao Shi added: "Cen Shen was appreciated by General Gao and invited him to go to Anxi to serve as the shogunate secretary. He was thinking about it and asked Xue Lang what he thought?"

Xue Bai nodded and said, "But, I think he will decide to go in the end."

At the beginning of Tianbao's seventh year, he always had the feeling that many relatives and friends were leaving Chang'an.

But there are also some friends we will see. For example, Liu Changqing will go to Chang'an again for reference.

While they were talking, Quanfu came to preach: "Wu Lang, a friend is visiting and calls himself Yang Xuan."

"my good friend?"

Although Du Wulang didn't quite agree with this statement, he still invited Yang Xuan in.

"I knew Xue Lang was here." Yang Xuan entered the hall and said, "I have something urgent to tell you."

If it was really an emergency, Yang Zhao would not let his son speak, it was just to show his merit.

The reason why Yang Zhao should be given the position of Yushi Zhongcheng is to win a few Jinshi places for Yang Dang, and it must have paid off.

Yang Xuan didn't care that Gao Shi, an outsider, was present, and said with a big smile: "My father has already taken care of it. First of all, we will ensure that all three of us will be on the list."

If he only cares about winning the ranking, Xue Bai doesn't need Yang Zhao at all. Xue Bai didn't respond and waited for the next message.

"As for the quota we want, the Right Prime Minister has also agreed to give it to me." Yang Xuan said: "But there is another way. In a few days, the Ministry of Rites will give us the topic first. If we want to recruit scholars from Guandong, the article must be written by someone. Convinced..."

Xue Bai frowned slightly and looked at Gao Shi.

For a moment, he noticed that the other party was not so excited.

Speaking of which, if what Gao Shi was looking for was a fair opportunity to take the exam, he would be out of luck.

In this world, all they can do is find a future and try to change.

~~

The spring of Tianbao's seventh year is scheduled on the ninth day of February.

On the fifth day of February, Xue Bai got the Jinshi Examination Questions from Yang Zhao.

"Last year, Li Yan, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, was dismissed by you. Today, Cui Qiao, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, will personally take the exam. In addition, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Da Xixun, and I will review it in the name of Yushi Zhongcheng. But in the end, in the end, it is still The right prime minister is in control. The sage wants you to be the leader, so don’t write too poorly..."

After explaining for a while, Yang Zhao handed over the test questions, which were quite detailed.

They don't need to write scriptures; there are five policy questions, asking about money, food and wealth; the most important ones are poems and poems, the titles of which are "Poetry on Spring Grass in Longchi" and "Ode on Jianzhi Water". Although Xue Bai got the promise from the saint, he didn't dare to make preparations.

He has never been a gentleman, and he will do whatever it takes to get the top prize.

~~

It's spring in a blink of an eye.

All night long, Yan Yan never closed her eyes. All she could think about was the poem she had written for Xue Bai. She was vaguely remembering to use the rhyme of "clear emptiness to receive illumination, encounter fractals of images" as the rhyme.

First, I was worried that if someone discovered that Zhuantou’s poems were written by me, I didn’t know what to do. Then she thought again, maybe the first thing to consider is whether the poem can pass the exam.

Although her health is much better now, she still feels flustered if she doesn't get a good rest.

Finally, she simply got up, walked to the window alone, looked up at the starry sky, clasped her hands together and whispered: "Blessed by the Monkey King, my brother has achieved success in the literary field and was named on the gold medal list. Also, grandpa It’s best not to go to Helong.”

……

Under the same night sky, Xue Bai had already gotten up, pushed the soft-smelling Qing Lan back into bed, and went out alone.

He was wrapped in a robe given by the Du sisters, he was carrying the Four Treasures of the Study given by the two ladies, and around his waist was an amulet given by Yang Yuyao.

Walking to the front yard, I found that Du Wulang was staying in the guest room of Xue House again tonight. He was already yawning by the door. Mrs. Liu and several children of the Xue family had also gotten up, preparing breakfast and wanted to send them to them. Go to Gongyuan.

"Hey, it's not a big deal. You all go back to sleep." Du Wulang waved his hand and drove them back. "We have all been in jail several times. There is no harm in going to the examination room once."

Xue Bai said, "You can go with me if you want."

Everyone walked out together.

Just like last year, all the gates have been opened in advance. The linen clothes on Zhuque Street were like snow, and they were all dressed up.

When they arrived in front of the imperial city, they met Gao Shi and Liu Changqing, and from a distance they saw Yuan Zai motivating a group of poor men. They were all talents recruited by the Yang Party, and they would also gain political prestige in the future.

Xue Bai is not in a hurry to get acquainted with these talents. He made the bamboo paper, which is enough to be related to each other. The important thing is that he has a higher status.

"Xue Lang."

Suddenly someone shouted.

Xue Bai turned around and saw that it was Li Jiayou, so he gestured with a smile.

Li Jiayou was an enthusiastic person, but he squeezed forward, pulled him aside, and said: "I heard something recently, which may be detrimental to Xue Lang... Some people said that your grandfather has passed away, and you came to attend without telling me about it. Chunwei, if true, will affect the future."

"Brother Li, where did you hear this?"

"Many people are spreading rumors that Qingmen, Guozijian, and the post houses where rural tributes gather, show that Xue Lang is indeed famous throughout Chang'an."

Xue Bai said: "It's just rumors, don't pay attention to them."

"That's good."

Xue Bai looked calm, but had some doubts in his heart.

He met Du Jin again yesterday and learned that with their current strength, they could not find out the origin of such rumors, because anyone who had heard about Xue Ling could spread rumors.

Of course it doesn't matter if that's all, it can be cracked easily. He was afraid that there was someone behind the scenes, such as the person who plotted against Zheng Qian for privately writing the history of the country last time. He was not sure who it was yet.

Of course, there is nothing unusual at the moment.

After saying goodbye to Li Jiayou, Xue Bai turned around. Du Wulang had already pulled him and whispered: "I just heard someone say that my father-in-law has passed away."

Speaking of which, Du Wulang may have a better impression of Xue Ling because of Xue Sanniang's relationship.

Xue Bai had no choice but to echo: "How can you and I not know whether he has passed away or not?"

"Someone is talking nonsense. Do you remember that Cui Shangshu once wanted to marry you, and he asked my mother-in-law to help you." Du Wulang said, "You refused."

"I refused very tactfully so as not to offend him, and he has a good relationship with your grandfather."

At this time, the heavy door was slowly opened, and Sanqian Juzi entered the imperial city first, passing many government offices all the way to the Courtyard of the Ministry of Rites.

Xue Bai and Du Wulang separated here. Those who took the Ming Jing and other subjects went to the north of the Ministry of Rites, while Xue Bai took the Jinshi test in the south courtyard of the Ministry of Rites.

There were more than 700 Jinshi scholars, standing in rows. When the officials called their names, they came forward one by one holding documents and searched them before entering.

Xue Bai waited for a long time and happened to see Li Jiayou being called forward again.

"Touch me?!"

Li Jiayou was worthy of being a son of a noble family, and he in turn scolded those petty officials.

"When I entered the imperial city, I just checked my house and belongings, but you subordinates are always scolding and insulting me, and then you even touch my body? Treating my six-foot-tall man as a tribute is simply insulting to politeness!"

"Then don't take the exam!"

"I'll take the test."

Li Jiayou went in anyway, because although his family was well off, he had many brothers and no family influence.

In today's world, well-connected people still look down on those who take the imperial examination. They think that these people go around writing papers to flatter others, do not write articles about the world, only write minor poems and chapters, and do not have the style of a gentleman.

Xue Bai waited for a long time, and finally it was his turn.

After entering the door, there was a suddenly open courtyard in front of him, with two side rooms facing each other. Under the guidance of the officials, he walked into a side room and sat down.

The curtain has not yet been lowered, and the scholars around are busy arranging various objects.

Looking into the courtyard, one can see Cui Qiao, the Minister of Rites, sitting upright behind the incense table with a very solemn expression. The previous imperial examinations were conducted by Li Yan, the Minister of Rites, but the case of Ye Wuyixian last year made Cui Qiao personally conduct the examination twice.

Xue Bai was putting down the curtain when he faintly heard someone talking to him not far away.

"That's Xue playing cards."

"I heard that his grandpa is dead, and he was not honoring his filial piety, so I came here for reference."

"..."

Xue Bai ignored it and was busy with his own affairs. He placed the four treasures of the study and spread the blanket.

Gradually, everyone sat down and the south courtyard of the Ministry of Rites became quiet.

Then, the Zhikao policy officer shouted loudly: "The exam is about to begin!"

~~

At the same time, Liu Xiangjun was waiting outside the south courtyard of the Ministry of Rites with several children of the Xue family, craning his neck to look inside.

"Madam, you should go home and rest first." Xue Gengbo said, "I can just wait here."

"It doesn't matter, I want to wait a little longer for peace of mind." Liu Xiangjun murmured, "Liu Lang wants to be an official the most."

A timid figure squeezed through the crowd and stepped on someone else, causing him to be scolded.

"I borrowed it, I borrowed it, my son is taking the imperial examination there..."

Xue Gengbo heard this familiar voice, looked back, was stunned, and exclaimed.

"Alang!"

"Alang, you are finally back!"

Following his shout, the children of the Xue family turned around with different expressions.

Xue Sanniang was still immersed in the shyness of her engagement to Du Wulang. When she suddenly saw her grandpa whom she had not seen for a long time, she was first shocked, then fearful, and flinched. Then she felt ashamed and painful, and couldn't help crying.

"do not come!"

Xue Xin shouted out almost subconsciously, grabbed Xue Gengbo, and almost pulled the old slave to the ground.

He pushed his two brothers like crazy and shouted: "Don't go there either!"

Liu Xiangjun was stunned, and when he was at a loss, he saw Xue Ling being pulled by someone and turning to leave.

"Alang?"

"Xue Ling! You owe me a gambling debt!"

"..."

The scene became somewhat chaotic.

Not far away, Lao Liang had a gray beard on his face. He was bent over, dressed as an old scholar, and his eyes were scanning quickly.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he stared at a sneaky and thin figure.

　I can’t stand it anymore. Depending on the situation, it should drop to 5-6 thousand a day. Let me tell you in advance. I hope everyone understands. Anyway, I will try my best~~

　　

　

(End of this chapter)