Linxia

Chapter 152, Success

In the afternoon of the day of the village drinking ceremony.

After the discussion, the dignitaries and wealthy merchants in the city realized what was happening and cried out that they had been tricked by Prefect Pu and Han Yuanjing. At this time, Han Yuanjing also came to Xixiang Hutong to visit the Ou family.

"Master, how could Master's wife be like this?"

Han Yuanjing looked at the thin Madam Ou. He, who was known for his iron face in front of outsiders, choked up for a moment: "Thinking back to when I was studying... Without the Master and the Master's wife, I wouldn't be who I am today..."

When Master Ou was teaching students, if he encountered a student whose family was poor and lacked pens, ink, paper and inkstone, he would often buy them himself. If a student had no food to eat, he would also take out his own food rations.

Some students were from poor families and could not afford to pay back the money; some students received help but were not comfortable or dared not to tell their parents, so Master Ou just laughed it off and did not ask for the money back. This behavior did help many needy students, such as Han Yuanjing, who was one of them.

It is worth mentioning that in the early years, Master Ou’s family did not have an easy life. They relied entirely on Madam Ou’s hard work to support them. Master Ou acted like this. Although he said he was running a private school, sometimes he even spent more than he earned. He had to use his own things to help students. When the years were bad, he would have no food to eat... This is one of the reasons why Master Ou felt so guilty towards Madam Ou.

"It's Kejin (Han Yuanjing's pen name). I have seen many doctors for this illness, but it doesn't get better. It's all fate." Mrs. Ou said.

"You can still see your master's wife, thanks to Fang Lin..." Master Ou said that Fang Lin was attentive and noticed that Madam Ou did something stupid, and later covered up the odor and made the fragrant dew.

So he called Fang Lin, and Master Ou took Fang Lin by the hand and introduced him to Han Yuanjing. There was something unusual in this, and it was obvious that he wanted the other party to take care of him.

Han Yuanjing could sense it naturally. He looked at Fang Lin and smiled slightly on his iron-faced face. It looked a little dry, but it was rare for him to be kind: "Fang Lin, have you ever been crowned?"

"Not yet, sir."

"You're welcome. If you like, you can just call me uncle."

Han Yuanjing paused for a moment and sighed, "Heroes emerge young. I've read your Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it's quite good. The idea you came up with today is also good, whether it's asking the guests to sign the proposal or passing the proposal to His Majesty, both are very effective."

"Uncle, you are too kind. Without Lord Pu and uncle, any idea would be just an empty fantasy, worthless..." Fang Lin said humbly.

"it is good."

Han Yuanjing had been in the officialdom for a long time and had already developed a pair of "fiery eyes and golden pupils". Naturally, he could see that Fang Linyu was sincere and sighed in his heart: "The person that the master has chosen is indeed not bad."

Next, he did not beat around the bush and continued talking to Master Ou, talking about being an official and the social trends.

This does not mean that he is ignoring Fang Lin. On the contrary, this action does not treat Fang Lin as an outsider, which makes him seem closer.

Speaking of the extravagant lifestyle of the city's dignitaries and wealthy businessmen, Master Ou suddenly changed the subject and asked Fang Lin to talk about the trip to the Fan family.

Fang Lin spoke objectively without any exaggeration.

Han Yuanjing listened to this and suddenly thought of the Fan family's recent promotion of the fragrance dew business. He understood something and took note of it secretly. Seeing that Fang Lin had no intention of complaining, he added his subjective guess and looked at Fang Lin with a higher eye.

After about an incense stick of time, Master Ou asked Han Yuanjing to leave: "Okay, Kejin, just come over and take a look. Just do your part. I know you are busy, so I won't keep you here if it doesn't delay your work."

Han Yuanjing felt even more ashamed when he heard this: "Master, Master's wife, I will never forget your kindness, but I have no way to repay you. I came here without bringing anything, and Master's wife is like this, so I can't serve you medicine..."

He was an honest official with clean hands, so he could only bring some specialties he made himself. He came from Yingtian specially this time to attend the village drinking ceremony. He also had other important matters to attend to, so he squeezed out time to visit the Ou family.

"Foolish boy, being a good official is the greatest reward for me, the master. You don't need to accompany me to serve medicine to your master's wife. You have more important things to do. Go! Now, the master can no longer teach you anything. I can only give you one more sentence, 'Do what you should do with a clear conscience.'"

"Yes, Master, I will keep your teachings in mind." Han Yuan bowed respectfully and said goodbye with reluctance.

Before leaving, he gave Fang Lin a piece of jade.

The material of this jade is ordinary, but if it were a noble official or a wealthy businessman in the city, they would rather exchange it for ten thousand taels of silver, because it is not just a piece of jade, but more precious is the network of relationships behind it.

Fang Lin looked respectful as he followed Master Ou to see Han Yuanjing off, knowing that he had gained the most precious thing in this turmoil: "Some things can be done without, but they cannot be lost, such as this kind of connections. If used in the right place, the role played by them is immeasurable."

To some extent, he is actually somewhat similar to Sister Guihua. For people like them, who started from humble beginnings and are meticulous, they can often make the most of the resources at their disposal. Even one point of resources can, when needed, leverage three points or even ten points of power, not to mention such an important relationship as Han Yuanjing. At critical moments, the role they play in their hands is unimaginable to ordinary people.

……

Some time later, Dong Zugao hosted a dinner party at Youran Ju.

The results of the provincial examination came out today. This place is not far from where the results are announced, so it's a good time to wait for the results. I sent a servant to watch the list and come here to report the good news if anyone passes.

The results were not yet announced, so they ordered some side dishes and chatted while eating.

"Brother Fang, do you still remember the rural drinking ceremony that day? The proposal signed by the dignitaries and wealthy merchants in the city was sent to the court by Lord Han, and His Majesty praised it personally. Now, the dignitaries and wealthy merchants in our city are under the fire. They have to change and take action to practice frugality...haha!"

Dong Zugao mentioned this and asked with a smile, "Brother Fang, the idea of ​​signing the proposal and passing it to His Majesty was your idea, right?"

Fang Lin neither admitted nor denied it, but just asked, "Brother Dong, why do you think so?"

"If this kind of fantastic idea is not the work of Brother Fang, then who else could it be? Now everyone in the city is saying that Censor Han, Prefect Pu, and Master Ou used clever schemes to control the powerful, but they don't know that those who are good at fighting do not have great achievements!" Dong Zugao sighed.

Fang Lin could tell that Dong Zugao seemed to be trying to defend himself, so he shook his head and said, "I took the initiative to ask for this. Now that my reputation is not spreading, it suits me just fine. After all, some false reputation is a curse, not a blessing, for me."

This is true. Prefect Pu and Han Yuanjing are famous, that is their political achievements and their reputation among the people. Mr. Ou is not afraid of anything because of his status and age, but for him, such a reputation does more harm than good. He is a pragmatist. Since the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, what is the point of this reputation?

Therefore, he would rather be an unknown person and pretend that this incident has nothing to do with him.

"Brother Fang is really..." Dong Zugao didn't know how to comment for a moment. In the end, he could only say: "Brother Fang is so talented and so humble. It's really rare in the world."

If it were someone else, after the publication of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and with Fang Lin's fame, he would have probably become dissolute and romantic - many women in the city's brothels admired his talent or wanted to become famous and raise their status, and they would definitely be willing to sleep with him. It can be said that as long as Fang Lin was willing, it would not be difficult for him to be a bridegroom every night.

But Fang Lin did not do so. In fact, apart from the debate conference and the publication of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which were really beneficial to his reputation, he did not spread any other reputation at all, which showed his humility.

The big families in the city all admired this point. If Fang Lin had not been married already, they would have wanted to marry their concubines to him. If there were many legitimate daughters in the family, it was not impossible to negotiate for a legitimate daughter.

——Without talking about Fang Lin’s various relationships, and only talking about Fang Lin himself, the great reputation brought by "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a powerful pass in this era of underdeveloped consultation. Not only can Fang Lin use it for himself, but his allied families can also borrow it to enhance the family reputation. It is even a chance to break through from a local county family to a world-famous family!
"It's just a normal mind." Fang Lin shook his head slightly.

"What a calm mind!" Dong Zugao praised: "Brother Fang is calm and cautious, low-key, which is really worth learning. I should also learn to keep a calm mind."

As the two were talking, there was a sudden noise outside.

"The results are released! The results are released!"

"Don't push, the person in front is stepping on my foot." "Hey, move aside, let my young master take a look first."

……

Fang Lin clearly saw Dong Zugao's chopsticks tremble, and couldn't help but smile and jokingly said, "Brother Dong, did you agree to keep a calm mind?"

"Haha, knowing is easy, but doing is hard. It was me who lost my composure." Dong Zugao smiled and shook his head, forcing himself to calm down.

After a while, the servant who was sent to check the list suddenly ran in. His clothes were a little messy, but he didn't care. His face was full of joy. He shouted: "Good news! Good news! Master Dong Huizugao passed the provincial examination and ranked fifth and second, and was listed in the top two in the Beijing newspaper!"

Dong Zugao, who had been able to remain calm just a moment ago, suddenly stood up, suspecting that he had heard it wrongly, and asked uncertainly: "What? Say it again!"

"Congratulations to Mr. Dong Zugao for passing the provincial examination and ranking fifth!"

“Haha!” After getting the confirmation, Dong Zugao clapped his hands and laughed loudly, then turned around and said to Fang Lin: “Hey, Brother Fang, I got it!”

……

Seeing Dong Zugao like this, Fang Lin actually understood him. Dong Zugao had studied since he was young, and his parents and grandmother had high hopes for him. He passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen, but then he failed the first exam! He failed the second exam! He still failed the third exam! The neighbors gossiped about him behind his back, his family fell into poverty, and his marriage proposal was rejected...

"Brother Dong has been suppressed for too long!" At this moment, he was really happy for Dong Zugao.

Because of his own experience, even though Dong Zugao had prepared himself mentally, the momentary joy still overwhelmed his rationality, just like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination.

However, he was much better than Fan Jin. He recovered quickly and was still happy and rosy-cheeked, but he no longer seemed as crazy as before.

The restaurant was leisurely located in the center, and there were naturally more scholars waiting for the announcement of the results than just Fang Lin and Dong Zugao. When they heard the good news from the waiter, some scholars came over to congratulate them. While they were sincerely congratulating them, they were also hoping for good luck and hoping that they could be on the list of candidates in this provincial examination.

What’s more, the man who is trying to catch the son-in-law is here!

"Brother Dong Zugao, congratulations on passing the imperial examination!"

"Unfortunately, the Jie Yuan is over fifty years old, married, and has a grown-up son."

"There's a fifth Asian dollar over there, so handsome, catch him!"

……

"Brother Dong, let's go!"

Hearing the sound, Fang Lin pulled the dazed Dong Zugao and ran, squeezed out of the crowd, rushed out of the restaurant, and someone was chasing him from behind.

It was not until they reached a secluded alley that the two of them broke away and stopped. At this time, looking at Fang Lin and Dong Zugao, either their hats had fallen off or their clothes were messy and askew, they looked quite embarrassed, and they looked at each other and laughed.

At this time, we found that this place was not far from the Donkey Restaurant, so we linked arms and walked over together.

"Brother Fang, let's go drink today. I'll treat you." Dong Zugao laughed.

On this day, Fang Lin would not argue. He would go to the Donkey Restaurant and not talk about worldly matters. Today he would just drink big bowls of wine and let himself go.

When Dong Zugao became quite drunk, Fang Lin sent him back.

……

In the following days, Dong Zugao held many banquets because he had passed the imperial examination. Of course, due to the frugal spirit in the city, he did not hold any large banquets.

But even so, when the Dong family fell into decline, many of the family relationships were restored.

Afterwards, Dong Zugao hosted a private banquet for Fang Lin, and his attitude was the same as before he passed the imperial examination.

Pulling Fang Lin to sit down, Dong Zugao personally poured wine for him and sighed, "Brother Fang, you don't know, these few days are like a dream. After so many years of anticipation, my wish finally came true... The neighbors who used to gossip about me now welcome me with a smile; after my family fell into decline, some people who had lost contact with me before came to congratulate me in person; even the family that had previously broken off the engagement wanted to rekindle the marriage... Today I finally understand how precious it is to be a juren!"

But the more this happened, the more he valued Fang Lin as a pure friend, and he said sincerely: "To be honest, Brother Fang is really my lucky star. Since I met Brother Fang, everything has turned out well. This glass of wine is for Brother Fang!"

"This is Brother Dong's own ability. How dare I take credit for it? Even if I can help in a small way, we can inspire each other and achieve mutual success."

Fang Lin clinked glasses with Dong Zugao and drank them all in one gulp. He then reminded him, "Brother Dong, after you have had your fun, you should focus on your studies. There will be another imperial examination next year."

"That makes sense. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Fang. I will drink with you again today, and tomorrow I will close the door and refuse visitors. I will calm down."

As Dong Zugao was talking, he suddenly thought of something: "Oh, by the way, I have already made arrangements for the feces business. The remaining shares in the powerful areas are all taken. This way, the monthly profit will be much higher, probably around two or three hundred taels of silver."

The fixed monthly share of more than one hundred taels of silver was not a small sum for the two of them. Today, with the protection of Dong Zugao's status as a juren, no one would be so blind as to rob this kind of business.

This is the benefit of fame and honor. Dong Zugao was the only one who passed the exam, and Fang Lin could also share the glory.

"It's a pity that I'm afraid it's too late for the imperial examination." In the past six months, Fang Lin has come to Dong Zugao regularly to test his level. He seems to have made some progress, step by step, but not the kind of progress of a genius. According to Dong Zugao, it's not bad to have an above-average talent, but it's too late to study. If you want to pass the examination, you may have to wait until you are 30 or 40 to pass the examination. If you want to pass the examination, you may have to wait until you are 50 or above.

If so, what's the point?
To be honest, in the context of the budding of capitalism, social openness, and money-oriented everything, after the publication of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, not to mention the Tongsheng, even the Xiucai, the other party had no advantage. On the contrary, if the Tongsheng failed repeatedly, it would damage his reputation anyway.

"Only if I become a Juren or Jinshi can I get some bonus, but judging from the current situation, it will take at least 20 years of hard work to reach that level!"

Now, Fang Lin’s attitude towards the imperial examination is to try his best and leave the result to fate. In other words, do your best and leave the rest to fate.

"Thank you, Brother Dong." These thoughts flashed through Fang Lin's mind. He thanked him for the feces business and said that he would send an invitation to his wedding on the first day of next month.

"Brother Fang's wedding, how can I be absent? I will go! I must go!" Dong Zugao said, with an envious tone: "Brother Fang has found a home, but I don't know where my beloved is yet?"

As he spoke, he thought of the family who had broken off the engagement. Now that they saw that he had passed the imperial examination, they wanted to rekindle the marriage and go back to their lover. But how could that be possible?
"Why should a man worry about not having a wife? Brother Dong passed the imperial examination this year and will become a Jinshi next year. You will see the emperor in the Golden Palace and become famous all over the world. Why should you worry about not having a good wife?"

"Haha, that makes sense. I'll accept your words, Brother Fang. Come on, come on, Brother Fang, have a drink!"

That night, both of them were happy and got drunk.

……

(End of this chapter)