high official

Chapter 23 Where is the road?

　"The meaning of this sentence is that Confucius said, 'Because I didn't become an official when I was young, I lived in poverty, and I learned many skills in order to make a living'."

In the graceful voice of the Jiangnan woman, there was a tenacity and calmness tempered by the world.Without raising his head, Wang Xian knew that Lin Qing'er was here.

"Could it be that I have to go this way too?" Wang Xian smiled wryly, "But what I know, I don't need it now..."

After hearing this, Lin Qing'er shook her head and said with deep emotion: "If you don't become an official, life is too difficult." The days of "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and seeing Nanshan leisurely" are noble, but when you encounter something, you can let others go Butcher, where can he go freely?

"Don't I know?" Wang Xian raised his head, and saw Lin Qing'er in a white dress, carrying a bamboo basket, standing at the door as indifferent as a chrysanthemum.On the day she came back from Sanshan Town, this was the first time she visited the door. "What brings you here?"

"..." Although Lin Qing'er was still thin, her complexion was no longer so pale. Hearing this, she blushed slightly and said, "Chongyang Golden Wind." He held up the basket and said, "Bring some cakes to auntie."

"It's the Double Ninth Festival..." Wang Xian sighed softly, and he woke up for a whole month: "Why haven't I seen Uncle Qi?"

"He, he has something to do at home." Lin Qing'er blushed even more, and said with a low voice, "I can just deliver this thing myself."

"Come in and sit down." Wang Xian turned around and said, "Taste the lotus tea made by my mother." He said and picked up the teapot.

"I love scented tea the most..." Lin Qing'er's earlobes turned red after she finished speaking. Seeing that Wang Xian wanted to make tea, she quickly put down the basket and said, "Take a rest, you're not ready yet."

Wang Xian let go of his hand, and sat down like an old man. After Lin Qing'er poured the tea, he picked up a cup and said, "Is there any news from Beijing?"

Lin Qing'er also held a cup, looked at the light green tea soup, and said softly: "No, but it won't be a big problem, because Zhou Jietai is here."

Wang Xian suddenly said: "It turns out that you found Zhou Niantai at the door!"

"It wasn't for Zhou Yantai's agreement, so I wouldn't worry about it." Lin Qing'er quickly glanced at Wang Xian and said, "We didn't know each other well at the beginning, so I didn't tell you..."

"Then it should be fine." Wang Xian took a sip of tea and sighed: "Hurry up and end it, everyone can live in peace."

"En." Lin Qing'er nodded slightly, and asked after a while: "What are you going to do in the future?"

"I haven't thought about it," Wang Xian said with a wry smile, "I think reading is the right way, but it's a pity that you gave me the "Analects of Confucius". After reading it, there are still many things I don't understand."

'Pfft...' Lin Qing'er almost spit out a mouthful of tea when she heard the words, quickly covered her small mouth, coughed lightly several times, and then said calmly: "You have only read it for a few days, and there are only a few things you don't understand. If you are not satisfied, scholars all over the world will find a piece of tofu and pretend to be dead."

"Uh. You misunderstood..." Wang Xian said in embarrassment: "I'm not completely white."

"Then what books have you read?"

"Uh," Wang Xian thought for a while, and said honestly, ""Hundred Surnames", "Thousand Characters", "The Analects of Confucius"... nothing more."

"No wonder..." Lin Qing'er thought that Wang Xian had read the book for a few days before his father's accident, so he made serious calculations: "If you can start reading "The Analects of Confucius", you must have finished Mengxue. If you can persist After reading, and with the guidance of a good teacher, in about ten years, you can take the county exam."

"So long?" Wang Xian opened his mouth wide, studying hard for ten years, how is it possible?

"I can't help it." Lin Qing'er said, "We have too many scholars in Zhejiang, and it is more difficult to be a scholar than other places. As far as I know, no matter how smart a genius is, it takes ten years... like my brother took 12 years. .You can’t even write words now, I said ten years, it’s already..." After a pause, she whispered: "I think you are a genius."

"I'm not a genius." Wang Xian shook his head and smiled wryly. He knew everything about himself, and he worked very hard in his studies, but he still couldn't rank among the top. He had to admit that there were differences in qualifications.

"You can't run thousands of miles with a single leap, and you can't give up your merits." Lin Qing'er seemed very happy to see him make progress, and cheered him up: "It's not too late to be a scholar at the age of 30!"

"..." Wang Xian is so sweaty, "What if I can't pass the exam at the age of 30?"

"That would be quite miserable..." Lin Qing'er whispered: "But at that time, at least I can write for others, do calculations, and support myself."

Wang Xian stopped talking to her.

Lin Qing'er wanted to say something, but she was too ashamed to speak, so she could only sit with her head depressed.

"Is there any other way?" Wang Xian asked.

"There are also." Lin Qing'er is considered well-informed now, and advised him: "The three ways of selecting officials in the imperial court are simultaneous. In addition to the right way, there are two ways of recommendation and officials. When encountering the emperor's decree When tribute talents are selected, our county will have a quota, and if they are recommended to pass the examination in Beijing, they can be awarded official positions. However, the current Emperor Yongle has been on the throne for nine years, and he has ordered the local state government to nominate him twice, which is far less than that in the Hongwu period. many."

"Furthermore, officials are promoted. Officials take an examination every three years. After the three examinations are completed, they can be born and are eligible to participate in the official election."

"Oh..." After listening to Lin Qing'er's explanation, Wang Xiancai knew that in this era of the Ming Dynasty, the selection of officials was still carried out in three ways. Can get normal promotion.

This made him breathe a sigh of relief, and asked, "Is it difficult to recommend?"

"Everyone who is promoted by the tribute is a person with both talent and learning, because the emperor has to test himself. Now Emperor Yongle is wise and powerful. If you don't study hard for ten years, you will not be able to pass the test." Lin Qing'er looked at it. He said: "It's great to have the time to take the imperial examination, why should it be called a fluke?"

"..." Thinking about the recommended students in the previous life, Wang Xian had no hope for the recommendation, and sighed: "It seems that I have only one way to go as an official."

"Why do you look down on officials?" Lin Qing'er looked at Wang Xian in puzzlement and said, "Uncle Wang is an official?"

"I didn't look down on it, but I always heard people say that it's a petty official..." Wang Xian was influenced by his previous life and always felt that it was not decent to be a petty official.

"Only those who are officials would call them that. I really don't know why you think so." Lin Qing'er felt inconceivable and said, "Officials, the common people belong to officials. , even if it is not as grand as it used to be, there are still a lot of people who serve as ministers and chief envoys!"

As she spoke, she looked at Wang Xian, bit her lower lip lightly and said, "Besides, you can't be if you want to be..."

I don't know if it's an auditory hallucination or what, Wang Xian felt like she was acting like a baby, and couldn't help feeling chills. I'm too self-indulgent, how could someone act like a baby to a scoundrel?

He asked a little unconvinced: "Why can't you be?"

"Anyone who serves as an official, for example, is a farmer who has no faults and is under thirty years old. Those who can read are selected." Lin Qing'er looked at him and said: "Don't talk about the first two, just talk about the third one..."

Wang Xian is sweating, firstly he can't write calligraphy, and secondly he can't write traditional characters... He couldn't help but blushed and said: "I just practice calligraphy!"

"Well, you need to practice calligraphy. Regardless of whether you are an official, a tribute, or a regular student, you have to be able to write." Lin Qing'er said, her head gradually lowered, and her voice gradually lowered: "Actually, I can teach you of……"

"It's time to practice calligraphy." Wang Xian nodded.I can't even write a single word, so it's useless to say anything, "Go back and buy some paper and a pen, practice the words first, and then talk about other things."

"You don't need to buy it..." Lin Qing'er looked at him, and said softly, "I have a lot of stock in my house. If you don't use it, it's a waste. I'll send you some tomorrow."

"Thank you very much." Wang Xian said with a smile: "Actually, I don't have any money."

"..." Lin Qing'er was already numb to Wang Xian's rascal, just about to say something, suddenly heard the door outside, it turned out that Wang Xian's old lady had come back.

Immediately, Lin Qing'er couldn't sit still any longer, she got up awkwardly and went out to say hello to Mrs. Wang Xian.

The old lady was in a good mood, looked at her, and said with a smile: "Miss Lin came to see my son?"

Lin Qing'er's pink face immediately turned into a red cloth, and she whispered: "No, my niece is here to give the Double Ninth Cake to my aunt."

"Really?" Mrs. Wang Xian came here, seeing Lin Qing'er blushing like this, she smiled ambiguously and said, "I won't bother you, you can continue talking..."

"My niece is leaving first, and I will come to see my aunt another day." Lin Qing'er blushed to the point of her ears, and fled without saying hello to Wang Xian.

After Lin Qing'er left, the old lady smiled at Wang Xian: "This girl is not bad, and when you are in trouble, no one will dislike you."

"Mother..." Wang Xian coughed twice.Changing the subject, he said, "How did my father become the secretary of the execution room step by step?"

"This..." My mother thought about it: "Your father also studied when he was young, but his family background was not good, he went to work after two years of study, worked as a clerk in the pawn shop for several years, and learned to calculate accounts. Later, by chance, I got to know Dian Xun of the County Medical Center, that is, Dr. Wu. Taking advantage of his status, Dr. Wu introduced him to a job in the yamen."

"Your father started as a clerk writing pleadings for others, step by step into the punishment room as a posting letter, and finally survived until he became a full-time official and became a prison clerk who had sued the court. He worked for a few more years before he became a That official..."

"How many years has it been together?" In Wang Xian's memory, his father seems to have always been quite powerful.

"Twenty years..." The old woman thought for a while and said, "But your father has only worked in the Yamen for a few years, and the family is well-off. I would rather he not be the official."

"..." Wang Xian was speechless. It seemed that he really had to get to know this so-called 'little official' again.

In fact, as long as it is substituted into later generations, it is not difficult to understand at all.Liufang is equivalent to the county bureaus. Who can become the director of the bureau in one step?Don't you have to struggle for more than ten or twenty years?
It seems that Dad is really amazing...

(End of this chapter)