Idle courtiers

Chapter 263 The Four Letters

Zhou Nan: "Fang Yu, Chinese New Year is coming soon, are you ready at home?"

Xun Fang said: "It's ready, everything that needs to be bought has been bought. By the way, my hometown in Huai'an brought a letter yesterday, and brought a lot of things. Just now I was only busy crying, but I forgot to tell the master."

Hearing his wife talk about the old letter from his hometown, Zhou Nan was overjoyed: "Where is the letter, where is the person who sent it?"

It was Xun Fangyu's housekeeper who brought the letter to the capital. Hearing the master's summons, he came in and kowtowed, then handed a large stack of letters to Zhou Nan.

There were four letters in total, one was written by Xun Fangyu's elder brother, Xun Xiucai, which said that when Xun Fangyu was alive, an acquaintance named Wu and Xinhua was an acquaintance of the old Xun Juren, who was a Huai'an gentry and was also a family friend with the Xun family.I will be going to Beijing for business after the next year, so I ask Zhou Nan to take care of him and find some ways.

Zhou Nan threw Xun Xiucai's letter aside, and sneered in his heart: "This cheap brother-in-law and I are neither enemies nor friends, and we have already torn our faces apart."Don't you find it abrupt and embarrassing that brother-in-law Xun has the cheek to sell favors now?
Don't take it to heart either.

The second letter was written by the folks of Zhoujiazhuang, which probably means that Zhou Nan is the only high-ranking official in the family in the past hundred years.Now that the Zhou clan is going to repair the genealogy and rebuild the ancestral hall, the people in the clan are all poor, so they asked Zhou Nan to contribute some, and everyone got together to make this big event happen.

Zhou Nan is happy to do this kind of thing, as long as it is not excessive.According to the ethics and morals of the ancients, once you have developed, you have to give back to the clan.

So, he picked up a pen and wrote a reply letter to the housekeeper, and attached 20 taels of silver with the letter.

Seeing that her husband was a bit stingy, Xun Fangyu took another 50 taels from his private money.

The third letter was written by Sister Su, and it was all about housework.

The letter said that Yunniang's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and it is estimated that she will be able to give birth in two months.I have already gone to the doctor to go home and checked the pulse, saying that both mother and child are fine, so I don't have to worry about it.

In addition, Hong'er can already speak, and she looks stocky.It's just a little dull, and it's not very convenient to speak, and it's just learning to walk these days.

Speaking of his son, Zhou Nan saw the tiger-headed little face in front of his eyes, couldn't help smiling, and then frowned slightly.This kid looks a little honest.

When Zhou Nan was reading the letter, Xun Fangyu also looked over.Seeing that the master was not happy, he comforted him: "Master, Hong'er is your eldest son, and will be the eldest brother of your brothers and sisters in the future, so naturally he must be generous and prudent."

Thinking about it, Zhou Nan smiled and said, "That's right, the eldest brother is the father!"

The fourth letter was an official letter from the Andong County Government, which said that Zhou Nan's household registration had been registered as a military household, and he had registered at the Chaohe Office of Miyunwei.

After reading the letter, Zhou Nan let out a long sigh of relief, smiled and said to Xun Fangyu, "Fang Yu, I'm afraid the family will be busy next year."

Xun Fangyu looked at Zhou Nan suspiciously.

Zhou Nan explained that the imperial court has regulations that officials cannot bring their family members with them when they take office.Of course, Zaifu and ministers are not in this case.Therefore, the family members live in one place and one in the west, living apart for a long time.Now that the household registration has been transferred to Miyun.Miyun is only a few miles away from the capital, so it will not violate the rules to live directly in the city.

Yunniang, Sister Su and the children can all come to the capital for a reunion.

Xun Fang said: "Congratulations, master."

Zhou Nan: "However, we have to wait for Yunniang to give birth to a child, and wait until the child is older. Otherwise, the body will not be able to bear it after traveling for thousands of miles. If it doesn't work, I have to tell Yunniang and Sister Su about it, and make them happy too. joy."

Speaking of this, Zhou Nan suddenly thought of next year's autumn, and his heart tightened.He has been forced to have a headache by the princess and Li Gao now, and the only way to go is the imperial examination.

It is also time to calm down and study, without further ado, I have to go to Wang Shizhen to discuss with my mentor about preparing for the exam.

While writing a reply, Zhou Nan said to Xun Fangyu: "Fang Yu, I'm going to go to my teacher's place to lie down later. You are preparing some gifts, but you don't know what the teacher's wife likes?"

Xun Fang said: "Master, don't worry, this time the butler came to Beijing to bring more than ten baskets of oranges and dozens of bundles of sugarcane. My wife is from the south, and she complained that the capital is too bitter and cold, and even fresh melons and fruits I can’t even eat it, how can I send it away, my wife will definitely be happy.”

Zhou Nan: "My lady has a heart."

Pulling a cart full of oranges and sugarcane, Zhou Nan went to Wang Shizhen's house.

It was also his luck that his mentor happened to be at home.

Zhou Nan bowed to Wang Shizhen, paid homage to the early years, took a red envelope with a few copper coins, and said with a smile: "Teacher, the students are going to come to study every day after this year."

Wang Shizhen knew that although this student of hers had a great literary talent and a high level of comprehension, she could see through everything in the book, which was considered a good material.It's just flying and jumping away, not someone who can calm down and learn.

Unconsciously asked in surprise: "Zimu, aren't you working in the Ordnance Bureau? Why, you're going back to the Pedestrian Division after your term expires?"

Zhou Nan said: "It's not full, I guess I'll have to stay there for a few months, and I can't leave until the new ambassador officially arrives. The students are all about the imperial examination, and only the provincial examination next year will be serious. side."

Wang Shizhen: "You have the desire to study and make progress, and I am very pleased to be a teacher. However, you look very impetuous now, and your mentality is not right when you study. Is there something wrong?"

"The mentor is really as good as a torch, and you can see it." Zhou Nan told Wang Shizhen in detail about the royal family's recruitment of a son-in-law with a bitter face.

After Wang Shizhen heard this, she jumped up against the case: "Absurd, how can a dignified scholar be forced to be a captain-in-law? Isn't this the future of a bad guy? This example cannot be opened, and this trend cannot be raised. Let me ask, if Zimu becomes a son-in-law, the world's scholars Who dares to study and make progress?"

Zhou Nan: "Master, don't be angry. I'm just a scholar now, and my fame may be deprived of my fame at any time. Now, the only way to go is Zhongju. Students want to start studying immediately. This is what I have done in the past few days. Please ask your mentor to look over your homework."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of written prose from his sleeve and handed it over.

Wang Shizhen took it and looked at it, then threw it into the trash can.

Zhou Nan was shocked: "Master, why is this?"

Wang Shizhen: "Time waits for no one. After the new year, you will have to take the exam. From now on, you should learn to write stereotyped essays. One month should be enough."

Zhou Nan was confused: "Master, isn't Qiu Wei in August?"

Wang Shizhen said lightly: "Additional test."

"Ah! How is this possible? Beizhili has to take another test, teacher, did the students hear correctly?" Zhou Nan stood up abruptly, with cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

Wang Shizhen: "Zimu, you heard me right. If you want to take the provincial examination in August next year, you have to take the additional examination in the next year. If you fail to pass that test, you will not even be able to enter the examination room of the local examination. "

(End of this chapter)