Dao Fruit

"As soon as Brother Zhou Xian and I arrived in the city and settled down, we tried to find out about you, but we didn't get much results. Instead, we heard some rumors."

At a roadside tea shop, Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan and Qiu Yan were chatting at the same table. The Luo family looked sad and felt deeply in their hearts.

The two of them were good friends that Qiu Yan met when he was on Jiannan Road. Luo Jiayun met in Wuxin City, and Zhou Guan met during the imperial examination. When Qiu Yan went out to study, he once invited the two of them to go with him, but Luo Jiayun happened to meet him. They got married, and Zhou Guan went to Quanyou Academy, but they failed to make the trip.

Now that the National Examination was about to take place, the two went north to Xingjing and met Qiu Yan again. Both parties expressed joy and found a tea shop on the roadside to reminisce about the past.

However, this meeting was not actually an accidental encounter. Qiu Yan relied on Shinto methods to find out where the two of them were in advance and came straight to them.

Several scholars who were traveling with Luo Jiayun and others were sitting at a table nearby, talking and laughing. As for the two old Taoists, they were sitting at the same table as Hu Qi and Dai Guo. They had walked all the way and were exhausted. Now they had a chance to rest. The ground finally breathed a sigh of relief and was adjusting his breath.

Zhou Guan didn't wait for Luo Jiayun to finish, and couldn't help but said: "Brother Qiu, you are famous now. When you went on a study tour, you were actually dubbed the 'Jiannan Hero'!"

"The hero of Jiannan?" Qiu Yan was surprised when he heard this title, "What did you say?"

"What? Brother Qiu, you don't know?" Zhou Guan looked surprised, "Your reputation has a certain influence in Guanzhong now. They say you are a rising star in calligraphy. In addition, there are others There are rumors that you once discussed Taoism with Jiangnan scholars in the Eastern Capital and won the victory. You talked with many great scholars and were highly regarded. Is it true or false?"

"Yes," Luo Jiayun also nodded, "I have been asking about you these days. I originally wanted to meet you, but I didn't expect that you are already a famous talent. The merchants from Jiannan Road who come to Guanzhong to do business mention you. Come on, I will even praise you, saying that you are the hero of Jiannan."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Qiu Yan roughly understood. He knew that what he did in Dongdu, followed the merchants in business, and spread to Guanzhong. "So, I am somewhat famous now."

Speaking of this, Qiu Yan did not show much surprise. When he arrived in Xingjing City, he had already felt that there were a few people in the city who wanted to converge on him, and he knew that his reputation had spread here.

"However, in the eyes of others, my current reputation is just that of a rising star. It is nothing. If I want to change, I must either spend decades to spread my literary name and build up my reputation like a great scholar, or It is through the officialdom that one is promoted step by step and is directly connected to the fate of the common people..."

Thinking of this, he restrained his thoughts and stopped thinking deeply, because the imperial examination was the key at hand and the key to entering the officialdom.

Later, Qiu Yan changed the subject and asked about Jiannan Road.

Luo Jiayun was obviously well prepared. Hearing this, he said: "Your uncle's family is in good health and is respected by others. There is no need to worry. When you come here this time, they asked me to tell you not to worry about your family. Don't worry about the imperial examination. In addition, your aunt He and his cousin also returned to Jiannan. I heard that the eldest son of the Pan family was demoted due to his affairs, left officialdom, and went back to become a rich man. "

"Auntie has gone back?" Hearing the news, Qiu Yan was a little surprised. His aunt was picked up by the Pan family not long ago and went to work with the Pan family brothers. He didn't expect to go back so soon. "What did the boss of the Pan family do?" ?”

Of the three Pan brothers, Pan Xiang, the third, is crazy, and the eldest and the second are both new party officials. The second, Pan Zhi, also went to Jiannan Road to preside over military affairs. In order to build up his power, he implemented the new law in Jiannan Road, and finally But he failed and went back in despair.

"Does Brother Luo know what exactly happened?" After thinking about it, Qiu Yan asked again.

Here, it was Zhou Guan who took over the conversation: "I have heard about this in the academy. I heard that it was because of the military affairs. The Pan brothers are new party cadres. One is inside and the other is outside. The second brother Pan Zhi has been outside. , has more military power, and the eldest brother is in the inner circle. Because of the war in northern Xinjiang a month ago, the eldest brother seemed to have committed a crime, but the second brother has made meritorious deeds, going back and forth, advancing and retreating. "

"Pan Zhi has made a meritorious service?" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes and realized, "It seems that Pan Zhi is going to be reused. His elder brother may make way for him."

"Yes." After studying at Quanyou Academy, Zhou Guan's knowledge has obviously changed. "If the boss of the Pan family is also in the officialdom, he will inevitably hinder his younger brother's promotion, and I heard that he has offended someone..." The following words were similar to hearsay, and Zhou Guan just kept silent after saying this.

Qiu Yan changed the topic: "I wonder how Brother Zhang is doing now."

The Brother Zhang mentioned by Qiu Yan refers to his old friend Zhang Zhen, who failed to come to Xingjing due to failure in the imperial examination.

"After Brother Zhang got the book you gave him, he studied hard day by day and made a lot of progress. He will definitely be a sure winner in the next imperial examination. However, his father recently arranged a marriage for him. Looking at the situation, we will go there soon. It's time for a wedding." Zhou Guan laughed as he spoke.

"This is a good thing." Qiu Yan also smiled and looked at Luo Jiayun, "Speaking of which, it hasn't been long since Brother Luo got married. I thought you had to wait for the next subject to try again."

"How can I give up so easily for three years at a time?" Luo Jiayun shook his head, "What's more, my mother and Zhuo Jing are both accommodating people. They have sacrificed a lot to allow me to prepare for the exam with peace of mind. How can I let them down?"

Luo Jiayun was originally a bit weak and had a bad complexion all year round, but this time when they met again, Qiu Yan found that he had a ruddy complexion and was in good health. He thought that he had passed the imperial examination and his status in the clan had been greatly improved. He was free from troubles and could study with peace of mind.

After saying a few more words, Luo Jiayun said: "We have talked about the past. It is time to introduce some talents to Brother Qiu." As he said that, he looked at the table next to him, and several scholars sitting there came over and greeted Qiu Yan.

"I am Cao Hanqi from Qilu."

"I am Xu Wanren from Lianghuai."

"I am Haiming from Lingnan."

"I am Yu Xun from Jiangnan."

"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you..."

Several people announced their names to each other, said a few words, and became more familiar with each other, and then sat around a table.

These four scholars were met by Luo Jiayun and his companions after they came to Xingjing. They were also candidates who came to take the imperial examination and lived in the same inn, so they were familiar with each other.

"I have heard of Brother Qiu for a long time. When I first heard Brother Luo and the others talk about it, I was still a little skeptical. I didn't expect it to be true..." Cao Hanqi's temperament was a bit lively, and the other three were very calm. They were close to Luo Jiayun in temperament, so it was no wonder that they could talk to each other.

After a few words, Zhou Guan remembered something: "By the way, Brother Qiu, have you found an inn to stay in? If not, you might as well go back with us. The price of the inn we stayed in is also reasonable in this city. When we went out, there were just two rooms vacant."

"Oh? This is the best. Staying in the same inn, I can ask you brothers for advice at any time." Qiu Yan nodded.

Zhou Guan was delighted to hear this, glanced at Hu Qi and others, and frowned again: "Are these two Taoist priests Brother Qiu's friends? I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you when the time comes, after all, there are only two rooms." What he said was a bit obscure, but in fact it was hidden with deep meaning. He wanted to remind Qiu Yan not to get too close to people from the outside world to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Qiu Yan has a reputation now. If rumors are spread, he may suffer a loss in the imperial examination.

"The two Taoist priests and I met on the road. They are all Taoist masters. They will go to the Taoist temple in Xingjing to rest. They will not compete with us for a room."

Qiu Yan's words made the two elders of Jinwu stunned, but they soon understood and realized that they must have been restricted by Qiu Yan and could not escape his control. No matter where they were, it didn't make much difference.

After all, this is the capital. No matter how powerful the Jinwu Dao is, it is difficult to come here to look for people.

"So that's the case..." Zhou Guan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it.

Then, as the few people talked, the topic turned to learning.

Qiu Yan could see that Cao Hanqi and others were actually a little dissatisfied with his reputation. He didn't say anything about the indirect test, and didn't hide anything. He answered them one by one. Later, the other four forgot their original intention and asked sincerely.

Not only them, but also Luo Jiayun and Zhou Guan were surprised. They felt that Qiu Yan had changed a lot since then, and they had gained a lot from Qiu Yan's words.

After a while, Zhou Guan patted his forehead: "We were so busy talking that we almost missed the time. There are many people in Beijing today. If we go too late, the vacant rooms in the inn may be gone. Let's go back quickly and have a long talk in the evening!"

"That's right." The others were obviously unsatisfied, but they also knew that what Zhou Guan said was reasonable, and they all agreed.

They left as soon as they said they would. After paying the money, they walked towards the inn.

They walked and stopped, and slowly approached the south gate. Along the way, they could see many peddlers, carrying loads, with drums on their waists, and smiling at everyone they saw. Qiu Yan naturally saw that these were actually peddlers selling goods.

And the shops along the street were decorated with various signs.

This signboard is an advertising method of this era, with a long history. It was recorded in "Han Feizi" and "Yanzi Chunqiu", and there are signs and flags.

The destination of several people also pulled several signs outside, hung with flags, and hung wooden signs by the door, all with four words written on them -

Book Collection Inn.

"The name of this inn has some meaning." When he walked to the door of the inn, Qiu Yan stopped, squinted his eyes, and said something meaningful with a little coldness in his eyes.

At the same time, he clearly noticed that when the several scholars who were traveling with him came to the inn, each of them had a little luck, and combined with the inn, there was a faint feeling of exploitation and oppression!

"Hey, gentlemen, are you back from traveling in the city?"

Inside the door, the waiter greeted them with a smile. (To be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!)