Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

More than two months ago, an official arrived in Yangzhou with a golden flower post.

To be precise, the two Tokyo officials were actually in charge of the entire Lizhou Road, but the Jinshi were all in Yangzhou.

According to the distance of the address, they went to Min's house first.

Min Zishun's parents were overjoyed when they heard the news. They asked people to open the door and sent people around to spread the news.

All the elders of the Min family came, and Min Wenwei also came down from the academy.

The Wang family, Li family, and Zheng family all came to congratulate him.

The sound of crackling firecrackers sounded, and several slaves picked up sledgehammers and smashed the lintel of Min Zishun's family. The family had been divided. This was the first time that this family had won the Jinshi. They must take this opportunity to upgrade the family.

Two official servants sat next to him, drinking tea and waiting leisurely.

After all the clan elders and guests had arrived, the officials were finally ushered in through the door.

The incense table was set up inside, and the official took out the golden flower sticker and announced Min Zishun's ranking.

Immediately, the Min family placed the golden flower sticker on the incense table as an offering, and everyone knelt down and worshiped in front of the golden flower sticker.

At this moment, the failed scholars have not returned home yet, and they have to wait for the official ship and official car. The official messenger who announced the good news rushed all the way and rushed to arrive before the unsuccessful scholars.

Principal Min Wenwei asked: "May I ask you two gentlemen, how many of them were hit on Lizhou Road?"

The official smiled and said: "I won three, and they are all from Yangzhou."

Min Wenwei was even more happy after hearing this and asked: "Besides my nephew, who are the other two Jinshi?"

The official said: "One is named Zhu Ming and the other is Bai Chongyan."

Min Wenwei stroked his beard and patted his face: "They are all my students. They usually study very hard."

Ju Ming lived in Yangzhou Academy, so he was considered a student there... This is how Min Wenwei understood it.

The official flattered him: "If you can teach three Jinshi, the old gentleman must be a great Confucian."

"Haha, a great scholar doesn't dare to speak nonsense, he just has some experience in teaching." Min Wenwei smiled from ear to ear.

The Min family gave a very heavy thank you gift to the officials who announced the good news. Each of the two officials received a gold collar, and each gold collar was worth about 150 strings.

The officials collected the gold and laughed with joy.

Those who go to Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Huainan, and Chengdu to report the news are considered to have received a good job. There are a lot of Jinshi there, and most of their families are extremely wealthy.

The two of them went to Yangzhou and only sent golden flower invitations to the homes of three Jinshi. The gifts they received were too little.

Yang Zhizhou has been promoted, and his successor is He Zhizhou.

He Zhizhou brought Li Tongpan, as well as a group of soldiers and Cao Cao, all came to Min's house to congratulate him.

By the way, I asked about the situation in Beijing.

The official revealed: "Zhu Langjun is a Tanhualang. He was appointed as Tai Xuezheng by the officials. He is very famous in Tokyo."

Li Tongpan didn't believe it: "Did the dog really miss?"

The official said: "Only three people were hit in the entire Lizhou Road."

"Alas!" Li Tongpuan sighed.

Fatty Zheng also accompanied his grandfather and father to congratulate him. He said excitedly: "Zhu Dalang is the third most beautiful girl!"

Zheng Lan clicked her tongue and exclaimed: "It really soared into the sky."

Fatty Zheng smiled and said: "I just said that Dalang is very powerful and will definitely become my husband."

Zheng Lan muttered: "As a husband, I'm afraid he may not look down on my young daughter. I should have lowered my shame, said more nice words, promised more dowry, and made a marriage contract first. Alas, how could I have expected that he would do it in one go? Passed the exam?"

Zheng Yuan, Fatty Zheng's dandy brother, suddenly said: "My little sister can't be a real wife, so she can marry her as a concubine. How can he still send my little sister to Tokyo and put her in Zhu Dalang's house?" Return it?"

Such a bad idea did not lead to reprimand.

Zheng Lan was actually seriously thinking about the feasibility, and thought: "It is not easy to produce a Jinshi in Yangzhou. Zhu Dalang has not yet married a wife, so he sent his young daughter to Tokyo to be a concubine, and her status is not much lower than that of his wife. If he can give birth to a son early, If you’re half a girl, you’ll be favored even more.”

Fatty Zheng's father also said: "Zhu Dalang has been selected as the top pick, and his future is limitless. Given time, he will become the great minister of the court."

The more Zheng Lan thought about it, the more feasible it became. In the past hundred years, the sons-in-law of the Zheng family had only reached the magistrate level.

As for Ju Ming, who was born as a Hwarang, as long as he doesn't make mistakes, in ten or twenty years, he will at least be a good fortune teller, and maybe even become a court official!

The Min family slaughtered pigs and sheep, and entertained guests in the evening. The two official messengers who announced the good news were also left behind to feast.

It was still early, so Fatty Zheng ran home and said to his sister: "Young lady, the eldest man has won the first prize, and he is still the best man!"

"Really?" Zheng Yuanyi was happy at first, then a little sad, feeling that she was no longer worthy.

Everyone thinks that Ju Ming can get into the Jinshi, but he will definitely have to take the exam several times. If he can get into the exam before the age of twenty-five, he will be considered very good.

Unexpectedly, I passed the exam in one try.

Zheng Yuanyi forced a smile and said: "Brother Zhu is a phoenix in the sky, and I, the daughter of a country businessman, are like a pheasant in the miscanthus. How can a pheasant match a phoenix? He will definitely find a better one. Who knows? I want to capture my son-in-law, who has already married a daughter from the family of the Grand Prime Minister of the court."

Fatty Zheng whispered: "Weng Weng and father plan to send you to Tokyo to be Zhu Dalang's concubine."

After hearing this, Zheng Yuanyi didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

How can any woman be willing to be a concubine?

But Brother Zhu is a prostitute, and she is just the daughter of a local businessman. Their status is so different that if she wants to marry her husband, she can only be a concubine.

Zheng Yuanyi sat on the swing in a daze, sometimes annoyed, sometimes shy, not knowing what she was thinking.

…

But he said that the Min family held a banquet to celebrate, which took several days.

The two messengers enjoyed themselves and continued on their way without stopping.

Member Lao Bai had received the news in advance and was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. He had prepared gold leaves early, which were a bit shabbier than the Min family. Each gold leaf was only worth seventy or eighty guan.

Then they set up a flowing table and invited the villagers of Shangxiabai Village to eat and drink for free.

Then he sent an invitation to all the gentry in the county and held a banquet to celebrate on an auspicious day.

Although the wedding money was not that much, the officials who announced the good news were not angry either. After all, the Min family is a prominent family in the city, while the Bai family is just a wealthy country man.

After staying in Shangbai Village for one day, they finally took a boat to Daming Village. Member Lao Bai also sent his son as a guide.

The population of Daming Village has increased sharply to more than 1,500, which is twice as much as when it was first conquered.

Among them, more than a hundred people couldn't stand the heavy taxation and came to seek refuge on their own initiative.

Where the creek merges into the Han River, a simple dock has been built.

The amount of the project is neither big nor small. First, the land on the riverside is leveled, wooden pillars are smashed in the water, and a few long wooden boards are propped up for the boat.

Zhu Guoxiang no longer lived in the mountains and moved to the riverside with the village committee team. Only the rattan armor and rattan brand workshop remained in the village.

Bai Chongwen pointed to a row of thatched houses on the shore: "That's Zhu Tanhua's house."

The two messengers who came to announce the good news felt instantly chilled.

How much money can a family living in a thatched house afford?

The main reason is that Daming Village is undergoing major infrastructure construction, and the population is growing too fast, so it cannot spare more manpower and material resources to build big houses.

Zhu Guoxiang's new house and the newly completed village school are all temporary thatched houses.

This year, not only a simple wharf was built, but also a new weir pond was dug, and an irrigation canal from Waste Tea Mountain to the wharf was also dug.

It cannot be called a waste tea mountain because it has been cleared out.

Most of the old tea trees continue to be picked for tea production.

There are also some old tea trees that have been cut down and replanted with tea saplings.

Replacement after round, all old tea trees must be replaced with new tea trees, so as to ensure production and quality.

When the officials landed by boat, they saw the nearest row of huts with a signboard of "Da Ming Village Inn".

An official smiled and said: "This is the simplest inn I have ever seen. How can someone actually stay in it?"

Bai Chongwen said: "If it is getting late, merchants traveling to and from the Han River will choose to stop here and rest. The few ships parked by the river are merchant ships heading to Yangzhou."

Bai Chongwen looked at the large number of thatched houses stretching eastward and couldn't help but admire Zhu Guoxiang's management ability.

Every time he comes to Daming Village, he will find new changes.

The last time I came here, the east side was still full of grass and trees, but now there are dozens of huts. The wasteland near the hut has also been reclaimed. Although it can only be used to grow beans for the time being, it will definitely become fertile land in three to five years.

Bai Chongwen found it difficult to understand this.

Shouldn’t all the money and food collected be saved?

However, Zhu Guoxiang frantically absorbed the population, reclaimed wasteland, and subsidized the construction himself, and actually distributed a lot of land to the villagers.

With all this trouble, Zhu Guoxiang could not even think about saving any money, nor how much food he could save, and he would even spend the money he earned from selling tea.

If it were him, he would never do this.

Bai Dalang felt that he should store enough money and grain, and then find a good piece of land to build a mansion, and he should try to keep the land in his own hands.

There is food, money, land, and mansions. These can be passed on to children and grandchildren, and they can be landlords from generation to generation.

By the way, you should keep more slaves, otherwise how can you show your identity?

Zhu Guoxiang can be considered a celebrity in the county, but there are only two servants in the house to wash and sweep. Even Mrs. Yan is still doing some chores herself.

"Grandma, the emperor's messenger is here!" Bai Chongwen shouted.

Grandma Yan and Shen Yourong came out soon. Shen Yourong had a big belly and was due to give birth in two or three months.

Grandma Yan asked: "Are you here to conquer again?"

An official came forward and said: "Old madam, we are here to announce the good news. Your Majesty has passed the examination as a Tanhualang!"

"Tan...Tan Hua Lang?"

Mrs. Yan was stunned on the spot, her body was shaking slightly and she was speechless.

Shen Yourong was also extremely excited, but he could still keep calm: "My husband is teaching in the village school, and I will go and deliver the news to him."

Bai Chongwen said quickly: "Auntie, sit down quickly and I'll be done."

In the past, he used to call her sister-in-law, but now following Ju Ming in terms of seniority, Shen Yourong has become aunt.

Grandma Yan also came to her senses, went to the house to get some fine tea, and asked Madam Shaohuo to quickly boil water to make tea.

The official followed Bai Chongwen to study in a nearby village. There were only three thatched houses, one of which was used as a classroom.

There are not many students in the classroom, only fourteen or five.

I am taking a Chinese class at the moment, and it is written on the blackboard: "Two or three miles away, there are four or five houses in Yancun; there are six or seven pavilions, and eighty or ninety flowers."

Numbers were individually circled, and students had to memorize the entire poem, but were only required to be able to write the numbers.

Obviously, the class has just started.

The students have only learned horizontal strokes and vertical strokes, and even numbers are still new characters.

"Practice these ten numbers by yourselves," Zhu Guoxiang added, "then talk about "Youyan Zazi"."

But these dozen students were divided into two groups for teaching.

One group is the new students in the village, with no basic education at all.

One group is Bai Qi and other children, including the children of Meng Zhao and others. They have a foundation for learning.

The two messengers who announced the good news looked in through the door and window.

Zhu Guoxiang was seen wearing Gebu clothes, and the children were all wearing cloth clothes or linen clothes.

Children do not use pen and paper when practicing calligraphy. Each child has a wooden basin filled with sand and soil on the table. The students held bamboo branches and wrote on the sand. After they finished writing, they erased and repeated.

It’s too shabby with that thatched classroom!

The official asked: "Zhu Tanhua lived here before?"

Bai Chongwen nodded and said: "This place used to be a den of thieves. Zhu Tanhua was recruited as an archer before the place was captured. They were foreign land reclamation households. They didn't even have huts at first, so they could only live in other people's homes."

The officer sighed with emotion: "It's really not easy."

Bai Chongwen walked to the door of the classroom and reminded him loudly: "Ms. Zhu, the emperor's messenger has arrived with a golden flower invitation."

Zhu Guoxiang said to the students: "Practice new words and recite the texts each."

The two officials saw Zhu Guoxiang coming out. He was obviously dressed in civilian clothes, but he was calm and elegant, as if he was facing a certain great minister.

The merchants and clerks in the inn also came to congratulate them when they heard that the village chief's son had won the top prize in the exam.

Zhu Guoxiang received the golden flower sticker, put it in his arms, and led everyone to the inn for dinner.

The two officials hesitated to speak. They wanted to remind Zhu Guoxiang that the golden flower post should be burned with incense. But Zhu Guoxiang obviously didn't care about this. He seemed to regard wealth as dung, and it didn't matter whether he offered it or not.

While the official was eating and drinking, Zhu Guoxiang brought two porcelain jars: "It's reasonable to give money to the wedding, but I don't have any money on hand. This is the best black tea I personally developed. It's not available on the market. You two should bring it with you." Drink it at home. Brew it directly like loose tea without grinding it into powder. Loose tea cannot be stored for more than one year, but this black tea can be stored for several years."

Bai Chongwen whispered: "Two emperor's servants, this kind of tea is very expensive. You can sell it for dozens of guan in Tokyo. If you meet an expert, you can sell it for hundreds of guan."

The official who announced the good news immediately laughed, stood up, bowed and thanked him, and began to brag to the merchants about Ju Ming's deeds in Tokyo.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law over there never stopped smiling.

Grandma Yan clasped her hands and thanked the Buddha. She kept reciting Amitabha Buddha and said with a squinted smile: "I have long seen that Da Lang is not an ordinary person and will become a Jinshi sooner or later. This child is very filial. Er Niang, just wait. Enjoy it.”

Shen Yourong stroked his belly and said, "It's my aunt who deserves the blessing."

Mrs. Yan was so excited that she walked around: "I have to tell Brother Qi to let him learn more from Big Brother and take the Jinshi exam in the future. Not to mention taking the exam, it will be enough if he can get the top four or five."

Shen Yourong said: "My husband said that Brother Qi is very smart and a good student. He will definitely be able to go to high school in the future."

"It'll be good if you can pass the exam." Grandma Yan began to wipe her tears as she spoke, seeming to think of her biological son again.

In the evening of that day, the official who announced the good news rested in the inn.

But I saw villagers one after another coming to congratulate them with various gifts.

There are eggs, vegetables, and grain...

Zhu Guoxiang refused to accept it, so they put the gifts down and ran away. Some even kowtowed in congratulations.

The two officials looked at each other, and when they looked at Zhu Guoxiang, there was more admiration in their eyes.

If the villagers can support him from the bottom of their hearts, this Zhu Xianggong must be a real great scholar.