Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

"Good old lady!"

The father and son bowed in greeting in unison.

"Sit, sit down quickly!"

The old lady was very happy to see them, especially Zhu Guoxiang, who was very pleasing to her eyes.

The main thing is that the sentence "Pity the hearts of parents in the world" was written into the heart of the old lady. She believed that Zhu Guoxiang was a filial son, so he could write such a poem. It was a pity that both of his parents were gone. It was really a tragic thing in the world.

Mrs. Bai said: "I have heard that Mr. Zhu is getting married at the end of this month. Since I have difficulty with my legs and feet, I will not go to the wedding banquet and give some small gifts in advance."

The maid held up a small wooden box, which contained a pair of jade bracelets.

Zhu Guoxiang took it with both hands: "It's a gift from the elders. I don't dare to say goodbye. Thank you very much, old lady."

Mrs. Bai then said, "If you have any difficulties in the future, just come and talk to me. I will definitely help you."

"Thank you, old lady, for your concern." Zhu Guoxiang expressed his sincere thanks.

After another round of chatting, Old Bai came in.

Mrs. Bai stood up on crutches and left with the help of her maid, leaving them alone to talk about business.

After the old lady left, Officer Lao Bai took out a piece of paper and said: "The household registration of both of you has been processed and kept properly."

"Excuse me, sir." Zhu Guoxiang took the household registration book.

After a quick glance, he was shocked to find that father and son were in the same household as Mrs. Yan, Shen Yourong, and Bai Qi.

Zhu Guoxiang's identity is the head of the household, Bai Qi's identity is the stepson, and Yan Dapo's identity is the adoptive mother. In addition, it also states that they belong to the fifth-class household and own 14 acres of farmland. How much tax they should pay for summer and autumn grain every year. It also indicates that if there are men in the family, how much money must be paid for the annual corvee task.

Lao Bai explained: "I talked to Mrs. Yan, and she agreed to merge the households. It will be much easier to do things in the future."

It was obvious that Mr. Bai persuaded Mrs. Yan.

It doesn't matter to the father and son, they don't have to merge households, or even help hide the land area.

Member Lao Bai said: "One more thing, the village school building has been built. Liang Xuequ likes to pretend to be deaf and mute, and he muddles along in teaching. I have decided to get rid of him. Is Zhu Xianggong willing to be a village school teacher? His monthly salary The remuneration is three hundred yuan, and the students will give it to Xiu Xianggong, and Mr. Zhu can handle it himself."

Ju Ming's knowledge was too good to be a teacher of elementary school, so Zhu Guoxiang was the most suitable.

The father and son looked at each other, and Ju Ming nodded slightly.

Zhu Guoxiang cupped his hands and said: "Thanks to the trust of the elders, I am willing to serve as a teacher in the village school. But how to teach, others are not allowed to interfere, otherwise please find another teacher."

Member Lao Bai was a little curious and asked, "How does Zhu Xianggong plan to teach?"

Zhu Guoxiang said: "How many children in the village can take the imperial examination, not to mention the Jinshi examination? No matter how many books of saints and saints are read, it will not work. I will teach them something else, such as how to farm and how to settle accounts. After learning this If you have the skills, you will be able to make a living in the future.”

"I think it's good to teach like this!" Mr. Bai was very happy.

Let’s talk about Europe. After the emergence of the gentry class, they were also keen on setting up schools. Tuition is free, food and accommodation are provided, and only reading, writing and accounting are taught. The purpose is to train workers for themselves.

Zhu Guoxiang taught the children in the village in this way, which was exactly what Mr. Bai wanted.

"Get five hundred dollars!"

Member Lao Bai finalized the matter on the spot and paid Zhu Guoxiang one month's salary in advance. The remaining two hundred yuan was a red envelope for the newly hired teacher.

Zhu Guoxiang was taken by his servants to meet with Liang Xuexue.

Liang Xuexue was not upset about being laid off, and acted calmly about it. He pointed to a pile of books and said: "Those are all elementary school books. Only one of the children in the Bai family is willing to learn, and the rest are naughty ones." . I have also been beaten and scolded, but I have not made any progress at all, so I simply let it go."

In addition to textbooks, there are also student assignments.

It was just a matter of copying new words and new words, and it was really a mess, so I just finished it on time.

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Who is this Bai Qi?"

Liang Xuexiu said: "Bai Sanlang's eldest son is seven years old this year. Bai Dalang has three sons. The eldest son and the second son are both married, and the youngest son is very naughty. Bai Dalang complained that I did not teach well and said that he would send his younger son to the county to study. . Bai Erlang also has two sons, both of whom are studying in the county. The remaining children are all the descendants of Lao Bai's clan members."

When the two were handing over, Old Bai was sitting outside in the study, his face looking a little gloomy.

Old Bai sighed and said: "I spent twenty years, but I only changed 40 to 50% of the officials and their names. As long as the rest is obedient, you can work in peace. This person named Zhu is not particular, he makes the decision After two or three years in the book, I just want to finish what I have done for twenty years."

Bai Chongyan, who had been studying the eight-part essay, was called to the study at this moment. He asked: "What did the person named Zhu do?"

Lao Bai said: "He is going to attack the township secretary. In the last month, he publicly reprimanded Yuan Xiangsi several times. If there is any slight trouble in the collection of summer grain, Yuan Xiangsi will definitely get out of the county office in embarrassment."

Bai Chongyan said: "The Yuanxiang Secretary is highly respected. He is an old official who has been on duty for thirty-six years. He has countless disciples and disciples in the county government. He can just kick him out if he says so?"

"The person named Zhu is the chief clerk after all. If he is shameless, who can stop him?" Old Bai Yuanwai shook his head sadly.

The government officials are the foundation of the Bai family, and now they are about to be overthrown.

Bai Chongyan asked: "How will the second brother respond?"

Lao Bai said: "He organized a group of civil servants and secretly fought against them, but he fell into the trap of Zhu Er. The man named Zhu was fired and replaced with a post office on the grounds that he was working in a secretive manner, delaying the work, and being too old to be used. The aide who was replaced was actually the traitor he served under at the time!"

"The person surnamed Zhu has gone crazy, so Xiangzhi County will not care about him?" Bai Chongyan couldn't believe it.

The power structure of Xixiang County is as follows:

County magistrate.

Main book.

Asi (director of the county government office, newly renamed Dianshi, the head of the government officials).

Township Secretary (the secretary-general of the county government, who can act as the chief registrar in the absence of the chief registrar).

Tiessi (section chiefs of various departments in the county government).

Zhu Zongdao was completely unruly. He rebuked the secretary-general many times in public and fired and replaced a section chief. That's all. The newly appointed section chief is actually a former rebel, and most of them don't even know a few Chinese characters!

He didn't even bother to divide and disintegrate, and directly used strong methods. I am afraid that in a few years, the county government will become a den of rebels.

Lao Bai said: "Xiang Bi, the county magistrate, only knows how to recite poems and compose poems besides making money. He disdains to interfere in the administration of officials and turns a deaf ear to the affairs of the officials' houses."

"Confused officer!" Bai Chongyan said angrily.

Lao Bai said worriedly: "I'm thinking that in half a month, the summer grain collection will begin. The man named Zhu has offended all the officials, so he is not afraid that the summer grain cannot be collected? If he dares to do this, there must be something else The last move. Moreover, it was directed at my Bai family. Yuan Xiangsi, who he rebuked, is a family friend of my family and is my closest confidant. Wan Tiesi, who was dismissed by him, is also my most loyal subordinate. He also drove away several gray-clothed officials, all of whom were promoted by your second brother."

Bai Chongyan thought hard, but he really couldn't understand.

Lao Bai said: "The more I think about it, the more confused I become. As long as I am still here, as long as your second brother is still here, how can he get anything good? He will be the chief bookkeeper honestly, and it will take ten or eight years to slowly control the county government." Okay? You have to be so eager to do things."

After muttering for a while, Old Bai said again: "Since I can't think clearly, I won't think about it. In a few days, you and Li Sanlang will return to Yangzhou. Remember to study hard and get the Jinshi exam as soon as possible. As long as you win the Jinshi exam, even if you are a government official, you will be dismissed. After all the people with the surname Zhu are replaced, my Bai family won't have any worries."

Bai Chongyan said: "Father, please rest assured. Under Zhu Dalang's guidance, I have learned the eight-legged method, and my writing of scriptures and meanings is much better."

"Is the eight-part essay really that magical?" asked Lao Bai.

Bai Chongyan said: "As long as you master the eight-legged method, mediocre talents can also pass the imperial examination. If I study for another year and a half, I am 70% sure of passing the imperial examination."

Old Bai said with a smile: "The Zhu family father and son are lucky stars sent by God. The father knows how to farm, and the seedlings he cultivates become stronger and stronger. The son is also good at scriptures. I will give you a lot of advice. If you really win the Jinshi, it would be a good deal to give him 20-30% of my family’s land!"

Of course it's a good deal. Shangbaicun is a remote and remote place, and being a big landowner is just like that.

If a Jinshi can be sent abroad, he only needs to reach the county magistrate level, and annexing land is like searching for something.

…

Ju Ming was sitting in the small courtyard having tea. After waiting for a while, he saw his father coming out with a stack of books in his arms.

"Please help me get the primary school textbook." Zhu Guoxiang said.

Ju Ming's filial piety was really limited. He only took away half of the books and let his father hold the remaining half.

Zhu Guoxiang was used to it and hated himself for not buying more Septwolves before.

""Seventeen Histories of Mengqiu", what kind of book is this?"

Ju Ming opened a textbook and read it while walking. After only reading a few pages, he started to flip through it, and then he exclaimed: "Holy shit, are you reading this to a child? It's already out of line."

"Seventeen Histories of Mengqiu" is of the same type as "The Thousand Character Essay".

However, the "Thousand Character Classic" only records allusions from before the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and also contains a lot of cosmological knowledge.

The allusions in "Seventeen Histories of Mengqiu" were written until the Five Dynasties, and they are all myths, history, and characters and events. A few hundred years from now, someone who can thoroughly read this primary school textbook will definitely be called a master of history, and will be invincible when picking up the keyboard and spraying it all over the Internet.

Zhu Guoxiang was curious and took it over to read. He was stunned after reading the first sentence: "Who is Song Jing?"

Ju Ming said: "One of the four great sages of the Tang Dynasty, a veteran of the five dynasties from Wu Zetian to Tang Xuanzong, who assisted Tang Xuanzong to create the prosperous Kaiyuan era."

Zhu Guoxiang continued reading. He knew all the words, but when he put them together, he was confused.

The opening six sentences, only 24 words, involve eight historical figures. Zhu Guoxiang only knows Li Guang, Li Bai and Du Fu.

Zhu Guoxiang couldn't help but ask: "I know Li Guang, but who is Yan Xu?"

"Well……"

Zhu Ming explained: "Yan Xu is not a person, it is the collective name of Yan Guogong and Xu Guogong. The word 'generous' was first used to describe them. Dean Zhu, I think this book can be temporarily ignored. Just now I flipped through it casually and found that I had never heard of most of the allusions in it. The author of this book is a pervert. If he had a normal mind, he would not write it for children. In a few hundred years, there will probably be many Even professors in the history department dare not say that they can fully grasp it.”

Zhu Guoxiang stopped halfway and read through the elementary school textbooks one by one.

After roughly reading through it, Zhu Guoxiang was under great pressure. He found that he, the deputy dean, seemed not qualified to teach primary school students.

After thinking carefully for a moment, Zhu Guoxiang said: "I want to re-edit the curriculum, add mathematics and natural knowledge, and reduce this historical and humanistic content."

Zhu Ming suddenly had an idea: "Dean Zhu, as long as the villagers are willing to send their children to study, we can not restrain ourselves at all. Children as old as ten will be in their twenties by the Jingkang period. Teach them more practical skills, You must teach Chinese and mathematics well, otherwise you will be a rebel group."

"Mathematics must be taught, and Arabic numerals must also be taught." Zhu Guoxiang did not mention the rebellion.

The father and son took their books home and before they entered the courtyard, they heard someone shouting: "Brother Zhu, I'm here to vote for you!"