Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

After playing horse racing and strolling around the city, the Jinshi returned to the dormitory of Baolu Palace one after another.

Everyone's faces were beaming with joy, and they even felt like they were floating in the clouds. Wearing court clothes and hairpins, officials leading horses, and people praising you, who can withstand such a magnificent scene?

Li Tong asked the official who held the horse for him: "My luggage and personal entourage are still at the inn in the south of the city. Can I use this horse to go there?"

"If you are good at riding horses, you can do it." This official was Cao Cao of Kaifeng Prefecture. He led the horse for two or three hours for Li Dong, but he did not want to continue messing around with the new Jinshi.

Li Tong smiled and said: "In my hometown, I often ride horses drunk at night, walking on country roads. If my riding skills are superb, I can even go to the battlefield."

"You do it yourself."

The officials found a place to sit down. They, the horse-holding officials, could have dinner here at public expense tonight.

Li Tong laughed and jumped onto his horse. He was really very skilled in riding.

"drive!"

This young man, who was a new scout, galloped away on the horse of Tian Si Prison.

In order to suppress his irritable temper, his teacher Luo Congyan not only taught him meditation, but also stipulated that he should not take too long steps when going out.

How can I care about it at this time?

The official holding the horse stood up and shouted: "Don't run your horse on the streets of Tokyo. If you cause trouble, you will be whipped if you are caught!"

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!" Li Tong responded with a whip and disappeared on the street in the blink of an eye.

As a link between Cheng and Zhu Neo-Confucianism, Li Tong is still a passionate young man who does not have so many rules in his heart.

Zhang Jiucheng was not so cool. He returned the horse to the Tiansi Supervisor, quietly went to Zhao Ding and said, "May I ask the Governor, when will the new Jinshi be paid?"

Seeing his thin face, Zhao Ding probably guessed that he was short of money: "I have some money here, please use it."

"Thank you for your kindness. I still have enough money." Zhang Jiucheng bowed and said goodbye. He was reluctant to spend money on renting a car and walked to a house in the suburbs to pick up his luggage.

Zhao Ding was quite moved, so he caught up and said, "In three days' time, there will be a Qionglin banquet, and the official family will reward the new Jinshi."

"Thank you!"

Zhang Jiuzheng bowed again and finally felt confident.

His ancestors moved from Kaifeng to Hangzhou, purchased hundreds of acres of land, and built a country house in Qiantang County.

But Zhu Meng and Fang La took turns to make troubles, and Song Huizong also expropriated money in Hangzhou. Zhang Jiucheng's family's land had been sold out.

Even this time when I went to Beijing to take the exam, I took a free official boat along the way, but the food and accommodation expenses were borrowed. After all, sometimes you have to change ships halfway, and official ships are not always available, so you often need to stay and wait.

Baolu Palace is located in the north of the inner city. Zhang Jiuzheng first walked to Nancheng, and then went to pick up things from private houses in the suburbs.

Afraid that it would be too late to enter the city, he even jogged all the way out.

It took more than three hours to go back and forth, and I was still carrying large and small bags on my way back.

He was afraid of getting his newly issued court clothes and boots dirty, so he put on shabby cloth clothes and shoes. When he returned to the city, he was already out of breath from exhaustion.

If it's a little later, it's time to close the city gate!

A driver passing by him caught a glimpse of the Jinxian crown and hairpin on Zhang Jiucheng's head. He quickly stopped and asked, "Mr., do you want to ride in the car?"

Zhang Jiucheng smiled: "No, thank you for your kindness."

The driver felt that this Jinshi was very polite and couldn't help but said: "My husband wants to go to Baolu Palace? I will drag you there for free."

"No need, we're almost there." Zhang Jiuzheng continued to move forward.

The driver shook his head and drove further and further away.

Not far away, another sedan stopped. A rich man opened the curtain of the sedan and asked, "Would you like to ride in a sedan? My sedan is very comfortable and can take your husband to Baolu Palace."

"No, thank you for your kindness." Zhang Jiucheng carried his luggage and continued walking.

Many well-intentioned people wanted to help along the way, but he politely declined.

The lanterns in Pan Tower and Fan Tower were lit for the first time, and the wealthy guests began to listen to music and feast.

Zhang Jiucheng, who was wearing shabby cloth and a Jinxian crown on his head and carrying large and small bags of things, bent his body and walked past the gates of Pan Tower and Fan Tower.

We are almost there. Once we pass the paper shop in front, we will reach the Baolu Palace where the new scholars live.

There was a party going on, a free business meal.

In addition to the new scholars, there were also officials who helped them lead horses for parades.

"Why hasn't Zishao come back yet?"

"He wanted the price to be cheap, so the place he rented was very far away. He had to walk for an hour out of the city."

"I'm so confused. I've come back a long time ago to rent a car, leaving hundreds of us waiting for him!"

"Why don't we have a dinner first?"

"Yin Zhaofu, please wait, can you still use the chopsticks first?"

"..."

Everyone was waiting anxiously, especially the officials who led the horses. They were already hungry after wandering around the city during the day.

"Back, back!"

The officials guarding outside shouted immediately when they saw Zhang Jiucheng.

Several officials quickly stepped forward and, regardless of Zhang Jiuzheng's refusal, directly helped him move the gifts into Baolu Palace, and then followed him to the main hall for dinner.

This hall used to be the place where Lin Lingsu lectured, and Song Huizong and ministers and dignitaries would come to listen.

Now the tables are full, and hundreds of people are sitting at separate tables.

The clothes issued by the imperial court were court clothes and could only be worn on important occasions, so the Jinshi all changed into their own clothes.

Zhang Jiuzheng picked up the virtuous crown as he walked, bowing and apologizing along the way: "I'm late, I'm late, please forgive me..."

Zhao Ding smiled and waved: "Come and sit here!"

Everyone was wearing beautiful clothes, even the officials in Kaifeng government put on their best clothes.

Only Zhang Jiuzheng was wearing a patched commoner, sitting among hundreds of people, as if he was here to serve tea and water and do odd jobs.

Zhao Ding stood up and raised his glass, said a few words briefly, and then let the hungry people start the meal.

Everyone had a drink first, and then ate to fill their bellies.

Li Yi couldn't help but ask: "Is Zishao's family in trouble?"

Zhang Jiucheng swallowed a few mouthfuls of food and did not feel any embarrassment at all. He replied calmly: "It was pretty good before. I had hundreds of acres of land in Qiantang County and a shop in Hangzhou City. First, Zhu Meng borrowed Hua Shi Gang to search, and then met Go to Fangla and attack Hangzhou. Alas, it’s hard to describe..."

Hu Quan said: "I heard that the Hunjun went to Hangzhou, but he also searched excessively."

Zhang Jiucheng said: "After the foolish king arrived in Hangzhou, he allowed his treacherous ministers to seize farmland outside the city. Nearly half of my family's several hundred acres of land was seized by the foolish king as an imperial village."

Zhao Ding asked: "After Cao Hou (Li Bao) took Hangzhou, didn't he return the property of Zishao's family?"

Zhang Jiucheng explained: "Marquis Cao was advancing at such a rapid pace that he had no time to stay in Hangzhou to deal with civil affairs. Later, the imperial court sent Mr. Zhang as the chief envoy, and he began to inspect the land in Hangzhou. But I was also in a hurry to go to Beijing to take the exam. Now I don't know if there is any Get the land back.”

"The foolish ruler is so ignorant that he even takes over the property of the scholars. He deserves to die and his country will be destroyed!" Li Gongmao slapped the table and cursed.

Yang Ji raised his glass and said, "The official family and the prince are benevolent in their administration and care for the people. This cup is congratulations to the official family and the prince!"

Everyone quickly stood up and clinked glasses.

After scolding Song Huizong for a while and praising the benevolent policies of the new dynasty, everyone finally started chatting.

Li Gongmao pointed to the clan brother on the table in the distance: "My brother is very resourceful. When faced with the physics problem of picking a lock with an iron rod, he actually used a brush to pick a bowl and got the answer."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Li Yi laughed and said: "I am the chopsticks that pry the clay stove."

Everyone was furious after hearing this and began to turn the topic to physics.

Li Yi asked: "Have you ever studied physics?"

"Learned."

There were twelve people sitting at this large round table. Except for Zhao Ding, the others were among the top eleven Jinshi scholars.

Among the eleven people, six have studied physics.

Zhang Jiuzheng was quite excited and said: "The Prince's "Tao Yongce" is the Tao that the common people use every day. In just seven words, it directly points to the true meaning of the Tao. When I first read it, it was like waking up from a big dream!"

Zhang Jiucheng certainly accepts this theory, because even without Ju Ming, he himself would have proposed that "Tao is for daily use" and "Tao is inseparable from utensils."

This gentleman's academic thoughts are extremely weird!

On the one hand, he practiced Buddhism devoutly, introduced Buddhism into Confucianism, and believed that everything in the world was illusory.

On the other hand, he believed that attaining enlightenment and becoming a saint must be obtained from these illusions.

He not only created the prototype of mind science, but also advocated applying what he learned and abandoning the vain things in Confucianism.

"Taking nothingness as the Tao is enough to destroy a country. Taking daily use as the Tao is the merit of the three generations of Yao and Shun." This is the core proposition of the Hengpu School founded by Zhang Jiucheng.

Li Tong clapped his hands and said: "Of course, by looking at the principles of all things, we can get a glimpse of the great road!"

Zhang Jiucheng said: "Prince's Physics seems to be too fragmented, and one of the many things is neglected."

"Otherwise, one and ten thousand, ten thousand and one, are actually one." Li Tong immediately retorted.

"No, no..."

Li Tong was a key figure in the continuation of Neo-Confucianism.

Zhang Jiucheng, the founder of Xinxue.

The two began to debate at the dinner table. They both agreed with the study of things to seek knowledge, and they both agreed with Ju Ming's theory of Taoism, but they had different understandings of how to study things and seek Tao.

As we chatted, Hu Quan also joined in: "The way of the prince lies in numbers. I have been studying mathematics recently and found that the truth of all things can be explained by mathematics. If it cannot be explained by mathematics, then it must be that the way has not been found. This The reason is not my nonsense, the officials and the prince have long understood it, and it is hidden in the lines of "Tao Yongce"."

Li Yi's textbook is the "Book of Changes", and he is quite proficient in mathematical calculations: "Yi Ye, Shu Ye. Recently, I have also studied mathematics hard. The origin of this great way, officials and princes are really scholarly people."

Li Gongmao said: "The way is too far, but the practical application is close. I do not expect to seek the way, I only seek to apply what I have learned and make a living for all the people in the world."

"This statement makes sense," Zhang Jiuzheng said while raising his glass. "If you take daily necessities as your guide, you will surely achieve great deeds in the three generations of Yao and Shun!"

Heroes emerge from troubled times. In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty in another time and space, due to the country's peril and the people's livelihood, not only a large number of famous generals emerged, but also a variety of academic ideas emerged.

Many of the pioneers or promoters of these ideas are among this generation of Jinshi.

And now that they have come into contact with the mathematics and physics brought by Ju Ming, they don’t know what sparks of ideas they will have in the future.

Zhang Jiuzheng chatted with everyone until late at night. After the banquet, they still lay in the dormitory and debated.

It feels so good, as good as being admitted to the Jinshi Examination!