Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

Wei Chen took the top letter, glanced at it and raised his head. He suddenly became energetic and without caring about anything else, he quickly opened the letter and read it carefully.

I don't know how long it took, but the cup of hot tea on the table was no longer steaming, and Wei Chen put down the letter sadly.

This letter was sent by Rulan and Minglan from Bianjing. The letter told many interesting experiences they had during this time.

Between lines

, you can all feel their overwhelming love for Wei Chen.

After reading the letter, Wei Chen wished he could spread his wings and fly to Bianjing immediately to reunite with his two fiancées.

But in the end, he could only sigh softly, take out the paper, dip his pen in the ink, and pour out all the thoughts in his heart into the pen.

The eloquent long letter of nearly a thousand words can be summed up as nothing more than a song called "Night Rain Sends to the North" by Li Yishan.

"You asked me if my return date has not yet been announced. It rains at night in Bashan and the autumn pond rises. Why should I cut the candles from the west window together? But I said it rains at night in Bashan."

Wei Chen put down his pen, held the letter and stared at it for a long time, then folded it up, handed it to Yuan An, and told him to send it to Bianjing immediately.

Yuan An took the letter and hurried out, leaving Wei Chen alone in the study.

On this festive day approaching the New Year, listening to the sound of firecrackers coming from far outside the hospital, Wei Chen suddenly felt an unspeakable loneliness and couldn't help but sigh secretly.

I am a stranger in a foreign land alone, and I miss my relatives during the festive season. The ancients do not deceive me.

After sitting alone for a long time, Wei Chen finally cheered up a little and decided to go and sit with Chen Jun.

Chen Jun and Wei Chen are both from Youyang, and they are both officials in Yuzhou alone. Their experiences are quite similar, and they can comfort each other.

However, when Wei Chen got on a carriage and carried good wine to the Xinzheng County Yamen, preparing to get drunk with his old friends, he was told that Chen Jun was not here, but had gone to give lectures at a volunteer school in the countryside.

Wei Chen was slightly startled when he heard this, and then he laughed dumbly.

When Chen Jun was a student member of the county, he served as a private tutor at Sheng's Free School, but now he has resumed his old career.

During this Chinese New Year, I think Chen Jun was bored by himself in the county government office, so he would rather go to the free school to stay with the Meng children...

Thinking of this, Wei Chen immediately ordered the people from the county government to lead him to the free school where Chen Jun was.

The carriage drove for less than half an hour and stopped in front of an old courtyard with two entrances.

When Wei Chen walked into the front yard, water droplets from the melting ice and snow in the afternoon were still dripping on the eaves, and he could faintly hear the sound of the children reading in the yard.

Wei Chen's heart moved, he opened the door and walked into the inner courtyard, only to see a dozen ordinary people standing in the courtyard, all wearing commoners or short shirts, looking quietly at Meng Tong in the room.

This scene reminded Wei Chen of the parents who picked up their children at the school gate in his previous life.

There were lights on in the room, and there were about twenty tables and chairs, with a Meng boy sitting in almost every position.

a gentleman

He was walking back and forth among the Meng children with a ruler in his hand, listening to their endorsements meticulously.

This gentleman is naturally the magistrate of Xinzheng County that Wei Chen is looking for, Chen Jun.

Wei Chen didn't want to disturb Chen Jun's class, so he stood quietly in the yard like the parents.

It happened that two people were chatting in low voices and seemed to mention the word Wei Qingtian. Wei Chen couldn't help but become interested and listened carefully.

A middle-aged man wearing coarse clothes said: "This gentleman teaches really well. Third uncle, it will cost a lot of money for my son to study in this school, but you are willing to do it!"

Another man next to him said: "You have just come back from overseas. I don't know, but our workshop has held several volunteer schools in the past two years. Not only do you not have to pay tuition fees to study, but you are also given free pen, ink and paper!"

"You don't need money, and this is such a good thing?"

"This is all thanks to Wei Qingtian! Let our child be literate and numerate in the free school. Then he will never be hungry when he comes out. Maybe he can become a good official like Wei Qingtian!"

"So, this Wei Qingtian is really a good official who serves our people!"

"Does that need to be said? Wei Qingtian is in our Yuzhou, that's it! Just listen to my third uncle's advice. After the New Year, send your kid here too, and learn his skills from your husband!"

"Sure, I'll listen to you, Third Uncle!"

The two of them discussed the matter and laughed happily, full of hope for life.

But he didn't see it. Wei Chen's face on the side was full of relief, and his eyes were slightly moist without realizing it.

Listening to the sound of the children's books in the school, and looking at the heartfelt smiles on the faces of the people around him, at this moment, Wei Chen, who was alone in a foreign land and a stranger, suddenly felt that his lonely heart had settled. rely on.

Under the light of the lamp, the third uncle talked about Wei Chen's glorious deeds in Yuzhou to his nephew one by one, and his words were extremely respectful.

He was talking enthusiastically, but accidentally raised his voice a little louder, alarming Chen Jun in the room. Chen Jun coughed lightly and looked outside, as if blaming him for being too loud and disturbing the students to recite their homework.

The third uncle was glared at by this look and immediately shut his mouth, as respectful as he could be.

At this time, Chen Jun also noticed Wei Chen beside him and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Wei Chen smiled and waved to him, then pointed outside the courtyard. Chen Jun immediately nodded in understanding.

So Wei Chen stopped lingering, glanced at Meng Tong who was studying seriously in the room, turned around and walked away in a stride.

Chen Jun's deep voice came from behind: "When you go back, you must memorize all the lessons taught today. Don't miss a word. I will come back after the new year..."

Wei Chen couldn't help but smile when he heard this, walked out of the courtyard and got into the carriage.

Not long after, the Meng children came out one after another after class, each looking for their mother and going back to their respective homes.

After all the Meng boys dispersed, Chen Jun exchanged a few words with the gentleman sitting in the Yixue Hall, and then went out and got on Wei Chen's carriage.

When Chen Jun saw Wei Chen, he said angrily: "Master Zhizhou is busy with official duties and has many things to do. How come you have the leisure and elegance to come to inspect this small volunteer school today?"

Wei Chen put on a straight face and pretended to be serious: "Every year, the state government invests thousands of taels of silver in free schools. As the magistrate of the state, of course I have to come and take a look, so I won't save you."

These corrupt officials below put all the money into their own pockets! "

"I don't dare, sir! Please be aware of this, Master Zhizhou!" Chen Jun looked frightened and pretended to bow to Wei Chen, but he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Wei Chen also laughed heartily.

The two met in a humble age and already had a very close friendship. Privately, Wei Chen never treated Chen Jun as a subordinate. It was normal for them to joke and joke with each other.

"Seriously."

Chen Jun coughed lightly and said seriously: "You ordered the popularization of free education in Yuzhou, but many people are waiting to see the joke!"

"Who is there?"

Wei Chen asked with interest.

He knew that before Chen Jun took office as the magistrate of Xinzheng County, he had observed government affairs in the governor's office and had accumulated some connections during this period, so he was quite well-informed.

"Prefect Bai from the neighboring government."

Chen Jundao: "I heard that he made a statement in front of the governor a few days ago, saying that this year's Yuzhou Boy Examination did not admit one more person than before. It shows that your initiative to promote free education is of no use to education and is just a waste of money and food."

"absurd!"

Wei Chen was so angry that he laughed.

What kind of bullshit reason is this?

There are quotas for the number of people admitted to the children's examinations in various places. What does it have to do with whether the education is good or not?

Moreover, Wei Chen made great efforts to popularize free education in Yuzhou. The purpose was to allow more people who could not afford to study to receive the most basic education. He just wanted to make the people literate and able to count.

This is completely different from elite education, which aims at imperial examinations. How can they be generalized?

However, Wei Chen also understood in his heart that although Magistrate Bai's views were absurd, they would probably be recognized by many scholars and even officials.

Because in their understanding, studying is to obtain fame, and obtaining fame is to become an official. Otherwise, it is all crooked ways.

That's why Wei Chen's move attracted criticism.

Wei Chen immediately asked: "What is the governor's attitude?"

Chen Jun said: "The governor didn't say much, but according to the inference from my good friend in the government office, the governor seems to agree with Bai Zhifu's words in his heart, but he just didn't show it."

To put it bluntly, although Yuzhou’s treasury was enriched bit by bit through Wei Chen’s methods, this was all due to the state.

Taxes, every sum of money spent will see results.

[The problem of slow update of new chapters has finally been solved on the Neng app, here

, view the latest chapters of this book on multiple sites at the same time. 】

Wei Chen's large-scale river construction project cost several times more than before, but at least the embankment was there and it blocked this year's autumn floods. It was a great achievement.

However, after setting up a volunteer school, no results were seen for a while. When the governor learned about this, it was understandable that he would be dissatisfied.

If another prefect had done this, I'm afraid Fuya would have sent a letter to question him. It's just that Wei Chen's good background and strong background made the governor much more tolerant of him, and he still doesn't do it to this day. Bring this matter to the table.

However, criticism like that of Bai Zhifu is inevitable.

Wei Chen has his own way of getting ahead, and these overt and covert attacks in the officialdom cannot cause any substantial damage to him.

However, if we do not prove the significance of establishing free schools to everyone now, when Wei Chen leaves Yuzhou a few years ago and this policy is in the hands of his successors, it will inevitably be repeated.

Opponents will never listen to empty words such as "it takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to cultivate people" or "the success is in the present but the benefit will be in the future".

Only during the autumn period, when the number of scholars in Yuzhou increased significantly, could their mouths be silenced.

To be honest, there is no positive correlation between free studies and imperial examinations. Even if there is a positive correlation, it will only happen after the overall literacy rate improves many years later.

Wei Chen wanted to use the imperial examination results to prove the significance of establishing a free school, which was also a helpless move under the constraints of the times.

But Wei Chen is confident that he can raise the overall level of Yuzhou scholars to a higher level before the autumn of next August.

There is no other reason, just because he is Wei Chen, the most authoritative person in the entire Zhou Dynasty imperial examination.

Chapter 239 Five years of imperial examination, three years of simulation

On February [-], the dragon raises its head; on March [-], Xuanyuan is born.

March [-] is also known as Shangji Festival.Every day on this day, people come to the waterside to hold rituals and wash away dirt.

From the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the Shangji Festival has been very prosperous. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it evolved into a day for literati and elegant people to feast by the water, and developed an elegant custom that has been passed down through the ages: the Qushui River Drinking Bowl.

However, since the Tang Dynasty, Shangji Festival has gradually disappeared from public view. The three festivals of Hanshi, Qingming and Shangji have tended to be merged and confused. In the end, the world only knows Qingming but not Shangji.

However, such an unpopular festival that has gradually become less known is particularly eye-catching in Yuzhou this year.

Just because on Shangji Festival, Wei Chen, the magistrate of Yuzhou, came to the Prefecture Middle School Palace in person and even gave lectures on stage!

As soon as the news came out, all the scholars in Yuzhou were excited.

Who is Wei Chen?