Half in the river wind, half in the clouds

Yumen Pass has been a popular farewell destination since ancient times. The vast desert and the poets’ songs throughout the ages have exaggerated the sadness of parting, as if parting is destined to happen.

Outside the pass, Captain Shen opened his mouth wide when he saw the huge farewell procession.

Although the young friends didn't spend much time together, the children of Saibei were frank and straightforward, and Shen Guxing was open-minded and open-minded, so they became close friends after a period of time. Shen Guxing and his friends said goodbye one by one, except Jiang Feng. After today's separation, they had traveled thousands of miles. Not only did the cruel girl righteously reject his confession, but she even refused to show her face today.

Yumen Pass stands tall and majestic, with the city flags fluttering. In the distance, there is smoke rising from the desert and eagles crying. Thinking about the various things I will face when I return to Chang'an, I can't help but feel sad.

Jiang Zuo stepped forward, handed Shen Guxing a brocade box, and said in a loud voice: "Yi Ye, there is still a long way to go, why bother to get lost in the crossroads."

He apologized with regret: "A Feng has been weak since childhood. He drank alcohol yesterday and was unable to get up early today. I will give you something to wish you peace and success."

Shen Guxing took it and swept away his sadness. After all, the girl was still young, and there were many obstacles between them, so this matter needed to be considered in the long run. Thinking of this, he said loudly: "Brother Jiang is right. If Brother Jiang wins the first prize in the imperial examination one day, I will definitely accompany you to get drunk and laugh!"

After saying that, both parties bowed to each other, and Shen Guxing jumped on his horse.

The handsome young man with the golden saddle, go and ride the green horse! No matter how the autumn wind tugs at his fine clothes, he finally turns his horse around and heads east.

When Jiang Zuo, Jiang You and Jiang Fei came back, Ah Feng was looking at the account book and tapping the abacus. In fact, for Jiang Feng, mental arithmetic was faster than abacus, but she didn't want to appear too smart, so she could only tap the abacus. Jiang's mother and father sat on both sides of the kang table, chatting casually, and Aunt Yun was waiting on them.

After the three siblings paid their respects to their parents, Jiang's father said to Jiang Zuo, "Now that Shen's son is leaving, you should also be more focused. The spring exam is approaching, so you must pass it in one go, so that your ten years of hard study will not be in vain."

Jiang Zuo said seriously: "Yes, father."

After thinking for a while, he said, "Although I am one year older than Yiye, my talent is far inferior to his. I am really ashamed. Yiye knows that I will take the exam next year, so he told me a lot about submitting the papers, and he has promised to help me submit the papers to the clerk Gu Kuang. I think, I should hurry up and compile the papers in preparation for the spring exam, so that I can pass the exam in one go and live up to my father's expectations."

When Jiang's father heard his son say that he was far inferior to Shen Guxing, he felt a little uncomfortable. But the more he listened, the more he felt relieved. He smiled with satisfaction and nodded, saying, "That's great."

There was an unspoken rule in the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty, which was that it was a common practice to circulate examination papers.

The so-called "xingjuan" means that before the exam, candidates will compile their poems and essays into a book and present it to the chief examiner or a prestigious senior scholar, hoping that after reading their poems and essays, they will be able to recommend them in their circle and gain a reputation for talent. The more recommendations you get, the greater your reputation will be, and the higher your chance of passing the exam will be.

Because the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were not anonymous, examiners could see the names of candidates when grading the papers. If a candidate's literary level had been widely recognized and praised by intellectuals, the examiners would be more cautious when grading, making it easier for him to get a high score.

Later generations commented on the circulation of scrolls in the Tang Dynasty as "one glance from a talented person could triple the value", which shows the importance of circulation scrolls.

Later, the poem "Fude Guyuancao Songbie" which was sung for thousands of years and became a must-recite ancient poem for primary school students is a poem written by Bai Juyi. The line "The grass on the plain is withered and flourishing every year" is popular and has been sung for thousands of years. There is also the line "The red candles were lit in the bridal chamber last night, waiting for the morning to pay respects to the uncle and aunt in the hall. After putting on makeup, I whispered to my husband, "Is the depth of my eyebrows in fashion?" Later people thought it was a love poem for the boudoir, but it was actually a poem written by a man named Zhu Qingyu.

Bai Juyi and Zhu Qingyu are both representatives of successful submission of imperial examinations. Their successful submission of imperial examinations paved the way for their later success in the imperial examinations and removed obstacles.

Therefore, Shen Guxing had already submitted the application once, and he was familiar with the ways and tricks of submitting the application. In addition, with the reputation and status of the Shen family in Chang'an, it would be easier for him to succeed as Jiang Zuo's introducer.

Otherwise, with Jiang Zuo's identity as a man in white, he might not even be able to enter the side doors of the old masters in the capital.

From this perspective, Shen Guxing's pre-exam strategy and "helping hand" become particularly important.

After the family education, Jiang's father and elder brother went to the study, and Jiang's mother asked Aunt Yun to go downstairs.

Jiang You turned to Jiang Feng and saw that she looked in good spirits but her eyes were slightly red and swollen, so he asked, "Are you feeling better, Feng?"

"I felt dizzy when I woke up early, but after drinking some rice porridge, I feel better." Jiang Feng replied.

"Ah, it's a pity. Among these little girls, Brother Shen treats you best, and he wants to bring you a share of any fun things. As for this red coral bracelet, the Hu man originally said he would not sell it at all, but Brother Shen begged him for several days in a row, and finally won it back by competing with him for a large jar of wine in Zuiyue Tower. Even the little sister of Captain Shen's family asked him for it several times, but he was reluctant to give it up..."

Jiang's mother's face had already fallen, but because of Jiang You and Jiang Fei, she couldn't get angry, so she just took the tea and drank it slowly.

Jiang You didn't know how to read people's faces at all, and kept on talking: "Everyone went to see him off today, but he just waited for you to come. It was only when my eldest brother said you were sick that he gave up. He doesn't have a sister, so he treats you like his own sister! Alas, now that he's gone this time, I don't know when we'll see each other again, and you didn't get to see him off, what a pity!"

Jiang Feng is best at pretending to be ignorant when she knows everything. She didn't care about Jiang's mother's cold face and Jiang Fei's melon-eater face, and didn't want to talk about Shen Guxing anymore. She just complained to Jiang You angrily: "Second brother, stop talking nonsense. I am your real sister! I just want to ask you, brother, how long are you going to delay the purple powder cream I asked you for a few days ago? I am just waiting for this dye for the painting I sent to my elder sister's new home."

After saying that, Jiang Feng stretched out his slender little hand, as if asking for it, with a look of innocence in his round black eyes.

What should I do if I have a stupid brother? Shanyue is so good to you, why don't you treat her as your own sister?

Jiang Fei saw his second brother scratching his head and knew that there would be no melon to eat today. However, he saw that the nuts on the table were very full, so he reached out and took one.

Jiang's mother finally swallowed the tea with peace of mind.