The ancient farming life of liberal arts scum

Shen Ge didn't choose to go to Beijing at this time to see his brother Xun.

On the first day of March next year, it will be Chunwei. Although Shen Ge has followed Xun Feiguang in the past year, his knowledge has improved a lot, but due to his foundation, he is still a little bit worse in the Jinshi examination.

If Shen Ge wants to be named on the gold list, he will have to hang on the beam in the next few days and give it another go.

Shen Ge only has two wives in this world.Master Wu is Shen Ge's mentor, who has been teaching for more than [-] years, but he is only a scholar, and he can teach people to praise him for his excellent skills. It is really unrealistic to ask him to teach a Jinshi.

Now that Xun Feiguang has something to return to Beijing, Shen Ge is in Kunjiu County, and there is no master who can teach him.

It's not that Shen Ge can't read books, but he always finds it difficult to obtain the Fa.Furthermore, if a person reads books and writes articles, it is difficult to judge whether the articles he makes are good or bad. If he is too far away, it may be difficult to correct the style of writing in a short time in Kyoto.

As for looking for classmates in the county, Shen Ge's two classmates, Lu Haoying's 37th place in the rural examination, and Xiao Siyuan's [-]th place in the rural examination, both of them are a bit behind Shen Ge himself, and the three of them together may not be able to see the difference between each other's articles. question.

Shen Ge vaguely knows that his brother Xun's position is high and powerful, and he always feels that he is not worthy of his brother Xun except for his good looks.He does not have as much money as Brother Xun, his status is not as high as Brother Xun, his power is not as important as Brother Xun, and his martial arts talent is far less than Brother Xun.

Shen Ge often feels ashamed in his heart, the only thing to be happy about is that he is still young, and he still has a lot of time to catch up in the future.

With this thought in mind, Shen Ge attached great importance to Mingchun Chunwei, so it was naturally inconvenient to stay comfortably in Kunjiu County until next spring before entering Beijing.Among other things, you don't have to deal with many chores when you go to Kyoto, at least you can calm down and study.

Today, there are four famous academies in the world, and I don't know how many Jinshi come from there every year.The same is true of the Guozijian in Kyoto. The students studying there are all top students from various prefectures, and the time, place and people are harmonious and cheap. Every spring, there are many people who can be selected.

The children of officials are also a very advantageous group of people. They can invite famous teachers, receive advice, and may even receive some special news.In previous years, many of these people were able to become Jinshi.

There are only three hundred Jinshi in Chunwei at a time, some of them are assigned to the academy, some to the supervisors, and some to the officials' children, and the number of places that can fall to their poor families is pitifully small.

This is not to say that there are people who cheat, but it is true that the children from poor families cannot compete with these people together, and very few of them can win Jinshi.

Shen Ge thought about getting into the present as soon as possible, and no matter how bad he was, he could ask Brother Wu to help him see how his article was. After a few more months of hard work, he could be more confident.

Said that he wanted to go to the capital, Shen Ge couldn't just slap his head, pack up his bags and leave.A carriage needs to be hired, dry food needs to be prepared, and other matters must be taken care of one by one.There are also relatives and friends who have to explain.

After making up his mind, Shen Ge took out the money, prepared the ceremony in the county town, and went to see Mr. Wu first as usual.

After Wu Qiu got married, there were only two masters, Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Wu, left in the family. Fortunately, there was still a school in Master Wu's school, so the two of them would not be lonely.

Seeing Shen Ge, Master Wu pulled him to look around, frowned and said, "Ge'er, you haven't seen each other for a few days, why have you lost weight again?"

"It's okay, those who take the imperial examination are all thin, don't you see brother Yuan is also thin."

"Nonsense." Mrs. Wu patted Shen Ge's back lightly, and said angrily, "Brother Yuan has been nourished recently, and the whole person has become a circle. If you have more than half of your brother Yuan, I won't worry about it. "

Shen Ge hasn't seen Xiao Siyuan for more than ten days, so he really doesn't know that he has gained weight.

It's not Xiao Siyuan's fault either, he is now blessed with double happiness, he has been invited out for drinks throughout the winter, and he doesn't move, it's really not easy not to get fat.

Seeing Shen Ge's appearance, Wu Shiniang didn't say anything, she dragged him into the room on the spot, gave him a lot of food, and ordered him to eat.

Mrs. Wu said: "You will still have Chunxie next spring, and that will be more tormenting. I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand this thin method."

Shen Ge stuffed his cheeks obediently, and listened to Mrs. Wu's lecture while eating.Mrs. Wu said a few words, the more she spoke, the more distressed she became, and she repeatedly said: "No, no, I have to buy a chicken to supplement you. You sit here first, and if you are bored, go to the study to look at the ones collected by your master. Books, I will come whenever I go.”

Shen Ge couldn't stop her, so she had to watch Mrs. Wu go out in a hurry.

When it was almost noon, Master Wu came back from school and was very happy to see Shen Ge, so he went to the kitchen to get dried fruits and meat, boiled wine, and brought it out to drink with Chen Ge.

Seeing his master and wife busy, Shen Ge knew that their sons and daughters were not at their knees, and it was a bit uncomfortable, so he couldn't help being very enthusiastic towards him, a junior.

Shen Ge doesn't refuse, just pays attention to help at any time.

The wine was brought by Shen Ge, he went to the old wine shop to buy rice wine specially, the wine is not strong, it is perfect to drink warm in winter.

The New Year's gift from Shen Ge included a large piece of fresh mutton. Mrs. Wu washed it early in the morning and cut it into pieces and put them in the pot to be stuffy. Now that they want to eat wine, they just took a few pieces out to have a drink with the two of them.

The master and apprentice drank slowly first, Shen Ge said his idea of ​​rushing to the capital a few years ago, Master Wu nodded without thinking about it, and said: "There are many things involved in Kunjiu County, you go to live in the capital first It’s good to read, at least you can get familiar with it.”

"I think the same way. Find a place to live first, and study hard with peace of mind. Kyoto is no smaller than ours. The books you can buy there must be high-quality goods. I just happened to go and see them first."

"That's reasonable. But there's no need to find a place to live. Isn't your brother living in the capital? You can go and live with him for a while. It just so happens that both of you are going to take exams, so you can have someone to take care of you if you live together. "

"I'm afraid it's not very convenient for senior brother. It's better for me to live alone, and it will be cleaner."

Shen Ge disagreed, his brother and sister-in-law are ordinary people, and it is not easy for him to make a living in the capital, so he must drag this small family down.

Master Wu said, "What's the inconvenience? Migui, the capital, is not easy to live in for a long time. You can save some money by living there.

Shen Ge smiled: "According to what you said, I have saved money, but the brother will inevitably have to pay a little more."

Master Wu ignored him, "Don't worry, he has money. Besides, it's only natural for a senior brother to take care of his junior brother. If you don't go, your senior brother will feel very sorry."

Mrs. Wu came out with the dishes, and said after hearing the words: "They are all a family, and it would be too strange to go to the capital to live with him. If people know about this, they may have to laugh at you."

Shen Ge couldn't stop laughing, "What's the point?"

Mrs. Wu patted him lightly, "Don't laugh, you monkey, that's the reason. You've already married a girl for him. Could it be that you're not a close brother? A close brother doesn't live at home there, so don't you want to provoke ridicule? Are you saying that he is impersonal?"

Mrs. Wu really wanted to reason, even ten Shen Ge dare not tell her one, so I had to agree first, and then I will act according to the situation when I go to the capital in the future.

Master Wu went back to the house after finishing his meal and wrote a letter to Shen Ge, telling him to give it to his senior brother after he went to Kyoto.Shen Ge knew that Master Wu would definitely explain in the letter that Brother Wu wanted to keep him at home, and he was moved and emotional.

After Shen Ge carefully put the letter away, Master Wu asked: "Do you have enough money on hand? I still have 500 taels here, you take them with you. A poor family is rich, and it is always more convenient to have money in your hand."

Shen Ge hurriedly refused, "No, I still have more than 300 taels of silver in my hand, which is enough. If I have more money to go on my way, I'm afraid that people will miss me."

Both Master Wu and Master Wu tried to persuade him, but Shen Ge firmly refused, and in the end he didn't receive it.

After leaving Master Wu's house, Shen Ge went to Xiao Siyuan's house to sit for a while, and told Xiao Siyuan about his plan to go to Beijing in advance.

Xiao Siyuan was also very moved, but he was newly married, and there were many matters in the family, so he couldn't leave right now, so he had to make an appointment with Shen Ge to meet in the capital next spring.

Xiao Siyuan's performance in Qiu Wei this time is not very good, and Daoning Mansion is a small mansion with not many scholars, so he failed to win the top spot here, and it is even more difficult to get ahead in the capital where talents are abundant.

Xiao Siyuan knew his own situation well, and this time he went to the capital to see and see. He really didn't have any high school hopes, so he wasn't too positive.

Shen Ge understood his situation, everyone has his own ambitions, so he didn't persuade him much.

Coming out of Xiao Siyuan's house, it was still early in the morning, there was a carriage to pick him up today, Shen Ge didn't worry much about the time, so he walked to another road.

Turning the corner is the He Ji Study Room. Shen Ge has cooperated with He Ji Study Room many times, and he sent the book that is sold in the study room, which is very popular, so the relationship between the two parties is not bad.

Shopkeeper He of He Ji Study was very pleasantly surprised to see Shen Ge, and now he didn't dare to make a big deal, so he bent over and bowed to Shen Ge, with a smile on his face: "Shen Juren."

Scholars are nothing in Kunjiu County. There are thirty or forty scholars in the entire county. Most of them are relatively poor. Many of them have to go to private schools to earn three meals a day to support their families.

It's not that the county doesn't respect scholars, but it's very limited, and no one really treats scholars as important figures.

Juren's status is completely different, and there are only a few Juren masters in the entire Kunjiu County.These juren lords can be officials, and they may become officials of one party when their luck changes. Ordinary people must be respectful and respectful when they see them, for fear of offending them, and they will suffer disaster when they become prosperous in the future.

As soon as Shen Ge saw Shopkeeper He's movements, he quickly helped him up and prevented him from bending over, "Shopkeeper He, what are you doing? It's too embarrassing for me."

"Hey, that's not what you said. Shen Juren, you are the star of Wenqu, so what's the point of me making a few more bows?"

Shen Ge couldn't laugh or cry, "If you say that, there are too many Wenqu stars in the world."

Shopkeeper He waved his hand and laughed a few times, "Why did Shen Juren come to see the little old man?"

"Didn't I write a lot of story books and send them here? I will go to Beijing in a few days, and I will bring the story books with me. If there is a chance, I'm afraid I will find someone to print a batch and sell them in the study. "

Shopkeeper He nodded repeatedly when he heard the words, and said with a smile on his face: "You should, you should, Shen Juren, you can seal it."

Shen Ge smiled and said, "I know you are the most reasonable person, and you won't have any objections. I came here to ask you to keep it a secret, don't tell others that I wrote this."

"Don't worry about that. Don't I know the rules? I promise to keep my mouth shut. Even my old lady will never want to hear even a dream about this matter from me."

"Thank you for that."

Shen Ge didn't stay long after talking to him about it, and directly bid farewell to Shopkeeper He and returned to Kunjiu County.

When returning home, Shen Ge did not forget to buy two knives of pork, two jars of wine, and a few packs of gift cakes.Now he has to hurry up and go to Beijing, and he has done all the things that need to be done, so as not to have to make another trip tomorrow.

Chen Ge bought these things to send to his uncle's house, and these things will be given as a New Year's gift to his uncle in advance for New Year's greetings.He is not celebrating the New Year in Kunjiu County this year, but the etiquette cannot be abolished, otherwise he will not be talked about behind his back.

Because Shen Ge is a candidate this year, the annual gift is more than twice as thick as usual. When Shen Ge's aunt saw the gift, she exclaimed, with a smile in her eyes, "Ge'er, you just came, what else do you bring?"

The uncle said so, but the hand that picked up the things was unambiguous.Shen Ge was familiar with his uncle's temperament, and didn't mind, so he asked directly: "Is uncle here, I have something to ask him for."

"Going to the field, come back later? Ge'er, sit down first. Longevity! Go and light the fire and make a bowl of tea."

Shen Ge's nephew, Shen Changshou, put his head in and took a look. Seeing that it was Shen Ge, he smiled shyly, and trotted into the kitchen to boil water.

The children of the poor had long been in charge of the house, and Shen Changshou was very proficient in all household chores, so he brought in a bowl of hot tea in a short while.

When the aunt saw that it was full of distiller's grains and beaten eggs, she knew that Shen Changshou had put in a lot of ingredients, perhaps a large spoonful of sugar in it, and she couldn't help feeling a little distressed habitually.

Shen Ge knows her temperament and doesn't care about her.

Shen Ge had never had anything to say to his aunt, and it happened that Shen Changshou was here, so he patted the child on the shoulder and asked, "How have you learned recently?"

Shen Changshou stood up straight at once, and said nervously: "The new master said that my writing is slowly on the way, but my writing is not very good, so I need to practice more."

The new master Shen Changshou was talking about was the old scholar Shen Ge invited to Shenjia Village. The old scholar was surnamed Li and named Gang Jin. He was not sure about his knowledge, but he was very careful and gentle, and he taught well.

Shen Ge has taught them for a year, so he naturally knows their situation.Many children feel sorry for the paper and ink, and dare not practice more. They only write large characters on a piece of paper every day when they go home, and write on the reverse side after writing on the front side. Such a saving, of course, it is difficult to practice calligraphy well.

Shen Ge said: "Go get your article and let me have a look."

Shen Changshou hurriedly ran over, and took the one he thought was the best written and showed it to Shen Ge.

Shen Ge looked at it and said: "The article is indeed well written, but this handwriting still needs more practice. I have Liu Gong's copybook, you can take it with me later."

When the auntie heard that Shen Ge had something for Shen Changshou, she hurried to the side and said: "Changshou, practice hard, and your uncle will guide you to become a high-ranking official in the future!"

Shen Changshou smiled shyly. Hearing what the auntie said, Shen Ge felt more and more unable to talk to her.

Fortunately, after a while, Shen Hongfa came back. He scooped water to wash his muddy feet in the yard, and then came in wearing straw sandals, "Ge'er, are you here?"

"Well, uncle, I have something to tell you."

"Should we eat here tonight?" Shen Hongfa sat across from Shen Ge, and said to the woman next to him: "Old lady, you cook two good dishes, and Ge'er will have dinner at home tonight."

The auntie responded with a smile, "I'll go and warm the wine for you."

"No need, I'll drink tea for a while, and I won't eat any food. It's too late to go up the mountain."

The aunt heard Shen Ge's refusal, and sat down on her buttocks that had just been raised.

Shen Hongfa glanced at his mother-in-law, held back his breath and said, "Didn't you say you were going to Sanhua's house to look at the cotton, now you go down and have a look, if the cotton is good, we can make a quilt weighing ten catties at home."

The aunt heard the meaning of his words, she was a little unhappy, Shen Hongfa frowned, she had no choice but to leave.

Shen Hongfa sighed, "Ge'er, don't be polite to your uncle, just talk about something."

Shen Ge warmed his hands with tea, and said, "Uncle, I'm going to Beijing in a few days. Please help me look after the houses in the village. I guess I won't be back until next summer or later."

"Why come to Beijing now? Isn't Chunwei next March?"

"The exam started on the first day of March. Uncle, you know that I'm young. It's the first time I go, so I have to make preparations first. Besides, I'll go earlier, so I can get more dictation and write down news. Next spring, I have a better chance."

Shen Hongfa still frowned, "So, you still have to spend this year on the road?"

"How could it be? It will be here in more than ten days, and there is still more than a month before the Spring Festival, so I can make it in time." Shen Ge comforted his uncle, "You know that the eldest son of the master's family is also a juren? My senior brother is now studying in the Imperial College. I plan to go to him and just stay with him for a while, waiting for Chunwei to take the exam together."

When Shen Hongfa heard the news, he felt slightly relaxed, but he still said: "Why don't we go after the new year? It's not too late."

"The difference is a thousand miles away. I can't compare with others. If I relax, I'm afraid I won't have to take the exam next spring. I've made up my mind, and I'll leave it to you."

Shen Hong responded, "When are you going?"

"I'll set off early the morning after tomorrow. I'll go to the county tomorrow to get the paperwork done for the scientific examination. I'll also pack up the rest of the things. Then I can hire a car."

Kunjiu County is not too far from the capital, and it can be reached within ten days at a fast pace, and there is no problem within 20 days by horse-drawn carriage.The transportation here is quite convenient, and there are often carriages and horses traveling between the counties along the way.

Shen Ge guessed that it would not be appropriate to borrow the Xun family's carriage and horses when going to Beijing, so he thought about hiring a car in the county to drive to the capital.There is no need to hire all the way to Kyoto, just hire to the next city, and then change at that time.

These days, their pass is relatively peaceful. The soldiers and horses of the imperial court to suppress the bandits have already sorted out round after round along the way. As long as they are careful, there is no danger.

Furthermore, he is now a Juren anyway, with a reputation, and there will never be many people who don't have eyes and dare to bully him on the road.Shen Ge is more confident about his trip.

Of course, the best thing is to be able to follow the caravan directly to the capital, not to mention the safety of the number of people, and you don't have to deal with all the big and small matters by yourself.

Shen Ge has only been back to Kunjiu County for a few days, and he is going to Beijing again.The rest of the people would sigh at most when they heard the news, but the Niu family had a dispute over it.

Manzi insists on following Shen Ge and taking care of him together.

Manzi's father saw that Manzi followed Chen Ge to Daoning Mansion, back and forth all the way, it took a lot of time, he didn't earn half a penny, and the work in the field was delayed a lot, so he was not happy, "You are a young man, the whole time What are you doing with Shen Juren?"

Shen Ge once wanted to give Manzi money, but Manzi insisted on not accepting it.After all, Shen Ge treated him as a disciple, so he didn't insist anymore.

Now, Manzi's father is very dissatisfied when he sees that Manzi went out and didn't get anything. Naturally, he doesn't want his son to follow him.Seeing that the New Year is coming, I don't know how long it will take to go to the capital. Man Zi is not married yet, so what if I miss the year?

The man said: "Master treats me very well. He teaches me a lot and doesn't charge me a penny to repair it. Shouldn't I serve him?"

Father Niu raised his head and got angry, "How about Shu Xiu? If you want Shu Xiu, send it to Master Juren right now, it's better than you miss it year after year!"

"I have learned a lot from my master. The master said that I will be able to give it a try in the next year and go to the examination of scholar. Is it possible that I should give up now?"

Hearing that his son was going to take the exam, Father Niu told him not to go if it was not good.

Shen Ge didn't intend to bring Manzi this time. Hearing about the quarrel in his family, he went to find him in private before going to do the paperwork, and said bluntly: "You know I have no intention of taking you to Beijing this time."

"Which one can I bring, master?"

"I will take no one with you." Seeing his stubbornness, Shen Ge felt a headache, "You said that you will end up in the next year's exam for a scholar. They won't come back, how do you follow?"

"If the master doesn't come back, I will come back by myself."

"Go by yourself?" Shen Ge glared at him, "What if I have no money to send you back?"

"Then I'll walk back with my legs. Master, I don't worry about you going to Beijing alone."

"Who says I have to hire a car and a horse if I'm alone? Besides, when I arrive in the capital, I may have to live in my brother's house. How will you treat me then? I can't force you to squeeze in?"

"If I don't have a place, I'll find a job, and I can always survive in the capital." Manzi's attitude is firm, "Master, don't persuade me, you just think that I want to go to the capital to see something. The man has ambitions everywhere. I'm not too young, and I should be of the age to go out on my own."

Manzi always had ideas, Shen Ge couldn't convince him, knowing that even if he insisted not to take him, he would follow him secretly, so he had to compromise.

Things were not going well with Manzi, but Shen Ge's paperwork went very smoothly.He has a reputation for raising people, and he is going to take the Jinshi examination. No one in the Yamen sees him and smiles without saying a word, let alone being enthusiastic.

The county magistrate who came here last year also said that he hit it off with Shen Ge and insisted on giving him 100 taels for spending on the road.Shen Ge couldn't refuse, so he had to accept it with a smile.

Lu Zhi packed Shen Ge's things ahead of time.

In fact, there are not many things to bring, the most important things are silver, documents and books, other clothes, shoes and socks, and so on.

Shen Ge originally wanted to hire a carriage to go to the capital, but Luzhi and Guanshi Xun insisted on sending him to the capital.

In the end, Shen Ge failed to talk about them, so he went to Beijing to take the Xun family's carriage.

Early in the morning, Shen Ge bid farewell to everyone and set off for the capital despite the frost.Luzhi, Xun Guanshi and others waved off him reluctantly behind him, making Shen Ge feel very sad.

Along with Shen Ge, apart from Manzi, there were also Li Mianyan and three guards.Xun Feiguang personally ordered Li Mianyan to stay by Shen Ge's side, Shen Ge also knew this, he couldn't stop them from obeying orders, so he had to take the four of them to Beijing together.

Li Mianyan has worked as a security guard for more than ten years and is very familiar with travel matters.With him around, Shen Ge encountered almost no trouble on the way to Beijing.