I have a role in the heavens

Mrs. Sheng nodded when she heard this, thought for a moment, considered the pros and cons, and then replied.

"It's not wrong to do this, and it's also a good thing, but I'm afraid that you may do bad things with good intentions. Zhan'er is now at a critical moment for the imperial examination. He needs to go to Bianjing to take the provincial examination next year. This is the top priority now. Why? But I’m delaying it because of the marriage!”

Sheng Hong also nodded when he heard this. The examination room is so wonderful. The most important thing is to work hard at the same time, otherwise the more you take the exam, the more you will lose your enthusiasm. The most important thing for Li Zhan now is indeed to prepare for the provincial exam, and other matters must be postponed for this reason. But thinking about the tradition of catching a son-in-law in this dynasty, he said with some worry.

"Mother, I don't mean to get Zhan'er married now. You can decide the marriage first to avoid long nights and dreams. It won't be too late to get married after Zhan'er is named on the gold list!"

Mrs. Sheng shook her head in disapproval, took a deep look at her son and daughter-in-law, and explained.

"I'm not an old lady. I don't want the Sheng family to be well, so I don't agree to do this!"

Sheng Hong was in a hurry and didn't understand what Mrs. Sheng meant. He took two steps forward, approached Mrs. Sheng, and asked in confusion.

"What does the mother mean by this? My son doesn't understand. What's wrong with this? Is there anything wrong with it?"

Mrs. Sheng glanced at Sheng Hong and then at Wang Ruofu before explaining.

"After your father passed away, I supported you to study alone. When you were named on the Jinbao and won the Jinshi, I personally sent someone to the Wang family to propose marriage and married Ruofu. Do you remember this?"

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu looked confused, wondering what the old lady was talking about about these old things, but they still nodded.

Old Mrs. Sheng sighed, continued to face the two confused people, stood up suddenly, and read a poem.

"The emperor values ​​heroes, and his articles teach you. Everything is of inferior quality, but reading is the best. If a young man is diligent in his studies, his articles can help him establish himself; all nobles and nobles in the dynasty are full of scholars. Learning through hard work can bring thousands of books to the window; three winters are enough. Whoever uses it laughs at having an empty stomach. He has learned a lot since childhood and has high ambitions in his life. Others carry swords, but I have a pen like a knife. I am a farmer in the morning, and I ascend to the emperor's hall in the evening. I have no seeds at all, and a man should strengthen himself. Learning is the treasure of the body. , Confucianism is the treasure at the table; when you regard him as the prime minister, you must use scholars. Don't be wrong about the Confucian title, and the poems and books will not let others down; if you are well-educated, you can teach the world, but if you are poor, you will be good at yourself. The surviving son will win a lot of gold, how can he teach a scripture; the name will be written on a brocade scroll , Zhu Zi assists the imperial court. There are thousands of literary meanings in ancient times, which must be understood after learning; sages and sages all come out from time to time to enlighten children. The prodigy's shirt is short and the sleeves are big to attract the spring breeze; before going to the emperor, he first comes to pay homage to the husband. Although he is young, his articles More and more day by day; waiting for fifteen or six, he will be admitted in one fell swoop. The big competition is due to the current situation, and the hometown books are promoted by category; the famous titles are immortal and gui books, and Tianfu will be the first to be published. I am happy to be selected by Qianqian, who is high-pressure and handsome; the window is newly removed Traces, the wild goose pagoda has been named early. When he was young, he first ascended the throne, and the emperor returned proudly; Yumen was in the third level, and there was a thunder on the ground. He was admitted to the subject in one fell swoop, when his parents were still young; when he returned to his hometown in brocade clothes, he was carrying a man. The golden list was passed down in the Jade Palace, Your Majesty has given me a head of state; three hundred generations of heroes have followed me on my journey to Yingzhou. A generous husband has ambitions, and he is born into a loyal and filial family; an official must be a prime minister, and he must strive to be the first when he succeeds. The palaces are towering, and the streets are competing for splendor; the wind and clouds are gathering in today's world, The home of emperors throughout the ages. The sun and moon shine and heavenly virtues, mountains and rivers are the residence of powerful emperors; peace cannot be repaid, but I wish for tens of thousands of years to write. A long drought is followed by sweet rain, and I meet an old friend in a foreign land; the wedding room is full of flowers and candles, and when my name is on the gold medal list."

Sheng Hong was a scholar and had a deep understanding of the things written in this poem, so he nodded frequently. However, although Wang Ruofu was the legitimate daughter of a poetry and calligraphy family, she had no knowledge or skills, so she looked at a loss. .

Sheng Hong waited until Mrs. Sheng finished reading, and then asked Mrs. Sheng with admiration.

"Who wrote this poem about mother? It really explains the situation of scholars in one sentence, and my son likes it very much!"

Mrs. Sheng understood Sheng Hong's reaction. She slowly sat down and looked at Sheng Hong and said.

"This poem was written by Zhan'er before he entered school. As a motto to motivate himself, it seems to be quite suitable for his situation now!"

"I work as a farmer in the morning, and ascend to the emperor's hall in the evening; I have no talent in general, but a man should strive for self-improvement. Although he is young, he has written more and more articles; by the time he is fifteen or sixteen, he will be admitted to the imperial examination in one fell swoop."

Sheng Hong repeated a few lines of poetry that impressed him deeply and said with emotion.

"Isn't this poem about Zhan'er? He has passed the exam in one fell swoop and is about to go to Beijing to take the exam. There is no guarantee that he will be honored in the future!"

The vermillion mentioned by Sheng Hong refers to official robes. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the court stipulated that purple should be used for public uniforms above the third rank, vermilion for the fifth rank and above, green for the seventh rank and above, and cyan for the ninth rank and above.

The patterns of official uniforms are also divided into levels. The first and second grades are painted dragons, the third, fourth and fifth grades are landscapes, and the following are flowers and birds. The court attire consists of red clothes and red clothes, with a white silk singlet inside, a large silk belt outside, and crimson silk covering the knees. The body is hung with brocade ribbons, jade and jade bracelets, and white silk stockings and black leather shoes.

Mrs. Sheng deeply agreed with Sheng Hong's words, nodded her head, and said with emotion.

"Since you know that Zhan'er has a bright future in the future, you should understand that although Shulan is a good child, she is probably not suitable for Zhan'er. After all, your cousin is a merchant with a lower status. This marriage will not be beneficial to Zhan'er in the future. !”

Sheng Hong was silent. At this time, he understood his mother's worries. Scholars had the highest status in the dynasty, and young men like Li Zhan, who were already destined to be Jinshi, were the most aristocratic.

Li Zhan was an orphan before. This was a disadvantage, but now it has become an advantage. Many rich and powerful people want to marry a man with a bright future. It is best to be a scholar from the imperial examination. However, they are afraid that the rules in the man's family are strict and they will marry him. It is inevitable to spend time in the morning and dusk, serving the parents-in-law. However, there is no high hall in the family like Li Zhan, but it becomes the favorite. After marrying, you can be the head of the house, without the control of the elders. As for saying that the family has no money and is penniless, these are not a problem. After all, There are only poor scholars, not poor scholars, let alone Jinshi. As long as you become an official, your family will naturally have no shortage of wealth.

"What the mother is thinking about is that her son was not thinking carefully. He only thought about the first level and did not think about the second level!"

Although Sheng Hong was unwilling to give in, he also understood that Mrs. Sheng had considered it carefully. It was not impossible to force Li Zhan to marry Shulan, but that would not be a marriage, but an enmity. Instead, it would push Li Zhan away. will become distant.

At this time, Wang Ruofu also understood what Mrs. Sheng and Sheng Hong meant. It turned out that they disliked Shulan's poor background and was not worthy of Li Zhan, and he felt inexplicable in his heart. He was determined to let his son Changbai improve his studies and gain fame. Li Zhan was a living example.

"Being a farmer in the morning, ascending to the emperor's palace in the evening; a general has no talent, but a man should strive for self-improvement. So well written!"

Wang Ruofu also wrote down this poem, and planned to ask Sheng Hong to write it out later, frame it and put it in his son Sheng Changbai's room to encourage him to make progress.

"Official, after you go back and write this sentence, I will hang it in Brother Bo's room and encourage him to study better!"