Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

This year, the tribute was suspended, and Teko, including Tongzike, was not spared, and they stopped together.

Now Lu Ci doesn't need to bother to find an excuse to push back the good intentions of his masters, but if he delays any longer, he might end up with many famous people who have only memorized his articles in textbooks, which makes him act decisively. Adjustment planning is selected.

He originally planned to devote himself to studying for a few more years, and when he was 16 years old, he would pass the examination of Jinshi to strive to become an official in one step.

However, according to the official style of doing whatever he wants and accumulating talents, he may be fully prepared when that day comes, but aren't those really great talents who have honed their swords for ten years and are waiting to test their edge?

Lu Ci suddenly had one head and two big ones.

At this time, the content of the Jinshi examination had not undergone drastic changes by Wang Anshi, and it was still dominated by poetry, rhetoric, scriptures, and Mo Yi.

The latter two mostly rely on rote memorization. It is true that Lu Ci, who has an excellent memory, has no difficulty, but it is naturally not a problem for those geniuses.

It is poetry and prose that really widens the gap between applicants.

Between poetry and fu, Fu is the main one.

So, is he going to compare poems and songs with Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, and Wang Anshi?

The corner of Lu Ci's mouth twitched.

...that picture is so beautiful.

Lu Ci, who always takes pragmatism as the first element, after weighing the pros and cons, decided to make two preparations.

He thinks that as a down-to-earth, hard-working and simple student, he should take shortcuts if he can honestly.

Regardless of Changke and Teke, as long as you can pass the exam, it is a good subject.

On the one hand, continue to prepare step by step for the examination of Jinshi, and on the other hand, increase the intensity of review in post scriptures and Moyi in spare time, and focus on preparing for the boy's section that is coming at any time.

If the children's department starts next year, let's end first.

As for the boy's future after passing the exam, it is uncertain, but at least he has an official position to support him, he is willing to work well, and with a little luck, he will not be so disheartened and hopeless.

Moreover, the Northern Song Dynasty set the qualifications for candidates quite loosely, and did not restrict officials from going to the examination room. It is not a good experience to go to the examination room, but if the way out brought by Tongzi Ke is not so satisfactory, it may not be impossible to end again.

It is equivalent to starting from scratch after a little training in the officialdom. By then, I will have more contacts and experience, and maybe I don't have to cross this single-plank bridge again.

Lu Cishi finished his breakfast in a daze, and then raised his eyes to see Zhu Shuo's double-mindedness, smiling happily from time to time while reading the newspaper, and frowning while eating...

"Brother Zhu," Lu Ci gritted his teeth secretly, and patiently waited for Zhu Shuo, who was immersed in his own world, to finish his breakfast, and said kindly, "I'm in a hurry to go back to my room to study, or is there any arrangement for the poetry club?"

Zhu said that when he heard this, he understood what Lu Ci meant, and immediately regained his energy, and put down the newspaper he just finished reading without hesitation: "There is no rush, and there is no arrangement. If Brother Lu is useful, I will help you." place, please speak."

Don't say that there is really no, even if there is, Zhu said that he will immediately push it down in response to Brother Lu's invitation.

"Today and tomorrow, Liquan Temple will open the trading of Wan surnames," Lu Ci said with a smile: "There will be no shortage of people's photo booths, acid essay shops, fan painters..."

Zhu said that he could know the elegant meaning by hearing the strings: "I would like to go and have a look."

But Lu Ci shook his head and added: "To tell the truth, Brother Zhu, my poetry and prose are quite weak. Is my brother interested?"

What Lu Ci said about selling essays was not only selling his ready-made poems and prose with clearly marked prices, but also including accepting on-the-spot propositions to compose poems.

He graciously invited Zhu Shuo to go with him. Apart from simply being a companion for himself and adding extra money to Zhu Shuo, the main reason was that what scholars need to sell sour essays in the market is talent and courage. , is not something to be ashamed of.

Not to mention hidden dragons and crouching tigers among them, there are many unknown masters of prose. It is even more different if the poems and prose are outstanding, can be sold at high prices, and are still sought after by people in the market.

Especially once the name is spread, the possibility of being appreciated by the nobles will be virtually increased. No matter how you look at it, it will be a good thing to increase your reputation.

Of course, there are also some poems and essays that are mediocre, but put high prices beyond their means, and finally end up in the cold in front of the booth, so they can only go back in despair, hoping that no one will remember that they have been here.

Zhu said that he had little resistance to novelty, but after Lu Ci clearly stated the pros and cons, he felt a little more eager to try.

After Lu Ci told Mother Lu, he called Zhong Yuan together. He rode the donkey, and the other two went to the market to rent a donkey each, and then met at the foot of the mountain, so that they could go to Liquan Temple together. went.

Every festive season, Liquan Temple will open a market for the exchange of surnames. Although it is far inferior to the scale of Daxiangguo Temple in Bianjing, which can accommodate thousands of people in the two courtyards, there are still a lot of people who go there, even donkeys. Rents have also gone up a bit.

Zhong Yuan compared several companies and found that they were all a little more expensive than usual, so he simply stopped renting and went up the mountain on his own.

After Lu Ci heard about his decision, he couldn't help raising his eyebrows, looked him up and down twice, until Zhong Yuan tilted his head uncomfortably, and then said jokingly: "Zhong Lang is very well-dressed today. A handsome gentleman!"

Zhong Yuan was praised unexpectedly, he was more embarrassed and annoyed than happy, and said in a low voice, "Where is it, it is not as elegant as Lu Lang."

Zhu said that the focus of attention is on the small things that Zhong Yuan tried hard to hide.He endured it, but he couldn't, and asked curiously, "Brother Zhong, why did you bring Wu with you? Are you going to the Cuju club soon?"

Lu Ci smiled: "It seems that Brother Zhong is going to 'sell for nothing'."

Now that he had been discovered, Zhong Yuan didn't hide anymore, he just raised his head triumphantly, and urged: "If you don't leave, passers-by will block the mountain road!"

It is an exaggeration to block the mountain road, but it is also crowded enough - the narrow mountain road can only accommodate a donkey and a cart.As soon as a donkey cart passes by, it has to be moved aside, which makes it more crowded.

Especially today, the sun is just right, and the spring is strong. There are romantic children wearing cool shirts and riding donkeys, walking together; there are more reserved beauties who arrange flowers in small sedan chairs; concubine.

Zhu said that as he walked and watched all the way, he felt dizzy. Even before he reached the busiest market, he already felt the intoxicating beauty of spring.

This is completely different from the hustle and bustle of the Lantern Festival, but each has its own merits and is still fascinating.

From time to time, Lu Ci turned his head to look at Zhu Yue, who was in a daze. Seeing him intoxicated, he felt very cute. When talking with Zhong Yuan, the smile on his face deepened a little.

For some reason, Zhong Yuan was gradually not willing to look at Lu Ci's beautiful smiling eyes. He always felt that his rough skin was numb, as if he had been numb after being lightly touched by electricity. What's the matter.

He couldn't figure it out, so he simply turned his eyes away generously, and sighed: "You take this brother Zhu who has no relatives and no reason, it's like adding a son to your heart."

From the corner of his eye, Lu Ci saw that Zhu Shuo was concentrating on enjoying the scenery and didn't hear Zhong Yuan's words, so he didn't accept the teasing, and just laughed it off.

But after a while, he raised his eyes suddenly, slightly surprised: "Zhong Lang, take a look, is that Miss Ji Er?"

Mrs. Ji Er is the girl that Zhong's mother met Zhong Yuan last month. After the two parents arranged to see each other on the boat, although they were shy because of shyness, they were very satisfied with each other, so Zhong Yuan gave it to her. After inserting the hairpin, they got engaged again, only waiting for the marriage in the twelfth lunar month.

Zhong Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked in the direction he said: "Which one? Where?"

Lu Ci smiled lazily and said without sincerity, "Oh, it's my eyes that are dazzled."

Zhong Yuan: "..."

The corners of Lu Ci's lips were slightly raised, and the end of his voice was also slightly raised, with a playful smile on his brows and eyes: "I wondered that Zhong Lang usually only watched these markets instead of going out to join in the fun, why did he bring him today?" Going to fight in vain, it turned out that he wanted to perform well in front of his sweetheart."

After being easily exposed by Lu Ci, Zhong Yuan didn't realize that Lu Ci was deliberately playing tricks on him, just to retaliate against his teasing just now.

But he was fooled, and confessed all his thoughts to Lu Ci!

He stared angrily at the smiling Lu Ci several times, but what he didn't know was that his killing intent had dropped sharply because his face was completely flushed with shame.

In the end, he wisely chose not to confront Lu Ci head-on, but screamed strangely, pushed away the flow of people, ignored the complaining stares of others, and rushed up the mountain.

Zhu Shuo was finally brought back to his senses by the movement, and asked in surprise, "Brother Zhong, what's wrong?"

Lu Ci gracefully unfolded the folding fan of the landscape painting, and shook it with a smile: "Young people who are about to get married always have more blood, so don't take offense."

Zhong Yuan disappeared as soon as he ran away, Lu Ci and Zhu said that of course they were not worried about him, they probably went looking for his fiancée.

They walked around the market in order to find the cultural market, and then find a suitable location for their poetry stall.

The stalls sell all sorts of strange things, and some of them have extremely exquisite and detailed embroidery, but the asking price is not high, which attracts many buyers to choose from, and Zhu said that he can't help but look at it a few times.

Lu Ci smiled and said, "If Brother Zhu is interested in nun's embroidery, this is a good time to start."

Although it is a market opened in Liquan Temple, the merchants it accepts come from all over the place, and among them are the proud works of teachers and wives from several nearby nunneries.

Most of the embroidery they sell is for repairing the nunnery, so the asking price is not high, and buyers who have formed a good relationship will be more favored because of this.

The surrounding Taoist temples are not far behind, but what they sell are mostly interesting foods that they have researched. There are already three or four people waiting in front of the famous "Wang Dao Sheng Fried" stall.

Zhu said and shook his head quickly.

Both of them are obviously more interested in shopping for old books than small luxury items such as embroidery, or delicious food.

Lu Ci casually took Zhu Shuo around Changshi, and was stopped by countless familiar faces as usual. When he finally got away, he turned to the place where the bookstall was set up. Most of the people gathered there were scholars. Instead of ordinary people.

Zhu said that he had only passed a few stalls before he had no self-control and unfortunately emptied his wallet in exchange for a pile of heavy old books.

"It's a good thing I didn't let you bring out all your belongings." Lu Ci sighed sincerely: "Otherwise, if the harvest is not good today, you will have to drink the northwest wind."

Zhu said that just because of his enthusiasm, he was persuaded by the eloquent seller, so he couldn't hold back and bought so many old books that he had only heard but never seen. At this time, he also knew that he was too intemperate.

After Lu Ci said this, his face turned red with shame, and he didn't dare to say anything.

Lu Ci could not bear to smile at his appearance of being unable to move an inch, and stopped hitting him, and said kindly: "We won't go far, let's set up a stall here."

Zhu said he breathed a sigh of relief, since he followed the example of kindness.

They chose an open space, tied their donkeys behind them, set up a simple stall with three or five times, hung up the prepared paper, and put out the signs selling poems and essays. up.

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. The content of the Jinshi examination has undergone three major reforms in the Song Dynasty.At this time, it was in the early Northern Song Dynasty, and poetry and prose were still the main ones.

Specifically, one test poem, one Fu, and one essay, five strategies, ten quotes from "The Analects of Confucius", and ten articles on "Spring and Autumn" or "Book of Rites".

Tiejing is similar to modern fill-in-the-blank questions.

Moyi is similar to modern dictation questions.

Poems are provincial inscriptions, but they are not more important than Fu and tribute.It is mainly used to obtain scholars.There was a man named Wang Shi who was so good at writing Fu that he was hand-picked as the number one scholar. ("General History of China's Imperial Examination System - Song Dynasty Volume")

2. Restrictions on applicants:

Officials can apply!But the petty official can't.

Will explain in detail later. ("General History of China's Imperial Examination System - Song Dynasty Volume")

3. Selling sour writing: "Meng Liang Lu" said, "Li Ji sells sour writing in the clothing market, Cui Guanren sells sour writing, Cui Guan Renxiang calligraphy stall, plum and bamboo fan noodles, and Zhang Ren paints landscape fans."The so-called "selling sour essays" is to sell their own poems and essays at night markets with clearly marked prices, and they can write essays and poems on the spot.

When Qiu Wanqing, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, was not famous, he also once "sold poems with cards, thirty essays each. He stopped writing and grinding ink, and was fined fifteen dollars" ("Song: The Dawn of Modern Times")

4. 毬: The "Dynasty Facts Class Garden" written by the Song Dynasty records: "The (previous) cuju is made of skin, and the middle is made of objects. Kicking is also a play, and it is also called 毬yan. Today's cuju is made of oxen. If you hold Qi and open it, you will like to jump.” It means that in the past, solid balls were used for Cuju, but the Piju used by people today is an inflated hollow ball, with the bladder of a cow or pig as the core. Wrapped in cowhide, it has good bounce.

Twelve petals of tanned soft cowhide are used to sew, "Twelve fragrant skins, square and round like the sky. A set of fragrant cells, and the qi of mother and child belong to it"

If it is inflated, a small blower is used, which is called "扎揎" by Song people. "Those who hit the pole need to add energy. Although things are easy, they are actually difficult. Don't be too firm. If you are firm, the color (that is, the leather ball) will be buoyant, and the strength will be damaged if you kick it. Don't be too wide. If it is wide, the color will be weak and the kick will be weak. It’s not worth it; you have to use nine points of breath, which is moderate.” Song Dynasty Piju also had a standard weight of “14 taels”, which is similar to the weight of today’s football. ("Song: The Dawn of Modern Times")

5. Spring outing for women:

The women of scholar-bureaucrat families are more particular, "there are still ladies and gentlemen of noble families who arrange flowers in small sedan chairs without hanging curtains." They ride in small sedan chairs, but the sedan chair curtains are drawn to let the spring into their arms, and the sedan chairs are filled with freshly picked flowers. flowers.

6. Nun Embroidery and Wang Dao Sheng Fried:

Daxiangguo Temple is a temple, but it "opens the transactions of all surnames five times a month", so it is also the largest commercial transaction center in Tokyo.The Song people's notes "Yan Yi Yi Mou Lu" said: "Tokyo's Xiangguo Temple is Naiwa City, where monks' houses are scattered, and the two verandahs in the atrium can accommodate thousands of people. All business and travel transactions are gathered in it. Those who resell other things must do so.”

"Tokyo Menghualu" described in more detail the lively scene of the "Trading of All Surnames" in Daxiangguo Temple: "There are birds, cats and dogs on the three gates, rare birds and beasts, and everything is there." It is a pet. The market; "the second and third gates use real things, and there are colored curtains and open houses in the court to sell shop covers, mats, screen curtains, washing, saddles and bridles, bows and swords, seasonal fruits, dried preserved fruits, etc." The daily necessities market; near the Buddha Hall sells "Mengjia Daoguan, Wang Daoren Honey Fried, Zhao Wenxiu Brushes and Pan Gumo", etc., which is a cultural market; , pearls, emeralds, hair-colored gold patterns, Futou, hats, special bun crowns, silk threads and the like", handicrafts made by nuns in various monasteries are sold; It is also a cultural market; "the back corridors are full of Japanese (diviners) goods, expressiveness and the like", and the goods bought and sold are the supplies of fortune-tellers.

The literati in the Song Dynasty liked to visit the Daxiangguo Temple the most.After Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng got married, the young couple often went to the Daxiangguo Temple to "treasure", enjoying themselves so much that they forgot to return.

The cooking skills of the monks of Daxiangguo Temple are also very superb. "Whenever there is a fast meeting, everyone who eats tea and fruit, and uses utensils, even if the score is three to five hundred, they will do it with arrogance."There are also restaurants in Daxiangguo Temple.Huiming, a monk of Daxiangguo Temple, is a good cook, especially good at roasting pork, so that he got the nickname of "Roasting Pig Yard". ("Song: The Dawn of Modern Times")