Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

As the guards in the Bell and Drum Tower rang the bell for Zi Shi, Lu Ci immediately got up and announced the end of the night self-study, and asked everyone to turn off their candles and go back to the house, and come back at Chen Shi tomorrow.

Zhu said that although he was still reluctant to let go of the books in his hand, he always obeyed Lu Ci's words the most, so he acted faster than Zhong Yuan, who had long been exhausted.

According to Lu Ci's instructions in advance, during the time when they gathered in the hall to practice dictation, the servants in charge of cleaning had cleaned up all the rooms, and the healthy servants had already heated up a cup of tea. The water was poured into wooden barrels and sent to the bedroom for everyone to bathe.

Lu Ci didn't hesitate to spend money and hired so many servants. Naturally, it was not for the extravagance and waste of ostentation, but because he really saw the need.

Only in this way can we ensure that during the final sprint period, apart from reviewing wholeheartedly, they don't need to worry about trivial matters in life.

Liu Qi, who originally felt very uncomfortable in her heart, has become exhausted after a long period of silent study, and has no time to miss Chong Niang at all.

After he took off his clothes, soaked in hot water at a suitable temperature, and smelled the calming fragrance from the fragrant cakes specially lit by the female envoys, he felt strangely exhausted, closed his eyes comfortably, and exhaled.

I really admire the young man Lu Yuyu.

Liu Qi rubbed the center of her brows and couldn't help laughing.

No matter the big or small things, everything was arranged in a comprehensive and thoughtful way. How could he be so reckless and youthful at this age?

On the contrary, it was me, who was older, who kept saying that he wanted to take care of them, but ended up receiving the most care.

No wonder Zhu Di was annoyed at his refusal to study diligently, thinking that he didn't know good from bad.

The more Liu Qi thought about it, the more guilty she felt.

Even tonight, since the moment he gave up seeing Chong Niang, he had already seen through Lu Ci's intention to provoke him before, and he couldn't feel any discomfort.

He is not a blind fool, of course he can tell that Lu Ci's troubles are entirely for his own good.

But such kindness, he couldn't bear it!

After Liu Qi took a bath with a sigh, she wrung out her long wet hair under the service of the maid, changed into white and comfortable pajamas, extinguished the candlelight, and lay obediently on the bed.

Perhaps it was because of a day's brainstorming that the moment the back of his head touched the pillow, he was already fast asleep.

A night without dreams.

As soon as Mao Shi arrived the next day, Liu Qi woke up leisurely.

It's just that as soon as he opened his eyes, he was shocked by the words that he couldn't see clearly because the lights were turned off last night.

I saw a line of big characters clearly written on the pieces of white paper that were pieced together——

"There are still 43 days before the provincial exam!"

Liu Qi: "........."

After realizing who this was a masterpiece, even though he knew that the other party had good intentions, he was still so amused on the spot that he almost spit blood.

Liu Qi touched his chest: "What a Lu Yuyu!"

What's even weirder is that, after staring at the line for only a short while, when he thought that there were only so many days left, he felt a sense of urgency in his usual carefree heart.

Got it.

Lu Jieyuan's tricks came out endlessly, and he couldn't handle it anymore.

Liu Qi lay back on the bed dumbfounded, rolled a few times, sighed and confessed.

After being so frightened, he simply stopped lying on the bed, but got up resignedly, and completely forgot about visiting Chong Niang.

After summoning the servants, sending water to wash, and not waiting for breakfast, for the first time in this day's dawn, I started to read books spontaneously.

When Zhong Yuan, who was sleepy, put on a thin unlined garment, ran out to the latrine, and suddenly saw the light from under the crack in the door of Liu Qi's room, he almost thought he was still dreaming.

After he lazily rubbed his eyes and realized that he was not dreaming, he felt even more horrified.

——Liu Qi gets up early to study, it's like hell!

After everyone got up, Zhong Yuan couldn't hold back immediately, and exaggeratedly exaggerated the glorious deeds of Liu Qi's silent efforts to strengthen himself in the circle of six people.

Liu Qi, who was pretending to be indifferent at first and resisting the urge to show off, finally couldn't stand everyone's surprised looks, so he counterattacked Zhong Yuan with a few words, and only then made the other party feel embarrassed and calm down.

Teng Zongliang still couldn't hold back, he couldn't stop laughing.

Liu Qi said unhappily: "You and I are only half a catty, why are you laughing?"

Teng Zongliang laughed and said: "Laughing is laughing. Dao is one foot taller, and the devil is one foot taller. Brother Liu must be restrained by Brother Yu. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have the chance to meet such a heartless Brother Liu, hahahaha!"

The corner of Liu Qi's mouth twitched, and he secretly wrote down this.

After ignoring the gloating Teng Zongliang, he couldn't help but cast a glance at someone Lu who had the highest morality.

But seeing that the other party didn't even look at him, he just chatted with Zhu and drank tea calmly.

He really hides merit and fame, as if he wasn't the one who posted that thing in Liu Qi's room.

What Liu Qi didn't know was that Lu Ci only posted a countdown to the day in his room.

After all, the serious study attitude of the others is there. Except for Liu Qi, the only one who can't sit still is Zhong Yuan.

But Zhong Yuan already had signs of pre-exam anxiety, so Lu Ci naturally wouldn't let him aggravate such symptoms, but only gave him more rest time to relax.

On the other hand, Liu Qi was too lazy, it was time to tighten her strings.

However, even Lu Ci himself did not expect this trick to be surprisingly effective.

Liu Qi, who was always trying to find ways to sneak up on the singing girls, from this day on, never talked about going out, nor was she lazy at work, but calmed down and took the initiative to review with them every day.

During the intensive preparation for the exam, the [-]th passed by in a flash.

The laughter and noise outside did not disturb them, nor did they see the neighbors who were decorated with lights, but the deafening sound of firecrackers could not be ignored as it shook the sky.

They suddenly realized that the first month has come quietly.

When the others found it fresh and interesting, Liu Qi was shocked and a bit dazed.

...Under the guidance of Lu Ci, did he really keep his ears shut and only read sage books for twenty days?

As usual, just imagining this is enough to make him shudder.

Lu Ci still didn't know Liu Qi's panic, but gave all the servants except those healthy servants whose families were far away in the Daming Mansion, and gave them a one-day New Year's holiday in a reasonable manner.

From Lu Ci's point of view, they were celebrating the New Year in Bianjing for the first time, and they were about to be candidates. The excitement could be reduced, but the peach charms that symbolized auspiciousness still had to be pasted.

As soon as the peach charm was pasted, the long-overdue Chinese New Year atmosphere finally became stronger and stronger.

Zhong Yuan volunteered to post the peach charms together with Yi Shu; Teng Zongliang sent his servants to the street to buy a few strings of firecrackers, and asked everyone to put a string of them to please everyone; Zhu said that he wrote a new couplet, and Liu Qixin composed a joyous song "Congratulations to Liuyou on New Year's Day", in an attempt to trick Lu Ci into drinking a jar of Tusu wine...

Lu Ci was extremely ashamed and said to his friends that he had no special talents, but he had a few bad money and was always a very pragmatic person, so he arranged their New Year's Eve dinner.

And drinking is not only easy to cause trouble, but also delays study, of course it is not allowed.

——Liu Qi's wish was ruthlessly rejected.

As compensation, you can order more main courses and desserts.

——Liu Qi said indifferently that he had never made a similar request.

The cook had been put on leave by him, so Lu Ci was logically handed over to 'Fanlou', the most famous restaurant in Bianjing.

They don't like places that are too crowded and noisy, so Lu Ci naturally took this into consideration when making the arrangement, so he asked the health servant to go to the restaurant, and after the restaurant prepared a table of delicious food, he personally sent the waiter to deliver it to the door Come.

Looking at the happy scene, Liu Qi, who was the only one who failed to fulfill her long-cherished wish and could only substitute matcha because she had no alcohol to drink, was idly and panicked while staring at Lu Ci, who hadn't seen her chopsticks, pretending to be resentful look.

According to his understanding of this cunning Lu Xiaotaotie, the other party probably planned to have such a grand feast long ago, and only used the excuse of the Chinese New Year to order a table full of dishes openly, without using the excuse of extravagance and waste.

If he guesses right, it will be the turn of the second most famous "Rendian" in Tokyo when the Lantern Festival is over.

Lu Ci was keenly aware of Liu Qi's subtle gaze, looked over with a smile, and took the initiative to hold him with chopsticks: "Brother Liu, don't patronize tea, we still have to eat vegetables on New Year's Eve It is."

Liu Qi's face darkened.

He hates eating this thing the most!

However, not sure whether Lu Ci was intentional or unintentional, and with Zhu Shuo watching over him, Liu Qiwei could only accept the kindness with a forced face and a smile, and swallowed the most hated dish raw. go down.

As soon as Liu Qi finished swallowing, Lu Ci came with his chopsticks.

He smiled and said: "Try this too, don't be too polite."

This time it was his favorite fake shark.

Liu Qi, who was slapped and got another candy, inadvertently looked enviously at Shang Zhu, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

——Now he can be sure that Lu Cifang did it on purpose.

Lu Ci smiled at him again, and pushed a small plate of vegetarian cakes: "Don't forget this."

At that time, people believed that eating vegetarian cakes during Chinese New Year could lead to a longer life.

After Liu Qi took it, her face couldn't hold back any longer, she bit a few with a grunt and a smile, while silently forgiving the cunning glutton in her heart.

Even though they are far away from home, they are accompanied by close friends, and these young gentlemen do not feel lonely at all.

Zhu said that his heart felt warmer and fuller than ever before, and he could hardly take his eyes off everyone, especially his favorite brother Yu Yu.

After returning to the house, he still couldn't calm down for a long time. He had to write an article to describe the New Year's Eve dinner before he could be satisfied.

After enjoying a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, everyone did not relax for a day.

After all, what followed was the group meeting ceremony to meet the emperor.

As soon as the Ministry of Rites issued an edict, it ruthlessly wiped out the last bit of luck left in Lu Ci's heart - for the young man who came out on top in the solution test at a young age and was born with a pleasing handsome appearance, they obviously I didn't miss it, but I liked it very much and asked him to give a speech.

Even if the emperor didn't pay much attention to it, the courtiers knew it was just a formality, but in the end it was a precious experience for people to enter the palace for the first time.

Moreover, being able to deliver a speech as a representative means being able to stand out in front of the officials. If you can show your talents and be appreciated by them, even if it is just a win-win, it may be of great benefit when you really enter the court and become an official.

Liu Qi smiled and patted the shoulder of Lu Ci who had been silent since he got the news, and exaggeratedly bowed his hands and said, "Lu Jieyuan stood out and won the honor of giving a speech in the crowd of more than [-] people. Although we can only watch from behind However, as a close friend, I also feel honored."

Lu Ci chuckled: "Brother Chengliu has a good word."

Liu Qi, who still wanted to chase after him for a few more words of ridicule, met his faint smile, and unconsciously felt a slight chill behind his back, and wisely changed his words: "In this way, the speech is not written in vain. .”

Lu Ci gave a casual "hmm", obviously not very interested.

In contrast, thinking about entering the palace for the first time, Zhu Shuo, Yi Shu and Zhong Yuan were much more excited.

Zhu said that his temperament is usually more stable, but at this time he was a little distracted.

The other two thought that it was a fluke after burning incense that they could pass the test. Who knows when the next time will be, of course they couldn't hide their excitement.

Teng Zongliang and Liu Qi, who had been there, looked at them lovingly and tolerantly while eating refreshments leisurely, and gave a few suggestions full of relief from time to time.

This is the vigor that Mr. Xiao Lang should have.

No matter whether it is indifferent, anticipating, or faintly repelling, on the first day of the first lunar month, the tributes from the supervisory army of Zhulu prefectures all put on the best clothes, and they came to the front of the palace radiantly. The guards who checked their identities led them inside.

As Mizhou Jieyuan, Lu Ci stood in the forefront with other Jietou according to the regulations, and because he was going to give a speech in a while, he was even mentioned to the front by the governor official.

Lu Ci let out a long sigh inwardly, but with a slight smile on his face, he thanked the official humbly.

The other party didn't make any response, just smiled lightly.

For this young but not impetuous and domineering Lu Jieyuan, he felt a vague fondness for him.

Especially compared with those other Juren who don't know how much older than him in age, but because it is the first time they were released into the palace, they couldn't hide their excitement and looked around. .

Seeing these people lead the train crookedly, causing the guards to look at each other, he couldn't help but get a headache.

I really don't know how to behave!

What he didn't know was that the ancient palaces, which were even more magnificent than this, were accessible to almost everyone in later generations. Lu Ci had visited many times before, so of course he could take it calmly.

The palaces in the Song Dynasty were all expanded on the basis of the state capital, and because of the extremely dense population in Bianjing, it would be impossible to expand it. Naturally, they are not as magnificent as the palaces in the Tang Dynasty.

When they walked slowly to the front of the forbidden room, they bowed down one after another under the guidance.

Even if they didn't even meet the emperor, after this obeisance, they all became disciples of the emperor in name.

After paying homage, everyone raised their heads again, and couldn't help but cast scorching gazes at the palace where they dreamed of entering and becoming a member of the common rule of the world...

Just at this time, a tall and tall young official wearing a vermilion official uniform and a three-beam crown on his head walked out quickly.

He stood up at a young age, his delicate brows were slightly frowned, and his lips were tightly pursed, obviously thinking about business.

Because he was too focused on other things, he didn't remember in time that at this moment, there were more than 7000 juren standing in the palace and outside the forbidden room, looking at the palace eagerly, looking forward to the official's return. Appear.

His sudden appearance naturally attracted the attention of more than 7000 people in an instant.

"..."

Even though he was quite powerful, he was truly taken aback and froze on the spot.

Lu Ci suppressed his smile, and nodded politely at him, which was regarded as a salute and a reminder.

After reaching this small step, the embarrassing person finally came to his senses.

He subconsciously smiled back at the pretty young gentleman who showed kindness to him, then quickened his pace and left the place in a hurry.

The author has something to say: Notes:

1. The top three hotels in Tokyo: Fanlou, Rendian, and Yuxianlou.

Especially Fanlou: Baifanlou (Fanlou) in Song Dynasty Zhou Mi's "Wild Language of Qidong" "is the best wine shop in the capital, and there are often more than a thousand drinkers"

"Tokyo Menghualu" said: "The Baifan Building was later changed to Fengle Building. The Xuanhe Room was built with three stories high, and the fifth floor faced each other. Candles flicker."

Climbing up to Fan Tower, you can even see inside the palace.

2. The dishes of the gluttonous feast that Lu Ci ordered were all from Song Huizong Zhao Ji's birthday banquet ("Pretending to Live in the Song Dynasty")

3. Qunjian queues are notoriously messy. For this, Shen Kuo also described it in Volume [-] of "Mengxi Bi Tan" as "it is often said that the queues in the palace cannot be neat, and there are only three colors, which are Juren, Fanren, and camels." .”

4. In the Song Dynasty, being able to solve a problem was not considered a meritorious honor. Once you failed the provincial examination, you would still be dressed in white.The next time you take the tribute exam, you have to start again from the Fajie Examination (I have marked the privilege of exempting from the solution in the previous chapter notes).

The provincial examination can be said to be the most important of the triple examinations, because the dismissal rate of the palace examination is still very low. Starting from Song Zhezong, even those who have passed the provincial examination will not be dismissed in the palace examination, even if they commit serious crimes. Mistakes are just pushed to the back. ("Imperial Examinations and Song Dynasty Society")

5. According to the annals of the Song Dynasty, the clothing of officials above the third rank is purple, that of officials above the fifth rank is vermilion, that of officials above the seventh rank is green, and that of officials above the ninth rank is blue.

Three-beam crown, rhino horn hairpin guide, no middle order, silver sword, pendant, teacher's brocade ribbon, silver ring, and five-beam crown.The third rank of various divisions, the fourth rank of Yushitai, and the fifth rank of the two provinces serve the shrines and court meetings.The Yushi doctor and Zhongcheng have Xiezhi horns on their crowns and Zhongdan on their clothes. (Dai Sanliangguan is a third-rank, fourth-rank, and fifth-rank official, and a middle-level official of the court.) ("Song History? Yufu Zhi")

6. Kaifeng Mansion in Bianjing or Lin'an Mansion, the capital of the capital, were both expanded on the basis of the state capital, so the palace buildings also bear the imprint of the expansion of the state government, which is naturally inferior to the Chang'an Palace in the Tang Dynasty. (Kaifeng, Bianjing, was originally the seat of the office of Bianzhou Jiedushi in the Tang Dynasty. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, it was Tokyo in the Later Liang, Later Jin, and Later Zhou Dynasties) ("Cultural History of the Two Song Dynasties")

7. Peach charm

Auspicious couplets or door gods exorcising ghosts are pasted on the door, which are called peach charms.In the Han Dynasty, peach wood was used to carve a seal and hang it on the door. It was called "Peach Fu", which could ward off evil spirits.Later, the peach seal was changed to engrave the two door gods Shentu and Yulei, who exorcised ghosts, and they were called Taoban.During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Shu Kingdom in today's Sichuan area first wrote couplets (couplets) on peach boards.According to the "Miscellaneous Notes on the Years of the Dynasty": "The peach charms of the Song Dynasty were made of thin wood plates two or three feet long and four or five inches in size. Spring lyrics (spring couplets) or words of prayer in books, and new ones on New Year's Day.

8. Drink Tusu wine

"Suihua Jili" contains: "Every New Year's Eve, a paste of Lilu medicine is left behind, and the pouch is soaked in the well. On the first day, the water is taken and placed in a wine bottle, and the family drinks it, and the plague will not be sick."

9. Vegetarian cakes "Sui Shi Za Ji" records: On the first day, people in Beijing (Bianjing) eat more vegetarian cakes (noodles, as long as ropes, hence the name).At that time, people believed that eating vegetarian cakes could lead to a long life.