To The Land of Nevernight

Tang Shen told the truth about his going to the county exam next year.

Liang Song glanced at him: "What else are you hiding?"

Tang Shen said righteously: "It's gone."

"Why do I have to refer to it next year?"

Tang Shen fell silent.

"If you don't tell the truth, I don't care about you, a little rascal. It depends on how you passed the county exam with your unreadable handwriting!"

Tang Shen thought to himself that there were still a few months left, so it would be a big deal to practice calligraphy and study at home every day. With my Ph.D. .

... Shouldn't it be a problem, right?

Liang Song: "Huh?"

Seeing the teacher pretending to be serious, Tang Shen thought for a while, and had no choice but to tell the story of his bragging.

Liang Song laughed: "What did I think it was? It turned out that I was angry with your cousin. No matter how smart you are, you are only a 13-year-old child. Occasionally, some children have normal tempers. Fortunately, this time you are talking about the county. Examination, if you are talking about the provincial examination, even the reborn Wenqu star can only fail."

Tang Shen: "The boy is not stupid enough for that."

Liang Song glanced at him: "It's crazy enough."

Tang Shen pretended to be foolish.

Tang Shen didn't know that Liang Song decided to ask him why, not because he was too curious, but because he was worried about what would affect Tang Shen, so he decided to take the county exam ahead of time.Tang Shen is still young and talented, if someone finds out that he is Liang Bowen's student and feels jealous, they may sow discord and provoke him to take the county exam early.Once he fails the ranking, it is very likely that his confidence will be greatly damaged, resulting in an ending that hurts Zhong Yong.

Liang Chan: "You said earlier that you have memorized the Four Books and Five Classics backwards."

"Yes."

"With your abilities, the county exam shouldn't be difficult. If that's the case, you go to the prefectural school to report today. Butler Liang, you go with him and talk to Yu Boyan."

The housekeeper said: "Yes."

Tang Shen came early, he had breakfast at home, Liang Song left him to drink a bowl of hot porridge.After breakfast, Tang Shen and the housekeeper went to Ziyang Academy, before leaving, Liang Song said again: "Wait a minute, I'll write a letter." Soon, he wrote a letter in the study and handed it to the housekeeper.

Ziyang Academy is in the south of the city. When Tang Shen and the housekeeper entered the academy, the students had already started classes.

The gate of the academy is a single door with double eaves and a mountain top, and a four-character plaque with "Ziyang Academy" in white characters on a black background hangs in front of the main gate.The Literary Federation of Ziyang Academy was inscribed by Liang Bowen himself last year. On the right side of the pillar is the first couplet "Immortal Bearing Dew Plate", and on the left is "Talking and Laughing Han Moxiang".

After entering the academy, I heard the sound of students reading.

The ancients paid attention to reading aloud in order to memorize it by heart.Except for very few related households like Tang Shen, and rich children who bought school certificates to study, at least those who can study in the government school are scholars.Every scholar passed the county examination and became a child student; and then passed the government examination and became a scholar.Only when you become a scholar can you be eligible to enter the government to study.

However, even if they are scholars, they are just students in the government school.

Tang Shen followed the steward, bypassing the saint's shrine and lecture hall, and found Yu Boyan, the head of Ziyang Academy.

Yu Jing, courtesy name Boyan, was a Jinshi in the 14th year of Kaiping.He was already over half a hundred years old when he became a Jinshi. Three years ago, he was dismissed and returned to the field, and came to Ziyang Academy as the head of the mountain.

When the butler saw Yu Boyan, he bowed to him.Tang Shen also saluted.

Yu Boyan took the letter and read it again, then looked up at Tang Shen.Then he read the letter carefully again, and said, "I already know what Mr. Liang means, but now the entrance ceremony has passed, and there are only four months left before the county exam. So, your name is Tang Shen?"

"Student is."

"Just be an auditor, and you can study with other students every day."

Entering the government school was easier than Tang Shen thought, so he took his book basket to study at the government school the next day.The ancients didn't pay much attention to transfer students or transfer students.The teacher who was teaching that day entered the classroom, caught a glimpse of Tang Shen out of the corner of his eye, quickly looked away, and began to give lectures, without the process of "introducing transfer students" at all.

Not only the masters, but other students didn't care about Tang Shen either.At first, some people were surprised that there was a sudden addition of a strange face. After the first class, several students gathered together and quietly looked at Tang Shen's side.

After a while, a slightly fat little fat man was pushed over by the crowd.The fat man wore a jade crown on his head, and a jade pendant of Hetian white jade was tied around his waist.He walked to Tang Shen's desk and said, "My name is Sun Yue, what's your name?"

The other party was nothing more than that, Tang Shen said: "Tang Shen." After a pause, he said again: "What is Yue? The Yue girl who picks lotus is Yue?"

Sun Yue was taken aback for a moment: "No, it's the Yue of the Four Seas and Five Mountains."

Tang Shen thought to himself: So it's not Sun Yue.

How did Sun Yue know that Tang Shen had connected him with a well-known comedian in later generations in his heart, he said: "You are a new face, I have never seen it before. Where are you a scholar, have you just arrived in Gusu Mansion?" Although you are tall, you are very thin. Are you 15 years old?"

Tang Shen: "I'm thirteen this year, not a scholar."

"Hey, aren't you a scholar?"

The students in the distance also heard Tang Shen's words, they were slightly relieved, and most of the hostility in their eyes subsided.

But Sun Yue was overjoyed. He sat down on the seat next to Tang Shen, and said, "Then you are like me. Your family donated money to study in Ziyang Academy? Don't be afraid, we are on the same rope." Grasshopper."

Tang Shen didn't explain that he didn't donate money to get in, but came in through connections.He is a student of Liang Daru, so there is no need to publicize this matter everywhere.He couldn't laugh or cry and said, "I'm not afraid, besides, we are grasshoppers on the same rope again."

Sun Yue: "Did you see those classmates? They are all scholars. In today's lecture hall, you and I are not scholars. They have been admitted to scholars after ten years of poverty, but they have to pass the college entrance examination and become a student. It's too difficult. If you don't pass the college exam, it will be as difficult as ever to take the township exam. They thought you were a scholar from other places and just moved to Gusu Mansion, so you just entered the academy, and you will have to take the college exam with them in the future. There are only more than 20 people in each county in the college entrance examination, you are so young, you must be very smart to be admitted to the scholar, and you are not their strong enemy."

There is some truth to that.

Sun Yue patted his chest: "Don't be afraid, I will cover you from now on."

With a slight movement of his nose, Tang Shen moved closer, smelling the smell of the little fat man, and his heart moved: "Scent of sweet-scented osmanthus?"

Sun Yue said with a smile: "I didn't expect you to have such a good nose. That's right, this is the sesame oil my mother brought back from Zhenbao Pavilion a few days ago. This thing seems to be called golden strands, and now the entire Gusu Mansion can't buy it. I let you smell it today. If you like it, I will change the smell tomorrow and let you smell it again."

"...Would you just let me smell it?"

Sun Yue said vigilantly: "Why, this thing is very expensive, do you want me to give you a bottle?"

Tang Shen laughed, and the relationship between the two drew closer.

Soon, a lecture came to class, and everyone sat down.

On the other side, on Suijin Street, in front of the Tang family's Zhenbao Pavilion shop, Mrs. Tang in brocade got out of the carriage and entered the shop.Not long after she entered the shop, she met an acquaintance.The man opened his mouth and said, "Mrs. Tang, I haven't seen you for a long time. I didn't expect to meet you today."

Mrs. Tang said with a smile: "Mrs. Wang, I have time to come to my Zhenbao Pavilion today. Do you have something you like?"

The maid accompanying Mrs. Wang said: "If you go back to Mrs. Tang, our wife has already bought a lot of things."

Mrs. Tang looked at the shopkeeper: "Give Mrs. Wang a bottle of golden wisp." Turning around, she asked, "What flavor does Mrs. Wang like?"

Before Mrs. Wang could open her mouth, the shopkeeper said, "Mrs. Wang picked golden strands of rose flavor twice before."

Mrs. Tang winked, and the shopkeeper immediately took a bottle of rose-flavored essential oil, put it in a box for Mrs. Wang, wrapped it in brocade, and handed it to the maid.

Mrs. Wang said: "Your stuff smells good and lasts a long time, but it's not sold anymore. But you never plan to sell it?"

Mrs. Tang said helplessly: "How do you know that my golden thread is very difficult to make, and I haven't made the first batch yet, so I can only use it as a souvenir and give it to my sisters first. The cost is too high, and ordinary people How can I afford it, each bottle of this kind of thing is not cheaper than a foot of Su brocade."

Mrs. Wang was surprised: "So expensive?"

"That's not true! The entire Gusu Mansion, including you, Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Zhao in the west of the city, Mrs. Li in the east of the city, and the county magistrate's wife have used it. The good things in Gusu Mansion, which one is not only the five sisters first .”

Mrs. Wang left with her maid, and Mrs. Tang asked the shopkeeper, "In the past half a month, has anyone taken the golden strands?"

The shopkeeper counted a list.

The servant girl said: "Ma'am, it's not just Mrs. Wang and five people."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Wang is only familiar with these four wives. The five of them have been well since they were young. They rarely interact with other wives in the Gusu Mansion, and they will not mention this matter to others. Besides, even if they know that someone has used it As for the golden strands, it only needs to be said that they will be given away after today."

The shopkeeper said: "Madam, when will we start selling this golden thread? It's not an idea to always give it to distinguished customers like this."

Mrs. Tang carefully asked about the delivery of essential oils from the shopkeeper, and the evaluation of these distinguished guests on the essential oils.She said, "Wait a little longer."

At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Shen went to the workshop to inspect the first batch of goods.

This time he was selling soaps and essential oils.I also made a batch of soap, but it just didn't move.

Yao San: "Little boss, why don't you sell that soap together. Essential oils are extremely expensive, and ordinary people can't afford them. Fragrance soap is cheaper, but it's not as good as soap. It's high quality and cheap."

Tang Shen: "Wait a little longer. Do you know what celebrity effect is?"

Yao San was taken aback: "Celebrity effect?"

Tang Shen thought for a while, and explained the celebrity effect of the ancient version: "If I tell you now, Liang Daru uses Hui ink every time he writes, and he loves Hui ink the most. You are a scholar, would you also want to use Hui ink? "

"That's natural!"

"But Hui ink is very expensive, and ordinary people can't afford it, so I can only think about it. But if I tell you after a while that you can't afford Hui ink, but you can afford the Tang family Yanghao pen that Liang Daru likes to use, you will Won't buy it."

"What is the Tang family's Yanghao brush, Xiaodong, since when did we make Yanghao brushes?"

"Hey, for example, you said the answer is."

"That's even more worth buying!"

Tang Shen smiled and said, "That's enough. Liang Daru is the benchmark for scholars in Gusu Mansion, so what kind of person do you think is the benchmark for all the wives and girls in Gusu Mansion?" Knowing that Yao San couldn't answer, Tang Shen said: "The wives and girls of rich families are their benchmarks."

Yao San nodded with a half understanding.

Tang Shen said helplessly, "Just wait!"

On the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Tang family's Zhenbao Pavilion was closed for renovation, and several ladies who often came to buy cosmetics were very puzzled.The Tang family's business is exquisite and clear, and even if the door is closed, they still send a servant to wait outside the door.These wives and ladies were wondering, the young man immediately stepped forward and said, "It will reopen on the sixth day of the lunar new year."

A maid asked: "What is this? Why is the shop closed?"

Boy: "I don't know either, I just heard from the shopkeeper that he wants to get some rare items and sell them on the sixth day of the lunar new year."

Mrs. Wang said, "But that expensive golden strand?"

"I don't know."

Mrs. Wang had some calculations in her heart, thinking: I must come and see on the sixth day.

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, several wealthy wives and ladies from Gusu Mansion unexpectedly came to Zhenbao Pavilion by coincidence.They were taken aback when they saw each other, and entered the store together.The Zhenbao Pavilion that just opened is no different from usual, just like the other famous makeup shops in Gusu Mansion, it is rich and grand, but it is only rich and magnificent.

It's just that there are many more wives from wealthy families today.

Mrs. Wang entered the shop curiously, and just after taking two steps, her gaze was suddenly attracted by something by the window.

The author has something to say: the pair of door couplets in Ziyang Academy quoted Li Shi's "Send Lu Wu View".