The Sage of Confucianism and Taoism

Chapter 1740 Literary Meeting Seats

Zhang Zongshi drank tea in silence, with only a few friends he had known many years ago around him. From time to time, people looked at him, not hiding the envy in their eyes.

At this time, a person at the next table asked loudly: "Brother Zhang, why don't you go to Dongting Lake to look for Zhang Longxiang?"

Zhang Zongshi smiled slightly, put down the porcelain cup in his hand, and asked, "Do you want me to tell the truth or lie?"

The first floor of the restaurant suddenly became quiet. Among the friends here, Zhang Zongshi was not the highest-ranking person, not the most powerful, but he was definitely the most promising and the most eye-catching.

The man said: "How about lying?"

"Zhang Mingzhou is a secretive master. If he wants to show up, we can see him standing under the Yueyang Tower. If he doesn't want to show up, we can't find him all over Dongting Lake. Instead of doing something in vain, why not Stay here to drink tea and chat, waiting for the Yueyang Tower Cultural Conference to be held," Zhang Zongshi said with a smile.

"How about telling the truth?" the man continued to ask.

"Zhang Mingzhou will definitely lose when he comes to Xiangzhou. It's better not to disturb his mind. Otherwise, scholars everywhere will say that Fang Xusheng won without force." Zhang Zongshi said with a smile.

Many people laughed. As a person from Jingguo, as a person from Xiangzhou, and as someone who stands with Fang Yun, we really need to have this kind of confidence.

"Yes, Fang Xusheng will definitely win this literary competition! Come, let's all toast to Fang Xusheng!" said a big man wearing a scholar's robe.

Everyone raised their glasses, whether tea or wine, with full blessings and drank up the warm hope.

A scholar said: "Brother Zhang, the reason why we are not in a hurry to go to Yueyang Tower is because we can't get a good place. Then we can sit on the ground outside and watch the excitement. Why are you still here? With your connections, you should be able to occupy A good seat, right? Needless to say, there are four seats: A, B, C and D. I have to leave one seat for you. "

Everyone in the entire restaurant fell silent and looked at Zhang Zongshi curiously.

The seats at this literary conference are a very lively topic.

This cultural gathering was jointly organized by Kongcheng and the Xiangzhou government. Due to the large number of people, it was extremely difficult to arrange seats. Therefore, according to the custom of Kongcheng, five seats were divided, namely Seat A, Seat B, Seat C, Seat Ding and Seat Last. .

Seat A is just downstairs in Yueyang, and the seats in the back are getting further and further away. Up to Dingxi, everyone not only has a separate chair, but also a table for ten people with food on the table.

The last table has only individual seats and no tables, but there are moon cakes presented by the literary society.

Outside the last seat, there are a large number of long benches for seating according to each country's region. However, even these seats are already occupied. After all, the number of people at this cultural gathering will continue to increase and must exceed one million people. Even if many people in Baling City bring their own stools and chairs, it is impossible for everyone to sit down.

The big man on the side said with envy: "No need to ask, with Brother Zhang's talent, he can definitely be ranked at the bottom."

A scholar in blue clothes next to him put away his fan and started talking nonstop.

"That's not necessarily the case. Needless to say, the first seat is where the monarchs of various countries, heads of aristocratic families, great scholars, or powerful ministers of various countries sit. Not only do they have the right to speak in the Holy Court, but they are also enough to decide the affairs of a country. No matter how much a million dollars is, it can't be done. You can't get a seat there. As for the second seat, those present are all bachelors or heads of wealthy families. They have high status in various countries. Although they cannot decide a country's affairs, they have a strong influence on a country. This is also not the case. Have money to sit there.”

"Bing seat is a Hanlin seat. If you are an official, you can influence certain affairs of a state. It is said that Ge Wanwan is in Bing seat. Although his literary position is not high, his control of Qingjiang Commercial Bank is enough to affect the people's livelihood of several states. , it can be said that seat B is the limit that people with low literary status can achieve. , it is impossible to be promoted to the second seat. In addition to the big bosses of Hanlin and major business houses, there are also some young elites or seniors in the third seat. Even those who are not members of the Hanlin family can sit there. , it’s obvious to all, no need to say more.”

"The Ding seat is a seat for Jinshi. In addition to Jinshi, children from ordinary aristocratic families and elites from wealthy families can enter. A few heads of famous families and the richest man in a city are also eligible to sit. These people have a certain influence on the affairs of the government. "

"The last seat is the seat of the people. Chiefs of famous families and wealthy people from all over the country have the means to enter. These people can have an influence on a county. In the past, we might not be able to reach the status of the last person in our lifetime, but with the rise of Wenquxing The strength of the world has skyrocketed, and the vitality of the world has greatly increased. We also have the opportunity to become one of them!"

"Although Brother Zhang is only a young scholar, he speaks very insightfully and has the talent of a Jinshi. However, this literary conference was jointly organized by the Xiangzhou government and Kongcheng. Most of the seat invitations were sent by letter. Brother Zhang With no official seal and no literary name, the possibility of the person in charge of the cultural conference inviting him to the table is very slim."

The big man retorted: "That's not necessarily the case. I heard from a friend who was an official in Baling Mansion that at the last banquet of this literary meeting, not only the juren were invited, but also some famous old scholars and children, as well as It’s not surprising that there are dozens of talented students and scholars invited.”

The scholar in blue said with a smile: "Some people on the list have concluded that this Mid-Autumn Festival has surpassed the Mid-Autumn Festival in Kongcheng in previous years and is the largest literary festival in the past ten years. Only the Canonization Festival can surely win. . In terms of scale and impact on the human race, it is equivalent to a ten-nation competition. There is no room for sloppiness in such an important cultural meeting. Brother Zhang has no one in the government, but he has a very distant relationship with Fang Xusheng. So I think it’s hard for him to be seated.”

The big man said: "Forget it, I won't argue with you, and I won't guess. I'll just ask directly. Brother Zhang, have you received an invitation to the literary gathering?"

The people present were looking at Zhang Zongshi, and some people were even calculating. If Zhang Zongshi really didn't receive an invitation, it would mean that he had almost no relationship with Fang Yun. Even if he used some means to get the Void Saint Blood Poetry Wall, Fang Yun might not show up.

Zhang Zongshi smiled and said: "I didn't want to publicize this matter, but since this brother asked, I will tell you directly. Yesterday afternoon, I received an invitation from the Governor's Office."

"You see, I said that Brother Zhang had an invitation to the last seat!" The big man laughed happily.

The people in the restaurant looked at Zhang Zongshi with envy. The blue-clothed scholar was about to speak, but Zhang Zongshi smiled and said, "It's not the invitation to the last seat, but the invitation to the Ding seat."

The restaurant was silent. It was a very high treatment for a student to get the invitation to the last seat, but Zhang Zongshi could get the invitation to the Ding seat. There was no other possibility except that he was related to Fang Yun.

The hotel owner counted on the abacus and laughed, saying, "Brother Zhang is too tight-lipped. I will tell you the truth. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Brother Zhang will enter the state government as an official. If he does well, he will enter the Governor's Office."

Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect that a big man would really appear here.

"Congratulations, Brother Zhang!" Everyone present looked at Zhang Zongshi with eager eyes, and most of them thought about how to make friends with Zhang Zongshi.

Zhang Zongshi stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you all." He was not arrogant, and there was no difference from before.

The restaurant became lively again, with people discussing Zhang Zongshi's affairs. Suddenly, someone outside shouted, "Zhang Longxiang wrote a poem! Zhang Longxiang wrote a poem on the discussion board!"

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