The seventh day of October is the beginning of winter.
As the saying goes, the water begins to freeze at the first moment; the ground begins to freeze at the second moment. Here in Beizhili, it has begun to turn cold and freezing, especially in the early morning. Farmers who previously took a shortcut to cross the water barefoot now mostly choose to cross the water on a bridge.
.
Of course, there are differences between north and south.
There is still residual heat in the south, the air is cool and cool, and there is little rain and dryness. It is a good time to go sightseeing.
In the north, it is gradually getting wintery, and the feeling of desolation is gradually rising.
Pedestrians traveling from south to north during this season have a particularly clear sense of the climate differences between the north and the south.
A horse-drawn carriage with the yellow flag "Ministry of Rites Examination" was driving slowly on the official road.
This yellow flag is a sign of entering Beijing to take the exam, and it is called a bus. The chief secretaries of various places will issue silver coins and fire tokens to the examinees. The fire token can borrow carriages at the stations along the way.
There will be an examination in February, which means that there are still more than a hundred days until spring.
Walking in winter is inconvenient and you are also susceptible to wind and cold.
I arrived in Beijing too late in the spring to review the past and learn the new.
Therefore, going to Beijing to prepare for the exam in this late autumn has become the choice of most candidates.
At this moment, the sky has not yet appeared, and the road is very dark.
A morning breeze blew by.
Li Kun, who was driving, couldn't help shivering and tightened his clothes.
It stands to reason that since he came to Beijing from Henan, the climate should not be much different, but he clearly felt that the further north he went, the harsher the weather.
Maybe...it's because he is already thirty-eight years old and no longer suffers from the cold. Li Kun touched his beard and sighed.
It's a pity that the bus you can borrow at the post station with a fire license is only a horse-drawn carriage, and there will be no post staff to drive you there.
If I had known earlier, I would have waited until it was clear and warm before going out.
Li Kun thought wildly and whipped the horse twice with a whip.
The morning light is dim, the chill gradually subsides, and it becomes cool and comfortable.
There were gradually more pedestrians and carriages on the road.
After all, it is the border of Northern Zhili. Many people go out to cut wood and work in agriculture early in the morning, and even more people go up the mountain to pray to gods and worship Buddha.
The frame is noble and luxurious, and the style is extraordinary. The traffickers and foot soldiers have a hard burden and are rickety and ragged.
Li Kun took both of them into consideration, shaking his head and sighing frequently.
Just when he was thinking a lot, someone suddenly blocked his way.
"Sir, could you please do me a favor?"
Li Kun reined in the reins and looked toward the roadside.
I saw a large carriage stuck on the side of the road, and the driver was looking sad.
In front of Li Kun was a man in Confucian attire, holding out his hand to show off that he was the one blocking the car.
He was in his early twenties, with a fair face, fluttering clothes, and a more handsome manner.
It can be said that it is graceful and graceful.
Seeing his extraordinary appearance, Li Kun didn't dare to ask for help at his age.
He quickly got out of the car and said, "I don't dare to behave like a gentleman. I wonder if you have any advice?"
He did not identify himself.
When going out, caution comes first.
The visitor returned the greeting sternly: "I cannot address you as Your Excellency. I am just a gentleman, Gu Xiancheng. I am treating you like a gentleman."
After Gu Xiancheng returned the gift, he gave a helpless smile and explained the purpose of his visit: "I am just like a gentleman, and I am here to take the exam in Beijing."
"The carriage and horses were bumpy along the way, and due to neglect of maintenance, they accidentally broke down on the side of the road."
"But I have made an appointment with my friends again to host a banquet for me today. If I delay, I'm afraid my friends will be unhappy."
"That's why I dare to disturb you, gentleman. I beg you to take me with you."
After hearing this, Li Kun breathed a sigh of relief.
It's easy to say that he's not a knight-errant.
Such a trivial matter, coupled with the fact that it was all a move, and his demeanor was so outstanding, Li Kun didn't reject it very much.
However, he still had the last bit of caution.
He took out the fire token from his arms, showed it to Gu Xiancheng, and said enthusiastically: "It's just a matter of behavior."
"I am Xia Lv Kun, whose courtesy name is Shu Jian. He is from Ningling County, Henan Province."
When Gu Xiancheng saw this, he also understood the meaning. He was asking him to confirm his identity.
He immediately took out the fire sign from his arms and said with a smile: "That's a coincidence. I am originally from Wuxi, and I am the third in the family. My cousin is Uncle Shi."
Bo Zhong Shu Ji, both of them are named Dai Shu, which basically means the third son in the family.
Li Kun took the fire sign from Gu Xiancheng and took a closer look. It was indeed the logo of the Chief Secretary's Yamen, and he felt relieved.
He immediately smiled and said, "Uncle, please come to the car and I will drive."
Once you have informed me of your name and identity, you don't have to be so polite as a gentleman.
Gu Xiancheng quickly declined: "Yu Li, it's me who is disturbing Brother Lu and causing trouble."
"As a matter of fact, Brother Lu has looked after me for fourteen years, so I should treat him as a brother."
"In terms of both emotion and reason, I should be the one driving the car for Brother Lu."
When Li Kun saw his handsome face and full courtesy, he couldn't help but feel good about him.
He immediately smiled and said: "Since we are traveling together, we might as well drive together."
The golden mean can always persuade people.
Gu Xiancheng was immediately grateful and turned back to tell the coachman to guard the carriage and wait for someone to come to his aid.
Then Li and Gu got on Li Kun's carriage together, one on the left and one on the right.
The horse received two whips, snorted twice in dissatisfaction, and the carriage began to move slowly again.
Li Kun's legs were hanging outside the carriage and he was sitting sideways.
Gu Xiancheng sat cross-legged, took off his official hat, and arranged his hair that was a little messy after dragging the carriage.
"By the way, Brother Lu, why did you call yourself Lu when we announced your surnames, but the surname on this fire sign is Li?"
Gu Xiancheng asked casually.
It’s not that I suspect I’ve been deceived. After all, I’ve been shown the fire sign, so there’s no need to be secretive.
Just a little curious.
After hearing this, Li Kun just shook his head and sighed: "It's a long story."
Gu Xiancheng became interested.
He looked at Li Kun curiously and said with a smile: "Such a good time and autumn atmosphere are just for killing time."
He could tell that Li Kun was just sighing, not that there was any inconvenience.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Li Kun sighed again, and then said: "My sixth generation ancestor, whose name is Lu Heisi, was born in the late Yuan Dynasty."
"Study less, understand the truth clearly, work hard in Xin'an, and make garden irrigation a career."
"After the war broke out, my ancestor always had economic ambitions, so he joined Taizu..."
Gu Xiancheng listened with great interest to Li Kun's family story, interjecting from time to time to ask for details.
"... After the war, Taizu rewarded my ancestor for commanding thousands of households, gave him a pound of silver, and asked him to restore his family."
"Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened when the decree was issued."
When Gu Xiancheng heard this, he couldn't help but look strange, obviously he had already made a guess.
As expected.
Li Kun sighed three times and said: "The end of the edict is: Lao Li, the vegetable grower in Shuinan Village, admires this."
"Surprisingly, 'Lu' was recorded as 'Li'!"
Gu Xiancheng suddenly coughed twice.
This was a bit rude, so Gu Xiancheng quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve to cover it up.
After he calmed down, he said: "It turns out that he is the founding hero of the country. It is really disrespectful."
Immediately he asked curiously: "Then your ancestor didn't argue for this?"
Li Kun shook his head: "According to the inscription on my ancestor's epitaph, at that time, the black men were arguing about their surname. Taizu threw a pen and said, let's take the surname Li Huhu."
Having said that, I couldn't help but feel a little sad.
It is a good thing that the Taizu gave him a surname, but changing his name due to a clerical error is somewhat embarrassing.
As the saying goes, "Those who are fond of courtesy in the tribe will feel uneasy when seeking others."
There are countless embarrassments in life.
Li Kun's mother's surname was Li, and her parents had the same surname, which was considered against ethics in Henan - "So most of the Yu family married with the surname Li, and after the coffin was sealed, the title of the deceased was often named Lu Gongyun."
This is called following the emperor in life and following the ancestors in death.
Even a hundred years after his parents, how he, Li Kun, would inscribe a monument would be a big problem.
Therefore, even though Li Kun is nearly forty years old, he still refuses to give up seeking fame.
Emperor Taizu's clerical errors cannot be corrected by oneself. Only the Emperor's nod can he have a chance to return to his original surname.
If you don't take the Jinshi examination and achieve a certain status, how can you be qualified to have the emperor issue an edict to restore your surname?
The founding hero of the country? He was sent back to his hometown of thousands of households and passed down to the sixth generation. Apart from some superficial wealth, there was no way out.
Gu Xiancheng, who was listening in, was well versed in the world and naturally understood the inconvenience involved.
I also understand why Li Kun insists on calling himself Lu.
Seeing that Li Kun was in a low mood, he couldn't help but sympathize and said: "Taizu misheard, and there is nothing we can do about it. When Brother Lu is named on the gold medal, we might as well tell him that his ancestor's voice is false, and ask for his reply."
This is a reminder to Li Kun of the officialdom.
Don't always say that Emperor Taizu did it, otherwise the ancestral law will be immutable.
If you say it is false information, things will be a hundred times easier.
Li Kun was shocked.
His family was already in poverty, otherwise he would not have used the bus rented by the inn.
I had no idea about the ways of officialdom, but now that I was reminded, I immediately realized the obstacles.
Li Kun nodded with some fear, and then quickly handed over his hand in thanks.
Gu Xiancheng, on the other hand, still looked unfazed by favors and humiliations. He only regarded it as a trivial matter and refused to accept thanks.
With this incident as a foreshadowing, the two gradually became familiar with each other.
Start exchanging knowledge.
From Chen Hao's "Ji Shuo" to "The Complete Collection of Four Books and Five Classics", from theoretical analysis to historical and current affairs policy.
When it comes to current affairs, there are always people who can't help but give advice.
"...Not only that, I have witnessed Jiangling's tyrannical politics for the first time. When I enter the capital this time, I will definitely meet Duke Chen Yaoquan and persuade him to rescue him."
Jiangling is naturally Zhang Juzheng, and Yaoquan Gongze is Shen Shixing.
Gu Xiancheng's words were taken for granted, and his whole person looked even more dazzling.
Li Kun listened intently and glanced at Gu Xiancheng quietly.
Is this showing political leanings and inviting colleagues, or is it showing connections and gathering connections?
The previous sentence expresses Ming Huanghuang's dissatisfaction with the current chief minister.
The latter sentence shows the close relationship with Shen Shixing, the official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
No matter what, as he spoke, a feeling of being a proud man came over him.
He suddenly came back to his senses. Although Gu Xiancheng had an extraordinary appearance and conversation, it was the temperament of an opinion leader that made him so dazzling.
Li Kun was not very familiar with government affairs, so he thought about it and asked out of curiosity: "What does the Jiangling government that my uncle mentioned refer to?"
Gu Xiancheng shook his head: "That's a lot."
"Forcing the Lord to go to Xiyuan."
"Rebellion in southern Zhili."
"If you take the exam and become a cabinet with power, you will demote your colleagues."
"..."
Gu Xiancheng was about to continue.
The carriage suddenly stopped, interrupting his words.
He raised his head in confusion and saw a line of soldiers and two prison cars in front of him, walking slowly and blocking most of the road.
Only half of the trail was opened for pedestrians and carriages to pass alternately.
Gu Xiancheng squinted his eyes, glanced at the group of people, took the reins from Li Kun's hand, and whispered: "Let's go, go around."
Li Kun was still looking around curiously.
You Qi glanced at the group of imperial guards and emissaries in front of them.
Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask: "What's the origin of this?"
Gu Xiancheng sneered: "The background? Of course it's an unjust, false and wrong case handled by Huguang."
Li Kun was startled.
He wondered: "Unjust, false or wrongful conviction?"
Gu Xiancheng raised his finger and pointed at the two people in the prison car, and explained: "These two people should be King Dong'an and King Wugang of the Chu vassal."
"The former said that he was plotting to kill the imperial envoy and preparing troops for rebellion."
"And the latter has more crimes."
"As for why it was an unjust, false and wrong case, it's not because Jiangling raped the clan..."
Halfway through, he turned around and saw Li Kun with a confused expression, and stopped talking.
That sentence contains many accusations, and it implies that the imperial envoy Luo Zhi is guilty of crimes.
But neither this nor the following sentence can be understood by this colleague who has never experienced officialdom.
So Gu Xiancheng thought about it and swallowed it back.
Li Kun seemed to understand somewhat.
He comforted and said: "Uncle Shi, there is no need to be angry. I heard that your Majesty accepted Mr. Li Ge's granddaughter into the palace this year. Maybe he will go through personnel affairs in the next two years."
"Then Duke Jiangling will return the throne to His Majesty."
Gu Xiancheng nodded absently and dealt with it.
Li Kun turned his head and continued driving.
But his confused expression immediately calmed down, his eyes were deep, as if he was thinking about something.
The two of them had their own thoughts and fell into a brief silence.
…
The official road under the emperor's feet is always the smoothest.
In addition, the yellow flag carriage with "Etiquette Examination" can save part of the need to eat and get cards - this is also the reason why some places call the emperor a public car, which has the same effect as "eating from the national treasury" in later generations.
Therefore, Li and Gu had a smooth journey and arrived at Tongzhou, Shuntian Prefecture before noon.
Li Kun heard that Gu Xiancheng's so-called friend had already arranged a banquet at a manor.
This is at the feet of the Emperor, and I don’t know how much it will cost.
As expected of a proud man with connections from Southern Zhili to Northern Zhili, Li Kun was truly speechless.
Li Kun sent Gu Xiancheng outside the manor, and then went to the inn to return the carriage with a fire sign - no one dared to affect his career for a few taels of silver for the carriage.
But Gu Xiancheng laughed and said, "This matter has to be done by my subordinates. Uncle Jian helped me all the way. How can I begrudge a lunch?"
"Uncle Jian is such a talented person. I should introduce some friends to Uncle Jian. You and Junxiu and Yanjie will complement each other perfectly!"
After saying that, he grabbed Li Kun's hand and refused to let him leave.
Then he put his head out to greet the servants who were waiting at the door: "Why don't you hurry up and ask your master to come out to meet me? I have a beautiful lady with me, so I should add one more!"
It must be said that Gu Xiancheng's appearance and demeanor, as well as his sincerity in making friends, are extremely lethal.
Li Kun couldn't break free, and was pulled out of the car by his counterpart in a few moments.
The two of them had not taken a few steps.
At this time, another clear voice came from the gate of the manor: "This morning, a fortune teller told me that I am destined to have peach blossoms, and it is true!"
Li Kun then saw a man in a brocade robe, about twenty-one or twelve years old, smiling and calm, and walked forward quickly.
"I asked why my uncle came so slowly. It turns out that I have a new love, and they are lingering on the road! I am pitiful for my younger brother, and my chest is pressed against my back!"
The visitor joked with Gu Xiancheng.
Then he turned to look at Li Kun, saluted seriously and said: "I am Lintong Li Sancai, courtesy name Daofu. This gentleman invites you."
He looked at Li Kun and pointed at Gu Xiancheng: "I am a young man with little knowledge, and I occasionally play around. However, when I was a uncle, I was upright and cautious. I encouraged others to learn from me. I discussed everything and was always vigilant. I am called a good friend, but in reality I am a strict teacher."
"Since this gentleman was a friend of my uncle's childhood, he is also my friend."
After saying that, he grabbed Gu Xiancheng with one hand and Li Kun with the other, and led them to the manor.
This attitude is extremely well-measured.
Plus, he has an extremely handsome face.
Anyone who sees him can't help but fall in love with him.
Li Kun introduced himself with a confused look on his face.
But I was sighing in my heart, these two people have such obvious desire to join forces, I just hope they do it in a serious way.
That’s okay, I’ll leave after eating later.
At this time, Gu Xiancheng waited for Li Kun to finish his introduction and finally had room to interrupt.
He looked at Li Sancai, pretending to be displeased and said: "How come you are the only one who came out to greet me, and where are the others? Is it because my ranking in the examination this year is too low and my foundation is shallow, so I don't bother to come out to greet me?"
Speaking of which, he was just a bit off in the examination this year and might not be able to pass.
But who caused the commotion in South Zhili last year, and it was rumored that the central government wanted to suppress students in South Zhili.
Many students who were at the forefront of the academy in terms of knowledge were affected and became restless and failed the exam.
Fortunately, Gu Xiancheng passed the exam.
It's just that the ranking is at the bottom.
Faced with Gu Xiancheng's teasing, Li Sancai did not respond with the same smile as before. Instead, after hearing the words, his expression calmed down and became slightly colorless.
He glanced at Li Kun and hesitated.
But after thinking about it, he still said: "Something happened at the Hanlin Academy today, and I can't get away."
Gu Xiancheng was stunned.
The Hanlin Academy is so leisurely, and there is still time to be busy?
He asked curiously: "What happened?"
Li Kun also silently pricked up his ears.
Li Sancai suddenly grabbed their shoulders, put his arms between them, whispered to each other, and said in a low voice: "Today's concubines..."
"Because of the fact that Xiong Dunpu was demoted the month before last, he filed a complaint outside the Wenhua Hall!"
Although in the history of the Ming Dynasty, Li Sancai was originally from Tongzhou, Shuntian, but in July 1979, when the Cultural Center of Nanle County, Henan Province was relocating, it was discovered that Wei Yunzhen's epitaph was inscribed as Lintong Li Sancai. It turned out that he was originally from Lintong and lived in Tongzhou, so the history of the Ming Dynasty
This is a misremembering
Chapter completed!