Probably because of the huge contrast with what he had thought before, or because he remembered his promise to "support" Fang Yingwu, which he patted his chest on, Xiang Chengxian was so excited that he almost spoke incoherently and almost gibberish.
Seeing Xiang Chengxian like this, Hong Song could only smile bitterly and step forward to pull him away, so as not to hinder Fang Yingwu from meeting his guests.
Fang Yingwu looked around and asked Wang Kui: "Why are you here? What's going on here?"
Wang Kui replied: "After Wang Ying informed Mr. Fang that you were going to the provincial capital, I sent people to inquire about the news a few stops in advance. I learned in advance that you were arriving today, so I waited here."
Then Wang Kui invited again: "The guest rooms in the Wang family residence have been cleaned. Mr. Fang can move in directly."
Fang Yingwu could see that Wang Kui was indeed sincere, but he still refused without hesitation: "I am a scholar, and I am here to attend the autumn festival again this time. I have already booked a house in Qingyun Street a year ago, so this time I will
I won’t bother you anymore.”
Wang Kui immediately understood the meaning of Fang Yingwu's words. But he said that the Gongyuan, which serves as the examination room, is located in the northeast of Hangzhou City. It is neither a traffic thoroughfare nor a scenic spot. Normally, it is the most beautiful place in Hangzhou City.
A "desolate" place.
But every year during the provincial examination, tens of thousands of scholars and their families from all over the province gather here, and this place immediately becomes a very lively place. In addition, a large number of vendors gather here from all directions to form the so-called examination market. In order to discuss the issue,
As a result, the street near Gongyuan was named Qingyun Street, which means "Qingyun Straight Up".
Fang Yingwu first said that he was a scholar and wanted to live in Qingyun Street. This was to show Wang Kui that he wanted to join the circle of scholars and improve his reputation as a scholar. The Wang family residence is located in the commercial area outside Wulinmen, which is somewhat similar to the core area formed around the imperial examination.
Far. Not conducive to daily activities.
Wang Kui knew that Fang Yingwu was a very independent person, so he had nothing to say. He could only be submissive. Although he had not seen Fang Yingwu in the past year, after doing big business, he became even more in awe of Fang Yingwu.
Fang Yingwu was not completely ungrateful, and there was no need to be too indifferent. Then he pointed to the bearer of the sedan chair and said, "But I still have to thank Wang Chaofeng. These manpower will be put to good use for sending us to Qingyun Street."
Afterwards, Fang Yingwu, Hong Song, and Xiang Chengxian entered the city through Fengshan Gate, then walked north along the street to Qingyun Street.
Fang Yingwu rented the apartment more than a year ago when he was in Hangzhou. Hong and Xiang sent their families to rent it at the beginning of the year.
The two apartments were not in the same place, but fortunately they were both in the Qingyun Street area, so they were not too far apart. After the three exchanged addresses, they said goodbye for the time being.
The place Fang Yingwu rents is in the side yard of a large family. The three houses have their own doors and courtyards, so they don't have to be crowded together with others, making it very quiet. This is very rare in Qingyun Street, where land is at a premium. Fortunately, Fang Yingwu
If you start early, of course the rent will be high.
Scholar Fang and Sister Lan came to the rented residence. They saw that it was clean inside and outside, and they were very satisfied. Wang Ying, who had been waiting for a long time, came forward to report: "Every house has been cleaned, Brother Qiu."
Just move in. If you need to buy anything else, I'll buy it."
Fang Yingwu nodded and said: "Very good, I have free time. You can go to the street to test the market and see if there is anything you need to prepare." After he sent Wang Ying to say hello to the host, he officially moved in that night.
Already.
Speaking of this triennial rural examination, it is not only a grand event for the imperial examination, but also a grand event for the humanities. Thousands of scholars gather in one place, which is extremely rare in this era of inconvenient transportation.
And under today's conditions, it is generally impossible to become famous all over the country overnight, or even in the entire province. But there are also special times, such as in the current city of Hangzhou, as long as you become famous, it can basically be regarded as a global success.
Everyone in the province knows about it because elite scholars from all prefectures and counties in the province gather here.
Everything in the world is about profit. For scholars, even if they are not lucky enough to become one of the thirty in the provincial examination, gaining more fame and making more connections can add a lot to their future prospects and livelihood.
Points of assistance.
For example, if you are looking for a well-paid job in a library, or if you are looking for a staff position, at the very least, the more you become famous, the more money you will need to write. After all, being a student is not a job title, nor is it indifferent to the world. There are still many things you need to do in addition to studying.
Thinking about making a living.
As for Fang Yingwu, a talented scholar, of course he does not have to worry about making a living at the moment, and his nature is not extravagant. He is a noble person who prioritizes spiritual pursuits over material pursuits.
The first thing he lacks is his reputation as a scholar, which is strange to say. Fang Yingwu has been mixed up until now, and his career is seriously biased towards the upper class, but his foundation is unstable. It means that he is famous in the temple but silent in the wild. In terms of reputation as a scholar,
It is only limited to the county, and then Suzhou City. Other than that, it has almost no reputation.
Secondly, what is lacking is the network structure. It is not enough to have a father and a master. He has no fellow countrymen. Without the same year, if the banner is waved in the future, where will his Zhejiang Party be?
For Fang Yingwu, the Provincial Examination was not only an imperial examination, but also a stage. So he refused a more comfortable arrangement, so he insisted on living in Qingyun Street.
The next day, after settling down, Fang Yingwu went out and looked for his two friends according to their addresses. If the two friends needed help, he, as a "rich man", would naturally lend a helping hand.
But the visit came to nothing, and both Xiang Chengxian and Hong Song went out to visit their relatives and friends. As members of a big family, they were different from free travelers like Fang Yingwu.
Fang Yingwu had no choice but to go out and wander around the streets. In the evening, he went to find his two friends. At this time, Hong Song was still not there, but Xiang Chengxian had returned.
Seeing Fang Yingwu, Xiang Chengxian was a little excited, "There is a gathering tonight at the Chunfeng Tower on this street. It is held by the famous West Lake Poetry Society. I am about to send someone to ask Fang Xiandi to come with him!"
Not afraid of being famous, but afraid of being unknown. Fang Yingwu smiled and said: "The West Lake Poetry Society is very famous?"
Xiang Chengxian introduced: "In Hangzhou, they dare to name the West Lake. Of course they are famous. They are one of the top literary societies in the provincial capital. This time they want to show off the friendship of the landlords and invite other places in the province
When scholars hold an elegant gathering, it also means to participate in a grand event together."
Fang Yingwu asked doubtfully: "Who doesn't want to participate in such an elegant gathering? Why don't we break the threshold?"
Xiang Chengxian said proudly: "Of course it's not just anyone who wants to go. There are five sponsors of this gathering, all members of the West Lake Poetry Society, and each of them invites two or three friends from out of town.
One of the sponsors has a family relationship with my family. When I went to visit him today, he invited me by the way. And I thought of you and Brother Hong, so I asked for extra places. Unfortunately, Brother Hong can't do it tonight, so you are the only one.
Went with me."
"Good!" Fang Yingwu patted his fan, feeling that whatever he wanted came to him, he joked and said with arrogance: "Isn't that the time for you and me to show off our talents!"
Xiang Chengxian laughed when he heard this, "The focus of this gathering is to take a boat trip to the West Lake the day after tomorrow. Tonight is just to meet each other and warm up. Brother Fang Xian, you have been hiding in Chun'an for a long time, but when you arrived in the provincial capital, Mr. Bao Jian
It’s time to get out of the box!”
Fang Yingwu rarely chatted with him, and even Xiang Chengxian saw what he was thinking.
In Chun'an County, when he had just crossed over and needed to make a name for himself, he plagiarized a lot of poems and published them, which made him somewhat famous in the county. However, since he became a scholar and his father became famous again, he stopped and seldom appeared again.
Poetry came out.
Because he felt in his heart that it was not worth it anymore, there was no need to continue to squander the inventory in Chun'an County, and it would be better to save it for later. Unexpectedly, in the eyes of others, this was deliberately hiding his clumsiness. (To be continued...)
ps: Now that I’m out of seclusion, I’m fooled again by looking at the monthly ticket list. I’ll start catching up tomorrow!