You should seize the time to study whenever you have free time. The exam will start after the new year, and time is very tight.
It’s time to think carefully about taking the imperial examination.
In fact, the original owner still had some knowledge. The reason why he failed in the exams many times in the past was mainly due to mental problems. In the words of later generations, it was because he had too much stage fright, his mentality collapsed and his performance was abnormal, and then he gave up on himself and failed to recover.
So until now, he is still a blank slate who has not even passed the entrance examination. In fact, this is entirely his own problem.
With the improvement of the imperial examination system in the past dynasties, it has now become very mature and has formed a strict assessment system. Although it is not perfect, it is relatively fair.
If you want to leap over the dragon gate and step into the rank of a scholar, you must take the exam with your true ability.
The scope of the examination covers a wide range of topics, such as law, arithmetic, calligraphy, literary talent, and political theory, so it requires erudition.
The political commentary involves ancient and modern history and humanities, which is also Qiyu's current weakness. We must carefully understand the ancient and modern history of this world.
Different from what we have learned in previous lives, the process of world history reached an inflection point at the end of the Song Dynasty and was replaced by the Rongguo. After the founding of the Rongguo, politics was relatively enlightened and productivity developed.
However, only two hundred years later, Rongguo collapsed due to the separatist rule of feudal lords, and was then replaced by the current Dafeng Dynasty.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dafeng pursued a national policy of recuperation and recuperation, and the stagnant economy finally recovered. Now eighty years have passed, and everything has been restored, which is a rare historical prosperity.
In addition, there are rumors that the current Western countries are developing rapidly and an early industrial structure has emerged. I don’t know whether it is true or false.
When I put down the book, the moon was already setting, the stars were looming, and the sound of cooking could be heard in the kitchen.
Dinner was okay, the rice porridge was much richer than before, and there were white flour pancakes on the table.
After the meal, Liu Quan first boiled hot water to wait for her mother-in-law to wash herself, and then started busy with needlework.
Without the pressure of debt, the atmosphere at home has become more relaxed, and the whole family is smiling.
After Mr. Zhou fell asleep, Qi Yu whispered to his wife with a grimace, "I seemed to be too impulsive at noon today."
Liu Quan said: "No, you just looked like a real man today."
Qi Yu was startled, and a sense of sadness arose spontaneously.
In the past six months, she has been solely responsible for supporting the family and the outside world. The original owner was not only incompetent but also a bastard, and I felt ashamed for him. Now that things are getting better, we must make this family prosperous.
If you want to start a family, make more money!
Qi Yu said solemnly: "Madam, I want to go to the county town tomorrow."
"Going to the county seat? What to do?"
"I want to go get a silver reward!"
The idea of offering a reward was only circulated among scholars, so Liu Quan was naturally confused when he heard about it.
Then, Qi Yu said briefly and took out the recommendation letter from Shopkeeper You, with a very confident look on his face.
"When did you learn to draw?"
"...Anyone who is a scholar can doodle something like painting and splashing ink. I am also a person who follows the crowd, so I naturally understand it." Qi Yu said vaguely.
Although Liu Quan didn't understand, he said encouragingly: "It's rare for you to be so motivated. Now that you have a letter of recommendation, just give it a try. It doesn't matter whether you succeed or not. The important thing is to participate."
"Well, I will try my best."
"Also, when you arrive at the county town, you must first go to your second uncle's house to thank you. It's thanks to his hard work that he solved the problem of our coffin. Besides, there's no telling if he can still help you with your reward."
busy."
Qi Yu responded and heard Liu Quan say again: "Take this money, it will be convenient for you on the road. You need to buy some things when you go to your uncle's house. If you go empty-handed, you will be laughed at by others."
"Yeah, remember."
It's a twenty-mile journey to the county seat, which takes about an hour and a half, and the round trip is three hours. It's a long journey, so we need to start as early as possible.
I wanted to take advantage of the good atmosphere tonight to talk more with Liu Quan, but unexpectedly, she urged herself to go to bed early.
Qi Yu had no choice but to lie on the bed obediently, and then habitually recited the multiplication table silently.
It was just before the fifth watch, and Qi Yu woke up. Maybe people with something on their mind can't sleep well. When he turned over to look, he found that Liu Quan had already gotten up.
After washing up, I started to pack the baggage I brought with me, including pencils and rulers.
When I walked into the yard, I saw smoke filling the kitchen and a scent of aroma wafting in the air.
The lady specially made breakfast for herself, a large bowl of noodles and two eggs.
"It's freezing cold, and you traveled far early in the morning. Hot soup and hot water will make you warmer. Don't be stunned, eat it while it's hot." Liu Quan urged.
"My wife treats me so well..." After being grateful for a while, Qi Yu started to eat big bites.
After dinner, I picked up my baggage and said goodbye to my wife. I had to leave early for a long journey and couldn't delay.
Before leaving, Qi Yu thought for a while and decided to hide it from his mother. If she asked, he would tell her that he had gone to a bookshop in the town, and Liu Quan agreed.
The main reason is that I am worried about my mother. In her eyes, the county seat is already a relatively far place.
The journey went quite smoothly. The original owner had participated in several county examinations and was quite familiar with the road. He arrived at the county seat of Lanshan County just after early morning.
This was originally a remote town, but as the population has continued to increase in recent years, business has gradually become more prosperous. There are many shops on both sides of the road, and there are also salesmen in the alleys, so there is no sense of depression.
The wife said she had to go to her second uncle's house first, and she couldn't go empty-handed. So she bought some preserved fruits, cut some meat, and put together a decent gift.
The second uncle, Zhou Dashui, is a little legendary figure. He was a bandit when he was young and delayed his studies to become a scholar. Later, he was suppressed by the government. It was the father of the original owner, Qi Sanduo, who took the blame for him, and he survived.
Lai. It was also because of this kind of kindness that Mr. Zhou married into the Qi family.
Uncle Zhou Zhou was very clever in his actions. Later, he used money to change his identity, and then he worked as a minor official in the yamen. In one fell swoop, he became a man on the white road.
Not long after that, he worked to turn Qi Sanduo's case into a wrong one, and the conclusion was that he was acquitted. Therefore, the original owner was qualified for the imperial examination. If he was labeled as a traitor, he would not even be able to apply.
The original owner's marriage was also thanks to this uncle's concern. It is said that a member of the Liu family committed a crime and was convicted. It was Zhou Dashui's help that changed the sentence. He took advantage of this opportunity to make a matchmaking deal with his nephew.
Liu Quan therefore married Qi Yu.
Overall, Uncle Zhou takes great care of the Qi family.
In addition, there is an uncle named Zhou Dazhuang. Under the care of Uncle Zhou, he opened a small restaurant in the county town to earn some money to support the family.
The door to my second uncle's house was ajar at the moment, and I could occasionally hear the crowing of chickens in the yard.
"Hello, aunt."
Seeing Qi Yu stepping through the door, her second aunt Cao was startled at first, and then said calmly: "Oh, it turns out that A'hao is here. What a rare visitor."
The word "rare guest" is really annoying.
Qi Yu looked ashamed and hurriedly smiled: "My nephew was not sensible in the past, so he lost his etiquette. I hope my aunt will forgive me. I am here to apologize."
Mrs. Cao glanced at him and saw that the gift bag he was carrying was quite important, so her expression became better: "I heard that your prodigal son turned back, changed your temper, and became knowledgeable and sensible. It seems to be true. Well, you are in the room first.
Sit there for a while, your second uncle will be leaving for office soon."
Sure enough, his aunt was right. As soon as Qi Yu sat down, Zhou Dashui returned home.
Uncle Zhou looked at the gifts in the corner and felt very happy. However, he said with a slight reproach on his face: "Come to my uncle's house for a visit? It's better to be more filial and filial to your mother than to spend such unjust money."
"What my uncle taught me is that my nephew used to be a fool, but now he has returned to his studies and focused on his studies." Qi Yu smiled bitterly, and had to continue talking if he wanted to accompany him. There was no way, who let the original owner mess up all the interpersonal relationships!
Zhou Dashui smiled: "You have made progress if you think like this." Then he added, "The coffin matter has been suppressed by the colleagues in the execution room, so there should be no more trouble."
Qi Yu quickly thanked him: "Thank you for your trouble, uncle."
What can't be suppressed by the executioner who is good at using the killing stick to subdue others?
"You came here early this morning. Is there something urgent?" Zhou Dashui asked after taking a look at the mud on his shoes.
"I heard that the county magistrate Mr. Yu is offering a reward for paintings, so I wanted to try my luck." After saying that, Qi Yu took out the recommendation letter he had on him.
Zhou Dashui read it briefly and said, "When did you learn Danqing?"
"What I've been learning recently in my spare time is not traditional painting, but a type of Western painting." Qi Yu said.
"Foreign paintings? I've never seen them before. How sure are you about winning the prize?"
"Are you sure? I'm not sure either..."
This is true. Traditional Chinese painting pursues artistic conception and spiritual resemblance. However, except for abstraction, most Western painting styles pursue physical resemblance. This is basically the opposite of traditional Chinese painting.
I have a pencil and can draw some sketches, but I don’t know if this kind of advanced cultural work can be recognized.
"Actually, Mr. Yu is very angry about this matter now. There were a lot of people here before, but they were all mediocre people and no one stood out. So yesterday, Mr. Yu stopped this matter."
Stopped? Wouldn’t it be a waste of time?
Qi Yu sighed, feeling extremely disappointed.
Zhou Dashui stroked his beard and said: "I know this. In fact, this painting is a gift from Mr. Yu to others, so the requirements are naturally higher. Although the works of famous artists are suitable, they are too expensive and not suitable for one party."
Xiaozhi County can afford it, so I thought of finding someone to paint it."
"That's it!" Qi Yu suddenly realized.
"Every year near the end of the year, lower-level officials have to go to their superiors to report on their work. Although it is just a routine matter, they must take the opportunity to show their respect. This is a major matter related to their own performance evaluation." Zhou Dashui did not hide it, told the inside story, and then added: "
In terms of gifts, in addition to the necessary charcoal supply, it is also a wise way to give the gift to the person he likes."
Charcoal offerings and ice offerings refer to the benefits that lower officials bring to their superiors in winter and summer, especially charcoal offerings, which many officials count on to celebrate the New Year.
It is common in ancient and modern times to do what someone likes. As the saying goes, if someone likes something from above, then everyone will follow suit. In addition to money, it is said that there are also gifts to others!
Lord Yu called off the reward, and Qi Yu looked regretful: "If I had known, I would have rushed here yesterday. It's a pity that I missed it today."
Zhou Dashui thought for a while and then said: "It doesn't matter, since you are here, you can't go in vain. How about this, let me inform you, maybe Mr. Yu will give you some face?"