Although Meng Jiming was an official in the capital, he had a wealthy family, so he had already settled down in the capital.
Now that the Lunar New Year has passed, as far as the officials in the capital are concerned, it is time to rest.
The yamen are sealed and all officials are on holiday. Officials no longer have to attend to official duties.
Meng Jiming's residence is not that big. In terms of area, it is less than half the size of Qi Yu's house in Yongchuan Mansion. Even so, he is already doing well.
Where is the capital? Every inch of land is precious!
The people who can purchase property here are by no means ordinary.
Of course, his father Meng Lanshan must have also helped a lot.
Back to business.
Meng Jiming saw him coming with gifts, but he pretended to be displeased and said: "Brother, we haven't seen each other for more than a year, why have you become so polite? This is really offensive.
?"
Qi Yu laughed and said jokingly: "Actually, these little gifts are not for you, brother." Then he pointed at his son and said with a smile, "This is for my nephew!"
Meng Jiming's son Meng Xuesong is now ten years old.
This child's tutor was very good. When Qi Yu suddenly mentioned it, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Nephew Xuesong has met my uncle."
"Good nephew, no courtesy!" Qi Yu hurriedly stretched out his hand and said with a smile.
…
The two of them exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then sat down in the living room to serve tea.
We haven’t seen each other for a long time, so naturally we want to chat about our current situation.
Qi Yu first briefly talked about the situation of rushing to Beijing to take the exam, and talked about it for a few words without mentioning anything more. In addition, he also informed the other party of his current address.
Meng Jiming said slightly harshly: "Actually, I had expected that you would come to Beijing to take the exam. Before that, I had been waiting for news from you... I thought you would come here to seek refuge, but you ended up renting a car on your own.
house."
In fact, Qi Yu also had the idea of defecting, but later gave up after thinking about it for a while.
Now that I am financially well-off and not in any difficult situation, there is really no need to bother others.
When you rent a house, you spend your own money and don't owe anyone a favor, which makes you feel more comfortable.
You know, the debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay.
However, it can also be seen from this that Meng Jiming is very sincere and is not just talking.
It's pretty good that he has this kind of affection.
Qi Yu quickly thanked him: "Thank you for your concern, brother. If I really encounter difficulties in the capital, I will definitely tell you this."
"All right……"
After that, Meng Jiming also briefly talked about his affairs in Yongchuan.
At that time, he had the emperor's orders, so he did not go to say goodbye to Qi Yu and returned directly to the capital afterwards.
In addition, he also mentioned the investigation of the case at that time. Generally speaking, no major problems were found.
Surprisingly, the people from the Criminal Department inadvertently discovered a case of liaison with Japanese pirates. However, that case was not a big one, and they did not pay much attention to it.
After chatting for a few more words, Qi Yu stood up and left.
Meng Jiming wanted to stay with him for dinner, but Qi Yu declined.
The reason is that the review time before the exam is very valuable and should not be wasted.
Indeed, too.
Before leaving, Meng Jiming suddenly remembered something, so he said to Qi Yu: "Brother Xian, why don't you pay a visit to Mr. Luo Yuan? If you can get his advice, you will definitely benefit a lot! It's like this
"My father and he are good friends, and you are my father's disciple. Mr. Luo will never delay seeing you."
Who? Luo Yuan?
Why do you feel that this name is so familiar?
Oh, I remembered...
Isn't this the same person who wrote "Dengke Collection"?
If I remember correctly, this old Mr. Luo was also the former chief priest of the Imperial Academy, and he was a veritable great Confucian of the time.
It is indeed a rare good opportunity to come to the capital now. If we can get his guidance, the benefits need not be said anymore, right?
Qi Yu was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "Since we have such a good relationship, I would also like to ask my brother to make an introduction."
Meng Jiming did not refuse, and said: "My dear brother, wait a moment, while I am editing a letter, you can take me with you to visit Mr. Luo."
…
After bidding farewell to Meng Jiming, Qi Yu went straight to Luo Yuan's mansion with the letter.
This opportunity cannot be missed, it is fleeting.
That old gentleman once served as the grand sacrificial wine for the Imperial College. Even if you are lucky enough to receive some guidance from him, you will definitely benefit a lot!
Someone may have asked, is the Imperial College very powerful?
Awesome, very awesome!
Guozijian, also known as Guoxue, and some people call it Taixue, is the highest academic institution in the country, comparable to the Beiqing and Moudan in later generations, only slightly worse.
As for Dajijiu, it is like a postdoctoral tutor who is also the deputy minister of education. His knowledge has reached a level that cannot be evaluated.
This is why Qi Yu is so obsessed with this matter.
I heard from Meng Jiming that Mr. Luo rarely received guests after he became an official. Whether he can see him today depends on his luck.
Tsk tsk, the big guys really do have airs!
With excitement, Qi Yu knocked on the door of Luo Mansion and handed in a letter of introduction from Meng Jiming in the name of paying homage and greetings to the younger generation.
It went well. Luo Yuan showed his appreciation and met him in the side hall.
Luo Yuan glanced at him lightly, with no joy on his face.
At this time, a maid who knew the rules carefully served the tea, then bowed her head and bowed her eyebrows before retreating.
Mr. Luo was holding the teacup, as if he was meditating or tasting tea...
As far as the current capital is concerned, Qi Yu can be considered a celebrity, and he is often praised.
However, Mr. Luo believes that the world's evaluation of him is somewhat exaggerated.
why?
In his eyes, painting, arithmetic, and wolf teeth are nothing more than strange and obscene techniques at best, and his essay has some writing skills to speak of.
Haha, he is far from a great talent!
In addition to being overly praised for his talent and learning, this reputation also has flaws in his moral character.
There is a basis for evaluating him in this way.
There are rumors that this person once broke away from his clan in a fit of rage. Such behavior, without caring about the love of incense at all, is really too bad!
Count the classics and forget your ancestors!
It was also because of this that my impression of him plummeted.
Seeing him in person at this time, I really can't feel any good feelings towards him.
Luo Yuan naturally saw clearly and knew the purpose of his coming.
Aren't you just here to ask for advice?
Although I don't like him, because of Meng Lanshan's face, I have to show off.
Forget it, just give him a few perfunctory words and that'll be it.
Later, Luo Yuan took a test on what Qi Yu had learned, and Qi Yu also answered every question.
Luo Yuan found that his basic skills were quite solid, and his ideas for analyzing the questions were also very clear. Overall, he was pretty good.
Invisibly, the tone of his words became a little more polite.
Qi Yu hurriedly seized this opportunity and asked questions that he didn't understand or seemed to understand.
For example, I sincerely seek advice on the meaning and context of the scriptures.
When people asked questions, Luo Yuan was too embarrassed not to answer, so he had to point out the shortcomings one by one. Qi Yu also remembered them all and felt that he had benefited a lot.
Qi Yu saw that the sun was getting hotter and there would be less time to disturb him, so he was ready to say goodbye and leave.
Before leaving, he specially praised: "My master once told me that I should remain humble in learning and live to learn, so that I can learn from things. Now that I meet you, I know the true meaning of this!"
Seeing his respectful attitude and mentioning his good friend again, Luo Yuan could not help but feel a little soft-hearted. After hesitating for a few moments, he added: "Not long ago, the new president of the Hanlin Academy came to borrow books from me. It seemed that he wanted to
The purpose of the question... Well, after you go back, you might as well learn more about the 'Strategy of Binding'."
The president refers to the examiner of the examination.
As for the policy of restraint he mentioned, it refers to the imperial court's governance principles and policies towards "minorities from other ethnic groups".
Obviously, this exhortation must have profound meaning!
Qi Yu was overjoyed and quickly thanked him, then walked out while stepping back and saying goodbye.