More than two months ago, an official arrived in Yangzhou with a golden flower post.
To be precise, those two Tokyo officials were actually in charge of the entire Lizhou Road, but the Jinshi were all in Yangzhou.
According to the distance of the address, they went to Min's house first.
Min Zishun's parents were overjoyed when they heard the news. They asked people to open the door and sent people around to spread the news.
All the elders of the Min family came, and Min Wenwei also came down from the academy.
The Wang family, Li family, and Zheng family all came to congratulate him.
The sound of crackling firecrackers rang out, and several slaves picked up sledgehammers and smashed the lintel of Min Zishun's family. The family had been divided. This was the first time that this family had won the Jinshi. They must take this opportunity to upgrade the family.
Two official servants sat next to him, drinking tea and waiting leisurely.
After all the clan elders and guests had arrived, the officials were finally led into the gate.
The incense table was set up inside, and the official took out the golden flower sticker and announced Min Zishun's ranking.
Immediately, the Min family placed the golden flower sticker on the incense table as an offering, and everyone knelt down and worshiped in front of the golden flower sticker.
At this moment, the failed scholars have not yet returned home, and they have to wait all the way for the official ship and official car. The official messenger who announced the good news rushed the whole journey and rushed to arrive before the failed scholars.
Principal Min Wenwei asked: "May I ask you two gentlemen, how many of them were hit on Lizhou Road?"
The official smiled and said: "I won three, and they are all from Yangzhou."
Min Wenwei was even more happy after hearing this and asked: "Besides my nephew, who are the other two Jinshi?"
The official said: "One is named Zhu Ming and the other is Bai Chongyan."
Min Wenwei stroked his beard and patted his face: "They are all my students. They usually study very hard."
Ju Ming lived in Yangzhou Academy, so he was considered a student there... This is how Min Wenwei understood it.
The official flattered him: "If you can teach three Jinshi, the old gentleman must be a great Confucian."
"Haha, a great scholar doesn't dare to speak nonsense, he just has some experience in teaching." Min Wenwei smiled from ear to ear.
The Min family gave a very heavy thank you gift to the officials who announced the good news. Each of the two officials received a gold collar, and each gold collar was worth about 150 gold collars.
The officials collected the gold and laughed happily.
Those who go to Jiangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Huainan, and Chengdu to report the news are considered to have received a good job. There are many Jinshi there, and most of their families are extremely wealthy.
The two of them went to Yangzhou and only sent golden flower invitations to the homes of three Jinshi scholars. The gifts they received were too little.
Yang Zhizhou has been promoted, and his successor is He Zhizhou.
He Zhizhou brought Li Tongpan, a group of people who joined the army, and Cao Yu, all came to Min's house to congratulate him.
By the way, I wanted to inquire about the situation in Beijing.
The official revealed: "Zhu Langjun is a Tanhualang. He was appointed by the officials as the Imperial Academy. He is very famous in Tokyo."
Li Tongpan didn't believe it: "Did the dog really miss?"
The official said: "Only three people were hit on the entire Lizhou Road."
"Alas!" Li Tongpuan sighed.
Fatty Zheng also accompanied his grandfather. When his father came to congratulate him, he said excitedly: "Zhu Dalang is the third flower!"
Zheng Lan clicked her tongue and exclaimed: "It really soared into the sky."
Fatty Zheng smiled and said: "I just said that Dalang is very powerful and will definitely become my husband."
Zheng Lan murmured: "I am afraid that I will look down upon my young mother-in-law as my husband. I should have lowered my shame, said more nice words, promised more dowry, and made a marriage contract first. Alas, how could I have expected that he would do it in one go?
Passed the exam?"
Zheng Yuan, Fatty Zheng's dandy brother, suddenly said: "My little sister can't be a real wife, so she can marry her and be a concubine. How can he still send her straight to Tokyo and put her in Zhu Dalang's house?"
Return it?"
Such a bad idea did not lead to reprimand.
Zheng Lan was actually seriously thinking about the feasibility and thought: "It is not easy to produce a Jinshi in Yangzhou. Zhu Dalang has not yet married a wife. He sent his young daughter to Tokyo to be a concubine, and her status is not much lower than that of his wife. If he can give birth to a son early,
If you are half a girl, you will be favored even more."
Fatty Zheng's father also said: "Zhu Dalang has been selected as the top prize, and his future is limitless. Given time, he will definitely become the great minister of the court."
The more Zheng Lan thought about it, the more feasible it became. In the past hundred years, only the sons-in-law of the Zheng family with the highest official positions had reached the level of magistrate.
As for Ju Ming, who was born as a Hwarang, as long as he doesn't make mistakes, in ten or twenty years, he will at least be a good fortune-teller, and he might even be able to become a court official!
Pigs and sheep were slaughtered here at Min's house, and guests were entertained in the evening. The two official messengers who announced the good news were also left behind to feast.
It was still early, so Fatty Zheng ran home and said to his sister: "Young lady, the eldest man has won the first prize, and he is still the best man!"
"Really?" Zheng Yuanyi was happy at first, then a little sad, feeling that she was no longer worthy.
Everyone thinks that Ju Ming can get into the Jinshi, but he will definitely have to take the exam several times. If he can get into the exam before he is twenty-five years old, he will be considered very good.
Unexpectedly, I passed the exam in one try.
Zheng Yuanyi forced a smile and said: "Brother Zhu is a phoenix in the sky, and I, the daughter of a country businessman, are like a pheasant in the miscanthus. How can a pheasant match a phoenix? He will definitely find a better one. Who knows?
I am here to capture my son-in-law, who has already married a daughter from the family of the Grand Prime Minister of the court."
Fatty Zheng whispered: "Weng Weng and father are planning to send you to Tokyo to be Zhu Dalang's concubine."
After hearing this, Zheng Yuanyi didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
How can any woman be willing to be a concubine?
But Brother Zhu is a prostitute, and she is just the daughter of a local merchant. Their status is so different that if she wants to marry her husband, she can only be a concubine.
Zheng Yuanyi sat on the swing in a daze, sometimes annoyed, sometimes shy, not knowing what she was thinking.
…
But the Min family held a banquet to celebrate, which took several days.
The two messengers enjoyed themselves and continued on their way without stopping.
Old Bai had received the news in advance and was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. He prepared gold leaves early, which were a bit shabbier than the Min family. Each gold leaf was only worth seventy or eighty guan.
Then they set up a large table with flowing water and invited the villagers of Shangxiabai Village to eat and drink for free.
Then he sent an invitation to all the gentry in the county and chose an auspicious day to host a new banquet to celebrate.
Although the wedding money was not that much, the officials who announced the good news were not angry. After all, the Min family was a prominent family in the city and the Bai family was just a wealthy country man.
After staying in Shangbai Village for one day, they finally took a boat to Daming Village. Member Lao Bai also sent his son as a guide.
The population of Daming Village has surged to more than 1,500, which is twice as much as when it was first conquered.
Among them, more than a hundred people couldn't stand the heavy taxation and came to seek refuge on their own initiative.
Where the creek merges into the Han River, a simple dock has been built.
The amount of the project is neither large nor small. First, the land on the riverside is leveled, wooden pillars are smashed in the water, and a few long wooden boards are propped up for leaning on the boat.
Zhu Guoxiang no longer lived in the mountains and moved to the riverside with the village committee team. Only the rattan armor and rattan brand workshop remained in the village.
Bai Chongwen pointed to a row of thatched houses on the shore: "That's Zhu Tanhua's house."
The two messengers who came to announce the good news suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.
How much money can a family living in a thatched house afford?
The main reason is that Daming Village is undergoing major infrastructure construction, and the population is growing too fast, so it cannot spare more manpower and material resources to build big houses.
Zhu Guoxiang's new house and the newly completed village school are all temporary thatched houses.
This year, not only a simple wharf was built, but also a new weir pond was dug, and an irrigation canal from the Waste Tea Mountain to the wharf was also dug.
It cannot be called a waste tea mountain because it has been cleared out.
Most of the old tea trees continue to be picked for tea production.
There are also some old tea trees that have been cut down and replanted with tea saplings.
Replacement after round, all old tea trees must be replaced with new tea trees, so as to ensure production and quality.
When the officials landed by boat, they saw the nearest row of thatched huts with a signboard of "Daming Village Inn".
An official smiled and said: "This is the simplest inn I have ever seen. How can someone actually stay in it?"
Bai Chongwen said: "If it is getting late, merchants traveling to and from the Han River will choose to stop here and rest. The few ships parked by the river are merchant ships heading to Yangzhou."
Bai Chongwen looked at the large number of thatched houses stretching eastward and couldn't help but admire Zhu Guoxiang's management ability.
Every time he comes to Daming Village, he will find new changes.
The last time I came here, the east side was still full of grass and trees, but now there are dozens of thatched huts. The wasteland near the huts has also been reclaimed. Although it can only be planted with beans for the time being, it will definitely turn into fertile farmland in three to five years.
Bai Chongwen found it difficult to understand this.
Shouldn’t all the money and food collected be saved?
However, Zhu Guoxiang frantically absorbed the population, reclaimed wasteland, paid for the construction himself, and actually distributed a lot of land to the villagers.
With all this trouble, Zhu Guoxiang couldn't even think about saving any money, nor how much food he could save, and he even spent the money he earned from selling tea.
If it were him, he would never do this.
Bai Dalang felt that he should store enough money and grain, and then find a good piece of land to build a big house. The land should also be in his own hands as much as possible.
There is food, money, land, and mansions, all of which can be passed on to children and grandchildren, making them landlords for generations to come.
By the way, you should keep more slaves, otherwise how can you show your identity?
Zhu Guoxiang can be considered a celebrity in the county, but there are only two servants in the house to wash and sweep. Even Mrs. Yan is still doing some chores herself.
"Grandma, the emperor's messenger is here!" Bai Chongwen shouted.
Grandma Yan and Shen Yourong came out soon. Shen Yourong had a big belly and was due to give birth in two or three months.
Grandma Yan asked: "Are you here to conquer again?"
An official came forward and said: "Old madam, we are here to tell you the good news. Your Majesty Sun has passed the examination as Tanhualang!"
"Tan...Tan Hua Lang?"
Mrs. Yan was stunned on the spot, her body was shaking slightly and she was speechless.
Shen Yourong was also extremely excited, but he could still keep calm: "My husband is teaching in the village school, I will go and deliver the news to him."
Bai Chongwen said quickly: "Auntie, sit down quickly and I'll be done."
In the past, he used to call her sister-in-law, but now following Ju Ming in discussing seniority, Shen Yourong has become aunt.
Grandma Yan also came to her senses, went to the house to get some fine tea, and asked Madam Shaohuo to quickly boil water to make tea.
The official followed Bai Chongwen to study in a nearby village. There were only three thatched houses, one of which was used as a classroom.
There are not many students in the classroom, only fourteen or five.
I am taking a Chinese class at the moment, and there is something written on the blackboard: "Two or three miles away, there are four or five houses in Yancun; there are six or seven pavilions, and eighty or ninety flowers."
The numbers were individually circled, and students had to memorize the entire poem, but were only required to be able to write the numbers.
Obviously, the class has just started.
The students have only learned horizontal strokes and vertical strokes, and even numbers are still new characters.
"Practice these ten numbers by yourselves," Zhu Guoxiang added, "then talk about "Youyan Zazi"."
But these dozen students were divided into two groups for teaching.
One group is the new students in the village, with no basic education at all.
One group is Bai Qi and other children, including the children of Meng Zhao and others. They have a foundation for learning.
Two messengers who announced the good news looked in through the door and window.
Zhu Guoxiang was seen wearing a Gebu cloth, and all the children were also clothed in cloth or linen.
Children do not use paper and pen when practicing calligraphy. There is a wooden basin on each table with sand and soil in it. The students hold bamboo branches and write on the sand. After writing, they erase it and repeat.
It’s too shabby with that thatched classroom!
The official asked: "Zhu Tanhua lived here before?"
Bai Chongwen nodded and said: "This place used to be a den of thieves. Zhu Tanhua was recruited as an archer and then captured this place. They were foreign land reclamation households. They didn't even have huts at first and could only live in other people's homes."
The official sighed: "It's really not easy."
Bai Chongwen walked to the door of the classroom and reminded him loudly: "Ms. Zhu, the emperor's messenger has arrived with a golden flower sticker."
Zhu Guoxiang said to the students: "Practice the new words each and recite the text."
Two officials saw Zhu Guoxiang coming out. He was obviously dressed in civilian clothes, but he was calm and unhurried, with an extraordinary demeanor, as if he was facing a certain great minister.
When the merchants and clerks in the inn heard that the village chief's son had passed the exam, they also came to congratulate him.
Zhu Guoxiang received the golden flower sticker, put it in his arms, and led everyone to the inn for dinner.
The two officials hesitated to speak. They wanted to remind Zhu Guoxiang that the golden flower post should be burned with incense and offered as an offering. But Zhu Guoxiang obviously didn't care about this. He seemed to regard wealth as dung. It didn't matter whether he offered it or not.
While the official was eating and drinking, Zhu Guoxiang brought two porcelain jars: "I should give you money for weddings, but I don't have any money on hand. This is the best black tea that I personally developed. You can't buy it on the market at all. You two bring it with you." Drink it at home. Brew it directly like loose tea without grinding it into powder. Loose tea cannot be stored for more than one year, but this black tea can be stored for several years."
Bai Chongwen whispered: "Two emperor's servants, this kind of tea is very expensive. You can sell it for dozens of guan in Tokyo. If you meet an expert, you can sell it for hundreds of guan."
The official who announced the good news immediately laughed, stood up, bowed and thanked him, and began to brag to the merchants about Ju Ming's deeds in Tokyo.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law over there never stopped smiling.
Grandma Yan clasped her hands and thanked the Buddha. She kept chanting Amitabha and said with a squinted smile: "I have long seen that Dalang is not an ordinary person. Sooner or later he will become a Jinshi. This child is very filial. Er Niang, just wait. Enjoy it."
Shen Yourong stroked his belly and said, "It's my aunt who deserves the blessing."
Mrs. Yan was so excited that she walked around: "I need to tell Brother Qi to let him learn more from Big Brother and take the Jinshi exam in the future. Not to mention taking the exam, it's fine if he can get the top four or five."
Shen Yourong said: "My husband said that Brother Qi is very smart and a good student. He will definitely be able to go to high school in the future."
"It would be great if I can pass the exam." Grandma Yan began to wipe her tears as she spoke, seeming to think of her own son again.
In the evening of that day, the official who announced the good news rested in the inn.
But I saw villagers one after another coming to congratulate me with various gifts.
There are eggs, vegetables, and grain...
Zhu Guoxiang refused to accept it, so they put the gift down and ran away. Some even kowtowed in congratulations.
The two officials looked at each other, and when they looked at Zhu Guoxiang, there was more admiration in their eyes.
If the villagers can support him from the bottom of their hearts, this Zhu Xianggong must be a real great scholar.