The two of them did not go deeper into the conversation, but instead started talking about some small talk.
Chen Changsheng asked: "Chen remembers that when he first met Mr. Ji on the ship, Mr. Ji seemed to be the fifth-rank supervisor, engaged in matters related to maps. He never thought that in the blink of an eye, Mr. Ji was already the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
"It's just good luck." Ji Xingsheng said with a smile.
After hearing this, Chen Changsheng laughed and said: "Back then, when I asked you about being a fifth-rank official at a young age, you also said you were lucky, and you were just as casual as you are now."
Ji Xingsheng, however, couldn't remember these little things clearly and couldn't help but said: "Sir, you really have a good memory. Ji has forgotten many of them."
Chen Changsheng said: "Master Ji must be a man of great ability. The court has changed, Jing has been destroyed and Xiang has been established. There have been three kings, but Master Ji has been reused, which shows that he is extraordinary."
This is not to brag about Master Ji.
You know, after a dynasty is destroyed and replaced, it is considered good for those old officials to survive. It is probably difficult for them to enter the officialdom again in this life.
Ji Xingsheng breathed a sigh of relief and said: "When Taizu established Xiang, Ji, as an official of Jiujing, should have been executed, but later Taizu spared our lives and imprisoned us for five years. Later, he granted amnesty to the world.
Come out when you get a chance."
"Amnesty for the whole world?" Chen Changsheng said: "This is not like Zhao Zhen's behavior."
Ji Xingsheng said: "Sir, you are right. Taizu is indeed not a benevolent king, and amnesty to the world is also the arrogance in Taizu's heart. At that time, Daxiang Shidao, we and other remnants of the previous dynasty would hardly have any chance.
He made trouble, so this is not because Taizu is arrogant, but because he is confident."
"After several years in prison, Ji had no interest in officialdom after he came out. He later walked away to the mountains, built a wooden house, opened a farmland, and lived a leisurely and contented life."
Ji Xingsheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "At first I thought I could live a lifetime, but then it changed."
"Living in seclusion in the mountains and forests is indeed something worthy of aspiration, but once you actually achieve it, after living there for a few years, you will feel tired of it. After all, you are not a piece of wood without thoughts and thoughts. Occasionally you will have some impulses in your heart and want to try again.
try."
"At that time, my yearning was to become a famous official like Mr. Liu, Master Fan and Shaoqing, but before I could do it, the court changed its owner."
"This is my regret and will always be engraved in my heart."
Ji Xingsheng is very calm when talking about this now.
This is like an old man talking about everything in the past, how he was in the past, and looking back on the bitter past along the way.
He has a calm complexion and a strong personality.
It fits the image of someone who has been through it all.
Chen Changsheng found it very interesting and wanted to continue listening.
Master Ji said: "So one day my thoughts came together and I burned down the wooden house in the mountain!"
"I feel that I have a lot of skills, so I enter Chunwei again."
"As expected, there were ten lines on the paper, and I couldn't even answer three lines."
After hearing this, Chen Changsheng burst into laughter and said, "Now that Master Ji is talking about this, it actually makes people find it quite interesting."
Ji Xingsheng nodded and smiled: "Ji feels the same way."
"I was stupid at that time."
He smiled and continued: "If the Spring Festival fails, then I will have to wait another year. This is not good. I even burned down the house! I have no money! I am like a homeless person.
."
After hearing this, Chen Changsheng asked: "Where are Lord Ji's former relatives?"
Ji Xingsheng shook his head and said: "I don't dare to go back. If I, an official of the former dynasty, come back home, wouldn't I be causing trouble for my family?"
"Master Ji, you..."
It's a bit miserable.
Ji Xingsheng sighed and said: "I couldn't help it. I couldn't get through it. I scolded myself countless times. But luckily, I got lucky and found a job copying books. Although I didn't make much money, I still couldn't make a lot of money.
After all, I had enough to eat and drink, so I copied books and studied to prepare for next year's exam."
"After a year of precipitation, spring comes again!"
"This time there was no danger, and I was ranked second on the apricot list." Ji Xingsheng said with a smile: "No less courageous than before."
Chen Changsheng said: "Chen really likes Mr. Ji's way of speaking, which is to first suppress and then raise."
Ji Xingsheng smiled and said, "There are always some stubborn people."
Chen Changsheng asked: "So how about the imperial examination?"
Ji Xingsheng said: "I blew it."
"hold head high?"
"Blowed."
Ji Xingsheng said: "Just because I am from Jing, I was not even qualified to enter the palace examination that day."
"The court always says that Jing and Xiang are on a blind date, but in fact there is a huge difference. It is true that both Jing and Xiang can enter the spring and autumn palaces, but when it comes to the palace examination, there is no trace of Jing Ren. It can really be said that in the court
The officials who spoke were all from Xiang without exception, and it seemed as if it was written in the huge palace that visitors were not allowed to enter."
Chen Changsheng also knew something about this.
But for a while, the conflicts between the people in Jing and Xiang became serious. Later, many rebels rose up and were suppressed by Zhao Zhen.
Everyone knows this, and it is clearly recorded in history books and has never been erased.
Ji Xingsheng shook his head and said, "It's a pity. Otherwise, with my talent, I would have to be awarded the top prize at that time."
Contrary to what he said, he is indeed a bit stubborn.
"How did Master Ji deal with it?"
Unexpectedly, Lord Ji spread his hands and said, "I can't deal with it."
Set it!
"In Ji's opinion, the weather was not good at that time. Not allowing the palace examination meant that there was no chance at all. I am an official in the previous dynasty, so it is basically impossible for me to become an official in this dynasty."
"Unless the weather changes."
Ji Xingsheng said: "It took many years to wait..."
"It wasn't until Taizu defeated Xixiao and the world united that I had a chance."
It was also from that time that the imperial examination opened the door to Jing people.
Zhao Zhen fulfilled his promise. After the imperial examination that year, Jingren's voice finally appeared in the court.
Unexpectedly, Ji Xingsheng's voice changed.
"We have the right time and place, but the harmony and harmony are gone..."
Ji Xingsheng smiled helplessly and said: "In terms of knowledge, I, Ji Xingsheng, am indeed not bad, but for so many years, I not only had to earn a living for myself, but the situation at that time was so serious that Jingren could not even buy books and paper.
, I can only do my best to keep myself alive."
It was extremely difficult for the world at that time.
"After a long time, it becomes rusty like a hoe that has been left for a long time and is no longer sharp."
Moreover, at that time, he also missed the best time. Both his memory and physical strength were greatly reduced, and he was no longer what he used to be.
"Failed the exam?" Chen Changsheng asked.
Ji Xingsheng nodded and said: "Not only did he fail, he also failed three times."
He took the exam for three years but failed to get into the exam.
Everything was in vain.
Ji Xingsheng sighed and said: "Time is also destiny, so I accept it."
"I wanted to be a common citizen honestly, and I happened to have saved some savings over the years, so I opened a small shop to protect me for the rest of my life."
"Who would have expected that there would be a palace change in a few days!"
"After His Majesty ascended the throne, he checked the imperial examination list. There was a shortage of people in the court, and I happened to miss one person on the list, so I was promoted."
"You said this, you said this..."
Chen Changsheng looked at him, but was speechless for a long time.