So the group found a small inn near Nanshui Pass to stay temporarily, and then divided into three groups.
Official Lin took an entourage to Yangzhou Prefecture to study, while Zuo Zuo protector Zhang Wen and two other entourages went to inquire about the situation of the salt merchant Zheng's family.
The right protector Zhang Wu is responsible for guarding the luggage in the inn to prevent it from getting lost. After all, he is carrying a lot of money this time.
When I come back after inquiring about the information, I will find another suitable place to stay temporarily tomorrow based on the situation.
During the Wanli Dynasty, the prototype of the later Yangzhou city layout had been formed.
The western half is the old city, and the eastern half is the new city that has been expanded in recent years.
In later generations, the Little Qinhuai River was originally the moat of the old city, but now it has become the boundary river between the old city and the new city. Of course, it is not called the Little Qinhuai River now, but simply called the City River.
The old city is an administrative district, and most of the government offices, county offices, procuratorates, etc. are located in the old city, including schools.
Xincheng is a business district. The Yanyun Department is located in Xincheng, and most of the businessmen also live in Xincheng.
Lin Tailai wanted to go to Fuxue to inquire about news, so of course he had to cross the river to the old city.
I asked for directions while walking, and within half an hour I arrived at Fuxue, located in the north of the old city.
There happened to be two scholars walking out from the gate of the mansion. They were both young, about twenty to thirty.
Official Lin quickly stepped forward and blocked the way. The two scholars were talking when they were suddenly blocked and seemed to be shrouded in shadow.
When he looked up, he saw a majestic figure standing in front of him, blocking out all the sunlight.
The two scholars were immediately shocked. Could it be that yesterday when they were drinking, they laughed at a certain fan because of his black hair, and someone hired a thug to take revenge?
Lin Daguan was afraid of misunderstanding, so he cupped his hands and said: "Two friends, it's polite here!"
Only then did the two Yangzhou scholars notice the Confucian crown and green shirt worn by Lin Daguan, and then they relaxed a little when they heard the internal title of "friend" as a scholar.
Then Lin Daguan asked anxiously: "Has the Grand Master ever arrived in Yangzhou City?"
This question surprised the two scholars opposite. If they were Yangzhou scholars, they would definitely know the situation and there was no need to inquire here.
If you are a scholar from other places, what is the use of asking whether the great master has come to Yangzhou? The great master is inspecting scholars in Yangzhou and has nothing to do with scholars from other places.
"My friend, why are you asking about the Grand Master?" One of the two, a scholar with a round face and round eyes, asked in confusion.
Lin Tailai replied vaguely: "I'm here to pay you a visit."
It's not a lie to say "there are old feelings". Whether it's old grudges or old friendships all depends on how others interpret it.
So the round-faced and round-eyed scholar immediately doubled his enthusiasm and took the lead in introducing himself: "I am Lu Junbi, a local."
Then he pointed to the friend next to him and said, "This is Junexia, Baoying County. We are both students."
Then he asked Lin Tailai: "Dare you ask your friend Gao's name?"
After careful consideration, Lin Daguan announced his family status and said: "I am Wang Yusheng of Suzhou, he is just a boy at the moment."
The main reason is that he is not sure whether his name will be spread in Yangzhou City.
After all, he had made so much noise in Nanjing City, and Nanjing City and Yangzhou City were close to each other, and because of the transportation lines, there were a lot of people coming and going.
Therefore, in order to avoid causing more trouble, Lin Daguan simply assumed an identity.
Lu Junbi immediately understood the word "tongsheng" when he heard it. This tall friend must have come in advance to settle the relationship through the back door.
Does that mean that this person is really related to the great master Tixueguan? Otherwise, how can we be sure to deal with it?
Anyone who is familiar with the world knows that using the back door also depends on connections and connections. Without connections and connections, you can’t even find the temple gate with a pig’s head.
"Friend Wang has come at the right time!" Lu Junbi's enthusiasm doubled again, "Fuxue has received the red ticket from the Grand Master, and he will visit Yangzhou City in three days!"
After hearing the news, Lin Daguan was relieved, as long as he could catch up.
I'm afraid that since Tixue Guanfanghuan has arrived and the exams have finished, I won't be able to save the situation no matter how talented I am.
After inquiring about the information he wanted, Lin Daguan had no intention of staying for a long time. He thanked the enthusiastic Lu Sheng with his hand and turned around to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Lu Junbi shouted quickly, and then hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Lin Tailai's wide sleeves.
Lin Tailai glanced at Lu Junbi's hand, and almost reflexively made a move that could tell the whole story.
If this were in Suzhou City, the person who dared to grab him so suddenly would have fallen to the ground by now!
Lu Junbi had no idea that he had been on the verge of life and death. He showed a friendly smile and said:
"I lived in Yangzhou in my next life, and I have long admired the splendor of Gusu. Today I met my friend Wang and I fell in love with him. I just wanted to be my host. I want to ask for advice. Why is my friend Wang so eager to abandon me and leave?"
Lin Daguan was a little surprised. He randomly asked someone for information, but how come he met a Sheniu?
If a beautiful lady is a social cow, Lin Daguan is still interested in hanging around, but men can forget about it.
He will not hang out in Yangzhou city from now on, and has no interest in making friends with the scholars here, and the other party is not a particularly accomplished celebrity in history.
Therefore, Senior Official Lin excused himself by saying, "I have just arrived at Guibao Land, and the servants are still waiting at the south gate. I am looking for a temporary place to live, and I have no time to socialize at the moment."
Lu Junbi smiled and said, "Isn't this a coincidence? My family has two courtyards on Dongguan Street in Xincheng, which are specially rented to outsiders.
There happens to be a vacant place at the moment. The main house and a side room can accommodate seven or eight people without any problem. I can rent it to my friend Wang temporarily."
Lin Tailai: "."
If he couldn't guess the other person's thoughts, Lin Tailai would really think that the other person's orientation was very human.
For ordinary people, being able to pass the exam to become a scholar is already a ceiling.
However, scholars are also divided into grades, and not every scholar is qualified to further participate in the provincial examination.
This Lu Junbi is probably a relatively low-level student, and he wants to pass the grand master examination and improve his level so that he can be qualified to participate in the provincial examination.
"No reward for no merit, how embarrassing is that?" Lin Daguan continued to shirk.
He is not short of money, but the key is that he cannot help this friend Lu, and he is not really familiar with the Grand Master.
But Sheniu cannot give up easily. Lu Junbi said boldly:
"Friend Wang, what are you talking about? I like to make friends from all over the world. As the saying goes, we are all brothers in the four seas!"
Then he desperately thought of a reason to stay, and said again:
"Friend Wang, have you ever heard of the famous Pingshan Hall built by the former Ouyang Wenzhong in Yangzhou?
Recently, the wealthy businessman Zheng family donated money to renovate Pingshan Hall, but it is currently only open to local scholars.
We are just looking for time to go sightseeing, would my friend Wang be interested in going with us?"
Pingshan Hall is a legendary scenic spot in Yangzhou City. It was built by Ouyang Xiu, a leader of the Northern Song Dynasty, on Shugang in the northwest of the city.
Standing in Pingshan Hall, you can see the Yangtze River dozens of miles away on a clear day, as well as the mountains across the river. Later, Pingshan Hall was destroyed due to war.
Lin Tailai didn't feel much when he heard about Pingshan Hall, but the word "Zheng Family" immediately became interested. He asked seemingly casually: "The person who rebuilt Pingshan Hall was the Zheng family, a salt merchant? Zheng Zhiyan?"
Lu Junbi replied: "Exactly. It turns out that my friend Wang has also heard of it. Do you want to go with me?"
Lin Tailai reluctantly said: "You have what you wish for."
Lu Junbi was overjoyed to have made an acquaintance of a great master, and his promotion was stable this time.
He quickly said: "Then go to Dongguan Street now and settle down your residence!"
Lin Daguan said meaningfully: "If I offend you by being careless in the future, I hope you will forgive me."
Lu Junbi, who knew nothing about the truth, thought it was a polite comment and kept saying: "I've seen you, I've seen you!"
While walking on the road, Lin Tailai said insinuatingly: "I heard something when I was in Suzhou. Just after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Zheng Zhiyan, a salt merchant from Yangzhou, came to Suzhou City and took away our Suzhou shepherds.
I bought it with the body deed of the oiran Bai Ji."
Judging from the demeanor of his words and deeds, Lin Tailai felt that Lu Junbi seemed to be a figure in the local area. Such people were very well-informed, so he thought of adding more words.
Lu Junbi replied: "I heard that Zheng Yuanwai will soon hold a gathering at Pingshan Hall and solicit poems from literati from all over the world for three months!
Among them, the one with the best diction will be given a famous flower as a gift, and this famous flower is probably the white oiran you mentioned."
This method seemed a bit familiar to Lin Daguan, and after thinking about it carefully, another story came to mind.
In the late Ming Dynasty, there was a wealthy man named Zheng Yuanxun from Yangzhou who built a garden called Shadow Garden.
When yellow peonies bloomed in the garden, Zheng Yuanxun invited poems from all over the world, and invited celebrities such as Qian Qianyi and Mao Pijiang to serve as judges.
Finally, the best person was selected. Zheng Yuanxun cast a pair of yellow peony cups in gold and gave them to the best person, who was known as the yellow peony champion.
If nothing else, Zheng Zhiyan, who bought Bai Ji, is probably the father of the future celebrity Zheng Yuanxun.
After Lu Junbi finished answering Lin Tailai's words, he also said insinuatingly:
"Zheng Yuanwai spared no effort to build momentum for the renovated Pingshan Hall.
I heard that this time the Grand Master is visiting Yangzhou City, all exams will be held in Pingshan Hall."
Lin Tailai asked curiously: "Where can the exam be held?"
Lu Junbi replied: "Of course, the Pingshan Hall rebuilt by the Zheng family is not small, and it is open on all sides in order to enjoy the distant view.
What's more, there is a lot of flat land on the Sichuan hills, so it is very convenient to build an examination tent."
Then Lu Junbi hurriedly continued: "When the Grand Master arrives, he will probably go to Shugang for on-the-spot investigation first. I wonder if my friend Wang will accompany him?
But my friend Wang is not a local after all, so there should also be some local followers to make arrangements for the Grand Master."
"Ah," Lin Daguan said honestly, "I don't know either."
Lu Junbi laughed "haha" a few times, "Then let's wait until the grand master comes. First, think about how to arrange tonight so that Friend Wang can see the scenery of Yangzhou City."
While they were talking, several people had already arrived in Nancheng and walked to the inn where they had temporarily settled.
At this time, Lin Daguan's other entourage was already there, all of them had big shoulders and round waists, and they were all strong and powerful.
The entourage carefully selected from thousands of heroes can't be any worse in appearance.
Seeing Lu Junbi's eyelids twitching, could he have fallen into a robber's den by mistake?
The vicious private salt dealers he had seen with his own eyes who broke through and kicked the cards were not so intimidating in appearance.
I was suddenly caught in a meeting, and I owe another chapter. I owe three chapters this month, and I can only wait until the end of the month after the meeting on the 27th to make up for a few days, and I can’t make up for it!
