Shuntianfu Yi came up to welcome him, personally presented him with Sandingjia, opened the main gate of Tiananmen Square and walked out, paraded along Chang'an Street to praise his officials, and allowed people on both sides of the street to admire his style, make noises and applaud. During all these etiquettes, Lu Runxiang was smiling and bowing in a group. After passing through, my heart felt bright and dark, and my mind seemed to be wandering in the chaos. Although I had memorized the "Thank You Table" very well yesterday, but when it came to the performance, I couldn't recite it. It made Tan Zongjun and Li Guolou next to me anxious, but they helped me. If they are not busy, the champion will make a fool of themselves. Wouldn't it make them both lose face?
The ceremony was over. Lu Runxiang, the No. 1 Scholar, knew that his performance was abnormal. He stood a little at a loss. Li Guolou stepped forward helplessly, took out a silver note of one hundred taels and handed it to the officials of the Ministry of Rites. He said: "Thank you all for coming. This little money Let’s take it to have lunch first. Let’s celebrate the three of us. Come to Baozhifang for a drink tomorrow night. I won’t come home until I’m drunk.”
Li Guolou's words on the scene were so accurate that they were many times better than those of Lu Runxiang, the champion. The officials and servants of the Ministry of Rites were already sweating and burning. They had been looking forward to the silver reward for a long time. They wished they could leave early and took the banknotes. They were all happy. They carried gongs and drums and led three bay-red horses. They went to find a place to drink and get spanked. While teasing each other, they immediately looked up to Li Guolou and gave them a silver reward. They also invited them to go to "Li Guolou" tomorrow night. Bao Zhi Fang》Drinking. I have never met such a young man.
Tan Zongjun hooked Lu Runxiang, opened his mouth and smiled: "Boss Lu, don't think about it. It's a trivial matter. It's embarrassing to think about it. Let's go and ask for a wedding drink from the teacher. Don't tell us. You still want it. Go back and have lunch. Go to the teacher in the afternoon. Then we will take a step forward. We won’t wait for you.”
Li Guolou added a sentence and said: "Boss Lu, your gift, I have prepared it for you. Two hundred taels of gold ingot. You have to return it to me when the time comes. The other apprenticeship gifts are considered as gifts for the three of us. No. Calculate money with me again."
Lu Runxiang figured it out and no longer worried about what happened just now. Sa Raner smiled and said: "Hey, I was too nervous just now. It's the first time in my life. You can't blame me. If it were Tan Lao Er, he would be at a loss as well. Don't think about it. Let's go. Let's go to meet our mentor together." After saying this, Lu Runxiang accompanied Li Guolou and Tan Zongjun got into the carriage that had been prepared. The three of them went to meet their mentor Li Hongzao together.
Greetings: Li Guolou has sent Wei Xiaoliu to Li Hongzao's residence this morning. He has notified the people in Li Hongzao's residence that "Sanding Jia" will come over after the official parade is over. He also wants to ask for a glass of wedding wine.
At noon, Lu Runxiang, Tan Zongjun, and Li Guolou came to Li Hongzao's mansion together to pay homage to their mentor. Li Hongzao's mansion was not far from Xihua Gate. It was given to him by Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun. This was the official duty of an official in the Qing Dynasty. Houses. What kind of houses are allocated to officials of different levels? Li Hongzao is the imperial master. In addition to a house assigned to him by the state, there is also a mansion rewarded by Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun, with carved beams and painted columns, a splendid attic and a palace. The building is built in a style that looks like the handiwork of royal craftsmen. Ordinary people cannot build this kind of building even if they have money. It is illegal and overstepping the rules. It will cause huge disasters.
Looking up, Li Guolou said: "Boss Lu, you can also live in this kind of building in the future. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you, Mr. Tan. I don't care about it. I still like to live in a foreign house. Who calls me a fake foreign devil?" .”
Lu Runxiang and Tan Zongjun laughed. As Li Guolou expected, Li Guolou saw through all their inner thoughts.
Li Guolou was used to being extravagant. Since the eunuchs in the palace had given twelve thousand taels of silver as bribes, it would be too stingy to give his mentor Li Hongzao two hundred taels of gold. He also gave gifts worth more than thirty thousand taels to his family. The four servants picked up gift boxes from another carriage and filled the living room.
A three-foot-tall jade Guanyin cannot be considered valuable. This jadeite made from Siam is no more than a royal tribute. Generally, a one-foot-tall jade Guanyin is already a display in the queen's incense hall. The tall jade Guanyin is placed in the living room. All eyes are focused on this jade Guanyin.
Even Li Hongzao, who was accustomed to seeing rare treasures in the palace, stopped and watched for a long time in front of the Jade Guanyin. When eight more servants came in carrying a custom-made tribute platform with the Jade Guanyin, Li Hongzao was shocked again. That was A tribute platform made of several pieces of golden nanmu that were inlaid and carved over a hundred years ago. Such complete old wood is even more luxurious than the royal family.
Li Hongzao knew that Li Guolou's family was rich and that he was already a well-known son of a wealthy family in the capital. He did not expect that the apprenticeship ceremony would be so grand and extravagant. It made his heart warm. He did not look at other items on the gift list. He glanced at the long list of names. .Jade, jewelry, ancient paintings, ancient books, Song Dynasty porcelain, and Western oddities are worth a lot of money.
I thought to myself: No wonder Prince Gong Yixin is so fond of Li Guolou. He leads the door directly to him and is willing to spend so much money. Everyone will give Li Guolou three points of noodles.
Li Hongzao chuckled and said: "It costs you money. It's not good if it's too grand. People will gossip about it."
Li Guolou hurriedly bowed and said: "Teacher, it doesn't count as a waste. The student's own jade business. It's made in his own workshop. It doesn't count. It's the student's own filial piety to the teacher. Please accept it from the teacher."
Li Guolou said it lightly. It was a self-made item. It was just a prevarication. It made both parties look good. He was very familiar with this set of rhetoric. He took out a brocade box from his sleeve and opened it to see. It was a string of crystal-clear Buddhist beads made of East beads. It was said that they were specially consecrated by the eminent monk Lingzhi. It made Mrs. Wang, the master's wife, smile.
The names of Lu Runxiang and Tan Zongjun were written on the gift list. The financial gift was given by Sandingjia together. Therefore, Lu Runxiang and Tan Zongjun were both very respectable. Their mentor Li Hongzao couldn't tell what kind of gifts the three disciples had bought. He smiled and accepted the disciples' apprenticeship ceremony. That’s it.
This is not the end yet. Li Guolou said: "Teacher, I heard that your teacher is compiling a book about the famous Confucian classics in the Qing Dynasty. I also want to do my best. Disciple's hometown b1 3kanwang/bli There are some manuscripts written by Zang Lin. When the disciple returns to his hometown, he will bring them to his teacher for detailed study."
Li Hongzao was happy when he heard this. He stroked his beard and nodded: "Okay, okay. I still like the disciples to give me the manuscripts of my predecessors. If you have them, the more the better. Hahahaha."
Lu Runxiang and Tan Zongjun hurriedly said that they would go back to their hometown to look for it. They also gave their master Li Hongzao's manuscripts of famous manuscripts collected at home to be "researched in detail". However, this time they were unwilling to do so. They all glared at Li Guolou fiercely. B1 3Kanwang/ To a human being, this is much more valuable than gold and silver. It is far more valuable than anything outside the body.
While Li Hongzao was dancing for joy, the three disciples asked for a banner and asked their mentor Li Hongzao to splash ink on the spot. Each of them got a couplet with a length of five feet. They watched Li Hongzao write couplets with gold characters on ink and paper with very thick calligraphy. Li Guolou secretly thought Ashamed that he can write such large characters freely and with such force. He does not have this ability. The skill of writing calligraphy requires decades of hard work and accumulation. His kind of petite regular script is not elegant.
I heard that Li Guolou was going to buy a wedding banquet in the evening and treat more than 200 new Jinshi to the wedding banquet. Li Hongzao also gave Li Guolou an extra five-foot scroll. When he unfolded it, it was a landscape painting. Li Hongzao didn't have many paintings. He thought that He was good at calligraphy. He rarely painted to cultivate his sentiments. He also gave Li Guolou a fan with poems written on it. Li Guolou thanked him profusely and shed tears of gratitude. He took over all the scenery.
This made Lu Runxiang and Tan Zongjun next to them extremely jealous. They wanted to snatch it from Li Guolou. They knew in their hearts that their mentor Li Hongzao favored one over the other and thought highly of Li Guolou. But Li Guolou was lucky and happened to be celebrating his wedding. It made them feel like pantothenic acid in their stomachs, and they couldn't open their mouths. They could only wait until the next opportunity to tease Li Guolou again.
After the formal banquet, Lu Runxiang, Tan Zongjun, and Li Guolou left Li Hongzao's residence together. Before leaving, Li Hongzao walked to the door of the living room. He held his hands and said: "The three of you are the pillars of the country. I have high hopes for you as a teacher. In the future, you must work diligently on errands for the emperor." .Being an official must be honest, diligent in doing things, and upright in life. From now on, work separately in different ministries and yamen. Don't get together often. Scholars are most taboo about getting together to form a party. Comparing friends is a traitor. Cultivate your moral character and learn to cultivate your own sentiments. Do a good job. It's your duty. Focus on government affairs. Don't think about anyone who rose faster than you in the same year. Being an official is a lifelong thing. It's normal to be ups and downs in the officialdom. You can't betray it. Ideal morality. To obtain fame and wealth, to pursue fame and wealth, to abandon desire. That is the worst kind of person. In this life of being a teacher, you will be the examiner. Your future status will be respected. You must know how to keep yourself clean."
Li Hongzao meant to tell Sanding Jia that the three of them are his close disciples. Under his protection, they will be able to achieve great success in the future. Scholars are all smart people. You can't hear the deeper meaning of the words in the scene. If you want to There is no hope.
Lu Runxiang, Tan Zongjun, and Li Guolou bowed to thank their teachers for their teachings. They left Li Hongzao's mansion with tears in their eyes.
As soon as he walked out of the gate, Tan Zongjun grabbed Li Guolou and refused to let him go home. Li Guolou was a little strange. They were going to get together in the evening. What else was going on now.
"Tan Laoer, what are you doing? I just took two extra pages of text. Do you need to settle a score with me?" Li Guolou thought that Tan Zongjun wanted to ask him for the fan page written by Li Hongzao because of the calligraphy in his hand.
Tan Zongjun chuckled evilly and said: "Brother Li Laosan, how can you be so stingy? For this little thing, I let you miss the beautiful scenery. I do it for my own shortcomings. I have already seen it. You can get around in the capital anyway. I'm going to be out for a few years. Do me a favor and find a gap in the salt road. You must help with this."
Li Guolou shook his head and sighed: "Tan Lao Er, you are too impatient. What will happen in one or two years? What are you talking about now? I know it. I will help you when you are really in need later." That’s right. The fattest one is really missing. You are not qualified for the young round. You can choose the middle part. Since you don’t like to be a parent official, the Salt Road is suitable for you to hang out."
Tan Zongjun smiled brightly. He pointed at Li Guolou and said: "A good friend. Someone who can spend money to bribe the teacher. He can also sell him the title of Tan Hua Lang. It's worth keeping my friendship for a lifetime."
Bribing the examiner would have resulted in beheading in the previous dynasty. This is no joke. Li Guolou's face changed and he said angrily: "Tan Lao Er, the joke has gone too far. Keep talking.
.I'm going to fall out..."
Lu Runxiang hurriedly interjected: "Li Laosan and Tan Laoer are just a joke. Don't mind. He won't say it again. We'll see you in the evening. Go back and have a rest. Let's see how we fix you tonight. Hahahaha."
Tan Zongjun knew that he was guilty of speaking openly. He hurriedly apologized, blinked his eyes, and said with a smile: "Li Laosan, I'm sorry. I just like to joke. I won't make the same mistake again. Don't worry, I can only do it."
Tell me about your three peach blossoms and take care of my bad mouth."
For Li Guolou’s talent, he was able to pass the first-class and third-class “Third-A” exam. People who passed the first-class and second-class exams didn’t believe it. Even Li Guolou’s fellow countryman Zhu Dinghe, who was in the third-class title, didn’t believe it. It was too strange.
A person who originally gave up the scientific examination. I even met him at the scientific examination cram school in Gongyuan.
The invisible person will go all the way to the first level and win the title of Tan Hua Lang. All the new scholars have doubts about Li Guolou, but they can't grasp the reason. They can only say a few sarcastic words in joking.
No, Tan Zongjun was the first to start.
Before Li Guolou left, he glared at Tan Zongjun and shouted: "Tan Laoer, you are not allowed to joke like this at my wedding banquet. People with bad intentions will report you to the Yushitai. Don't overeat. You will offend the court."
Taboo."
Tan Zongjun could only apologize again. He bowed and said goodbye to Li Guolou. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Boss Lu, do you believe that Mr. Li is innocent?"
Lu Runxiang smiled sweetly and said: "Tan Laoer, look at the poems Li Laosan has done. Does he look like someone who has studied eight-legged prose? Writing two poems will cost him his life. He has no quick wit at all. How can he do it?
It is really doubtful that he wrote five poems that fit the occasion during the scientific examination."
"Hey, anyway, Li Laosan has a good life. Now that he has made it, we have no choice but to be with him." Tan Zongjun sighed sadly, and felt a little ashamed. He paraded around with a man of Li Guolou's level of literary talent and boasted about his official status.
The height of this Wenquxing cannot reach the top of the rafters.
"Hey, my mentor is particularly fond of him. Tan Lao Er. In the future, our promotion speed cannot be compared with Li Lao San. Do you believe it?" Lu Runxiang knew that as the number one scholar, the best he could do in the future would be to become the emperor's master. As for the fat vacancy
If you can't do it for seven years, you will have to return to Beijing and return to the Hanlin Academy to study.
At that time, it was seen that the "number one scholar" was honored in the world. But the actual situation is that the Jinshi who are lagging behind will have greater development. The fat and vacancies are all the officials who are sent to the outside world. Staying at the feet of the emperor means that they have a higher grade and salary than others.
Higher than others, the gray income is greatly reduced, so there is the "hardship" of being a poor official in the capital.
"Yeah. Boss Lu hit the nail on the head. Li Laosan spent his money to attack his mentor. He also had Li Zhongtang's support behind him. The Qing faction is about to unite with the Westernization faction. This Li Laosan is the key figure. Are you right?" Tan Zongjun asked.
He held his plump chin, stroked his beard, and thought about the layout of the court.