Chapter 85 Fighting for breath (two updates in one)
Now that it’s the end of the year, there are many more people in the county school.
During Fan Zhongyan's political reform, schools were established in Lingzhou and counties. Scholars had to study for three hundred days and then listen to the pre-autumn examination.
Completing 300 days of class hours in two years is really a lot. Now that the autumn exam is coming, students who have less than 300 days of class time must rush back, otherwise they will be disqualified from participating in the exam in the second year.
Zhang Yue walked into the county school dining hall, and there was the sound of chopsticks and spoons stirring rice bowls everywhere.
It was bone-chilling outside, but in the simple house, students sat on unpolished fir tables and chairs. The smell of food filled the surroundings, and the sound of people chewing was mixed with the stirring of pots and pans.
Such a poor life is sometimes more memorable than a time of prosperity and wealth.
Zhang Yue glanced at it and continued talking to several of Guo Lin's classmates from "Yue Zhai".
The scene of Zhang Yue walking into the dining hall attracted all the students from all the counties to look over.
“Sanlang!”
“Sanlang!”
When Zhang Yue passed by, people kept swallowing the food in their mouths and stood up to say hello to him.
Zhang Yue smiled and greeted his classmates one by one.
“Sanlang, the ginger fermented sauce in your restaurant is also delicious.”
"Brother did a good job. Have you finished eating? I'll ask the waiter in the store to deliver it to your house."
"Sanlang is very happy, but I don't dare to take advantage of Sanlang anymore. Let me know how much it costs. I will buy some more to give away."
“Then thank you Brother Liu for taking care of my business.”
“Sanlang, Sanlang, my friend and I are going to a restaurant to eat. Would it be more economical if I told you your name?”
“Hey, it’s too late to be happy that Brother Yu is here to reward me. We classmates from the county school are all ordinary. If you go to my restaurant to eat, you will get a bowl of ginger soybean as a gift. But remember, don’t show it to others.”
“Okay, thank you very much, Sanlang. Your ginger fermentation is really good.”
“Sanlang, I heard that you recited the Nine Sutras alone?” Everyone stopped their chopsticks to look at it.
“Yeah, I’m ashamed.”
“It’s amazing, it’s amazing, this time it’s going to be a blockbuster.”
“I don’t dare to take it, so I’ll give it a try. If it doesn’t work, please don’t laugh at me!”
A group of classmates laughed and said: "Haha, Sanlang, among the economics students in our county, you are ranked second and no one is ranked first. Don't be humble."
“If you don’t make it, who will?”
Zhang Yue smiled, clasped fists and chatted with his classmates for a few words, then walked to the front of the stage and picked up his own bowl of second-class food. The second-class food in the restaurant today was still available, including three large cakes and steamed eggplant.
, boiled radish, winter bamboo shoots, and poured a spoonful of five-spicy vinegar.
Zhang Yue walked back with the rice bowl and saw someone greeting him: "Sanlang, sit here!"
It turned out to be the chief of the restaurant. He and several people occupied a large table. The left and right sides were empty, while the other tables in front and behind were full of people.
Zhang Yue, Guo Lin and other classmates carried rice bowls and walked to the chief's table.
One person couldn't help but said: "Sanlang, did you bring some ginger and black beans today?"
Zhang Yue smiled, immediately took out a jar, put it on the table and said, "You all can eat together."
The man laughed loudly and said, "The chief doesn't know, but I just tasted the ginger and soy sauce from his restaurant, as well as the roasted vegetables and meat. These are my steamed buns. Don't let Sanlang go out with me."
In the Song Dynasty, cooking cakes were today’s steamed buns. Steamed buns were steamed buns with less filling, while steamed buns were steamed buns with more filling.
Zhang Yue took it unceremoniously, and Guo Lin also took out his pickles to share with everyone.
Everybody is sharing food at the table, you let me go, I push it, and they keep talking and laughing, having a lot of fun.
There was an old student on the side who didn’t know who Zhang Yue was, so he couldn’t help but ask: “Who is this person? Are all economic students so good these days?”
The others laughed and said, "How come you don't even recognize Zhang Sanlang?"
“I have been ill and absent from school in the county for the past six months. If it weren’t for next autumn’s exam, I would have missed more than a hundred days of listening and reading, otherwise I would still be recuperating at home.”
“It turns out that this is how Zhang Sanlang’s brother became a Jinshi, but he gave up his official position because he was not as good as his nephew…”
“I’ve heard of it. No wonder it’s like this. I was a classmate of Zhang Erlang for two years, and I knew him well. Why didn’t his younger brother enroll in the Jinshi major but the economics major?”
“This is a long story. Zhang Sanlang was admitted to the county school with a thorough pass on the Five Classics, and now he is also a scholar of Yi and Zhou Li in Jingsheng Zhai.”
“Ah? I studied two classics in just one year. No wonder, no wonder, as the saying goes, like brother, like brother.”
“Now he is going to take the Nine Classics exams and take eleven exams during the public examination. Not only the Jingsheng Zhai, but also the Jinshi Zhai are shaken by this incident.”
The other party said: "This is amazing! If you can really pass the Nine Classics undergraduate course, you will be the same as the sixth Jinshi A Division. Those with lower Nine Classics or the same background can be the same as the Jinshi B Division."
“Yes, this time I saw the real chapter. How old is Zhang Saburo this year?”
"fourteen."
The other person ate it and exclaimed: "It's only the 15th after the New Year. This can be applied to the child prodigy department."
Another person laughed and said: "It is said that someone who is thirty years old can learn the scriptures, and fifty years old can become a Jinshi. But in this chapter, Sanlang learned the scriptures at the age of fifteen, which is too fast."
“Whether he succeeds or not depends on how well he tests the Nine Classics.”
At this moment, there was also a person coming to the county school master's house.
“Green ants have newly fermented wine and a small red clay stove. It’s getting snowy in the evening, can I have a drink?”
But I saw Assistant Professor Sun laughing loudly and chanting while striding to the teacher's studio of the county school Hu Xuezheng.
“Assistant Professor Sun is here, it’s really a long time to welcome him.”
"I don't dare to take it seriously. Hu Xuezheng drinks this little wine to feel happy. The smell of the meat is really greedy..."
Hu Xuezheng put the wine cup on the table and said with a smile: "This is ginger fermented pork and roasted pork made by a restaurant in this county. I ordered my servants to buy it in the snow. Can the teaching assistant give me a favor and taste it?"
Assistant Professor Sun smiled and said, "I have something to discuss with Xuezheng. In that case, the two of us chatted while eating wine."
Hu Xuezheng looked stern and said quickly: "Assistant Professor Sun, please sit down."
Hu Xuezheng understood that this public examination was different from the private examination.
The private examinations of the county schools are conducted behind closed doors, while for the public examinations held once a year, not only the county magistrate takes the exams in person, but the prefectural schools also send people to supervise them, so Assistant Professor Sun also came to Pucheng.
A small stove nearby was simmering wine, and the aroma of ginger and roasted meat on the plate filled the room.
Hu Xuezheng and Assistant Professor Sun share a glass of wine with a pair of chopsticks.
After three glasses of wine, Assistant Professor Sun stroked his beard and said, "Envoy Cai Zhuan is coming to Pucheng."
Hu Xuezheng paused with his chopsticks after hearing this, and couldn't say a word for a while.
Assistant Professor Sun laughed and said: "Drinking and drinking, Cai Zhuan envoy came here to inspect the local officials and count the prisoners. As for the county academic promotion, he came second."
Hu Xuezheng breathed a sigh of relief.
The transport envoy is equivalent to the chief executive along the road. As a transport envoy, he does not squat on the road all day long to guard the road, but must regularly inspect the states and counties along the road.
This month I will be patrolling this military prefecture, and the next month I will be patrolling another military prefecture. There will be no time to stop.
Hu Xuezhengdao: "Although I didn't come here for this public examination, being stuck at this moment always makes people feel anxious. In some places, I even asked an assistant to teach me."
Assistant Professor Sun laughed and drank a glass of hot wine. His internal organs were immediately warmed. Then he took a large piece of meat jelly and chewed it: "It's easy to talk about. Xuezheng, this ginger fermented soy sauce is really fragrant."
Hu Xuezheng smiled and said: "This ginger fermented sauce comes from Zhangjia Food Store. When the assistant teacher returns to the state this time, I will just give him a few more cans."
"Then thank you Hu Xuezheng. The envoy was in a state of depression because of the incident involving Jinjiang Ling Zhang Gong and the boss of the imperial court. But you don't have to worry too much. Cai Gongxian is well known far and near, and he also likes to raise money.
Xian, this public examination coincides with Mr. Cai coming to the county. You can recommend some good people to the county. In this way, you will have a good reputation and the county will have a good reputation. Mr. Cai may also be happy to see it."
Hu Xuezheng said with a smile: "There are only so many talented people in this county. Among the Jinshi Zhai, there are... and many more wise men, all of whom are proficient in writing and have outstanding talents. As for the Jingsheng Zhai, Zhang Yue Zhang Sanlang is the most recommended.
"
“Oh? That’s Shozaburo who wrote prodigy poems and passed all five classics in the county school entrance examination.”
Hu Xuezheng nodded and said, "It's him."
Assistant Professor Sun stopped, wiped his face with a hot towel and said, "I have seen this boy before, but I can't explain why."
Hu Xuezhengdao said: "This son is erudite and not exhausted, and he is diligent and tireless. He was ranked first among the economics students in just one year after entering school. In fact, he and his two brothers can be said to be the best for a while."
Assistant Professor Sun couldn't help but ask: "Reciting the meaning of the scriptures requires hard work. Is this kid really studying so hard?"
Hu Xuezheng said with a smile: "I have never done this before. I am ashamed to say that I scolded this boy for sleeping during the day after he entered school. But seeing that his homework was really outstanding, I had no choice but to turn a blind eye."
"Actually sleeping during the day?" Assistant Professor Sun couldn't help laughing and said, "Before I was promoted to an official, I didn't dare to sleep during the day. How long did he sleep during the day?"
“Hearing is an hour, every day.”
Assistant Professor Sun said: "Then you read very late at night? It's not surprising that the lights are on at three o'clock and the chickens are on at five o'clock."
Hu Xuezheng shook his head and said: "I never go to bed as soon as the second watch of the drum is over. Others asked him, and he said that study is valuable in perseverance. The most useless thing is to light up the lights at the third watch and the chicken at the fifth watch, and be exposed to the cold for ten days in one day."
Assistant Professor Sun sighed: "If Yan Lugong were still alive, I would definitely give him a slap in the face after hearing this!"
Hu Xuezhengdao: "It's unbelievable. There are some students in the county school who are like this. They think that Zhang Sanlang must be working hard secretly because he is so lazy in his studies. When someone slept with him, he stayed up for seven nights to keep an eye on him.
Did Zhang Saburo start reading at midnight in the middle of the night, and the result..."
Assistant Professor Sun and Hu Xuezheng both let out a long sigh.
“What is his method of reading?”
“Someone once asked me, and he replied that he just listens carefully to the professor’s teachings, writes homework every day, and reads it before the monthly exam, and there is nothing else.”
“Isn’t this deceptive?” Assistant Professor Sun sighed.
"However, he did very well in his private examination, and within half a year he had already become a scholar of the Yi and Zhouli classics. Students who read the Yi and Zhouli classics asked Zhang Sanlang if they encountered any problems, and he answered them one by one.
I never get bored, just like a famous teacher setting an example."
Assistant Professor Sun was speechless when he heard this.
"Every night, he would pay for a big candle, light it indoors, and read at night with his classmates. He never slacked off for a day. If it is said that perseverance is important in learning, then he is a person with perseverance, so he practices what he preaches.
And yet tireless!”
Hearing this, Assistant Professor Sun couldn’t help but nod his head and said: “That’s good!”
“Yes, this time, he was the only one who took the nine-class exam and took eleven exams.”
Assistant Professor Sun said: "No one dared to do this in the public examination of county economics and undergraduate science before, right?"
Hu Xuezheng nodded and said: "Indeed, it's not that no one dares to apply for the Nine Classics, but it's too tight. There are eleven public exams, which need to be completed within three days. Each exam requires one hundred scriptures, fifty Mo Yi, and ten Da Yi. This
Eleven scenes in three days, don’t we have to write from sunrise to dusk?”
“Even if I can answer the question, I am still tired and my hands are sore.”
Assistant Professor Sun said: "But if this guy can answer it, it will be a good story. I remember that one classic can connect to nine, two classics can connect to eight, three classics can connect to seven, five classics can connect to six, and nine classics should connect to five!"
Hu Xuezhengdao: "Exactly. If you have mastered the five principles, you will be qualified."
“If this boy can understand the six and seven, why not give him the first place in the Sutra?” Assistant Professor Sun said.
“How about recommending the Imperial College?” Hu Xuezheng asked.
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Assistant Professor Sun hesitated when he heard this: "In a state, only two or three people are recommended to the Imperial College every year by the imperial examinations. Moreover, the final decision on this matter has to be made by the state."
Hu Xuezhengdao: "In the Imperial Provincial Examination, the Jiu Jing's background is only Tongliu."
Assistant Professor Sun said: "In the past, those who were born in the provincial examination of the Nine Classics should have at least mastered six. However, since the official came to the throne, the Jinshi subjects have become more and more important, and the results from all subjects have become less and less. Even if the nine classics are proficient in seven, you may not be able to master one of the nine.
Origin."
“As for passing the Nine Classics Bachelor’s Degree, it’s even more difficult. You can only get two or three people in each subject, which is equivalent to the first grade of a Jinshi.”
"But let Zhang Sanlang take the exam first! If you are outstanding, recommend him to the envoy. He has always liked to support the junior ones!"
At this point, both of them laughed.
Just a few days before the public examination, Zhang Yue gave Hu Xuezheng a few cans of ginger from his shop.
Hu Xuezheng smiled and said: "You often send these to me, and others think I am greedy for you. I will give you the money as soon as I send it."
Zhang Yue said hurriedly: "Wouldn't it be a disgrace to me to learn to be a good person? What's the value of brewing wine in my own shop? Just tell others for me after you have learned to be a good person. If you say it with such a high and respectable status, others will definitely know it."
I think it’s delicious. Are you worried that the customers won’t come to your door then?”
Hu Xuezheng stroked his beard and smiled and said: "You are such a clever talker. It's okay. I never accept anything from other students, but I only favor you. But don't worry about other things. You have reported eleven games, so don't even think about it."
I will give you the questions clearly, so you can pass the exam based on your own ability!"
“Thank you Xuezheng, Xuezheng has this intention.”
Hu Xuezhengdao: "So you are pretty sure?"
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Students don't dare to say this, so I will try my best to live up to the training I received from Xuezheng."
Hu Xuezhengdao: "You take the exam well. If you pass the fifth grade, don't come to see me in the future. If you pass the sixth grade, I can petition the county magistrate to exempt you from a year's fasting expenses. As agreed, only second-class meals are allowed."
, If you want to wait for a meal, you have to pay extra!”
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "It's better to learn from Zheng Zhi and know what the students want. What if I can understand Qi?"
Hu Xuezheng smiled slightly and said, "You don't need to ask me about this. It's not my decision, but I will help you fight for it."
“Student, thank you Xuezheng!” Zhang Yue said sincerely from the bottom of his heart.
Hu Xuezheng smiled slightly and said: "Sanlang, if you are a good student, go take the exam and make a name for yourself. Don't want to be called Zhang Erlang's younger brother all day long. Even if it is not for the family, you must fight for yourself! Go!"
After Hu Xuezheng waved his hand, Zhang Yue also left the room and said silently: "Thank you Xuezheng for your teaching!"