Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 173: The Government Grants a House! (5.2k, I came back late today, so I’ll just do one chapter)

Su Yun and Zhang Dun chatted for a while, and then Zhang Dun said, "The Spring Examination will be held in half a month, do you still plan to take the exam?

I have discussed this with Ziyou, and I think given your situation, why don’t you try again next time?”

Su Yun smiled and said, "Why not give it a try?"

Zhang Dun nodded and said, "It's okay if you want to try. Anyway, no one can doubt your talent now.

But you should take a break recently, you have been busy for too long, if you continue like this your health will be in trouble."

Su Yun smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm in good health. Although I'm very busy writing books, I exercise every day."

This is true. Although Su Yun has to write a lot every day, he always maintains at least eight hours of rest time every day, seven hours in the evening and one hour at noon.

Moreover, he practiced Plum Blossom Fist diligently every day. In the past year, he not only wrote "Collected Commentaries on Mencius" and "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books", but his attainments in boxing also became higher and higher, and he has entered a new realm.

Hearing Su Yun say this, Zhang Dun was a little curious: "I heard that you have special skills, is it true?"

Su Yun smiled and said, "I have practiced Kung Fu with an old Taoist priest for a few years, so it can be considered a traditional boxing style. As for whether it is a unique skill or not, I just think it can help me exercise and defend myself."

Zhang Dun asked curiously, "Can I take a look?"

Su Yun nodded and smiled, "Of course."

Zhang Dun said excitedly: "Let's go to the courtyard where there is more space."

Su Yun smiled and said, "That's not necessary. Let's do it here. Plum Blossom Fist focuses most on body movements. The study is cramped, but it is also the best place to show the beauty of body movements."

As Su Yun spoke, he began to move his feet, and the beauty of this movement was apparent.

Su Yun was originally tall, but at this moment he was extremely agile, moving among the bookshelves, desks, chairs, and various vases. He did not look like a tall man, but rather like a swimming fish.

Then Su Yun threw a punch, which seemed light and effortless, but there was a faint sound of thunder.

Su Yun swam around three or four times and then stopped, without even taking a breath, looking calm and relaxed.

Zhang Dun's face was full of amazement. Although he didn't understand boxing, he could see that Su Yun's boxing skills were truly extraordinary.

Su Yun smiled and said, "Uncle, so, for the next ten days or so, let's start preparing as before, right?"

Zhang Dun nodded and said, "Okay, I'll pick out a dozen of the most typical test papers for you. You do one every day, and we'll prepare in a targeted manner."

Su Yun nodded without hesitation.

In fact, Su Yun felt that he was very strong at this moment, and the kind of strong that was ridiculously strong.

After the reform, the poetry and prose examination content in the imperial examination was abolished, and the examination focused on classics and policy essays.

The meaning of the classics became a key examination item, and the examination content focused on explaining the meaning of the classics and no longer involved the interpretation of relevant chapters and sentences.

During the process of writing "Collected Commentaries on Mencius" and "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books", Su Yun read the Four Books and Five Classics over and over again, studied them from various angles, and in order to understand the principles of the Five Classics, he dug deep into the various meanings contained therein.

In fact, he now not only has a very in-depth study of the Spring and Autumn Annals, but also his understanding of the meanings of other classics. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the best in the world.

Students who have written books know that when you read a book because of writing it, you will find that your understanding of the book is different from the depth when you simply read the book.

It can be roughly described as follows.

When you simply read a book, it is like traveling to a tourist attraction. You read it in a relaxed manner, just like taking a quick look.

But if you read for the sake of writing a book, you are like a cow and a horse who is responsible for building a scenic spot. You have to go to another scenic spot to learn from it. What you see now is:
Why are the various areas of this scenic spot arranged like this, why are these pavilions built in this area, why is a bridge built in that area, how should the flowers, plants and trees in each area be arranged, how to make tourists stop, how to promote tourists' consumption in this scenic spot...

In this way, the amount of information you obtain is at a different level than simply reading.

Therefore, in terms of the meaning of the scriptures, Su Yun believed that it was impossible for any candidate to surpass him.

As for policy essays, haha, after making up for his shortcomings in classics, the advantage of his vision and knowledge is a dimensionality reduction attack.

The extra thousand years of knowledge and vision are beyond the reach of the indigenous people.

So, although it seems that he wasted five months in revising the book, in fact, he learned much more in this process than simply doing the test!
Sure enough, after Su Yun did a few more sets of questions, he became more confident: To be the top scorer in the imperial examination might require some luck, but getting on the list should not be a problem!
In mid-February, a spring rain fell in Bianjing, and the spring examination followed.

Although the weather had warmed up slightly, it was still quite cold. Su Yun entered the examination room carrying a quilt, a charcoal stove and an examination box.

The examination for the Spring Examination was much stricter than that for the Exam. Even Su Yun's quilt was taken apart for inspection. After entering the examination room, the silk inside had to be carefully packed back up. This silk quilt was very expensive and was taken apart into a mess.

After entering the Imperial Examination Hall, he first spread out the quilt, then quickly lit the stove, fetched some water, and filled the hand warmer, which made him feel a little warmer.

This damn day, I don’t know why it’s so cold.

Although the cold weather in the Song Dynasty was not as well-known as that in the Ming Dynasty, there are historical records that due to the cold winters in the Song Dynasty, a large number of northern residents moved to the south to avoid the cold, and then moved back in the spring and autumn.

Moreover, during the Northern Song Dynasty, because of the "bitterly cold" weather, Emperor Zhenzong ordered "all troops in various regions to rest."

Even the Song Dynasty included the seemingly insignificant matter of delivering charcoal into the legal code. Just like paying wages, a certain amount of charcoal was received every month according to the official position, number of people, etc.

Starting from Emperor Taizong of Song, the emperor would send "envoys" to give "rice and charcoal worth one thousand coins to the lonely, old and poor people in the capital." That is to say, not only people with salaries could get charcoal, but ordinary people could also get it.

For this reason, the Song court often sold government firewood and charcoal at a reduced price to benefit the poor. "When charcoal was expensive, the price was reduced, so the price of charcoal in the capital was always low."

"Sending charcoal in the snow" became the best gift that people in the Song Dynasty could give to their friends during the winter.

In fact, as a martial artist, Su Yun can withstand the cold better than ordinary people, but it was too cold that day.

Su Yun saw other students taking off their coats during the inspection. They were so cold that they looked pale, with blue lips and pale faces, like dead people.

Su Yun looked at those who were weak and estimated that after three days of suffering here, they would probably get sick when they returned.

In fact, let alone them, even Su Yun felt frozen all over after three days of exams.

Although he had a silk quilt, a charcoal stove, a hand warmer, and high-end clothes made for him by the Royal Needlework Bureau, and he was physically strong, he still felt cold to the bone.

After the exam, Ah Hui returned to the courtyard. He boiled a large bucket of hot water and soaked in it for half an hour. When it got cold, he added more hot water. He also drank a lot of ginger soup, and only then did he feel better.

Su Yun felt that even the wind and snow on the road when he went to Huangzhou before was not as cold as this.

But there is naturally a difference. Although it is cold on the road, you are always walking and exercising. As long as there is food to replenish calories, the body will naturally generate heat continuously.

But when I was sitting down to take the exam, it felt colder and colder!

However, these three days finally passed, and Su Yun felt that he had done quite well in the exam. The questions on the meaning of the scriptures were very easy for him, but he was not sure about his ranking, as this thing was actually quite arbitrary.

After Su Yun finished taking a bath, he wrapped himself tightly. Su Zhe sent someone to tell Su Yun to have a good rest for a few days and come to his house for dinner after he had recovered.

Zhang Ruo and Zhang Ze came over from Zhang Dun's side. Seeing that Su Yun's face was pale and his lips were green, they felt very distressed. They prepared some tonic for Su Yun to replenish his qi and blood, and insisted that Su Yun take it and drink it.

Su Yun naturally followed suit.

Zhang Ze looked at his sister Zhang Ruo taking care of Su Yun with such gentleness and virtue, and not only did he not feel the slightest bit of jealousy, but he became more and more delighted the more he watched.

While Zhang Ruo was in the kitchen, Zhang Ze hurried over and said, "Brother-in-law, your yard is a bit small. If you want to marry my sister, this yard won't be big enough for you to live in."

Su Yun smiled and said, "I'm already looking for it."

Zhang Ze nodded and smiled: "It doesn't matter if you don't look for it. My father and sister won't mind it anyway."

Su Yun looked at Zhang Ze without saying anything, with a look in his eyes: What the hell are you talking about?

Zhang Ze coughed dryly and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm just concerned. Hehe."

Su Yun didn't know what was wrong with Zhang Ze, so he didn't say much.

Su Yun was just about to take a nap when someone came outside. It turned out to be Zhen Shixuan.

Zhen Shixuan came wearing the clothes of a minor eunuch, followed by imperial guards, indicating that this was official business.

Seeing this, Zhang Ruo quickly called Zhang Ze, and the two left first. Zhen Shixuan looked at Zhang Ruo for a few more times and said with a smile: "Is this Mr. Zhang's daughter?"

Su Yun nodded and said, "Don't tell me you don't know."

Zhen Shixuan straightened his expression and said, "Su Yun and Su Juzheng are accepting the order!"

Su Yun quickly bowed and said, "I accept your order." Then he whispered, "Zhen Zhonggui, do you need to set up an incense table?"

Zhen Shixuan laughed and said, "You don't have this either. When you become an official, you can set up an incense table and use it whenever you want."

"The decree says: The ancient sages passed down the classics, and the root of the matter must be filial piety and brotherhood. The wise kings governed the country and established teachings based on human relations.

Only you, Su Yun of Meishan, first compiled the "Collected Commentaries on the Mencius" and then compiled the "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books", promoting the true meaning of the sages and demonstrating the spirit of modern people.

The model is worthy of emulation, and the virtue of age is commendable. It is honorable to be enrolled in the county school and to be a glory in the village.

You may grant me a house as a special gift. Encourage me to be diligent and never forget the favors and encouragements I have bestowed on you, and encourage your descendants.

All cases should be reported in full.

After hearing this, Su Yun looked at Zhen Shixuan in surprise.

After all, he had learned how to write official documents from Su Shi, so he naturally knew the format of the imperial edict and understood what was said. In fact, there was no need to read the messy edict. It just said that Su Yunxiu had written two books well, so he was rewarded with a house.

Well, that's it.

Is this worth issuing an imperial edict?
You have to know that the imperial edicts of the Song Dynasty were not written by the officials themselves and then issued by the eunuchs.

It has to go through a very strict procedure before it can be awarded.

As for today's imperial edict, usually the prime minister's office would write down the opinions in a note first, and this opinion could not be decided by the prime minister alone. It often had to be discussed by court officials, presented to the emperor, and approved before the prime minister could draft the edict.

Regardless of whether the decree came from the emperor himself or from the ruling prime minister's office, according to the Song Dynasty system, when it entered the process of drafting an edict, it was generally drafted by the Zhongshu Sheren of the Zhongshu Province.

The kind of emperor in TV dramas who can designate a trusted eunuch and accomplish things with a stroke of the pen is definitely not something that the emperors of the Song Dynasty could do.

After the Yuanfeng reform, the Zhongshu Sheren had two responsibilities. One was to "draft the imperial edict" based on the emperor's words.

However, the Zhongshu Sheren of the Song Dynasty had another privilege: if he felt that the "heading" was not legal, no matter whether it came from the emperor's idea or the prime minister's idea, he could refuse to draft the edict.

This is called "returning the word head", which is a power explicitly granted to the Zhongshu Sheren by the laws of the Song Dynasty.

This is what is meant by "If something is done inappropriately or the appointment is made to the wrong person, then the petition will be submitted and the title will be returned."

During the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty, Cai Xiang was in charge of drafting imperial edicts. "Whenever he was appointed to a position that was not appropriate for him, he would return it to his post; the emperor treated him even more favorably."

If the Zhongshu Sheren "returns the beginning of a poem" and the emperor is stubborn and insists on issuing an edict, then the second Sheren can draft the edict, but the second Sheren can also "return the beginning of a poem".

Theoretically, as long as the Zhongshu Sheren reached a unanimous agreement to "refuse to draft an imperial edict", an inappropriate imperial edict could be "nibbled in the bud".

For example, in the third year of Xining, Wang Anshi, the Vice-Chancellor, wanted to promote Li Ding, his confidant and supporter of the new law, to the position of "Supervisory Censor", and the emperor agreed.

However, Li Ding had a bad character and a bad reputation. Song Minqiu, the Imperial Edict Writer, refused to draft the imperial edict to appoint Li Ding, returned the edict, and resigned three days later.
The other two people who succeeded him as the Imperial Edict Editors, Su Song and Li Dalin, also returned the poem to the emperor on the grounds of "cherishing the laws of the court."

In order to ensure that Li Ding passed the appointment smoothly, Shenzong and Wang Anshi dismissed Su Song and Li Dalin from their posts and appointed obedient people to be the imperial edict drafters. Finally, Li Ding was able to enter the central government as a censor.

So, going through such a difficult procedure just to give yourself a house... isn't it a bit of an overreaction?
But then Su Yun immediately reacted and said, "What arrangements have been made for the Four Books?"

Zhen Shixuan smiled and said, "Master Su is indeed perceptive. The emperor has included the Four Books and Annotations into the teaching materials of Zishan Hall, so he specially granted the mansion to Master Su to thank him for providing such an excellent teaching material for the princes.

In addition, the government has convened the Imperial College professors to discuss the inclusion of the Four Books as an elective course at the Imperial College, alongside the Song Dynasty Law.

Su Yun was surprised when he heard this: "So soon? The Four Books haven't been officially published yet, and haven't been recognized by the public yet, but they're already being pushed into the Imperial College?"

Zhen Shixuan said solemnly, "The emperor said that the book 'Collected Annotations on the Four Books' is the key to opening the wisdom of the people. Time is of the essence. We must include it as soon as possible to open the wisdom of students all over the world and let more talents emerge in our Song Dynasty!"

What I mean is that your book is so good that I can’t wait to promote it!

But is it necessary to be so anxious?

Although it is not directly included in the imperial examination question bank, it is a bit excessive to make it an elective course.

Taixue is more than just a school, it is also the leading organization of the provincial and county schools in the Song Dynasty. It promoted the Four Books as elective courses in Taixue, that is to say, it made it an elective course in all provincial and county schools in the Song Dynasty!
It has become a textbook directly!
However, this book has not yet been certified by the world's great scholars, and has not even been publicly released!

According to Su Yun's imagination, it should be handed over to some private printing houses first, or at most let the Song Dynasty Printing House print it and distribute it, and then let it be submitted to people all over the world for review, and then it will have to go through rounds of debates before it can become an official textbook.

Or, like Wang Anshi, he could rely on administrative power to force his doctrine into the Imperial College. However, this approach had too many side effects. As soon as Song Shenzong died and Sima Guang and other old party members came to power, they immediately abolished it.

Thinking of this, Su Yun frowned. Now that Zhao Xu was so anxious, it was not a good thing for the Four Books.

The Four Books are the result of Su Yun's hard work. If it encounters such misfortune, it is not what Su Yun wants to see.

However, he had no say in this matter. Zhao Xu was already carrying out the order, so he had no right to say anything.

Zhen Shixuan smiled and said, "On the one hand, I gave you a mansion because you need a big mansion, and on the other hand, the emperor is testing the opinions of the prime ministers and the secretaries. Mr. Su is the author of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so he naturally understands the emperor's thoughts."

Su Yun nodded, but still a little worried.

Zhen Shixuan leaned over and whispered, "The emperor asked me to ask you, how did you do in the exam?"

Su Yun smiled and said, "You did pretty well in the test. It should be no problem for you to be on the list. But whether you can get to the top depends on the examiner's preference."

Zhen Shixuan asked happily, "So you did very well in the exam?"

Su Yun hesitated for a moment and said, "I think there will be a lot of problems with the classics, and the policy essays will depend more on the individual, but my writing is pretty good, and I think the topic is well-targeted, so I think it won't be a problem to rank high, right?"

Zhen Shixuan clapped his hands and laughed, "Then there will be no problem!"

Su Yun said: "What's no problem?"

Zhen Shixuan whispered, "The emperor wants you to win the top three places in the imperial examination. Only with such a reputation can he bring your Four Books to the Imperial College with this great victory!"

Su Yun was greatly surprised and said, "To be the top three, that's really unexpected! The palace examination is presided over by the emperor, so I have some confidence, but this joint examination..."

Zhen Shixuan smiled and asked, "Who is the examiner this time?"

Su Yun thought for a moment and said, "I think I heard it before. It was... the Minister of Rites Huang Lu?"

Zhen Shixuan nodded and said, "The emperor appointed him."

Su Yun thought about it. He was not familiar with Huang Lu, but he seemed to be from the New Law faction. Otherwise, such an important position as the Minister of Rites would not be his.

However, the chief examiner has always been a candidate recommended by the Ministry of Rites and then appointed by the emperor. However, the Ministry of Rites usually recommends other ministers and it is rare for the Minister of Rites to take the position personally.

That is to say, Huang Lu’s identity is somewhat special?

Seeing Su Yun's confusion, Zhen Shixuan said with a smile, "Mr. Huang and Mr. Zhang are on good terms..."

The truth is clear.

The position of chief examiner cannot be given to people from the old party now, only people from the new party can take it.

But among the New Party, if Su Yun was friendly with Wang Gui and He Zhengchen, he would not be able to win the first place even if he wrote brilliant articles.

But Huang Lu belongs to Zhang Dun's faction. As long as his article is in the first queue, he will have a great chance of becoming the champion of this session!

Su Yun sighed, "The emperor's kindness to his students is truly higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea! The emperor has good intentions."

Zhen Shixuan smiled and said, "I will repay the emperor's kindness in the future."

Su Yun bowed to the north to express his gratitude for the emperor's grace.

(End of this chapter)