A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 218 Remembering Old Friends
Song Hao discovered that Song Xuan and his classmates did not treat this place as someone else's home at all.

It’s as if I am the master here.

They were either sitting on a lounge chair, fanning themselves, or playing with the birds in the cages.

On the contrary, the two brothers felt like outsiders and seemed particularly uncomfortable in Song Xuan's house.

Lu Lejian was writing a letter there. In short, the good news had to be spread quickly.

Tao Hong ordered his men to start pulling out the two baskets of money, placing them directly on the cart, and then pulled the donkey out.

Let Xiao Zhihong take Wang Gui out to parade and scatter money, and come back after all the money has been scattered.

He was going to hang a closed sign at the door, saying that he was not in business today and would temporarily suspend business.

If you want to buy lottery tickets, you can go to other stores.

In short, the fact that Song Xuanzhong understood Yuan must be publicized on a large scale.

In any case, it is a very happy thing.

Wang Gui drove the donkey cart out, and Xiao Zhihong grabbed a few handfuls of copper coins and handed them to the children chasing after the cart.

Tell them to study hard in the future and go home quickly, otherwise they will be snatched away by others.

A few children skipped away, saying something like "Song Twelve has won the first place in the imperial examination."

Wang Gui then said with a smile: "Brother Xiao, let me spend some money later."

"No problem, you will go to Tokyo with the young master eventually. I will handle the neighborhood here, and you can come if we go further."

"okay."

Wang Gui immediately drove the donkey cart away.

Scattering coins to let others share in the good fortune has been a practice since ancient times.

The only thing is how much money is spent.

A scholar in his fifties with white hair and beard took a few copper coins in his hand.

Du Yan looked like an old man when he was less than forty years old, with white hair and beard, weak blood and qi, and was always believed that he would not live long.

However, he lived a rare long life. After Fan Zhongyan's Qingli New Deal failed, Du Yan took over as prime minister for 100 days. However, because he offended someone, he was impeached by Ding Du as a member of the New Party and was eventually dismissed from his position.

Later, Du Yan lived in seclusion in Nanjing City (Songcheng) and became one of the Five Elders of Suiyang. He died at the age of over eighty.

"Song Xuan?"

At this time, Du Yan was about to be transferred to Yangzhou.

He came to Nanjing to reminisce about the past at the invitation of his good friend Su Qi.

The main purpose is to put the issue of in-laws between the two parties' children on the agenda.

Su Qi's second son, Su Shunqin, took the imperial examination in the second year of Tiansheng, but failed.

Now I am taking the test again, and I don’t know if I can pass it.

Du Yan felt that he was old, but his eldest daughter was still unmarried, so he had to think about his children, especially since he might die suddenly at any time.

"Wait, could this be the genius that Elder Su mentioned?"

When Su Qi was writing the letter, he mentioned the way Song Xuan of Yingtian Prefecture made money, and he was really surprised.

Moreover, Song Xuan was willing to "squander" the money he earned.

Both the students in the academy and many poor people received his kindness.

Now that I see it with my own eyes, I find that he likes to squander.

It is rare to find people in this world who do not regard money as money.

Du Yan received the wedding money and felt really happy.

He motioned to his servant to clear the way.

Because a large group of people picking up money were following the donkey cart.

"That's really generous."

Du Yan waited until everyone had dispersed, then he slowly ran to the house Su Qi rented to visit him.

However, Su Qi did not go home immediately. Everyone talked with Fan Zhongyan in the county government office.

This time, Yingtian Prefecture held an examination, and seventy-two students from Yingtian Academy were on the list, while the rest were from private schools at home or county schools in various places.

In short, everyone could see Fan Zhongyan's achievements at a glance.

I just don’t know how many of these seventy-two people can successfully reach the level of Jinshi.

In any case, as the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, Yan Shu had to praise Fan Zhongyan for his good teaching.

For civil servants, the achievement of education is an extremely important and easiest assessment to produce results.

"Xiwen."

Yan Shu stroked his beard and smiled:
"The academy has achieved considerable success this time, but we must also take care of the other county schools in Yingtian Prefecture. When you return, please write down your experience. Only then can students from other county schools have a chance to be on the list!"

"Yes, yes, yes, you must not keep it to yourself." Su Qi also quickly followed up with a sentence.

Fan Zhongyan shook his head repeatedly:
"Please don't put all the credit on us. Many of the students just wanted to learn and get good grades."

"If a student doesn't have any self-awareness, even if the top student tutors him, it won't help."

Fan Zhongyan's quality of not taking credit for his own work is excellent, and it made everyone present look at him with admiration.

"No matter what, you, Fan Xiwen, have made a contribution."

Yan Shu set the tone directly. The achievements of Yingtian Academy were worth his personal trip to Ningling County to invite Fan Zhongyan to come out of retirement.

After all, Fan Zhongyan came to Ningling County because of mourning.

During the period of mourning, he lived in Yingtian Academy day and night and worked hard for it.

Now that we have finally made great progress, how can we erase his contributions?

When Fan Zhongyan heard Yan Shu say this, he didn't say anything more and then pointed at Wang Zhu who was nervous beside him.

"His class has the most successful candidates."

"He is a young talent."

Yan Shu also had great admiration for this person.

Otherwise, he would not have been invited to teach at the academy.

Wang Zhu naturally didn't realize at this time that he would cause trouble by drinking with his student Su Shunqin.

Song Shou and others also gave Wang Zhu a very positive evaluation.

Song Xuan first wrote a song called "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" which was sung by many people in Songcheng.

Now that he has passed the imperial examination and is giving away money, many people are talking about his name.

As soon as the news came out, there was no need for Song Xuan to send anyone to invite people to the evening event, as people came to visit with gifts.

In short.

You have just shown some ability in the imperial examination and have demonstrated it through the test.

Then you will find that there are more and more "good people" around you.

These "good people" around him are different from Song Xuan's method of using his fists to force some bad people to become good people.

The whole Song Dynasty was extremely crazy about the imperial examination.

As long as you get good grades in the exam, you will definitely become a superior person and there will be endless people trying to curry favor with you.

Especially people like Song Xuan who passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer have great potential.

At this time, even though the Twelve Bookstores had put up a sign saying they were closed, they still couldn't avoid the endless stream of people coming in.

Song Xuan did not show up, and Tao Hong and his men were responsible for handling everything.

Mainly to thank everyone for their kindness, but Song Shier will not accept gifts.

If anyone forces it, it would be inappropriate.

Song Xuan stood by the window of the room, looking at the bustling crowd below, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth for a moment.

"Twelfth brother, what are you laughing at?"

"Of course I'm laughing. Everyone's eagerness and envy for fame!"

Song Xuan fanned himself: "I finally understand why some people say that there are only good people around them."

Zhang Fangping was puzzled.

But he's used to it.

Twelve brother is a genius.

Sometimes when a genius speaks, it is always difficult for people to understand.

Zhang Fangping's logic is self-consistent.

"You still have to pass the exam to get the first place!"

Lu Lejian's eyes were full of envy:
"It would be nice if all these people were cheering for me, but it's a pity that no one here knows my name."

Wang Tai laughed twice:

"It's good that you know. Don't be jealous when you shouldn't be. First, you need to have that much strength before you can talk about other things."

"No, your father is worthy of being enshrined in the imperial temple. Why are you so proud?"

Lu Lejian looked at Wang Tai indignantly and said, "I've noticed that you've been saying such rude things lately. Did you secretly eat cow dung behind our backs?"

"I've been eating beef lately and my breath is really bad."

Wang Tai didn't care at all and lowered his voice: "I rank higher than you, and everyone here ranks higher than you!"

Lu Lejian looked around and tried to lift out the last person, Wang Xiuyong.

But he found that the boy had already run back home to report the good news.

"If you ask me, it has to be Twelfth Brother."

Zhang Fangping chuckled a few times:
"The last time Yingtian Prefecture's top scorer was Han Qi, most of the people in the city have no impression of him, let alone this."

You should know that Han Qi's background is much better than Song Xuan's. He comes from a family of officials.

"Last time, Han Qi didn't throw money around, and he didn't make a fuss like we did."

The words say so.

But they had to admit that Song Xuan's name was still quite well-known in Songcheng.

Song Hao stood by the window, also silent.

How he wished that the people below were enthusiastically discussing his name! Unfortunately, his thoughts were similar to Lu Lejian's. No one knew who he was.

First, he has never been the timely rain in Song Dynasty, second, he has never passed the imperial examination, and third, he is not a business genius with plenty of money.

How can they compare with Song Xuan?

"what?"

The jailer Li Kun was a little surprised for a moment: "Shi Er Lang wants to invite me to a banquet to celebrate?"

"That's right." Jiang Da panted, "I've already delivered the message. I still need to inform others."

"Good good."

Jail boss Li Kun nodded hurriedly and watched the messenger go away.

Li Kun was prepared for the banquet to be held when Song Shier passed the imperial examination.

But he didn't expect that he, a clerk, would have the opportunity to participate!

What kind of occasion would that be?

"Boss, I really envy you!"

"Yes, it would be so prestigious if you told others about it. By then, everyone in Song City would know that you and Shi Er Lang are good friends."

"Go! Go! Go."

Li Kun drove away the group of people who were joining in the fun. He decided to go home and take out new clothes from the closet and wear them to the banquet.

No matter what, he couldn't let Song Shier be embarrassed in front of others by making friends with a clerk like him.

Chief Constable Ding Zhe, Captain of the Fire Squad Yao Yunfan and others were all invited.

Everyone took this matter very seriously. After washing up, they went there in a very solemn manner.

"Shi Er Lang, I came in a hurry and forgot to prepare a gift. I bought an inkstone. I hope you don't mind."

"I asked you to have dinner, did I ask Brother Li to give you a gift?"

"Everyone in Song City knows that Song Twelve is a righteous man. How could he eat and drink for free?"

Li Kun smiled and said, "It's mainly because my wife told me not to come empty-handed."

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan patted Li Kun on the shoulder and asked him to come in and talk.

Li Kun put the things aside and asked Tao Hong to register them. He would go back in the evening with the return gifts and give them to his children.

"When I make friends, I never consider whether they are rich or poor."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Of course Li Kun knew that Song Xuan was not lying.

They also understood that Song Xuan really did not look down on them, the clerks.

"Oh, I'm a little late. I let you take the lead."

Ding Zhe also rushed in with an inkstone.

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan didn't care and asked them to go to the yard to rest for a while. There was no need to dress so formally.

How hot it is today!
Ding Zhe and Li Kun looked at each other, smiled and did not expose each other's thoughts, and went to the backyard to enjoy the cool air.

A group of people came and went.

It’s not lively.

……

Inside the palace.

The young emperor Zhao Zhen was in a good mood because the Western Qiang Rebellion, which had been plaguing him for a long time, had finally calmed down.

These generals, who had been at the border for a long time, were actually afraid of fighting. Not only did they fail to suppress the rebellion of the Western Qiang people in time, but they were surrounded instead.

Fortunately, with the rescue of the brave general Zhao Zhen, the Qiang people failed to break through these cities.

Since the Qiang tribe could not withstand the offensive of the Song army, they had to seek help from Zhao Deming of Western Xia.

However, Zhao Deming not only kept his troops in place, but also asked for peace with the Song Dynasty.

At this point, the rebellion of the Western Qiang was completely quelled.

Zhao Zhen planned to recruit Zhao Zhen's son to his side to test his skills, and then keep him by his side to use him.

Anyway, it is normal for a military general to reward his son after winning a battle.

Seeing that the sixteen-year-old Zhao Xun was handsome and studious, Zhao Zhen asked him to study hard so that he could better serve the Song Dynasty in the future.

Therefore, Zhao Zhen felt that he had gained another talented person under his command, who would surely be able to make a difference when he took power in the future, and he was in a very good mood.

When he returned to the room, he found that the people from the Imperial City Bureau had already placed the letter on the table.

Zhao Zhen was overjoyed.

After quickly checking the lacquer seal in front of the candle, he began to look at the information about Song Xuan.

The trial has begun in full swing.

Song Xuan has been studying all the time and vowed to pass the imperial examination.

"He's a real braggart."

Although during this period, Zhao Zhen always received news that Song Xuan was studying all the time.

The group of people from the Imperial City Bureau were busy doing business, and with a large flow of people, over time they inevitably became slack in the tasks that the emperor originally assigned them.

What's more, Song Xuan doesn't often look for women, let alone kill people in secret.

There isn't that much to report.

After Zhao Zhen complained in his heart, he didn't think that Song Xuan could pass the exam at such a young age, let alone become the top scorer!
Just because Song Xuan didn’t make the list last time, he may not be able to make it this time.

Zhao Zhen knew that Song Xuan had been studying all the time, but with the prodigy Yan Shu setting the questions, it would definitely not be easy.

Zhao Zhen knew Yan Shu well, and he would never let him off the hook intentionally, especially in terms of knowledge.

But the more Zhao Zhen read, the more he realized that the letter also mentioned that his classmates did not believe that Song Xuan could pass the imperial examination.

So there are also ridicules and jokes that can be heard all the time.

The young emperor Zhao Zhen immediately began to reflect.

I had just laughed at Song Xuan.

"As expected, if you reveal something before it's even completed, you'll be ridiculed."

Zhao Zhen muttered to himself for a while and continued reading.

"At such a young age, he visited a brothel and even met Liu Qi. They competed with each other for the lyrics of the top prostitute, Yu Linglong?"

Zhao Zhen was a little surprised when he saw this.

In this matter, Gao Zunfu and others did not actually enter the brothel, so how expensive would the charges be?
It doesn't fit their identity at all, as they set up stalls on the street to make money. If Song Xuan saw them, they would be exposed even more easily.

Therefore, the information they collected afterwards was half-true and half-false information that had been processed several times, and was not the original version.

But the emperor doesn’t know!

Zhao Zhen wanted to see what kind of poems the two of them could write to compete for the favor of a woman!
Have you really never seen a woman before?

Zhao Zhen completely forgot how he resisted in his heart after his mother was not satisfied with the queen she chose for him, and how he slept in other women's beds many times.

Liu Sanbian's poems are vividly portrayed on paper, and Zhao Zhen has also been influenced by years of study.

Although Liu Sanbian's poem does not conform to the mainstream Xikun style, it has already formed its own style.

Zhao Zhen continued to read.

"On the Mid-Autumn Festival of Bingyin, I drank till dawn, got quite drunk, and wrote this poem, thinking of my old friends."

"When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup to ask the blue sky."

……

"Nung, moon and new moon!"

Zhao Zhen read it through first, then his eyes lit up and he read it through again.

But he still felt it was not satisfying enough.

After reading it nine times in a row, the young emperor Zhao Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He really didn't expect that Song Xuan's poetry would improve so quickly!
Regardless of whether this Mid-Autumn Festival poem was written out of jealousy, Zhao Zhen received top elite education in the palace, so he had his own judgment on many things.

"Song Twelve's Mid-Autumn Festival poem is unprecedented and will never be surpassed. Who can surpass him?"

"With Song Twelve's current strength, I'm afraid he might actually pass the exam and become the top scorer."

"It's a pity that this poem is not in the Xikun style."

Zhao Zhen naturally understood how excellent the Jinshi scholars under his command were in poetry and prose, which allowed them to reach the core of the imperial court today.

It is extremely difficult for ordinary Jinshi to obtain a high position.

However, the prime ministers were discussing the reform of the imperial examination because the Song Dynasty had been at peace for a long time and poetry and prose were no longer suitable for the examination.

Otherwise, the officials selected will all be good at poetry and prose, but not good at doing things!

How can the Song Dynasty be governed well by them?

So deep down in his heart, Zhao Zhen agreed with the reform of the imperial examination, but his mother had some doubts, and she was stuck for a while and did not fully issue the reform.

However, Zhao Zhen was not in a hurry. Since it had been proposed and the prime ministers were secretly pushing it forward, the imperial examination reform would surely succeed.

No one responded to Zhao Zhen's mumbling. Every time this happened, the palace maids and eunuchs who served him were used to it.

The official is used to having time alone and no one is allowed to come in unless the sky falls.

Ever since Empress Guo came to make trouble last time and it was to no avail, those who make a living in the palace naturally understood the emperor's intentions.

"Song Twelve's poem is so well written."

Zhao Zhen couldn't let it go.

He even copied it on a piece of paper next to him to avoid missing a single word.

After the young emperor Zhao Zhen finished copying Song Xuan's "Song of Water Melody", he carefully read it several times.

Suddenly, Zhao Zhen's eyes lit up and he placed his hand on the beginning of what Song Xuan had written:
"Song Twelve wrote about remembering an old friend. Who could this old friend be?"

(End of this chapter)