Food bloggers made fortunes in ancient times

In the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth lunar month. The imperial court suddenly issued an edict, ordering Emperor Hongqi to abdicate and pass the throne to Prince Hui Li Yanche, and changing the reign title to "Yongxi".

The edict was written in earnest terms, stating that the new emperor was young and could not shoulder the heavy responsibility of handling the country. King Hui had made outstanding contributions in suppressing rebellions and protecting the country, and that it was truly the will of heaven.

"Little Pomegranate...became the emperor?" Song Yan was a little dazed and felt like she was dreaming.

The image of the little dumpling squatting on the roadside, staring at me eating wontons, appeared in front of my eyes.

Now he has become the new emperor of Da Jin.

"It's just a matter of time. That brat is quite ambitious." Shu Changyu leaned lazily on the couch, combing Song Yan's hair with his fingers, his expression indifferent.

Over the past three months, Li Yanche first quelled the civil unrest in the capital, eliminated the remnants of Prince Chen, appeased the people, opened the granaries to release grain, stabilized the situation in the capital, and his prestige grew.

Emperor Hongqi was young and the empress dowager was indecisive. Most of the ministers in the court were slaughtered by Shu Changyu, and the rest were all fence-sitters who were very good at changing their attitude according to the situation.

With a little pressure, Li Yanche successfully completed the transfer of power.

As for the young emperor, he was frightened out of his wits by Shu Changyu's bloody purge and had no attachment to the throne, so he wrote the abdication edict in a straightforward manner.

Li Yanche did not mistreat them because they were from the same clan. He just moved them to another garden, where they had no worries about food and clothing, but they were no longer allowed to be involved in politics.

The first thing Li Yanche did after ascending the throne was to send troops to wipe out Prince Yong in the northwest, Prince Qian in the southwest, and to quell the rebellion in the south of the Yangtze River.

In just a few months, the turbulent situation was stabilized.

If you ask Li Yanche where he got so many soldiers and horses to deal with multiple rebellions at the same time.

This has to do with the misunderstanding that occurred at Li Yanche’s coronation ceremony.

A few months ago, Liaodong Wei received an imperial edict from the court to mobilize troops to defend the king, and Wu Meng led the army slowly for more than three months.

Along the way, we were busy suppressing bandits and repairing roads, which resulted in a waste of time.

When they arrived in the capital, they happened to catch the coronation ceremony of the new emperor.

When the imperial court saw such a huge army appearing outside the city, they were immediately panicked, thinking that another vassal king had attacked the capital.

Upon asking, I found out that it was the Liaodong Guard's army that was sent to support the emperor. Because they marched too slowly, they missed the funeral of Emperor Kangrui and the Chen Prince Rebellion.

Now it has become a "gift" to congratulate the new emperor on his accession to the throne.

Li Yanche knew the truth but did not blame him. Instead, he rewarded Wu Meng greatly and ordered him to lead the Liaodong Guard to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion.

As for the Northern Frontier Army, Li Yanche also made use of it and sent a large army to the southwest to quell the rebellion of Prince Qian.

Shu Changwu had no interest in court affairs, but seeing that the new emperor trusted his people, he was happy to follow orders and led the Northern Frontier Cavalry to the northwest to attack Prince Yong's lair.

For a time, there was frequent news of victory on the battlefields of the Great Jin Dynasty, and the momentum of the new dynasty gradually emerged.

In addition to issuing the imperial edict, the court also announced news about next year's imperial examination.

"Brother, there will be an imperial examination next year, and I want to give it a try." Song Zhengdu stood in front of Song Yan with a serious expression.

He has experienced a lot over the years and is no longer the naive boy he used to be.

After Li Yanche left Beijing, he took charge of the affairs of the government, becoming more calm and experienced, with a scholarly air and tenacity between his brows.

"Go if you want to." Song Yan nodded with a smile, "I think you have learned enough over the years. It's time to give it a try."

In the spring of the first year of Yongxi, the ice and snow melted and all things revived.

Song Zhengdu took Xu An, Gao Ruowang and Wei Taoer with him and set off for Beijing to take the exam.

The spring weather is chilly, but it cannot dampen the enthusiasm of those preparing to take the exam.

On the way to Beijing, they met many candidates who were also going to Beijing to take the imperial examination. There were white-haired old men, as well as young people with high spirits. They walked in groups of three or four, and their conversations were full of beautiful articles.

Everyone has a dream and looks forward to the glory of being on the list of successful candidates.

In the capital, Shu Changwen had received the news in advance and cleaned up the guest room early.

Ever since Shu Changyu cleaned up the court, many official positions have been vacant.

Li Yanche promoted several young officials with both talent and virtue.

Among them was Lin Yifeng, who was promoted directly from a fifth-rank editor to a third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a meteoric rise to the top.

Because of his prudent work, Shu Changwen was promoted to the position of Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Works. Although it was still not a high position, it gave him more room to display his talents.

Seeing Song Zhengdu and others coming, Shu Changwen was overjoyed and hurriedly welcomed them in: "You've worked hard all the way, come in and have a rest."

"Uncle Song." Shu Changwen's eldest son Shu Jianhong has grown into a handsome young man. He bowed respectfully to Song Zhengdu.

Song Zhengdu said with emotion: "Dabao has grown taller."

Shu Jianhong's mouth twitched slightly: "Uncle Song, I'm an adult now, don't call me by my nickname anymore."

Song Zhengdu smiled.

Mrs. Wu also came out and greeted them warmly, "The room is ready, you guys take a rest first, I'll go prepare dinner."

Gao Ruowang and Wei Taoer hurriedly thanked her: "Thank you, ma'am."

Everyone exchanged greetings and settled down.

With the imperial examination approaching, Song Zhengdu and Gao Ruowang studied hard behind closed doors every day. Shu Changwen would occasionally discuss current affairs with them, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

In a blink of an eye, the day of the imperial examination arrived.

There was a crowd of people outside the Imperial Examination Hall, and candidates were queuing up in a long line waiting to enter.

However, at the back of the team, a disheveled young man was biting his fingers and muttering to himself as if no one was around.

He was dressed in rags, skinny as a stick, his face covered in dirt, but his eyes were sometimes clear and sometimes cloudy, revealing an indescribable weirdness.

Seeing that he was crazy, the other candidates around him avoided him as much as possible, fearing that they would be infected by his bad luck.

This person is Gu Qianfan.

When Prince Chen was defeated that day, he took advantage of the chaos to escape from the palace and has been wandering around the capital, living by begging and stealing.

It was not until the news of the imperial examination spread throughout the capital that a glimmer of clarity suddenly flashed through Gu Qianfan's confused mind.

He can even take the imperial examination!

He always felt that his failure was due to the wrong timing. As long as he could pass the imperial examination, he would be able to gain a place in the new dynasty and make a comeback with his ability to "predict the future."

So he also came on the day of the imperial examination.

However, he did not even have the most basic identification, let alone the writing materials, paper and inkstone needed for the exam. As soon as he approached the Imperial Examination Hall, he was stopped by the officers.

"Get out of here! Who are you, you lunatic? How dare you make a noise here?" The officer pushed him with disgust on his face.

Gu Qianfan staggered back a few steps, pointing at the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall frantically and shouting: "I want to take the exam! I am a candidate! I can be the top scorer!"

His appearance caused laughter from those around him, and the candidates looked at him sideways as if he were a clown.

"Isn't this guy stupid from studying?"

"Look at his attire, I'm afraid he can't even afford to buy some writing brushes and ink, and yet he still wants to win the title of first place?"

The mocking voice pierced Gu Qianfan's heart like a needle. He threw himself at the officer and roared, "Let me in! I know the future! I can help the new emperor govern the world!"

The officer was annoyed by his pestering and whipped him with a whip: "Get out of here!"

Gu Qianfan screamed and was dragged to the ground by several officers. He still refused to give up and clung to the door frame, shouting, "I am Gu Qianfan! I am the chosen one! You will regret this!"

In the end, he was dragged away forcibly, the cursing voices gradually faded away, leaving only a mess on the ground.

Inside the Imperial Examination Hall, Song Zhengdu knew nothing about this; he was concentrating on thinking about the test questions.

The exam question was "On the Way of Governing a Country". After a brief thought, he began to write with his brush.

Everything I have seen, heard, thought and imagined over the years has been poured into my writing.

He wrote about the changes in Yunshan County, the sufferings of the people, and his own views on state governance.

There are no fancy words, only plain and simple insights.

Nine days passed in a flash, and when Song Zhengdu walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall, the sun was shining brightly on his slightly tired face.

Gao Ruo also came out of the Imperial Examination Hall at the same time.

When the two met, Gao Ruowang asked, "How did you do on the exam?"

Song Zhengdu smiled slightly: "Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

One month later, the results were announced.

There was a huge crowd of people outside the Imperial Examination Hall, filled with candidates who came to see the list.

Song Zhengdu stood in the crowd, his heart beating faster involuntarily.

Suddenly, cheers broke out from the front.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!"

"Look! The first place is Song Zhengdu! Song Zhengdu from Guang'an Prefecture, Songzhou!"

Song Zhengdu was stunned until Xu An excitedly grabbed his arm and shook it: "Second Young Master! You are Huiyuan! Huiyuan!"

Wei Taoer also shouted excitedly: "John also won! You all won!"

Song Zhengdu finally came back to his senses, his eyes slightly warm.

Years of hard study finally paid off.

The palace examination will be held in half a month.

This time, Song Zhengdu saw Li Yanche sitting on the dragon throne.

The young emperor was very majestic and had a calm gaze.

When Li Yanche's eyes swept over Song Zhengdu, he paused slightly, and then returned to normal.

The topic of the palace examination was "On the New Policies".

Song Zhengdu pondered for a moment, then picked up a pen to write down his thoughts.

He advocated light taxes and levies to give the people a rest; rectifying the administration of officials and selecting virtuous and capable people for office; developing agriculture and sericulture and revitalizing industry and commerce.

Every word and sentence hits the nail on the head.

After the palace examination, Li Yanche personally reviewed the papers.

When he saw Song Zhengdu's answer sheet, a smile appeared in his eyes.

"Second Brother Song is still as pragmatic as ever." He said to Zhan Qingyue.

Three days later, the results of the exam were announced.

Song Zhengdu ranked first in the first class of High School and became the top scholar!

Gao Ruowang also ranked second and was awarded the status of Jinshi.

When the good news reached Yunshan County, the entire Song family was overjoyed. The banquet was set up from the streets to the end of the alleys, and the atmosphere was lively for three days.

Even Zhangjia Village had more than a dozen tables.

Zhangjia Village produced a top scholar. The villagers were so proud that they stood up straighter when they went out.

The old village chief even had a stone tablet erected at the entrance of the village, engraved with the four large characters "Hometown of Number One Scholar", hoping that there would be more promising sons and daughters in the future.

Half a month later, Song Zhengdu returned home in glory.

Song Yuanshan and Jiaojiao, who were far away in Nanyang Prefecture, also rushed back to welcome their family's new top scholar.

Upon seeing Song Yuanshan and Song Yan, Song Zhengdu knelt down and kowtowed, his voice choked with sobs: "Dad! Big brother! Zhengdu lived up to your expectations!"

Song Yan looked at Song Zhengdu, who was wearing the red robe of the top scholar. The young man had handsome eyebrows and eyes, and was full of vigor and vitality.

This made Song Yan think of the thin and stubborn boy when she first met him.

Now the boy has grown up, and his name has been on the list of successful candidates, bringing honor to his family.

After resting at home for half a month, Song Zhengdu was about to return to Beijing to take up his post.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, it was a time to recruit people. He was appointed the position of editor in the Hanlin Academy. Although his official rank was not high, he could always be by the emperor's side and his future was limitless.

After Song Zhengdu returned to Beijing, Song Wanzhou also led the caravan on another long journey. This time she was going to the Western Regions, intending to open up new trade routes.

Now that the spring ploughing has ended, Song Yan has arranged the affairs of the farm.

"It's time for us to set off." Song Yan said to Shu Changyu, with anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

Shu Changyu lazily leaned against the door, and raised his eyelids when he heard the words: "Where do you want to go?"

"Northern Xinjiang!" Song Yan gestured excitedly, "Didn't we agree to go see the poplar forest? Now that the war has subsided, it's a good time."

Shu Changyu curled his lips slightly: "Pack up and get ready to leave."

Three days later, a carriage slowly drove out of Yunshan County and headed north.

In the carriage, Song Yan was flipping through the map with great interest, pointing to a certain place and saying to Shu Changyu from time to time: "The roasted whole lamb, mare's milk wine and pilaf in Northern Xinjiang are all very authentic. You must try them!"

Shu Changyu half-closed his eyes, and casually rolled up the ends of Song Yan's hair with his fingers. Hearing this, he chuckled and said, "I'm just thinking about eating."

"Of course!" Song Yan closed the map confidently, "Life is all about eating and drinking!"

Outside, An Qi was driving the carriage, humming a tuneless tune.

Next to him, An Wu was holding a sword and closing his eyes to rest.

In the distance, there are dark green mountains and floating white clouds.

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