Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

Not long after Quan Youfang left, the waiter opened the door of the private room and started serving the dishes.

After running a few laps at the racecourse today, Ye Changyan felt a little tired, so he ordered two more pots of wine.

Ye Changyan introduced to Li Ping some special dishes he ordered, and Li Ping stretched out his chopsticks to taste them.

"Well, this taste is really as good as its reputation!"

Hearing Li Ping's praise, Ye Changyan picked up the wine jug, filled Li Ping's glass first, then poured some for Liang Jingcheng, and finally filled his own glass before raising it.

"Mr. Li, come and try the Yunfeng Tower's Fresh Bamboo Pure Wine. This wine is different from the wine in Shengjing. This wine is mainly produced in Yuzhou Prefecture and Yizhou Prefecture. It is a local specialty. The brewing process of this wine is almost the same as other wines. The only difference is that after the new wine is brewed, it is injected into living bamboo. After a long period of maturation, the bamboo is cut down and the fresh bamboo pure wine is taken out."

"Oh? This is the first time I've heard of this kind of wine. I must taste it today."

As he spoke, Li Ping also raised his glass. The three of them toasted each other and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Mm, it tastes soft, delicate and mellow, with a rich and unique aroma. It tastes sweet after entering the throat and lips and teeth. It is indeed a good wine!"

Li Ping's face was full of surprise. The wine glass that had just been placed on the table was filled up again by Ye Changyan.

Li Ping picked up the wine glass again and put it to his nose to sniff it carefully.

"In Shengjing, bamboo is almost invisible except for some cold-resistant ornamental bamboos planted in the gardens of officials' homes. Moreover, the ornamental bamboos are only as thick as a thumb, so it is probably not practical to use them to mature new wine. No wonder no one in Shengjing has heard of this kind of wine. However, Yuzhou Prefecture and Yizhou Prefecture are thousands of miles away from Shengjing. I'm afraid a pot of wine like this is not cheap, right?"

Ye Changyan smiled and nodded, then took over Li Ping's words.

"I remember when I was in Yuzhou Prefecture, Yunfeng Tower's Xianzhuchun was two taels of silver per pot, which was not too expensive. As Master Li said, this wine was transported from Yuzhou Prefecture to Shengjing, a long distance, so one tael of silver per pot was reasonable."

"Brother Ye is from Yuzhou?"

"That's right. I followed my teacher and senior brother to Shengjing to study. I left Yuzhou Prefecture in early September last year and traveled all the way to Shengjing City on the second day of October."

"Yuzhou Prefecture is indeed a long way from Shengjing. It seems that this little ounce of silver for a pot of fresh bamboo wine is not too outrageous."

As they spoke, the three of them raised their glasses again and drank it all in one gulp.

As they drank and exchanged cups, the two brothers Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng became more and more familiar with Li Ping. They no longer addressed each other in such a polite manner as before and gradually started to address each other by their names.

"So Jingcheng grew up with you in Shengjing? I don't know which general Liang's father is in the army. If I have the chance, I would like to join the army and fight on the battlefield. I just don't know if your father, Jingcheng, is willing to accept me, an idle soldier."

"It's rare that you, Li Ping, have such passion to fight for the country. When my father comes to see me in the future, I will definitely mention it to him and recruit you into his army."

“Hahaha…it’s a deal then!”

Li Ping's hearty laughter made Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng excited and they raised their glasses again.

After finishing the cup, Ye Changyan said to Li Ping with a smile.

"I am a weak scholar, but I am touched by your passion, Li Ping. However, a man with ambition should serve his country. Farmers grow crops and raise mulberry and hemp to provide food, silk and hemp for the country. This is how farmers repay their country. Weavers weave silk and hemp into silk and linen to provide cloth for the country. This is how weavers repay their country. We scholars should study hard and achieve success in the future. We can also serve our country with our wisdom."

"That's right. Joining the army and guarding the border to kill the enemy is the way for soldiers to serve their country and realize themselves. Studying for the imperial examinations, passing the exams, and becoming an official are the ways for scholars to serve their country and realize themselves. It's just that there are three thousand ways, but they all lead to the same destination!"

"What a different path to the same destination! Li Ping, you said it well! Come on, do another one!"

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng were both having a great time today. In the past, Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng usually drank together and had a few glasses symbolically, but today they were in a good mood and drank one glass after another. Before they knew it, the three of them had finished several pots of wine.

After the meal, Ye Changyan was already a little tipsy. Although Ye Changyan thought he could still drink a lot, he was still inferior to Liang Jingcheng. Seeing Ye Changyan seeming to be a little staggering when he walked out of Yunfeng Tower, Li Ping asked with concern.

"Chang Yan, are you okay?"

"It's okay, I really enjoyed drinking today!"

"I'm glad you're okay. It's getting late. I'll go back first. We'll meet again another day."

Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng both waved goodbye to Li Ping. Li Ping saw that the gate of the Imperial College was not far away, so he had nothing to worry about, so he also waved and got on the carriage.

After watching Li Ping's carriage go away, Ye Changyan and Liang Jingcheng turned around and walked towards the Imperial College.

"Are you capable of doing this? You walk so crookedly."

Liang Jingcheng saw that Ye Changyan seemed to be walking a little crookedly, and it seemed that he had really drunk too much, but he heard Ye Changyan speaking to him confidently.

"It's okay, it's okay, I just drank a lot."

As soon as Ye Changyan finished speaking, Liang Jingcheng saw Ye Changyan stagger and almost fall. Liang Jingcheng smiled helplessly, then took a step forward, lifted Ye Changyan's shoulders, and put Ye Changyan on his shoulders.

When this person is drunk, his body is not very obedient, and the person who supports the drunk person will feel that he is dead heavy. When Liang Jingcheng helped Ye Changyan back to the dormitory, beads of sweat had already appeared on his back.

Liang Jingcheng took off Ye Changyan's shoes, socks and outer shirt and put him on the bed. Just after covering him with the quilt, he heard Ye Changyan's even breathing. Liang Jingcheng smiled helplessly and shook his head, then got up to change his underwear which was soaked with sweat.

Liang Jingcheng took off his underwear and instantly felt cold. He quickly opened the quilt and got into Ye Changyan's warm bed. Listening to Ye Changyan's even breathing, he soon fell asleep.

It was almost three o'clock in the morning, but the lights in the Qinzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace were still brightly lit.

Emperor Li Ruiji of Dasheng was reviewing memorials in the Qinzheng Hall when the eunuch who served the emperor closely came forward to report.

"Your Majesty, Qiu Bao, the deputy commander of the Hundred Cavalry Division, requests to see you."

"Let him in."

The emperor ordered the eunuchs to let Qiu Bao into the hall, but his eyes were still fixed on the memorial in his hand.

Soon, a man in his early thirties wearing light armor knelt in the Qinzheng Hall. The emperor waved at him, and Qiu Bao, the deputy commander of the Hundred Cavalry Division, who was also wearing light armor, stood up and reported to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince went to the Northern Suburbs Horse Farm today. He met students from the Imperial College who were learning horse riding there. He also went to Yunfeng Tower near the Imperial College with two of the students for a banquet. He returned to the mansion at 10:00 p.m."