The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

After everyone chatted for more than half an hour, Zhang Lao Da and his family took Zhang Lao San and his family back to the inn together.

Zhang asked Si Ya to boil water for washing. Si Ya was so excited when she heard that they were going to the provincial capital. Except for Si Ya, everyone else slept well that night.

After a good night's sleep, the county government sent someone to deliver the invitation early the next morning. At 3:00 p.m. today, the county magistrate held a banquet at the county government office to entertain this year's new scholars.

Zhang Laoer and Xu were very excited. Xu didn't even have time to eat breakfast. She rushed to the cloth shop early to buy several feet of satin. She asked Si Ya to work together for the whole morning to make the clothes. "Son, come and try it on to see if it fits you. Fortunately, this is a summer dress. If we hurry, we can still make it. If it was a winter dress, we would be too late."

Looking at her son's increasingly handsome features, Madam Xu sighed, "Look how handsome you are! When you were just born, the midwife said you would definitely be handsome when you grow up. She was right."

Seeing that the county magistrate could not be careless, Zhang Ping'an washed his hair again in the morning, rinsed his mouth, chewed a few mints, and changed into the jade-colored satin robe made by his mother with a blue belt and a black square scarf. Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but he did feel much more imposing than usual.

Even Zhang Laoer smiled innocently and praised: "My son is very handsome!"

Time passed quickly and it was almost 3 p.m. Zhang Laoer personally drove a mule cart to take his son to the county government office.

After Zhang Ping'an showed the invitation, someone led him to the back hall of the county government office. After entering the flower hall, he looked around and found that the county magistrate was not there. There was only a legal advisor helping to entertain the guests. Jiang Yaozu and two unfamiliar scholars had already arrived. Zhang Ping'an naturally walked over to Jiang Yaozu and sat down.

Jiang Yaozu greeted them with his eyes, and no one said anything. The master smiled and invited everyone to have tea and snacks.

After waiting for more than half an hour, Lin Junhui and Tan Yaoqi finally came over. After they sat down for a while, County Magistrate Zhu finally arrived and everyone went to the dining room together.

County Magistrate Zhu was a chubby man with a big head, a big face and a round body. It was not known whether he was fat by nature or if he ate like this after becoming an official.

After everyone had taken their seats, County Magistrate Zhu smiled faintly and said, "Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I'm sure you all know that a torrent of wind and rain struck a few days ago, causing many houses to collapse in the county. I've been really overwhelmed with official duties."

Lin Junhui bowed and smiled, "County Magistrate Zhu, you shoulder heavy responsibilities, care deeply about the people, and worry about their worries. This is truly a blessing for the people of this county!"

The two scholars who didn't know him were also very perceptive and followed suit, praising him: "County Magistrate Zhu, you have served as an official for the benefit of the people and have truly cared for them. You are a blessing to them!"

In this situation, following the crowd is the best approach. Zhang Pingan also followed suit, praising: "I sigh deeply and wipe away my tears, mourning the hardships of people's lives. County Magistrate Zhu is concerned about the people and busy with government affairs. He is truly the people's father and mother."

Jiang Yaozu stuttered, "County Magistrate Zhu, you are diligent in serving the people. You are just and righteous, and you are a blessing to the people."

Tan Yaoqi remained silent, but a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. After everyone had finished speaking, he briefly praised, "County Magistrate Zhu is sharing the burdens of the people, which is a blessing to the region!"

After finishing the repetitive talk, County Magistrate Zhu continued, "You are all talented people in this county. You are not very old, but young talents. You are better than your teachers. The future of the Great Xia Dynasty depends on you. Don't be restrained."

After that, he told his master, "Jingde, let the servants serve the food. Let's eat and talk."

Although there were only seven people eating, the banquet was very elaborate. Eight cold dishes were served first. After a few people took a few bites, they were removed and replaced by eight main dishes, including fish, meat, chicken and duck, basically all meat dishes. Each person was also poured a glass of wine. After the wine was finished, the main dishes were also removed and replaced by eight hot dishes. Everyone knew their limits and did not eat too much. They all put down their chopsticks after a few bites. After the hot dishes were removed, soup and snacks were served.

To sum it up in one sentence, there were many dishes, but I didn’t eat much, it was basically just a formality.

After finishing their meal, everyone moved back to the flower hall to drink tea. County Magistrate Zhu was relatively familiar with Lin Junhui and Tan Yaoqi, as they were both sciones of prominent families in the county and he had met them occasionally. However, he did not expect that the other people on the list this year were not very old either, the youngest being only fourteen and the oldest no more than twenty-five. They had unlimited potential in the future, as these were all political achievements!

He then became interested and decided to ask: "The official report on this earthquake hasn't arrived yet, but I suspect the northern region has also been severely affected. If you were in my shoes, what would you do next?"

Several people bowed hurriedly and expressed their fear.

Magistrate Zhu waved his hand nonchalantly and said calmly, "No need to be so polite. We might even become colleagues in the future. For now, just treat this as a policy discussion. Don't take it seriously."

Seeing that no one else spoke first, County Magistrate Zhu called on someone, "Tan Yaoqi, I've heard your uncle often praise your talent. You should speak first."

Tan Yaoqi bowed and said confidently, "To Magistrate Zhu, I believe we should organize people to help the people of this county repair their collapsed houses and collect the autumn grain tax and population tax as soon as possible. Since the north has been severely affected by the disaster, His Majesty will most likely pardon local taxes and corvée labor to provide disaster relief. Naturally, he will keep a close eye on the tax situation in other provinces. Huguang is a major source of tax revenue for the entire country. Leading the tax collection process will naturally help His Majesty relieve his worries and be a major political achievement."

County Magistrate Zhu stroked his beard and said lightly: "You have a long-term vision, that's good!" Then he said: "Lin Junhui, tell me about it!"

Lin Junhui bowed and said in a deep voice, "To Magistrate Zhu, I believe that we should first report the disaster to the higher authorities and record in detail the number of people affected, the extent of housing damage, and the people's property losses. Then, we should mobilize manpower for disaster relief. City dwellers can help repair their houses, and farmers can be given seeds to ensure they can cultivate their crops. Finally, we should complete this year's autumn grain tax as soon as possible. Of course, this is not for political achievements, but the people in the north are living in dire straits. Your Majesty is concerned about the people and may transfer grain from Huguang area for disaster relief. Making preparations in advance can also help relieve your Majesty's worries."

"Not bad, not bad," the smile on County Magistrate Zhu's face became much more genuine.

Next, the two unknown scholars and Jiang Yaozu answered one by one, their responses were similar. County Magistrate Zhu only said a faint encouragement: "Not bad."

Zhang Ping'an was the youngest and the last in line. He had said everything he needed to say before. Finally, he bowed and replied in a deep voice, "To Magistrate Zhu, the answers given by the previous classmates were all outstanding. I just want to add one point: we must pay attention to disease prevention and treatment. The ancients wrote in the "Jinling Pagoda Inscription" that 'a great disaster will be followed by a great epidemic'. The population in Huguang area is dense. Once the plague breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous. You can ask a doctor with rich experience in this field to take preventive measures in advance."

County Magistrate Zhu was most satisfied with Lin Junhui's answer. The answers of the next three people were similar and mediocre. They had basically said everything they could say. He had not held out hope for Zhang Ping'an's answer, but he did not expect that he could actually say something that he had not thought of.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "No wonder the ancients said that among three people walking together, there must be one who can be my teacher."