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

"It's just that the new scholars have a meal and chat together to get to know each other. After all, they are all from the same year. These will be their connections in the future. Maybe they will serve as officials in the same dynasty. There is definitely no harm in making friends in advance. This is a rule that has existed since the previous dynasty," Zhang Pingan explained.

"Then I guess I can meet a lot of high-ranking officials!" Xiao Yifei was very envious when he heard this. It was a chance to broaden his horizons!

"What about this Lu Ming Banquet? How high can the highest-ranking official who attends it be?" Zhang Laoer asked curiously.

"He's a second-rank official, probably. The Lu Ming Banquet in each province is hosted by the governor, who is a second-rank official. The one in Lin'an should be of similar rank," Zhang Ping'an replied.

"Oh my God, Ping'an, you are so awesome. It looks like you might even be able to meet the emperor in the future. When the time comes, you must tell us what the emperor looks like," Uncle Xu exclaimed in amazement.

A second-rank official, so impressive! He had never even seen a ninth-rank official. When he worked in the Yuezhou government office before, he sharpened weapons in the warehouse every day. All he saw were gatekeepers. He never saw the big men in the front yamen. What a pity!

When everyone knew they were going to attend the Lu Ming Banquet, they discussed it again. Of course, the main focus was on business, so Boss Zhang decided to go to his house for dinner the night after tomorrow, and Third Zhang's family the day after the day after that.

Uncle Xu is from another family, and Jinbao and his family are all relatives, so they don’t need to treat us to a meal.

The meal ended at dusk. The men were all drunk and had to be helped home by their families.

Xiao Yifei and Jin Bao also said goodbye and left.

After everyone had left, Zhang Laoer lay on the table and sobbed.

Xu hurried over to help her husband up and asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell because of drinking too much?"

Zhang Laoer waved his hands and said, "Don't worry about me. I'm just happy. I never dreamed that this day would come. My son is so hardworking. God has been very kind to me!"

Zhang Ping'an remembered that his father also cried when he passed the imperial examination, and he cried again when he passed the imperial examination. He couldn't help but feel distressed and helpless.

"Mom, let me help Dad lie down on the bed. It's uncomfortable to lie like this," Zhang Pingan said.

Xu replied, "Well, okay, your father is obviously drunk. Don't let him drink like that next time!"

Zhang Ping'an helped his father up. Drunk people are very heavy, and Zhang Laoer was strong, so it took him a lot of effort to put the man on the bed. He also helped him take off his shoes and open his collar so that he could sleep more comfortably.

Just now, Mrs. Li and Mrs. Ma helped to clean up the tables, chairs, benches, and dishes, while Wu Ya and Liu Ya were boiling water for their bath in the kitchen.

When Zhang Ping'an came out, Xu was busy hanging the leftovers into the well, otherwise they would go bad tomorrow, which would be a shame.

"Mom, let me do it," Zhang Pingan said.

"It's okay, I've put everything away," Xu said in a muffled voice, with tears flashing in her eyes as she stood up.

Zhang Ping'an knew that his father's crying probably reminded him of his mother's sad past, and he probably had a lot of emotions in his heart at this moment.

Both his parents were people who cared a lot about reputation, so Zhang Ping'an could only pretend not to notice. He was confident that he could at least allow his parents to live a prosperous life in their later years. As their lives got better and better, the knot in their hearts would naturally untie.

So he changed the subject and talked about tomorrow's plans: "Mom, tomorrow morning I have to go to the provincial school to visit Master Lu. Although I haven't officially become his disciple, he has helped me a lot. I was able to pass the imperial examination this time thanks to his guidance. In my heart, I have long regarded him as my teacher. Once a teacher, always a father. Etiquette is indispensable. And my former colleague Ye Xiaoshu is also a very good person. I will stop by to see him."

"Okay, go and do your thing," said Xu. "Mother only knows about kitchen matters like firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. She doesn't understand academic matters. You can arrange it yourself. But do you want to prepare a generous gift for them? Do you have enough money? Will you come back for lunch?"

"Master Lu doesn't like gold and silver, which are vulgar things. I have other arrangements. Don't worry about it. I have enough silver. Judging from Master Lu's character, he probably won't ask me to stay for dinner. I will probably come back for lunch. Don't worry if I don't. After I come back, we will go to the pawnshop to look at houses together in the afternoon. Then I will go to the Luming Banquet in the evening. I will probably be back very late. You should go to bed early and don't worry," said Zhang Ping'an.

Xu nodded and said with satisfaction: "Okay, I'll listen to you. You really have grown up!"