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

As the newly appointed people from the court took up their posts in various places, order in the recovered lost territories was being restored in an orderly manner.

A strange harmony was temporarily maintained in the northern officialdom.

After Zhang Ping'an, Liu Sanlang and Ruan San gradually gained a foothold in Runan Prefecture, they began to implement his various policies one by one.

The first is household registration control. By "registering all people", tax revenue and military resources are ensured, farming and land distribution are encouraged, high-yield crops such as Annan rice and sweet potatoes are vigorously promoted, and seeds and agricultural tools are provided.

Then the people in the prisoner camp were organized to repair water conservancy projects to further ensure food production.

Secondly, recruit refugees and re-register their household registration.

Relax tax policies, merge the Ding tax into the land tax, reduce the tax burden on the people, promote population growth, and vigorously restore population and production.

In order to make up for the financial deficit of the government, monopolies were implemented in important industries such as salt, iron, and wine.

Finally, it encourages people to have more children, and families with more children can enjoy certain tax conveniences.

The whole process was well-balanced, like boiling a frog in warm water, and did not cause resistance from the people.

In addition, Zhang Ping'an was strict in his rule and required the people in the yamen to follow the rules. After a few months, the people in the yamen even gained a good reputation among the people.

Although he was not to the extent that the people called him Zhang Qingtian, he was not far off.

Zhang Ping'an, Liu Sanlang and others suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment, and all that was left was to wait for the autumn harvest.

Since their last separation in Yangzhou, Zhang Ping'an had not received any letters from his sixth brother-in-law. He only learned from letters sent from home that his sixth sister and nephew had indeed taken a government ship to Yangzhou.

Now that my sixth brother-in-law has been promoted two levels, my sixth sister has also risen in status and become the lucky official's wife in the eyes of others.

In their letters, both Xu and Zhang Laoer told their son not to worry, that his siblings were all doing well and he just needed to take care of himself.

Only after he had some free time did Zhang Ping'an have the leisure to think about the people and things at home.

He didn't need to worry about his eldest and second sisters. He didn't know where his third and fourth sisters were. He couldn't help his fifth sister, but as long as he was still there, he wouldn't suffer any loss.

Not to mention my sixth sister and her husband, the couple are in perfect harmony and have a very good relationship.

I wonder how the firearms workshop is doing now after my sixth brother-in-law and his family moved away.

This may even be directly related to the subsequent battle situation.

Although he knew that it was useless to think too much, Zhang Pingan still couldn't help but worry.

In addition, there is another big event, which is that his twentieth birthday is coming soon.

For scholars, this is a lifelong event.

The ceremony of coming of age should have been completed with the help of the teacher, but the teacher is far away in Changzhou, so it is obviously impossible to ask the teacher to help with the ceremony.

My family is far away in Lin'an.

You can only ask close elders or superiors to help you complete it.

The best candidates are actually Magistrate Huang or Lord Zhou. They are close to each other and are superiors, so it is reasonable for them to help put on the crown.

I don’t know who is free.

After repeated consideration, Zhang Ping'an decided to write a letter to Magistrate Huang first, considering that Lord Zhou was still in Fangcheng.

Let’s see what Magistrate Huang has to say.

At the same time, you have to find a Taoist priest to calculate an auspicious day, and then write a message to invite other guests to attend the ceremony.

Although Liu Sanlang and Ruan San were military generals, they were also well aware of the importance of the coming-of-age ceremony.

They helped to prepare early, arranging the venue and the table, placing ancestral tablets, crowns and robes, ritual vessels, etc.

The capping ceremony needs to be divided into three parts, and three sets of crowns and clothes are indispensable, symbolizing different stages.

The coarse cloth crown looks simple, the deerskin leather symbolizes military affairs, and the red and black color symbolizes literary virtue.

Zhang Laoer started preparing these crowns and clothes since the year his son got married. When he sent the letter this time, he also asked someone to bring them over.

Although the old couple felt very sorry that they could not attend their son's coming-of-age ceremony in person.

But we also know the current situation and there is nothing we can do about it.

If they didn't have grandchildren, they could still shamelessly ask someone to bring them over to live with their son.

But now that they have a grandson, and he is still so young, they can only stay in Lin'an for safety.

A few days passed, and after receiving the letter, Magistrate Huang quickly replied, expressing his willingness to come and help with the crowning.

After all, this is a very honorable thing, just like naming.

It was also because Zhang Ping'an trusted him that he chose him.

After helping him to get crowned, his relationship with Zhang Pingan in official circles became different and they became closer.

To outsiders, they are just a faction.

Zhang Ping'an is still so young and is walking the path of the mean very steadily. He will definitely have a bright future. It is natural that Prefect Huang has no reason to refuse.

Everything was going well, and the auspicious day was calculated to be the sixth day of the seventh month.

But Lord Zhou suddenly sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that he would come in person when he was free to help with the crowning ceremony.

This surprised Zhang Ping'an a little. He really didn't expect that Lord Zhou would take the initiative to bring up the matter of the coming-of-age ceremony.

In his impression, Mr. Zhou has always been a person who speaks and acts in a reserved and steady manner.

Liu Sanlang and Ruan San were both troubled when they learned about this. If this matter was not handled properly, they would definitely offend Prefect Huang.

Things will get ugly then.

However, Zhou Ziming was the highest-ranking official in the entire Northland and the commander-in-chief of the three armies. If he lost face and refused him, he would also offend his immediate superior.

Zhang Ping'an was also troubled. After weighing the pros and cons, he instructed Ruan San, "Go and talk to the subordinates about the letter from Lord Zhou asking for my coronation. Especially those gossipers, go immediately!"

Ruan San understood, clapped his hands and said with a smile: "This is a good idea. Lord Huang is a smart man. Once he knows about this, he will definitely not argue with Lord Zhou. This way, we won't offend either Lord Huang or Lord Zhou!"

"That's what I mean. I can only apologize to Master Huang for this matter. Sigh!" Zhang Pingan sighed, and then warned: "Don't be too deliberate to know it."

"Don't worry, I'm good at this," Ruan San replied, patting his chest, and then went downstairs.

Liu Sanlang already understood some of the twists and turns in official circles and asked, "Ping'an, if you do this, wouldn't you be tied to Lord Zhou? From now on, in official circles, everyone will think you're Lord Zhou's man!"

"Brother-in-law, it's okay, don't worry. I have made up my mind now, and the situation now is different from before," Zhang Pingan explained.

"What do you mean?" Liu Sanlang leaned over and asked.

"Do you still remember my former classmate and yearmate Zhao Renzhi?"

"Remember, what happened to him?" Liu Sanlang lowered his head and recalled, finding this person in his mind.

"Since he arrived at the front line, he has been fighting beside Lord Zhou. It is said that he is very brave and good at fighting. In just over half a year, he has shown signs of becoming Lord Zhou's right-hand man. This is a sign of the times," Zhang Pingan said slowly.

Seeing that Liu Sanlang still didn't understand, Zhang Pingan continued, "Although we haven't been classmates for very long, I know he's quite strategic. If he continues to hang around in the officialdom as a son-in-law, even if he has incredible abilities, he'll still be looked down upon. He'll be nothing more than a pawn of the Yue Family, and he could be kicked out at any time. I think he'll definitely not be willing to accept that!"

Once this person becomes unwilling to accept his fate, he will try every possible means to change his identity. The best way is to break the order and start all over again. So, brother-in-law, what do you think he will do? "

"You mean, he will surrender to Lord Zhou? But the court sent him here to control Lord Zhou? Will the other military supervisor agree if he does this? Since they are on the front line together, the other military supervisor cannot be unaware of it," Liu Sanlang thought.

Zhang Pingan chuckled and shook his head. If his brother-in-law had seen the modern Mission Impossible or the plot within a plot, he wouldn't be so surprised. He stood up and said, "That depends on how my classmate Zhao Renzhi explains it. Although Supervisor Wang is smart, if he uses a series of tricks and counter-espionage tactics well, he might be fooled. It's not that simple!"

"I think I understand a little bit now," Liu Sanlang said in a silly voice after digesting it for a while and then nodded.

Ruan San is indeed good at passing messages and is very efficient.

After receiving the news, Magistrate Huang was very tactful. Within two days, he sent a letter to the emperor, saying that he was ill and might not be able to help with the ceremony. He apologized repeatedly in the letter.

And asked Zhang Ping'an to find other people for help as soon as possible.

He also brought a gift, a fine inkstone, as a congratulations!

This made Zhang Ping'an feel very guilty, as if he owed Lord Huang a favor!

A few days passed in a flash, and finally July 5th arrived.

Zhang Ping'an knew that Lord Zhou would come today, so he arranged for people to wait at the Shili Pavilion outside the city in advance.

I originally wanted to go and greet him in person, but I was afraid that it would seem too deliberate. Besides, Lord Zhou doesn't care about these empty formalities, so I gave up!

Unexpectedly, the people sent had to wait from sunrise to sunset before they finally showed up.

Liu Sanlang and Ruan San were extremely anxious, fearing that Lord Zhou might be delayed and unable to come, which would be troublesome!

Fortunately it was a false alarm!

Zhou Ziming came here on horseback with his men. He was wearing full armor and a cloak, and looked exhausted.

When Zhang Pingan saw this, he was really moved at this moment.

No matter what the reason was for Lord Zhou to always be kind to him, judging from his actions rather than his heart, Lord Zhou did take good care of him.

"Dear generals, thank you for your hard work on the journey. Please come in!" Zhang Ping'an bowed and said loudly.

Zhou Ziming nodded without saying much. He dismounted his horse with his men and followed Zhang Pingan into the government office.

On the other hand, the other deputy generals were quite enthusiastic towards Zhang Ping'an.

He also praised the prosperity of Runan Prefecture.

"The streets in the city are clean and orderly, and merchants come and go in an orderly manner. It is obvious that Lord Zhang governs well," praised a deputy general.

Others responded in agreement.

The generals spoke in loud voices, one after another, which made the atmosphere seem very lively.

It was getting late, and after Zhang Ping'an exchanged greetings with everyone, he ordered the meal to be served.

Everyone at the banquet only drank two small glasses of wine and did not drink much more.

It can be seen that they are all Zhou Ziming's direct confidants, and they speak casually and not too restrained.

Someone jokingly said, "Master Zhang is the first person to be crowned by our commander in person. Seeing him today, he is indeed a handsome man!"

In fact, his words were also a warning to Zhang Pingan to remember Zhou Ziming's kindness.

Zhang Pingan understood what he meant. He raised his glass and toasted everyone. He said with a smile, "I am ashamed. I don't know how I can be so kind as to deserve the favor of Lord Zhou. I can only offer you a glass of wine as a token of my appreciation."

Zhou Ziming didn't say much, but he raised his glass and drank the wine in it. Naturally, others also raised their glasses to show their respect.

The meal was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests!

After dinner, everyone went to bed quickly in the evening. The candlelight chat that Zhang Ping'an had expected did not happen, which made him a little confused.

After a night, the formal ceremony of crowning was held the next day.

It was held in the main hall which had been arranged in advance.

Confucianism emphasizes that "coming of age is the beginning of etiquette", and aims to cultivate the virtues of "filial piety, brotherhood, loyalty, and obedience" among scholars through etiquette training.

Therefore, the ceremony of capping is very important for men, especially for scholars who are entering officialdom.

All the guests invited in advance showed up, and the scene was lively but not noisy.

With the presence of head coach Zhou Ziming to help with the crowning, the ceremony seemed even more grand.

Don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face. People who come to congratulate basically say nice things.

After offering sacrifices to heaven, earth and ancestors, the three crowning ceremonies begin.

First, a black coarse cloth crown was worn, and someone beside him sang a blessing in a loud voice: "On this auspicious day of the month, you are crowned with your first clothes. Let us abandon our childish ambitions and cultivate virtue."

It means saying goodbye to childishness and starting to take on the responsibilities of an adult.

The second plus deerskin crown, the blessing words are "Auspicious month and date, now I will serve you, respect your dignity, and be prudent and virtuous."

It implies that from now on we should behave properly, cultivate ourselves and act with caution.

The three-layered crown is also the most solemn crown. It is a red-black ceremonial crown with a light red skirt.

The blessing was sung by Zhou Ziming himself: "In the right year, in the order of the month, all are blessed, and all brothers are here to complete their virtue."

The voice was cold and majestic, and the scene was suddenly silent.

This crown symbolizes that one has officially obtained adult status and can participate in ancestral temple sacrifices.

Looking at Zhou Ziming's calm and deep eyes, thousands of thoughts instantly flashed through Zhang Pingan's mind.

His mouth moved involuntarily, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

Some things are better left unspoken!

After the ceremony of capping, the next step is the Li Ceremony, in which all the guests toast to the person who has been capped. After the person has taken a sip of the wine, it symbolizes being accepted by the adult society.

Knowing it was just a formality, no one pushed him to drink. After taking a few sips, Zhang Pingan put down his glass, not drunk at all.

Next was the choice of a name, which was chosen by Zhou Ziming himself. The name "Jingbian" came from the line "Jingluan Anbang" in "Zuo Zhuan".

The expectation is evident from this, and the word carries a strong sense of family and country.

To be honest, Zhang Ping'an was still a little uncomfortable. He simply couldn't imagine others calling him Jingbian in the future.

A name seems to imply a new life, and is about to enter another stage of life.

The last step is to meet the elders, and you need to pay respects to clan elders, mother, teachers, etc.

But since they are not here, this step is simplified.

Only those guests who were highly respected and virtuous were given a replacement gift, and the elders gave birthday gifts.

This is the ceremony complete!

From now on, things are really different!