Chapter 186: The height of the temple (14)

The Spring Festival is the most popular traditional festival in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It is the first day of the first lunar month every year. Because it is the first day of the year, the Great Zhou Dynasty also calls the Spring Festival "Year Day", "New Year's Day" and "Year Year".

In the first few days of the first lunar month, people in the Great Zhou Dynasty usually hold many rich activities, including welcoming the New Year, greetings, welcoming the God of Wealth, fighting ghosts and other activities.

On the first day of the lunar month, welcoming the New Year, having a reunion dinner, drinking Tusu wine, offering sacrifices to ancestors, welcoming the god of happiness, and setting off firecrackers; from officials to common people, welcoming the new year; the most important activity on the second day of the lunar month is to welcome the god of wealth, and it is also the day when the daughter returns to peace after marriage; the third day of the lunar month is to worship the god of wealth, and it is also the day when the daughter returns to peace; the third day of the lunar month is to worship the god of wealth, and the legendary rat marriage day of the People's Chamber, and people have to go to bed in the morning and give the space to the rat; the fourth day of the lunar month is to welcome the god of happiness; the fifth day of the lunar month is to break the fifth day, and you should eat dumplings according to the convention, and it is also the birthday of the five gods of wealth. Stores all have to worship the immortal officials in the city, and hang red cloth on the tusk; the sixth day of the lunar month is to clean the toilet; the seventh day of the lunar month is the festival of the people; the eighth day of the lunar month worships the star king; the nineth day of the lunar month worships the heaven.

In addition to these must-do things, there are different customs in different places, including warehouse filling festivals, poor days, etc.

When Hou Dayong and his party rushed back to Daliang, many cumbersome rituals had ended. Fu Ying made full preparations for the husband to come back before the Spring Festival. He did not return first or second, and he did not know how many sad tears had shed. It was not until January 17 that Hou Dayong and his party entered Daliang City. Five hundred personal guards and one hundred personal guards entered Daliang and became guards of the Hou Mansion, and the other four hundred returned to Lingzhou.

Hou Dayong and Fu Ying reunite after a long separation, which is naturally better than the newlyweds. Only those who come here can have a deep feeling.

Liu Jiangqing and his party lived in Shishan for a long time. Never saw such prosperity, I felt a different feeling in my heart. After passing Luoyang that day, Richie and others were shocked by the prosperity of Xijing. This time, when I arrived in Daliang and saw the crowds of people, I realized that the famous city and important towns were prosperous, but compared with the imperial capital Daliang City, it was a tiny witch.

In order to facilitate business in Daliang City, many merchants gathered in Lingzhou proposed by Shu merchant Zhao Jie. From the merchants spent huge sums of money to buy a large courtyard in the most prosperous Dongcheng in Daliang City, the most prosperous Dongcheng, which was named "Lingzhou Guild Hall", which specially welcomes Lingzhou people. The Lingzhou Guild Hall is divided into several relatively independent courtyards, including Jucaizhuang, a temporary residence for merchants, a famous Shanwan, which is specially for Lingzhou officials, and Lingxiyuan, which is specially for scholars. Liu Jiangqing and others went to Daliang to take the spring exam for the fifth year of Xiande. Naturally, they lived in Lingxiyuan.

After Liu Jiangqing and others settled down, they couldn't wait to leave the guild hall. The streets were crowded with people, and sedan chairs, camels, cattle, horse and rickshaw, and rickshaws were all on their own. Sometimes, there were enchanting women passing by. The Richie tribes lived in the grassland with blue sky and white clouds for a long time. They had seen this formation there, standing at the entrance of the guild hall, looking at the street scene foolishly.

After standing at the entrance of the guild for a while, Liu Jiangqing had followed the Rich caravan to some northwest cities. With a little more experience, he woke up first and said, "Everyone keep your mouth shut, don't drool, don't stare so wide, don't let people laugh at us." Liu Jiangqing pointed to the restaurant in the east and said, "There is a three-story restaurant over there, which looks pretty good. Let's go to the restaurant to book a room and stand upstairs to see enough."

There was a small man standing beside Liu Jiangqing, who looked very handsome and had a pretty eyebrow. She was Liu Jiangqing's fourth sister Liu Jiangjie. When she heard that her brother was going to the restaurant again, she asked nervously: "Brother, do you have so much money?"

When they passed Luoyang, Liu Jiangqing and others were slaughtered. Liu Jiangjie still remembered it fresh. This time, Liu Jiangqing came to Daliang, and Liu Jiangjie pestered her father Liu Hongye every day. Liu Hongye was in the Richie army, but she had no temper at all. After Liu Jiangjie was tempted, Liu Hongye agreed to let her younger daughter follow her brother Liu Jiangqing to go south and increase her knowledge.

When the members of the Richie tribe heard Liu Jiangqing's suggestion, the greedy beetle had been hooked out. Wu Guisi, who was short and strong, said: "How can Brother Liu pay for each one? We will give one serving each one. Today is the first time we arrived in Daliang, so we have a good meal."

Liu Jiangqing came out of Shishan and brought the secret mission assigned by the Presbyterian Church. He carried a lot of coins and precious jewelry on him. He never spoke, so everyone naturally didn't know about this. Liu Jiangqing smiled and said, "This is my fault, so everyone will do it in the future."

Everyone went to Taoyuan Ju Restaurant with great enthusiasm. The highest elegant room on the third floor had already been ordered. Liu Jiangqing and others had to book a elegant room on the second floor. The elegant room was quite fragrant with books. Two short Tang Dynasty sentences and two ink and water paintings were hung on the snow-white walls, adding a touch of elegance to the drunken environment. The elegant review included a large window lattice with some glazed beads hanging on the window lattice. Everyone lay on the window lattice, competing to see the scenery of Daliang City.

The restaurant is located in the downtown area. Although the view on the second floor is not as good as the third floor, it is also quite good. Looking down from the second floor, there are four wide streets in Dongcheng District, with houses lined up on both sides of the street, including shop assistants, tea shops, wine shops, butchers, temples, public houses, etc. The door of the large shop assistant is also built with "Cailou Huanmen", and the city flags are hung to attract business.

Everyone lay beside the window, staring at the extremely prosperous streets. When the waiter put all the dishes on, he refused to move his eyes away. After a long time, everyone sat around the table and ate the dishes and drank.

Liu Jiangjie sighed: "I didn't expect Daliang to be so extraordinary. I used to sit in a well to watch the sky in Shishan, and thought that the city of the world was similar to Shishan. I really didn't know how big the world was if I didn't walk out of Shishan."

Wu Guisi is the son of Wu Yuezhou. He always speaks quickly and says: "I heard that our hometown Hangzhou Prefecture is not inferior to Daliang. No wonder our ancestors left so many poems about missing our hometown."

Liu Jiangqing was the leader of the Richie tribe. At this time, Hangzhou Prefecture was not the land of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He said: "Wulang is now a native of Lingzhou in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Don't speak so casually. Disasters come from your mouth. We must be careful. From tomorrow, we will concentrate on taking the exam, don't be distracted, and strive for the Richie tribe."

Wu Guisi took the martial arts examination specifically. When he left Shishan, he was full of confidence. After seeing the Black Diao Army's personal guards, he was also unsure about the martial arts examination. He said, "When he was in Luoyang, he heard others' discussions. He realized that the 100,000 imperial guards were the taxpayers of the Great Zhou army. Since he met the Black Diao Army, I dare not underestimate the heroes of the Central Plains. The imperial guards have experienced such great experiences, and I don't know whether the martial arts examination can be passed."

Liu Jiangqing encouraged: "The last time Yelu Daguang sent an envoy to Shishan. After getting drunk, he said that the Khitan Army and the Great Zhou Army had a decisive battle. The victory was more than the loss, and the Black Diao Army was probably the anomaly of the Great Zhou Army. If the 100,000 imperial guards in the Great Zhou had the combat effectiveness of the Black Diao Army, then how could the Khitan Army have the upper hand."

Rich and others were talking about the exam, but suddenly two people pushed the door open outside the door. They were tall and short, wearing a long blue round-necked gown that literati was common, and the tall man held a folding fan. Although it was winter, the tall man was still pretending to be waving the folding fan. Liu Jiangqing and others were all outstanding literary talent in the younger generation of Rich's family. They had seen how many rows of quatrain sentences there were on the folding fan, and their brushwork was erect and extraordinary.

The short man bowed and smiled, "I'm Liu Cheng from Songzhou below. You are so majestic and have extraordinary demeanor. I want to make friends with you."

Another tall man followed and said, "I have a chance to meet you thousands of miles away, but I don't know each other without you. I can have a chance to meet you. I can have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a chance to have a great deal of martyrs, but I speak very smoothly.

Although the members of the Richie tribe were very intelligent, they lived in Shishan since childhood and had never been to big cities. So after arriving at Daliang, they were like a country child who had just entered a big city, shocked by the prosperity and wealth revealed on the streets, and they inevitably felt inferior. Now two young talents in the Central Plains have taken the initiative to make friends, and Richie and others were flattered. They quickly stood up and gave up their seats.

Cheng Qiang and Liu Cheng made witty words. When talking about the affairs of the rich in Daliang City, the secrets of the officialdom were even more evident. Richie and others were dazzled and confused. They sighed. Liu Cheng and Cheng Qiang had already clearly understood the intention of everyone to Daliang during the rambling conversation. Of course, Richie and others concealed the affairs of the Richie tribe, but only started from Lingzhou.

After three rounds of drinking, everyone was drunk. The short Liu Cheng asked casually: "This year's exam has changed a little compared to previous years." After that, he raised his glass and clinked his glass with Wu Guisi.

Liu Jiangqing is a teacher in Shishan Academy. He was entrusted by the Presbyterian Church to manage and take care of these thirteen people. He listened attentively to Liu Cheng's words. Unexpectedly, Liu Cheng said half of the sentence and then disappeared. Liu Jiangqing waited for a while, but finally couldn't help it and asked: "Brother Liu, how is the difference between this year's exam and previous years?"

Liu Cheng said in surprise: "Brother Liu really doesn't know. Last October, Mr. Zhang Zhao, Secretary of War, brought a statement to His Majesty and asked him to start the system. His Majesty has agreed. There are three subjects in this year. One is that he is virtuous, well-behaved and can speak out directly and speak out very well. The second is that he can learn from the law subject with excellent classics and profound knowledge. The third is that he is careful and understands the principles of education and cultivation.

There were two types of imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty: Regular examinations and regular examinations and regular examinations.

Changju is held every year. In addition to the Jinshi class, scholars, Mingjing, Mingfa, Mingzi, Mingsuan, etc. Students of the Xueguan can apply directly, and do not apply to the state or county in the Xueguan. After passing the exam, the prefecture and county will send the central government to take the exam. The candidates are the Jinshi and Mingjing subjects as the most. The content of the exam is the Jinshi and Mingjing subjects. The content of the exam is the Jinshi and the current affairs policy, while the Mingjing focuses on the memorization of Confucian classics.

The emperor temporarily established the title of the ranks of the ranks of the ranks of virtuous, upright and straightforward words, extremely admonishing subjects, elegant and knowledgeable subjects, knowledgeable and skilled, martial arts and border subjects, military plans to surpass many subjects, and high talents but not as good as the lower-level subjects. Scholars and officials can take the exams. After passing the exam, the official position was immediately promoted; it turned out that it was not an official position, and it was immediately granted official positions by the Ministry of Personnel. However, the origin of the ranks was not regarded as the right path at that time, but as "various colors".

This news is not news. When he was in Lingzhou, Liu Jiangqing knew about the newly launched system. The group of fourteen people, except for Liu Jiangjie, Liu Jiangqing and six others went straight to the Jinshi class, Li Zhiqiu and three others took the system, and Wu Guisi and four others took the martial arts class. Therefore, when they heard Liu Cheng's words, everyone was not surprised. Cheng Gao kept observing his words and expressions. Seeing Liu Jiangqing and others' expressions, they probably knew about the system. Cheng Gao and Liu Cheng looked at each other and did not continue the topic.

At the end of the banquet, Liu Cheng and Cheng Gao said some polite words and left. Liu Jiangqing left Taoyuanju and took a few breaths of cold air. The price of this Taoyuanju was astonishingly expensive. Fortunately, Liu Jiangqing passed by Shang and was always used to bringing more coins, so he did not make a fool of himself on the spot.

Liu Jiangqing and others were wandering around and after a long walk in the bookstore, everyone was holding the books they liked and could not find the way home. Liu Jiangqing, Wu Guisi and others were ashamed to ask for directions, and ran around like headless flies in the city, but still did not find the Lingzhou Guild Hall. In the end, Liu Jiangjie took the initiative to ask for directions, and brought everyone back to the Lingzhou Guild Hall.

There were too many novelties on this day. After everyone returned to the guild hall, they gathered in Liu Jiangqing's room. They were talking about all kinds of interesting things they saw today. When they were very excited, a servant from the guild hall pushed the door and came in, "Which one is Liu Jiangqing? Someone is looking for it outside the door."

A tall man stood in the darkness at the entrance of the Lingzhou Guild Hall. It was Taoyuan Tower that met Di Chenggao. When he saw Liu Jiangqing going out, he stepped forward a few steps and said mysteriously: "Brother Liu. Please take a step to speak."

Although Liu Jiangqing was full of doubts, he followed Cheng Gao to a small alley next to the guild hall. The two walked hundreds of meters in the alley paved with bluestone and turned into an elegant teahouse. The short Liu Cheng had been waiting in it for a long time.

The two sat down. Liu Cheng pretended to be mysterious and said, "I'm going to do it today with Brother Liu, so I'll help you." Liu Jiangqing was a little confused and thought to himself: I didn't ask them to help.

Liu Cheng took a folding fan and opened it. He handed it to Liu Jiangqing. The folding fan was a beautiful Yan style. He saw that it read "The flowers are full of dark and willows are deep, and the tears are filled with tears when drinking. The orioles and flowers fall in feathers for several days, and the spring comes to a sad heart." This is Qian Qi, one of the "Ten Talents of Dali", who wrote "Chang'an Falling Brothers". Although Qian Qi passed the Jinshi in the tenth year of Emperor Xuanzong Tianbao, he did not have a smooth sailing in the imperial examination. He lost his brother several times and had a deep understanding of the sadness of the frustrated son.

Liu Jiangqing had read this poem, but he still didn't know the meaning, and just praised: "What a beautiful Yan style."

Liu Cheng moved the bench and sat next to Liu Jiangqing, saying, "Brother Liu, I have been at Daliang for more than 20 years. I have a deep understanding of the imperial examination. If you summarize the scientific examination in one word, it is difficult."

Liu Cheng raised his finger and calculated: "Thinking about the 23rd year of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, there were 224 people who entered the imperial examinations, with an average of only ten people each year. Although the number of people in later generations continued to increase, one out of ten was still in ten. Too many candidates could not jump into the Longmen in their entire lives. This was only one of them. After passing the Jinshi exam, he had only a background, and then he had to go through the re-examination of the Ministry of Personnel. For a poor man like Brother Liu, who was talented but had nothing to do with, it was irrelevant to the Tianshan Mountain. Han Yu was defeated in the re-examination of the Ministry of Personnel three times that year, he was defeated by the re-examination of the Ministry of Personnel and was only a staff member under Dong Jin, the governor of Xuanwu Army, and then he embarked on the road of officialdom. This is the second."

Liu Jiangqing knew that Liu Cheng must have something in his words, so he pretended to be displeased and said, "No need to say anything about Brother Liu. No matter how difficult the exam is, I have to give it a try since I am here."

Cheng Gao hummed softly, knocked on Hu Table with his hand, and said, "Liu Lang said just now that we were the same with Brother Liu today, and we helped this. If an ordinary person was kneeling down and begging, I would not help. If Brother Liu is willing to follow the plan today, he will definitely be able to get you to the list."

After Liu Jiangqing studied in Shishan, he had worked in the army and business, and his knowledge was extraordinary. After hearing this, he realized that these two people had been leading him into the game, so he said, "Everyone is brother, so he opened the window and said something. How can I get my title on the list?"

Liu Cheng heard this and smiled, "Haha, ha" and said, "Sure enough, I didn't miss it. Brother Liu is a sensible person. Let me tell you the truth. There are elders who hold important positions in the court. If he plans to ensure that Brother Liu and his brother are allowed, it depends on whether Brother Liu can afford the price."

"How much is it?"

"The price is absolutely fair. Now each war horse on the market is about 30 guan. Brother Liu comes from the northwest, so he pays a hundred war horses. I guarantee Brother Liu's Jinshi and his younger brother." At the beginning of the fifth year of Xiande, the price of rice in Daliang City was 500 guan per stone, which is half a guan. Three hundred horses only cost 3,000 guan. This is a huge sum of money. The price of horses has always been extremely expensive in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It makes people feel that the number is not large.

When the Presbyterian of the Minister of Richie sent Liu Jiangqing out of the mountain, he had great hope for them. If the Richie tribes were officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty, especially after becoming important officials, they would definitely have won another way out for the entire clan. Liu Jiangqing knew the responsibility he shouldered, and after hearing the two of them, he was a little moved. After all, the elites of the Great Zhou were all gathered in Daliang, and no one was sure to win the Jinshi. If they could buy an official position, it would be a good thing. In addition, although Hou Prime Minister agreed to be a supporter, he would inevitably be controlled by others in everything.

Liu Jiangqing thought for a while and said, "I still have to take the exam myself. I have a brother below who can pay the money. However, if my brother below who can pay the money but fail the exam, who can be responsible for this?"

Liu Cheng smiled and said, "We have been doing this business for several years, and we have always been honest. Brother Liu, don't worry, you only need to pay the deposit for twenty horse land first, and it will not be too late to pay the remaining money when the gold list is on the list."

"If this is really possible, money is not a problem. Many Northwest children will go to this door in the future." Speaking of this, Liu Jiangqing took a dagger from his arms and said, "The people in the Northwest have always been vindictive. If the two deceive me and go to the ends of the world, they will also take revenge."

Liu Cheng and Cheng Gao believed that the business was completed, and it seemed that there would be business coming to the door in the future. Cheng Gao said with a smile on his face: "If you give money, I will be happy, why not do it?"

Before the annual exam, Liu Cheng and Cheng Gao came to the six best restaurants in Daliang City to peek. Anyone who likes to enter these six restaurants proves that their family has a lot of wealth. These students are Liu Cheng, who is the target of Cheng Gao's lure. Liu Jiangqing and others first came out of Shishan and did not know the name of the six restaurants in Daliang. They accidentally entered Taoyuanju Restaurant. Liu Jiangqing and Liu Cheng Gao made a deal.
Chapter completed!