It was getting dark, but the street market became even more lively. People wandering around in groups of people walked along the Bian River. Various vendors on both sides of the riverside avenue were selling snacks and gadgets. One after another, hawking sounds passed by the night, as if they had strange magic, seducing the pedestrians itchy. They couldn't help but want to go over and take a look.

Xu Ping and Gao Daquan rode on horseback and walked slowly along the avenue. Before Li Yonghe came back, Xu Ping did not run around for Gao Daquan. These days he followed him up and down. In the morning, he sent Xu Ping to the place, led Xu Ping's horse back, and then took Xu Ping back with his horse to pick him up in the evening.

When Sun Qilang was in Yongzhou, he had a local woman. He originally thought that he would come to Bianliang City with the men who offered prisoners, but he did not expect that in order to prepare various preparations, especially when the envoys from Khitan and Dangxiang and other countries arrived, the prisoner offering ceremony was dragged down again and again, and the prisoner offering team also walked like a snail. Now he finally entered Jingxi Road, and Sun Qilang couldn't wait and searched all the way. Gao Daquan had no companion, and after sending Xu Ping, he wandered around the tiles everywhere, and his life was boring.

Following Yu Street to the vicinity of the Imperial City, and all the way to the gate of Chongwen Courtyard, Xu Ping dismounted, Gao Daquan helped lift the small stove and the small pot, and followed Xu Ping into the gate.

After passing the access control, Xu Ping took Gao Daquan all the way to the library of the History Museum. He said that the officials came over to be on duty, but in fact, the official was the official on the night. When he saw Xu Ping coming, he hurried forward to greet him.

After saying hello, Xu Ping took Gao Daquan to the corridor in front of the door and asked him to put down the stove and small pot, and some mutton that had been cut to cook, so he asked Gao Daquan to go back.

This is a place where books are collected. It turns out that there is a fire ban. During the Tiansheng period, it was allowed to make a fire to keep warm because the winter nights were cold for officials on duty. However, the library was still strictly prohibited from smoking and fireworks.

The official brought a stool over, and Xu Ping sat by the stove. After asking about the library, there was nothing wrong with him, so he asked the official to continue patrolling and call them over if he had any questions.

Not long after Xu Ping sat down, three people came in at the door, watched the fire all the way to the corridor, greeted Xu Ping, and kept sniffing.

Xu Ping replied to the greeting and said to the three of them: "Are you only three today? Who is on duty in Jixian Courtyard, Nanlang tonight?"

A middle-aged man in his thirties and forties said: "Han Zhigui is on duty, I will come for him later."

As he spoke, the youngest young man in his twenties ran over, asked the on-duty official for a few stools and brought them over, and handed them over to the other two: "The night is cold, sit down and talk near the fire."

The three of them sat down by the fire. Xu Ping opened the lid of the pot on the stove and said, "I cooked some mutton tonight, and let's drink some wine to drive away the cold."

The young man sniffed his scent and said, "Very good! Very good! Thank you sister-in-law!"

Xu Ping took out the wine and handed over the wine glass. The young man stood up and took the wine bottle and poured the wine.

These three are currently the least experienced in the Pavilion, even more than Xu Ping and Han Qi. They have just passed the Academy Examination less than a month. The highest Jinshi in the eighth year of Tiansheng, the youngest was the top scholar Wang Gongchen, and the two close to forty years old were the second-place Liu Han and the third-place Sun Yan. The three of them passed the Academy Examination together and served as Zhijixian Academy together. Just as they were about to prepare books, they worked in the Pavilion together.

Wang Gongchen's family was poor, his father died early, and his widowed mother raised four sons. After passing the provincial examination in the eighth year of Tiansheng, the first place in the provincial imperial examination was Ouyang Xiu. He realized that the top scorer was in control, so he made a new outfit and then wore it. As a result, no one was secretly worn by Wang Gongchen, and in the end, the top scorer was also won by Wang Gongchen. Of course, although he was the top scorer, the most famous person in Wang Gongchen's family in later generations was his granddaughter, the poet Li Qingzhao.

Because he is from Xianping County, Kaifeng Prefecture, he is a fellow villager with Xu Ping, and Wang Gongchen is more casual than others in Xu Ping. Now his official position is low and his salary is small. He rarely eats mutton a few times a year, so he is naturally more anxious than others.

Liu Han's family was a rich man, and he was generous. He was not careful about the details. He naturally had to eat wine and meat. He once failed the Jinshi, but when he returned home, he called himself "retired from the school" and didn't want to take the exam again. Later, he was forced to do nothing by his father. Tiansheng took the exam again in the eighth year, but he ended up being the second place, which was considered a glorious family.

Sun Yan is from Meizhou and his family is well off, but he has been farming for all generations. It was only after Sun Yan that he studied and took the imperial examinations. Unexpectedly, he went to high school in one go. He was too far away from home and was bored alone, so he followed him.

Sun Yan and Liu Han were about the same age, one was 38 years old and the other was 39 years old. However, the age in the officialdom was not considered. It was too late to pass the Jinshi and entered the officialdom. In Xu Ping, he only regarded himself as his junior.

Wang Gongchen poured the wine, picked up the wine glass and persuaded him, and then raised his chopsticks and just ate the meat.

Xu Ping had eaten at home, but he just occasionally stretched out his chopsticks to accompany everyone. He was an official in the capital. For example, who had just entered the official career, he was fine alone, and lived a leisurely life without worrying about food and drink. Whenever a family was dragged down, he became nervous.

Liu Han and Sun Han were both short of money, but they just came to join in the fun, while Wang Gongchen was different. His family had a mother and three brothers in Kaifeng, and his life was quite tense, so he really greedy for meat.

After the three of them drank a few glasses of wine and ate meat for a while, Sun Han stood up and said, "Han Zhigui is alone over there, I'll go and eat some wine and meat, so that he won't gossip about it in the future."

Han Qi is also a person who lives a relaxed life, but since he has this opportunity and Xu Ping is the same year, he naturally has to come and join in the fun. Sun Yan is a good person, and he is easy-going, so he is naturally the first to change shifts.

As soon as Sun Yan walked out of the west corridor where the History Museum was located, a noise suddenly sounded outside the Chongwen Courtyard. In a moment, someone came in with a light and went straight to the History Museum and whispered loudly: "Xu Ping, the History Museum, I have an order to see you!"

Xu Ping was shocked and recognized him as an eunuch in the palace, so he hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

The eunuch said: "If you have any questions, please follow me to the palace quickly!"

After saying that, he ignored everyone else and led Xu Ping out.

Since the office of the museum and the cabinet is called a bachelor's degree, it is naturally responsible for consultation. When the bachelor's degree is on duty, the emperor can naturally summon the palace to ask about things at any time. This kind of night match is not uncommon.

However, what surprised Xu Ping was that most of the people on duty in Chongwen Academy were middle and lower-level officials. They were called into the palace at night, but it was extremely rare. I had just been on duty for a few times, so why did I catch up?

Calling a scholar to ask questions is not a court official, and the etiquette is much more casual, and there is no limit to the content of the question. More importantly, this kind of comment is not under the control of the Secretary of the Communist Party of China and is much more private.

Since returning to Beijing, this is the first private contact between Xu Ping and Emperor Zhao Zhen, and Xu Ping feels a little strange.
Chapter completed!