Chapter 36 Section VI

The main store of Zhang Bajiayuan's house next to Dailou Gate is one of the seventy-two restaurants in Bianjing.Outside the door is the Cailou Huanmen as usual, it was late at this time and the lights were shining brightly, but there were still many guests.Zhang Youfu, the shopkeeper of Zhangbajia, stood cheerfully in front of the counter and greeted the guests. Dr. Tea and Dr. Wine shuttled back and forth, very busy. Zhang Youfu saw a tall young official in a brocade robe walk into the store, followed by a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy in a black robe, with brilliant eyes.He was used to seeing all kinds of world situations, so he could tell at a glance that the master and servant were extraordinary, so he hurriedly greeted him personally, and said, "This official, is this the first time you come back to this small shop? Xiao Er, the upper floor is waiting for the private seat." A waiter—”

The little book boy blinked, and asked with a naive smile, "Shopkeeper, how do you know we want a private seat?" "Hey, look, little brother, can you still admit that you are wrong with the temperament of your family official?" Zhang Youfu said with a smile, and unconsciously glanced at the young man's waist, almost startled—— — Goldfish bag! The gate of Dailou is no better than the Changqing Tower next to Jingling Palace, or the restaurants in Zhouqiao, Tushizi, and Panlou Street. There are many officials in those places, not to mention goldfish bags, even princes, marquises, and ministers. .Zhang Ba's family is located in the southwest of Kaifeng City, a little bit away, and a goldfish bag is a high-ranking official.And this official is so young, only in his twenties, he must be a son of some prince Xungui, otherwise he would not be able to have this kind of favor - Zhang Youfu became more courteous at the moment.

The book boy smiled as he walked: "Shopkeeper, you guessed wrong this time. My son likes to be lively and doesn't want private seats." Zhang Youfu didn't dare to be negligent, he responded, and personally led him upstairs to clean up a table, and Dr. Tea immediately made a pot of good tea and served it.But I heard the young official say to the book boy: "Shi Jian, go and call Sang Wu up, let's eat together." The two masters and servants are Shi Yue and Shi Jian. "My lord, Fifth Uncle Sang refuses to come no matter what, you just let him eat in the lobby, it's different." Shi Jian explained softly.

"I don't like to set up so many rules. If you are asked to call you, you can call. What's the difference? We are all human. Sang Wu's driving is not as hard as ours?" Shi Yue said with a slight frown. "Yes." Shi Jian hurriedly agreed and ran downstairs, and after a while he dragged Sang Wu upstairs and sat down at a table.Zhang Youfu was dumbfounded, seeing the three of them sitting at the same table, it was neither fish nor fowl.When had he seen such an officer?Even a scholar would not like to eat with a coachman, but the young man in front of him didn't mind at all, but the coachman was fidgeting.

Shi Yue ordered a plate of spring onion rabbit, a plate of Xijing bamboo shoots, a jug of old wine, two plates of perilla fish, pickled chicken, and various fruits, and he called Sang Wu and Shi Jian to eat together.Sang Wu was a little cautious at the beginning, but gradually he relaxed. While eating, he chatted with Shi Yue about the daily life, and listened to Shi Jian talk about the local customs in his hometown of Hebei. Shi Yue felt that eating at this table was more comfortable than eating in the palace much. Zhang Youfu had never seen such a strange thing before, even though he was charged with the crime and returned downstairs, he couldn't help but make an excuse to run up the stairs after a while, wanting to see this rarity.Unexpectedly, as soon as he got upstairs, he was greeted by someone: "Boss shopkeeper, please come here and inquire about something." He quickly followed the reputation, but it was a few young Confucian scholars. After thinking for a while, he remembered that he was from the pool Scholars who came to Beijing from Zhouzhou.He didn't dare to be negligent, and hurried forward to ask: "What orders do you young masters have?"

Then I heard a Confucian scholar say: "We are students from Tanzhou. Because we came out to study, I heard that there is a Baishuitan College in the southwest of the capital, and Shi Gongzi Ming personally lectured. I would like to ask how to get to this Baishuitan College. ? How far is it from here?" Zhang Youfu said with a smile: "Young masters, it's not a coincidence. Mr. Shi is a rare figure in the Song Dynasty. I heard that he is going to teach a class. He recruited 800 students in more than ten days. On September 2 On the 11th, Baishuitan College has already started school."

"It doesn't matter, I came here all the time, thinking that the head of Shishan can't keep us thousands of miles away." "I only heard that the school building of the college is full. If the young masters can rent a house to live in the villager's house in Baishuitan, they can also study with the class. However, I heard that because there are too many students, Mr. Shi is too busy. Here, whether they are willing to accept another person is beyond my knowledge." Zhang Youfu had good intentions. A doctor of tea came over and said with a smile: "I heard that Baishuitan College has strict mountain regulations, and students cannot graduate without studying for three years."

It was the first time for those scholars to hear about this rule, and someone asked with a smile, "Did Dr. Tea make a mistake? I have never heard of this rule." Dr. Cha saw that they didn't believe him, so he shook his head and said coquettishly: "The young masters think they are from other places, but they don't know how famous Mr. Shi is. He is someone the emperor can't summon repeatedly. The Chongzheng Hall answered and awarded Jinshi and rank, Zijin Fish bag, you can enter and leave the forbidden room to read at any time, and the five big characters of Baishuitan College are also written by the current emperor himself, and the rules are naturally not comparable to other places."

When Zhang Youfu heard him mention the "Purple Gold Fish Bag", his heart moved, and he couldn't help but glanced at Shi Yue, then turned around and heard Dr. Cha say: "It is the examination method of Baishuitan College, which is incomparable elsewhere." Seeing that what he said was consistent with the rumors, the few scholars couldn't help but believe it a little bit, and someone asked: "What's the difference in its examination method?" Dr. Cha aroused their interest, but he faltered and talked about him, and said nothing if he refused.Those scholars had been traveling for a long time, so they naturally knew the tricks, so someone took a few pennies and stuffed them into his hands.Dr. Cha pinched the money, thanked him with a smile, and Fang continued: "I have a cousin who happened to be studying at Baishuitan College, so I know a thing or two about their mountain regulations. At the end of each school year, the professor will answer 20 questions and answer 15 correctly to pass."

"That's normal." A scholar smiled disapprovingly. "This is not over yet. These twenty questions are just ordinary questions and answers. After passing, the professor will ask five more difficult questions and answer them face-to-face. If you answer three questions correctly, it is called a 'pass'. This is considered to have passed the second test. The third level is for students to come up with questions. Before the exam, each student must come up with three questions, which will be approved by the professor. If a person’s question is too easy, he will be fined to work for a week and ordered to do it again—think about it , are all proud and arrogant scholars, who can afford to lose face? Therefore, the questions must be difficult. Then, among these questions, each person randomly picks out 20 questions to answer, and if they answer 15 questions correctly, they will be able to answer. It counts as passing the third level." The doctor of tea was so frothy that all the guests listened to him, Shi Yue saw that what he said was so clear, he also found it quite interesting.

Someone next to him inevitably spoke up: "Dr. Tea, are you talking too complicated? I have heard that there are four exams and three exams. They are nothing more than poems and essays. How can there be such a thing?" Dr. Cha glanced at the man disdainfully, and said, "It's not difficult to show the brilliance of Baishuitan? This is no small nonsense, and it is clearly written in their mountain regulations. If you don't believe it, you can go and see for yourself." "In my opinion, this is the deliberate intention of Master Shishan. Think about it, everyone. The examination method of his college is so difficult. How much reputation do those students who can graduate have? Even if they are better than Taixue." "That's incomparable. Those who have learned too much can directly become officials." "You know what the hell, is it better to be an official in Taixue or Jinshi? It's not easy for a student from Baishuitan College to get a Jinshi?" "No..." ... A group of onlookers began to chatter.Shi Jian has a childish temper and almost wants to strike up a conversation, but Shi Yue hastily blocked him.Sang Wu just smiled foolishly while listening.The three of them were burying their heads in drinking and eating, when they suddenly heard someone beside them say: "This young master invited you." Shi Yue raised his head in amazement, only to see a man in his thirties, with a medium build, a white robe and a long face. Clear, but the eyelids drooped, as if he hadn't woken up. "Is this brother calling me?" "Exactly." There was a faint smile on the corner of the man's mouth.For some reason, when Shi Yue saw the smile, he subconsciously thought of a word—"sneaky smile", touched his wallet unconsciously, and said with a smile, "I don't know what can I teach you?" "Under Pan Zhaolin, cursive characters Qianguang, from Zhending Mansion. Because you see that the young master has an extraordinary bearing, so I take the liberty to disturb you." "So it's Brother Pan, and I'm from Kaifeng Mansion, Shi Yue, Caozi Ziming." Shi Yue quickly stood up and cupped his fists in return. Pan Zhaolin didn't seem too surprised. He glanced at Shi Yue's goldfish bag intentionally or unintentionally from the corner of his eye, and said with a smile: "It turns out that he is the famous Mr. Shi. I'm really rude. I traveled here from Hangzhou, and I wanted to go to Baishuitan tomorrow." Calling on you, I didn't expect to meet you here tonight." "Don't dare." Shi Yue hurriedly said modestly.At that time, it was normal for scholars and bureaucrats to meet and meet each other. Shi Jian was very good at observing words and expressions, so he had already asked someone to set up a seat for Pan Zhaolin and asked him to sit down.When he heard that Pan Zhaolin had just come from Hangzhou, Shi Yue said with a smile: "There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. "Sanqiu osmanthus, ten-mile lotus, beauties and catkins, talented men and women, that's all." Pan Zhaolin seemed to never wake up. "Oh, that's all? Then I don't know where in the world I can be praised by Brother Pan? How about Bianjing City?" Seeing his expression, Shi Yue found it interesting, and filled him with a glass of wine himself, while laughing. "The city of Bianjing looks prosperous like brocade, but it is a big moth. The whole country's tax revenue is gathered here for the four characters of prosperity and brocade. Yanyun is already an enemy. Fortunately, there is no hero in Khitan, and no king in Song Dynasty. If there is a catastrophe, this place will belong to others." Pan Zhaolin sneered and drank the wine in his glass. But Shi Yue was secretly startled when he heard these words, and he immediately looked at Pan Zhaolin with admiration, but he didn't know where this person came from and what his intentions were.Then he tentatively asked: "If that's the case, in Brother Pan's opinion, what is the best way to do it?" Seeing that Shi Yue didn't refute him, Pan Zhaolin nodded secretly in his heart, and sighed: "Since ancient times, scholars have always talked in vain, and carnivorous ministers seldom conspire. If there is a strategy to defend against the enemy, so what?" "Nowadays, the Ming Lord is on the top, and the commoner writes a letter. He can be a close minister of the emperor in one dynasty. Why worry about serving the country?" Shi Yue became more and more unaware of his reason for coming. Shi Yue was puzzled. "Qingzhou was defeated, several generals died for the country, Mr. Han went to Shaanxi in person, and the emperor personally presided over the martial arts. When the country employs people, it's time for a great achievement." "Pan is not a talent of Han Xin. What I learned from him is Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. If he doesn't meet him, it will be useless." Pan Zhaolin couldn't help laughing when he heard Shi Yue persuade him to serve before going to the army. "That……" Pan Zhaolin hesitated for a moment, he saw that Shi Yue's words were cautious, and he also knew that it was inconvenient for the two of them to communicate with each other at this time, so he said: "This is not a place for talking. When you come to visit, we will talk about today's affairs." After saying that, he bowed to the ground, took his leave and left.