The status of the conferment of more than 700 people was posted in gold letters on red paper on the white wall outside Yonggong's mansion, shining in the sun. The names of Yan Song and others were circled in red pen, and the curses of "wolf-hearted" and "ungrateful" were heard endlessly.
The names on those lists became the envy of everyone. Dressed in green cloth shirts with gold hairpins in their ears, they became the image of successful candidates in the imperial examination.
The cotton shirt is docile and soft, and looks tall and handsome when worn on the body, like a jade tree in the wind. When the tester wearing a green cotton shirt walks on the street, he is greeted by envious eyes and eager comments from everywhere.
Those candidates who were not on the list also thought about pulling off a few feet to make a green shirt. Wearing it would at least make people feel like they are scholars. Blue shirts and hairpins became a fashion in Xiangyang City.
Xiangyang Academy opened its doors to the public, and the library allowed readers to borrow books, so it naturally became the most frequented place for those who failed to take exams. The Academy Chongzhi Hall announced that it would recruit 400 more students, attracting thousands of people to sign up.
You don’t have to worry about food and accommodation when you study in the academy. You can browse the rich collection of books in the academy. If you are successful in your studies, you can go to the academy to teach, and you can even be recommended by your teachers to become an official. It is simply an ideal paradise for scholars, allowing those who come from humble backgrounds to Test subjects are flocking to it.
There are more than ten famous Confucian scholars in Xiangyang Academy, and there are also lectures by Confucius, the descendant of the saint. Who doesn't want to listen to the lectures of these contemporary Confucian scholars? It will also be a qualification to talk to others in the future. If you can be accepted as a disciple by a great scholar, it is almost equivalent to passing the imperial examination. In the future, fellow disciples will be a rare resource.
Didn't you see, dozens of people on the list of candidates for this exam are from the disciples of these great Confucians. I heard that the test papers used in the exam were drafted by the great Confucians. As long as you can get admitted, it is entirely possible to find out a few test questions from the lectures of the great Confucians. , isn’t it a little more certain than the average person?
On November 3, Yang Anxuan bid farewell to the court officials headed by Sima Zhenzhi at the East Pier of Xiangyang. Sima Zhenzhi led the crowd to bid farewell to Yang Anxuan with a happy face. This trip was full of joy for him, not only for him, but also for everyone. All the court officials who came were rewarded, but the unlucky Ling Shi Lingmo and other spies from the Military Intelligence Department were detained on another boat.
When they came, there were three ships, and two warships protected each other. When they returned, there was an extra ship, specifically to "escort" the spies from the Military Intelligence Department, and the accompanying test subjects were scattered among the three ships.
The ship slowly left Xiangyang Pier under the escort of warships, went down the Han River, and disappeared in an instant. The smile on Yang Anxuan's face gradually faded, and he asked Ding Quan beside him softly: "Are you ready?"
"Shen Chang took his people and left two days ago. He acted cautiously, so my lord can rest assured."
Yang Anxuan nodded, swung his cloak, got on his horse, shouted softly, and returned to Xiangyang City under the escort of a group of personal guards.
The boat on the river was faster than the galloping horses. Ling Mo saw the green mountains passing by quickly on both sides of the river. He breathed a sigh of relief and said to Lu Qia and others beside him: "Finally we escaped from the tiger's mouth. Although we returned without success this time, you still have something to do." Those who work hard will definitely be rewarded according to their merits when they arrive in Jiankang."
Dong Yuan was the leader lurking in the Xiangyang stronghold. His identity was exposed because he cooperated with Ling Mo's actions. Years of hard work were in vain. He might be punished when he returned. He was full of resentment towards Ling Mo and snorted: "Ling Dianshi, you are There is hard work, but it is unethical to burden a fool with punishment."
Dong Yuan's position was higher than that of Ling Mo. Ling Mo accompanied him and said with a smile: "Brother Dong, this time you have been implicated by Yu. Yu will report it to Secretary Shen. When Jiankang arrives, Yu will serve wine to apologize to Brother Dong."
Wei Du smiled and said softly: "You two, you are lucky to have escaped with your lives. Song Gong is kind and will not treat me badly when he arrives in the capital."...
Cotton cloth was a new thing. Not to mention the poor scholars who regarded this cotton shirt as a treasure, even people like Du Ji who came from a wealthy family were very satisfied with the cotton shirt and wanted to buy a few pieces to make clothes for his family.
Shen's Buzhuang in West City was overcrowded. Since the cotton cloth came on the market in September, there has been a constant flow of people here.
The price of 12,000 yuan per piece made many people prohibitive, but there was still a steady stream of customers coming to buy cotton cloth. The supply was insufficient, and the cloth shop had to sell only a hundred pieces a day.
Shen's Cloth Shop merges three stores from north to south. In the middle is a shop selling various cloths, including various silks, Sichuan brocades, kudzu and cotton cloths newly launched in September. The east store is dedicated to wholesale, with bundles of cloth
They were loaded onto oxcarts and transported to various places, even as far as the Western Regions; cloth shops in the west were dedicated to entertaining women's families, and the selected materials could be delivered directly to their homes.
Du Ji came to the outside of the cloth store and saw a long queue of oxcarts waiting on the east side of the cloth store. The shop assistants carried the pieces of cotton and silk onto the cart and carefully covered them. Go their separate ways.
After waiting in front of the store for a while, Du Ji followed the flow of people and entered the store in the middle. The shop is seven or eight feet long and more than four feet wide. The concave counter is filled with fabrics of various colors. The west counter is crowded with people. Needless to say, it is the cotton sales area.
After looking at the people on the inner and outer three floors, Du Ji shook his head with a wry smile, turned around and left the shop. As soon as he walked not far away, a famous man caught up with him and saluted him: "This gentleman, you are so polite."
Du Ji returned the salute with some surprise and asked, "Who are you, and why are you looking for fools?"
The man smiled and said: "Mr. Sir, you want to buy cotton cloth, but I don't have cotton cloth for sale."
Du Ji had heard that the cotton business was controlled by Yong Gong's sister. Where did this man get the cotton? He was trying to deceive himself.
The man smiled and said, "Don't doubt me, sir, the cotton cloth is collected from the cotton growers on both sides of the Huaihe River. This year, 20,000 acres of cotton fields were planted on both sides of the Huaihe River, and there was a bumper harvest. Yonggong allowed the cotton farmers to dispose of the remaining cotton by themselves. Many of them were planted on both sides of the Huaihe River. Cotton farmers make cotton clothes and weave cotton cloth for sale, and the villain’s owner sends people around to buy the cotton cloth woven by cotton farmers, so he has goods in hand.”
Du Ji suddenly understood and said with a smile: "Your boss is a smart man. How much cotton do you have? Where is it now? What is the price?"
The man said: "There are more than a hundred pieces, but they are all undyed white cloth. Each piece only costs ten thousand yuan. How much the husband wants can be negotiated. However, the cotton business is run by Mrs. Shen, and it is not convenient for the proprietor to leave it directly. The West Market is robbing business, and all the goods are stored in the farm in the south of the city."
Du Ji thought for a while and said, "Send five horses to the Chen family's old store in the east of the city and ask for Mr. Du Lang. You will know after asking."
The man saluted happily and left. Du Ji looked at his figure and secretly thought that being able to deliver goods to his door was probably not a fake. Businessmen are looking for profits, and the cotton business has considerable profits. No wonder some people are thinking of ways to make profits. Since Yonggong allowed cotton farmers to dispose of the remaining cotton by themselves, he naturally would not suppress the private sale of cotton cloth.
Du Ji shook his feather fan and walked towards Goulan. Looking at the lively scene in front of him, he really admired Yong Gong. He was born in Chang'an, and Yao Xing was also a benevolent king. Under his governance, Chang'an was also prosperous, but it was more than one or two points worse than Xiangyang.
It is unimaginable that within less than ten years after Yonggong took control of Xiangyang, the prosperity of Xiangyang City surpassed that of Chang'an and Jiankang, and became the center of economy, culture, and politics. Such a scene is the aura of heaven.
A leaf tells the story of autumn. If you look at Du Ji from a small piece of cotton cloth, you can tell that Duke Yong is playing a big game of chess. Now that you have devoted yourself to such a hero, you will not have to worry about being useless. Wenshan Prefect, Du Ji's footsteps became brisk and he showed a satisfied smile.
Thinking of Yan Song, who topped the list of candidates, Du Ji sighed secretly. Duke Yong posted the test papers of the top ten candidates on the imperial examination list and the examination papers for people to read. Someone specially copied them into volumes and sold them. Each volume sold for a hundred words. Still in short supply. Later, the Zhiyuan Study Hall engraved the policy treatises and asked Chongsheng Hou Kong Yi to review them. Three thousand volumes of the policy treatises were sold out as soon as they were put on the shelves.
Du Ji heard the news early and grabbed a copy. He read the collection of policy essays and deeply admired the policy essays written by Yan Song and Yu Ying. Sure enough, there are many heroes in the world, and we are not alone. I wanted to find a few people to make friends with literature, but Yu Ying was busy with affairs around Yonggong, and Yan Song was attracted by Shi Lang to go to Jiankang to serve as an official.
Du Ji felt deeply sorry for Yan Song. With Yan Song's talents under Yong Gong, it would not take long for him to be used at his convenience. His going to Jiankang was really a secret move. As a Wei man, he was still a concubine. When he arrived in Jiankang, a place with many noble families, even if he got the attention of Song Gong, he would not be as useful as Yong Gong. …
Three days later, the official ship of the imperial court docked at Yangkou. Yu Qiujin's 8,000 navy troops were stationed at Yangkou, and Jingling City, not far away, was guarded by Yanzhi with 20,000 soldiers and horses. When the ships arrived at Yangkou, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The rest of the journey was under the jurisdiction of Song Gong. .
Downstream from the Yangkou is the Zhukou. Zhutongzhu means the place where the water stops, and the water accumulates here. The flow speed is sluggish, showing a "Zhu" state, so it is called Zhukou.
The boat's speed slowed down and became steady. Sima Zhenzhi and others felt depressed after sitting on the boat for several days. They all walked out of the cabin to enjoy the scenery on both sides of the strait. Wang Yu pointed to the distant mountains and said: "It is said that Liu Bei was defeated at Changbanpo and fled here. Zhuge Liang accompanied him. The local people heard that the emperor's uncle So far, many people have tried to persuade him to stay here, and there are still Liujia River and Zhuge Ridge here."
The Shu Han was destroyed by Cao Wei, and the Sima family usurped the Wei Dynasty to conquer the world. Sima Zhenzhi was not very interested in Liu Bei. When he saw the fishing boats on the river, he pointed at the setting sun and said with a smile: "It's getting late, so I'll stay here tonight. I don't know. If there is any fresh food on the river, you might as well buy some to drink and have fun with the gentlemen."
Upon hearing the greeting, the fishing man rowed the fishing boat over. Live fish more than a foot long, fresh river shrimps, and crabs with claws stretched out were served with home brew in the village and chickens and ducks raised by farmers. There were fresh lotus roots, wild rice and other things in the water, and the officers and men on the boat shot a few wild ducks. This meal was extremely rich, and everyone was full of wine and rice.
The water waves rocked the boat gently, and snoring could be heard everywhere. Even the soldiers on duty sat on the deck and leaned against the cabin to doze off. No one paid attention to the six small boats approaching gently along the current.
Shen Chang's face was smeared with black ash, and he was wearing black tights. Only the steel knife in his hand shone with a frightening cold light. The robe beside him was also dressed in black and his face was smeared.
Shen Chang was from Xingyang and served as Wang Huilong's personal guard. Yang Anxuan inspected Yanzhou and learned that Mao Xiuzhi's movements were unknown. Wang Huilong recommended Shen Chang to Yang Anxuan, and later Shen Chang followed Yang Anxuan to Xiangyang.
Somehow, Yu Fei fell in love with him. Yu Fei was very optimistic about this taciturn and determined young man. Thinking that Huang Fu told him that he lacked good people, he recommended Shen Chang to Yang Anxuan to go to the Department of Commercial Affairs. Unexpectedly, Ding Quan kidnapped Hu and took him to the Department of Commercial Affairs. Shen Chang recruited Zuo Si Envoy.
Shen Chang quickly stood out and completed many tasks neatly. Yang Anxuan made an exception and promoted him to the squad leader. Shen Chang was grateful and spared no effort to eliminate hidden dangers for his lord, with a ruthless expression.
This time, the spies who came to rob and kill the Military Intelligence Department were ordered by Director Ding. Speaking of which, the Military Intelligence Department was a colleague, but each had its own master. Since the Lord wanted to teach Liu Yu a bloody lesson, as a minion, he had to use the most powerful force. one strike.
The man selling the catch was disguised as a subordinate, and he had already found out the situation of the seven boats. Sima Zhenzhi was on the largest ship, while Wang Shilang and Shi Shilang were on two separate ships. The smaller ship was where the spies from the Military Intelligence Department were. However, there are more than 200 people on the two escorting warships, and they are equipped with bed fury on board. This operation cannot alarm them.
The boat came close to the boat where the spies from the Military Intelligence Department were riding. Shen Chang threw the rope hook upwards and gently stepped on the side of the boat to climb onto the boat. Soon, more than thirty figures climbed onto the boat.
Shen Chang took the lead and walked into the cabin. The cabin was dark. Ling Mo and others had all drank and were sleeping soundly. A cold light flashed, and more than thirty people in the cabin were killed in their sleep.
The short muffled sound went unnoticed. Shen Chang came out of the cabin and listened to the silence.
Shen Chang showed a cold smile and killed all those who dared to do harm to his lord. These spies from the Military Intelligence Department are considered colleagues, and they are really like weak chickens. How can such opponents be the enemy of the lord.
The six boats left quietly. It was not until dawn that someone noticed that the boats were motionless. No one answered when they shouted loudly. When soldiers boarded the boats, they discovered that the boats were full of corpses, and the flowing blood had long been condensed into brown patches.
Sima Zhenzhi and others were shocked, abandoned the dangerous ship and rushed to Xiakou, asking Xiakou division to send ten warships to escort them to Jiankang.
Everyone in the cabin was so frightened that their faces turned pale and they felt chills. Everyone was silent, guessing who the murderer was. There was nothing wrong with the other ships. The ones who died were spies from the Military Intelligence Department, most likely the ones sent by Yong Gong.
Yan Song and others looked in fear. They did not expect that Yong Gong was so ruthless. If people like him hated him, wouldn't it be a precarious situation? Many people regretted that if they had known this, they should not covet the court's promise to go to Jiankang. If they could leave Xiangyang, their families But under the rule of Yonggong, what should we do?
