Zhang Yue quietly walked back to his room from the door. When passing by the south room, he heard Zhang Shi talking to Mrs. Yu and couldn't help but stop and listen.
He wouldn't have been like this in the past, but it was different today.
But Tingzhang Shi said: "Third brother is thirteen this year, it's time for us to get married."
Zhang Yue heard that it really had something to do with him, and it was a major event in his life. On New Year's Eve, my brother really didn't just talk about it casually.
Yu said: "Back then, when my second uncle was twenty, you were not in a hurry. Why did your third uncle rush you when he was only thirteen?"
Zhang Shi said: "You don't understand. The second uncle is a county school student and one of the most talented people in the county. But the third uncle is different. He will be sixteen in three years and will be a young man."
Yu said: "Yes, the second uncle can be exempted from military service, but the third brother cannot. If sixteen percent of the family is born, then our family will be a double family. No wonder you are so anxious."
Zhang Shi said: "That's why I want the third brother to get married early and separate the family. You also know that the taxes and servitude are so heavy nowadays. Although there is Xu Dutou in the yamen looking after him, I am afraid that one day the county will become more serious. "
Yu said: "But how can we find a good girl for my third brother? I'm afraid there is no good girl in our family who is willing to marry her. Besides, when we separate, we need a place to live. But now let alone the place to live, even the dowry." I can’t even afford it.”
Zhang Shi sighed: "This is also where I am in trouble. Let me think about it again."
After a while, the sound of clothes being draped was heard in the room.
"Where are you going?"
Zhang Shi said: "Let's go have a drink at Xu Dutou's place. You don't have to wait for me tonight."
"How can you be like you and go out as soon as you say you're going to go out?"
Zhang Yue quickly returned to his room and heard Zhang Shi open the door and leave.
The night is full of stars.
In a shady alley, there were shouts coming from a house covered with a rag curtain.
Among the group of people, Zhang Shi stood in front of the gaming table with a red face. He didn't know how many nights he had been here, and he didn't know why. He had been going smoothly in the past few days, winning one or two times every day, but today he lost everything at once. He was eager to make up for his losses. After borrowing ten thousand dollars from the gambling stall, he didn't believe that today's luck would always be like this.
"Pure! Pure!" Zhang Shi shouted with his eyes widened, "If you can't do it, I will screen it myself."
Several people on the other side laughed: "Then let Mr. Zhang make the decision himself."
Zhang Shi murmured to himself: "I would never do this myself, my fate is up to me!"
At that moment, Zhang Shi sifted hard and then opened the copper coins on the ground.
"Haha, it's all words! Mr. Zhang, you screened this yourself, you can't blame us!"
With beads of sweat falling from his forehead, Zhang Shi smashed the gaming table with all his strength.
Everyone was shocked: "Master Zhang, what are you doing?"
"Xie Di started writing all night long. This was not the case in the past."
"How can I explain this clearly? Mr. Zhang, you are tired today. Please sit aside and rest."
Zhang Shi shook his head and said: "Blog again! Blog again!"
"But you have no money. You even gave us ten dollars on credit."
"No," Zhang Shi said ferociously, "I'm going to wash my hands. I'll open it with my own hands next time. It will be pure."
"But where's the money?"
"If you give me credit again, I'll pay you back immediately if I win."
"We can only give you ten credits at most."
"No, I clearly saw that Xue Daguan got fifty guan on credit from you a few days ago."
The people on the other side looked at each other.
One person said warmly: "I advise you, Mr. Zhang, if you don't have this destiny, don't come here. If you lose all your money, will your whole family drink from the northwest wind? In fact, what you win with us these days is exactly the same as what you lose today. A word of advice, stop it as soon as possible!"
Zhang Shi suddenly realized: "Yes, what should I do with my wife and Xi'er? Yes, how can I see them when I go back after losing all my money? I'm really useless!"
Zhang Shi walked out of the gambling stall in a panic. He didn't know when he left, but he saw two people standing at the entrance of the alley.
His wife Yu Shi was holding Zhangqiu and looking at him.
"Madam, Xi'er...I..." Zhang Shi shed tears.
"Daddy!"
At this moment, Zhang Yue, who was watching this scene at the other end of the alley, couldn't help but turn his back.
From the other end of the alley, Peng Jingyi came running in small steps: "This is my brother's IOU. Fortunately, you noticed it early, so it didn't cause a big disaster."
Zhang Yue looked at the ten IOUs and said, "Who is behind this?"
Peng Jingyi said: "Don't worry about it. Those little minions are just following orders, so what's the point of beating them up? It's a blessing to have the money back now. You can't cause trouble now. Please rest assured and worship Mr. Boyi." Under the sect, I will settle the accounts with these people when I get some time off."
Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Shi's family again and nodded: "Okay, you can help me hide this from my eldest brother first."
Zhang Yue believed that Yu had his own means to control Zhang Shi. After he handed over the IOU to Yu, he counted the days until the fifth day of the lunar month and prepared to go back to Wuxi to study.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhuang Xuexue came to see Zhang Yue again. As usual, the two closed the door and talked.
Xuexue Zhuang said straight to the point: "I heard that Mr. Boyi has a new disciple who can master his seal script. Is that you?"
Zhang Yue nodded and said: "Of course! I wonder what Mr. Zhuang has to say?"
Zhuang Xuexue looked solemn after receiving Zhang Yue's confirmation: "I didn't expect that Sanlang could become the disciple of Mr. Boyi. That would be disrespectful."
Zhang Yue knew what Zhuang Xuexue was thinking in his heart. He originally thought that he was under Guo Xuexue, so he had no way to know Zhou Xuezheng, but now that Zhang Yue is under Zhang Youzhi, let alone Xuezheng.
The Zhang family has produced many high-ranking officials, so it is enough for Zhang Youzhi to recommend one or two people to Zhang Yue.
In this way, Zhuang Xuexue lost this great opportunity.
Seeing the remorseful look on Zhuang Xuexue's face, Zhang Yue thought that this road could not be broken yet.
After all, the Clan School has not officially agreed to accept its disciples, and the ducks it receives may fly at any time.
At the same time, this person was also Zhangqiu's teacher. Some people are bad at helping others, but they are thieves when it comes to harming others. For the sake of caution, if the other party has dealings with Zhou Xuezheng, then he can still do bad things.
Zhang Yue coughed lightly and said, "Mr. Zhuang is my boss. If it weren't for you, I would never know that this casually made up three-character poem could qualify me to participate in the child prodigy examination."
Upon hearing this, Xuexue Zhuang was overjoyed and said, "Sanlang is really a kind man."
Zhang Yue turned around and said: "But my knowledge is not yet solid at the moment. If I really take part in the prodigy examination, I am afraid that my talent will not be worthy of my qualifications and I will lose my reputation as a gentleman. What should I do?"
Zhuang Xuexue said: "You can report it first, and leave this matter to me..."
"Inappropriate, inappropriate."
"How long will it take?"
"Of course."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Please rest assured, Mr. Zhuang, whether I am Mr. Boyi's disciple or not, your benefit will be indispensable in this matter."
It is said to be a benefit, but it will depend on the size at that time.
After sending the scholar away from the village, Zhang Yue packed his luggage and headed to Wuxi the next day.
School at Nanfeng Academy would not start until after the beginning of spring, but Guo Xuexuan called him back on the fifth day of the new year.
The reason is quite simple, because the county school recruitment begins in March.
Guo Lin wants to go all out for this battle. As for Zhang Yue, Guo Xuexue also wants him to give it a try and try his luck.
The county is divided into Jingshengzhai and Jinshizhai.
Jingshengzhai is specifically for subjects such as the Nine Classics and the Five Classics, while Jinshizhai is for Jinshi subjects.
It is a known fact that the future of Jinshi subjects is much higher than that of other subjects.
If you are willing to look through the history of the Song Dynasty and carefully look at the family backgrounds of the ministers in the biographies, almost none of them were born from ordinary people, and they were basically descended from officials and celebrities.
Most of the famous officials in the biographies of Song Dynasty also came from the Jinshi Department.
Therefore, it is conceivable that scholars who apply for Jinshi are definitely either rich or noble.
For scholars with little background, only various subjects have some hope. But having no background is a relative term. Scholars with no background at all can't get into the so-called various subjects.
Naturally, Guo Lin and Zhang Yue were awarded Jingyi Zhai in the county school.
As soon as Zhang Yue arrived in Wuxi that day, Guo Xuexiu said to the two of them: "Both of you must listen carefully to every word below and remember it in your heart. During the Chinese New Year, I visited the county school to learn Zhengshi, and he said that this time the county school For the admission test, five people will be selected from Jinshi Zhai and ten people will be selected from Jingyi Zhai."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that for Pucheng County, which has a population of 70,000 to 80,000 people, the number of students admitted is neither too large nor too small.
"When the imperial court recruits scholars, they will judge their learning by writing classics and their talents by writing miscellaneous essays. As long as you copy the classics and write the meaning of each word correctly, no one can replace you. But if you make a mistake in a word, there is no guarantee that someone else will not replace you. Of."
Zhang Yue thought to himself, Damn it, doesn’t it mean it’s all right? Who can guarantee that?
For example, it is not difficult for you to memorize a book, but it is ten times more difficult to memorize every word well.
Moreover, the imperial edict states that if the Ten Principles and the Six Principles are connected to each other, then it is considered qualified. This is still the standard for the provincial examination.
Those who are interested can take a closer look...
Children without backgrounds who want to take the county school entrance examination must reduce their mistakes to zero to have a chance.
No wonder none of Guo Xuexue's disciples passed the county school entrance examination.
Seeing Guo Lin and Zhang Yue's expressions, Guo Xuejun had a trace of unbearable expression on his face, and after a while he said: "I may have made one or two mistakes at most, but for ten people, many children in the county are watching. "
County school students are often called Maocai or Xiucai.
This title comes from the inspection system implemented in the Han Dynasty, such as Xiaolian. If the population of a county is less than 100,000, one person will be promoted to Xiaolian in three years; if the population of the county is less than 200,000, one person will be promoted to the second year;
Xiaolian is a county examination, so the number of people is small, while Maocai is a state examination, so the number of people is large.
But it goes without saying that the inspection and examination system is corrupt. There is a famous saying: "To promote talented people, they don't know how to read, but to promote filial piety and honesty, the father lives away from home." Although the imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty had many drawbacks, it was an improvement compared to the imperial examination system.
However, in the Song Dynasty, county school students were the talents of one state or county, so they were called Maocai.
The Song Dynasty had generous policies for county school students, and each county had different policies.
As far as Pucheng is concerned, first of all, county school students are exempted from conscription. It goes without saying how terrible the conscription laws of the Song Dynasty were. In Fujian, there was a custom of not raising children. Parents would rather abandon the extra male babies than raise them.
Why did Zhang Shi ask the thirteen-year-old Zhang Yue to get married as soon as possible, because after getting married, the family can be separated. Otherwise, after Zhang Yue reaches adulthood at the age of sixteen, the slaves can bankrupt a good and wealthy family.
Secondly, one-third of the county school students in Pucheng County School are provided with rice every month, and each student has a set of shirts and a place to live.
The most important thing is the background behind the county school students. Why are 985 and 211 so popular? In addition to intelligence factors, there are also background resources, such as classmates and teachers. These will be bonuses in the future.
Guo Xuexiu added: "Although the yamen has not posted the topic this time, Xuezheng has quietly informed me of it. In addition to the two classics of Xiao Jing and The Analects of Confucius, Jing Sheng Zhai will also choose five classics from the nine."
"Sanlang, you are familiar with Yi, Shu, and poems, but you have not learned the three rites and the three transmissions. Since you are talented at memorizing books, you can use these two months to learn two more classics."
Zhang Yue nodded. He had not read three of the nine classics, three rites, and three chapters. If he wanted to take the exam, he had to choose two out of six.
Guo Xuexiu said: "With only two months, it is too difficult to master both classics. The Book of Rites has the largest number of words. Zuo Zhuan will not study it first. Sanlang can first study Rites, Zhou Li, Gongyang, and Guliang."
Zhang Yue knew that the Book of Rites and the Zuo Zhuan were both 200,000 words long. They were great scriptures, and even more with the annotations. As for etiquette, gongyang, etc., they only have 40,000 to 50,000 words, so they can be captured by a surprise attack within two months.
In the end, Zhang Yue thought to himself that if he entered the Nanfeng Academy of Clan Studies, would he still have to take the county school exam?
The answer is still to get it, just go for exemption from military service and go for it yourself.
The Nanfeng Academy of Clan Studies is full of officials' children. Officials' children are permanently exempted from military service, but I am not. There is no way, our Song Dynasty is so unfair. What if I enter Nanfeng Academy in the future and reach the age of 16?
Why don't you go to serve in the army and study in Nanfengyuan, and let your elder brother go to serve in the army?
Therefore, it is better to go to county school than to go to clan school.
Zhang Yue thought of this and replied: "Then I will choose Zhou Li and etiquette."
Guo Xuejun was surprised, and Guo Lin asked: "Junior brother, why don't you choose one sutra from each of the three rites and the three transmissions?"
Zhang Yue replied: "Even if you choose five classics from the nine classics, why bother to stick to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Book of Rites? But Gongyang and Guliang are suspected of duplication, and I am afraid that the examiner will not like it, so I chose Zhou Rites and Rites. present."
Guo Xuexue and Guo Lin nodded after hearing this. Zhang Yue's idea was really unconventional.
Zhou Rites, Xiao Dai Rites, etiquette are collectively called the Three Rites.
Zheng Xuan's Zhou Rites, Xiao Dai's Rites, and Rites all have commentaries, which are collectively called the Three Rites Commentaries. Although Zheng Xuan wrote extensively about classics and history, his most profound skills were the three rituals. The three etiquettes can be elevated to such a status, which is inseparable from Zheng Xuan's elucidation of etiquette and justice.
Comparatively speaking, Gongyang and Guliang's commentaries are not so standardized, and it is easy for someone to make mistakes in the exam.
Next, Zhang Yue must thoroughly read Zhou Li, Rituals and the commentaries of the two books within two months.
