The county examination that lasted for more than ten days finally came to an end. In this most basic examination, most of the students and scholars failed. Only more than 150 students and scholars out of more than a thousand people passed. .
From the first to the last game, Zhu Ping'an was always on the top list.
I still remember that when the results were released for the last time, my uncle Zhu Shouren and others were dumbfounded. If the three fellow villagers had not also passed the county examination, they might have made trouble with the county magistrate. Even so, a few people still shouted that the county magistrate was unfair, why they were only ranked second in the list of poets and books, but Zhu Ping'an, a foodie who was bitten by snakes and heard the singing of birds, was ranked first.
After the results of the county examination were released, those who stayed in the inn were all the students and scholars who were ranked in the high school. There was no deer singing banquet for the county examination, so these people celebrated by themselves in the inn. There was a lot of poetry and wine in the inn, and students and scholars were dissolute, drinking and singing, just like we had finished the college entrance examination.
Uncle Zhu Shouren and several people from his hometown sat at the same table, congratulating the three of them on passing the county examination. They were drunk and discussed about setting off to the prefecture and county tomorrow with a bit of drunkenness.
Zhu Pingan was sitting alone at the table by the window in the lobby, and was vaguely ostracized by everyone. No one in the lobby thought that Zhu Pingan's talents could pass the county examination. Even though everyone would be slapped in the face every time the results were announced, they still insisted on their opinions happily.
This is probably the result of literati's mutual disdain.
The government examination was held in April, and it is now the end of February. Plus the time on the road, there is no time to go home.
At this moment, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but miss his family, his dull father, his fierce and protective mother, his honest and honest eldest brother, and even the hero of the family - the big black cow.
The inn was filled with the smell of wine, and the students and scholars who used to care about image no longer cared about image or image. They all drank with their tongues and sleeves raised.
"Come, come, our top talents, let's drink this cup together."
A wandering fellow countryman came over with a bottle of wine and poured Zhu Pingan a glass of wine without any explanation.
Zhu Ping'an raised his head and glanced at him. Before he could speak, the man continued with a loud tongue:
"If you don't drink this glass of wine, you're looking down on me."
Why should I think highly of you? Zhu Pingan really wanted to say this, but he couldn't say it out loud as more than a dozen pairs of eyes were staring at him.
No matter how clever you are, it will be useless in front of this group of drunk people.
Uncle Zhu Shouren and other villagers also came over with wine glasses and looked at him eagerly.
That’s all
Zhu Ping'an had no choice but to pick up the wine glass and drink it all in one gulp. Although he could spit the wine into his sleeve while wiping his mouth, he couldn't bear to part with it when he thought that this robe was sewn stitch by stitch by his mother, Mrs. Chen.
It was helpless at the Mountain Temple, forget it here, it would just be a drunken moment.
Seeing Zhu Pingan finish his wine, other onlookers gathered around him like wild wolves that smelled blood. It was probably jealousy and revenge. Everyone wanted to get Zhu Pingan drunk and make him look ugly.
Not to mention that the fermented wine of the Ming Dynasty had a low alcohol content, but even if so many people drank it one cup at a time, it would be too much to bear. Besides, my body is only thirteen years old now, so I can't drink much wine.
Zhu Pingan was not a person with a good face. When everyone was around, Zhu Pingan felt that his head was stuffy. In order to avoid being drunk into a puddle, he simply lay on the table and pretended to be drunk.
"This is the end of my skills..."
“The amount of alcohol is so small”
"Not worthy of being a man"
The fellow students and scholars insulted Zhu Ping'an who was lying on the table, and then left in low spirits. They each started drinking with each other. In the end, they all became extremely drunk and behaved in ugly ways.
Some people imitate the ancients and open their bellies to say that they are showing off their books;
There are also those who brag shamelessly and loudly that they alone account for three thirds of the world's talents;
There were even some people who made some remarks as if they had won the first prize, saying that everything was explained by His Majesty’s teachings. They really felt as if they had won the first prize in the imperial examination;
Of course, it is also necessary to tell the truth after drinking, muttering that the county magistrate is blind, and ordered a foodie who was bitten by a snake and smelled the singing of birds to be the first choice, but did not realize that he was full of knowledge. He was confused, really confused.
...
The owner and waiters of the inn are worried about these drunken scholars and students. These have all passed the county examination. Who knows who will be selected as a scholar or even a scholar in the future, and they don't dare to sweep away these people. I was so excited that I had to watch them go crazy with alcohol, leaving a large area on the table and floor drunk.
"Please prepare a bucket of hot water."
A sound came, shocking the worried boss and waiters.
Wasn't that the young man who was drunk by everyone at the beginning? Why did he act like a normal person again? He even left dozens of money for meals on the table.
The prefectural city is different from the county town. From Huaining County to Anqing Prefecture, you need to cross two counties to get there. Early the next morning, uncle Zhu Shouren and others hired two carriages to prepare for the journey.
Before departure, the uncle went to Zhu Ping'an's woodshed, but just stood at the door and refused to enter, fearing that the woodshed would hinder his luck in taking the exam.
"Xie'er, have you packed your luggage? We are about to set off." Uncle Zhu Shouren stood at the door and asked.
"Uncle, please wait a moment." Zhu Pingan answered while packing his things, "Uncle, please come in and use some tea."
Uncle Zhu Shouren naturally refused. He was joking. He was just cannon fodder in the firewood shed, so how could he enter it?
"Xie'er, we need to raise the cost of the carriage together. The journey is long and each person needs half a tael of silver." Uncle Zhu Shouren waited for Zhu Ping'an to come out and said casually.
Zhu Ping'an was carrying his luggage. When he heard this, he glanced at his uncle Zhu Shouren and asked quietly, "I heard what my uncle and other uncles and brothers said yesterday. They said that they bargained with the coachman, and the ladies could get a hundred cents cheaper. Maybe it was You must have heard it wrong."
Uncle Zhu Shouren felt as if he was just waking up from a hangover. He sighed with emotion: "Uncle was so drunk yesterday that he forgot about this."
The uncle was not embarrassed at all and was open-minded.
Zhu Ping'an naturally didn't say anything clearly. He had already prepared the four hundred coins and handed them to his uncle. He expressed his gratitude to the uncle for his hard work in preparing the carriage.
Seven people were squeezed into two carriages. It was not too crowded, but the journey was too boring. The carriage space was small and the uncle and other people's voices were heard all along the way.
The carriage stopped and went. When the uncle and others saw the mountains and rivers, they were all inspired by poetry. Then they got off the carriage and wrote a few poems that didn't sound very good. Everyone complimented each other for a few words before they finished. This wasted a lot of time. .
I traveled during the day and stayed at night, either in an inn, a temple or a farmhouse. Although there were some twists and turns, it was not a big deal. I kept walking for five days before finally arriving at Anqing Mansion.
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