Su Ziji's eyes fell on several students, all of whom were in their early twenties. Some were as handsome as pines and bamboos, while others were mediocre in appearance but also had some temperament. Without exception, they were wearing Confucian robes. They were all old and stale. With his eyesight, even from such a distance, he could tell that these people must be living in some embarrassment.
He couldn't help but think of the days when he was in the county town. People from such a poor family could still pass the exam and did not enjoy the benefits brought by the exam status. Instead, they continued to study in Beijing and were willing to continue to endure hardship, regardless of their character. , at least ambitious.
You know, if you pass the exam and stay in your hometown instead of coming to the capital, you can live a comfortable life as a country squire even if you don't become an official. However, if you come to the capital to study, the travel expenses plus the expenses in the capital will make it difficult to relax.
In the capital, no one fawns over a juren.
"You did a good job. You can pay more attention to it then." Su Ziji said thoughtfully. Making friends with scholars was the purpose of the literary society. If he didn't make friends, he would be suspicious.
Just keep the speed under control. At this level, it doesn't matter if there are a hundred.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jian Qu responded.
Su Ziji suddenly saw the wild Taoist looking at him not far away. When he looked over, he nodded. Su Ziji understood that this was the person he asked him to stare at.
"Follow me down and have a chat with these students." Su Ziji said to Jian Qu with a smile.
Jian Qu was naturally very happy. Being able to do such a thing with him would make him look happy.
Seeing that the master saw his prompt, the wild Taoist said to the two people following him: "Okay, we don't have to worry about this matter, just keep an eye on it from a distance."
The person they wanted to stare at had just arrived from a small boat and boarded the boat.
Because the Huafang is rented, the boatmen and the like are all the original people of the Huafang. Although the Daihou holds a cultural gathering here, and people from the Daihou's mansion are also patrolling, as long as they look like scholars, once they are put on the boat, they will not Will be interrogated.
It was under such circumstances that Eunuch Zhao took a young eunuch, pretending to be an old Confucian scholar with a book boy, on the painting boat.
"Mr. Zhao, please don't run around and they find out that you are not an invited guest..." the boatman who secretly led them up reminded them with some worry.
Eunuch Zhao didn't say anything. The little eunuch pretending to be a book boy next to him suddenly glared: "Doesn't my master know what you are talking about? We are just curious. We will take a walk and leave! Just wait for us here. !”
"Yes, yes!" The boatman took advantage of others and could only watch the "master and servant" enter the boat with a little worry.
"Who's playing the piano?"
As soon as I walked in, I heard that the original sound of silk and bamboo had stopped, and the noise suddenly disappeared. The entire first floor of the boat was quiet, and only the sound of a piano was heard, which made Eunuch Zhao couldn't help but stop and listen.
In fact, not only them, but also the first-level students looked intoxicated and tried to find the person who played the piano.
"It turns out that they are playing music over there. There is a curtain between them. Could it be the female family members?" Someone looked towards the place they had not noticed before and found that behind the bead curtain that had been hanging down before, there seemed to be some people in Yingying Zhuozhuo. The figures all seemed to be female.
Because this cultural gathering did not invite brothel girls to play silk and bamboo, these students entertained themselves, so when I heard the sound of the piano and saw this scene, I immediately had a clear understanding: "This should Isn't it the female family member of the Daihou Mansion?"
Come to think of it, a year ago, when the cultural conference was held in the capital, it was still mixed between men and women. However, with the incident caused by Lin Yuqing, the atmosphere changed towards conservativeness. If the cultural conference was held again, other than the princess and the likes of the county master could be invited. The female guests also invite some famous male guests. When men hold cultural gatherings, they will rarely invite female guests, just to avoid suspicion.
But if they are separated and the female guests are accompanied by their female relatives behind the bead curtain, then this kind of problem is nothing.
"I don't know which talented girl played the piano music. It should only exist in heaven!" A student sighed with emotion.
"Our family has never heard the sound of the piano. However, although the sound of the piano is wonderful and it must be played by everyone, it is obviously played by the female family members..."
Even if such a person is a talented woman, there is no need to be attracted by Su Ziji, the acting marquis. After all, she cannot enter the court as an official.
Eunuch Zhao was thinking this in his mind. He had already arrived at the entrance, and looking inside, he also had a panoramic view of the scene on the first floor.
"Are there really only two famous people here?" He looked at the little eunuch.
This little eunuch has some skills in identifying people. After a quick look at the people present, he matched up with the people on the list he was investigating.
"Except for Zhang Lan and He Bingzhi, who are considered talented people, the others are not famous, and they are basically from poor families. There are even a few people who are from poor families. Although their lives have improved after winning the imperial examination, their lives are still shabby after coming to Beijing. Frequent participation in cultural gatherings is also to avoid the expense of interpersonal communication." The little eunuch replied in a low voice.
"And under normal circumstances, there are also some stationery, paper and ink given away."
As a scholar, you cannot just immerse yourself in reading. You must always socialize with scholars. Attending cultural gatherings organized by the powerful can not only socialize, but you don’t have to spend your own money. However, you can’t spend money on private literary gatherings. Some people live a tight life. Scholars are therefore more willing to participate in literary gatherings of powerful people. If they get lucky, they may make some money. This is also a helpless move.
Eunuch Zhao looked carefully and saw that although Su Ziji had a calm expression, he was talking patiently to each of these poor people. Just watching, Eunuch Zhao felt sad for a while, and then he woke up: "I didn't expect that Daihou could only find him." It’s really not easy for some people from humble backgrounds to support the scene, and now they are forcing themselves to smile.”
Friendship also depends on the level. These poor people may still be considered figures in the local area, but what are they in the capital?
The only son of the dignified prince, Daihou, held a banquet for the first time, and it turned out to be so miserable!
"Let's go to Prince Qi's Mansion and have a look again." Eunuch Zhao couldn't bear to look at it and didn't stop any longer. He took the little eunuch and got off the Huafang along the original route and took a small boat back to the shore.
When they reached the shore, they took an ox cart and entered the city again, rushing to Prince Qi's Mansion.
Due to the cold weather, people waiting on the street where the palace is located are not allowed to enter casually. But in front of the palace, a group of people are waiting for it. Have tea, snacks and sunbathe.
The eunuch came down from a distance and took a look. He saw that the nearby teahouses were full of people. A cold smile flashed on his face and he stared at the door silently.
Even now, when the cultural gathering has begun, people are still getting off the bullock carts and heading inside.
"Sure enough, there are a lot of guests, a lot of traffic, and clouds." Eunuch Zhao looked at it for a while, and his expression became colder: "Let our people take a good look and write down their names."
"Yes!" The little eunuch responded with his hands down.
