However, it was said that Li Xianzhi remembered Zhou Xuetai's instructions, and as soon as he arrived in Xi'an, he went to Xuetai's mansion. Unexpectedly, not long after he sent Governor Jin's coffin away, suddenly an edict from the imperial court recruited Zhou Xuetai into Beijing again.

Li Xianzhi was bored, so he had to leave. When I was bored, I remembered my teacher Mr. Yang at the time of enlightenment, so I wanted to go to the meeting.

Xiao Shiqian had sent Mr. Yang home before, so the road was familiar, and the group hurried up, and it didn't take long to arrive. Xiao Shiqian stepped forward and knocked on the door, and a small servant opened the door and came out, and asked, "Where are the guests?" ”

Xiao Shiqian said: "My son-in-law has been taught by your old lady, and he passed by today and came to pay a visit." ”

The little guy looked Li Xianzhi up and down, and said, "It's too late, my old lady passed away two months ago." When Li Xianzhi heard this, he couldn't help but feel a sadness in his heart, the two teachers passed away one after another, how could he not make him uncomfortable!

Li Xianzhi said: "Can you let me in and pay tribute?" ”

The little servant said: "Wait a minute, wait for the little one to report to my master." ”

Li Xianzhi nodded, handed over the name card, took it in his hand, still closed the door, and rushed inside.

After a while, the door opened again, and a man in his thirties walked out, dressed in filial piety clothes.

Li Xian said the surname, and the man said: "Contemptible Yang Zhan, the word Zhuqing." After his father returned to his hometown, he often mentioned Li Gongzi. ”

Li Xianzhi said: "Passing by here, I wanted to visit the teacher, but I was shocked to hear the bad news, and I was very sad. If you want to enter to pay your respects, I hope you will be allowed to do so. ”

Yang Zhan hurriedly copied his hand and said: "It is an honor for Gongzi Li to come. Please! Please! Saying that, let Li Xianzhi and Xiao Shiqian into the mansion - it is a three-entry courtyard, with blue bricks and gray tiles, in the countryside, it is extremely magnificent.

Yang Zhan led the two into the main hall, where the spiritual seat of Yang Taigong was enshrined. Li Xianzhi worshiped in front of the spirit, kowtowed four times, got up and offered incense. Xiao Shiqian also bowed a few times. Yang Zhan kowtowed in return. Then, let the two of them go to the flower hall for tea.

After a cup of tea, Yang Zhan said: "My father studied all his life, but he couldn't get a master, so he had to sit around to make a living, and he was adrift all his life, which is also pitiful." However, I have not been able to do it since I was a child, so I picked up the book and dozed off, only knowing a few words, but I didn't understand a word of the sages' teachings. Later, I worshipped a master who studied martial arts, learned a few tricks of guns and sticks, and helped around, and there was no serious livelihood. A few months ago, my father brought back 4,000 taels of silver from my son's house, so I bought a house and bought another 3,500 acres of fertile land, which is considered to have a family business. Speaking of which, Childe is a great benefactor of my family! ”

Li Xianzhi said: "I have been taught by Lingzun for ten years, and I have benefited for a lifetime, just four thousand taels of silver, how can I dare to call it kind to you?" ”

Yang Zhan said again: "Don't be humble, the son is kind to me after all, and I dare not forget." It's a pity that my father was poor all his life, but when he was happy, he became an ancient early, and he was unlucky. As he spoke, two lines of sad tears flowed from his eyes.

Li Xianzhi didn't feel good in his heart when he heard it, and when he thought of the old kindness, he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart, so he spent a few more days in the Yang family.

Yang Zhan is carefully entertained every day, and it is no problem. After staying for more than ten days, Li Xianzhi had to quit and go home due to the urgency of his studies. Yang couldn't keep the money, so he had to send him away.

After a few days, I returned home, and the sadness of losing my two teachers was relieved a little, and I picked up the books again and worked hard.

Li Xianzhi missed last year's township exam because he was a little late in school, so he could only wait for the next subject. But that's fine, he can take the exam calmly. In addition to studying, he occasionally went out of the city to bend his bow and walk and practice riding and archery.

One day, Li Xianzhi was bored from studying, so Li Xi'er prepared a horse, changed into a suited clothes, and went out of the city with a bow and arrows. Li Xi'er, Li Ruyi, Han Chu'er, and Jin Shun'er also each rode a horse, brought bows and arrows, and seven or eight villagers led hounds to follow.

galloping in the reckless wasteland, the ability learned from Xiao Shiqian finally came in handy, but for riding and shooting, Li Xianzhi was still quite unfamiliar, far less than Xiao Shiqian's ability. After half a day, dozens of arrows were fired, but only one yellow sheep was shot. Even so, Li Xianzhi was also happy for a long time.

In the afternoon, Li Xian's people were sleepy and tired, so they asked the Zhuang guests to take turns carrying the only prey back. When I didn't walk long, I suddenly heard a commotion of people and horses in front of me. Li Xianzhi couldn't help but be curious, urged the horse forward, and saw seven or eight knights chasing a snow fox running wildly, and saw one of them prancing in front of him, bending his bow and arrows, and only one arrow was hit, and the snow fox had a feather arrow stuck in his neck, and the blood in the arrow hole was red.

Li Xianzhi shouted: "Good archery!" The knights looked back at Li Xianzhi together. The man who shot the prey reined in his horse, stepped on the stirrup with one foot, leaned down and picked up the snow fox with the arrow, placed it on the saddle bridge, and met him. When he got closer, Li Xianzhi recognized that this person was He Renlong, who he had seen on the street for a long time.

He Renlong asked Li Xianzhi, "Dare to ask Your Excellency?" ”

Without waiting for Li Xianzhi to speak, a knight behind He Renlong said: "I know him, he is the son of Master Li, the number one good man in the city." ”

He Renlong arched his hand and asked, "Why did Gongzi Li come to this wilderness?" ”

Li Xianzhi also arched his hand and said: "I am bored at home, thinking of going out of the city to hunt and relieve my boredom, but my archery skills are not good, and I only beat a yellow sheep here after patrolling for half a day." Seeing that your archery skills are outstanding, I can't help but cheer, startling Your Excellency, and I hope it's no wonder. ”

He Renlong also seemed to have heard Li Xianzhi's news, and said: "Li Gongzi is used to holding the hand of the pen, and it is not surprising that he is not used to the family of our martial artists. ”

Li Xianzhi wanted to intersect with He Renlong, and it was the first time they met, so he pretended not to know him and said, "Dare to ask the name of the honorable surname?" ”

He Renlong said: "My surname is He, a celebrity dragon, who lives here." ”

Li Xianzhi said again: "Your Excellency, I deeply admire you, and I want to be friends with Your Excellency, I don't know if I can deign to you?" ”

He Renlong said: "In the next martial arts, I can't read a few words, and I don't dare to climb Li Gongzi." Then he urged the horse to go.

Li Xianzhi was very bored, and watched He Renlong leave, and returned in a huff. On the way home, Li Xian's heart was not a taste, and when he returned to the house, he ignored people, got off the horse, and went straight back to the room.

Li Xianzhi has been in the Ming Dynasty for nearly 20 years, and he has met two famous people in history, Governor Jin and this He Renlong. Governor Jin was a talented and well-known border commander, and he had already promoted him a lot, but he had already died by this time, so he was bent on getting acquainted with He Renlong again. But this person was arrogant and didn't buy it, Li Xian had no idea for a while, so he had to endure it for a while and wait for the opportunity.

Since then, Li Xianzhi has studied hard every day and practiced martial arts, and in his spare time, he still goes out of the city to hunt. In less than half a year, Li Xianzhi has a long riding and shooting ability, and he often meets He Renlong, although the two sides do not have many words, but He Renlong's attitude towards him has changed.

Time flies, unconsciously to the first year of the Apocalypse (AD 1621) autumn, Guibang moved, Li Xianzhi went to Xi'an Mansion to take the township examination, these years, he has read the sage book of the imperial examination has been familiar, into the Tribute Academy, the examination paper sent down, the thought is like a spring, the end of the seven articles are full of flowers.

After the exam, Li Xianzhi circled for a few days, walked around the historical sites of the past dynasties, and was not accompanied by a friend who knew each other, so he felt that it was not interesting, and went to look for Yang Zhan, and worshiped in front of Yang Lao Xiucai's grave, and then packed up and returned to his hometown to wait for the release of the list.

When it came to the day of the release of the list, a few days passed, but there was no good news, Li Xianzhi's heart was cold, and Li Mingshan was also very disappointed.

After more than ten days of weather, both father and son felt that there was no hope for high school, and their hearts slowed down. Early in the morning, I heard three gongs outside the door, and three horses had broken into the gate. The three of them got off the horse, tied the horse to the stake, and shouted in an interclamation: "Come out Master Li, congratulations on high school!" "Stop, just bury your head and go to the Gaomen compound.

Father Han, who was guarding the door, and a few people who were sweeping listened to it, threw down the guy in their hands, and followed the three reporters into the door. Because of his weak legs, Father Han ran in front of him with a clever doorman, leading the reporter to the main courtyard.

Li Mingshan and Li Xianzhi's father and son listened to the sound of gongs and shouts, and walked out of the room to watch. The three reporters saw it and asked, "Which one is Master Li Xianzhi?" ”

Li Xian's words: "I am Li Xin's envy." ”

The three reporters knelt on the ground together, bowed and said, "It's just that Master Li is not bad." Congratulations to the 10th place in the Shaanxi Township Examination of Lao Ye High School! He bowed to Li Mingshan again: "This is the old lady, the little ones have given you a salute." As he spoke, he begged for a reward.

After hearing the news, the people in the house knelt down together, and changed their words to call Li Xianzhi the master, and Li Mingshan naturally became an old lady.

Just when there was a commotion in the courtyard, the second and third newspapers outside the door arrived one after another, and the shouts and gongs rang out in one piece, almost knocking down the city gate building, and everyone in the city knew about it, and they gathered to see the excitement in the Li Mansion one after another, and the huge courtyard was crowded and chaotic.

At this time, Li Mingshan was already overjoyed, just smiling stupidly. However, Li Xianzhi was still a little calm, he ordered tea to entertain this reporter, and ordered the housekeeper Li Fang to pay twenty taels of silver and one hundred copper coins. The reporter rewarded each person with two taels of silver, and cut the hemp rope that stringed copper coins, and each person gave one hundred and ten cents to the idlers who watched the excitement.

It took a long time of commotion before everyone was sent away. The housekeeper Li Fang beckoned the people in the house and the others to hug the old lady and the new master to ascend to the hall, and knelt in front of them all and kowtowed.

Li Mingshan still just laughed, Li Xianzhi ordered to take silver money to reward everyone, each manager rewarded three or five taels of silver, and the family miscellaneous servants rewarded one or two times.

Early the next morning, the squires in the city brought gifts to congratulate them, and some civil and military attachés who had always been in contact with each other also came to post posts. The courtyard of the Li family was once again overcrowded, but fortunately, there were preparations before, and after the kitchen was busy, four or five tables of banquets were set up in the flower hall.

Li Mingshan regained his composure at this time, smiled slightly, and really invited the guests to the table gracefully like an old lady. Li Xianzhi reluctantly toasted next to the table. After three days of wine, Li Xianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

Since he was selected, Li Xianzhi is not like before, just reading and practicing martial arts every day, and not asking about the world. The favor gradually increased, the surrounding squires and sons competed to get along with him, some unsuccessful talents and children who had not entered school also often came to the door to ask for advice, and there were also people entrusted by others to come to the matchmaker, and he was annoyed by the coming and going, so he ordered Li Ruyi, Li Xi'er, Han Chu'er, and Jin Shun'er to pack up their food, and rolled up the books they read on weekdays, put them in the carriage, and brought two serving maids, and moved to a manor in the countryside twenty miles west of the city to hide and relax.

This manor is surrounded by an earthen wall about one zhang high and six feet wide, thirty zhang long from east to west, twenty zhang wide from north to south, with a doorway opening in the north and south that can accommodate a carriage. There are also individual courtyards beside it, in which live a chief steward in charge of the village, a gentleman in charge of the accounts, the villagers and the subordinates of the three or twenty guardians, etc., there are two large barns against the south wall, each with five or seven thousand stone millet and wheat, and a cattle pen and a mule stable under the north wall, each with thirty or fifty head of livestock. Outside the wall, there are hundreds of acres of fertile land, and as far as the eye can see, they are all the Li family's property, and there are also 100 tenant farmers.

Hearing that the new master who won the move was coming, the manager Wang De supported Zhuang Ke and others to take care of the Sanjin main courtyard neatly and cleanly. When he arrived, Wang De led people to greet him.

Although Li Xianzhi has lived in the Li Mansion for 20 years, he rarely gets involved in family affairs, so it is not clear how much wealth the family has.

Since then, Li Xian's clothes have his own food, and he reads books every day to prepare for the spring of the coming year.