From Tingzhou Mansion to the north, the best way to take is actually the sea route, which is convenient to take by boat along the way, and the speed is not too slow. However, the ban on the sea that began in the Ming Dynasty since the Hongwu period has not been lifted at this time, and the coastal area is not peaceful, and the Japanese are rampant, unless there is a naval warship escort, otherwise the sea route is not passable.

In addition, it is to take the tributaries of the Tingjiang River, and then take a boat to the west, get off the boat halfway, take the boat again after Ruijin, take the Mianshui and Gongshui into the Ganjiang River, drive Nanchang and Jiujiang directly, enter the Yangtze River channel, and then go to Nanjing, and then go north by the Grand Canal, this road is relatively labor-saving, but a boat and car transfer is very troublesome, the second is that you must go along the river, you have to detour a lot of roads, the third is on the big river, the waves are turbulent, the boat will capsize if you are not careful, and the chance of people who fall into the river is very small, It's far less secure than taking the road and being down-to-earth.

But even if you take the land by horse-drawn carriage, it is not so simple, the official road along the way is difficult to walk, not to mention, from time to time you will encounter streams and rivers to block, small rivers or stone bridges to pass, but those wide rivers, you can only find ferries to carry horse-drawn carriages to cross the river, but the general rivers are mostly small boats that support the ferry, how easy is it to find those big boats that can ferry the carriage across the river?

Fortunately, at this time, the Tingzhou Chamber of Commerce has extended its tentacles to all parts of Fujian, in order to open up the transportation infarction and facilitate logistics, these ferries have exclusive ferries of the Chamber of Commerce, so Shenxi's northward road is quite smooth.

A walk to Nanping, Jianning, Pucheng, and then over Fengling through Xianxia Pass, in late October the convoy entered the territory of Zhejiang.

When you arrive in Quzhou, you should take a boat from Qujiang and Qianjiang to Hangzhou, and then go north to Beijing by the Grand Canal. But Sutong means, it is best to continue to take the land route, along the way in order to enjoy the different cultural scenery, Jinhua, Hangzhou, Nanjing and other prosperous places, it is best to visit, what famous rivers and lakes, scenic spots, try to visit again.

Depending on the purpose of going to the exam, the mentality along the way will naturally be different. Shen Xi is not very self-conscious. As long as you don't delay your journey, you can do whatever Su Tong wants.

On the ninth day of the winter month, the group finally arrived in Nanjing, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties.

As the former capital of the Ming Dynasty, it is also the largest city in the south. The prosperity of Nanjing opened Sutong's eyes, and it was worth the trip.

Since the ninth year of Hongzhi, the Tingzhou Chamber of Commerce has set up a branch in Nanjing, and has also opened a small silver number, but the business has been tepid. The main reason is that the various forces in Nanjing City are intricate, and it is too difficult for foreign businessmen to gain a foothold here.

Han Wuye, as the person in charge of the Chamber of Commerce in Nanjing City, personally went out of the city to greet him, and after entering the city, he arranged for Shen Xi and his party to live in the branch of the Chamber of Commerce, while Su Tong needed to find another inn to settle in.

This way to the north, although Su Tong said fiercely, but the city along the way basically did not stay, even the thousand-year-old city of Hangzhou, but only stayed in the city for one night, the next day when the detour to the West Lake to take a look. He continued north.

However, Nanjing is different, after Chengzu moved the capital, it still retained Nanjing's status as the capital and retained a set of central institutions. Nanjing, like the Beijing Division, has six departments, the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan, the General Administration Division, the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, the Hanlin Academy, the Guozijian and other institutions, and the rank of officials is also the same as that of the Beijing Division.

The house where the Jingshi is located is Shuntian Mansion, and the mansion where Nanjing is located is Yingtian Mansion, collectively known as Erjing Mansion.

In addition, there are many celebrities and Confucians in Nanjing.

But most celebrities and Confucians pretend to be high. At the same time, he has his own social circle, even if Shen Xi is a Fujian Township test Xie Yuan, he may not necessarily receive him if he takes the initiative to hand over his name.

Shen Xi didn't want to get into trouble, and he didn't want to stick his hot face to someone else's cold ass. But there is one person he has to see, this is when the plague broke out in Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangzhou, as the minister of the imperial court sent an envoy to Ninghua County and personally received the pox, the two had an intersection of the former Nanjing Guozi priest Xie Duo.

Xie Duo was in Nanjing City, and it can be said that he was a famous figure in Shilin, and he went through the three dynasties of Tianshun, Chenghua, and Hongzhi. He is not only one of the "Seven Sages" of Yanshan, but also an important founder of the "Chaling Poetry School", and a generation of science masters, and there are many people who want to climb the relationship with him like a carp crossing the river.

In the past few years of Xie Duo's leisure, every year a minister recommended Xie Duo to Emperor Hongzhi and asked him to go back to the mountain to serve the country.

As soon as Shen Xi arrived in Nanjing, he inquired, although Xie Duo returned to his hometown, he should be in his hometown in Taoxi, Taiping, but in order to collect all kinds of books, he often stayed in Nanjing, sometimes staying for several months.

Xie Duo met Shen Xi in the fifth year of Hongzhi as a messenger, and now six years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Today, Xie Duo is still idle, sorting out the township literature on weekdays, or collecting and sorting out books and classics everywhere, and taking pleasure in it.

On weekdays, few people visit Xie Duo's residence in Nanjing City, because everyone knows that Xie Duo refuses to see guests on weekdays.

Xie Duo mainly didn't want to have anything to do with officialdom, let alone go out of office, after all, he was now sixty-three years old.

If history had not changed, Xie Duo would have come out of the mountain again in the twelfth year of Hongzhi, and was appointed by Emperor Hongzhi as the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of the Guozi Priest Wine, ranking first among the twenty-four Sacrificial Wines, which is about equivalent to the Guozi Eunuch and the head of the Tai School.

But Xie Duo did not appreciate it, and repeatedly shirked, and it was not until April of the following year that Emperor Hongzhi sent someone to urge, and Xie Duo had to leave for Beijing. In mid-May, Xie Duo was ill in the Shaoxing official residence, and on the grounds of illness, he asked the prefect of Shaoxing to report his resignation to the imperial court, left Shaoxing on July 18, and returned to his hometown by detour from Jinhua, Lishui, and Wenzhou, and arrived home on August 17. Emperor Hongzhi did not allow his resignation, and issued a holy decree in July, so Xie Duo returned home a few days later, re-embarked on the road in September, and arrived in Beijing in November. It wasn't until the early years of Zhengde that he returned to his hometown.

As a student of Taixue, Shen Xi felt it was necessary to meet the future principal.

The two of them have a relationship, and it is really unreasonable to pass through Nanjing but not visit, but Shen Xi was afraid that going to Xie Duo's mansion would be closed, so he hesitated for a while.

When he went to the inn to see Su Tong, Shen Xi said that he was going to visit Xie Duo, and Su Tong hurriedly waved his hand: "Brother Shen, it's not for my brother to pour cold water on you, you may still see others when you go to meet them, this Xie Lao sacrificial wine, there is really no chance at all." You may not know, in this place of Nanjing, if you talk about talent and fame, no one is outstanding, I heard that a few days ago, Tianfu Township tried to solve the yuan also to visit, and ate a solid closed door. ”

Shen Xi pondered for a while, should Tianfu Township try to solve the yuan? Isn't that Tang Yin?

How can Tang Yin say that it should be tried to solve the Yuan in Tianfu Township, Nanzhili is the area with the highest teaching quality in the Ming Dynasty, and even Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places are beyond reach, after all, Jiangnan produces talents. This is also the reason why Tang Yin took the Tianfu Township Test Solution Yuan will be famous all over the world, but the gold content of this township test Solution Yuan is too high.

Even Tang Yin went to ask Xie Duo to see him, but he was turned away, which shows Xie Duo's determination to stay away from officialdom. Otherwise, Emperor Hongzhi appointed Xie Duo as the principal of the highest university in the Ming Dynasty in the coming year, why did he shirk in every possible way and make a lot of trouble before finally taking office?

However, Shen Xi still felt that there was no reason to go to the house and not visit the greetings, so he wrote a greeting post. Although Su Tong didn't think that Xie Duo would see it at all. But he also wrote a prayer post at the same time, and advanced and retreated with Shen Xi.

In Su Tong's plan, there were a lot of celebrities and Confucians who needed to meet in Nanjing City this time, and he prepared a lot of worship posts, each of which tried to vote, but Shen Xi was only ready to ask to see Xie Duo.

Sutong Inn, is the famous "champion residence" in Nanjing, it is said that this inn has produced four champions in the past 100 years, all the candidates who come and go from the south to the north like to settle here.

The two of them wrote the prayer post downstairs, and a scholar who was eating next to them came over with a smile and persuaded him: "The two of you are from other places at first glance." Anyone can visit this Nanjing City, but Mr. Xie, the two of them still don't touch the nails. ”

Su Tong felt that his face was a little unbearable, although he also persuaded Shen Xi not to be delusional, but Shen Xi insisted on this, and he could only accompany him. As a result, without waiting for Su Tong to explain to those people, a small servant came to the door of the lobby, holding a big red invitation card in his hand, and after this person came in, he asked directly: "Dare to ask Shen Gongzi of Ninghua, Fujian Province to settle here?" ”

Su Tong sighed: "Brother Shen's Xie Yuan is really different, and his fame has spread so far. Even Nanjing made a special trip to deliver invitations. ”

"It's down there."

Shen Xi beckoned to the little guy who sent the invitation card over.

The little guy stepped forward, and it was not surprising that "Shen Gongzi" turned out to be a young man, respectfully presented the invitation, and said: "My Mr. Xie heard that Shen Gongzi went north to the capital. Go to Taixue to study, pass through Yingtianfu, and let the small ones inquire in the surrounding inns and send invitations...... Finally I found it. ”

Su Tong asked in surprise, "I don't know which Mr. Xie is?" ”

"What is the name of a gentleman, what is the name of our slaves? It is Mr. Xie, whose ancestral home is Taiping, and the address is listed in the invitation. The little guy finished. Salute respectfully again, "I will send the invitation, if Shen Gongzi has any explanation, although it is clear, I will explain to Mr. when I go back." ”

Su Tong and the cadres present heard that it was Mr. Xie, whose ancestral home was Taiping, and they immediately thought of Xie Duo, because Xie Duo's ancestral home is Taoxi, Taiping, Zhejiang, and then looking at the address, not only others, but even Su Tong was speechless, who is not Xie Duo?

With Xie Duo's fame in Jiangnan Shilin, coupled with the fact that he and the current university scholar Li Dongyang were elected to the Hanlin Academy at the same time to become a Shu Jishi, the two have a close relationship, and many people want to follow his path to tie up Li Ge Lao, Su Tong thought that Shen Xi's visit was purely self-deprecating, but he didn't expect Shen Xi to even send the post, Xie Duo actually sent an invitation card first, and took the initiative to invite Shen Xi to come over the house.

Shen Xi looked at Su Tong and said to the little servant with some embarrassment: "This brother Tai, there is a presumptuous invitation below, this time I went north to Beijing, and I came with my fellow villagers and friends, I don't know ......."

The little guy said with a smile: "Shen Gongzi doesn't need to say it, the old gentleman made it clear that if there are any relatives and friends around the son, just visit them together, the old gentleman will set up a fragrant tea in the house, and then he will have to play two games with Shen Gongzi." ”

Shen Xi got up and saluted: "Please return to Mr. Xie, I will definitely arrive on time tomorrow." ”

"Whoa!"

The little servant saluted and said goodbye, turned around and went out.

When Shen Xi sent the little girl away and returned to the inn, it was already noisy.

"This brother, what is your identity, why did Mr. Xie take the initiative to invite?" These people originally saw that Shen Xi was young, with a bit of mockery and disdain, and they couldn't help but come over to talk and get close at this time.

Su Tong said with a smile: "A few people don't know, this is Xie Yuangong of this year's Fujian Township Test, and he is only thirteen years old now." ”

"No wonder, Tang Yin went to visit the day before yesterday, but he didn't get it, it turned out that he was not qualified enough...... Haha, everyone praises him as a great talent, but compared with Shen Gongzi, he is still slightly inferior. ”

Shen Xi was a little embarrassed, if Tang Bohu knew that these people were squeezing him with this, I don't know what he would think? smiled bitterly at the moment: "Actually, it's just that I have some relationship with Mr. Xie." ”

Shen Xi is telling the truth, but how can these people believe it? What is the relationship between you, a twelve-year-old doll, and an old man in his sixties? If you say you're relatives, maybe it's a better excuse!

For a time, there were compliments everywhere.

Su Tong was elated, and hurriedly asked his entourage to call back the people who had gone out to send the worship post before.

Being able to see Xie Duo now is more useful than seeing a hundred celebrities and great Confucians.

You haven't seen anyone in Tianfu's township test, I'll see you first, am I more famous than you?

**********

PS: Fourth Update!

In the card, this chapter was deleted and changed for four or five hours, and some of the things that happened on the way to the exam in the original outline were all deleted, and the Son of Heaven felt that it was better not to make extraneous branches!

Adjust the plot a little in the past two days, please be patient! Long live understanding!

Keep asking for subscription and commuter pass support! (To be continued.) )