The Ming Dynasty's examination, is the meaning of the centralized examination, held once every three years, Shuntianfu and the provinces of the country raise people, in the second year after the township examination, that is, Chou, Wei, Chen, Xu came to Beijing to participate in the examination presided over by the Imperial Court Rites Department. The examination period is held in March in the spring, so it is called "Chunfu". And because the examination is sponsored by the Ministry of Rites, it is also called "Rites".

The examination began in the Tang Dynasty, "Tang Xuanzong Kaiyuan 24 years set the test tribute selection in the Ministry of Rites, to the Ministry of Rites to serve the lord." "Later Song Dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasties all followed as an example.

Generally, most of the people who take the Jiangbei examination will set off from their hometown after the year and arrive in Shuntianfu in mid-February, so during this period of the year, the atmosphere of the Jingshi examination is not too strong.

At the end of the year, the sound of firecrackers in the streets and alleys sounded from time to time, and every household pasted window flowers, Spring Festival couplets, and some wealthy families also pasted the colorful New Year pictures transported by merchants from Fujian, which was full of New Year's flavor.

After Shen Xi came to this world, he spent the New Year for the first time outside, and in the past, Shen Mingjun and his wife and Hui Niang handled the New Year's goods, but now he needs to buy them personally, and take a walk around the capital to appreciate the prosperous Beijing city in the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

This day is the twenty-seventh day of the lunar month, because Tang Hu and others have already left, Shen Xi went out to do New Year's goods and needed help.

Lin Dai and Ning Er both wanted to walk around the capital, but Shen Xi couldn't just take the maid to the street, so he was afraid of swaggering through the market. In addition, the capital is a mixed place, Shen Xi is afraid that it will be dangerous for them to go out, but it is Zhu Shan, Shen Xi is not very worried.

Zhu Shan is tall and healthy, with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, according to the standards of later generations, with the proportion of her nine-headed body, coupled with her first-class appearance, she can be described as a complete beauty.

But in this era, height alone is enough to label her as an "ugly girl".

Shen Xi asked Zhu Shan to change into the clothes of a small servant, and deliberately drew his eyebrows thickly, weakening his beauty and adding a bit of heroism. It's a pity that her eyes are blank, and she doesn't have the temperament brought by self-reliance and self-confidence. Looks like a handsome domestic servant.

When Zhu Shan pushed the wooden cart out, it was even more exposed.

She had never seen such a thing as a wooden cart in the mountains, and there were no skilled craftsmen on the mountains who could make it. Pushing a wooden cart. She was like a child who had been given a new toy, and she was silly and happy as she pushed the cart along the way.

Shen Xi didn't spoil her interest, and the things she bought, just loaded them into the car, as for fixing and pushing the cart with ropes. Zhu Shan is fully competent.

Shen Xi thought to himself: "It's a pity that I'm no longer a child, otherwise I would have to sit on it and let Zhu Shan push me." "When he was a child, he went out with Hui Niang, and when he met Xiu'er, he would always sit on the cart, which was extremely comfortable. It's a pity that now that he is old, and no matter how famous he is, if he wants to take care of decency, he can't be as free as he was when he was a child.

The things that Shen Xi wants to buy are very fragmentary, most of them are related to food.

As for drinking, there is an ancient well in the courtyard of the house. The well water is quite clear, he and the three women don't drink alcohol, they don't need to buy alcohol, but firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are always needed.

Since the eighth year of Hongzhi, Ma Wensheng, the secretary of the military department, has continued to use troops in the northwest region, and Liu Daxia was ordered to go to Xuanfu last year to prepare for military salaries.

The price of this rice is high. Prices in the market are soaring, and Shen Xi feels that the common people will not have a good New Year this year.

Shen Xi brought a lot of silver, not only from the Zhou family, but also from Hui Niang who secretly stuffed it into him. It adds up to two or three hundred taels. In addition, he has a fortune in himself, and he will have an allowance after entering Taixue in the spring of the next year, which is enough to survive. Even if the prices in the capital are inflated, they always have to buy new clothes for Lin Dai and other women during the New Year, and it is inevitable to buy fabrics and return home.

But Shen Xi was afraid that a few girls would pick and choose, and he didn't like the color or texture he bought. There are still two more to go.

If you bring Lin Dai or Ning Er out, Shen Xi can still ask their opinions, but with Zhu Shan, the whole stupid eldest sister, I don't understand anything I say to her, and I will get a positive answer when I ask her if she looks good.

For Zhu Shan, there is no need to eat and eat wild vegetables hungry when there is food and drink, but it is really a fairy life, as for what to wear, as long as it is not cold to wear, as long as it is a piece of clothing, even if it is old, it is also good-looking.

Shen Xi chose a few relatively neutral fabrics and prepared to take them home for Ning Er and Lin Dai to see, if they didn't like it, it was okay to make a dress for themselves, so it wouldn't be wasted.

As a result, when I went back to ask, Lin Dai and Ning Er had no opinion.

It's very simple, although Lin Dai has reached the age when she can dress up, she wants to dress up for her lover, as long as Shen Xi feels good, she will be satisfied.

And Ning Er is not here, she hopes that Shen Xi will go to school early, so that with her age older than Lin Dai and Zhu Shan, she can get Dai'er's permission to go out in some ways.

And then...... Fishing Kaizi.

Shen Xi doesn't have time to make clothes, these days of tailoring and sewing, there is generally no need to find a tailor shop, Ning Er and Lin Dai can do it themselves, and they are all tailor-made. As for Zhu Shan, she is not a female celebrity at all, she is responsible for doing hard work, just waiting to wear new clothes.

Then Shen Xi went to the bookstore in the capital to take a look, bought a few books, and then took the books to Sutong's inn.

Because Shen Xi didn't tell Su Tong his address, he didn't show up in the past two days, Su Tong couldn't find anyone else, and was in a hurry to send someone to inquire around, Shen Xi took the initiative to come to the door.

Su Tong looked helpless: "Brother Shen, you can make it easy for me to find it in the past two days." You said that I just arrived in the capital and I don't know you well, so I know you alone, but you suddenly disappeared, you are really called a brother...... Worry, even if you have an accident, you won't know it! ”

Shen Xi said: "The security in this capital is very good, what can happen?" ”

"That's not for sure, do you think the capital will be stable? Do you know that the Warat people have been killed in the capital decades ago, even if there are no foreign enemies at this time, there are not a few traitors in the capital, and you are full of women and children...... cough, especially Brother Shen, you are not very old, how can you protect yourself? It's better to live closer to my brother, and I can take care of him from time to time. ”

Shen Xi said with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness first, but I still like to live alone, so that I can concentrate on my studies." ”

Su Tong heard it, and Shen Xi was still wary of him, mainly related to his lustful bad habits. Su Tong was self-aware in the end, so he immediately stopped talking about the question of where Shen Xi lived, and said: "In the past two days, I went to Cheng Lao Lang to pay a prayer and arranged to meet him on the ninth day of the first lunar month, is Brother Shen not going to go with me?" ”

Although Cheng Minzheng is hospitable, it is not something that can be seen when you see it. You need to go to the worship post first, and you have to schedule it, and there is a fixed number of people you will see one day, even if you change your plan halfway. There is only the waiting of those who meet it.

Su Tong was able to see Cheng Minzheng at the beginning of the first month, this is because there are not many candidates in Beijing during the Spring Festival, if Cheng Minzheng is appointed as the main examiner in February next year, the candidates want to see again. I can't see anyone in line, unless it's Xu Jing and Tang Yin, who are known as Jiangnan geniuses and are fellow villagers of Cheng Minzheng.

Shen Xi said: "Old Squire Cheng's side, it's better not to see you down." ”

Su Tong nodded: "Brother Shen, you are cautious, if you don't see Cheng Laolang, you have your own reasons." But there is one person you still want to meet, that is, the one you and I offended when we were in Yingtianfu...... When he heard that I lived here, he personally sent someone to invite you and me to a banquet. ”

Shen Xi thought for a moment. It turned out that Zhu Zhishan also arrived in the capital ahead of schedule.

As a talented man in Wuzhong, Zhu Zhishan failed to take the test several times, but in fact, coming to the capital is equivalent to accompanying the exam. Zhu Zhishan touched his head in Nanjing and was laughed at, so he went to the capital in advance and wanted to be quiet.

As for this invitation, whether it is Zhu Zhishan's kind invitation or whether he wants to ask Shen Xi for a meeting, then you can only know when you arrive at the banquet.

Shen Xi took the post handed over by Su Tong and looked at it, the invitation was very simple. It's just that the time is set on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, and the location is Qingfeng Wine Shop, which is polite and decent, and it is impossible to detect any other intentions from the invitation.

Or to show that it's important. The invitation was written by Zhu Zhishan himself, which made Shen Xi feel like "the one who came is not good", but he didn't know if it was the heart of a villain and the belly of a gentleman.

Shen Xi closed the invitation and asked, "Who else did he invite besides us?" ”

Su Channel: "How do I know?" I'm trying to talk to you about whether I want to go or not...... If you want to say that Zhu Zhishan, he is a great talent in Wuzhong. The reputation is very high, if he personally sends someone to invite him, you and I will not go, but it will seem that we are at a loss. ”

"In that case, let's go, no matter who there is in the place, try to be as quiet as possible, I don't believe that he is a world-famous talent, and he will be as knowledgeable as those of us who are in the future?"

Shen Xi expected that Zhu Zhishan would become famous for more than ten years, and there were many disciples, so it should not be a small belly, but it was obviously impossible to release the previous suspicions like this.

Scholars have a good face, and they were prestigiously in public by a twelve-year-old offspring, and they have no face, and they should avoid walking when they see each other in the future, how can there be any reason to take the initiative to invite each other?

After discussing with Su Tong to go to see Zhu Zhishan, Su Tong suddenly asked mysteriously: "Brother Shen, I didn't ask you all the way, and when you saw Xie Lao's sacrificial wine that day, he didn't give it to you...... Some convenience? ”

Shen Xi thought for a moment and asked, "What is convenience?" ”

"That's it...... Special letter, let Brother Shen take the letter to the capital to visit the famous Confucian, ha, don't be surprised, to thank the old priest wine's connections, I am afraid that most of the officials in the capital are acquainted with him, Xie Lao Sacrificial Wine took the initiative to invite you to the house and everyone knows, even if there is no letter of introduction, there should always be a lot of people to invite, right? ”

Shen Xidao shook his head: "This is really nothing." ”

Su Tong said with a smile: "If you don't have it, you can let it have, or you can use the mouths of those scholars from Jiangnan to publicize the matter a little, you think, Xie Lao Xianjiu usually doesn't see guests, but he meets you, Brother Shen, which shows that you have a lot of relationship with him." I heard that Your Majesty has long had the idea of using Xie Lao's sacrificial wine again, and those courtiers heard your reputation, if you voted for the prayer post, can they not see it? ”

Shen Xi thought to himself, this is obviously not for me to see, but you want to accompany me, right?

Su Tong went to Xie Duo's mansion once and got a lot of benefits, and Yu Bucheng even said that he would bring him a generous gift when he went to the capital for the exam next year.

When Su Tong arrived in the capital, he thought that he could use his means of making friends to make friends with some scholars in the capital, but he didn't expect that after arriving in the capital, he always put a hot face on people's cold butts, and most of the scholars in the capital were arrogant, how could they get acquainted with Su Tong from a remote place?

This made Su Tong want to repeat his old tricks and follow Shen Xi to visit some famous people, so as to obtain a pass for the gathering of scholars in the capital.

Shen Xi said: "It's not a secret, when Xie Lao Sacrificial Wine was ordered to go to Lingnan to investigate the plague a few years ago, he had a relationship with me in Ninghua County, not relatives and friends. It is already an honor for him to be willing to see him, and if I go to visit the famous scholars and scholars in Beijing in his name again, it will not only make people laugh, but also make Xie Lao Xianjiu hateful, which is really unwise. ”

Su Tong's face was a little reluctant, but he still nodded: "Brother Shen is reasonable. ”

Shen Xi said: "Since Brother Su has arrived in the capital, he doesn't want to visit Master Jiang?" ”

"Which Lord Jiang?" Su Tong reacted for a moment before remembering, "You mean...... Brother Gu Yu? He also came to the capital? ”

After helping Liu Daxia solve An Rusheng, the scum of officialdom, Jiang Liwei became Liu Daxia's right and left hand, and was transferred from Nanjing Dali Temple to the household department to help Liu Daxia manage military salaries.

This summer, Liu Daxia came back from Xuanfu, Jiang Liwei could not continue to stay in Xuanfu, and he would definitely return to the dynasty together, but he didn't know what position he held now.

************

PS: Fourth Update!

Xiao Shenxi is now deep in history, and the Son of Heaven does not dare to write nonsense, so the speed of the code word has plummeted, please understand!

Fortunately, there are still four chapters of about 14,000 words today, ranking first on the list of high-quality book updates. Ask for a commuter pass! Ask for a referral ticket! Ask for the praise of the 515 Fan Festival! (To be continued.) )