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A out of the capital is the boundary of Hebei, more than 600 miles to the south, at the foot of Taihang Mountain, there is a county name Lingshou. Since Hanzhi County, it has been transmitted to Daxia for more than 1,000 years. For thousands of years, the dynasties have changed, the years have changed, and the name of Lingshou County has been inherited to this day and has never been replaced, which is also a rare miracle.

More than 20 miles away from Lingshou County, there is a mountain village called Zhongshan Village. Zhongshan Village was named after the Zhongshan Kingdom during the Warring States period. Once ranked with the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, the Zhongshan Kingdom was annihilated in the long river of history, and was once glorious, with the strength of the country of a thousand times against the country of the Seven Heroes and ten thousand times for more than 200 years, it is not an exaggeration to call it the eighth hero of the Warring States.

Zhongshan Village is located in the middle of the mountains, there are only more than 300 households in the village, and the sound of chickens and dogs is heard. The villagers have a surname, and they are all national surnames, surnamed Xia. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on the other, the scenery is beautiful and tranquil. Hidden in the majestic Taihang Mountains, Zhongshan Village is almost isolated from the world and is a paradise.

The Great Xia State has been in existence for more than 100 years, and now the four seas are peaceful, and the world is peaceful, which can be called a peaceful and prosperous era. Since the two dynasties of Taizu and Taizong, they forcibly crossed the Yellow River from the land of Henan to the north, swept away the northern nomads, and drove them to the grassland and Mobei, Hebei north to the grassland, northeast to the land of white mountains and black water, and northwest to the bitter cold place of the desert, all of which belong to the territory of Daxia. When he was dying, he shouted "cross the river, cross the river", the old marshal of the sect, Izumishita, knew that he was smiling.

Now that it has been peaceful for many years, I don't hear about the war and don't see the soldiers, if I want to fight for a background, unless I study. The persuasion poems of Zhenzong, the third emperor of Great Xia, are still widely circulated after decades - rich families do not need to buy fertile land, and there are thousands of millets in the book. There is no need to erect tall buildings to live in peace, and there is a golden house in the book. Don't hate unscrupulous matchmakers when marrying a wife, there is Yan Ruyu in the book. Don't hate to go out with no one, there are many cars and horses in the book. The boy wants to fulfill his life's aspirations, and reads the Pentateuch to the window.

However, since the founding of the Great Xia Village, no one has achieved fame, and the villagers live and work in peace and contentment, and the small wealth is safe, as if they were lost outside the prosperous era and forgotten by the prosperous era.

It wasn't until three years ago that a down-and-out private school teacher came to Zhongshan Village unexpectedly from the capital......

Chapter 1: The boy wants to fulfill his life's ambition

April is the season when the grass grows and the warbler flies. In the early summer season, the mountains are dressed in green again, and in the long pavilion at the entrance of Zhongshan Village, a weak-crowned young man stands with a long body, red lips and white teeth, a face like jade ears like a wheel, a broad and white forehead, and a green shirt sets off him like a willow tree.

In the long pavilion, standing opposite him was a middle-aged man forty miles away. The man was wearing a white-washed robe, a square scarf and a hat, a thin face and horizontal eyebrows, three points of scholarly anger and seven points of majesty.

Next to the middle-aged man, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old woman stood. The woman's eyebrows and eyes are picturesque, spring shirt, light waist, moth eyebrows, eyes like mist like the moon, charming and natural.

Although the young man was thin, the young man did not lose his heroic spirit, standing calmly, holding a willow branch, with a resolute expression, and a faint reluctance.

"After three years of teaching, I deeply feel that Mr. is the best in the world, not inferior to Sima Zhuang, why not go north to the capital, hand over an article to Mr. Sima, win a fame or a reputation, it is easy to win." The young man talked eloquently, the wind blew the cheongsam, he Yushu was in the wind, pursed his lips slightly, and his expression was firm, "Mr. has also repeatedly taught students that if they are excellent, they will learn, and if they are excellent, they will be excellent." Those of my generation who study should take self-cultivation, family harmony, governing the country, and leveling the world as their own responsibility. Today is a prosperous age, and it should be reported to the court to live up to the people, so as not to read the sages in vain. ”

Li Dingshan opened the folding fan in his hand, shook it gently, and smiled slightly: "Mr. Sima has indeed carried many backwards, but I have no intention of pursuing a career in office, I only wish to forget my love between the mountains and rivers all my life, and it is enough to cultivate myself and the family. ”

The woman took Xia Xiang's willow branch, twisted it a few times in her hand, and said solemnly: "Mr. is not unintentional about his career without the teachings of the sages, nor does he not report to Jun'en, not to mention that Mr. does not need the support of Sima ornament, he and Sima ornament ......"

"Needless to say, Jia'er ......" Li Dingshan waved his hand to stop Xiao Jia from continuing, and glanced at her, parting was imminent, his heart was both happy and a trace of worry, he closed the folding fan, his eyes swept over the word "elegance" on the folding fan, and stayed on the payment for a moment.

The title of the inscription is Sima ornament.

Sima Chuan was not only a master of the literary world of the dynasty, but also a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and a bachelor of the Longtu Pavilion, and when he was the chief examiner of the Ministry of Rites and presided over the Jinshi examination as a Hanlin scholar, he had admitted the two brothers Lian Che and Lian Yi. Sima Zuo once said that when he read the article on Lianche, he didn't feel sweating, and with his talent, he should also retreat three points to avoid his edge. The Lian brothers later became famous all over the world, and Sima Ornament brought the name of the later into the eyes of the pearls, which spread all over the country.

"You and I will say goodbye." Li Dingshan bowed his hand slightly, turned around and left, striding forward, but did not look back, "There is no need to be polite, and there is no need to fold willows to send each other, if he has a chance one day, he will meet again." Remember, after you enter Beijing, don't be greedy for fun, and don't cause trouble, just take the exam. ”

Xiao Jia hesitated slightly, handed the willow branch back to Xia Xiang in his hand, glanced at Xia Xiang reluctantly, wanted to say something, shook his head, and followed Li Dingshan.

"Sir......" Xia Xiang knew that Li Dingshan had made up his mind, remembered the teachings and getting along in the past three years, and unconsciously burst into tears, and bowed to Li Dingshan's back, "The mountains are high and the waters are long, I don't know when we can see each other here, I hope Mr. will live up to what he has learned in his life, be virtuous in the world, and be full of peach and plums." ”

Three years ago, Li Dingshan and Xiao Jia came to Zhongshan Village, and at that time he was like a beggar, not to mention ragged clothes, but also described as haggard. The kind-hearted villagers took them both in. Li Dingshan and Xiao Jia are called father and daughter, but they do not have the same surname. The two just claimed to be from the capital, but they didn't answer what their background was and why they came. Fortunately, the villagers of Zhongshan Village have simple folk customs, and they only think that the two are a pair of father and daughter in distress, and they do not suspect him.

Li Dingshan's father and daughter first lived in an abandoned grass house in the west of the village, and suddenly a strong wind blew the grass house into ruins. The two had no place to stay, and when they wanted to leave Zhongshan Village in desperation, Song Dingniang vacated two of her rooms and took them in.

Song Dingniang is Xia Xiang's mother.

Xia Xiang and his mother Song Dingniang are not natives of Zhongshan Village, Xia Xiang followed his mother to Zhongshan Village when he was three years old, and has since settled here. Who is Daddy, whether he is alive or dead, his mother is secretive, never mentions it, and Xia Xiang is not allowed to ask. The villagers of Zhongshan Village have lived in the depths of the mountains for a long time, although they also follow the way of Confucius and Mencius, they are not pedantic, and they neither reject nor doubt Xia Xiang and Song Dingniang, who are of unknown origin, and accept them calmly.

More than ten years have passed, life in the mountain village is stable and peaceful, and Xia Xiang and Song Dingniang have also fully integrated into the villagers. Xia Xiang has been smart since he was a child, but his family is poor and he can't afford to go to a private school, so Song Dingniang used willow branches as pen and sand as paper to teach him to read. Xia Xiang is also competitive, reading a lot of books on the paper of the earth. By the time he was seventeen years old, he had already learned a little, and his mother was no longer able to teach him anything.

Xia Xiang's family is not wealthy, and after Li Dingshan's father and daughter moved in, life was even more difficult. Li Dingshan and Xiao Jia also did not want to live in Xia's house for nothing, so they proposed to open a private school to teach to subsidize the family.

After the private school opened, there were very few scholars who came to attend school, and Zhongshan Village was isolated from the world, and the villagers' desire to pursue fame was not strong. In addition to Xia Xiang, there are only two people, one named Xia Lai, and the other named Xia Qu. The private school of the three, Li Dingshan also teaches seriously. Xia Lai and Xia Qu are stubborn, don't seek progress, and after barely recognizing a few big words, they have no intention of learning again.

Li Dingshan didn't care either, the tuition fees paid by Xia Lai and Xia Qu reduced the burden on the Xia family, which was also a great relief. Of course, what surprised him the most was Xia Xiang's intelligence, which can be called a prodigy. He taught everything he had learned in his life, and Xia Xiang only took two years to understand everything.

Seeing that Xia Xiang had more than enough to learn, Li Dingshan changed his mind, originally thinking that he would only let Xia Xiang read the sage books, and other miscellaneous families did not need to look at it. But seeing that Xia Xiangzhi was able to accept all rivers, he took out the collection of books that were easy to show and handed them to Xia Xiang.

Xia Xiang is like a treasure.

Another year later, Xia Xiang went up to astronomy, three religions and nine streams, hundreds of schools, and knew everything; Ancient and modern rise and fall, sages and sages, everything. In Li Dingshan's view, even if Xia Xiang is not a talent that has not been encountered in a century, he is also a genius that has only been encountered in decades, at least not much worse than Su Qu, who is a nineteen-year-old high school jinshi.

Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, there have been no less than ten high school scholars at the age of eighteen or nineteen, among which Su Qu is the most eye-catching. It's not that Su is the most talented, but that Su is the most upright. After becoming an official, he confronted the emperor and the prince several times in person, was stubborn, and never gave in to the other party's imperial power or royal status.

"Daddy, why don't we go to Beijing with Xia Xiang, he goes to Beijing alone to take the exam, who will take care of his daily life?" Standing on top of a mountain, looking down on Zhongshan Village surrounded by mountains, Xiao Jia frowned slightly, and was worried for a while, "This is going to the capital, the mountains are high and the rivers are long, and there are many difficulties, if he has a mistake, I don't know what to do?" ”

Li Dingshan folded his fan and pointed to the north: "He went to the capital alone, and it was indeed a difficult journey, but it was better than our company." Someone in the capital found our traces and said that they would come to Zhongshan Village one day. If you don't leave in time now, Xia Xiang will be in trouble. ”

Xiao Jia sighed lightly: "If people know that Xia Xiang is his father's protégé, let alone a high school jinshi, I'm afraid he won't even be able to save his life." He went to the capital here, and there was more than one luck. In fact, wouldn't it be good to let him live a stable life, not seeking fame and wealth, but only peace? ”

Li Dingshan shook his head: "Daxia has been peaceful for more than a hundred years, although there are no external troubles, but there are internal worries. With Xia Xiang's talent, it would be a pity to only be a small people in the prosperous world. When the country is in trouble, why don't men take Wu Hook and collect Guanshan Fifty Prefectures. Please go to Lingyan Pavilion temporarily, if you are a scholar and a marquis? When the country is peaceful, when it is good for the world, serve the court, establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a life for the people, continue to learn for the saints, and open peace for all generations, it is not in vain to be a man. What's more, right now, there will be a turmoil in the imperial court, and the boy was born between heaven and earth, standing up to the sky and the earth, facing difficulties - and the rest of his heart is good, although he still has no regrets after nine deaths......"

Xiao Jia gently stroked the scattered hair on her forehead, looking a little dazed: "Isn't it too difficult for him to let him step from Zhongshan Village into the dangerous capital?" Then his eyes were blurred and lost, "The ten-mile long pavilion is full of frost, how old is the green silk and white hair?" There is no regret in this life, and there is a fate in the next life. ”

"Jia'er ......" Li Dingshan's face sank, and his tone became a little stern, "Xia Xiang and you can only be brother and sister!" ”

Xiao Jiaqiao's face flushed slightly, then she lost a little, and lowered her head slightly: "I know, Daddy, Jia'er doesn't dare." ”

Seeing Xiao Jia like this, Li Dingshan couldn't help but soften, shook his head and sighed: "It's not that Daddy is embarrassing you, it's not that Daddy intends to do this, it's really because of your life experience, and you can't be with Xia Xiang for a long time." ”

"Where do I go from here?" Xiao Jia's eyes were blurred, looking at the mountains and rivers that had accompanied her day and night for the past three years, and her mood was inexplicably heavier.

"Although Daxia is heavy, it is not light on business, nor does it inhibit business."

"I'm a woman, how can I do business?" Xiao Jia is not assertive.

"I've got a plan, so I don't have to worry about it." As soon as Li Dingshan finished speaking, his face suddenly changed, and he jumped onto a stone next to him with an arrow step, and looked into the distance, "It's so fast." ”

On the mountain road in the distance, several fast horses galloped like flying. There were a few people at once, dressed smartly in short clothes, with cold faces and sharp eyes.

A total of five people and five horses, through the mountain path, over the stream, straight to Zhongshan Village.

Xiao Jia's face changed greatly, and her voice trembled: "Daddy, who are they?" ”

"It's them." Li Dingshan nodded, not flustered, and smiled faintly, "Fortunately, I took a step first." He is still a thief, and he must put me to death. In this case, if I go south to Quanzhou to avoid trouble, wouldn't it seem too timid and afraid? Let's go north to the capital! ”

"Really?" Xiao Jia was pleasantly surprised, going south to Quanzhou thousands of miles away from the capital, and Xia Xiangtian on each side, it may be difficult to have a chance to meet, and going north to the capital, maybe there will be an unexpected reunion with Xia Xiang.

"If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger?" Li Dingshan laughed, and his arrogance was abrupt, "If he wants to kill everything, I will throw myself into the net." ”