Unlike the quiet and peaceful small villages of Xiaofanzhuang, the morning in Guangzhou is busy and noisy, and at the gate of the city, the vendors who bring pigs and chickens into the city to sell them form a long queue from afar, waiting for the gatekeepers to check and collect taxes. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoThe carts going out of the city, the porters and the people entering the city formed a confrontation with each other, crowded and immovable, and it was difficult to dispatch even if the gatekeepers shouted loudly.

"Get out of the way, the scholars want to go into the city!"

Hu Butcher fiercely held back his strength and shouted, a loud roar can be compared to Huan Hou to Dangyang, in an instant, the crowd split, the crowd in and out of the way automatically get out of the way, and even the gate guards are exempt from the Hu Butcher's tax.

Walking into the city, Fan Jin looked around, even though the city could not be compared with the modern cities of later generations, but he was used to seeing Xiaofanzhuang, and then seeing the city of Guangzhou, he felt different in his heart.

Be sure to go into town! You have to move into the city and get out of the village of Xiaofanzhuang. He was secretly determined. Hu Butcher only thought that he had never seen the market, and was shocked by the big city, and said with a smile: "Haven't you been here?" You're just staying in the village and you're okay, what can you see? In the future, I will do more work with the old man, and I will take you into the city a few more times, and if you catch up with the Yiren into the city, you can still see the monk Taixi. ”

Nowadays, Liangguang is not a peaceful world, and land disputes often lead to 10,000-level fights, and the mountain people in Daluo Mountain gather as bandits, killing officials and robbing seals. The robbers on the sea are like hundred-legged insects that die but do not stiffen, and not long ago there was a large-scale rebellion. The government was helpless in the face of the bandits and people in the treacherous mountains and rivers, and finally could only hand over the local rule to the village sages themselves.

Guangzhou is a rare pure land in this chaotic place. With the deterrence of the governor's standard battalion and the water patrol, Guangzhou and the surrounding prefectures and counties can still maintain a relatively stable order, and the sword soldiers in the distance will not affect the prosperity of Guangzhou.

On the street, all kinds of stores are lined up, Shaoxing South Wine, Wanzai muslin, Ninghang silk, Xuan paper and Hui ink, and then Fusang table fan...... It attracts the attention of passers-by. And what attracted Fan Jin's attention the most was the shuttle in the crowd, the top of the square scarf, and the straight-fitting robes.

There are a lot of scholars in the crowd, either scarves or crowns, and most of them are accompanied by companions or parents. There are many people like Fan Jin, they have just entered the city, and they are looking left and right with fresh faces, and then they are pulled forward by the people around them.

Hu Butcher said: "These are all boys who came to take the county test, and as for those talented masters, they are going to be guaranteed for them." It is said that you have to be born to be a child guarantor, but now, even the epiphytic masters also have this qualification. Fan Jin, when do you sign up, Uncle will find a guarantor for you, as long as you spend a few hundred dollars to buy a piece of good meat from me, you can pay respect, and other fees can be waived. ”

"Thank you uncle for your concern, when the little nephew signs up, the uncle will naturally be indispensable to help."

"Just write it down yourself. Look at it, it's all your fault for walking slowly, delaying a lot of time, if Master Zhang's family can't buy meat, it's not a trick. You go to the yamen by yourself, I'm going to watch the shop. ”

Although Hu Butcher boasted along the way that he had someone in the yamen and could cover Fan Jin, but when he really entered the city, he first went to the shop to do business. Sister Hu was in a hurry, so she had to accompany Fan into the yamen, but Fan Jin refused.

He didn't expect Hu Butcher to give him much help at all, he only asked for directions, and then went in the direction of Nanhai County. The county yamen is close to the school palace, and the eight-character wall is equipped with a south-facing gate, which is easy to find.

Today is not the day of the announcement, but the outside of the county yamen is not clean because of this. A large number of scholars with straight bookboxes lined up outside the yamen, waiting to enter. Several men in soapy clothes and hats are armed with water and fire sticks to maintain law and order, but the people in line are all scholars, and most of their sticks are used for decoration, so they dare not really beat people.

Approaching the county exam, a large number of students who want to rush to the exam want to come here to apply for a guarantee and check their identity, so it is not surprising that it is so lively. According to the regulations of the Daming examination room, if you want to take the exam, you must five people guarantee each other, and find another student as the guarantor to ensure that their identity is true, excluding impersonation and mourning to rush to the exam, etc., once the candidate cheats in the examination room, the guarantor must also bear joint and several liability.

Because of the heavy responsibility, the guarantee is actually a business, and those who are invited to be the guarantor can not only get some money, but also buy a portion of pork for filial piety, which symbolizes the sacrificial meat during the sacrifice. At this time, Hu Butcher will make some money, which is far worse than the Lifang Bookstore in charge of registration.

Fan Jin was specially summoned by the county order, and he didn't have to go through the formalities, so he didn't line up, and walked straight to the door, and an errand officer slapped the water and fire stick to the ground, and scolded: "Stand away, don't you see everyone queuing, how dare you just walk in!" ”

The scribes lined up also glanced over, and although they did not speak, their anger was self-evident. Fan Jin hurriedly saluted, "Student Nanhai Xiao Fan Zhuang Fan Jin, it is the county's order, let the students come here to visit, and I hope that the two of them will pass it on." ”

"Fan Jin?" A messenger thought about it, and didn't mean to go in to pass it on, but shouted: "The lord has a lot of business today, where can I have time to see you a doll." At present, the county examination is imminent, and the internal and external regulations are banned, how can there be a reason for scholars to see the master casually, I think you are clearly a fool, what do you want to do? Hurry up, get out of here, and if it's Luo Hao, beware of sticks. ”

Fan Jin was stunned for a moment, and he expected that someone might block him, but his attitude was so tough, and he even dared to use a stick to face him, which was inevitably a bit abnormal.

Although he has no fame at present, even if he is not a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, he is not easy to mess with. Even if it is a child, he is known as the king of Tongtian in the countryside, and there are so many scholars on the scene, if it causes public anger, where can he take it? Moreover, the meaning of his words is even more suspicious of saying that the meeting between the county and himself is a joint connection, and this kind of malicious attack on his own chief official is by no means casual talk. Something doesn't seem right?

The money he brought with him was originally ready to send some money, but now the attitude of the two, he didn't dare to hand over the money, so as not to be charged with hitting the joint.

He took two steps back in a witting manner, thinking about how to get in, but the official did not let him go because of this, and walked down with a stick, scolding as he went: "I have already told you to get out, don't you understand?" You have to be rewarded with a few rods before you know how good you are. Today, I will let you know what will happen to you with sharp teeth and sharp mouths! ”

The water and fire stick drew a circle in his hand, and was about to fall, when someone suddenly shouted at the door: "Don't be unreasonable!" Fan Jin is the person who the eldest master wants to see by name, who dares to be presumptuous! ”

The person who spoke came out of the yamen, dressed in a green coat and a small hat, dressed as a servant, and was already thirty years old. When the two officials saw him, they looked respectful and saluted again and again. "Second master, I'm sorry to have alarmed you. A kid insisted that he wanted to see the master, and I waited until he saw that he was probably a villain, and he was about to drive him away. ”

"You guys are really wrong, Fan Gongzi is indeed the eldest master who asked him to come, and if you miss the eldest master's business, everyone is not good-looking. Fan Gongzi, I'm late to greet you, don't be surprised. ”

When Fan Jin saw that someone was coming to pick him up, he finally sighed and further confirmed his cognition, in this yamen, there must be open and secret battles. Even if he is a county honor, he can't actually completely grasp this yamen, and there are still people below who are hindering bad things, and the county zun himself is not ignorant of this, so he sent a disciple to sit in the town, and he happened to be his savior.

In the Ming system, officials must be far away from their hometowns, and people from other provinces are officials and people living in both places, but the officials and servants are inherited from generation to generation, so it is difficult to say who is really strong in the struggle between the officials and the officials. If the magistrate wants to get things done, he must rely on his disciples many times, because these are all brought by him from his hometown, and he is regarded as a confidant, and he is far more trustworthy than a bad person.

This disciple named Hou Yi is of the same clan as Hou Shouyong, he is very shrewd, and he doesn't talk much, and when he led the way in front, he didn't talk to him much. Walk through the Yimen, Yongdao, Jieshifang, two halls, three halls. Straight to the West Flower Hall, he went in first, and after a short time, he came out and said to Fan Jin: "The eldest master asked Fan Gongzi to go in and answer." ”

Hou Shouyong in the flower hall, wearing an official uniform, holding a bowl in his hand, closed his eyes and recuperated in a particularly leisurely manner, the so-called busy official business, he knew that it was a lie. Only after Fan had saluted did he open his eyes, looked at Fan Jin carefully for a while, and did not rush to take the exam, but pulled up the routine.

After asking a few words, Hou Shouyong asked seemingly unintentionally:

"Fan Jin, you have only been studying and practicing calligraphy for a few years, but how did you practice this calligraphy? There are many children in this county, even people in their thirties and forties, and there is no such good word as you. ”

Fan Jin said: "Back to the words of the old parents, whether there is a heavenly endowment, the students dare not say much, as for the word of the student, there is no other, but to practice the two words." ”

He secretly said in his heart: everything can be explained, only this matter, he can't explain it clearly. After all, you don't believe this strange thing about God, so why bother to suffer for yourself.