While the two were talking, there was a sudden commotion outside.

"I said Xiao Er, you are so unreasonable, I am afraid that you have eaten here a hundred and ten times in the past two years, which time has you given you less money for wine? Even if I give you a reward, I don't mean the money for a meal of wine and food, but now I just don't have enough silver on my body, and I owe it for two days, so are you so bad? How unreasonable! ”

"Hehe, Xue Gongzi, I can't be the master of this, if you have money, you can come in and eat, if you don't have money, you can find another person, come here to eat, I don't know if it's cloudy and rainy, don't you know if you have enough money on yourself, isn't it clear? Without money, no matter what, today will not let you go! ……”

The sound outside was getting louder and louder, Guo Songtao frowned, pushed open the door and looked outside, Guo Ye also walked over.

Guo Songtao glanced at it, was shocked, and muttered: "It's him......"

Guo Ye glanced at it and asked, "Brother Bochen, do you know the people outside?" ”

Guo Songtao said in a low voice: "Well, I have had a few contacts, this is not very old, but he is talented, last year in the capital once wrote two articles of "On the Imperial Examination", exposing all kinds of shortcomings of the imperial examination system, and demanding that it be changed, so as to help revitalize the style of writing, improve morale, and select talents, as soon as the article came out, it caused an uproar in the government and the opposition......

Guo Ye asked, "Oh? Is there such a thing? What's his name? ”

"Xue Fucheng, Jiangsu Xue Fucheng, is a well-known talent in the south of the Yangtze River, but during the imperial examination last year, his name fell to Sun Mountain, but it's a pity!"

"Xue Fucheng!"

Guo Ye was like being hit by a thunderbolt, Xue Fucheng, that was a first-class talent in the late Qing Dynasty's Westernization Movement. At the same time, he was also the forerunner of the bourgeois reform movement! It's the same as Guo Songtao. It is the people of the late Qing generation who have the deepest understanding of Western affairs!

Guo Ye didn't have time to think about it. whispered two words in Guo Songtao's ear and retreated.

Guo Songtao nodded and shouted, "Uncle Yun! ”

Xue Fucheng heard someone calling him, looked back, and saw that Guo Songtao had already walked over, and hurriedly arched his hand and said, "Student Xue Fucheng has seen Master Guo!" ”

Guo Songtao waved his hand and said, "Okay, Shuyun." What's so polite with me? Why are you here? What's going on? ”

Xue Fucheng's face was a little embarrassed, and he hurriedly replied: "Master Guo, the student has been living in Beijing for more than a year since the scientific examination, and his body is almost exhausted......

Guo Songtao nodded and asked, "Little Er." How many taels of silver do they need there? ”

Xiao Er saw that the person who came was wearing a top, and he didn't dare to slack off. He replied: "This lord, a total of ten taels of silver ......"

Guo Songtao took out a silver ingot, stuffed it into Xiao Er's hand, and shouted: "This is ten taels of flat silver, it's enough, hurry up and get out of here, the dog looks down on people!" ”

Xiao Er thanked him again and again and retreated.

Xue Fucheng's face was slightly red, and he said in a low voice: "Lord Guo, thank you......"

Guo Songtao waved his hand and replied: "We are all children of Huxiang, we should help with this little favor, come with me, today I will introduce you to a great person!" ”

Without waiting for Xue Fucheng to answer, he dragged Xue Fucheng into his room.

Xue Fucheng didn't have time to say when he entered the house: "My lord, I still have a few friends there, this ......"

Guo Songtao smiled and said: "Okay, Uncle Yun, let you see the real heroes today, your friends are worth mentioning at all!" Come, I'll introduce you! ”

Guo Songtao pointed at Guo Ye with his right hand and said with a smile: "Shuyun, this is the famous Guo Ye of the world, Lord Guo." Brother Guo Xian, this is the son of Xue Fucheng I mentioned to you! ”

Guo Ye leaned over and left his seat, took two steps forward, bowed slightly and said, "I have admired the name of the prince for a long time, Guo Ye has seen the courtesy here......"

Xue Fucheng's face turned red, his head was a little circled, and he stammered: "Master Guo, who do you say this is?" Guo Ye? Is it the flying general who beat the foreigners to the ground? ”

Guo Songtao smiled and nodded.

Xue Fucheng jumped up all of a sudden, hurriedly bowed to the ground, and shouted: "General Guo, you have tormented the students, you don't dare to give you this salute, and the students will meet the general!" ”

Xue Fucheng never dreamed that Guo Songtao would introduce him to Guo Ye, who is now in the limelight, this is a famous general who will faintly compare Zeng Guofan's lords!

Guo Ye smiled: "Okay, Brother Shuyun, there are no generals or adults here, we are all friends, you and I are of the same age, and we should be friends with the same generation." ”

Guo Songtao smiled and said: "Okay, don't be humble two of you, you are both first-class rising stars in the Qing Dynasty, although Shu Yun is not famous yet, but the future is very ambitious." ”

The three of them sat down and continued to chat.

Xue Fucheng asked: "The two of you, what a coincidence today, it must be a beautiful thing for me to be able to meet the two, it is really a blessing for me to be able to meet them." ”

Guo Songtao smiled and said: "Uncle Yun, I was chatting with General Guo, discussing current politics and foreign affairs, General Guo asked me who was a rising star who was proficient in foreign affairs among the figures in the dynasty, I just mentioned you to General Guo, I didn't expect it, I actually met, it really said Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrived!" ”

Actually, where did Guo Songtao talk to Guo Ye? It's just that Guo Ye told him just now that he must get acquainted with this Xue Fucheng, so he spoke like this and praised the two of them so that it would be more convenient to communicate.

Guo Ye said with a smile: "Yes, Brother Shuyun, last year's "Treatise on the Imperial Examination" caused a sensation in the government and the opposition, although I am a martial artist, but I can also hear that my ears are grinding out of cocoons, and I am really fortunate to have the fate to know Jing today." ”

Xue Fucheng's face darkened, and he said helplessly: "General Guo, Lord Guo, although the article is good, it must be appreciated by someone, and the goods are sold to the emperor's family, but the emperor can't look down on ......."

Guo Ye and Guo Songtao glanced at each other, and Guo Songtao replied: "Shuyun, you are not only twenty-four years old today, you are still very young, and the next imperial examination will not be three years later?" With your talent, even if you don't dare to say that you are the top in high school, there is still no problem in getting a Jinshi background, and after three years, you will only be twenty-seven years old, which is the age of your prime! ”

Xue Fucheng smiled bitterly: "That's the way to say, but after the name falls to Sun Mountain, who isn't gloomy?" ”

Guo Ye smiled and said: "Brother Shuyun, I've heard of your name, but if you attach so much importance to the road of the imperial examination, wouldn't the "Treatise on the Imperial Examination" be written in vain?" The drawbacks of the imperial examination theory are not caused by the scholars of the world? Gong Zizhen once wrote a poem well, I advised the heavenly prince to be vigorous and reduce talents without sticking to one pattern, all the scholars are crowded on the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination, how can they be eclectic to reduce talents? ”

(To be continued.) )