Zuo Shaoyang couldn't help grinning, he couldn't imagine that he had traveled to ancient times and participated in the state examination participated by dozens of doctors selected from various counties, and only two of them were selected, and he was still very proud in his heart. However, with his medical knowledge that surpassed the Tang Dynasty by a thousand years, he only took the second exam, and he felt that he had nothing to be proud of.

He looked up again, trying to see who the first place above him was. I saw that the first name was "Kang Xuanhu"

Zuo Shaoyang touched his chin and said to himself: "Kang Xuanhu? Why is this kid better than me? ”

When a middle-aged man with a black beard heard this, he turned his face sideways, glanced at Zuo Shaoyang, stroked his beard, and arched his hand: "Brother is this second Wu Shu?" ”

Zuo Shaoyang hurriedly waved his hand and smiled: "No, no, I'll just take a look." ”

"Really?" The middle-aged man snorted in his nostrils and said, "What my brother said just now, I heard it really well, and I can't hide it, and below is Kang Xuanhu, who ranks first in the medical department." If Brother Wu wants to ask for advice, he can go to the Longzhou Qingbao Medical Center to find a discussion, and there is no need to be ruthless here. ”

After that, Kang Xuan's robe sleeves flicked and walked away.

Zuo Shaoyang was a little embarrassed, Bai Zhihan looked at his back and snorted: "What's the big deal, look at him like that, maybe he is doing something in the back." ”

Zuo Shaoyang waved his hand: "Forget it, if we don't speak carelessly, we will offend others first, and we can't complain that people will be angry." Let's go! ”

Zuo Shaoyang was not interested in those who were the same, and he didn't bother to watch those sad and joyful scenes, so he returned to the inn with Bai Zhihan.

On the way, Bai Zhihan said in a low voice: "Young master, you are so capable, you will also go to the scientific examination next year and find a half-official position, right?" ”

Zuo Shaoyang stood up and looked at her coldly: "What if I don't go?" ”

Bai Zhihan also stopped: "You have this ability, why don't you go?" ”

"I mean, if I don't go to the imperial examination, what will you do?"

Bai Zhihan saw that he was speaking coldly, so he also replied lightly: "What can I do, I just regret what you have learned." ”

"Hmph, do you think that if I don't have a half-official position, I am not worthy of you, the granddaughter of a six-rank Beijing official?" Zuo Shaoyang looked at her coldly.

Bai Zhihan did not avoid his fierce gaze at all: "Husband and wife, any woman wants her man to get ahead, I am just a suggestion, it is up to you whether to listen or not, it is up to you to marry me or not, I am a slave, what choice can I have?" ”

"What if you had a choice?"

"I'll still choose you because of your talent!" Bai Zhihan replied seriously.

Zuo Shaoyang looked at her fixedly, and she looked at him without blinking. It is on the bustling street, attracting curious passers-by from time to time.

Zuo Shaoyang walked over and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Zhi'er, I lost my temper just now." ”

Bai Zhihan smiled reluctantly: "I shouldn't have advised you this. ”

"You should! You're right, husband and wife, this is what every woman dreams of, just because women can't enter politics or be officials, they can only pin all their dreams on their husbands, you are a good intention. But I lost my temper, and I was not good. ”

Bai Zhihan smiled, this time from the bottom of her heart, because Zuo Shaoyang understood her heart, tilted his head and looked at him: "Then will you go to take the imperial examination next year?" ”

Zuo Shaoyang shook his head and said softly: "Zhi'er, I'm sorry, I may be about to disappoint you." I studied medicine to heal and save people, not to be an official. Because I don't want to be an official! ”

"Why?" Bai Zhihan felt that it was really strange that there were still people in this world who didn't want to be officials.

"What's so good about being an official? I'll ask you first. Zuo Shaoyang asked with a smile as he walked forward slowly.

"What are the benefits of being an official?" Bai Zhihan really hadn't thought about such a specific question carefully, "First of all, it's the glory of the ancestors!" There is an official in the family, and the whole clan is honored. ”

In a word, vanity can be satisfied! ――What are the benefits? ”

"If you have money, the bigger the official, the more money."

"I can also make money by treating diseases and saving people and selling medicines," he said in a low voice: "Including catching pens for others, I can also make money." ”

"Then, everyone else respects you as an official."

"If you want the people to truly respect you, you have to do things for the people. Otherwise, the saliva of the people will drown! ”

Bai Zhihan snorted and laughed: "This is also true, that, when you are an official, you can sound the gong and open the way, and you will be majestic." ”

"What about meeting your boss? Servile and charming, nodding and hunching? ”

Bai Zhihan tilted his head and looked at him: "Then you say, what's wrong with being an official?" ”

"I didn't say that being an official is bad, I mean that being an official is very tiring, annoying, and hard. Especially petty officials, the smaller the officials, the more so. ”

Bai Zhihan frowned and said, "Really? ”

"Of course, being an official is not the same as practicing medicine, practicing medicine and treating diseases can recognize others as a divine doctor, but what about being an official? It has to be seen as the way of an official, it has to be seen whether you can be an official, and what is the ability to be an official has to be determined by the superiors. ”

Bai Zhihan snorted and laughed: "Where did these strange words come from!" ”

"My father was a petty official, and he spent most of his life in officialdom, and when he was drunk, he often nagged us about these ......"

Bai Zhihan said curiously: "Your father is a petty official? Isn't our master a man? ”

Zuo Shaoyang didn't want to say it casually just now, it was his father before the crossing, and when he heard this, he quickly lied: "I didn't make it clear, I mean that my grandfather is a petty official, an eight-grade official, he was drunk and nagged my father, and my father was drunk and nagged me, so I know." ”

"Oh, what is wrong with the old lady saying that being an official?"

"The old lady said that those who have the ability to be an official will not only be tired to death, but will also be suppressed by jealousy, if they are upright and want to do something practical for the people, it will be even more troublesome, and they will offend the powerful people without knowing where they will be, and they don't know when they will be killed. If you don't have the ability and don't want to give gifts, you want to protect yourself but want to be innocent, you can't do things for your boss, and your boss can't get your benefits, why should your boss let you mess around? will accuse you of doing nothing and doing nothing, and your bad luck will follow. ”

Bai Zhihan nodded: "It's also true, there are many honest officials who don't end well." The Shang Dynasty used the loyal minister of the king to die to admonish him, and he was gouged out by the king of Zhou. Zhao Guanghan, the official of Yingchuan County in the Western Han Dynasty, offended the powerful and was finally beheaded for doing things for the people. However, there are still many upright officials who have died well. ”

"Most of these upright officials are upright and exquisite at the same time, and they are good at handling all kinds of relationships, coordinating and handling all kinds of contradictions, defusing attacks and slanders from the enemy, forming alliances, excluding dissidents, finding backers, and enjoying the shade under the big tree. These are the ways of being an official. Therefore, if you want to be an official, no matter whether you have the ability or not, you have to be slave and charming, slap the horse, treat guests and give gifts, carry a pig's head, burn incense and kowtow everywhere. And you have to hide a knife in your smile and be ruthless, when you are a big official, the more you need this kind of ability! Otherwise, it is a self-defeating road and a stepping stone for people to step on the soles of their feet and climb up! ”

Bai Zhihan smiled, a little reluctantly: "Look at what you said so scary, as if you have been in the officialdom for decades." ”

"Haven't you ever eaten pork, haven't you ever seen a pig run? Xiucai doesn't go out and knows everything in the world. ”

Bai Zhihan said softly: "I have seen so many officials, how can people be tasteful, and I have not seen how to swords." ”

"That's the surface, of course, the surface of the official must be harmonious, but underneath is the undercurrent surging and secretly hiding the killing machine! If you don't want to be killed, you have to kill someone, or you will be a party with him, listen to him, and let him trample on ...... wantonly! ”

Bai Zhihan sighed: "Alas, I can't talk about you! - We're here! ”

Zuo Shaoyang walked into the door of the inn, shook his head and said: "An Neng broke his eyebrows and bent his waist to deal with the powerful, which made me unhappy!" ”

Bai Zhihan stood still, and said quietly: "Listen to your exit chapter, such a poetic talent, even if you go to the Ming Jing, Jinshi or even Xiucai Section, you may not be able to reach the first!" ”

Zuo Shaoyang laughed: "Forget it, I'll still pass the 'raise a glass to invite Mingyue, and the shadow becomes a trio'." ”

Li Bai's two famous sentences Bai Zhihan naturally hadn't heard of them, so he couldn't help but be stunned again, and when he saw Zuo Shaoyang stepping into the inn, he sighed lightly and followed in.

When the innkeeper saw them coming in, he hurriedly came out of the counter to greet him and said, "Zuo Gongzi is back, the old shopkeeper and the young shopkeeper of the Wu family pharmacy are waiting for you in the flower hall upstairs." ”

The news that these two people must have won the imperial examination came, Zuo Shaoyang took Bai Zhihan upstairs to the upper room on the second floor, and there were two people sitting in the waiting hall at the staircase, it was the Wu father and son.

Seeing them coming up, the two hurriedly got up to greet each other, their faces were full of joy but they didn't speak, naturally it was inconvenient to talk outside. Zuo Shaoyang let his father and son into his guest house and asked Bai Zhihan to close the door. The father and son of the Wu family both arched to the ground, and the Wu shopkeeper said: "Thank you Zuo Gongzi, the dog high school Chinese medicine is the second place!" ”

Zuo Shaoyang smiled: "I already know, I went to see it just now." The first place seems to be called Kang Xuanhu. ”

Wu shopkeeper said: "This Kang Xuanhu is a member of the Qihuang family in Longzhou, and he has tried for many years, and he has only won this year, in fact, he should not be the first, but should be the second, and the dog is the first, of course, it was Zuo Gongzi who helped him get the first." ”

Zuo Shaoyang said strangely: "What's going on?" ”

Shopkeeper Wu lowered his voice and said: "I heard the news last night, saying that it was originally the first in the list of dogs, but the calligraphy of the son's answer sheet was ......, this ...... was a little out of the eyes of the examiner, saying that if such a test paper was listed as the first place, it would be too unorthodox, so it was changed to second place." ”

Zuo Shaoyang said with a smile: "This can't be helped, I said at the beginning, my calligraphy is very bad, I can't do it at all, even if I practice hard for five days, it still can't work." ”

Wu Shu said with a smile: "Calligraphy is a side branch, the key is this medical skill, my father heard and learned that several examiners tasted the paper, and praised Brother Zuo's response strategy, and the volume was full of circle reading notes 'good!' ''Wonderful', 'Brilliant', 'Novel' and so on. If it weren't for this calligraphy, the first place in the state test would be secure, and Kang Xuanhu would have to stand aside! ”

(To be continued)