There is a Jianshan Academy by the west gate of Anren County, it is the place where Gui Cao, a scholar of Wuyingdian University in the early years of Jiajing, founded a lecture for the students of his hometown, "Jianshan Academy" four big characters are the imperial pen of the Jiajing Emperor, and now Gui Juren, the son of Gui Cao, sets up an account here to teach apprentices, more than 100 steps away from the Jianshan Academy, there is a bookstore on the street, called Jianxuan Bookstore, which is the bookstore opened by Xiucai Jian Sixuan in the west of the city——

In the early part of the month, the students of the mountain academy have dispersed and returned to their hometowns, and there are few people in the Xuan bookstore, this afternoon, that Jian Xiucai saw that the snow was getting bigger and bigger, so he asked the servant to close the door, he put a pot of Shaoxing Xuan wine in the small hall of the inner courtyard, a plate of fennel beans, a plate of salted duck eggs, a plate of pig's trotter jelly, a plate of pickled dragon and tiger bitter vegetables, the pot of Shaoxing Xuan wine was scalded with hot water in the copper furnace, hot wine and cold dishes, self-poured, and watched the wind and snow outside the window, and the heart was very comfortable

Jian Xiucai has a wife and a concubine, has two sons and three daughters, the eldest son, eldest daughter and second daughter have all started a family, and there are eleven-year-old young daughters and seven-year-old young sons in the family.

Jian Xiucai glanced at his son, put a fennel bean in his mouth and chewed it, and said: "Children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, don't stare at your father and drink, you have to eat when you grow up, and you have to rely on yourself to live a good life." ”

The seven-year-old son nodded his head to show that he understood, but he still refused to leave, his saliva flowed more, Jian Xiucai shook his head, sandwiched a piece of salted duck eggs for his son to eat, waved his hand and said, "After eating, let's go, don't hinder my father from appreciating the snow poetry." ”

The boy took a salted duck egg and walked away, and after a while he turned around again, still drooling—

Jian Xiucai drank wine for a long time, only to chant half a sentence of poetry, although the poetry is not smooth, but the mood is very happy, thinking that other Xiucai friends in this county are now preparing to rush to Guangxin Mansion Shangrao to participate in the scientific examination, this cold winter wax moon, it is said that there are thieves on the other side of Guixi, the road is difficult, and it is hard to seek fame, and he doesn't want to take any exams, he doesn't have to participate in this scientific examination, he can drink and enjoy the snow here leisurely, it's really fast

There seemed to be someone knocking on the door of the shop in the front yard, and Jian Xiucai said in his heart: "Is there anyone still coming to buy books on this snowy day, it can be regarded as studious." Instructed the servant to open the door to receive, and after a while, the servant came in with a name post, saying that there was a guest visiting, Jian Xiucai saw that the name post said "Yousheng Zeng Yubai", and suddenly got up in surprise, and greeted him with a smile, sure enough, it was the boy Zeng Yu who met on Jinxi Road who went to Yuanzhou to take the make-up exam, and now he is the showman of the square scarf side shirt-

"Brother Jiu Li, what kind of good wind blows the virtuous brother here, the old man comes in the wind and snow, the foolish brother can't help but be happy."

Jian Zhen smiled and bowed his hand to greet him, and invited Zeng Yu to drink and keep out the cold.

Zeng Yu took off the bamboo hat and shook off the snow on the hat, put it back on, and arched his hand: "Brother Sixuan, my brother wants to go to the county government first——"

Jian Zhen asked in surprise: "What did the virtuous brother do?" ”

Zeng Yu roughly said about the thief in Qiligang, and Jian Zhen was afraid: "Fortunately, the virtuous brother has martial arts, otherwise the foolish brother will be in pain." Zeng Yu came to visit him in a roundabout way, and if there was an accident, he would naturally feel guilty.

Jian Zhen immediately accompanied Zeng Yu to the Ya Criminal Department of Anren County, where Ai Jiachang and several villagers from Wuqiao Village were already waiting here, and the four thieves in the ox cart were thrown on the snow, with blue noses and swollen faces, broken arms and legs, and wailing and wailing-

Chen Menglei of Anrenzhi County got the classic history report that there was an attack on Guangxin Mansion Xiucai in this county, and hurriedly went to the court to ask the case, and the case was clear under a torture, Zou Wuhan and Wu Niuer were lazy and lazy on weekdays, stealing chickens and touching dogs, this time taking advantage of the Ji'an bandits to make trouble, the four ganged up to rob many times in Sixiang and Bawu, injured three villagers, insulted a village woman, and robbed money and goods, and the villagers came to the county to report the case, Chen Zhixian also thought that the Ji'an bandits were fleeing to the county to loot, and ordered the local inspection department to strengthen patrols, On the one hand, he asked for help from the Raozhou Mansion and the military guards, and then he learned that Lu Dao was the people of the county who took advantage of the chaos to rob, and he was extremely angry, and ordered the officials to flail the four thieves in the Shenming Pavilion outside the county government to show the public-

Chen Zhixian asked Zeng Yu to be a teacher in the Yan clan study in Fenyi Jieqiao Village, and he was in awe, so he invited Zeng Yu to a banquet in the house, and Jian Zhen was accompanied, during the banquet, Chen Zhixian asked Zeng Yu about teaching in Fenyi Jieqiao, Zeng Yu is not deliberately hiding this matter now, this must not be hidden, he is not worried about being regarded as Yan Song's party-

Chen Zhixian revealed to Zeng Yu the truth of the Ji'an bandits, this bandit is not from Ji'an, but from Fujian, is the remnants of the Japanese bandits, Zhang Lian called himself "Han Fei Dragon King" led 50,000 people to attack dozens of counties in Fujian, his subordinate Wu Ping led thousands of thieves to Longnan, Anyuan, Jiangxi, bewitched the public, gathered tens of thousands of miners and farmers, all the way to Guixi, poisoned the people, miserable, Hu Butang sitting in Hangzhou has sent Qi Zong to lead 10,000 elite soldiers from Zhejiang to beg for thieves, I believe that with Hu Butang's prestige and Qi Commander's good war, will be able to sweep away the group of thieves, Return the people of Jiangxi to peace——

At the time of the second drum, Zeng Yu and Jian Zhen resigned from the county government, stepped on the snow to see the Xuanshu House, and had a long talk about warm wine, Zeng Yu then told Jian Zhen about the experience of farewell to Huwan that day, Jian Zhen sighed, saying that it is not easy to seek fame, many shows have food, and they are exempt from forced labor, they can have no worries about food and clothing, but they will not be able to treat their lives, and they will spend a lot of money outside the exam, and the result is getting poorer and poorer. He also went to Hangzhou in August, where there are many books and various opera novels, which are quite popular -

Zeng Yu said with a smile: "I will also open a bookstore in Shangrao next year, and I hope Brother Sixuan will teach me more." ”

Jian Zhen shook his hand and said: "The virtuous brother is far better than the foolish brother, and he has a great future, of course, he must take the imperial examination as his mind, the foolish brother has no great ambitions, and only seeks to be comfortable." ”

Zeng Yu raised his glass and said: "Brother Sixuan, a master, my brother thinks that governing the country and the world is a fool's words, life is short, only self-adaptation, this is the joy of life - the younger brother respects Brother Sixuan for a cup." ”

The two raised their glasses and drank them all, looking at each other and smiling.

Outside the small hall, heavy snow fell one after another.

Zeng Yu and Jian Zhen talked for a long time until the second half of the night, and fell asleep.

Get up early the next day, Zeng Yu saw that the snow had stopped, so he was going to go to Yingtan, and yesterday he learned from Chen Zhixian that Yingtan was not disturbed by thieves, so he wanted to rush to Yingtan to see which way to go back to Shangrao to see the situation——

Jian Zhen struggled to keep it, saying that the official document of the master of Tixue said that the examination of students in Raozhou, Jianchang, and Guangxin was held in Shangrao on the sixteenth of this month, and it was only the eighth day of the first month today.

Zeng Yu thought that his mount Black Bean was injured and that it would be good to recuperate for a day, so he agreed to stay in Anren for another day.

On this day, Jian Yu accompanied Zeng Yu to visit nearby scenic spots, there are Zhang Guolao's alchemy pool, Princess Yuzhen's cultivation of Guanyu, Zeng Yu was busy stealing, stepping on the snow to find seclusion, and returned to see the Xuan Book House in the evening, the servant reported that Chen Xianzun sent a gift box to Zeng Xianggong, saying that it was for Zeng Xianggong to be shocked, when he opened it, it was ten taels of silver, two brocades, no package in summer, and an urn of Raozhou liquor——

Where is Zeng Yu good to accept Chen Zhixian's gift, and after having dinner with Jian Zhen, he asked a servant of Jian's family to carry the gift box and follow him to the county government to send the gift box back, and by the way, he asked Chen Zhixian about the situation of the thieves in Guixi—

Seeing Chen Menglei in Anren Zhi County, Zeng Yu said that he did not dare to accept the gift of the county lord, Chen Zhi County said: "Zeng Sheng was frightened by a thief in Anren, and the official could not escape the blame, this is a small compensation given by the official to Zeng Sheng. ”

Silver and brocade are not Tuyi, Zeng Yu said that there is no merit, and he resolutely does not accept silver and brocade, and there is no summer and Raozhou wine is enough to feel the dignity of Chen County.

Speaking of Guixi thieves, Chen Zhixian said that the Wu thieves did not attack Guixi County, and bypassed the southeast end of Shangqing Town, only plundered a few villages and towns in Guixi, and did not harass the Dazhen Mansion.

Zeng Yu asked about the situation, returned to the Xuanshu House, and prepared to rush to Yingtanfang early tomorrow morning.