"Brother Yan, what do you think you should do now?" Zhou Shimin asked.

Yan Zheng said with a look of righteous indignation: "I think there must be something else strange about this matter, Pingchuan, this matter can't be left like this, you must find the academy and give you a clear explanation!"

Zhou Shimin said: "That's what I mean, I'm telling Pingchuan, it's up to you Brother Yan to make an idea, how should you act?"

Yan Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "I still have to go directly to the mountain chief for this matter, go, let's go now!"

Saying that, he and Zhou Shimin turned around and left, walked a few steps and looked back, and saw that Jiang Yun was still standing there without moving, so he called: "Pingchuan, why don't you leave?"

"Do you think it's useful? Jiang Yun still stood still.

"Why is it useless?" asked Yan Zheng.

Jiang Yun said: "The mountain chief is the chief examiner of this quarterly examination, and the recommended quota for this county examination must have been approved by him, and this is his decision, so it will not be useful to find him to theorize." ”

Yan Zheng said: "Maybe the mountain chief was deceived by the people below." Let's go, it's okay to try. ”

Jiang Yun saw it, didn't say anything more, and followed the two.

After a short time, I saw the three of them walking out of the mountain chief Song Ximing's office, and seeing that they were listless, it was obvious that this negotiation with the mountain chief Song Ximing did not lead to any results.

"I didn't expect that the mountain chief would protect that Min Wei like this, as the mountain chief, he couldn't treat the academy students equally, which was really infuriating. On the way out of the mountain chief, Zhou Shimin was angry.

Yan Zheng sighed and whispered: "Shimin is cautious, be careful of the mountain chief's ears, and hear your whining words." ”

He glanced at Jiang Yun next to him and asked, "Pingchuan, what are you going to do now?"

Jiang Yun spread his hands and said, "What else can I do, I can only forget it." ”

Yan Zheng said helplessly: "It's all about it." He originally wanted to make a big deal out of it, but after seeing Song Ximing just now, he was forced by the other party to be severely coerced, and he was a little silent.

Zhou Shimin said: "This year's county test is scheduled for the fifteenth of this month, and there are still ten days. ”

Yan Zheng asked, "Then Shimin, do you plan to sign up for this year's county exam?" ”

Zhou Shimin said: "Why not, if you miss this year, you will have to wait for another two years." ”

The county examination is once every two years, and the Xiucai test is also a biennial test, but it is a staggered year, for example, Yan Zheng is already a child, but he can't take the Xiucai exam this year, and he needs to wait until next year to take the exam.

Yan Zheng asked again: "Then Shimin, are you ready for the examination?" ”

There are also some conditions for the registration of the county examination, such as the registration fee will cost three taels of silver, which is mainly to set a threshold to block some schoolchildren who are not talented enough and are not qualified enough, but also want to join in the fun, otherwise everyone will come to sign up, wouldn't it be to collapse the examination room.

Zhou Shimin nodded, suddenly his eyes were a little red, and he lowered his head, he was a poor student, and his family was not rich, and these three taels of silver were not a small amount for him. It's just that the fame of the imperial examination is a big deal, and many poor families, even if they save food and clothing, they have to save a little silver for their children to take the exam.

"Shimin, what's wrong with you?" Yan Zheng asked, sensing that something was wrong with him.

Zhou Shimin lowered his head and said in a low voice: "I thought that for my study, my family suffered a lot, this year's New Year, my little sister didn't have a new dress, and when I saw the girl next door buying a new dress, she also clamored for one, but was scolded by my mother ......"

Speaking of this, his voice suddenly became choked, and he said in a low voice: "If I didn't pass the exam this time, wouldn't I be ashamed of them......"

Yan Zheng felt a little the same, he was from the other party's family background, and he was also a poor student, so he could understand the other party's mood very well, but fortunately, he had been admitted to the Tongsheng school, and his situation was somewhat better.

He patted the other party on the shoulder and said, "Shimin, don't say these discouraged words, you will definitely be able to pass the test." ”

Zhou Shimin sighed, didn't say more, both of them knew that what would definitely be able to pass the test, this was just a comforting word, every time the county exam, thousands of candidates participated, but only sixty were admitted, plus the government passed a pass, almost half of it had to be brushed off, and in the end, those who could get the fame of Tongsheng were only about thirty, basically one in dozens of miles, and no one could guarantee that they would be able to pass the exam.

"Yes, Pingchuan, you will sign up for the county test this time. Yan Zheng turned his head and asked Jiang Yun again.

Jiang Yun snorted, although there was no place directly recommended by the academy this time, he naturally would not give up this county examination.

For the loss of the academy recommendation quota this time, he actually didn't care much, although there are direct recommendations from the academy, there are various benefits, but the benefits are also limited, after all, the county examination still depends on their own real talents, no real talents, the examiner will not care whether you are recommended by the academy or not, the same dismissal, and if you have real talent and real learning, the examiner will not dare to risk the world's disapproval, and depose you.

It's just that if you sign up by yourself, there are some troubles, the registration fee of three taels of silver is secondary, and you also need a person who is at least famous for showing off your reputation, if it doesn't matter, please ask a show to be a guarantee, then you have to spend a sum of silver, after all, for the candidates to guaranture, the guarantor is also responsible for a role.

If you don't have the money to ask Xiucai to guarantee or don't want to pay this money, then you can also have five candidates to jointly guarantee, but there is also a risk in doing so, that is, five candidates who are jointly guaranteed, if one of them has a problem and cheating is found, then the other four candidates will also be implicated.

I only heard Yan Zheng say at this time: "Since you all have to apply for the exam, then you can find three more people, and five people will be jointly guaranteed." ”

Jiang Yun thought for a while and said, "I'm going to find a Xiucai as a guarantor." ”

Yan Zheng then remembered that the other party was a small landlord, and it was not bad for this amount of premium, so for the sake of safety, it was naturally better to find a show to guarantee it, and immediately nodded in understanding.

Of course, Zhou Shimin is not so extravagant, there are only five people who are jointly guaranteed, this time there are not a few students who plan to take the exam, and there are also many poor students, it is not difficult to find all five people to jointly protect them.

Of course, college students looking for college professors, discipline is the best, general college professors, discipline will not charge premiums, at most, the meaning is, give some gifts, but the number of people each guarantor can be guaranteed, up to three people can be guaranteed, so the professors of the college, the discipline is generally given priority to those students who are outstanding in learning, and Zhou Shimin is mediocre in learning, and generally does not get such an opportunity.

After talking about the county test for a while, Yan Zheng wanted to say goodbye, but Zhou Shimin asked casually: "Brother Yan, where are you going?"

Yan Zheng didn't hide it either, and said, "It's okay in the afternoon, go to Qingfeng Building for tea." ”

When Zhou Shimin heard this, he was suspicious: "Brother Yan has such leisure and elegance? Could it be that someone has a treat?"

The other party wants to go to Qingfeng Building to drink tea, but I am afraid that it will not be on the first floor, but on the second and third floors to drink tea, and the consumption is not expensive, the other party should not go to drink tea for no reason, so he asked.

Yan Zheng hesitated for a moment, but did not hide it, and said: "It was the Qingli prince who invited him." ”

When Zhou Shimin heard this, he immediately showed envy, and said in his heart that this Yan Zheng was really lucky, and he really climbed over to the Qingli son, and when the Qingli prince saw it, he knew that he was a son of a wealthy family, and Yan Zheng was able to make friends with the other party, but it was really a grass chicken flying on the branches and becoming a phoenix.

He couldn't resist his envy and jealousy, so he begged: "I see that Master Qingli is an upright gentleman, and he wants to make friends with one or two, I wonder if Brother Yan can also introduce him to the younger brother?"

The other party's thoughts, how Yan Zheng didn't understand, secretly said in his heart, what is an upright gentleman, if you want to make friends with each other, it is nothing more than trying to beat the autumn breeze on the other party.

Of course, he won't admit that he is like this, and when he heard Zhou Shimin talk about it at this moment, he showed a look of hindrance, and said: "I'm just afraid that this matter is inappropriate, it's not that my brother refuses to introduce it, it's just that the Qingli son has a somewhat perverse temperament and doesn't like others to disturb him, if I take you rashly, I'm afraid that it will cause him to be unhappy, but blame me." ”

Where was Zhou Shimin willing to believe, and said: "Brother Yan, aren't you already friends with him now, how can he blame you for such a trivial matter, not to mention that the younger brother is not a layman, how can he blame you for this." ”

Yan Zheng was embarrassed: "Shimin, you don't know, this matter is still inconvenient. ”

Where was Zhou Shimin willing to listen, he only thought that the other party didn't want to help, and said angrily: "Brother Yan, you are too few friends, are you, and you don't want to help with this little thing?"

Seeing that the other party was full of righteous indignation, and there was a posture of cutting off his robe and breaking off his friendship if he didn't agree, Yan Zheng hesitated, so he had to make his words clear to the other party, and said: "Shimin, to tell you the truth, I went to the appointment this time, in fact, I sent him a poem at his request." ”

Zhou Shimin was stunned when he heard this, and said, "Oh, send a poem?

Yan Zheng had to make a long story short and said: "The last time he invited me, you should know, he saw that I was a good learner and outstanding, so he wanted to ask me to help him write a poem about the river spirit, I naturally agreed, this time after the poem was completed, I went to see him, and he also specially explained that he didn't want more people to know about this matter, think about it, if I take you there, wouldn't it make him unhappy." ”

Zhou Shimin was skeptical when he heard this, and asked, "So, Brother Yan, you have already written a poem about the river spirit according to his request?"

Yan Zheng nodded. Zhou Shimin became curious, and asked again: "I don't know Brother Yan's masterpiece, can you let the younger brother have a glimpse of it?"

Yan Zheng waved his hand again and again, and said: "It's not for my brother's hypocrisy, but that Qingli Gongzi specially instructed that after the poem is completed, it can't be seen by a third person." ”

Zhou Shimin was skeptical when he heard this, and asked, "What Brother Yan said, is it true?"

Yan Zheng reassured again and again, saying, "Of course it's true, how can I deceive you." ”

Seeing Jiang Yun standing aside, he instructed Jiang Yun again: "Please also ask Pingchuan to keep this matter a secret, don't talk about it casually." ”