Wang Zhen participated in the imperial examination in the fifth year of Taiding, according to the chronology of later generations, that year was also 1292, and he was twenty-one years old.

In the process of going to the exam this time, he also met a friend and opponent, Zhang Yanghao, a native of Jinan Prefecture, who was one year older than him.

The two have different academic views and hobbies: Zhang Yanghao writes good lyrics and songs, and he can get the level of the teaching department in exchange for wine money; Wang Zhen has been farming for generations, in addition to studying, he loves to go into the land to study the growth of crops, and has also won the "Science and Technology Progress Award" of the Dongping Zhang clan for improving corn production.

It needs to be added here that the Dongping Zhang clan is a branch of the heirs of Zhang Rong, the king of Lu in the early years of the dynasty, and settled down here and became a wang clan.

But everyone has a bad impression of their family, Zhang Yanghao sneered when he heard Wang Zhen talk about it: "In the whole Dongping, half of the fields belong to their family, and the virtuous brother has grown up for them, so they should naturally be rewarded." ”

Wang Zhen sighed and said: "Brother Ximeng (Zhang Yanghaozi), the younger brother doesn't know that this is aiding and abusing, but my family has been a minor official in Dongping Mansion for generations, if I offend them, the family's forty acres of land may not be able to be saved, and my father can't do it." ”

Zhang Yanghao was angry, "His Majesty Shizu has the thirty-six heroes of feudal Yan, and once said that if anyone has 100,000 acres of fertile land, I will definitely be annihilated like a Jurchen." It is a pity that King Lu Wei loved the people and soldiers all his life, and in his later years he was still the master of the people, who knew that in only one hundred and fifty years, there would be such unscrupulous descendants who ruined the reputation of his old man. ”

Wang Zhen didn't speak, and another Dongdong scholar said indignantly: "Your Majesty Shizu Kuang helped the world, and his merits are not to mention the ancestors of this dynasty, even the Qin Emperor and Han Wu are also compared." But you see, now there are a few of his ancestral precepts to follow, the local pavilions are in their own ways, Sichuan and Shu have been forced to rebel several times, and the secret pavilion has the power in the world, but he hopes that the lord will not ask about everything, and the harem is also eager to try. Some time ago, Guan Hanqing, the imperial servant, once questioned several ministers at the Great Dynasty Meeting, 'His Majesty's testament, everything must be said to others, and now he is safe?' I didn't wait for the royal class to drag it straight, so I abandoned my clothes and went home to write miscellaneous plays. ”

Wang Zhen replied: "This little brother knows. Lu Wenhuan and Lu Xianggong were furious and wanted to remove his fame. But he was pushed back by Wen Xianggong. He also took the horse sacrifice wine and Mr. Yangzhai to persuade him, but unfortunately Mr. Guan refused. ”

There was a student surnamed Yue next to him who was excited and said: "Gong Wen is the humerus of the country, but it's a pity that he was suppressed by Jia Nidao first, and then by Lu Wenhuan, the way of heaven is unfair!" ”

Someone around said: "Chuanhe, we know that you are the fifth grandson of King Yue, and your grandfather Yue Kegong is also a generation of people. Naturally, you are not afraid, when this word spreads, we still want a future. ”

The Yue family was not angry, Zhang Yanghao had already taken the case, and scolded: "Taizu Zuxun, you can't kill the person who wrote and said things, even the ancestor has never destroyed it (Goulong Ruyuan, what about me?) ), leaving a good story with Zong Zhongwu and Li Zhuangyi (Li Guang) for the ages, is it not even possible to raise a son to discuss current affairs now, so what is too much to learn to discuss politics! ”

Yue Chuanhe immediately found a confidant and said: "Ximeng is really my confidant, I am not presumptuous before the exam, and I will invite you to eat and watch "Save the Wind and Dust" after I finish the pen."

"Save the Wind and Dust", Guan Hanqing's new work after returning home, has become popular all over the country.

However, they didn't pass the exam this time and didn't watch it as a miscellaneous drama, the eighth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty who had been absurd for 20 years saw his ancestor go, and he governed mediocrity and favored the demon concubine, in the end, he was also the king of a country, and the whole world had to mourn, the township test was postponed for a month, and the main exam was changed.

Before it arrived, the Ministry of Rites gave it the nickname "Emperor Huan". Emperor Huan's only son died early, and his concubine Li has been persuading him to adopt the clan branch, but the first emperor Emperor Jing still has a living son, so the cabinet has not agreed.

Sure enough, the new emperor ascended the throne in front of Emperor Huan Ling on the fifth day of March, and seven days later, he sent Concubine Li to see Emperor Huan. pursued the favor of his family, but did not involve the exploits of Wang Liqiong of Anyang County.

A month later, Mr. Lu was removed from office on suspicion of corruption. Lu Xiufu succeeded him as prime minister, and Zhang Shijie served as privy envoy.

The royal family Rui, the 100-year-old Shen King Zhao Xin is said to have sighed, "Since Wuzong, the country has finally been in charge." ”

Of course, after Wuzong, the young emperor before and after did not last long, and finally set up the youngest son of the king of Wu as the emperor, the harem and the cabinet fought for power, and finally the biggest rebellion after Jianyan broke out - Wu Xi, the grandson of Wu Lan, the cousin of the Empress Dowager Wu, coerced the homeless people to rebel in the generation of Xianrenguan, and the momentum was huge, and some strategists said that you are like this, and the loyalty and filial piety of the three generations of your Wu family in seventy or eighty years have been swept away.

Wu Xi said that he had decided to become king, and immediately went to the arsenal to gather soldiers to explain the reason, and Lu Xi and others congratulated him and expressed their obedience. Wu Xi faced the north to receive the king's seal.

This move shook the world, the Empress Dowager Wu fainted in the court, and cried on her deathbed and couldn't enter the imperial mausoleum, and it was difficult to see the first emperor and the ancestor and Xuanzong.

Of course, Wu Xi is like this, or it is related to the improper management of Bashu, when Jianyan, although in order to fight Yaoshan in advance, but after the victory, it was reduced back, and Shizu even gave Sichuan Shu a certain tea and horse monopoly benefits while "changing the land and returning to the stream"; Although Wuzong was tough, he could tour Shuzhong several times, build water conservancy and use copper coins to settle the civil use, which greatly alleviated social contradictions. But after the center was unstable, the Qingtang War, and the Shu people suffered again and again, and it would be strange if they didn't turn back.

This rebellion was not quelled until the birth of the new generation of generals Xing Menghui, and the Kwantung Wu clan pioneered by Wu Jue, the king of Han Hui, completely declined, only for the sake of Wu Jue and the Empress Dowager Wu, there was no wanton investigation, only Wu Xi's close relatives died, and the clansmen moved out of Guanzhong, but this also led to the decline of the Great Song Dynasty's century-old Jiangmen policy. Since then, the combat power of the Western Army has dropped again and again.

Then two emperors in a row are mediocre and enjoyable, and it is strange that the government can be good. How many ministers cried and shouted: "Your Majesty, open your eyes and see." "However, the current emperor doesn't know what he will experience when he arrives in the underworld.

Of course, for the students of Jingdong Mansion, the exam still has to be examined, but Zhang Yanghao doesn't have to, his old work was seen by Ma Zhiyuan, and he appreciated it greatly, and recommended it to Yanjing Taixue in his own name and directly participated in Enke.

It is necessary to say here that the Great Song Dynasty Wenzhi has always been very good, and the imperial examination has been reforming for more than 100 years, and the channels for entering the court have adopted the three-way method and the township examination, the meeting examination, the palace examination and the grace and shade in parallel, so there are still many ways to become an official.

But no matter what, after the exam, Wang Zhen brought bacon to visit the chief examiner (but not the reviser) Xu Yan in this world, who is also his villager and teacher, Xu Yan was very easy-going to see him in the study, and said: "Although I avoid suspicion and did not look at your test papers, but this test is a combination of water conservancy and agricultural production, you must be in sight, congratulations in advance." ”

Wang Zhen smiled bitterly, "The teacher joked that I got an axe at the class gate." ”

Xu Yan is a well-known original scholar, but also Enyin out of the office, appointed Laiwu Iron Smelting Division to lift, after the arrival, that is, busy with the creation of pit smelting, the development of 3,000 households, specializing in smelting, and reduce half of its rent and tax, the establishment of Tongli, Baocheng, Kun Xuan three supervisors, the establishment of smelters under the supervision, smelting and casting, the policy is very comprehensive.

At the same time, he was very interested in the improvement of farm tools to improve crop grain production, and he and his friends visited the township many times, found Wang Zhen, a great talent, funded his studies, and became a disciple.

Xu Yan shook his head with a wry smile, pointed to the bookcase and said: "Your Master Meng (Meng Qi)'s "Nongsang Jiyao" has been compiled, and he is too often in office to go out of Beijing, so send it to me and let me give it to you." ”

Wang Zhen was very interested, and hurriedly took it to see, not wanting to use too much force, he actually overturned some of the teacher's manuscripts, he was shocked and hurriedly prepared to leave, but he was surprised to find that it was a "Beggar Bone Book", which means resignation.

Wang Zhen was shocked, didn't care about avoiding suspicion, and asked: "Teacher, now that the Holy Lord is in the court, and the teacher is also in the prime of life, how can he have such thoughts?" ”

"Boshan (Wang Zhenzi), I won't hide it from you, it's not a day that the old man has this kind of thought." Xu Yan sighed behind his back and said: "I was originally a person who loves learning, my colleagues used to eat many corpses, since I have taken up an official position, I have to do a good job, seeing that I am now vigorous and resolute, there will be no shortage of people who do things, why don't I retire to the countryside to concentrate on studying and cultivate some talents like you." ”

Seeing that his beloved apprentice was going to persuade him again, he said with a smile: "In the past, Liu Ziyu, the prince of Jianyan, was also less than fifty years old to enter the public pavilion to study the original school, and his merit and ability are not as great as those of the teacher, and everyone has their own ambitions." ”

After that, he walked to the bookcase again, waved his pen and took a break, it was:

"Start in the morning to conquer Ze, the servants are dressed in a whole line, and the horses are carved into the saddle. Sigh that the party is difficult to kiss, how to give up love if you want to, Nai is related. Yes, it is difficult to stay nostalgic and hide tears, and if you go, you will cherish the good and protect the face. The rest of the phoenix is only single, and the pillow is cold. When he comes, he will not be as he is now. ”

Wang Zhen was speechless for a moment, almost forgetting that the teacher was still a merry seed.

Three years later, Wang Zhen successfully entered the court. He was appointed as the county magistrate of Jingde (now AH Jingde) in Xuanzhou, and stipulated that farmers should plant a number of mulberry trees every year; For crops such as hemp, grass, and millet, the methods from sowing to harvesting are guided one by one; Draw a variety of agricultural tool graphics, so that the people imitate the trial production. After the expiration of his term, he was promoted to the head of the household department under the recommendation of Zhang Yanghao, and wrote "Wang Zhennongshu". Later generations commented that this book is the first time to make a more comprehensive and systematic exposition of the so-called generalized agricultural production knowledge, and put forward the traditional system of Chinese agriculture.

Zhang Yanghao is even more prosperous, outstanding in writing, and noble in character, and the "Advice for Government" written in his later years represents the leading idea of advocating honesty and honesty for officials in his life. It is divided into three parts, that is, sincere exhortation to local officials, supervision officials, and central officials.

Of course, future generations will remember him for his literary style, among which "Hillside Sheep and Shizu" is one of the representatives:

"Lishan looked around, Ah Fang was burned, where was the luxury at that time? I saw that the grass was sparse and the water lingered. I still hate the smoke tree. The nations of Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han and Chu, win, all turned into soil; Lose, all turned into dirt. ”

In fact, most of the officials written in this article were officials of the Yuan Dynasty, but they all became good Han family sons in the Shao and Song dynasties, and the north and the south were no longer divided.

(End of chapter)