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In the third month of spring in the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, the Qinhuai River from East Water Gate to West Water Gate was at its most beautiful. Green willows were like smoke blowing against the golden towers, pearl curtains swayed in the spring breeze, and flutes and drums played on painted boats day and night.
Looking from afar, a moat of spring water covered half of the city with flowers. Inside and outside the city, there were magnificent palaces and Buddhist temples with green tiles and red roofs. In the Six Dynasties, there were 480 temples. Today, there are more than 4,800 temples. In the streets and alleys, there are 600 to 700 restaurants of all sizes and more than 1,000 tea houses.
No matter how remote the alleys you go to, there will always be places selling tea with lanterns hanging, fresh flowers inserted, and the best rainwater brewed, and the teahouses are full of people drinking tea.
On the upper floor of Meixiang Tower by the river, the carved window curtains were half rolled up. Qin Mu, who had just returned from failing the imperial examination, had no interest in appreciating the spring light outside the window. Instead, he was drinking glass after glass to drown his sorrows.
In front of the piano table opposite, Li Xiangjun, a famous Qinhuai prostitute, gently stroked the piano with her jade fingers. The elegant sound of the piano flowed from her fingertips like a lover's whisper.
She was wearing a cloud-white soft silk shirt with wide sleeves and orchid-shaped patterns, and a crimson purple Hangzhou silk skirt. She had a petite figure, her eyes were charming and pretty, and her lips were slightly upturned, making her look a bit playful. She looked like a very lovely girl.
Qin Mu had a book box next to him and looked like a prostitute. He had just failed the imperial examination and had not yet returned home, but had come directly to Meixianglou to get drunk.
The sound of the zither faded away, and Li Xiangjun walked lightly to Qin Mu's side. She held the pot in her white hands and filled two glasses of wine with her jade wrist. She said softly, "Mr. Qin is just an adult, and he is well-versed in the classics. Even if he fails the exam this time, why should he mind?"
"Why should I mind?" Qin Mu was a little drunk and said indignantly: "It is true that when a country is about to perish, evil will appear..."
"Mr. Qin, please be careful with your words!" Li Xiangjun was shocked and tried to dissuade him.
"Be careful with your words? I'm sure Miss Xiangjun is also aware of the situation of the Ming Dynasty. Now that Liaodong has been completely lost, the Tartars are knocking on the gates frequently, coming and going as they please, and have even burned, killed, and looted as far as Shandong. The court can only watch helplessly. Li Zicheng has a million soldiers and has proclaimed himself king in Xiangyang, and may attack the capital at any time. The Central Plains has experienced several wars. The rebels have burned and the government troops have looted. Bones are exposed in the wild, and no roosters crow for thousands of miles. It is really horrible. However, even though the national situation is as precarious as a pile of eggs, the officials in power in the court are still fighting each other for their own selfish interests. If the eunuch party is in power, the Donglin will be demoted and killed. If the Donglin is in power, they will also kill them all. The two sides are fighting back and forth, and it is wishful thinking for people like us who have nothing to do with either to take the imperial examination and serve the country."
"Mr. Qin's words are a bit biased, aren't they? How could the Donglin sages be as despicable as you say?" Li Xiangjun's father was originally a military official from the Donglin lineage. She fell into prostitution after being killed by the eunuchs. Qin Mu not only criticized the eunuchs, but also criticized Donglin. Naturally, she disagreed.
Qin Mu had studied hard for ten years, pinning all his hopes on the imperial examination. His third failure filled him with indignation: "In the fourth year of Chongzhen, Zhang Pu, the leader of the Fushe Society, and Wu Weiye took part in the Ministry of Rites examination together. Wu Weiye's first-place essay should have been written by the chief examiner, but in the end it was actually written by Zhang Pu, who was also a candidate. In this way, Zhang Pu became Wu Weiye's teacher. On what basis did Zhang Pu have? On what basis did he have? It was simply because he was the leader of the Fushe Society. In other words, the Fushe Society was above the court. The imperial examinations, a major national event, were manipulated by certain people. Donglin! Fushe! Hahaha..."
Li Xiangjun was speechless for a moment. Although she was inclined to Donglin and Fushe, how could she refute Qin Mu when he cited such solid examples
"God is so unfair." Qin Mu took a gulp of wine, then sang aloud: "On the golden list, I occasionally missed the top spot. The Ming Dynasty temporarily left behind a wise man... The red-light district is now covered with painted screens. Fortunately, there is someone I love, and I am worth looking for..."
This poem "He Chongtian" was written by Liu Yong in the Song Dynasty. Qin Mu recited it at this time with a sense of sympathy.
"Fortunately, I have my ideal lover, and I am worth looking for..." Li Xiangjun pondered over this sentence in her heart. Qin Mu came to look for her both times after failing the imperial examination. It was clear who his ideal lover was. Li Xiangjun's pretty face was inexplicably stained with two faint blushes.
Qin Mu might be a good choice, but Li Xiangjun already has someone in her heart.
She glanced at Qin Mu secretly. This young master Qin was a legendary figure in Jinling City. His father was a seventh-rank county magistrate. Unfortunately, a few days after Qin Mu was born, his father died of illness. At that time, a high monk passed by the Qin family and said that Qin Mu's fate was too strong and would bring bad luck to his father and mother. The only way to resolve this problem was to send him to a temple for foster care.
Qin Mu's mother, Qin Wangshi, had just lost her husband, leaving only an infant son. How could she bear to give him up? She ignored the advice of others, and after the family savings were exhausted, she relied on mending for others and finally raised Qin Mu.
Qin Mu was extremely intelligent since childhood. He could recite "The Analects of Confucius" at the age of five and compose poems at the age of seven. He was hailed as a child prodigy. He passed the imperial examination at the age of thirteen and became famous throughout the south of the Yangtze River.
However, on the third day after Qin Mu passed the imperial examination, his mother, Qin Wang, died of illness due to years of overwork. People could not help but think of the rumors that he was unlucky in marriage and many people kept their distance from Qin Mu.
Some people did not believe this and regarded Qin Mu as an original stock with great potential. Qian Shun, who was the head of Nanjing's Ministry of Revenue at that time and is now the vice minister of Nanjing's Ministry of Revenue, was the first to make a move and betrothed his daughter to Qin Mu. The monk said that Qin Mu was unlucky in killing his father and mother, but he did not say that he was unlucky in killing his wife, right
However, in the tenth year of Chongzhen, Qin Mu took the examination for the first time, but failed.
Three years ago, Qin Mu took the examination at the Ministry of Rites again, but still failed.
Li Xiangjun first met Qin Mu three years ago when he failed the imperial examination. Qin Mu had come to Meixianglou to listen to her playing a piece of music, and Li Xiangjun had a good impression of him.
But since then, Qin Mu has been studying hard at home and has never been to Meixianglou again. Li Xiangjun's impression of him has gradually faded. After all, he was just a customer she had met once.
Unexpectedly, three years later, this person came back and failed the exam again. He also became a little cynical about the world. How can one not feel sad
Qin Mu expressed his feelings with a poem, and Li Xiangjun could only pretend not to know. While pouring wine, she asked, "Mr. Qin is a young man of talent. He should not be like Liu Tuntian who lingers in the flowers. I believe that Mr. Qin must have other thoughts in his mind."
Qin Mu replied with a look of indifference: "I have already registered with the Ministry of Personnel."
Li Xiangjun's fingers trembled when she heard this, and the red wine in the jade cup almost spilled out. She really couldn't understand why Qin Mu, who had just reached adulthood, gave up on the imperial examination.
According to the Ming system, if a candidate failed the imperial examination three times, he could report to the Ministry of Personnel and wait for the "grand selection". However, after being reported to the Ministry of Personnel, he could no longer take part in the imperial examination.
The so-called "Da Tiao" means that when there are many vacancies for officials and there are not enough Jinshi candidates, the Ministry of Personnel will select these Juren and some of them to be officials.
What was the standard for the big selection? You may not believe it, but it was based on appearance. Dozens of people stood in a team and were selected by officials from the Ministry of Personnel. Those with handsome looks were selected, but those who were ugly, sorry, should go back to where they came from and don't bring shame to the Ming Dynasty.
From this point of view, China's beauty pageants have a long history and profound historical background. You may want to say that it is not your fault that you are ugly, but it is your fault. Who told you not to pat a few cucumbers and put on a few layers of powder before coming
Li Xiangjun subconsciously glanced at Qin Mu. Qin Mu had a handsome face, was tall and straight, and was very elegant. If he participated in the Ministry of Personnel's recruitment, he should be easily selected.
However, officialdom values background. It is a great fortune for a juren to be appointed as a county magistrate or chief clerk, unless it is a poor and remote area where others are unwilling to go, only then can he be appointed as a county magistrate.
After filling the vacancy, future promotion would be extremely difficult, and most officials who were juren would never be able to get over the seventh rank in their lifetime.
Li Xiangjun brushed her hair lightly. She, who usually answered questions cleverly, didn't know what to say for a moment. For a scholar, giving up the imperial examination was undoubtedly a very difficult decision.
She smiled sweetly and was about to say a few words of comfort when she heard a chaotic noise coming from downstairs. There were tables overturned, girls screaming, swords clashing, and someone yelling: "The East Factory is arresting traitors. Everyone who has nothing to do with it, get out of the way! Otherwise, you will all be charged with treason!"
"Xing'er, go and see what happened?" Li Xiangjun hurriedly instructed the maid who was serving wine.
The little maid was just about to open the door to check when the door was knocked down with a "clang". A sturdy man covered in blood rushed in with a table leg in his hand. Following closely behind him was a group of Dongchang men wearing brown clothes and small belts, each holding a steel knife, and chasing the sturdy man in front step by step.
The sturdy man had disheveled hair, and he fought and retreated at the same time. Every time he swung the table leg in his hand, he was very fierce and domineering. Several Dongchang guards had swords like streaks of silk, and the cold light was entwined around the sturdy man. If he was not careful, the sturdy man might be torn into pieces at any time.
Li Xiangjun was so frightened by this sudden change that her face turned pale. She was at a loss as to what to do. The sturdy man was about to hit her with the table leg. Qin Mu, who was standing next to her, got the courage from nowhere and leaped forward, "Xiangjun!" Bang! The table leg hit him hard on the back of his head, knocking him and Li Xiangjun to the wall.
The two fighting parties in the room didn't care about his life or death at all, and were still fighting for their lives. Li Xiangjun hugged Qin Mu and kept crying, "Master Qin, Master Qin, wake up, wake up..."
It was a pity that Qin Mu had such a beautiful woman in his arms, but he was not lucky enough to enjoy her. Blood was pouring down his head, and he had already lost consciousness.
At this moment, a red light suddenly shot in from the open window. Everyone subconsciously looked out the window and saw a fireball with a long tail in the clear sky, flying to the west as fast as a meteor.
The streets were already in uproar, and many people were looking up. In a flash, the fireball fell fiercely outside the Sanshan Gate in the west of the city like a meteor hitting the moon.
There was a deafening roar, and smoke and dust outside the city rose into the sky, reaching dozens of feet high. The earth was shaking, and Meixiang Tower was shaking slightly, making it difficult for people to stand steadily.
Twenty or thirty houses near the Qinhuai River collapsed with a loud crash. People fled in all directions in the streets. Those carrying loads on their shoulders dropped their loads, and those setting up stalls overturned their stalls, leaving the goods scattered all over the place. Screams and cries combined into a roaring wave that hit people in the face.
This sudden strange phenomenon made the Dongchang guards in the room forget about attacking the strong man. They all looked out the window in astonishment. The strong man took advantage of this opportunity to jump out of the window and fell into the Qinhuai River... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .
When Qin Mu woke up again, he felt a splitting headache, weakness in his limbs, and his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't open them. He heard a crisp voice in his ears.
"Miss, I just heard from Ma Saner that a huge black rock fell outside the Sanshan Gate, creating a large pit ten feet deep and several feet wide. People outside are talking about it. Some say that in the seventh year of Tianqi, a huge rock also fell from the sky in Yanshan, and Emperor Xizong died soon after..."
"Xing'er, stop talking nonsense!" A gentle voice called out hastily, "Xing'er, remember, remember, don't talk nonsense like this in the future, otherwise you will get into trouble."
"Don't worry, young lady. I will only tell you this and won't tell anyone else. I heard that the Minister of War, Mr. Shi, also went out of the city to investigate and ordered the pit to be covered up. He also ordered that the people not to spread rumors, otherwise they would be arrested and prosecuted."
The other woman probably didn't want to talk more about the huge rock falling from the sky, and she let out a long, quiet sigh.
"Miss, what if Master Qin can't wake up? Shouldn't we let his family know first?"
"No, no, Master Qin will be fine. Doctor Li is the best doctor in the city. If he says Master Qin can wake up, then he will definitely wake up..."
"Miss, Doctor Li only said that he might wake up, but he didn't say that he would definitely wake up. Why don't we send Master Qin back home?"
"How can I do this? Young Master Qin was seriously injured in order to save me. Now his life or death is uncertain. How can I just ignore him?"
"What should we do? Ah! Master Qin's fingers moved. He woke up. He woke up!"
Qin Mu was indeed awake, but his eyes were blank when he opened them. Everything in front of him was hard for him to accept. He didn't understand how he woke up here after getting drunk with a few buddies in the bar.
"Mr. Qin, you finally woke up. Thank God, thank God, thank God..."
No matter what Li Xiangjun said, Qin Mu's eyes were still blank and he said nothing. Aunt Li, the owner of Meixianglou, was so anxious that she invited the doctor to diagnose him again. After Qin Mu boiled some medicine and took it, he still didn't talk to anyone. He just muttered to himself from time to time: "Why? How is this possible? Why am I here?"
Qin Mu was in a state of extreme confusion, with his mind in turmoil. He didn't even care that Li Xiangjun left him in the building to take care of him.
It was not until the next day when the servant of the Qin family delivered a letter that Qin Mu's blank eyes were instantly hurt... ... ... ... ... ..
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ps: Dear friends, the new book is officially uploaded! I am willing to walk shoulder to shoulder with you on this new journey. Click, collect, recommend, every bit of your support is my motivation to move forward!
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