When he came out of the room again, Zhu Ping'an had taken off his long robe and changed into a round-necked shirt. He walked into the yard, waiting for Master Sun's next move.
"In the right year, in the order of the month, all are blessed, brothers are present, to complete their virtue, Huang Hu has no boundaries, and receives the blessing of heaven."
Master Sun recited another passage of poetry, then took off the hat on Zhu Ping'an's head, replaced it with a square scarf for him, and then signaled Zhu Ping'an to pour wine for Liu Chuanwen, Zhang Fangweng and others.
In ancient times, pouring wine was very particular. Zhu Ping'an walked to the table of Liu Chuanwen and others, bowed, and then started pouring wine from Liu Chuanwen, the oldest person. He stood on his right side, holding the wine pot in his right hand and the wine glass in his left hand. After pouring a glass, he raised the wine pot slightly and gently turned it backwards to prevent the wine from spilling onto the table or the guests.
While pouring the wine, Zhu Ping'an also smiled innocently and said words of thanks, almost something like thank you for coming to watch the ceremony.
After pouring the wine, Liu Chuanwen picked up the wine glass and walked out of his seat. He came to Zhu Ping'an, looked at him with satisfaction and nodded. Then he faced north and said, "The wine is clear. I recommend you, my son. I bow and accept the sacrifice. I hope you will be blessed and live a long life."
Zhu Ping'an bowed deeply, then stood up and took the wine glass handed to him by Liu Chuanwen with both hands, thanked him, took a sip, and put the glass on the table on the other side.
Afterwards, other people also arrived one by one, holding wine glasses and making toasts. Zhu Ping'an bowed to them one by one and repeated the previous steps.
As soon as these procedures were completed, the serious atmosphere in the courtyard disappeared completely, and Zhang Fangweng and others started joking with Master Sun.
"Haha, Brother Sun, we are really envious of you for having such a great disciple." Liu Chuanwen stroked his long beard and said with a smile.
"That's right, Brother Sun is really dishonest. Before the Tongsheng exam, Brother Sun was still hiding something, saying that he was just trying to make up the numbers and gain experience. But what happened is that he passed all the way from the county exam, prefectural exam to the imperial exam, as if he was in an empty space, and won the first place in Anqing Prefecture in front of all the Tongshengs. You are really shrewd..."
"Everyone who sees it will have a share, and all good disciples will share it..."
The jokes of several people made Master Sun feel very happy. He smiled from ear to ear and kept shaking his hands, saying, "Brother, you are joking. How could I hide it? I did want Ping An to gain some experience at the beginning, but the result was beyond my expectation."
"Brother Sun is unkind, so he should be punished with a glass of wine." Liu Chuanwen shook his head in disbelief.
Old Master Sun smiled bitterly, not knowing how to explain. He had explained it more than once in the past few days, but no one believed him, so Old Master Sun had no choice but to take the wine glass and drink it all.
"Brother Sun, have you thought of a courtesy name for Ping'anlang?" Zhang Fangweng asked after he saw Master Sun drinking.
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Chuanwen laughed. "Brother Zhang, you really ask too much. If you haven't decided on a courtesy name, how can Brother Sun invite you and me to watch the ceremony?"
"Oh, that's right. Haha, it's the second time I see Ping An Lang as such a rough gem. I feel a little overshadowed for a moment, haha." Zhang Fangweng smiled and shook his head. He looked at Master Sun with some envy and said, "If the courtesy name is not good, we will not stand idly by."
Master Sun stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.
Under the urging of Liu Chuanwen and others, Master Sun announced Zhu Ping'an's courtesy name.
"The rituals are ready, let's choose an auspicious day in the month. I will announce your name, which is Kong Jia. You are suitable for a young man. You will be protected by Gu. May you be forever." Master Sun waved his hand and called Zhu Ping'an to his side, and advised him according to the procedure of the coming-of-age ceremony.
Master Sun's words are basically this. The ceremony of crowning has been completed. On this auspicious day of a good month, announce your courtesy name. The courtesy name is very beautiful and is suitable for a handsome man. The most important thing in choosing a courtesy name is to be suitable, and you will keep it forever.
It sounds like what the godfather said when getting married in a foreign church, xxx, are you willing to marry this beautiful girl next to you as your wife, love her, comfort her, respect her, and protect her, just like you love yourself. In the days to come, whether she is poor or rich, sick or healthy, always be loyal to her...
"Although Ping'an is not smart, I dare not fail to come here day and night." Zhu Ping'an said respectfully.
Master Sun nodded in satisfaction, and then continued, "Although you are young, you are down-to-earth and steady, simple and honest, smart but not cunning. I give you the name 'Hou', and I hope you can maintain your original nature."
After a short pause, Master Sun continued, "However, don't forget to make progress even if you are 'thick'. Confucius said: those who excel in learning will become officials. In Zhou Li, there are five ranks of nobility: 'Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron'. 'Ban' is the last one and is not a good choice for a courtesy name. The first one, 'Duke', is too aggressive, so 'Zi' will be your courtesy name. Don't forget to make progress. Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty had long characters, Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty had a courtesy name of Zimei, and Su Shi of the Song Dynasty had a courtesy name of Zizhan. They are all your role models. You should learn from the virtuous and strive to be like them."
"Therefore, I grant you the courtesy name 'Zihou'. I hope you will not let it down." Old Master Sun looked serious and earnest, and his eyes showed high hopes for Zhu Ping'an.
Zihou
Zhu Zihou
This will be the name I usually use from now on. Zhu Ping'an bowed deeply to thank his teacher for giving him the courtesy name.
In ancient times, when choosing a courtesy name, in addition to being practical, one also had to pay attention to taboos. Of course, the two characters that Master Sun chose, "Zi Hou", did not violate any taboos.
The taboo system of the Ming Dynasty was very strange. Sometimes it was inexplicably strict, and sometimes it was so loose that it was unbelievable. Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, whose courtesy name was Guorui, was the only emperor in the Ming Dynasty to have a courtesy name. The two characters in his courtesy name were taboos for the people. The taboos for the emperors who followed him were only the last character of their names. The second generation, Yunwen, avoided the taboo of Wen; the third generation, Di, avoided the taboo of Di; the fourth generation, Gaochi, avoided the taboo of Chi; the fifth generation, Zhanji, avoided the taboo of Ji; ... the tenth generation, Houzhao, avoided the taboo of Zhao; the current eleventh emperor, Ming Shizong Zhu Houcong, avoided the taboo of Cong. Therefore, the courtesy name "Zihou" given to Zhu Ping'an by Master Sun did not violate the taboo.
"Zihou, good calligraphy. Brother Sun really has high hopes for your disciple." Liu Chuanwen stroked his beard and said to Master Sun with emotion, then turned to ask Zhang Fangweng, "Brother Zhang, what do you think of this calligraphy?"
"Great." Zhang Fangweng tapped the table lightly with his hand and praised it highly.
"Zihou, you should keep up the good work. Don't let temporary success blind you and don't let your master down." Another person advised Zhu Ping'an.
"Zihou should continue to work hard and live up to the expectations of his mentor." Zhu Ping'an bowed.
At some point, the master's wife had already prepared the meal and came out of the room to call everyone in to eat. Zhu Ping'an waited until Master Sun and his friends entered the room before entering the room and sitting at the bottom.
Looking at the table full of food, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but feel grateful to Master Sun and his wife.
I will definitely win the first prize in this special exam and live up to the expectations of my teacher and his wife. (To be continued.)