Changzhong drank the hot water and did not leave. The woman in the yard had already returned to the house, and only the little girl was sorting the dried papers in the yard.
The man of the house came back and stood outside the fence for a while before coming to his senses. "Excuse me, who are you?"
Changzhong put down the cup and said, "I was on my way to study and passed by here to ask for some hot water. Sorry to bother you."
The man was only 28 years old, but he looked older than his actual age due to years of frustration. He looked like he was 35 or 36. Changzhong's eyes fell on the man's hand.
The man reacted excitedly for a moment, "Are you a juren?"
Changzhong shook his head, "He is just a scholar from a wealthy family who likes to travel around to study."
The man then remembered that he had not introduced himself. "My name is Liu Mingsheng. I am ashamed to say that I have not been able to pass the exam after years of hard work."
Why did Changzhong come to this house? Because Liu Mingsheng in front of him did not wipe out his will. "I just read the article you wrote. The article is well written. How old are you this year?"
The man was stunned for a moment, "Twenty-eight this year."
As he said this, he looked at the written paper in the yard, and pain flashed in his eyes. He didn't understand, because he was sure he would win.
Changzhong said to the servant, "I think Xiaoliu Village has a good environment. You can go and rent a yard there."
The servant glanced at the coachman, then thought that no one here knew the master, so he took the order and left.
Liu Mingsheng asked, "How many days do you want to stay?"
Changzhong nodded, "I see you are also a scholar, can I ask for your advice?"
Liu Mingsheng felt bitter, "This kid isn't even a Tongsheng."
"You are too narrow-minded. Everyone has his or her own way of learning. You should learn from others' strengths to make up for your own deficiencies. Being humble is very important in studying."
Liu Mingsheng greeted him and said, "You are short-sighted, kid."
When Changzhong saw the woman coming out, Liu Mingsheng remembered that he was carrying food in his hand, and said to his wife, "I got twenty copper coins today, and I used them all to buy food."
The woman's eyes were filled with joy, but she frowned again, "There's no paper at home."
Liu Mingsheng said: "If you don't have it, wait until you have enough money to buy more. You and the children can't go hungry."
Changzhong listened to the couple's conversation and had a better impression of Liu Mingsheng. After the woman and the child came in, Changzhong asked, "I see that your handwriting is good. Why don't you go to the bookstore to get it?"
Before he could finish, Liu Mingsheng interrupted and said, "I've been there, so you don't need me."
Even if he only wanted the lowest pay, he would be hired. The only work he could find was helping with the accounting or writing letters.
In the capital, the highlight of the book fair has arrived. Concubine Chen smiled and said, "Everyone knows that I have prepared a prize. Everyone must be curious about what it is."
The women waited quietly, and the concubine did not keep them in suspense, and continued: "To see whose story is better, the prerequisite is that it must be your own."
Zhulan looked at her granddaughters. Was her own granddaughter cheating by participating
After Concubine Chen finished speaking, many people wanted to participate, especially those who wanted to be in the spotlight. Winning first place would not only make them famous, but also catch Concubine Chen's eye.
All the participants were young ladies. Women did not participate but instead hoped that their daughters would win the first prize.
Concubine Chen had already ordered someone to bring the first prize, "This is my dowry headdress. I have never worn it before, so I have refurbished it."
The competition atmosphere became more tense after the prizes were given out.
Yudie didn't want to participate. She didn't want the limelight and would rather watch the game quietly.
Yuyi is not someone who likes to be in the spotlight, and she also suppressed Yujiao and did not allow her to participate.
Yuwen was even more lazy to participate. She looked up at her grandmother with a smile on her lips. She always thought that her grandmother's stories were the most interesting.
Lin Xi couldn't participate either, lest it be said to be unfair, because of her status!
The girls who participated stood up. Linxi paid attention to Miss An. She had great ambitions, but she didn't know if she had the wisdom to match her ambitions.
What can I say about the stories told by the young ladies? Most of them are anecdotes, and none of them are about love. They are all young ladies from official families, and no matter they are engaged or not, they all care about their reputation.
There were some really good ones, one of which was a Miss Jiao who told a story about solving a crime and added some ghost stories. Fortunately it was told during the day, otherwise there would have been a lot of screams if it had been told at night.
Zhulan's eyes lit up when she heard this. This girl is great and she is good at creating an atmosphere.
Concubine Chen also nodded repeatedly after listening. In the end, the result came out and Miss Jiao won the first place.
Lin Xi said to Yu Wen: "This girl is interesting."
Yuwen: "Yeah."
Linxi looked at Miss An who was jealous but trying to hold it back, and sneered in her heart.
Miss Jiao was filled with joy; her story was recognized. Not only did she win the prize, but the concubine also bought her story!
Seeing that the little girl was neither arrogant nor impatient, Zhulan smiled slightly. The little girl caught the eyes of many female relatives.
In Xiaoliujia Village, Changzhong tested Liu Mingsheng with admiration in his eyes. He was very knowledgeable and there was indeed no problem with him. This person who could not make any money was obviously suppressed.
Changzhong asked, "Registration is almost here, do you want to continue taking the exam this year?"
Liu Mingsheng hooked his fingertips and said, "No, my wife needs money for the birth of her baby."
Changzhong smiled and said, "Let me test you with a question."
Liu Mingsheng was inexplicably nervous. "Please speak."
"What do you think of the current imperial examination system?"
Liu Mingsheng was confused. What about the imperial examination? The imperial examination was for selecting talents for the imperial court. It was also an opportunity for poor students to make a breakthrough. Naturally, it was good, but he was resentful because he didn't get it. He was obviously talented.
Changzhong was not in a hurry. He looked quietly at the mountains in the distance, thinking in his mind about the talents recruited by the Ministry of Works in recent years. There was someone in the Ministry of Works who was particularly good at math. His mother said that the one from the Ministry of Works was a genius, but he would definitely fail the imperial examination because his knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics was a mess. His mother smiled and said that his imbalanced performance was too serious.
Even though my father despised the Ministry of Works for being a big money-maker, he never gave less money than it should, and he would often talk about the importance of talent. The emperor was influenced by my father's ideas, so the Ministry of Works selected talents from all over the country.
Changzhong curled the corners of his mouth. In fact, he had changed a lot without realizing it. He was just waiting for the opportunity to change through gradual accumulation.
Liu Mingsheng pursed his lips and asked, "Do you know the county magistrate?"
“I don’t know.”
Liu Mingsheng took a deep breath, "The county magistrate is a scholar who was born into a family and sought an official position. He worked hard for more than ten years and used connections to become the county magistrate today. However, the county magistrate is not concerned about the government affairs of the county. Instead, he likes to invite scholars and scholars to recite poems and write couplets."
Chang Zhong looked deep in his eyes, "How would you handle the county's government affairs if it were you?"
Liu Mingsheng was stunned. "Ah?"
Changzhong smiled and stood up and said, "That's all for today. Go and register for the exam. We met by chance, so don't worry about the money."
Liu Mingsheng's heart was pounding, but he endured it and said, "No, I can't."
"If you'd like to excuse me, please help me copy a set of the Four Books from memory. I'll have the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone delivered to me tomorrow."
"ah?"
Changzhong smiled and said, "Don't rush to give it to me. Take your time to write it and give it to me when I come back from my study tour."
Liu Mingsheng came to his senses and the person in front of him was gone. His intuition told him that he had met a noble person. If he didn't seize this opportunity, there would be no chance for him to turn things around!