Be a master through ancient times

The carriage went round and round, and it was already afternoon when we got home.

Fortunately, there were pastries and water prepared by Butler Xu in the car, otherwise it would be difficult to buy things all the way today.

Because of the national mourning, all the roadside stalls have been closed.At this time, everyone would rather earn less money than be found out later and put in jail.

When passing by the village, Chu Xiaoyuan couldn't sit still when he heard the shouts of his friends.He looked at Chu Ci expectantly, and Chu Ci didn't disappoint him, he just took him out of the car and asked him to go play with his friends.

Only Shen Xiuniang and Chu's mother were at home, and Brother Chu went to the fields again after lunch.This year, the family has added two acres of paddy fields and a piece of dry land. In the spring of March, it is time to plow the fields, so how can Brother Chu sit still?

When Chu's mother saw Chu Ci come back, she immediately went to the kitchen and cooked some glutinous rice flour balls for him to eat, with sugar in them, which tasted sweet and glutinous.

In fact, Chu's mother wanted to boil eggs. The relatives of her daughter-in-law's natal family came to visit her a few days ago, and they all brought a lot of eggs.But she also heard that meat and fish are not allowed to be eaten during the national mourning period, and they are better off as ordinary people, if they hide at home and eat a little and don't yell around, then no one can do anything to them.

But scholars are different, no matter what they do, others will stare at them, just in case, if it is found out that they ate eggs during the Chu Ci national funeral, they will be punished at least, and at worst they will lose their fame.

For the future of their sons, Chu's mother and Shen Xiuniang made up their minds the moment they saw Chu Ci, and when the two of them were at home, there should be no meaty smell anywhere on the table.

"Grandma, mother! I'm back!"

Chu Ci hadn't finished eating a bowl of Yuanzi when Chu Xiaoyuan's voice came from outside.

"Why did you come back? But did you argue with Xiaohu and the others?" Shen Xiuniang didn't see her son for half a month, and she was thinking about it. She heard Chu Ci say that Chu Xiaoyuan went to play, and she felt a little regretful. Seeing him come back now I'm worried that he won't get along well with his partners. It's really "poor parents in the world".

"No." Chu Xiaoyuan leaned into Shen Xiuniang's arms, carefully avoiding her protruding belly. "It suddenly occurred to me that Mr. taught us that as sons of man, we must 'tell us what we say, and we must face what we say', and we should not let our parents and relatives worry about where we are going."

"Uncle tells grandma every time he goes out, and never stays anywhere else every time he goes home. Compared with uncle, I'm so ignorant." Chu Xiaoyuan lowered his head and looked a little ashamed.

A child who was only eight years old stood in front of everyone and said that he was ignorant, and the hearts of the adults present were melted.

Tears welled up in Shen Xiuniang's eyes. Her son understood these truths after only ten days of reading. What is there to be dissatisfied with as a mother?

She looked gratefully at Chu Ci who was working hard. If it wasn't for her uncle, her son would not have had the opportunity to study in the county school.

Chu Ci didn't see it, but Chu's mother did. She patted Shen Xiuniang's hand, and said, "We are a family, so please don't be a layman."

"Yes." Shen Xiuniang put back her tears, smiled and nodded.

Chu Xiaoyuan's dumplings were also served, but he didn't eat them, instead he looked left and right as if he was looking for something.

"Where's Daddy? Has Daddy eaten?"

Chu's mother and Shen Xiuniang gave another burst of comfort. The child is so filial, why are the elders unhappy?In addition, Shen Xiuniang was still a little bit lost. The child had grown up where she couldn't see it. That kind of pride mixed with loss made her feel full and sour.

"Let's go, there's still room in the kitchen. Let's pretend to have some and send them to your father to eat together on the ridge." After Chu Ci finished eating, he wiped his mouth with water, and then dried it with a cloth towel.

Chu Ci carried an earthen jar, while Chu Xiaoyuan walked towards the field with two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks.

At this time, there were still many farmers busy in the fields on both sides. When they saw the uncles and nephews of the Chu family, they all greeted loudly. Some peasant women even joked with Chu Xiaoyuan, saying that he would have a great future, which made him ashamed flushed.

The paddy fields of the Chu family were in the area next to the mountain. When Chu Ci and the others arrived, Big Brother Chu was turning over the fields vigorously with a hoe in his hand.This field has already been turned over more than half, and every road is extremely deep, it can be seen that Brother Chu tends the field very carefully.

But Chu Ci felt sore. The family still had some money left, but his elder brother was not willing to buy even a cow, so he took a hoe and dug through the two acres of paddy fields.

"elder brother!"

"Daddy!"

The two yelled at the same time, and Chu Guang, who was buried in his work, suddenly heard it and couldn't believe it.He stopped and looked up, and sure enough, he saw Xiaoer and his son standing on the edge of the field.

"Why are you back now? Oh, by the way, it's the national mourning holiday, right?" Chu Guang said as he came up from the field. He wanted to give Chu Xiaoyuan a hug, but he didn't look like he used to. He was dressed in clean clothes. Comparing the boy's shirt with his muddy brown shorts, he felt ashamed, and unconsciously withdrew his outstretched hand.

The child may not have noticed it, but Chu Ci saw it clearly, that is, from this moment on, he has become more determined to make progress.What's the use of being alone?If you can't repay your family, this book can be regarded as a waste of time.

Chu Xiaoyuan had no scruples. Seeing that his father didn't hug him, he threw himself on Chu Guang and shouted: "Daddy, I miss you so much! I even brought you a round ball from home, sweet It's delicious!"

The smile on Chu Guang's face couldn't be stopped, he picked up Chu Xiaoyuan upside down, put him on the ground, and went to the ditch next to him to wash off the mud on his hands.

"Brother, in this county examination, two of my friends passed the exam. His family thanked me for my careful teaching, so they gave our family some things."

"It's food again? It's a pity that we have to wait more than ten days before we can eat it for the national funeral. To tell you the truth, recently, my mother is making up for your sister-in-law. Sometimes she can't eat it all, so I give it all to me, and I eat it up." It's stronger." Chu Guang chuckled and lowered his head to take a big mouthful of the dumplings, but he didn't really like this kind of sweet and greasy food, and he didn't like to chew.

"It's not food, it's a two-entry courtyard in the county and a dozen acres of paddy fields near Changxi Village." Chu Ci dropped a depth charge, which left Chu Guang speechless for a long time.

"Why, how could there be so many? Xiaoer, tell me the truth, are you lying to me? God, I must be dreaming! In fact, Xiaoer and Xiaoyuan never came back." Chu Guang muttered Muttering, he put down the bowl and patted himself on the head.

"Brother!" Chu Ci laughed, "You're not dreaming. The land deed and house deed are all on my body. If you don't believe me, take a look."

Chu Guang could also read a few characters. He first read the house deed, and then took a closer look at it with the land deed. It said thirteen mu of land connected to the east end of Changxi Village.

That large piece of land is the most fertile, the surrounding terrain is flat, and there is a river not far away, so there is no need to worry about how to irrigate in summer.The peasants would always go to the field to have a look when they had nothing to do on weekdays, imagining how it would be cultivated if it was their own land.Never thought that this fantasy would come true one day.

Chu Ci looked at Chu Guang holding the land deed and smiled, and couldn't help feeling in his heart, it seems that the houses in the county town are not as attractive as the land in the countryside.

After laughing, Chu Guang said: "I remember that this land belongs to Huang Landlord's family, right? Two years ago I went to work on his land for a few days, how did it become ours? After we planted that land , no one will come to make trouble, right?"

"Brother, don't worry. Since the Fang family can give me the land deed, it means that they have already settled the matter. You can rest assured that no one will make trouble. My name is on the land deed. Wait for a while." Go to the village chief to make a note, and you have passed the right path.”

"Okay, I'll clean up now, and we'll go right away." Chu Guang didn't care whose name it was, as long as Xiaoer let him grow food, he would be happy.

……

The village chief was surprised when he saw the title deeds of the ten acres of land. It seems that the Chu family is really going to sell it!Including the three acres of land his family bought before, there are sixteen acres of land now!You must know that before his family sold the land, it was only six or seven acres.

When Chu Xiucai was brought back before, everyone in the village said that the Chu family was doomed this time. They spent so much money in vain to provide a scholar, and ended up ruining their fortune. Honestly farm the land.

Now if someone wants to say it, the village head will spit on him. Who can grow more than ten acres of land in half a year?His old lady complained before that he sent all the children in the family to private schools, and there was no one to work at home. Now she should really let her see if studying is good or not!

……

On the second day after returning home, Chu Ci slept until dawn.This feeling of waking up naturally was so good that Chu Ci was smiling when he woke up in the morning.

The rules of the imperial examination class dormitories are not as strict as those in the Mengtong Hall, but diligent students often have "three shifts and five shifts", as if whoever gets up earlier is more likely to win the exam.

Like Chu Ci, he insisted on sleeping until the sky turned white, and he also received several times hateful eyes, and even some people said in front of him that he couldn't rely on his good grades to let himself fall. go down.

Chu Ci said that he was speechless. These people were like national treasures one by one, and they didn't understand what a combination of work and rest was.In the future, when brother walks out of the examination room in a heroic manner, you will regret it.

After breakfast, Chu Ci locked himself in the room, ready to start studying.Before studying hard, of course you have to know which direction you want to work hard.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "gold Juren, silver Jinshi", which shows that the gold content of Juren is more than that of Jinshi.The rural examination can be said to be the most difficult examination in the imperial examination career.

It is no better than the county test, and there will be no more question types such as the nine chapters of Moyi, and they are basically small essays and test post poems.

The township examination is not the same as the three county examinations. Meng Taizu gave grace to reduce red tape and strive for simplicity.It follows the imperial examination system since ancient times and is divided into three sessions, each of which takes three days.

Thinking of those three days of eating, drinking, and sleeping in a small room, Chu Ci's face turned pale, and he almost felt sick.

It seems that those imitation numbered rooms in the backyard of the Zhang family will still come in handy, it is really impossible to lock yourself in and get used to it in advance.

Of course, the environment is not the most difficult. The saddest thing is not to mention the weirdness of the questions, but also to try to figure out the examiner's preferences.

If he likes to write in a clean and beautiful style, then it won't work if you are too simple.If he is a pragmatic person, and you talk too much, even if the article is written like a flower, it is useless.

Some people will be aggrieved by this, thinking that they are "charming up with literature".But this kind of behavior is spurned by everyone, as long as you still want to stand out, and you are not the kind of famous person, you should try to figure it out honestly.

There are only a few books to be read in the county examination, and no matter how biased the topic is, it still cannot be separated from the books.Therefore, among the people who are obsessed with studying, there are not a few middle-level scholars.

Juren is different.In addition to the compulsory reading of the Four Books and Five Classics, one must also thoroughly read history books and various classics, not only Qin Wen, Han Fu, but also Tang Poetry and Song Ci, which can be said to be extensive.If you don’t read many books, if you write a point of view that is different from that of a well-known Confucian, you will be in danger.

Of course, just reading books is useless.Because the first test is the Four Books and Five Classics, and the second test is the official document judgment.

Zhongju is for becoming an official, so an official must write an official document and play it?Can't we not judge the case?Maybe you have to help the emperor draft an imperial decree, these are the duties of officials!At this time, if you do not have a rich reserve of knowledge and strong logical thinking, then you have no chance.

In the third session, policy questions and poems and prose, the policy questions also covered a lot of parts. In a simple summary, it is probably equivalent to a comprehensive essay.From economic governance to stability of the country, from disaster relief to enriching the country and strengthening the people, there are a lot of topics. If you can’t give a satisfactory answer, then I’m sorry, please come early next time.

No wonder Fan Jin was so happy when he learned that Zhongju was about to go crazy!No wonder the original owner couldn't let go of the depression after losing the ranking!After suffering so much, the result is quite unsatisfactory. Who can bear it?

Chu Ci slammed his head on the table, suddenly feeling so humble.The imperial examination is too difficult!

Before I didn't think about it, I thought it was okay, but the more I thought about it, the more panic I felt.What if Kaienke misses this time?What if I miss the next time?What if I am a scholar in this life?Those gray-haired talents lined up in front of him one by one, and he was afraid that he would become like this too.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Chu Xiaoyuan heard a "boom" inside, and immediately opened the door to look.

This sound pulled Chu Ci back from his impending collapse, and he suddenly found that there seemed to be something wrong with his mentality.

Since it was only five months since yesterday, he fell into an inexplicable anxiety.This emotion hides so deep that it is not easily detected.

Fortunately, it was discovered so quickly. If it was allowed to lurk, it would be over when it erupted.

Chu Ci broke out in a cold sweat, he smiled at Chu Xiaoyuan, and said, "Uncle is fine, I'm going to the back mountain to see the bamboo, do you want to go together?"