The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

Officials during this period were relatively happy. Although the Shuanglong Dynasty put the ministers in a dilemma, under the conflict between the two parties, they used a variety of methods to win over people. Two years ago, the Supreme Emperor came up with the idea of ​​visiting relatives, and later Li Zhi changed the system of rest for civil servants.

The new rules for Seoba Ermu came online amidst the cheers of the ministers. No matter what Li Zhi's purpose was, all the officials in the court did benefit from it.

As the butler stopped the carriage, Chen Hengcai led Xinda and Liu Xianglian out of the carriage, and was ushered into the mansion by his servants. The house that Li Zhi gave to Wei Yinghong was very grand. As soon as he walked in, he could see the greenery behind the screen wall.

Mr. Chen, please come this way.

The servant walked ahead, facing the road, and led the three people through several twists and turns before arriving at the central hall of the home. The fact that the first meeting was held here showed that Wei Yinghong attached great importance to Chen Heng.

Resting at home today, Wei Yinghong wore a Taoist robe that is most popular among middle-aged men. This kind of loose robe and large sleeves is actually in pursuit of the so-called Wei and Jin style. Because of his real elegance, he was deeply loved by scholars.

The sky-blue cloud-toe shoes on her feet are hidden under the hem of her clothes. The blue silk ribbon tied around her waist hangs straight down, and there are two small white jade beads on the tassels at the end. Chen Heng took a few more glances and chuckled in his heart: This silk ribbon is from Qiupu Street.

Wei Yinghong, who was wearing a Dongpo scarf and had grown a beard, was sitting in the upper seat of the nave. He smiled at the young man who came in and said: After you passed the provincial examination and high school, Ruhai often wrote to me, asking me to take good care of you in the capital. He I thought it would be after the New Year, but I definitely didn’t expect that His Majesty would mention the date today.”

Seeing the former Yangzhou magistrate laughing so wildly, Chen Heng also smiled, bowed his hands and said, I have met you, sir.

Hey. Wei Yinghong stood up, grabbed Chen Heng, and guided him to his seat with a smile, I'm also your tutor, why, I don't even want to call you Teacher?

Chen Heng smiled and obeyed, and changed his words: Teacher.

Teachers have elders and younger ones. How much older am I like a sea idiot? Wei Yinghong couldn't help but nod and motioned for the students to take their seats quickly. When he went back, shaking his head, he said proudly, Since you call Ruhai uncle, why not just call me uncle? Bar.

Even though he knew Wei Yinghong was joking, Chen Heng was still a little dumbfounded. I didn’t expect Wei and Lin to have such a deep family relationship, let alone Wei Yinghong’s temperament.

Hahahaha. Seeing Chen Heng stunned, Wei Yinghong laughed happily again. This Jieyuan was selected by him back then. Now that we see each other again, the childish boy he once was has become his own style, and Wei Yinghong can't help but feel proud.

The next two people started talking about the changes in Yangzhou. Listening to the changes in Qiupu Street, Wei Yinghong was also sighing. Yangzhou was an indelible mark in his political career, and he was lucky to have Lin Ruhai as his successor.

After several conversations, it was inevitable that the two people who became connected to Yangzhou and Lin Ruhai felt cordial. The laughter in the central hall spread outside, and was naturally heard by Xinda and Xianglian who were waiting. The latter felt that today's trip was really wonderful.

As soon as they got off the boat, they were invited into the palace. Although she was waiting at the palace gate, the surprise of meeting the driver still affected Liu Xianglian. He never thought that one day he would be able to stand outside the palace gate waiting for someone.

After Chen Heng left the palace gate, they were invited by the Minister of Rites. Both times, although she could only be a companion, Liu Xianglian also witnessed Chen Heng's extraordinary performance. Suddenly he understood why Uncle Xin asked him to go to Yangzhou to meet this young man.

In two years, Liu Xianglian got to know Chen Heng's talent and ability. Today, he suddenly discovered the energy of this scholar.

Especially when he heard that the other party was chatting and laughing with the current Minister of Rites, Liu Xianglian couldn't help but think that if his grandfather from the collateral line came over, he wouldn't be able to get this kind of treatment.

It was Liu Xianglian's fault. Since ancient times, there were differences between civil and military affairs, so it was absolutely impossible for Duke Li Guo to visit the house of the Minister of Rites. The adults in the Yushitai are not just for a living.

The laughter in the nave gradually stopped. Wei Yinghong drank a cup of tea and asked with concern: How do you feel after meeting the Holy Master?

These words seemed to be asking about Chen Heng's mood, but in fact they were also asking about the situation of this interview. Now he was speaking in the middle hall. Chen Heng thought about his words and said: Your Majesty is wise and majestic, and the Prince is generous and kind.

When Chen Heng said this, Wei Yinghong already knew it. Knowing that the meeting was going well, I felt better. He added: Ruhai sent the car you built to the palace before asking for a reward for your family. Originally, Your Majesty also wanted to reward you with a house for you to live in the capital. But I am worried that the emperor's kindness will be too great. It has caused criticism. I declined on your behalf. You won’t blame me, right?

Teacher, thank you for taking care of me. Is Chen Heng such a person who doesn't know how to appreciate others? He still has no merit and no reward. If Li Zhi does things based on his own will, he will be able to push himself to the forefront.

Seeing that Chen Heng understood his hard work, Wei Yinghong also nodded with satisfaction. Lin Ruhai, among other things, was very good at teaching students. I was even more happy when I saw the students sitting upright and their words and deeds were neither humble nor arrogant.

If you don't have a place to live in the capital, you can stay with me first.

Chen Heng shook his head immediately. He remembered that there were two unmarried girls in Shangshu's family. Wei Yinghong said this out of concern. If he really responded, he would cause trouble for the other party.

Thank you, Teacher, for your concern. This is my first time in the capital, and I would like to spend more time in the city. See the local customs and visit various parts of the capital. Traveling back and forth will be inconvenient. It is better to stay in the guild hall temporarily.

Wei Yinghong understood it as soon as he heard it. He immediately smiled and said, Your thoughts are exactly like Ru Hai's.

He immediately stayed with Chen Heng to eat. When the latter left with Xinda and Xianglian, it was already around Youshi.

Yangzhou Guild Hall is located in the west of the city, next to Jinling Guild Hall, and next to Suzhou Guild Hall. These three places are all set up for the use of the people who come to Beijing to take the exam. Speaking of the three of them, there is an interesting thing.

Since the provincial examinations were reformed in Jiangsu and Yangzhou, people in Yangzhou have been thinking about building houses and land for their children. This is the right thing to do. Suzhou people also decided to join hands with Yangzhou people to become harmonious neighbors.

But coincidentally, the Jinling Guild Hall at that time was still called the Jiangnan Guild Hall. The two of them originally wanted to hide away, but when they thought about it, how would they find the children at home if they were far away. That won't work, we have to build a guild hall there.

Nowadays, people in Yangzhou are rich and wealthy. When they were building a monastery, they only thought about the atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. Suzhou was different. He looked at Sanmei's house and felt that it was no match for money, and then looked at the Jiangnan Guild Hall in the middle. Then I came up with a weird idea and named it Jiangnan Association.

This is good, Jin Ling is the eldest brother after all. There is no room for the second brother's mischief. The two parties quarreled and quarreled, and finally sued the emperor. In the end, no one was left behind. Li Zhi issued an order to change the Jiangnan Guild Hall to the Jinling Guild Hall and the Jiangnan General Association to the Suzhou Guild Hall.

After giving up, Suzhou returned with a great victory, and then ordered people to carry out the plaque that had been prepared and hang it high.

Chen Heng took out the road guide in the guild hall and saw that it was Duke Xie Yuangong who was taking the provincial examination. The servants in the museum directly led him to an independent small courtyard. Yes, Yangzhou people prepared a set of independent small courtyards for the Jieyuan of each provincial examination.

Of course, money has to be collected, but compared to the price of the inn, I don’t know how much cheaper it is. People in Yangzhou also hope that their children can be proud of themselves, win the first prize in the examination for their hometown, and gain a strong reputation. Yangzhou's rural examination was restructured, and candidates from other provinces were gossiping about the value of Yangzhou's Jieyuan.

Chen Heng arrived here for the first time and didn't know much about these things. He just wondered why the locals in the guild hall were so friendly and enthusiastic. After he had settled his luggage, he took Xinda and Xianglian to sit in the courtyard.

It is said to be a courtyard, but it is actually a small place surrounded by a fence. It is quiet and elegant. After asking someone to buy wine and food, Chen Heng accompanied the two of them to have a drink, which was considered as catching the wind by himself.

During this period, Liu Xianglian's introduction to the capital was naturally indispensable. He had been playing in the capital since he was a child, and he knew where the food was delicious and where the food was fun.

Chen Heng listened from beginning to end and inevitably asked about one place. I heard that there is a Ningrong Street in the capital. Is there anything interesting there?

Liu Xianglian was not surprised that Chen Heng knew this place. He just frowned and said, What fun can there be on this street? The fun has already been gathered in the courtyard. He raised a glass of wine and took a sip. If you ask me, this place, the stone lion at the door, is quite interesting.

Xinda looked surprised at the side. He had seen the prosperity of the capital today, and asked curiously: Why.

Clean. Liu Xianglian sneered,

Chen Heng shook his head with a smile and gave the two men a glass of wine.

Tonight, Liu Xianglian went home to live. Although there are three rooms in the yard, Liu Xianglian has no reason to stay out of the house. There is no father or mother above, but home is still home, and the memories at home cannot be erased.

After sending Liu Xianglian away, Chen Heng and Xinda were finally able to sleep in separate rooms and spend their first night in the capital.

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The next day, Chen Heng woke up and took Xinda to the street to look for him. Finally, he stopped a rickshaw at the entrance of the neighborhood. He immediately reported the place name of Ningrong Street, and the rickshaw driver took the two brothers straight to their destination.

The road is not long, but Chen Heng has seen the troubles in the capital. The rickshaws stop and go, sometimes they have to make way for the carriages of the fourth-rank officials, and sometimes the families of the third-rank officials want to travel, which is really not as pleasant as walking.

After such a long and troublesome process of getting to the entrance of the archway on Ningrong Street, the driver dropped Chen Heng and the two of them off, collected ten coins and left. The car prices in the capital are much higher than those in Yangzhou.

Chen Heng sighed with emotion, then pulled Xinda excitedly and said, Let's go in and have a look.

Xinda didn't even know what his second brother was so happy about. He only looked in at the entrance of the archway and saw that there was nothing lively in the whole street. He patiently walked around with his second brother, thinking he was just a countryman coming to the city to gain experience.

How could Chen Heng care about his younger brother's thoughts? This was Ningguo Mansion and Rongguo Mansion. Now there is even the Grand View Garden. In a few years, it will become an extinct place. If you don’t see it now, wait until later.

It's amazing to say that the Ning and Rong mansions really occupy an entire street. The walls on both sides are so long that one can't even see the end of it. Chen Heng rushed over excitedly, although he could not see the real things in the courtyard. But just looking at the plaque saying Edict to build Rongguo Mansion makes me excited.

The servants outside Rongguo Mansion gathered in groups in the corridor, and they didn't take it seriously when they saw Chen Heng poking his head. These days, there are always some country people coming to see the world. There is no way, our house is so famous.

On the left and right were peripheral common objects. Chen Heng strolled around, enjoying his archaeological interest, and was about to turn around and leave. At this moment, two figures rode up the street, followed by several boys.

Chen Hengduo took a look and saw that the young man who had stopped his horse was wearing a soaring crown and his face was like a jade. He looked like a porcelain doll. He already had some guesses in his mind.

He and Xinda stood at the corner, but Jia Baoyu, who was dismounting, did not see him. In August of this year, Jia Zheng received his errand and was sent out to serve as academic administrator. Without someone to control him at home, Jia Baoyu became happier day by day.

Yesterday I recited poems and painted, and today I went out to the city to ride horses and relax. After having enough fun, Jia Baoyu walked up the steps and asked the servants, Is there any letter from Yangzhou?

The servant immediately shook his head and said, Second Master Hui Bao, I haven't received it yet.

Why hasn't it arrived yet? Jia Baoyu feels sad. Why hasn’t Sister Lin sent a letter yet? He wrote the letter in early September and entrusted it to Sister Tanchun and sent it in an envelope. By today, Sister Lin should have received it.

Xue Pan had been playing with Baoyu these days. When he saw this, he said, Maybe I was delayed on the road. My sister said she was going to make snowflake cake today. Why don't you come with me to try it.

Hey. Jia Baoyu sighed, feeling that someone was always watching him behind him. When he subconsciously turned around, he saw two figures walking away side by side on the street in the distance.

The entire street belonged to their family. Except for the vendors who came with burdens, Jia Baoyu had never seen many strangers. Maybe it was a blessing in his soul, maybe it was a coincidence of fate. He turned around and chased him a few steps away. He asked the departing person, Are you two here under someone's trust?

Chen Heng stopped slightly, turned sideways, and politely said to Jia Baoyu who was asking, Passing by, passing by.

When I saw him, he was dressed like a scholar, and he was wearing the clothes reserved for a scholar. Jia Baoyu unconsciously felt a sense of disappointment and boredom. Seeing this, Xue Pan waved his hands and said: Go quickly, go quickly.

Xinda was immediately angry. What did you mean? It's you who say no to visitors, and it's you who wave people away? Today's Xinda is no longer Wu Xia Amen. He has been involved in Qiupu Street for a long time, and has even been to the palace gate and entered the minister's house. He is one of the most powerful places in the world.

My brother was treated with courtesy in both places. What kind of status do you have that you dare to call him here and there?

Seeing someone being rude to his second brother, Xinda said: You are so rude, you stop and chase me away. Do you really think you are the current saint?

This level of criticism already has its own bit of authenticity. Chen Heng looked at Xinda half-surprised and half-smiling. He didn't expect his younger brother to learn this skill so quickly.

No matter how stupid Xue Pan is, he still knows that this is not a good thing to say. Since it’s not easy to pick up, then I won’t pick up the call. Xue Pan was used to being domineering, and seeing that the Chen brothers were just walking on foot, he felt contemptuous. He glanced under the door, pointed at Xinda and said, Catch him.

He was so confident that he didn't even mention a lesson. He also felt that Chen Heng, dressed as a scholar, had nothing to be taboo about.

Chen Heng raised his eyebrows. He was wearing Juren clothes when he went out today. The National Examination is about to take place, and all the people in the world are going to Beijing together. Does this fat boy really think clearly about the consequences of touching a person?

He raised his hand, pulled Xinda behind him, and said to the figure running in the distance: Throwing a flying knife, what are you doing standing still?

Throwing knives or flying knives? Liu Xianglian laughed as she ran, kicked up a stone from the road, scooped it up and threw it with her left hand, and rushed towards Chen Heng's servants. Someone immediately hit the ground, covering their faces and screaming. .

Seeing this strange thing, the other servants also slowly stopped, with surprise on their faces. When Liu Xianglian got the chance, she took three steps and two steps at a time, rushed to stand in front of Chen Heng, looked around solemnly, and said sternly: Which of you dares to touch him?

It's not that enemies don't get together. Xue Pan looked at the handsome young man and immediately asked, Who are you?

Liu Xianglian narrowed her eyes, knowing that a name still matters in the capital, so she said: Liu Xianglian, the Duke of Liguo.

Xue Pan was speechless for a moment. His surname was not Jia. He knew that the other party was also from the Duke's palace. He knew that he could not afford to offend him, so he looked at Jia Baoyu.

Only then did Baoyu realize. Knowing that the two parents had a friendship and were both among the four princes, he said: It's all a misunderstanding. Brother Xue just wanted to invite them into the house for a chat.

Liu Xianglian glanced at the screaming servant on the ground and snorted coldly: My brother is not free. I'm sorry for not accompanying you. He came to find Chen Heng on behalf of Xin Geng. Today Liu Xianglian went to Xin Mansion early to ask Uncle Xin When he learned that Chen Heng had arrived in Beijing, he also held a banquet at home to entertain his son's friends.

He looked back again and saw that Chen Heng was fully dressed when he went out today. Angry in his heart, he immediately turned around and pointed at Xue Pan and cursed: You blind bastard, are you the one who can touch the new imperial examination candidates if you want?

Xue Pan had never looked down upon someone like this before, and he felt angry in his heart. Their four major families are connected by the same spirit. Let alone a move, even if a Jinshi comes to visit, he still has to see how his family is feeling today. Just as he was about to open his mouth to fight back, Baoyu stopped him again.

This is the capital, so it’s different after all. Baoyu was afraid that Xue Pan would cause trouble, so he smoothed things over and said, It's because of the flood that washed away the Dragon King Temple. Baoyu looked at Liu Xianglian's figure and said, Brother Liu, I only spent time with my family last month. I’m going to your house as a guest to wish you a happy birthday.”

Huh. Liu Xianglian didn't know about this. She looked at Jia Baoyu's clothes and appearance and knew that the person who made the noise should be named Jia. It's okay for him to scold others, but if he really catches someone named Jia and scolds him, he'll be in trouble when he goes back.

Even if it's a misunderstanding, let's leave it at that. Chen Heng also said. He knew that there would be no explanation if this matter continued. He only glanced at Xue Pan, remembered it in his heart, and said to Liu Xianglian: Let's go, I came out in a hurry and haven't eaten yet.

Seeing that they were about to leave, Jia Baoyu thought for a moment and said, I don't know my brother's surname. Next time he has a flaw, Brother Xue and I will hold a banquet to apologize.

There's no need to apologize. Chen Heng stopped and turned around, smiling and cupping his hands, Yangzhou Chen Heng.

Unexpectedly, Jia Baoyu was a scholar from Yangzhou. Jia Baoyu was very surprised and returned his hand, Jia Baoyu of Rongguo Mansion.

I have long admired your name. Chen Heng smiled and said, Nice to meet you.

After saying the last words, he took Xinda and Xianglian and walked away.

When they were no longer in sight, Xue Pan said to the thoughtful Baoyu, It's really unlucky to meet such a fool. He didn't know who he was scolding, but when he saw Baoyu's expression was different, Baoyu Second brother, what are you thinking about?

I always feel like I've heard this name somewhere before. Jia Baoyu stepped through the door in a daze and walked halfway down the corridor of his home before suddenly exclaiming: I remembered, isn't he the brother that Sister Lin said?!

Xue Pan had never heard of this person, and seeing Baoyu's startled look, he was a little confused.

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After returning to the library in the evening, Xinda was still angry about what happened during the day. Not only because of Xue Pan's impoliteness, but also because of their arrogance. Chen Heng saw his reaction in his eyes and smiled while flipping through the book: Relax your mind, there will still be a long time to come.

Oh. Xinda nodded and blamed himself, If Liu Erlang hadn't arrived in time, I would have almost humiliated my brother.

The capital is not our Yangzhou after all. Chen Heng laughed. The reason for this was that he wanted to wander around Ningrong Street. How could he blame Xinda? Sleep peacefully.

Okay. Xinda also understood this truth and just kept this matter in his heart.

Three more days passed, waiting for Chen Heng to get over the fatigue of the journey. Zhan Shi from Prince Jin's Palace finally sent an invitation on behalf of the Crown Prince, asking Chen Heng to come to the palace to speak.

Ahhhh, I didn’t get a good rest yesterday, and my head started to hurt in the middle of typing today. Go have dinner and catch up on your sleep.