I studied in modern times

Chapter 1001 The Heart of Xihe People in Educational Development
Before we knew it, it was the Gengshen day of the third month.

The three-day provincial examination concluded that evening.

When thousands of scholars received their clothes and books from Kaibao Temple, wearing the tribute robes bestowed by the imperial court and carrying the books issued by the court, they walked down the mountain gate.

Most scholars had a dazed look in their eyes.

Just like modern students who, after an exam, like to ask their classmates how they did and how they answered that question.
The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty during the Middle Ages were also just average.

After leaving the examination hall, the scholars from various regions called upon their friends and gathered at the various inns and restaurants set up in the capital by their respective prefectures and circuits.

Those with official connections went to the State Council Office.

Those with even stronger connections were naturally going to the home of their uncles who held official positions in the capital.

Then, they gathered together and began discussing the questions for the provincial exam.

Bao Cheng was just average.

He first sent someone to the residence of Grand Tutor Wen Yanbo, presenting a visiting card in the name of his grand-nephew (his grandfather Bao Shun was Bao Zheng's cousin, and Bao Zheng and Wen Yanbo were family friends). He explained that he had not visited before to avoid suspicion, but now that the provincial examination was over, he had come to acknowledge the Grand Tutor's presence and said that he would personally visit the Grand Tutor after the results were announced to ask for his guidance.

He then invited several scholars he had met at the examination hall to his temporary residence in Xihe to discuss the topics and exchange ideas.

Of course, these are all excuses.

Bao Cheng knew before he went to the capital that he was unlikely to pass the imperial examination.

His purpose in coming to the capital this time was not to gain fame and fortune in the imperial examination.

Rather, it was the scholars from all over who had gathered in Bianjing for this imperial examination that were those tribute students who had long failed to pass the examination and whose future was bleak.

The goal was to use money to lure these people to Xihe.

There's no way around it; the demand for education is growing in the various prefectures of Xihe.

Unfortunately, the Xihe route has been in a state of war since its establishment.

Eight years before the Yuanfeng era, there were no county schools, let alone prefectural schools!

In the midst of war, the vast Xihe River could not even accommodate a quiet table for reading.

The people of Xihe, including the powerful clans, had no interest in studying.

Even Bao Cheng, the direct grandson of the Bao family, had only just begun his education, able to read and write, and knew some basic common sense.

But it’s different now!
As cotton mills spread throughout Xihe, the wealth brought by cotton made the wealthy families and officials of Xihe the first to become rich.

The wealthy families and officials of Xihe, having become rich, naturally yearned for further political advancement.

The Song Dynasty was a dynasty ruled by civil officials.

Naturally, the powerful families and officials of Xihe also knew that if they wanted to advance further, they needed someone in the imperial court.

In the capital, there must be a regent or even a prime minister who comes from Xihe!

Naturally, education must be involved.

But when the people of Xihe got up and looked around, their hearts sank.

Apart from Xizhou, the prefect, You Shixiong, was a highly accomplished disciple of Hengqu.

Thanks to his efforts in advocating and lobbying, the Xizhou State School invited more than a dozen scholars who had passed the imperial examinations or were tribute students from Hengqu's school to serve as professors and instructors.

This led to the improvement of the state school in Xizhou.

In the other states, it was all a story of bitter tears.

For example, the Huizhou State School was built last year.

But the entire state college only has three professors.

Only one of them was a permanent professor, while the other two were concurrently held by the prefect and the vice-prefect.

Hezhou is in an even worse situation!

Because Prefect Zhong Pu was a military officer, he might be able to lead troops into battle, but he was not very good at having people recite the classics of sages in the prefectural school.

If the state schools are like this, the county schools are even worse.

Even in Xizhou, which had the best education, the county schools in the surrounding counties were already built.

However, the positions of instructors at the county school were all vacant, so the county magistrate and county lieutenant had to take on the roles concurrently.

However, the county magistrate and county lieutenant have a lot of things to do, so where would they find the time?

State schools and county schools are actually not the most critical issues.

The most critical issue is that there is a severe shortage of qualified tutors in the entire Xihe Road area.

For example, in Xizhou, there were only about ten tutors in the entire prefecture.

Seven of them were hired by the Bao and Zhao families from Qinzhou at great expense.

A tutor is unlike anything else.

The requirements are very high.

Because a primary teacher must first be able to speak and teach the correct rhymes.

You can't start speaking with a mouth full of dialect.

Otherwise, even if his students passed the imperial examinations in the future, they would not go far—after You Shixiong and Bao Shou arrived in Xizhou, they spread many stories about the officialdom of the Song Dynasty.

They all told the story of an official from Guangnan East Road who, at the beginning of the dynasty, was fortunate enough to be appreciated by Emperor Taizong for his talent and was summoned to the capital for questioning. However, because his accent was too heavy, they could not communicate, and in the end, Emperor Taizong could only send him back to continue as a minor official.

After learning this story, the powerful families of Xihe made up their minds to hire qualified tutors to teach their children their first lessons.

Such people are extremely scarce throughout the border region.

When one does appear, it's always a treasure from somewhere.

Fortunately, the talent that is so scarce along the border is plentiful in Bianjing!
Especially during the imperial examinations, scholars from all over the country gathered in Bianjing.

After all, the tribute students from all over the country were all talented people who had studied rhyme books diligently and could speak fluent and standard rhymes.

Such a person is the best candidate for a primary teacher.

However, most people would probably not be willing to go to Xihe.

Only those impoverished and destitute tribute students who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations but were not yet old enough to be specially appointed as Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) would be likely to accept Xihe's invitation.

Therefore, when Bao Cheng was in the examination hall, besides taking the exams, he focused on keeping an eye on such people.

Through his deliberate efforts, he met more than a dozen scholars who had taken the imperial examinations three times, came from humble backgrounds, and lived alone.

So Bao Cheng invited them to meet at his temporary residence, Xihe Inn, after the provincial examination.

These people had already run out of money and didn't know where to stay. Now that they had been invited by a noble young man like Bao Cheng, they were naturally happy to get a free meal and agreed.

After the provincial examination, I left the examination hall and followed Bao Cheng to Xihe Inn.

Bao Chengzi was not a stingy person.

They had already sent people to prepare a large room on the top floor of the inn, with wine and dishes ready.

He wasn't the only one like that.

Other scholars from Xihe who came to the capital for the imperial examinations did the same.

In no time, the Xihedi restaurant was packed to capacity, with every seat filled from the lobby to the private rooms and suites upstairs.

Hundreds of scholars gathered with the scholars from Xihe, and in the midst of toasting and exchanging courtesy names and discussing their ages, they began to address each other as brothers.

It must be said that the scholars of Xihe, in terms of their writing, poetry, and flattery, are probably not as good as those of scholars from other regions.

But when it comes to handling interpersonal relationships, they are all exceptionally talented!
After all, at home, besides studying, their main job is managing people.

A cotton mill is a small society.

In addition to the laborers of various ethnic groups at the bottom, there were also Han Chinese overseers and agricultural officials.

To manage a cotton farm well, one must ensure that everything inside and outside the cotton fields is in order.

Not only do you need to know how to be a good person, but you also need to know how to make promises, how to win people's hearts, and you need to be patient and able to endure hardship.

Coincidentally, the current owners of Xihe Cotton Estates are all first-generation cotton estate owners. Almost all of them were established from scratch by their fathers and grandfathers, who led the tribe's serfs through hardship and struggle.

Therefore, most people were involved not only in the daily management of the cotton plantation.

They also participated in a large number of tasks, such as land reclamation, canal construction, waterwheel building, and farm tool making.

In addition, they were also military nobles in the tribe/officers in the state and county.

During the war in the first year of the Yuan You era, people including Bao Cheng donned armor and took up bows, followed their fathers and grandfathers into battle, and even personally led their troops into battle.

Compared to the sons of officials in Xihe who had been to the battlefield, managed cotton mills, reclaimed wasteland, dug canals, and built waterwheels.

The scholars they invited were, apart from being more learned than them,

Most people are completely outmatched in almost every other aspect.

Of course, there are exceptions.

After all, among the scholars who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, there were often those who were simply "unlucky," but in reality, their talents far surpassed those of others.

A person who can turn the tide and achieve great things once given the opportunity.

This is all normal.

What's unusual is that this year's list of successful candidates for the imperial examinations has a relatively high probability of including such talented individuals.

For example, Bao Cheng was astonished to discover this after talking with the dozen or so scholars he had befriended.

Among these dozen or so people, there were three who impressed him in terms of both their knowledge and character.

Upon inquiry, Bao Cheng learned that the oldest among these people had been taking the imperial examinations since the ninth year of the Xining era, and had taken them four times in a row.

If he fails this time, he will be eligible to apply for the special examination next time.

……

When Wen Yanbo received the visiting card sent by Bao Cheng, he only read it once before laughing: "Dan-ge'er (Bao Shou's childhood name), you've done a great thing!"

"Even the Bao family of Xihe has come to acknowledge me!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

The Bao family of Xihe is a powerful clan in Xihe!

Its territory spans several states, with a population of over 100,000, dozens of cotton farms, and thousands of miles of pastures!

Such a powerful local figure would take the initiative to visit and claim kinship.

This is of great significance to Wen Yanbo!

So he summoned Wen Jifu and ordered him to go to Bao's residence to meet Bao Cheng.

He was also instructed to treat him with courtesy and not to be negligent.

Wen Jifu received his father's order and immediately went out, heading straight for the Bao residence inside the Bianjing Academy.

Upon arriving at the destination, Wen Jifu learned that the detached house that Bao Shun had purchased last year in the Bianjing Academy had just been handed over, and had not yet been repaired, nor had it been furnished or staffed.

Therefore, Bao Cheng did not move in.

Instead, they stayed at the Xihe Residence Inn, which Xihe Road had set up in Bianjing (Kaifeng).

Wen Jifu then turned his horse around and headed towards the Vermilion Bird Gate, where the Chaoji Academy was located.

That area was where all the official residences and shops were concentrated.

Upon arrival, Wen Yanbo easily found the inn where Bao Cheng was staying. Inns typically had wine flags outside, and the wine flags usually displayed the name of the shop.

If it is private, it is naturally a certain family's or person's residence or shop.

The ones officially operated, on the other hand, bear the names of roads and states.

Next to the Xihe Inn, a wine flag was hanging in another inn. When Wen Jifu saw it, he frowned slightly, subconsciously lowered his head, and looked at it with disgust: "How could this filthy thing appear here?"

The reason is that the wine flag had three words on it: Elephant Maiden Pavilion!
This Xianggu Pavilion was the most famous guild hall in Bianjing City.

How exactly does it become famous?
It's just as famous as Little Sweetwater Alley!
Just look at the red lanterns hanging all over the entrance of the Elephant Maiden Pavilion, and you'll know it's true.

This place is a seductive haven, like a half-closed door in Little Sweetwater Alley.

However, the sweet little water is inhabited by delicate young ladies.

Most of the time, the Xianggu Pavilion was inhabited by delicate and handsome men.

Emperor Jianwen of Liang wrote a poem: "His affections are not like those of a fisherman, his love is like that of a cart driver. He will surely make the Yan concubine jealous, and the Zheng woman sigh."

Throughout history, there have been those who are fond of women, those who are fond of men, and even those who are attracted to both.

Bianjing was a place where wealth from all over the world converged, and countless people lived in extravagance and wealth.

Naturally, there are all kinds of people.

Where there is demand, there will naturally be solutions.

Elephant Pavilion was a special gathering place for handsome men, created to meet the needs of high-ranking officials, wealthy women, and widows.

Thus, it became like Little Sweetwater Alley.

This elephant grove has a very bad reputation.

The literati and officials in the capital, at least on the surface, were all calling for his execution.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Xianggu Pavilion, like those half-closed doors in Xiaotianshui Lane, is located in a remote part of the capital and is unlikely to appear openly in a densely populated place like Zhuque Gate.

"Oh..." After a slight daze, Wen Jifu seemed to remember something: "This year is the year of the imperial examination..."

"No wonder...no wonder..."

In non-examination years, the Elephant Girl's Inn was a place that dealt in prostitution.

But during the imperial examination years, they became middlemen.

Scholars from all over the country who wanted to sell their marriages for a good price would go to the Xianggu Pavilion. Then, with the introduction of the Xianggu Pavilion, they would meet and negotiate with representatives of high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants who were interested in finding a son-in-law, and determine the amount of the dowry.

On the day the results of the imperial examinations were announced, those who passed and became Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of

Then both parties can complete the transaction according to the agreed dowry.

In this way, both parties can avoid awkwardness.

Therefore, during the imperial examination years, the Xianggu Pavilion could openly appear in front of people.

After all, no one wants to end up like Zhang Yaozuo in the eighth year of the Qingli era, being used as a stepping stone to fame—who then used Zhang Yaozuo's body to marry the daughter of the Fu Bi family!
That incident remains a lesson in the mouths of noble families in Bianjing (Kaifeng) to this day.

Therefore, the story of catching a son-in-law after the results of the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty is just a story.

The real story of "choosing a son-in-law from among those listed on the imperial examination list" is now just a performance for show.

In most cases, the people who were supposed to be "captured" and the people who were supposed to be "captured" had already made a deal in advance at the Xianggu Pavilion.

The so-called capture and being captured are just empty formalities.

With these thoughts in mind, Wen Jifu arrived at Xihe Inn.

Like most official residences and shops in the Song Dynasty, the Xihe Residence and Shop was also operated by the Xihe Road Imperial Household Department.

The so-called Jinzouyuan was a product of the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. During that time, it wielded immense power. Some powerful regional officials dared to challenge the central government, bargain with it, and even use physical means to persuade people. Wu Yuanheng and Li Shi had much to say about this.

However, like most of the systems in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, the Jinzouyuan had long lost most of its functions by the time of the Song Dynasty, and even the affairs it managed were taken over by the Menxia Sheng (Secretariat).

The only thing left of the Jinzou-in is this inn.

As soon as Wen Ji entered the inn, he was immediately shocked by the scene inside—

However, in the lobby of the Xihedi Inn, there were seven or eight tables, and each one was full of people.

The waiters, wine connoisseurs, and cooks in the inn were busy carrying food and drinks.

From the attic, hurried footsteps could be heard.

Clearly, there were more guests and banquets in the attic than in the main hall.

(End of this chapter)