I studied in modern times

Chapter 1002 Meeting
Wen Jifu walked through the noisy and bustling lobby of the inn and went straight to the counter. The innkeeper, who had seen Wen Jifu from afar, greeted him with a broad smile as he approached: "This humble servant greets you, Master Wen. I was unaware of your presence and failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me!"

Wen Jifu raised an eyebrow: "You recognize me?"

"In Bianjing City, who doesn't know Wen Gong these days?" the shopkeeper flattered with a smile.

This is the truth!

This is because Wen Jifu is now more than just the son of the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty.

He is also the actual controller behind the Bianjing Chunmingfang Pawnshop!

Since Wen Jiapu bought this pawnshop, he has been making a fortune every day!
no way!
There are too many high-ranking officials and nobles in Chunmingfang.

When the sons, nephews, and retainers of these high-ranking officials wanted to do business and needed working capital, the first place they would naturally think of was the pawnshop in this neighborhood.

The Wen family actually had a very good reputation in the Song Dynasty.

Because the Wen family really does get things done when they get paid!
Furthermore, if things don't go well, the Wen family is even willing to refund half or even 70% of the money.

Furthermore, if any mistakes are made and the court investigates, the Wen family will not implicate others, but will choose to take the blame themselves!
In the Song Dynasty, he was practically the epitome of a conscientious and powerful official!
Therefore, Wen Jifu's business flourished.

Many people, especially family members of officials and gentry, preferred to borrow money from the pawnshop run by Wen Yanbo.

The word "faith" can sometimes be quite magical.

The manager of Xihedi Inn had naturally met Wen Jifu before—he had visited Chunmingfang and paid his respects to the local lord under the guidance of his superior.

Although Wen Jifu did not remember him, he remembered Wen Jifu.

Wen Jifu's mood immediately improved upon hearing the shopkeeper's flattery.

As one of the four characters of Bianjing, Wen Jifu has always been generous.

He then smiled and pulled out a ten-stringed coin from his sleeve, handed it to the shopkeeper, and said generously, "Well said, here's a reward!"

The shopkeeper accepted the money, his smile widening even more, repeatedly expressing his gratitude: "Thank you so much for your generosity, Lord Wen! Thank you so much for your generosity, Lord Wen!"

Then he asked, "I wonder why Lord Wen has come to my inn?"

"I heard that the young master Bao from Xihe lives here?"

"That's right!" The innkeeper naturally knew that the young master from Xihe was staying at the inn.

Moreover, he was a young master who could speak with important figures on Xihe Road.

"Please, shopkeeper, take my visiting card and deliver it to that young master Bao..." Wen Jifu raised his head and said, "Just say: Wen Liu from Fenzhou has come to see my nephew!"

The shopkeeper accepted the visiting card and said, "Please sit here for a moment, Mr. Wen. I will go and inform Young Master Bao right away!"

He then took the visiting card and went up to the attic.

……

When Wen Jifu arrived at Xihe Inn, Bao Cheng was whispering with the two tribute students he wanted to befriend and win over.

Both of these scholars were in their forties, but they spoke with great enthusiasm and were not the kind of bookish, narrow-minded scholars who only knew classical Chinese.

On the contrary, Bao Cheng learned through conversation that the two men had been in Bianjing since the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era and had remained there ever since.

However, during the imperial examination in the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era, a fire broke out in the examination hall, killing many officials who were grading the papers and destroying most of the examination papers.

Therefore, the provincial examination that year had to be retaken.

They had no choice but to stay in Bianjing and wait to retake the exam.

The results of the imperial examinations that year were not released until May.

By the time the results were announced, the two of them had already stayed in the capital for three months longer than expected, and had long since spent all the money they had brought with them.

After seeing the list and confirming that they had failed again, they began to worry about the money to return home.

Fortunately, they were all frequent participants in the imperial examinations.

Having served in the imperial examinations from the Xining era to the Yuanfeng era, he was very experienced in surviving in Bianjing (Kaifeng).

He then set up a stall near the Daxiangguo Temple, selling calligraphy and paintings, and also writing letters and copying books for people.

If you're lucky, you can earn several hundred coins a day, and after a few months you can save enough for your trip home.

As the saying goes, "A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

Because of the delay in the imperial examinations, the two of them were forced to stay in Bianjing and suffered for several months.

As a result, when the current emperor visited Kaifeng Prefecture, a false case broke out in the Buddhist Registry. The emperor was furious at the clerks' misconduct and simply dismissed all the clerks involved.

Then, the selection system for officials of the Buddhist Registry was reformed, and the public examination system for officials of Kaifeng Prefecture began.

The two of them were already destitute at the time, and when faced with this situation, they couldn't care less about being lowly officials or losing face.

They became among the first batch of scholars to take the exam.

They also became among the first batch of civil servants recruited through the civil service examination.

For the past three years, the two of them had been working as clerks in Kaifeng Prefecture, starting from the Buddhist Registry and serving as clerks in various departments.

He even participated in several important events.

For example, after the corruption scandal broke out in the prefectural border area last year, they were ordered to go to the counties and towns under the prefectural border to abolish tax checkpoints and organize documents.

After listening, Bao Cheng seemed to be deep in thought.

Then he raised his glass: "Your experiences, my two brothers, have truly been full of ups and downs! I deeply admire you! I wish you both success in the imperial examinations and that you will bring honor to your ancestors!"

Such a person, with such an experience.

Bao Cheng knew in his heart that all they lacked now was official rank and recognition.

Once you achieve fame and fortune, with a bit of luck, you'll likely rise to prominence very quickly.

and……

Both of them were clerks in Kaifeng Prefecture!

This is a very crucial piece of background information!
This is equivalent to being a minister in the prince's residence!

As long as they could get their names displayed before the emperor, they would naturally attract his attention. Thinking this, Bao Cheng knew that such people would never become tutors for his family in Xihe.

But that's okay. If we can't be superiors and subordinates, we can be relatives.

Bao Cheng smiled as he looked at the two people in front of him.

He knew, of course, that the two of them were already married.

However, their children are also worth considering.

If all else fails, we can just throw money at it!
Xihe Road is lacking everything right now!
They're not short of money!
In other words, Bao Chengcai had only known them for a short time, so there were many things he couldn't say.

Otherwise, he would already be considering arranging marriages for his nieces and nephews.

Upon hearing Bao Chengzhen's sincere voice, the two tribute students also raised their wine cups and drank them down to the last drop.

They put down their wine glasses, about to continue their conversation with Bao Cheng.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"Young master, it was I who..."

Bao Cheng ordered his attendant to open the door, and the manager of Xihe Residence appeared at the entrance.

"Reporting to your young master, the sixth son of Grand Tutor Wen's family has arrived..."

"These are the visiting cards from the Sixth Young Master!"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper respectfully presented a visiting card to him.

Bao Cheng quickly stood up, solemnly stepped forward, accepted the visiting card, and asked, "Where is Uncle Wen?"

"Below the hall!"

"Quickly, invite them in!" Bao Cheng immediately replied, "No!"

"I will go down to greet you myself!"

With that, he turned around, bowed to the assembled scholars, apologized, and then went downstairs himself.

The scholars, who had been completely absorbed in the delicious food and wine, were all astonished and widened their eyes upon seeing this scene.

"This……"

"The son of Grand Tutor Wen?"

"Bao Sheng actually called him uncle?"

"Who exactly is this Bao Sheng from Xihe? What is his background?"

The crowd gasped in surprise and began to discuss the matter animatedly!
They never expected that such an opportunity would arise in the examination hall.

only……

Isn't Xihe Road known for its cold, barren, and desolate conditions?

And when did the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty become a relative of Xihe?
The two scholars who had just been speaking intimately with Bao Cheng exchanged a glance, each reading something from the other's eyes.

Then, one of them stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Fellow scholars, haven't you read the official gazette?"

"Even if you haven't read the official gazette, you must have read the Bianjing Newspaper, right?"

As he spoke, he cupped his hands in the direction of Yongyu Mausoleum and said, "During the reign of the late Emperor Xining, Duke Wang Xiangmin expanded the northwest border, extending the territory by a thousand miles, which became the present-day Xihe Lanhui Road!"

"When Wang Xiangmin was expanding the borders, there was a great chieftain of a tribe named Yu Longke who led more than 100,000 people to surrender!"

"The late emperor was overjoyed and wanted to bestow upon him the imperial surname... However, Yu Longke submitted a memorial saying: 'I have long admired the virtuous name of Bao Zheng, a famous minister of the Song Dynasty, and beg Your Majesty to bestow upon him the surname Bao!'"

"The late emperor granted it, and this is the origin of the Bao clan of Xihe!"

"Upon assuming the throne, the current emperor heard of this matter and issued an edict ordering the Bao clan of Xihe and the Bao clan of Luzhou to form a joint clan alliance!"

"Bao Junhang, son of Bao Xiaosu, was a man of great integrity. He personally presented the family genealogy to Xihe and established a clan connection with the Bao family!"

"Bao Xiaosu Gong is the elder brother of Bao Shun, the eldest son of the Xihe Bao clan, and the order of his descendants is determined according to the clan genealogy!"

"Both Lord Bao Xiaosu and the Grand Tutor were not only close friends but also family friends! Furthermore, he married his beloved daughter to Bao Junhang!"

"Thus, the Bao family of Xihe became relatives of the Grand Tutor!"

"If I am not mistaken, this young master Bao is a direct descendant of the Bao family of Xihe!"

"His ancestor must be the grandson of Bao Shun, the Prefect of Rongzhou, the Inspector of this region, and the Deputy Commissioner of the Xihe-Lanhui Road Pacification Commission of the Great Song Dynasty!"

Everyone who heard this was astonished.

They had never heard of such things before.

Because most of them are the kind of people who bury themselves in their books and don't care about anything else.

Let alone the matter in Xihe, thousands of miles away, even the current prime ministers in the capital don't know exactly how many there are, or who they are.
However, after hearing the introduction, they all became excited.

Because they discovered that Bao Cheng might be the greatest benefactor they had ever met in their lives!
As long as you cling to a powerful figure, you'll have a patron in the future, whether you take the imperial examination to become an official or seek other paths in life!

Immediately, everyone's minds started to race.

The two tribute students laughed when they saw this.

They had served as clerks in Kaifeng Prefecture for three years, encountering all sorts of strange and unsavory characters, and were extremely adept at navigating social situations.

Naturally, they knew that Bao Cheng's act of humbling himself to befriend them must have some ulterior motive.

What they are after are only a few possibilities.

Regardless of the possibility, the two of them were certain that Bao Cheng needed people like them to speak on his behalf and introduce his family background and social standing.

That's not how it works. Why did the sixth son of Grand Tutor Wen come at this particular time?

It was either arranged in advance, or it was pre-planned by that Mr. Bao.

(End of this chapter)