Traveling through Tianlong: Starting from the Zhenlong chess game

Chapter 433 The real scholar
Li Qiushui looked at Zhao Mu and Li Qinglu. She then said: "Well, seeing that you are safe and sound, I am relieved as an old woman. I won't disturb your young couple's meeting."

Zhao Mu asked, "Where are you going, Master?"

Li Qinglu also said: "Yes, grandma, you have only been here for a while, are you leaving now? The wind and moon in Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, is not comparable to that of our country. I plan to invite you to watch it together."

Zhao Mu immediately agreed: "Yes, although there is nothing in Bianjing City, taking a boat to see the night view of the Bianhe River is quite special."

Li Qiu Shui waved his hand, shook his head and said: "This is a matter for you young people. The master wife is old. She doesn't like the bustling and noisy things anymore. Besides... alas!" Li Qiu Shui didn't say anything, but his eyes showed it. There was a hint of sadness.

The person who accompanied him to travel across thousands of mountains and rivers is no longer there, so what is there to see in this charming and colorful world?
Although Li Qiu Shui was a promiscuous person by nature, she might have had more men than she could count. But the one she truly loves in her heart will always be her senior brother Wu Yazi. She doesn't care about being number one in the world, or a princess or a queen mother, if she has the one she truly loves to stay with her for the rest of her life!
Li Qiu Shui then said to the two of them: "Okay, I don't have anything to say as parting words. Seeing that you are safe and sound, my wife is relieved. I will go back to Lingzhou City right now." Li Qiu Shui patted Zhao Mu. He said over his shoulder, "You brat, my wife is waiting for the day when you marry Yinchuan. It's just that my wife is old, so don't let me wait too long."

Zhao Mu replied: "What are you talking about? Master's wife is in her prime, and she will naturally live as long as Nanshan."

Li Qiushui didn't say much in response to the flattery. He waved his hands to the two of them and turned around to leave.

Zhao Mu looked at Li Qiu Shui's leaving figure, and he sighed and said, "It would be a pleasure if I could be as free and easy as my wife."

Li Qinglu put her face on Zhao Mu's shoulder and said, "What's the point? If you are envious, then just elope with me. I just don't know if His Highness King Qi will let go of your position?"

Li Qinglu raised her head and asked, "Why is this?"

Zhao Mu stayed with Li Qinglu for an entire afternoon, and after "comforting" her, he went home in the evening.

Li Qinglu laughed softly when she heard this, and then said: "That's true."

Wherever Su Shi goes these days, he goes. Facing the words of these academics and politicians, Zhao Mu also kept saying yes, yes, yes.

During the rest of the time, Zhao Mu changed into casual clothes, and then observed these exam preparations in major inns and restaurants in the capital.

Time passes day by day, and the capital has become much more lively in the past two months. This is because candidates from all over the country came to the capital to take the imperial examination. The major inns in the capital were also the first to receive these candidates who were taking the exam. If their inn can produce a Jinshi, or even a Number One Scholar, and ask the Number One Scholar to make a few offers, it will be of great benefit to future business.

Zhao Mu sighed and replied: "If I don't have the wealth and honor that this honor gives me, how can I support my family? Although money is a very vulgar thing, life without money will never be happy."

Zhao Mu also invited Li Qinglu into the house, but Li Qinglu still didn't plan to meet everyone now. Zhao Mu didn't force her. It's just that she can return to her family whenever she wants.

Zhao Mu hugged Li Qinglu and replied: "I can give it up regardless of whether you respect your position or not, but I can't let go of this gold, silver and wealth."

Zhao Mu has also been busy during this time. Although Enke's real examiner this time was Su Shi, the Minister of Rites, everything was arranged by Su Shi. But as Zhao Mu is the examiner this time, even if he is not doing anything, he still has to put on a show.

When Zhao Mu visited, he also discovered some scenes that were completely opposite to what he had seen in movies and TV series.

In general movies and TV dramas, in order to disparage scholars, they will be labeled as "poor and rotten scholars" or "poor scholars" and "poor scholars". Moreover, some stories about ghosts and ghosts include erotic stories about poor scholars who go to Beijing to take exams and encounter ghost foxes on the way.

But after Zhao Mu observed these days, he found that this situation did not exist at all.

First, everyone who can come to the capital to take the exam counts, and they are not poor at all. I dare not say that they wear gold and silver like the rich and powerful children in the capital, but at least everyone is respectable. They are all famous people. Some people even served as county magistrate or county captain. However, if they failed the official examination, they could only pursue their official career by continuing the imperial examination.

They would never go on the road alone carrying a bookcase. Most of these people were accompanied by servants, bookboys, and even maids and bodyguards.

Even if they are a little worse, they are still friends from the same hometown. Moreover, they are all carried by carriages, horses and boats, and they cannot walk at all, let alone live in some ruined temple or among the barren mountains and ridges.

Moreover, the officials and ladies in the capital, or the relatives of the princes and nobles, would not make any arrangements for eachother's marriage with these candidates who are taking the exam. Anyone who can become an official in the capital, even a ninth-grade sesame official, must have certain resources and background.

Some are even the children of princes from various prefectures.

Not to mention these candidates, even if they are the number one scholar, they may be great in the eyes of others, but they are nothing in front of these powerful disciples.

Even the teacher they worship after taking the exam may be an elder in their family. Whether they can advance further in their career in the future depends on their faces.

It's so funny to let the young ladies from the families of these officials marry a Jinshi who has just entered the officialdom.

And the most important reason is that the average age of these candidates who come to Beijing to take the imperial examination is around forty years old.

As the saying goes, "thirty old people know the classics, and fifty young people are Jinshi." Some of these people, let alone sons, may even have grandchildren. Of course, it is impossible for them to marry the young ladies from the powerful families in Beijing.

Zhao Mu also lamented that most of the novels handed down from ancient times were the products of obscenity written by people who had never participated in the imperial examination.

But there are exceptions. There are also those who succeed at a young age and pass the Jinshi exam in their twenties.

This person is Su Shi.

There are even younger ones, those who passed the imperial examination at the age of eighteen. This man's name is Su Che.

Although these two are both geniuses, if they want to go smoothly in this world, they will succeed at a young age. In addition to being strong enough, you also need a little bit of "luck".

Coincidentally, the two brothers have this luck because they have a father named Su Xun.

Although their father Su Xun did not hold any high-ranking official position.

But their father relied on his talents to make a friend. This friend was named "Ouyang Xiu."

What is even more coincidental is that Ouyang Xiu was the examiner of the imperial examination held by Su Shi brothers.

Ouyang Xiu also has a friend named Fan Zhongyan. Ouyang Xiu also promoted two juniors, their names were Zeng Gong and Wang Anshi.

Obviously, none of these middle-aged and successful country people seem to have such "luck".

(End of this chapter)