Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 215 Zhou Jin
Shandong.

Yanzhou Prefecture.

After a quick summer rain, the sky in Yanzhou Prefecture returned to its previous bright state. The distant mountains were as dark green as ink, washed by the rain and shrouded in white mist, like a fairyland.

On the wet mud, green fallen leaves can be seen everywhere, mixed in with the yellow mud. When people step on it, the fallen leaves embed into the yellow mud, instantly turning the yellow mud into a green color.

At this time, outside Qufu County, a middle-aged scholar in his forties, wearing a straw raincoat on his head and holding up the skirt of his patched robe, ran towards Qufu County with a swaying step.

A gust of cold wind blew by, lifting the middle-aged scholar's cloak, revealing a weather-frost face underneath the cloak.

The middle-aged scholar was called Zhou Jin, and he was a student from Zhoujiazhuang outside Qufu City.

He was well-known for his talent when he was young. At the age of 20, he passed the examination for students of higher learning and officially became a scholar in a county school.

I thought I would achieve great things and get my name on the list of successful candidates.

Fate likes to play tricks on people. In the following twenty years, he failed several imperial examinations. At this time, his temples were gray, his back was hunched, and he had an old mother and a wife and children to take care of.

He simply gave up the idea of ​​taking the imperial examination and worked as an accountant in a restaurant in this city.

Yawning and walking numbly into Qufu County, Zhou Jin followed his memory and walked towards the east of the city on the bluestone floor.

After a while, he arrived at the entrance of a restaurant about three meters high with a sign that read "Chunlai Restaurant".

After shaking off the rain on his body, Zhou Jin took off his raincoat and stepped over the threshold.

Because it was still early and it had rained heavily last night, there were no customers in the restaurant yet. Only a few waiters in short clothes were cleaning.

Seeing Zhou Jin coming in wearing a long gown, a mean servant turned his head and said slyly, "Master Zhou, why are you here so late today? Did you review your lessons too much?"

The other guys also stopped what they were doing and started laughing.

Zhou Jin smiled awkwardly, ignored them, and walked straight to the account desk, bowed his head and pounded his abacus. Seeing that he was bored, the servants shook their heads and went about their own business.

Before I knew it, more than an hour had passed.

Zhou Jin felt a little tired. He frowned, yawned, and stretched his body.

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the door. Looking up, I saw more than 20 students coming in.

Most of these people are older.

The first person was about the same age as him, both in their early forties.

As soon as this group of people came in, they quickly attracted the attention of the guests in the store. A smart waiter stepped forward and greeted them with a smile to sit at a large table by the window on the first floor.

Then, after serving the wine and food, he hurried back.

Seeing these people talking and talking, Zhou Jin couldn't help but wonder: What's going on recently? The provincial and metropolitan examinations are over, and these guys are hanging out together all day, eating and drinking to their heart's content. Where do they get the money?

But that's their money, they can do whatever they want with it.

Just as he was thinking, an excited voice suddenly rang out from the students: "Everyone, it is really difficult to advance in the imperial examination. Just think about it, from a scholar to a juren, it is already a very difficult task. After that, the joint examination is held every three years, and only about 200 people are selected. There are more than a million scholars in the world, so it is really one in a million."

"However, things are different now. Songjiang Prefecture is currently selecting officials. Scholars can take the exam, and once they pass the test, they will be given a job directly. If they perform well in the exam, they can be awarded an official position of a certain rank." The spectators around were immediately attracted by the man's long speech and urged him to continue.

The student smiled and continued, "When I came, there were only about a thousand people who signed up, but more than three hundred hats were distributed. If you go there and stick your feet in ink and step on the answer sheet, you can knock down half of the people."

"Hahaha" everyone burst into laughter when they heard the sound, obviously intrigued by this inappropriate metaphor.

Then, the student went on to talk about the benefits of the Songjiang Prefecture assessment.

From salary to accommodation, to future promotion, a thousand words can be summed up in one sentence: believe me, go for the exam, as long as you pass, there will only benefits and no disadvantages.

Unconsciously, Zhou Jin walked out of the counter and squeezed into the crowd. He looked at the student who was talking loudly and asked, "You said that as long as you pass the exam, you can be registered in the Ministry of Personnel and get at least five taels of silver as salary every month?"

"Ah, yes." The middle-aged student nodded, turned his head and looked around, and then said, "And you know Songjiang, it's adjacent to Suzhou on the left and the sea on the right. The people there have such rich belly buttons that gold flakes pop out of their farts."

Now, Zhou Jin was moved.

Now his monthly salary is only one or two taels of silver, and he lives in a muddle every day.

It would be better to take the exam. If you fail, you can go to Songjiang Prefecture and find a job. It is better than just hanging around here.

Thinking of this, Zhou Jin bowed to the man and silently returned to the crowd.

"Well, if you want to go, you can go with the big ship from Huating County. It's free." The student was quick to grab Zhou Jin's shoulder and reminded him.

These are valuable silver dollars. How can you let him go so easily?

Zhou Jin didn't expect that he could even save money for the trip, and this time he was even more interested in the exam. As soon as he got off work that day, he rushed home and told his mother and wife about the matter.

After hearing this, the wife remained silent.

The old mother sighed repeatedly for a long time before shaking her head and saying, "Son, you have taken the exam seven times. Don't you know whether you are a good student or not?"

Zhou Jin's face was full of determination, and he replied in a deep voice: "Mother, there are few people taking the exam this time, I will definitely pass. And after I pass, the local government will give me a house, and I will take you all in then."

"Okay then." Seeing her son like this, the old mother couldn't bear to discourage him any further and could only agree.

Zhou Jin took a step back, his knees weakened, and he knelt down in front of his old mother and kowtowed three times. Then he stood up and went into the inner room to pack his bags.

Zhou Jin's wife followed closely behind.

Looking at her busy but clumsy husband, the wife shook her head, stepped forward to grab the quilt, and folded it carefully: "I know you will never forget being an official. Go ahead, if it doesn't work out, you can just find another job."

When Zhou Jin heard the voice, his nose felt sore.

His wife was only sixteen when she married him. In the past twenty years, she has been in charge of everything at home and outside the house. But he is still the down-and-out scholar who is oblivious to the world outside and only reads the books of sages.

"Xiuniang, if I fail the exam again this time, I will never take the exam again in my life." Zhou Jin hugged his wife from behind and said with a guilty look on his face, "From now on, you and I will run this family together."

"You're just talking about it, but you still have to take the exam when the time comes!" The wife muttered, but she felt sweet in her heart.

(End of this chapter)