A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 163: Each Failed Student Has His Own Misery (Part )
"Shi Er Lang, are you satisfied with the story I just told you about the Great Sage?"

"Satisfied. Mr. Cao is indeed a man who makes a living by talking. I think it gives me a better visual experience than reading text."

Mr. Cao, this is equivalent to storytelling.

He not only tells stories, but also adds some ventriloquist noises like "hey ha" to make it even more fascinating.

If you want to make a living in this field, you must have some skills to succeed, let alone be invited by Qinglou.

As soon as Song Xuan said this, Cao Dajia smiled and he quickly bowed:
"Thank you, Twelve Lang, for letting me have this job. I'm just wondering when Twelve Lang plans to publish the rest of Journey to the West."

"No one likes the new book, The Story of the Stone, very much. It's more suitable for reading at home."

Song Xuan also knew that books like Dream of the Red Chamber were not very popular in the market culture:
"I'd like to let you all know that I'm currently preparing for the Fajie exam. I can't write the subsequent chapters of Journey to the West until I pass the exam."

"understand."

Mr. Cao once again bowed his head in thanks:
"It's me, Meng Lang, who's in charge. Twelve Lang must prioritize the imperial examination."

Wang Gui felt a little numb.

He really didn't expect that the story of Sun Wukong told by the storyteller was written by Song Twelve, the man sitting next to him.

He is both civil and military, truly talented!

Wang Gui also discovered that these people, whether officials or ordinary people, were extremely polite to Song Twelve, and there were some differences.

Could it be that Song Twelve is a local noble?

I haven't heard anyone say that.

Or maybe someone in his family is an official in Yingtian Prefecture?
After staying here for a while, Sun Fu supported his mother and followed Qu Ze to the Qinglou.

"Son?"

The old mother suddenly grabbed Sun Fu's arm and asked, "How can we eat here?"

Sun Fuwu narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the Qing Tower, which was comparable to the Fan Tower. He looked at Qu Ze beside him:

"My dear fellow, are we really going to eat here?"

"How much do you think you and your son could get if you were sold?"

Qu Ze understood these people's thoughts too well. He had no money at all, and when he met someone like Brother Twelve who liked to stand up for the weak, he beat them up, thinking that he could get a pound of gold, as if someone was trying to harm them.

In Qu Ze's opinion, these two burdens are not even qualified to beg for food.

Sun Fu is an educated man after all. How could he be willing to sacrifice his skin to beg?
And you can't even say auspicious words, how can people give you food?
When Sun Fu heard this, a look of embarrassment flashed across his face. He helped his mother in and walked in. He was led upstairs by the waiter.

This building is luxuriously decorated and is definitely not a place he can afford.

When the door opened, Song Xuan and the other two were already sitting inside, and there were seven or eight plates of hot dishes on the table.

None of the three people at the table picked up their chopsticks.

"Shi Erlang, Sun Fu and his mother have been invited."

Song Xuan immediately stood up: "Please sit down."

Sun Fu swallowed helplessly.

The aroma of food already filled his nose.

But he held back:
"My name is Sun Fu, from Pingyang, Jinzhou. I am the 49th generation grandson of Sun Wu and I specialize in the Spring and Autumn Annals."

After saying this, Sun Fu's stomach started to growl.

It's embarrassing for everyone to see a descendant of a famous family fall into such a state!
Of course, whether it is a real family or a fake one remains to be verified.

But money is a man's courage!

Sun Fu needed money to feed his mother, and he also needed money to settle down and concentrate on preparing for the exam.

But he really has no money!
At this time, there was a table full of food, and Sun Fu's stomach was very full.

Even the claim of being from a famous family has to take a back seat when it comes to survival!

Listening to Sun Fu's introduction, Song Xuan quickly introduced himself again and then asked him to sit down.

"Sun Wu has far too many descendants. I wonder if Sun Fu and Sun Quan are distant relatives!"

Of course, Song Xuan didn't say what he wanted to complain about.

When you go out, your identity is given by yourself.

Anyway, whose ancestors aren’t celebrities?
"I happen to be hungry, so hurry up and start eating."

Song Xuan quickly pointed to the dishes closest to Sun Fu's mother.

Soft and light, suitable for the elderly.

Except for Sun Fu and his mother, everyone else at the table is young.

The table of food carefully prepared by the owner of Qinglou was eaten by everyone.

Although Wang Gui lived in Tokyo, his wallet was not full, and he had never been to Fanlou for dinner.

Today's meal can be said to be the most delicious meal he has ever had at his age.

After the meal, Song Xuan looked at Wang Gui beside him:

"Brother, come to my house and rest for a while. After you digest your food, how about we have a competition?"

Wang Gui knew that Song Xuan was a scholar, but he also saw the two kicks Song Xuan gave Zhen Guannan that sent him flying.

Of course I won't underestimate him.

Moreover, Wang Gui had been playing around on the streets for such a long time and had not fought with anyone.

He nodded immediately: "I'll listen to my brother."

Wang Gui knew that Song Xuan was holding back his strength on the street.

Otherwise, if it turns into a murder lawsuit, it will not be good for anyone.

Besides, there is really no need to sacrifice your own future for the life of a scoundrel.

"Good good."

Song Xuan hasn't fought against anyone for a long time.

He discovered that Wang Gui had some skills.

After settling Wang Gui, Song Xuan thought about Sun Fu who was standing beside him:

"Brother Sun just said he's quite knowledgeable about the Spring and Autumn Annals, and I happen to be one too!"

"The Spring and Autumn Annals says: 'In the first year of spring, the king's first month.'"

“Why is this sentence placed at the beginning of the book?”

"Brother, what do you think is the deep meaning?"

Sun Fu understood that Song Xuan was trying to find out his background.

However, he studied poetry and books since he was young, and had unique insights into the Spring and Autumn Annals.

In the future, he and Shijie will team up to open Taishan Academy and give lectures to a large number of students.

It can be said that Sun Fu never passed the imperial examination in his entire life, but many people became his students and passed the imperial examination.

Facing Song Xuan's question, he was not afraid at all, and regained a bit of confidence:
"The Spring and Autumn Annals begins with the first month of the first year, the spring of the first year. This sentence may seem plain, but it actually contains profound meaning."

"The first year is the first year of a new monarch's accession to the throne. Confucius wrote about the first year to emphasize the legitimacy of the monarchy and to clarify the distinction between the monarch and his subjects."

"Spring is the first of the four seasons, symbolizing the beginning of all things. The first month of the king's reign refers to the first month of the Zhou dynasty. Confucius wrote about the first month of the king's reign to honor the Zhou dynasty, to demonstrate orthodoxy, to make the Zhou king the common ruler of the world, and to demonstrate the meaning of unification."

"Du Yu's commentary on the Zuo Zhuan says: 'The first year is the first year of a monarch's reign; spring is the beginning of the year; the king is where the world returns; the first month is the first month of the Zhou king's reign.' This commentary is exactly what Confucius meant."

"The Master wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals to restore order and to rectify the disorder, with the first priority being to correct names and distinctions."

"The sentence 'In the spring of the first year, the king's first month' not only clarifies the legitimacy of the throne but also demonstrates the dignity of the Zhou king. It is indeed the outline of the entire book."

"This opening sentence shows the Master's profound meaning in rectifying names and honoring the king."

"I wonder if this interpretation of mine accords with the Master's original intention?"

Snapped.

Song Xuan applauded and said:
"Mr. Sun's solution was extremely fast!"

Wang Gui didn't quite understand what he was saying, and his mind wasn't on it, he was still concentrating on eating. He felt that even though Song Xuan was generous, he wouldn't come to the restaurant downstairs of Qinglou every day.

Instead of talking so much nonsense, why not just eat a few more bites?

Zhang Fangping also looked at Sun Fu with a higher opinion. This guy is really capable!

At least the teacher in the Song family private school would not explain it so comprehensively.

Song Xuan saw that Sun Fu had regained some confidence:
"I wonder why Mr. Sun stayed in Yingtian Prefecture for a month?"

"I want to see President Fan Zhongyan."

During the break of the meal just now, Song Xuan and others learned that half of Sun Fu's hair was white.

He was only thirty-three years old, which really scared them.

Subconsciously, I felt that Sun Fu was deliberately pretending to be young.

However, Song Xuan testified to the story that Wu Zixu's hair turned white overnight, and they all admitted it.

In addition, Sun Fu said that he failed the exam three times.

Everyone understood better.

Sun Fu looks so normal!
The last time Song Xuan and Zhang Fangping saw Liu Sanbian, who had failed the exam four times, he looked extremely tired.

The whole person is extremely unconfident.

Failing the exam repeatedly made Sun Fu feel extremely frustrated, especially when he saw people of the same age or younger than him passing the exam, he would feel even more inferior.

Even anxiety and depression!

Sun Fu is not as tired as Liu Sanbian now, but he exudes inferiority from the inside out.

Although the student who failed the exam repeatedly said that he would try again, his heart was already unstable!

His grades in each exam would get lower and lower, and he would eventually die with a lifetime of pain and hatred.

As for social status, there is even less of it. You are a "loser" and will be ridiculed and despised.

Before Fan Jin passed the imperial examination, people generally looked down on and ridiculed him.

Who takes you seriously?
As for getting married and having children, poor students should forget about it, as they will never find a suitable partner.

Not to mention families hoping to move up the social ladder through marriage.

Fan Jin's wife is older than Fan Jin, and her appearance is hard to describe.

As for Sun Fu, he simply didn't have the face to ask his former classmates for help. They had been officials for almost ten years, while you had nothing. How could such social relationships last?
Even Liu Sanbian was able to pass the imperial examination thanks to the special special examination opened by Emperor Renzong.

If he competed in the normal imperial examination, he would never pass it in his lifetime.

In addition, failing the exam many times means that the family has no stable source of income.

If the family is not wealthy, they will fall into financial difficulties and be unable to make a living. Under multiple pressures, their complexion will naturally be extremely bad.

"Oh?"

Song Xuan glanced at Sun Fu:
"Brother Sun, what do you want to talk to Dean Fan about?"

In fact, Sun Fu was not the first, nor would he be the last student to seek out Fan Zhongyan.

Many people come to Yingtian Academy for study tours.

In addition to answering their questions, Fan Zhongyan also used his own salary to treat these poor students to meals.

"You may not believe me, but I'm actually here to study, it's just a little embarrassing."

Sun Fu's voice was choked with sobs:

"I traveled to study in order to gain more knowledge, and I sold calligraphy and begged to support my mother."

"If I had a fixed income of twenty wen a day, my mother and I could both survive and wouldn't have to wander around, study, and beg."

"But I make a living by writing letters, and if one person writes to me every day, I'm very happy, just like I can have two pancakes to eat today."

"But I don't know whether I'll have food to eat tomorrow or I'll be hungry."

Sun Fu felt more and more aggrieved as he spoke.

He hated himself for trying so hard and being familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, but still failing the exam!
The whole family's hope rests on him, but his father was so angry that he died because he failed the imperial examination.

In order to support him to continue his studies, his mother sold the family's land and house.

Even after making every effort, we still failed!
Now I don’t even have the face to go back to my hometown.

Sun Fu's mother stroked her son's head with her hand, comforting him that as long as he persisted, he would definitely pass the exam.

My mother went to draw a fortune, and the Bodhisattva said that you will win, but you will be a late bloomer.

The fortune that Sun Fu's mother asked for actually agreed with Sun Fu's later life!
Wang Gui really didn't expect that this scholar had so much cat urine.

Your current situation is entirely your own choice!
I can't pass the exam, but I don't want to give up, so I can only be tortured by reality and myself.

Besides, a grown man who makes his mother who cares about him wholeheartedly live this kind of life is really a waste!

Wang Gui lived in Tokyo and had seen enough of many unsatisfactory students.

Everyone feels that their talents are not appreciated.

Shit.

It's obviously because you are incompetent and can't pass the imperial examination, so you can only talk big.

Those who really passed the imperial examination would not just flatter the prime ministers, but would directly confront them in person.

waste.

It affects my mood for eating!

Zhang Fangping glanced at Song Xuan. It turned out that failing the imperial examination would lead to this situation!

"Twelfth Brother, you and I still need to work hard!"

"Ah."

Song Xuan responded, but he did not sympathize with Sun Fu.

He hasn't seen through reality yet.

Now he should make a living instead of taking the imperial examination.

"I'm familiar with Dean Fan. When we go to school tomorrow, you can go to the academy with me."

"Thank you." Sun Fu wiped his tears.
"I've lost my composure. Let's see what happens!"

"If you don't laugh at me, I might not even be able to pass the test."

Song Xuan waved his hand and comforted Sun Fu.

Sun Fu regained his composure a little.

Song Twelve is good at boxing, but maybe he is not very good at studying.

If he could hire me to explain the Spring and Autumn Annals to him, perhaps he could have the money to support himself and take the exam.

However, Sun Fu did not say this out loud. He was already in the mud and wanted to seize every opportunity, and he couldn't wait to grab everything.

Song Xuan had almost finished eating when the shopkeeper came to bring him a fruit plate filled with seasonal fruits.

Song Xuan went out to pay the bill, but the shopkeeper said that he would treat him to the meal.

He had been looking forward to the day when Song Shier would come here for dinner so that he could express his gratitude.

But Song Xuan was too busy. He finally came today, and he must not accept the money, otherwise he would be criticized for no reason.

Ever since the "Prime Minister" praised the food for being delicious, Qinglou's business has really taken off.

The shopkeeper finally smiled embarrassedly:

"Since Shi Erlang insists on giving me money, why don't you leave some calligraphy and write down the poem 'Love on the Upper Floor' so that I can have it carved on the building.

Perhaps in the future it will attract others to leave their calligraphy works as well. Let's consider it as Twelve Lang's inspiration, what do you think?"

Song Xuan laughed heartily. Since he was not asked to write a new poem anyway, he agreed to let people see how beautiful his Slender Gold script was.

After watching Song Xuan write that poem, Sun Fu immediately burst into tears!

(End of this chapter)