A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 167: The Inspection Arrives (Part )

Yingtian Academy.

Song Xuan and others were queuing up to get their meals.

A spoonful of meat, a spoonful of vegetables, and enough sorghum rice and red bean rice.

Many students sit on the floor or eat at their desks.

It's too hot in the room.

"Tsk."

Zhang Fangping squatted in the shade of the tree and couldn't help complaining:
"The chef didn't handle the pork very well. The flavor wasn't suppressed."

"Just eat. Do you really think everyone can cook like our Jiao Ge?"

Song Xuan leaned against the tree trunk and ate slowly.

At least you can't act like you're eating unpalatable food in front of everyone.

Otherwise, how can the other classmates enjoy their meal?

Not everyone can pull down the shame.

Zhang Fangping has become a bit picky about food since he started hanging out with Song Xuan, but he can still eat these dishes.

Moreover.

Many students in the academy were eager to have another meal in the evening.

The pork taste was not masked.

But it’s meat after all!
Song Xuan understood too well these students who ate voraciously.

Education has been brought down to the level of common people, but it is not compulsory education, so how many students come from wealthy families?
Song Xuan looked at Fan Xiang who was wolfing down his food.

"Duke Jin, when you're done eating, go get some more rice. I'll give you all this meat."

Fan Xiang was still chewing, his eyes lit up:
"Twelfth brother, is that true?"

"Hmm." Song Xuan shoveled rice into his mouth:

"It's too hot. I've lost my appetite these past two days."

Fan Xiang went to get another bowl of rice.

Song Xuan gave all the meat in his bowl to Zhang Fangping, and Zhang Fangping also gave him the meat in his bowl.

Fan Xiang was overjoyed. In fact, he planned that even if there were no more dishes, he could still have a bowl of rice.

How long have you been longing for eating to your heart's content?
Song Xuan was washing dishes and said to Fan Xiang:

"After we finish the exams, I'll invite you to my house for dinner. I haven't had time to invite you yet."

"Good good."

Fan Xiang was very interested in Song Xuan's invitation to dinner.

Anyway, as long as there is a stutter, it's fine.

After all, I really have no money at the moment.

If Song Xuan hadn't stopped him, Fan Xiang would have wanted to use the few cents he had to buy lottery tickets.

Fan Xiang always remembers that if you are hungry, go to his house and he will give you a bite of food.

But Fan Xiang felt that he had not reached the end of his rope yet.

No rash visit.

What's more, Song Xuan found him a place where he could eat vegetarian food at a reasonable price, which was simply a way out for him.

Although Fan Zhongyan's move was an additional expense for the academy, it did alleviate the difficult lives of most students.

It was because Fan Zhongyan had experienced the rain that he wanted to hold an umbrella for his descendants.

This was also the profit from Song Xuan's bookstore, which gave him the confidence to go for it!

According to the guarantee letter given to him by Fan Zhongyan, Song Xuan also had two local people and one local official in addition to Fan Zhongyan and Wang Zhu.

Yan Shu was the chief judge of the Fajie examination, so his name would not appear on the guarantee letter.

Song Xuan originally wanted to find someone by himself, but he never thought

At the top of the list is Wang Huan, who is now seventy years old and still helping the court.

The imperial court was also very caring towards him and allowed him to serve as an official in his hometown.

This old man lived a very long life. He retired at the age of ninety and became the leader of the Five Elders of Suiyang.

The second is Zhu Guan, who is now in his fifties and a local gentry. He was awarded the title of Jinshi when he was in his seventies and is also one of the Five Elders.

The other one is Su Qi, who is now the transport commissioner of Jingdong Road. His son is Su Shunqin, who studies in the same academy as Song Xuan.

One of the twelve party members who were imprisoned with Song Xuan at the time.

Song Xuan took advantage of the lunch break to visit the three people's homes to express his gratitude.

Although he didn't intend to look for them, Fan Zhongyan took care of everything, so he had to thank him anyway.

Wang Huan and Zhu Guan were mostly encouraging to the younger generation and told Song Xuan not to put too much pressure on himself.

As for Su Qi, he took a good look at Song Xuan.

He had heard his son mention the name Song Twelve many times.

Seeing is believing.

When Fan Zhongyan found his signature, Su Qi looked through the names of all the students.

"It is true that heroes have always emerged from youth since ancient times."

Su Qi pointed at the fruit Song Xuan brought and said, "There's no need to be so reserved."

If Song Xuan took something else, Su Qi really wouldn't dare to accept it and would have been worried in his heart.

"After all, it's just a token of appreciation from the students."

"How's your preparation for this exam?"

Song Xuan chuckled and couldn't help but say:

"To be honest, ever since I signed up for the exam, the teacher has been very disappointed with my performance."

"It's mainly in poetry and prose, and my grasp of the Xikun style is not very good."

“That’s why Master Wang always scolds me for my poor writing.”

Su Qi nodded, stroking his beard and said:

"Xikun style is indeed not easy to master. It requires reading a lot of classics to be able to master it with ease."

"Shi Er Lang suffered because he didn't have enough education."

"Although there are many people participating in the test, you are still young and can accumulate a lot of experience. There is no need to worry too much."

Song Xuan didn't take Su Qi's words to heart.

"To be honest, I've met a lot of candidates who failed the exam recently. I found that they were under a lot of pressure, so their performance in the exam was getting worse and worse."

"Everyone in this group has been taking the imperial examination since they were young, but half their lives have passed and they still haven't succeeded."

Song Xuan sighed again: "So I can't think that I have many opportunities just because I'm young. As the saying goes: once you have done something, you will have a lot of success. Once you have done something, you will have to work hard."

Su Qi laughed a few times:

"Shi Er Lang, you underestimate yourself. You are extremely talented in composing lyrics and poetry. If even you can't learn the Xikun style, then no one in the world can learn it."

Song Xuan chuckled a few times and did not argue anymore.

Those of them who have come ashore will never understand the feelings of those who are still struggling in the sea.

Or perhaps their success made them feel that the imperial examination was not difficult at all.

Those who fail the exam several times may really not be suitable for studying.

There is no need to dwell on this. It is better to start a family and build a career early, so that you can perhaps raise your children and grandchildren.

Su Qi asked about Song Xuan's bookstore again, whether there was any pressure.
Because as the transport envoy, he was also in charge of taxation, he never thought that Song Xuan would take the initiative to pay taxes to the government and keep clear accounts.

This kind of "merchant" is exactly what the court needs.

Instead, Song Xuan also distributed some of the interest to the academy.

Nowadays, the students in the academy rely on Song Shier's bookstore to have a full meal at noon.

When such talented people emerge under our rule, we must show more care and love for them.

As for things like Dou Chou, he didn't take them seriously when he was alive, let alone now that he is dead!

Su Qi was the son-in-law of Prime Minister Wang Dan, and he also worked in the Hanlin Academy in his early years.

"Let the transfer envoy know that the shop is now fully staffed, even if someone has set their sights on it. After all, money has always been a magnet for people." "That's inevitable."

Su Qi also knew that Song Xuan's bookstore made money, and so did everyone else.

In addition to the matter of Song Xuan paying taxes, people in the government will also have their own channels to leak it out.

"Shi Er Lang, do you need any help?"

Song Xuan shook his head:
"At the moment, nothing seems to be happening. It will take some time for them to replicate this business!"

"Okay, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell me."

"Transport Envoy, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."

"Just say it."

Song Xuan said carefully: "From what I see, you don't look very good, you might be sick!"

"If the Transport Envoy has some free time, he can go and ask Divine Doctor Wang to help diagnose your pulse."

Su Qi was feeling unwell, and he didn't expect that Song Xuan also knew medicine.

"You understand this, too?"

"I've learned a little bit." Song Xuan said with a smile:

"Ever since I agreed with Divine Doctor Wang to go to his clinic to discuss this, I haven't had the chance yet."

"it is good."

In fact, there was no need for Song Xuan to explain, as Su Qi was not someone who would shy away from seeing a doctor.

After Song Xuan thanked him again and said goodbye, he left without staying.

Su Shunqin came out from behind the screen:

"Dad, Shi Er Lang is really good at what he does, right?"

Su Shunqin felt that Song Xuan was definitely not trying to make friends with him just because his family was powerful.

"Not bad."

Su Qi didn't want to say anything more in front of his son. Besides, Song Xuan's actions made many students yearn for him, so it was normal for some little fans to appear!
Although Song Xuan is still a teenager, he handles some things very skillfully and is also good at dealing with people.

He is far superior to most of the students in the academy.

"I heard him say he had dinner at the academy. Why couldn't you eat there instead of running back and wasting your study time?"

Su Shunqin didn't dare to say that the big pot meal was just enough to fill his stomach and it was not tasty at all.

So he said stubbornly, "Dad, we don't need this bite of food at home. Haven't you seen that my classmates in the academy don't eat breakfast in the morning, just waiting for this meal?"

"If I eat too much, many of them won't have enough to eat, so I can't take their food away from them in the academy."

"Before Dean Fan issued this subsidy, I saw many students who only ate one meal a day. Some even fainted from hunger while studying."

"It's good if you know."

Su Qi was also the son of an official. He entered the officialdom through nepotism and was later granted the status of Jinshi by Emperor Zhenzong.

He had never experienced studying hard, but he had heard and seen people who did.

In addition, there is a huge difference in the way the court treats those who have a Jinshi degree and those who have not.

There are differences in promotion speed and lucrative positions.

Therefore, Su Qi wanted his son to take the imperial examination and arranged for him to be admitted to Yingtian Academy.

Unfortunately, my ranking was not high and I was not assigned to Class A.

This is what makes Su Qi very worried. If this continues, will his son be able to succeed in the imperial examination?
"From now on, get closer to Song Twelve and study hard. If you can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, your father will rest in peace."

When Su Shunqin heard this, he quickly helped his father up:

"Wang Xiuyong and I are in the same class, and we both have a good relationship with Shi Er Lang. Dad, you should go and see him, otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on my studies!"

"it is good."

……

Song Xuan returned to the academy to continue his studies. When he returned home, he learned that Cao Liyong was there watching Wang Gui practice with a spear.

"Well, that's quite interesting."

Cao Liyong was cracking watermelon seeds and commenting on the matter.

Wang Gui didn't know his identity, so he didn't pay much attention to him and just treated him as a relative of Song Xuan.

After playing for a while, Wang Gui saw Lie Xinxi using the pair of double maces made for him by Song Xuan.

The left and right are not of equal weight, but the right one is heavier.

"Oh, shut up."

Cao Liyong looked at Song Xuan coming behind him and asked him to swallow his words.

Do not reveal your whereabouts and identity at will.

"Uncle Cao, how come you have time to come here?"

Cao Liyong handed Song Xuan a handful of melon seeds:
"The imperial court attaches great importance to the Nanjing examination, so I am here to supervise the examination to prevent any uncontrollable problems from occurring."

The competition pressure for the first hurdle of the imperial examination was quite high. In the past, the names were not made public, and only after a few years did the names of the last two candidates become public. The first level of the examination began.

"I see."

Song Xuan responded, and then heard Cao Liyong's comment:

"This boy has a good foundation. If he can train for a few more years, he will definitely make a name for himself in the army in the future."

Wang Gui is happy to stay with Song Xuan, and Fu Wu’s words are not in vain.

The amount of food he needs and the cost of keeping fit are really beyond the reach of his family.

"I know, but he's not as good with a gun as I am. He needs more practice."

Cao Liyong scoffed at Song Xuan's words.

This guy's marksmanship is better than most of the soldiers in the imperial guards.

You, Song Xuan, are just good at talking.

Anyway, I won't go up and fight him with real weapons.

If Wang Gui's martial arts skills were not apparent, Cao Liyong felt that it would not be a pity to throw his two eyeballs on the ground and step on them like bubbles.

Cao Liyong didn't know about this, but it had already been recorded by the people of the Imperial City Bureau and sent to the emperor.

Anyway, the emperor requires that everything be recorded in detail.

Thanks to the fact that Song Xuan and Madam Gu were chatting with each other in the room, and Tao Hong was keeping watch, the people from the Imperial City Bureau were unable to find out.

"If you don't want to keep this kid anymore, tell me and I'll put him in the Imperial Guards."

"I originally wanted to travel around and gain some skills so that I could join the Imperial Guard in the future."

Cao Liyong spat out the melon seed shells in his mouth and asked: "Why do you keep him?"

It was not popular in the Song Dynasty for Mengchangjun to keep retainers.

If Mr. Chai dares to gather people together, the court will let you commit suicide to save your dignity.

If you are not decent, the court will abandon you.

"The assassin from the Dou family is already here. I want him to protect me when I go to and from school."

Cao Liyong tilted his head and said, "Are you kidding?"

"I've already recognized him, why would I scare you with this?"

Cao Liyong threw the melon seed shells in his hand to the ground: "Damn it, you dare to touch my people, you are looking for death!"

Cao Liyong has always been nepotism, and his people cannot be bullied.

Moreover, this is also a common practice among officials.

As the leader, if you don't help us vent our anger, why should I follow you when there are so many leaders in the court?

If you are attacked by political enemies or want to attack political enemies, we will charge ahead and leave you room to maneuver.

"Leave this to me, I'll do them all!"

When Cao Liyong said this, he was full of murderous intent.

Song Xuan threw the melon seed shells on the ground and clapped his hands:
"There's no need to be so angry. If killing them could solve the problem, I would have killed them all long ago."

Cao Liyong glanced at Song Xuan with some surprise, because he felt that Song Xuan's words showed his murderous intent.

"To put an end to this once and for all, I'm going to think about how to convict the Dou family!"

(End of this chapter)