A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 40 Miss Lei (seeking monthly ticket)

"Yes, Zhang Quanyi had two sons. One was an adopted son, who was sentenced to death by the eldest son. The second son rebelled against Shi Jingtang, the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty. All members of his family were killed, leaving only the eldest son."

Song Xuan nodded slightly, with a strange look on his face:
"Since there are descendants, and you two brothers are claiming to be descendants, is there no one in their family who objects?"

Zhang Kang shook his head: "Their family has long been in decline. The presence of two of us Jinshi in the family can be considered as a support for them, so that they will not be bullied too much."

"I see."

Song Xuan nodded again, not knowing what to say for a moment.

A gentle breeze blows away the boredom of the summer night.

"Shi Er Lang, will you look down on me?"

"what?"

Song Xuan straightened his back immediately:

"Why do you say that, Magistrate Zhang?"

"After all, this isn't a glorious thing."

Zhang Kang laughed at himself, "If I say something out loud, I'll be exposed one day."

"Hey, this one."

Song Xuan leaned back on the bamboo chair again:

"Zhang Tuiguan, to be honest, you know I'm good at cracking people's heads, but not at helping them vent their emotions."

Zhang Kang recalled Song Xuan's majestic and domineering look that intimidated so many ruffians just now, and nodded.

But he didn't think Song Xuan was someone who couldn't enlighten others.

He is a fallen child prodigy!

"But I heard something, I wonder if it makes any impression on you?"

"Twelve Lang, just say it."

"Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, many people's ancestors were all peasants. Who is more noble than who?"

"That's true."

Zhang Kang nodded repeatedly.

After all, many noble families were collectively packed up and their ashes were scattered.

Song Xuan looked at the twinkling stars in the night sky:

"Don't worry, Zhang Tuiguan. Even Emperor Taizu's ancestors were peasants. It was only after his great-grandfather became a county magistrate that his family embarked on the path of officialdom for generations, and eventually had the opportunity to found a new country.

And you are now a sixth-rank magistrate. If you manage the river in Yingtian Prefecture well, you can move up to a higher level in the future. From now on, your sons and grandsons will also be able to follow the path of officials for generations.

By then, you will have a separate page in your family tree, tracing your father and grandfather, and providing for your descendants. A true man born in this era will surely leave his name in history."

Zhang Kang was moved by Song Xuan's words and broke out in a cold sweat.

In fact, when listening to the first half, Zhang Kang's fat butt almost slipped off the bamboo chair.

This kid is really bold.

Don't die!

How can I, Zhang Kang, a mere magistrate, be compared with Emperor Taizu?
"Shi Er Lang, Shi Er Lang, ah, I believe you really can't enlighten people." Zhang Kang took out a handkerchief and wiped the hot sweat from his head:
"Listen to my advice. Don't be so quick to reason with others in the future. Try to be more critical of others. This will help you avoid the trouble caused by your words."

"Okay." Song Xuan nodded:
"I'm a man who listens to advice."

Zhang Kang nervously clenched his handkerchief to wipe away the sweat, then calmed down and continued to wipe his forehead, forcefully changing the subject:
"I will definitely do a good job of managing the river, and I will definitely ask you for some advice when the time comes."

"Me?"

Song Xuan pointed at himself:
"I don't know how to manage a river!"

"If you have time, why not ask Mr. Fan for some advice? He has practical experience with both success and failure in building riverbanks."

"If that doesn't work, you can send someone to find out how the Dujiangyan Irrigation System was built. There should be books circulating over the years that might give you some inspiration."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Zhang Kang discovered that Song Xuan had a lot of ideas.

The Dujiangyan Irrigation System has been in operation for a thousand years and has created the Land of Abundance.

However, due to the successive wars in Sichuan in recent years and the rampant tigers, Sichuan has not yet recovered much.

Because Song Xuan had just spoken so boldly, Zhang Kang was so frightened that he turned off the microphone.

He came here to leave his name in history, not to play the Nine Clans Candy Crush game.

Even though the Emperor of the Song Dynasty openly stated that he would share the world with the literati, he would probably be unable to sleep after hearing such "encouragement". The two of them said nothing more.

He drank from time to time, thinking about how to repair the river, and tried his best to forget the content of the conversation just now.

One of them looked up at the starry sky, thinking about how to prepare for the exam after arriving in Songcheng.

There is no curfew in the Song Dynasty now. When you get close to Song City, even the city gates are not closed.

The ship docked.

Zhang Kang, the magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, took the yamen runners and escorted Dutouxie and others away.

Yan Shu and others also got off the boat and went back to rest.

Song Xuan asked Tao Hong to take people to look after the belongings and then sell the captured small boats.

Zhang Fangping was taken away by Song Shou, who said that he wanted to test his knowledge in advance.

The main purpose is to avoid being led astray by Song Xuan.

Song Xuan didn't care. He never cared what others thought of him.

Qu Ze led the way.

Song Xuan followed him to the inn to rest.

"Shi Er Lang, look, Song City is still more lively at night."

The little beggar Qu Ze had been on "business trips" many times before, so he knew Songcheng very well.

Some news about Kaifeng Prefecture can be obtained from here.

The inn owned by Mr. Lei.

Song Xuan felt that it was similar to the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

Although this is Shangqiu, the inn also has a two-story pavilion on the top of the mountain.

Zhang Zeduan likes realism.

However, this painting style was not liked by Song Huizong, who liked artistic conception.

So, is a painting like Along the River During the Qingming Festival worthy of being in the same class as us literati and scholars?
After all, the right to speak on mainstream aesthetics in the Song Dynasty was determined by class.

What we like is the artistic conception of an old man in a straw hat and raincoat fishing alone in a boat on the cold river under the snow.

artistic conception.

understand?
What you, Zhang Zeduan, painted were small vendors, common people working like slaves, beggars, and dilapidated houses in the countryside.

Will this work?

Therefore, the Xuanhe Scroll published by the Northern Song Dynasty government contained more than 6,000 paintings, and Zhang Zeduan's paintings were not worthy of being selected.

Song Xuan sighed. At this moment, there was only one girl in the shop, dozing off on the counter, an abacus placed aside, and a clerk taking a nap on the table, waiting to be served.

Song Xuan stepped forward and fiddled with the abacus, hearing the sound of beads.

She opened her eyes dazedly, then widened them and shouted in surprise:

"ah."

"Twelfth Brother is here."

"I've been waiting for you to come!"

"Long time no see, Miss Lei."

Song Xuan greeted with a smile on his face.

Miss Lei is Mr. Lei’s youngest daughter, one year younger than Song Xuan.

Sima Guang and others believed that a girl could get married when she was thirteen years old.

However, the Northern Song Dynasty had its own national conditions, and the custom of giving lavish dowries was prevalent.

The family needs to prepare a generous dowry for their daughter.

Therefore, the average age for women to get married is 19 years old, or even later.

In addition, men also have to postpone their marriage because they are preparing for the imperial examinations.

There were even some who were waiting to be chosen as son-in-law from the list, so that they could have a good father-in-law and help from the court in the future. Many men also chose to get married in their hometown too early.

Unlike Su Xun, who was afraid that his two sons would be forced to marry off the list, he got married at home and then went to Bian Jing together to take the exam.

(End of this chapter)