Chapter 198: Lu Ben Was Beaten and Hit with a Stick

In the teahouse private room.

Mrs. Xia Liao Miaoxian, sitting opposite Xu Miaoyun, was a little reserved.

She was just carrying two children, and wanted to catch up and give the only remaining vegetable cake to her husband who was going to take the exam.

She didn't catch up.

She accidentally saw this young lady, who was also carrying two children in swaddling clothes, sending her husband into the examination room.

At a glance, she was a little envious.

It was also a family of four, the same warmth, and the same husband who was going to take the exam.

The other party's husband's Confucian shirt was obviously made of rural cloth, but it was brand new. She also wanted to make a brand new Confucian shirt for her husband.

But she couldn't even eat, so how could she think of anything else.

The clothes worn by this young lady were also very simple, but the two children in swaddling clothes were very delicate and particular.

At a glance, it was clear that this young couple was reluctant to treat their children badly.

At that time, she judged that the other party was not particularly rich, but must be a well-off family with surplus food.

They have all the good family traditions that a warm family should have, such as hard work, thriftiness, and simplicity.

Such a family is what she expects.

So she took a closer look.

Unexpectedly, this young lady would come to talk to her.

And come to such a high-end teahouse.

She ordered several foods for them, which made people drool.

Golden pancakes with red bean fillings, steamed buns...

None of them have been eaten in the family for several years.

Fortunately, the two children are very proud of her. Although they are hungry, they don’t forget etiquette because of food.

Through chatting, she already knows.

The other party is called Xu Daya.

This name is not very nice.

Daya’s husband is called Zhu Silang, well... This name is also very rustic.

I really don’t know how two educated young people can give themselves such names.

Maybe their parents are not well-educated.

Xu Da: ...

Zhu Yuanzhang: ...

The family of four lived in Tuqiao Village, Jiangning. Just one year after getting married, Daya was very amazing. She gave birth to two children without making any noise.

A flying cow among women!

So amazing!

According to Daya, they got married a year ago and lived in a small mud house.

One year after getting married, Zhu Silang carried a head to farm and perform corvée labor. He also did business on the side and took the villagers to Liaodong to transport food, grass and weapons. On the way, he also received part of the reward money for cooperating with the government troops to suppress bandits.

The family gradually became prosperous.

At the end of last year, a house was built.

A child was born.

In short, from Daya's treatment of people, it can be seen that this is a very remarkable woman.

If Daya did not deliberately exaggerate Zhu Silang.

Zhu Silang is a smart young man who can hold a pen to take the imperial examination and can also hold a head to farm.

The two young people became a couple, which can be regarded as a match made in heaven.

"Eat, don't be polite." Xu Huizu held Xiao Yongming and smiled as he used a serving chopstick to pick up food for the Xia Yuanji brothers.

Liao Miaoxian's thoughts were interrupted, and she restrained her envious thoughts and cautiously tested: "Da Ya, we met by chance..."

Xu Miaoyun smiled and looked down at Xiao Qihua in her arms, "We are both mothers of two children, and we also have a warm family of four."

Liao Miaoxian was a smart woman and understood it instantly.

"Sister Miaoxian asked me a lot and already knew my background. I wonder if you can tell me your story?"

Liao Miaoxian immediately understood again that Xu Daya was not young and naive.

People told her so much to let her let down her guard.

She smiled embarrassedly, "My husband's ancestral home is Dexing, Jiangxi, and it can be regarded as a family of scholars. The family was destroyed by the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty..."

...

The private room next door. Mao Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief, grinned, and whispered: "Our young lady is kind-hearted. She just saw that the other family of four is also quite warm, but poor, so she was moved with sympathy. There is no other reason..."

"Shut up!" Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his laughter and scolded.

Bastard.

How long have you been with him?

How long have you been with the bastard Lao Si?

It's okay to call him young master and young lady all the time.

In just over a month, his butt has completely sat crooked!

It's not biased anymore.

It's completely sitting on the side of the bastard Lao Si.

He can conclude that if he and Lao Si have a conflict, this bastard will no longer side with him.

Mao Lao Liu smiled and lowered his head.

Ma Xiuying smiled and looked at Lao Si. Finally, there is someone who is wholeheartedly and only considers him by his side.

The only thing that makes her a little regretful.

Jiang 𤩽 replaced Mao Xiang's position, which has a lot of hidden dangers to the reconciliation between Chongba and Lao Si.

No.

It would be the same for anyone else.

No one else could do so many things secretly for this father and son like Mao Xiang.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued to listen...

After Xia Shimin fled to Changsha Xiangyin, he first worked as a teacher in a gentry's house.

He did a good job, so the other party not only recommended him to the county school as a teacher, but also personally acted as a matchmaker and married him to the woman next door who came from a farming family.

After Xia Shimin passed the examination for a student, he failed the examination for a scholar.

But he was very good at teaching.

He was not worse than the fourth brother and his wife, and the students he taught had a high rate of passing the examination for a student.

The Xiangyin local government recommended Xia Shimin to the Imperial College through the township examination.

This was in accordance with the rules.

Although there was an imperial examination, it became the main way to select talents.

But the successive dynasties have not completely abolished the recommendation system.

It's just that in the past, the recommendation system directly appointed people to official positions, but in this dynasty, the recommendation system requires people to study in the Imperial College first and be examined by the court.

The recommendation system is retained to keep a way out for some scholars who have failed the exams but have good moral character.

There are three benefits to his arrangement.

First, it tells scholars all over the world that moral integrity is also very valuable.

Second, some capable people, for some reason, are not good at the imperial examinations. Retaining the recommendation system can prevent the loss of real talents.

Third, the central government of the court often lacks clerks or green-robed minor officials such as the ninth rank. The imperial examination scholars disdain to do these trivial things.

These scholars who are recommended to enter the Imperial College and have good moral character can take on this part of the affairs.

And it also eliminates the family inheritance of clerks in the central government.

The court could not spend much money, and the official positions provided were relatively low. Those who were truly capable and powerful would rather move to the north privately and take the northern exam, rather than take the route of the recommendation system.

This route belonged to those poor children with good moral integrity.

…

"Didn't you pass the Imperial College exam?" Xu Miaoyun asked in surprise.

The Imperial College's recruitment exam.

Compared with the imperial examination, it was much simpler.

For talents recommended by the township, the recruitment standards were more relaxed, and more attention was paid to the moral integrity of the recommended person.

She suspected that there was something fishy about the Imperial College.

This was very likely. Some people, holding power as small as a chicken feather, wanted to get benefits everywhere. Perhaps Xia Shimin did not take care of the other party.

Mrs. Xia shook her head and bowed her head bitterly.

Her husband was really very talented. He was not only proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, but also in various miscellaneous studies such as mathematics and agronomy.

The children he taught had a very high pass rate for tongsheng.

He was the most famous teacher in Xiangyin.

I don't know how many gentry hired famous teachers for their children and sent them to the county school to let their husbands teach them.

It is precisely because of this, coupled with the fact that everyone praised her husband's moral integrity, that so many people were willing to recommend him to the Imperial College.

Her husband has trained more than a dozen scholars.

But he himself failed the examination for the scholar again and again.

It seems that he is not destined to take the imperial examination.

"After failing the Imperial College examination, he ran out of money and couldn't get back to Xiangyin, so my husband decided to fail the examination in Yingtian Prefecture."

Xu Miaoyun smiled, picked up a piece of cake and put it in the bowl in front of Liao Miaoxian, and picked up a piece for himself, saying while eating: "Maybe failing the examination will have unexpected results!"

If Xia Shimin is really talented.

There are only two reasons for repeated failures.

One is that the mentality is not good and he doesn't know how to take the exam. Many scholars have this problem. Once they arrive at the examination room, they are nervous and can't perform well.

First, there were too many tricks in the local college entrance examination in Xiangyin, and Xia Shimin was too unlucky. He encountered internal appointments every time.

The competition for the imperial examinations in Jiangnan was already very fierce.

Those who were truly powerful and capable secretly moved to the north and let their family members take the northern list.

The second-rate ones would secretly make internal appointments.

There were too many internal appointments, and there were naturally fewer opportunities for candidates like Xia Shimin who had no background.

The court knew about this kind of thing, but there was no way to prevent it. As long as some good-for-nothings were not appointed, the court could only accept it with a pinch of the nose.

But this year's Yingtianfu college entrance examination was different.

Everyone knew that his father would be watching when Silang participated in the college entrance examination. Even if Yingtianfu had the courage to do so, it would not dare to make internal appointments secretly.

At the same time, the difficulty was unprecedented.

Those who were selected in this year's Yingtianfu examination were definitely those with real skills.

If Xia Shimin had real skills, it would be a coincidence that he failed the exam this time and made the right choice.

There is a high probability that he can stand out.

The exam was tailor-made for some scholars who didn't have time to return to their hometowns.

But there were also some rules, such as, candidates from the south were not allowed to go to the north to take the exam...

Of course, these rules can only constrain scholars who have no background or whose background is not strong enough.

"Sister Miaoxian, Silang and I are in Tuqiao Village, teaching a group of children for free. We need a batch of books. We want to save some money and plan to hire someone to copy the books. I happened to meet you. I wonder if you are willing to take this job?"

...

Next door, Zhu Yuanzhang heard it, grinned, and muttered: "Look at how good this girl is at dealing with people. She not only helps people, but also keeps their dignity. Our Zhu family married such a daughter-in-law, which is a good deal, a good deal..."

Ma Xiuying smiled and glared.

Remind: "If this Xia Shimin fails the exam in Yingtian Prefecture and passes the exam as a scholar, you have to take good care of the Imperial College."

The smile on Zhu Yuanzhang's face gradually disappeared, "Not only should we rectify the Imperial College, but even the academy exams hosted by local governments should be rectified!"

This academy exam in Yingtian Prefecture can be said to be unprecedentedly difficult.

There is absolutely no secret operation.

If Xia Shimin passes the exam as a scholar.

There are too many problems exposed!

"Wait and see, wait until the results of the academy exam come out!" Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes.

"If the fourth brother passes the exam as a scholar, and this Xia Shimin also passes the exam as a scholar, we will have to punish Lu Ben!"

Before the exam, Lu Ben was allowed to use public tools for personal gain, but it does not mean that he will not settle accounts after the exam.

What's more, the Imperial College is also under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Rites also has the responsibility to supervise the academy exams hosted by local governments.

Xia Shimin is the best excuse.

Is it reasonable that a person who can pass the exam as a scholar in this session cannot pass the Imperial College recruitment exam?

As the Minister of Rites, even if Lü Ben was promoted not long ago, he had to bear this beating!

After all, Xia Shimin's Imperial College admission exam was after his promotion.

If he didn't beat him, Lü Ben would only focus on the fourth child and ignore the Imperial College and local academy exams!

Of course, the premise is that the fourth child wins his reputation and passes the exam to become a scholar.

If he fails, and Lü Ben is criticized, others will say: Zhu Yuanzhang's son is incompetent, and he failed the exam to become a scholar, so he is angry with Lü Ben.

Ask for monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, follow-up subscriptions, and full subscriptions.