25, Third Girl

Languan is located in the south of Zishui County. read

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It's not far from Bailuyuan.

Looking south from the outskirts of Bailu Village, although the majestic passes in the Qinling Mountains could not be seen, a group of young people could not help but recite this ancient poem when they saw the scenery of this mountain.

After everyone recited a few lines of ancient poems describing the spring scenery, they could no longer bear the loneliness caused by the winter and began to play and play in the mountains and rivers.

The group of people who were originally a little alienated became more harmonious after a few jokes.

Walking to a hilltop, you can overlook the entire Bailu Village. You can also see other villages in the corners. Unlike the cement buildings of later generations, the dark green tiles almost blend with the scenery, which is very similar to the splash-ink landscape painting of traditional Chinese painting. .

"Brother, I heard the people in our village talk about it, saying that your father is planning to arrange a marriage for you?"

Bai Xiaowen broke off a piece of dogtail grass and held it in his mouth, seeming to mention this matter accidentally.

"What?"

"Brother Bai, are you getting engaged now?"

A few teenagers were at the beginning of their youth. Half a month ago, Lu Zhaoqian took them to see Bai Xing'er, a banker in the village, grooming a horse. Although they didn't understand why they did this, their thoughts were not on poetry. It's in the book.

In the past, I couldn't help but look at the young girls and young wives coming and going, and look at Pingting's graceful figure.

My throat was dry and I was drooling, and I swallowed it in my stomach.

At this moment, they heard that Bai Gui, who was slightly two years older than him, was planning to get engaged. They were scratching their heads and wondered what a man and a woman would do when they got married. This was not taught in the book.

Bai Gui squatted down at this moment, folded a few willow sticks, peeled off the skin, and used the tender white willow branches to weave a grasshopper cage. Soon, he had weaved a lifelike little grasshopper with his hands and handed it to him casually. The two younger ones, Bai Xiaowu and Lu Zhaohai, who had been waiting for a long time, finally replied: "What's the matter with Wu Ying? How big are their foreheads? This gentleman has said that he will give us a few guarantees to take part in the county examination in the county. Get acquainted with the atmosphere of the imperial examination, and you’ll be busy next summer, too!”

The county examination is usually held in February every year.

The county examination in Zishui County is held in late February as usual. The freeze has just been thawed, and there are still more than two months until the county examination.

Xu Xiucai and the people in the village had different opinions.

Most scholars take part in the imperial examination by making up the numbers, and it is unlikely that they will be on the list in one go. There are also many benefits to participating in the imperial examination. You can familiarize yourself with the rules, sharpen your temperament, and master knowledge faster before preparing for the exam...

Therefore, under Bai Gui's "hint" of asking for advice, Xu Xiucai made up his mind and felt that this was indeed a good idea. He planned to select a few people to take part in the county examination, make up the numbers, and go through the motions to know how big he was compared to those children. difference.

Only Confucian students who passed the county examination and prefectural examination could be called Tongsheng.

In the assessment, not surprisingly, Zhou Yuan ranked first in the school, second in Lu Zhaopeng School, third in Bai Gui School, followed closely by the rest of Lu Zhaohai and Bai Xiaowu, and then the other Meng children. .

"Yes, the most important thing is to pass the county examination first." Zhou Yuan said with some pride: "I have been to three private schools and I know the progress of those students. Now I am still far away from it. As long as I take the exam, I will definitely win. !”

What he said is not false.

Although Zishui County belonged to Jingzhao during the Han and Tang Dynasties, it was Ji County. At that time, the academic spirit was at its peak, and people such as the great poet Wang Wei liked to live in seclusion in Zishui County to cultivate their sentiments. There are countless poems describing Zishui County.

During the Tang Dynasty, the counties in the world were divided into ten levels: Chi, Cichi, Ji, Ciji, Wang, Qin, upper, middle, middle lower and lower. At that time, Zishui County was under the direct jurisdiction of Jingzhao and was a Ji County with a higher status.

However, since the Song Dynasty, Jingzhao has been in decline, and Zishui County is also getting worse day by day.

Now among the counties in the Qing Dynasty, Zishui County is just a lower county.

The culture and education of Bailu Village is actually not much different from that of other villages and towns in Zishui County, and is even slightly better than other villages and towns. After all, the private schools used by other villages and towns are not necessarily talented... Zhou Yuan can stand out in one village and dominate other students of the same age. Not necessarily comparable to him.

"Brother Bai, I have a girl who is a third-year-old in the family. When we come back from taking the county examination, we will make the decision. Whether you pass the county examination or not, I will persuade my father to betroth my sister to you. Then we will It’s just kiss after kiss.”

Zhou Yuan patted his chest and assured.

He also knew that the scholars who did not participate in the examination were the first ladies to get into the sedan chair, and they were stealing money. After the failure, there will be some empty space. But he knows how powerful Bai Gui is...

Given time, Bai Gui will definitely go further than he did in the imperial examination.

"Third Miss? That's a hard life. You are really not ashamed to be betrothed to your noble brother." Bai Xiaowen curled his lips.

"Then it's the third lady, and then it's my sister." Zhou Yuan blushed, Bai Xiaowen's words seemed to say that he was unloyal, but he regarded Bai Gui as his best friend, and glared at him: "This is the only one. Sister, if Brother Bai gets engaged, the dowry will be given to him in a dyeing shop in Xi’an City and twenty acres of land in Pangjia Village, that’s fine!”

Tian doesn't feel bad for his son.

When Zhou Yuan was a young man, he had never thought about the value of a dyeing workshop and the value of twenty acres of land. This was at least five to six hundred taels of silver. Not counting the gold and silver buried at home, 80% of the Zhou family's belongings were It's all here.

Listening to the quarrel among several people, Bai Gui finally figured out what the third girl meant.

It turns out that Qin Opera has a play "Wang Baochuan".

This Wang Baochuan is also well-known in later generations, and the TV plays it on loop all day long. Although he didn't like watching this kind of TV series in his previous life, the old man liked to watch it. After watching it several times with him, he also knew the general plot.

Wang Baochuan was the third child in the family, so she was the third girl.

The general plot of "Wang Baochuan" is that the third daughter of Wang Yun, the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Yizong of Tang, insisted on marrying the poor Xue Pinggui regardless of her parents' words. Later, Xue Pinggui went to the army to pacify Xiliang, but Wang Baochuan also stayed in the cold kiln for eighteen years. Later, Xue Pinggui ascended the throne and took Wang Baochuan back to the palace and canonized her as the queen, but Wang Baochuan only served as the queen for eighteen days before she died of illness.

Coincidentally, there is an ancient cold kiln where Wang Baochuan lived in Wudianpo near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an City.

This opera is almost known to everyone in Qin Province. So the third girl is also considered to be lacking in luck and destined to suffer.

"Brother Zhou, the champion marquis Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty said, "How can I have a family if the Xiongnu is not destroyed!"

"Now I have no fame, and my family has no good land. Anyone who marries me will suffer. Besides, the foreign barbarians are causing trouble now. It is the time for us to use our military power. How can we be confined to one family..."

Bai Gui smiled bitterly and stepped forward to persuade.

Speak to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghost way. The words used to persuade Bai Youde cannot be used on Zhou Yuan. If I say I don't want to marry your sister, it will offend people... It's better to find a high-sounding reason and refuse tactfully.

Scholars also fall for this.