86. Returning Home in Wealth

"Little Sanyuan..."

Bai Gui clenched his fists tightly and bit his lower lip. He felt that the noisy streets were silent, and only the voice of the yamen runners just now echoed in his heart again and again.

However, this was only a short moment.

He came back to his senses when his classmates called him.

At this moment, he saw countless eyes of pedestrians, diners, Confucian scholars, etc. on the street and behind the railings of the restaurants around him.

"Brother Bai, congratulations on your honor of being recommended by the eagle, and you have lived up to your hard work all day!"

Zhou Yuan was the first to praise.

Wu Huaixian and others on the side also expressed their congratulations.

They all accompanied Bai Gui to look at the list. Bai Gui was the head of the mansion at this time, and he was also the most optimistic candidate to win the first place in the academy.

"Honoring the eagle" is what Kong Rong said when he recommended Ni Heng in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, "A lot of birds of prey are not as good as one eagle. If Heng is in office, he will surely be remarkable."

Therefore, later generations used "Honoring the eagle" as a eulogy to congratulate people on their success in the imperial examination.

"Thank you, thank you..."

Bai Gui took a few deep breaths, suppressed his excitement, and then bowed to his classmates.

"Go, go, the academician is still waiting for you."

Several people said that if they were selected as the first place in the Dao test, they should go to see the academician to thank him for selecting them this time.

The same is true for other students on government stipends.

The number of students on government stipends is not large each time, and the number of places is limited, which varies according to the state and county. In the Qin Province, there are often no more than ten first-class students on government stipends in a college examination.

As for the state and county official schools, it seems that there are many students on government stipends, but that is accumulated over decades.

The students on government stipends are equivalent to the formal staff, and receive food stipends every month. And there are also the second-class students, which are not on the staff. Although they have benefits, they are not as good as the students on government stipends. The full name is "Zengguang students". The worst is the third-class attached students, who are at the bottom of the students, called "attached students". This kind of scholars is the most miserable...

The crowd was shouted by the yamen runners, and a wide road was separated.

Bai Gu immediately calmed down, bowed to the people behind him, and then took big steps, held his head high, and walked towards the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall. When he reached the archways on the left and right sides of the Imperial Examination Hall, he paused.

The panels of the archways were painted with flying dragons and phoenixes flapping their wings.

Soaring dragons! Rising phoenixes!

"Student Bai Gui, thank you for the red robe for marking my forehead today."

He saluted loudly.

"Well..., yes, my Qin Province inherited the legacy of the Han and Tang Dynasties. You are both civil and military, not only can you hold a three-inch pen, but also a three-foot sword. Now that the country is exhausted, it is precisely you who are needed as a young hero..."

Chen Xuezheng nodded slightly, looked at Bai Gui with praise, and simply praised him a few words.

As he said this, he waved his hand, and the clerk next to him immediately brought over the wooden table that had been prepared long ago, on which were strips of silk ribbons.

This is a gentleman's belt!

Wang Bo's Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng mentioned: "Bo, three feet of humble life."

This three feet is the gentleman's belt of the gentry, not that Wang Bo is only three feet high. It is recorded in "The Book of Rites·Jade Ornaments": "The gentry is long, and the gentry is three feet high."

The higher the official rank, the longer the tied part of the gentleman's belt is.

The gentleman's belt is exclusive to the literati.

Tying this gentleman's belt means that your identity is different from before.

The clerk tied the gentleman's belt for Bai Gui and tied it around his waist.

"Thank you for your teachings."

Bai Gui bowed his head and said this, then he obediently stepped aside and waited for the yamen runner to continue reading the list. He couldn't leave early at this time.

"The second place in this Taoist test..."

...

If you don't return to your hometown when you are rich and powerful, it's like walking in the night in brocade clothes.

After winning the first place in the case, Bai Gui said goodbye to his classmates, left the Normal School, and prepared to go back to the village. It would take him several years to come back again.

After leaving the provincial capital, he rode his horse all the way.

He had the skill of horse stance, which promoted and complemented his horse riding skills. The road was slightly bumpy, but his legs were clamped on the saddle, and he didn't move at all.

Soon, less than two hours.

Bailu Village.

Smoke from cooking.

The yamen runner who announced the good news got there first and had already arrived in the village. As soon as he walked to the plain, he could see the scattered red firecrackers on the main road. When he arrived at the entrance of the village, he heard the villagers talking and laughing noisily.

The village was built on a plain with high terrain.

He looked up and saw that there were more than a dozen tables of buffets from the ancestral hall to the street. The dishes on the tables were quite simple, including stewed pork with cabbage, stewed pork with radish, stewed tofu, a bowl of cold bean sprouts, and gourd chicken in the middle,

"Is Guiwazi back?"

"Why is he called Guiwazi? He is now Xianggong!"

"Sanyuan Xianggong, is Xianggong back?"

The villagers stood up on the long benches. Seeing Xianggong, they dared not sit down.

Bai Gui got off his horse and quickly declined to let the villagers sit down, saying that there was no need to be so polite. After greeting several elders and capable people in the village at the table, he went straight to the main hall of the ancestral hall after saying hello.

There was another banquet in the main hall.

There were three tables inside. One table was for the most senior elders in the village. The elderly are treasures and respecting them is a must. No matter their status, anyone over the age of 60 can sit down. One table was for relatives, whom Bai Gui was not very familiar with. As for the other table, it was for people of high status in the village.

These three tables had a lot of dishes, including crystal pork elbows, sweet and sour fish, and other large items.

"Mr. Bai is back, hurry up and pick up a set of chopsticks."

The clan leader Bai Jiaxuan smiled and asked the people next to him to give up their seats. He gave the main seat facing north and south to Bai Gui. This is the rule. A scholar has a reputation, which is equivalent to an official position. He cannot be inferior to others.

If he is Bai Gui's direct elder, it is okay to sit in the main seat, but if he is arrogant, there will be problems.

"Today, Bai Gui has achieved fame, which is also related to the clan leader's benevolence and righteousness..., but he dare not sit in the main seat."

Bai Gui immediately gave way and sat in the second seat, allowing the clan leader Bai Jiaxuan to still sit in the main seat.

He can make concessions on some small matters and rules, because he has a reputation, even if he is humble, others will not think he is weak and can be bullied.

Because he is giving up small rules, and fame is the big rule outside.

For example, the anecdote of Liuchixiang, which is often talked about, tells the story of Zhang Ying, a university scholar during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. When he was in the capital, he received a letter from his family, saying that they were fighting for three feet of land on the wall with their neighbors, and asked him to use his official position to oppress his neighbors. He directly wrote: "I wrote a letter thousands of miles away just for the wall, so what's the harm in giving him three feet? The Great Wall is still there today, but Qin Shihuang is no longer there." He took the initiative to give up three feet of homestead.

It is unknown what Zhang Ying thought. Perhaps he was open-minded, or perhaps he did not want to tarnish his reputation for such trivial matters. But it is worth pondering that after the neighbor knew about this, he immediately gave up three feet...

Only those who do not fight, no one in the world can fight with them!

"Where is Mr. Xu?" Bai Gui saw his father Bai Youde greeting guests, and did not go forward to disturb him. The father and son had something to say behind closed doors. Now, anyone can be missing from this banquet, but Xu Xiucai cannot be missing.

"He just went to Xujiayuan a few days ago. I guess he doesn't know the news yet. I have sent the young people in the village to communicate." The clan leader Bai Jiaxuan said.