Pawn Crossing the River

Qi Xuansu had no home or job, so he had nothing to worry about, so he started his study tour.

Although he didn't have much money, since he was studying, he could visit the farmers and scholars along the way, or the scholars, or the juren, who came to see him. Seeing that he was well-spoken and had a good demeanor, they would often entertain him warmly, and even give him some money before he left.

It's not that these people are kind, but that they are extremely shrewd. It is said that young people should not be despised for being poor. Today's young men are penniless, who knows what they will be like in the future? If you make a good relationship today, maybe you will have a good fortune in the future. Many wealthy families will provide free financial assistance to some poor scholars, not for the present, but for the future.

Qi Xuansu is a prospective scholar after all, and he is not very old.

Originally, Yin Zhengxin was limited by his knowledge, a little reserved, and a little petty, but Qi Xuansu made up for this very well. After all, the title of Little Master was not for nothing, and he had a calm demeanor that could keep calm in the face of adversity. In the eyes of others, this boy was extraordinary and worth investing in. It was just a few taels of loose silver, who would expect this little silver to produce a child?

Playing chess and cooking.

In this way, more than half a year had passed. Qi Xuansu traveled to several prefectures, exchanged poems with local literati, made friends with literature, and even became famous.

Qi Xuansu was born into a Taoist family, and he was very familiar with Taoist classics and various annotations of ancestors. He also had some knowledge of astronomy and geography, but his attainments in Confucianism were not high. However, Yin Zhengxin himself has this foundation. It is not a random statement that he has some talent. If we really want to talk about the level of knowledge, the difference between a scholar and a juren is just one exam. If you pass the exam, you are a juren, and if you fail, you are a scholar. The key lies in whether the essay meets the examiner's wishes. The basic knowledge is almost the same.

Because of this, Qi Xuansu did not choose the useless young man with a higher origin, because that person is really a fool. Qi Xuansu can pass the Taoist exam to become a ninth-rank Taoist priest, but he cannot pass the Confucian imperial examination. These are two completely different systems. For him, the useless young man is a dead end.

On the contrary, Qin Lingge, who is originally a Confucian, has profound knowledge and has no such concerns, so he can choose the useless young man.

However, these are not the shortcuts to Zhongnan mentioned by Qi Xuansu. At most, they are a foreshadowing.

The real shortcut is to study.

To put it more bluntly, worship the teacher.

The master-disciple relationship is not only important within the Taoist sect, but also within the Confucian sect.

Worshipping a teacher is closely related to reputation. So the drunkard who beat his wife was directly excluded by Qi Xuansu.

Since the selection of filial and honest people, showing off has become a necessary task for Confucian disciples.

Behaviors such as lying on ice to seek carp, burying children to serve mothers, crying bamboo shoots, tasting feces and worrying about it, etc., do not seem to be done by normal people, and even unimaginable.

Confucian disciples can imagine it, this is showing off.

If it is changed to Taoism, then it is probably like this: on the wedding night of Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, the two did not consummate the marriage, but copied the five thousand words of the Supreme Taoist Ancestor all night, and found Xiao Yin to explain the three virtues of the Taoist Ancestor to her, and then the next day they had to let everyone in the Taoist sect know, which is about the meaning.

Although this kind of show-off behavior is less after the establishment of the imperial examination system, it still exists, which is directly reflected in a person's reputation among the literati.

The purpose of storing talents and raising reputation is to display them. How to raise reputation has long been said by the ancients.

So after Qi Xuansu finished his half-year study tour, he started his study tour again.

First, I borrowed books.

My family was poor, so I had no way to get books to read. I borrowed books from people who had books, copied them by hand, and returned them on a certain date. It was very cold, and the inkstone was frozen. My fingers could not bend or stretch, but I did not slack off. After copying, I ran to send it back, and I dared not exceed the deadline.

This was not only a serious attitude towards learning, but also objectively built a reputation for myself as a studious person.

This was a persistent job. Qi Xuansu did it for three years, and took the college entrance examination in the middle and passed the examination.

With a reputation for being studious and talented, he began his formal journey of studying.

He often went a hundred miles away to ask questions from the elders in the village. The elders were virtuous and respected, and their disciples filled their rooms, but they never declined. He stood by his side, helped him with doubts, leaned over and listened attentively; if he was scolded, he would be more respectful and polite, and dared not say a word in reply; when he was happy, he would ask again.

This went on for another half a year.

After completing the above steps, you will become a disciple.

The teachers of Confucianism are divided into very specific categories. A Confucian disciple has many teachers in his life, which is incomparable to Taoism.

When you are young, you have a teacher who teaches you.

When you grow up, the one who teaches you in person is called a teacher.

You may go out to study, or invite a teacher to teach you at home, or study in a college, or ask a famous scholar for advice. Based on this, the teacher is further divided into a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, and so on.

Later, in the imperial examination, there was a teacher who was called a teacher, also called a seat teacher, who was actually the chief examiner or the general manager of the undergraduate examination.

There was also a room teacher, which was a respectful title given by the juren and jinshi to the co-examiner who recommended their own test papers. Because the papers were divided into rooms for marking in the provincial and joint examinations, the test papers of the candidates had to be selected by the co-examiners of a room, and then recommended to the chief examiner or the general manager after adding comments before they could be selected, hence the name.

Finally, there is the recommender, where ministers recommend talents to the court so that they can be promoted and appointed. It mostly refers to ministers recommending subordinates, and those who recommend subordinates are called recommenders.

Qi Xuansu's current apprenticeship is to ask the teacher for advice. Qi Xuansu traveled for half a year, borrowed books for three years, and studied for another half a year. In the blink of an eye, he has reached the age of adulthood.

The ceremony of capping is usually presided over by the elders, so Qi Xuansu took this opportunity to ask this senior master to become his disciple and become his apprentice.

This senior master's surname is Huang, and his given name is "Mei". He seems to be just a local celebrity, but in fact he is the Minister of Rites. After retiring, he returned to his hometown, which gave Qi Xuansu the opportunity to become his apprentice.

This is by no means a coincidence, but the result of Qi Xuansu's careful selection.

The king chooses his ministers, and the ministers also choose the king. The master chooses his disciples, and the disciples also choose their teachers.

This is a two-way choice.

As for where Qi Xuansu got the information, the experience of studying abroad for more than half a year was not a tour of mountains and rivers, nor was it a wandering around aimlessly. In fact, it had a strong purpose, and this information was obtained during the study abroad.

The original Yin Zhengxin certainly did not have this idea, and would not know that a Minister of Rites retired and returned to his hometown. Even if he knew, he might not dare to visit him. Even if he visited him, he might not be able to satisfy Huang Mei.

However, these are nothing to Qi Xuansu. Not to mention that Qi Xuansu was like a fairy from heaven at this time, and he was in the human world from the perspective of the Supreme Being, and his original body was detached from the world. Even if it was the real human world, Qi Xuansu had nothing to be afraid of in the game. Compared with his past experiences, this was all a small scene.

It seemed that Yin Zhengxin was lucky to meet a noble person, but in fact it was the result of Qi Xuansu's careful planning.

In fact, the human world is not the same. Many opportunities and fortunes seem to be summarized by the three words "good luck", but in fact they are the fairy from heaven.

It has been destined. It is destined. The price is marked in the dark.

Yin Zhengxin is like this, and Qi Xuansu is not like this?

They are all chess pieces in the hands of others.

Huang Mei neither agreed nor refused Qi Xuansu's request to become a disciple, but said to wait until after the autumn examination.

The autumn examination is also known as the provincial examination. It is held every three years. All the students, supervisors, students, officials, and tribute students who have passed the imperial examination, the annual examination, and the record are eligible to take the examination.

The provincial examination is divided into regular examination and special examination. Regular examination is held in the years of Zi, Wu, Mao and You, while the special examination for celebration is called special examination, and the examination time is also in August.

The chief examiner of each state is appointed by the emperor himself. Those who pass the examination are called "juren", and the first one is called "jieyuan", that is, the first one of the so-called "three yuan in a row".

The second one is Yayuan, the third to fifth ones are Jingkui, and the sixth one is Yakui. Juren who are qualified for the examination usually have the qualifications for selecting officials. All those who pass the examination are eligible to participate in the joint examination held in the capital the following year.

Huang Mei's meaning is very clear. You must first pass the examination of Juren before you are qualified to be his disciple.

This is also reasonable. In fact, whether he becomes a disciple or not, Qi Xuansu has to participate in the autumn examination. Don't say that it is not a good thing to become famous at a young age. Which of the chief ministers of the cabinet in the past dynasties did not become famous at a young age? Becoming a Juren or a Jinshi is just a stepping stone. There is a long way to go in the future, so the sooner the better. This is the same as the Taoist principle that the sooner one becomes an immortal, the better.

The spectators commented on the battle.

"Although the young master is not a Confucian, he is very clear about the Confucian way of doing things. He is steady and cautious. So what if he is just a high-ranking official? Do you want to do what Yihuo did?"

"The matter of Yihuo was just about dethroning and enthroning. I think it is the matter of Cao Mang. I, I, I..."

"Be careful! The great master Zi Ji is still here. Do you want to die?"

"But you forgot one thing. Whether it is Wei Wu or Ju Jun, they are all from aristocratic families. Their predecessors have laid a good foundation. The young master chose a humble family and started from scratch. I am afraid he does not have the capital."

"In my opinion, whether it is the matter of Yihuo or the matter of Cao Mang, they are all wrong. Have you forgotten the lessons of the Wei Dynasty?"

"In order to quell the endless internal and external chaos at that time, the Wei Dynasty had to delegate personnel power to local governors and let them raise money and recruit soldiers to quell the rebellion. In this way, the local governors and governors-general have the power of finance and personnel, plus the military power they already have, so they can be independent in everything, and they have the capital to compete for the world. "

"Replay the story of the Wei Dynasty?"

"This is like drinking poison to quench thirst. If you drink it, you will be poisoned to death, and if you don't drink it, you will die of thirst. It's just the difference between dying early and dying late. It's blocked from both ends."

"Mr. Qin chose to come from a noble family, most likely he will follow the path of a powerful official. It's not impossible to rely on his family."

"It's funny to say that people in the Confucian school talk about loyalty to the emperor every day, but now they want powerful officials to usurp the throne."

"What's wrong with this? Wang Jujun is also a saint certified by the Confucian school, and he is a disciple of Wang Jujun."

"In the final analysis, Mr. Qin follows the path of Wang Jujun, the abandoned saint of the Confucian school, and the little master follows the path of our Taoist school, so we still have to start from the local prefectures."

"This chess game has just begun, and there is still a chance to win."