The Prosperous Era of Longwan

These days, the business of brothels and restaurants in Nanchang Fucheng is extremely good.

There is no way, with so many scholars flooding in all at once, it is impossible to do well in business.

Except for the day before the exam, when business suddenly becomes quieter, the rest of the time is bustling with people.

Visitors include not only scholars and students who have passed the exam, but also those who have fallen behind and come here to drink and soothe their sorrows.

Wei Guangde and his party are naturally not frustrated people. After a night of carnival, he didn't know how to get back to the inn. At this time, he opened his sleepy eyes and felt that his head hurt. He drank a little too much wine last night.

Of course it's not that he doesn't want to sleep a little longer, it's just that the knocking on the door has been ringing for too long and is getting more and more urgent.

He stood up and opened the door. Although he was a little disheveled, Wei Guangde didn't care much. He just wanted to get over it as soon as possible so that he could continue to sleep for a while.

When he opened the door, he saw a waiter looking at him with a pleasant smile on his face. He kept saluting and saying congratulations to the young master for being a scholar and for being successful in the next provincial examination.

"What's the matter? Keep knocking on the door."

Wei Guangde was disturbed from his dream, so he was naturally in a bad mood. Although the waiter said auspicious words, his tone was also unkind.

"The yamen's messenger has arrived with the good news. There should be other things to do. I will fetch you some water right now. Please freshen up and go downstairs."

The waiter knew that he was disturbing Wei Guangde's rest, but he still smiled and said to him.

"Good news? The red list has been posted, what good news should I give you?"

Wei Guangde said in surprise.

He didn't know about this. It was actually quite normal. Whether it was Wu Dong or Zeng Yuanshu, neither of them had passed the first round of the college examination and were dismissed, so they left Nanchang City early. What else will happen next? They didn't know anything about it, and they had no interest in asking about it.

The waiter looked at Wei Guangde and felt that the child in front of him might really not know, so he hurriedly said: "If you are selected as a scholar, the yamen will send you good news according to the registered accommodation address, which means asking for some wedding money, and they will also bring you some education tips. I have to go according to the master’s order.”

While he was talking, the door of a few rooms next to him was also opened, and Zeng Yuanshu was standing there with disheveled hair, talking to the waiter in front of his door.

Wei Guangde knew what was going on. He liked money, so that was nothing, but if the official came here with some news, he really had to pay attention to it.

Don't look at it now that he has transformed from a boy to a scholar, but he is only so good at things. His academic qualifications and literary appointment are still in the hands of the academic official. The academic official can remove the scholar's reputation, although it is not used much. , and most of them develop to this stage only when they have serious faults.

"Hurry up and get some water."

Wei Guangde knew that this matter should not be taken carelessly, so he immediately told the waiter.

But the moment he turned around, Wei Guangde asked casually, "How many people in the store have passed the examination this year?"

I didn't pay attention yesterday, and the students went to different places together, so Wei Guangde really didn't know the situation of other candidates staying in this inn.

Although most of them are not familiar with each other, after staying for so many days, everyone has already gotten to know each other. At least they must be polite and humble when meeting.

"Seven, seven of the young masters have passed the examination."

The waiter replied with a flattering smile.

Soon, the waiter brought a basin of water. Wei Guangde quickly washed up and went out without rushing downstairs. He just glanced downstairs and saw that there were already two rookies who had received the good news. When Wei Guangde looked down, he saw the official chatting with him. They said something, then congratulated each other and sat aside.

Wei Guangde didn't have much money with him, just two silver coins and dozens of copper coins. There were only two officials downstairs, so two silver coins were enough. However, Wei Guangde still had to ask his cousin how to deal with it first.

But when he looked up, he saw that the door was still closed, and obviously no waiter had gone to call him. Zeng Yuanshu, who had packed up on the other side, had already gone out, and the two looked at each other.

Zeng Yuanshu seemed to have guessed what Wei Guangde was thinking, and said to him with a smile: "Let's go down, don't bother your brother."

The two people went downstairs and soon arrived in front of the official.

The waiter on one side hurriedly introduced the two of them. The official picked out two copies of the good news in his hand and handed them to them with a smile on his face, "Congratulations, Mr. Zeng, congratulations, Mr. Wei."

For most scholars, it is not difficult to pass the Tongsheng test. Even if you are unlucky, you can usually pass the test a few times.

But the test for scholars is different. After all, the number of places is limited, and it is not as random as the prefectural and county examinations.

"The good news was sent to Jiujiang Mansion yesterday afternoon, and I think the two of you will receive the news soon.

The two young gentlemen look very young and promising. We will come back to give them good news during the provincial examination in two months. "

The official next to him with the good news in his hand also said to them with a smile.

"Thank you both for your kind words. Thank you both for making this trip."

When Zeng Yuanshu said this with a smile, he already reached into his arms, took out a piece of silver and handed it to the leader. He continued to smile and said: "This is a little thought from my brother and I. It's not respectful. Please accept it, both of you." , buy a cup of tea to moisten your throat."

Wei Guangde estimated that the ingot of silver was worth three or four taels, which was a huge sum of money, equivalent to three or four thousand copper coins.

From the Ming Dynasty to the present, the social economy has been developed. As long as the average adult man in the city is willing to endure hardships, he can earn twenty pence a day by selling his strength. If they divide this ingot of silver, it is equivalent to an ordinary person's income in less than half a year.

Of course, in the yamen, this money is not so easy to get. They may have to pay a lot to get this ingot of silver.

Seeing Zeng Yuanshu's generosity, the leading official gave him money directly. It was not like the two poor scholars before. They just took out a handful of copper coins, which was probably less than a thousand coins. The two pieces of good news sent out first had not yet been earned. When it comes to two taels of silver, I feel a little unhappy.

Fortunately, there is still a generous owner in this store, so this trip was not in vain.

Accepting the money happily, the leading official whispered to them: "So that the two scholars will know that this afternoon, please go to Nanchang Gongyuan to record the household registration in person, including name, place of origin, and resume of the three generations. It is customary. .

For the husband-in-law who was selected as a scholar, both Gongyuan and Tixue Yamen would record the results for preparation for the subsequent provincial examination. "

Then he looked at Zeng Yuanshu and Wei Guangde and whispered: "The two young masters are already scholars. It would be more appropriate to change into student uniforms when going to Gongyuan."

After thanking each other, Zeng Yuanshu and Wei Guangde went upstairs, talking about going out to buy clothes later.

In the Ming Dynasty, the round-necked and large-sleeved shirts were worn by Confucian scholars. Like other officials, they had detailed regulations, such as "the student shirt was made of jade-colored silk, with wide sleeves and soap rims, and a soft soap bar hanging belt." . Anyone who puts someone in prison will not change his position."

For the gentry, both round-collared and cross-collared clothes can be worn. Formal official robes are generally round-collared, but there are exceptions, such as the well-known flying fish suits, bullfighting suits, etc., including the python robes, which are all cross-collared. , only sitting in a python robe is a round collar.

As for ordinary people, they can only wear cross-collared clothes.