Three Kingdoms

At dusk, the city walls of Anyi County were shrouded in the sunset and dyed a golden color.

The middle-aged man stood outside the city, looking up at the colors on the city wall that were soaked by the sunset. The inside of the boy's hole seemed to be glowing with brilliance.

He was carrying a bag, his body was dusty, his face was tired, but his eyes were bright.

The luggage is made of bamboo. Due to long-term use, the outside is not only patinated, but also slightly damaged in some places due to wear and tear or being gnawed by mice or the like.

In order to prevent the small items in the bamboo basket from falling off when walking, there is a coarse cloth bag inside the bamboo basket. It may have been dark green in color originally, but because it has been washed too much, it is now a bit gray and looks like a very similar color. It has replaced the deliberately old colors of later generations.

He arrived at Anyi County two days early.

The body was stained with dust and grass clippings, but there was a slight smile on his face.

As an important town in the east of Hedong, Anyi is close to Pingyang. As a transshipment hub, there are people coming and going, cars and horses, and the flow is endless.

The middle-aged man followed the flow of people and slowly entered Anyi County.

Nowadays, it can be said that there is peace in all directions under the Hussar, but the number of intellectuals, or those who are similar to the standards of intellectuals in later generations, has not increased much.

Perhaps according to most people's ideas, the current level of productivity and technology and the total amount of production materials in Qiaoqi are greater than those in Shandong, so the number of intellectuals should be larger than in Shandong.

But the actual situation is not like this.

Some people may also say that the Hussar has only been in charge of Guanzhong for a long time and has not yet formed an effective accumulation. Unfortunately, this may be a factor, but it is not the biggest reason.

What exactly is knowledge?

What is the difference between ordinary people and talented people?

With the improvement of productivity and the progress of civilization, why do ancient knowledge monopolies still appear in modern times?

These are very interesting questions.

The progress of human knowledge will not increase with the development of productivity.

This was a major issue throughout almost the entire feudal society, and even affected later generations.

Normally, the progress of society and the development of productivity require more talents with higher knowledge reserves, but the fact is that even in future generations, there are still many people who do not have some very basic "knowledge".

A later social survey showed that nearly a quarter of the more than 20,000 Americans who participated in the survey believed that the sun revolves around the earth. Among the nine basic common sense questions, only 6.5% of the total number of people who participated in the survey answered correctly. Regardless of whether the candidates for this survey project have been carefully screened, but similar questions should have been popularized when illiteracy was eradicated. At the same time, logically speaking, the biggest obstacle to acquiring knowledge in ancient times was the acquisition of knowledge. There are few ways to acquire knowledge and it is not easy, and it is obviously more convenient to acquire knowledge in modern times than in ancient times. But why are there still some modern people who do not know some common sense knowledge?

There is no need to pay any fees to enter the city. Not long after the Husbands took control of Hedong, this city entry tax was cancelled.

Although the tax for entering the city is not much each time, most of the previous tax standards for entering the city were five baht per person, and the vehicle was calculated separately. No matter how long you stay in the city, everyone has to pay anyway. There is no limit on how long you can stay in the city. You don’t have to pay when you leave the city. But as long as you leave the city gate, whether it is a mile or a step, if you want to enter the city again, you will have to pay. Need to pay again.

It seems cheap, and it is indeed not expensive, but it depends on who it is for.

For the children of the gentry, a five-baht coin would simply fall to the ground without even looking at it. One glance would mean a drop in price. It's like the story of later generations who had to bend down to pick up a dollar, and then it turned into ten dollars, and then it became a hundred dollars.

But for ordinary people, maybe a five-baht coin is one-tenth of his income after a hard day of cutting firewood.

A middle-aged person cannot be considered absolutely poor because he can still afford to read and borrow money. But he can't be considered a rich man, he can only be considered a poor man. A lower-middle-class family. There is a piece of land, a house, a wife, children and parents.

At dusk, Anyi City is still lively and bustling, with streets and alleys paved with bluestone roads and bustling shops on both sides. Pedestrians coming and going are shopping for various sundries while the sky is still dark.

The middle-aged people turned to the side street, and the flow of people dropped a lot.

The prices of the big inns on the main street are very high, and you can't bargain on the price. After all, there are a lot of people staying there, but the small inns on the side streets are much better. Not only can you negotiate on the price, but they even provide free hot soup. Of course, if you pay an extra two bucks, you can also get a piece of breakfast breast. Although it is not that good, it is a little more cost-effective than going to the market to eat alone.

As for the decoration equipment in the room, of course a small inn cannot compare with a large inn, but for middle-aged people, this is not important at all. The important thing is that he can settle down in the city at a relatively low cost, have a good rest for a day, and then wait for the day after tomorrow to make reference early, instead of having to rush to find a place and sign up tomorrow...

He is older, more or less calm, and has some life experience.

The middle-aged man carried his luggage and walked into a small inn. However, he did not expect that there were many people holding similar thoughts to him. There were not many free rooms left in the inn, so naturally there was no choice. room.

The middle-aged man found a room with relatively better lighting and settled in there.

The room was very simple, with a bed, a mat, a table, and a simple screen in the corner on one side of the room. Inside the screen was naturally the toilet. The toilet is old. Although it has been cleaned, there is still a faint smell, but it seems to be much better than the one I use at home.

Because he was too tired after walking all day, after paying the room fee, the middle-aged man ordered a plate of pickled vegetables and two steamed buns, along with the physalis water given by the shopkeeper, and finished them hastily. I just washed up and went to bed to sleep.

The next morning, when there was a faint morning light in the sky, the middle-aged man woke up, sat on the bed and blurred for a while, then realized that he was in an inn, not at home.

After years of habit of working at sunrise and resting at sundown, he has not known the taste of sleeping in for many years.

The middle-aged man got up, went out, ordered a breakfast in the inn, and then didn't go out for the whole day, just to sharpen his skills before the battle. After so many years of handling hoes and wooden shovels, my hands have become thicker. I need to review my strokes at least once again, otherwise if I forget to write when I pick up my pen, it will be all over.

But the simple peace in this small inn was completely disturbed when the middle-aged man came back after signing up near noon.

First, there were people shouting one after another, asking if there were any remaining guest rooms. Even though the shopkeeper had asked people to hang up the full sign early, it still didn't work. These people may have seen it, or they may not have seen it, but they still shouted, as if this would give them more hope of getting a guest room.

However, the capacity of the small inn was only so small. At first, the middle-aged man couldn't help but feel lucky that he had come a day early. However, as the noise became louder and louder, the middle-aged man couldn't bear to be disturbed and simply took some broken rooms. After covering his ears with cloth, he gained some clarity and continued to write and compose.

At dinner time, middle-aged people start eating out again. If you go to the lobby to eat, you don't have to pay extra for delivery. Anyway, it's just a few steps away, so you can save a lot. But as soon as he reached the corner and before entering the lobby, he looked up and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

I saw that the lobby was almost full of people, and the shopkeeper and waiters were standing aside with sad faces, looking at a loss.

"This is..." The middle-aged man walked to the shopkeeper and gestured.

The shopkeeper gave a bitter smile and whispered: "They are all here to take the exam, and they all want to stay in the hotel...but there are only so many guest rooms...and these people just sit there and can't leave...Hey, why are there so many?" ? It’s impossible to say that we have to wait and see at night... I can’t fight again and again, and I can’t catch up anymore..."

This is really possible.

Are you in business? How can you say that you punch and kick customers?

Oh, hit Renshuo, that’s okay.

Other serious businessmen are all about being friendly and making money. Even if these students who come for reference disturb them, it is impossible for the shopkeeper to say that he has gathered the clerks and beat them out with poles and sticks. After all, these people are here to take the exam. No one knows whether there will be one or two officials here. If they are beaten by the shopkeeper at this time, and they hold a grudge and take revenge later, even if there is someone behind the shopkeeper, they may not be because of it. Protect the shopkeeper about this matter.

It's not that he respects scholars or anything, but that even if there is a master behind the shopkeeper, he is definitely just protecting the inn. As long as the inn doesn't collapse, we can still recruit other people such as shopkeepers and waiters.

So the shopkeeper and the waiter could only persuade each other nicely.

But the problem is that Anyi has not held any large-scale scientific research activities before, and there are not many inns in the county, so it cannot accommodate so many people at one time. In addition, there are many helpers in the big inn, and there are only about ten people in the small inn including the shopkeeper and the waiters. There are not as many people sitting in the lobby at the moment, and it is really going to make a scene...

The middle-aged man shook his head. It seemed that he couldn't save the meal delivery fee, so he had to talk to the waiter beside him, order the meal and have it sent back to the room.

The waiter groaned a few times and turned to go to the kitchen. The middle-aged man also turned around and was about to go back. However, before he could even take two steps, he was grabbed by someone, "Brother, brother!" Can I stay in an inn? 』

The middle-aged man stopped and turned to look at the person coming, "What's next?" 』

The middle-aged man initially thought that the person coming had something to do with him, and then he forgot about it, but after taking a closer look, he really didn't recognize him.

The visitor cupped his hands and said, "My surname is Mao, and I am from Pi County. I heard that Hussar was holding a county test in Hedong, so I came here for reference." 』

After hearing this, the middle-aged man was sure that he really didn't know him. Because the middle-aged man has no relatives in Pi County at all. After being stunned for a moment, the middle-aged man returned the gesture and said, "Oh, nice to meet you, nice to meet you." What can I do if I don’t know what to do next? 』

The middle-aged man was careful not to say his name.

Pi County Mao didn't care about this either. He grabbed the middle-aged man's hand and said, "Brother, are you staying here?" Is it possible to share a room below? Just one night is enough! Or just build a floor shop! Thank you very much! 』

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and said: "I just came here to eat..."

Pixian Mao made a sound, and the eagerness in his eyes soon dimmed.

The middle-aged man quickly took out his sleeves, turned around and left.

Are you kidding me? We are neither relatives nor friends, and then we want to live together without saying a word?

Even if there is some kind of relationship, such as classmates and fellow villagers, it is best to discuss it in advance. There is absolutely no reason for running to other people's rooms temporarily, or suddenly pulling someone in and asking others to give up the room...

But people who can say such things obviously don't understand the truth, or they just want to understand the truth that is beneficial to them.

The middle-aged man was older. Although it was the first time for him to encounter such a thing, he quickly realized that there was a problem, and then chose a way to solve it in a way that was not too hurtful to each other.

The shopkeepers and waiters on the side knew the truth, but they would not go out of their way to say anything, let alone take the risk of offending the guests by evicting those who had already checked in to make room for those behind.

Not even if you add money.

Well, adding money is not possible, at least within a certain range.

Besides, would a truly wealthy person stay in a small inn like this?

So, how many people who can stay in this inn will choose to pay extra money to the extent that both the shopkeeper and the waiters will waver in their stance?

Obviously, if you can't add money, then you can only draw the pie.

For example, Mao from Pi County said something like "I am deeply grateful", or...

The middle-aged man saw that the situation was not good, so he left quickly before the man could react, because the middle-aged man also knew that what he said was flawed, and he could only make fun of it for a while, but as long as he got rid of it, it would be no big deal.

It's not that the shopkeeper and waiters will expose the middle-aged man's lies, but the direction in which middle-aged people appear and leave is not outward, but inward. The person who went inside was not staying in the inn. Could it be that he was a relative of the innkeeper? And when the business is so good, even the woodshed and other things have been cleared out, so why can relatives live there?

The middle-aged people escaped early, but those who came later were not so lucky.

Perhaps it was because Pi County Mao took the lead, or perhaps it was because these people had figured out the tricks played by middle-aged people, the guests who came to the lobby to eat were suddenly surrounded by several people, or supplicants. Some are, some are trying to get close to each other, or some are forcing themselves to make friends when they see that the person they are visiting is honest...

Those sitting in the lobby would surround someone they caught, and several would surround one, all fighting for their own future. For them, one more point is just one more point.

Faced with this situation, the shopkeeper was a little confused.

The guy was also a little confused.

To be honest, because it was the first time I encountered such a thing, everyone above and below was confused.

When the imperial examinations flourished in later generations, it was not uncommon for people from all over the country to go to prefectures and counties to take the exams more than half a year in advance.

Later, I don’t know how many related businesses were born in guild halls and B\u0026Bs in various places.

But that was when the imperial examination became a common practice and I got used to it.

It's just the beginning now, it's the first time Hedong has hosted it.

Sima Yi had served as an examiner in Chang'an before, but he mainly focused on preparing for the examination. Sima Yi really did not consider the lack of accommodation in the city. Or maybe I’ve considered it, but didn’t expect so many people to refer to it.

If he had known earlier, the shopkeeper would have removed the tables in the lobby and replaced them directly with Datong Shop...

If we had known earlier, the inspections and soldiers in Anyi County would have stepped up patrols and stationed themselves at various key points to guard them all night long...

If they had known earlier, these students would have definitely come three days, five days, ten days early, and eventually evolved into the kind of imperial examinations that would come months in advance to get a chance...

But this is the first time Dahan has organized such an examination here in Anyi, Hedong. From the candidates to the examination room, from the innkeepers to the reference students, it is the first time. So what experience can there be?

So they are all confused.

Some candidates who settled in first had never experienced such a thing, and then they were caught by these late comers.

It was getting dark. Although it was more or less manageable to sit in the lobby and stay up all night, it was not as comfortable as lying down in the room all night. Even lying on an ordinary mat was better than sitting. What's more important is that you have to go to the examination room for the exam the next day. If you suffer from mental lethargy or physical fatigue due to sitting all night, and you fail to perform well in the examination room, wouldn't you suffer in vain and have no results?

Some people succeeded, but many more were rejected.

Worry, anxiety, fear, all kinds of emotions come together, coupled with the obvious contradiction between what can be tolerated and what cannot be tolerated, and then moral kidnapping appears easily and openly.

This tradition is still common even in later generations.

Torture goodness.

For example, there are widespread rumors that the girlfriend and mother fell into the water, a classic double moral kidnapping.

There are also things like if I’m weak, I’m justified, if I don’t have money, I can only watch pirated copies, etc.

And now in Anyi, in this small inn, almost the same drama is taking place.

Do you want to make room for the older person? Otherwise it is disrespectful to the elders.

Do you want to make way for the younger one? Otherwise, you don’t love young people.

Do you want to make room for fellow villagers? Otherwise, there will be disharmony in the village.

Do you want……

Are you moral? Is it good? Are you a good person? If you are a good person, let him out...

Disputes inevitably arose, which soon led to even greater conflicts.

But the losers are naturally those who move in first.

A riot broke out, and the patrol officers and soldiers arrived to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

In the dark night, the middle-aged man blocked the door early with a table or something, and then went to bed to rest. Even if he couldn't fall asleep, he forced himself to close his eyes.

Outside the inn, the soldiers who came to maintain order due to the riot were shouting, but the damage that had been caused would not disappear automatically when order was restored...

At night, there was some faint crying.

Or they may be crying as if they were kicked out of the lobby with nowhere to stay, or they may be crying as if they were bullied and beaten in the inn, as if they are crying that their dreams are shattered, and that their future is bleak.

It was pitch black outside the window. It was the darkest, darkest and coldest moment before dawn. In a few moments, it would be dawn.

When the glory rises again, it will be clear whether it is a moth flying into the flame, or a phoenix rising from the ashes, whether it is evil or good.