Troubled times: Start practicing spiritual practice by taking care of your sister-in-law

The palace examination is the highest level examination in the imperial examination system. For candidates who pass the palace examination, they can move to a high position and honor their ancestors.

So as the exam began, the candidates were all answering the questions seriously. The candidates who could reach this point were considered to be amazing talents in the entire Song Dynasty, so they did not fall asleep as soon as they came up.

Of course, Chen Mo was not the only one to supervise the entire examination room of Nuo University, although with his strength, one person was enough.

In addition to Chen Mo, there were six scribes walking back and forth to prevent anyone from cheating.

You must know that since ancient times, there have been many cheaters in every imperial examination. There are even more than one or two cases of cheating in the palace examination.

Of course, Chen Mo couldn't let cheaters get away with it. After all, this was his first imperial examination. If there were rumors of fraud, it would greatly reduce his credibility.

After Chen Mo sat quietly for a while, he also came down from the top to look around. He first came to Guo Ning's side, glanced at the other party's test paper, and raised his eyebrows involuntarily.

Because the handwriting is not only elegant, but also very fair, as if printed, and there is not a single typo or alteration.

Regardless of whether the other party did it right or not, just the neatness of the handwriting and the roll surface are pleasing to the eye and full of good impressions.

This reminded Chen Mo of something his teacher often said in his ear before exams in his previous life.

Roll noodles.

Putting himself in his shoes, if he were a teacher, he would give more points if he saw such a fair test paper.

In order not to put too much pressure on Guo Ning, Chen Mo just stopped and looked at it for a while, then walked away.

Afterwards, Chen Mo discovered that not only Guo Ning, but also most of the candidates present had their test papers relatively fair and well-written.

This made Chen Mo quite satisfied, after all, these were his disciples.

As the examiner of the palace examination, Chen Mo felt it was quite new and interesting at first, looking around.

But after just half an hour, it felt a little boring and I felt sleepy.

Fortunately, at this moment, a scribe came in from outside the hall, came to Chen Mo, and whispered in his ear.

The opening ceremony of Chengdong Linhuai Bank has been prepared, and Chen Mo is waiting to go over and cut the ribbon.

After Chen Mo learned about it, he asked the clerk to call Wei Linchun to take charge of the palace examination so that he could take time off to attend the ribbon-cutting.

…

Xiangyang's prosperity has surpassed that of the capital, with a population of over one million and a strong business atmosphere.

As a businessman, he is naturally shrewd. With today's imperial examination, various restaurants and shops have discounted goods. Candidates who participated in this imperial examination, even those who failed, can take the registration voucher and enjoy half-price discounts at the store.

Today's Xiangyang can be called a carnival for all people.

Every store is almost full.

And people love to join in the fun. The opening of Linhuai Bank was a big event, and it was surrounded by people who were joining in the fun. Moreover, these people were all wearing brocade robes and gold and silver. At first glance, they were not members of the lower class.

"Brother, please ask, what happened? Why are there so many people around?"

Dai Ling, who had just arrived in Xiangyang, saw so many people gathered in front of him and asked a stocky man.

"You don't know?" the man asked back.

"To be honest, I am from Cangzhou and just arrived in Xiangyang today." Dai Ling cupped his hands and said.

Seeing Dai Ling being so polite, the man stopped putting on airs and told the truth: "I heard it's a bank opening."

Dai Ling didn't understand: "Even if the bank opens, there won't be so many people around, right?"

After all, the opening of a bank has nothing to do with the people at the bottom.

The man smiled, feeling proud that he knew it but others didn't, and immediately showed off: "Do you know the origin of this bank?"

"All ears."

"This bank is the property of the King of Wei. The Xiao family and the Wu family of the seven famous families are involved. I heard that the King of Wei will come over to attend the ribbon-cutting later. Didn't you just come here from Cangzhou? Then you are very lucky. , you can see the majestic appearance of King Wei as soon as you come."

"That's it. Thanks for letting me know."

Dai Ling nodded, then turned to Huang Zhaodi and whispered: "Zhaodi, it seems that we are very lucky. Not only did we catch up with the imperial examination, but we can also meet the King of Wei later."

Huang Zhaodi also had excitement in her eyes.

"What do you call the two of you?" While the two were talking in a low voice, a thin man with a beard came forward and said.

"My surname is Guo. This is Mr. and Mrs.'s niece and her son. They have just arrived in Xiangyang. I wonder if you have any advice." Although Dai Ling felt strange about this man who suddenly came to deal with him, as a traveling businessman, he had no problem with it. When dealing with people and walking outside, they are always greeted with smiles and in a friendly manner.

"I can't talk about advice. I just heard that some of them came from Cangzhou. Apparently they haven't found a place to rest yet. Judging from their appearance, they must be in trouble. Do they need help?" the man said with a smile.

Dai Ling was stunned. If it were anyone else, he would have thought that he had met a kind person. But he had seen a lot and knew that nothing good happens for no reason in this world. He was wary in his heart, but said with a smile on his face: "Brother pointed out The road.”

"To be honest, I am a clerk from Linhuai Bank. If you encounter difficulties, you can go to our bank to apply for a loan. The interest rate of our bank is very low. If you repay within a certain period of time, you can also enjoy interest-free treatment. Do you want to think about it?" the man said with a smile.

Dai Ling: "..."

Seeing Dai Ling not speaking, the man thought he was worried about something, and smiled in a friendly tone: "Don't worry, brother, our Linhuai Bank is legal and compliant. If you apply for a loan, we will sign a contract and the loan will be issued very quickly. Considering that you are a foreigner, we need collateral..."

The man said a lot of nonsense.

Dai Ling's ears were calloused. Although he was indeed short of money and had no place to live, his experience told him that this so-called loan was definitely full of tricks.

Dai Ling had already labeled the man a liar in his heart, but on the surface he still said kindly: "No, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

"Brother, don't worry, the loan interest rate of our bank is really low. If you don't borrow money, our bank can also save money. The three-year fixed interest rate is very high. Don't leave." The man said.

Seeing that Dai Ling and the other two left without looking back, the man had to change his target.

Although the man's salesmanship was annoying, his efforts helped the onlookers to understand more clearly the loan and deposit interest rates of the money houses, as well as the convenient policies that benefited them.

This attracted some people who wanted to do business but had no capital, or had a certain amount of money but were afraid of being stolen.

…

"Old man, please ask where the palace examination is held." Dai Ling and the other two did not stay there to see the King of Wei, but came to a stall selling buns and asked.

The stall owner smiled and told them.

After the three learned the place, they were about to leave, but Dai Feng (Guo Feng) did not move, and stared at the bun stall for a while.

Huang Zhaodi, who was holding her son's hand, felt distressed and looked at Dai Ling.

Dai Ling squatted down in front of Dai Feng, touched his head, and said with a smile: "Xiao Feng, hold on for a while. When you see your father, we will buy whatever you want to eat."

He had used up all the money on the road, and the food he had was given to Huang Zhaodi and her mother first. He had not eaten for more than two days, so how could he have money to buy buns for Dai Feng.

Dai Feng was sensible and said to Huang Zhaodi: "Mom, I'm not hungry."

At this moment, Huang Zhaodi's eyes were red and she wanted to cry.

"Let's go."

Just as the three were about to leave, the old man selling buns stopped them, took out three buns from the steamer and gave them to the three people in turn, and said with a smile: "Eat it, no money, today I have done a good deed."

Huang Zhaodi couldn't help it anymore, tears fell from the corners of her eyes, and said to the old man: "Boss, don't worry, I will definitely give you this money."

"Boss, what's your name, do you usually set up a stall here?" Dai Ling asked the old man's name.

"Don't be polite. Everyone has difficulties. A few vegetable buns are not worth much money." The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Don't call me Liu. You can just call me Old Man Liu. I live behind here." "Don't be polite to him. His son is taking the palace examination now. He has a bright future. He can enjoy a comfortable life in the second half of his life. A few buns are not a loss for him." The vendor next to him laughed and interrupted. In response, Old Man Liu laughed. This was a great event that made his ancestors' graves smoke green smoke. He just thought it was the envy of others. "Remember." Dai Ling bowed his hands. "The guest asked about the place of the palace examination. Is there anyone around the guest who is taking the exam?" Old Man Liu asked. "It's my father." Before Huang Zhaodi and Dai Ling spoke, Dai Feng, who was eating buns, couldn't help but say something. Children can't hide things, and compared with adults, children like to show off. Old Man Liu immediately looked at the three people with a surprised face. Dai Ling knew that the other party had misunderstood, and hurriedly said: "It's my nephew. This time I came to Xiangyang to bring them to see him."

"Oh." Old Man Liu suddenly realized, and at the same time with a hint of apology, before this, he thought the three people were a family of three.

"Congratulations." Old Man Liu first congratulated, and then took out three buns from the steamer. This time it was not vegetable buns, but meat buns. Facing the surprised eyes of Dai Ling and the other two, he smiled and said: "Take it, maybe my son and your nephew, your husband will be good friends in the future."

Old Man Liu was not afraid of being cheated. The vendor next to him was right. He really didn't need the money for these buns.

"Xiaofeng, thank grandpa quickly." Hearing what Old Man Liu said, Huang Zhaodi stopped refusing and asked her son to thank him.

"Thank you, grandpa."

"You're welcome. This kid is really good." Old Man Liu grinned with a big yellow tooth.

After eating the buns, the three came to the alley not far from the palace examination site and squatted.

…

On the other side.

Chen Mo has many admirers in Xiangyang, especially scholars.

When Chen Mo came to participate in the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony, the people were very respectful. Many people deposited money in the bank, and it was a fixed period.

You know, if you withdraw money in advance, there will be no interest.

After participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Chen Mo refused Qin Hao's invitation to the banquet and returned to the palace examination venue.

During the examination, candidates cannot leave the examination room.

So the lunch was provided by the examination room, two big steamed buns and a portion of pickles per person.

The examination lasted until the afternoon.

With the sound of the gong, the candidates stopped writing, announcing the end of this palace examination.

The results of the palace examination will be announced in the middle of this month.

The candidates left the examination room one after another.

Outside the hall.

"Brother Dai?" Guo Ning patted Dai Tu on the shoulder.

After the palace examination, Guo Ning finally found "Guo Xian", so after leaving the hall, he couldn't wait to greet him.

Dai Tu turned around and looked at the familiar face in front of him. He felt inexplicably nervous. Fortunately, he had been prepared and asked in surprise: "You called me?"

Guo Ning's friendship with Dai Tu was not very deep. They had not been together for more than a day. When he heard him say this, he immediately suspected that he had recognized the wrong person.

"You look like a friend I knew before." Guo Ning said.

"Oh, what's the name of your friend?"

"Dai Tu." When talking about Dai Tu, Guo Ning looked directly into the eyes of "Guo Xian".

But Dai Tu was very calm and smiled: "What a coincidence, but my name is Guo Xian."

"So it's Brother Guo, what a coincidence, we have the same surname, my surname is Guo, maybe we were from the same family five hundred years ago, where is Brother Guo Xian from?"

"I'm from Cangzhou."

"I'm from Yanzhou."

After the two chatted for a few words, Dai Tu found an excuse to separate.

…

Many carriages were parked outside the palace examination venue. After all, there were many children from aristocratic families among the candidates, and many people gathered outside.

When he saw his friends and relatives coming out, he immediately greeted them with a smile and asked how the exam went.

However, Dai Ling, Huang Zhaodi, and Dai Feng, who were outside the crowd, could not squeeze in or out at all because there were too many people.

Dai Ling thought of a way to let Huang Zhaodi and Guo Feng shout, maybe they could hear him.

The three of them shouted and squeezed forward.

"Please make way."

"Make way."

"Who is it? Don't squeeze, don't squeeze."

Dai Feng was too thin and not only did he not squeeze forward, but he was squeezed to the ground. He didn't know whether he was stepped on or scared by so many people around him, and he started crying.

Huang Zhaodi had to stop and help Dai Feng up.

Dai Tu, who had already got on the carriage, was embraced by his fiancée Zhang Zhu, who asked him how he did in the exam.

Dai Tu did not answer for a moment, but was a little absent-minded, because he heard someone calling him outside, and the voice was particularly familiar.

"No, no," Dai Tu was already worried.

"Guo Lang, what's wrong with you?" Seeing that "Guo Xian" did not answer him, Zhang Zhu thought that the other party did not do well in the exam. Although he was a little disappointed, he still comforted him: "Guo Lang, it's okay, I will always be with you."

Then, he said to the coachman outside: "You can go."

When leaving, Dai Ling had already squeezed forward and passed by the departing carriage.

The three of them stared at the gate tightly, but they never saw the person they were thinking about.