Chapter 195 Stay at Xichan Temple
The provincial examinations are all held in Gongyuan, the provincial capital. Fujian is a major province for imperial examinations, so naturally you have to leave early, otherwise you will arrive late in Fuzhou and you won’t even be able to find a place to stay.
Students from various prefectures and counties gathered with their friends and set off for Fuzhou Prefecture. Su Ze also packed his bags with his classmates from the county school.
When it was time to set off, Su Ze saw that these scholars were all carrying large and small bags. The most exaggerated thing was that Han Li even rented a carriage and loaded it with goods to Fuzhou Prefecture.
Chen Chaoyuan explained to Su Ze: "Students who take the rural examination do not have to pay the city gate tax when entering the city, and the Academic Affairs Office also exempts students from the city tax. Every township examination is a good opportunity to make money." "In the past, I have not been able to take the township examination. This
year Finally, I can see Fuzhou’s examination market.”
The examination market is a market set up by students taking the provincial examination, and it is also a grand event held every three years in Fuzhou City.
Chen Chaoyuan was full of curiosity, and it was obvious that the market test attracted them more.
The reason is also very simple. For those who are admitted as a scholar in the first year, taking the provincial examination is a "participation". The probability of passing the boy's examination and the provincial examination in one year is really low.
In the past few years, no scholar in Nanping County has passed the township examination. Most people take part in the township examination. In addition to accumulating examination experience, the most important thing is the fair of this township examination.
For many scholars, the provincial examination is a rare opportunity to make money.
Han Li said: "In the past, the only specialty product in Nanping was Wuyi Mountain tea. This year, we have blue cloth. This is the property of Brother Rulin's family." After saying this, Han Li looked
at Su Ze. Everyone knew that the Nanping blue cloth was defeated by the Cai family. , produced by Changningwei.
Han Li looked at Su Ze. He had bought a lot of dyeing cloth from Nanping this time. Naturally, he was afraid that Su Ze would also bring a large amount of dyeing cloth and affect his business.
Of course Su Ze understood Han Li's thoughts, but he didn't care about the money. This time he went to Fujian to take the exam, and more importantly, he wanted to see what Fujian's capital city looked like and prepare for future rebellion.
Su Ze smiled and said: "Changning Guard is already selling Nanping blue cloth in Fucheng, but this is the guard's business and has nothing to do with me. I am not going to bring dyed cloth to sell it this time when I am rushing for the exam." At this moment, Han Li relaxed
. He took a breath, and of course he knew that there were already merchants selling dyed cloth in Fuzhou Prefecture, but if their scholars went to sell cloth, they would be tax-free and would not be harassed by subordinate officials, so they must have a price advantage.
Su Ze smiled. Although Han Li was a little more careful, he was still sincere to his classmates. However, his mind was not on studying and he always liked to look for opportunities to make money.
Because he often skipped classes, he was often scolded by Hai Rui. However, in Han Li's words, being admitted to the scholar examination was already a sign of smoke coming from his ancestral grave, and he did not dare to dream of being admitted to the examination.
Instead of wasting time, it is better to make money. I have been preparing for this Korean exam for a long time, and I am just waiting to take the exam and make a lot of money.
Hearing that Su Ze was not going to compete with him, Han Li smiled and enthusiastically talked to everyone about the "money-saving method" in the provincial examination.
"For the annual provincial examination, more than 3,000 students from all over the province rush to the provincial capital. The price of inns in Fuzhou is high. If you have no relatives in Fuzhou, it is best to live in a monastery outside the city." "I heard from seniors who rushed to take the examination before
. , this monastery outside Fuzhou City will clean out the single rooms used by traveling monks during the rural examination period, and reserve them for the scholars rushing to take the examination." "Compared with
the inns in the city, the monastery also has the advantage of providing meals, although it is just a simple meal, but It's also better to save worry and trouble."
Unexpectedly, Su Ze also listened carefully to Han Li's "Business Experience" as he rushed to take the exam.
"There is a lot of knowledge in selling things. You can set up stalls near Gongyuan, but if you want business to be good, this location is very important." "In
any place that is connected in all directions, although the flow of people is large, the customers will not stop for a long time. This is a suitable time to sell The most popular ones are those that are cheap and easy to sell." "
Although there are fewer people at remote stalls, customers can choose carefully and are suitable for selling some expensive things." "
The best sellers in this provincial examination are the four treasures of the study. And books and other things, after all, more than 3,000 scholars have gathered in the provincial capital, and exam-oriented items are the best sellers."
After saying that, Han Li looked at Su Ze.
Since its publication, more than 300 copies of "Gu Wen Guan Zhi" have been printed, but it is still hard to find a single copy in Nanping County.
Han Li said to Su Ze: "Brother Rulin, if your "Guwen Guanzhi" is sold in Fuzhou Prefecture while taking advantage of the provincial examination, you will definitely make a lot of money!" Print a batch of
Guwen Guanzhi and sell it in Fuzhou Prefecture?
Su Ze has been busy these days with his imperial examination skills and minting coins for Eunuch Tao, and has not been busy with the business of the printing shop. Does the Korean calendar method really seem feasible?
The township examination is the same as the county examination, there are three examinations.
The first session is about the meaning of the Four Books and Five Classics, the second session is about official document writing and judicial precedents, and the third session is about policy discussions.
Moreover, the township examination pays more attention to the content of the Four Books and Five Classics than the county examination, that is, the writing of eight-legged essays.
Although "Guanwen Guanzhi" is not very helpful for eight-part writing, reading these classic ancient texts can also open up ideas and provide arguments for eight-part discussion, which is definitely very easy to sell.
Su Ze said to Han Li: "Thank you, Brother Han, for reminding me. I will go and urge the printing shop at home to print more." Han Li thought for a while and whispered in Su Ze's ear: "
Su Brother, I heard some rumors that some printing houses in the city are also making pirated engravings and want to make a fortune while taking advantage of this provincial examination."
Su Ze didn't care about piracy. Since Yao Chun improved the lead cylinder printing After the process, the cost of printing is further reduced.
The cost of a well-bound genuine book is lower than that of a pirated book. How to buy a pirated book?
Just when Su Ze and other scholars from the county were preparing to leave for Fucheng.
Students from Yanping Academy are also packing their bags and preparing to go to Fuzhou Fucheng together.
Huang Shixing, a young man from a wealthy family, was naturally accompanied by his school boys and servants, but they also discussed going to Fuzhou Prefecture for some specialties. After all, going to the market was part of the provincial examination, and they had to taste them.
Huang Shi's connoisseurs had a great business, and even if they set up stalls, they would naturally have bookboys and boys to do it. What they are now concerned about is the court's casting of money in Fujian.
Unlike those arrogant and domineering eunuchs, after Eunuch Tao came to Fujian, he plunged into the mine without getting out and didn't know what he was doing. The Huang family had already exchanged all the money in their hands, together with the money from Zhang Sijing, the official of the government office, into copper coins.
However, after waiting for so long, the style of the new coins minted by the court has not been revealed, especially since the dead eunuch is always mixed up with Su Ze, which makes Huang Shixing feel a little uneasy.
Ever since he suffered a loss at the hands of Su Ze the last time he ran a newspaper, Huang Shixing felt vaguely wary of Su Ze, and always felt that there would be some changes in things related to Su Ze.
However, the Huang family has already made a big bet on private casting. Several workshops in the family have been converted into private casting workshops, and a large amount of coal has been purchased, waiting to start work.
Not only the Huang family, but also several big families Huang Shixing knew were blatantly making preparations, waiting for the new money from the court to flow out and immediately follow up on the private investment.
Huang Shixing sneered, so what if it was the eunuch from the palace? After all, Fujian is still the domain of their country gentry. If Eunuch Tao does not cooperate with the Fujian country gentry, he is destined to have trouble getting new money!
Speaking of which, Huang Shixing would also like to thank Eunuch Tao. It was because of this opportunity that Huang Shixing and Zhang Tuiguan were completely tied together.
This time Zhang Sijing served as the paper printer for the rural examination. Huang Shixing finally asked Zhang Sijing to relent. After printing the paper, he tried to find a way to pass the paper out of the Gongyuan.
Although we only know the papers one day in advance, in the competition for the provincial examination, as long as we can know the papers in advance, we will have a huge advantage in the examination room.
It's a pity that this official Zhang is still a little timid, and he has repeatedly warned Huang Shixing not to reveal it to other scholars, otherwise there will be people in Yanping Academy who are willing to spend a lot of money to know the test papers in advance.
As long as he passes the examination, he will be completely different from Su Ze. When he enters the officialdom, Su Ze, a mere scholar, will no longer be his opponent.
Huang Shixing imagined how he would look when he was admitted to the Juren Examination and trampled Su Ze under his feet, and he felt much better.
As for Su Ze being admitted to the Juren Examination? Huang Shixing has been called a child prodigy since he was a child. It has been many years since he was admitted to the scholar examination, but he still has not passed the examination.
In the entire Fujian Prefecture, there are only a handful of scholars who have been admitted to the scholar and imperial examinations within one year. Huang Shixing does not think that Su Ze has this ability.
In a blink of an eye, the day of departure came. The scholars walked together, and no blind bandit dared to rob them. These were scholars from various prefectures and counties. If anyone was robbed, the bandit would definitely be wanted to death by the government.
By the time Su Ze arrived in Fuzhou Prefecture, it was already July 20th, and the provincial examination was about to begin in less than twenty days. Su Ze first went to the Fujian Xuezheng Yamen to register with his classmates.
The process of the rural examination is similar to that of the boy's examination. It requires a household registration certificate issued by the village chief and the chief security officer, a student qualification certificate issued by the local county school or prefecture school, and a mutual guarantee letter between the candidates.
The rural examination is a joint guarantee of ten people. If one person cheats, the other students in the joint guarantee will also be disqualified from the rural examination.
Su Ze and the well-informed county students jointly provided insurance and quickly completed the registration for candidate qualifications.
Sure enough, as Chen Chaoyuan said, the prices of the inns in Fuzhou Prefecture have increased, and several inns near Gongyuan are all fully booked.
Su Ze and his party left Fuzhou City and stayed at a Buddhist temple near the city gate.
Compared to staying in a noisy inn, Su Ze felt that the scenery of Xichan Temple was very good. The novice monk in the temple said that Xichan Temple was built in the Tang Dynasty, but Su Ze thought that the architectural style of this temple was very good. It's not from the Tang Dynasty at all, it should have been rebuilt by this dynasty.
The acquaintances at Saizen Temple are very enthusiastic, and renting out a single room is a sure-profit business for the temple.
If someone is admitted to the examination, the master of the examination will definitely donate a sum of incense money, and the single room in Xichan Temple will be better to rent in the next provincial examination.
If the people staying in the temple can win a Jieyuan, then Xichan Temple will immediately become the same as Yongquan Temple in the same city, and become a "good temple" rumored by scholars to be able to protect people from passing the exam. Then the rent of the next provincial examination can be increased. .
It's a pity that Xichan Temple has been unlucky in recent years. Scholars who have not stayed in the temple for ten consecutive years have been successful. As a result, the rent of a single room has become worse every year, making it the cheapest accommodation temple in Fuzhou Prefecture.
However, in Su Ze's opinion, the scenery of Xichan Temple at the foothills of the western suburbs is quite good, and it is not as hot as the city. Instead, it is a place where you can calm down and read.
Su Ze did not follow Chen Chaoyuan and the others to set up a stall near Gongyuan. Instead, he took out hydrological maps in the Zen room and studied how to control floods in Fujian.
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and a young novice monk was seen holding a fruit plate in his hand. The red lychees were very tempting.
"Donor, this is the fruit from the lychee tree in the temple. It has been treated with well water. The abbot asked us to bring it to our gentlemen to taste." Su Ze gratefully accepted
the lychee and asked the little novice: "What's inside the temple?" Are there any lychee trees?"
"Yes, it is said that a lychee tree was planted in the Tang Dynasty, and the whole temple can eat more of its fruit every year. My husband picked this plate of lychees from that tree."
Qi The lychees of the month have already arrived at the end of the market, but the lychees from Xizenji are still sweet and delicious, and they can relieve the heat after being chilled.
Su Ze thanked the little novice monk again and asked him to bring some well water to soak in and wait for Chen Chaoyuan and others to come back before eating.
It was naturally impossible for Huang Shixing to live in a temple, so he booked a suite in Kuixing Building, the inn closest to Gongyuan. This building was the closest to Gongyuan, and Jieyuan, the candidate for the previous provincial examination, also lived here.
Huang Shixing also felt a little sick, but in order to get the paper passed by Zhang Sijing as soon as possible, he could only pay a high price to book a suite in Kuixing Building.
Some of the candidates taking the provincial examination stayed in brothels and indulged in the gentle countryside; some were busy setting up stalls and selling goods, hoping to make a fortune while taking advantage of the provincial examination; some were still studying hard at their residences and preparing carefully for the provincial examination; Make friends and make new friends.
In the mine mint in Nanping, Mr. Tao looked at the new yellow-orange coins.
After this batch of new coins was minted, Eunuch Tao took the court's order and mobilized craftsmen from the Fujian government-run iron works and mines to build five new mints in places with abundant water power in Fujian.
This time, Eunuch Tao made it clear that all craftsmen who came to work in the mint would be paid.
Eunuch Tao also sent a letter to the governor's office of Fujian, asking the government offices of various prefectures and counties to recruit civilians to manage the main rivers in Fujian!
There are too many things to do during the Dragon Boat Festival, and I have been a little stuck recently, so I won’t ask for monthly tickets.
(End of chapter)