Chapter 169 During the Chinese New Year, registration for the county examination began. In
the back house of the prefect, the prefect was tinkering with experiments.
"Young Learning Qionglin" written by Su Ze was the first batch of books that the nursing home received, and Fang Ruolan naturally took the book home.
The Fang family's father and daughter are very knowledgeable, and this Qionglin for Kindergarten is indeed a better elementary school textbook than the Three Character Classic.
The reason is naturally very simple. For children, the empty meaning of scriptures is certainly not as interesting as an encyclopedia with pictures and texts.
Moreover, Su Ze also made punctuation marks on the book. Magistrate Fang thought these marks were inconvenient at first, but he soon found that it was much more convenient than breaking up sentences by himself, which further lowered the threshold for reading.
I heard that some people without children at home also started to buy this book just to learn literacy. Fang Zhifu was also very pleased. Education was originally one of the responsibilities of parents.
Scholars are not afraid that there will be fewer people who can read and write. These ordinary people are not literate for the imperial examination. If there are more people who are literate and can read the notices of the court, it will be a good thing for local officials.
Magistrate Fang also knew how difficult it was to write this book, which required not only complex knowledge, but also the ability to express the principles in simple sentences, which was not something ordinary Confucian scholars could do.
Although Su Ze also has some content in the book that is different from the mainstream, such as the explanation of the heaven, earth and universe, or the last chapter on investigating things.
As a highly educated person, Magistrate Fang naturally understands Yangming's philosophy.
However, it seems that the study of things to achieve knowledge in Yangming’s theory of mind is not what Su Ze meant?
However, these small experiments written by Su Ze in the Investigation of Things were quite interesting, and Fang Zhifu couldn't help but try a few of them, and got the same results as in the book.
Moreover, Su Ze not only gave theoretical explanations of these experimental phenomena, but also gave quantitative calculation methods. The combination of physical examination and arithmetic made these small experiments more in-depth.
interesting.
Putting down the experiment in his hands, Magistrate Fang raised his head again and looked at the "rare confusion" hanging on the wall.
Good words!
Fang Ruolan asked the boy to frame the calligraphy, but Magistrate Fang intercepted it and hung it in his study.
Fang Ruolan's teeth were itching with hatred, and she deliberately brewed the herbal tea to make it more bitter, but Magistrate Fang still insisted on drinking the bitter tea for half a month and snatched the calligraphy away.
Magistrate Fang spread out the paper and copied Su Ze's handwriting, but immediately crumpled it into a ball after writing.
Although there are only four characters, Su Ze's calligraphy conceals the technique of painting bamboo, and the position of each stroke is carefully arranged to create this sense of order in chaos.
He didn't have more than ten years of painting skills, and he still had to combine the best of calligraphers from all over the world to write such words.
How could Su Ze, a young man in his twenties, be able to write such words?
However, Magistrate Fang also knew about his daughter's meeting with Su Ze and ordered Fang Ruolan not to go out.
Fang Ruolan also knew that she was wrong, but through the almshouse, Fang Ruolan and Su Ze also exchanged letters.
The prefect just put down his pen. The end of the year is coming soon, and the boy's examination will be held in February after the new year.
The boy's examination is divided into three sessions, namely the county examination, the government examination and the hospital examination.
The county examination is hosted by the county, with Baizhi County as the examiner and Hairui County as the invigilator. The questions are given by the county magistrate or the teacher.
Those who pass the county examination will immediately take the Yanping Prefecture examination in March.
At this time, scholars from each county who passed the county examination will gather in Nanping County, Yiguo, to participate in the government examination hosted by the government office.
In the prefectural examination, the prefect Fang serves as the examiner and the prefectural professor serves as the invigilator. The questions are given by the prefect or the professor.
After passing the prefectural examination, you can take the Taoist examination organized at the Xuedao Yamen in April or May.
The questions of the Taoist examination are set by the academic administration of Fujian Province, but you do not need to go to the prefectural city to take the exam. You only need to take the exam locally in each prefecture. The prefects in various places serve as invigilators. Those who pass the Taoist exam can become children, that is, scholars.
To become a scholar is to become the lowest level of privileged class, and enjoy the qualifications of being exempted from military service, studying in the county, and receiving a pension.
After the three exams are completed, it is the provincial exam for qualifications.
The rural examination will go to Fuzhou Fucheng. The examiners of the provincial examinations in each province are appointed by the emperor. From the mid-Ming Dynasty, only Hanlin officials can serve. This aspect also shows the importance of the rural examination.
After all, as long as you pass the exam, you can be appointed an official.
The provincial examination is usually held in August. If Su Ze can pass the examination this year, he will be able to make it in time for the autumn season in August.
You must win a prize!
The prefect has set the lowest standards. Juren in their twenties are not very demanding, right?
In fact, the requirements of the prefect are not very high.
Modern people always think that the ancients were talented and poor, and they could only become Jinshi at the age of forty or fifty.
In fact, the average age of Jinshi in the Ming Dynasty was 37 years old. Although there are not enough samples to collect statistics on the average age of candidates, the average age of candidates in Fujian, a major imperial examination province, is only 26 years old.
Reading is really about talent.
It does not mean that one can pass the Qingbei examination after studying for forty years. Those who can really pass the Qingbei examination can do so in their teens.
It is actually very common for people in their twenties to be successful. Even if Su Ze is a Jinshi at this age, the world will not be surprised.
The youngest Jinshi in the Ming Dynasty was fourteen years old.
Without a system, Su Ze really couldn't defeat the scholars of this era.
Magistrate Fang is now having a very pleasant conversation with Hai Rui.
Fang Zhifu himself is not the kind of corrupt official, he also has pursuits in being an official.
The last time the Fang Zhifu took action and used thunderous means to deal with the Cai family, Hai Rui also admired the Fang Zhifu very much.
In the past, Hai Rui only knew how to suppress the powerful with passion, but it was not until the prefect Fang took action that Hai Rui knew how to fight against the powerful.
The prefect Fang also regarded Hai Rui as a good friend. Although Hai Rui was just a civil servant, he was well-educated and knowledgeable, and he was really close to the people.
The prefect Fang liked his personality very much and told him a lot about the difficulties of being in politics.
After going back and forth, the two actually became good friends.
Magistrate Fang also got Su Ze's prototype (upgraded to Level 6) from Hai Rui. After reading it, Magistrate Fang was still a little worried.
Su Ze's level is good enough to pass the county examination to become a scholar, but the township examination in Qiuwei next August seems to be a bit unsatisfactory.
However, the new work that Hai Rui brought last time seemed to be of a higher standard. According to Hai Rui, if this article was placed in a place like Yunnan and Guizhou to participate in the provincial examination, it should be able to pass the examination.
The Ming Dynasty also had imperial examination immigrants, but the imperial examination immigrants in the Ming Dynasty did not go to North and South Zhili. On the contrary, North and South Zhili were the places with the best exams in the country.
Border areas like Yunnan, Guizhou and Liaodong are really suitable for immigrants.
Let Su Ze immigrate?
Forget it, it's too far over there. According to Hai Rui, Su Ze just studied the imperial examination system too late. He was very talented and made rapid progress in his studies.
The prefect Fang also saw Su Zecai's test papers when he went to the county school. At that time, he really couldn't even pass the exam, but now the test papers are more than enough to pass the exam.
This new work is much better than the last one. I am really making rapid progress in reading.
The examiner of the rural examination was a Hanlin official sent by the imperial court, and could not be influenced by the prefect. Su Ze could only rely on himself for the rural examination.
Let's just treat it as a test for Su Ze. If he really fails the exam, and if it doesn't work, then he can get engaged first, right?
The provincial examination is held every three years, so you can’t keep your daughter for another three years, right?
Magistrate Fang lowered the standard again, and suddenly felt that the words "rarely confused" on the wall were a bit ironic.
"Put those words away and send them to the young lady's room."
Fang Zhifu called the boy, and once again saw the four words "Mingjing hangs high" on the government office plaque, he immediately felt that these four words were very pleasing to the eye.
The Chinese New Year is approaching. Although there are still Japanese pirates at sea, it is basically safe on land.
People's lives have returned to normal. This year is also a year of disasters, but the New Year has to pass. After a busy year, it’s time to relax.
Su Ze's bookstore business is booming.
Red paper is the biggest demand during the New Year.
The clerk who stayed at Yujia Bookstore last time was clever. He reminded Lin Deqing to buy a batch of Qianshan red paper for the two stores, and he made a fortune the year before.
Scholars send red greeting cards when visiting relatives and friends, and ordinary people only use red paper during the Chinese New Year and stick it at home to add a touch of joy.
Su Ze looked at the red paper coming in from Qianshan. Qianshan County in Jiangxi Province was the most important paper-making base in the Ming Dynasty, and red paper was made by dyeing ordinary paper with safflower juice.
However, this red color is far less bright than the red paper of later generations, it is just a faint red.
The madder used for dyeing cloth and the safflower used for dyeing paper are actually light red in color. The earliest truly bright red was extracted from cochineal insects.
Cochineal is a special bug native to the Americas that feeds on cacti. After the Spaniards discovered this bug, they immediately brought it back to Spain. Only then did the bright red paintings of the Renaissance appear.
How about sending someone to Manila to have a look? Is there any cochineal dye?
However, there is not much profit in making red paper. The papermaking technology in the Ming Dynasty was very mature, and both bamboo paper and leather paper were very developed.
Because there is a lot of bamboo in the south, the price of paper is not high, otherwise the cost of Su Ze's newspapers would not be so low.
The clerk at Yu's bookstore is very smart in his work. Lin Deqing has also found out his family background these days, and his identity is also in Yu Zongyuan's hands.
Su Ze simply poached him from Yu's bookstore and arranged for him to be the shopkeeper of his own bookstore. However, the book purchasing and accounting were still managed by Lin Deqing, so he was considered the shopkeeper of a branch.
This clerk was extremely grateful, and Su Ze hired two more clever clerks with clean backgrounds, and the business of both bookstores became prosperous.
It was almost the end of the new year, and Hai Rui also stopped taking classes.
Hai Rui took office at the beginning of this year. Officials in the Ming Dynasty could only take leave to visit relatives once every three years, so Hai Rui had to stay in Nanping to celebrate the New Year.
However, he had already planned to take his mother and wife over in the spring of next year. He just asked the villagers to send them New Year's things to his family, and he prepared for the New Year at the county school.
To Su Ze's surprise, Yu Zongyuan rushed back from Fuzhou Prefecture, saying that he had taken sick leave in Fuzhou Zuowei and came back to celebrate the New Year.
Su Ze was also speechless. Fuzhou Zuowei was the imperial guard's office. The officers and soldiers of the guard station naturally had to celebrate the New Year at the guard station. He, the commander-in-chief who had just taken office, dared to ask for leave, and the superior officer actually approved the leave. This shows the military discipline of Fuzhou Zuowei.
In fact, if Yu Zongyuan had not needed to participate in martial arts examinations next year, he would not have gone to Fuzhou Zuowei Camp to camp.
A young man like him can just get a free salary, but he really goes to the barracks to practice.
But it's good to come back, because Su Ze is going to Fuzhou to deliver New Year's gifts.
Like modern people, Ming people go out to give gifts to relatives and friends before the New Year.
Su Ze went to Nanping County this time just to give gifts.
Now that I have a lot of money, naturally I can't give shabby gifts, first of all to my two classmates and friends, Lin Qingcai and Chen Chaoyuan.
Su Ze sent two sets of porcelain robbed at sea. Quanzhou has been the porcelain capital of the southeast region since the Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, merchant ships gathered in Quanzhou Port to transport porcelain overseas.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the porcelain industry in Quanzhou City experienced a brief decline, but now it has resumed its grand splendor of opening hundreds of kilns.
However, Quanzhou porcelain is a typical export porcelain, and its content and form are closer to the needs of buyers.
For example, the quality of Quanzhou porcelain craftsmen painting Jesus is much higher than that of European craftsmen.
Su Ze naturally chose more Chinese-style porcelain. Lin Qingcai and Chen Chaoyuan accepted the gifts in surprise and also sent gifts back to Su Ze.
Everyone in the Yu family, Su Ze, also gave gifts. Commander Yu and the eldest son, Su Ze, gave a set of swords. It was unknown which merchant ship they had robbed.
Su Ze personally wrote a fan of The Peony Pavilion and gave it to Mrs. Yu who loved drama but could not read a single Chinese character.
As for the number one angel investor, Second Young Master Yu, Su Ze personally visited the house and presented him with a set of exquisite jewelry.
Needless to say, they were also robbed at sea.
Second Young Master Yu was also proud and presented the Fengyang horse to Su Ze on the spot.
The price of a horse is much more expensive than the jewelry Su Ze gave.
Yu Zongyuan said: "If it hadn't been for the military merit brought by Brother Su last time, I would have been a rich man in Nanping County in my whole life." "
My father said that after the martial arts examination, he would run it for me. If I can do it in the future, If you get an official position with thousands of households, even if you can't pass it on to your descendants, you can guarantee your wealth for the rest of your life."
Yu Zongyuan is still unwilling to compete for family property, but if he can also get a military position, it will be a good deal. .
It was also agreed that Su Ze would go to Fuzhou Mansion to find Yu Zongyuan after the New Year. Yu Zongyuan was busy returning home to prepare for the New Year and hurriedly said goodbye to Su Ze.
After sending off the number one angel investor, Su Ze went to the magistrate's office to deliver a greeting card and a gift to the magistrate.
Fang Ruolan hasn't left the cabinet yet, so if she gives her a gift directly, she might be hunted down by Magistrate Fang.
The prefect gave Su Ze a cousin name, and Su Ze sent gifts for the benefit of his nephew and disciple. This was also a normal courtesy exchange.
Su Ze gave two bottles of floral essence to Mrs. Li, one with the rich and strong fragrance of peony, and the other with the fresh and elegant fragrance of jasmine.
What was given to Magistrate Fang was a framed calligraphy by Su Ze.
Su Ze wrote Zheng Banqiao's famous essay "On Running Script", which discusses his calligraphy. This is both a copybook and Zheng Banqiao's summary of his calligraphy theory.
Zheng Banqiao's calligraphy is a six-and-a-half-point script. There is a font in the official script called "Bafenshu". The six-and-a-half-point script is based on the official script and adds a regular script font in running script.
And his characters are of different sizes, long and short, square and round, fat and thin, dense and dense, interspersed at random, like "a street paved with stones", with rules contained in the indulgence. It seems to be a casual stroke, but when viewed as a whole, it produces a jumping and lively rhythm.
This calligraphy is not only a display of calligraphy skills, but also a summary of calligraphy theory. As expected, the prefect was so happy to receive this gift that he hung it in the most conspicuous place in the study and copied it day and night.
Hai Rui definitely refused to accept the expensive gift, so Su Ze racked his brains, copied down all the prose he knew, and completed the first draft of "Gu Wen Guan Zhi".
That day, I discussed compiling the book with Hai Rui, but it was delayed for half a year due to various things. Su Ze only recently found time to finish copying the ancient prose.
As expected, Hai Rui couldn't put it down, and waited until the proofreading was completed to type and print it later in the year.
Baizhi County, Sun Dianshi, Xiong Mu, Huang Tiju and other acquaintances all sent gifts, and Su Ze did some shopping in Nanping County.
After the government offices and county offices were sealed and the shops closed, Lin Xianyang, Lin Deqing and others who worked as errands and workers in Nanping finally took a holiday.
The group of people returned to Changning Guard with their New Year's gifts.
Staying up late on New Year's Eve and paying New Year's greetings on the following New Year's Eve are no different from modern customs.
This year Changningwei is full and its life is getting better and better. The ancestral hall paid for and ordered a batch of fireworks from the pyrotechnics maker in the city. With the fireworks all over the mountains and plains, Su Ze looked at the prosperous Changningwei and felt happy in his heart. Full of sense of achievement.
The gift Su Ze gave to Lin Mojun was a red tassel gun made of hundreds of steel.
Seeing Lin Mojun swinging the spear flexibly, Su Ze felt that his 11 points of strength attribute were not enough.
Grandpa, Aunt Ninth, and others also sent gifts, but it was a pity that his skills did not improve at all.
Su Ze felt a little regretful. It seemed that this kind of favor was just a gift at best and could not improve that skill.
The new year at the Wei Institute kept Su Ze busy until after the Lantern Festival.
The prefectural and county government offices re-opened the printing press, and the county government offices posted notices. In the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing, the registration for the county examination in the Yimao year began!
To be honest, the customs of the Ming Dynasty are very close to modern times, and there is no need to spend a lot of time drinking water during the New Year.
This chapter summarizes the social relationships managed by the protagonist.
In the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing, the major events that happened in the court gradually became related to the protagonist.
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(End of chapter)