BSI Chapter 79 0077 [Slicing Through the Waves North]
Chapter 79 0077 [Slicing Through the Waves North]
Chapter 79 0077 [Slicing Through the Waves North]
Below Haishan Tower, at the South City Wharf.
Those who came to see him off gathered on the shore, feeling both happy and worried.
They were happy because the trip was worthwhile; even ordinary soldiers in the garrison were rewarded with copper coins upon arriving in the capital.
The worry stemmed from the long journey; if the traveler fell ill and died far away, this farewell would be their final separation.
Yu Jing also led many officials to see them off, and even brewed several buckets of herbal tea to serve as a substitute for wine.
Shi Xun stood in the crowd, his eyes darting around furtively. The delegation he had sent to deliver tribute had quietly departed yesterday, nominally led by his son, but actually headed by his advisor.
In addition, Transport Commissioner Cai Kang and Judicial Commissioner Lu Ge also sent their own teams to offer tribute.
Although the three teams traveled together, they had to be strictly separated, otherwise the court would become suspicious of them if they were mixed together.
Amidst farewells, officials and soldiers alike boarded the ship one after another, turning back to wave to the shore once on deck.
"Sigh, let's go, the ship has already set sail," Ding Rulin said to his daughter. "Xu Sanlang is an exceptional man, he has flown too fast and too far, our family is not worthy of his reach."
Ding Xiaomei pouted and didn't say anything.
She had only met Xu Lai twice: once when they went boating together on a spring outing, and once when he visited her home. Nothing should have happened between them, but whenever her brother came home, he would always talk about all sorts of strange and interesting things Xu Lai had done.
As they spent more time together, her impression of Xu Sanlang deepened.
Ding Zhengchen suddenly waved towards the official ship.
Ding Xiaomei quickly looked towards the river and saw an official boat passing by. Xu Lai was waving goodbye to them. She immediately became happy, raising her hand high and waving it from side to side.
Yang Shu and his fellow students from the state school watched the official ship sail away, sighing and wondering when they would meet again.
Three official boats sailed from the south of the city onto the west side of the river, gradually hoisting their sails and heading north.
Xu Lai returned to his cabin only after the city walls were no longer visible.
Chu Cheng slowly followed Xu Lai into the cabin and handed him a box of gold leaves: "These are from Master Yu. He was afraid you wouldn't accept them if he gave them to you in person, so he asked me to present them to you. Everything in the capital is expensive, and there are many places where money is needed."
Xu Lai silently accepted it.
Chu Cheng then said, "Master Yu wants you to focus on your studies. If there are still items like scissors or folding fans, you can have them made after you pass the imperial examination."
"Thank you for conveying this message, Mr. Chu. I will keep it in mind." Xu Lai bowed and greeted the man.
"Let's rest. I'm going to get some sleep too." Chu Cheng turned and left.
The gold leaves from the Southern Song Dynasty were heavier, each weighing about one ounce.
The gold leaves from the Northern Song Dynasty were even lighter, each weighing about two qian (approximately 6 grams).
Yu Jing presented a total of 40 gold leaves, with a total value of approximately 80 guan (a unit of currency).
Xu Lai went to Kaifeng and will stay at Yu Jing's house.
That was the house that Yu Jing bought before, and now his second son's family and his youngest son (Pianpian's half-brother) live there.
.
Alas, these kindnesses are too heavy; I have no idea how to repay them.
Xu Lai simply took out the book and started reading.
First, review one chapter of the Analects, then one chapter of Mencius, then one chapter of Zuo Zhuan, then read through a dozen pages of the Rites and Rites, and finally memorize the famous passages in the Zhaoming Anthology.
The day just flew by.
In the evening, the official boat stopped at Xukou Town for the night, which is where Xu Lai shouted "I consider myself the best in the world".
The main leaders of the three official ships disembarked and gathered at the post station.
The envoys sent by Yu Jing and Cai Kang were either trusted advisors or military officers. Only Lu Ge sent his own grandson to lead the delegation, hoping to secure a hereditary official position for his grandson.
Lu Zhiyuan and Xu Lai were about the same age. During the meal, Lu asked, "Is Xingzhi going to study at the Imperial Academy?"
"If there are no mistakes, I should be able to enter the Imperial Academy," Xu Lai replied.
Lu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "What a coincidence, I also want to enter the Imperial Academy."
Although they all wanted to study at the Imperial Academy, they took different paths.
The quota for the Imperial Academy was extremely limited. Although Lu Zhiyuan's grandfather was the Provincial Judicial Commissioner, he could only recommend his relatives to the Imperial Academy during major events.
For example, presenting tribute to the new emperor is a major event.
Xu Lai, however, took the "inspector's recommendation" route. The military commissioner could directly recommend talented people in his jurisdiction to enter the Imperial Academy, where the number of places was very limited.
Lu Zhiyuan suddenly pulled out a folding fan, fanning himself while winking at Xu Lai.
"This fan is quite elegant," Xu Lai remarked casually.
Lu Zhiyuan, of course, knew that Xu Lai was the inventor of this folding fan. He showed the fan and said, "I painted the plum blossoms myself, but the poem was written by my grandfather."
"A fine poem, a fine painting," Xu Lai said honestly, examining the painting carefully.
Lu Zhiyuan sighed, "Alas, my grandfather passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen, but all I have left is the skill of painting."
Xu Lai said, "Your grandfather was a genius, one that you could not find many like him throughout history."
Lu Zhiyuan had already given up long ago.
Although he was willing to read, he did not like to memorize repeatedly. He would read various Confucian classics once and then put them aside, only to look at them again when he remembered them.
He read a lot of miscellaneous books, including those on water conservancy, military affairs, law, novels, and miscellaneous notes. He could be considered erudite, but he was broad in knowledge but not in depth.
In this situation, it is impossible to pass the imperial examination.
Historically, he rose to officialdom purely through personal connections. He first served as a minor official through hereditary privilege, and then was recommended by a high-ranking official, who directly assessed him in the capital.
But this man was by no means incompetent. During Emperor Huizong's prosperous years, he was busy recruiting and training soldiers and building city walls in the provinces. He even impeached the treacherous minister Wang Fu, which resulted in his dismissal from office.
From the Northern Song Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty, Lu Zhiyuan served as an official in various places, and he basically had to do three things: collect grain, train soldiers, and build cities.
Even after being promoted by Zhao Gou to the position of prefect of Lin'an, he continued to do his old job there, improving the defense of the capital, which reassured Zhao Gou.
After dinner, they chatted for a while, and then Lu Zhiyuan said, "See you tomorrow, time to sleep."
The next evening, the boat stopped at Yinsha Wharf, where boatmen were arranged to pull the boat across Feilai Gorge the following day.
Xu asked Gao Shizhan and Chu Cheng for leave and, with two laborers, sneaked home in the dark.
"Woof woof woof!"
In the middle of the night, the guard dog barked wildly.
Villagers gradually arrived to investigate, and Xu Lai, holding a torch, shouted, "I am Xu Sanlang!"
"Sanlang is back!"
"Sanlang is back!"
The village echoed with shouts, and the elderly, women, and children all came to see what was going on in the middle of the night.
"Sanlang, you—you've done something wrong?" Second Brother Xu An asked in surprise and uncertainty.
Coming home late at night inevitably makes people overthink.
Xu Lai laughed and said, "I've been assigned to go to the capital to congratulate the new emperor. I probably won't be back for a year or two; I'll be staying in the capital to study."
To congratulate the new emperor?
Stay in Beijing to study?
These two sentences left the villagers stunned. Because such things were far removed from their lives.
Uncle Liu said happily, "It must be Master Su's blessing. The knowledge Master Su imparted in my dream must be far more profound than what others have learned."
The villagers firmly believed that everything was due to the protection of Lord Su.
Unfortunately, we still haven't been able to find out Su Gong's name.
There were too many messy files in the government office. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the documents were not classified. The clerks helped search for a while and then got tired of wasting more time.
Bu Erniang held her son's hand and looked him over again by the torchlight: "He's grown taller and stronger."
Xu Lai asked the two laborers accompanying him to put down the gifts he had brought back for the villagers.
These are all snacks I bought in Guangzhou, along with some mulberry leaves.
Besides that, I really don't know what else to buy.
He did bring back ten strings of copper coins, which his father distributed to the villagers.
Sister-in-law Tian Chunlan, carrying her son on her back and leading the half-asleep Dou Niang by the hand, also rushed over and invited the two laborers to her home to rest.
"We need to rush back to Yinsha Port. The boat will depart early tomorrow morning. We're leaving soon," Xu said.
Bu Erniang was extremely reluctant: "So eager?"
"Third Uncle, Third Uncle—" Dou Niang finally woke up completely and rushed over to let Xu Lai hug her.
Xu Lai picked her up with one hand, took out a bag of candy rings and said, "Save them to eat slowly."
"Third Uncle is so kind." Dou Niang leaned on his shoulder and looked curiously at the two laborers.
After chatting and laughing for a while, Xu Lai put down the bean sprout, pulled his father aside, and whispered, "Father, wait for my letter next year."
After receiving the letter, prepare gifts and go to Shaozhou to propose marriage. Here is the address.
"Whose house should I propose to? I can't read." Xu Yongnian was completely bewildered.
Xu Lai said, "If you can't read, go to the county town and find Uncle Zhang Er. Ask him to take you to see the magistrate. It doesn't matter if there's a new magistrate. Once he sees the address, he'll definitely send someone to help you."
Xu Yongnian asked curiously, "Which family should we propose to?"
Xu Lai lowered his voice: "The family of Military Commissioner Yu—"
"Master Yu!!!" Xu Yongnian exclaimed in surprise, his breathing becoming labored.
Do you think you're worthy of being related to the military governor by marriage?
"Shh!"
Xu Lai said, "Don't tell anyone before you receive my letter, including Mom, my second brother, and my second sister-in-law. I'm afraid they'll spread the word and everyone will know. You can't talk about this kind of thing in advance."
Xu Yongnian gasped for breath a few times, then nodded repeatedly, saying, "I understand, I understand. It's just—is our family's money enough to propose marriage to Master Yu?"
Xu Lai said, "When the time comes, ask the county magistrate to help with the arrangements. Just remember eight words: be courteous, but keep the gifts simple."
"Yes, I'll write a letter to the magistrate; he'll definitely understand after reading it."
Xu Yongnian's mind was still foggy; he could only remember three things: keep it a secret, wait for a letter, and find the county magistrate.
Xu Lai returned to the crowd, bidding farewell to the villagers and then to his family: "Mom, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Dou Niang, I'm leaving. Take care!"
His family and villagers saw him off in the dark, accompanying him all the way to the mouth of the valley to leave the mountains.
With the bright moon hanging high, the night road is actually quite easy to walk on.
Xu Lai walked briskly toward Yinsha Wharf, taking out some copper coins along the way to thank the two laborers for helping him carry his things.
One of the laborers couldn't help but ask, "Did Scholar Xu used to live in the mountains?"
"Yes, I've always lived in the mountains," Xu said.
Another laborer clicked his tongue in dismay: "It's not easy. Those mountains are even poorer than our village."
Xu Lai looked back at the road he had come from; he had walked out of there seven months ago.
There was no robe, no books.
He carried a load on a shoulder pole and a basket on his back. To protect his books from the rain, he even brought a raincoat.
That raincoat now hangs on the wall of the state school dormitory.
When the three returned to Yinsha Wharf, it was already dawn. Not wanting to disturb others, they simply sat by the river and waited, and only started arguing again after another quarter of an hour.
The tax office and shops in Yinsha Wharf, which were burned down by salt bandits last year, have been rebuilt.
Merchants waiting for their boatmen to be assigned to their stalls yawned as they headed to a food shop for breakfast. Farmers from nearby villages also arrived, carrying their agricultural products, hawking their wares to passing merchants.
The pier is full of life in the early morning.
Xu Lai and two laborers ate breakfast before returning to the ship.
"Oh, the waters of the Shixing River—!"
"Hey ya—!"
Feilai Gorge—
'
"Nakasudo—Hey!"
The boatmen chanted in unison, the sails of the official boat were all unfurled, and the oars were being used vigorously.
The river flows mightily, cutting through the waves and moving forward.
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