Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 502 New Changan

The heart-wrenching questions of the imperial examination policy made You Chu very nervous for several days.

But with the safe return of his eldest brother Zhang Ji, this worry was quickly forgotten.

But when the list was released ten days later, and seeing that he was on the list, You Chu couldn't think about it at all.

Because General Zuo is quite thirsty for talents, it is convenient for the general's office to do the counting on the day when the results are released.

You Chu naturally recognized General Zuo. After all, this imperial uncle never got close to Qiao and the people. It would not be difficult for him to take a look at his appearance.

It's just that the uncle Liu Huang I saw today has lost his attire that resembles that of an old farmer. He is wearing a rich costume and a sword, which can be said to be calm and powerful.

When he met them one by one after tapping, You Chu didn't even dare to raise his head and look at them.

But what You Chu didn't expect was that after he entered the room to see the gift, he stood there worried and thinking wildly.

A pair of broad palms covered with calluses directly wrapped his hands:

For example, there are still remaining Xiongnu tribes in Yongliang, what attitude should be adopted towards them?

These well-founded words made You Chu apologize repeatedly, and then Liu Bei said casually:

As an official in the Han Dynasty, people attach great importance to manners, but because he was born short, he was often looked down upon by others.

"Come on, Zhong Yun, sit down and talk!"

"I want to recruit Zhongyun to be the commander of the general's palace, but I don't know..."

Only...Pinched his brows, Liu Bei pulled out a test paper from under the writing desk in front of him. The answers to the policy essay were mediocre and unremarkable, but he wrote his name and clan clan in the blank space of the test paper, and stated that he wanted to give away a hundred gold pieces and more than a thousand yuan. Part...

Liu Bei shook his head and said:

It was only then that he suddenly realized that there seemed to be something wrong with what General Zuo said - where did he get the name You Chu? And generally shouldn't you say "I've heard of You Zhongyun for a long time"?
Liu Bei didn't care so much. After sitting down with a smile, he asked You Chu some practical questions.

"Before the imperial examination, General Lai Zuo gave me a place to stay in the official residence of the Imperial Academy. At that time, I got a friend named Zhou Shenglie, who was proficient in elegant language and knew the classics."

For example, if the Qiang children in Guanzhong are falsely accused, how should they be sentenced?

It was the first time in You Chu's life that General Zuo paid so much attention to him.

"I have heard the name of You Chu for a long time, but when I see the result today, I feel like a man with a trough in my heart!"

"Why don't you listen and ask?"

For example, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang are far away from the Central Plains. Should we restrain ourselves or give up directly?

Liu Bei shook his head and sneered when he looked at the "Pu Ban's surname is Xu Ying" written on the cover where the name had been removed.

This trip to Chu was only mentioned in a few words in later generations about Prime Minister Zhuge's six trips to Qishan, which seemed inconspicuous.

"These strong men should be cleared by the general to relieve the people's worries and suffering."

But no matter which one it is, these words are enough to make the ambition quite clear.

For example, Zhou Shenglie, Shi Delin, Jiao Xian, etc., although they were all extraordinary people from the imperial examination, their names were never mentioned in later generations. At this time, Liu Bei roughly understood that when his son governed the country according to the instructions of his teacher when he met Jiang Wei decades later, embarrassment:
I know your talent, but it is unknown on the surface.

"There is a powerful person from the Xu family in Puban County who wants to offer a hundred gold to drive away Cao Cao's thieves. What do you think?"

You Chu, who had a sore nose, was pulled to the cushion next to him by Liu Bei and pressed down.

"Zhou Shenglie was summoned by the general as a son of the Han family. How could the general bear to destroy and abandon the hometown of the Han family?"

You Chu suggested without hesitation:
"General, why don't you accept a hundred gold?"

Could it be that he wrote some flattering words to attract such favor?
And looking at You Chu's leaving figure, Liu Bei also breathed a sigh of relief and said to himself:
"We have another good talent."

"Instead of defending, it is my lifelong wish to destroy Cao Cao's thieves and sweep the east of the Yangtze River, so that Emperor Xiaowu's four counties can be inland!"

Liu Bei burst out laughing at the righteous questioning, and quickly got up and confessed to You Chu, saying that this was just a casual conversation, and said:
"If I want to abandon Dunhuang Jiuquan, why should I send Zhang Yide and your brother and others to fight against the rebellion in Pingliang Prefecture?"

This kind of operation after taking money seems to be quite normal in You Chu's mouth, and the grudge between Xu and his brother is made clear, and there is no worry at all about whether he will be suspected of taking revenge for personal gain.

You Chu was overjoyed and immediately accepted the order: "I am willing to defend the Han family's homeland in the north as a general!"

"According to Zhou Shenglie, his ancestors moved to Dunhuang during the reign of Emperor Xiaoxuan. Since then, generations have lived in Dunhuang, praising the words of saints and observing Chinese rites. Dunhuang is also the territory of our Han family."

"It seems inappropriate to accept a hundred gold and then turn a blind eye to the Xu family in Pusang." Liu Bei frowned.

After listening to Liu Bei with a smile, he thought for a moment and said:

These questions were all familiar to You Chu, and he immediately answered them one by one. When he heard General Zuo talking about the distant question of Jiuquan and Dunhuang, he was even more excited and stood up and said:

His elder brother Zhang Ji recommended him several times, but he was repeatedly rejected because of his height.

"Although the Western Region is bitter and cold, it has been the land of our Han family since ancient times. If there is no one to guard it, Chu is willing to go!"

Looking up, General Zuo, who was dressed in rich uniform, seemed to have lost a layer of majesty, and his smile was kind and approachable.

But if you think about it from another angle, who has a clear history and can be passed down in history with a non-notorious reputation, no matter how simple it is, who is not a good man for a while?

At this point, You Chu began to have some doubts - who was in charge of the final question of the imperial examination, and how did he answer it at that time.

You Chu suddenly lost his mind, and for a moment he didn't know whether the four counties of Emperor Xiaowu mentioned by General Zuo were referring to the four counties in Hexi or the four Han counties in Liaodong.

"The Xu family does not respect the king's law and runs rampant in the countryside. My brother was also a county magistrate in the past. When he passed by here to redress the grievances of the people, he was beaten by Xu family for thirty times and humiliated."

You Chu's nose suddenly felt a little sore.

Of course, these are all joking thoughts. In fact, these three people were all admitted in the imperial examination, and they all had a place to show their ambitions.

With this generation, I should be able to live a good year.

You Chu was frank and frank. When talking about Xu Ying, he thought about avoiding suspicion, but he soon realized that such grudges could be known by just asking around. He deliberately concealed it to avoid suspicion, but he was disadvantaged.

As for Xuande Gong's indifference, You Chu was not afraid.

Now the eldest brother Zhang Ji is now serving as a military guard under General Zuo Zhang Fei because of his contribution to Pingliang Prefecture.

Today he was awarded the title of "General's Order and History".

Although the two brothers are not considered nobles now, they are definitely not ones that Xu Ying can bully at will.

It seems that the day is right! As for now... Touching the handful of coins given by his elder brother in his pocket, You Chu had a relaxed smile on his face:

Of course, I'll cut three ounces of meat, drink some wine, and go back to tell my eldest brother the good news!
In the past, the off-farm season in winter often felt like a year since there was nothing to do and it was extremely cold.

But this year's winter is not like that. Perhaps because Chang'an's population is not large now, the coal cakes transported here from Hanzhong appear to be abundant and cheap.

And Taixue seized the opportunity during this period to engage in education.

On the basis of promoting general literacy, agriculture is taught to old farmers and classics are taught to children. For young women, the various workshops and schools in Taixue are a better place to go. Here you can clearly learn about weaving, papermaking, etc. There are some essentials for waiting, and we can agree on whether to do the work. We can start work only after the workshop is completed.

Originally, the teaching assistants in Taixue were not enough to do this, but fortunately, those who failed the imperial examination had no intention of leaving Chang'an and returning home for a while. Among these people, literacy was only a basic need, so most of them listened to the name of Taixue. Come and become a member of this literacy education.

In fact, this was originally part of the entire imperial examination plan, and soon as Kong Ming expected, the admission of candidates who had participated in the imperial examination gave rise to the first change.

Without Taixue deliberately hiding his secrets, the method of making bean curd, the method of steaming soft steamed buns, and the making of Jiao Er (the ancient name for dumplings) were all spread smoothly, and the first batch of street-side dumplings were produced. A hawker.

Unfortunately, there are not many beans left in Chang'an now. With the popularity of bean curd, the price of soybeans has risen rapidly, and people who had previously been leisurely growing beans have made a fortune inexplicably.

So soon some people began to try to make soy products from beans other than soybeans. Kong Ming looked at the colorful appearance and tasted it out of curiosity, and commented that it was "edible".

What Kong Ming didn't expect the most was that overnight, there were many more greenhouses in Chang'an.

Out of curiosity, I sent Ma Zhong to inquire and found that the reason was quite simple.

Since the ancient Han Dynasty, it is no secret that greenhouses have been used to grow vegetables in winter. However, for the common people, there is not enough charcoal to stay warm in winter, so how can they have enough time to decorate greenhouses?
But now that coal cakes are available, they burn for a long time, are cheap, and are very popular for their delicate taste. The leeks used in them are notoriously easy to grow in greenhouses, so it is not surprising that greenhouses suddenly sprout up.

But it is said that several people have fainted in the greenhouse. Zhang Zhongjing is busy exploring the allicin and trying to find out why the greenhouse makes people faint, which is quite busy.

And in this winter rhythm that is very different from the past, the one who is most uncomfortable with it is You Chu.

Previously, I could not be recommended because of my demeanor, so I could only watch my brother working hard and feel envious.

Now that he has entered the General's Mansion and is so busy every day that the soles of his shoes are worn out, You Chu is envious of his previous leisurely life.

After a month passed like this, I came back one day and saw my brother drinking alone in front of the yard and being in a daze.

"Eldest brother came back so early today?" You Chu was curious. Besides leading the army, his brother would also go to the Imperial College to borrow books and read them. He didn't want to be left behind in civil and military affairs. It could be said that he was even busier than him.

Zhang nodded, raised his head, drank a glass of wine, and said calmly:

"I took leave today to visit General Zhang."

"General Zhang..."

You Chu's first reaction was Zhang Yide, but he immediately thought it was impossible, and then he reacted and tried:
"General Zhang Junyi?"

Nodding, Zhang Ji slowly poured another cup of wine, then stared at the cup and muttered:
"I will go to visit you in advance tomorrow during the Laba Festival. General Junyi looks very sad but does not say a word."

"I don't understand. General Junyi said that General Zuo didn't embarrass him. He only needs Cao... to send a letter asking for it, and then he will return it."

"And General Junyi's family is all in Yecheng, so they cannot be driven by General Zuo. How can Xu Du ignore it?"

You Chu knew his brother's dilemma. After thinking about it, he could only change his direction and comfort him:
"Thinking about it this way, if Duke Xuande leaves Tongguan to return to his old capital next year, my eldest brother will not have to confront General Junyi. He only needs to let General Yide capture Xiahou again."

The words were spicy, but Zhang didn't say anything, but just raised his head and drank another glass of wine.

He also understood that his sworn brother was despised by the Cao family and Xiahou family because of his short stature, so he could vote for General Zuo without hesitation.

After exhaling a breath, Zhang Ji said with enthusiasm:
"If there was no such thing as Cao Liu, it would be great to be a Han general and General Junyi to conquer the west and expand the border."

The words gradually became fainter and even became inaudible. After finishing speaking, Zhang fell down and fell asleep.

You Chu sighed, struggled to drag his brother back into the house and covered him with quilt, and then he remembered:

"It's Laba..."

"Last year, people were buried under broken walls, but now new people live in new houses~"

Humming a tuneless poem, You Chu shook his brother's wine bottle and found that there wasn't much left. He simply opened the bottle and drank it straight, then wiped his mouth and planned to go back to the house to sleep.

After taking off his shoes, You Chu suddenly remembered something. He jumped on one foot and went to open a gap in his brother's bedroom window.

Although it is said that Dr. Zhang said that only when all the cracks are blocked in a conservatory, the charcoal fire will continue to sink and cause people to faint, but it is not a bad thing to be careful.

Besides, my brother has been on an expedition to Liangzhou. He is just Xiaohan, what does it mean?
The next day when you arrived at the General's Mansion from Chu Chu, you were given a bowl of grain and fruit porridge at the gate. The sergeant said that this followed the Spring and Autumn custom of making porridge with a year's work to pray for a good harvest in the coming year. The meaning is quite good. good.

After taking a few sips and returning the bowl, You Chu quickly went to find the traditional Chinese medicine doctor at Jiangjun Mansion:
"Brother, I have a cold. Could you please make a pack of wind-cold decoction and a dose of cinnamon twig decoction."

After sending the soup and medicine back, he also picked up Laba porridge for the night. Watching Zhang Ji finish the drink with sideways eyes, You Chu took the bowl and scurried back to the general's mansion to return the bowl, and then started his duty today.

Starting from Laba, You Chu could feel that the atmosphere in Chang'an City seemed to be different. It was naturally the Chinese New Year.

As the days passed, it became increasingly difficult for You Chu to focus all his attention on official duties.

There are more hawkers hawking in the streets and alleys, and there is a lot more food to eat than in previous years.

The simplest is the soft and sweet steamed cake eaten during the imperial examination. This thing is also called steamed bun in Guanzhong, and this special method is now collectively known as "Huangshu Steamed Bun".

In addition, the bean curds of various colors, thick and light, and the candies delivered here from Chengdu are quite novel.

There was also the opening of a paper company opened in Chang'an by Chengdu merchants, and they launched several colors of paper with patterns, which were said to be used to write famous tattoos and give New Year greetings, called greeting cards.

The most important thing is Chang'an's stable food prices.

Some people say that this is because General Zuo has Yizhou as his back, and Shu is rich and fertile.

But some people say that this was General Zhang Yide who was ordered by his uncle to seize the Xu family's land in Puban, without which dozens of carts of food and property could not be counted.

In short, although it is winter, an old man in Chang'an lamented that Chang'an has not seen such a clear sky in decades.

What really surprised You Chu was that on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, Xuande Gong summoned everyone in the mansion to hold a simple "sealing ceremony", saying that he would wait until the fifth day of the lunar new year to open the seal again.

When You Chu left, he was stopped by Xuande Gong:
"Post this thing on the streets and alleys of Chang'an."

Encouraged by Xiu Mu, You Chu moved quickly, and the people who were going out to do errands quickly gathered together and tried to identify the words on it:
"On New Year's Eve, a New Year's Eve celebration is held in front of the old palace, and we enjoy the Nuo opera and watch the iron trees and silver flowers to spend the New Year together."

"What is Iron Tree Silver Flower?"

(End of this chapter)