The literary giants of the late Ming Dynasty began by copying books

Chapter 29 Becoming a Supervisor

After Xiong Qingbo nodded with satisfaction, someone pulled Wang Wenlong forward to talk.

Wang Wenlong's words just now seemed to have pushed him to the position of being knowledgeable about Western things. For a while, everyone gathered around him to ask questions.

Wang Wenlong's knowledge is naturally not comparable to that of these Ming Dynasty figures. When it comes to the situation in Southeast Asia and Europe at this time, these Ming Dynasty people are not his opponents.

After a while, various overseas terms such as Manchuria, Sumatra, and even Ceylon and Guli were flying all over the sky.

In fact, people who live in each era think that it is complicated, but hundreds of years later, it seems that there are only a few important historical events in a period, and sometimes even decades there are no changes worthy of being written down in the history books. There are even fewer historical events in Southeast Asia. With this as a link, the situation in Southeast Asia as a whole can be easily clarified by looking at a few major contradictions from the perspective of hundreds of years later.

But at this time, everyone did not have such a perspective. In their view, Wang Wenlong quoted a lot of information, from local customs to culture, from religion to history, as well as introductions to the races and languages ​​of various places, and even gave some suggestions for the future development of things from time to time. The predictions were all made eloquently, and everyone immediately felt that Wang Wenlong was indeed well-informed.

Even the female relatives behind the screen were curious and asked people to come out to see what Wang Wenlong looked like. When they heard that Wang Wenlong was young and handsome, even more women started chattering about it.

After everyone discussed the European navigation skills, seeing that it was getting late and the banquet was set up outside again, Gao Yin finally walked out of the inner room.

Everyone prepared to have dinner and dispersed slightly.

Li Guozhu ran to Wang Wenlong and said sincerely: "Brother Wang is a great talent. You will definitely come to my home to visit me when you have time someday."

Wang Wenlong knew that Li Dan, as a large-scale merchant, was actively expanding the maritime trade with Japan. He must be very lacking in someone like him who was familiar with overseas situations. With his help, Li Dan's future family would be able to fight with the red-haired people or with the red-haired people. Japanese people can get a lot of convenience when interacting with each other.

If he had met Li Guozhu a few months earlier, it would have been a good choice to become an aide in his house. But now that Gao Yin has locked him up here, Li Guozhu may not be willing to help him escape. Most likely, he wants to invite him Let’s go back and talk about the situation in Dongyang.

Now Wang Wenlong's vision has become higher and he doesn't want to get involved in Li Dan's piracy work.

However, it is good to have such a relationship. Wang Wenlong nodded and said with a smile: "I will definitely visit my house someday."

Li Guozhu was extremely satisfied and nodded repeatedly.

After walking to the corridor, he said to a little maid: "Go back and tell the lady that Mr. Wang has agreed."

The little maid hurriedly ran back and came to the women's side. The little maid whispered a few words into Li Guoxian's ear, and Li Guoxian nodded.

Thinking of the way Wang Wenlong was showing off in front of everyone just now, and thinking of Wang Wenlong's tall and handsome appearance when he and his brother saw him behind the screen, Li Guoxian's eyes couldn't help but shine.

Wang Wenlong thought that Li Guozhu wanted to win over him for the family. In fact, the brother and sister were only in their teens and 20s now and could not imagine that level.

It was just because Li Guoxian felt that Wang Wenlong looked like the scholar in the operas he read in Japan, so he specifically asked his brother to let him meet again at his house.

Just after seeing off Li Guozhu, Long Guolu and Han Zhuo came to Wang Wenlong again.

He looked at Wang Wenlong meaningfully and said after a long time: "Sir, how come you, such a talented man, are working in the residence of Eunuch Gao?"

When Wang Wenlong saw Long Guolu's expression of hating that iron could not become steel, he instantly showed an aggrieved expression:
"I wrote a book "The Scholars" a few months ago, and it was liked by Eunuch Gao, so he took me from Jianyang to Fuzhou and made him a staff member. I also... ahem..." Wang Wenlong sighed. Three sounds.

Han Zhuo, the prefect of Zhangzhou, looked stunned. He never expected that Wang Wenlong would come to Gao Yin's house like this.Long Guolu, on the other hand, became furious instantly: "How can you be so domineering? That Gao Yin disrespects the seeds of reading too much!"

Wang Wenlong continued to act and said: "I feel ashamed to say that I grew up in the West. Although I read some miscellaneous books, I didn't receive much knowledge of ethics. I can't even write an eight-legged essay. Otherwise, I would be admitted to the exam to be a scholar. At that time, I had the courage to tell Eunuch Gao that I wanted to make a living on my own."

"Sigh... Now I'm just a poor person who didn't go to school, and I don't have the confidence to speak."

Hearing him sigh again, Long Guolu said indignantly: "Although you don't know how to write eight-part essays, but with such a knowledgeable talent, he is no worse than a scholar."

Wang Wenlong glanced at Han Zhuo secretly. Seeing that he had not responded yet, he shook his head and said, "I don't have any fame, and my words are like a dwarf."

Han Zhuo finally said: "I originally thought that Mr. Wang didn't have much money to spare. Just now I wanted to ask him to make an appointment for a manuscript to be published in the mansion, so that I could give him a salary."

Wang Wenlong nodded in his mind, Han Zhuo had originally had this idea.

During the Wanli period, Fujian not only had many private bookshops, but the official book engraving industry was also world-famous.

The official craftsmen who engrave books are the engravers who serve in corvee service, and the editors, editors, and proofreaders directly recruit students from prefecture schools and county schools to work for free.

Although the official engraving workshop is driven by corvee labor, the industrial chain is so large that it is easy to support a few idlers.

Officials from various places are also very happy to do this kind of thing, because if an official in one place discovers that some local great master has written a good work, and helps to engrave it, he will gain a reputation as a broadcaster, and spend the official's money for it. Why not make a name for yourself?

Han Zhuo smiled at Wang Wenlong and said, "But I saw that your husband is a great talent and the book dealers are rushing to buy manuscripts. I think your money is safe."

Han Zhuo nodded: "But you are such a talented gentleman, and you don't even have a real reputation. It just so happens that there is still a quota for tribute in Zhangzhou this year. If not, sir, I can make up for a supervisor in my Zhangzhou. Although it is not more noble than a scholar, it is still the same after all. Literati and the like."

Wang Wenlong was overjoyed when he heard what Han Zhuo said.

In the Ming Dynasty, being a supervisor of the Imperial College was the only way for people like him who could not pass the scholar examination to obtain the same academic qualifications as a scholar. Wang Wenlong had long wanted to be a supervisor.

There are three ways to be a supervisor: grace, tribute and selection.

He didn't want to think about Enyin's quota. Even if he paid tribute and made regular elections, each state and county had a certain amount every year. In theory, he had to go back to his ancestral home in Jianyang and find a lot of connections before he could have a chance to handle it, but he didn't expect such a complicated matter. Han Zhuo can do it with just one sentence.

Wang Wenlong was so happy that he almost jumped up, but he still had to pretend to be reserved and said in a gentlemanly manner: "Isn't this too much work, Prefect Han?"

Han Zhuo: "The Imperial College selects talents for the country, and it is right to select talents like Mr. Xu. It is the right thing for an eunuch to do."

Wang Wenlong reluctantly said: "Well, thank you so much, Grand Administrator Gaoyi!"

(End of this chapter)