Idle courtiers

Chapter 10
At this time, Zhou Nan hurriedly shouted: "Old parents, wait a moment to torture my younger brother, listen to what the villain has to say."

Immediately, not only Zhou Yang, but even the villagers listening outside were confused.Zhou Nan said something incomprehensible to everyone before, but the situation suddenly turned around, and the elder wanted to beat the plaintiff. What happened?
Shi Zhixian took back the lottery he was about to throw out: "What do you want to say?"

Zhou Nan: "The old parents hang their mirrors high, and they justified the name of the little people. I will remember the five, and I feel the kindness of the county. I suddenly got a quatrain and dedicated it to the old man."

This is to flatter himself, Shi Zhixian's heart moved.He was born as a scholar. After he came to Andong County to work, he naturally had to rely on the gentry in the county to govern the place.If others want to please him, it is natural to offer poems and compliments.

The ancient society had a flat structure, generally divided into two parts: the scholar bureaucrats and the small farmers below.There are actually very few affairs that local officials need to deal with every day, but two taxes in summer and autumn and incentives for culture and education. One is the economic foundation and the other is ideology.Unlike the colorful social forms of later generations, he usually enjoys leisure as an official, but it is not so easy to make political achievements.

Without achievements, we can create conditions!It is also good to be praised by the local gentry and get some official voice.

However, this kind of flattery and flattery regardless of time, place and place seems inappropriate, and it's really nasty in front of so many people.No matter how thick-skinned Shi Zhixian is, he still feels bad about it.Hesitating.A clerk saw his thoughts, put his mouth in Shizhi County's ear and said: "The villain heard that Zhou Nan entered school at the age of seven, and could write poetry at the age of ten. He was successful in his studies at the age of 15, and he passed the examination all the way to become a scholar." This person is capable of both poetry and prose, and he was also a well-known gifted scholar back then." It means that you don't have to worry about the county magistrate, maybe this Zhou Nan really composes a good poem, and it doesn't hurt to listen to it.If it's really good, you, Mr. Shi, can take this opportunity to earn your fame.If it's not good, others will laugh at him because Zhou Nan made a big fool of himself, so what does it have to do with your old man.

Shi Zhixian touched the beard on his chin, smiled and said nothing.

No attitude is an attitude. Zhou Nan hurriedly chanted: "I heard Shi Zhiqun in the past, and he climbed the tower alone with a long roar. Once you look down at this place, it is famous for EMI. The dawn of Baiyun seaside, the name of the moon, the river and the autumn. Those who want to come back, go to the Huai River. flow."

After listening to this poem, Shi Zhixian's body was shocked: This poem is really too...too...too...too good, and too shameless.

Well, that's because at the very beginning, it is written with the wild and unrestrained demeanor of Gao Shi and other buildings, depicting the scenery with a magnificent pen.The sea and sky are the same color, the moon is bright and the sky is autumn, which has the flavor of Li poetry.The last couplet uses euphemistic words to express the feelings that high scholars are hard to find.And the Huai River, which is gurgling and flowing, can read the past and present day and night.Really, the sky and the sea are vast, and people who have vision and writing skills can't compose this poem, which shows how outstanding Zhou Nan's talent is.

As far as the history of Chinese classical literature is concerned, it can be summed up in one sentence: Tang poetry, Song, Ci, Yuan opera, Ming and Qing novels.

Poetry is the peak of Tang and Song literature, and gradually demonstrated after the Ming Dynasty. Although there are fourteen masters including the first seven sons and the last seven sons, no matter how they write, they can't break away from the stereotypes of the predecessors, and they always feel dull and ordinary.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, apart from Gu Yanwu, Wu Weiye, and Tang Bohu who had a few passable poems handed down to the world, there seemed to be no good works.

Because of this, as far as the current Jiajing Dynasty poetry circle is concerned, it seems that nothing has been produced that can be sold.

Although this quatrain written by Zhou Nan is not as good as the sages of Tang and Song Dynasties, it has the style of Li Taibai, but it is a rare top grade.At any rate, Shizhi County was born as a Jinshi, and he came from a place where people gather together like Suzhou, so he still has some appreciation, so why don't he know the benefits of this poem.

As for Zhou Nan being too shameless, it is because Shi Zhiqun in the first line of this poem is himself.Shizhi County is called Shi Jieren, Jieren, a person with extraordinary talents, so his Biaozi is the word Zhiqun.

Zhou Nan even used his own name in a poem, praising him as a sage who ascended the tower and shouted, worried about the country and Huaiyuan.Is it too hard to flatter yourself?To be honest, Shi Zhixian was lazy in the administration of Andong County, and he was really unqualified as a people-friendly official. If this poem was heard by his colleagues in the officialdom, he would not be laughed at.

"But why is this old man still a little happy?" Shi Zhixian shook his head secretly: "It seems that this person likes to listen to good things, and this official is not immune."

Compared with later generations, Daming is still a large rural area, and the literacy rate is only one percent. The huge Andong County can read and write for more than one or two thousand people.Sorry, there seem to be very few people who can make such wonderful words.I just heard that Zhou Nan used to be a county student. Who is the county student?

Can the treacherous and evil people write such grand sentences?
Cultural literacy is a passport, and knowledge is an ID card. Shi Zhixian touched his beard and laughed loudly: "It's over, it's over, I can't afford it. Poetry is a small way. I am a famous teacher in my generation, and the classics and righteousness are the most important. Well..." After thinking about it, this Zhou Nan has already been expelled from his academic reputation, and he has no hope of imperial examination for life, so it doesn't make any sense to say this by himself.Hey, he has outstanding talent, but bad luck, he is simply a copy of Tang Jieyuan, his predecessor in Suzhou.

Shi Zhixian had infinite sympathy in his heart, and said, "Zhou Nan, get up and speak."

Zhou Nan was kneeling until his knees hurt unbearably. Hearing this, he was overjoyed and hurriedly stood up: "Thank you old parents."

Zhou Nan and Shi Zhixian are also called Shiyun, and what kind of climber is climbing a building? Zhou Yang next to him can’t understand. The thief really tricked the county magistrate today.

Sure enough, Shi Zhixian turned around and said to a secretary: "Go down and tell the householder to re-enter Zhou Nan's name into the yellow book of household registration." This can be regarded as giving Zhou Nan an official identity.

Zhou Yang was shocked. He had figured it out these days, this Zhou Nan was not his elder brother at all.Even if it is for the ten acres of good paddy fields for the family, and for the sake of having one less mouth to eat, it cannot be admitted.

He hurriedly shouted: "My lord, do you just let the thief go like this? The villain is not convinced by such a forceful planting of this thief to our Zhou family. You don't have to believe me, but when my elder brother was studying Some of them are teachers and classmates, the Elder Master can send them over as much as you like, and you will know if you don’t look at them.”

Shi Zhixian pondered and was about to speak.A book office next to him stepped forward and said in a low voice: "Reporting to the county, this small case of the Zhou family has already been investigated. This Zhou Xiucai used to be aloof and arrogant. He only studied behind closed doors on weekdays and didn't socialize very much with his colleagues. Although the scholar became a granary student afterward, he committed a crime and was exiled to the frontier before going to the county school. Therefore, there are not many scholars in the county who are familiar with him."

Zhou Nan, who was eavesdropping below, heaved a long sigh of relief when he heard the words. He was worried about this.It seems that this hurdle has passed.

Shi Zhixian: "That's it..." Indeed, there is something wrong with Zhou Yang insisting on recognizing this elder brother in such a muddle.He was an impatient person, and suddenly became a little anxious.

A book office observed the situation and immediately shouted loudly: "The time has come, close the door and lock the office. If there is a complaint, come back in three days."

It turns out that there is a time limit for the yamen to handle cases every three or six months.When the time comes, the office will be dismissed, and unfinished cases will have to wait until the next time the cards are released.That's it for today, the Elder doesn't like mundane affairs, since he has recognized Zhou Nan's identity, the people below have also recognized his intentions, and don't plan to pay any more attention to the Zhou family's shit.

Zhou Yang saw that this happened so inexplicably, he jumped up without hesitation: "My lord, Xiaomin is wronged, Xiaomin can find another person, and it will prove that this thief is an impostor."

Shizhi County has been busy all day today, and his whole body is already limp, so he waved his sleeves: "That's it for today, Zhou Nan, Zhou Yang, come to Yali tomorrow if you have something to do."

The yamen servants made a neat voice at the same time at the same time: "Scatter the yamen!"

The people gathered in the open space outside dispersed in an instant.

When you come out of the Yamen, the application time has passed.Andong County is located in the easternmost part of China, so it gets dark early and dawns early, and the sky is already dark at this moment.Although there is still some time before closing the city gate, there is no way to rush back to Zhoujiazhuang at this time.Not to mention that there is no way to walk when it gets dark. As far as this era is concerned, the natural ecology has not been destroyed, and there are still large areas of wilderness in many places. Don't encounter wild animals or robbers on the road.

One villager yelled, "Ku Ye, I can't go home now."

Someone laughed and said: "Zhou Laojiu, you are used to stealing and being lazy, even if you go home and go to the field, it is not your wife who does the work. Besides, how important is Nan's matter, we have to look at it after all. It turned out to be good to go back.”

"Yes, yes!" This was the biggest news in Zhoujiazhuang in the past ten years. It was a pity not to witness it with my own eyes, and everyone echoed.

The man called Zhou Laojiu had a bitter face: "We are all very poor, and we have to stay in this county for a day and a night, without food and lodging."

"This..." Everyone was stunned, yes, everyone didn't have a copper coin all over their bodies, what about the board and lodging tonight?Then, everyone turned to look at Zhou Nan.

Zhou Nan smiled wryly in his heart: I am the one who asked you to come over if you want to put the money for the restaurant on his head?If you want to watch and watch the excitement, who can blame it, can you be reasonable?Besides, where do I have money.

He will hang out in Zhou Family Village for a long time in the future, and it is necessary to have a good relationship with his relatives, so he comforted everyone who was grimacing: "Don't worry, it's okay... Hey, where's brother?"

There was no trace of Zhou Yang in the crowd. Thinking of what he said to Shi Zhixian in the Yamen earlier, "Xiaomin can find another person, it will prove that this thief is an impostor", Zhou Nan felt a little bit bad in his heart. premonition.Who Zhou Yang is going to find, and what can he prove... Anyway, it must be someone who Zhou Xiucai knew very well in the past, so this matter must be guarded against.

Just as he was thinking, Uncle Seven, the patriarch who was traveling with him, asked, "Brother Nan, your uncle didn't understand what you said to the county magistrate earlier, why did the magistrate spank Zhou Yang's ass?" The patriarch, who is too old to go to the fields, the old man also followed.

"Yes, yes, what did you say?" Everyone asked hurriedly.

"It's nothing, it's all the words in the book." Zhou Nan smiled, yes, this is a scholar's business, and I can't explain it to everyone for a while.People have labels on them, and they are automatically classified into different circles if they have labels.When Zhou Nan was talking to Shizhi County, he was talking about the Four Books and Five Classics. After hearing only one sentence, the county magistrate automatically regarded him as a scholar.Everyone is in the intellectual world, they are of the same kind, and their elbows are naturally turned inward.

Is it possible that people don't believe in a scholar who has read the words of a sage, but instead believe in a vulgar farmer who doesn't know a single word?

Scholars' affairs are resolved between scholars; matters in circles are settled in circles, and other people's words are of no reference value.This is true of the ancients, and it is also true of modern society.

At this moment, a burst of singing sounded from the side. Looking back, everyone in Zhoujiazhuang had walked to a river without knowing it, and there was a large painting boat on the bank.It was not yet dark, but red lanterns had been hung on the bow of the ship, and the cabin was also lit up, and it was brightly illuminated.

Some people are having a banquet inside, the sound of silk and bamboo is soft, the breeze is blowing, and willows and catkins are flying by the bank.

It turns out that Andong County is located on the edge of the Huai River. A river passes through the city and joins the Huai River at the east water gate. This river is called Lianshui.In the ancient times when there was no pollution, the people in the city washed vegetables and cooked in water.Also because of this mother river, later Anton changed its name to Lianshui County.

Ordinary people always associate painted boats with the Qinhuai River, singing girls, and women in brothels.However, Anton County is an exception.This place is a land of fish and rice, with lakes and rivers criss-crossing, and fish and shrimps in the water are plump.Many peasants who lost their land lost their livelihood, so they brought their wives and children to eat and live on the water, relying on fish for a living. Gradually, boat people, a unique product, appeared.The boat people have made water their home for generations, and there are quite a few characters among them.After those big men made their fortunes, one is to not forget their roots, and the other is to like to live on the water.So, I built a painting boat and put it on the water. When there are banquets and banquets, I usually come to the boat with three friends and four friends, catch two smallmouth bass, warm a few jugs of good wine, and have fun for a long time. Fish farming in cages in later generations means fishing boat hot pot.

I could only hear the music and the shadows of the lights. A scholar stood in the cabin and blushed excitedly and shouted: "Today, the Lin House is hosting a banquet for young people such as me. There will be wine and moon, singing and dancing. Xian Biji, the moon is white and the wind is clear. How can there be no poems or words in such a good night? Although our Huai'an Mansion belongs to Nanzhili, our culture and education are not prosperous, and have always been despised by scholars in southern Jiangsu. Tonight, when the moon is in the sky, it happens that the Mei Mansion invite As a musician, why don't we take the moon as the theme and write an impromptu lyrics, maybe there will be a good work and a good hand, and it will make a good story, wouldn't it be beautiful?"

Hearing his roar, Zhou Nan looked up at the dim sky and the sunset glow that was about to disappear: Where is the moon, where is the moon white and the wind light, crazy!

Many scholars sat in the cabin, and they all applauded loudly.

At this time, a person who looked like a maid came out, holding a plate in his hand, covered with a red cloth.Said softly: "My dear ladies, my lady said that all the gentlemen here are the first-class young talents in this county. There must be excellent works published tonight, and all the works of all gentlemen will be gathered and printed into a book tonight, lest the scholars in southern Sunan say I am me. No one is evil in northern Jiangsu. The young lady said again, this is a set of excellent four treasures of the study, which was bought by my master in Fucheng with a lot of money years ago, and today it is used as a lottery to cheer up the young talents."

This little girl has a delicate and pleasant appearance, and there are servants like this, but the Miss Mei family should not be far behind.Zhou Nan suddenly understood in his heart, no wonder the scholar was so excited just now, he wanted to show himself in front of the beauty!
All the scholars were gearing up excitedly: "Naturally, I will do my part."

"This lottery, I want it!"

After speaking, the little girl lifted the red cloth, and inside were several tubes of brushes, two ingots of ink, and a stone inkstone as big as a bowl.

Zhou Nan couldn't see the quality of the pen and ink ingot, but the inkstone on that side was quite exquisite, shining brightly under the light, crystal clear, but it was the best She inkstone, which was worth the old money.

With a sudden movement in his heart, he turned his head and smiled at the villagers: "The money for the dining room has been settled, you wait a moment, I will go back."

After all, he raised his feet and stepped on the boat on the springboard on the shore.

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(End of this chapter)