freenovelworld Chapter 398: Imperial Examinations in the Song Dynasty
Chapter 398: Imperial Examinations in the Song Dynasty
"I have a condition here. If Mother Wang can agree, the medicines and Baihua Yulu from my Huichuntang can be supplied to Zuihonglou first, and I can even make appropriate concessions on the price."
"What are your conditions, Mr. Lu? Please tell me."
"I need to discuss this with Mother Wang alone."
Then, Lu Cheng waved his hand, and the maid Xia He led the others outside and stood guard at the door.
"Many of the officials and wealthy families in our Yuncheng County often go to Zuihonglou to drink and have fun. Some merchants who come and go also stay overnight in Zuihonglou. When these people chat, they will tell a lot of news. Some of the news may be useful to me, such as who is doing the medicinal materials business in a certain place, how is the family situation? What is the price of medicinal materials in a certain place? A big insect appeared in a certain place and injured people, etc.
I am very interested in all this information. If Mother Wang can continue to provide me with some useful information, I will give priority to supplying my goods to Zuihonglou, and the price will be 10% to 50% lower than that of other merchants. What do you think, Mother Wang?"
"Mr. Lu is indeed a man of foresight. I agree to this."
"Very good, we have made this deal."
The two discussed some details of the cooperation. Lu Cheng also made some suggestions for improving Zuihonglou based on the clubs of later generations. Even Mother Wang, the former Bianjing courtesan who thought she had seen the world, could not help but be amazed.
"If Mr. Lu were to run a brothel, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to continue running Zuihonglou."
"I don't have that intention. Mother Wang and the girls earn their money through hard work, so I won't get involved."
"I have benefited a lot from the conversation with Mr. Lu today. If you have free time in the future, please come to my Zuihonglou and give me some advice."
After the conversation, Lu Cheng sent Mother Wang to the door and then turned around to go home.
In the living room, Xia He was waiting with two little girls.
The business deal between the two families was settled, and Lu Cheng gained a new information channel. They would also cooperate frequently in the future. Naturally, he would not refuse Mother Wang's generous gift and gladly accepted the two little girls.
Lu Cheng returned to the front hall and sat down, looking up and down at the two pretty girls, who indeed had a scholarly air.
The two little girls were also a little excited at this time. Being able to be by Lu Cheng's side was already the best result. Moreover, Xia He just told them that Master Lu was very kind to his servants and would not treat them harshly.
"What are your two names?"
"My name is Yan'er, sir."
"Your servant Xue'er."
"I asked you your real names."
"Your servant Liu Ruyan."
"Your servant Ji Ruxue."
Lu Cheng nodded: "The names are all good, so I won't change them. I'll just call you by your original names from now on. What can you all do?"
"I can play the flute and sing some little songs."
"I can play the pipa and dance."
"Can you do knitting, needlework, arithmetic and bookkeeping?"
The two little girls shook their heads.
Lu Cheng looked at Xia He who was standing aside and said, "Xia He, you and Qiu Lan should take care of them more and teach them the arithmetic that I taught you. If they can't learn it, they can learn knitting or sewing or something like that."
"Yes, Master."
"Okay, let's go down."
The two little girls are only thirteen or fourteen years old, which is the right age for learning in the future. Let them learn something first to see if they are worth training.
Lu Cheng really needed more people to take care of him, including making the beds, serving tea and water, washing clothes and cooking, sewing and mending, grinding ink, accompanying his studies, helping him wash, etc.
Although he traveled to ancient times, Lu Cheng did not have any ideas about equality for all and the liberation of human rights. He just followed the local customs and enjoyed what he should enjoy.
Of course, when he becomes emperor and stands in a high position, he will also make some appropriate changes to make his country stronger and let his people live with more dignity.
After lunch, Lu Cheng and his servant Lai Fu rode two horses to take a look at the manor outside the city.
These two horses were also bought recently from the market. They were not good horses, and could barely be used as a means of transportation. Real good horses would not appear in a small place like Yuncheng County, and would not wait for Lu Cheng to buy them.
When the two arrived at Lujiazhuang, which was under construction outside the city, they saw that the construction site was in full swing. Workers were working under the scorching sun. Some were building walls, some were making adobe bricks, and some were planing wood.
Lu Cheng called the steward Wu who was in charge and said, "Old Wu, send two people to the city to buy some mung beans and cook a few pots of mung bean soup for the craftsmen to cool them down. They can't get heatstroke in such a hot day. Also, there's no need to rush to work during the hottest time of the day, you can wait until it's cooler before working."
"Yes, your Excellency is merciful."
Manager Wu immediately ran to the construction site and called out, "Everyone, please stop and take a break. The master is kind-hearted and is worried that everyone will be tired."
"Thank you, sir."
Lu Cheng nodded without saying much, then walked to the place where the new crops were planted and checked the growth of crops such as corn, sweet potatoes, and peanuts.
These crops have been planted for a month. They are usually well taken care of and Lu Cheng comes to check on them from time to time. They are currently growing very well.
Due to the limited number of seeds, each crop was planted on less than half an acre of land, which also made it easier to care for.
This first batch of crops will be used as seeds in the future, and a large amount of seeds can be accumulated in a few years.
Although these excellent varieties will degenerate to a certain extent over time, even if they degenerate further, they will definitely be much more productive than current crops.
After patrolling outside the city and making sure there was no problem, Lu Cheng led his men back home.
Recently, in his spare time, Lu Cheng not only practices martial arts, but also reads books, practices calligraphy, and even practices painting flowers and birds, in preparation for seeking an official position for himself.
Of course, it is impossible to take the imperial examination in the past two years because the imperial examination has been temporarily abolished.
The imperial examination system originated in the Sui Dynasty, was improved during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and reached its peak during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Song Dynasty valued civil service over military service and attached great importance to the imperial examination. Compared with other dynasties, the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty was more fair and just, regardless of one's origin. Especially in the Southern Song Dynasty, even the descendants of some prisoners and criminals were eligible to take the imperial examination.
Moreover, the imperial examinations of the Song Dynasty not only included the Jinshi examination, but also the Mingjing examination, the Mingfa examination, the three ritual examinations, and the three transmission examinations, with the Jinshi examination being the most important. In addition, there were also the Wu examination and the Tongzi examination.
The martial arts examination selects martial artists, while the boy's examination selects some young prodigies with extraordinary talents.
However, this was the period of Emperor Huizong of Song. This emperor, who loved calligraphy and painting, wanted to leave his name in history, so he reformed the imperial examination system and added the subject of flower and bird painting.
Song Huizong even gave up his position as emperor and became the director of the Hanlin Academy of Painting. He became a professor himself, wrote teaching materials, and promoted art education.
Just a few years ago, in the third year of Chongning (1104), Emperor Huizong followed Cai Jing's advice and ordered the abolition of the imperial examination system, and the selection of scholars through schools. It was not until 1120, when Cai Jing was dismissed, that the imperial examination system was restored.
In this environment, there is more room for maneuver if one wants to become an official.
First, I studied in the official school of Yuncheng County, then went to the state school, provincial school, and imperial school...
Lu Cheng didn't think about getting a high position, as long as he had a position that was sufficient for his job. He didn't plan to be a minister of the Song Dynasty forever anyway.