Du Zhongxiao hurried out and welcomed Han Yueniang into the house.

Han Yueniang read several books on the desk and smiled and said, "I heard that others choose quiet places to study without disturbing them. They chant loudly, just like singing. Only Dalang reads quietly, thinking you are not at home."

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Studying is to get a Jinshi. Everyone has their own methods, so how can it be the same? I have tried reading like you said, which is very embarrassing. Only like now can I truly learn, but I can't force it."

Yue Niang is good at reading and reads some poems and songs in her spare time. She doesn’t know how to read classics, but she just laughs when she hears them.

The two sat down and Du Zhongxiao asked, "Which official Li returned home? But I couldn't remember it for a moment."

Han Yueniang said, "Li Guanren from Lijiazhuang in the north of the city. He has recently been promoted to Yuanwailang and is going to the capital to become an official and return home to visit relatives. Li Guanren is about the same age as Du Juren. He studied together at a young age and was a friend of the generals. The two years ago, Du Juren issued an explanation, and it was entirely up to Li Guanren to recommend it. Otherwise, how could he be your turn? In recent years, Li Guanren has been in Jinghu and Fujian Road, and is thousands of miles away and cannot take care of the countryside. Otherwise, if Li Guanren is here, how dare the Wu family bully your family."

When Han Yueniang said that Du Zhongxiao wanted to come like this. Li Dui from Lijiazhuang, the north of the city. He passed the Jinshi a few years ago and has been an official outside. He had a cousin Li Xian who followed him and asked him to give advice. Zhang Tangqing ranked as a Jinshi in the fourth year of Zhongjingyou. The family produced two Jinshi. The Li family was the first wealthy family in Linying County. Officials below the prefecture were all polite to his family. However, after the two brothers passed the Jinshi, they all brought their relatives to various places to serve as officials. The rest of the county were relatives who were slightly far away, and their relationship with the Du family gradually faded.

The Du family is a family of poetry and books. They have books passed down from their ancestors. Since childhood, their family has taught them to read and read classics. There are not many such people in the countryside, so they will naturally come together. This is how the Li brothers and Du Xun met. When they were young, they studied together and communicated with each other. However, the two of the Li family jumped into the Longmen early and went to various places after they passed the Jinshi. Du Xun had no talent. Last time he sent an interview, he relied on Li Dui to write a letter to the county and obtained the qualification to participate in the interview. He luckily passed the interview and went to the capital for a visit.

No one is concerned about the poor in the downtown area, and rich in the mountains have distant relatives. If the Du family was still in the same situation as the New Year, I would be embarrassed to climb the Li family, and I would be misunderstood to be the one who went to make Qiufeng. Now I have obtained the franchise for wine lees in our province, and it is no longer a miserable appearance in the past. Not only has I become a member of the county, but I am also a great charity praised by the Manzhou people.

The reputation of a good person was exchanged for real money and silver from the Du family and Han family. Since opening a restaurant, the rice used for porridge can be piled up into a mountain, and there are many families who have received favors from the two families. Don’t underestimate this reputation. Now, in Xuzhou City, whenever there is a major event, Du Xun will be among the people. Not only in Linying, but also in Xuzhou, Du Xun, the entire Xuzhou tribute to Jinshi, is a leading figure in the folk.

After being issued an explanation, he became a Jinshi in the village. The title of "no money" at home is worthless. Once the family has money, it is a real social status. In many things in society, Du Xun comes forward to protect it is more effective than others, and this gives him a connection. Including the next trial, Du Xun is qualified to be a candidate, of course, and there are not many people in Xuzhou who are better than him.

Du Zhongxiao had already decided to concentrate on studying and becoming an official, so of course Li Dui had to maintain this relationship carefully. One day he was a Jinshi, he had to rely on the support of the Li brothers. After listening to Han Yueniang's words, he quickly picked up a few poems and essays he had imitated in the past few days from the pile of paper and brought them with him.

Han Yueniang looked at it with a smile and said, "I heard from the magistrate that you have been paying attention to the imperial examinations these days, which is much worse than the previous articles. Take these articles with you, be careful that Li Guanren underestimated you."

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "After eating, the article is a meal, the Jinshi can be really an official. These are articles for the Jinshi exam, and they are just in need of guidance from Guanren Li. These Jinshi who are on the list, who have passed the imperial examination, can truly understand what is good or bad."

Han Yueniang smiled and said nothing, tilting her head to see Du Zhongxiao in a hurry.

From the ancient "Fu Fu of Autumn" to learning to write rigorously rhythmic poems, Du Zhongxiao often goes to ask the magistrate Fan Zhen. When Fan Zhen saw it, his first impression was that Du Zhongxiao's literary talent was much worse than before. There was no spiritual energy in the article and more craftsmanship. However, Du Zhongxiao was devoted to the imperial examination, and now he was taking the right path. Fan Zhen didn't say anything, and kept giving advice. After several months of practice, Du Zhongxiao faced a bottleneck and needed to read more books and have a deeper understanding of rhyme to go further. Fan Zhen couldn't help.

Du Zhongxiao read the articles himself and sighed. These are all imitations of the articles of his predecessors, and the imitations are poems and essays from the Tang Dynasty literati and Jinshi exams, and he was not satisfied with reading them. The conditions nearby were limited, so there were only so many materials found. Except for the few that were widely circulated, the other excellent articles in this dynasty were hard to find.

Seeing the red sun rising outside, Du Zhongxiao said to Han Yueniang: "Does Guanren Li live in the county or have he returned to the village?"

Han Yueniang said: "Of course he lives in the inn. This time he went to Beijing, so the county officials first had to celebrate the banquet before returning to the village."

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "In this way, we should visit very early. Guanren Li is already a high-ranking official in Beijing, and there are countless visitors in a day."

Han Yueniang agreed and said, "This is the best. You go early and come back early. I will clean up some vegetables here and wait for you to come back for dinner. - By the way, I brought a few bottles of wine outside, all of which were aged. You took them to make a gift to Li Guanren."

Du Zhongxiao thought Han Yueniang was going with her, but then she couldn't help laughing. What era is this? How could Han Yueniang go with her? Not to mention that the two have not yet been engaged, it is impossible to become a husband and wife. She just came to report the news to herself.

Although he is rich now, Du Zhongxiao still has his original habit. There are no slaves in this small courtyard, and everything is done by himself. It is not that the family cannot afford to hire people, but that the small households cannot find a suitable candidate for personal service. Besides, Du Zhongxiao's habit in his previous life did not want anyone to be with him all the time. Every now and then, Han Yueniang came over and helped him clean up the house.

Carefully put his article in mind, Du Zhongxiao named the famous thorn, went to the yard, picked up several bottles of aged spirits brought by Han Yueniang, and went out.

Linying is not big, but she is just about to go. Most of the guests who come from the west and from the south land land land here, mostly landed here by boat, and took Xuzhou to Kaifeng Prefecture. Most of the merchants from Jinghu and Huaihe River came ashore from Yancheng County in the south and went to Linying to continue north. This place is in the heart of the Central Plains, with good transportation. The great victory in Yancheng in history was the Northern Expedition centered on this area.

On the main traffic road, Linying's post station is very large, with dozens of houses outside the city stretching a large area, and officials pass by every day. There are too many officials passing by, and not every magistrate comes to visit. Because Li Dui is a local, this time he enters Beijing to take the military farmer as the censor of the palace and the censor of the censorship. Fan Zhending takes the officials of the county to come tomorrow, and Li Dui stays in the inn for a day.

In late spring, the sky is filled with the willow flowers, mixed with pink peach blossoms. It is the time when the peach blossoms and willows are green. Du Zhongxiao was walking on the road, looking at the spring light, and felt relieved.
Chapter completed!