The New Year is here. Compared with the slightly deserted situation in the past, this year's New Year seems particularly lively.

After all, a large number of messengers came over, and many people came over with gifts, and there were also many followers following him.

If there are too many people, you have to arrange food and accommodation. Of course, you cannot let others pay, you can only pay from fiscal revenue. Although the messengers do not have to worry about food and accommodation, they cannot always stay away.

When you go out, you must buy everywhere, especially if there are one or two people, and their minds are not very pure.

People are not very rich these days. If you have money, you will definitely open your business. In fact, on the second day of the Chinese New Year, many people have already opened their business. Maybe they can't operate for a day, and they feel that they can't afford to eat.

The store has opened, so ordinary people don’t want to stay at home, so the New Year atmosphere naturally becomes lively.

"I didn't expect that a library was actually opened to let the people read and copy books for free..." Mi Zhu came to the library and looked at the people who were reading and copying books inside, and couldn't help but smack his tongue.

He just found a book and read it. What surprised him was that these books actually read sentences. If this standard is used for official teaching and examinations in the future, scholars will no longer have to worry about it, and they may have misunderstood.

"If this continues, wouldn't the entire Jinyang be scholars? How many scholars should there be in Bingzhou?" Mi Zhu couldn't imagine it.

It is said that Liu Tao is mean to scholars, but is he really mean? Many poor families and ordinary people are probably grateful to him. After all, they are all real beneficiaries, and the only ones who suffer from the loss are those big families that have been passed down for a long time and various schools.

After all, Mi Zhu was just a rich man and a big businessman in Xuzhou, and was not as good as the old Cao and Chen clans. When Tao Qian was appointed as the governor of Xuzhou, he was promoted to another position in order not to be overshadowed by Cao and Chen clans.

In fact, there is another reason, that is, he is attracted by Mi's property and can provide him with political donations.

Mi Zhu paid 30% of his property and finally helped Tao Qian take control of Xuzhou, and at the same time he also settled in this position. But he knew very well that Tao Qian might not look down on him very much.

This is also the norm. Before he was a different person, Cao and Chen used their influence in the officialdom to oppress Mi, but he didn't even have room to cry and fight back.

If Mi hadn't had the same reputation in the local area, he would have to rely on the alms of the two families and be careful in the gaps.

Mi Zhu really has no good feelings for those old-fashioned families, but he just had to force his face to smile and suppress his disgust and falsely with them.

He even spent 30% of his property to "buy" this other position. As an envoy, Chen and Cao did not send people, but instead sent him over, which could already see many problems.

Even if he has the identity of a different coach, he still can't be considered anything in Xuzhou...

Therefore, Liu Tao gained his favor with the gentry, mainly for these old families. At the same time, he also saw that here, poor families, local tyrants, gentry, and even ordinary people have the possibility of becoming officials!

"May I ask... do you still read this book?" As he was pondering, a scholar next to him asked carefully.

This person was not wearing a long robe, but was a very ordinary coarse cloth short-cut, but there seemed to be a layer of furry fabric inside, so it didn't look that thin. It was just the Chinese New Year, and the weather was still very cold.

From his appearance and conversation, we can see that this person should not be a serious scholar, or even a commoner. In fact, some clues can be seen from his appearance and calluses on his hands.

"Well, you read it..." Mi Zhu actually didn't plan to read books at all, at least he was not in the mood to read books now. Seeing that someone wanted it, he gave up the book in his hand.

"Thank you... are you here to prepare for the scientific examination too?" the other party thanked him and asked in a low voice.

"Scientific Examination?" Mi Zhu heard about this for the first time, mainly because he had just arrived and had never gone out before, so he didn't know this. Although he didn't know, he was still very curious about it. "Can you tell me about this?"

"This... I still have to prepare for the exam..." The latter said with some embarrassment, "I'm going to go to work in half an hour, I have to hurry up and study."

"So, tell me, this belongs to you!" Mi Zhu thought for a while and took out a string of change, about a hundred pieces.

One hundred documents are not short, especially for an ordinary person. Seeing this, this person was a little moved, but in the end he gritted his teeth and said goodbye to Mi Zhu.

"Don't be anxious, it's easy to discuss!" Mi Zhu was a little confused when he saw this. Could it be that the prices in Jinyang are very high? In Xuzhou, there is a hundred citations that can be used to make ordinary people give you a saddle. It is inevitable that he will take out another string.

"Okay, I said hurry up..." Seeing this, the latter really couldn't bear the temptation, so he could only go forward, "It's not easy to talk about here, let's go out to talk."

The library is prohibited from making noises, and once warns, and twice kicks out of the library. If there are too many times, you have to send an official. At the same time, through sketching and painting, you can register your appearance, name and hometown and post it on the door of the library.

Even sent it to all libraries in Bingzhou. As long as he goes there, others will not give it to him when they see it is a blacklist. If they dare to protest or insult, they will be sent to the official directly.

The library is set up to allow ordinary people to have a place where they can obtain knowledge for free. Since they don’t want to acquire knowledge and have to disturb others to acquire knowledge, I’m sorry and disgusted!

When I got outside, I found a tea stall to sit down. This tea stall is also an emerging industry, mainly because in recent years, Liu Tao bought a large amount of tea from Bashu. Before I knew it, the tea trade had become the biggest business for Liu Tao and Liu Yan.

I didn’t suffer any losses, and I gave a lot of wine. Considering that tea stir-frying and fermentation technology have not yet appeared, I bought only pure tea, and the price was asymmetrical at all, so I only made money but didn’t lose money!

With tea, there is a tea shop, which specializes in stir-frying tea, black tea, green tea and oolong tea, and the technology is still very simple. There are also tea shops that specialize in tea leaves. There are teahouses in the shop, where you can enjoy tea.

The tea stall is not that high-end. If you buy some tea powder or something, you can put it in less. It is mainly to drink it. It is fashionable and not too expensive. If you can't drink alcohol, or if you have to study and cannot drink alcohol, come and drink a glass, which is considered a good-looking thing.

Of course, this tea stall is opened near the library and the business is OK.

"After the New Year, the third day after the throne ceremony, Bingzhou will hold the imperial examination. It is not only for Bingzhou, but also for Sizhou and Liangzhou. People have also sent people to inform you. Those who are conscious of taking the examination have already come here to wait, and can read books and prepare for the exam in the library..." The two sat down, and the candidate poured a cup of wine for Mi Zhu, and then slowly told the matter of the imperial examination.

"As long as you pass the imperial examination, you can become an official?" This was the first time Mi Zhu heard about this method of selecting materials, but it was obviously more reliable than filial piety and honest.

If you choose materials like this, I am afraid that some unfilial and honest people will get involved. Is it really okay? It's really okay to only be talented, not moral, but also be virtuous.

The main thing is that he is so sad. If he only had talent, he would have been successful in becoming an official! He had asked the county officials and county officials in private that he had never been filial and honest, but because he was considered to be unvirtuous because he was doing business at home!

Suppress if you suppress it, do you dare to be more open and upright?

Mi Family Grain Business, inquire about the most conscientious grain business in Xuzhou, and there is no one who doesn’t praise benevolence and righteousness. What does it mean to be without virtue? It’s just that it robs the business of the bad gentry and family grain business of the gentry!

He had to express his doubts. When the latter heard this, he said in a little confusion: "How many bad people can be in this world? Even if they are not virtuous, they will not be immoral. Virtue can be cultivated in the sky. Will people with virtue not be immoral after all?"

"This is interesting, but it seems that you can't think of it, right?" Mi Zhu agreed with this.

Originally, I was quite virtuous and capable in the village, but after becoming an official, I became worse and worse. Not to mention officials, county officials with a big sesame seed can be like a different person.

Sure enough, to know a person's character, you have to see what happens after he becomes a person with power.

"I learned it in the night school..." The candidate prepared for the exam said shyly, "At that time, my mentor told us why we should study, why we should study, and why we should become an official, so we said this."

"Night School?" Mi Zhu obviously grasped the point.

"Well, the literacy night school, two hours of classes every night, mainly recognize words and numbers. You can also participate in the training class to learn more knowledge. I am the training class." The candidates prepared for the examination replied, "The cost is not expensive, especially for literacy. In addition to book and stationery fees, the tuition fee does not need to be paid, and the government will pay it on its own."

Since it is all free, people who have free time and desire knowledge will of course go to school. Further study classes are not expensive. If you find a job, don’t get involved in alcohol or gambling, it will not only be enough for the tuition, but also the stationery fee.

It is rare that the two are intertwined, but the time for sleeping is slightly less, but young people can hold on.

"Can I go to school for free?" Mi Zhu really couldn't imagine that he had to attend classes before, and Shu Xiu wouldn't say it, it was very difficult to join someone's disciple.

"It's free, but every teacher may bring dozens or even hundreds of students. It's not considered a disciple. It's just a purely imparting knowledge. If you have any questions, you can ask them, but only the content of the teaching. Apart from that, the teacher has no obligation to tell us." The candidates prepared for the exam replied.

Of course, if you really get a disciple and then attend cram school, that's fine. But that's not everyone can afford the cost.

Mi Zhu probably understood that he helped in enlightenment and teaching, but it was not considered a disciple. Naturally, he did not have the obligation to teach more advanced knowledge, which was considered to be the kind of people who used money to do things.

"What are the benefits for teachers?" Mi Zhu couldn't imagine.

"Of course there are many benefits..." The candidates prepared for the exam replied, "Not to mention the tutoring fee, the income is quite high. In addition, after several evaluations, you may be promoted. You may eventually be promoted to literature, otherwise you can become a county magistrate, a prefect, or something... In Bingzhou, teaching is also a way to become an official!"

If Liu Tao doesn’t know anything else, he just knows one sentence: while teaching, he can also review courses in this area.

After teaching for a long time, some theoretical knowledge can be basically done with your fingers. The rest is nothing more than accumulating a period of political experience in the local area, and if it is suitable, it will be better, and if it is not suitable, it will be lowered. Generally, it is mainly engaged in cultural and educational work, and those with special talents can be further promoted.

Besides, if there is no encouragement, how can we expect scholars to teach students carefully in this era?

"That's it..." Mi Zhu suddenly realized that he really didn't understand Bingzhou, or Liu Tao. At the same time, the various measures here really aroused his curiosity and desire to explore.

"Okay, the time is almost over, I still have to study..." The candidate prepared for the exam stood up and said goodbye. Two bowls of tea, but there was no refreshment, only four cents, so he paid directly.

Mi Zhu picked up the tea bowl and said that he had never drunk this thing at the beginning. It looked a bit brown, but it was just like this. I have drunk it a few times before, and there are almost black ones, so I am not very used to this thing.

Just this tea soup costs more than two cents per bowl, and the price is so low that you don’t have to worry about losing.

He didn't think about it, but looked at the library in the distance. So many people came to prepare for the exam, and I didn't know how many talents could be obtained in Bingzhou this time. What's rare is that these talents are not from wealthy families... well?

At this moment, his lips were already placed next to the tea bowl, and the tea soup entered his mouth and touched the taste buds through his lips.

It is different from the tea soup in my impression. It is very light, not salty, a little sweet, and rarely has the taste of spices and medicinal materials! However, this mellow taste is not available in the tea soup.

I took a sip, and even though the tea soup had already entered my stomach, the aroma of the tea soup still remained... It was just a little lighter.

"Shop, this tea..." Mi Zhu's family also does business. Although they are mainly grain merchants, he still cares about things that can make money.

Especially in the Central Plains, the literary style is relatively strong, and tea still has its own sales. For this level of tea, the price will probably triple the price! If you calculate it carefully, it will be a huge profit!

"Too light? There's no way, the second dish is like this, usually the third dish is changed to tea. Of course, if the third dish is for only one penny." The store owner thought Mi Zhu was not satisfied, and heard that he had a foreigner with an accent, so he quickly explained.

"The second, the third?" This was the first time Mi Zhu heard this statement. Generally, tea soup is cooked directly, just forget it. How could there be any second, third statement...

"Yes, you are from another place, don't know." The shop owner suddenly realized and smiled, "This tea is processed in the workshop. There are black tea, green tea and oolong tea. You don't need to be specially cooked when drinking, just add boiling water to brew it.

The tea shop that sells good tea leaves has a special tea tasting technology, which many scholars highly recommend. Our small stalls can only soak three dishes at most, and the taste is average. The price is cheap and ordinary people can afford it!"

"In other words, this tea is exclusive to Bingzhou?" Mi Zhu could tell it, although he didn't quite understand it.

"Yes, this tea is also the most exported product to Hu people. It is already more valuable than rhubarb and has a larger quantity. Generally, 30% of the tea left in the state are in the state, and only rich people can afford it." The store smiled, "But for ordinary tea, ordinary people can still afford it."

"Then, where is this workshop?" Mi Zhu wanted to go there quickly, as if he was too late and he would miss 100 million.

"In the west of the city, just look for Liuxiang Tea House." The shop owner pointed to the west and said, the latter could not wait to pass.
Chapter completed!