There is an inconspicuous house beside the south gate of Dezhou Prefecture, which is the ancestral home of the Zhang family. In mid-June, Zhang Bojin returned home from Zechang Academy and was preparing to participate in this year's provincial examination. There were only a few servants in the Zhang house. Zhang Bojin's father Zhang Hongchong served as a doctor in the Ministry of Justice, and his family was in the capital.

The yard is a bit old and disrepaired, and the eaves of the courtyard are covered with grass. Zhang Bojin sat under the eaves and read to cool off. He looked up at the sky around him and thought that if he could pass the imperial examination this year, he would definitely cultivate the house. His father studied here and embarked on a career in the officialdom, and now he has to step into the sky like his father.

Thinking of the "Collection of Lis and Consciousnesses" compiled by his father for his years of hard work, Zhang Bojin couldn't calm down. He must not let his father down. This provincial examination not only had to pass the examination, but also had to take a good ranking and strive to win Jieyuan.

The names of opponents flashed through my mind. There are Wu Yuanshi, Zhao Nanzhong and others in the official school. I have read the articles of these people myself, which is not worth worrying. There are also a few people with good reputation in each county school, and I think they are about the same level as those in the official school. There are also a few people from the same academy, and at most they are comparable to themselves, but they have "Like Ji Ji Yun Ji", which is more than 20% chance of winning.

Thinking of Jiang Anyi, a shadow flashed through Zhang Bojin's heart. This talent is not inferior to him, especially poetry and prose, which is simply a gift from God. If he also participated in the provincial examination, he would be his strong enemy. There is also Qin Haiming, who was expelled from the academy and came to him repeatedly to ask for "Like and Jiyun Collection", but of course he could not agree. He returned to Dezhou early, first to prepare for the exam, and secondly to avoid this person. This person is entangled, which is a trouble, but as long as he passed the imperial examination, Qin Haiming would definitely not dare to entangle again.

The sun was covered in the patio, and the wind blew through the hall, and Zhang Bojin fell asleep in a daze.

"Bojin." When he heard his father's cry in a trance, Zhang Bojin woke up and opened his eyes and saw that his father was really standing in front of him with a smile. Zhang Bojin was stunned for a moment, and he opened his mouth and couldn't make a sound, not knowing whether it was a dream or a reality.

"Bojin, I haven't seen each other for two years, and I don't know him as a father anymore." Zhang Hongchong smiled lovingly. It's not a dream, but his father is back. Zhang Bojin rolls over and falls to the ground, climbs to his father's side, hugs Zhang Hongchong's feet, and shouts "father", his voice choked and tears flowing.

"Don't cry, crazy." Zhang Hongchong's eyes were also wet. He gently stroked Zhang Bojin's head and smiled: "Get up, let's take a good look at you for your father."

The west window was with the candlelight, and Zhang Bojin and his son were talking at night under the lamp. There were a few plates of side dishes and a pot of wine on the table. The father and son were drinking and talking.

"I'm going home on vacation for my father, because I'm here to have a rural examination for you." Zhang Bojin poured a glass of wine for his father and listened quietly.

"I just inspected your studies for my father. Yes, you have gained a lot in the academy quickly. Your knowledge is no longer inferior to your father." Zhang Hongchong took a sip of wine and smiled at his son with satisfaction.

"The child dares not forget his father's teachings."

"Okay, okay, my son comforted my father's heart." Zhang Hongchong suddenly lowered his voice and said, "The examiner of this Dezhou provincial examination is Ma Jingxuan, a doctor in the Ministry of Works. He is a good friend of his father and has given him great kindness to him. On the way home at the time of the Dezhou chief examiner's house, he secretly sent someone to send a letter to his father. You can see him."

Zhang Hongquan mysteriously took out a letter from his arms. Zhang Bojin took it and his heart was pounding. This year's provincial examination was sure to win. Open the letter, there were three pieces of paper, the first one said "visible", the word on the top of the paper; the second one was "extreme", the word on the paper; the third one was "verything", the word on the end of the paper, and the number one, two, three was marked on the paper.

Zhang Bojin shone in the candlelight and found that there was nothing wrong with these words. Zhang Hongjin smiled and said, "Don't understand?"

In the reply letter, Zhang Bojin smiled and said, "Is it an agreed mark?"

"Yes, there are three exams in the provincial examination. The number one paper says 'visible', which means that the answer sheet for the first exam will appear in the first paragraph of the article. 'The ultimate is the second part, and it appears in the paragraph; 'Things are true' is the end of the third part."

Zhang Bojin was ecstatic. Apart from his real ability, he agreed that he would not be able to win the imperial examination with this secret record. Looking at the white silk on his father's temples, thinking that his father had paid too much for him over the years, Zhang Bojin stood up, knelt respectfully in front of his father, kowtowed, and said, "The child is unfilial, so the father has troubled the child."

"Get up, you and I are father and son, what do you do when you say this?" Zhang Hongchong pulled up his son and said, "For my father, I hope you can shine on your family."

"How can a father be considered mediocre? Not to mention how many of the people among the people can be ranked in the fifth grade, the book "Li Ke Ji Yun Collection" written by his father is a treasure that candidates cannot seek. After the child is admitted to the Jinshi, he must make this book public so that scholars can feel the kindness of his father."

Zhang Bojin excitedly picked up the wine glass, raised the glass to his forehead, and said, "I wish my father a glass."

After drinking, Zhang Hongchong signaled his son to sit down, chewed it carefully in his mouth, and slowly said, "I have been an official in Beijing for many years, and I have no savings at home. The house in Beijing is still rented. Let you and your mother and son suffer poverty with me."

Zhang Bojin knew that in order to compile the book "Like Jiyun Collection", his father invited people to dinner and gave gifts everywhere. It was not easy to live in the capital, so how could those salaries be enough? Fortunately, the Ministry of Justice has a little bit of fuel and good job, so he could barely support this family.

"This provincial examination is an opportunity." Zhang Hongcong said quietly under the candlelight: "There are only twenty places to pass the provincial examination in Dezhou, but there are as many as six or seven hundred people participating, and there are too many monks and less porridge. If you have the opportunity to pass the imperial examination, how much money should the person spend?"

Zhang Bojin's eyes were filled with silver light, and he couldn't speak for a moment.

"Five thousand taels." Zhang Hongchong set the price word by word. Zhang Bojin was suppressed by the silver mountain and his breathing became difficult.

Zhang Hong smiled and said, "Jin'er still has little knowledge. You have to know that every time the capital is in the imperial examination, someone spends a lot of money and only asks the ministers to come forward and say a kind word to him."

Zhang Bojin was completely stupid and stared at his father blankly. Is the legendary story really true in reality? Are the rich people in this world so rich? Inferiority, loss, and unannoyance, indescribable tastes rose in his heart. Zhang Bojin raised his glass to drink, and felt that it was a desire.

Zhang Hongchong looked at his son's changing face and said silently. His son felt that he had the same feeling, but he grew older and had been accustomed to hiding his desires in the depths of his life. Zhang Hongchong silently poured a glass of wine for his son and smiled and said, "Is there any kind of king, prince, general, and minister? As long as you make progress, everything will be there. The Zhang family will become a noble family, power, wealth, and beauty will be in your control."

Seeing Zhang Bojin’s depressed head, Zhang Hongchong felt soft and sighed: “There is not much silver for you at home, and you are unwilling to ask for money from your family, so you came up with such a way. Alas, you don’t blame you for your father, but you are also incompetent and cannot give you better care.”

Zhang Bojin knelt down on the ground, cried and said in tears: "The child is unfilial and cannot share his worries for his father. If the father blames himself, he will die without any regrets."

"Get up, there is gold under the knees of men. Don't kneel down at any time. I'm just angry that you don't know the importance of it, and you're fascinated by a little profit. This Qin Haiming is just a trivial matter. A son of a merchant dares to threaten my family."
Chapter completed!