Zhang Yue couldn't help but be a little confused about the identity of the other party. If the other party was the old party boss in history, he would have already become an official at this moment, but how could the servant call him a scholar?

If it weren't for the fact that Sima Twelve in the signature looked like the opponent's ranking in history, Zhang Yue would not have looked at the opponent as an official. He had no official air at all, and had the arrogance of a scholar.

 But Zhang Yue couldn't help but ask: "Is my father-in-law an official?"

 But seeing that Sima Twelve and the merchant were both smiling, the other side smiled and said: "Master Sanlang, why are you asking this?"

Even the businessman on the side laughed and said: "I have known Mr. Sima for many years, but I never knew he was an official."

 Zhang Yue thought to himself, "That's not right. The other party is Sima Twelve and also called Jun Shi, so why not?"

Seeing Zhang Yue's doubts, he even said to the servant at the side: "Sanlang Jun has misunderstood. My gentleman is a scholar and has never been an official."

 Zhang Yue saw that the servant's honest face did not look like a liar, and he wondered if he might have made a mistake.

Zhang Yue thought to himself that it was possible that the other party did not want the merchants and himself to know that he was hiding his identity, but there was no need to hide it even from his own servants.

 What's more, the other party is a famous honest person in history. He has a famous saying that "the main thing is to be sincere and not to deceive." He should not lie to himself.

But Zhang Yue had no intention of exploring the identity of the other party. Taking money and leaving was the only way to go. There was no need to not accept money from him just because of who the other party was.

Otherwise, where will the money come from to buy pens and ink? Are you going to burn Zhu Yuan for corruption in the future? Now in Bianjing, you have to spend money everywhere. Even if the officials of the Song Dynasty come to buy their own seals, they still have to pay!

I just agreed not to add more money, which was a great honor.

“I see, I asked too much.”

The other party also laughed and said: "Is there any official who can't afford to wear silk clothes? I am really just a commoner."

 Zhang Yue asked Sima Twelve: "I am not as skilled at engraving with a knife as the seal maker. I wonder why my father-in-law has such a favor?"

Sima Twelve said: "Although Sanlang's carving techniques are not as skillful as those of the craftsmen, it is because he has no real knowledge and only does it with intention, so he has no craftsmanship."

"Although the craftsmen's carvings are upright, they lack morale. Saburo's carving method is simple and ancient, and has the charm of Han seals. It is not about the shape, but the emphasis on the seal script and poetry in the heart. I just observed your

Seal script, it is known that based on this, no one in this world or in the future will be better than you."

Having said this, Sima Twelve somewhat blamed himself and said: "I say this as if I am asking for your seal, so I am willing to give you a generous amount of money. Sanlang hopes not to take it to the bottom of his heart, just pretend that I did not say these words."

 Zhang Yue nodded, this man could be said to be sincere.

The other party's argument is somewhat similar to Dong Qichang's theory of the Northern and Southern Schools. This theory states that the painting by literati is different from the painting by craftsmen, although the skills are not as good as the artistic conception.

 Is there such a saying in seal cutting?

"I just saw that Sanlang's seal script and seal cutting are different, and it seems that there is something that has not yet arrived." Sima Twelve suddenly said.

Zhang Yue said: "However, my father-in-law has a keen eye. Sanlang's seal script is a seal script and seal cutting is a seal cutting. It is difficult for the two to be the same. I only hope that practice will make me perfect in the future, so that the seal cutting will be successful."

 “Practice makes perfect,” Sima Twelve asked, stroking his beard and tasting it. “This is quite new. I wonder where it comes from?”

Zhang Yue thought that this word did not exist at this time, so he said: "It probably comes from Ouyang Gong's "The Oil Seller", and Zi Wei is familiar with it."

Sima Twelve looked pleased when he heard this and said: "So that's it. The one who exerts more force will get farther, so it's said that practice makes perfect. It's really a good word."

 Sima Twelve picked up the pen and jotted it down on a small note he brought with him.

 Zhang Yue said curiously: "My father-in-law is no longer confused, but he is so eager to learn!"

Sima Twelve put the small note he had memorized close to his body, and then said: "I am slow to read as I get older, and my memory is not good. Only hard work can make up for my slowness. Yes, listen to Sanlang's accent, does it sound like a Wu person?"

Zhang Yue said: "People in Xia Pucheng, but the local accent sounds like Wu Yue, and others often mistake me for a Wu person."

“Sanlang is from Fujian.” Sima Twelve nodded.

 Zhang Yue looked at Sima Twelve's face and said, "Twelve feet long, what do you think of the Fujian people?"

The other party hesitated for a moment, and then said: "I dare not hide it. It seems that many of the Fujian people I have known in my life are cunning people. To tell the truth, it would be the same for other people."

 Zhang Yue was unhappy after hearing this. This man seemed gentle and well-educated, but he was actually a regional black man?

I hate it most when the area is black, especially when I am black.

Zhang Yue said calmly: "I've invited you for twelve feet. The engraving will be delivered to you in three days. You need to deposit three guans first!"

"You are not barking randomly..." The other servant was about to speak, but Sima Twelve stopped him.

 He said: "Okay, just take the money."

The servant took out the money from his purse and put it together and said, "You are a scholar, but you are short!"

The businessman smiled and said: "If it's short, it's short. Mr. Junshi is our regular customer. Can't you rest assured?"

Zhang Yue said calmly: "I met Sima Twelve for the first time. If you don't see the seal after three days, don't blame me."

The businessman heard this and said, "Sanlang, please be accommodating."

The servant said: "You are just a talented scholar. It's just a seal. We don't want to buy it. This guy is so young that he can't tolerate others at all."

Sima Twelve said: "Don't be rude. Sanlang's move is also reasonable. This chapter was given to a close relative by me. He happened to like this gold and stone thing and would leave the capital in a few days, so the three-day period was set.

"

“I wonder if I can ask Sanlang to wait here. I live very close to here. I just need to go home and get some money to make up for it. If you still refuse, I won’t force you anymore.”

Zhang Yue had no intention of causing trouble and lost a big customer. The merchants here also have him to blame, but he was just venting the black evil breath of hell.

So Zhang Yue said: "That's all. I'll accept the money first, and I'll collect the seal in three days."

Sima Twelve said: "Thank you very much, Sanlang."

 After saying this, Yue collected the money, raised his hand and said goodbye and left.

Zhang Yue left the house and wandered around Zishengmen. He bought a valuable ancient book and some apprenticeship gifts. Along with the pen and ink he bought during the day, he immediately packed them up neatly and headed to Chen Xiang's house.

.

 Chen Xiang is now Dr. Taichang, the school manager of the Secret Pavilion, and the judge of the affairs of the Shangshu Temple.

Dr. Taichang was a stipend official, the thirtieth rank of civil servants who was born as a Jinshi, two ranks higher than Zhang Heng, who was appointed as the craftsman supervisor at the beginning of the imperial examination.

And the Secretariat School Manager is a post, and the post represents the literary high school selection.

 There is a bachelor's degree in the post office, which is the best. For example, the bachelor's degree in Guanwen Palace is exclusive to the prime minister.

 The next level is the bachelor of the various pavilions.

 The third level is the post of the Secret Pavilion of the Three Pavilions, and the School Manager of the Secret Pavilion is the last post of the Secret Pavilion of the Three Pavilions. The salary is that you can receive ten guan of post office money every month.

However, with a post, you can jump up the ranks and transfer to another official in terms of promotion.

For example, Chen Xiang's current salary official is Dr. Taichang, and based on his background as a Jinshi, he would be promoted to the rank of Yuanwai Lang.

  However, if you hold the post of leader, you can be promoted directly to the ancestral minister, wailang.

And if the officialdom is punished, he will be a member of the Ministry of Water, and generally speaking, the official position will end here. As for those with mixed backgrounds (non-Jinshi, from the government department) who are members of the Ministry of Food, and those who are from Enyin and are members of the Ministry of Yu, they must

Promotion is also much slower than that of officials with Jinshi background.

 The last step is to send out orders and judge the affairs of the Shangshu Temple.

There are officials such as Langzhong and Yuanwailang in the ancestral temple department, but these are all officials who send salary and do not actually serve in the ancestral hall department.

As for the affairs of the temple department, Chen Xiang, a doctor of Taichang, was the one to ‘judge the department’.

This shows how miserable the official position of the Song Dynasty was.

It is a leisurely difference between the ancestral tribute. On weekdays, the ancestral sacrifice is on the day of vacation.

Historically speaking, when Su Shi was Dr. Taichang, he was sent to Beijing as a supervisor to sue the Court and also to judge the Shangshu Ancestral Department. In other words, as Dr. Taichang, Su Shi served as an errand in the Official Sui Yuan here and as an errand at the Ancestral Temple Department there.

 Zhang Yue brought the gift to Chen Xiang's house.

Although a Beijing official of Chen Xiang's level is given a monthly allowance of ten guan as a subsidy, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the housing and commodity prices in Bianjing.

 So Chen Xiang also lives in a "public rental housing".

Public rental housing is under the management of the inn housekeeper, like Chen Xiang's mansion, which costs only three to five hundred yuan a month. If the house is broken down on weekdays, the inn housekeeper's wing shop house repair director will send someone to repair it, and every month the money-grabbing marriage officer will come to the door.

Collect rent in one trip.

If you rent a private house instead, the same house will cost at least five or six times the price.

Such public rental housing was also used by the emperors of the Song Dynasty to accommodate the "migrant workers" who came to Bianjing. If you can't even afford the public rental housing for shopkeepers and housekeepers, it doesn't matter. There is also Futian Court, which does not charge a penny and is specially designed to accommodate the lonely elderly.

Or orphan.

By the time of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, similar social relief systems were further expanded, and official education was further popularized in prefectures and counties.

 Zhang Yue knocked on the door and entered.

Chen Mansion is very small, with a small courtyard at the entrance, a living room after that, and three rooms after that.

 When Zhang Yue arrived with gifts, Chen Xiang was having dinner with his family in the hall.

Chen Xiang put down the bowl and came to see Zhang Yue. After being greeted by Zhang Yue, Zhang Yue presented Ouyang Xiu's letter as a gift. Chen Xiang looked Zhang Yue up and down, then nodded and asked, "I'm sorry, my family is a little early for dinner.

Sit down together and use some."

Chapter Yue saw that the food was very simple, just three dishes and one soup, and he had already eaten nearly half of it, so he said, "The student just had some snacks."

Chen Xiang smiled and said, "Sit down and don't look outside."

 Speaking, he asked the old servant to serve Zhang Yue some rice, and Zhang Yue also brought the bowl to the table.
To be continued...