ATPnovel Chapter 117 Zhao Dezhao's House and Du
Chapter 117 Zhao Dezhao's House and Du
Chapter 117 Zhao Dezhao's House and Du (Part Two)
The young man was slightly taken aback and subconsciously turned his head to look, only to see a ragged man standing beside him.
The man's hair was disheveled and tied loosely with a dry straw rope. His face was covered in dust and frost, and his clothes were patched upon patched, revealing his dark skin underneath. His hands were covered in calluses, making him look no different from the homeless people on the street.
Yet this seemingly down-on-his-luck man had a clear light shining in his eyes, and his speech was quite extraordinary, far beyond that of an ordinary, mediocre person.
The young man was surprised, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply nodded slightly and then looked back at the bulletin board to continue reading.
"No one is exempt from the requirements for taking the exam!"
"The imperial examination will be reopened; those who enter officialdom will all be disciples of the emperor!"
"If you encounter unfairness in the imperial examinations, you may strike the petition drum in front of the Prince of Wugong's residence, and the Prince of Wugong will personally oversee the matter!"
Upon seeing these words, the young man's body trembled slightly, and he fell completely silent.
The murmurs around him grew increasingly heated, interspersed with countless students' incredulous sobs and cheers: "Regardless of background? — Me, the son of a merchant, can actually participate in the imperial examinations?"
"Not to mention merchants, the notice clearly states that even migrant workers from other places can take the exam!"
"A disciple of the Emperor! If I can pass the exam, I will be a true disciple of the Emperor!"
"We poor people no longer have to fawn over the powerful and wealthy, or be at the mercy of others!"
A mix of relief, shock, joy, and a host of other strong emotions began to ripple across the bulletin board.
It is common to see impoverished scholars weeping with joy; no one laughs at them, only feels empathy and high expectations.
Seeing this scene before him, the young man was filled with mixed emotions, and his expression became increasingly complicated.
He could hardly imagine the uproar that would ripple when this new imperial examination policy spread throughout the country, reached remote areas, and reached the ears of talented but unappreciated students from poor families!
In a daze, a magnificent picture unfolded in his mind.
Across the entire land, countless talented and hopeful students came from all corners of the world, like rivers flowing into the sea, all heading to Kaifeng to take the imperial examinations.
"All the heroes of the world have fallen into the clutches of the Great Song Dynasty!"
The young man's expression changed slightly, unable to hide the shock and emotion in his heart.
More and more people gathered under the bulletin board, making it increasingly crowded and noisy. The murky voices and the jostling caused the usually quiet young man to frown slightly.
He moved slowly, carefully squeezing through the crowd.
Just as he was about to walk out of the crowd, he suddenly bumped into someone on the shoulder. The force was not great, but it made the other person stumble and almost fall.
"I'm so sorry, I accidentally bumped into you. I hope you'll forgive me."
The young man immediately stopped, bowed slightly in apology, his tone humble and his expression full of regret.
In his view, regardless of the other person's status, if you bump into someone, it is your fault, and you cannot be lenient with etiquette.
The man who was hit was the same ragged man from before.
The man steadied himself, waved his hand, and said in a calm tone, without the slightest displeasure, "It's alright, it was all unintentional, brother, there's no need for such formality."
The young man looked up and looked at the man again. He saw that although the man was down on his luck, he still had an extraordinary demeanor and spoke politely. The young man's goodwill towards him increased even more.
He pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, sincerely saying, "Meeting is fate."
"I just heard your insightful comments on the new imperial examination policy, and I greatly admire them."
"It's the end of the year now, and the streets are chilly. There's an inn ahead where I can treat you to a cup of hot tea and a chat. Would you be willing?"
A hint of surprise flashed in the man's eyes, then he smiled gently and nodded: "That is indeed my wish, I dare not ask. I'm sorry to trouble you, brother."
The young man nodded slightly and gestured for them to proceed. The two walked side by side toward the inn not far ahead.
After entrusting the thin horse to the innkeeper and giving him a few more careful instructions to ensure that the horse would be well taken care of, the two entered the inn.
The inn's lobby wasn't large, but it was very clean and tidy. It was afternoon, and there weren't many guests, making it quite quiet.
The two found a corner by the window and sat down. The young man asked the tea server to brew two cups of hot tea, and then he and the man began to chat.
"May I ask your esteemed name, sir?" the young man asked first, his tone humble.
The man picked up his teacup, took a small sip to ward off the chill, and then slowly spoke: "My name is Zhou Wei, from Lingnan. I'm just a refugee who has wandered into the capital; I have no noble name to speak of. May I ask how I should address you, sir?"
"My name is Lü Duan. I greet you, brother." The young man hesitated for a moment, but still decided to reveal his real name.
However, he was overthinking it. Zhou Wei, who had ended up here, had never heard of the Lü family. He simply nodded calmly.
"Brother, you previously claimed to be from Lingnan. I wonder why you've come to Kaifeng?" Lü Duan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then asked.
Upon hearing this, a hint of melancholy flashed in Zhou Wei's eyes, and he slowly said, "Brother Lü, you may not know this, but I was orphaned at a young age and lost both my parents. It was only through the care of the elders in my clan that I was able to grow up."
"I originally intended to use my knowledge to pass the imperial examinations in the future, serve the country, and live up to the expectations of my elders."
"But who would have thought that Liu Yin, the ruler of the Southern Han Kingdom, was licentious, cruel, and bloodthirsty. The court was filled with corruption and treacherous officials. Taxes were extremely heavy, and the people were suffering terribly."
At this point, Zhou Wei's expression became even more dejected, and his words carried a hint of bitterness: "But my Zhou clan is already poor, how could we afford such heavy taxes? The elders of the clan tried every means to raise funds, but it was still a drop in the ocean, and in the end we could only become refugees, wandering from place to place."
"Many elders and younger members of the clan died of illness or starvation during their wanderings. Now, only I remain. After traveling thousands of miles, I have come to this Central Plains to beg for a place to settle down."
Lu Duan listened quietly the whole time, without showing any disgust. Instead, he sighed deeply.
"I have also heard of the cruelty of Liu Yin, the ruler of the Southern Han. Such a monarch is not fit to hold power over a country, and it is no wonder that the Southern Han's national strength is declining day by day."
Lu Duan spoke slowly and solemnly, a hint of disdain and indignation flashing in his eyes.
Zhou Wei nodded and gave a bitter smile: "Brother Lü is absolutely right. It's just that I'm unwilling to accept that after years of hard study, I can only become a vagrant, and I'm unwilling to have my talents go to waste."
"I didn't have much hope when I came to Kaifeng. After all, I come from a humble background and am a refugee. According to the old system of the imperial examination, I didn't even have the right to get close to the examination hall, let alone participate in the examination."
"But by chance, I met the son of a Ministry of Revenue official. Seeing that I had some talent, he promised to let me write a few political essays and he would help submit them to the chief examiner of this imperial examination to see if I could gain the examiner's appreciation and then seek other ways out."
At this point, Zhou Wei picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and said with a tone full of self-deprecation and helplessness, "Brother Lü, we are both sensible people, and I know that this is nothing but self-deception."
"That son of a Ministry of Revenue official might have just been talking casually. Even if he did help submit a political essay, how could the examiners possibly take a liking to an article written by a vagrant like me?"
"Most likely, it will just be thrown away like toilet paper."
Upon hearing this, Lü Duan fell silent.
What Zhou Wei said was indeed true. No matter the era, even if you have great talent, how can you open the door to officialdom if you have no connections or money?
Don't you see countless examples of brilliant talents wasting their lives?
But even so, what can be done?
For hundreds of years, haven't countless children from poor families lived like this?
Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, even if the road ahead is uncertain, I will try my best, just so that I can live up to the years of hard study.
"The Emperor has truly accomplished a great deed that benefits both the present and future generations!"
Thinking of this, Lü Duan couldn't help but sigh again.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wei's face showed a hint of surprise. He then looked up at Lü Duan, his tone tinged with doubt: "Brother Lü, are you perhaps unaware that this new policy for the imperial examinations was not initiated by the Emperor himself, but rather suggested to him by the Prince of Wugong?"
"The Prince of Wugong?"
Lü Duan was slightly taken aback.
He really didn't know that.
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