When they woke up in the inn the next morning, they washed up and got ready to dress up. They had to go through the procedures and get the certificate of admission to the Academy, so they wanted to look good. Ning Que sat in front of the window and looked at the book in the morning. He squinted his eyes and was ready to enjoy Sangsang combing his hair. He did not expect his hair to be pulled and felt a sharp pain. He turned around and looked at the little girl helplessly. "Is it so hard to comb my hair?"
"Young master, why don't you try it yourself? In the past, you just casually combed your hair into a bun in the City of Wei, but today you want to learn from those scholars. I have never learned that." Sangsang retracted her hand that was holding the comb and said angrily.
"Look at your attitude. You also know to call me young master!" Ning Que said angrily, "Who is the young master and who is the girl? I just said a few words and you asked me to comb my hair myself! You have to understand that I will enter the Academy soon and become a serious scholar. If you don't know how to do it, then go and learn it. You have to comb your hair like that every day! "
Ever since yesterday, when they saw that painting in the rain on Vermillion Bird Avenue, the master and servant pair's emotions had always been a bit problematic. However, they simply couldn't understand what they felt at that time, and even more so couldn't be sure if what they felt at that time was real. Moreover, there were some very obscure reasons, so they hadn't talked about this matter.
Ning Que looked at Sangsang's face, which was darker than before, and said with a smile, "Okay, okay. I will take you to Chenjinji Cosmetics Store after we finish our business."
Hearing this, Sangsang raised her little face and smiled. She turned around and took out a knife from her bag and handed it to him. Ning Que took the knife and walked into the small courtyard at the back of the inn. He began to practice with the knife in the morning light. His movements were precise and fierce, but his messy and fluffy hair shook with his movements, which made him look a little funny.
The Tang Empire was the center of the whole world. Chang 'an was a place respected and worshipped by thousands of countries. The Academy, in a sense, was the center of the Tang Empire. It was a place that was respected and worshipped by thousands of people. Sometimes, the influence of the Academy even surpassed that of the royal family.
Ever since he knew about the Academy when he was a child, Ning Que's brain, which had been washed by vulgar conspiracy theories, had never figured out why the Tang Empire, or the royal family, would allow such a place to exist. As the saying went, there was only one sky above one's head, and there was only one sun in the sky. Then how could there be two voices in an empire?
No matter whether he could figure it out in the future or not, at least this day's experience finally made him feel the lofty status of the Academy in the Tang Empire. He also realized the respect and even awe the imperial court had for the Academy. It was just a simple certificate of eligibility for the Academy Entrance Examination, but it required three of the six departments to stamp it. Furthermore, only officials above the rank of Lang Zhong were qualified to do this.
In the Military Ministry, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Rites, Ning Que had seen more officials above the fifth rank today than he had seen in the past 16 years. If not for the fact that his military status had not been changed to civilian status, he would even need to go to the Yamen of the Ministry of Revenue. Although the spring day was warm and pleasant, he was still sweating profusely after going through so much trouble in the North City of Chang 'an. He could not help but think that even if the imperial court wanted to send troops to the South Jin Kingdom, they would not need to go through so much trouble.
The Imperial Ministry was a place with a strict hierarchy. Ning Que was just a small soldier from a border town with no background. He had thought that he would be treated with contempt and coldness. However, when the officials saw his name, they did not make things difficult for him as General Ma Shixiang had warned them. They just waved their hands and let him pass.
Ning Que thought about it carefully and realized that the Princess had sent someone to greet him. The Princess had returned from the grassland and encountered an assassination on her way back. When she returned to Chang 'an, she must have been congratulated by hundreds of officials, held a banquet in the palace, and secretly investigated. If it had been someone else, they would have been very grateful for him. However, he did not think so, because this was something that he had previously discussed with Her Highness. Although they had discussed it beside the fire, Her Highness did not act like a Highness.
After stamping the last stamp in the Ministry of Rites, the sun had already begun to set in the west. Fortunately, the Tang Empire's bureaucracy was not too bureaucratic and was quite efficient. The Yamen responsible for issuing the certificate of eligibility for the Academy Entrance Examination was not far from the Ministry of Rites, and it was still open at this time. There were two or three young people who had just received the certificate and were whispering at the door.
"It's not a good idea to stay in an inn all the time. I can't get to know my classmates."
"It's not bad to move to the Academy in advance. Maybe I can get to know some Senior Brothers and Sisters."
"It's not cheap to live in the Academy. It's even more expensive than the best Yuelai Inn in Chang 'an. Speaking of which, it was better during the time of Emperor Taizu. At that time, the Academy didn't have to pay for food and accommodation."
"There's no need to save money. In my opinion, it's good to go to the Academy one day earlier. If you can familiarize yourself with the environment, you will have a higher chance of passing the Academy Entrance Examination. I heard that the Military Ministry went crazy this time and recommended more than 70 candidates …"
Ning Que was about to walk inside when he suddenly stopped and looked at the young scholar with hands folded in front. He asked, "Brother, did you just say that … the Academy doesn't provide food and accommodation now?"
The three people looked at Ning Que as if they were looking at an idiot. They probably wanted to say, "If you don't even know this, why do you want to enter the Academy?"
Ning Que's favorite thing to do was to laugh at others for being idiots behind their backs. At this time, when someone said he was an idiot to his face, he naturally could not accept it, so he turned around and entered the door.
When he came out again, the young scholars at the door were long gone. Otherwise, they would definitely mock him when they saw his pale face.
Sangsang had been waiting outside the door. She held the big black umbrella to block the sun from making her face darker. She was squinting at the good idea when she suddenly saw Ning Que's appearance. She suddenly became nervous and trotted to him. She asked in a trembling voice, "What's wrong? The Academy doesn't allow students to bring their handmaidens? Did you tell the adults inside that I can help the Academy as long as I have a place to live? "
"That's not the problem." Ning Que's lips were a little dry. He looked at her and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I just asked clearly. The Academy doesn't provide food and accommodation at all. That means if I pass the exam, I have to pay 30 taels of silver every month."
"30 taels of silver?" Sangsang subconsciously raised her voice and screamed, "Then what's the point of studying!"
She knew it was meaningless when she said this. She frowned and looked at Ning Que bitterly. She said, "Young master, we have saved 76 taels of silver these years. We didn't spend a single copper coin on the way with the princess. Including the money from selling the carriage, the general's financial support and the gambling debts, we have less than 200 taels of silver. After arriving in Chang 'an, we stayed in the inn for two days and had five meals …"
Ning Que stopped the little handmaiden's nagging and said uneasily, "The Academy entrance exam will be held in a month. It seems that we have to stay in the inn for a month. You have to include this expense."
If Sangsang could see her face at this time, she would feel a little happier. Because her little black face had become much paler because of shock and uneasiness.
…
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