Although there was no snow after the late autumn, the cold air was getting colder day by day.
One could feel the harshness of winter just by looking at the icicles that were as thick as a child's arm, crystal clear, and as sharp as swords under the eaves of every house in Yujing City.
Yujing City was the capital of the Da Qian Dynasty.
The Da Qian Dynasty was prosperous and prosperous. It had a vast territory and abundant resources. It had a population of tens of millions and was one of the most powerful states in the world.
This year was the 60th year since the founding of the dynasty.
In these 60 years, the four emperors of the Da Qian Dynasty had made great efforts to rule the dynasty. It had reached a flourishing age.
Marquis Wu Wen's residence was located in the southeast of Yujing City. It covered an area of 100 acres and had an open terrain. There was a pair of red-painted stone Kirin statues that were as tall as three people at the entrance. The red door was decorated with shiny copper nails and rings. The servants at the entrance were dressed in bright clothes and looked energetic. They had sharp eyes. All of these indicated the status of Marquis Wu Wen.
Marquis Wu Wen was a prominent figure in the Da Qian Dynasty. His surname was Hong and his name was Xuanji.
Not only did he have a noble title, but he also held a high position in the court. He was the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet and the Grand Protector of the Crown Prince. He was well-versed in both literature and martial arts. When he was young, he could shoot a nine-picul bow continuously. He rode a horse and killed hundreds of enemies as if he was taking a stroll in the courtyard. (In the Da Qian Dynasty, a stone was 100 kilograms. Nine stones was equivalent to 900 kilograms.)
At the age of 22, he had made great achievements in the military. He gave up on martial arts and learned to read. He was ranked third in the imperial examinations. He was awarded an official position and participated in the court's politics. He had once received the highest evaluation from the four emperors of the Da Qian Dynasty. He was able to govern the army on horseback and pacify the people when he was dismounted.
…
"Heaven sees us and the people see us. Heaven listens to the people …"
Early in the morning, the sound of someone reading could be heard from a remote courtyard in the northwest corner of Marquis Wu Wen's residence.
Hong Yi opened half of the window and lit a charcoal fire in the room. He was reading at the table, looking as if he was preparing for an examination and trying to figure out the meaning of the scriptures.
He was dressed in a green robe and had delicate features. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, and his body was slightly thin.
The room was very simple and crude. The brazier for the fire was an iron basin, and the charcoal was also ordinary charcoal. It wasn't the exquisite copper cauldron-footed brazier that was used by noble families to light fires. Instead, it was' beast charcoal 'that was carved with all sorts of wild beasts.
When he was studying, there were no attendants or maids by his side to grind ink and lay paper. All of this showed that although Hong Yi's status in the manor was not high, he still had time to study and was not a servant.
"Whether or not we can clear the name of our deceased mother will depend on the Enke's exam in spring and the general examinations in autumn. First, I will pass the imperial examination, then I will pass the imperial examination, then I will pass the imperial examination, and I will be bestowed with titles for three generations … The imperial court will issue an edict to bestow my mother the title of Madam. Mother's grave can be moved into the Hong family's ancestral grave, and her memorial tablet can also be enshrined in the ancestral hall. "
Hong Yi flipped open a book and read a few sentences. In his heart, he thought of his mother who had died when he was seven years old.
Before Hong Yi's mother married 'Marquis Wu Wen', she was a famous talented woman in Jade Capital. She was proficient in the four arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was even more talented in poetry and songs. She sold her skills but not her body. She met Marquis Wu Wen when they sang poetry together in a hall. Later on, she married into a noble family.
Although she was said to be a talented woman, she was actually a 'lowly woman' in a brothel. After marrying into a noble family, her status was very low.
Furthermore, when Hong Yi's mother married into a noble family, Marquis Wu Wen already had a wife. She had the status of a concubine.
According to the laws of the Da Qian Dynasty, the first wife, the second wife, and the fourth concubine. The status of a concubine was very low. Some rich and noble families would even give concubines to each other for fun.
When a concubine was eating, she could not sit down and had to stand like a maid.
As the son of a concubine, Hong Yi did not have the right to inherit the title and family property. The only way out was to pass the imperial examinations.
Hong Yi was also very clear that if he could pass the imperial examinations, not only could he leave the Marquis's residence and become an official, but most importantly, he could add the title of 'Madam' to his mother.
The Da Qian Dynasty emphasized the imperial examinations. Once he passed the imperial examinations, he could be conferred the title of 'Madam' for three generations.
The title of 'Madam' was not simple. Now there were three Madams in the Marquis's residence. This was because Marquis Wenwu, Hong Xuanji had made great contributions and was specially bestowed by the Imperial Court.
Among the rich and noble families, only the first wife was a 'Madam'.
Among the high officials and nobles, the Imperial Court bestowing the title of Madam to their wives was a great honor. It was even more benevolent than being promoted to a noble.
"If I pass the imperial examinations, if I pass the imperial examinations, the Imperial Court will confer the title of Madam to my mother. At that time, I wonder what expression the main wife, Madam Zhao, will have? "
Hong Yi murmured, "Madam Zhao, Madam Zhao …" Hatred flashed in his eyes.
Hong Yi could never forget that when he was seven years old and had just become sensible, there was a banquet held in the Marquis's residence to admire the moon in mid-autumn. When everyone was gathered, his father was reciting poems with the guests. Because of his mother's words, he was immediately reprimanded by the main wife in front of everyone. "Frivolous behavior, unladylike conduct, brothel habits unchanged."
After returning home that night, his mother was so angry that her blood vessels stagnated and she vomited blood. Two months later, she died of illness. When she died of anger, his mother was only twenty-five years old.
"I am almost done preparing for the examinations after the beginning of spring, but I still need to figure it out."
Hong Yi thought to himself. He closed the book and flipped open the Cottage Notes.
The cover of this book was very new, but the paper was very old. It was obviously an old book that no one read. This was because the Cottage Notes was not a scholar's examination of the classics, etiquette, or policy. It was a strange and unruly notebook.
Scholars did not talk about strange, powerful, chaotic, or divine. People preparing for the imperial examinations would not read such books.
However, Hong Yi was reading it to prepare for the imperial examinations.
This was because this book was a notebook of the previous dynasty's Prime Minister Li Yan. It wrote about demons and ghosts, Daoist priests and immortals, scholars and beauties, and female immortals and fox immortals.
"Although this Herbal Hall notebook is filled with supernatural beings, foxes, geniuses, and beauties, as well as female immortals and foxes, every page is actually a fable. As expected of the prime minister of the previous dynasty, the founder of the Li School of Thought."
"Although Li Yan is now an ancient person, most of the officials in the imperial court who were born in the imperial examinations are his students. The chief examiner in charge of the examinations this time will definitely be someone from his Li School. Try to figure out the fable ideas expressed by Li Yan through the use of demons and ghosts. If you cater to the tastes of his students, you will definitely be able to pass. "
"Those scholars from the schools of thought, even if they are outstanding, only know how to study. They don't know that being well-versed in human emotions is also an essay. Even if your essay is brilliant, if it does not match the examiner's school of thought, you will definitely be eliminated."
Before the examination, it was extremely important to try to figure out the examiner's school of thought, thoughts, and preferences. Although Hong Yi was young, his mind was as clear as snow.
"What a good 'the will of the heavens is the will of the people'. So there is such an explanation."
Hong Yi suddenly saw a story and read it carefully. He was surprised.
The story went like this:
In the folk, when a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law were sleeping at night, the wall suddenly collapsed. The daughter-in-law was sleeping inside and used all her strength to prop up the collapsed wall so that her mother-in-law could escape. However, she was crushed to death. After the daughter-in-law died, the mother-in-law was very sad. Therefore, the villagers comforted her, saying that she had a dream. She dreamed that her daughter-in-law had been conferred the title of City God by the heavens.
At that time, Li Yan and a group of scholar-officials discussed this matter. The group of scholar-officials felt that the daughter-in-law's filial piety was commendable. However, the language used to confer the title of a god was the language of the villagers.
However, Li Yan stood his ground and said that the daughter-in-law had been conferred the title of a god. This was because there was a saying in the Book of Sages, "The heavens see, and the people see, and the heavens hear, and the people hear." If the people thought that the daughter-in-law had become a god, it was the will of the heavens. Then, she had become a god.
All the scholar-officials laughed at Li Yan for being too pedantic in his studies, but Li Yan said a great principle, "Actually, gods are only formed from the thoughts of humans. The reason why the gods and Buddhas in the temples are able to manifest themselves time and time again is because they have received the incense offerings and faith of the people. Originally, there were no gods in this world. When there are more believers, the people's thoughts will converge, and the gods and Buddhas will be born. It's very simple to destroy the gods and Buddhas. As long as you destroy their temples, people will no longer believe in them and use incense offerings to worship them. As time goes by, they will naturally disappear. "
One of the scholar-officials nodded and asked, "Destroying the temples of the gods and Buddhas will cause people to no longer believe in them. What if the gods and Buddhas have retribution?"
Li Yan said again, "The books of sages say that righteousness and intelligence are gods. As long as a scholar is upright and strict in his heart, his thoughts will naturally be as strong as the gods. How can the gods and Buddhas have retribution for you?"
"Scholars are upright and strict, and their thoughts are strong and pure. They are already close to the Yang Spirit of Daoism. Compared to those Yin Spirits that can't manifest themselves and can only appear in dreams, they are much stronger. "
When the scholar-officials heard Li Yan's eloquence, they all felt admiration for him. Hence, they asked him about the Daoists' theory of cultivating the Yang Spirit of Daoism.
Li Yan said, "The Yin Spirit can leave its shell and travel. Human eyes can't see it, it's shapeless and intangible. Its soul is a ball and can only rely on external objects to manifest its spirituality. On the other hand, the Yang Spirit is no different from a living person. It can manifest all kinds of Dharma, fly in the sky and burrow into the ground, and live forever."
Just as the scholar-officials were about to ask further questions, Li Yan said in a serious tone, "Scholars only talk about the people's livelihood, the court, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and the law. They completely ignore the matters of gods and ghosts. Today, they have already gone too far."
"There are no gods and Buddhas in the first place. They are born from the thoughts and beliefs of humans? The books say, 'Heaven sees us, the people see us, the heaven listens to the people, and the will of heaven follows the will of the people.' Is there such an explanation? Righteousness and intelligence are gods? Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit? "
Hong Yi found it refreshing. This story seemed to have opened a mysterious door for him.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as Hong Yi was deep in thought, there was a sudden knocking sound outside the door.
Someone was knocking on the door, but it was very loud. It seemed like someone was kicking the door.
Hong Yi frowned and got up to open the door.
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