Tang Shen told the truth of why he was going to take the tongshi (TN: county level exam taken by tongsheng to become a xiucai) next year.

Liang Song glanced at him: “What else are you hiding?”

Tang Shen said righteously: “No more.”

“Why must you insist on taking the exam next year?”

Tang Shen was silent.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“If you don’t tell the truth, I won’t care about you, you little rascal. I will see how you will pass the tongshi with your bad handwriting!”

Tang Shen thought to himself that there were still a few months left. At worst, he would just have to practice calligraphy and study at home every day. With his doctorate degree from one of the top 2 universities in China (although it was in science and engineering), and his photographic memory golden finger, he could easily pass the tongshi.

​…It shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Liang Song: “En?”

Seeing his teacher put on a serious face, Tang Shen thought for a while and had no choice but to tell of the boast he made.

Liang Song laughed: “So it was like this? It turned out that you were angered by your elder cousin. No matter how smart you are, you are only a thirteen-year-old child. It is normal to occasionally have a childish temper. Fortunately, what you said this time was the county examination. If you said the xiangshi (TN: the triennial provincial imperial exam), even if you are wenquxing’s reincarnation, you would only fail.” (TN: the constellation in charge of scholarship and exams, a term used to call those good at studying and academics)

Tang Shen: “I’m not that stupid.”

Liang Song glanced at him: “But you are arrogant.”

Tang Shen pretended to be deaf and dumb to muddle past the matter.

Tang Shen didn’t know that the reason why Liang Song was determined to ask him for the truth was not because he was overly curious, but because he was worried that Tang Shen had been influenced by something and decided to take the tongshi in advance. Tang Shen was still young and he was also talented. If someone learned that he was Liang Bowen’s student and became jealous, they might sow discord and provoke him to take the tongshi early. Once he failed, it was very likely that his confidence would be severely damaged, resulting in the outcome of a boy whose talent was lost for glories.

Liang Song: “You said before that the Four Books and Five Classics have been memorized by heart.”

“Yes.”

“With your ability, the tongshi shouldn’t be difficult. In that case, you go to the prefecture academy to report today. Steward Liang, go with him and let Yu Boyan know.”

The steward said: “Yes.”

Tang Shen came early. He already had breakfast at home, but Liang Song kept him for a bowl of hot porridge. After eating, Tang Shen and the steward went to Ziyang Academy. Before they went out, Liang Song said: “Wait a minute, I’m going to write a letter.” Soon, he wrote a letter in the study and gave it to the steward.

Ziyang Academy was in the south of the city. When Tang Shen and the steward entered the academy, the students had already started classes.

The main gate of the academy was a single door with double eaves. In front of the main entrance was a plaque with white words on a black background, “Ziyang Academy”. The literary couplet of Ziyang Academy was inscribed by Liang Bowen himself last year. On the right side of the pillar was the first couplet “The Immortal Bears the Dew Plate” and on the left was “Smile and Chat Among the Fragrance of Ink”.

After entering the academy, he heard the sound of students reading aloud. 

The ancients paid attention to reading aloud in order to memorize it by heart. Except for a few well-connected students like Tang Shen, and the children from wealthy families who bought school certificates to study, the only people who could study in the prefecture academy were at least xiucai. Every scholar who passed the county examination of tongshi becomes a tongsheng; then passes the prefecture examination of tongshi and becomes a xiucai. Only when you become a xiucai could you be qualified to study in the prefecture academy.

However, even if they were xiucai, they were just students in the prefecture academy.

Tang Shen followed the steward, bypassed the Sage Temple and the Lecture Hall, and found Yu Boyan, the principal of Ziyang Academy.

Yu Jing, courtesy name Boyan, was a jinshi in the 14th year of Kaiping. He was already over fifty when he became a jinshi. Three years ago, he was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown, becoming Ziyang Academy’s principal.

The steward met Yu Boyan and made salutations. Tang Shen also saluted.

Yu Boyan took the letter and read it, then looked up at Tang Shen. Then he read the letter carefully again and said, “I already know what Liang daren means, but now the entrance ceremony has passed, and there are only four months left before the county examination. So, your name is Tang Shen, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You may be a visiting student, and attend with other students every day.”

It was easier than Tang Shen thought to be admitted to the prefecture academy. The next day, he took his book bag to the prefecture academy to study. The ancients did not attach too much importance to transfer students or new faces. The fuzi who was teaching that day entered the Lecture Hall and caught a glimpse of Tang Shen out of the corner of his eye but he soon looked away and started lecturing without any such process as “introducing the new student”.

Not only the fuzi, but other students also didn’t care about Tang Shen. At first, some people were surprised at the sudden appearance of a new face. After the first class, several students gathered together and quietly observed Tang Shen.

After a while, a slightly rich looking little fatty was pushed over by everyone. The fatty wore a jade crown on his head and a Hetian white jade pendant at his waist. He walked to Tang Shen’s desk and said, “My name is Sun Yue, what is your name?”

The other didn’t have any malice, so Tang Shen said: “Tang Shen.” After a pause, he said again: “What character ‘yue’? The ‘yue’ in ‘a maiden of Yue gathers lotus’?”

Sun Yue was stunned: “No, it’s the ‘yue’ from ‘five marchmounts and four seas’.”

Tang Shen thought to himself: So it’s not Sun Yue. (TN: a Taiwanese actor)

Sun Yue didn’t know that Tang Shen had connected him in his heart with a well-known comedian actor in the future. He said: “You are a new face. I have never seen you before. Where are you from? Have you just arrived in Gusu City? Although you are tall, you are very thin. Are you fifteen years old at least?”

Tang Shen: “I am thirteen this year, and I am not a xiucai.”

“Eh, you’re not a xiucai?”

The students in the distance also heard Tang Shen’s words. They breathed a sigh of relief, and most of the hostility in their eyes disappeared.

But Sun Yue was very happy. He sat down on the seat next to Tang Shen and said, “Then you are like me, your family donated money to study at Ziyang Academy? Don’t be afraid, we are grasshoppers on the same rope.”

Tang Shen didn’t explain that he didn’t come in through donations, but through connections. He was a student of Liang daru, but there was no need to publicize this matter everywhere. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I’m not afraid. Besides, how are we grasshoppers on the same rope?”

Sun Yue: “Have you seen those classmates? They are all xiucai. You and I are the only ones in the classroom today who are not xiucai. They studied for ten years by the cold window (TN: expression for studying in hardship) and finally became a xiucai, but in order to pass the academy examination of tongshi and become a gongsheng, that is too difficult. If you don’t pass the academy examination, it would be as difficult as climbing the sky to take the xiangshi. They thought you were a xiucai from another place who had just moved to Gusu Prefecture, so you entered the academy now, and you would be taking the academy examination with them in the future. There are only around 20 spots in each county for the academy examination. You are so young and you must be extraordinarily intelligent to have become a xiucai, so of course you would be a strong enemy for them.”

There was some truth to that.

Sun Yue patted his chest: “Don’t be afraid, I will protect you from now on.”

With a slight twitch of his nose, Tang Shen leaned closer and sniffed the scent wafting from the little fatty: “Scent of osmanthus?”

Sun Yue smiled and said: “I didn’t expect your nose to be so sharp. Yes, this is the scented oil my mother brought back from Zhenbao Pavilion a few days ago. This thing seems to be called Golden Mist, and currently it cannot be bought in the entire Gusu Prefecture. But you got a chance to smell it today. If you like it, I will switch to another scent tomorrow and let you smell some more.”

“…You’ll only let me just smell it?”

Sun Yue said warily: “Why, this thing is very expensive. Do you still want me to give you a bottle?”

Tang Shen laughed, and the relationship between the two became closer.

Soon, a lecturer came to class, and everyone sat down.

On the other side, in front of the Tang family’s Zhenbao Pavilion shop on Sujin Street, Madam Tang, who was wearing brocade, got off the carriage and entered the shop. Not long after she entered the shop, she met an acquaintance. The other said casually: “Madam Tang, I haven’t seen you for a long time. I didn’t expect to bump into you today.”

Madam Tang smiled and said: “Madam Wang, you have time to come to my Zhenbao Pavilion today. Do you see anything you like?”

The maid accompanying Madam Wang said: “Answering Madam Tang, our Madam has already bought a lot of things.”

Madam Tang looked at the shopkeeper: “Bring a bottle of Golden Mist to Madam Wang.” She turned around and asked: “What scent does Madam Wang like?”

Before Madam Wang could speak, the shopkeeper said: “The two selections Madam Wang made before were all rose-scented Golden Mist.”

Madam Tang gestured, and the shopkeeper immediately took a bottle of rose-scented essential oil, put it into a box for Madam Wang, wrapped it in brocade, and handed it to the maid.

Madam Wang said: “This thing of yours smells good and lasts a long time, but it’s just not for sale. Are you never planning to sell it?”

Madam Tang said helplessly: “How could you know that it is very difficult for me to make this Golden Mist, and the first batch hasn’t even been made yet, so I can only use it as a gift to give to my good sisters. The cost is too high, and ordinary people can’t afford it. Each bottle of this stuff is no cheaper than a chi of brocade.” (TN: a Chinese foot, one-third of a meter)

Madam Wang was surprised: “So expensive?”

“That’s right! The entire Gusu Prefecture, only you, my good sister, Madam Sun and Madam Zhao in the west of the city, Madam Li in the east of the city, and the county magistrate’s wife have used it. Of all the good things in the Gusu Prefecture, which have not been used by us five sisters first.”

Madam Wang left with the maid, and Madam Tang asked the shopkeeper: “In the past half month, who has taken the Golden Mist?”

The shopkeeper counted the list.

The maid said: “Madam, this is more than just five people.”

“Don’t worry, Madam Wang is only familiar with these four ladies. The five of them have been good friends since they were children. They rarely interact with other ladies in Gusu Prefecture and would not mention this matter to others. Besides, even if they know that someone else has used the Golden Mist, we can just say it was sent after today.”

The shopkeeper said: “Madam, when will we start selling this Golden Mist? It won’t last to always just give it to distinguished guests like this.”

Madam Tang then carefully asked the shopkeeper about the gifting of essential oils and what these distinguished guests said about the essential oils. She said: “Wait a little longer.”

At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Shen went to the workshop to inspect the first batch of goods.

This time he was selling soap and essential oils so a batch of soap was also made, but it was left untouched and packaged there.

Yao San: “Little boss, why not sell that soap together. Essential oils are extremely expensive and ordinary people can’t afford them. Scented soap is cheaper, but it’s not as good a deal as plain soap.”

Tang Shen: “Wait a little longer. Do you know what celebrity effect is?”

Yao San was stunned: “Celebrity effect?”

Tang Shen thought for a while and explained the ancient version of celebrity effect: “If I tell you now, Liang daru uses Hui ink every time he writes, and he loves Hui ink the most. As a scholar, would you also want to use Hui ink? “

“That’s natural!”

“But Hui ink is very expensive, and ordinary people can’t afford it. You can only think about it. But if I tell you after a while that while you can’t afford Hui ink, you could afford the Tang family brush that Liang daru likes to use, would you want to buy it.”

“What is the Tang family’s brush? Little boss, when did we ever make a brush?”

“Hai, it’s just an example. Just give me your answer.”

“Then of course I want to buy it!”

Tang Shen smiled and said: “Exactly so. Liang daru is the model for scholars in Gusu Prefecture, so what kind of person do you think is the model for all the madams and young ladies in Gusu Prefecture?” Knowing that Yao San didn’t know how to answer, Tang Shen said: “The wives and daughters from wealthy families are their models.”

Yao San nodded in understanding.

Tang Shen said helplessly: “Just wait some more!”

On the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Tang family Zhenbao Pavilion was closed for renovation, and several madams and ladies who often came to buy makeup were very puzzled. The Tang family’s business was exquisite and meticulous. Even if the store was closed, a servant boy was sent to wait outside. While these madams and ladies were wondering, the servant boy immediately stepped forward and said: “We will open again on the sixth day of the lunar month.”

A maid asked: “What is this? Why is the store closed?”

Servant boy: “I don’t know either. I just heard from the shopkeeper that he has gotten some rare items to sell on the sixth day of the lunar month.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang said: “Could it be that expensive Golden Mist?”

“I don’t know.”

Madam Wang had some ideas in her mind and thought: I must come and see on the sixth day of the lunar month.

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, several wealthy madams and ladies from Gusu Prefecture came to Zhenbao Pavilion at the same time. When they saw each other, they were all surprised and entered the store together. The newly opened Zhenbao Pavilion was no different from usual. It was the same as several other famous powder shops in Gusu Prefecture. It was rich and luxurious, but it was only rich and luxurious.

It was just that today there were many wives from wealthy families.

Madam Wang entered the shop curiously. After taking two steps, her eyes were suddenly attracted by something by the window.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

TN1: Imperial Examination Ranks: tongsheng (county level)—>xiucai (prefecture level)—>gongsheng (all gongsheng are xiucai but not all xiucai can become gongsheng)—>juren (provincial level)—>gongshi (all gongshi are juren but not all juren are gongshi)—>jinshi (palace/highest level, divided by third rank, second rank, and first rank. First rank includes tanhua(3rd), bangyan(2nd), zhuangyuan(1st))

TN2: Examinations and their resulting rank: tongshi (divided into county exam=tongsheng, prefecture exam=xiucai, academy exam=gongsheng)—>xiucai/gongsheng, xiangshi—>juren, huishi—>gongshi, dianshi—>jinshi

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