Tang Shen asked: “Doctor Liu, what disease did you diagnose him with?”

“It seems to be poisoning. It must be due to consuming something bad. I prescribed some medicine for him and after taking it as usual, he should be fine in two days. I don’t know the details but there are many reasons for vomiting due to consuming something. Who knows what he ate?”

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Tang Shen: “I know what he ate.”

Everyone was stunned.

Tang Shen: “Yao San, go get the bill.”

Yao San: “Okay!”

Yao San turned around and walked into Xixia Tower, and took a thick stack of paper from the shopkeeper. “Little boss, the guests who ate at Xixia Tower at noon yesterday and the food they ate are all recorded here.”

The woman was shocked, and even Zhao Si, who was lying on the ground and rolling around, was stunned.

Who would have thought that Xixia Tower did everything unconventionally. In the entire Gusu City, even in the entire Song Dynasty, no restaurant would record all the dishes eaten by its customers in a book!

Tang Shen flipped through the papers and pulled out one: “February 19, 3:00 noon, dark face, short body, and a brown birthmark on the left cheek. This must be you, Zhao Si.”

Onlookers said: “Yes, Zhao Si has a brown birthmark on the left side of his face.”

Tang Shen: “Okay, since this is you, it proves that you have indeed come to my Xixia Tower to eat.”

Shrewish woman: “Then what else can you say!”

Tang Shen: “Wait until I finish. What you had for lunch yesterday was a plate of mutton slices, a plate of bamboo shoots, a plate of cabbage… and a plate of sprouts. Tell me, which of what you ate caused you a stomachache.”

Zhao Si: “How do I remember? Anyway, it was from eating your food.”

“Oh, your wife just said that you felt something was wrong as soon as you ate it, but now you can’t remember it?”

Zhao Si was stunned and said quickly: “The sprouts, the last plate of sprouts! When that plate of sprouts was brought to the table, I felt something was wrong. The roots were all rotten. But I was thinking about how a restaurant as big as Xixia Tower could not sell bad food, so I ate it boldly.”

Woman: “Everyone has heard it. Even fools know not to eat rotten sprouts. My husband ate it, of course he ended up vomiting like this!”

Sprouts, also known as bean sprouts. As we all know, you could not eat the rotten roots of sprouts, as eating it would cause food poisoning.

Tang Shen: “Yao San, please count for me the people who ate in our Xixia Tower with Zhao Si at the same time and also ate sprouts. Find them all. I want to see how they are doing now. Do they also have food poisoning?”

Yao San immediately found two people from the bill. These two people were sitting at the table next to Zhao Si and also ordered a plate of sprouts. One of them happened to be in the shop next door at that moment. He was called over by Yao San, and had a surprised look on his face: “I did eat sprouts, but the plate of sprouts I ate was not rotten.”

Tang Shen: “Zhao Si, is it possible that I, Xixia Tower, only targeted you and only gave you rotten sprouts?”

Zhao Si got up from the ground and said: “Who knows if you only have one plate of sprouts that is rotten? Don’t deny it!”

Tang Shen laughed loudly: “Okay, I can’t prove the other things you said, but you dare to say that you were poisoned by eating my plate of sprouts. Yao San, go to the kitchen and get a chicken. Everyone present, if you have rotten sprouts, I, Tang Shen, will buy it from you for ten taels of silver.”

“I have it at home!”

The chicken and the rotten sprouts were all brought over. Tang Shen didn’t blink and directly fed the whole plate of sprouts to the chicken.

In full view of everyone, the chicken began to vomit.

Zhao Si said proudly: “Yes, I had the same symptoms yesterday, and I still have to vomit from time to time today!”

Tang Shen: “Such big talk! Zhao Si, do you know how long this chicken can live?”

“Ah?”

“I, Tang Shen, will make a bet with you today. If this chicken can live for more than one month, I will pay you one hundred taels of silver. If it does not live for more than one month, and you Zhao Si survives, Zhao Si, do you dare to kowtow a hundred times in front of Xixia Tower to clear my name?”

Sprouts, also known as bean sprouts.

Rotten bean sprouts would produce aflatoxin, which was the same as moldy peanuts and soybeans. It was a highly toxic substance even more toxic than arsenic.

Tang Shen didn’t believe it. Someone could eat a whole plate of bad bean sprouts and still not die!

Tang Shen’s expression was stern, and Zhao Si was so frightened that his eyes widened. He wanted to bet with Tang Shen, but Tang Shen’s confident look made him dare not say a word. His mouth opened and closed again, Zhao Si had nothing to say. His shrewish wife was also frightened by Tang Shen, but she said bravely: “Who, who wants to bet with you! Maybe my husband remembered it wrong. Yes, what he ate was not sprouts. It’s the bamboo shoots, that plate of bamboo shoots was bad.”

Tang Shen: “You first say sprouts and now you say bamboo shoots. Okay, Yao San, find the guests who ate bamboo shoots at the same time as Zhao Si that day. Zhao Si, I will go to court with you today to find Magistrate Jia! First of all, you slandered my name, saying that you have eaten something from my Xixia Tower and got sick to your stomach. I, Tang Shen, am a distinguished xiucai with honors. You, A commoner, want to go to court with me, but you are confused and unclear. You will be beaten ten times with a board as soon as you go!”

Zhao Si was so frightened that he sat down on the ground.

Tang Shen: “Brother Yao, pick him up and let’s go find Magistrate Jia.”

The onlookers also saw at this time that Zhao Si and his wife were clearly here to cause trouble.

“Let’s go find Magistrate Jia.”

“Let’s all go together, we want to see Magistrate Jia administer justice.”

When Zhao Si’s wife saw this, she couldn’t help but run away. Zhao Si was weak and was easily captured. Seeing that Tang Shen was about to turn him in to the county government office, he said loudly: “It was the shopkeeper Wang of Ruyi Tower who hired me. Boss Tang, please spare me. Ten hits with the board can take half my life!”

Ruyi Tower was on Suijin Street, half a street away from Xixia Tower. Shopkeeper Wang was standing in the crowd watching the excitement. When Tang Shen said that he would send Zhao Si to the county government office, he turned around and wanted to sneak away. Suddenly hearing this, his expression changed drastically, and he turned around and said, “You hooligan, why are you making false accusations against me!”

“Shopkeeper Wang, you can’t burn bridges after crossing the river. It was you who asked me to find a way to slander Xixia Tower and shut it down.”

“You, you, you… you are full of slander!”

Tang Shen: “Shopkeeper Wang, is he a slanderer? Let’s go together and find Magistrate Jia and listen to what he has to say!”

Shopkeeper Wang opened his eyes wide and was dumbfounded.

A farce came to an end like this. Zhao Si received ten hits by the big board, but Shopkeeper Wang insisted he did not instigate Zhao Si. He refused to admit it, and Magistrate Jia could do nothing to him. However, before he returned to Ruyi Tower that day, he was kicked out by the owner of Ruyi Tower: “You incompetent failure!”

Shopkeeper Wang hugged his baggage and slunk away in shame.

This farce troubled Tang Shen for two whole days. The owner of Ruyi Tower came to the door in person, gave him gifts and apologized, and only then was it settled.

Yao San looked at the gifts on the table and said: “Little boss, this Landlord Wu is quite kind and has compensated us a lot. It was obviously the shopkeeper Wang who ordered it, and he himself doesn’t admit it. He is really not a thing.”

“Was it really instigated by Shopkeeper Wang?”

Yao San: “Huh?”

Tang Shen stood by the window of the second floor of Xixia Tower. He leaned against the window sill and looked at the few small gifts on the table calmly. Scented soap and Golden Wisp, hey, they were both from the Zhenbao Pavilion!

“Brother Yao, do you really think that a mere Shopkeeper Wang dares to do this by himself? The real mastermind behind this is none other than Landlord Wu.”

“What! Damn it, we even accepted his things. I have to throw them all back to him.”

“Why bother.”

“Little boss?”

Tang Shen turned around and looked at the bustling Suijin Street. As the sun sets, the vendors on Suijin Street have set up lights. The people on this long street will never change themselves because of the death of one person. Just like the entire Gusu City, don’t even mention Liang Song, even if the emperor dies, they will still live their lives.

“In the past two years, I have been making soap, scented soap, and brewing Golden Wisp. I have been doing logistics and making hot pot. Many people in Gusu City are jealous of my business, but they have never touched me. Soap is sold by Zhenbao Pavilion. But Tang’s Logistics and Xixia Tower belong to me alone.”

“When sir was alive, they didn’t dare to make it difficult for me.”

“When sir left, they swarmed over like hungry wolves.”

“Sir has actually helped me so much while I never noticed.”

Yao San looked at Tang Shen’s back and said, “Little boss…”

In the setting sun, Tang Shen’s back looked extremely thin. He never turned around, but said lightly: “Brother Yao, only today do I know that sir has truly left.”

“Little boss?”

“Sir, has truly left…”

Sobbing suddenly sounded. Even with a soul of more than 20 years old, Tang Shen felt like a large piece of his heart had been dug out, empty and soundless, and he couldn’t bear it. He cried loudly and desperately, knowing that there was no way to save the situation, and he was powerless to save it.

He suddenly realized that the person who had treated him best, most sincerely, and most dearly in the past two years.

Had truly gone.

At night, Tang Shen, wrapped in a fur coat, went home with Yao San.

Just after returning home, he saw a person in the courtyard who shouldn’t be there.

Tang Shen was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward and said, “Yu Zhi.”

Xu Hui looked at Tang Shen’s red eyes and said subconsciously: “Did you cry?”

During the seven days of Liang Song’s funeral, Tang Shen cried the least among them. Xu Hui thought that he was introverted by nature, or that his feelings for Liang Song were not that deep. After all, the two only had a teacher-student relationship for less than two years.

Tang Shen did not hide anything: “I thought that of sir, and I felt sorrow.”

Xu Hui was silent for a while.

Tang Shen said: “I thought you had gone to another place to apply for a post. Didn’t you serve as a county magistrate? Why didn’t you take up the post?”

Xu Hui: “I was going to leave yesterday. When I was packing up daren‘s belongings, I found a book. I have never seen this book before. It should be on the customs and sentiments of the Gusu people collected by daren. There was only one time when I didn’t travel with daren. He was with you that time. Do you know whose book this is?”

Tang Shen took the book and looked at it: “It was indeed borrowed from Shazhou County with my teacher before the county exam. I had already copied this book, but I didn’t expect that sir would borrow it anyway.”

Xu Hui: “I want to return this book to its original owner. Do you know how to get there?”

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Tang Shen gave a rough description.

Xu Hui frowned: “I have never been to Shazhou County. When you describe it like this, I am confused. Tang Shen, do you have time these days? If you are free tomorrow, can you go to Shazhou County with me? Let’s return it to its original owner together.”

Tang Shen: “Okay.”

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A long white sash hung high above the mourning hall. Although it was the middle of winter and the weather was freezing after the snow, it was not cold in the mourning hall. The sounds of crying and kowtowing to the ground with one’s head could be heard one after another. When Tang Shen came to the mourning hall of the Liang Manor wearing a hemp hat and mourning clothes, what he saw was the scene of the Liang Manor’s manservants and maids crying together.

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Liang Song married a wife in his early years and had a son. Unfortunately, Madam Liang died early, and her only son also died of illness ten years ago.

Xu Hui was Liang Song’s first cousin once removed, the person he was closest to in blood currently.

Xu Hui wore a hemp hat and knelt on the side of the coffin, constantly adding paper money to the earthen basin. Other Liang family members from Gusu City also came to mourn. In the past, Tang Shen had never seen his teacher interact with these relatives, but now they were all here, wearing hemp and mourning.

Tang Shen knelt down, kowtowed three times to his teacher, and burned a handful of paper money.

When Xu Hui saw that he was also wearing mourning clothes, Tang Shen said, “I will see him off with you.”

Xu Hui was silent, only nodding.

The coffin was kept in Liang Manor for seven days. On the early morning of the eighth day, everyone took the coffin to be buried. Xu Hui walked at the front, holding Liang Song’s memorial tablet, followed by several distant relatives with the same surname as Liang. Although Tang Shen was his teacher’s student, he was not related by blood after all, so he stood beside the coffin and followed the procession.

Tang Shen gently held the base of the coffin with his hands, as if carrying it.

In front of the tombstone, the yin and yang basin was smashed, and everyone kowtowed in turn. Tang Shen and Xu Hui bid farewell, and the two separated.

Tang Shen returned home and was about to change out of his hemp hat. From a distance, he saw Tang Huang carefully hiding behind the door and quietly observing him. Seeing this, Tang Shen waved and asked, “What are you doing, sneaking around there. I’m about to change my clothes, and you still want to watch?”

Tang Huang: “You, don’t talk nonsense, I don’t want to see you change clothes. Brother, you… don’t be sad.”

Tang Shen was silent for a moment: “Of course I’m sad. My teacher treated me very well. I never thought he would leave like this.”

“I saw you secretly wiping tears in bed a few nights ago.”

Tang Shen: “What are you mumbling about?”

“It’s nothing, Brother. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me.”

Tang Shen smiled for the first time in the past few days: “How old are you, what do you know. Forget it, it’s good you have the heart.”

Liang Song was gone, but life still had to go on.

In order to attend Liang Song’s funeral, Tang Shen asked for ten days’ leave from the academy. After taking care of everything, he returned to the academy. Sun Yue saw him and was about to call his name, but then shut up. Fatty Sun moved over hesitantly and said, “Tang Shen, if you are sad, don’t hold it in. My grandma passed away last year, and she was the most loving person in the world towards me. It took me half a year to feel better.”

Tang Shen glanced at him: “I know you are considering this for my own good, so don’t worry. It’s been so long and I should recover.”

Sun Yue nodded.

Tang Shen took leave specifically to attend Liang Song’s funeral, and went to his funeral with Xu Hui. As a student, he was benevolent and dutiful. Sun Yue could see Tang Shen’s sadness in his eyes, and now he could also see that Tang Shen hadn’t completely come out of it yet, but he had just accepted the reality.

Sun Yue: “Say, so many great scholars died for Zhong daru alone. Is it worth it?”

Tang Shen’s eyes flashed: “It’s worth it!”

“Ah? What’s it worth? I don’t understand. I don’t understand the literati sentiments of these great Confucians. I still want to live for a few more decades and eat more good things. If I can pass the exam, I can live the life of a god and spend the rest of my life happily. Hey, Tang Shen, why don’t you say anything? Why are you reading “The Book of Rites”? Could it be you know that the examiner favors it?”

Tang Shen: “Just read your book! Just now you said you wanted to comfort me, but now you are annoying me and being inconsistent.”

Sun Yue: “…”

“You are the one who is capricious.”

Lecturer Qian walked into the lecture hall and started teaching. Tang Shen’s mind slowly drifted away.

During the seven days when he knelt in the mourning hall, he stayed by his teacher’s coffin, thinking all the time why his teacher wanted to die for Zhong daru!

He didn’t understand the moral integrity of the ancients. If only Grand Secretary Luo and Liang Song died for Zhong daru, then he understood. They all died for their own ideals, for some lofty ideal that Tang Shen didn’t understand.

However, on that day, seven great scholars died in the entire Song Dynasty!

Almost all members of the Songqing Party died overnight.

This party practically only existed in name only due to the palace coup twenty-six years ago. Nowadays, the only few remaining great Confucian scholars who were well-known to people all over the world raised their knives without hesitation at the same moment and pierced their own hearts with it to express their will by death.

Yes, the only way to prove their ideal was to die!

Tang Shen thought about what ideal it was for seven days, and he finally understood.

Twenty-six years ago, the crown prince’s Grand Tutor Zhong Taisheng and the crown prince broke into the palace with private soldiers, intending to force a coup. The crown prince was shot dead on the palace gate by the current emperor and the second prince at that time, and Zhong Taisheng was imprisoned in the imperial prison. From then on, the Songqing Party, which was at its peak of power at that time, was suddenly labeled as a rebel party traitor, and its members were almost wiped out.

History books were always written by the victors.

Zhong Taisheng was a rebel party traitor, and the crown prince was an unfilial and rebellious son. This fact was engraved in iron and blood and could not be changed forever. So they sacrificed seven whole lives to show their determination, even if there was only a slight hope, they would tell future generations what the truth was, and restore the innocence of the crown prince and Zhong Taisheng!

Thinking of this, hatred surged in Tang Shen’s heart. However, he suddenly smiled. He remembered something.

“Sir, the saddest thing is that you don’t know that there are six colleagues who made the same choice as you!”

When Tang Shen left the Liang Manor that day, Liang Song advised him to study more on “Spring and Autumn” because Grand Secretary Luo Zhen liked “Spring and Autumn”. He didn’t know that Luo Zhen had already taken a step ahead of him and followed behind Zhong Taisheng. He also didn’t know that in five other places in the Song Dynasty, there were five former friends who had chosen to end their lives like him.

In order to rectify an eternal infamy, and to clear a name in history books, seven people sacrificed their lives.

Was it worth it?

Tang Shen felt it was not worth it.

But Liang Song thought it was worth it, and Luo Zhen thought it was worth it.

The five Songqing Party members who died felt it was worth it!

And that was enough.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Liang Song, Governor of Gusu Prefecture, hanged himself and died. The people of Gusu unanimously mourned for Mr. Liang and saw him off at his funeral. After February, when the new year’s county exams were out, life would eventually continue, and Gusu City would return to its former peace.

For the students of Ziyang Academy, they mourned the departure of several great scholars, but they felt even more painful because they did not know who the examiner of this year’s xiangshi would be.

Sun Yue slapped the desk and wailed: “Why did Grand Secretary Luo kill himself?”

Tang Shen: “With this howling time, if you read the books a few more times, you might be able to understand this year’s provincial examination questions.”

Sun Yue: “Easier said than done. So what if I read it? I know the Four Books and Five Classics very well, what questions for that year didn’t come from these books. But if you can’t write an answer after reading, what’s the use!”

The two chatted and joked for a while. A xiucai from another lecture hall called Tang Shen’s name at the door: “Tang Shen, someone is looking for you outside. It seems there is something urgent.”

Tang Shen walked out of the academy and saw Yao San waiting for him outside the door, with sweat on his forehead.

Seeing Tang Shen, Yao San hurriedly said: “Little boss, it’s not good, something happened in Xixia Tower!”

Tang Shen’s expression turned cold.

The two of them hurried to Xixia Tower. Before they could get closer, they saw a crowd on Suijin Street. This group of people gathered around the entrance of Xixia Tower, seemingly watching the excitement. Someone shouted, “The little boss Tang of Xixia Tower is here,” and everyone moved out of the way. Tang Shen walked over and took a look, only to see a pale-faced middle-aged man lying on a stretcher, howling miserably and rolling around while holding his stomach.

Next to him was a fat woman. When she saw Tang Shen, this woman immediately moved to grab and hit him without a word.

Yao San stopped her: “What are you doing!”

The woman said angrily: “What am I doing? Come and take a look, Tang sanyuan‘s Xixia Tower sells food that has gone bad and will cause people to die! Yesterday, my husband came to your place to eat food. When he ate it, he already felt that it tasted wrong. It tasted like something had gone bad. Then he vomited all night when he got back. He almost died from vomiting! Tang Shen, if you don’t give us an explanation, I will smash your Xixia Tower!”

Tang Shen smiled and said: “What a big tone, how can you say that it was my, Xixia Tower, who made you feel sick? Touching the porcelain right in front of me!”

Yao San: “Little boss, what is the meaning of touching porcelain?”

Tang Shen laughed and cursed: “Touching porcelain is when someone takes a piece of porcelain and bumps it into you while walking on the road. As soon as they let go of their hand and the porcelain shatters on the ground, they insist that it is you who broke it. Say isn’t this fantastic or not.”

The onlookers: “Hahahaha, touching porcelain, these words are really vivid!”

The fierce woman said angrily: “Ha, are you going to deny your account? You scholars can talk beautifully, and I can’t win against you. My husband met Butcher Li from the east of the city when he was eating at Xixia Tower yesterday and they exchanged hellos. I will find him to come immediately and ask him to testify that my husband truly got sick from your food!”

And after a short while, the woman really found Butcher Li.

Butcher Li said: “Yes, I did meet Zhao Si when I came to Xixia Tower to eat yesterday.”

Woman: “You still dare to quibble?”

Tang Shen’s eyes gradually turned cold, and he stared at the shrewish woman and Butcher Li carefully. Yao San: “Who knows if you guys are colluding in a scheme together!”

Tang Shen stopped him: “No need. They did come to Xixia Tower to eat yesterday.”

The woman’s eyes flickered: “You admit it? Okay, then do you want me to find Dr. Liu from Tongli Lane and ask him if my husband ate food at your place yesterday afternoon and started vomiting yesterday afternoon, and even now he is sick!”

Tang Shen: “Go ahead and call him.”

The woman didn’t panic and quickly called Dr. Liu. Doctor Liu testified: “Yes, Zhao Si was sent to my clinic by his wife yesterday afternoon, and I treated him myself.”

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There was an uproar in the crowd.

“Is this Xixia Tower really giving people food poisoning?”

“It’s really scary. I didn’t expect such a famous place like Xixia Tower to do such an immoral thing!”

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Tang Shen spent his second year in Gusu City reviewing manuscripts for the Xixia Cup Essay Competition.

During the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, lanterns were everywhere in Gusu City. At temple fairs and in rivers, there were exquisite lanterns everywhere. Tang Shen took Tang Huang to the temple fair to guess lantern riddles. The little girl had been studying for a year. Although Accountant Lin only taught some basic words, Tang Huang learned very quickly, and now she could guess correctly on a lot of these lantern riddles.

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The Xixia Cup Essay Contest had ended, and the first place turned out to be a scholar from a poor family. He wrote a story about a scholar and a lady, and he was the only scholar from a poor family among the top five. Normally it stood to reason that with so many people writing about romances between a scholar and a lady that the people in Gusu would be tired of reading them and would rarely vote for such stories. However, even Tang Shen didn’t expect that this scholar would actually write a story about a scumbag and a b*tch!

In a short story of only 5,000 words, this scholar described a handsome scholar who was extremely scumbag and a rich young lady who was extremely b*tchy. With dog blood and drama going hand in hand, it tormented the readers and made them scream with pleasure, and finally resulted in his votes taking him to the top.

Tang Shen bought a lantern, but before he gave over the money, he heard a passerby say: “That scholar Zhang just has a good-looking face. He was once a poor scholar. If Lin Xiaoxiao hadn’t given him the money to go to the capital to take the exam, could he have become the zhuangyuan? But he actually looked down on and bullied Lin Xiaoxiao to that extent, is he still a human being!”

“Yes! In the end, Lin Xiaoxiao got an incurable disease. Seeing the scholar Zhang kneeling in front of her bed crying, this is my favorite ending.”

Even though thousands of years have passed, readers’ tastes have never changed!

“That story about scholar Zhang and Lin Xiaoxiao is that good? I don’t think so.”

Hearing this, Tang Shen lowered his head and looked at Tang Huang in surprise: “Ah Huang, have you read that story?”

Tang Huang suddenly felt guilty, but then she said confidently: “Why, can’t I read the articles published in books and newspapers?”

Tang Shen said nothing. He looked at the little girl meaningfully. Walking to a stall that made rabbit lanterns, Tang Shen carefully selected and picked out the most exquisite red-eared rabbit lantern. He paid the money and gave the lamp to Tang Huang. The little girl only thought it was a gift from her brother. This rabbit lantern was the most beautiful one in the whole stall.

Tang Shen suddenly said: “You will definitely not win the luminous cup, you are still too far off. This rabbit lantern is a consolation prize.”

Tang Huang was stunned. She raised her head and looked at Tang Shen in a daze.

After a long while, she said: “Brother, how did you know that I also wrote a manuscript?”

Tang Shen laughed and flicked her forehead with his finger: “Can I not see that bad handwriting of yours and guess whose hand it is written from?”

“…”

“Tang Shen!!!”

“…Are you crying?”

“No wait, Tang Huang, why are you crying?”

Tang Shen suddenly panicked. He knelt down nervously and tried to coax her, but Tang Huang just ignored him. Not far away, Yao San and Aunt Yao smiled knowingly when they saw this scene. “I have never seen the little boss in such a panic. He really loves Ah Huang.”

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, classes at Ziyang Academy resumed.

Early in the morning, Tang Shen got up. He did not go to the academy, but went to Liang Manor with a New Year’s gift.

Two days ago, sir just came back from Jinling City, and Tang Shen didn’t bother him. Yesterday was the Lantern Festival, and his teacher was busy with various affairs in Gusu City, so Tang Shen didn’t come to visit. Today, he came to Liang Manor with some essential oils and soaps from Zhenbao Pavilion, as well as some pen and ink inkstones given by Madam Tang and said to be brought by someone all the way from Shengjing.

When Tang Shen arrived, Steward Liang was not there, but the doorman already knew him and let him in directly.

Liang Song was originally from Gusu. This garden manor was not the official residence where the governor of Gusu lived, but the old residence of the Liang family in Gusu. After entering the door, walking left and entering the archway, one would see a pond with blue waves. Nineteen camellia trees were planted beside the pond. Withered and broken lotus leafs floated on the pond. Fortunately, there was a heavy snowfall last night. The silver snow coated the square stones by the pool and covered the flowerless camellia branches, giving the beauty of the white snow as flowers.

When Tang Shen crossed the pond and came to Liang Song’s study, he almost slipped and fell. He raised his head and happened to see the steward coming out of the study. Tang Shen called him, and the steward looked at him blankly, as if he didn’t know why he came here. When he saw the gift box in Tang Shen’s hand, the steward bowed and said, “Young Tang gongzi, daren is inside. You are here suddenly, would you like me to let him know.”

It was rude to come to the door without asking.

Tang Shen nodded, and the steward went in to inform, and soon let Tang Shen in.

It was cold before frost and cold after snow.

It was so cold outside that Tang Shen’s hands turned purple. He entered the study, where a basin of silver charcoal was burning in the hollow heater in the center of the room. When Liang Song saw Tang Shen shivering from the cold, he laughed, handed him the portable heater in his hand, and said, “Isn’t it time to go to the academy? Why are you here?”

Tang Shen took the heater and Liang Song waved him over to sit down, so he sat down obediently.

Liang Song poured him a cup of tea: “Drink the hot tea.”

Tang Shen took a big sip and felt warm in his heart. He held the heater in his hands and felt warm too. He said aggrievedly: “I came to see you. Sir is the governor of Gusu Prefecture. You have to go to Jinling Prefecture to apply for office during the New Year and will not come back until the Lantern Festival. After you come back, you still have to take care of matters regarding the lantern temple fair in Gusu City. Aren’t I just missing you? Well, I came as soon as sir is free, don’t you welcome me, sir?”

Liang Song looked at him intently and sighed: “You little boy, I heard others say that you are the majestic boss Tang of Zhenbao Pavilion and Xixia Tower. Bu why do you act like a rascal and pretend to be a child every time you come to my place?”

Tang Shen thought to himself: Because you like it!

Tang Shen: “I’m only fifteen, I’m just a child.”

Liang Song nodded and said, “Yes, you are fifteen, the time to get married and have children.”

Tang Shen: “…”

“Sir, you are bullying me!”

Liang Song laughed.

But after laughing, Liang Song said seriously: “You are fifteen, and you will also take the xiangshi examination this year. After passing the xiangshi, you will go to Shengjing next spring. You are fifteen, and you are a handsome young gentleman.”

Tang Shen: “Handsome is true. As for a gentleman… I didn’t say that I wanted to be a gentleman.”

“Begone with you!”

“Ai!”

Liang Song: “Come back!”

Tang Shen came back again.

This time Liang Song’s expression was much more serious, and Tang Shen gradually sat upright, not daring to be careless.

Liang Song: “You are already fifteen, and there is not much left that I can teach you as a teacher. I am just your guide when it comes to learning. How you go on to learn more is ultimately up to you. If you just want to be a juren, there is no need to study further. Two springs and winters have passed since we met in Zhao Family Village two years ago.”

Tang Shen asked strangely: “Why did you suddenly bring this up, sir?”

“A leader who has no seriousness of purpose lacks dignity and a solid foundation for learning. I would like to give you a courtesy name.” (TN: Analects of Confucius)

“Courtesy name?” Tang Shen was surprised.

In ancient times, men usually picked their courtesy names at the crowning ceremony at the age of twenty. Why did sir suddenly want to pick his courtesy name?

Liang Song glanced at him: “What are you thinking? You have been a rascal since you were a child. I give you a courtesy name to let you study hard and be a good person. Do you understand?”

Tang Shen: “…”

“I don’t think I’ve been all that bad…”

“What are you mumbling about?”

Tang Shen: “No! Nothing!”

Upon choosing a courtesy name, Liang Song thought about it carefully and said, “Your name is Tang Shen, which means to be careful in your words and deeds, then how about you be called Jin Yan?”

“Tang Jinyan?” Tang Shen repeated it twice to himself, “I think it’s good.”

Liang Song snorted coldly: “I’m afraid you will think it’s good no matter what I come up with.”

Tang Shen chuckled.

Anyway, with Liang Song’s knowledge and reputation, it was impossible to choose a random name for him, and it will definitely be a good name, so he didn’t have to worry at all.

“Let us call you Jing Ze.”

Tang Shen was stunned: “Jing Ze, what does it mean?”

Liang Song: “You have always been careful in your words and deeds and never made mistakes. I have never worried about you on this point. As for Jing Ze… you can go and ponder on your own.”

Tang Shen was very aggrieved: “I have never seen anything like this. Picking a name but not saying the meaning. Why are you like this, sir!”

“You are not knowledgeable enough and cannot understand. And you blame me?”

“Sir, you are bullying me again!”

Liang Song laughed and scolded: “Begone you!”

Tang Shen snorted, turned and left. It was indeed time to go to the academy to attend classes.

When he walked to the door of the study room, Liang Song asked: “By the way, who is teaching at Ziyang Academy today.”

Tang Shen turned around and said, “It seems to be Qian Sinian, Lecturer Qian.”

Liang Song: “Lecturer Qian is good at “Spring and Autumn”, you should listen carefully.”

Tang Shen: “In the whole of Gusu City, the one who is best at “Spring and Autumn” is my teacher.”

Liang Song laughed: “Flatterer!”

Tang Shen chuckled and thought: Don’t you like me flattering you?

After drinking a cup of hot tea at Liang Manor and hugging the heater, Tang Shen no longer felt cold. Along the way, he kept thinking: “What does Jing Ze mean? Sir would never choose a name for me randomly. There must be a reason for him to choose this name. Jing Ze, Jing Ze… what does it mean?”

Arriving at Ziyang Academy, Sun Yue had taken out the “Gongyang Commentary” and was reading it over and over again.

Tang Shen came and sat down next to him: “They say to cram at the last minute, Fatty Sun, you are cramming very early, there are still eight months left.”

Sun Yue said in annoyance: “I am not you, Tang sanyuan. If I want to pass the exam next year, I have to work hard. I finally know who the examiner is in advance, so of course I have to take the right medicine. In all likelihood, Grand Secretary Luo will come up with questions related to the “Gongyang Commentary”.”

“Sun Yue, why are you still thinking about Grand Secretary Luo?”

Tang Shen and Sun Yue raised their heads together. The person speaking was a xiucai from a scholarly family. He turned around and sighed: “Last year we all said that this year’s autumn examiner would be Grand Secretary Luo. It’s true, it should be him. But Sun Yue, don’t read “Gongyang Commentary” now. Grand Secretary Luo can no longer be our examiner.”

Sun Yue: “What? Why not? They said it was him and now they say it isn’t him. What do you mean?”

The xiucai said: “You don’t know yet? Grand Secretary Luo committed suicide yesterday! I heard that he committed suicide in his study in the early hours of yesterday morning, and he was not discovered until midnight.”

Sun Yue’s eyes widened: “No way!”

Tang Shen: “Suicide? Why did Grand Secretary Luo kill himself?”

The xiucai sighed: “Why else? Late the night before yesterday, I heard that Zhong daru passed away in prison! Grand Secretary Luo was Zhong daru‘s student and his loyal supporter, but who would have thought that he would just follow him like this?”

Sun Yue threw “Gongyang Commentary” on the desk and said angrily: “I have been studying “Gongyang Commentary” for two months, and I have studied it like a champ. Now, all that effort is gone! Alas, Tang Shen, why am I so pitiful? Huh? Tang Shen, what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you speak? Tang Shen? Hey, Tang Shen!”

When Lecturer Qian entered the classroom, he happened to encounter Tang Shen rushing out of the door. He was hit hard by Tang Shen and the book in his hand fell to the floor.

Lecturer Qian said with an unhappy expression: “That’s Tang Shen? Why, he doesn’t want to go to class and just leaves in front of me?”

Sun Yue didn’t know what was wrong with Tang Shen, and could only say good things for him: “Something happened at home suddenly.”

Lecturer Qian snorted coldly and began to teach.

In the biting cold wind, Tang Shen in his thick cotton coat ran quickly. He left Ziyang Academy and headed east, following the footsteps he had just walked in the morning, and ran to Liang Manor. The doorman said that he would find the steward for him, but Tang Shen stared at him and without saying a word, pushed him away and ran in.

The doorman didn’t know what was going on and hurried to find the steward.

Passing through the stone archway, along the snow pond corridor and pavilion, and walking another ten meters, he reached the study. The door was closed tightly, and just as Tang Shen was about to go forward, the steward rushed over: “Young Tang gongzi, what’s going on?”

Tang Shen didn’t reply to him. He strode to the study and pushed the door open.

The sun came out after the snow, and the sunlight reflected the snow and poured into the room. There was no light in the study, but it was brightly illuminated by the snow. A three-foot white silk ribbon hung from the beam, the silver charcoal in the charcoal basin was burning quietly, and the pen and inkstone given by Tang Shen was still placed on the table. Liang Song was wearing a long robe with wide sleeves today. The long sleeves hung down and swayed slightly, covering the inkstone given by Tang Shen.

The steward looked at the scene in front of him in horror. He stumbled and ran out the door: “Someone, someone come quickly!”

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Tang Shen’s hand touched the carved door of the study. He looked up at Liang Song and suddenly fell to the ground weakly.

In the charcoal basin, a piece of silver charcoal burned off, making a crackling sound, which was particularly audible in the quiet study.

The snow had stopped, but he was even colder.

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On the first of October, the Winter Clothes Day was the day when the people burn clothes made of colorful papers in front of graves to their ancestors to keep them warm.

Unlike Jinling, Gusu City was very particular about the Winter Clothes Day. Gusu people didn’t like to celebrate the Winter Clothes Day, but as the weather got cooler and it was also the Winter Clothes Day, they wore an extra autumn layer. However, Suijin Street was very lively that day, as a rich and gorgeous new restaurant stood next to Qianqiu Tower, open for business.

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Sujin Street was bustling with people. Manager Yao stood at the door of Qianqiu Tower, looking at the scene opposite from a distance.

Tang sanyuan, the young boss of Tang’s Logistics, was known to everyone among the merchants in Gusu City for his business methods. Putting aside his strange logistics business, Manager Yao knew that the reason why the Golden Mist from the Tang Family Zhenbao Pavilion sold so well, even better than gold among the ladies of the Gusu City, was because of Tang Shen’s business methods!

However, today was really strange. Tang Shen’s restaurant had just opened, but he didn’t make much sensation. He simply invited a lion dance team at the door and set off firecrackers.

“What is this Tang Shen doing now?” Manager Yao looked carefully, but couldn’t find a clue.

Tang’s Logistics had already spread the news about the restaurant’s opening a month ago. Today, the Tang family’s restaurant was already fully booked, and new customers were coming in an endless stream. Manager Yao watched outside for a while and called a waiter over: “Go to Tang sanyuan‘s restaurant and see what he is doing.”

The waiter said: “Manager, their restaurant specializes in the business of making boxiagong. Should I also order a pot after going over?”

Manager Yao snorted coldly: “You just go, would I make you pay?”

“Okay!”

The waiter that Manager Yao called over was the cleverest waiter in Qianqiu Tower, named Zhang Miao’er. Zhang Miao’er received the order from Manager Yao and did not immediately go to the restaurant opposite. Instead, he quietly changed his clothes then left Qianqiu Tower, walked to the restaurant, and looked up.

“Xixia Tower?” Although Zhang Miao’er was literate, he only knew a few charcters and didn’t understand the meaning of these words at all.

A scholar walked by him, looked at the words and said: “The slender hands white as jade, holds the wine cup filled with golden wine! What a fine Xixia Tower, I must see if there really is golden wine.” 

Zhang Miao’er muttered: “Scholars are so pretentious.” Then he followed this man and walked in.

As soon as Zhang Miao’er stepped through the door with his front foot, a waiter hurried over before he could step in with his back foot. “This respected guest, our Xixia Tower is fully booked today.”

Zhang Miao’er: “Ah, then I have no choice but to leave?”

Waiter: “Please stay. Respected guest, you may sit here. If you want, you can wait here for a while. If anyone has finished eating, I will come and call you.”

Zhang Miao’er was shocked: There was such a thing?

Qianqiu Tower was the best and most expensive restaurant in Gusu City, and it was often full. If you want to eat at Qianqiu Tower, you usually have to make a reservation in advance. But Qianqiu Tower never said to the guests, “Sit over here and wait.” Because Qianqiu Tower was not lacking in business, the guests usually couldn’t wait that long. Could it be said that the guests who eat boxiagong eat faster than at ordinary restaurants?

Zhang Miao’er followed the waiter doubtfully and arrived at a small room where guests were waiting. The waiter was so attentive that Zhang Miao’er was a little flustered, thinking maybe that the waiter had seen that he was a worker from Qianqiu Tower. Zhang Miao’er entered the room and was surprised to find that there were seven or eight people in the room. He took a look and found waiters from two other restaurants nearby among them.

The three of them looked at each other awkwardly and said nothing.

Zhang Miao’er was surprised. After he sat down, he heard a knocking sound coming from the high platform in the room. On the high platform, a tall and thin old storyteller knocked on the gavel stump, and the huqin sounded. The storyteller said: “But it was said that in the last years of that dynasty, heroes were fighting for the highest glory, and wars broke out. Meanwhile Jinling City, a certain fishing village, where red light painted the sky and lit it with auspicious clouds, one could only hear the cry of a newly born babe!”

There was another knocking sound, and Zhang Miao’er was immediately attracted. He subconsciously began to listen to the storyteller’s tale.

The tale told by this storyteller was completely different from those in ordinary teahouses.

It was about the end of a certain dynasty, when a child prodigy came out of Jinling City. This child prodigy could read and write a hundred words at the age of three and could recite poetry at the age of five. When he was eight years old, he was already well-spoken. At the age of ten, he scored the sanyuan of Jinling’s tongshi and at twelve he scored the jieyuan, which was even more impressive than Tang Shen. However, at this moment, he was deliberately poisoned by the jealous, causing his hands to be disabled and his voice unable to speak.

Zhang Miao’er was filled with indignation when he heard this. Even if the villain was arrested and taken to the yamen, it made no difference. The child prodigy was already a useless person and had been humiliated in every possible way. Those who once fawned over the child prodigy began to speak mean ridicule. The child prodigy’s father also died of a sudden illness, leaving him alone, mute and disabled. But he studied poetry and books every day and never gave up.

On this day, he was pushed into the river by his vicious stepmother, and as the prodigy was about to drown, an old man passed by, rescued him, and healed his disabled hands.

“I’m just a traveling doctor. I can’t cure your muteness. It’s fate that we meet each other. Take care of yourself from now on!”

The child prodigy used his newly healed hands and endured the pain to write a sentence on the ground: “It doesn’t matter if I am mute, my hands can also speak. If I become the emperor in the future, I will repay my benefactor with hundreds of temples, and the incense will last for thousands of years!”

Zhang Miao’er shouted: “Well said!”

As soon as he uttered the shout, the guests in the room said one after another: “Good! So what if you become mute, let those little villains who step on others take a good look!”

Zhang Miao’er was listening intently when the waiter who had previously waited on him walked in: “Respected guest, your seat has arrived.”

Zhang Miao’er was stunned: “Huh?”

“Please go and sit upstairs, you may eat now.”

“…”

Zhang Miao’er reluctantly left and ordered a pot of the cheapest boxiagong. When the pot of boxiagong was served, he was surprised to find that it was different from anything he had ever eaten. Thick bone broth bubbled merrily, and on the side were fresh green vegetables and thinly sliced ​​mutton which can be placed briefly in the broth to be cooked instantly then finally dip it in some of Xixia Tower’s special dipping sauce.

“Amazing! This is actually boxiagong!”

Zhang Miao’er ate so enthusiastically that he had temporarily forgotten the storyteller’s tale. After eating the boxiagong, he felt thirsty. He picked up the cup to drink, but suddenly found that there was no tea in it. He picked up the kettle on the table and was about to pour it for himself, when he saw a waiter running over quickly, picking up the kettle before him and filling his cup with tea.

“Respected guest, this water is a little cold. I’ll get you a different pot.”

“Ah…uh, okay…”

After finishing a plate of dishes, Zhang Miao’er’s chopsticks picked up the last remains, and the plate was taken away by the sharp-eyed waiter. Having become hot from eating, Zhang Miao’er took off his coat, and the waiter immediately helped him put the coat away.

Zhang Miaoer ate heartily. He had never tasted such good boxiagong. The food was comparable to that of Qianqiu Tower!

After finishing the meal, Zhang Miao’er was still craving for some more despite feeling full. The waiter brought a wet cloth and said, “Please wipe your hands, respected guest.”

Zhang Miao’er was startled, and suddenly felt as if he had become a wealthy master. When he returned to Qianqiu Tower, he was still dizzy, feeling like he was stepping on clouds and couldn’t feel the ground.

Manager Yao asked: “What exactly is Tang sanyuan doing?”

Zhang Miao’er was speechless for a moment: “This…”

“En? Is there anything strange about Xixia Tower?”

Zhang Miao’er thought of the tale he had not finished listening to, as well as the delicious pot of boxiagong, and the meticulous service. He was feeling so intoxicated even though he hadn’t drank. “There’s something strange about this Xixia Tower. Manager, I’ll go check it out again tomorrow and be sure to get to the bottom of it soon!”

Manager Yao frowned: “Alright.”

On the first day of opening, the business hours of Xixia Tower began from si shi (9-11am) to shen shi (3-5pm), and even at night, the lights were still bright.

No one understood why so many customers were willing to go in and wait for an hour before eating a pot of boxiagong. When Manager Yao realized something was wrong, Zhang Miao’er had already quietly escaped and started working again at a different shop. Manager Yao couldn’t find the person at all and could only be angry at himself for being too trusting. Zhang Miao’er also wanted to go to Xixia Tower to work as a waiter, but being a waiter at Xixia Tower was not that easy to do, and ordinary people couldn’t even apply.

The business of Xixia Tower was booming. Although it did not steal business from other restaurants, if they could go to Xixia Tower, customers would usually go. They were even willing to wait in the waiting room and hear the storyteller tell the tale of the prodigy who conquered the empire.

At the end of October, Accountant Lin came to report to Tang Shen the good news. Tang Shen was practicing calligraphy.

“…Business is very good.” After reporting the accounts for this month, Accountant Lin said: “Little boss, at first I didn’t understand why you had to take care of those late guests. Now it seems that this move is really brilliant! Many guests come not just to eat the boxiagong, but to listen to stories. It’s simply amazing that in order to listen to the stories, they come to eat boxiagong! Why don’t you let the storyteller set up a stage in our restaurant so guests can eat and listen to stories at the same time?”

Tang Shen stopped writing: “Let them eat and listen to stories at the same time? Heh, then wouldn’t they be able to eat till the end of time and refuse to leave!”

Accountant Lin realized: “Oh! That was dumb of me. Little boss, your story is written so wonderfully that it makes people sit on the edge of their seats.” Accountant Lin said shyly: “To be honest, I also listened to it for two days. I want nothing more than to jump into the story world and kill all the evil people together with that little prodigy!”

“I just wrote an outline of the story. It was the two storytellers you hired who expanded my rough story draft into something extremely brilliant.”

Accountant Lin: “Don’t be humble, little master. But this story is almost over. Does the little master have any new stories?”

Tang Shen was stunned: “The story is almost over?”

“Yes.”

“So fast… uh, I don’t have any stories either.” Tang Shen was a student of sciences in his previous life. He had only read a few online novels. Being able to write one ancient version of a slap-in-the-face novel had already burned out all his brain cells. It was more tiring than the imperial examination. He thought for a while and said: “Gusu City is full of talents! So, Accountant Lin, let’s hold a story competition and invite all the scholars in Gusu City to submit stories for our Xixia Tower!”

Accountant Lin was already used to Tang Shen’s whimsical ideas, but he was still surprised when he heard about this story competition. He asked Tang Shen how to do this story competition, and Tang Shen gave him a rough explanation. Accountant Lin said hprovincialappily: “Don’t worry, little boss, just leave it to me.”

As winter arrives, Xixia Tower’s business got even better.

At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Shen went to Jinling City and went to Jiangnan Academy to apply for the xiangshi examination the following year.

The xiangshi examination, also called the autumn exam, was held once every three years, usually in August. There was still more than half a year to go, and Tang Shen knew that it was impossible for him to get the title of jieyuan, but he still decided to take the xiangshi examination, otherwise he would have to wait three years for the next one. According to his current level, he was 80% sure of passing and becoming a juren. If he could get the title on the first try next year, he had no intention of continuing to take the imperial exam.

Tang Shen didn’t tell anyone about this, but he felt that Liang Song should have noticed his little thoughts. But still in daily lessons, Liang Song never relaxed his requirements towards him and was strict in everything, which made Tang Shen miserable.

Tang Shen complained endlessly: “Sir, I have to write two eight-legged essays and one test poem every day. There are few scholars in the entire Gusu Prefecture who are so diligent and hard-working!”

Liang Song snorted: “When I was young, I was studying and writing three eight-legged essays every day. I never stopped once. In addition, I would choose one book from the Four Books, Five Classics and Confucian classics, and copy it every day.”

Tang Shen: “…”

“Are you human…”

“En?”

“It’s nothing, this kid didn’t say anything.”

Liang Song rolled up a book and lightly hit Tang Shen on the head: “You go to Jiangnan Academy to report tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Then there is no need to write tomorrow’s eight-legged essays and test poems.”

Tang Shen was overjoyed. This was really the best news he had heard during these past days. It was even more exciting than the hot pot restaurant making so much money!

It only took half a day to take a boat from the Grand Canal to Jinling City.

Tang Shen got off the boat and went to Jiangnan Academy with Yao San. He registered his academic status in Jiangnan Academy and got a name card. With this name card, he could come to Jiangnan Academy to register for the xiangshi examination in July next year and then take the examination in August.

Since he came to Jinling City, Tang Shen went to Jinxiu Pavilion to take a look. It was unfortunate that when he arrived, the shopkeeper Fang Da of Jinxiu Pavilion was not there, and the clerks in the shop didn’t recognize Tang Shen. Tang Shen stayed in Jinxiu Pavilion for a quarter of an hour. He found that the best-selling product here was still plain soap, but other than that, the best-selling product was not scented soap, but the Golden Mist!

“What a strange thing. Are the people in Jinling City so rich?”

When a clerk heard what he said, he laughed and said, “This respected guest must not be a local, yes?”

Yao San: “We are from Gusu City.”

“Oh, then you must have seen the Golden Mist? Yes, the sales of the Golden Mist in Gusu City are definitely not as good as ours in Jinling City. After all, you have to know that this Golden Mist in Gusu City received the inscription by Liang daru, “‘The moths are like golden wisps of snow and willows…”, “Suddenly looking back, in the dim light there stands that person”. And in Jinling City, the Golden Mist also got an inscription. Look, “Mist envelops the cold water, and moonlight shrouds the sand”, which exactly describes the Golden Mist which is decorated with white sand and clear water!”

Tang Shen looked in the direction of the clerk’s finger and saw a banner hanging in the center of Jinxiu Pavilion with the words on it——

Mist envelops the cold water, and moonlight shrouds the sand!

This calligraphy had smooth charm and horizontal strokes. With one stroke, it was like a formation of clouds thousands of miles away, which was so wonderful that it made one feel breathless.

Tang Shen looked at the signature below and said in surprise: “It’s actually him?”

The clerk asked: “Respected guest actually knows Wang xianggong?”

Tang Shen shook his head and said, “I don’t know him. I was just lucky enough to see his calligraphy.” It was during the first time Tang Shen visited Liang Song’s house and he had admired a piece of “Chrysanthemums in the East Window”. The person who inscribed and wrote the poem for this painting was Wang Zifeng.

The clerk said with emotion: “Respected guest is also a blessed one. The Golden Mist was bestowed an inscription by Wang xianggong himself. Our madams and ladies of Jinling City admire Wang xianggong very much, so they would naturally buy the Golden Mist, so the sales are better than scented soap!”

At night, Tang Shen and Yao San returned to Gusu City.

The next day, Tang Shen called Accountant Lin and asked him about the sales of scented soap and essential oils. Accountant Lin replied one by one.

Tang Shen said: “Jinling City is really an anomaly! How could essential oils sell more than scented soap? The people in Jinling City either have brain problems or are extremely rich. It seems that we have to find an opportunity to ask the Jinling people to help out the impoverished me!”

Of course Tang Shen was just talking. Currently he was very comfortable in Gusu City. He had no intention of going to Jinling City to work if it was not necessary.

As the New Year approached, on the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month, Ziyang Academy held its last lecture before the holiday.

Tang Shen came to the academy early and saw Fatty Sun running over from a distance. He was wearing a thick cotton coat and a fox fur hat, and he was holding a thermos in his hands, looking a rolling big ball.

Tang Shen laughed and said, “You are no different from last year.”

Sun Yue didn’t react at first, but when he did: “Tang Shen, you! You said last year at this time that fat people are not afraid of the cold, and said that I wore a lot of layers. What, you don’t wear many layers? If you have the guts, take off your cotton-padded clothes!”

Tang Shen: “How could I fall for your provocation?”

Sun Yue snorted.

Before long, many people had arrived at the academy classroom. The lecture hadn’t started yet so everyone was still chatting.

“Last year at this time, refugees blocked the west gate of Gusu City. I was really scared to death. Fortunately, this year is an auspicious year, with good weather and good harvest. I hope it will be like this next year!”

“Next year is the autumn exam that happens every three years. I really hope I can pass the exam this time.”

“Me too”

“By the way, I heard that next year the examiner of the xiangshi examination of our Jiangnan Academy is probably Luo Zhen, Grand Secretary Luo. He was supposed to be the examiner two years ago, but he suddenly contracted a strange disease. The emperor said that the examiner’s spot is reserved for him and will be given to him next time. ” (TN: members of the Grand Secretariat, or the Cabinet, nominally a coordinating agency but de facto the highest institution in the imperial government of the Chinese Ming dynasty)

“Then I have to find out the preferences of Grand Secretary Luo.”

The Jiangnan Academy and Shengjing imperial examinations were seen as the most important by the officials. Every time, even for the xiangshi examinations, the grand secretary which was of the third-rank was always sent as examiner to set the questions and invigilate the examinations.

Sun Yue stretched his ears to listen to these gossips, and whispered: “I also have to find someone to ask about Grand Secretary Luo’s preferences. I have never heard of him before. I wonder if he likes to read “Spring and Autumn” or “Book of Changes”. I have to prepare well.”

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

Tang Shen: “I haven’t heard of this person either.”

An old scholar laughed and said: “Isn’t it easy to know the preferences of Grand Secretary Luo? ‘A silvery moon is shining through the pines, the limpid brooks are gurgling o’er the stones’. He is a proper member of the Songqing Party!” (TN: from the poem “Autumn Evening In My Mountain Abode” by Wang Wei. Songqing Party literally translates as Green Pines Party)

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Tang Shen felt regretful that it was difficult for him to eat beef rolls anymore, but mutton rolls were also good. As for pork, it was a choice made due to the situation of the times.

“Aunt Yao, is the bone soup I asked you to make ready?”

“It’s done. It simmered all afternoon. It’s so fragrant!”

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

Tang Shen: “Okay, then put this pot of bone soup on the stove, and we can have hot pot.”

Yao San asked: “Hot pot? Is this the boxiagong that little boss was talking about?”

Tang Shen was stunned: “Boxiagong?”

“Yes. Eh, little boss, didn’t you want to eat boxiagong?”

Tang Shen was confused.

After Yao San’s explanation, Tang Shen realized that hot pot had already existed in ancient times! Just not called hot pot, but called boxiagong.

Yao San: “When I heard that you wanted the boiler, I thought little boss might want to eat boxiagong. Seeing that you asked my mother to wash the vegetables, I guessed that you definitely wanted to eat boxiagong. As for hot pot, I’ve never heard of it.”

Accountant Lin stroked his beard: “I know what the little boss meant. Look at the fire in this boiler, and then look at this iron pot. There is fire and pot, isn’t it exactly a hot pot?”

Yao San: “It’s exactly a hot pot! The word hot pot is more vivid.”

Aunt Yao brought all the dishes, and everyone sat in a circle and began to cook the food in the hot pot and eat it.

Tang Shen originally thought that he was going to show everyone something new and eat hot pot like modern people. Unexpectedly, Aunt Yao knew as much as him. She went into the kitchen and brought a dish of prepared sauce for everyone. In it were garlic, green onions, soy sauce and other things in it for everyone to dip in and eat.

Tang Shen was greatly disappointed. At this time, Aunt Yao said: “I didn’t expect that using bone soup to make the boxiagong would be so delicious. San’er and I also had the boxiagong when we were in Shanxi, but our boxiagong used boiled water and then dipped in sauce, which was far less tasty than the bone soup.”

Tang Shen asked: “Just use water to cook?”

“Yes. I never thought that it could be cooked with other ingredients.”

Tang Shen’s eyes lit up. After finishing the hot pot, he called Accountant Lin into the house and said, “I want to open a restaurant specializing in hot pot, Accountant Lin, do you think it’s feasible?”

Accountant Lin was startled: “This… this may not be impossible, but no one has thought of it before.”

Tang Shen paced around the room twice, stopped and asked, “Did you think the hot pot was delicious?”

“It’s delicious. The tastiness of the bone broth was seeped into the ingredients, it’s so wonderful!”

“Exactly!”

The next day, Tang Shen asked Aunt Yao to prepare the boiler and iron pot. Aunt Yao thought he still wanted to eat the boxiagong, but Tang Shen only asked her to wash a portion of vegetables and slice a portion of mutton, but did not let her prepare any more. Tang Shen put the vegetables and mutton into the pot and patiently calculated their approximate cooking time.

“It’s a bit long!”

The boiler was designed by tea connoisseurs of the previous dynasty as a tool specifically used for making tea. Making tea requires slowness and meticulousness. There were three holes at the bottom of the boiler, which could allow air to ignite the charcoal fire, but it also makes the fire less powerful. Using a boiler to eat hot pot was fine in the short term, but over time the diners would become impatient and the business would not be able to continue.

Tang Shen locked himself in his room, thought for a long time, and counted all the kinds of hot pots he had eaten in his previous life. Then he suddenly had an idea: “Old Beijing hot pot!”

The most famous hot pot in modern times was Sichuan hot pot, which was spicy and refreshing. In addition, there were many other kinds such as Cantonese hot pot, old Beijing hot pot and so on. Although Sichuan hot pot and Cantonese hot pot were spicy and fresh, they both cook the hot pot on a gas stove or an induction cooker.

The same was true for the boxiagong in this era, except that a boiler was used instead of an induction cooker.

But the old Beijing hot pot was different.

Old Beijing hot pot did not use an induction cooker, but used charcoal fire to heat the food! The pot used in old Beijing hot pot was a special copper pot with high legs below and a long cylindrical slot rising high in the center of the pot, in which the charcoal fire was placed. Around the long cylindrical trough was the place where the hot pot was cooked. This method makes the hot pot ingredients heat up very quickly, much faster than using an induction cooker.

In fact, before the invention of induction cookers and gas stoves, people had been using this kind of hot pot. But later on, only the old Beijing hotpot still used this special pot.

The drawing of a hot pot was not difficult to draw, and it was much simpler to make than a distiller. Tang Shen drew a drawing and gave it to Blacksmith Wang at the alley. He said, “I want to make a copper pot and an iron pot. When will it be ready?”

Blacksmith Wang looked at it and said: “This thing is odd looking, but it is also very simple. I can give it to you in three days.”

After getting two hot pots, Tang Shen asked Aunt Yao to cook another pot of bone soup. He carefully poured the bone broth into the hot pot, took three red-hot coals, and put them into the long trough. After the bone soup boiled, Tang Shen picked some vegetables, put them both into the copper pot and the iron pot.

In about half a cup of tea’ time, the vegetables in the copper pot were fully cooked. After a while, the vegetables in the iron pot were cooked.

Tang Shen: “It’s okay. It’s acceptable at this time. It’s fine to use the iron pot as well.”

The specific heat capacity of copper was smaller than that of iron. In the same charcoal fire, the temperature of copper would rise faster than that of iron, and it would take less time to cook. But copper was more expensive than iron. In the previous dynasty, iron was still very expensive, but in this dynasty, iron could be seen everywhere.

After solving the problem of the pot, all that remained was the raw materials.

In the modern times, the three most important aspects of hot pot was the broth base, the dipping sauce, and the best fresh ingredients. Tang Shen was not worried about the first two. On the backs of thousands of years of experience in eating in the Chinese nation. It was only a matter of time before he could prepare delicious broth base and dipping sauce. But as for fresh ingredients, Tang Shen thought about it and then smiled slightly.

He was not worried either!

Tang’s Logistics came in handy at this time.

In the entire Gusu City, no restaurant could claim to be able to deliver fresh ingredients from the west to the east of Gusu City within half an hour. But Tang’s Logistics can! Tang Shen asked Accountant Lin to hire three cooks, requiring each to have come from different places and have different cooking skills and tastes.

Tang Shen and the three cooks experimented for half a month, and finally came up with four delicious broth bases and twelve different flavors of dipping sauces.

Everything was ready, now all that was left was the east wind.

Tang Shen called Yao San over, and the two went to the dormitory compound of Tang’s Logistics. Tang’s Logistics now employed more than 150 employees. Tang Shen set up a supervisor in each district to be in charge of the logistics business in the area. In addition, he established a strict supervision system among logistics employees.

If something happened, the employee and the supervisor would share the responsibility. This top-down regulatory system made Tang’s Logistics’ business safer. Tang’s Logistics earned Tang Shen very little money every month, almost no profit, and Tang Shen even gave the workers a salary increase. But Tang Shen continued in this business because his goal from the beginning was not just logistics.

Tang Shen called all the supervisors together and said: “Next month, I will open a restaurant on Suijin Street. All supervisors, this restaurant is different from other restaurants. I need the freshest ingredients. Naturally, this business is yours, and I’ll leave it to you all. In addition, I hope that from tomorrow onwards, all the supervisors ask the workers under your supervision to do something for me in Gusu City. “

The supervisors said: “Little boss, there is no problem in transporting the ingredients. What else do you want us to do?”

Tang Shen smiled and said: “To spread the word and advertise. I need the guys from Tang’s Logistics to advertise our newly opened restaurant throughout Gusu City!”

There were more than a hundred workers in all the streets in Gusu City, more than a hundred workers who were very familiar with the stall owners and residents in various parts of the city whom they had to deal with on a daily basis. These more than one hundred workers were not only the eyes of Tang Shen in Gusu City but also the best channel he could use to make advertisements!

The news that Tang Shen wanted to start a hot pot business reached Madam Tang’s ears. She was quite surprised and asked Tang Shen: “Do you really want to do this business?”

Tang Shen: “Eldest Aunt also knows?”

Madam Tang: “How could I not know? Although we in the Tang family have servants and do not need to rely on Tang’s Logistics, your workers have spread the news that you are going to open a restaurant specializing in boxiagong throughout the streets and alleys of Gusu. I never thought before that one could specialize in making boxiagong. As far as I know, you are the first. This business of boxiagong is not difficult to do, but the ingredients must be fresh enough, the quantity is also quite large.” Just after finishing speaking, Madam Tang herself paused, she said: “I forgot, Shen’er, your Tang’s Logistics is exactly a ready-made way to transport fresh ingredients!”

Only one day passed, when Tang Shen went to the Liang Manor to find his teacher to hand in his homework, and even Liang Song knew about it.

“I heard that you are going to open a restaurant specializing in boxiagong?”

Even Tang Shen was shocked by the efficiency of his logistics staff.

“Yes, sir.”

The status of merchants in this era was not as high as that of scholars, but it was not as low as Tang Shen remembered. Although not many officials were engaged in commerce, it was not none. Most of the time, officials were busy with official duties and their family members were involved in commerce. Tang Shen was just a xiucai now, and he didn’t even have the official status of a juren. No one thought it was wrong for him to open a restaurant.

Liang Song also said: “I haven’t had boxiagong for a long time since I came to Gusu City. When you mention it like this, I miss it a little.”

Tang Shen: “Sir, why don’t you come to my house today? I have a special copper pot at home, which is very good for eating boxiagong.”

Liang Song: “Okay, then I’ll go to your house and have a look.”

The largest restaurant in Gusu City was Qianqiu Tower, and there were many other restaurants on Suijin Street. Tang Shen asked the logistics guys to advertise, so he couldn’t hide it from these restaurants. It was a coincidence that the restaurant bought by Accountant Lin on his behalf was diagonally opposite to Qianqiu Tower, and the distance between the two locations was only fifty meters.

At noon this day, there was an endless stream of diners in Qianqiu Tower. Manager Yao of Qianqiu Tower looked at the restaurant opposite that was being renovated from a distance and fiddled with the rosary beads in his hand. After a while, he called a waiter over: “Have you heard the name of that restaurant?”

The waiter shook his head: “No. Manager, that Tang sanyuan is also strange. He is a scholar and just passed the tongshi examination. Why doesn’t the sanyuan continue studying? The xiangshi examination is held every three years. The nearest one will be in the coming year! There is only one year left, it’s really strange that he doesn’t prepare for the xiangshi examination, but instead opens a restaurant.”

“He is only fourteen. He is the youngest sanyuan candidate in the history of Gusu City. Even if he fails to pass the juren exam next year, it won’t matter. He will only be fifteen by then. After three years of recuperating, if he passes the exam at eighteen, it will also be a good story!” Shopkeeper Yao thought for a moment and said, “That restaurant only does the business of boxiagong, so it doesn’t have much to do with us.”

The waiter said: “Our Qianqiu Tower is a time-honored brand in Gusu City. He dares to steal our business? Manager, then he will probably be disappointed!”

Manager Yao sneered: “Ignorant thing. Go back to work!”

Manager Yao looked at the workers who were busy in the restaurant opposite, fiddling with the rosary beads in his hands, making a clicking sound. He saw much further than that little waiter of his. When Tang Shen asked the logistics guys to advertise, he specifically said that this restaurant was only engaged in the boxiagong business. Firstly, he wanted the people of Gusu City to know what the restaurant specialized in. Secondly, it was actually a reassurance to these time-honored restaurants in Gusu City.

Tang Shen had only been in Gusu City for a year, and everything he did was surprising.

Ordinary people didn’t know, but Manager Yao had heard from his boss that the soaps, scented soaps, and essential oils sold in the Tang family’s Zhenbao Pavilion were all invented by Tang sanyuan. Putting aside his unprofitable logistics business. Although he didn’t make any profit from it, he actually managed not to lose money either. This surprised many businessmen who were not optimistic about the logistics business at first.

In the past few days, Manager Yao realized that Tang Shen was not simply doing the logistics business, his aspiration was the entire Gusu City!

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

Who would have believed a year ago that someone could let hundreds of thousands of people in Gusu City know in one day that his family was going to open a restaurant. As the saying goes, one could pass on to ten, and ten could pass on to a hundred. Tang Shen’s move was too brilliant and his ambition was hidden too deeply.

Manager Yao said with emotion: “The young will surpass us in time!”

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It was impossible for Tang Shen to hide Xu Hui’s matter from his teacher. When Liang Song asked, he hesitated for a bit and then told him.

Tang Shen said: “Yu Zhi said, originally he didn’t want to bother me, but sir, you were in Jinling at the time, and the matter was very important, so he had no choice but to come here to try his luck.”

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

Liang Song: “I indeed did not want him to come to you.”

Tang Shen was stunned and looked up at Liang Song.

Liang Song: “Shen’er, since he has told you who that Taoist Hua is and why he wants to get information from the Taoist Hua, you should know what is involved behind this.”

Tang Shen replied in his heart, wasn’t it just the palace coup more than 20 years ago? He said nothing, and lowered his head in silence. But even if he didn’t say it, Liang Song knew that he knew it in his heart.

Liang Song let out a long sigh.

This student of his, though he was young he was very mature when dealing with his own take in dealing with others. Xu Hui told Tang Shen about the matter, naturally Tang Shen would secretly investigate the truth of the matter and find out what he, his teacher, had been busy with in the past few months. Even if Tang Shen didn’t say it, he knew that Tang Shen knew it.

Liang Song said earnestly: “I know that you don’t really want to be an official.”

Tang Shen: “No…” Officialdom was dangerous with many ups and downs like the rolling sea. No one could guarantee that they could safely weather the waves. Tang Shen’s goal was to pass the imperial examination and become a wealthy village gentleman from now on. He would eat well and drink well every day in this beautiful southern land, and live a good and stable life with his sister.

“Alright, as your teacher, how could I not know the thoughts in your heart?”

“…Sir, you understand me.”

“You are not wrong to think so. You once said that the rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone. It is a good thing to have such ambitions, but as your teacher, I have never hoped for you to apply this to yourself. Today’s Song Dynasty seems peaceful, but the Liao people in the north still watches with coveting eyes. If you can spend your life in peace and happiness, this is also my wish.”

The two of them walked to the end of the alley. Liang Song stopped and said seriously: “What Yu Zhi asked you to do has nothing to do with you from today on. Don’t interfere.”

Tang Shen was stunned.

Liang Song smiled and said: “Tang sanyuan, go back. There is a lot of documents waiting for me at the yamen. I have to go back and review them!”

The steward of the Liang Manor had been waiting in the alley for a long time. Liang Song boarded the carriage. Before leaving, Tang Shen quickly stepped forward, stood under the carriage, and shouted: “Sir!” Liang Song opened the curtain and saw the handsome boy standing under the willows. He said seriously: “Sir said that you wish I can be happy and healthy in this life. I also want to say this to sir. I also wish you a happy and long life!”

Liang Song looked at Tang Shen for a long time and said, “Okay!”

Tang Shen watched Liang Song leave at the entrance of the alley.

“Ai, I wonder if sir will listen.”

Tang Shen felt very worried. As a modern person, although he was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and memorized Confucius’s sentence “The emperor is the emperor, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, and the son is the son,” but he only memorized and could not fully agree. In the world of his previous life, at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, Prime Minister Lu Xiufu jumped into the sea and died for his country with his young lord in his arms. One hundred thousand subjects died fervently for their beliefs. He had heard the saying, “No ‘China’ after the Song dynasty, no ‘Chinese’ after the fall of the Ming, no Han after the Qing, no trust after the Cultural Revolution, and no morals after the reforms”. He admired these righteous men, but he could not empathize with them and would not do so.

Even if in the palace coup twenty-five years ago, the crown prince and Zhong daru were framed and did not really want to force a coup. But today in the Song Dynasty, the country was prosperous and the people were at peace. The current emperor was not a good emperor, but he was not an incapable one either. He was addicted to cultivating immortality, but he did not completely use the crafty and fawning. There was still hope for this country.

“What exactly does sir want to do!” Tang Shen looked up to the sky and sighed.

Back home, Tang Shen was just feeling gloomy when after walking in, he found that there were guests in the courtyard.

Tang Shen did not expect to see Tang juren here, and this time it was not only Tang juren, but also Madam Tang, the housekeeper of the Tang Manor, and even Tang Yun.

Looking at this aplomb, he wondered what it was about.

Tang Shen stepped forward and said, “Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, Elder Cousin.”

Tang juren was a little embarrassed.

When Tang Shen first came to Gusu City last year, Tang juren deliberately looked down on Tang Shen and Tang Huang because he was angry with Tang xiucai. Although Tang juren specially held a three-day and three-night flowing banquet for Tang Shen after Tang Shen passed the examination, he still felt quite embarrassed when he saw Tang Shen now.

Tang juren was in a dilemma so Madam Tang said first: “Shen’er, we are here to congratulate you on winning the top spot in the academy examination and the title of sanyuan in the tongshi examination!”

That’s it?

If it was just to congratulate him on gaining the title of sanyuan, there shouldn’t be such grandness. There must be other things. Tang Shen had doubts but didn’t say anything. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Eldest Aunt.”

Tang juren found the opportunity to speak: “Shen’er, I didn’t expect you to be so talented. You are the first child to pass the examination as the sanyuan in our Tang family.”

“Eldest Uncle is joking. It’s just a tongshi examination. I haven’t taken part in the xiangshi examination yet.”

Tang juren didn’t know what to say.

Seeing this, Madam Tang sighed and said: “Shen’er, beating around the bush is not the way. I’ll tell you the truth. Today I came with your uncle and cousin to take you back to the Tang family ancestral hall to worship your ancestors. I know that your father once said that he would never return to the Tang family in this life. But we are a family after all. You have received the title of sanyuan which is such a big happy event. The members of the Tang clan got the news this morning and wanted to celebrate for you.”

Tang Shen: “So that’s what happened.”

In ancient times, when scholars participated in imperial examinations, it was fine if they were scholars from poor families as there were not many rules. But if a scholar from an aristocratic or literati family passed the imperial examinations, he must worship his ancestors in the ancestral hall and inform his ancestors of their descendant’s achievements. For an influential family like the Tang family, becoming a xiucai was not enough to open the hall to worship ancestors. Tang Shen’s xiucai father did not open the hall to worship his ancestors, nor did Tang juren when he became a xiucai. But after Tang juren passed the juren exam, he opened the hall to worship his ancestors.

Now, although Tang Shen was only a xiucai, he was at the Sam Stone a sanyuan of the tongshi and was worthy of opening the hall to worship his ancestors.

Tang juren said: “Nephew, I was wrong before. Ai, just like your eldest aunt said, as an elder, I shouldn’t blame you for the things of the previous generation. You scored the sanyuan for the tongshi examination, it stands to reason that the Tang family shall open the ancestral hall for you, are you willing?”

Tang Shen thought for a moment and asked, “What Eldest Uncle refers to is when the old madam passed away, my father didn’t go back to Gusu City for the funeral?”

Tang juren: “Since you know it, why bother bringing it up anymore? This is already in the past.”

Tang juren‘s father had two sons, one was Tang juren and the other was Tang xiucai. Tang juren believed that his mother was very kind to Tang xiucai. No matter the estrangement between him and Tang xiucai, when his mother passed away, Tang xiucai should not have ignored it! He couldn’t let go of this matter, and now he felt guilty towards Tang Shen because he just realized that he shouldn’t blame the Tang siblings for Tang xiucai’s fault.

Tang Shen said: “I will naturally go to worship my ancestors. There ia just something I want to ask Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt to help me with.”

Tang juren asked: “What is it?”

Tang Shen: “Let my sister and I offer a stick of incense to the old madam on behalf of our father.”

Tang juren was stunned and speechless.

The next day, Tang Shen and Tang Huang went to the Tang family’s ancestral hall together and offered incense sticks for the old Madam Tang. Tang Shen felt relieved. He felt that from now on he would not owe anything to the Tang family again.

Tang juren said: “Nephew, I was wrong about what happened before!”

Tang Shen: “Eldest Uncle is too courteous.”

Tang Shen became the sanyuan for the tongshi examination, and all the Tang clan members from the five counties of Gusu City came. Tang juren was in charge of opening the ancestral hall. In front of the ancestors’ tablets, he first told heaven and earth about the deeds of descendant Tang Shen. The clansmen made congratulations one after another, and Tang juren held a flowing banquet for Tang Shen with one hundred tables for three days and three nights in Gusu City.

When this series of events ended, Tang Shen finally returned home. He threw himself on the bed and said, “If I were to take the title of jieyuan in the xiangshi examination, won’t the fuss be even greater. I would probably die from exhaustion while worshiping ancestors!”

Tang Huang happened to hear this when she entered the room. The little girl said happily: “Brother, you will score a jieyuan title?”

Tang Shen: “I didn’t say that. Don’t slander me.”

“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t believe it. But if it’s my brother, he will definitely take the title!”

Tang Shen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: You are really a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. Those who don’t know are fearless! Taking the title of jieyuan was easy to say, but it was not as easy as scoring the regional number one in the college entrance exam in the previous life. Moreover, the area where Tang Shen was currently located would be regarded as the hellishly difficult Jiangsu province college entrance examination in the future! Taking the jieyuan title was equivalent to getting the top spot in Jiangsu Province, and it was a top spot that only showed once in three years!

Tang Shen: “Alright, why did you come to me?”

Tang Huang remembered: “We have been eating at Eldest Uncle’s home for the past few days, and have not come back once. We finally got home today, and Aunt Yao asked me to ask you what we should eat in the evening. In the past few days, it was Tang juren celebrating for you. And today, brother, our own family is celebrating for you.”

Tang Shen felt warm in his heart: “Okay, ask Yao San to call Accountant Lin and his family, and then go to the Liang Manor to see if Mr. Liang is available.”

“Okay. Then what shall we eat?”

Tang Shen thought about it and suddenly said: “Just eat hot pot!”

Not long, Yao San called Accountant Lin and his family over. Mr. Liang didn’t come. Gusu City government affairs were busy and he hadn’t finished handling them yet. However, he asked Yao San to take back a copybook and give it to Tang Shen, and tell him: “I left in a hurry that day, and I have been busy writing the copybook these days. I’ve yet to congratulate you for getting the title of sanyuan in the tongshi. As your teacher I give you this copybook, and I hope you can practice your calligraphy well and win the first spot in the xiangshi examination as well.”

Tang Shen: “…”

Tang Huang asked strangely: “Brother, didn’t you say that your handwriting is very good and Liang daren praised it?”

Tang Shen hid the copybook behind his back and said shamelessly: “Sir asked me to practice calligraphy. It doesn’t mean that I am not good at writing. You little girl, do you know that there is no end to learning! Learn and live until you are old. My teacher wants me to practice calligraphy only because he wants me to decorate something that is already perfect!”

Tang Huang: “As if I really believe it.”

Tang Shen: “…”

I’m afraid this sister was picked up from the trash!

Before Tang Shen could say anything more, Tang Huang ran to the kitchen: “Aunt Yao, Liang daren said that my brother’s handwriting is not good, so he gave him a copybook to practice calligraphy!”

Tang Shen: “…” Don’t you understand that family scandals should only be kept behind closed doors?!

At night, the Tang siblings, the Yao family mother and son, and Accountant Lin and his family all sat in the courtyard. There was a big mulberry tree planted in the yard, and Aunt Yao placed a table under the big tree. Eating under the tree on summer nights was very lively under the bright moonlight.

Aunt Yao: “Little boss, according to what you said, I brought a boiler and an iron pot, and washed some vegetables and fruits. It’s just that you said I should slice the pork and mutton into thin slices. I don’t know how to do it, so I just cut them as thin as possible. Do you think this is okay?”

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

Tang Shen took a look and saw that the pork and mutton were cut very thin. Although they were not nearly transparent like in the modern times, they were still good.

In ancient times, it was forbidden to eat beef. Unless approved by the government, anyone who ate beef would be imprisoned and punished, because cows were ancient production tools. Cows plow the fields, and every cow was a huge asset. Ordinary people would not kill their own cattle. This would be a suicide attempt. The government also did not allow private slaughter of cattle.

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