I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 13 Quanzhou Liu Qing
"Sir."

The old man who was sitting on the stone steps eating a steamed bun and reading a book looked up and saw the man wearing a sky-blue brocade robe, a gold-threaded jade belt around his waist, and a double fish pendant hanging from the belt. He exuded a noble and gorgeous aura from head to toe. He was obviously the son of a wealthy family, and the nobility came first and the wealth came later.

The old man's expression suddenly became stiff and he quickly stood up and saluted.

"Greetings, sir. What do you want from me?"

"Nothing, just chatting. If you have time, I will treat you to a meal."

As the saying goes, if someone shows you kindness without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief.

The children of officials in Kyoto are very cunning. Even though there is nothing easy to deceive, what if something unexpected happens?

Li Chengzong saw the old man's guarded look and smiled, "It's okay, we can chat here, Junxin, buy some wine and food."

Soon, Li Junxin brought wine and food from the restaurant.

A plate of beef, a beggar's chicken, and a jar of good wine.

With this amount, Li Chengzong broke through to the ninth level this year and did not need a lot of food to replenish himself. In the previous two years, it was not enough for him to eat alone.

"You guys go to the restaurant to eat, I'll chat with the old gentleman."

"This..." Li Junxin was a little embarrassed.

As soon as he saw Li Junxin's expression, Li Chengzong knew what he was thinking. He waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter. We are all scholars. Who can harm me?"

"Then the master, we will go there."

Li Chengzong nodded, turned to look at the old man next to him, and bowed: "I am Li Xiu, may I ask your name, sir?"

When going out, it is better to use an alias, so Li Chengzong used his name in his previous life.

It’s not really a lie, after all, his soul is indeed called Li Xiu.

The old man hurriedly returned the greeting, "I am Liu Qing from Quanzhou, nice to meet you, Master Li."

After so many years, he has forgotten many of the plots in the TV series, but he still remembers some important ones.

For example: In the second part of Joy of Life, Fan Xian served as the chief examiner, and among the candidates who passed the imperial examination, there was one named Yang Wanli who was from Quanzhou.

He was a ruthless man. He took the imperial examination not to bring honor to his family, but to shed blood in the Golden Palace and win a glimmer of hope for the poor scholars all over the world.

"Mr. Liu, please take a seat."

After the two of them sat down on the ground, Li Chengzong poured a glass of wine for the old man and asked, "Mr. Liu, what do you think of a restaurant?"

"it is good."

Perhaps thinking that the word "good" was a bit perfunctory, Liu Qing added, "I heard that the food and accommodation at a certain restaurant is not cheap, but judging from the free meals provided by the restaurant, I think it is worth the money. Moreover, although I have not been in Beijing for long, I have also heard that the owner of a certain restaurant often does charity and helps the poor people in Kyoto. This is a great kindness! If I had been provided with free food and accommodation by a certain restaurant when I went to Kyoto to take the imperial examination, I might have passed the exam that year."

Recently, during the imperial examination, a restaurant not only provided free food to poor students, but also built a simple pavilion near the restaurant. Although it could not block the wind, it could keep out the rain, so it could be considered a free accommodation. They also provided free candles for students to use for reading at night.

Zhao Huai'en reported this matter to Li Chengzong, and Li Chengzong naturally would not object. After all, these scholars came from all corners of the country, and when they returned home after the imperial examination, they would be living signboards. With these living signboards for publicity, opening restaurants all over the world would not be a dream.

Li Chengzong nodded, and waited until the old man had finished drinking and eating before continuing to ask, "If the restaurant opens in Quanzhou, would Mr. Liu be willing to go in and spend money there?"

"Of course I am willing."

Mr. Liu's casual attitude made Li Chengzong stunned.

You know, the consumption in a restaurant is not low. Even if it is a branch of the restaurant, a meal for three or four people will cost two taels of silver. Most people can't afford it at all.

It is impossible for a poor scholar to be so casual.

After taking a closer look, I discovered that although Mr. Liu was wearing a coarse linen shirt, the boots on his feet were top-grade Liuyun boots, which were not cheap and most people could not afford them.

"Look at Mr. Liu. He doesn't look like a scholar with a tight budget."

"To be honest, I came to take the imperial examination without telling my family. I forgot to bring money when I left, so I sold my clothes. Now I only have the money to go back home. If there were no restaurant that provided free food and accommodation, I would probably have to sleep on the street."

On the way to Beijing, Liu Qing didn't meet many people he could talk to, but Li Chengzong's attitude made Liu Qing feel respected, so even though it was the first time they met, he couldn't help but chat with Li Chengzong.

"To be honest, I am sixty-five years old this year. I have known for a long time that I will not be able to go to high school, but I still refuse to give up. Now that most of my body is buried in the earth, I still want to give it one more try and fight for it."

"Sir, are you taking the imperial examination to become an official?"

Without waiting for Mr. Liu to answer, Li Chengzong shook his head and said, "At your age, even if you pass the exam and become an official, how many years can you serve as an official?"

Mr. Liu also shook his head, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly for a long time before saying, "At my age, I have to chew a piece of meat with great effort, so how can I have the energy to be an official and work for the benefit of the people?"

"Then what is this old man..."

Mr. Liu did not answer, but asked: "Young Master, are you from an official family?"

"That's it."

"You look very imposing and talented, so I guess you are a scholar. Can you take part in the Spring Examination this year?" "Don't look at me as a person of ordinary appearance. I have only been to school for one year. It is difficult for me to even pass the examination and become a Tongsheng, let alone take part in the Spring Examination."

"A family of generals?" Mr. Liu asked.

"Half."

His mother is from the Qin family, so he is half from a military family, there is nothing wrong with that.

"Since you are from a military family, you should know something about the imperial examinations, right?"

I don’t know about the spring examinations in the early years of the Qing Dynasty, but about the situation in recent years... I can only say that an old man like Mr. Liu, without background, connections, and money, would never pass the exam. The list of candidates selected in the imperial examinations had already been drawn up before the exam began.

Seeing Li Chengzong's expression, Mr. Liu smiled and said, "It seems that Master Li also knows that it is said that the imperial examination is to select talents for the country, but in reality, before the imperial examination begins, there are already people who have passed. The officials in the court select a few, the palace selects a few, the Imperial College selects a few, and then there are some famous scholars. How many are left? Even among these people, there are those who have given money."

"This is not about selecting talents for the country, it's clearly the court officials using the imperial examination to select their own lackeys."

"The imperial examinations are unfair and officials are cheating. Everyone in the world knows this, but the court remains silent."

Mr. Liu sighed and pointed towards the scholars not far away.

"Mr. Li, look at those scholars. They have devoted their whole lives to studying the sage books. They have worked hard for decades, but when it comes to the imperial examination, what is tested is not their talent, but their background and money. How unfair it is to them!"

Li Chengzong poured the old gentleman another glass of wine and motioned for him to moisten his throat before continuing.

Mr. Liu drank some wine and said with a red face, "In my early years, I was timid and didn't dare to say no to the injustice in this world, but now that I don't have much time left, I seem to have grown braver. I also want to say no to this injustice.

In any case, if we want to change the injustice in this world, someone has to get hurt. My life is better than that of some young people, so I want to give it a try. If I am lucky enough to pass the high school, will it cause a bigger response? "

Only now did Li Chengzong understand what Mr. Liu meant by giving it a try and arguing for it.

Try to change the unfairness of the imperial examination and bring a glimmer of hope to poor students all over the world.

Li Chengzong could not sacrifice himself for justice, but he admired such people.

He picked up the wine glass, stood up and bowed, saying, "Mr. Liu, I toast you."

"Mr. Li, you are embarrassing me."

Mr. Liu quickly stood up, raised his glass, clinked it with Li Chengzong's, and drank it all in one gulp.

Coincidentally, Fan Wujiu arrived just as the two of them sat down.

Before he could even open his mouth, Li Chengzong pulled him to sit down.

"Wujiu, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Liu Qing from Quanzhou. He is also a candidate this year. You can have a good exchange with him."

Probably because it was the first time he saw a student carrying a knife, the old man was obviously stunned for a moment before he stood up and saluted, "Liu Qing from Quanzhou, nice to meet Mr. Fan."

"I have met Mr. Liu. I am not educated enough to be called Mr. Liu."

Perhaps because they were both candidates this year, Mr. Liu had no reservations towards Fan Wujiu and they chatted very enthusiastically.

After a few drinks, Mr. Liu was already tipsy. Even when talking to Li Chengzong, he was no longer reserved or hesitant and spoke freely.

We chatted for most of the afternoon, ranging from books of sages, to poetry and songs, to the current system of Qing Kingdom, in short, we talked about whatever came to mind.

It can be seen that the old gentleman is a truly learned man, but he lost his composure after getting drunk and said many things he shouldn't have said. He angrily cursed the court officials for being treacherous and scolded Emperor Qing for being incompetent.

If Li Chengzong had not asked Fan Wujiu to quickly carry the old gentleman back to the restaurant, the students who heard what he said would probably beat the old gentleman up on the spot.

"No help, what do you think after listening to what Mr. Liu said?"

On the way back, Li Chengzong asked this.

"The Spring Imperial Examination has been held every year, and everyone is used to it. However, I admire Mr. Liu, he is a true scholar!"

“I’m used to it.”

Li Chengzong said faintly: "This habit is really a terrible thing."

When chatting with Mr. Liu before, Li Chengzong actually thought about making this year's Spring Examination a little cleaner and providing a relatively fair environment for scholars all over the world.

But now... Li Chengzong could only say that since everyone was used to it, why should he be the first to take action?

Not only will he offend many officials, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince may also suspect that he is trying to compete for the throne. Even Emperor Qing may use this as an opportunity to force him to enter the court as a whetstone.

Eliminating the deep-rooted malpractices in the Spring Imperial Examination was originally the job of the protagonist Fan Xian. Why would a supporting actor like him steal the show?

Let’s leave it to Fan Xian.

After all, he is a man with five fathers, so it is easy for him to do things and he doesn't have to be afraid of offending others.

(End of this chapter)