Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 165 Luoyang, the Divine Capital! Living in the capital is no easy feat!

A large ship set sail, breaking through the morning mist, and slowly departed from Jinling Wharf.

Jiang Xingzhou and his entourage of dozens of scholars from Jiangnan Province boarded this three-story vermilion-lacquered ship, with the apricot-yellow flag bearing the inscription "Jiangzuo Wenjing" fluttering in the wind on the mast.

The bow of the boat cut through the river, leaving two silvery streaks of water, while the black tiles and white walls along the banks gradually disappeared into the mist.

To travel to Luoyang for the imperial examination, one must first travel eastward along the Yangtze River to Yangzhou, and then turn onto the Bian River and travel northward upstream.

The entire route passes through the Grand Canal of the Central Plains, connecting the lifeline of the north-south water transport. Along the way, masts and oars stand like a forest, and merchants and travelers never stop.

At each sluice gate, the deep chants of the boatmen could be heard mingling with the waves, echoing along both banks of the canal.

Waterways are convenient and safe.

If one chooses to travel north by land, one must pass through Hefei and Xuchang, heading straight for Luoyang.

However, the land route is rugged and mountainous, with winding paths, muddy roads, and difficult for vehicles and horses to travel.

The classics and historical texts in the candidates' chests could easily be scattered into the mountain streams if they were not careful.

What's more troublesome is that, after leaving the cities inhabited by humans, wild monsters often lurk along the way—the territory of the Great Zhou is extremely vast, and there are quite a few monsters in the mountains and wilderness.

The scholars of the Great Zhou Dynasty will not exterminate them.

—Those demons and monsters lurking deep in the mountains are precisely the materials for tempering young scholars.

Before and after each major or minor assessment, one could always see scholars and students in green robes entering the forest with swords in hand. When they returned, their clothes were either stained with blood or their sleeves concealed demon pills, adding to their imposing and majestic air.

On the deck of the ship, the scholars from Jiangnan were either engrossed in reading or sitting around discussing literature, their laughter carried far by the river breeze.

However, they tacitly agreed not to compose poems or essays.

With Jiang Xingzhou, the foremost scholar of Jiangnan, here, and his brilliant talent before them, how dare they presume to show off their limited abilities?
They then began to discuss the essential study for those who passed the imperial examinations: "Transforming texts into objects, creating things through poetry and prose"—turning poems into swords and essays into armor!

Compared to lengthy poems, these four-character idioms were more frequently used and employed by scholars in their daily lives.

Because they are all the same idioms and literary devices, the difference in their power is minimal.

The art of writing four characters emphasizes its application!
As the scholars' blue robes fluttered, some of them formed a hand seal and shouted "Every bush and tree is an enemy soldier!" The bamboo slips and blades of grass they casually tossed out transformed into gleaming puppet soldiers.
Then the "snake shadow in the cup" phenomenon appeared again, with a snake shadow suddenly leaping out of the wine cup's reflection and coiling around to protect its owner.

"Baby face and huge breasts!"

"Extremely vicious and wicked!"

Suddenly, a mischievous person shouted, and everyone's clothes billowed without wind. Several young scholars hurriedly covered their faces.

Amidst the laughter, a scholar, still exuding scholarly air, "broke a branch into a sword" with his fingertips. A willow branch transformed into a three-foot-long green blade in his palm, reflecting the morning sun and gleaming with a frosty, snow-like light.

“Arrows rain down!”

"Borrowing arrows with straw boats!"

The scholars discussed and refined their literary skills, and they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

As the ship passed Yanziji on the Yangtze River, the evening rain had just stopped.

A lone boat on the riverbank saw finless porpoises breaking through the waves, their scales shimmering and the sunset painting the water golden.
In the distance, fishing boats sing their evening songs, the sound of oars shattering the sparks on the river.

Upon arriving in Yangzhou, the canal wharf was bustling with activity, and the exotic accents of Persian merchants and Lingnan vendors mingled together.

When it turns into the Bian River in the Central Plains, the Bian River stretches across the Central Plains, first receiving the Yellow River, and drawing water from the Jiangnan and Jinghu regions, carrying half of the country's wealth and all kinds of goods from the mountains and lakes.

Both sides of the strait were teeming with people—the sound of measuring tapes echoed in front of silk shops, storytellers slammed their gavels on the tables in teahouses, and Western Region dancers twirled their golden bells to the beat of drums, their pomegranate skirts billowing.

Ten days passed, flowing eastward with the Luo River.

at last,

As the city walls of Luoyang gradually emerged from the morning mist, all the soldiers on the ship held their breath in concentration.

But then one could see that the vermilion city wall stretched for hundreds of miles, like a red dragon coiled around the winding Luo River;

The triple-arched arrow tower pierced through the clouds, its golden nails and vermilion doors shining brightly in the sunlight;
As the rising sun gilds the battlements, the clear sound of bells and chimes suddenly comes from the clouds, as if the ancient imperial capital is stretching its limbs, its breath filled with the tinkling of the Zhou emperor's crown.

"Look! It's Luoyang, the Divine Capital!"

The youngest candidate suddenly pointed into the distance, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

Han Yugui rose with a flick of his sleeves, the wide white sleeves fluttering in the morning breeze: "For eight hundred years, the royal aura has gathered, and today I finally get to see the Emperor's face!"

Its sound is clear and melodious, like shattered jade.

"Luoyi, the Divine Capital, we, the Taoist priests of Jiangnan, have arrived!"

The scholars cheered and responded, and the air between the carved railings of the ship was filled with a chorus of chants.

After disembarking from the ship, the group boarded carriages and waited until they reached the end of the official road, where the majestic city gates suddenly opened like a heavenly gateway.

The scholars from Jiangnan unanimously reined in their carriages, and saw that the ten-mile-long vermilion wall shimmered with a glazed light under the sunlight, and the copper nails on the Vermilion Bird Gate seemed to gleam with an ancient radiance, like the inscriptions on a Zhou Dynasty bronze vessel.

Gazing at the ten-mile-long vermilion city wall, their hearts surged with emotion. The jade pendants at their waists jingled, echoing the faint sound of chime bells emanating from within the city.

After all, this is the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The prosperity of Luoyang, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, far surpasses that of Jinling, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty.

—The official road was bustling with carriages and horses, and the armor of the Imperial Guards inside and outside the city gates gleamed coldly in the sunlight;

At this moment, the scholars from Jiangnan Province stood beneath the majestic city, as if gazing up at the heavens.

On the official road leading into the city, carriages and horses flowed in droves, and crowds surged.

Tea merchants along the Sichuan-Chongqing route drove mules and horses laden with Sichuan brocade, their copper bells jingling in the wind.

Spices from Lingnan Road carried sandalwood chests, their exotic fragrance wafting like clouds;
The fur merchants of Jibei Road were wrapped in mink coats, and the curved swords at their waists gleamed coldly.

Scholars from Jingchu and Zhongyuan gathered in small groups, dressed in blue robes and turbans, reciting poems that echoed the traditions of the Jixia Academy.

Jiang Xingzhou and his group of scholars entered the city.
The East Market was even more bustling—blue-eyed Hu women sold wine at their counters, the golden goblets clattering and overflowing with fine grape wine; merchants from the Western Regions unfurled their exotic leather carpets, their colorful embroidery gleaming in the sunlight; musicians plucked the strings of their harps, the camel bells and the jie drums composing a magnificent symphony of foreign lands.

Suddenly, the sound of thunderous hooves rang out, and several young men in brocade robes galloped past, their footballs bouncing between their saddles, their tassels and pendants raising clouds of dust.

Even more impressively, a delegation from a barbarian kingdom, with tiger-headed and bulging eyes, entered the pass with official documents, wearing wolf-skin cloaks and carrying precious swords at their waists, attracting the attention of passersby wherever they went.

As the group walked along the official road, they suddenly felt their hands were damp with sweat—this magnificent capital city seemed like a boiling cauldron, cooking up all the winds and clouds of the four seas within it.

Luoyang, the imperial capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was magnificent as if created by nature, and its grandeur was evident throughout the hundreds of miles around.

The place where the spring imperial examination was held was the Imperial Academy in Luoyi, the center of the city. The eaves and brackets were decorated with black bird patterns, the twin towers in front of the gate soared into the clouds, and the nine rows of golden nails on the vermilion gate shone brightly. It was the highest institution of learning in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The students who came and went were either successful candidates in the provincial examinations or those who passed the imperial examinations. Dressed in blue robes and jade belts, they were all people of extraordinary talent.

The imperial city is in the center, with the Confucian Temple of the Great Zhou on the left and the Imperial College of the Great Zhou on the right!
The system of "temple on the left and school on the right" further highlights the magnificent rituals and music of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Confucian Temple has a double-eaved hip roof, and the statues of the Seventy-Two Sages stand solemnly under the corridor. In the wisps of incense smoke, one can almost hear the sages chanting scriptures.
The Imperial College, with its magnificent buildings and jade palaces, echoes with the sound of students reciting their lessons, reaching the highest heavens at the appointed time of morning bells and evening drums.

The Imperial City, the Confucian Temple, and the Imperial College are connected by two white marble rainbow bridges, which are like a cultural vein, vividly depicting the grandeur of the holy dynasty where "the emperor, the temple, and the school are integrated into one".

At this moment, candidates from all over the country were filing into the Imperial College.

As everyone looked up, they saw the four gilded characters "Transform the World" on the plaque. They suddenly felt the scrolls in their sleeves getting slightly warm—the place where the Duke of Zhou established rites and music thousands of years ago, and today they would witness their own brushstrokes determining the fate of the world.

"Brothers, we have arrived in Luoyang!"

I am going to visit Vice Minister Xu of the Ministry of Rites. Farewell for now, and may we meet again someday. Goodbye now!

The Xie family, a powerful clan in Jiangnan, was represented by Xie Qihe, who wore a moon-white robe and a jade pendant at his waist that jingled softly as he clasped his hands in greeting.

This direct descendant of the Xie family of Jinling exuded the refined and noble air of a prominent family in Jiangnan in every gesture.

"Farewell!"

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the scholars went their separate ways.

The candidates all had different residences in the capital.

Some of them had relatives who served as officials or engaged in business in the capital city of Luoyang, so they went directly to their relatives for refuge.

If a servant brings a blue-gray horse, it must be heading to the noble quarters south of the city.
Others, in groups of three or five, had already been welcomed away by the stewards of various households who were waiting at the city gate.

If not, impoverished students traveling alone to study would turn to the Qingyun Inn next to the Imperial College, which would be more convenient.

"Farewell!"

Everyone took their leave. Jiang Xingzhou stood on the long street, watching his fellow townsmen from Jiangnan Province gradually disappear into the distance.

Even Han Yugui, Cao An, Lu Ming, and others had to visit their relatives in Luoyi.

The former Vice Minister of Revenue, the former Right Chancellor, the former Prime Minister, the Cao family of Jiangyin, and the Han and Lu families of Jiangyin are all large families with many disciples and former officials in Luoyang. As descendants of Han and Lu, they all need to visit them one by one to pave the way for their future official positions in the court.

Han Yugui straightened his cloud-patterned robe and boarded a carriage bearing the emblem of the character "Han"—an old steward personally held the whip.
Cao An left, surrounded by a group of servants speaking with a Jiangyin accent;

When Lu Ming lifted the curtain of his sedan chair, one could vaguely see that the interior was lined with peacock velvet cushions bestowed by the emperor, indicating that someone from the Lu family held a high-ranking official position in the capital.

This is the foundation of many aristocratic families that have existed for thousands of years!
Finally, only a handful of people remained, including Jiang Xingzhou and Gu Zhimian. They came from humble backgrounds and had no relatives or friends in Luoyang, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Speaking of which, the Jiang family of Jiangnan and the Gu family of Jiangdong were also prominent clans.
However, Jiang Xingzhou's lineage has been silent for a century. Although Jiang's father, Jiang Yan, passed the imperial examination, he unfortunately disappeared young before he could make a fortune.

Gu Zhimian's family had long since fallen into poverty and had not yet made a fortune, so he could not climb the social ladder.

They looked at each other.

"Let's find an inn nearby to stay first!"

Jiang Xingzhou smiled.

"Brother Jiang, the inns in the city are a bit expensive! I'd better check the outskirts; the prices there will be much cheaper!"

Gu Zhimian seemed slightly troubled.

He gripped the straps of the book box tightly; the corners of the "Correct Meanings of the Five Classics" inside were already somewhat curled.

Although he had passed the imperial examination and become a Juren, he had not yet been appointed as an official. The salary of a probationary official was low, and he could not afford the exorbitant expenses at the inn in the capital.

"It's alright, it's just two or three months' worth of inn fees, why bother?! The important thing is not to miss the imperial examination."

Jiang Xingzhou laughed and said that he didn't lack the money.

Since Lady Qingyao of Niuzhu Palace gifted him that large box of treasures, he has hardly used it.

Moreover, he frequently held literary gatherings and poetry banquets in Jiangzhou and Jinling, and the literary works and writing fees he received had already filled his pockets.

When the residence of Zhao, the transport commissioner of Jiangzhou, was confiscated, he also received a considerable share of the wealth.

When they were in Jinling, Xue Lingqi was even more worried that he was short of money, so she would send someone to deliver silver every few days, sometimes as little as three hundred and sometimes as much as five hundred.

As a result, his current wealth is no less than that of the minor aristocratic families in Jiangnan.

If he were ever short of money, he could simply write a poem of gift-giving rank equivalent to "leaving the county" or even "reaching the prefecture," and countless wealthy and powerful families would be scrambling to get their hands on it.

You can't spend it all.
There’s simply no way to spend it all!
Jiang Xingzhou and Gu Zhimian were walking on the bluestone path, looking for a place to stay, when they suddenly heard a soft Wu dialect voice behind them: "Are you two gentlemen looking for a place to stay?"

Turning around, I saw a broker holding a wooden sign that read "Zhuangyuanlou" (状元楼, meaning "Top Scholar's Inn"), his face beaming with smiles, his wrinkles revealing his eagerness: "Our inn is just up in the alley ahead, next to the Imperial Academy. It's one of the most prestigious inns in Luoyang, and many top scholars have come from our inn. It's known as 'Zhuangyuan Wenzhai' (状元文斋, meaning 'Top Scholar's Study')."

The broker held up one finger, "No more than one or two hundred coins a day, guaranteed to be quiet!"

This inn costs one or two hundred coins a day, which is definitely not cheap; it's almost equivalent to a month's expenses for an ordinary person.

"Alright! Arrange two excellent guest rooms for me!"

The sweet fragrance of osmanthus wine wafted through the alleyways made of blue bricks. Jiang Xingzhou nodded and said, "Lead the way."

"Brother Jiang, just arrange a low-class room for me!"

Seeing this, Gu Zhimian could only lift the book box, and half a faded blue cloth swayed out from the bottom of the box—it was a cloth bag made from an old-fashioned robe, and there were still a few ink stains on the washed-out fabric.

"Let's go! Tomorrow at dawn, we'll go to the Great Zhou Confucian Temple to pay homage to the ancient sage, and then wander around Luoyi to broaden our horizons."

Jiang Xingzhou smiled.

Xie Qihe turned around, got into his carriage, and sped off towards the Six Ministries of the capital. The wheels rolled on the square bricks of Zhuque Street, making a dull sound.

Not just anyone could enter the Ministry of Rites.

He went straight to the back alley and knocked on the side gate of Xu Shilang's residence, as if he knew the way well.

Inside the study, Xu Shilong was reviewing memorials to the emperor.

Upon hearing from the gatekeeper that Xie Qihe had arrived, he received him in the study.

As the candlelight flickered, Xu Shilong looked up and saw the person who had come to him. The tip of his wolf-hair brush was suspended above the memorial, with a drop of ink about to fall.

"Your nephew greets your uncle."

Xie Qihe bowed respectfully, his jade pendant at his waist remaining perfectly still.

Between her lowered brows and eyes, one could vaguely discern the charm of the eldest daughter of the Xie family.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, a powerful clan in Jinling, and married Xu Shilong as his principal wife.

The marriage alliance between the Xu and Xie families became an unspoken alliance.

"I've heard that Jiang Xingzhou wrote 'Black Clothes Lane' and 'Nian Nu Jiao: Climbing Duojing Tower,' which utterly humiliated the Wang and Xie families of Jinling, leaving them utterly disgraced and unable to hold their heads high!"

Xu Shilong said amiably, picking up his celadon teacup, his kind face glowing with the rising steam.

But there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Uncle is absolutely right!"

Xie Qihe's face was flushed and his ears were dry, and a thin layer of red appeared on his neck.

Those two poems were like two resounding slaps in the face, not only shattering the centuries-old literary reputation of the Wang and Xie families of Jinling, but also laying bare the truth of their current decline before the world's eyes.

[The swallows that once graced the halls of the powerful now fly into the homes of ordinary people.] The bustling traffic at the entrance of Wuyi Lane has eventually become a topic of conversation among the common people.

What's most infuriating is that the powerful Wang and Xie families of Jinling were powerless against Jiang Xingzhou, who was just a scholar at the time.

Now that Jiang Xingzhou has become the top scholar in the Jiangnan provincial examination, there is even less he can do anything about it, and even the Wang and Xie families have to avoid his sharp edge.

"Has the Xie family made any plans regarding this matter?"

Xu Shilong lightly tapped the sandalwood table with his fingertips, the crisp sound echoing in the study.

According to the conventions of aristocratic families, such an insult to the family should be met with a more incisive response—making that arrogant scholar humiliate himself in a contest of poetry and prose is the proper way for an aristocratic family to maintain its dignity.

If Xie Qihe has such intentions, he wouldn't mind helping out in a small way.

"My father strictly forbade the Xie family members from engaging in disputes with Jiang Xingzhou without authorization."

Xie Qihe, however, was pale, his knuckles clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they turned white, and his expression showed a hint of cowardice.

These words were difficult to say, as if each syllable was rolling over a knife in the throat.

Even he could hear the resentment hidden in his words—how shameful and helpless it was for the prestigious Xie family of Jinling to have to back down from a poor scholar.

"That's fine!"

Xu Shilong paused, and the teacup tapped crisply on the table.

He suddenly smiled and swept his wide sleeve across the memorial on the table: "You shall stay in the backyard and go see your aunt. There are still three months left, and the imperial examinations will be held next spring—this is your path to success."

As Xie Qihe bowed and withdrew, the smile on Xu Shilong's lips gradually froze.

The Xie family's affairs had little to do with him. His reputation was insulted, and it was the Wang and Xie families who retaliated.

He had some other grudges with Jiang Xingzhou.

He had previously taken a concubine, who was the daughter of Zhao Huai, the transport commissioner of Jiangzhou.

However, Zhao Huai later got into trouble, becoming involved with the rebels, and his home was ransacked by Xue Chonghu and Jiang Xingzhou.

He then reluctantly divorced his concubine and drove her out of the Xu residence.

As a result, they lost the nearly one million taels of gold and silver that the Zhao family, the Grand Canal Commissioner, would "pay tribute" to every year.

This incident fueled his resentment, but he had yet to find a suitable opportunity to retaliate.

"Humph!"

The ink in the inkstone had long since dried, reflecting the gloom churning in his eyes.

However, Xie Qihe dared not make a move, and was too timid to do so, leaving him with no way to leverage the power of the Jinling King Xie. It seems that each generation is worse than the last.

(End of this chapter)