Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 16 Traveling to Beijing!

Heading north from Huaizuo, snow gradually began to fall again.

Jiang Zhao stood at the bow of the boat, wearing a fur coat, and stretched out his hand, letting the snowflakes fall into his palm.

In the blink of an eye, I'm eighteen already!
Jiang Zhao stared at the snowflake in his hand, momentarily stunned.

The life of a scholar is truly magnificent.

Everyone is caught in the torrent.

During this period, many people, through their own efforts or perhaps luck, have risen to the top.

The process is filled with breathtaking scenery, irresistible temptations, and immense risks.

Money, power, and beautiful women.

A cold wind blew, carrying swirling snowflakes and ice shards that slapped against the face, instantly sobering the senses.

hiss.
Of course, all of this was predicated on passing the imperial examination and entering officialdom.

Otherwise, it's all in vain.

Jiang Zhao patted the snow off his hands and walked towards the cabin.

Everyone says that officialdom is chaotic, full of temptations and glamour, and he wanted to go in and see for himself if it was true.

Young people should be brave enough to challenge themselves.

Try it out, discover your own weakness!

Perhaps, there really is a chance to stand at the forefront?
Bianjing (Kaifeng)

As the ancients said: "The capital city is a place of great prosperity since ancient times. People from all corners of the world flock here, and all nations communicate with each other. It gathers the treasures of the four seas, all of which are traded in the market."

This is true.

Unless it's a time of chaos, the capital city is usually supported by the entire nation, making it difficult for it not to be prosperous.

Upon entering Bianjing, the hundreds of candidates were all taken aback.

Even a cursory observation is astonishing.

Upon entering the main street, which is over a hundred paces wide, paved with bluestone, and adorned with vermilion buildings and flying eaves, studded with gold and painted vermilion, one occasionally sees imperial guards standing solemnly by, exuding the grandeur of the imperial palace and the majesty of the emperor.
Looking around, one sees colorful silks everywhere, piles of grain, brothels and painted pavilions, embroidered doors and beaded curtains.

The city was adorned with dazzling gold and jade, fragrant silks and brothels, and the sounds of music and singing filled the night. The lights illuminated half the city's sky, and occasionally, there were elegant carriages adorned with jewels and the tinkling of jade pendants—all signs of wealth and luxury.

Its sheer size, abundance of resources, diverse culture, and powerful influence are astonishing at all times.

Even Jiang Zhao was amazed by it.

During his five years of observing politics, he visited many prefectures and circuits, and also saw many bustling markets.

However, none of them could compare to Bianjing.

Even in Hangzhou, the most prosperous city among them, only a superficial understanding of its form can be obtained.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhao was a man who had seen a lot, so even though the prosperity of Bianjing exceeded his expectations, he was only slightly surprised.

After all, in terms of true prosperity, Bianjing was not even a fraction as grand as the major cities he lived in in his previous life.

He was amazed, partly because the prosperity of Bianjing exceeded his expectations, and partly because of its mixed cultural atmosphere.

Jiang Zhao remained calm, but the other hundreds of people were not so sure.

Those people were genuinely amazed by the prosperity of Bianjing; many of them blushed and couldn't forget it.

After all, this is Bianjing!

On their first day in the capital, Jiang Zhao led several hundred people to pay their respects to Jiang Zhi, Chen Yi, and Zhang Lin.

These three were the highest-ranking officials among the scholars of Huaizuo. Jiang Zhi was the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official, while Chen Yi and Zhang Lin were both fourth-rank officials. Chen Yi was the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, in charge of horse administration and conscription matters. His real power was not prominent, but it was not insignificant either.

Zhang Lin was the Education Commissioner of Xichuan Circuit, which governed Chengdu Prefecture and Hanzhou. Chengdu, known as the Land of Abundance, had been wealthy since ancient times and had a thriving history of imperial examinations. As the Education Commissioner of Xichuan Circuit, he was in charge of imperial examination education and was also involved in setting the questions for the provincial examinations, so his authority was considerable.

With the imperial examinations approaching, Zhang Lin specifically asked for leave to enter the capital.

Firstly, he wanted to meet the scholars from Huaizuo.
Secondly, he intentionally sent his eldest son, Zhang Ci, to take the exam.

In this era, the concept of "local cliques" was quite popular. As the three highest-ranking officials in Huaizuo, Jiang Zhi, Chen Yi, and Zhang Lin were people whom the candidates had to pay their respects to, both out of courtesy and courtesy.

Upon meeting them, the three men displayed the demeanor of senior figures, offering encouragement and sending people to settle the candidates who were going to the capital.

So, after settling in, the group stayed at a restaurant called "Zheguiju".

This is an industry jointly owned by three major families in Yangzhou.

Bianjing has many restaurants, and Zheguiju is not large or eye-catching, but it has the advantage of a special location, near Yuqing Temple, which is relatively quiet.

From the moment the candidates arrived in the capital, Zheguiju officially ceased operations, and the inkstones, brushes, and paper scattered throughout the house were available for the candidates to use at will.

Food and drinks are served almost constantly, and the service is very attentive.

With such arrangements and services, every scholar from Huaizuo who passed the imperial examinations would have to remember the favors of the Jiang, Chen, and Zhang families.

Having checked in, and gazing at the bustling capital, Jiang Zhao felt a desire to explore.

Or rather, it wasn't just Jiang Zhao; other candidates also had similar thoughts to varying degrees.

Bianjing was both an economic and political center, and it had many unique features.

In this era, the journey was arduous, and even a scholar might only have a few opportunities to travel to the capital in his lifetime.

Having finally managed to visit Beijing, anyone would want to sightsee and explore.

Strolling around the capital, reciting poems and lyrics—wouldn't that be wonderful?
The world is so vast that when candidates from Huaizuo travel thousands of miles to the capital to take the imperial examinations, they face candidates from other regions. They are all in competition with each other, so it is inevitable that they will be wary and instinctively divide themselves according to their region.

Because Jiang Zhao was famous throughout the land and was the eldest son of the Jiang family of Huaizuo, he was regarded as the leader among the candidates taking the imperial examination.

Many people have subtly expressed their desires to him.

So, after settling in completely and resting for a few days, Jiang Zhao consulted with the group and decided to invite the scholars who had gone to take the imperial examinations to visit Bianjing.

To be honest, Bianjing (Kaifeng) has some really interesting features.

At the Rainbow Bridge on the Bian River, impromptu couplets were composed. Shops on both banks hung banners printed with half of a poem or verse. If a scholar could complete the second half of the poem, he would be given a "Scholar's Cake".

Even more extreme, the courtesan would pose a question, and answering it correctly would grant one a night of pleasure.

At Jinming Pond, the winding stream flows, and people compose poems while floating on the wine cups.

Glass wine cups floated down the stream, and scholars would stop them, composing poems on the flower-patterned slips in the cups. The best works were tied to the willow trees by the pond, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhouqiao Night Market: Puppet shows for studying classics, and wordplay on flatbread.

The puppet show, also known as the "Puppet Examination of Classics," involves performing stories from the Analects of Confucius using puppets. The puppets deliberately make subtle mistakes during the performance, and the candidates are required to point out these errors, which is a great test of their knowledge.

"Hu Bing" is a type of Persian mille-feuille sold at night markets. It contains poems and titles, and scholars who buy the pastries are treated like taking an exam. If they answer correctly, they receive a cup of rose syrup as a gift.

Baifanlou, Rose Whispers. A porcelain bowl contains Persian rose dew, and the bottom of the bowl is engraved with a passage from the "Rites of Zhou." If a scholar can explain in detail the origin and source of the passage, the meal will be free.

The various unique ways to play are both elegant and fun.

From the moment the number of candidates for the imperial examinations spread throughout the capital, everything in Bianjing (Kaifeng) was geared towards serving these candidates for the grand spring imperial examinations.

The scholar, who had always been a diligent and hardworking student, had never seen such a thing before.
It's so fun that you'll never want to leave!

(End of this chapter)