The waiter quickly brought the mutton soup and noodles, and Jiang Gu said, "Another pot of wine."
The waiter frowned, "Drinking again so early in the morning?" Then he added, "You haven't even settled the bill you wrote down earlier."
Jiang Gu picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the soup noodles. "Someone will come to settle the bill tomorrow. Just bring the wine."
The waiter sighed and went to get some wine.
"Where are you from, Brother Zeng?"
"Sichuan."
"Talents emerge from Shu."
"That's true." Zeng Zhui nodded in agreement.
Jiang Gu thought for a moment and asked, "Brother, your last name is Zeng, have you ever heard of the Zeng family in Shu?"
Zeng Zhui puffed out his chest and asked, "You also know the Zeng family?"
Jiang Gu said, "The Zeng family in Shu, with eight scholars, was once famous in the area. How could they not know?"
The word 'once' pierced Zeng Zhui's heart. He muttered, "I am a member of the Zeng family. I passed the provincial examination last year and came to the capital to take part in the next spring examination."
Jiang Gu stopped eating and looked up, sizing him up. "I blame my poor eyesight for not recognizing that Brother Zeng is a member of the Zeng family."
Just then, the waiter came over with some wine. He took it, divided it into two cups, filled them up, and pushed one cup in front of Zeng Zhui, saying, "This is my apology."
Then he picked up the wine cup and drank it first.
Zeng Zhui had no choice but to pick up the wine to keep him company.
Seeing Jiang Gu drinking like water, the waiter advised, "Xiao Ping, drink less. If you drink like this every day, even a strong body can't stand it."
Jiang Gu waved his hand.
The waiter sighed.
"Who?" Zeng Zhui choked on his wine and asked the waiter, "Who do you say he is?"
"Xiao Ping."
"Xiaoping? Jiang Xiaoping?" Zeng Zhui stared at Jiang Gu.
Zeng Zhui had heard of Jiang Xiaoping's talent a long time ago and thought he was a handsome and talented man, but he didn't expect that he was just a drunkard who got into someone's bed in the middle of the night.
It turns out that meeting someone in person is not as good as hearing about them.
Jiang Gu asked, "How come Brother Zeng has also heard of Jiang Xiaoping?"
"I have read your collection of poems." Jiang Xiaoping is quite famous in Shu.
"I've also read The Collected Works of Eight Scholars." Jiang Gu poured another glass of wine in his honor. "This is for fate."
After toasting, he poured the wine into his mouth without caring whether Zeng Zhui drank it or not.
Hearing that he had read the writings of his ancestors, Zeng Zhui was quite happy and drank the cup with him.
"Speaking of which, your Zeng family and our Jiang family both had famous ancestors, but now they've fallen on hard times." Jiang Gu tilted his head and stared at Zeng Zhui. "But you're luckier than me. You can still take the imperial examination and have hope of restoring your family's status."
I had heard something about the Jiang family. It seemed that their ancestors had committed a serious crime and were punished by not being allowed to take up the imperial examination for five generations.
Zeng Zhui couldn't help but sigh, and took the initiative to pour a glass of wine in his honor. "With Brother Jiang's talent, even if he doesn't pursue a career in politics, he will become famous throughout the world and be remembered by future generations."
Jiang Gu curled his lips and drank with him.
"Brother Zeng, are you confident in coming to Beijing for reference?"
"Of course I do."
"It's not easy for a poor family to enter the government."
"As long as there's an opportunity, it's worth fighting for."
Jiang Gu looked at a man walking down the street and said lazily, "I know someone who took the exam eight or nine times and failed every time. He's almost worn out his family's bones. Now he still hasn't achieved anything and lives on the few copper coins that slip through the fingers of the rich and powerful. What's the point of fighting like this?"
Zeng Zhui couldn't help but think of those fawning scholars he saw in front of the restaurant and brothel yesterday.
"I am different from them. If they fail the exam, it's because they have no talent or moral integrity."
"oh?"
"In the past, if you failed the exam eight or nine times, you might have blamed it on the system. But now the system is clear and fair. If you failed once or twice, you could attribute it to luck, but if you failed eight or nine times, you should reflect on yourself."
Zeng Zhui licked a sip of wine to moisten his throat. "Maybe you've taken the wrong path, used the wrong method. You should visit more famous teachers and ask for their advice, instead of working in isolation, or trying to find shortcuts."
Jiang Gu looked at Zeng Zhui, a hint of admiration and envy flashing in his eyes.
Zeng Zhuiding said: "If one's talent and learning are not effective and one's determination is not strong, then one will not be able to pass the imperial examination. He will be neither talented nor virtuous."
When Feng Miao entered the room, he saw Jiang Gu drinking with someone. He smiled and was about to go forward to greet him, but he was interrupted by Zeng Zhui's words, and the smile on his face froze instantly.
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