Chapter 57: You're here to beg for money and want to get a door shop for free? Dream on! ...
Going to Beijing to take the exam, the first half of the journey was on a rugged mountain road, and the second half was on a bumpy waterway.
Although large ships are more stable, they cannot avoid being up and down with the waves.
The bow of the boat sometimes rose high and sometimes fell, making the students who were not used to it dizzy and their stomachs churning.
"Hup——" Li Mizhi, a student from Yang'an, vomited out all the acid in his stomach.
The green mountains on both sides of the river competed for beauty, but he had no intention of appreciating them.
Looking up, the northern scholars on the deck were wearing plain robes with fluttering sleeves, and their temperament, which was condensed from their extensive reading, became more and more obvious.
"Right Sparrow Tail, Single Whip."
The scholars moved in unison, turning their upper bodies to the right and drawing an arc with their right hands, which then turned into a hook gesture when they reached the right side.
His posture is upright and his steps are steady, revealing his calmness and composure.
It was really hard to understand why Li Mi refused to let go of the spittoon.
He originally wanted to get closer to Wang Pu, who won the first place in the Spring Banquet, to discuss knowledge with him and find some shortcuts to pass the exam.
Who would have thought that while others were vomiting profusely while traveling on the same boat, the students from the northern border were actually practicing Tai Chi?
"Xiaodi Li, your physical fitness is too poor. The teacher said that we need... yes, we need a civilized spirit and a strong body!"
The kind-hearted student from the Northern Territory finished the move with a bow stance and pushed his palm, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and came to comfort him.
What's so barbaric about it? It's not like those mountain monkeys.
"Ugh—vomit—" The bow of the boat rose and fell, and Li Mi couldn't help but spit into the spittoon again, wanting to cry but having no tears.
"This is a written test, not a martial arts test. Shouldn't you all make good use of your time to review your lessons?" Li Mi wiped his mouth and asked strugglingly.
Just at this moment, the hatch was pushed open and Guizhier stepped onto the deck.
She was still dressed in men's clothes, walking briskly, waving a folding fan. She was not wearing a crown or a belt, and a few strands of messy hair fell unruly in front of her forehead.
"After all these years of studying, in the end, it all comes down to one's mindset," Gui Zhier said casually, "I know everything I can test, and I guess everything correctly."
If you have the physical fitness to last through the nine-day test, you've already won half the battle in terms of spirit and energy.
So... casual?
Li Mi closed his eyes. This was the Spring Examination, which only happened once every three years and could change one's destiny, bring honor to the family, and realize one's ideals and ambitions!
Gui Zhi'er seemed to see through his thoughts and waved her folding fan with a smile: "Little friend, don't be too concerned about gains and losses."
The more nervous you are, the harder it is to get what you want.
After saying this, Guizhier no longer cared whether Li Mi could understand or not, and just called Wang Pu into the cabin.
The capital city was just around the corner, and she still had some things to tell.
In the spring of the fourth year of Chengshuo, the price of salt and rice in Hangzhou rose, which was rare since the founding of Daliang.
The heavy burden of war expenses on the border and corruption at all levels have drained the national treasury.
After the plague that swept across the south of the Yangtze River at the turn of spring and summer the year before last, Hangzhou finally showed signs of decline.
The shops in the once bustling suburban port area have become deserted due to the decrease in merchant ships.
The previous scene of packed department stores and crowds of tourists in the north and south has been greatly reduced.
Even so, the scholars in the North were still dazzled.
"Look, Junior Li, these guests are all dressed in gorgeous clothes and spend lavishly, even more than Chu Huai." A scholar exclaimed.
Nonsense, this is the capital.
Li Mi swallowed his inner sneer and nodded in agreement. Hangzhou was the premier capital of Jiangnan, a symbol of the unprecedented prosperity of the Daliang Kingdom.
He didn't want to argue with a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
While the candidates coming to Beijing were busy looking for an inn to stay, Guizhier had quietly changed her clothes and arrived at a mansion in Eryafang.
As the weather warmed up, she picked out a candy yellow brocade dress from the space and put on a light pink pleated tulle overskirt.
The two colors of the clothes inside and outside complement each other, adding a bit of girlish agility and cuteness.
She raised her hand and knocked on the door of the Ma Mansion.
The heavy door swung open. The doorman looked the visitor up and down and asked, "Who are you looking for, young lady?"
"Excuse me, is Lord Ma Luma at home? I'm from the northern border." Gui Zhier smiled and raised her eyebrows.
Ma Lu, the former prefect of Zhenbei, was once a regular customer of Guiji Braised Food Shop.
Because he stood on the wrong side in the party struggle, he was deposed for his crime. He was exiled to Zhenbei and served there for less than a year. However, he collected enough tax silver, found the right backer, and turned his life around and went to Beijing.
He was promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the fourth rank.
"The master is not here, please go back, young lady." The doorman made a gesture to see the guest off.
He saw that although Guizhier was wearing a silk dress and behaved in a dignified manner, she had not sent a visiting card or prepared any gifts, so he flatly refused.
Guizhier was not surprised to be rejected.
She looked up and saw that the Ma family's courtyard wall was tall, and there was an apricot tree leaning out from the gate, as if it was trying to climb over the wall when no one was paying attention.
Unexpectedly, the door opened again at this time.
The doorman bowed respectfully and said, "Young lady, the master invites you in to talk."
Guizhier raised her eyebrows in surprise, but followed closely.
Passing through the wide corridor paved with bluestone, you will see the courtyard with rugged rockery and gurgling clear springs.
Walking along the winding corridor, you will eventually arrive at a spacious main hall.
"The announcement of a visitor from the northern border had me quite puzzled. I never expected it to be Miss Gui."
The middle-aged man in a blue robe with a round collar and a double-breasted front clapped his hands and smiled.
He had thick lips, dark circles under his eyes, geese embroidered on the front and back of his robe, and a sapphire on the top of his crown. It was none other than Ma Lu.
"People feel refreshed when they are happy. You look younger." Guizhier praised in a flattering manner.
It seems that she was right. When mentioning the northern border, Magistrate Ma, now also called Minister Ma, would feel a little guilty.
On the one hand, he had falsified the rent and tax collection, and on the other hand, there was probably a problem with the identity of his successor "Liu Shanyuan".
"Hahahahaha, I haven't tasted the braised food made by the young lady for a long time. I can't satisfy my appetite."
Although Minister Ma was a little surprised as to how she came to him, his enthusiasm remained undiminished.
"That's why I dare to bother you, sir." Guizhier followed his words and secretly set a trap.
The capital is so big that it is not easy to live there for a long time.
Especially Guizhier wanted to do business, but the shops in good locations had already been monopolized, and those who supported and made money behind the scenes were either royal relatives or high-ranking officials.
Ma Lu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was the perfect candidate she needed to re-establish the "Guiji Braised Food Shop" brand in the capital.
"I hope you can help me find a small shop in Changxingfang for my daughter, and I will pay the rent according to the market price."
Guizhier made a huge request, asking for a shop in the most prosperous street in Hangzhou.
"Huh?" Minister Ma's eyes twitched slightly, as if he was amazed at her ignorance and fearlessness.
"It's not that I don't remember our old friendship." Minister Ma frowned, pretending to be helpless and entangled. "It's really that I can't say anything."
He waved his sleeves and sighed.
"In this area of the capital, if you drop a brick, you could hit a bunch of fourth-rank officials."
You, a "poor relative" who came from the northern border, come to my house to beg for money. Do you think you can get a shop for free just by opening your mouth?
dream!
Minister Ma sneered in his heart.
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