"This is the inn." Xu Hongyu stopped and tilted his head to look at the sign on the side.
Xu Xiaoqi hurried into the store and called the waiter. Soon, the two of them were arranged into a room, and the waiter was busy bringing hot water.
Jinyiwei took these young men back to the capital, and considered their mission accomplished. But who would have thought that some of them didn't want to go home and turned away halfway!
When the waiter brought the wooden barrel and poured hot water in it, he immediately received a tip from Master Xu. In addition to rewarding the waiter for his attentive service, Master Xu also asked the waiter about the recent events in the capital.
"The Beijing Camp is recruiting soldiers—" Young Master Xu's eyes flashed, and he asked, "Do you know the specific conditions?"
The man thought for a moment and replied, "A good family man, healthy and strong... well, I don't remember much."
Young Master Xu frowned and asked, "Besides these, what new rules are there for the martial arts examination?"
The waiter scratched his head and said, "The martial arts exam is held in autumn, right? However, if you are a student of the Imperial College, you can switch to the martial arts exam. I don't know the details, I just heard it from the guests."
Oh, there is also this matter!
"Okay, you can go down!" Young Master Xu nodded, sent the waiter away, half-lying in the wooden barrel, and fell into deep thought in the curling hot air.
Those who studied in the Imperial College were generally called "jiansheng" in the Ming Dynasty. They could enjoy "scholarships" paid for by the state finances. Because it was used to improve students' meals, it was called "linshan".
Generally speaking, those who could study at the Imperial College were very good at studying. Think about it, it was a prestigious university supported by the state, how could you just get in?
However, there are exceptions. If you fail the exam, you can be a self-funded student or a sponsored student!
In the first year of the Jingtai reign, Emperor Daizong Zhu Qiyu began to think about the enrollment quota. Anyone who wanted to study at the Imperial College, regardless of academic performance or family background, would be given a place as long as they were willing to sponsor "children of the military or civilians"!
Moreover, they did not accept gold or silver, but only grain or horses, which were in short supply at the time. From then on, the Imperial College had an additional type of student, that is, self-funded students, called "Lijian".
During the Jingtai period, the highest "regular allowance" was 800 shi of rice, and the lowest was 300 shi of rice; during the Chenghua period, it was stabilized at 100 shi of rice.
If you do not want to be a student, but just want to be an auditor to gain some experience, or if you are a transfer student or a dropout, you can also enjoy a "discounted price".
In addition to the regular students, the Imperial College also had another type of students, called official students, mainly children of officials, children of noble relatives, students studying abroad, and Juren students.
Therefore, for Young Master Xu, with his family background, it was easy for him to enter the Imperial College. When he was in Nanjing, the Xu family had arranged for him to enter, but he never went.
But now, hearing about this path to join the army, Young Master Xu's mind immediately became active.
There is no need to go back to Nanjing, so you can ask Dingguo Mansion for help and directly enter the Imperial College in Beijing. Then, hey, it's easy!
Thinking of this, Third Young Master Xu stood up from the bucket with a bang and called out to the outer room, "Xiao Qi, let's go back to the Duke Dingguo's Mansion to live."
Ah—Xu Xiaoqi was gnawing on a chicken leg, his mouth dripping with oil. Hearing the young master's call, he quickly put it down, wiped his hands hastily, and walked in through the curtain.
We just settled in and haven't even had time to sit down yet, but you want to move again. What's wrong with this young master?
………………Dividing line………………
The emperor personally arranged it, and the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard immediately spread a wide net like crazy and began to investigate and arrest the Wenxiang Sect.
Luanzhou, Shifokou.
Although Wang Sen, the leader of the Wenxiang Sect, was beheaded by the imperial court, he left a large sum of money to his son Wang Haoxian.
Wang Haoxian, however, was not idle at all. He spent his family wealth, preached to the Christians, and created the "Fragrant Religious Capital" - Shifokou.
Moreover, Wang Haoxian was very cunning. On the one hand, he cooperated with the court and pretended to be a good citizen. On the other hand, he secretly planned an uprising with Shandong Xu Hongru, Beizhi Zhou Yin and other religious leaders in order to seize the world.
Although Shifokou is a manor, it is built in a very grand manner, with a circumference of four li, solid walls all around and a majestic gate.
Two large archways were built at both ends of the east-west streets in the manor, engraved with "Master of Qingshan" and "Reincarnation of Maitreya" respectively.
As the leader of the Wang family, they displayed a special style:
The inner courtyard has a living room, study, embroidery building, and garden, while the side courtyard has a guard hall, martial arts field, kitchen, and fish pond...
Outside the city, there is a huge group of temples; at the foot of the mountain in the northeast of the city is the "Shenzhu Temple", which houses a two-meter-high red granite statue of Maitreya Buddha.
Even more magnificent is the royal mausoleum, which is similar to an "imperial mausoleum" - it covers an area of one hundred acres and has twenty-four "turtle-base coiled dragon carved steles". The common people call them "turtle-carrying stone steles".
As night fell, lights began to light up at the entrance of the Stone Buddha, and the Wang family's inner courtyard was even brighter and more magnificent.
At Houweifeng Mountain, a few miles away from Shifokou, thousands of officers and soldiers had arrived and were listening to the officers planning the operation.
At this time, thousands of Zunhua officers and soldiers, as well as several yamen runners brought from the county government by the Jinyiwei, learned the purpose of this trip - to wipe out the headquarters of the Wenxiang Sect that was about to raise the flag of rebellion, and to capture the leader of the Wenxiang Sect, Wang Haoxian.
"All intersections must be sealed off. No one is allowed to escape." Commander Shi Zhou Tianbao glanced at the soldiers fiercely and said sternly, "Surround them first, then push inward. It must be so tight that not even a mosquito can escape."
After saying that, Zhou Tianbao fixed his gaze on several general flag officers.
"I obey your orders." Several general flag officers bowed and saluted.
Zhou Tianbao nodded and stepped back, and several Jinyiwei appeared in front of everyone.
Luo Yangxing stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "This mission was ordered by His Majesty, and there can be no mistakes. If Wang Haoxian is allowed to escape, he will be punished."
After a pause, Luo Yangxing emphasized, "Wang Haoxian swindled a lot of money from the ignorant people and women to build this manor. You must not be blinded by money and lose your composure when taking action."
Zhou Tianbao said viciously, "Anyone who dares to steal the property will be beheaded immediately. Don't blame me for being ruthless."
Luo Yangxing pursed his lips and said, "If you do this job well, the emperor will reward you handsomely. You should consider whether losing your head is more appropriate or whether completing the job is more important."
Seeing Luo Yangxing's gaze, Zhou Tianbao stepped forward to take over the command, pointed at the generals and said sternly, "Have you all listened carefully? Keep your men in check and march out."
Following the order, the yamen runners did not dare to delay and acted as guides, leading the officers and soldiers to the important roads and surrounding Shifokou.
"Capturing Wang Haoxian and prying his mouth open will be a great achievement," Luo Yangxing whispered to his men. "This is a major case of rebellion and conspiracy. We can't fall behind the East Depot."
"Don't worry, sir." Several Jinyiwei bowed and accepted the order, followed the officers and soldiers and were responsible for supervision.
Luo Yangxing raised his head and looked in the direction of Shifokou, feeling confident.
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