The master and servant hurried along the way, and spent a quiet but warm and comfortable New Year's Eve in an inn halfway. When they arrived in Dingjing, it was already the fifth day of the first lunar month.
In a shabby alley in the east of Dingjing, two small figures appeared quietly. The master and servant rented a small courtyard and paid half a year's rent, which cost half of their savings. The owner charged them 10% less because he saw that they were young and sweet.
"Our street is called Huaxiang. There are flower sellers on this side and there are also flower sellers on the other side, but they sell different flowers." The woman raised her eyebrows and showed a somewhat disgusted expression, "You two girls should go out less at night, so as not to encounter bad things."
The woman looked at the two thin and small girls in front of her, and couldn't help but feel a little pity and care. The master and servant wore blue-gray coarse cloth clothes. They were dressed as men for the convenience of walking, but if you look closely, you can still see their original gender.
Mu Zhuohua's mother grew up in a brothel, so she was naturally good at dressing up. Mu Zhuohua was influenced by her mother since she was a child, and she learned a lot from her. She just changed the way of dressing up a little. Others thought about how to dress up, but she did the opposite. She simply painted a few strokes on her face to cover up the bright colors between her eyebrows. At first glance, others thought she was a little delicate and simple girl, and they didn't have any fantasies or hostility. Even a shrewd and snobbish woman like the landlord couldn't help but feel a little pity for her when she looked at her moist black eyes, and said a few more words of concern.
Mu Zhuohua showed his pass to the woman, but the woman was illiterate and waved her hand and pushed it back. Mu Zhuohua said with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Aunt Lu. The two of us are going to Beijing to take part in the imperial examination. We will definitely not cause any trouble for you."
When Mrs. Lu heard this, she was immediately surprised and said: "You look so young, but I didn't expect you to be a female scholar!"
Mu Zhuohua lowered her head shyly and said: "My mother died early, so my father let me study with him for a few years."
After hearing this, Aunt Lu felt more pity and love for Mu Zhuohua.
"I see, that's how it is. It's amazing that you're so motivated. Although the imperial examinations are now open to women, female candidates are still very rare. If you and your servant encounter any difficulties in the capital, just come and see me. I live three miles away."
Mu Zhuohua listened carefully, nodded gratefully, and bowed to the woman with a smile to thank her: "Thank you for your advice." He took out a sachet from his sleeve and said, "I see that you look a little tired. You must be dreaming and having trouble sleeping. I have a sachet here. Putting it under your pillow will help you sleep. You might as well try it."
The woman saw that the sachet was exquisitely embroidered, and she couldn't help but take it with excitement. She put it to her nose and sniffed it, and she smelled a medicinal fragrance, which made her feel much more at ease.
"How can I be so embarrassed?" The woman said with a smile on her face, holding the sachet tightly and not letting it go, "I didn't expect you had this skill."
Mu Zhuohua smiled and said, "Someone in my family is a doctor. I have learned a little bit from him since I was a child."
No one would make things difficult for a doctor, let alone a girl who smiled so cutely.
"The needlework is also very good. I guess your mother must be a lady from a wealthy family." The woman praised her with a few words.
Mu Zhuohua smiled and nodded.
The woman left with the sachet contentedly.
Guo Juli felt sorry for the sachet: "Miss, you spent a long time making that sachet. You can use precious spices in it."
Mu Zhuohua didn't think so. "If not for this, I wouldn't have sent her away. Juli, we still have to stay in Dingjing for a while. I didn't expect the cost of Dingjing would be so high. We have to think of a way to make money." Over the years, she has received a monthly stipend of two taels of silver in the Mu family. Sometimes, when there is a happy event, such as her father taking another concubine, she can get a few more taels of money. There is not much to spend money on in the Mu family. Over the years, she has saved more than one hundred taels of silver. Although this may not be as much as the hairpin her father gave to the concubine, it is still a considerable amount of money. She thought it could support the expenses in Dingjing for one or two years, but now it seems that after paying the rent, it is only enough to cover the expenses for three to five months.
Guo Juli tried hard to think about how to make money: "Miss, do you want to sell sachets?"
Mu Zhuohua smiled and said, "This is just a by-product. This lady is a talkative person. We have to let others know that we have some medical skills through her. Women in their forties and fifties often have hidden diseases, but they are ashamed to ask doctors. I have read a lot of medical skills over the years and I believe I can still treat gynecological diseases."
Few people in the Mu family know that Mu Zhuohua knows medical skills, and her enlightenment to medical skills comes from Gu Yixiao. When Gu Yixiao was a child, her family suffered a great change and fell into a brothel. Her mind was a little unclear and she forgot a lot of things in the past, but she could recite a lot of medical books. Mu Zhuohua was influenced and started reading medical books since she learned to read. A wealthy family like the Mu family naturally has one or two doctors with great medical skills. Although Mu Zhuohua is not favored in the Mu family, she is a lady after all. If she wants to learn something, the doctor will not drive her away. Mu Zhuohua secretly read the medical books in Mu Rong's study while following the doctor to identify herbs. After a few years, even the doctor was amazed at her talent in medicine.
Guo Juli nodded vigorously and said seriously: "Miss is the best, but don't worry, if it doesn't work, I will go to move bricks to support you, and I won't let you starve."
Mu Zhuohua burst into laughter and poked Guo Juli's forehead: "I'm afraid you'll starve."
Guo Juli was born with supernatural power and a big appetite like a cow. When he was a child, he was sold to the Mu family. Because he was clumsy and ate a lot, he was kicked around and finally fell into the room of the submissive Mu Xiaoqi. The masters of other families treated their servants harshly, but this Miss Qi was different. She deducted her own food to feed the little maid. At that time, Guo Juli ate voraciously, looking at the smiling Miss Seven with tears in his eyes, choking and saying: "Miss, you are more beautiful than the Bodhisattva in the temple, and the Bodhisattva didn't give me anything to eat."
Mu Zhuohua smiled: "You can't say that, maybe... it was the Bodhisattva who arranged for you and me to meet."
Guo Juli suddenly realized that she and Miss were destined by heaven.
Dingjing was very lively in the first month of the year. Mu Zhuohua and Guo Juli changed into a scholar's blue shirt and spent three days walking around Dingjing.
In Dingjing, the north is noble, the south is rich, the west is poor, and the east is humble. The north city is the imperial city, and the surrounding areas are all high-ranking officials and nobles. The rich people mostly live in the south city. The west city is the main road for land trade, and most of the residents are ordinary people. The east city is next to the seaport, and all kinds of people live here. In the eyes of the nobles, these people are worse than ordinary people and belong to the untouchables. However, this east city is also the most prosperous place in Dingjing.
Mu Zhuohua went to the capital this time to participate in the joint examination held in March. Thanks to the efforts of the previous empresses of the Chen Kingdom to reform the imperial examination, women also have the right to study and take the imperial examination. Last year, she secretly participated in the provincial examination under the name of burning incense without telling her family, and got a good ranking. Since then, she has been secretly preparing for this year's joint examination. Even if there is no marriage with County Magistrate Zhuang, she will definitely flee the Mu family.
The young men and women of the Mu family secretly laughed at Mu Xiaoqi for being stupid. Other children were vying for fine clothes, food, gold, silver and jewelry, but Mu Xiaoqi, a child without a mother, could not compete and could only read books in the school. Mu Zhuohua read books quickly and memorized them quickly. After a few years, she finished reading all the books in the school and secretly read the books in Mu Rong's study. Those books were not all books of saints and sages, but more of miscellaneous books, strange travel records, geomancy and medical skills, and even many erotic pictures, which she read with relish. Mu Rong would not go to the study for ten days or half a month. The books in the study were just for decoration, but even if they were for decoration, he would buy the best. He also found some rare books worth thousands of gold and put them on the bookshelf casually, allowing Mu Zhuohua to read them. The eldest lady had discovered that Mu Zhuohua secretly went to the study to read books, but reading books was not stealing books to sell, so she turned a blind eye. Mu Xiaoqi, this nerd, was the one who made her least worry among all the concubines' children.
Mu Zhuohua was born beautiful, but she knew from a young age that beauty is not necessarily a good thing. Since she saw her face becoming more and more beautiful in the mirror, she secretly used eyebrow makeup to cover herself up. In the eyes of outsiders, Mu Zhuohua is just an ordinary and pretty girl. When she smiles, she looks honest and well-behaved. When she looks at people, her black and moist eyes reveal a twelve-point sincerity and trust, which makes people always reluctant to embarrass her. If she had not gone out for an outing that day and her makeup was wet by the sudden heavy rain, she would not have been noticed by County Magistrate Zhuang.
So when she arrived in Dingjing, Mu Zhuohua was more careful to conceal her appearance. She specially prepared a water-insoluble makeup cream to avoid accidents. When dealing with people, she behaved honestly and kindly, and made money with harmony.
There were still three months before the imperial examination, but the atmosphere in Dingjing had gradually begun to be tense. Most students from all over the country would come to Dingjing a few months in advance to adapt to the local climate and soil. During these months, students from all over the country would review their studies and make a name for themselves, discuss the test in major restaurants, and leave their own calligraphy, trying to make their talent and reputation resound throughout Dingjing and reach the ears of the chief examiner. Although the imperial examination is mainly based on examinations, the bonus of talent and reputation is icing on the cake. If it really doesn't work, it is also a good thing to be noticed by some powerful people and accepted as a retainer. If you can become the son-in-law of the adults, it would be even more hehehe... With all kinds of little thoughts in mind, the literati and scholars put all their efforts into the major poetry and literary gatherings, and for a while, there were hundreds of schools of thought and spit flying.
Wenzheng Building is the most famous of the several literary buildings. When the master and servant arrived at Wenzheng Building, the first floor was already shoulder to shoulder and it was difficult to step down. Guo Juli took Mu Zhuohua's hand and squeezed into the crowd with his natural strength. There was a three-foot square platform in the atrium of the first floor. On the platform stood a screen. A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar was holding a wolf-hair brush and writing. Everyone held their breath and watched this scene.
Guo Juli asked in confusion: "What is he doing?"
A scholar next to him glanced at the master and servant and explained in a low voice: "He is asking questions. Do you see the jar over there?"
Mu Zhuohua looked at a wine jar under the stage. The wine jar was half a person tall and there was a bamboo pole next to it.
"That is the 'Literary Forum'. The shopkeeper of Wenzheng Building invited the most famous literary masters in Dingjing to ask questions anonymously. The questions are all placed in this jar. At this time every day, a question will be drawn from the literary forum and debated by the students present. The winner can write his name on the literary list."
Mu Zhuohua looked in the direction pointed by the scholar and saw the literary list on the wall. There were more than a dozen names written on it, but the fonts of the first three were painted with a layer of light gold to show the honor.
Mu Zhuohua's eyes fell on the first person in the line, only to hear Guo Juli read out word by word seriously: "Shen, Jing, Hong, Zheng."
The scholar smiled: "The word Zheng means he won five games."
Guo Juli muttered: "Five games, not many, only one more than the second place."
The scholar sighed: "But, he only arrived in Dingjing six days ago."
Mu Zhuohua was surprised and said: "He won every game?"
The scholar nodded, with an amazed look on his face: "Poetry, songs, classics and policy essays, he never lost a single game. I'm afraid he will be the top scholar this year."
At this point, the test questions on the stage had been written, and everyone read out in unison:
"Raising a tiger is a disaster."
For a moment, everyone was shocked.
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