The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 016 Lunar New Year
When the ancients participated in the imperial examination, they had to go through four major exams: tongshi, xiangshi, huishi and dianshi.
Among them, tongshi was divided into the county examination, prefectural examination and academy examination. Tang Shen would face the county exam in three months.
There were five sessions in the county examination. The first session was the most important. It was called the main session of the county examination. Two eight-legged essays and one test poem in five characters and six rhymes were required. Ever since he made a bet with Tang Yun and decided to take the county exam, Tang Shen began to write two eight-legged essays and one test poem every day.
This was much more difficult to write than the compositions of the modern world. The eight-legged essay had strict requirements for contrast and structural patterns, and test poetry was even more hellish. Even the number of words, rhythm and rhyme of each sentence must be arranged neatly, and not a single word could be wrong.
After Liang Song read the two eight-legged essays, he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "I don't understand a word!"
Tang Shen: "..."
"Sir, it's at least better than half a month ago!"
"That's all you've got? Let me ask you, there are only three months left before the county exam. Do you really plan to just barely pass the county exam and continue to take the prefectural exam in that exam hall?"
Tang Shen's face turned green: “No way!" It was enough to suffer this kind of pain once in this life, and he would never do it a second time!
Liang Song said: "Then let's look at the first question topic, ‘the great spirit can be exceedingly great.’ You also know that this sentence comes from "Mencius·Gongsun Chou". How did you break the topic?" Before Tang Shen could answer, Liang Song answered his own question: "You break the topic——the great spirit can be exceedingly great, heaven and earth exude righteous energy; it commingles with objects and gives them forms."
Tang Shen: "Is this not a good answer?"
Liang Song laughed angrily: "Great, great! But what do you write after? There is no problem in borrowing other people's ideas to break the topic when writing an eight-legged essay. Nine out of ten candidates would do this. But you have to at least capture three out of ten of other people's charm. Let me ask you, you little rascal, after being able to write something as brilliant as the line 'heaven and earth exude righteous energy; it commingles with objects and gives them forms', why is it that the next sentence flows down so vigorously!" (TN: expression used to describe a descent in quality)
Tang Shen was speechless.
He couldn't say that, don't mention a vigorous downward flow, ten thousand of him combined couldn't compare to the great master Wen Tianxiang, let alone write an eight-legged essay worthy of "The Song of the Spirit of Righteousness".
Liang Song: "You broke the topic so ground-breakingly that any examiner's eyes would light up after seeing it. But then looking at the following, you could be considered diligent, careful and correct in your writing. Normally, you could get a third rank. But compared with the line you used to break the topic, it is simply worthless. What the eight-legged essay requires is echoing from beginning to end, the essay must be coherent..."
Tang Shen accepted the teachings earnestly.
When he first began to write the eight-legged essay, Liang Song thought his sentences were not smooth and uneven. After writing ten essays, Liang Song began to formally teach him the eight-legged essay format. So far, Tang Shen had made rapid progress. According to Liang Song, he had reached the level to pass the county examination. But if he wants to come out on top, he must work harder on breaking the topic. That was why today Tang Shen borrowed "The Song of the Spirit of Righteousness" to break the topic.
In webnovels, it was always written that when the protagonist traveled to the ancient times, they immediately showed great talent, simply casually plagiarizing the poems and songs of the ancients and becoming famous. Don't mention the county exam, they didn't even hold the palace exam in their sights.
However, after Tang Shen arrived, he could only wipe away a handful of bitter tears.
Everything in those webnovels was a lie!
Plagiarizing poems could only make you a talented person, but couldn't help you take the imperial examination!
Yes, the imperial examination required poems to be written, but even if they wrote poems, they were all test poems, "composition poems". Just like the eight-legged essay, it must follow a strict format! Not to mention the eight-legged essay itself. Tang Shen lived for more than 20 years and had a doctorate degree but he never read a single eight-legged essay. Even if he wanted to plagiarize, he couldn't. Besides, the examiner wouldn't give the exact same question topic!
While Tang Shen listened to Liang Song's teachings, he took out his small pen and wrote down Liang Song's words.
Voice pausing, Liang Song asked, "What are you writing?"
Little Tang Lang answered honestly: "Sir, although I have a super retentive memory, you speak too quickly. I am afraid that some words might not be remembered at the moment, so I am writing them down." Taking notes was an essential skill for future generations of students.
Liang Song was stunned for a long time, and then said happily: "Ai, you kiddo, go back and write two more essays!"
Tang Shen's expression collapsed.
However, it didn’t take long for him to escape from the sea of suffering. Xu Hui hurriedly entered the study with a letter and handed it to Liang Song. Liang Song opened it and took a look, his expression changed drastically, and he said to Tang Shen, "You go back first, you don't have to come tomorrow."
Tang Shen felt strange, but he did not ask, only asked: "When can this student come again?"
Liang Song thought for a while: "I will ask the steward to let you know one day in advance."
Tang Shen accepted the order and left.
Tang Shen also didn't expect that he and Liang Song would not see each other until after the New Year.
At the beginning of the first lunar month, Tang Shen got up before dawn and celebrated the New Year with Tang Huang, Yao San, and Aunt Yao.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
Tang Shen and Tang Huang were both young, and though it was custom to stay up late to greet the New Year, Aunt Yao asked them to go to bed first and she would stay up instead. The next day, the four people posted Spring Festival couplets and worshiped the gods of heaven and earth. Tang Shen took Tang Huang to visit the graves of Tang xiucai and their mother, and worshiped together again.
In the afternoon, Accountant Lin came to check the accounts.
"Happy New Year, little boss!"
"Why be in such a hurry? It won't hurt to come back to work in two days."
"Last year, I checked the accounts at Zhenbao Pavilion. The scented soaps and essential oils were sold very well. I couldn't help but want to come and tell the little boss this good news earlier."
Although Accountant Lin was old, he could calculate accounts clearly. Madam Tang did not deliberately hide the account books either. Accountant Lin got the account books of Zhenbao Pavilion for this quarter just before the New Year and calculated the earnings of last year carefully for a day.
"The scented soaps are the best sellers and have made a lot of money. The essential oils are also selling well, but they are too expensive and few people are buying them." Accountant Lin said, "Madam Tang said that last year's dividends will be brought to you today."
Before he finished speaking, people from the Tang Manor arrived, including Housekeeper Tang and Madam Tang's personal maid Haitang. The two of them paid New Year's greetings to Tang Shen and Tang Huang, gave them their New Year's gifts, and handed Tang Shen the dividends he earned last year.
The housekeeper said: "Young Master, Madam has found some clues about what happened a month ago. Madam said that when the county examination results are released, she will definitely catch that person red handed. There are many guests over today for the Lunar New Year, so Madam cannot come in person. She asked if the young master and the young lady would come over for dinner at home tonight."
Tang Shen had forgotten about this incident a long time ago. After recalling it, he realized that it was about Tang Yun coming to smash their courtyard, and Madam Tang felt that someone was instigating him behind the scenes. "No need, we have food to eat."
The housekeeper said nothing more and left with Haitang.
The New Year atmosphere in Gusu City was very strong. Until the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, people everywhere were visiting relatives and friends to pay New Year greetings.
With money in hand, Tang Shen began pondering if he should sell something else. But he conducted an on-site investigation and found that although Gusu City was rich, it was precisely because it was so rich that it lacked almost nothing! He could sell scented soap and essential oils because they were "luxury goods". At least essential oils were luxury goods and scented soaps were affordable luxury items. Tang Shen knew that without the strong financial support of the Tang family, it would not be easy to sell scented soap and essential oils.
On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, there were fewer people visiting Tang juren’s home to pay New Year greetings, so Tang Shen and Tang Huang came to pay New Year’s greetings. Madam Tang personally received the siblings. Madam Tang did not ask what Tang Shen planned to do with the dividends from the sale of scented soap and essential oils, but said, "I want to sell soap after the new year. What do you think, nephew?"
Tang Shen: "Aunt and I think the same thing. It's indeed time would not be good to delay it any longer."
Madam Tang: “Good, then I'll go prepare it. I hope this thing can sell as well as you said."
Essential oils were luxury goods that ordinary people could not afford. Scented soap was an affordable luxury product. There were many people buying it, but the number of people buying it was limited.
From beginning to end, Tang Shen’s real trump card was regular soap.
He went to the workshop on the outskirts of the city again. The workers had all gone home for the New Year. He and Yao San made a pot of soap together. Tang Shen calculated the cost of making soap and checked with the hired workshop supervisor to confirm that the cost of production had been reduced to the limit.
Yao San said: "Little boss, this soap is too cheap. We are really losing money by setting such a low price. Why not set it a little higher."
Before Tang Shen could explain, he heard the little girl beside him say abruptly: "Brother Yao, how is this still cheap? This is two copper coins more expensive than the old soap!"
Yao San was stunned: "Ah, I'm talking about this new soap, how come Ah Huang is bringing up the old soap." (TN: the kind used by ancients which are made of pig pancreas and plant ash)
Tang Huang shook her head, looking very disappointed, very much like Tang Shen half a year ago: "Brother Yao, you have also used our soap. Is it similar to the old soap?"
"Yes. But our soap is much cleaner, and the effect of washing things is much better!”
"You’re right, but our soap is very similar to the old soap after all. Our soap is not sold to a few people, but to the majority of people, with small profits but quick turnover. If it is much more expensive than the old soap, the people of Gusu City are not fools, why not just buy the old soap?”
Yao San thought for a while and suddenly realized: "So that's it."
Tang Huang imitated a pedantic old scholar, shaking her head and saying, "The child is promising and worth teaching."
Tang Shen didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and flicked her forehead: "What the child is promising and worth teaching! Where did you hear these words?"
"Accountant Lin said so, the child is promising and worth teaching. Tang Shen, you are bullying me again!"
Tang Shen straightened his expression slightly: "Who is asking you about that? What I want to ask you is, who told you that our soap is intended to be sold to most people, with small profits but quick turnover."
Tang Huang's eyes wandered: "I guessed it!"
"You guessed it my foot!" Tang Shen grabbed the back of the little girl's collar, "Don't even think about running away. Tell me clearly when you heard these things."
Tang Huang covered her eyes: "Bully, you are bullying a little girl, Tang Shen is not a human being!"
Tang Shen: "..."
What kind of an oddball family is this!
More than half of the first month had passed, and Liang Song still had not returned to Gusu City, but Ziyang Academy had already started classes again.
On the first day of school, Tang Huang and Aunt Yao prepared a food basket for Tang Shen. Tang Shen wanted to flick Tang Huang's forehead, but she nimbly dodged it.
Tang Huang: "Tang Shen wants to bully me again, you baddie!"
Tang Shen sneered: "When I come back in the evening, you have to tell me what you are doing going to the Zhenbao Pavilion every day!"
The little girl made a face.
Aunt Yao brought another thick cotton coat out of the house: “Little boss, please wear more clothes. I didn't expect that the weather would suddenly become so cold after the New Year. I heard that it snowed heavily in the south and the water froze. Even the roads are also blocked."
Tang Shen also felt a little cold, so he took the cotton coat and put it on.
Yao San came out of the house: "It's really strange. We used to see such heavy snow in Shanxi. But I have never heard of such heavy snow in Jiangnan." After sighing, he said: "Let's go, little boss, I’ll send you to the academy.”
During the Lunar New Year month, while Tang Shen was at home, Aunt Yao did a lot of cooking and fed him like crazy. Finally, Tang Shen gained some weight, but he was still very thin. He was wearing two thick cotton-padded coats and looked a bit bloated. From the back, he looked like a young master from a rich family. However, when he arrived at Ziyang Academy and saw Sun Yue, Tang Shen burst into laughter.
Fatty Sun was wrapped into the shape of a ball and let out a big sneeze when he saw Tang Shen.
Tang Shen: "Hey, if you catch the cold, don't give it to me. You're sick, and you still come to school? Are you not afraid that Principal Zheng will drive you back?"
Sun Yue grimaced: "The cold? I wish I had caught the cold, so I wouldn't have to come to school.”
After entering the classroom, Tang Shen realized that nearly half of the people in the class were missing.
Tang Shen: "What's going on?"
Sun Yue rubbed his hands that were red from the cold: "What else? They really caught the cold."
Tang Shen smiled and said: "You are wearing more clothes than me, why are your hands so frozen? Isn't it that chubby people are not afraid of the cold?"
Sun Yue glared: "Who told you this nonsense? We fat people are not allowed to be afraid of the cold?! You are obviously the strange one. Didn't you see those people outside the city? Those are the real thin people. They are all nearly frozen to death, okay!”
Tang Shen was suddenly stunned: "Who is outside the city?"
Sun Yue rubbed his hands, and as if he remembered something, his tone lowered: "Who else could it be? Refugees from the south. My mother and I went to set up a soup kitchen outside the city yesterday. There were so many people… really so many, that you can’t even see or count them all. It’s snowing heavily, and everywhere there are people.”