The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 023 The Young Will Surpass In Time Part 1
It was impossible for Tang Shen to hide Xu Hui's matter from his teacher. When Liang Song asked, he hesitated for a bit and then told him.
Tang Shen said: “Yu Zhi said, originally he didn't want to bother me, but sir, you were in Jinling at the time, and the matter was very important, so he had no choice but to come here to try his luck."
Liang Song: "I indeed did not want him to come to you."
Tang Shen was stunned and looked up at Liang Song.
Liang Song: "Shen'er, since he has told you who that Taoist Hua is and why he wants to get information from the Taoist Hua, you should know what is involved behind this."
Tang Shen replied in his heart, wasn't it just the palace coup more than 20 years ago? He said nothing, and lowered his head in silence. But even if he didn't say it, Liang Song knew that he knew it in his heart.
Liang Song let out a long sigh.
This student of his, though he was young he was very mature when dealing with his own take in dealing with others. Xu Hui told Tang Shen about the matter, naturally Tang Shen would secretly investigate the truth of the matter and find out what he, his teacher, had been busy with in the past few months. Even if Tang Shen didn't say it, he knew that Tang Shen knew it.
Liang Song said earnestly: "I know that you don't really want to be an official."
Tang Shen: "No..." Officialdom was dangerous with many ups and downs like the rolling sea. No one could guarantee that they could safely weather the waves. Tang Shen's goal was to pass the imperial examination and become a wealthy village gentleman from now on. He would eat well and drink well every day in this beautiful southern land, and live a good and stable life with his sister.
"Alright, as your teacher, how could I not know the thoughts in your heart?"
"...Sir, you understand me."
"You are not wrong to think so. You once said that the rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone. It is a good thing to have such ambitions, but as your teacher, I have never hoped for you to apply this to yourself. Today's Song Dynasty seems peaceful, but the Liao people in the north still watches with coveting eyes. If you can spend your life in peace and happiness, this is also my wish."
The two of them walked to the end of the alley. Liang Song stopped and said seriously: "What Yu Zhi asked you to do has nothing to do with you from today on. Don't interfere."
Tang Shen was stunned.
Liang Song smiled and said: "Tang sanyuan, go back. There is a lot of documents waiting for me at the yamen. I have to go back and review them!"
The steward of the Liang Manor had been waiting in the alley for a long time. Liang Song boarded the carriage. Before leaving, Tang Shen quickly stepped forward, stood under the carriage, and shouted: "Sir!" Liang Song opened the curtain and saw the handsome boy standing under the willows. He said seriously: “Sir said that you wish I can be happy and healthy in this life. I also want to say this to sir. I also wish you a happy and long life!"
Liang Song looked at Tang Shen for a long time and said, "Okay!"
Tang Shen watched Liang Song leave at the entrance of the alley.
"Ai, I wonder if sir will listen."
Tang Shen felt very worried. As a modern person, although he was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and memorized Confucius's sentence "The emperor is the emperor, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, and the son is the son," but he only memorized and could not fully agree. In the world of his previous life, at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, Prime Minister Lu Xiufu jumped into the sea and died for his country with his young lord in his arms. One hundred thousand subjects died fervently for their beliefs. He had heard the saying, “No ‘China’ after the Song dynasty, no ‘Chinese’ after the fall of the Ming, no Han after the Qing, no trust after the Cultural Revolution, and no morals after the reforms”. He admired these righteous men, but he could not empathize with them and would not do so.
Even if in the palace coup twenty-five years ago, the crown prince and Zhong daru were framed and did not really want to force a coup. But today in the Song Dynasty, the country was prosperous and the people were at peace. The current emperor was not a good emperor, but he was not an incapable one either. He was addicted to cultivating immortality, but he did not completely use the crafty and fawning. There was still hope for this country.
"What exactly does sir want to do!" Tang Shen looked up to the sky and sighed.
Back home, Tang Shen was just feeling gloomy when after walking in, he found that there were guests in the courtyard.
Tang Shen did not expect to see Tang juren here, and this time it was not only Tang juren, but also Madam Tang, the housekeeper of the Tang Manor, and even Tang Yun.
Looking at this aplomb, he wondered what it was about.
Tang Shen stepped forward and said, "Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, Elder Cousin."
Tang juren was a little embarrassed.
When Tang Shen first came to Gusu City last year, Tang juren deliberately looked down on Tang Shen and Tang Huang because he was angry with Tang xiucai. Although Tang juren specially held a three-day and three-night flowing banquet for Tang Shen after Tang Shen passed the examination, he still felt quite embarrassed when he saw Tang Shen now.
Tang juren was in a dilemma so Madam Tang said first: "Shen'er, we are here to congratulate you on winning the top spot in the academy examination and the title of sanyuan in the tongshi examination!"
That's it?
If it was just to congratulate him on gaining the title of sanyuan, there shouldn't be such grandness. There must be other things. Tang Shen had doubts but didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Eldest Aunt."
Tang juren found the opportunity to speak: "Shen'er, I didn't expect you to be so talented. You are the first child to pass the examination as the sanyuan in our Tang family."
"Eldest Uncle is joking. It's just a tongshi examination. I haven't taken part in the xiangshi examination yet."
Tang juren didn't know what to say.
Seeing this, Madam Tang sighed and said: "Shen'er, beating around the bush is not the way. I'll tell you the truth. Today I came with your uncle and cousin to take you back to the Tang family ancestral hall to worship your ancestors. I know that your father once said that he would never return to the Tang family in this life. But we are a family after all. You have received the title of sanyuan which is such a big happy event. The members of the Tang clan got the news this morning and wanted to celebrate for you."
Tang Shen: "So that's what happened."
In ancient times, when scholars participated in imperial examinations, it was fine if they were scholars from poor families as there were not many rules. But if a scholar from an aristocratic or literati family passed the imperial examinations, he must worship his ancestors in the ancestral hall and inform his ancestors of their descendant's achievements. For an influential family like the Tang family, becoming a xiucai was not enough to open the hall to worship ancestors. Tang Shen's xiucai father did not open the hall to worship his ancestors, nor did Tang juren when he became a xiucai. But after Tang juren passed the juren exam, he opened the hall to worship his ancestors.
Now, although Tang Shen was only a xiucai, he was at the Sam Stone a sanyuan of the tongshi and was worthy of opening the hall to worship his ancestors.
Tang juren said: "Nephew, I was wrong before. Ai, just like your eldest aunt said, as an elder, I shouldn't blame you for the things of the previous generation. You scored the sanyuan for the tongshi examination, it stands to reason that the Tang family shall open the ancestral hall for you, are you willing?"
Tang Shen thought for a moment and asked, "What Eldest Uncle refers to is when the old madam passed away, my father didn't go back to Gusu City for the funeral?"
Tang juren: "Since you know it, why bother bringing it up anymore? This is already in the past."
Tang juren's father had two sons, one was Tang juren and the other was Tang xiucai. Tang juren believed that his mother was very kind to Tang xiucai. No matter the estrangement between him and Tang xiucai, when his mother passed away, Tang xiucai should not have ignored it! He couldn't let go of this matter, and now he felt guilty towards Tang Shen because he just realized that he shouldn't blame the Tang siblings for Tang xiucai's fault.
Tang Shen said: "I will naturally go to worship my ancestors. There ia just something I want to ask Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt to help me with."
Tang juren asked: "What is it?"
Tang Shen: "Let my sister and I offer a stick of incense to the old madam on behalf of our father."
Tang juren was stunned and speechless.
The next day, Tang Shen and Tang Huang went to the Tang family's ancestral hall together and offered incense sticks for the old Madam Tang. Tang Shen felt relieved. He felt that from now on he would not owe anything to the Tang family again.
Tang juren said: "Nephew, I was wrong about what happened before!"
Tang Shen: "Eldest Uncle is too courteous."
Tang Shen became the sanyuan for the tongshi examination, and all the Tang clan members from the five counties of Gusu City came. Tang juren was in charge of opening the ancestral hall. In front of the ancestors’ tablets, he first told heaven and earth about the deeds of descendant Tang Shen. The clansmen made congratulations one after another, and Tang juren held a flowing banquet for Tang Shen with one hundred tables for three days and three nights in Gusu City.
When this series of events ended, Tang Shen finally returned home. He threw himself on the bed and said, "If I were to take the title of jieyuan in the xiangshi examination, won't the fuss be even greater. I would probably die from exhaustion while worshiping ancestors!"
Tang Huang happened to hear this when she entered the room. The little girl said happily: "Brother, you will score a jieyuan title?"
Tang Shen: "I didn't say that. Don't slander me."
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't believe it. But if it's my brother, he will definitely take the title!"
Tang Shen didn't know whether to laugh or cry: You are really a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. Those who don't know are fearless! Taking the title of jieyuan was easy to say, but it was not as easy as scoring the regional number one in the college entrance exam in the previous life. Moreover, the area where Tang Shen was currently located would be regarded as the hellishly difficult Jiangsu province college entrance examination in the future! Taking the jieyuan title was equivalent to getting the top spot in Jiangsu Province, and it was a top spot that only showed once in three years!
Tang Shen: “Alright, why did you come to me?"
Tang Huang remembered: "We have been eating at Eldest Uncle's home for the past few days, and have not come back once. We finally got home today, and Aunt Yao asked me to ask you what we should eat in the evening. In the past few days, it was Tang juren celebrating for you. And today, brother, our own family is celebrating for you."
Tang Shen felt warm in his heart: "Okay, ask Yao San to call Accountant Lin and his family, and then go to the Liang Manor to see if Mr. Liang is available."
"Okay. Then what shall we eat?”
Tang Shen thought about it and suddenly said: "Just eat hot pot!"
Not long, Yao San called Accountant Lin and his family over. Mr. Liang didn't come. Gusu City government affairs were busy and he hadn't finished handling them yet. However, he asked Yao San to take back a copybook and give it to Tang Shen, and tell him: "I left in a hurry that day, and I have been busy writing the copybook these days. I've yet to congratulate you for getting the title of sanyuan in the tongshi. As your teacher I give you this copybook, and I hope you can practice your calligraphy well and win the first spot in the xiangshi examination as well."
Tang Shen: "..."
Tang Huang asked strangely: "Brother, didn't you say that your handwriting is very good and Liang daren praised it?"
Tang Shen hid the copybook behind his back and said shamelessly: “Sir asked me to practice calligraphy. It doesn't mean that I am not good at writing. You little girl, do you know that there is no end to learning! Learn and live until you are old. My teacher wants me to practice calligraphy only because he wants me to decorate something that is already perfect!”
Tang Huang: "As if I really believe it."
Tang Shen: "..."
I'm afraid this sister was picked up from the trash!
Before Tang Shen could say anything more, Tang Huang ran to the kitchen: "Aunt Yao, Liang daren said that my brother's handwriting is not good, so he gave him a copybook to practice calligraphy!"
Tang Shen: "..." Don't you understand that family scandals should only be kept behind closed doors?!
At night, the Tang siblings, the Yao family mother and son, and Accountant Lin and his family all sat in the courtyard. There was a big mulberry tree planted in the yard, and Aunt Yao placed a table under the big tree. Eating under the tree on summer nights was very lively under the bright moonlight.
Aunt Yao: "Little boss, according to what you said, I brought a boiler and an iron pot, and washed some vegetables and fruits. It's just that you said I should slice the pork and mutton into thin slices. I don't know how to do it, so I just cut them as thin as possible. Do you think this is okay?"
Tang Shen took a look and saw that the pork and mutton were cut very thin. Although they were not nearly transparent like in the modern times, they were still good.
In ancient times, it was forbidden to eat beef. Unless approved by the government, anyone who ate beef would be imprisoned and punished, because cows were ancient production tools. Cows plow the fields, and every cow was a huge asset. Ordinary people would not kill their own cattle. This would be a suicide attempt. The government also did not allow private slaughter of cattle.