Chapter 44 The Princess's Scholar (1) (1/2)

Lin Shiheng stood up and walked around the house.

This is a very narrow house, with only some light by the window, and the air is humid.

It is very shabby, but in the original owner's memory, this is already the best house in the family.

Because he is the only one in the family who studies, so he is given the house to use.

He received the memory and was a little surprised.

This time, his body did not do anything to let others down.

To be precise, he never had the intention of harming others.

The original owner's identity is a farmer's son. Although the house looks so shabby, his family is considered to be a relatively well-off family in the village, otherwise he would not be able to afford to study.

This is a big family, and the grandparents are still alive, so the family has not been divided. The original owner's father is the youngest son in the family, with two older brothers. At the beginning, they got married one after another, but I don't know why the children born by their wives were all daughters. When there were three granddaughters in the family, the original owner's father got married and got the original owner's son.

Because he was the only grandson in the family, the original owner was very favored. This favor was slightly reduced when his aunt-in-law gave birth to a son when he was five years old. After all, the elders love younger children.

In this dynasty, the eldest son or the legitimate son usually inherits the family business, and the remaining children can only get very few properties, so the second son can only try to take advantage of it before the family is divided. Originally, the original owner's parents thought that there was only one male child in the family, their son, and they would definitely get a lot of property after the family is divided. But they didn't expect that the eldest sister-in-law also gave birth to a son. The male child born by the eldest son is more precious than their son in any way.

Moreover, in the past five years, because they are the parents of the only male child in the family, the two have long been accustomed to having a say in everything at home. The two brothers and sisters-in-law are tolerant of them. Now that they feel that they are not treated as usual, how can they not be anxious?

They didn't intend to harm the eldest brother and the eldest sister-in-law's children. They just used the money they secretly saved to find a fortune teller, pretending to meet by chance, and told the original owner's grandfather that there was purple air on the original owner's head and he would be a high official in the future.

For the original owner's grandfather, who had been a mud-legged peasant all his life and had to bow and scrape to the soldiers guarding the city gate, this was like a big gold nugget falling from the sky.

He believed in the fortune teller's words without a doubt, otherwise why would he not take the money!

It was precisely because of this belief that the original owner's treatment returned to the past as his parents wished, or even better than before.

He was instilled with the idea that he should study hard and become a high official in the future. At first, only his grandparents said so, and later his parents also said so. In the end, even though the original owner was not even a student at that time, the people in the village would compliment him that he would be a high official in the future and should not forget his fellow villagers when he became rich.

But the imperial examination in ancient times was much more difficult than the modern college entrance examination. After all, at that time, whether it was a noble family or a farmer's son, they would do their best for the imperial examination. Especially the country called Wei was in its heyday at this moment, with a large population, and the imperial examination was even more like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

The original owner was not smart. Under the pressure from his elders, he could only force himself to learn and recite. It was okay before. Although the process was difficult, the original owner still passed the college examination and successfully became a scholar. When he just breathed a sigh of relief, the rainbow farts of the people around him who believed in him put him under great pressure again.

Everyone thought that the imperial examination was easy for him. Even his parents who paid for a fortune teller at the beginning thought that he could do it under the influence of the people around him, but only the original owner knew that he could not do it.

But he couldn't say that he couldn't do it, because now his family was doing their best to support him to study, and let him worship the teacher and go to school in the city. His scenery outside was obtained by the family's frugality.

If he gave up now, how could he face his family?

Under such pressure, the original owner dared to sleep only two and a half hours a day, and basically started reading and studying as soon as he woke up. He was not very smart, but not stupid either. With this diligence and desperate study, he was lucky enough to pass the provincial examination and became a juren.

According to the next process, he would go to Beijing to take the imperial examination.

The family was extremely excited, and they were more convinced that the fortune teller was right, that the original owner was born to be a high-ranking official.

Going to Beijing to take the examination required money. Although some people in the family had contributed, they were poor and there were not many rich people in the family, so there was not much money to be raised. The original owner's ranking was not high, and no one came to curry favor with him and give him money. Only a few matchmakers came to match the original owner with the daughters of rich families in the city.

These marriages were firmly rejected by the original owner's grandfather.

His grandson was a high-ranking official, so how could he marry a merchant's daughter?

If there was no money, then he would raise it.

The original owner watched his family discuss selling land to support him to take the examination in Beijing, and he was in great pain.

He finally couldn't help it and told his elders that he didn't want to take the exam again, and just wanted to use his status as a juren to be a hou vacancy.

As soon as he said this, he was immediately opposed by the whole family.

The family just thought that the original owner was worried about not being able to raise money, and comforted him that it was nothing for the family to suffer a little for a while, and when he became a high official in the future, the family would naturally rise.

The original owner's obstruction was as ineffective as before. His family sold their land and collected the money to give to him so that he could go to Beijing to take the exam.

But he felt that he was lucky to pass the exam. The imperial examination gathered all the imperial examination candidates in the world. How could he stand out from them?

The original owner was more and more worried, and he spent more and more time studying. His health gradually became worse. When the time came to go to Beijing to take the exam, he dragged his weak body onto the carriage. He wanted to give it a try, but he didn't expect that he would have a cold as soon as he arrived in Beijing. He kept getting hot and cold and never got better. The money he had originally intended to use for the return trip was used to hire a doctor. The day before the imperial examination, the original owner just got better, but he was drowsy during this period, and there was no ink in his heart.

When he went out on the street that afternoon, he found a man sneakily saying something to a young man in luxurious clothes. The young man looked hesitant. The two talked for a while and left together.

There was a bamboo tube on the ground, which was obviously left by the two people. The original owner picked it up and chased after them to return it, but he couldn't find the two people.

He opened the bamboo tube and found some questions inside.

At that time, there were already various examination questions or predicted questions for sale in the market. The original owner just thought that the man was also selling these. He opened it and took a look, and found that the difficulty of these questions was indeed quite high.

He did the first thing he regretted in his life. He returned to the inn and did these questions himself.

On the day of the examination, the original owner was surprised to find that the questions he bought were exactly the same as the questions he wrote. He wrote as if he had a divine blessing. When the results were announced, he was the first, member.

The shopkeepers and guests in the restaurant where he stayed came to congratulate him, and those arrogant talents also looked at him with envy and congratulated him.

Only the original owner was panicked.

He knew that his results were stolen.

He was able to conceal the examination, but what about the palace examination?

The imperial examination is a capital crime. It doesn't matter if he dies, but what if he implicates his family?

I heard that the palace examination is written by the adults and submitted to the emperor for selection. Now even if he wants to buy the test questions, how can he buy them?

The original owner couldn't eat or sleep. When he saw the person who lost the questions again, he gritted his teeth and chased him, and finally successfully bought the questions for the palace examination.

Although there were a lot of them, he still gritted his teeth and wrote them all down. When he took the palace examination, he saw the familiar questions.

The original owner was not a genius, and his knowledge was not good, but he had a good appearance. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was a bright moon among many tribute scholars.

The emperor smiled and said that his knowledge matched his appearance very well. He selected him as the third place in the court. After asking if he was married, he granted him the marriage to the eldest princess.

The original owner became a son-in-law in this way.

Unlike the conventional routine, he has always been obsessed with reading and has never had contact with any woman. His family was determined that he would become an official, so even when he was old, he was never engaged. For the original owner, becoming a son-in-law did not have any emotional legacy issues.

Moreover, even if he became a son-in-law in this dynasty, he could still be an official, and he would not be bullied because of his status as a royal relative.

Although the eldest princess's mother died early, her brother was just an unpopular prince who had not yet entered the six ministries, which was also an excellent marriage for the original owner.

He made up his mind to treat the eldest princess well, try not to participate in those gatherings that might expose his true achievements, and bring his parents and relatives to the capital to take care of them with all his heart.

Originally, everything had been planned, but on the eve of the wedding, he received a letter saying that someone knew about his imperial examination. If he wanted to avoid being exposed, he would tell him all the movements of the eldest princess after becoming a son-in-law.

The princes in the court gradually grew up. The original owner had noticed the princes fighting for the position of the crown prince, but he did not expect that the fight for the throne would involve the eldest princess.

As the son-in-law and the eldest princess's bedmate, did he really have to sell out his wife for himself?

He was too worried and did not know how to make a choice. He fell into a coma on the wedding night and fell seriously ill.

What made him grateful and guilty was that the eldest princess did not dislike him. Instead, she kept inviting the imperial physician to treat him and brought his family to take care of his family while he was bedridden.

The original owner was ill for a year. He could not betray the eldest princess and never wrote to her. Every time he wanted to end it all by committing suicide, he looked at his wife who was eagerly looking forward to his recovery and his parents and relatives who were crying, and he could not bear it.

It dragged on like this until the eldest princess's brother, the fifth prince, emerged. In order to suppress him, the other princes joined forces to dig up the imperial examination fraud of that year. The original owner was convicted and his reputation was ruined. The emperor was furious and ordered the exile of the original owner, and his family was also demoted to official slaves.

The eldest princess and the fifth prince were also implicated because they pleaded for him. In the end, the eldest princess knelt in the palace for a day and a night, and finally made the emperor relent and not pursue the original owner's family.

The original owner did not have to wait until he was exiled. When this happened, he was shocked, afraid, and ashamed. His already sick body was completely broken. He vomited blood on the spot and was dying, but he always held on until the eldest princess came back.

When the princess returned, her hair was messy and her face was tear-stained. She still sat by the bed and fed her husband medicine as usual.

The original owner knew that she had always admired the talented scholar. Although he fell down on the wedding day, she also understood some of the princess's preferences.

She loved a man with talent and responsibility, not a man who got the position of scholar by zu0'b-i.

Perhaps she realized his true talent soon after their marriage, so she was a good wife but never fell in love with him.

After meeting the princess, the original owner only had time to say sorry and left the world.

But he died, but his soul was still there.

She saw the fifth prince being ridiculed and suppressed because of his zu0'b-i, and saw the princess being ridiculed by other princesses at a party. During a royal hunting, the fifth prince was ambushed and died on the spot with a sword through his chest.

The eldest princess lost her support and cried bitterly. When she was mocked by other princesses and looked down upon by the princes, she still relied on herself to find out the real murderer who killed the fifth prince and killed him with her own hands. Finally, she was imprisoned in a Buddhist temple where royal women were imprisoned. She suffered all her life and died of depression before she was 30 years old.

The original owner should not have issued the task.

The task space also has its own selection conditions. Generally, it will only choose objects that have harmed others or have indeed done wrong things, commonly known as scumbags. After all, issuing tasks requires paying souls so that Lin Shiheng can occupy the body.

But his will was too strong, and he did cause the candidates who should have passed the exam to fail. Because of his harm to the eldest princess and the fifth prince, the task space still took over this body after asking three times as usual.

After checking the memory, perhaps because Lin Shiheng paused for too long, the system rarely jumped out and the host could choose to skip this world.

I almost forgot that I still have a system.

Lin Shiheng didn't feel uncomfortable taking over this body that had basically done nothing bad. What was the mission?

The mission in this world was to let the Lin family enjoy their old age, protect the eldest princess, and let this body live as long as possible, and become the person the person who issued the mission wanted to be the most.

What does it mean specifically?

Please pretend to be a talented person.

What does disguise mean?

Lin Shiheng shook his neck, walked to the table and picked up the brush. After dipping it in ink, it naturally fell on the rough paper in front of the table. The ink spread on the paper. After a moment, he put away the brush, and a flower appeared on the paper. With just a few strokes, it was drawn as if it was really blooming.

I was originally.

Today is the day when the Lin family's candidate goes to Beijing to take the imperial examination. It is no exaggeration to say that half of the people in the village came to see him off. After all, their village clearly recorded that the last scholar with a good reputation was in the previous dynasty eighty years ago.

This is the only scholar in their village. In addition, the Lin family spared no effort to publicize the fact that the fortune teller who passed by once said that Lin Shiheng had purple air on his head and was destined to become a high-ranking official in the future. The villagers looked at Lin Shiheng with even more expectation.

Nowadays, if one person becomes an official, everyone in their village will benefit from it. If someone really becomes an official in the future, others will have to think twice before bullying them.

The original owner stayed in the house every day and rarely came out. The villagers were also in awe of his status as a scholar. Therefore, he was not very familiar with the villagers. Now everyone dared not get too close to him when they saw him off. They just stood far behind and watched Lin Shiheng get on the ox cart, with hope for the future in their eyes.

Standing in front were the Lin family. Father and mother Lin looked a little worried, especially mother Lin. Her eyes had already turned red at this moment. She put the package on the ox cart carefully and kept reminding him.

"You are not in good health, so you must take good care of yourself on the road. Don't skimp on what you should eat, and don't worry about your family."

As she spoke, she couldn't hold back her sadness for her son who was about to go to the capital to take the exam, so she covered her mouth and turned her face away and started crying.

"Why are you crying? You are such a naive woman. Our Shi Heng is going to take the exam to become a high-ranking official. How can your crying be a good omen?"

Old Lin glared at his daughter-in-law in anger, and walked to the front of the car and looked at his grandson with a softer gaze. "But your mother is right. You are not in good health. If you feel uncomfortable, take care of your body first. No matter how good the exam ranking is, it is not as important as your health. If you feel uncomfortable during the exam, we will not take the exam first..."

"Pah, pah, pah, don't curse my grandson!"

When Grandma Lin heard her husband say this, she quickly squeezed over. Her wrinkled face was full of love for her grandson. "Shi Heng, don't be nervous, do well in the exam!"

The other two uncles, aunts, and several cousins ​​were also full of expectations for Lin Shi Heng to go to Beijing to take the exam.

Lin Shi Heng probably knew why the original owner was so stressed.

The expectations given by his family were enough to make him anxious. The whole village regarded him as hope, so it was no wonder that he studied hard.

Facing the faces in front of him, he smiled slightly and said in a weak voice like the original owner, "I know, I'm on my way now."

"Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom, uncle, aunt, take care of yourselves. I will write back immediately after the exam."

He sat back down, and under the hopeful and reluctant gazes of the Lin family, he slowly left the village on the oxcart.

According to the route, if you want to go to the capital, you must not only take an oxcart, but also a boat. The original owner's health may have collapsed because he drank raw water on the boat.

Lin Shiheng did not plan to use system drugs to complete the task this time.

After all, he insisted that he was a talented man.

Sitting in the oxcart, he lifted his sleeves, revealing his thin arms that had not been exposed to the sun for a long time.

Thin, very thin.

There is no way to describe it as weak as a chicken.

After all, the original owner studied all night long and insisted on sleeping for two and a half hours. Staying up late for a long time made him have a poor appetite. On weekdays, he consciously saved money and did not eat meat but only vegetables because he felt that his studies had used up a lot of the family's expenses.

He also thinks too much, and his brain thinks about all kinds of trivial things even when he sleeps.

He is young and has not died suddenly until now.

If you want to keep such a body long-lived...

Lin Shiheng put down his sleeves silently.

He is a man of integrity, and he will certainly do what he says.

If he says he won't use systemic drugs, then he won't use systemic drugs.

Then, take care of yourself.

Zhao He is a juren who went to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Unlike those juren who went to Beijing alone or in groups, Zhao He's family is a wealthy merchant for three generations. He happens to be the fourth generation who can take the imperial examination. There are nine cousins ​​in the family. Since childhood, they have been expected by their grandfather and parents to be handed over to the teachers who were invited back with a lot of money. In the end, only Zhao He was taught to pass the imperial examination.

In terms of diligence, Zhao He is not as good as other cousins, but who can make him have a good brain? Although he can't be called a photographic memory, he can remember many books as long as he reads them repeatedly, so he can be regarded as an excellent seed player in their city.

However, Zhao He did not interact with the candidates in the same area, and even had a bad relationship with them. The first reason was naturally because he was born into a merchant family. Although the court ordered that merchants could take the imperial examination after three generations, some of the candidates with "clean backgrounds" still looked down on the sons of merchants who were full of money.

The second reason was that Zhao He liked to enjoy life.

He was born into a wealthy family and was taken care of since he was a child. Even if he studied, he had to be taught by someone. When he was in the academy, his grades were always among the best, but because he liked fancy clothes and food, he would go to the lake to play with a group of merchants' sons when his classmates held poetry gatherings during the academy holidays. Naturally, he was out of place and did not fit in.

Fortunately, Zhao He himself did not mind. Those classmates did not play with him, and he did not play with them either. It was just that they were all young and frivolous scholars. They disliked each other and always had friction. Although Zhao He had a good memory and a higher ranking than others, his knowledge was only used in exams. He was scolded more than once every time he met them. He knew what those people meant, but he did not know how to respond. Therefore, since he found that he was on the same boat with those classmates again, he simply hid in his room in annoyance and did not go out.

It was mentioned before that Zhao He was different from most other scholars who went to Beijing to take the exam. The difference was that other people took at most one coachman and a book boy, but Zhao He took four book boys and two coachmen. The six people could ensure that he could be served comfortably no matter where he was.

Zhao He had never been out of the house too far, and he was the most beloved child in the family. His parents were worried, so they naturally had to provide him with everything.

For example, among these four servants, one is good at cooking, one is good at medicine, one is flexible and easy to use, and the other is the servant who really serves him in reading and writing. The remaining two drivers are not only drivers, but also know some martial arts. After all, the journey to the capital is long, and if they encounter robbers or something, they can only let their families feel at ease if they have someone to protect them.

It is obvious that the family loves their son sincerely, but in the mouths of those guys, it is his extravagance.

Bah!

They want to be extravagant, but do they have the money?

For example, now, because he has to hide from his classmates, Zhao He did not go out to eat, but sat in the side room, eating the hometown dishes made for him by one of the servants who is good at cooking in the boat kitchen.

While eating the tender and fragrant fish, Zhao He thought about what kind of evaluation he would get if he ate these flashy dishes in front of those classmates who said grapes were sour all day long.

They must make a lot of sour poems to satirize him.

There are so many people out there who are starving and can't even get enough to eat, but he still has to spend a lot of money just to have a meal, and even the chopsticks are handed to him by the servants. How extravagant! Merchants are merchants, blah blah...

When Zhao He thought of this, he was so angry that he couldn't eat.

If it weren't for the fact that those people had the title of Juren, he would have wanted to hire someone to throw those guys who did nothing but complain into the sea.

Just as he was gritting his teeth in hatred, he heard the sound of slow knocks on the window.

Zhao He was stunned. He looked up and found a figure standing in front of the narrow window in the wing room, knocking.

It couldn't be those guys.

He stood up with a frown, blocking the table of food, and signaled one of the servants to open the window.

The window opened, revealing a face that Zhao He had never seen before.

His facial features were clear and his temperament was gentle. Although his face was a little pale, it did not affect his appearance like the bright moon.

Just standing there, people would praise him as a good person.

This was exactly the look Zhao He disliked the most. After all, he looked rough and liked to play around. His face had been tanned long ago, unlike those white-faced scholars. He didn't think it was a big deal before. Since he entered the academy and was ridiculed by his mortal enemies for not looking like a scholar at all, he kept a distance from scholars with this appearance.

He knocked on his window even though he didn't know him. He was so white. He might be one of those new friends.

Zhao He's face darkened. He was about to show that he was not easy to bully, but he saw the scholar in the green robe bowing to him outside. His voice was gentle and polite. "I am Lin Shiheng of Ming County, with the courtesy name Qinzhi. I am honored to meet you. May I ask if you are a juren who went to the capital to take the imperial examination?"

He was so polite that Zhao He couldn't put on the gloomy expression on his face. He could only bow to Lin Shiheng as well. "I am Zhixian Zhaohe, with the courtesy name Qingtong. You are polite."

After the greeting, Zhao He was still alert. After all, whether from the clothes or the aura of this man, he seemed to be in the same group with the group of poor scholars.

"I wonder why you are here, brother?"

Lin Shiheng's pale and handsome face showed an apologetic smile. "I am sorry to bother you. I live next door. I accidentally spilled water on the mat when I was drinking. It's really hard to fall asleep in the cold weather, so I want to borrow a mat from Brother Zhao."

Zhao He was a little confused. There were mats for sale on the boat. If they got wet, he could just buy another one. But when he looked up and saw the coarse blue shirt on Lin Shiheng, he realized it again.

Yes, this scholar looked very poor. How could he have money to buy mats? Even if he did, he looked like a man without a servant. It would be very tiring for him to carry two mats on his back.

After thinking it through, Zhao He let go of his vigilance that Lin Shiheng was in a group with a few classmates. He even called him Brother Zhao directly. Zhao He didn't mind using a mat to get the goodwill of a scholar. "I happen to have an extra mat here. If Brother Lin doesn't mind me using it, I'll ask someone around to send it to your room, okay?"

"Thank you, Brother Zhao. I'm here to borrow it. How can I trouble someone around me? I'll do it myself."

Before Zhao He could refuse again, the handsome scholar disappeared by the window. It was obvious that he was coming to his door.

Sure enough, within a few seconds, the slow and familiar knock on the door came again.

The book boy came forward to open the door, revealing Lin Shiheng's handsome face like the bright moon.

Before Zhao He said anything, he bowed again.

Since someone bowed, how could he not return the greeting?

Without bothering to say "The mat is here, take it", Zhao He hurriedly followed suit to return the greeting.

Just as he looked up, he saw Lin Shiheng's eyes fell on the food on the table.

This wouldn't be another scholar who forced others to be poor because he was poor. Zhao He was just feeling a little nervous, but he heard Lin Shiheng's gentle voice, "I have also read the books of Mr. Zheng Mingzhi of Zhi County. I heard that Zhi County's food is famous all over the world, especially the steamed fish. Could it be that the steamed fish on Brother Zhao's table?"

Zhao He had really heard of Zheng Mingzhi, an old gentleman in Zhi County who liked to write travel notes. Although he was only a juren in his life, the things he wrote really made people feel like they were there. It was because he had read Mr. Zheng Mingzhi's books that he fell in love with steamed fish.

Those classmates had laughed at him for only reading such useless books before. I didn't expect that Brother Lin, who looked like a weak scholar, had such noble hobbies.

Zhao He also forgot about borrowing the quilt and smiled, "That's right."

Lin Shiheng's face immediately showed admiration.

"I've heard that this Zhixian steamed fish is delicious and the soup is rich. You'll never forget it after taking a bite. Today, I saw it and it looks delicious. I wonder which chef on the boat made it? I want to buy one too."

When he praised it, the bookboy standing in the corner immediately straightened his chest and raised his head, with a proud look in his eyes.

He was bought into the Zhao Mansion when he was young and learned to cook to serve the young master. From childhood to adulthood, this is the first time that a scholar, no, a scholar, has praised him, except for the young master.

Zhao He was also proud of his subordinates being praised, and his expression was also a little complacent. "This is not made by the people on the boat. My family members were afraid that I would not be used to the food in Beijing, so they specially sent a bookboy who can cook meals to follow me. These dishes are made by him."

Lin Shiheng did not condemn Zhao He for bringing his own cook to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Instead, envy appeared on his handsome face.

"I really envy Brother Zhao that he has such a good cook with him on his way to the exam. It's a pity that I'm afraid I won't be able to eat the world-famous Zhixian steamed fish."

Zhao He coughed dryly, trying to suppress the arrogance that wanted to rise from his eyes, "Why envy this, it's just a few dishes. If Brother Lin likes it and doesn't mind, if you haven't eaten yet, why don't you join us?"

He was just being polite. After all, scholars are more upright and would never be willing to eat with others.

Unexpectedly, Lin Shiheng smiled and sat down naturally, "In this case, I won't be polite. Thank you very much, Brother Zhao."

Zhao He, who was still waiting for him to refuse his invitation, said, "..."

He was stunned for a second before he reacted, and hurriedly sat down, "No need, no need, we all came to Beijing to take the exam, and meeting is fate."

The book boy who was excited by the praise had already taken the chopsticks and handed them to Lin Shiheng when he sat down, and said respectfully, "Master Lin, please."

Lin Shiheng stretched out his slender fingers to take the chopsticks, smiled gently and nodded, "Thank you, little brother."

After taking the chopsticks, he went to praise Zhao He again, "Everyone around Brother Zhao is really talented."

He was praised again.

The book boy retreated happily.

He thought to himself that this Master Lin was different from the Juren masters he had met before. In the past, those Juren masters would not even look at him when they met the young master.

Zhao He was also flattered by the compliment, and he immediately boasted, "That's right, the people around me grew up with me."

"No wonder they are so polite, it turns out that they are influenced by Brother Zhao."

Lin Shiheng praised again, and Zhao He was flattered. He immediately laughed and said, "Brother Lin, why do you have to do this? Come, come and eat. If you like, just come to my room if you want to eat in the future. It's just right that two people can have fun together."

"Then I won't be polite."

Don't talk when eating or sleeping. Although Zhao He was looked down upon by his classmates, he was taught since he was a child. Naturally, he had good etiquette when eating. What surprised him was that Lin Shiheng also had a sense of elegance and etiquette when eating, and at first glance, he was more standard than him.

After the meal, the pale-faced scholar sitting opposite Zhao He put down his chopsticks with a satisfied look on his face, "It is indeed well-deserved. Thank you for your hospitality today, Brother Zhao. I wonder if I can come to you to learn from you in the future?"

Zhao He was stunned. This was the first time someone wanted to learn from him. Although he had good grades, he was not popular in the academy. Apart from the teacher and his cousins ​​at home, he had never discussed with anyone.

Perhaps he was in a daze for a long time and the scholar sitting opposite him misunderstood him. He showed a bit of shame on his face and lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "To be honest with you, Brother Zhao, I didn't do well when the results were announced, and I'm not sure about going to Beijing to take the exam. That's why I want to ask for advice from the candidates who are also going to Beijing to take the exam..."

As he said that, he bowed again, "If Brother Zhao doesn't mind, I won't bother you anymore..."

Zhao He's thoughts were interrupted by this bow, and he quickly returned the bow. When he returned the bow and raised his head, he met the expectation in Lin Shiheng's handsome eyes.

How can I refuse this?

How can I refuse this!

Zhao He simply stopped thinking about it and agreed directly, "If Brother Lin is willing, I will naturally agree."

"But there is one thing that I have to let Brother Lin know. I am the son of a merchant. My family has been doing business for four generations. That's why I can take the imperial examination. If you mind, I don't blame you."

Lin Shiheng was stunned, with some confusion on his face, "Why should I mind?"

Zhao He was stunned again, "I am the son of a merchant, and I smell of money..."

"First, I didn't steal, and second, I didn't rob. What's wrong with merchants? What's more, even if they stole or robbed, it was the father's generation, what does it have to do with the descendants?"

This is the first time that Zhao He heard that scholars do not discriminate against merchants. Merchants in the previous dynasty had a low status. Although the status of merchants in this dynasty has been improved, they are still inferior people for scholars. No matter how much money they make, a small official can affect the life of a merchant.

Unexpectedly, this scholar actually thought so.

Zhao He almost thought he had met a confidant for a moment.

He said directly that Lin Shiheng could come to him anytime he wanted in the future, whether it was for food or to learn from him, he didn't mind.

When he asked the servant to send him back to the house with the mat, Zhao He, who was still happy to make a friend, suddenly felt something was wrong.

Didn't he come to borrow the mat at the beginning?

How come they had a meal and chatted.

And finally became close friends?