Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 30 Casual Chat with Friends

"Zoyasu, over here!"

As Wang You got off the carriage, he heard someone looking at him.

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw Zhao Sheng waving at him from not far away, with a young man standing beside him, who was none other than Feng Ping.

Wang You stepped forward and said with a smile, "Brother Zhao is truly generous today, actually asking He Debang to dine at Fanlou."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng glared at him and said, "Stop teasing me. It's not like you can't afford it."

The three of them did not deliberately inquire about each other's family backgrounds, but since Wang You was accompanied by two attendants, his family background was obviously not bad.

Wang You's family owns a house in the inner city, and his identity can be easily found out with a little investigation.

"Haha, how can it be the same if you come yourself and someone else invites you?" Wang You laughed.

After exchanging a few jokes, the three of them entered Fanlou Restaurant, led by the waiter.

Zhao Sheng requested a private room. After the food and wine were served, he dismissed the waiter and whispered, "I have heard that the results will be posted in three days. As for the results of the palace examination, they are not yet confirmed."

"Finally, the results will be posted." Ma Ping breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

His family was of modest means, and his expenses in Bianjing were considerable, making it difficult for him to afford.

Bazhou is an important border state in the north, but it cannot compare to the south and the Central Plains.

Although local governments provide subsidies to prodigies who participate in the prodigy examinations, it is not as comprehensive as the prefectures in the south.

They only provide ten taels of silver at a time; you'll have to pay the rest yourself.

Bai Juyi was once teased about his name, with people saying that living in Chang'an was no easy feat.

Although the Song Dynasty could not compare with the Tang Dynasty in other aspects, it far surpassed all other dynasties in history in terms of prosperity.

This was also the most prosperous period of the Song Dynasty, and the cost of living in Bianjing was much higher than during the Tang Dynasty.

Fortunately, the imperial court had a department called the Household Office, which managed many cheap rental houses.

It was one of the earliest affordable rental housing projects.

Ma Ping rented a room, which saved him a lot of money.

Wang You also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was not under financial pressure, he was worried that if things dragged on like this, the little prince would die before the palace examination even took place.

It's hard to say whether the prodigy test will be able to continue.

Now that he knows the results will be posted in three days, he feels much more at ease.

After the list of successful candidates is posted, the palace examination will be held soon.

"Debon, you're being too dramatic. I told you I have a spare house at home for you to stay in temporarily, but you just wouldn't listen," Zhao Sheng said.

"Brother Zhao!"

Wang You frowned and said, "Debon is unwilling, and also unwilling to trouble you. You..."

"I misspoke."

Zhao Sheng quickly admitted his mistake, somewhat annoyed, saying, "I just wanted to help Debon, I didn't mean anything else."

After speaking, he stood up and bowed sincerely to Ma Ping, saying, "Debon, I..."

"Brother Zhao, there's no need for that!"

Ma Ping quickly stood up and reached out to support Zhao Sheng's arm, preventing him from bowing down.

"I know you mean well, and I don't mind."

It would be a lie to say he didn't mind, but after spending the last few days with Zhao Sheng, he had come to understand Zhao Sheng's character better.

He wasn't a bad person, nor did he have the arrogance of a young master from a wealthy family.

He just had a bit of a spoiled air about him and spoke his mind very frankly.

However, he always sincerely admits his mistakes and corrects them, and he never makes the same mistake twice.

This is also why the three of them were able to become friends.

"Alright, sit down and talk, the food will get cold soon. We can't let this delicious meal go to waste," Wang You said, trying to smooth things over once things were out in the open.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Zhao Sheng nodded repeatedly, gestured for Ma Ping to sit down, and said, "Don't be shy, start eating. It's only because you don't drink that I would definitely toast you and wish you success in the exam."

"If you don't drink alcohol, you can substitute tea for it."

Wang You picked up his teacup and said with a smile, "Let's not congratulate anyone. Let's encourage each other and hope that all three of us can make it onto the list."

Zhao Sheng's face darkened as he said, "I know my limitations; I'm afraid I won't pass the exam. I can only wish Ziqian and Debang success."

"Why are you saying such discouraging things? The results haven't even been posted yet, why are you already thinking you won't pass?"

Wang You said unhappily, "Brother Zhao's talent is not bad, far surpassing his peers, he will surely be on the list."

It was a coincidence that the three of them became friends.

While admiring the scenery, Wang You accidentally bumped into Ma Ping. He apologized and chatted for a few minutes. Upon learning that Ma Ping was also in Bianjing to participate in the prodigy examination, Wang You chatted with him for a while longer.

It was lunchtime, so I invited them to have dinner with me.

During their casual conversation, they learned that the other person came from Bazhou, a major border city, so they inquired about the local customs and culture of the border region.

Unexpectedly, Ma Ping had some understanding of the situation on the border and other border areas.

The two of them took turns asking questions and answering, and they hit it off immediately.

Zhao Sheng was at the next table, listening intently as Ma Ping talked about the situation on the border. He was quite interested.

When Ma Ping mentioned that Liao nobles often sent small groups of soldiers to raid the country, Zhao Sheng, in a fit of anger, disregarded etiquette and interjected, "The Liao are not giving up their wicked intentions and will march south sooner or later. The imperial court should send troops to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

The noise was very loud, and diners in the lobby all looked over.

Fearing trouble, Wang You and Ma Ping quickly paid the bill and left.

Just kidding. Ever since the late emperor signed the Treaty of Chanyuan with the Liao Dynasty, the Song and Liao dynasties had maintained peace for decades.

The two countries maintained frequent diplomatic exchanges, and now most scholars in the Song Dynasty sing praises of this.

At this time, if someone were to clamor to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and then be accused of disrupting peace, who could bear the consequences?

Unexpectedly, Zhao Sheng caught up with them.

He knew he had been too agitated in his anger, so he caught up with them to apologize.

Although his actions had interrupted their pleasant conversation.

Neither of them were petty people, and seeing his gloomy attitude, they forgave him.

Zhao Sheng felt bad and insisted on treating the two to a meal to apologize.

Wang You and Ma Ping had no choice but to agree, unable to refuse.

They changed restaurants, sat down to chat, and it was such a coincidence that Zhao Sheng had also participated in the prodigy test.

The three of them ate and discussed the exam questions. Although Wang You was nearly three years younger than Ma Ping, they had the same exam questions.

Zhao Sheng was already fourteen years old, and his test questions were much more difficult than those of the other two.

There are also simple policy essay questions.

The so-called policy essay question is to select a historical event or a sentence from the Four Books and Five Classics, and ask candidates to write an essay to explain their own views and opinions.

In other words, Zhao Sheng and his classmates were required to write essays during the exam.

It is considered simple because the questions are not profound and are far less difficult than those in the imperial examinations.

Even during casual conversation, their individual talents were evident; all three were quite accomplished, but Zhao Sheng and Ma Ping were particularly outstanding.

Zhao Sheng was thoroughly familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, and also had some of his own understanding.

It's just that his lack of experience makes him seem a bit boastful.

Ma Ping is different; because of his background, he has a lot of knowledge about things at the grassroots level.

Because of his memories of his past life, Wang You often comes up with insightful and surprising opinions.

The three of them became friends and would get together every few days.

He acknowledged Zhao Sheng's talent and thought it wouldn't be difficult for him to pass the exam.

"Then let Ziqian's words be auspicious."

Although Zhao Sheng said this, his expression didn't change much, clearly indicating that he was still unsure.

Wang You didn't think much of it; this was only natural, since the results weren't posted and the outcome was unknown, so it was normal to feel uncertain.

If you adopt an attitude of "I'm sure I'll win," people will actually dislike you.

Zhao Sheng changed the subject, saying, "There are rumors circulating that the reason the Emperor hasn't summoned Grand Chancellor Fan to the capital is because he's not fully prepared yet, not because he has no intention of implementing reforms."

The posthumous title given to Grand Chancellor Fan says it all. What do Ziqian and Debang think?