Chapter 702: Mr. Zhou Goes to Dianyun
After breakfast, Sun Shan returned to the main branch of the He family.
As soon as I got back, I met He Shujun and was taken to see a doctor.
Several students have come from far away and must have suffered a lot along the way. Once they settle down, they might get sick, so the old lady arranged for a doctor to see them to take preventive measures.
After examining me, the doctor concluded that there was no problem. He suggested that I pay attention to my diet and climate, as it is easy for outsiders to suffer from acclimatization.
He left a prescription before leaving. Anyway, he had to take the medicine whether he was sick or not, just like a thief who never leaves empty-handed.
Sun Shan drank the bitter medicine in one gulp. Even though he drank too much, it still tasted very bitter.
Moreover, the medicine prescribed by the doctor in the capital was very strong and bitter, and Sun Shan squinted his eyes after drinking it.
He Shujun and his companions were the same, complaining bitterly, saying it was even more unpalatable than the Cantonese bansha.
I don’t know where the old lady hired the doctor. Tell her not to hire one again next time.
After lunch, Sun Shan and his friends gathered together to read.
Minister He specially set up a small classroom for Sun Shan and others to study.
Of course, you can also hide in the house and read. You are so old now, who will care about you?
However, there were a lot of reference materials in the classroom, so Sun Shan and his friends still went to the classroom happily to read.
Sun Shan finally understood the layout of the He family's houses.
It is two sets of courtyards with two entrances combined together, with a small door in the middle for easy entry and exit.
The second courtyard is where Minister He and his wife live with their son and daughter-in-law, but their son and daughter-in-law are not here, so the room is empty.
One apartment is where several grandchildren, granddaughters-in-law and their children live together.
The guest room where Sun Shan stayed was in the second courtyard of Minister He and his wife, but a door was opened on the side to facilitate guests coming in and out.
According to He Shujun, his great-grandfather arrived in Beijing early, so he was able to buy a house at a cheaper price.
I originally wanted to buy a large courtyard, but unfortunately it had already been occupied by royal relatives and ministers.
Finally, he changed his mind and directly bought two adjacent courtyards. Once they were connected, it became a large courtyard.
Minister He's residence is half an hour away from the imperial palace, which is very close and can be reached on foot.
It is very convenient to live here in Hejia. There is a commercial street just a few steps and turns.
Sun Shan thought that when he had time, he would take Jiao'er, Ke'er, Douzi and the others out to play.
Children need to be coaxed while walking and shopping.
This is because he loves the whole family. He likes his aunt and his cousin, so all the descendants of the He family like them very much.
I read books all afternoon and had a delicious dinner in the evening.
It's really embarrassing to eat and live for free at the He family.
However, one should be like Sun Xiaogu and have a thick skin, so that one can live freely.
After Minister He came off duty, he called He Shujun and others in one by one for assessment.
I came in a hurry yesterday and didn't have enough time, so as soon as I settled down today, I couldn't wait to start the survey work.
Minister He thought to himself: If you want to maintain the prosperity of a family, you must have successive generations, with each generation rising up, and there cannot be serious generational gaps.
Minister He is very concerned about the children of the He family.
As for Sun Shan, he is completely incidental. He has to catch the fish whether there are dates or not.
What if we can harvest some dates? I hope Sun Shan will have a promising future and I also remember the kindness of the He family.
When it was Sun Shan's turn to go in, Minister He asked questions from the simplest to the most complex, and then read Sun Shan's article. The conclusion he came to was exactly the same as that of his cousin.
Minister He stared at Sun Shan's article and the words in it with blurry eyes.
Words are like articles.
They are all square, smooth and steady, like a stagnant pool of water, without any ripples. They are very formulaic and, of course, very pragmatic.
Minister He discovered that Sun Shan liked to list data when writing articles. When talking about people's livelihood issues, for example, he would list the cost of building a house so that readers would know how much money a family needed to save to build a house with their current income.
In the letter from Old Master He San, Sun Shan was described as a pragmatic, serious and trustworthy person.
When Minister He first met Sun Shan, he did not feel anything for him. Instead, he thought this nephew's son-in-law was a bit creepy, especially his triangular eyes, which made him look even more uncomfortable.
When he saw Sun Shan's article at this moment, Minister He really believed his third brother's description of Sun Shan.
The fact that he can list such detailed data tells us that he is a careful observer and a pragmatic person in his daily life.
People who are so serious about things often give people the impression that they are real. No wonder his third brother betrothed Yun Jie'er to him.
Men are afraid of choosing the wrong career, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man. A person is like a character, and a square person like Sun Shan is indeed the He family's first choice.
It seems that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Minister He thought of the officials in the court who participated in the marking of the imperial examination, but unfortunately the cabinet leaders who were good at mathematics and liked to speak with data had already retired.
Otherwise, Sun Shan would have a higher chance of being shortlisted.
Alas, it’s fate.
Minister He couldn't say for sure whether Sun Shan would make the list or not. The only thing that was certain was that even if he made it, his ranking would not be high, and he might end up as a lady.
The officials who reviewed the papers in the imperial court still preferred the magnificent, original and brilliant articles.
Minister He looked calm and said calmly, "Ashan, your essay is well-reasoned, but it is too smooth and it is very challenging for the examiner."
Sun Shan understood what Minister He meant, that is, if his article met an examiner with the same writing style as him, there was a great chance that it would be on the list.
If you don't meet him, just consider yourself unlucky.
It’s not that you are not good enough, but that your goodness is not what others see.
What could Sun Shan say but to accept his fate.
It would definitely not be possible to ask him to change his writing style at the last minute.
Maybe you will end up drawing a dog instead of a tiger, and it is even more taboo to have something inappropriate.
Sun Shan nodded and said, "Grandfather, I know. The teacher said so after reading my articles. Well, I also want to change my writing style, but it turns out to be a mess. I have no choice but to continue writing as before."
Sun Shan only wanted to say one thing: the fine wine in the deep alley can only wait for the destined person to taste it. If there is no destined person, there is no way to move the wine out of the deep alley.
Minister He said comfortingly: "Don't worry, just let it go."
Minister He also told Sun Shan some rules of the examination room and told him to study at home for the next two or three months and not to go out casually to avoid distraction.
Sun Shan agreed repeatedly and expressed his gratitude.
The next day at noon, Gui Ge'er walked in from outside and said nervously, "Brother Shan, I'm going to Zhou's house to hand in a visiting card. But their doorman said that Mr. Zhou and his family left the capital, and Mr. Zhou went to Yunnan to serve as an official."
Dianyun? Yunnan!
Sun Shan was stunned. Why did Lord Zhou go there to be an official?
The previous emperor conquered Yunnan, destroyed the last king of Yunnan, and set up administrative agencies there. People have been migrating there over the years, but the progress has been very unsmooth.
Yunnan and Yunnan have complex terrain, with crisscrossing mountains, deep ravines, inconvenient transportation, and a poor natural environment. In addition, the population is complex and their customs vary, leading to frequent conflicts.
All officials would stay away from Dian Yun when they saw him, for fear that they would be appointed accidentally.
If anyone is sent there to be an official, he will be persecuted in disguise.
What did Lord Zhou do wrong to be assigned to be an official there?
This is being demoted.