"My apologies, I didn't expect it to be Case Master Shen!"
Manager Wang immediately bowed in greeting. He had seen countless candidates taking imperial examinations in the club. In theory, the title of a scholar was nothing.
But Shen Yichen is different. He is the son of Duke Chengguo, and several of his poems have been spread to the capital, making him famous throughout the world.
In addition to the title of the first place in the Yingtian Prefecture's Small Three Prizes case, ordinary scholars are not as prestigious as him, a scholar.
Not only Shopkeeper Wang, but also several other guests in the lobby stood up and clasped their fists in greeting after hearing the name of Shen Yichen.
"I just arrived in the capital. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Shen here. It's such an honor."
"Mr. Shen came here so early, it seems that he is confident that he will pass the provincial examination. Did he go directly to the capital to prepare for the imperial examination?"
"It should be. How can a young man who has achieved success not have the confidence that he will succeed?"
Another scholar came to Shen Yichen's table, bowed and said, "I am Xu Fengyuan, a scholar from Yingtian. I have heard of your great name for a long time. It is a great honor to meet you today!"
Seeing that the other person was a juren, Shen Yichen also stood up and said in return: "Brother Xu, I am really ashamed to receive your praise."
"I wonder if Mr. Shen would be so kind as to allow me to have a drink with you?"
After the scholar named Xu Fengyuan finished speaking, he turned around and took a pot of wine from the counter, ready to sit down and drink with Shen Yichen .
Looking at the other party's attitude of being socially arrogant, Shen Yichen, who had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the place, didn't know how to refuse, so he could only nod and agree.
Just like that, Xu Fengyuan sat down at Shen Yichen's table. Although he was very sociable, this guy also had a high EQ when it came to doing .
He took the initiative to pay for the meal and asked the shopkeeper to add a few more delicious dishes, leaving Shen Yichen at a loss for words.
"Brother Shen, to be honest, I have read your poem "Sword Like Rainbow" countless times. It is my favorite of my life. I really don't know how you can write such a beautiful sentence."
When Xu Fengyuan said this, his eyes revealed the enthusiasm of seeing his idol. It seemed that what he said about the love of his life was true.
"Articles are naturally formed, and they are created by a skilled hand."
Shen Yichen smiled and replied, how can this thing be explained clearly, he could only use Lu You's poems to get by.
"Where did Brother Shen get the inspiration for his poem "Jinmingchi"? The poem describes the woman's longing and sorrow in the boudoir so vividly that even Liu Yong of the Song Dynasty would be impressed."
"Could it be that Brother Shen has been in the gentle countryside of the Qinhuai River for many years, so he can have such a deep understanding?"
If Shen Yichen could still answer the previous question perfunctorily, he was speechless this time.
It's not good to admit it, but it's even more difficult to explain not admitting it. Shen Yichen felt a little regretful at this moment. If he had known that he was a fanatical fan of his, he should not have agreed to let him sit down.
Fortunately, at this moment, Ah Niu, who was usually quiet, came out to help and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Brother Chen never visits brothels."
"Oh, there is such a thing?"
It was obvious that Xu Fengyuan was surprised by Ah Niu's words. It was amazing that a man who had never been to a brothel could write about the inner feelings of a woman.
Seeing Xu Fengyuan becoming more and more interested, Shen Yichen had to change the subject and asked, "Brother Xu, you are already a candidate. Are you here so early for the Spring Examination next year?"
The shopkeeper had asked Shen Yichen this question before, just to change the subject.
"I hope Brother Shen won't laugh at me. The reason I came to the guild hall early is because my father's business happened to be on a cargo ship heading north, so I came here as well."
After the merchants?
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang established the order of "scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans". The status of merchants was the lowest among the four classes, only slightly higher than that of slaves.
Although merchants were not prohibited from taking the imperial examinations, influenced by the policies of the early Ming Dynasty, the idea that merchants had a "low status" was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and they were even regarded as untouchables for a time in the early Ming Dynasty.
However, as the Ming Dynasty's economy developed, some policies that emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce were gradually relaxed, and the status of merchants began to rise. By the Xuande period, the system of merchant permits and store calendars was gradually abandoned and no longer implemented. At this time, the status of merchants was basically close to normal.
Of course, this so-called normality is only in front of the lower-class people, after all, the rich are the boss. But in the scholar-official class, merchants are still objects of contempt, and even the sons of merchants are inferior.
That's why Xu Fengyuan said don't laugh at me. He was worried that his identity would be looked down upon by Shen Yichen.
Shen Yichen naturally laughed off such concerns. He himself was a son of a maid who was not included in the family tree, and theoretically his status was lower than that of a merchant's son. If it weren't for the banner of Duke Cheng, there would probably be more people who looked down on him.
Seeing that Shen Yichen did not look down on his identity as a merchant's son, Xu Fengyuan was even happier.
As expected of my idol, Mr. Shen’s magnanimity is admirable!
Then Shen Yichen and Xu Fengyuan chatted about many things. The most important thing was that they learned that the chief examiners of the Shuntian Prefecture's provincial examination this year were the two Hanlin lecturers Zhou Xu and Wang Yining.
In the previous imperial examinations in Yingtian Prefecture, Shen Yichen had tasted the benefits of becoming familiar with the examiners, and he was thinking whether he could take this opportunity to send a visiting card to these two.
If you are appreciated, your chances of passing the imperial examination will double.
Maybe it was because Xu Fengyuan was so outgoing and talkative that Shen Yichen, who was usually a light drinker, drank too much, which was unusual for him. He couldn't even remember how he got back to his room.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already early morning the next day.
Rubbing his head which was aching slightly from the hangover, Shen Yichen walked out of the room and asked the waiter to make him some sobering soup.
And asked him to prepare towels, hot water and other things again. After Shen Yichen washed up, he went to the Chengguo Mansion in the capital to visit his cheap father.
After drinking the sobering soup and taking a bath to wash off the sweat and alcohol smell, Shen Yichen changed into clean clothes, walked out of the room and called Aniu, preparing to go to the Chengguo Mansion in the capital.
There is a saying about the layout of the capital in the Ming Dynasty, which is "rich in the east and noble in the west". It is recorded that the residences of the imperial nobles and relatives in the Ming Dynasty were outside Donghua Gate, the residences of the eunuchs were outside Xi'an Gate, and the residences of the ministers, temples, and government officials were inside Xuanwu Gate.
The main officials all lived near Xuanwu Gate in the inner city, which naturally formed the so-called "Western Noble" pattern.
However, Shen Yichen was going to the more core imperial city. Compared to what people said, this was the real place of honor for kings, nobles and relatives, but common people had no chance to see it.
The Chengguo Mansion in the capital was not too far from the Yingtian Guild Hall, and one could quickly reach the mansion by heading west.
Compared with the Chengguo Mansion in Nanjing, this mansion in the capital is obviously larger and more imposing. Because Yingtian is an ancient capital, many mansions of princes and nobles were renovated and expanded on old buildings, and the foundation is relatively poor.
The predecessor of the capital was Yuan Dadu, which was built according to the standards of an imperial capital. In addition, Zhu Di carried out large-scale construction in order to move the capital, and various planning standards had to be updated, which naturally made it appear more magnificent.
Shen Yichen came to the corner gate, took out his visiting card, handed it to the doorman and said, "Shen Yichen, a student of Yingtian, is visiting. Please let me know."
I thought that after the other party received the visiting card, they would pass the message to Duke Cheng, and I just needed to wait.
Shen Yichen never expected that when he handed over the visiting card, the other party didn't even extend his hand to take it. He just said coldly: "Without an appointment in advance, the Duke's Mansion does not accept outsiders."
"How do I make an appointment?"
Shen Yichen did not make things difficult for the doorman, but instead asked for the method.
"Go to the corner room and fill out a form, then wait patiently."
"Excuse me, little brother, how long do we need to wait?"
"I don't know, but for a student like you, eight or ten years is possible."
Shen Yichen was stunned when he heard this. As the saying goes, there is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister. Today he has seen it. This is clearly an order to expel him.
Ah Niu behind him also felt that he was being fooled, and said in a dissatisfied tone: "Who would wait for ten or eight years to see a guest? Aren't you making fun of me?"
The doorman was originally indifferent, but after hearing what Ah Niu said, a look of contempt appeared on his face.
"The Lord is of such a noble status that not just anybody can see him. How can a mere student want to pay him a visit?"
"To tell you the truth, military officers of the third rank and civil officials of the fifth rank and below are not even qualified to be promoted. I am in a good mood today to be able to tell you about the appointment. If you dare to make a noise in front of the Duke's Mansion again, I will immediately ask the Five Cities Military Department to take you to jail!"
Ah Niu was a stubborn person, and now he was furious: "Who are you talking about? Brother Chen is the son of the Duke. This is his mansion. Why can't I go in?"
"Are you mentally ill? This guy just said his name is Shen Yichen. Don't you even know the Duke's last name?"
The doorman looked at him as if he was a fool. Duke Cheng's surname was Zhu, and this young man's surname was Shen. If he wanted to recognize his father, he should at least change his surname first.
At the same time, the dispute at the corner gate also attracted the attention of the palace guards. If Shen Yichen and the other man planned to continue arguing, they would probably be captured on the spot.
So when seeing this scene, Shen Yichen stopped Aniu's impulse to argue further. It was obvious that these servants in the Chengguo Mansion in the capital were not aware that Zhu Yong had a child born by a maid in Yingtian Prefecture.
After all, being an illegitimate child who is not included in the family tree is not a glorious thing. It is impossible to keep it secret in Yingtian Prefecture, and it is much easier to keep it secret in the capital, which is thousands of miles away.
So Shen Yichen took out the letter from Zhu Yong from his arms. On it was the private seal of Duke Chengguo. As long as the doorman was not blind, he would understand that the person who possessed such a letter was definitely someone close to the Duke's mansion.
"Here is a letter from home. Please take a close look at the seal on it."
With a skeptical attitude, the doorman glanced at the private seal on it and his face soon changed. In theory, no one would dare to forge the family seal of the Chengguo Mansion.
Even if there was, no one would be bold enough to bring it to the Chengguo Mansion.
However, this matter was too strange. One of the doormen whispered something in the ear of the other, and the latter immediately ran into the mansion.
Soon, a middle-aged man in a long robe who looked like a butler came out. He didn't even bother to identify the private seal on the letter. He just glanced at Shen Yichen and immediately bowed and said, "These servants are blind. They didn't know that Master Shen had arrived. The master has been waiting for you for a long time."
As soon as these words came out, the several doormen who had previously been disdainful of Shen Yichen dropped their jaws in surprise.
There are such outrageous things in the world. Does a great Duke of the Ming Dynasty really have a son with a different surname?