Cheng Zhong saw that the man who took the initiative to greet him was well-dressed, with slender and white fingers. He should have a good family background, but he was not a scholar. In the words of later generations, he should be regarded as the second generation of rich people, or he could be called a rich man. "Three brothers, I have made great progress in my article. I am very confident about this county examination. I would like to thank you in advance and see you again in the future-" Before the rich man could finish his words, he was interrupted by the one in the middle. "Brother Lu" waved his hand and interrupted, "Wait a minute, I didn't give any advice on your article, so as not to get out of the circle again and ruin my reputation." These words were so ruthless that the rich man's face immediately turned red. For a while, Bai Yiyi was extremely exciting. He regarded himself as his younger brother, and thanked the other party for his "early advice", coupled with his usual courtesy and charity. He originally thought that this time he could give him some face in front of many children, but he did not expect that he would still lose a lot of money. people. Cheng Zhong was also very surprised. As the saying goes, you can¡¯t hit a smiling person with your fist, but Brother Lu was too mean. What Cheng Zhong didn't know was that Brother Lu, whose real name was Lu Duoxun, was the leading scholar in Huating County. He was the first in the county examination and was awarded the title of scholar at the age of seventeen. His beautiful articles were widely praised in Huating County, and the arty people often said that he was a scholar. I am proud to be able to recite a few poems by Noh Do-hoon. Last autumn, Lu Duoxun failed to take the exam because he had observed filial piety for less than three years. No one thought that he would fail the exam, and many people already regarded him as a master of the exam. But this also made Lu Duoxun¡¯s eyes higher than his head, and there was nothing left in his eyes. People like the local tycoon brother can't get into his "discernment" at all, not even the people he associates with. Li Desheng and Meng Boqi around him also became scholars in their early twenties, and they can barely compete with Lu. Those who are friends with Daxun must also focus on Lu Daxun, otherwise they will be ridiculed or even reprimanded. ¡°It¡¯s strange to say the least, Lu Doxun¡¯s bad temper should have been disgusting and spurned by others. But just because of his good writing and talent, people in the world not only do not blame him, but think that this is his true temperament, and rush to praise and even cling to him. "Brother Lu Duoxun" has a wealthy family, and he usually gives many gifts to Lu Duoxun and the others. Although Lu Duoxun is a "white-eyed wolf" and refuses to admit his fault, but takes it for granted, Li Desheng and Meng Boqi are not as arrogant as him. They returned the salute to the local tycoon brother and chatted for a few words. Following Lu Daxun, who said nothing except a few disdainful twangs from beginning to end, left. After talking to the three of them, the local tycoon brother's excitement disappeared and was replaced by a look of depression. Cheng Zhong couldn't see it, so he walked over and cupped his hand, and persuaded: "Brother, the exam is over, good or bad is determined, so why bother and worry about it and look too unrestrained?" Although Cheng Zhong was poorly dressed, he had a somewhat generous temperament. The wealthy brother did not dare to look down upon him. When he saw the basket in Cheng Zhong's hand, he knew that he was also a candidate for the county examination. He returned the gift and said, "Thank you for your advice. This is my third time taking the examination. I thought I would perform well." Not bad, but" The young man shook his head: "I'm afraid I'm out of the circle again this time. My father has great expectations for me and invited three teachers. I really hope that I can succeed in one fell swoop this time. If I know As a result, I'm afraid this meal is indispensable. " Cheng Zhong secretly found it funny to hear that the wealthy brother was almost 20 years old, but he was still afraid of eating his father's meal. But he was also calculating in his mind: for him to hire three teachers just for him, this dear man¡¯s father must be extremely rich. You must know that the salary of a "tutor" in the Ming Dynasty was not low. It included food and accommodation, and money was also given. Of course, being a tutor is not easy either. You must at least have the reputation of being a scholar. You might as well make friends with such a wealthy family. "Brother, it's windy here, why not find a teahouse and make a pot of hot tea and chat slowly?" Cheng Zhong said. The two of them went into a teahouse called "Yue Ke Lai" together. Cheng Zhong asked Dr. Tea for a pot of ordinary tea. During this period, the two also exchanged names. The young man¡¯s surname is Xie, his given name is Jiang Bo, and his courtesy name is Haoran. Regarding the situation at home, Xie Jiangbo didn't introduce much. He simply said, "It's quite prosperous." Cheng Zhong didn't ask further questions, but gave some words of comfort. Originally, he didn't do well in the exam. The two of them had the same problem, and it was very speculative. Cheng Zhong also knew that Xie Jiangbo had no interest in the imperial examination at all, but it was hard to disobey his father's orders and it was really painful. After drinking tea, the relationship between the two has become very close. When the accounts were being settled, Xie Jiangbo originally wanted to pay, but Cheng Zhong refused. It¡¯s not that Cheng Zhong wants to show off his extravagance, nor is it because he has a lot of money. In order to save money, he would rather go to the boiling water room of the test hospital and eat cold pastries with free hot water. Cheng Zhong insisted on paying the bill because it was his suggestion to go to the tea house to drink tea. If the other party ended up paying the bill, Xie Jiangbo would probably still look down on Cheng Zhong in his heart even if he didn't say it. Cheng Zhong insisted on paying?Sure enough, Xie Jiangbo's favor increased greatly. He didn't care about the money for such a pot of tea, but he valued Cheng Zhong's purpose of taking the initiative to approach him. Xie Jiangbo's family background is not just well-off as he said, but actually extremely rich. His father Xie Mengting is the leading businessman in Huating County. Although he was rich, doing business was considered a despicable profession at the time and his status was low. In some places, merchants would even be disqualified from the imperial examination. Fortunately, there was no such rule in Huating County. Xie Mengting invited famous teachers all over the place, and even invited a master of public education from Nanjing, his capital, just to hope that his son Xie Jiangbo could pass the exam to become a scholar, or even pass the exam to be a civil servant, shine on his family, and from then on he could barely be regarded as a scholarly family. "But Xie Jiangbo was not good at studying at all, and he didn't have this ambition. He failed to get into the exam after taking the exam several times, which made Xie Mengting frustrated and helpless. Xie Jiangbo is generous in giving away money, and deliberately makes friends with young talents in the county school, so he can talk to him a few words on weekdays, but in their hearts, they actually look down on Xie Jiangbo. Of course Xie Jiangbo knew this in his heart, but he was helpless. Of course, as a rich man, he will naturally attract some people who like to take advantage of others. Seeing Cheng Zhong taking the initiative to greet him, Xie Jiangbo thought that he was also such a person, and he still had some ideas for Cheng Zhong. But after several times, Cheng Zhong's words quickly resonated with him. In addition, Xie Jiangbo's good impression of him was even more favorable, and he felt that Cheng Zhong was a person worth getting to know, and this was exactly what Cheng Zhong said. desired result. The two of them walked down the wooden stairs from the second floor, but they met a few people that Cheng Zhong really didn't want to meet. A group of three people came in, headed by a man who was nearly forty years old. It could be seen from his clothes that his family must be quite wealthy. His face showed a satisfied look, and his chin was slightly raised, showing his superior confidence and complacency. The two people walking across from him bowed and called him, "Shopkeeper Zheng." Shopkeeper Zheng nodded tightly, which was considered a response. "Who is this person? He's very impressive." Someone in the teahouse who didn't know Shopkeeper Zheng asked his friends at the table in a low voice. Because Cheng Zhong was relatively close, although his voice was small, he could still hear it clearly. "You don't even know about him?!" Another person replied: "His original name was Zheng San. Later, when he got rich, he thought this name was ugly, so he changed his name to Zheng Yu because I heard people said that Yu means beautiful jade. Although He has this name, but he doesn't have any sense of excellence in his actions. He is considered a character. He was originally a scoundrel, but later he became the deputy inspector of the county's inspection department and is now in the west of the city. Opening two pawnshops can make a lot of money! Although he is not a wealthy person, no one wants to mess with him? Why? Isn't it because of the person behind him? Thieves, interrogating traitors and traitors, maintaining local security, will be regarded as equivalent to the public security bureau in future generations. The deputy inspector is the deputy director of the county public security bureau. Although he is not in the mainstream, he holds real power. After listening to the explanations of others, Cheng Zhong finally understood that this shopkeeper Zheng was, to put it bluntly, a scoundrel who relied on collusion between officials and private parties to make a fortune. He was an evil force protected by a black umbrella. However, no matter whether his name is Zheng San or Zheng Yu, whether he is rich and unkind, or whether he does good deeds and accumulates virtue, Cheng Zhong has no interest at all.