Chapter 96 Meet Mr.

In the morning light, a drizzle of rain is first smelled on the leaves.

The fog only spreads to the ground when it meets the ground, and the wind swirls against the clouds.

In June, the most comfortable time is when it drizzles in the early morning in the south.

Zhao Hu drove the carriage on the dripping mud road.

Sitting in the carriage were Ou Zanghua and Qu Feiyan. Xiang Danian was arranged to stay at Liu's house, responsible for recording the exchanges and experiences of the martial arts predecessors over the past few days.

After a bumpy ride, we arrived at the Xiangjiang River in Hengyang at the time of Si. The river water was rising at this time of year, so we needed to take a boat to reach the island.

Arriving at the entrance of the academy, Ou Zanghua looked at the couplets on both sides of the mountain gate and said gently, "When my master brought me here, he happened to be out on business and took a liking to me at first sight. Then he stopped his business and took me to the academy."

After hearing this, Qu Feiyan smiled and said, "This is fate!"

"Yes!" Ou Zanghua nodded.

At this time, the old servant in the academy saw him and his expression immediately became happy: "Ou Jieyuan? No, no, now he should be called Ou Tanhua!"

Ou Zanghua pushed his feet and used his Qinggong to get closer. He supported the old servant who was about to salute and said casually, "Uncle Zhang, there's no need to be polite. Long time no see."

"Sir Ou, not long ago. You left the academy in July last year, and it hasn't been a year yet!" the old servant corrected with a smile.

"It's only been such a short time? Why do I feel like several years have passed?" Ou Zanghua was stunned and said with some surprise.

"Because you have experienced a lot during this period, that's why it feels like a long time."

The old servant suddenly remembered and knocked his head, saying in annoyance: "Oh, look at my brain. You came back today to see Mr. Cai and Mr. Wu, right? I'll go and inform them."

"Uncle Zhang, don't bother. I can go by myself. The dean and my mentor should be giving lectures during this period, so it's better not to disturb them." Ou Zanghua quickly stopped him.

"Okay, then I'll take Lord Ou to the reception room of Dean Cai. A few months ago, Dean Cai got a pot of camellia, which is so lovely. It's just that Lord Ou came late, and the camellia has bloomed." The old servant led the way while chattering about what was happening in the academy.

Ou Zanghua listened carefully, because he had already done many things before, and his junior classmates were just repeating what he had done.

Unfortunately, after being trained by Ou Zanghua, the headmaster Cai Rupu was already very familiar with these projects, and he was always one step ahead in giving his younger classmates a good beating.

The advantage of this is that the headmaster Cai Rupu is well-known and any student can easily control him.

The downside is that all the rich kids from southern Hunan were sent here, and Cai Rupu had to battle wits and courage with these young guys every day.

Ou Zanghua couldn't help laughing when he heard this. The headmaster really cares a lot about the education in Daming!

After arriving at Cai Rupu's reception room, Zhang Bo said hello to the servant and left. He still had things to do. Qu Feiyan and Zhao Hu were arranged to rest in the next room.

The servant brought tea and cakes to Ou Zanghua and stood by to keep him company. Basically, he answered every question Ou Zanghua asked.

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long before I heard an angry voice: "He is such a rotten tree that can't be carved! Boy, serve some cold tea, the colder the better!"

Then Cai Rupu walked in with an angry look on his face, followed by Wu Xun with a wry smile.

As soon as the two masters entered the room, they saw Ou Zanghua standing in the hall admiring calligraphy and paintings. They were immediately delighted, and the anger in their hearts disappeared without a trace:
"Jingyu, why are you here?"

"Jingyu is here, why didn't anyone tell me?"

Ou Zanghua bowed and explained with a smile: "Gentlemen, the students did not want to disturb your classes, so they specifically did not let others know."

Then he added, "Just looking at the headmaster's reaction just now, it seems that the student did something wrong?"

"Alas," Cai Rupu's face changed again when he heard this, and he complained, "This year's new students are not as good at studying as Jingyu, and their ability to make trouble is not as elegant as Jingyu's. I can't stand it!"

"Director Cai, please hold back!"

Wu Xun smiled and shook his head, looking at his favorite student, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Jingyu came back this time to get married, right?"

According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, the top three in the first class would be awarded official positions one or two days after the announcement, and then begin a ruthless working life.

Of course, there are exceptions. For example, Chen An, the champion of the Dingchou exam in the 30th year of Hongwu, was stripped of his title and torn to pieces less than a month after the palace exam, and no longer had to work for the Zhu family.

"Yes, so I have to trouble you again, sir."

Ou Zanghua nodded, then untied the bundle, took out two collections of essays and said, "These are some of the essays of the Jinshi candidates who passed the Xinwei exam in the sixth year of Zhengde. I thought you two gentlemen would like them."

There were more than 300 participants in a palace examination, and it was impossible for Ou Zanghua to copy down everyone's notes.

He only selected the three articles in the first place and the top fifteen in the second place, a total of eighteen articles.

"Haha. Jingyu is thoughtful. This is exactly what I want!" Wu Xun's eyes lit up. He took the book with both hands and began to read it.

Dean Cai also happily took the collection of essays, but did not read it immediately. Instead, he asked about Ou Zanghua's process of going to Beijing for the imperial examination.

The two chatted for a while, and Wu Xun suddenly said with great regret: "Alas, Jingyu, when you took the provincial examination, I reminded you not to write your sudden ideas into your essay. You see, you have reaped the fruits of your labor now, haven't you? Even if your answer to the first question is mediocre, it's hard to say whether you will get the first place, but you can still strive for the second place."

"That's what the master taught me."

"Well, you admit your mistakes quickly, but you won't change." Wu Xun nodded at Ou Zanghua and laughed angrily: "How can I not understand you?"

"hey-hey."

Wu Xun shook his head, looked at Cai Rupu and said, "Well, this is the 'elegant noise' you wanted. You've ruined the second place."

As if he hadn't heard it, Principal Cai said seriously, "Jingyu, now that you're back, give your fellow apprentices a lesson and pass on some experience in the imperial examinations."

"Cai Lingyan, don't stray from the topic!"

Seeing that the teacher and the dean were still so happy, Ou Zanghua's mood also became cheerful.

"Okay, okay, let's get down to business."

Cai Rupu pressed his hand and said, "Before, Xiannu and I only sent the marriage certificate and decided on this marriage. We didn't discuss the specific date of the wedding because we didn't know when Jingyu would be able to come back after taking the palace examination."

"Now that Jingyu is back, we have to hurry up and choose a good date, and then go to Liu's house to pay the money and ask for the date."

"Hmm." Wu Xun thought for a while and suddenly asked, "Jingyu, where are you getting married?"

Ou Zanghua quickly said: "Master has prepared a house for me in Hengyang City, near the East Gate."

Cai Rupu suddenly realized, "Oh, so that Ou Garden was prepared for you by Liu Tianweng! He hired a lot of workers to decorate it in the past few months, so it should be finished, right?"

"Yes, Master and his wife have arranged everything."

Ou Zanghua said with some emotion that the only people in this world who could treat him so selflessly were Lao Liu's family.

After hearing this, Wu Xun frowned and asked, "Liu Tianweng arranged everything, you can't just sit there and do nothing. Have you ever been to Ou Garden?"

“Never.”

"Humph!" Wu Xun snorted coldly and said dissatisfiedly: "So you want Liu Tianweng to take you to your own wedding room when the time comes?"

"I admit my mistake and will leave today." Ou Zanghua said immediately with cold sweat pouring down his face.

"Where are you going today?"

Wu Xun shook his head, counted on his fingers, and said, "Tomorrow, the eighth day of the sixth lunar month, is the right time to start the construction and start the fire. But Liu's house is too far away, so you should come to my place at noon and bring back a fire."

Seeing his disciple's confused look, Wu Xun had to explain: "This is called crossing the fire. It means taking fire from the old house to the new house to make a fire and cook. It means the owner is returning home and life will continue."

Speaking of this, Wu Xun remembered that this disciple was an orphan rescued by Liu Zhengfeng. He didn't know who his parents were, so naturally he had no ancestors to protect him.

His voice softened a bit, and he said, "Jingyu, you will be the head of the family from now on. You should make decisions carefully when you are a person and do things. Ask if you don't understand, and check if you don't know. Don't listen to one side of the story, and don't act impulsively."

"Yes, I will remember it in my heart." Ou Zanghua bowed deeply and saluted.

(End of this chapter)