No matter what the reason, Guo Pu finally agreed to Gao Shishi's request to apprentice, but he refused to return to Beijing immediately, saying that he would wait for Gao Shishi to pass the small test and then return to Beijing together.

In other words, if Gao Pragmatism fails to pass the small test, then the theory of apprenticeship will end without a problem.

There is one point to be explained here: Ming Dynasty scholars must first take the county examination, and only after admission can they participate in the government examination, and only after the admission of the government examination can they participate in the Taoist examination, and those who pass the Taoist examination are students, and those who fail are children.

In other words, people who have never taken the exam before are not even children, and can only be called children.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, there were two exams in three years, and Gao Pragmatic could complete the county exam, the government exam, and the road exam in one stop this year - provided that the exam went well.

In the Ming Dynasty, even if it was just a child, it was not easy, and it was even more difficult to be a student. Because the scholars participate in the county examination, there is a quota limit on the number of admissions, and the county has tried to participate in the government examination, and the admission quota is also limited, so that even if there is a child quota in the district, it must be checked twice by the county and the government, and whether the child can successfully become a student depends on the last pass of the Taoist examination, and the Taoist examination also has a quota limit.

Relatively speaking, because the style of study in the north is not as strong as that in the south, the competition between the northern scholars is a little more relaxed than that of the southern scholars. In some areas in the south of the Yangtze River, such as Nanzhili, Zhejiang and other places, it is really a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops. A county test can be brushed down hundreds or even hundreds of people, a government test can be brushed down to thousands of people, a slightly larger government, the government test brush thousands of people is not uncommon, it can be seen that it is difficult.

Gao Shishi's place of origin is Xinzheng County, Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Province, Kaifeng Mansion does not need to be introduced, it is a large mansion in the past dynasties, so it is a relatively competitive area in the northern provinces.

Of course, Guo Pu has already read Gao Shishi's article, and he insisted on waiting for Gao Shishi to pass the small test before returning to Beijing, not that he thought that Gao Shishi would fail the small test, but he just didn't want to go to Beijing alone, it was too embarrassing.

Guo Pu's family was cramped, so Guo Pu did not stay high and pragmatic, and told him to go directly on the road the next day and not have to say goodbye. Gao Pragmatic knew that Guo Pu was a person, and since he confessed like this, he didn't need to do anything more, so he returned to Anyang and rested for the night.

Early the next morning, Gao pragmatic set off from Yecheng Horse Post to Weihui Mansion in the south, and then transferred to Xinxiang County in the southwest, took Kangcai Horse Post to Xingyang to the south, passed Zhengzhou, and then arrived in Xinzheng through Guodian Horse Station.

The ancestral house of the Gao family is not in Xinzheng County, but in the northeast of the county - this name is very famous, but it is not the Gao Laozhuang in "Journey to the West", which is about the left of Xigao Village, Hezhuang Town, Xinzheng City in later generations.

Gao Laozhuang is not far from Xinzheng County, about ten miles out of the city, Gao pragmatic because he came from the north, he simply did not enter the county, and went straight to Gao Laozhuang.

Since entering the border of Xinzheng County, there are more things on the high-pragmatism carriage: a small triangular flag is inserted on the left and right wheels, and in the middle of the small flag is a high character, and there is a human-faced snake figure on both sides of the high character, which intersects left and right, and surrounds the high character.

This is a unique logo of the Gao family, which is equivalent to a family logo in Europe. However, this ornament is not uncommon in Xinzheng - the human-faced snake body is the tribal totem of the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor recorded in ancient books, and Xinzheng is the hometown of the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor, so almost all the families in Xinzheng are decorated with the human-faced snake body.

The difference is only in the tall word in the middle.

Xinzheng Gao's family, only Gao Laozhuang's family is worthy of these four words.

Now that he has arrived in Xinzheng, Gao Ming no longer has to be nervous and has been following Gao Shishi's side, he has been in Gao Laozhuang for many years, and almost no one knows him, so he went to Gao Laozhuang in advance to inform Gao Shishi of the news of his return to his hometown.

Of course, Gao Pragmatic is a junior, and the notice is not to let Gao Laozhuang send someone out to pick him up, but to ask each room to get ready, and Gao Pragmatic will definitely meet him one by one.

Because the eldest Bo Gaojie has died, the second Bo Gao Gong is in Nanjing, the third Bo Gao Gong is in Beijing, and the fourth Bo Gao Cao died early, only the fifth Bo Gao returned to his hometown in advance due to illness, but Gao Cai did not live in Gao Laozhuang, but lived in the county seat, so Gao Shi could go back to his home first, that is, the sixth room.

Gao Pragmatic's mother Zhang was originally going to Fengyang to go to Fengyang with her husband this year, but it was precisely because Gao Pragmatic wanted to return to his hometown for a small test that he deliberately stayed for a few more months, and now he is at Gao Laozhuang's house, and when he heard that the eldest son finally came back, he hurriedly ordered someone to prepare, and he also bathed and changed clothes, and waited for Gao Pragmatic to meet.

However, as soon as Gao Shishi arrived at Gao Laozhuang, he found that there were still people to greet him - they were all brothers of the same generation, and there were no women.

The first person is in his early thirties, and he looks like a talent, but he behaves frivolously, and he is Gao Wuzi, the only son of Uncle Gaojie. Gao Pragmatic knew that the real "eldest young master" of the Gao family had not inherited his father's excellent genes at all, and was completely a gentleman.

When Gao Wuzi got out of the car, Gao Wuzi was talking to a person next to him with a displeased face, and the person seemed to be persuading Gao Wuzi to do something, but Gao Wuzi ignored him.

Seeing Gao Wuzi get out of the car and walk over, all the brothers of the Gao family originally had the intention of welcoming the past, but Gao Wuzi did not move, and everyone looked embarrassed, so they had to stop.

Gao pragmatic as if he hadn't seen it, and quickly stepped forward to salute.

Gao Wuzi reluctantly returned the salute, glanced at the rider who was accompanied by Gao Pragmatic, and said nonchalantly: "I heard that Pragmatic made a fortune in Beijing, it seems that it is true...... Oh, this is really different because the third uncle values it, and the general horn boy can also make money every day. ”

Gao pragmatic smiled: "The eldest brother smiled, but he made some cleansing things, and he was lucky to be liked by His Majesty, and it is not worth it to have a hair today." ”

"Oh? Not worth it? Gao Wuzi smiled: "Since it's not worth it, why don't you pass on the method of making this thing to my brothers and others, and come to give birth to it?" ”

Gao Pragmatic secretly sighed that there was no successor to the uncle, but he made a look of embarrassment, and he stopped talking.

"What, reluctantly? Didn't you say it wasn't worth it? Gao Wuzi sneered: "At your age, you have learned duplicity, how will you get it in the future!" ”

I've been duplicitous for a long time, and you've bitten me?

Gao Shishi despised it in his heart, but he looked frightened on his face, and explained: "The eldest brother misunderstood, it's not that the younger brother is stingy, but after this soap was presented to His Majesty, His Majesty was happy for a while, and he once told that this thing can only be made exclusively by the younger brother, which is embarrassing." ”

Gao Wuzi didn't expect that there would be this stubble, so he was speechless, and then became suspicious, and asked, "Your Majesty still cares about this?" Are you not deceiving me? ”

Gao Pragmatic sighed and said, "If the eldest brother doesn't believe it, you might as well send a letter to the third uncle and ask what is going on." ”

"This ......" Gao Wuzi knew that he was not liked by Gao Gong, and said stupidly: "That's it, I just said casually, is it really missing those copper coins?" ”