It was getting dark, but the market was even more lively, and people were wandering along the Bianhe River. There are various vendors on both sides of the riverside boulevard, selling snacks and all kinds of gadgets. The sound of selling one after another swept through the night, as if with a strange magic, seducing pedestrians, and I couldn't help but want to follow the sound to take a look.

Xu Ping and Gao Daquan walked slowly along the avenue on horseback. Li Yonghe hasn't come back yet, and Xu Ping hasn't been running around for Gao Daquan, and he has been going up and down with him these days. Send Xu Ping to the place in the morning, lead Xu Ping's horse back, and then lead the horse to pick Xu Ping back in the evening.

When Sun Qilang was in Yongzhou, he caught up with a local mother-in-law, and originally said that he would find Bianliang City with the prisoners, but he didn't expect that in order to wait for all kinds of preparations to be made, especially when the envoys from Khitan and Dangxiang and other countries arrived, the prisoner sacrifice ceremony was delayed again and again, and the prisoner sacrifice team also walked like a snail. Now that he has finally entered Jingxi Road, Sun Qilang can't wait and looks for it all the way. Gao Daquan has no companions, and after sending Xu Ping, he wanders around the tiles, and his life is boring.

Along the royal street to the vicinity of the imperial city, until the front of the Chongwen Academy, Xu Ping dismounted, Gao Daquan helped to carry the small stove and small pot, and followed Xu Ping into the courtyard gate.

After the curfew, Xu Ping took Gao Daquan all the way to the front of the library of the History Museum. said that the officials came to be on duty, but in fact, it was the officials on duty who really did the work, and when they saw Xu Ping coming, they hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

After saying hello, Xu Ping took Gao Daquan to the corridor in front of the door, asked him to put down the stove and small pot, and some mutton cut to be cooked, and asked Gao Daquan to go back.

This is the place where the books are stored, there was originally a fire ban, and in the Tiansheng year, because the officials on duty were cold in winter, it was allowed to make a fire for warmth, but fireworks were still strictly prohibited in the library.

The officials moved a stool over, Xu Ping sat by the fire, asked if there was anything wrong with the library, and asked the officials to continue to patrol, and call them over if there was something.

Not long after Xu Ping sat down, three people shrank in at the door, watched the firelight all the way to the porch, saluted Xu Ping, and kept sniffing.

Xu Ping returned the salute and said to the three of them: "Is it only the three of you today?" Who is on duty tonight in the South Corridor Jixian Courtyard? ”

A middle-aged man in his thirties and forties said: "Han Zhigui is on duty, I will come over for him later." ”

As he spoke, the youngest young man in his twenties ran to the side, asked the officer on duty for a few stools, brought them over, and handed them to the other two: "It's cold at night, sit down and talk near the fire." ”

The three of them sat down by the fire, Xu Ping opened the lid on the stove, and said, "Tonight, the people cooked some mutton, and everyone drank some wine together to ward off the cold." ”

The young man sniffed at the scent and said, "Very good! Very good! Thank you, Mrs. Sister-in-law! ”

Xu Ping took out the wine and handed out the wine glasses, and the young man hurriedly stood up and took the wine bottle and poured the wine.

These three people are currently the least senior in the pavilion, shallower than Xu Ping and Han Qi, and they have just passed the hospital examination for less than a month. In the eighth year of Tiansheng, the Jinshi had the highest rank, the youngest was the champion Wang Gongchen, and the two who were close to forty years old were Liu Xin, the top eye, and Sun Luan, the third place. The three of them passed the hospital examination together, and they were appointed to the Zhiji Xianyuan together, just in time to repair the book, and they worked in the pavilion first.

Wang Gongchen's family was poor, his father died early, and his widowed mother dragged his four sons to grow up. After passing the provincial examination in the eighth year of Tiansheng, the first provincial champion was Ouyang Xiu, who consciously mastered the champion, and deliberately made a new dress to wear after the champion, but he didn't see that Wang Gongchen secretly wore it first, and finally the champion was also won by Wang Gongchen. Of course, although you are the champion, Wang Gongchen's family is most famous in later generations is his granddaughter, the lyricist Li Qingzhao.

Because he is a native of Xianping County, Kaifeng Prefecture, and Xu Ping is a fellow countryman, Wang Gongchen is more casual than others here in Xu Ping. Now his official position is low, his income is meager, and he rarely eats mutton a few times a year, so he is naturally more anxious than others.

Liu Xin's family is a local tyrant, and his temperament is also arrogant, informal, and he naturally wants to eat wine and meat. He once failed to enter the Shi, and when he returned home, he called himself "Retired Shi", and he didn't want to take the exam again, but he was forced by his father to have no choice, and he took the exam again in the eighth year of Tiansheng, and the result was that he won the list, which is regarded as a glorious lintel.

Sun Luan is a native of Meizhou, and his family background is also good, but he has been farming for generations, and he only studied for the imperial examination when he arrived at Sun Luan, but he didn't expect to go to high school in one fell swoop. It's too far away from home, and if you're bored alone, you come with it.

Sun Luan and Liu Xin are about the same age, one is thirty-eight years old and the other is thirty-nine years old, but the officialdom does not look at age, Zhongjinshi stepped into the officialdom too late, and only the younger generation is here in Xu Ping.

Wang Gongchen poured the wine, picked up the wine glass and persuaded a glass, then raised his chopsticks and just ate the meat.

Xu Ping had already eaten at home, and only occasionally stretched out his chopsticks to accompany everyone. As an official in the capital, like this, who has just entered the official career, he is okay alone, he eats and drinks without worrying about living a leisurely life, and he is nervous as soon as he has a family to drag down his life.

Liu Xin and Sun Luan are not short of money at home, they just come to join in the fun, Wang Gongchen is different, he has a mother and three brothers in his family, just in Kaifeng, and his life is quite tense, it is really hungry for meat.

After the three of them drank a few glasses of wine and ate meat for a while, Sun Luan got up and said, "Han Zhigui is lonely and cold over there, I'll go and change him over and eat some wine and meat, so that he won't gossip in the future." ”

Han Qi is also a person who lives a relaxed life, but since he has this opportunity, and it is the same year as Xu Ping, he naturally wants to come over to join in the fun. Sun Luan is a good and practical person, and his temperament is easy-going, so he was naturally the first to change shifts.

Sun Pan had just walked out of the west corridor where the History Museum was located, and there was a sudden commotion outside the Chongwen Academy, and after a while, someone came in with a lamp, and went straight to the side of the History Museum, and said loudly: "Xu Ping of the History Museum, there is a purpose!" ”

Xu Ping was taken aback, recognized it as a chamberlain in the palace, and hurriedly stepped forward to give a salute.

The waiter said: "The official family has something to consult, quickly follow me into the palace!" ”

After speaking, he didn't care about the others, and led Xu Ping out of the door.

Since the ministry of the pavilion is called a bachelor, it naturally has the duty of being prepared for counseling. The bachelor is on duty, and the emperor can naturally summon him into the palace at any time to ask about things, and this kind of night pair is not unusual.

However, what made Xu Ping strange was that most of these people on duty in the Chongwen Academy were middle- and lower-level officials, and it was not uncommon for them to be summoned to the palace at night, but it was extremely rare. I've only been on duty a few times, so how did I catch up.

It is not an official matter of the court to summon the bachelor to ask the question, the etiquette is much more casual, and there is no limit to the content of the question. What's more, this kind of music is not under the control of Zhongshu, and it is much more private.

Since returning to Beijing, this is the first private contact between Xu Ping and the emperor Zhao Zhen, and Xu Ping has a strange feeling in his heart.

(Note: Wang Gongchen and Ouyang Xiu are brothers-in-law, and they are both married to the daughter of Xue Kui, who participated in politics.) However, Ouyang Xiu married the second daughter, before Wang Gongchen. Before this, Ouyang Xiu had married two wives, and Jing Yu only married Xue Nu in four years, so Wang Gongchen should be single at this time. The strange thing is that Xue Kui is sixty or seventy years old, how can his daughter be so young, and he has no son. (To be continued.) )