Chapter 1858
The Late Northern Song Dynasty
Not long after the incident with Ximen Qing, Wu Song arrived in Yanggu County and reunited with his brother Wu Dalang.
Wu Song was just as handsome as Ximen Qing, and Pan Jinlian was equally captivated by him.
But she had neither the inclination nor the energy to seduce Wu Song, because she was pregnant.
Pan Jinlian's pregnancy symptoms were very obvious, tormenting her so much that she couldn't eat or sleep well, let alone have the energy to seduce Wu Song.
After that, Pan Jinlian gave birth to a son.
Her mindset underwent a tremendous change.
She stopped relying on men and focused all her attention on her son.
Her son is her only support in the future.
Pan Jinlian devoted herself to her son all day and was too lazy to care about Wu Dalang and the Wu Song brothers.
She no longer had marital relations with Wu Dalang, but Wu Dalang was content because of their son.
Pan Jinlian wouldn't let him get close, but he didn't complain at all.
While Liu Dong went to Bianliang to participate in the imperial examination, Wu Song remained in Yanggu County, and Wu Dalang was preparing to find him a wife.
Wu Dalang didn't know many young women and didn't know how to make a move, so he entrusted the matter to Wang Niangzi.
If Wang Niangzi doesn't want to be a pimp, she should be a matchmaker; she's incredibly enthusiastic about it.
She patted her chest and promised that she would definitely help Wu Song choose a good wife.
The imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty was very different from that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial examination system was already very well-established, requiring candidates to go through six examinations: county examination, prefectural examination, provincial examination, township examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination. However, during the Song dynasty, there were only three examinations: the preliminary examination, the provincial examination, and the palace examination.
Each county reviews the qualifications of local students and recommends them to the prefecture. After the prefecture government reviews the applications, the students can take the exam, which is called the preliminary examination, and obtain the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).
When the Ministry of Rites of the Ministry of Rites held a nationwide examination, it was called the Provincial Examination, also known as the Ministry of Rites Examination.
Those who passed the provincial examination would then participate in the palace examination to truly pass the imperial examination.
After the exam results were announced, the emperor presided over the naming ceremony. Those who passed were awarded the titles of "Bachelor of the Imperial Academy," "Bachelor of the Imperial Academy," and "Bachelor of the Imperial Academy" according to their scores. The top three were called "Zhuangyuan," "Bangyan," and "Tanhua."
Liu Dong's eligibility for the exam was recommended by the headmaster of the academy she attended.
The headmaster of this academy was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the reign of Emperor Shenzong. He was implicated in the struggle between the New Party and the Old Party, lost his official position, and returned to his hometown to open an academy to educate students.
Although he did not hold an official position, he still had considerable connections within the imperial court.
The local magistrate and prefect had to give the dean some face, so they naturally wouldn't refuse the person recommended by the dean. They only casually checked Liu Dong's information before granting him the qualification to take the exam.
Liu Tong participated in the provincial examination and achieved good results, thus obtaining the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
Now, he is about to enter Bianliang City to participate in the provincial examination and the palace examination.
Shi Qian will not go with Liu Dong.
Although Shi Qian joined Liu Tong's forces, he did not follow Liu Tong with him.
Liu Dong knew Shi Qian's abilities best, so he sent him away to help gather information.
Liu Tong combined the information he obtained from reading the Water Margin novel and historical materials, and asked Shi Qian to verify it.
Liu Dong did not travel alone, but went to the capital with the Li family's caravan.
Only then could Lady Wang feel at ease.
Lady Wang would not allow Liu Dong to travel far alone.
In this world, bandits roam freely, it's truly dangerous.
The Li family's caravan was organized by Li Ying, the head of Li Family Village.
Li Ying, nicknamed "Soaring Eagle," was one of the 108 heroes of Liangshan. During the grand assembly of Liangshan, he ranked eleventh and was associated with the Heavenly Star of Wealth, in charge of money and provisions.
This man was a clever fellow, pragmatic and knowing when to advance and retreat. Just look at the ending: many people from Liangshan died, but he was able to escape unscathed, resign from his official post, return to his hometown, and become a wealthy man again. That shows how formidable he was.
His most impressive skill is his business acumen.
At that time, all the property of Lijiazhuang was confiscated by Liangshan.
When he resigned from his official post, he was penniless and had little family fortune.
The fact that he was still able to become a wealthy man demonstrates his remarkable business acumen.
Li Ying and Liu Dong were introduced by Shi Qian.
After talking with Liu Tong, Li Ying considered him a close friend and, not caring that Liu Tong was younger than him, wanted to become Liu Tong's apprentice and learn business knowledge from him.
Liu Dong naturally accepted this apprentice.
He taught Li Ying modern management techniques and the production methods for several special products.
Even with the power of Lijiazhuang, they could not protect the production of glass and cement, let alone get involved in the refining and trading of refined salt.
Liu taught Li Ying how to make soap, and the soap produced in Li Family Village became popular among the wealthy and powerful.
Liu also taught Li Ying how to make sugar, and the white sugar, rock sugar, fruit candy, and milk candy sold in Lijiazhuang were sold all over the country.
Because the technology was provided by Liu Dong, he owns half of the shares in it.
Liu Dong is definitely not short of money these days.
Li Ying is very busy right now, so he didn't go to Beijing with him this time.
However, Li Ying instructed the caravan manager to take good care of Liu Tong.
Liu Tong had hot water and hot meals available along the way, and there were also carriages with thick cushions, so he didn't suffer much from the hardships of the journey.
The Li family has a stronghold in Bianliang City, but it's a shop with many people coming and going, making it quite lively and suitable for Liu Dong, a candidate, to live in.
Li Ying was meticulous in his work. He had someone rent a quiet courtyard in Bianliang early on for Liu Qiu to live in, and he also hired a middle-aged couple to take care of Liu Qiu's life.
Liu Dong rested for a day, went out, and strolled around Bianliang City.
Bianliang (Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty was indeed very prosperous. While it's not exactly the same as depicted in the painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," most of the details are consistent.
Liu Tong had never seen the real "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll, but he had once bought a jigsaw puzzle of it.
It took Liu Dong nearly a month to complete the 3,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. She remembered exactly what was drawn on the puzzle, which she used to verify the real scene before her.
The streets were peaceful; there were no cases of spoiled brats harassing respectable women.
This is probably because the playboy who used to enjoy teasing others died of fright some time ago.
Other playboys, fearing they might encounter a powerful but reckless young man like him and lose their lives, all became well-behaved and dared not harass women on the street anymore.
As for who that spoiled brat who was scared to death was, his name is unknown, so there's no need to say, right?
Liu Dong arrives at the most famous restaurant in Tokyo: Fanlou!
Fanlou is a landmark of Tokyo. If a visitor from out of town doesn't come to Fanlou, they can't say they've been to Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo.
The most distinctive feature of Fanlou, besides its delicious food, is its beautiful women.
Li Shishi was trained by Fanlou.
However, after meeting Zhao Ji, she stopped displaying her nameplate at Fanlou and instead had her own courtyard.
Therefore, when Liu Dong asked to meet this beautiful woman, he received an apologetic reply from the waiter.
Liu Tong wasn't too disappointed.
He wasn't particularly interested in seeing beautiful women; it's just that he happened to think of her when he arrived at Fanlou. (End of Chapter)