LRAB Chapter 4 His courtesy name was Yangzhou
Chapter 4 His courtesy name was Yangzhou
In ancient times, it was considered impolite to address someone by their given name or courtesy name.
Normally, one should wait until after reaching adulthood to receive a courtesy name, which also signifies adulthood.
However, courtesy names are also related to social etiquette. Over a long period of evolution, many children from wealthy families would receive courtesy names at a young age.
Wang You is going to take the prodigy exam, where he will meet many people his age.
If others have something you don't, it's not very convenient to address each other.
"Since you insist on participating, then prepare properly and don't embarrass me," Wang Min said, glancing at his son.
"Father, rest assured, I dare not say that I will be granted the title of Jinshi by the Emperor, but I can certainly get the opportunity to be exempted from the examination," Wang You said confidently.
Unlike the imperial examinations which were divided into three grades, the prodigy test was divided into three classes.
The difference between the first, second, and third grades of rewards was very large.
Although those in the third rank would be granted official positions, they would only receive honorary titles.
Those who qualify for the second-class honors will be granted exemption from one imperial examination.
The imperial examination system consisted of four stages: county examination, provincial examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination.
Once you obtain the exemption qualification, you can be exempted from one examination except for the palace examination.
In other dynasties, or even twenty years ago, a qualification to be exempt from examinations would not have been of much significance.
If one lacks genuine talent and performs poorly in the palace examination, they will still be eliminated.
However, about twenty years ago, a scholar in our dynasty failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. He finally passed the provincial examination, but was eliminated in the palace examination. In anger, he defected to the Western Xia.
The Song Dynasty had no shortage of scholars; a failed candidate was simply not a concern.
Yet this very same scholar who failed the imperial examinations went on to inflict a major defeat on the Song army in the subsequent Song-Xia War.
At that time, the ruler of Western Xia mocked the Song emperor on the battlefield for his lack of discernment in recognizing talent, saying that such a great talent could fail the imperial examinations and that all those selected through the examinations were good-for-nothings.
Although no one dared to discuss this matter, the official was still very aggrieved.
However, the person was eliminated by him personally during the palace examination, and there was no way to refute it.
After the peace treaty between Song and Xia, the emperor issued an edict abolishing the elimination system of the palace examination.
From then on, the palace examination no longer eliminated candidates; passing the metropolitan examination was equivalent to passing the imperial examination with flying colors.
Wang You was not greedy; it would be best if he could pass the exam with the highest score and be directly granted the title of Jinshi.
Even if that doesn't work, he can settle for second place and get a second-class grade.
He wasn't very confident about the provincial and palace examinations, but the county and provincial examinations were much easier, so he was more confident.
Once you pass the county and provincial examinations, you can use the opportunity to be exempt from the metropolitan examination and still become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).
This is the reason why Wang You was so persistent in the prodigy test.
"Don't speak too definitively," Wang Min sneered.
"My lord."
Madam Feng interrupted her husband playfully, saying, "You-ge'er, in a little over a month it will be your cousin Hua Lan's coming-of-age ceremony. You'll be coming to Yangzhou with me then."
"To Yangzhou?"
Wang You was taken aback when he heard this, and then laughed and said, "Alright, I also miss my second aunt a little."
He had only met his aunt, Madam Wang, twice in total.
However, Madam Wang doted on her nephew and would secretly slip him some gold coins every time.
Although Madam Wang often made foolish moves and did many stupid things during the infighting within her household.
But it cannot be denied that Madam Wang is a person who cares a lot about family ties.
Wang You naturally wouldn't harbor any ill will towards this aunt just because he knew some things about the future.
As for the other members of the Sheng family, Wang You had only met Hua Lan; he had never met the others.
He had only seen Hua Lan when he was very young, and his memory of her was already vague.
There was no other way; in ancient times, carriages and horses were slow and transportation was inconvenient.
Wang Min and Sheng Hong both served as officials in local areas and were frequently transferred, so they were not close to each other.
Generally, there are no important matters, and people just send gifts during holidays.
After the meal, Wang You and his parents went to pay their respects to Old Madam Wang, chatted with her for a while, and then parted ways to return to their courtyards when they left Jingxintang.
Wang Min and Madam Feng returned to their bedroom, tidied themselves up with the help of maids, and went to bed.
After the maidservants extinguished the lights and left, Madam Feng said, "You'er is too young; I'm always worried about letting him go to Bianjing alone."
"What's there to worry about? We've been traveling by water the whole way. Who would dare to cause trouble on the canal?" Wang Min said nonchalantly.
"And what happens when we get to Bianjing?"
Madam Feng said worriedly, "Although we have a house in Bianjing, it has been uninhabited for many years and has always been managed by servants. Those servants do not know You'er's habits, so it is inevitable that they will make some oversights."
"You're worrying unnecessarily. His aunt is in Bianjing, isn't she? Just let him stay at the Kang family's house for a while," Wang Min said.
Upon hearing this, Madam Feng sat up and looked at Wang Min, asking, "Is this the husband's wish, or the mother-in-law's?"
"That's what I think, so what?" Wang Min asked, frowning.
"What else is wrong?"
Madam Feng pursed her lips and said, "I'm not saying anything bad about my sister-in-law, but my husband has cleaned up her messes many times. He should know what she's done."
Why are you bringing this up?
Even though it was dark, Wang Min still felt his face flush with unease upon hearing this.
As the elder brother, he was unwilling to interfere with the things that Kang Wangshi had done.
But Old Mrs. Wang always felt indebted to Kang Wangshi, so what could he do to help Kang Wangshi clean up the mess?
"No matter what, she is You'er's aunt; she wouldn't harm him."
"It's not that bad."
Madam Feng lay down and said, "The Kang family has a lot of troubles, and I don't want to taint You'er's eyes."
Should I accompany You'er to Bianjing for the imperial examination?
"What will happen to the family, with old people and young children, if you leave?"
Wang Min frowned and said, "If you are still worried, you can send your eldest son to Bianjing to keep him company."
The eldest son is studying at the Imperial Academy in Xijing, which is not far from Bianjing.
"But if this delays Dalang's studies, his mother will blame us again. Let's not worry about it now, there are still some days left, we can deal with it later," said Madam Feng.
…………
the next morning.
Wang You accompanied his father to Kong Xuezheng's home.
Kong Lingqiu was in his fifties, with a smile on his face, appearing very amiable.
However, when he heard that Wang You was going to participate in the prodigy test, his expression became much calmer.
He had assessed Wang You's knowledge and found his foundation to be very solid, so he intended to take him on as a student.
Hearing that Wang You was going to participate in the prodigy exam, he was greatly disappointed.
If Wang Youruo passes the exam but loses his motivation, he will naturally become lazy in the future.
If they fail the exam, it would be a huge blow at such a young age, and it would be hard for them to bear.
This is also why those child prodigies who entered officialdom through the prodigy examination almost all became ordinary people when they grew up.
Kong Lingqiu tried to persuade him a few times, but seeing that Wang Min was unmoved, he gave up trying to persuade him further.
However, when Wang Min asked him to choose a courtesy name for Wang You, he did not refuse. After pondering for a long time, he said, "You are exceptionally intelligent and your knowledge far surpasses that of your peers."
This is both a good thing and a bad thing.
I will now give you the courtesy name Ziqian, hoping that you will guard against arrogance and impetuosity, remain humble and self-disciplined, and never change your original aspirations.
"Thank you for your instruction, Academic Director. I will certainly remember it carefully!" Wang You stood up and bowed respectfully.
He studied at the state school, which was then managed by Kong Lingqiu.
Moreover, he had been bestowed with a title, so he couldn't help but be respectful.
After a few words of casual conversation, Kong Lingqiu made an excuse that he had something to do, and the father and son said goodbye and left.
…………
In mid-March, Wang You traveled by boat with his mother to Yangzhou.
"My old friend bids farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower, heading down to Yangzhou in the misty, flowery third month."
On the Fei River, Wang You stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the boats coming and going on the river and the verdant mountains on both banks, and couldn't help but compose a poem.
The Shi brothers, who had gone up to the second floor, looked at Wang You, who was standing with his hands behind his back, and thought to themselves, "As expected of a young master from a wealthy family, he has such talent at such a young age."
But Shi Keng remembered that the Yellow Crane Tower was in Ezhou.
However, he didn't think much of it and cupped his hands, saying, "Young master, we are about to enter the Huai River. We need to lower the sails and adjust their direction. It's a bit dangerous up there, so please go back to the cabin first."