During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, there is a Xinjiazhuang in the boundary of Songjiang Mansion in the south of Zhili, the people of the village are guarding three or five acres of thin fields and struggling to survive, they go out early and return late every day, when the year is good, the wind and rain are smooth, the crops are good and they can mix a food and clothing, and the rest will be taken to the market to exchange some copper money, if the year is not good, they only borrow grain from the landlord Xinke farmer to survive.
And said that there is a farmer named Xin Qi in the village, marrying a wife Wang, having a son named Xin Yang, sent to study in the private school of Xinjiazhuang, Xinjiazhuang is different from other places is that no matter how difficult the family is, they will send their children to the private school to study for a few years, if they can grow up, they will be more and more helpful, if they feel hopeless to study for a few years, then go home to help the farmers after knowing a few words.
And said that Xin Yang since his parents sent to the private school, listen carefully, but also strange, other children always have to be whipped by the master a few times to be slightly obedient, Xin Yang is different, as soon as he speaks, he understands, every morning and evening to study in the private school, never slacken, but also has a good memory, but he is not as good as him two years before the school, so that the master is not only impressed, often ask him some difficult words and sentences, he can also tell according to his own thoughts, but it is different from ordinary people's knowledge, the master not only sighed that the Xin family wants to be a nobleman。 Since then, the people of Zhuangzhong have known that Xin Yang is highly knowledgeable and will be an official in the future, and they have congratulated Xin Qi and his wife, Xin Qi and his wife are kind in nature, so they have to humble themselves and say: "Our Xin family has been farming for generations, how can we be officials, we dare not be delusional." Everyone also only said that he and his wife were modest, Xin Yang studied more diligently after that, often read until midnight, and every morning when he got up, he also went through his homework first.
Just after the Lantern Festival in the first month of the following year, the master came to tell everyone to prepare for school, Xin Qi came to Xin Yang to sign up, from Xin Qi's house to the private school There are two roads, on weekdays, Xin Yang is with a few partners from the well side of the path to the private school, this year Xin Qi said to Xin Yang: "This year, the official road here has been repaired, you don't take the path, go from the avenue, and come back in the evening to help your mother do some farm work." Xin Yang agreed and then rushed to the private school from the avenue, the road used to pass a city god temple, every spring people come to the city god temple to worship the city god, so the city god temple incense is quite vigorous.
So after the start of school, Xin Yang passed in front of the city god temple in the morning and evening, and one night Xin Qi suddenly saw an old man dressed in court clothes and a burly body in his sleep, and came to stand in front of him and said: "Xin Qi, I am a local city god, because every day Wenqu Xing passes in front of the door, his title is above me, the old man has to salute respectfully from time to time, and he is quite troubled by the long time, you can let Wenqu Xing pass by by other roads." Xin Qi hurriedly saluted and said: "I don't know who the master is talking about Wenquxing, I hope to make it clear." Chenghuang said: "It's Ling Lang, he passes in front of the house twice a day in the morning and evening, I don't dare to slack off, so I can only ask you to order him to go another way." Xin Qi hurriedly said: "It's so easy, Xiao Ming will order him to go to the private school from other paths." The old man thanked him and drifted away.
Xin Qi woke up in a dream, but he remembered it vividly, and said to Xin Yang early the next morning: "I thought about it last night, it's better for you to concentrate on studying, and go down the path as it is." Xin Yang agreed and took the path from then on. Spring to autumn, unconsciously eight years have passed, it is the year of the township examination, Xin Yang is ready to pack bags and other general students to go to the provincial capital, sure enough, three went well, won the first place, the next year to go to the capital to participate in the examination, one after another scientific examination down its article deep sitting teacher, intended to promote him, ranked fifth in the second class, the official awarded Suyang County order to order its day to take office.
The news came that the Xin family was happy to fall from the sky, and there was a chicken in the east of the village, and a duck in the west family got together to hold a banquet, and Xin Kenong saw that Xin Yang had to send a hundred catties of rice to celebrate, and announced in public that the Xin family would write off the debts owed in the past, and also gave two acres of paddy fields and two ploughing cows.
Seventh, the Wang couple was also grateful, and after Xin Yang arrived home, everyone celebrated with drums and music for several days, and then Xin Yang took a sedan chair to Suyang to take up his post.