Bai Shan answered on his behalf, "The two of us are from the Bai family in Longzhou."

Mr. Zhuang also introduced Man Bao, who was following behind, slightly sideways, and said with a smile: "This is my eldest disciple Zhou Man."

The middle-aged scribe was stunned.

He did not recognize Mr. Zhuang, but he had heard of Zhou Man.

And the fact that Zhou Man had a husband and two junior brothers was widely spread in the capital.

Zhang Chen felt his arm hurt again and couldn't help but look past them towards Zhou Man standing behind.

Man Bao raised his head to meet his gaze inexplicably, with a puzzled look on his face. Why was he walking but not walking?

Zhou Man was well-known in the capital, and Bai Shan was also well-known, especially among literati. They were both loyal, righteous, benevolent and filial. He did not expect to meet them.

Zhang Chen bowed to them again. When they reached the top of the mountain, he found a place to sit down and placed some drinks and snacks. Then he sighed with a few others and said: "I participated when I was taking the Enkao. I failed at that time. I thought I would be admitted in the autumn."

If there is a chance, who knows whether it will work or not, alas..."

Mr. Zhuang comforted him and said: "Although there are two subjects in succession this year, there are still many people taking the exam. Brother Zhang, don't be too discouraged."

Zhang Chen heard this kind of consolation too many times, shook his head and said: "If you fail this year, you may not take the exam again next year. If you wait two more years, I will be older."

Mr. Zhuang laughed and said, "No matter how old you are, can you still be as old as me?"

Zhang Chen looked at the energetic Mr. Zhuang, and then at the three young men sitting on the other side of the mat serving him, and even sighed, "How can I compare with Mr. Zhuang? With such a great disciple, it's worth not being an official for the rest of your life.

"

Although Mr. Zhuang felt that what he said was right, he also sensed a sense of despair. He opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't persuade him any more.

It was difficult to express his feelings, so he raised his hand and toasted him with a glass of wine.

They sat for a long time before Mr. Jiang and others finally came up the mountain. When they saw the four masters and apprentices of Mr. Zhuang, they laughed and said, "I guessed that you were going up the mountain. It was true."

They didn't take it to heart that there was an unknown Zhang Chen. Anyway, climbing on the Double Ninth Festival meant climbing mountains, looking at the scenery, drinking, and feeling happy in their hearts.

The three older ones were free and easy, while the three younger ones were carefree. Only Zhang Chen was depressed and frustrated, sitting aside in a daze.

Mr. Jiang and others also brought wine. Seeing that he seemed to be in a bad mood, they simply raised their hands and drank from him.

Everyone stayed on the mountain until dusk. Zhang Chen got drunk and was finally carried down by Daji and Mr. Jiang's entourage.

The carriage swayed back to the capital. Man Bao and the other two people rode towards the capital chasing each other. They abandoned the carriage for a long distance and then turned around and ran back. They were enjoying themselves endlessly.

They were too young to understand Zhang Chen's frustration.

What's more, neither Man Bao, Bai Shan nor Bai Erlang think that being an official is a very important thing in this world.

There are so many things that people can do in this world, and becoming an official is just a choice.

At this point, they are even more open-minded than Mr. Zhuang, a man who has gone through many trials and tribulations.

Mr. Jiang put down the curtain, looked away from the window, and Mr. Zhuang said with a smile: "Your three disciples seem to have made more progress than before."

Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "They have grown up too."

Mr. Jiang sighed sadly, "You can see that they have grown up, but I have grown older. I am getting older day by day, but the children in my family have not made any progress at all."

Mr. Chen smiled and said: "Every time I hear you envy me every time I see you, my ears will get calluses."

"You don't envy me? If you don't envy me, why don't you say a few words in private."

Mr. Zhuang burst out laughing and waved his hands carelessly: "Just say it, I don't care."

"If I envy you, of course you don't care." Mr. Jiang thought of something, turned around and searched in his luggage, found a bundled manuscript and gave it to him, "This is the calligraphy I have been practicing recently.

Bai Shan's calligraphy seems to be very good, let's see if he wants to copy it."

Mr. Jiang's calligraphy is very famous. I heard that even the emperor collected it. Mr. Zhuang immediately took it and thanked him for Bai Shan.

Mr. Jiang shook his head and said: "I will never have such a good disciple in my life. I can only look at him with envy. I am satisfied if I can give some guidance."

After returning to the city, Mr. Zhuang asked someone to take Zhang Chen, who was lying in his carriage, to an inn.

Mr. Jiang raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "Why don't you take it home? After all, he is a scholar who can participate in the imperial examination. He has some abilities. Maybe he can be accepted as a staff member."

Mr. Zhuang shook his head and said with a smile: "I am a ninth-grade official, what kind of staff do I need? I just read books in the Chongwen Hall and explain some scriptures to the prince."

He said: "Manbao is not needed anymore. She is an imperial physician. She only treats illnesses and saves people, and compiles medical books. She does not need a staff to make suggestions. As for Bai Shan and Bai Cheng, they are still too young, and they don't know when they will become officials.

"

Mr. Chen was straightforward, "I thought it was because you looked down on him."

He smiled and said: "I saw that there was a hint of defection in his words, so I poured him wine, thinking that if you took the person back with you, the staff would be stable, but you didn't know that you had no such intention."

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, smiled and looked out the window. His three naughty disciples were riding back from a distance, laughing happily.

He said: "If we have different ways, we should not work together, not to mention that other people's wishes are not on us, master and disciple."

The fear lies with the prince behind them.

Mr. Jiang naturally thought of it. He was a good friend after all, so he couldn't help but asked, "Are you okay in the East Palace?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled and nodded, "His Royal Highness is becoming increasingly humble, so we are all doing well."

It can be said that the whole court saw the improvement of the prince's character. This time the emperor invited the elderly and ministers to dinner, and the prince was the one holding the pot and pouring the wine.

He no longer had the irritability of previous years, and he was doing well in the previous few errands. Although there were occasional letters from the imperial court to impeach him, it was not a big deal, and he rarely quarreled with ministers in the court.

Therefore, the ministers headed by Wei Zhi were very pleased with the prince today. They all had a beautiful palace banquet with him, and then someone mentioned the matter of Prince Gong returning to Luozhou.

Prince Gong has stayed in Beijing for too long, and it's time to return to Luozhou. You can't keep someone under house arrest in the palace, right?

The emperor pondered deeply, and remembering the queen's opinion, he shied away from the matter, saying that today was the Double Ninth Festival, and everyone only respected the elderly and did not talk about state affairs.

Wei Zhi, who opposed Prince Gong's return to Luozhou, breathed a sigh of relief.

Prince Gong is in the capital. If he has been locked up in the palace, it is naturally better to stay in the capital. When the emperor wants to let him out one day, he can mention the matter of returning to Luozhou.
Chapter completed!