Chapter 809 Taking refuge with relatives and friends

And now, Li Zhan's most urgent priority is not to take the imperial examination, stand out, and honor his ancestors, but to survive. Only by surviving can he have hope.

Li Zhan looked helplessly at the dilapidated thatched hut with only a room full of books left behind, with a look of extreme reluctance on his face. But even if he was unwilling, Li Zhan could only fight against the autumn wind and rely on others and relatives and friends, otherwise he would not be able to use it. You will be frozen to death in this winter in a few days.

In the cold winter of March 9th, Li Zhan was so cold that his whole body was shaking, and his teeth were constantly chattering and fighting. He relied on constant movement to barely survive this cold and deadly night. Li Zhan stood in the deserted cold room. No one knows what he was thinking about at night.

As the sky gradually brightened, the roosters in the village began to crow, and the villagers began to get up one after another and start running for a day's livelihood. Gradually, there was a bit of fireworks, and the curls of smoke rose. Although it was not a delicacy, it was still enough to survive, and it would not starve to death. It was happier than Li Zhan.

Li Zhan's face is pale, his lips are blue, there is no color at all, and he is thin, but he is not short. He is considered a leader among his peers. He has a slender frame, a handsome face, and is considered to have excellent genes. He is the same as those in the village. Those young men were different in their vulgarity and gentleness, and they looked like they didn't belong to the same family at first glance, so Li Zhan didn't have many friends of the same age in the village, let alone anyone worth remembering.

Although Li Zhan caught the cold and his body was very cold, his eyes were still clear, his eyelids were slightly opened and closed, and a trace of determination flashed across his face. The phoenix frost on his face was extremely determined. Now that he had made up his mind, Li Zhan naturally Mother-in-law and mother-in-law hesitated and packed up the only valuable books in the house, which were the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism and some insights. Most of them were left by my grandfather Li Mingjia. The covers of the books had turned white, but they were still well preserved. , it can be seen that the owner of the book often reads and cherishes it very much. This is the best spiritual food for Li Zhan to pass the time when he is bored in the past few years. When he is hungry, he can only rely on reading to comfort his poor stomach.

In those cold and embarrassing days, Li Zhanwen read these collections of classics and history. Every time he read them, he gained new insights. He was truly able to review the past and learn new things from the sage's teachings.

Confucius said: "How virtuous it is to go back! With a basket of food and a ladle of drink, in a back alley, people cannot bear their worries, but they will not change their happiness even if they come back. How virtuous it is to go back!"

Li Zhan truly experienced Yan Hui's state. Even when he was short of food and clothing, he read every day, entertained himself, enriched his spirit, and did not feel depressed.

Li Zhan tied all the books with hemp rope and carefully put them into the sack. He carefully put the letter that his grandmother left when she passed away three years ago into his arms. This was his life-saving straw at this time.

Li Zhan was not worried at all about being driven away by his poor relative. This era was different from later generations. They attached great importance to clan relatives and friends, and the anonymity of relatives was recognized by the law. Moreover, as a scholar, Li Zhan's relative was even more important. If you value the reputation of an official, you will not do such unwise things. You will definitely receive Li Zhan well and arrange Li Zhan properly.

Li Zhan picked up the books in the sack and walked out of the clanking broken wooden door. He looked back at the thatched house with bare walls. The sun shone from the roof without any shadows. The lighting was excellent. Unfortunately, there was nothing worthy of nostalgia. The things in the room were all tattered. Even the jujube wood table was scratched and old.

Li Zhan took one last look with a complicated expression. He no longer missed the old house where he had lived for several years, and walked firmly towards Yangzhou City.

Although Li Zhan's hometown is within the scope of Yangzhou City, it is not in the city, but in the countryside below. There are at least dozens of miles of mountain roads from the city. Li Zhan needs to enter Yangzhou City in the evening before the city gate is closed, otherwise At this time, he was hungry and cold. If he spent another night in the wild, he might not be able to survive it and would freeze to death outside Yangzhou City.

Year-round malnutrition, coupled with the cold wind blowing down last night, made my body a little weak, so I walked very slowly. I didn't enter the city until the sun started to set in the morning and the sky in the west became dim. , finally did not spend the night in the wild.

After entering Yangzhou City, Li Zhan couldn't help but nod his head as he looked at the bustling Yangzhou. People were coming and going, and the sound of hawking was endless. Most of the residents here had ruddy faces, good spirits, and a prosperous life. They were completely different from the countryside where Li Zhan lived. .

In the fourth year of Chunhua reign of Zhao Guangyi in the Song Dynasty, the country was divided into ten roads, and Yangzhou belonged to Huainan Road. Yangzhou at this time was also called Guangling.

Although Yangzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty was not as prosperous as the Tang Dynasty, thanks to the convenience of water transportation, there was still a spectacular scene of "thousands of merchants mating in the sunset". Yangzhou's shipbuilding technology became the "national standard" at that time. Economic prosperity brings cultural prosperity. Yangzhou has become the economic and cultural center of southeastern China. There are many masterpieces of Yangzhou gardens, including Wanhuayuan Garden, Pingshan Hall, and Zhenzhou East Garden, which are still talked about by future generations. Literary leaders Ouyang Xiu and Su Dongpo who were officials in Yangzhou, as well as famous poets Wang Yucheng and Han Qi, etc. have continued to create, which has contributed to the history of Yangzhou literature. Write a colorful chapter.

At this time, Yangzhou was worthy of being the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River, a land of plenty and plenty of fish and rice. It was extremely prosperous and could be regarded as one of the most prosperous cities in this era. Li Zhan did a little research and found out the mansion where the judge was sitting. He carried his torn sack and headed there. Go.

It only took Li Zhan a quarter of an hour to arrive in front of the mansion. Li Zhan put down the torn sack behind him and stood in front of the mansion. He looked at the rich mansion in front of him and glanced at the plaque on the door. Two huge "Shengfu", the handwriting is vigorous and powerful, the writing power is old and powerful, and it is very elegant. It seems that the owner has good calligraphy. This is very common in the Song Dynasty where the literary style is prevalent. Every scholar who is a Jinshi has practiced calligraphy hard. .

Li Zhan rested against the sack for a while, calmed down, regained his strength, took a deep breath, straightened his face, walked to the door of the mansion, and gently knocked on the door knocker.

"Boom!"

The collision between the metal door knocker and the door nail made two crisp sounds. The red door opened a gap, and an old man who looked like a steward peeked his head out. He glanced at Li Zhan, with a trace of disdain in his eyes.

Li Zhan's image at this time is indeed not good. The cotton robe has been washed and turned white, and it also has several large patches. The stitching of the patches is neat, and Li Zhan sewed them himself. There is no way, he does not have a maid or embroiderer. My mother can be called upon, but I can only do it myself. She has enough food and clothing. His face was pale without a trace of blood, his lips were blue and black, and the hungry look on his face showed that he was a poor person. No wonder the other party looked down on him.