aircannonsinc Chapter 19 Wang Zhuo
Chapter 19 Wang Zhuo
Wang You stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the dock that was getting further and further away, and he could vaguely see his mother still watching him from the dock.
Regardless of whether his mother could see it or not, Wang You raised his hand in encouragement until the dock was completely out of sight, then he looked away.
"Stone, there's no danger on the boat, so you don't need to come with me. Go and have a good reunion with your brother and sister-in-law."
Wang You looked at the stone standing not far away with Xiao Man and said.
"Thank you, young master." Upon hearing this, Shi Tou smiled憨厚ly and bowed to express his gratitude.
"Why are you being so polite with me? Go on ahead." Wang You waved his hand.
Stone bowed again, took a few steps back, and then turned to leave.
There's only a light breeze today, so there's no need to frequently raise or lower the sails.
After Wang You boarded the boat, Shi Keng took the helm, while Che San Niang helped the maid tidy up the rooms.
In the fore and stern towers, Shi Keng is instructing a young man on how to sail.
Previously, with Shi Tou around, the couple and Shi Tou were able to manage the workload.
After Shi Tou left with Wang You, the couple were too busy to manage. A few days ago, when they passed through Tongzhou, they went back to their hometown and chose one of their brothers from the same clan.
"You must be alert and focused when steering the ship. The Fei River is alright, but as you've seen on the Grand Canal, there are many ships coming and going. If you're not careful and collide with another ship, you'll be in big trouble," Shi Keng said solemnly.
"Don't worry, Seventh Brother, I've remembered everything." The young man nodded emphatically.
In ancient times, there were several ways to rank siblings: the order of siblings within the family, the order of siblings and children of the father's brothers, and the order of siblings of the same generation within the clan.
Shi Keng was the seventh child in his clan, so the young people called him Seventh Brother.
"Um."
Shi Keng nodded. Hearing footsteps outside, he assumed it was his wife returning.
Turning my head, I saw it was a stone.
"Big Brother!" Stone exclaimed excitedly.
He was raised by Shi Keng from a young age. Shi Keng was not only an older brother, but also like a father.
Shi Keng was initially delighted to see his younger brother, but then his face hardened as he asked, "Why aren't you with Young Master Wang?"
"Young Master sent me here, saying I don't need to come with him on the boat." Stone scratched his head.
When Shi Keng heard that it was Wang You who sent Shi Tou, he felt grateful and looked Shi Tou up and down.
They saw that Shi Tou was dressed in gray clothes. Although the fabric was not silk or satin, it was considered high-quality by their standards.
Her hair was neatly tied up on top of her head and wrapped in a turban.
If it weren't for his rugged and honest face, he would look more like an ordinary scholar.
Not only her appearance, but her overall demeanor has also changed significantly.
It's hard to describe Shi Keng; it just feels like the two of them are from different social classes.
"good!"
Seeing his younger brother like this, Shi Keng knew that he was doing well by Wang You's side, and patted Shi Tou's arm with relief.
……
Wang You stood at the bow of the boat for a while, waiting for the sun to rise, before returning to the cabin.
The room has been tidied up, and commonly used items have been taken out and put out.
The journey to Bianjing will take us ten to twenty days on a ship, and we are carrying quite a lot of things.
Xia He made a cup of tea for Wang You and then stood by his side.
"You can go now, I'm going to read for a while," Wang You said, waving his hand.
Although he was used to being served by servants, he was not used to having someone constantly standing by his side.
It felt like I was being watched.
"yes!"
Xia He knew her young master's temperament, so she bowed and said, "This servant will wait outside. Just call out if you need anything, young master."
After saying this, he bowed and left.
Wang You shook his head and picked up a book to read.
…………
As the carriage entered Luoyang, Wang You lifted the curtain and looked around the city.
"As expected of an ancient capital with a history of thousands of years, it is even more prosperous than Yangzhou."
Looking at the bustling city and the throngs of people, and listening to the cries of street vendors, Wang You couldn't help but sigh.
Luoyang, an ancient city with a history of thousands of years, has experienced too much turmoil. Although it served as the capital during the Wu Zhou period, Chang'an became the capital again after Wu Zetian returned power to the Li Tang dynasty.
Luoyang was severely damaged during the war, and after Emperor Taizu established the Song Dynasty, he originally intended to move the capital to Luoyang.
However, due to strong resistance from the imperial court and the fact that Luoyang was indeed in ruins, they ultimately had to give up.
He had thought that even though Luoyang had recovered somewhat over the years, it still couldn't compare to major cities in Jiangnan like Yangzhou.
But when he arrived in Luoyang, he realized he was wrong. Luoyang was actually more prosperous than Yangzhou.
"Young master, we've arrived."
The carriage stopped at the Imperial College in Xijing, and Xiaoman reminded him.
"understood."
Wang You responded, got off the carriage, and looked around the Imperial Academy in Xijing.
In addition to Bianjing, the eastern capital, the imperial court established three secondary capitals, and the Imperial Academy was set up in each of the three secondary capitals.
Above the gate hangs a plaque with five large characters engraved in gold on a red background: Xijing Imperial College.
The handwriting is lively and elegant, clearly the work of a master.
To the left of the gate, there was a large brown rock.
The boulder is about one meter high and three meters long, with two lines of large characters carved on it.
"Be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures."
Wang You stared in disbelief at the large characters painted in red lacquer.
When Fan Zhongyan wrote "The Yueyang Tower" a few years ago, it quickly spread throughout the country.
However, because he was demoted at the time due to the new law, this article only received high praise among the common people.
Normally, when such a masterpiece is published, schools in various prefectures and counties would explain the article and teach students.
However, because Fan Da Xiang Gong had just been demoted and the situation was unclear, the teachers at the state school had not taught it.
Not to mention carvings like this and displaying them at the entrance.
Wang You had never heard of this before, and was somewhat astonished when he saw it.
Coming to his senses, Wang You looked away and instructed Xiaoman to deliver the visiting card.
One could not enter the Imperial College at will; to find someone, one had to submit a name card and be announced by the gatekeeper.
Although it was afternoon, the weather was hot, so Wang You took Shi Tou to the shade of a nearby tree to escape the heat.
A short while later, Xiaoman returned and bowed, saying, "Young master, the name card has been delivered. The gatekeeper said that class is in session right now and it will take about an incense stick's time to deliver it after class."
"Then let's wait and see." Wang You unfolded his folding fan and started fanning himself.
"I'll go get a low stool for the young master!" Xiaoman said, running towards the carriage.
Shi Tou stood aside and scratched his head. Shi Keng had told him to be more quick-witted, but he was always a step behind.
He hadn't thought to bring Wang You a stool, and looked somewhat annoyed.
After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a clapper sounded from inside the Imperial Academy, and then Wang You heard many students shouting in unison, "Respectfully seeing off the Master."
Before long, the once quiet Imperial College became noisy.
"This doesn't seem to be much different from schools in later generations."
About an incense stick later, a young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old came running out of the Imperial College, looking around.
The young man was of average appearance, but possessed a refined demeanor. He looked slightly disheveled, however, due to the sweat he had accumulated from the jog.
This young man was none other than Wang Zhuo, the eldest son of the Wang family.
"Big brother!"
Wang You saw the young man and waved and shouted.