28. County

The original name of Zishui County is Yaoliu City, which has many willows. It is recorded in the county annals that in the second year of Jiande in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it was moved here from the old city thirty miles southwest of the county. It is located on the north bank of the upper reaches of Zishui River, facing the higher Bailuyuan, with the majestic Hengling Mountains at its back and Yushan Mountain on its left. Du Fu wrote in a poem: "The blue water falls far away from thousands of streams, and the Yushan Mountain is high and has two cold peaks."

"Chang'an County Chronicle" records: "Yoliu City faces Yaoshan Mountain. Many of them are named Liuliu. The city is eight miles in circumference. It is only the southeastern corner of the current county seat."

Walking north from Bailu Village, there is a dilapidated official road that leads directly to the original edge of the northern end of Bailuyuan. After descending the original slope and wading through Zishui, you can see the ancient city wall.

A group of five people, led by the clan leader Bai Jiaxuan, set out before dawn. After walking for nearly three hours, it was almost time for lunch before we arrived at Zishui County.

"After you enter the academy later, you must pay attention to yourselves at all times and don't ruin the reputation of our Bailu Village."

Bai Jiaxuan wiped away the hot sweat, his chest rose and fell a few times, he took a deep breath and warned the four teenagers behind him who were carrying books.

Zishui County is located in a basin surrounded by mountains. The straight-line distance from Bailu Village is not very long, but the official road goes back and forth around the mountains, making the walk very laborious.

"Guiwazi, you are older. If any of these people are incompetent, just deal with it. If it doesn't work, tell Mr. Zhu and let Mr. Zhu discipline them..."

Bai Jiaxuan said.

There is no one in Bailu Village who doesn't know Bai Gui's character. He can rest assured if he can teach Bai Gui these children. Although Zhou Yuan on the other side said that he was only a few months older than Bai Gui, he was from another village after all and could not be believed.

The township party is still the most reliable among those from the same village.

"Clan leader, Xiaowen and Zhaopeng entered school earlier than Ye. They have read more books and know more about the teachings of saints. We can only help you a little. If there is any trouble, we will solve it together. There is no discipline or anything like that. How can we do it?" It is said that those who are behind are disciplined first..."

This is what the patriarch Bai Jiaxuan said. If he takes it seriously, there is no guarantee that Bai Jiaxuan will feel uncomfortable. This is the root of human nature. No one wants their child to be weaker than someone else's, but Bai Xiaowen is only eleven or twelve years old now, and he is not at ease in Zishui County, so he asked Bai Gui, an older child from the same village, to help discipline him.

As the saying goes, children from poor families become masters early.

"Look what you said, Xiaowen is not a first mover..."

Bai Jiaxuan smiled, feeling very comfortable and satisfied. Bai Gui was just a comforter when he spoke, and he didn't take the opportunity to shirk responsibility.

Bai Xiaowen and Lu Zhaopeng were the first to listen to what Bai Jiaxuan said. They were a little dissatisfied and felt that they were being looked down upon. But after hearing what Bai Gui said, their expressions softened a lot. At the same time, they thanked Bai Gui and let them in. After arriving in the county seat, everyone took care of each other.

"Let's go. Before I leave, I'll treat you to a meal."

Bai Jiaxuan said casually.

He was empty-handed and did not carry any gifts. When he entered the county town later, he first bought some seasonal fruits, snacks, tea and other gifts to take to his brother-in-law, Mr. Zhu.

Although he is said to be a brother-in-law, he cannot go empty-handed.

During this free time, he allowed the children to have a good meal, which was considered his wish as an elder.

From a distance, you can see the city wall of Zishui County and the Kuixing Tower standing inside the city. However, Wangshan ran to death and walked for a full two-quarters of an hour before reaching the city gate.

There is a soldier standing at the gate of the city, with the word "brave" patched on his chest. At this moment, he was lazily leaning against the corner with his gun in his arms, leaning back, squinting, and yawning.

Next to it is a basket with a sparse layer of loose copper coins inside.

The city gate tax was paid, which was a penny per person.

"The city gate tax in Xi'an City is very expensive. It only costs three cents per person. If you bring a gift backpack, you have to pay extra..."

Bai Jiaxuan took this opportunity to popularize common sense to the younger generations in the village. This is the responsibility of the elders, who try their best to teach the next generation common sense in daily life.

The villagers in Bailuyuan usually go to Xi'an City, which is only a few dozen miles away. Besides, the city of Xi'an is built on the best plain in Guanzhong. The farther you go towards the city, the smoother and open the roads become. Most of them are downhill, so walking saves effort.

The road towards Zishui County is uphill and difficult to walk.

When three people are walking together, they must have a teacher. Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones.

Everyone listened carefully, but there was no such truth in the book.

"Look, this is the plaque on the west gate of Zishui County, inscribed with 'White Deer Presents Auspiciousness'"

Bai Jiaxuan pointed at the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were not in the mood to disturb him. A good man should not be a soldier. Bai Jiaxuan was wearing something that looked like a gentleman. It was not something he could bear. Besides, the business in Zishui County was sparse, so he did not need this skill.

"Then what are the titles of the other city gates?"

Several people asked.

"The east gate is 'Yushan Yingcui', because to the east is Yushan. The south gate is 'Zishui Huanqing', where our original Zishui flows through Zishui County, and the north gate is 'Xiu Ling Hui Chun', which is In addition, these gates also have names. They were named by the county magistrate during the Daoguang period when the city wall was rebuilt. The east gate was named "Mingfeng", the south gate was "Yanxun", and the west gate was named "Yongjin". "The north gate is 'Ying'en', and there is a water gate under the moat called 'Yongqing'..."

As a group of people walked on the street, Bai Jiaxuan took the trouble to explain everything about the county to them.

Soon, we arrived at the county seat.

There were many peddlers selling snacks on the street, with bursts of fragrance. The most tempting ones were the soft and tender meat buns, steaming noodles, and some pasta snacks. In addition, there were candied haws and other things.

Qin Province was poor, and people mostly ate pasta, and rarely went to restaurants to eat and drink.

Several people sat in a shop facing the street.

"You eat first, I'll go buy some things."

Bai Jiaxuan paid the shopkeeper and didn't sit down for a moment. He walked out of the shop anxiously and went to the grocery store to buy gifts.

"The teacher told us that we have to recognize Mr. Zhu as our teacher when we arrive at the academy. It's not appropriate to meet the teacher empty-handed. We also have to buy some gifts for the teacher."

Bai Gui said.

Confucianism has no permanent teacher. Confucius' teachers are Tan Zi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang, and Lao Dan.

Strictly speaking, Xu Xiucai was just a teacher in Bailu Village's private school, and he also taught elementary education. However, there was no such division as primary school, middle school, and university in ancient times. The duties of the academy overlapped with those of the private school. It cannot be strictly said that the private school was the primary school, the academy was the middle school, and the last imperial school was the university. This is wrong...

If you like the teacher and learn quickly, the teacher will also teach the Four Books and Five Classics for the imperial examination. It all depends on the private school teacher's own knowledge reserve.

Mr. Zhu was Xu Xiucai's classmate. When they went to participate in the county examination, they had to stay at Bailu Academy, and by the way, let Mr. Zhu teach them the art of eight-part essay.