After returning home, he didn't tell his mother about it. It wasn't until the next day that he came out again, walked through the streets, and stood on a bridge, where Fang Xin gazed around.

  In his memory, this place was from Jiangfu, and its name was surprisingly "Great Chu", which didn't seem to be any dynasty he knew.

  From the bridge, people are crowded below, and on the west side there are some stalls. The stalls have knives, scissors, and miscellaneous goods.

  Selling tea, fortune-telling and calculating fate, as well as snacks and small eats.

  On the middle road, there is a throng of people, mostly pedestrians, also some hurrying donkeys carrying goods, or pushing wheelbarrows, and some with shoulder poles, occasionally there are sedan chairs and horseback riders passing by, these people are either wealthy or noble.

  Under the bridge, there are many boats in the river. Although most of them are small boats of one ton or two tons, they can be described as a thousand sails competing and hundreds of boats rushing forward.

  Further away, however, is the aristocratic district, with houses standing shoulder to shoulder. There are tea houses, wine shops, foot shops, meat shops, temples, and government offices. The stores specialize in silk fabrics, jewelry, incense, paper horses, and other goods. In addition, there are medical clinics, carriage repair shops, fortune tellers, beauty salons, and all sorts of industries, with everything one could possibly need.

  It seems that this dynasty, or at least this location, is still in a relatively prosperous era.

  The wonders of nature are truly immeasurable. This place is also a world, and it's life. As I look up, I see the sun shining brightly in the sky, and can't help but smile. I asked someone where Shen Fu was, and slowly turned around.

  After passing through the bustling streets, I gradually arrived at the wealthy district, where there were many large mansions. The natural environment was also different here. Unconsciously, I had already passed by a wall.

  This place is mostly built with brick walls, which are not high, only about two meters. The flower wall mouth is still there. From the middle, you can see the garden and garden inside. Peach trees are planted all over, although it's already past the time when peach blossoms are in full bloom.

  Arriving at the gate, a horizontal inscribed board hung above the main entrance, with the two characters "Shen Fu" written on it. The servant immediately stepped forward and said: "I am Li Rui, I request to see your young master."

  The two of them took a look and saw that he was wearing a coarse linen Confucian robe, which had been washed clean today. Although it wasn't a blue robe, the whole person looked dignified and composed, with an air of elegance. The two of them were used to receiving guests at the county magistrate's gate, so they wouldn't look down on people too much. One of them said, "You're the one who picked up Young Master's package yesterday?"

  "That's right."

  "Then come with me. Just go see the manager, the young master has already given orders." One of them said, and took him in, passing through the outer house. They arrived at a garden, which was very large and planted with various trees. They came to a room in the middle house, and when they reached the door, the man said: "Manager Xu, the person is here."

  "Come in!" As he walked inside, he saw a middle-aged man. He was both tall and thin, with two wisps of an eight-shaped mustache, narrowing his eyes to examine something carefully.

  Li Rui, the student, paid his respects to Xu Zongguan. Xu Zongguan coughed slightly, picked up the small ceramic teapot on the table, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and looked at Li Rui with a hint of approval. Although Li Rui was young, he had an air of calmness about him, standing with his hands hanging down, neither humble nor arrogant. Xu Zongguan nodded slightly: "I heard you're a scholar, who passed the imperial examination at the age of 12 and returned the package to the young master yesterday. It seems you have received the teachings of the saints. The young master has already instructed me that you are not considered an inferior person in the mansion. You can go to the study to copy books, and we will give you two taels of silver per month. Are you willing?"

  Fang Xin revealed a hint of a smile, and he cupped his hands in respect: "As for yesterday's matter, as a student who reads books, I naturally follow the teachings of the sages. It wasn't right for me to make an improper request, but my family is poor and my mother is ill. Before this year's imperial examination, I also sought a job to support my mother. So, I humbly accepted your kindness, young master, and the generosity of your esteemed household."

  Hehe, Manager Xu said with a smile: "Your filial piety is already quite good, the young master and the old master will be very happy. Since that's the case, the young master has already instructed that you can receive a month's worth of salary and rice in advance. You don't need to stay any longer today, come back tomorrow to copy the books at the library. Come before noon, there will be a meal at noon, and you can leave by late afternoon. However, I still want to remind you of one thing."

  "Please also ask Director Xu for guidance." Chen time is from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning, and Shen time is from 15:00 to 17:00. The time is quite relaxed, obviously intentionally taken care of.

  "You are not a person from the government, so the rules do not apply to you. You are also an educated person, and your future prospects are vast, I won't say more about this. However, there are many women in the government, so you must be careful about this. If something happens, no one can save you."

  "This is naturally understood, this point of propriety, students are clear about it. Students will certainly not enter the inner courtyard, nor will they make a fuss, just focus on copying carefully." Fang Xin again made a bow as a courtesy.

  "In that case, you can go now and follow the person outside. He will take you to the account room to receive two taels of silver and a set of Confucian robes, which are specially awarded to you by Young Master Shen. When entering or leaving the Shen Mansion, one must also maintain some dignity."

  "Thank you, young master, thank you, Director Xu." After saying that, Fang Xin retreated and left. Indeed, someone led the way forward.

  "May I ask who you are?"

  "Oh, I'm Xu, the county official." The man said, surnamed Xu, it seems that he is either the son or nephew of Xu Zongguan. In ancient times, family inheritance and serving for generations were common occurrences.

  At this time, he came to a attic, this attic was very ordinary, especially compared with the main house in the inner courtyard, it was unremarkable, but it was where the account room was located.

  "The young master has ordered that he be brought here to collect his money and clothes." Xu Zhixi said, speaking to a middle-aged man inside.

  That account room also did not answer, looked at it and took out a notebook, saying: "Write your name on it."

  Fang Xin then walked to the desk, at this time seeing that the pen and ink were ready. He picked them up, bent down and wrote his own name. The strokes of the pen were like a dragon and snake, with a strong and vigorous spirit, written in one breath. This was not Fang Xin's handwriting, but Li Rui's original handwriting. After all, when taking the imperial examination, one cannot be careless with their writing.

  The accountant saw the letter, looked at him and his expression softened a bit. He took out a stack of clothes and two strings of copper coins, saying: "Just take them away, from now on, come to my place every month to collect your salary."

  "Thanks." Fang Xin slightly nodded his head and left with what he came for. This wasn't considered rude, but rather already quite polite.

  "Now you can also come and go freely in the mansion, I've already spoken to the gatekeeper. And, are you going to have dinner in the mansion today? If so, young master has instructed that it will be calculated according to the middle rank." Xu Zhishi said.

  "Also, please ask Officer Xu to speak clearly."

  "In the mansion, meals are formalized. Except for the host family, others in the mansion are also divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. Each level has a different menu: one dish with soup, two dishes with soup, and three dishes with soup. If you have dinner, it's two dishes with soup. As a scholar, when the time comes, someone will send you to the library."

  This is indeed within the current hierarchy, intentionally favored, but others don't have much to say. After all, Li Rui is a child prodigy, although being a child prodigy doesn't count as a prestigious title, it's still a scholar, and having passed the child prodigy exam at 12 years old, maybe this year will pass the Imperial Examination, so it's not overstepping boundaries.

  "I'll just acknowledge the location for now and come back tomorrow!"

  "Alright." Down below, Xu Zhi took him to the library. The library seemed to be newly renovated, with a three-story wooden building. Upon entering, he saw that it was packed with books. After a rough estimate, there were about 10,000 volumes stored here. He couldn't help but feel surprised - in ancient times, having 10,000 volumes of books was truly remarkable.

  "This is the young master's new building, the young master loves books and has collected many of them. Among them are rare editions, so be careful when copying, beware of fire and candles." Xu Zhi Shi seemed to be familiar with this, one by one said it, just like what he had told the three people who came to look at the building before, arranged on the third floor, there was a table, chair and bed.

  After recognizing him, Fang Xin bid farewell, but when he reached the door, he was stopped again by the doorman to take another look before he could leave.

  He touched his clothes and found that although they were made of cloth, they were quite fine. The only thing he wasn't sure about was the color - whether it was blue or not. Fang Xing thought back to his memories for a moment before realizing that in this world, ordinary Confucian scholars weren't allowed to wear blue robes unless they had achieved some sort of distinction.

  A green robe and Confucian clothes, is actually for Xiucai and Juren. As a Xiucai, one can meet the county magistrate without kneeling, with hands clasped together as a salute. The status of Juren is even closer to that of the county magistrate. If not taking the imperial examination, they can directly enter officialdom, and be appointed to an eighth-rank position.

  Although he was a jinshi, he did not wear a green robe. This is because jinshi must be granted official positions, and naturally they have official attire to wear. Li Rui still had no right to wear a green robe.

  He touched the two strings of cash again, and the 2000 coins were indeed heavy. Fang Xin couldn't help but smile.

  At that time, the price of goods was only 10 cents per dou of rice, and one dou was equivalent to about 5 kilograms. Calculated this way, one guan of money was equivalent to 1,000 yuan, and two thousand wen a month was indeed a generous salary, enough to satisfy a family's food and clothing needs with plenty left over, and they could even eat some meat.

  At the moment, he directly bought two dou of rice, took the rice bag, and spent only twenty cents. He also bought a catty of meat, which now costs only 15 cents per catty. "Ah, Li Rui, what's this? Have you become rich?" People who knew him shouted as he walked back with these things.

  Back home, someone had already informed his mother, Madame He. She was waiting at the door and asked him as soon as she saw him: "My son, what have you done? Tell me quickly."

  Fang Xin was somewhat perplexed, but after a moment's thought, he understood. It turned out that at this time, scholars were not allowed to engage in business or become servants, otherwise they would not be able to take the imperial examination. He smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry, I haven't gone crazy yet."

  He immediately explained the situation, emphasizing that going to Shenfu was not to serve as a subordinate, but only to copy books in the library, which would not harm his reputation and could even win people's praise.

  After hearing this, He Shi finally calmed down, her heart slowed down, and her legs softened. Fang Xin hurriedly supported her inside.

  He said: "My son has a heart, it's his mother who is incompetent!"

  "As for my mother, copying books is also a literary pursuit. Moreover, my mother's health is not good, and as her son, how can I bear to do this? Copying books also benefits my studies. By autumn this year, when I pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, I won't have to do this anymore."

  "If you think so, mother will be at ease."

  After becoming a Xiucai, not only was his social status significantly improved, but the government would also allocate a sum of money and rice every year. Although this amount is not large, it is equivalent to the income from five mu of land, which is enough to support family life. This is the government's intention to support Xiucai in their studies.