Fan Jin hand-picked shandong to learn the Tao, and the officials had all brought their documents and prepared to go to Shandong to take up their posts. Before leaving, he went to see his mentor Zhou Jin, Zhou Jin had been promoted from Xuedao to Guozi Supervisor Siye, the two of them had finished their ceremonies, Zhou Siye said to Fan Jin: "Although I am from Shandong, my family is very good, and there is nothing to help, but when I was a teacher in Xuejiaji in Wenshang County, there was a child named Xun Mei, seven or eight years old, my parents are farming, I don't know if I insist on studying, now for more than ten years, if I also take the exam, I will take care of it, but I have a wish." Fan Jin kept it in mind and went to Shandong to take up his post.
I didn't expect that the county examination, the government examination, and the entrance examination had been taken for more than half a year, and I forgot about this matter. It wasn't until the next day that I was going to publish the list that I remembered it and thought to myself, "What is this doing, the teacher entrusted me with Wenshang County Xunmei, why didn't I take care of it?" It was too careless. Hurriedly checking in the student's waiting papers, there was none; and then the children's children's papers, names, and seat numbers, one by one, were checked, or none; Fan Jin was anxious in his heart: "Didn't he take the exam, no, if I didn't find it after the exam, how would I see the teacher in the future?" His staff also followed him in a hurry. Why don't you say Fan Jin is in a hurry? Before there was a zhongjinshi, Zhou Jin was to find connections and pay for him, and Fan Jin once said to his teacher: "Protégés have been cultivated by the teacher all their lives. In other words, the teacher's great kindness and unforgettable. The teacher's account can't be done, he can not be in a hurry. At this moment, an elderly staff member Niu Buyi told Fan Jin: "Why don't you check on the dozen or so rolls admitted the day before?" Maybe the literary talent is good, and it has been admitted. Fan Jin suddenly realized, busy bringing more than a dozen papers that had been admitted, and the first one of the names was Xun Mei. Fan Jin looked at it, and he didn't feel happy to open his face, and the worries of the day were gone.
The next day, the list was issued, Fan Xuedao commented on the child one by one, the first class, the second class, the third class were all over, and the fourth class first place Wenshang County Mei Jiu, this Mei Jiu was Zhou Jin who made fun of him when he was a teacher in Wenshang County Xue Jiaji. Fan Jin said angrily: "People who are talented, the article is written to such a point, it can be seen that they do not keep their duties. Mei Jiu said, "I was sick on the day of the exam, and I was confused." Fan Jin was about to punish him according to the law, Mei Jiu was anxious: "Guozi Supervisor Zhou Jin is also my teacher, I hope that the eldest master will look at the teacher's sake and be gracious." Fan Jin listened, quickly avoided beating, and said to Mei Jiu: "Since you are a disciple of Teacher Zhou, you should study with your heart, and if you write such an article, won't you lose the teacher's person?" This is still the case the next time you are examined, and you must be punished. He said, "Hurry out." Then the new Confucian boy came in, and Xun Mei, the first person in Wenshang County, saw xun mei's eyebrows clear and clear-eyed, and she was full of spirit. Fan Jin asked, "Are you a student of Teacher Zhou Xuanxuan?" Xun Mei replied, "That's my enlightened teacher," Fan Jin said, "That's right, I'm also a student of Teacher Zhou, when I left Beijing, the teacher asked me to take care of you, I didn't expect you to take the first place." In the future, we must read hard and continue to be self-motivated. Xun Mei knelt down and thanked.
The following year, Xun Mei took the first exam again, and sure enough, the hero came out of the youth, went to the provincial examination, was admitted again, entered the Beijing examination, and won the third jinshi. At this time, Xun Mei's father, Xun Laopa, had died, and he had come along the way, the road fee, the tuition fee, the registration fee, and the Bai'en teacher, bai tongke, thanked the villagers for spending a lot of money, and the middle soldier could only rent a house to live. The Ming Dynasty stipulated that if a person was elected to a jinshi, he must set up a public seat in his residence for his subordinates to prostrate himself. On this day, he was prostrating his head when he heard a shout outside: "In the same year, the same hometown Wang Laoye came to worship." Xun Mei stood up and went out, and It was Zhou Jin who had vomited a chicken bone and melon seed skin when he was teaching in Xue Jiaji, the big Wang Hui. This family was rich and well-nourished, and it took him more than fifty years to pass the entrance examination. Seeing that his beard was all white, he walked into the door and took Xun Mei's hand and said, "Brother Nian, I am not an ordinary brother of the same year with you!" As they talked, the two of them prostrated their heads, sat down, and talked about a dream many years ago, dreaming that they and a jinshi of the same year named Xun Mei, at that time, they thought that you were so young, how could it be? I didn't expect that we were all "famous in the sky"! Xun Mei said: "I am young, you and I are the same year and the same countryman, many things you have to point out." Wang Jinshi said, "This is the house you rented, so small, move my own house, the house I bought, close to Chao gang, in the future temple test, everything is convenient." "I can't help but say, let the next person move the luggage and leave." On the day of the announcement of the ranking, Xun Mei Hall was in the second class, and Wang Hui Hall was in the third place. They were all appointed as the chief of the Ministry of Works, and soon became a foreign minister.
On this day, the two were idle, chatting in the living room, Wang Yuanwai's family came to report that Xun Mei's old mother had died, Xun Mei cried on the spot, and later woke up, the two discussed, immediately to arrange work, to serve as a county official, Taishou, the prefect went, what can be done, so the two decided to go to Zhou Jin, Fan Jin two teachers, the two teachers have no way. Xun Mei had to go home to worry.
Wang Yuanwai said: "You are a cold soldier, and you have no money, so I might as well take a leave of absence and send a funeral to the old lady with you." Xun Mei had to listen to him, and went back to the old mother to treat the funeral. For seven consecutive days, the divisions, provinces, governments, and counties all came to mourn, and people from a hundred and ten miles away, men and women, and the elderly and children all came to see, which was very beautiful. It took two months to end. Wang Yuanwai borrowed a total of thousands of taels of silver to Xun Mei before returning to the capital. Just in time for the reporter to come to persecute the joy and grant the nanchang prefect.