During the thousands of years when our country was in feudal society, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, almost all scholars and students had a dream, that is, to leap over the dragon gate and achieve the third level. There is also a saying that there are three major happy events in life, namely: meeting an old friend in a foreign country, the night of flowers and candles in the wedding room, and the time of being named on the gold medal list.

In the imperial examination, students should pass the provincial examination, general examination, and palace examination step by step. The imperial examination in middle and high schools was the most effective and glorious way for ordinary people at that time to join the gentry and shine on their family. The name of the first person in the examination is "Yuan", and the number one scholar is the first person in the highest-level palace examination, and is the model and aspiration of students all over the world.

This can’t help but make people wonder, how luxurious was the No. 1 Scholar’s ??mansion? With the demise of the Qing Dynasty, the feudal system also disappeared, and then the land of China ushered in earth-shaking changes. Are these houses that once had infinite glory been protected like the old Beijing courtyard houses, or have they been reduced to ruins in the war, or have they been replaced by today's high-rise buildings?

In Mingyue Slope, southeast of Guandian Village, Heluo Town, Gongyi City, Henan Province, there was once a magnificent and large-scale Zhuangyuan Mansion. Its owners are Niu Fengshan, the top military scholar in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and his son Niu Xuanyu, a Jinshi.

During the more than two hundred years of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there were 109 martial arts champions in one country, and Niu Fengshan was among them. In the Guisi year of Daoguang, at the age of 27, he had already won the first place in the palace examination, became the emperor's number one scholar in martial arts, was awarded the position of first-class bodyguard, and flourished.

Niu Fengshan once served as a guerrilla in the middle camp of Liangzhou, Gansu Province. Later, he was promoted step by step and was promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief. He was awarded the fourth grade as a posthumous award and was filled with honors. His son Niu Xuan was also a calligrapher who passed the provincial examination in the eighth year of Xianfeng and became a Jinshi in Tongzhi. He was famous for his calligraphy at that time.

The Zhuangyuan Mansion where they lived was grand and grand. It was built according to the situation of the mountain. The houses were well-proportioned and located beside the former official road, guarding one side.

Although Niu Zhuangyuan’s family is accomplished in both civil and military affairs and has a distinguished reputation, they have no airs of domineering in their dealings with others. Niu Fengshan retired to his hometown in his later years. He never rode a horse or sat in a sedan when walking on the country roads. He never looked down upon his neighbors. Instead, he led his horse and walked slowly. When he saw the villagers, he greeted them warmly and was very humble and friendly.

In addition, Niu Fengshan also valued education and had very strict requirements for his descendants, so his son Niu Xuanyu was also very promising.

Dusk passes and morning comes, the stars change, the years change unconsciously, and more than a hundred years have passed in a blink of an eye. Whether it is the Spring and Autumn Dream of the former Qing Dynasty or the poor students who hang beams, cones and buttocks for scientific examinations, they are already very far away.

China has long since changed. High-rise buildings are rising from the ground. The education system has been reformed. Examinations are no longer based on stereotypes. Studying hard is no longer the only way out. Fan Jin’s madness after passing the exam will not reappear. It is hard to find the grand occasion of naturally becoming the number one scholar in one step and having an endless stream of guests at the house.

On the Mingyue Slope, the former Number One Scholar's Mansion, which used to be like a city, was now overgrown with grass and dilapidated. Only crows flying over from time to time gave this former Number One Scholar's Mansion a glimmer of life. It's hard to imagine that there are people living in such a house. In fact, Niu Shijing, a descendant of Niu Fengshan, still lives here.

The old man is 71 years old. He has never been married and is lonely. Niu Zhuangyuan's family was once very prosperous, and its descendants now number in the thousands. They have already lived in all walks of life and spread all over the world. However, now only Niu Shijing still lives in the old residence of Zhuangyuan Mansion.

Today, the achievements of Niu Zhuangyuan are still recorded on the monument at the intersection of the village. Walking along the dirt road, passing in front of the ancient ancestral hall, and walking for a few minutes, you can see a large building with red stone walls halfway up the mountain, which has an ancient charm among the lush plants.

Walk along the path and climb the steps, and you can see the Qing Dynasty-style buildings in the grassy area. This is the former residence of Niu Zhuangyuan.

Now this place is not so much the old residence of Zhuangyuan Mansion as it is a dilapidated cave dwelling. In the huge house, you can vaguely see the carved beams and painted buildings, and you can see the prosperity of the past. But now it has collapsed like ruins. Most of the furniture in the main cave house is rotten and worn out and covered with dust. However, the side cave is clean, and you can still see the atmosphere of someone living here. This is old man Niu Shijing. A place to live.

There are 41 cave dwellings and more than 30 rooms built here. Nowadays, most of the caves are in dilapidated condition. No one is cleaning and repairing them. This home, which used to be home to bells and dinners, now only has birds. and insects come and visit from time to time. This place is located deep in the mountains, remote and remote, with no water or electricity, and there are only a few pedestrians passing by on the dirt road at the door. Even in such an extremely difficult environment, Niu Shijing still stayed here.

According to people familiar with the matter, Niu Shijing is a sixth-generation descendant of Niu Zhuangyuan. He also has a younger brother. Their father died early. Niu Shijing went home to work in farming after graduation. He was detained by the Public Security Bureau once for disturbing public order. After that, he went to Xinjiang to develop. Because he was knowledgeable and in good physical condition, he developed well. , this time I came back and took my mother and younger brother with me. It was a homecoming in fine clothes.

At that time, they also left their ancestral home to the production team as a warehouse.

But the good times did not last long. Within a few years, the production team cadres received notice from their superiors, asking them to go to Xi'an to bring Shijing back to his hometown. After the production team cadres arrived in Xi'an, they found that Niu Shijing was mentally disturbed. It turned out that his mother remarried in Xinjiang, but he couldn't accept it, so he left home and ran all the way to Xi'an. After being brought back to Henan this time, Niu Shijing lived back in his ancestral home for more than forty years.

Since then, he has been living a life of traveling around the world, wearing rags all year round, carrying a bag, and begging for a living. He seems to be a down-and-out beggar, or like a wandering hermit, with his home all over the world, leaving whenever he wants, and his return date is uncertain. At least he leaves early and comes back late, and at most he disappears for a year and a half. He eats and clothes himself.

Niu Shijing never begs for money, just a mouthful of food. He said that he didn't need money, as long as he had a mouthful of steamed buns to eat, he would be satisfied. Although his spirit is up and down, and his memory is still stuck in the era of planned economy, as a descendant of Niu Fengshan, perhaps due to the family motto of his ancestors, he still has a strong character.

Without water or electricity, I would chop wood to make a fire, sit still and fall asleep without bed sheets. He never accepts financial subsidies from well-wishers and insists on being self-sufficient. This may be because the ancestral customs still exist. We can vaguely see the shadow of Niu Fengshan, the humble and friendly martial arts champion back then.

Niu Shijing's downfall and the ruin of the Number One Scholar's Palace can also be regarded as the end of an era. That period of history, no matter how prestigious it once was, is nothing more than a passing moment. Villagers said that the Zhuangyuan Mansion may cease to exist in a few years. History is constantly moving forward, and we have no time to feel sad. If we don’t want to be eliminated, we have to keep up with the times and work hard to forge ahead.