"Your Majesty, the Spring Festival Banquet must have started at this moment, right?"
In the Changle Palace, the female official spoke as she helped Concubine De prepare the ingredients for the medicinal diet.
De Fei hummed softly.
Seeing that the empress seemed worried and not in a good mood, the female officer quickly explained, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Jiaodong County is extremely intelligent, and he is accompanied by Young Master Xia. He was able to make three old gentlemen change their minds before, so he must be with these three old gentlemen. Some say that His Highness will definitely be accepted by three old gentlemen this time, and maybe the three gentlemen will still be vying for it by then!"
There are not many mothers who don't like to hear other people praise their sons, even Concubine De, who has always been very sensitive and vigilant to these words, is no exception. She forced a smile and silently went about her work.
She naturally has complete trust in Xia Jingyun, has full confidence in his abilities, and quite agrees with the female officer's words, but...
How wonderful all this would have been if there hadn't been the news that came yesterday and the arrival of the great scholar from Longshou Prefecture who was Mr. Wan Lin's disciple.
After all, he is a real literary leader in the state. In terms of talent, reputation, and familiarity with the three old gentlemen, he is not comparable to Xia Jingyun, a young man who is just starting out!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but blame herself for being reckless. If she had been more cautious, she wouldn't have made the situation so bad.
Gradually, her movements slowed down, and worry silently crept up between her beautiful eyebrows, and then slowly invaded the entire Changle Palace.
"Your Majesty, your complexion is rosy, your face is full of smiles, and you seem to be in a good mood today?"
In the imperial garden, the concubine Shu, who was wearing a purple palace dress and was more delicate than flowers, was surrounded by several palace ladies, walking slowly with steps that were clearly dignified but also revealed a bit of coquettish charm.
After hearing the palace maid's praise, she immediately smiled and said, "Can I be unhappy? Today, my Shao'er will become the disciple of the Three Masters of Tushan. From now on, the reputation of the scholar, the progress of his talents and learning, and the support of his connections will not matter. It’s not like you can reach the sky in one step, let’s see how that bitch can compete with me!”
As a master and servant, the palace maid naturally had no thoughts of feeling sorry for Concubine De and the Prince of Jiaodong, and said with a smile: "With the empress inside and the Duke outside, and His Highness being extremely intelligent, they are unable to compete with the empress!" "
Concubine Shu hummed softly, obviously agreeing with this conclusion.
"But Madam, I heard that the sworn brother of Imperial Concubine De has performed extraordinary feats many times. Will he cause any trouble this time?"
Concubine Shu sneered, "Luck will not always favor a person. This time, my father invited a really powerful expert to show his true ability in front of a large audience. He is just a young man who has never even been lucky. , how can it be compared to the real literary masters."
She stretched lazily, stretching her moving figure while dispelling the sleepiness of spring, "De Fei has a shallow foundation after all. Even if she can reach this level, there is nothing she can do. She can only rely on this young boy." I think about it, what should I say to her after this incident, so that I can repay the hatred I felt that day."
Several palace maids chuckled and helped with suggestions. They chattered like sparrows and disappeared into the depths of the flowers.
"Gaoyi."
"His Majesty."
Emperor Chongning, who was leaning on the couch and casually flipping through the various documents handed over by the center and the secret reports from the Black Ice Platform, raised his head and said, "Has the Imperial College started?"
"Your Majesty, the Spring Festival Banquet has begun. It's already time."
"Well, do you think the prince can handle this errand well?"
Gao Yi rolled up his sleeves but remained silent.
"Slippery, you don't even dare to answer this!"
Emperor Chongning pretended to curse angrily, "Then who do you think, the Prince of Jiaodong County or the Prince of Linjiang County, can successfully become the disciple of those three old gentlemen?"
Gao Yi cupped his hands and said, "Both Your Highnesses are very good among men, and they have talented people to help them. It won't be a problem even if you think about it."
"You..." Emperor Chongning looked at the old man speechlessly, and said softly to himself: "Lu Lifeng, someone I didn't even invite, was invited by the Lu family, he is really quite capable!"
Gao Yi lowered his head slightly and remained as silent as a pillar.
"I'm afraid Xia Jingyun will be in trouble this time. It's good for young people to beat him up, so as not to be arrogant and suffer greater difficulties in the future."
He picked up a piece of pastry, put it in his mouth, and then read the memorial again.
——
In the square of the Imperial College, the deep and distant shouts slowly dissipated, causing everyone's heartbeats to speed up involuntarily.
It was said to be a Spring Festival banquet, but everyone knew what the main topic of today was, so no one thought about eating or drinking after hearing this. They all turned their heads and looked at the stage quietly.
The nominal presiding prince, His Royal Highness, just sat there with a smile, without the slightest thought of overshadowing the guest.
The first one to stand up was not Mr. Linxi, one of the Three Masters of Tushan, who was always responsible for external affairs, but Mr. Wan Lin, who in my memory was quite taciturn.
He first stood up, rolled up his sleeves and saluted everyone, and everyone avoided the table and stood up to return the salute.
Then, in the field of vision, he said loudly: "We and the three of us are working in the countryside, and we don't seek to be educated or to be famous among the nobles. However, the Holy Emperor does not think that we are despicable and loves us more; the Concubine De does not dislike us. Shallowness always brings blue eyes; the teachings of our ancestors always come from the heart; the love of people at that time is great, which is often felt in our hearts; a talented man once said that if you are poor, you can only benefit yourself; if you are great, you can help the world. We deeply believe it. In the past You can't chase, but you can still seek those who come. Although the three of us have little talent and shallow knowledge, we are still willing to teach the world and preach to all living beings. Now we hold this banquet and teach the best. We will live up to the emperor and heaven, and we will live up to our descendants. Live up to your Majesty, live up to the people, live up to the desire of scholars all over the world to strive to learn, live up to our ambition to learn from the cold window in the past."
Then Mr. Kongbi also stood up and said in his unique and powerful voice: "Today's scholars, the desire to seek official positions in the imperial examination is gradually dimming, the ambition to respect teachers and study is declining, and the number of students in the state school is declining year by year. Decreasing; the number of unscrupulous Confucian scholars is increasing day by day. Those with ambitions who are bitter and cold have no intention of learning; those who have read poetry and books are obsessed with wealth and wealth; those who belong to the rich and powerful are ashamed to learn from their teachers. These are all the great disadvantages of the scholarly community! Even if my talents are weak, I am still willing to use myself as a candle to illuminate the light in the dark room. I hope that from now on, everyone in the world will learn from each other and respect their teachers. I hope that the literary style will flourish and help the country to prosper! This is our responsibility. , encourage you all!"
Finally, Mr. Linxi, who was sitting in the middle, also stood up and smiled slightly, "They both said everything they needed to say. I am not very knowledgeable and my eloquence is not as good as theirs, so I won't say so much."
Everyone relaxed from the previous impassioned and solemn atmosphere, and laughed, and the atmosphere in the venue suddenly became lighter.
"Let me tell you the rules for recruiting disciples this time."
"Three of us will ask one question each. All those who pass the preliminary round will write their answers on paper. The person accompanying the exam can answer."
"Why is this so? Because the person who can accompany the exam must be someone recognized and obeyed by the student. This person's level of knowledge and vision will directly affect the student's conduct and ability. In addition, some students I was still young and my studies were not good enough, so it is reasonable for someone to take a closer look."
Having said this, he looked softly at the dozen or so lonely teenagers behind the table, "Nothing in this world is absolutely fair, but you have to believe that with your own abilities, you will not lose to others. If our abilities are still lacking, that is what motivates us to work hard.”
Seeing those young people who were slightly unhappy gradually calm down, he said loudly: "In the end, the three of us will select the five people who are the most eye-catching and the most agreeable, and they will be admitted."
Xia Jingyun and everyone understood it as soon as they heard it. Anyway, it means that the final interpretation rights belong to the three old gentlemen.
At this moment, a powerful man couldn't help but said: "Gentlemen, this is not fair. Now that we are here, why should we take the test? You three can just decide!"
"Bold! This is the master's job to recruit disciples. It's up to them to decide what's wrong!"
Before the three old men could speak, His Highness the Prince, who was smiling calmly, turned cold and scolded!
Everyone couldn't help but look at the man speechlessly.
Mr. Linxi ignored him at all and simply said: "I will start this first question."
The huge square fell silent for an instant. Countless pairs of eyes were fixedly looking at Mr. Linxi, waiting for the first key question of this grand gathering of disciples of the World Wen Sect. They were all excited and curious.
Xia Jingyun also raised his head, and at the table next to him, Lu Lifeng, the great scholar from Longshou State, also had glaring eyes.
The prince, the British Duke, and the Imperial Academy all waited quietly for the wine ceremony, without anyone urging them.
"My question is, there are princes, princes, high-ranking officials, traffickers and pawns here. There are many differences in status, ability, and temperament. If you can join my family, how should you deal with yourself?"
Everyone was stunned after hearing this, what is the problem?
Not difficult, but so easy?
This is almost a question that a reasonably sensible child can answer!
But Lu Lifeng seemed to have expected it. He understood that these three literary giants, who can be called the world's literary masters, really don't care about your previous ability when choosing students. Anyway, none of them are as capable as me. No matter how talented they are, they can teach them to become great Confucians. Therefore, most of the exams this time will not focus on the intellectual level of the examinees themselves.
Mr. Linxi seemed not to notice everyone's surprise and said with a smile: "In a quarter of an hour, please answer your questions!"
Everyone immediately grabbed their pens, licked the ink, and started writing on the paper.
Dongfang Bai waited for a while, but didn't see Xia Jingyun move his pen. He touched it quietly and whispered: "Uncle?"
Xia Jingyun turned to look at him and whispered in his ear: "Let me think about it."
The British Duke was sitting on the high platform, looking at Lu Daru who was already helping his grandson to write quickly, while Xia Jingyun was still there dumbly, and his heart felt light.
Of course, he knew that such a simple question would not be difficult for the young man who was said to be expected to win the championship this spring, but as a smart person, he understood that sometimes, cleverness can be mistaken for cleverness, and he always wondered if there was any deep meaning in it. It is not uncommon to fail to do even the simplest things.
In the stands on the other side, many people in Sishui Prefecture were naturally more concerned about the situation of Xia Jingyun and the King of Jiaodong County. Seeing that Xia Jingyun was slow to write, they couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Don't worry, Gao Yang is definitely fine, he is just brewing strange thoughts at the moment!"
Xu Dapeng comforted everyone, but as time passed, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Dongfang Bai was the most nervous in the field, but at only six years old, he unexpectedly withstood the pressure and anxiety and sat calmly on the futon without urging or making any fuss.
I don't know how long it took before Xia Jingyun asked Dongfang Bai to pick up the pen, then held his little hand with his hand, as if teaching writing, slowly and leisurely wrote a line of words on the paper.
When he puts down the pen, the spring breeze blows through the ink, and the bell signaling that the time is up will also ring.
Two young men who had served in Tushan came down, put away the thirty-six answers, and handed them over.
When he received the answers from Xia Jingyun and Jiaodong County Prince, he couldn't help but be slightly startled.
This subtle difference has not escaped the attention of many people with keen minds.
The British prince couldn't help but smile. It seemed that his cleverness was mistaken for him!
His Royal Highness the Prince looked calm, but his eyes were looking directly at this young man whose reputation was so great that he had heard about it, not knowing what answer he could give.
Xia Jingyun was there, and even whispered a few words to Dongfang Bai, as if he was quite confident in his answer.
All the results will be waiting for these three old gentlemen to reveal.
Mr. Linxi read these manuscripts one by one, and from time to time he took out a few and put them aside. Everyone looked at them eagerly, but they didn't even know whether the ones separated were selected or eliminated.
After making the selections, Mr. Linxi discussed with Mr. Wanlin and Mr. Kongbi and let them look at the answers he had selected.
The whole process took about as long as a cup of tea.
Then Mr. Linxi cleared his throat and said, "There are more than ten copies that match my intention. Time is limited, so I won't recite them one by one. I will choose the best three copies and share them with you."
He first picked up the first copy and handed it to the disciple beside him. The disciple read aloud with knowledge and interest: "Students are here to study. No matter whether they are rich or powerful, they are all dust to the teacher, and they are all dust to the students." It's not important. Three gentlemen taught five disciples. With the wisdom of the gentlemen, the students can concentrate on their studies without worrying about being bullied or trying to cling to them. Therefore, this matter is not worth mentioning. They only need to keep their true intentions. Just read it without losing your ambition to learn. Student Xun Feihong paused."
After the disciple finished reading, Mr. Linxi said with a smile: "What do you think of the answer?"
At this time, the prince smiled and said: "With such a penetrating wisdom, such a pure heart, and such ingenious answers, Mr. Linxi has a keen eye for recognizing talents. It is really a good story."
Everyone was surprised at first when they heard the words, but after thinking about it carefully, it was indeed true.
The most important thing is that the person who answered the question dared to write such an answer at such a time. This clear and exquisite heart is indeed remarkable.
Even Xia Jingyun couldn't help but become curious about who this student named Xun Feihong was, and he might be able to achieve something in the future.
Mr. Linxi did not disclose it, but picked up the second copy, "This one is also very well written. Please give it a listen."
"No need to read the irrelevant nonsense in front of you, just read the main text."
The disciple nodded and took it, cleared his throat, and started to read: "Knowing that he is noble, he thinks of self-respect and self-reliance; knowing that he is powerful, he thinks of being cautious and not making mistakes; thinking of his poverty, he thinks of having enough to help him; feeling his weakness , then think about not being deceived and support each other; when thinking about food and clothing, then think about nothing special to make yourself at ease; when enjoying wandering around, think about the original intention and focus on it; when you see it is rushing to Lu, then think about overthinking and persuade it; when you know its excellence and softness, then think about it clearly. Distinguish between them; worry about their laziness, then consider self-denial as a role model; worry about their hard work, then think about imitating them and encourage them together. In summary, through these ten considerations, people from all over the world will be judged, the rich and the poor will benefit from each other, the strong and the weak will be at peace, and everyone will do their best. If you have the strength, you will be able to learn the great ways of the three schools together and become a good story in one school."
He paused and read out the signature, "Prince Linjiang, Dongfang Tai."
Everyone nodded after hearing this. When they heard the person answering the question, there was a burst of cheers and applause in the venue, especially the loudest voices from the dignitaries' stand.
Lu Rusong Laohuai stroked his beard happily and looked at his boss sitting in the field with satisfaction.
Sure enough, an expert will know if there is anything as soon as he takes action.
Xu Dapeng and other people who supported Xia Jingyun immediately became nervous. The strength of the other state's literary leader was indeed beyond compare. To write this answer, it is necessary to have literary talent, attitude and attitude, and the key point is to be meaningful. Sticking closely to the theme, Brother Gao Yang has just written so many strokes, how can he compare!
In the stands, Mr. Linxi smiled and said, "Looking at everyone's reactions, it seems I don't need to comment too much, haha."
Everyone chuckled, obviously very much in agreement.
Xia Jingyun didn't seem to panic at all. He turned to look at Dongfang Bai who was sitting obediently, "Aren't you worried?"
Dongfang Bai plastered his face calmly, "Worrying is useless, so there is no need to worry."
Xia Jingyun smiled, "Good boy."
Seeing that Xia Jingyun was still laughing, Lu Rusong narrowed his eyes, and a confidant on the side sneered, "It's so mysterious!"
On the table, Mr. Linxi picked up the third piece of paper, "But although the answer just now was good, I think this answer is the best."
The disciple on the side wanted to take it, but Mr. Linxi waved his hand, "It's just one sentence, I'll just read it."
One sentence? optimal?
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and became more and more curious about this sentence.
Mr. Linxi concentrated his mind and said: "When you see the virtuous, think about them; when you see the virtuous, you should introspect yourself!"
He glanced at everyone and said slowly: "The answerer is Dongfang Bai."
Everyone was stunned at first, and then thought about it carefully, and it seemed that there was indeed some subtle meaning in it.
Seeing the virtuous and thinking about them, and seeing the unworthy and introspecting does contain a lot of content. Even most of the answer given by Prince Linjiang just now is covered by this sentence. It is indeed better than the first answer. Quite a few, but if you want to say that this can definitely become the best, it seems a little unfair to Prince Linjiang, right?
"Sir! If you dare, sir, please tell me why this answer is the best?"
Just when everyone was doubting and worried, Lu Lifeng, a great scholar from Longshou Prefecture who was accompanying the Prince of Linjiang for the examination, questioned, with four words clearly written on his face: This is not fair!
There are several paragraphs in it that I wrote myself, which is really a bit brain-consuming.
I have little talent and little knowledge, so I’ll just read some mistakes and omissions. Again, if I really want to write something on the same level as the articles that have been passed down through the ages, I won’t write online articles.
This stuff is a bit tedious, so I’ll grind it out slowly in the next chapter.
or2
(End of chapter)
