The onlookers were in an uproar. The Minister of Rites, who originally admired Xiao Feng, was caught off guard. He retracted his chin so fast that he almost bit his tongue.
Is this what a dignified governor, a dignified real person, and a dignified heavenly master should say?
Even if someone is impotent, he can't ask that, right? Besides, what does this have to do with what you are talking about?
Xiao Feng looked at the tall scholar with his face flushed and veins popping out, but ignored him and turned to ask the judge.
"Have you ever had a wife?"
Ju Ren glanced at Xiao Feng warily and dared not answer: "I'm getting married."
"Have you ever taken a concubine?"
Juren hesitated and said, "I didn't take a concubine."
Xiao Feng nodded: "Although it's not impotence, it's not that strong."
Everyone was stunned, everyone was blushing, and they didn't know what to say. Xiao Feng pointed at Zhao Wenhua.
"Master Zhao is much better than you. Not only has he married a wife, but he also has three concubines. It shows that he is not a little bit better than you in the boudoir!"
Zhao Wenhua couldn't tell whether Xiao Feng was scolding him or praising him.
Originally, although I was a little embarrassed to say this to my face, any man would be very proud to be praised for being strong in this area.
But the problem is, for no reason, in public, he suddenly praises himself for this, which is actually a bit that.
The tall scholar blushed and protested with a trembling voice: "Although your Excellency has a high and powerful position, scholars cannot be killed and cannot be humiliated. You must explain to all the scholars in the world why you insult students like this!"
Xiao Feng smiled and said, "Have I ever insulted you? Mr. Zhao has one wife and two concubines, which naturally shows that he has extraordinary ability. If a man has at least one wife, his ability is not strong, but it is still enough.
But what about you? At your age, without a wife or concubines, doesn't it mean that you are incompetent in that area? Otherwise, why is this so? "
The tall scholar's hands trembled with anger: "This, this is simply unreasonable! Can you judge whether a man is good or not based on the number of wives and concubines?
There are many reasons for an unmarried wife to take concubines, such as poor family background, being obsessed with studies, being filial and devoted..."
Xiao Feng put away his smile and looked at him coldly: "The number of wives and concubines cannot reflect your ability, but the admission ratio can reflect the ability of the candidates?"
There are many reasons why you don't marry and take concubines. Why did you decide that when the admission ratio was set at the beginning, the only reason for admitting fewer scholars from the north was their ability?
Do you really not understand, or do you deliberately want to cause another bloody storm in the scientific examination? What is your intention? "
Although Xiao Feng's words were ridiculing, the truth was self-evident: the scientific research ratio itself was a by-product of the incident that year. It cannot be said to be a reasonable rule, let alone an eternal rule.
The tall scholar was at a loss for words, shook his head and muttered: "It's an insult to politeness, it's an insult to politeness." But he couldn't say anything more practical.
The short scholar, who had been silent all this time, bowed his hands and saluted, and when he opened his mouth, everyone in the audience was shocked: This humble-looking dwarf actually had an incomparably clear and loud voice that made people forget the ordinary.
"What your Excellency said is not unreasonable, but since your Excellency believes that the establishment of the scientific examination ratio is not because the scholars in the south are stronger than the scholars in the north.
The most fair way is to cancel the scientific examination ratio and let everyone take the examination based on their true ability. This is only fair! "
This sentence resonated with everyone present. They knew that even today, the scientific examination ability of southern scholars must be stronger than that of northern scholars.
Xiao Feng also knows this. Canglin knows etiquette well. This is an eternal truth. Although the Ming Dynasty had its capital in the north, the general pattern of prosperity in the south and poverty in the north always existed.
There was not enough food to eat, so the proportion of scholars was naturally small. In addition, there were frequent wars. In this case, it was unfair to demand fairness in the imperial examinations between the north and the south.
But saying these words in this situation will not only not help the matter, but will further arouse the antagonism between the north and the south.
If that situation really happens, Zhao Wenhua is afraid that he will suddenly sit up in the middle of the night.
Laugh three times before going back to sleep.
So Xiao Feng could only find another way to reason with these Jiangnan scholars, using a way that scholars like best.
Xiao Feng looked at the short scholar and suddenly asked: "What level are you three among the Jiangnan scholars? Are you worthy to speak for the Jiangnan scholars? Or do you need to find a few people who have won the Jinshi?"
This is the most poignant thing to say to a scholar. Since ancient times, there has been no first place in writing. Even a poor scholar who has failed to win an exam in his life will never admit that his own level is not good. The examiner must be blind.
So the three of them immediately stood up straight, and the judge said proudly: "Although the three of us are juniors, we have little reputation in Nanjing.
Although my fate is unlucky and I have not yet passed the examination, I am still capable of self-education, otherwise I would not have been recommended by everyone to meet you!
The works of the three of us are widely circulated in Jiangnan. This brother Ai is good at lyrics and music. He is a guest of Qinhuai in Jinling, a famous figure in the world. Which flower boat does not sing his masterpieces? "
The judge pointed at the short scholar, and it turned out that this was Brother Ai. The short scholar waved his hands modestly, but his face showed that he was doing his part.
"Students like tunes and music, so they always write lyrics and music together.
Therefore, the girls on the Qinhuai River prefer to sing, but it is just convenient, not that they can write better than others.
I heard that your Excellency composed a song "Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger" when the cavalry came out of Beijing, and it has become the military song of the Ming Dynasty army. I admire you very much. "
The judge pointed at the tall scholar again: "This brother Gao is good at Tang poetry and Song poetry. Among the famous teahouses and restaurants in Nanjing, which one does not have his calligraphy on the wall?"
The tall scholar repeatedly raised his hand and said, "It's a shame, it's just that the great talents don't bother to compare themselves with lesser people, so they let the students take the spotlight for a while."
Xiao Feng nodded: "Then what is Mr. Zhong good at?"
Everyone was stunned: "My surname is not Zhong?"
Xiao Feng exclaimed: "I saw that the short one's surname was Ai and the tall one's surname was Gao. I thought you, the middle one who is neither tall nor short, should be named Zhong."
I'm still thinking about it. People say that a book with a good name is good. Is it so random to choose a name? It’s too careless. "
Ju Ren held back his anger and said, "My student named Ju is not particularly good at anything, but he can do whatever he wants with his poems, lyrics, songs, and ancient folk songs."
Xiao Feng smiled hoarsely: "That's sloppy, it turns out you didn't choose the name based on your head, but based on your identity...
Since the three people consider themselves to be representative of the scholars from the south of the Yangtze River in terms of their knowledge, today I will represent the scholars from the north to compete with the three.
If the three of them win, I will write a letter to the court to fight for more imperial examination opportunities for the scholars from Jiangnan. If I win, the dispute between the scholars from the north and the south will be over. How about that? "
The three of them were stunned and immediately became alert. The three of them came together, whispered a few words, and then raised their hands and saluted.
"I don't dare to respond to my lord's orders. I wonder how your lord is going to compete?"
Xiao Feng smiled calmly: "It's better than what you are best at. The three of you, each compete one game, and if you win one game, even if the Jiangnan scholars win, is there anyone in the audience who will object?"
In fact, some of the scholars in the hall did want to object, because they felt that Xiao Feng was well-known and was a top talent in modern science, so he thought he had some real talent and learning.
If you gamble rashly, you may not be sure of winning. If you lose, you will lose the face of Jiangnan scholars. But after hearing Xiao Feng explain the conditions of the competition, these people immediately suppressed their objections.
So crazy! It’s so fucking crazy!
These three people also count as celebrities from the south of the Yangtze River. If you compete with three people one against three, they will choose the one who is the best to compete with you. If you win even one game, you will win! Do you really think you are a god?
Zhao Wenhua pretended to be dazzled by the sun, raised his sleeves to cover his face, and laughed so hard that his whole body trembled.
Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng, madness brings misfortune, and madness brings rain. I think you are really crazy today!
The sleeves were suddenly pulled off. Because it was too sudden, Zhao Wenhua's face was full of joy and he didn't have time to put it away. He was exposed in front of Xiao Feng and in full view of the audience.
"Master Zhao? What's wrong with you? Are you happy thinking about something?
What happened? "
Zhao Wenhua was very embarrassed: "No, no, no, the sun is a bit dazzling, so I blocked it. This expression is because, by the way, the sun is dazzling, so isn't it reasonable to squint your eyes?"
Xiao Feng looked up and said, "Mr. Zhao, it's cloudy today, where is the sunshine coming from?"
Zhao Wenhua rubbed his eyes: "Ah, my eyes are dazzled, my eyes are dazzled, sir, please don't care about my eye problems, let's start the game quickly!"
Xiao Feng let go of Zhao Wenhua's sleeves and turned to the three people with a big smile: "Which one of you will come first?"
The three discussed it again and decided that the tall scholar would take the lead and the short scholar would play in the second round. This is not because the tall scholar has the highest level, but because the lyrics and music of the shorter scholar take longer to prepare.
The Yuan Dynasty was the closest dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. Although Song Ci also had a brand of Ci, people had long forgotten the tunes of the Ci brand because of the passage of time.
Therefore, although Song poetry is elegant and elegant, future generations can only recite it, and very few can compose music to sing it. On the contrary, Yuan opera, although slightly inferior in terms of literary talent and rhetoric, is easier to sing because of the ready-made tunes.
Therefore, comparing Yuan Opera not only compares the ability to write lyrics, but also the ability to compose music. A true Yuan Opera master can not only fill in the existing tunes, but also create new tunes and compose new tunes!
They didn't expect Xiao Feng to compete on the spot, so naturally they didn't bring any musical instruments.
Ai Xiucai immediately asked the scholars he knew to go to the most professional boat on the Qinhuai River and asked them to bring their musical instruments. He said that Ai Xiucai was going to make a new song and would give it to them for free after finishing it!
Someone ran away in the hall. Gao Xiucai smiled reservedly and took a step forward: "Sir, it will take time to prepare Brother Ai's musical instrument. The student should ask for your guidance first!"
Xiao Feng smiled and nodded: "Do you want to make poems or lyrics? Do you want to limit the topic?"
Gao Xiucai said: "Since the master asked whether it was a poem or a word, it is obvious that the master is confident, so the student might as well make a poem and a word and ask the master for advice respectively."
Um? The onlookers were shocked by Gao Xiucai's shamelessness!
It was agreed that one person would compete with another, but you are so good. You followed the stick and bit the end of Xiao Feng's sentence, and turned your one game into two!
With Xiao Feng's status at this time, if he loses in this poem or ci, he will probably have to admit defeat according to the previous words! In this way, winning one out of three games becomes one win out of four!
The onlookers were silently amazed, and Zhao Wenhua happily raised his sleeves as a double insurance. Even if Xiao Feng pulls one away at once, there will still be another one blocking him.
Xiao Feng's smile did not change, but the look he looked at Gao Xiucai suddenly became extremely sharp. In a flash, Gao Xiucai saw it and his heart trembled, but at this time, the arrow was ready and he had to take action.
"Since today's topic arises from the imperial examination, students will use the topic of 'talent' to ask for advice from adults!"
Xiao Feng nodded slightly. It was not that he was as crazy as Zhao Wenhua thought, but he knew that Chinese culture has a long history. He had taken advantage of it for hundreds of years. Even if his literary talent was not good enough, there would always be great achievements. Guys can stand up.
Gao Xiucai pondered for a moment, then started walking in the lobby.
Damn it, what is this going to do? Is it possible to write a poem in seven steps? The meddlers in the hall also started to boo and count.
"...Three steps, four steps, five steps, six steps, seven steps!"
"Eight steps, nine steps, ten steps..."
His voice went from high-pitched and excited to weak. Is he sick? Since he can't write a poem after taking only seven steps, why not just stand still? What are you wandering around for?
At the twentieth step, Gao Xiucai suddenly stopped, and everyone became more energetic.
"Read three hundred poems at night,
I will never get to Chang'an in this life.
I just wish that spring in the south of the Yangtze River is always here,
Who believes that it will be cold outside the window for ten years? "
The whole place was in an uproar, admiring and cheering. Xiao Feng also nodded silently. Despite his great reputation, he does have talent.
This poem,
The anger and injustice of the Jiangnan scholars are written vividly and vividly. No matter how well the title is chosen, it can be written into a poem in twenty steps, which is considered fast enough.
I just wish that spring is always here in the south of the Yangtze River. Who would believe that it would be cold outside the window for ten years? It seems that he also knows what the court thinks.
My study environment is good, but it doesn't mean that I don't work hard and study hard. Why can't I have a fair fight with the northern scholars?
Xiao Feng could only smile bitterly. This matter is unsolvable. Not to mention that it cannot be solved today, it will not be solved in many years. The only thing is to work hard.
"Sir, please enlighten me!"
Xiao Feng took a deep breath, I may not lose to you if I compose a song on the spot, but today's battle is not fair, I must win.
I must lower the morale of the Jiangnan scholars in order to maintain the balance between the north and the south and the stability of the Ming Dynasty. If I want to be worthy of my senior brother and the world, I can only be sorry to you.
"Kyushu is angry and relies on wind and thunder,
It's sad that all the horses are silent.
I urge God to cheer up again,
Recruit talents in an eclectic way. "
No one said anything, everyone was shocked. What speed is this? Although Xiao Feng is sitting, if he stands up and walks, he will definitely not be able to exceed three steps!
Speed is only second, this poem... is so shocking. Don’t you think the imperial examination is unfair to talents? But who stipulates that the imperial examination is the only way out for talents?
Before this, almost no one had thought that there were talents outside the imperial examination. Except for those big-headed soldiers who fought hard to get there, otherwise even generals would have to take martial arts.
I urge God to cheer up and send talents of any kind. What does Mr. Xiao mean by this?
Did he want to fundamentally change the imperial examination system? If that were the case, the dispute over the imperial examination between the North and the South would indeed be meaningless!
Scholars are silently speculating on Xiao Feng's poems. People who have never read books can't think of it so deeply, but intuitively, they can feel that Xiao Feng's poem definitely crushed Gao Xiucai.
"Oh, Gao Xiucai is overestimating his abilities. Have you never heard that the two poems hanging in the lobby of each state capital were written by Mr. Xiao?"
"The lobby of the state capital? Which two sentences?"
"You are blind, look up and see that it is also hanging in the lobby of Yingtian Mansion!"
"If you only care about the country's life and death, how can you avoid it because of misfortunes and blessings? These two sentences were written by Mr. Xiao?"
"That's right!"
"Comparing Tang poetry with Mr. Xiao is indeed a bit overestimating one's abilities..."
Gao Xiucai's face turned red. Listening to the discussion in the hall, he felt that he had made a bad move. But after thinking about it, he seemed to have never heard that Xiao Feng had any famous works on Song poetry. He still had hope!
"The adult's poetry is indeed superior, so the student admits defeat. Then, the student will ask for advice on Song poetry. This time, um, let's change the topic."
It's not that Gao Xiucai can't continue writing lyrics under the title "talent", but he always feels that Xiao Feng can beat him. I'm afraid he is always thinking about the issue of "talent". If he continues to write under this title, he may not be able to take advantage. .
He thought for a while and decided to choose a question that Xiao Feng didn't usually think about. Yes, he was sure that Xiao Feng would never think about this question, because it was simply impossible!
"Sir, since ancient times there have been many poems written about missing old friends, especially those about missing loved ones. For example, Su Shi's "Jiangchengzi" and "Businessman". Students should use these as their titles."
Now even the scholars in the hall felt that Gao Xiucai was a bit shameless. Xiao Feng is young and is said to have just married.
Whether it was the wife, the one who knocked on the door upside down, or the one who was flirting in the back hall from time to time and reaching out to praise her, thinking that others could not see her, including the women in the mess in the house, they were all still alive and well.
You want such a proud man, surrounded by pearls and green jewels, to write words of condolence for his lover?
Why don't you write some words of condolences to your parents? Isn't it because your parents, Gao Xiucai, are still alive and you can't write that emotion? Read the book
Everyone thought that Xiao Feng would refuse this extremely unfair competition, and even Zhao Wenhua felt that Xiao Feng would not agree. Unexpectedly, Xiao Feng just smiled faintly.
"Whatever, I told you to come up with the questions, just write them."
There was so much sadness and melancholy hidden in that smile that no one else could see. If Qi Jiguang were next to him at this moment, he would definitely jump up.
"That's what he looked like that New Year's Eve!"
