Zhang Yue felt a little restless in front of this wall, with names lingering in his mind.
After each high-spirited poem, they had no way of knowing what kind of person he was, what kind of face he was, and what kind of story each person had.
However, when they were in front of this wall, before the moment they put pen to paper, they all worked hard for the same goal.
From Su Qin's head cantilevered with a cone thorn in his butt, to Zhang Heng's chiseled wall to steal the light, to the firefly reflecting the snow, those who left their names have successfully crossed the single-plank bridge, while most others have been lost in the dust of history.
The road to the imperial examination is also one in which one general achieves great success.
In Taixue, Zhang Yue once heard a classmate who failed the exam mocking himself as a "Gongyu" person.
The word "Gongyu" sounds particularly poignant.
When Zhang Yue thought of this, he couldn't help but feel very sad for Senior Brother Guo, who was not in the first place. He still didn't know how to see him. He was the only qualified person to comfort those who failed. He couldn't say anything, so he had to send Tang Jiu to send a letter to comfort him. He also sent money and food to let him study in Beijing with peace of mind, and told him Zhang Heng has prepared a way for him and will take the exam when the Imperial College is filled.
But Zhang Yue felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart. He was drifting apart unconsciously. He still regarded Senior Brother Guo as his best friend, but what did they talk about when they met?
Huang Luzhi Zhang Yue thought about it and said: "Back then, Bai Letian said that among the seventeen people, the number of inscriptions under Ci'en Pagoda was the smallest. But not talking about these people, even those who were Jinshi in the past, but now the inscriptions under Ci'en Pagoda are no longer there."
Zhang Yue nodded and said: "I can't help but sigh for the ancients. There is nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, you and I both passed the provincial examination. Otherwise, even if we are extremely talented, we would still be sighing like snow in the south."
Snow in the South is a poem that Zu Yong wrote in the examination hall. This poem was excellent but did not fit the examination format. In the end, Zu Yong failed to pass the examination.
The two of them were chatting, and just then a young novice monk came up. He came to the two of them holding a plate with pen and ink in his hand and asked: "Do you want to write a poem and leave it here?"
Zhang Yue wanted to make Huang Lu famous and said with a smile: "Anzhong, you are now ranked fifth in the provincial examination. If you rank higher in the palace examination, you will definitely get the green sarong. Give it a try here quickly, and it will also add a good story in the future."
Huang Lu said calmly: "Bi Sarong, I never expect you to be a good talker, but I can try to make you and I have something to talk about when we are old."
Huang Lu then took his pen and wrote a poem on the wall immediately.
There happened to be a dozen men and women walking nearby, including young and old, who were taking advantage of the good weather for a spring outing. They stopped by to look at the poems on the wall and saw Huang Lu waving his hair.
There were two men in their thirties who stopped to watch the group. The older man said to the younger man: "Cunzhong, you have to be careful. Although these two are young, their speech and appearance are extraordinary."
The young man nodded.
Zhang Yue saw Huang Lu and wrote to him.
Quiet and unconventional, with deep blue and a cool world. On the left and right, there are buildings surrounding the building, and there is a handsome lady in the middle.
The smoke is thick in the locked path, and the wind is tight when the windows are opened, making it a startling autumn scene. Half a cup of fragrant dew, who knows the true flavor?
There are a few stacks of suicide notes on the desk, protected by the twin trees, and the phoenix is singing loudly. Looking back on the days when Xiao Ran joined hands, I still remember Feiqiong’s style.
In such a time, the sky is so beautiful, and the calamity is short-lived. Far away in the jade world, deer and chariots carry each other arm in arm.
When Huang Lu was halfway through writing, several people were full of praise, and two women in the group looked favorably at Huang Lu.
Zhang Yue also smiled at Huang Lu and said: "Good words, but this is not about reading, but about beautiful people."
Huang Lu put down his pen and said: "I'm not afraid of jokes. I studied for beauties, and I took the imperial examination for beauties. Otherwise, why would I go all the way to go to Taixue? If we can't stay together forever, even if I get admitted to the Jinshi and become an official, it won't matter. It’s ultimately boring.”
Zhang Yue said: "Anzhong, don't worry too much. After the imperial examination, you will just take leave and return home. Don't think too much about it now."
Huang Lu nodded.
Zhang Yue took the money from his pocket and put it on the little novice's plate.
Huang Lu asked: "Is it true that you don't write poems in Duzhi?"
Zhang Yue shook his head and said, "I don't want to groan at this scene."
Huang Lu couldn't help laughing when he heard the words, and was about to turn around and leave. At this moment, he saw the younger of the two people who had just stopped to watch, stepped forward to Zhang Yue, Huang Lu said: "You two are polite, I just saw this brother writing with his pen." , Don’t you know your surname?”
Zhang Yue looked around and saw that this man was a bit naive, but the man behind him should not be underestimated. He behaved like a high official.
Faced with the man's inquiry, Huang Lu waved his arm and pointed to the wall: "Brother, why bother asking? It's on the wall."
The inquiring man suddenly felt embarrassed and looked up to see the signature next to the poem on the wall, which read "Shao Wu Huang Lu".
Recognizing the other party's name, a pedestrian on the side said: "Is this brother Huang Anzhong, the imperial scholar who ranked tenth in the provincial examination?"
Huang Lu nodded.
People on the side showed admiration and said, No wonder he has such a great talent.
"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you." Knowing that the other party ranked tenth in the provincial examination, the other party showed respect.
"Do you know this brother's surname?" The man asked Zhang Yue again.
Zhang Yue cupped his hands and said, "I'm here next to Zhang Yue."
This time, everyone on the side took a breath. Only one person knew about Huang Lu just now, but when Zhang Yue's name was mentioned, everyone present had heard of it. Even the older man behind this man was moved and stepped forward: "Is your Excellency really Zhang Duzhi who came second in this provincial examination?"
Zhang Yue nodded slightly, cupped his hands and said, "It's just a fluke."
The older man was noncommittal. The young man immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "I'm Shen Kuo. My cousin is Cunzhong. I'm from Qiantang. I've met Brother Zhang."
Zhang Yue was also surprised when he heard this. This seemingly naive scholar was actually Shen Kuo? He thought the man behind him was the big shot.
Shen Kuo was ten years older than himself and Huang Lu, but his behavior was not as stable as Huang Lu's.
Zhang Yue said: "It turns out that the Shen family of Qiantang, a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, has been disrespectful and disrespectful."
Shen Kuo was born in Qiantang. The Shen family was already quite famous in the Song Dynasty, and several Jinshi scholars were born in the family.
The three of them were greeted immediately, and several of the Shen family's children also came forward to greet them. It turned out that the family was out to socialize. However, the elder did not speak the same language as them. Instead, he maintained his identity and walked aside to look at the wall of poems.
Zhang Yue and Huang Lu said goodbye after chatting for a while. Shen Kuo and several members of the Shen family were very happy to get to know Zhang Yue, especially the two girls.
This older man's name is Shen Tuo, and he is Shen Kuo's nephew according to his seniority. But Shen Tuo was six years older than Shen Kuo. He was a Jinshi in the first year of Huangyou's reign and was famous for his talent.
Shen Tuo was originally ranked first in the imperial examination, but because he already had an official position, Song Renzong said, "I don't want a noble man to live in a poor country", so Shen Tuo was forcibly demoted to second place. Because of Song Renzong's words, there is an unwritten rule that the number one scholar must come from a poor family.
As for Shen Yu, Feng Jing also made it possible for him to win the top prize and win three prizes in a row.
Now Shen Yu is a Zhizhi imperial edict, and has just been selected by the emperor as the preliminary examiner for the imperial examination.
In addition to Shen Yu, the first examiners were Sima Guang, Pei Yu, and Lu Jing, all of whom were recognized as well-educated people in the palace, but Shen Yu ranked first, still above Sima Guang.
He just wanted to avoid suspicion, so he didn't talk to Zhang Yue and Huang Lu, otherwise he would have gone up to get to know the leaders of the younger generation. But just now he had a preliminary impression of Zhang Yue and Huang Lu.
Shen Kuo didn't know that Shen Tuo had been selected as the first examiner for Jinshi, so he said to several brothers: "In this chapter, Huang Anzhong is a good writer, and they are all poor scholars. The number one scholar in this class may be among these two." Between people.”
One person said: "Isn't there another scholar named Wang Kui and Wang Junmin? I heard before that Wang Junmin invited a magician from Daxiangguo Temple a few days ago. This magician specializes in prime ministers and has no future in the academic field. It's not accurate. It's just that the cost of ten thousand dollars per hexagram is very high, which discourages many people. However, Wang Junmin asked this magician to divine it, and it was determined that he would definitely be the top scholar in high school. Many scholars in Beijing now believe it to be true and are satisfied. There are rumors in the capital that the number one scholar has been acquired by him."
Shen Yu smiled without saying anything.
A bystander said: "I have heard that there are some magicians who have no knowledge of skills and do not rely on their true skills. They just speak smooth and ambiguous words. Such people may not be believed."
Another person said: "These are all hearsay, but I heard that Wang Junmin has a very good manner. He is not proud of his own talents and learning, and treats others politely. All the scholars who have interacted with him praise him."
Shen Yuan said: "You must never be friends with such a person."
Everyone asked: "Why?"
Shen Yan said: "I see that I am friendly with everyone. People outside will praise me and never ignore me. Because when you make friends like this, you will do what everyone likes and will never have a heart-to-heart with you. Sooner or later, you will be delayed by him."
Everyone nodded.
One person said: "Yes, I heard that this Wang Junmin was engaged to the rich prime minister, but he was still provoking women outside and causing trouble. I heard that although he was suppressed, as my brother saw, this man is indeed a good person. Misbehavior.”
The other party still said good things about Wang Kui: "Although his character is bad, his talent is excellent."
Shen Kuo said: "But in my opinion, Zhang Duzhi is the best. The two of Huang Anzhong are very good, especially Zhang Duzhi. It's a pity that I just found out that they are engaged."
Shen Kuo's words were unintentional, but they made the two Shen women beside him blush.
After Zhang Yue and Huang Lu said goodbye to Shen Kuo and others, Huang Lu suddenly said to Zhang Yue, "Du Zhi, there is something I haven't told you."
"What's the matter?"
"That day, after you concealed Wang Junmin's whereabouts for the old man, I took it upon myself to catch up and tell the old man the whereabouts of Wang Junmin."
Zhang Yue couldn't help being stunned when he heard this.
"I'm afraid it will cause trouble for Duzhi."
Zhang Yue waved his hand and said: "After reading Fang Cai's poems, I know that you are an extremely affectionate person. No wonder I can't understand Wang Junmin's behavior."
"Actually, I guessed that you were going to leave that day, but I didn't stop you in the end. Now that I think about it, I was more worried because you were so happy. That's all, let's not talk about this between you and me."
That night, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu had a vegetarian meal at Erxianggong Temple, and then stayed in the monk's room for one night.
Zhang Yue slept soundly that night without any dreams, but he didn't know what Huang Lu dreamed about.
The two of them left Erxianggong Temple early the next morning and returned to the Wu family residence next to Taixue to continue studying hard.
