Xu He was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly broke away his arms, bowed and said, "Sir, please come up with a test!"
When County Magistrate Li saw that he agreed so simply, he nodded secretly in his heart: "Looking at his behavior, it seems that he is not an ignorant person!"
Huang Youcai couldn't help but feel anxious when he saw Xu He escape from death, but then he thought about it. Because his family was poor, this boy didn't enter school until he was twelve years old.
When entering social studies, you first learn "Hundred Family Surnames" and "The Thousand-Character Classic", then "Primary School" and "The Classic of Filial Piety", and then the "Four Books"...that is, "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean", and "The Analects of Confucius" and Mencius.
It may not seem like much, but I could recite it in three years.
But this is not the case.
During this period, schoolchildren also had to practice calligraphy by writing imitation copybooks, and they also had to read and recite the meaning of the scriptures they learned above, word by word, sentence by sentence.
While memorizing it, Master will tell you what it means.
Once you master one lesson, you can learn the next one.
Mengtong's sociology as a whole is very particular about procedures.
As far as Huang Youcai knows, although Xu He has studied very hard in the past three years, he has only just finished studying "The Analects", "Great Learning" and "Mencius", and has not dabbled in "The Doctrine of the Mean" at all.
The reason why he took the county examination this time was just to let him adapt to the examination in advance, so he found a sponsor for him and signed up. In fact, there was no expectation that he would pass the examination. After all, he had not finished studying the classics. , the eight-legged article cannot even be mentioned.
It would be strange to pass the exam like this.
Thinking of this, Huang Youcai was determined: "If Magistrate Li examines Xu He's "Four Books" later, even if his other answers are very good, as long as he doesn't know "The Doctrine of the Mean", I will say that he brought the cheat sheet just for "The Doctrine of the Mean". This time, it’s hard for Xu He to defend him!”
Here, County Magistrate Li saw that Xu He was ready, so he pondered for a while and asked: "[The Master said: "There are three hundred poems, which can be summed up in one sentence. 】Accept~~~~"
Xu He replied without hesitation: "[Said: Si Wuxie!]"
This question is very simple. It comes from "The Analects of Confucius". Seeing him answer it, County Magistrate Li nodded and said: "Explanation~~~~"
Xu He organized a verbal answer: "The sage said more than 300 chapters in the Book of Songs. He could summarize it in one sentence and answer: The thoughts are pure and innocent!"
This question is a scoring question, and most people who are studying in social studies can answer it.
After County Magistrate Li's test ended, the questions officially began.
"[Mencius said: "If you don't believe in benevolence and virtue, your country will be empty. 】Accept~~~~~”
Xu He didn't panic at all when he heard this: "[If there is no etiquette and justice, there will be chaos up and down. If there is no political affairs, there will be insufficient funds.]"
The title of County Magistrate Li comes from "Mencius" "Jinxin Chapter".
The reason why this question comes up is because "The Chapters of Endeavor" is in the second half of "Mencius". If you just flip through a few pages, you will never see this sentence.
But to Magistrate Li's satisfaction, Xu He answered without thinking.
After hearing this, his face finally softened a little, and he said warmly: "Perhaps there is an explanation?"
Xu He bowed and replied: "If you don't trust benevolent and capable people, the country will lack talents; if there is no etiquette and justice, the relationship between superiors and subordinates will be chaotic; if the government is neglected, the country will not have enough money."
This explanation is clear and concise. You must know that in ancient times, reading was a patent for wealthy families. Why? Because people have special interpretations of classics, which are reference books for the Four Books and Five Classics.
If you just read the Bible but don't understand it, then it's the same as not reading it. But these wealthy people are different, because they can find reference books and can understand them when they read them. Naturally, their learning effect is rapid, which is comparable to that of non-common people.
By the time of the imperial dynasty, although the situation had eased, there were no good reference books in general sociology. Xu He was able to explain this sentence so clearly, which really impressed all the officials in the hall.
The so-called reading of scriptures is the skill, and interpretation is the real talent and practical learning. The final eight essays of the imperial examination are, in the final analysis, to test your understanding of the meaning of the scriptures.
Xu He can explain a sentence so simply and clearly. If all his explanations are of this level, it means that in the future he will be much better than others in the eight-part essay test.
Do you think these people can't be surprised?
Magistrate Li was even more happy at this time. He nodded and praised: "Not bad, good explanation!"
But based on only two questions, Xu He still had some luck. County magistrate Li continued to test: "[Confucius said: "Foolish but fond of self-use, cheap but fond of self-absorption, born in today's world, anti-ancient way: such a person , the disaster and its body are also. "]!"
Huang Youcai couldn't help but feel overjoyed when he heard this sentence. This sentence came from "The Doctrine of the Mean", and as far as he knew, Xu He had never studied "The Doctrine of the Mean" at all!
Thinking of this, he rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that you fooled me into answering two questions. Sir, you can do it again and again. I guess he will never be able to answer this question!"
Xu He looked at him with disdain and replied fluently: "[I am not the emperor, I don't talk about etiquette, I don't have systems, I don't take literary exams. Today I get off the train and share the same track, write the same article, and act in the same way. Although I have my position, I can't live up to it." If you are virtuous, you will not dare to perform rituals and music. Even if you have virtue, you will not dare to perform rituals and music if you do not have the right position. Confucius said: "I talk about Xia rituals, but Qi is not enough to conquer them. I studied the rites of the Yin Dynasty and had the Cunyan of the Song Dynasty. I learned the Zhou rites and use them now. I follow the Zhou rites. "】"
As soon as these words came out, Huang Youcai was stunned. He opened his mouth and looked at Xu He in disbelief: "You, you, you, how have you read "The Doctrine of the Mean"?"
This time it was Xu He's turn to sneer: "The words of the saint are what the heart longs for. If the master doesn't teach, can't you learn by yourself?"
"Okay!" County Magistrate Li was born as a Jinshi, and he likes people who are quick and eager to learn. Seeing Xu He's fluent answers, he had already developed a love for talents. In addition, Huang Youcai said that this little guy has not learned much in social studies. Although he has passed "The Mean", he can still answer this question, which shows that he has secretly put in a lot of effort on weekdays.
At this time, an inexplicable question popped up in the minds of everyone present: "Would someone who is so keen, eager to learn, and memorize the classics well bring cheat sheets into the examination room? You must know that the content of the cheat sheet "Essentials of the Four Books" is the classics of the Four Books. As for the content of the meaning, Xu He is so good at explaining it, how can he not memorize the meaning itself?"
What do the national imperial examinations, county examinations and government examinations mainly examine students?
Aren’t you familiar with the classics and meanings?
Now County Magistrate Li asked three questions, and Xu He answered them fluently. In some remote small counties, the county magistrate could directly let him pass the county examination based on this performance.
At this time, this is exactly what County Magistrate Li was thinking: "Xu He, I saw that you answered questions fluently, so I thought you didn't need to use the "Essence of the Four Books" at all. Someone must have framed you!"
After saying that, he glared fiercely at Huang Youcai, who had a pale face on the side!
Then he turned to Xu He and said: "Since you are familiar with the scriptures and meanings, I will make the decision on the spot. You will be admitted to the county examination today!"
When the people around him heard this, they were in an uproar. The guy who was about to be thrown into jail just now turned things around and was appreciated by the county magistrate. He passed the county examination without taking the exam on the spot. Damn, the fate of life is really... It's hard to describe in a word.
Just when everyone was sighing, Huang Youcai suddenly gritted his teeth and shouted: "No sir, the first test in the county examination is eight-legged essay. This Xu He can't do Shiwen at all. You can't let him pass the county examination." Try it!"
Magistrate Li had long been unhappy with Huang Youcai. Even a fool knew that he was being used as a weapon. If it hadn't been for that thunder, he would have become this guy's accomplice.
If Huang Youcai's eldest brother hadn't been the same age as him, he would have taken him down long ago, but he didn't know it. He was like a dog-skin plaster, clinging to him, which really made him really angry.
"Asshole, I still want you to teach me how to do things?" Magistrate Li scolded angrily.
At this moment, a voice suddenly said slowly: "Sir, Huang Youcai has objections to this. Students dare not let you be slandered by people with ulterior motives for shielding this kid. I dare to ask you to take back your life and let me accept this subject." try!"
"Hiss~~" The other candidates waiting to take the exam took a breath of air. The county magistrate had already spoken. Is this guy stupid? He even took the initiative to ask to take the exam...
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Li took a deep look at Xu He and said with a solemn look on his face: "Okay, I promise you! I will give you a chance to prove yourself! I hope your solution will not disappoint me!" "
