The Grand Master waited for a while, but saw that the middle-aged scholar's head and face were covered with sweat, so he did not force it and said to the scholar calmly: "Reading history can tell you about the ups and downs. Don't study just for the sake of studying! I'll let you go for now. pass!"
Hearing this, the scholar felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He clasped his fists and bent down, almost bumping into the buttocks of the man in front of him.
The Grand Master ordered another student who looked very slick and asked: "[Aspirations are calmed by Dao, words are followed by Dao. Doing nothing is useless and harmful, and success is accomplished], continue with the next sentence!"
The slick-looking student stood dumbfounded when he heard the question. Then he rolled his eyes and said, "Grandmaster, I haven't studied this article yet. I beg you, Grandmaster, to test me on the Book of Changes!"
As soon as these words came out, the county school teacher's face suddenly turned red.
Although scholars needed to focus on the classics in the imperial examination, in county school classes, the Five Classics were all taught.
Now this student dared to ask him to test the contents of this scripture in front of the great master. What he didn't say was a slap in the face.
Sure enough, the Grand Master's face suddenly became ugly, and he reprimanded in front of everyone: "Let me ask you, on weekdays when you study in the county, do you study the Four Classics besides this classic?"
The student protested: "The teachings do teach, but the provincial examination and the general examination both have one question on the Four Books and one question on the Classics. I haven't studied the other Four Classics in depth!"
The great master slapped his palm on the case and said angrily: "In the old days of the Zhou Dynasty, families had private schools, and the party had a itch. Therefore, all the people did not know how to learn. Therefore, education and practice led to beautiful customs. Nowadays, there are schools in the capital and counties. However, the students in the county school have not received any education because of the scientific examination. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse? It could be a government that leads the people to be good and customary, but it has become a study for officials to study through scientific examination. It is simply ridiculous."
The people around him were all silent when they saw the Grand Master getting angry, especially the sharp-tongued and slippery scholar, who felt like a thorn in his back when he heard the words.
The Grand Master was not used to him, and snorted coldly: "Next year, no matter how many grades you pass, you will be demoted to one grade. If you pass the fifth grade, you will lose the Lanshi shirt!"
After hearing this, the slippery boy sat down on the ground and cried loudly.
Some people may not understand why this student was so disrespectful and cried bitterly in front of so many people.
Because according to the regulations of the state, academic officials were appointed to serve for three years, two of which were required to conduct examinations for students in each prefecture and county.
The examination results are divided into six grades. Those who are in the forefront of the first grade will be supplemented according to the shortage of Linshan students, followed by Guangzhou students.
The first and second classes are all rewarded, the third class is neither rewarded nor punished, the fourth class is whipped, the fifth class is downgraded by one level, the adjunct is demoted to Qingyi, and the sixth class is dismissed. (The students' shirts are blue, and it is a humiliation to change to Tsing Yi. However, students in Tsing Yi can still take the test, but they lose their dignity and will make others laugh. This makes the talented scholars who have good face compare with others. It’s still uncomfortable to die!)
In other words, if the student member just passed the fifth grade, he would also be dismissed as a sixth grade student and dismissed from his position as a student member. In this way, do you think he would be scared if his hard work in studying since childhood turned into nothing?
Seeing that he was still crying, the Grand Master became impatient and called someone directly to drag him out.
This incident completely made everyone inside and outside the house feel sad.
Some people who usually don't study hard now want to dig a hole and bury themselves.
But the Grand Master lost his mood as a student examiner. He turned to the county school teacher and said: "Next time, if you do not do well in the county school exam, I will report to the imperial court and you will be dismissed from your position and your salary will be taken away! "
The county school teacher, the old man Xu He had met at Huibin Tower last time, was so frightened that he bowed his head repeatedly and did not even dare to raise his head.
In recent years, due to the poor treatment of prefectural and county magistrates and low official grades, most of the people holding this position were candidates and supervisors who had no hope of passing the examination. Most of them were from relatively poor families.
Although there is no future as a cultural instructor and the salary is pitiful, it is an iron rice bowl after all, and everyone knows all the positions within the system.
This is the reason why the Xuejiao of Hailing County was so scolded that he couldn't hold his head up, and even at his age he didn't dare to bare his teeth with the great master.
After the Grand Master finished scolding the teachers and students of the county school, he looked at Xu He and others standing at the end of the class.
He tilted his head and asked, "Who are the people in the back who are not wearing turbans?"
Xu Dai had just woken up from the majesty of the Grand Master, and he said more carefully: "Standing behind are the students from my Xu Family School and Xujiacun Social School, and in the courtyard are the representatives of the social school students from Hailing County and outside! "
The Grand Master nodded and smiled at him, as if to say, "What's our relationship? It's not your turn to be nervous."
Xu Dai wiped away the sweat that didn't show up and responded with a forced smile.
The grand master's face was solemn again. He looked at the children of all sizes standing behind him, and after a long time of choosing, he selected a child who looked like he was only about eight years old and had just entered school.
Xu He recognized the child. He was a student of the Xu family, and his family was also a small sect, but the family conditions were not bad, so he could be educated by the family and listen to the lectures given by Juren.
The schoolboy had just seen that the adults were frightened into tears by the arrogant official on the stage. How could he hold himself steady? His legs were trembling and he bowed and saluted: "Grand Master!"
The Grand Master did not have such high requirements for children. Seeing that although he was scared, he still had complete etiquette, so he said to Xu Dai: "After all, he is a native of Wen Jiangong, and his etiquette is thorough."
After finishing speaking, before Xu Dai could speak, he asked: "Maybe you can memorize the Three-Character Sutra?"
When he heard it was "The Three Character Classic", the schoolboy became more courageous and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "I learned it, I learned it!"
The Grand Master smiled and said, "Recite it to me!"
"At the beginning of human beings, their natures are good. Their natures are similar, but their habits are far apart. ..."
The tender voice of children rang in the classroom, and the great master closed his eyes and listened to his recitation.
After carrying it for a while, suddenly, the sound stopped.
"The ten stems are from Jia to Gui. The twelve branches are from Zi to Hai. It is called the ecliptic, where the sun is. It is called the equator, when, when, when..."
The child was about to burst into tears, his face flushed red in shock.
The Grand Master waited for a moment and then smiled and said: "Go back and read it carefully!"
When Master Yan heard this, his old face turned red, and he stepped forward to accuse him and said, "Master, it's because the students were not taught strictly!"
"This friend doesn't need to blame himself. The children are still young. Take it step by step and don't rush!"
"Friend" is the honorific title given to a person by an official. When Master Yan saw the great master being so amiable, he almost knelt down in front of him.
At this moment, someone suddenly stood up from behind Xu Dai and said loudly: "Grandmaster, I have passed the government examination and am about to take the Taoist examination this year. Please take the examination with Grandmaster!"
Everyone looked at the man. Xu He laughed in his heart when he saw this. It turned out to be Xu Luan! This is an opportunity for self-expression.
Sure enough, the Grand Master saw him standing up from behind Xu Dai. Although there was no expression on his face, his words were already three points gentler: "Oh? You are already a child? Yes, what is the scripture that governs you?"
Xu Luan said proudly: "In my Xu family, my grandfather, Duke Wen Jian, and my eldest uncle, Duke Xiaoshi, were all Jinshi masters of the Book of Songs. Of course I am also a scholar of the Book of Songs!"
The Grand Master nodded: "Since this scripture is "Poetry", then... [The millet is separated, the seedlings of the millet] next sentence!"
After hearing this question, everyone present shouted in their hearts: "Grandmaster, you don't do this, you are obviously letting the water go!"
Why?
Because the next sentence of this poem has almost all been heard by anyone who is a scholar, not to mention that Xu Luan is the author of "Poetry".
When Xu Luan heard this, he was full of confidence. He proudly raised his chin at a forty-five-degree angle, posing like a poster for future generations, and said: "I walk with great strides, and my heart is shaken. Those who know me tell my heart." Worry; those who don’t know me, what do I want? Who is this in the long sky?”
After he finished reading, he looked around, and the meaning in his eyes couldn't be more obvious: "I'm sorry, what I want to say is that everyone here is rubbish."
In fact, everyone almost cursed "Mama sells batches" in their hearts.
The Grand Master had a clear view of everyone's expressions, but he did not criticize it. Instead, he nodded and praised: "Very good!"
"No more?" Xu Luan was stunned, "That's it? Can two words of praise explain my [hard work]? Can it explain my [hard work]?"
