"Leon?"
To the south of Daming Palace, in Changlefang, is the most famous and highest-status restaurant in Chang'an - Anguo Temple Red House.
You can see the starry sky, the palace and the lights of thousands of families. The top floor of Chang'an City is covered by the entire floor.
The roof fence, floor, and walls are all made of white sandalwood produced in the island country south of Tianzhu and transported by fleet across the dangerous ocean.
This kind of white sandalwood has fine lines and the aroma of oil contained in it, which can prevent insects and corrosion.
On the base of the animal-headed statues on the four sides of the fence, there is a windproof talisman on each side - this kind of talisman written by the monks of the Xunyun Realm personally can isolate the strong wind.
This prevents the distinguished guests on the top floor of the Red Building from being blown by the cold night breeze while enjoying the night view.
The people who booked the top floor of the Red Building tonight were a group of aristocratic young men.
"Li Ang..."
Qiu Jinghuan, the eldest son of Qiu Wenhan's family, the Minister of Civil Affairs, turned the jade wine glass in his hand and said to his companions: "I remember, there is no one named this in the clan, right?"
"No, I asked someone about it. He is a young doctor from Zhenzhou."
The Sixth Young Master, who was assigned to the Shizhong family, smiled casually and said, "It's a pity. If he really came from an official family, it would be easier to handle."
The young men from Wuling, who were born into noble families, were carefree and free-spirited, and had many friends, but this did not mean that they had good tempers.
"He has rescued military horses in Zhenzhou, so he can easily summon that bay-red horse during the day. You, Shiro, have been tricked by him."
An aristocratic young man said in a deep voice, and everyone's eyes turned to the middle of the banquet, where the fourth son of the Pei family, Pei Jing, was leaning against the window edge and drinking quietly.
Qiu Jinghuan frowned and said: "Although he is not a son of an official, he cannot be dealt with in our way. But Shiro has been tricked, and there is no reason not to pay the debt."
"Need not."
Pei Jing took a sip of wine and said calmly: "Don't cause trouble during the Academy Exam.
What's more, I also tried my best to attract the horse using the tricks taught by my horse herder.
It's just that the means are not as good as his. "
"But..."
The noble boy was still about to argue, but Pei Jing glanced at him lightly, and the latter immediately shut his mouth.
"Take a long-term view."
Pei Jing jumped off the window sill and said casually: "The beauty of a gentleman will be killed in five lifetimes.
In a noble family, only the eldest son can inherit the title of his father, and other children must find their own way out.
In our group, we have both the eldest son and the second son.
But even the eldest sons of honorable families, after inheriting the title, are mostly mediocre and unable to run the family - are there not many noble sons who have to sell their real estate in order to barely maintain their aristocratic appearance in recent years?
Only by entering the academy can you have a future.
Otherwise, the wealth and romance in front of you will be fleeting. "
He glanced at his companions present and said calmly: "And if you want to enter the Academy, you can't be as arrogant and clever as before."
"I know, Shiro."
A group of aristocratic young men accepted Pei Jing's teachings honestly.
Qiu Jinghuan smacked his lips and said: "Silang, you will definitely be admitted to the Academy. Didn't Xi Yangyu, the newly promoted Academy Secretary, say so? Silang, you have excellent spiritual talent.
Moreover, in today’s preliminary exam during the day, in addition to the required subjects, there were also non-compulsory subjects such as arithmetic, Yu rhythm, national history, phonology, painting, military attack, chess, engineering, etc.
He is outstanding in every subject, comparable to Su Zi two hundred years ago.
The first place in the first test, the second test and even the third test is none other than you. "
Mentioning this, Pei Jing finally showed a faint smile on her face, "First... isn't it the right thing to do?"
His father is Shangshu Zuopushe, the prime minister of a country.
The mother is the legitimate daughter of a thousand-year-old family.
For Pei Jing, other people's praise and exclamation are like a natural thing.
As it should be.
Dang Dang Dang——
Twenty-four bells rang throughout the city, and only a "dong" sound was heard, and the wooden door on the top floor was pushed open heavily.
"Shiro!"
The panting noble boy who ran up from downstairs shouted: "Results! The results of the academy's first exam have been posted at the Suzaku Gate!"
"So fast?"
Pei Jing raised her eyebrows in surprise and turned to look at the night scene of Chang'an outside the railing - many carriages were driving out of the market and hurried to Zhuque Gate.
Obviously they were the first to receive the news and see the preliminary test results.
"Let's go too."
Pei Jing took the lead and walked at the front. She came down from the red building and rode on the famous horse of the state of Kang when she came up, and rushed to the Zhuque Gate.
The further you go towards Zhuque Gate, the more carriages there are.
Pei Jing jumped off the horse, threw the reins to a guard, and squeezed into the crowd with her companions.
Candidates, family members, and people watching the excitement blocked the Zhuque Gate at night.
Fortunately, the fox-fur white robe that Pei Jing wore, as well as the companions and guards who followed her, highlighted her identity as a noble young man, and she successfully squeezed into the front row of the crowd.
A total of eight notice boards were filled with lists of five thousand people, arranged from top to bottom.
Many students were lying in front of the notice board, struggling to find their place of origin and name.
There are people constantly finding their names, hugging friends and laughing, and even crying with joy.
There are also people who, after repeatedly searching for the list, push others away in despair and silently walk to the roadside alone.
Joy and sorrow, triumph and frustration, all arise from the list.
Pei Jing directly skipped the last seven notice boards and only looked at the first half of the first one.
"The 50th place, Luo Zhiyuan of Jizhou, is ranked A for scriptures, lower for poems, B for policy inquiry, and B for cavalry and archery..."
"The forty-ninth place, Wei Xuefeng in Expansion of Prefecture, is ranked below A for Sutras, below for poems, and below for policy questions..."
Pei Jing quickly browsed the top rankings, and the shouts of her companions kept ringing in her ears.
"Found it! Chang'an Qiu Jinghuan! Ranked 510! Brother Jing Huan, congratulations!"
"Haha, we are happy together."
Qiu Jinghuan bowed her hands to her friends with a proud look on her face, but when she turned around, she saw Pei Jing frowning deeply and staring at the list with squinted eyes.
Qiu Jinghuan followed Pei Jing's gaze and saw that Pei Jing's name was specially written with a cinnabar pen in the front row of the list.
Pei Jing of Chang'an was awarded Grade A for scriptures, Grade A for poetry, Grade A for policy questions, Grade A for cavalry and archery, and in subjects such as arithmetic, Yu rhyme, national history, and phonology, except for military combat, all were graded as low or first grade.
First class in thirteen subjects!
Such comprehensive achievements are extremely rare even in the history of the Academy - to be able to study extensively and deeply in various subjects at a young age requires not only outstanding talent, but also an excellent and strict tutor.
However...
"Chang'an Pei Jing, third."
Pei Jing's voice was still calm. Only friends like Qiu Jinghuan, who had been together since childhood, could hear the subtle emotional fluctuations in the plain voice.
"First, Youzhou, He Fanshuang."
Under the cold moonlight, Pei Jing, who was wearing a fox-fur white robe, looked at the two names above him, his eyes were deep, and he murmured to himself,
"Second, Zhenzhou, Li Ang."
