The day when the results are released is a big event. Countless students gather at the Lingbei County Government Office to listen to the list of high schools.
Fifty electors were elected. It was a time for lively celebrations, but a strange thing happened.
The great talent Su Qi'an, who recited four lines of "Looking at the Moon" and six lines of "The Heart of a Young Man", failed to make the cut.
If other students fail the exam, they will sigh a few times and gather their spirits to take the exam next year.
But the failure of this great talent, who was famous in Lingbei County, caused quite a shock. The news quickly spread throughout Lingbei County.
There were sighs, regrets, sneers, gloating, etc. Su Qi'an saw too many of these emotions along the way.
He stopped Ye Zhong's urge to hit someone and sighed in relief.
"Brother Ye, why bother arguing with them? I still say the same thing. My failure is still my fault. At worst, I will take the exam next year."
"These days, I have caused trouble to Brother Ye and Brother Qin in the city. Now that the results are out, it is a good thing for me, so that I can return to the village with peace of mind."
"I'm afraid my wife is very anxious after being away from the village for so long. Thank you both for keeping me here. I'll send her here. I'll see you again in the future."
After saying that, Su Qi'an said goodbye to Ye Chong and Qin Huai, and returned to the inn alone.
"Brother Su, you..."
Ye Zhong wanted to call Su Qi'an, but Qin Huai stopped him. Ye Zhong was confused and turned his head.
"Brother Qin, why did you stop me? It was not agreed at the county government office just now, and Master Liu also promised that we have a chance to appeal."
Qin Huai shook his head and said, "Foolish brother, what you said is all right, but you overlooked one thing. Brother Su failed the exam after all. Although he has a strong heart and doesn't think anything is wrong, there will still be some problems after all. regret."
"At this time, what Su Di needs is to be alone. Appealing this matter is time-consuming and laborious. Can't we still drag him to handle this matter with us?"
"Let's handle this matter and collect the evidence before the county magistrate comes back. Once the evidence is handed in and the appeal is successful, wouldn't it be nice to inform Brother Su of this good news?"
"Yes, yes, Brother Qin is right. Brother Yu is worried. Let's stop talking nonsense. Let's go."
With that said, Ye Chong and Qin Huai returned to their respective residences and waited for the men to gather before taking action.
This time, Ye Zhong secretly made up his mind that even if he stabbed Lingbei County to death, he would still have to give Su Qi'an justice.
With their strength and background, if they really want to find out something, no one in Lingbei County can stop them.
Before the two of them could make any move, there was already a huge commotion in the residence where the three invigilators were staying.
In a spacious room, Wei Zhentang, Lin Yuanzhi, and Zheng Yanming were all there.
It's just that the faces of the three of them were a little ugly. Just a quarter of an hour ago, Fang Jingzhi, the magistrate of Lingbei County, barged in fiercely.
Fang Jingzhi had never done anything like that before, he started scolding without saying a word. This kind of gaffe.
The scolding couldn't stop at all. Fang Jingzhi's gaffe at the beginning really made the three invigilators a little stunned.
But the status of the three people is here, especially Wei Zhentang, who is Fang Jingzhi's superior.
When had a county magistrate insulted his superior like this? After all, Fang Jingzhi's insults were all directed at him.
For a small county magistrate, whoever gives him the courage is truly amazing.
Wei Zhentang was also rude and threw a tea cup and shouted angrily.
"Fang Jingzhi, that's enough! Shut up! Who gave you the courage to speak arrogantly and insult Shangguan? Believe it or not, I will fire you from your post on the spot and send you to prison."
"Hmph! Wei Zhentang, don't play official power with me here. Normally, forget it, but today you absolutely should not, you should not, and you are tampering with the county examination."
"Fart! Fang Jingzhi, you are slandering people, give me the evidence!"
At this time, Wei Zhentang also became angry and cursed.
Fang Jingzhi's accusation just now was a serious crime, and losing his official title was considered a minor offense, but he might lose his head.
"Huh, evidence? Okay, I'll give you the evidence. Why did Su Qian, the great talent in Lingbei County, fail to be elected this time? This is not your manipulation."
At this point, Lin Yuanzhi and Zheng Yanming who were beside him probably knew who Fang Jingzhi came to.
Just when Wei Zhentang opened his mouth and wanted to say something, Lin Yuanzhi opened his mouth.
"Xiao Fang, please calm down first. After all, you have been an official for more than 20 years, so you should be measured when you lose your temper. Please make this clear."
Fang Jingzhi calmed down his emotions and told Lin Yuanzhi everything about Su Qi'an's failure.
Lin Yuanzhi frowned slightly and said, "Are you saying that Su Qian'an is not included in this list of candidates? That's not right. This time's grading has all gone through my hands. Although it is a closed grading, as long as there are talented people, I will I will also be given a B grade.”
"That Su Qi'an is as talented as you said. When I was grading the papers, I came across a talented essayist. If my guess is correct, it must be that Su Qi'an. But my score is Grade A, so he shouldn't be included in the ranks of candidates. .”
"Mr. Lin, you gave me an A grade, but you can't stop the two invigilators from giving malicious grades."
"Fang Jingzhi, I'm warning you, don't slander anyone, otherwise I will take you down immediately!"
"Haha, you are slandering someone? Okay, if Mr. Wei has a clear conscience, how about we examine the test papers on the spot and find Su Qi'an's test papers."
"Humph, Fang Jingzhi, you have been an official for so many years. Are you crazy? If nothing else, what qualifications do you have to compete on the spot?"
"He is not qualified, so do I have the qualifications?"
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from outside the door, and then, the closed door was kicked open by Xie Cang.
Xie Cang and Tong Zhan walked in slowly with cold faces.
The appearance of Xie Cang immediately shocked Wei Zhentang. He could not imagine how the Lord Lingdong could be involved in this matter.
When did Lingdong Hou come to Lingbei County? And it looks like he has been here for a long time? And he, an invigilator, had nothing.
At this time, Wei Zhentang had long scolded his stupid nephew Wei Yun half to death in his heart.
Even though the Marquis of Lingdong was just a county marquis, he was also a genuine marquis, personally conferred by the emperor.
Not only was he given a fief, but he also had 3,000 private soldiers in the fief, known as the Splitting Mountain Army.
The Lingdong Marquis has been able to rise to prominence so quickly in recent years, and the army in his hands has made great contributions.
It is not an exaggeration to say that one is equal to ten. It is comparable to the main army in the Great Liang army.
With soldiers in hand and the support of the Duke in court, he is a hot new star in the army.
In Kyoto, there are many people with stronger backgrounds than the Lingdong Marquis, but this is Sichuandu County, a place thousands of miles away from Kyoto and located in a traffic-blocked place in the west.
In Sichuandu County, even the county governor would be frightened when meeting the Lingdong Marquis, let alone the second in command of the county.
Wei Zhentang changed his posture from sitting upright, stood up quickly, cupped his hands in front of Xie Canggong and said.
"It turns out that Mr. Xie is here. It's really an honor for me to meet Mr. Xie here."
"Wei Zhentang, please stop talking nonsense to me here. I don't have time to waste time with you. I just want to say one sentence. Can we compete on the spot?"
Xie Cang's attitude was very tough and he ignored Wei Zhentang's politeness and said bluntly.
Although Wei Zhentang felt bitter in his heart, he still had a smile on his face. It was also his bad luck to meet this disaster star here.
But he was not an unprepared person. While Wei Zhentang was dealing with it, his eyes unconsciously looked behind him.
At this time, Zheng Yanming, who had been silent until now, spoke.
"Okay, Xie Hou, you are also making trouble today. You need to find the person involved to explain it. No problem. Don't embarrass Zhentang."
"Oh, according to Zheng Daru, did you acquiesce in this matter?" Xie Cang glanced at Zheng Yanming, who had a calm face.
In fact, Zheng Yanming didn't need to say anything. When Xie Cang kicked the room away, he had already determined who the mastermind behind it was.
Wei Zhentang is the county magistrate, and even if he has hundreds of guts, he does not dare to go against him. As for Lin Yuanzhi, although he is a great scholar, he has not retired for many years, and as he said, as long as he is a talented person and shows his talent in the county examination, he will be Get objective ratings.
At this point, Lin Yuanzhi's character can still be guaranteed, and the last person in office, Zheng Yanming, is not simple.
Although he did not have an official position, because of his status as a serving scholar in the Hanlin Academy, even the county guard had to greet him with a smile.
Others might be afraid of Lingdong Marquis, but Zheng Yanming was not afraid at all.
Listening to Xie Cang's question, Zheng Yanming looked indifferent and said coldly.
"The Marquis is right. Mr. Wei and I have both seen Su Qi'an's paper. Mr. Lin's score is A, but Mr. Wei and I both think it is C."
"Why!" Xie Cang's voice was cold.
"Haha, why? Don't look at what shocking ideas this great talent from Lingbei County came up with in his final answer."
"Those tens of thousands of words are eloquent, and every sentence touches my heart. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a rebellion, but I have the nerve to call it the Ten Strategies for Governing the Country."
"What a joke. If the governance of the country is as simple as he said, what do we, the great scholars, have to do? We might as well dissolve the Hanlin Academy."
Zheng Yanming's ridicule towards Su Qi'an was undisguised;
"If I and Mr. Wei hadn't thought about his difficulty in studying for many years and didn't argue with him, otherwise he should be in prison now instead of Xie Hou speaking out to defend him."
"Yan Ming, what you said is a bit too much. Su Qian's ten strategies for governing the country seem to be heart-breaking and shocking. But after all, he is just a scholar. It is really remarkable that he can have such a pattern and ideas at such a young age. We must What we do is encourage, and as long as we train for a few years, this piece of jade will definitely shine."
Lin Yuanzhi on the side expressed different opinions, but Zheng Yanming did not accept it and just said coldly.
"You think like this, this is why you were retired and I am still in the Hanlin Academy. Lin Yuanzhi, I respect your age and call you Mr. Lin."
"Don't forget, I have the final right to explain the invigilation of the county exam this time. You just need to cooperate."
"Today, I will leave my words here. No matter who comes, it is impossible to change the result of Su Qian's failure."
