early morning.
It's still dark.
Outside the eaves, rain poured down, water droplets hit the stone steps, splashing everywhere, and occasionally there were a few rumbling sounds of spring thunder.
There was silence in the study room. The three young men each sat on the table, holding up their pens and writing furiously. It was Wei Chen and the other three who were preparing for the imperial examination in the Sheng Mansion.
The three of them competed with each other to see who could write more articles in the same time.
One morning passed, and the winner was decided.
Wei Chen easily finished four articles, General Sheng Changbai wrote three, and Chen Jun hurriedly finished only two.
Wei Chen looked at Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun proudly. They looked at each other and smiled, both shaking their heads helplessly.
In the final analysis, this is just a little fun they find for boring study, and no one takes it seriously.
Not long after, a servant from the Sheng Mansion came in to deliver the meal, and the three of them stopped writing and prepared to have lunch.
The food in the Sheng Mansion was not like what Wei Chen imagined from the Haoying family. It was just ordinary home-cooked side dishes. As the young master of the Sheng Mansion, Sheng Changbai ate the same as himself.
Wei Chen guessed that this might be Sheng Changbai taking care of himself and Chen Jun while creating a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.
It can also be seen from this that the sincerity of the relationship between Sheng Changbai and Wei Chen does not have the stinking problem of having high self-esteem like the children of aristocratic families.
Wei Chen picked up the bowl and took a sip of the thick egg drop soup, then poured half the bowl into the rice, stirred it, and ate it with the vegetables.
After finishing a large bowl of rice, Wei Chen smacked his mouth with satisfaction and let out a long burp.
"Brother Wei, this is an insult to politeness!"
Chen Jun glanced at Wei Chen with disdain.
Wei Chenhun patted his stomach nonchalantly, shook his head and said: "Youran understands it from the heart, it's hard to tell you the beauty of it!"
It turns out that watching people eat can really increase your appetite.
Seeing that Wei Chen was eating so deliciously, Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun were both itchy and couldn't help but follow suit, pouring the egg drop soup into a bowl, mixing it with vegetables and eating.
After eating a bowl of rice, both of them burped unconsciously.
"belch----"
There was a loud hiccup, and Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun, who were belatedly aware of it, looked at each other, and the air was filled with embarrassment.
Wei Chen laughed.
"It's an insult to elegance, it's an insult to elegance!"
At this time, someone knocked on the door outside the house, and the steward's voice came: "Second Young Master, Master Qiu of the Jiangning Prefecture wants to see you."
After hearing this, Sheng Changbai immediately put down his chopsticks, called the female envoy to wipe his face with water, then put on his clothes and went out to meet him at the entrance of the courtyard.
"I have long admired Mr. Qiu's name. Changbai did not treat me well and kept him waiting for a long time. I hope you will not blame me."
Sheng Changbai chatted with Master Qiu for a while and then invited him into the main hall.
After taking his seat, Master Qiu saw that there was no one around him, and then he lowered his voice and said, "My friend, Dong Weng asked me to let you know that this year's examination will be different from previous years."
Hearing this, Sheng Changbai's heart skipped a beat, and Wei Chen and Chen Jun standing behind the screen also held their breaths.
Sheng Changbai stood up, made tea for Mr. Qiu, and asked, "But what's the news?"
Master Qiu nodded and said: "My friend, you also know that among the junior exams, the provincial exam is the most difficult, and among the junior exams, the government exam is the most difficult. As the leader of a mansion, Shen Futai has to consider every aspect carefully.
This Jiangning Mansion is different from other places. There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the mansion. There are many famous families. Each family goes to Shen Futai to ask for help. Shen Futai neither agrees nor refuses. After all, there are only fifty places in the government examination. There are too many monks and too little rice. ! "
Sheng Changbai nodded when he heard this. As a son of an official, he naturally knew the tricks in this junior exam. Even in such a rigorous examination as the provincial examination, there are still people cheating, let alone the anonymous government examination?
As long as we are in the officialdom, there are inextricably linked to each other. Teachers and students, classmates, fellow villagers, friends, and old friends are all covered one by one, and no one can escape.
The examiner is also a human being, so naturally he is not immune to customs.
For example, the Master Qiu in front of me is the aide of Shao Guang, the general judge of Jiangning Mansion, and Shao Guang is the same year as Sheng Hong...
Sheng Changbai knew very well that his father might have already told Magistrate Feng and Magistrate Shen to take good care of him during the admission process.
This is almost an unspoken and unspoken rule in officialdom.
It's just that the Jiangning Mansion is in a special situation. There are many wealthy and distinguished families, and everyone is eyeing the fifty places. As the chief examiner, Prefect Shen is also in a difficult situation. If he takes care of this, he can't take care of that, and he will be blamed no matter what.
Sheng Changbai asked: "Mr. Qiu, does Shen Futai have any countermeasures?"
Master Qiu sighed and said, "Master Futai has decided to issue a list of titles after the Futai examination."
"Title list?"
Sheng Changbai said in surprise: "Isn't that just for the provincial examination and the general examination?"
Master Qiu took a sip of tea and said in a deep voice: "On the title list, all the articles written by the students who took the mid-level examination are listed at a glance. Those who have no real talent and practical knowledge, even if they pass the government examination, will definitely be criticized as soon as their articles are published. Even the reputation of the family will be put to shame."
Master Qiu had already talked about this, so Sheng Changbai would not fail to understand.
"Master Futai uses this method to reject those requests from famous families in disguise!"
Master Qiu nodded: "That's what Mr. Futai means. In short, whether you win or not depends on the quality of the article."
Sheng Changbai bowed his hands sincerely: "Thank you sir for informing me."
Master Qiu waved his hand: "I was also entrusted by Dong Weng, so what's the point of thanking you!"
After Sheng Changbai sent Master Qiu's gift out the door, he returned to the hall, called Wei Chen and Chen Jun out, and told them Master Qiu's words in detail.
After Wei Chen heard this, he said thoughtfully: "I think that Master Qiu may not be here just to convey the news in good faith, but may also be under the instruction of Shen Futai to use these human connections to send warnings to the major families. "
Sheng Changbai nodded in agreement: "Shen Futai's meaning has been very clear. Either we will all be embarrassed together when the list of questions comes out, or we will not sell anyone's face and let everyone take the exam fairly."
"The most important thing in aristocratic families is the reputation of the family, and Shen Futai is holding them close!" Chen Jun praised: "This Shen Futai is really extraordinary, he solved a problem so easily! "
Sheng Changbai shook his head and said: "This is also a helpless move by Shen Futai. The Jiangning family is so intertwined that he cannot withstand the pressure from the family. He can only use this method of common death to force the family to submit."
"All in all, we must strive to be fair during this government examination."
Wei Chen looked at Sheng Changbai and said with a narrow smile: "This is a good thing for Brother Chen and me, but it is very bad for you, brother. You are also a member of the family!"
Sheng Changbai glared at Wei Chen and said angrily: "My Sheng family is only somewhat famous in Youyang. How can it be considered an aristocratic family in Jiangning Mansion? Those rich and famous families eat meat, I'm afraid my Sheng family can't even drink soup. It’s less than a mouthful. Now I can take the exam with my real talent and practical knowledge, that will really benefit me!”
"Brother, are you so confident?"
"That's natural!"
