Two days later.
In front of the Jiangning Mansion Office, fifty scholars gathered here, all of them in high spirits.
Of course they have something to be proud of, because they are all outstanding talents who stood out from more than 3,000 candidates. They are the children admitted to the new subject of this government examination.
Today, Magistrate Shen will host a banquet in the government office to entertain these new students. Everyone put on new clothes and came to the government office early to wait.
When they got bored of waiting, a few of them couldn't help but gossip to pass the time.
"This time in the government examination, Youyang has made a big splash. Four of the first ten are from Youyang, and the top three are directly taken by Youyang students! I am afraid that the county teachers in the remaining eight counties are disgraced. Here you go!"
"I heard that Wei Chen is the Youyang prodigy who wrote the poem "Bamboo and Stone" last year. I never thought that he would take the imperial examination at such a young age and even seize the case. We are really ashamed!"
"Sigh... I wouldn't have a problem if such famous talents as Wang Yaochen, Weng Dingfan, and Tang Henian were to win this case. How could it be snatched away by a kid with a bad mouth!"
"Brother Nian, you can't say that. Wang Yaochen is from Youyang, but Wei Chen was still the head of the Youyang case during the county examination. Now Wei Chen has even taken the head of the government examination, which is enough to prove that he has extraordinary talents and learning. . Could it be that Brother Nian is questioning the vision of Feng Zhixian and Shen Futai?"
"This..., ahem, I'm just joking. Brother, why should I take it seriously? By the way, why hasn't the head of our case arrived yet?"
…
In a teahouse not far from the government office, Wei Chen was drinking tea with Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun.
Sheng Changbai took a sip of hot tea, glanced at the sky outside and said, "Brother Xian, it's getting late. Let's leave quickly. Don't keep our co-defendants waiting."
Chen Jun said: "It doesn't matter if you let them wait for a while. One of you is the head of the case, and the other is the second chief. Although I am not talented, I can still be considered among the top ten. If we can't do it, how can they get into the government office?"
Wei Chen smiled and explained to Sheng Changbai: "Brother, I'm too young. Sometimes, it's necessary to put on a stage, otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to control the scene!"
Sheng Changbai looked at Wei Chen, shook his head helplessly and said, "You, you, you are so full of crooked ways, you don't look like a scholar at all!"
The three of them drank tea for a long time. Seeing that it was almost time, Shi Shiran stood up and walked towards the front of the government office.
At this time, all the new students were already waiting impatiently.
When the scribes in the government office saw Wei Chen, the chief clerk, arriving, they opened the middle door and played elegant music. A dozen government officials in red clothes lined up on both sides, standing solemnly.
"Master Futai has an order to invite scholars to the Yamen for a banquet!"
At this moment, no one among the scholars moved forward.
The previous waiting had made them understand that they were not the protagonists of this banquet.
At this time, Wei Chen was completely free of the arrogance and arrogance he had in the teahouse. His face was solemn, he bowed respectfully to his colleagues on all sides, and said loudly: "Everyone, please take the first step!"
Regardless of whether they were willing or not, everyone returned the gift and said in unison: "Brother Wei, please come first!"
Then the crowd retreated to both sides like waves, leaving a path for Wei Chen.
Under the gaze of everyone, the eleven-year-old boy, wearing a navy blue straight suit, slowly climbed the steps and entered the central gate of the government office.
Behind Wei Chen, Sheng Changbai and Wang Yaochen followed one after another, one on the left and the other on the right.
The remaining scholars lined up in three columns and followed them in slowly.
The moment they stepped into the government office, almost everyone was excited.
For most of the children present, they may only attend such a banquet once in their lives. This is a lifelong honor for scholars, and they can be mentioned to future generations even before they die.
As for the higher-level Qionglin Banquet, Deer Ming Banquet or Hairpin Flower Banquet, many people simply don't dare to think about it.
The government government is two levels higher than the county government in terms of regulations. The vastness and exquisiteness of the buildings are not comparable to the county government.
The scholars entered the middle gate, entered the second gate from the main road, and then entered the courtyard in front of the government, which is where the government offices are located.
Passing through the courtyard in front of the mansion, you can see the Yimen Gate, which is exactly the same as the main entrance.
Entering the Yimen is the lobby, and after passing the lobby is the second hall. This is where the prefect holds a banquet.
At this time, the ritual music stopped, and the salute officer stood up and said loudly: "Wei Chen, the leader of the current case, leads the newly promoted scholars to pay homage to Mr. Futai!"
At the moment, Wei Chen led the scholars behind him to pay homage.
After the ceremony, everyone stood up. Shen Du, who was sitting high in the hall, smiled and spoke to the scholars about studying hard and working hard.
The scholars held their breath and listened to the instructions at the foot of the steps.
Finally, Shen Du seemed to feel that he had spoken for too long and said with a smile: "It's getting late. If you have anything to say, it's not too late for us to talk about it at the banquet. Let's have a banquet!"
After saying that, the sound of ritual music sounded, and everyone followed Shen Du inside to attend the banquet.
According to ancient etiquette, at the banquet after such a big competition, one person has one seat, one person has one case, and they are seated in strict order of seniority and inferiority.
Although Wei Chen is young, he is the head of the case in this government examination, so his position is next to the prefect Shen Du.
As for the other dozens of scholars, they were far away from Shen Du. The seats at the back were dozens of meters away from Shen Du. It was difficult to speak to Mr. Futai.
Under Wei Chen, there are nine seats closest to Shen Du, which are among the top ten positions in this government examination.
The second Sheng Changbai, the third Wang Yaochen, Wei Chen already knew about these.
But he didn't expect that Tao Dazhi was also among the top ten, and he was still sixth, ranking higher than Chen Jun who got the question.
As for the fourth and fifth, they were named Weng Dingfan and Tang Henian respectively. Both of them came from well-known families, and their talents were well-known, and Wei Chen had also heard about them.
In fact, before the trial case was launched in the government, these two people and Wang Yaochen were the most popular contenders for the position of head of the case. However, no one expected that Wei Chen would come out of the blue in the end and snatch the head of the Jiangning Mansion case. .
Weng Tang and Wang Yaochen had known each other for a long time, and they were seated next to each other. After the banquet started, they naturally chatted together.
They knew that Wang Yaochen and Wei Chen were both from Youyang, so they asked Wang Yaochen about Wei Chen.
"What do you think of Wei Chen's article?"
After hearing the two people's questions, Wang Yaochen pondered for a while. He is now much calmer than during the county test in February, his demeanor is neither humble nor arrogant, and his words are also very measured.
He said slowly: "During the county examination, Wei Chen and I were on equal footing, and it was still a matter of debate as to who would be the leader. I thought I would be able to avenge my disgrace in the government examination, but in the end I still lost."
Weng Dingfan asked hurriedly: "But Wei Chen is so lucky?"
"No." Wang Yaochen shook his head and said seriously: "It is his article that has made progress again, and the speed of progress far exceeds mine. I am convinced of this."
"ah?"
Weng and Tang were both surprised when they heard this.
You want to know, who is Wang Yaochen?
Born in a noble family, with famous teachers and disciples, he has always put his eyes higher than his head!
It seems that except for his teacher Luo Bingkun, he has never been convinced by anyone.
Now he is convinced by Wei Chen?
Simply incredible!
Wang Yaochen saw the surprised expressions on the two people's faces and smiled casually: "It's better to be better than me. Maybe I still can't compare to Wei Chen in the college examination, but even if I get a small three yuan for him, so what?"
The provincial examination three years later will be the real competition. I will definitely not make the same mistake again then! "
Weng and Tang were stunned when they heard this, and immediately stood in awe and said, "Bo Yong, you are such a magnanimous gentleman!"
