Starting from the sixth day of the first lunar month, Shen Rui became a little tail, following Wang Shouren and visiting friends for a banquet.

Although Wang Shouren was just thirty years old, he had long been famous in Beijing and was the son of the top scholar. He was also the one who made friends with Jinshi and Juren.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Shen Rui saw the third top scholar he met after coming to the Ming Dynasty as he wished, which was Mao Cheng, a native of Kunshan, Nanzhili, as he wished.

Although Shen Rui had never seen Mao Cheng, he had heard of his name for a long time. Mao Cheng was the second top scholar in Suzhou Prefecture in recent decades. He Taizhi talked about it several times on the way from Songjiang to Suzhou Prefecture.

Mao Cheng lost his father when he was young and was raised by his grandfather. He was the top scholar in the sixth year of Hongzhi. At that time, his grandfather was a hundred years old. It can be said that he was "double happiness" and was said to be a legend in the scholars. Local officials established the "Renrui Principal House" for him in Suzhou Prefecture.

If it weren't for the hasty time when he came, He Taizhi would have been obsessed with Shen Rui and Chen Jue went over to see it.

The grandfather of the Mao family was old and died two years after Mao Cheng won the top scorer. As a grandson, Mao Cheng had been in the top scorer for three years, so he is still a member of the Hanlin Academy and has not been promoted. However, he is the top scorer. After all, he is not an ordinary Hanlin official. I heard that he is favored by the current emperor and often goes out to the palace to listen to lectures. According to the attitude of this emperor in the emperor's heart, Mao Cheng must be promoted after the "Beijing Inspection" this year.

On the way to visit Mao’s house, Wang Shouren and Shen Rui talked about their relationship with Mao Cheng.

In the sixth year of Hongzhi, Mao Cheng won the top scorer Na Ke. Wang Shouren participated in the imperial examination for the first time and met Mao Cheng before the imperial examination.

Unlike other scholars, Mao Cheng was not a scholarly child, but a craftsman, and took the exam as a supervisor. He was very rejected by the candidates. Wang Shouren was very energetic at that time, and he was always attentive to make friends. He was not picky about his family background, but was very close to Mao Cheng.

Mao Cheng was a square man with an ancient gentleman style. Wang Shouren was lofty and had a lofty ambitions in his heart. The two of them unexpectedly joined in a contract.

Two new friends and confidants joined hands to take the exam together. As a result, one passed the final exam and the top scorer in the high school in the palace exam; the other passed the final exam and left Beijing sadly.

If it were someone else, I would have been uncomfortable for a long time and could not be said to gradually become alienated.

Mao Cheng and Wang Shouren are both gentlemen, with open hearts and deeper friendships, and over the years they have become close friends.

After hearing that Shen Rui was Wang Shouren's first disciple and had accepted it four years ago, Mao Cheng was quite careful about Shen Rui. After giving the gift, he began to take the exam for Shen Rui's knowledge.

In his opinion, Wang Shouren is young and a few years ago, after the second Ministry of Rites examination was completed, it was too late to study the books of sages to prepare for the exam. If he was interested in recruiting students, it must be because Shen Rui was outstanding in talent, which made Wang Shouren "happy when he saw the hunt" and should not be missed.

As for Shen Rui was still young four years ago, Mao Cheng didn't take it seriously. Suzhou Prefecture had a strong literary style and was the most lack of talented men.

Unexpectedly, after Shen Rui's exam, Mao Cheng was very surprised.

Shen Rui has memorized the Four Books and Five Classics quite well, and has also dabbled in the classics, history, and collections of classics, history, and current texts. However, his poems and current texts are mediocre, and the current texts are simple and simple, but the current texts are a little stiff, which is really not very outstanding.

Because Mao Cheng was a heavy-grasped grandson, he was responsible for the reproduction of blood and got married early, but the first ones were all daughters, and he got the eldest son only after he was born in the year. Just as this generation named the name of the word "彩", Mao Cheng named the eldest son "Chi", which was about the same age as Shen Rui, and was only fifteen years old this year.

After Mao Cheng called his eldest son Mao Chi to greet Wang Shouren, he ordered him to take Shen Rui down to entertain him.

After two young people, Mao Chengfang curiously said, "I see that Shen Rui does not seem to be outstanding in qualifications. Why did Bo'an accept him as a disciple? He was born in a scholarly family and a gentry family. Even without Bo'an's care, he would not be able to read. Why did this place to accept his disciples come from?"

Among the scholars, the relationship between teachers and students is the most important, no less than that of blood relatives.

Accepting disciples is not an easy task. Sometimes, disciples are not careful in their behavior and will also involve the teacher.

He accepted students with such seriousness as Wang Shouren and brought them out for socializing, and he looked very respectful of Shen Rui. But Shen Rui was here and his talent was not obvious. Compared with the Wang family, he was really incredible.

Wang Shouren said with a little pride: "Does Brother Xianqing think that my student Shiwen is mean and his poetry is shallow, but he thinks that Brother Rui is of ordinary qualifications?"

Mao Cheng nodded and said, "That's natural. Apart from the knowledge, Shen Rui acts generously and is not restrained in answering questions. He is much more steady than an ordinary boy. However, the road to the imperial examination is the most important thing, and knowledge is the primary thing."

Wang Shouren stretched out three fingers: "I was delayed when I was a child. When I was nine years old, I still couldn't recite three hundred thousand. I only studied seriously for three years and studied literature for only half a year. Brother Xianqing still thinks that my student qualifications are ordinary?"

Mao Cheng said in surprise: "It's so no wonder Bo'an values ​​him so much. I really can't tell that he has only studied for three years. The county examination and the government examination are not hindered. In this way, if he had not delayed it in his early years, he would have passed the college examination at this time."

Wang Shouren and Youyou looked honored: "Although they started a few years later than others, they are still diligent and they know how to study without anyone urging them. I look so sensible than me. If I had known what I wanted, I was not so frivolous and unrestrained, and I would not have wasted my time until now, and I would not have done anything to the point of doing it." At the end, I was also sighing.

Mao Cheng snorted softly and said, "Are you too late? It was because you were too smooth before that you were admitted to the second subject. You were called late for the Jinshi in your twenties. According to you, I, who have passed the Jinshi in my thirty, shouldn't I beg for food? Those who are in my forties and fifty and are still preparing to end, so I don't have to live..."

Wang Shouren is not a person who blames others, but with a sigh, the topic of the two turned to current affairs.

In the Mao family's small study, Shen Rui, the little guest, was accompanied by Shen Chi.

Shen Chi is not tall and has a gentle appearance. He is not slow to treat customers because Shen Rui is younger than him.

He served tea and snacks, and then he accompanied Shen Rui to find topics and talk about the four books, poetry and essays, and time writing.

In the eyes of Mao Cheng and others, Shen Rui's articles are just inferior, but in Mao Chi's opinion, it is already amazing that he can write the previous article by pointing to the title of the Four Books at this age.

When he was talking about his hometown, he knew that Shen Rui was from Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, Mao Chi Xiao said like a little man: "Although Songjiang Prefecture had a weak literary style in his early years, he had a lot of talents in recent years. Although he was not comparable to Suzhou Prefecture, he was not far from that. The second place in Chenghua's 23rd year, the top scorer in Hongzhi's 3rd year, and the sixth year of Hongzhi all came from Huating County..." Speaking of this, I remembered something: "My brother Shi is a native of Huating County, and is he the same clan as Shen Xueshi who passed the imperial examination in Hongzhi's 3rd year?"

As for Suzhou's literary style? Needless to say, the top scholars in two subjects in the sixth year of Hongzhi and the ninth year of Hongzhi were from Suzhou Prefecture, which is enough to show that Suzhou Prefecture's literary style is prosperous.

Shen Rui nodded and said, "Zhen Zhuangyuan is the younger brother."

Hearing this, Mao Chi showed a bit of enthusiasm: "A few days ago, I was fortunate to follow my father to visit Mr. Chen's house. Mr. Chen had a beautiful appearance, a magnificent figure, extraordinary knowledge, and a gentleman of the world."

In the officialdom, he is ranked by grade and qualifications. Although Chen Li is about ten years younger than Mao Cheng, he is one Jinshi earlier than that of Mao Cheng. The grade is here. Even if Mao Cheng is the top scholar, he needs to bow down to visit him.

Shen Rui smiled when he heard Mao Chi's words.

If Shen Li was not good at appearance, he would not have been favored by Grand Secretary Xie when he was still a juren. His wife said that he was young and his daughter was young.

As for what Mao Chi said about the "majestic figure" of meditation, it is also in comparison, because the Mao family and son are not tall.

As for his appearance, Mao Cheng has a long face, short beard, and elegant. If he really looks crooked, even if he is outstanding in literary talent and becomes the top scholar, he will have been thrown into a corner long ago. How could he be summoned by the palace and always be with the emperor?

However, Mao Chi is not only not tall, but also has a round baby face, which looks younger than he is. He is with Shen Rui. Even if he is old-fashioned, if he really wants outsiders to see him, he will think that Shen Rui is older.

Although Mao Chi is the eldest son of the family, his parents and sisters have always loved each other. As they chat with Shen Rui, they became familiar with each other. They have become more casual in their words and deeds, and they have unconsciously brought some pampering.

Speaking of Chunshan Academy where he was studying, Mao Chi said with a bitter face: "I really don't understand what the master in the academy is thinking. My brothers are going to take the boy test when they are over 10 years old. The masters are not afraid of pulling seedlings to help them grow. I plan to return to Suzhou Prefecture by the end of this year. What's too late next year? But in the eyes of the Master, it's like I'm not so strong. It's really impossible to compare with them." Speaking of this, he hesitated and said: "I delayed until now and there is no end. It's not that I have read less... I'm just worried about the bad ranking..."

When Shen Rui saw that he mentioned the exam, he felt depressed, and there was nothing he didn't understand.

It is not easy to be the son of the top scholar. For example, if Wang Shouren had not had a top scholar father, he would not have had such high requirements for himself.

As a folk saying, the younger generation pushes the older generation forward, the younger generation is better than the younger generation, and the world's expectations for a son are that each generation is stronger than the younger generation.

However, the top scorer is already Wen Kui. Unless his son also wins the top scorer, even if he wins the second scorer, he will be "a son is not as good as his father."

Ordinary people take the exam, and if they pass the Jinshi, they are celebrating their ancestral graves; when their sons, the top scholar, take the exam, even if they pass the second grade, they will be discussed.

Wang Shouren was a second-class Jinshi in his twenties. He was considered young and promising among the scholars who won every subject. However, because he had a top-ranked father, he became a stain on his mistake twice before and was said to be "a son is not as good as a father."

Shen Rui nodded and said, "My nephew Chen Lin, who is the first son's residence, seems to be worried about the things that the brother of the world is worried about."

Mao Chi was shocked when he heard about Shen Li's family: "It turns out that there are people who share the same illness..."

It is obviously much better than others. This kind of appearance that makes me feel more at ease when I know that others are upset and I feel much more at ease in my heart.

On this day, Shen Rui met a monk named Wenquxing and gained a new friend with a chattering attribute...
Chapter completed!