In March, when spring is warm and flowers are blooming, children from six counties in Yanzhou Prefecture gather in Fucheng to compete for the few places for students. The grand master Li Shishi issued a ticket and asked the two counties to merge into one.
Yesterday, we passed the exams in Shouchang and Fenshui counties, and then today we went to Jiande and Chun'an, the prefectural cities. At this time, the examination room was silent. The Grand Master was high on the stage. In the examination booth below, all the children from the two counties bowed their heads at their desks.
Nervous writing.
Such people were crowded together on long tables and benches, and there were all black heads, but one of the white ones was quite eye-catching. Teacher Wang looked at the children on the left and right. They were all his children and grandchildren in terms of age, and couldn't help but sigh.
tone.
Master Wang Shu can no longer remember how many times this was his college entrance exam, the 18th or the 19th time? But he remembers the year very clearly. From his early twenties to now, it has been more than thirty years.
A whole life of youth and savings have been spent on the examination, but the investment is not proportional to the income, and so far I have gained nothing. Others are knowledgeable and poor, and they can be called well-educated Confucians, but I have not even stepped into the threshold, and I can be called a scholar.
Can I become a Confucian scholar?
When I was young, I would feel nervous and excited every time I took an exam, mixed with expectations and hopes. After I entered my prime, I only felt numb and indifferent when I entered the exam room, as if it had nothing to do with me and was just a routine matter. After that, it was just a routine.
I rarely participate anymore, and my money, energy, and morale are all gone.
While Master Wang was writing quickly, he was thinking about his son-in-law's instructions: "Old Taishan has been writing articles for decades. As the saying goes, he has read 300 Tang poems by heart. If he can't compose poems, he can also recite them. Proficiency should not be a problem. Moreover,
After so many years of practice, no matter how bad it is, it won’t be much different. There will definitely be no problem in writing fluently.
So when you get to the examination room, don’t worry about whether the article is good or bad, just start writing. You have to be quick, and it’s best to be the first to hand in the paper!”
What's the reason for this? Master Wang didn't quite understand. But since his son-in-law told him so, he just did it.
Did the son-in-law tell him to just focus on the speed and not the quality? Thinking of this, Teacher Wang suddenly relaxed, so he just wrote whatever he wanted.
However, Teacher Wang Shu found that after he relaxed his mind, the articles he wrote in one go seemed to be more pleasing to the eye, and he couldn't help but self-appreciate them again.
Then he remembered his son-in-law's emphasis on handing in the papers as early as possible. Teacher Wang trembled, raised his head and glanced around. Fortunately, everyone else was still busy writing and no one was ready to hand in the papers.
Master Wang quickly packed up the test papers and got up to go to the Grand Master to hand in the papers. The conditions for the college examination were simple. The examination booths were all made of wooden boards. They could only block the left and right lines of sight to prevent each other from plagiarizing, but the scene from the front and back could still be seen clearly.
.
When Master Wang came to the front, most of the reference students had already noticed it. Someone handed in the paper so quickly that it was hard not to attract people's attention.
Everyone was stunned for a moment when they saw such an old Tong Sheng, and then they all remembered the rumor in the past two days that there was a competition between Chun'an old Tong Sheng and Fucheng Master Zhu.
Mr. Zhu was seated closer to the front, not far from the Grand Master. When Master Wang came to the stage to hand in his papers, he could see clearly.
All I could see was that Old Wang's hair was fluffy and hung in a bun on the back of his head, as if it was about to fall apart at any moment. There were also a few strands of gray hair rippling uninhibitedly in the spring breeze.
The long green dress on his body was very worn and had several patches on the front and back. There were also several unique holes dotted on the chest, sleeves, etc.
Mr. Zhu's eyes were so wide that he almost forgot to continue writing his article.
It was not like he had never seen the old man named Wang the day before yesterday. Although he was dressed very simply at that time, at least he was clean and neat, and he looked like an old gentleman.
But why did he look like this today? He is better than a beggar on the roadside. Even his shoes have turned into straw sandals!
Although Mr. Zhu was a little stupid, he was not stupid enough. He immediately realized something.
Grand Master Li Shishi's attention was completely attracted by Master Wang. He couldn't help but put down the book in his hand and kept looking at Master Wang. There were more than a dozen attendants, clerks, servants, and sergeants around him, who all saw this.
Attention.
Master Wang felt the gaze of the Grand Master below, and his son-in-law's instructions echoed in his mind: "When handing in papers, you should walk slowly, with a slight tremor in your slowness. If you don't tremble, just shake your body gently.
And pay attention to your expression, frown slightly, imagine the pain after eating Coptis chinensis, and sigh when you finally hand over the test paper!"
The son-in-law also said at that time that he could just complete the simple actions above, but he was not expected to do the more difficult requirements, such as tears streaming down his face, a blushing face, and gazing affectionately.
The first person to hand in the paper was already very eye-catching, let alone an old man with this appearance. It was impossible for the Grand Master to ask a few questions.
Is this person almost two years older than me? Li Shishi thought as he asked, "How many times did you take the exam?"
Master Wang Shu recited the lines taught by Fang Yingwu: "The common people have been studying since they were born. Over the decades, they have never slackened their desire to learn. However, God's will is uncertain. Even though they are old and old, they are still wasting their time.
Years. I wrote a word cloud privately:
A piece of paper came to me, and the autumn wind passed by in an instant. The old couple and the new couple, half of them belong to Lantang Pengdao. The ups and downs are as different as others, and they are full of talents and talents. I recall burning the lamp, wearing red pistils together last night, how much money I made.
I am ashamed of Liu Wei's short strategy and Jiang Yan's retreat. Half a hundred green shirts are filled with tears. In the glorious years, I am only afraid that Chang'e will grow old. A song of Qing Dynasty, who can complain, causing trouble in the high hall. When the dream comes back, the night rain of bananas outside the window can be heard.
dawn."
Although this answer was a little off-putting, Grandmaster Li still applauded the words that followed.
The poem "Sang on the Mosque" describes the sorrows and sorrows of the scholars who failed in the imperial examinations. Anyone who is a scholar can feel it deeply.
These words, combined with the extremely dejected appearance of the old boy in front of him, made those who heard him cry and those who saw him sad, which made people feel doubly pitiful.
Don't talk about others. While reciting this poem, Master Lian Wang was moved by himself. He was deeply involved in the situation of decades of frustration. A few tears flashed in his eyes. Half a hundred blue shirts were filled with tears. Wasn't it him again?
who is it?
If Fang Yingwu stood by and watched, he would definitely give Master Wang a thumbs up and shout, "This is passed!"
In the examination room, there was certainly the great joy of being named on the gold medal list, but there was also the loneliness and desolation of losing Sunshan's name. Grandmaster Li sighed a few times and silently recited a few words: "In the glorious years, I am afraid that Chang'e will grow old. Who can complain with a clear song?"
.
He looked down at the test paper again, glanced at it a few times, and found that although the old boy's article was not gorgeous, it was simple and smooth, and it was worth reading.
But no matter how touching the heartstrings are, they are just touching.
As a calm, standard politician who bases everything on his own interests, Grandmaster Li could not find any reason to choose the old boy in front of him. Even if he was to choose materials for the country, there was no reason to choose a scholar in his fifties.
Moreover, the Grand Master also considered with great foresight that if other people in the future imitate this, the atmosphere of this college examination will be completely ruined, and a good examination will turn into a competition of disastrous results.
Li Shishi waved his hand and said kindly: "Mr. Wang, please go down and have a rest!" Teacher Wang said he was disappointed, but he had not yet reached despair, and he still had lines.
Master Wang took out a bag of tea leaves from the examination basket. "Some children picked some wild tea and said that the great master had praised it, so I asked the younger ones to bring it to the great master."
The attendants, clerks, officers, and sergeants who were waiting nearby all laughed, but they felt that the old man was really pitiful.
At this time, in this scene, in front of everyone, a pitiful man was holding a bag of tattered wild tea to give gifts. How bitter, such an honest person can't even give gifts to crack the joints.
The memory of Grand Master Li of Wild Tea suddenly opened up. He has experienced a lot since he took office in Zhejiang two years ago, and he may have forgotten most of them. But a cup of wild tea in Chun'an County made his memory particularly deep.
A boy reading in a wooden pavilion.
But he can be sure that he has never praised the wild tea that is difficult to drink and tastes like sour soup. If he hadn't paid attention to the scholar's demeanor, he would have spit it out on the spot.
Li Shishi looked at the test paper in his hand again. Sure enough, his place of birth was written in Huaxi, Chun'an County. He asked without raising his head: "This kid is quite filial to you. Who are you?"
Master Wang replied: "The younger daughter is his concubine."
Li Shishi suddenly became furious: "What nonsense are you talking about, old man! You dare to give gifts on the spot. How can I accept gifts? Seeing that you are old, I won't embarrass you. I will kick you out!"
He said that, but he drew a circle on the paper with a pen. According to the convention, this meant that he was admitted on the spot. It seemed that his words and deeds were inconsistent.
Then the great master wrote: "But I hope that you have devoted yourself to studying for decades. Although you have gone through many hardships, you have not lost your ambition. Your feelings are pitiful, your ambition is commendable, and your writing is not bad! I think it is understandable that you are dizzy today.
, I will reward you with fame to encourage those who come after you!"
Everyone waiting nearby cheered in unison, feeling sympathized with the fact that they were happy for the old boy to realize his dream. At the same time, they praised the great master for being so kind and kind!
But no one noticed that in just a few words, a packet of wild tea had communicated the news without anyone noticing. Grandmaster Li watched the old boy leave and thought for a long time.
Among the people in Zhejiang, Fang Yingwu's popularity is very low, and not many people know about it outside Chun'an County. However, in Zhejiang's official circles, Fang Yingwu's popularity is very high, even slightly surpassing his father Fang Qingzhi.
There are two reasons. One is that two chief envoys were overthrown and caused a major earthquake in the provincial capital. This was a major event that had not happened in decades and attracted the attention of the officialdom.
Second, the boss of the province, Governor Wang, who took office last year, is Fang Yingwu. Ordinary people may not know it, but how can any officials with a little knowledge not know it? There are also rumors that even Governor Wang’s position is Fang Yingwu.
It comes from operation.
Therefore, people like Li Shishi who are still involved in the official circles of Zhejiang Province may not be able to remember most of the students they have admitted, but they cannot tolerate being unable to remember Fang Yingwu.
This is why Fang Yingwu often lamented that it was much more comfortable to deal with officials than with ordinary people and scholars.
If he were an ordinary "reasonable" official, would he be like Mr. Zhu from Fucheng, roaring in front of him, "What kind of cat and dog are you?" (To be continued...)
ps: I really don’t want to open chapters over and over again, but the monthly subscription is very frustrating now! According to the subscription status, it shouldn’t be like this. The gap from the previous one is unimaginable. I even got an asshole at noon. If I continue like this, I will lose my energy.