In the examination room, Magistrate Wang looked at the two papers on the case and was very confused. Fang Yingwu and Wu Chuo both had their own merits, which really made the magistrate undecided as to who was the right one to choose.
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Appointing Fang Yingwu as the head of the case is equivalent to recruiting a trusted person, and Fang Yingwu has extremely outstanding ability and talent in dealing with people. He is a talent and can definitely help in the future. But Fang Yingwu has a weak background.
point.
By appointing Wu Chuo as the head of the case, he can win the favor of the Yunfeng Wu family, a traditional family in the county. The Wu family has come to plead for this matter before, and the subsequent benefits are self-evident. But Wu Chuo has his own background, and he will definitely not be like Fang.
If Ying Wu becomes a reliable confidant like that, the Wu family will no longer need him anymore.
Wang Zhixian has never been a person who is good at making decisions. Today he encountered this big problem, which may even affect the future political direction of Chun'an County. It really worried him.
A government official who was patrolling outside the venue suddenly came over and reported to Magistrate Wang in a low voice: "There are rumors outside the gate that a candidate named Fang Yingwu has been designated as the head of the case."
Wang Zhixian sighed, although rumors are not a good thing, the emergence of rumors at this time seems to help him make a decision. In order to avoid the rumors being confirmed, he will first aggrieve Fang Yingwu this time, and he will be named as the head of the case next time when there is a chance.
With the decision made, Magistrate Wang felt much more relaxed. He let go of the test papers of Fang Yingwu and Wu Chuo, and picked up the test papers of other students to review.
But Fang Yingwu was thinking hard and unknowingly walked from the county school examination room to the West Temple where he lived. The headmaster Fang Fengshi and the private school teacher Mr. Wang were waiting outside the temple. When they saw Fang Yingwu coming back, they hurriedly went to greet him.
Hearing the greetings, Fang Yingwu suddenly woke up from his hard thoughts and said to the two guarantors worriedly: "There was no problem on the field, but there were some accidents outside the field."
"What accident?" they both asked in unison. Fang Yingwu informed them of the rumors outside the venue.
When they heard rumors spreading in the county that Fang Yingwu was unofficially named as the head of the case, both of them knew that this was not a good thing. Fang Fengshi stumbled and said: "Who is so hateful! Is it the Wu family?"
Fang Yingwu shook his head: "The possibility of the Wu family is very small. They don't seem to have such a need. If they can find out about me from the county magistrate, then it is equivalent to notifying the county directly, otherwise they will not know the secret
But if that’s the case, why bother spreading rumors when the joints are already connected?”
"Who could it be?"
Fang Yingwu said thoughtfully: "There is only one person who knows about the situation between me and Mr. Wang and hates me, and that is Miss Baimei, who is the number one in the flower world in this county."
When Fang Yingwu thought about it, the possibility of Bai Mei was really high. The last time she was involved in a debt lawsuit, she witnessed her interaction with Wang Zhixian. If she had some discernment, she would inevitably see something. Therefore, she decided to be the default one.
The rumors surrounding the case are not surprising.
Master Wang Shu was more thoughtful and analyzed: "For things like rumors, the important thing is not to find the source. The most important thing is how to deal with the rumors first. But what should we do now?"
Fang Yingwu sighed: "I didn't want to take the initiative to provoke this kind of harm to others, but in order to protect myself, now I have no choice but to fight fire with fire! Soldiers are very quick, so I ask the two division commanders to act quickly."
Then he ordered: "I handed in the test papers early. The exam is not over yet. Many candidates are still in the examination room. There are still many people gathered outside the county school gate. They are family members and servants who came to greet the candidates. Uncle Clan, you
Go there and join in their discussions!
Mr. Wang, go patrolling outside the west gate of the county and on the cross streets. When you see tea shops and restaurants, go in. If you meet anyone who is talking about the county examination, pretend to be interested and interrupt them. Especially pretend to be dismissive.
Like, have a little chat with them!"
Fang Fengshi patted his chest and asked for advice: "It's okay to run errands. I can work hard for my uncle, but how do I tell people?"
Fang Yingwu said confidently: "I would like to say three points. First, the Wu family is so powerful that it has not produced any results for several years. This time, it will definitely win a case at any cost.
Secondly, it is said that Wu Chuo answered the questions easily in the examination room. He was the first to submit the test paper and chatted and laughed with Mr. Wang, so he was sure to win.
Thirdly, since we are said to be a poor person living in the mountains, with neither wealth nor power, what is the benefit of Mr. Wang County appointing me as the head of the case?
Therefore, those who spread such rumors are short-sighted. In fact, Mr. Wu is the person who was actually designated as the head of the case. The Wu family must have used their strength to be rich and powerful. It is ridiculous that the world is not aware of it and only stares at the poor.
Guess!
When you have finished speaking these words, change places and say them to others over and over again. You can’t just let the rumors revolve around me!"
Watching the two division commanders leave, Fang Yingwu continued to think about the matter. The person who spread the rumors knew the timing very well. If it was early, people would be on guard. If it was late, the case would be settled.
What's the use of spreading rumors?
Fortunately, there were still three days before the announcement of the results, which gave him the opportunity to muddy the waters. Since some people refused to let him be a good person, he would do anything to muddy the water and no one would be a good person.
After leaving the special place of the examination room, Fang Yingwu gradually calmed down from his paranoid anxiety. He suddenly felt that the Wu family's suspicion could not be completely ruled out due to the rumors.
Maybe the Wu family didn't fully get through to Wang Zhixian, and Wang Zhixian was still in a dilemma of choosing one of the two. That's why the Wu family created rumors, forcing Wang Xianzun to only choose one option in order to avoid suspicion.
It's hard to say who was behind the rumors, but Wang Zhixian's hesitation made Fang Yingwu guess right.
When the sky turned dark, the last child in the examination room handed in his test paper, and this was the end of the answering session of the county examination.
Wang Zhixian had been sitting in the examination room all day. At this time, he stretched himself comfortably and was about to order the teacher to return to the office.
However, a senior attendant came up to him and whispered to him in a low voice: "There was another rumor outside the examination room just now. It is said that the master is greedy for the Wu family's wealth and has secretly appointed an examinee named Wu Chuo to be the head of the case."
Wang Zhixian was stunned for a moment when he heard the words. He suddenly reached out and patted his forehead. His mind was full of distress. Why did the rumors keep changing three times a day? The selection of Fang Yingwu confirmed the previous rumors, and the selection of Wu Chuo confirmed the new rumors.
How can he choose the leader of the case?
Early in the morning of the next day, Fang Yingwu and the two division commanders and guarantors rushed back to Huaxi. The county town is too small, and if these people who desperately promote rumors stay for a long time, it is easy for them to find flaws, so it is better to fly away without leaving any traces.
The county examination in Chun'an County will be held on August 23, and the results are released three days later, on the 26th.
This county examination was originally scheduled to be held next year, but in order to coordinate with the schedule of the provincial academic officials, it was moved forward to the end of August this year. The result was very close to the provincial examination time, and the discussion was distracted by the rural examination.
The list of primary examinations such as the county examination is different from that of the major examination. Instead of arranging the names neatly into tofu blocks, they are arranged in a circle in clockwise order, with the last name facing out and the first name facing in.
This is also called the round list, which means that the candidates on the list are only candidates with official status, and it does not mean that they will be selected in the end. After all, they will have to pass the government examination and the Taoist examination to become a scholar.
In the early morning of the 26th, there was a crowd outside the county government office. At least two to three hundred people were waiting for the county examination results. Fang Yingwu was also among the crowd.
When the sun just rose, the gate of the county government opened, and people saw two rows of government officials and officials walking out of the gate inside. One of the old officials, holding a list in his hand, walked to the screen wall in the gate of the county government. With the help of the officials,
I personally posted the list on the screen wall.
Everyone rushed up to the screen wall, and countless eager eyes hurriedly looked at the county examination results.
The names on the list formed a circle, and most people subconsciously looked at the "twelve o'clock" position first. Because according to the rules, the name of the person in this position is the first place in the county examination, that is,
It's the head of the case.
Immediately, there were bursts of small exclamations, because two parallel names suddenly appeared at the top of the list! And these two names are the protagonists of rumors, one is Fang Yingwu, the other is Wu Chuo!
How come there are two first-place candidates in the sky? I have never heard of two first-place candidates in the imperial examination! What is going on?
The old official who posted the county test list explained to the crowd: "There is no difference between the two of them. The county magistrate will add an extra test when they meet, and then decide the ranking! So there is no need for you to have doubts and random suspicions!"
A total of thirty-seven people passed the county examination this time. Those who saw their names on the list were guided by the yamen servants to the outside of the county yamen ceremony. According to etiquette, after the people on the list gathered together, they went collectively
Visiting the magistrate to express gratitude is a necessary scene.
But today is not just a formality. During the meeting with the magistrate, it will also be decided who is the head of the case...
Fang Yingwu and Wu Chuo stood on one side each, exuding a faint murderous aura. The other selected students stayed far away from the two, for fear of being accidentally injured.
Mr. Wu's arrogance did not change, he glanced at Fang Yingwu and said: "You are a mountain villager, you still have some ability, but your shitty luck is over!"
Fang Yingwu was equally arrogant and sneered: "You just rely on the shadow of your family background to have a good father and a good family. Who knows how many kilograms of real materials you have? It's just a bag of wine and rice. What's the big deal?
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Mr. Wu laughed and said: "Life is born unfair. What's the use of a shabby person like you complaining? If you have the ability, you can give birth to a good child and find a good father, but it's a pity that it's too late now."
Fang Yingwu had no choice but to think of his father who had been missing for two years and still kept cheating on him.
If he could honestly do what a first-class scholar should do in the county, make connections or get some sponsorships, etc., why would he be like an orphan eating chaffy vegetables, working so hard on his own career!
Fang Yingwu felt so painful that he wanted to shed tears when he thought about how hard he had to eat chaffy vegetables and how hard he had to live in a broken house with leaky windows. He thought about how he had racked his brains to seek every opportunity for advancement until today, but might have failed in the end.
He knew very well that Mr. Wu's complacency was not unreasonable. The closer to the last critical moment, the more "comprehensive strength" competition became, what could he do to compete with the Wu family when he was alone? Tricks were tricks after all.
All the schoolchildren lined up and entered the county government hall. They all knelt down and worshiped Magistrate Wang. After standing up, they heard Magistrate Wang encourage him: "You are all the best in this county examination. I only hope that you will continue to work hard in the county examination.
Disappoint the expectations of our parents!"
Then Wang Zhixian said again: "Fang Yingwu and Wu Chuo are coming forward. Your rankings have not yet been determined. You will take an additional test here today."
Fang Yingwu stepped forward and said first, "I have already passed the Eight-legged Examination in the county examination. This time, the additional examination should be about poetry and policy theory."
He is still unwilling to compare with the level of eight-legged essay. He is probably not the opponent of Wu Chuo, who came from a family of imperial examinations, so he can only compare poems and strategies. In this regard, he has a lot of stuff in his stomach for plagiarism. It just depends on whether Wang Zhixian will give it to him.
This is the opportunity.
Of course Wu Chuo disagreed with Fang Yingwu's opinion, and said to the county magistrate: "The main way to start a career is to make art and literature. This time when taking the county examination case, it is natural to test the classics and meanings. Poetry is a minor path!"
Seeing these two people starting to go head-to-head with each other again, Wang Zhixian wanted to scold him for actually starting to argue over the test questions before the exam was even taken. Didn't this make him continue to be embarrassed again and again!
Before it’s time to decide the ranking, we have to worry about the question first! People’s hearts are not as old as they used to be. Isn’t there anyone willing to be a little humble and take the initiative to give in?
At this time, Wang Zhixian saw his personal attendant coming over and handed him a letter from under the public case. He knew that there must be a reason for the chief attendant to send the letter at this time, so he secretly opened it and took a few glances. It turned out to be a letter from a man in Huizhou.
It was written in the same year that I became acquainted with the magistrate of the government.
Sighing secretly, Magistrate Wang couldn't bear to look at Fang Yingwu. He looked up at the door and said, "Making craftsmanship is a way for the country to recruit scholars. It is specially used to correct people's hearts and prevent them from going astray..."
Craftsmanship is the elegant name for eight-legged writing. After hearing this, Fang Yingwu knew that his last efforts were in vain.
He felt despair for a moment, thinking that all the hard work over the past few months had been in vain. He couldn't help closing his eyes and trying not to let the tears flow out. In the end...
At this time, waves of noise suddenly erupted from the direction of the gate, the sound was so loud that it almost pierced the sky! Even in the courtroom, the noise could be clearly felt and unbearable, which made Magistrate Wang stop his lecture and frowned.
Waiting for the Yamen to report the situation.
Everyone couldn't help but turn around and look, only to see a dusty deliveryman appearing in the Yimen in the distance. He held up a big red calligraphy card and shouted while running: "Good news! Good news! Good news in the provincial examination."
!”
When he arrived at the door of the court, Pu Bing knelt on the ground and shouted to Magistrate Wang: "Great victory! In the 13th year of Chenghua, Zhejiang Dingyouke Rural Examination, Fang Qingzhi, a native of Huaxi, Chun'an County, passed the high school!"
Everyone in the court finally understood why the crowd outside was making a lot of noise like a boiling pot was boiling. In Chun'an County, where the worship of scientific names is very serious, what does it mean to be the first Jieyuan in the province? Jieyuan is comparable to ordinary people.
Being a Jinshi is even more honorable, especially in the hearts of local people in this county!
This is another Jieyuan in this county in the forty-two years since Shang Xianggong captured Jieyuan in the 10th year of Xuande!
Fang Yingwu opened his eyes suddenly, and ignored the tears streaming down his face. He was so excited that he couldn't help but cursed: "My day!"
Otherwise, it would be impossible to vent his emotions. This father is too annoying! Although he has never met him since time travel, every time the name Fang Qingzhi appears, it will give him a fright.
The people next to him looked over in surprise, not understanding why Fang Yingwu was so rude. Fang Yingwu suddenly grabbed Mr. Wu who was not far away from him, and sincerely introduced himself: "I am Fang Yingwu in Huaxi. My father keeps it secret."
Wu Chuo took a breath and subconsciously shook Fang Yingwu away. After thinking about it for a while, he said disdainfully: "I just rely on my family background and have a good father. What's the big deal!"
In the end, I still have to fight for my father...
