Zhu Biao smiled at them and said, "Master Song, is there anyone here who is famous for his talents?"
Song Lian said: "Those who can come here are all talented and famous in the local area, but the only ones who can convince everyone are Jiangxi Wu Bozong and Shanxi Guo Chong."
Zhu Biao nodded, as it happened that one was in the south and the other was in the north. Those two people were the representatives of both sides, that is, the seedlings who would win the top prize.
Song Lian pointed it out to Zhu Biao. In fact, it was obvious that he was the one who could be surrounded by the scholars.
Zhu Biao took a look at him from a distance. Wu Bozong seemed to be slightly older, with an extraordinary bearing and outstanding appearance, while Guo Chong was younger, but his face was a bit indescribable and his bearing was average.
However, Zhu Biao did not despise Guo Chong. Instead, he felt that Guo Chong was capable. The ancients were serious Yan Gou. In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination was divided into four contents, namely: "body, speech,
"Book, judgment".
The first thing ranked in the imperial examination is "shen", which means personal image and appearance. The second thing is talent. It can be seen that if a person's appearance is not good at that time, he may be eliminated in the first round.
, there is no chance to display your talents at all.
Song Lian sighed regretfully and said: "I have read Guo Chong's articles. His talent is far beyond that of his peers, but it is a pity that his appearance is difficult to compare with his articles."
Zhu Biao said helplessly: "The imperial examination is not a beauty pageant, so why should you pay so much attention to appearance? There is no such thing as a body examination in our dynasty."
Song Lian whispered: "Then what does Your Highness think the imperial examination is for? Isn't it just to let the Holy One choose a champion who is pleasing to his eyes and his heart?"
Zhu Biao seems to be right in thinking this way. All the things that should be tested have been taken in the previous exams. The imperial examination is actually a process where the emperor writes the number one scholar to show the emperor's favor. However, it depends on the emperor's favor.
In the mood.
Zhu Biao also vaguely remembered that the first imperial examination champion of the Hongwu Dynasty had a three-character name, which meant that Guo Chong most likely lost his top spot because of his appearance.
Sure enough, handsome people can do whatever they want. Zhu Biao glanced at Liu Jin behind him and asked, "Do you think who of the two is more talented?"
Liu Jin pointed at Wu Bozong without hesitation, and Zhu Biao gave him a helpless look. He didn't expect that a eunuch like you also likes handsome men.
Wu Bozong over there saw someone pointing at him, and he didn't care at first, but when he took a closer look, he discovered Song Lian. Wu Bozong's father was a Juren person and once led him to visit Song Lian when he was a child.
Although he saw Song Lian, Wu Bozong was not prepared to talk. After all, he was the examiner of the imperial examination. If he got too close, he might be suspected of bribery. Wu Bozong believed that he was talented and learned enough, and naturally he did not want to cause trouble for nothing.
But when he saw the young master standing next to Song Lian with his hands behind his back, his heart moved. With Song Lian's reputation, no matter whose family the master was, he should not have his hands behind his back in front of his old man.
Seeing that the two servants behind him were taking it for granted, Wu Bozong knew in his heart that only His Highness the Crown Prince, and his demeanor and age matched him, Wu Bozong weighed it several times and decided to go and say a few words.
Naturally, he would not point out His Highness the Crown Prince's white dragon fish uniform, but he would step forward and show off from time to time. As long as he could leave a good impression in His Highness's eyes, it would be enough to cooperate with his results in the imperial examination in the end.
It is enough for Your Highness to remember this person in his heart.
Wu Bozong glanced at the two friends next to him and decided to take them with him. It was good to eat alone, but these two did have a good relationship with him, and the large number of people reflected his excellence. Besides, they also had proof for each other, and the province was eventually eliminated.
Suspected of bribing the examiner.
Wu Bosong casually said a few words to the people around him, then dragged his two friends and squeezed in the direction of Zhu Biao. After squeezing for a while, he found that they were blocked and could not move at all. The people around him stared at them coldly.
.
Zhu Biao and others also discovered Wu Bozong, and Song Lian said: "This man is the son of an old friend of mine. He is also very talented and learned. He is a little worse than Guo Chong in this class. If he performs well, he may not be able to win the first place."
Zhu Biao nodded after hearing this. The next moment Wu Bozong was crowded in front of Zhu Biao and others. He looked at Song Lian without squinting, calling him Shibo and saying hello respectfully. The two friends beside him were still a little bit nervous.
I was confused, but I still bowed to my friend Shibo in a polite manner.
Song Lian stroked his beard and said: "I have read your recent articles and they have improved a lot, but the rhetoric is still a bit too gorgeous. I should pay attention to it in the future."
Wu Bozong was so obedient that Zhu Biao looked at Wu Bozong cheerfully. There was indeed something about this man. He was not just an idiot who only knew how to study. After knowing his identity, he did not talk to him. He just showed off and left.
Already.
After he led his two friends away, Song Lian stroked his beard and said: "He has made some progress, but he is still reckless. He thinks he performed well, but in the end he may turn out to be a smartass."
Zhu Biao nodded. If he was in a bad mood today and met someone trying to show off his cleverness, he would naturally have a bad impression of him.
However, Zhu Biao also understood that with the crown prince and heir apparent right in front of him, he would inevitably want to show off his talents. Since he had outstanding literary talent and was Song Lian's nephew, Zhu Biao should treat him as a bit of a loser.
Zhu Biao smiled and said: "Since Wu Bozong has seen it, let's look at Guo Chong again."
After a while, Guo Chong was led here. He heard that Song Lian wanted to see him, so he quickly straightened his clothes and came over. Song Lian asked him a few questions cordially, and Guo Chong responded well and finally encouraged him.
After a while, he was allowed to go back.
Zhu Biao and Song Lian also turned around and prepared to return to the palace. On the way, Song Lian said: "Guo Chong is young, talented and knowledgeable but not generous enough. I'm afraid he will rarely be named the number one scholar."
Zhu Biao was reflecting on himself at this time. He didn't feel much after meeting Wu Bozong at first, but after meeting Guo Chong, the comparison suddenly came out. It had nothing to do with knowledge.
But to be honest, even Wu Bozong didn't give him any amazing feeling, whether it was his appearance, conversation or demeanor.
Zhu Biao had not noticed before that people like Song Lian, Liu Bowen, Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong, Yang Xian and others were all good-looking. The generals may have a rough appearance, but their appearance was unparalleled and their majesty was extraordinary.
In fact, Zhu Biao was used to hanging out with the best people in the world, but now he looked down upon these imperial examination scholars because they didn't have decades of hard work.
Zhu Biao expressed that he was very disappointed. No wonder he had never heard of any amazing people in the imperial examinations of the Hongwu Dynasty. The two best people in this session were also very average in Zhu Biao's eyes. The upper limit was six ministers and so on, and they were far inferior to Yang Xian.
Hu Weiyong, let alone Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen.
Zhu Biao sighed, and Song Lian also heard his disappointment and said: "The imperial examination does not have outstanding people from generation to generation. Wu Bozong and Guo Chong are very good. If you work hard, you may not have room for growth and breakthrough."
The Zhu family had no choice but to nod. It was true that his expectations were too high. How could Zaifu's talents appear so easily?