Inside the courtyard wall, three people walked side by side.
"Brother, I don't know what to call you?"
A scholar with a kind face stopped first, clasped his hands, and said.
Anyone who can appear here is not an idiot. Seeing the examiner Meng Xun standing outside the courtyard wall, plus the three people who appeared here, the three of them knew very well that the last three places for this liberal arts examination may be
It fell on myself and others.
Since ancient times, there has been a saying in literary circles that "you can judge friends through literature" and "make friends through literature". Regardless of the final ranking order in the "Tong Sheng Examination", it is not a bad thing for each other to know each other.
"Yang Ji."
"Lu Songlin."
"Duwen."
…
The three of them all smiled after saying this. Soon they arrived at the door, and a hunchbacked old servant stopped the three of them.
"Old master, you have a destiny, you can only see one person at a time."
The old servant looked serious and meticulous.
This kind of thing is nothing to argue about. Lu Songlin bowed his hand and said: "Brother Yang, Brother Du, I'll go in first."
After speaking, Lu Songlin lifted up his robe and walked in confidently and calmly.
In just one stick of incense, Lu Songlin walked out of the door. His steps were staggering, his mind was wandering, and he didn't respond to questions. He seemed to have been hit hard, and he no longer had the confidence and calmness he had before.
The second person to enter was Du Wen.
"Sir, your knowledge is really high."
Du Wen sighed as he walked out of the door, looked at Yang Ji and smiled, very reluctantly:
"Brother Yang, it's your turn."
"oh."
Yang Ji blinked his eyes, thoughtfully. There are three places for "literary students", and all three of them will get in no matter what. It seems that Lu Songlin and Du Wen were not affected by this, but by some other blow.
Yang Ji didn't think much and walked in with one step.
The interior of the house with green bricks and green tiles is very simple in decoration. Along the way in, you can see potted plum and bamboo plants everywhere, giving it an elegant and simple atmosphere.
Pushing aside the last green cloth curtain, Yang Ji saw a huge black and white mangosteen calligraphy and painting at a glance. In front of the calligraphy and painting, Yang Ji finally saw the man who the officials said could represent the will of the imperial court.
This is an old man with gray hair on his temples who looks very knowledgeable. He is wearing a white washed blue shirt. He is sitting cross-legged on a large brown bamboo chair with a brown backrest, looking at Yang Ji.
His eyes were majestic and worldly, seeming to penetrate all the secrets in the world. The moment Yang Ji made eye contact with him, he felt a feeling of being seen through, inside and out.
It seemed that no one could hide anything in front of this old man with gray hair on his temples.
"Student Yang Ji, I met the teacher."
Yang Ji took a deep breath, stepped forward, bowed and saluted, with a humble and polite attitude.
The old man looked at Yang Ji in front of him, nodded slightly, and then returned to his majestic and serious look.
"You are Yang Ji——"
A sharp light burst out from the old man's eyes. He quickly picked up a gray test paper from the coffee table in front of him and said sternly:
"You are self-righteous, talking nonsense, I don't know what to say... Among the ten people I met today, your test paper is the worst. You said it yourself, why do you want to compete with others for the last three places!"
Snapped!
In a flash of white light, the old man crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it in front of Yang Ji.
Looking at the piece of paper thrown in front of him, Yang Ji was completely stunned. Even though he had anticipated various situations before coming, he still did not expect such a scene to appear.
"Why did the teacher say this? Every question the students ask themselves is taken seriously and answered attentively. If the teacher really feels that the student's article is useless and just brushes it aside and ignores it, why bother summoning the student?"
Yang Ji paused and thought:
"Furthermore, it is the duty of the imperial court to select the best articles among students, and it cannot be controlled by students. If the teacher feels that the student's article is too poor, please let the student take a look and observe other more excellent articles.
, please ask the teacher for guidance."
Yang Ji cupped his hands and said, lowered his waist and reached out to pick up the paper ball on the ground.
"Hahaha, okay, no need to look!..."
On the big bamboo chair, when the old man saw Yang Ji going to pick up the paper balls on the ground, his tense face finally relaxed and he laughed:
"Your test paper is still with me, all I threw out was just a piece of waste paper."
As the old man spoke, he took out another pile of real test papers from the secret compartment of the coffee table. This level was originally a small test to meet each other, and what was thrown out was just a fake article filled with words.
Yang Ji reached out to pick it up, and naturally he couldn't proceed with this level.
Yang Ji was not the first person to enter this room. Most of the people came in and felt awe-inspiring as soon as they saw the old man's eyes. None of them were well-behaved. They were scolded and put down a few words, but they were either respectful or respectful.
I accept it with respect, and feel that what I said above must be reasonable. My article must be very poor, or I am not convinced but have some scruples, so I don’t say it.
There are few people like Yang Ji who can admit that his knowledge and writing are not as good as others, but he must provide tangible evidence to convince him.
Moreover, no one who came in was frightened. Yang Ji actually dared to pick up the paper balls on the ground while he was talking. He clearly had suspicions in his heart.
Of course, such a test cannot be continued.
"He is brave and resourceful, and he is as careful as his hair. He is not just a 'elm lump' who can only write articles. Not bad."
The old man stroked his beard and said with a smile:
"Yang Ji, who is your teacher?"
Yang Ji breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had probably passed this level. The old man in front of him had a lot of official aura, much more powerful than Meng Xun. He seemed to be no ordinary person.
If there was a little bit of dissatisfaction just now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to say this level.
"Students do not have a special mentor, but when they were young, their parents hired an enlightenment teacher. Since then, they have been exploring alone."
Yang Ji thought for a while and replied.
"oh?"
The old man raised his eyebrows, looked at the test paper in his hand again, and couldn't help but feel moved:
"No teacher? How can you write such an article!"
An article with a literary level appeared in a child-level exam. When he first learned about this news, it shocked him greatly.
You must know that today's literature is in decline. Looking around the world, it is rare to see anyone from the emperor to the nobles to the common people. I originally thought that this was taught by a highly respected scribe, but I didn't expect that it was self-taught. I immediately took action.
Got the love for materials.
"Yang Ji, are you willing to accept me as your teacher?"
The old man thought for a moment and said immediately. This explanation should have been the last thing to say, but at this time he couldn't help but say it in advance.
As soon as these words came out, the room immediately became quiet for a while.
Yang Ji looked at the old man in front of him, silent, and his heart was filled with confusion. He originally thought that this visit was related to the final ranking of the Tongsheng Examination, but unexpectedly it developed in another unknown direction.
This surprised Yang Ji and made him even more unprepared.
Yang Ji had never thought about becoming a disciple in literature.
The room was so quiet that you could almost hear the pounding of his heart. The old man didn't speak, just waiting for Yang Ji's answer.
"Teacher, I'm sorry, the student has no intention of becoming a teacher yet."
After a while, Yang Ji spoke. Although his voice was tactful, his attitude was firm.
Yang Ji has his own plans and ideas for his life. Literature is just a journey in his life, not the ultimate goal.
"Oh why?"
The old man was slightly shocked and a little surprised. This was not the answer he expected.
The old man hasn't spoken yet, but there are already people who can't stand it.
"Bastard boy, do you know what you are talking about? The historian wants to accept you as his student. What a blessing it is that you refuse. Do you know how many people outside want to accept you as a student, and they are beaten to death!"
Amidst the fierce scolding, an excited young civil servant burst in from behind the small door next to him with a look of hatred on his face. He also held an ultimatum in his hand. Looking at his posture, he almost threw it at Yang.
To be continued...