The second level of the poetry competition is arranged on the ninth floor of the packhorse tower. This is an architectural design of the packhorse tower with a height that cannot be ignored. The height of the first floor is about seven feet. The ladder is made of solid fir. Climb up the stairs and walk up to the ninth floor.
Floor! For scholars with weak physiques, this is a test, not to mention carrying a book basket on their backs?
Before reaching the fifth floor, two or three students were panting heavily, and their speed suddenly slowed down, lagging behind. However, Chen Jianchen, who was originally lagging behind, surpassed step by step without hesitation.
them.
"Why is today's competition arranged in the packhorse tower? It's tiring for no reason."
"Who knows how they arranged it?"
"I heard that the idea came from Mr. Hengqu."
"Mr. Hengqu, who is always known for his strictness, is he a new student?"
"you do not say."
When Mr. Hengqu's name was mentioned, everyone immediately stopped talking and did not dare to make any further criticism. It was as if a serious-looking master suddenly appeared in front of everyone's eyes, upright, strict, and imposing.
Chen Jianchen had heard about Mr. Hengqu and knew that he was the leading scholar in Zhezhou literary circles and the dean of Kaitai College.
The position of dean of Kaitai College is different from that of Minghua Academy. The person who can take it is definitely not an ordinary person. Mr. Hengqu’s surname is Zhang, and his given name is "Tong" and the character is "Sanbian". He is forty years old.
He was the top scholar in high school and became a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy at the highest official position. However, due to his aggressive character and disagreement with the imperial decree, he was never appreciated by the emperor. Therefore, when he was sixty-five years old, he voluntarily submitted a petition to retire and returned to his hometown in Zhezhou.
, served as the dean of Kaitai Academy, focusing on educating and cultivating people.
Mr. Hengqu is a typical pragmatist who is strict with others and even more strict with himself. The educational policy he advocates is also quite different from the current situation. One of his propositions is that scholars should not just focus on studying, but also take physical exercise into consideration.
There are relevant regulations in the regulations of Kaitai College, requiring students to practice "Five Animals" every day.
Not only that, he also put forward the theory of "knowing the classics and applying them, practicing the ethics and teachings" and the ethical thought of "I am a member of the people", opposing empty talk about metaphysics, and clearly expressing his opposition to Buddhism.
Mr. Hengqu is knowledgeable and has his own school, which is called New Learning.
However, this new learning has not been taken seriously by the imperial court, and it has often been attacked by other Confucian schools: it is said that a scholar is a scholar, and a scholar should have the dignity of a scholar, so why should he practice martial arts?
Practicing martial arts is an act of martial arts, and the courage of ordinary men is not worth mentioning: and because Mr. Hengqu's "Tong Jing Zhi Yong" advocates that scholars should focus on knowledge and practice, and should participate more in industries such as crafts and apply what they learn. This has led to even more violence.
They attacked, saying that these theories are simply "misleading people." You must know that in the Tiantong Dynasty, the status of craftsmen was "lower people" and scholars generally looked down on them: How could they lower themselves to hang out with them?
It's just nonsense.
When he came to Kaitai Academy, Chen Jianchen heard many rumors about Mr. Hengqu and admired him very much. From his standpoint, his ideas were extremely wise and far-sighted. They were consistent with the theories of previous generations and were full of insights.
Chen Jianchen had also seen Mr. Hengqu from a distance. He was a thin old man of medium build. He was dressed in simple clothes and had three long beards. He brushed his long beard in front of his chest. The roots were white and looked a bit like a whisk.
.However, they are not allowed to talk about each other despite their vast differences in status.
From this, Chen Jianchen probably also knew why Mr. Hengqu arranged for the poetry competition to be held on this high tower. In addition to requiring the students to practice climbing high, I am afraid it may also have something to do with the origin of the packhorse tower itself.
Chen Jianchen walked fast and reached the ninth floor without spending much time. Zheng Shuliang and others saw that he was overtaking him halfway, and they immediately gritted their teeth and quickened their pace in dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they could only fall behind in the end.
At the end, I could only comfort myself by saying: Chen Jianchen was born in the mountains and fields. He must have done a lot of menial work since he was a child to have such physical strength. In a word, he is a scholar of mountains and fields.
…,
The Master who was sitting on the ninth floor was surnamed Zhang. He was short and fat. He was sitting on a chair. He glanced at the ten people who came up one after another and frowned: He thought that the representatives of the students who came up would
There were about twenty people, and it seemed that a lot of them had been eliminated in the first level. He coughed slightly, stood up, pointed at the first five people who came up to the tower, and said: "You can go up to the top of the tower.
.”
He pointed to the five at the back and said, "You can go down now."
"What?"
"what happened?"
"What tricks are you doing?"
Everyone climbed up to the ninth floor, and even before they had time to wipe off their sweat, they were worried that they would not be able to concentrate on taking the exam, when they heard the judges say who passed the test and who was eliminated. It was like a slap in the face, and they had no time to show any reaction. They were just satisfied.
The shock was frozen on their faces, and they looked at each other in confusion.
The five people approved by Master Zhang were except Chen Jianchen and Zheng Shuliang.
Among the three talents in Suihan, only Mo Yuan was shortlisted...the remaining two are all student representatives from Kaitai Academy.
"Master, I dare you to ask, what is going on? Why do you just judge the result without comparing it to poetry?"
Chenyi stepped forward and asked loudly.
Not to mention him, even Chen Jianchen felt that it was too cheating for the matter to develop to this extent.
In other words, the whole process of the so-called "Talent Competition for the Best Talent in the World" has a sense of non-conformity.
Zhang Fuzi spread his hands and said: "This is the rule of my level. The first five people who get up first will pass directly. As for those who are behind, they can only go down. Don't ask me. This rule was set by Mr. Hengqu."
Ridiculous, simply the greatest absurdity in the world!"
Chen Yi was fuming. She really didn't expect that there would be such a ridiculous competition rule. They were here to compete with talented people, not with someone with faster feet.
Master Zhang also said a little helplessly: "If you are dissatisfied, you can directly go back to the academy to find Mr. Hengqu to protest. But for now, you should go down first."
"I will definitely make this matter public to the world, hum! If such rules are spread, Kaitai Academy will definitely become the laughing stock of the world!" Chenyi flicked his sleeves and took the lead to go down the tower, but he was in a bad mood.
I almost missed my step when going down the stairs.
Those who go down will continue to go up, and those who go up will of course continue to go up.
After all the students left, Zhang Fuzi sat back on his chair with a sigh and said with a wry smile: "Zhang Sanbian, Zhang Sanbian, you want to be angry with the Holy One, but you shouldn't drag us into the water, why bother?"
"
The five people who didn't say anything felt wronged and aggrieved, and even the five people who went up were confused and felt like they were laughing and laughing. The clearance this time was really confusing.
Mo Yuan saw Zheng Shuliang's thoughtful expression, his heart moved, he clasped his fists and asked: "Brother Zheng, do you know something about this matter?"
Zheng Shuliang chuckled: "Mr. Hengqu has always found his own way and is famous for his unique style. There is nothing surprising even if such rules are formulated." Mo Yuan looked at his expression and knew that he was hiding something.
Mo Yuan was not a stupid person. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he seemed to have thought of something. Thinking that it might involve a fight in the temple, he suddenly became silent and did not dare to ask any more questions. Now is the troubled time, and there are still things that should not be asked.
It's not a good question. He has heard a lot about the political discord between the new learning represented by Mr. Hengqu and the imperial court.
It can be deduced from this: The 300th anniversary of the founding of Kaitai University was originally a grand event, but the "Talent Competition for the Best Talents in the World" was held with great fanfare, coupled with the plaque given by the Holy Emperor, the standards are so high that it is really a century-old event.
It's a rare encounter, and when the two situations are combined, it can't help but make talented people think wildly.
This matter is not simple!
Kaitai College, in the backyard, where the winding path leads to a quiet place, there is a small Qingtao building.
This building, named: Mr. Building, is the residence of Mr. Hengqu, the dean of Kaitai Academy. At this time, Mr. Hengqu was receiving guests in the hall.
We say they are guests, but we should actually say they are students.
At that time, Feng Niange had studied Chinese literature with Mr. Hengqu for three years: "Sir, you have already read the Holy Master's handwriting. I hope you will think again."
Mr. Hengqu's face was solemn: "Reading the song, today's Holy Lord is young and full of energy. It is inevitable that he has lofty ambitions and wants to create a great cause. But haste makes waste, and in this way, he will be taken advantage of by traitors, resulting in all kinds of disasters for the country and the people.
Things happened. I read the books of sages and sages, and why did they happen? We must not join the trend and act according to the wind."
Feng Niange's expression changed: "Sir, those who understand current affairs are heroes."
Mr. Hengqu's face was expressionless: "I am not a talented person, I am just a scholar. If you read the song, after tomorrow, I will naturally resign as the dean of Kaitai Academy. In this way, the people above can feel at ease." Feng Niange
He said regretfully: "Why must you be like this, sir? In fact, the Holy One appreciates your knowledge very much. He even wanted to invite you to Beijing to participate in the promotion of Dharma and Zen Zen a few years ago."
Hearing this, Mr. Hengqu laughed loudly: "I don't practice Zen, so what can I say? Anyway, I just say one thing: Your Majesty will take advantage of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Kaitai Academy to hold this so-called competition for the best genius.
The intention is far-reaching, I understand. But since I am the dean, I have to set the rules for everything, and there is absolutely no room for negotiation. As for whoever gets the title of "the most talented person in the world," it will all depend on his own ability.
"
Feng Niange saw that he was determined and had no room for maneuver, so he raised his nose and left.
In the hall, thinking about the content of the Holy Master's handwriting, Mr. Hengqu was still upset and suddenly shouted: "We will serve you with pen and ink!"
Immediately, a bookboy came out, spread out the Four Treasures of the Study on the desk, and polished the thick ink. Mr. Hengqu picked up the pen and ink, and began to write on the paper with eight big characters: "If you don't know, you are ignorant; if you don't know, you know."