Song Gexing

Chapter 131

In the spring of February, half a month has passed, and there are no rumors about Zhao Pan'er. It seems that the matter has been suppressed.

Zhao Fang then calmly focused on Chunwei, because this year's imperial examination was so important. There were so many great people, and he was known as the best in the world in a few years.

In the spring of the second year of Jiayou's reign, in addition to four of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were also two great masters, Cheng Yi and Zhang Zai.

The most rare thing is that there are three brothers, a father and a son, and six uncles, nephews, brothers and husbands in this subject, which is an unprecedented achievement.

It goes without saying that Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe, father and son, were known to almost everyone in later generations, but not many people knew about the other group of six.

That is Zeng Gong, another member of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Zeng Gong's four uncles, nephews, and two brothers-in-law all participated in the imperial examinations this year. All of them were suspected of cheating by the examiners.

The chief examiner, Ouyang Xiu, cursed angrily, and he himself was not happy. When he was grading the papers of this subject, he saw Su Shi's papers and applauded.

But as I looked at it, I realized something was wrong. This test paper was the same as that of my student Zeng Gong, both in terms of writing style and thinking.

Originally I wanted to select Huiyuan as the top candidate, but after much deliberation, I decided to designate this paper as No. 2 to avoid taboos. However, after opening the paper, I found that the candidate was not Zeng Gong but Su Shi.

I am causing Su Shi to lose the No. 1 position. Although it is an unintentional act, I feel sorry for him no matter how I say it.

But even though he avoided it, he was still suspected of cheating. Is there anyone in the world who cheats like this?

This is a public case, and Zhao Fang is naturally very clear about it, but he doesn't want to remind Ouyang Xiu in advance, because whether it is Su Shi or Zeng Gong, they are both outstanding talents, and it doesn't matter who is the first.

After hearing Ouyang Xiu's disapproval, Zhao Fang went to his house and said with a smile: "Senior Uncle Yong, why should you be angry? Isn't there still a palace examination? Let my father personally mark the papers and judge the talents of the six people of the Zeng family. Soon It can shut those people up."

"Hey! This is a good idea!"

Ouyang Xiu's eyes lit up and he immediately became happy, but he immediately said with a straight face: "Why do you call me your highness? How can you have the dignity of a prince to call me your senior?"

When he saw Zhao Fang's unconcerned expression, he immediately began to persuade him earnestly: "Your Highness, I know that Your Highness respects my veterans, but there is a difference between monarch and minister..."

A long paragraph of reasoning immediately gave Zhao Fang a headache. The problem is that you can't refute it. They are telling you according to the Confucian tradition.

I am indeed unruly, and I am not paying a private visit incognito. How can I be called a senior minister? Apart from my teacher, who is qualified to be my senior.

But his teacher has passed away a long time ago, and in terms of seniority, his teacher is Ouyang Xiu, the elder, and he is the same generation as him.

Finally tired of being told, Zhao Fang said, "Old Ouyang, you are so talkative!"Then he took the road and ran away, and returned in excitement.

Ouyang Xiu seemed to have won the battle, stroking his beard with a smile and saying proudly: "Who said that eldest brother is willful? Isn't he still very obedient..."

Two months later, the imperial examination began, and Zhao Fang went there early. Originally, he, the prince, was not needed to come forward, but today he just wanted to join in the fun.

Sitting under Zhao Zhen, he was still sitting upright at first, but after a while he couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and went around the field, walking behind each candidate to read their test papers.

"Hey! This guy is Su Dabeard."

"Hey! Zhang Zai, idol, please don't pull your crotch."

"Cheng Yi, Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism seems to be good, but not as domineering as Zhang Zai's four sentences."

"Zeng Gong! Yes, not bad. He's also very handsome, just a little bit worse than me." "Zeng Mou, Zeng Bu, and Zeng Fu, three of the old Zeng family."

"Wang Anguo and Wang Buzhi, it's strange that the son-in-law of the old Zeng's family is all surnamed Wang!"

Looking around, he now knew who the characters he had heard of were, and of course he couldn't help but murmur in secret.

Especially Zeng Gong's two brothers-in-law. I didn't pay attention to them at first. Now I remember that both of them are named Wang. I can't stop thinking about it. The historical records record that among Zeng Gong's relatives, there was a brother-in-law also named Wang, who was also a Jinshi and Passed.

Zhao Fang was patrolling here, thinking to himself, but he didn't know that others were also whispering to him, why is this prince joining in the fun, isn't it said that he never cares about the examination room?

Don't blame others for slandering him. It is true that since Zhao Fang was appointed as the prince, he has been asked to come to the imperial examination several times, but he just refused to come.

Zhao Zhen wanted him to experience the majesty of imperial examinations, but he said in a daze that it was too tiring to sit for a whole day, and today he volunteered to come, Zhao Zhen was so happy.

Looking at himself, Zhao Zhen wanted to abdicate several times, but he couldn't resist his scoundrel son. He was not even willing to be the crown prince's superintendent.

At this time, Zhao Fang was secretly wondering whether he should intervene to change the fate of these people in history. He was always worried about gains and losses and could not decide.

Su Shi and his son don't need to think about it now. Su Shi, who was the most unlucky, had smooth sailing in the early stage. Even Wang Anshi treated him very well after Wang Anshi came to power for the first time.

This guy opposed the reform, but Wang Anshi appreciated his talent and did not suppress him. He was suppressed after Wang Anshi came to power for the second time.

Among these people, the one who was really troubled was Zhang Zai. He was called up by the imperial court twice and sent abroad three times. He fell ill in bed several times and was unable to govern, so he had to return to his hometown to study and lecture.

Zhang Zai's poor health is the root cause of his illness since he was a child. Being from a poor family and losing his father, he has been very mature since he was a child. However, living in poverty and living in a border area, he has to study hard and his body is exhausted.

Zhang Zai's father died while serving as the magistrate of the state. It seems unjustifiable to say that the family was poor, but he was poor because his father, like him, was an upright and self-reliant person who also loved to help others.

When he was 15 years old, his father Zhang Di passed away. He took his nine-year-old brother Zhang Jian and his mother to escort his father's coffin back to his hometown and settled in Hengqu Town.

He had to support his mother, raise his younger brother, and study. The 15-year-old boy shouldered the burden of a family, which is unimaginable by future generations.

"No, if he changes, will he still be the same Zhang Hengqu? If Guan Xue disappears, then I won't be a national sinner."

"No, no, history has changed now. Besides, she is already 38 years old. Neo-Confucianism has already taken shape, so the impact should not be big."

"But……"

"Don't worry, even if you don't care about anything else, you can make him feel better."

After the debate between the two villains in his heart, Zhao Fang finally decided to change it, not for anything else, just for the four sentences of Hengqu. Every Chinese should respect this person.

In fact, Zhao Fang did not understand Zhang Zai's Guanxue theory very well, and he did not agree with some of the practices. For example, Zhang Zai suggested restoring the well-field system, which was a complete setback in history.

But this does not hinder Zhang Zai's brilliance, because he is a pure person, a person who has devoted his life to the pursuit of inheriting civilization.

There is no cowardice, no pursuit of wealth, no artyness, and no idle moaning.

He has achieved that riches and honors cannot be promiscuous, poverty cannot be moved, and might cannot be subdued. Just because of this, he is a man, a gentleman, and worthy of everyone's respect.

(End of this chapter)