Aspirations

Chapter 39 The Day of the Great Competition

Chapter 39 The Day of the Great Competition
Chapter 39 The Day of the Competition

If Xia Xiang knew that Xiao Jia, who was always worried about her, not only had nothing to worry about at this time, but also approached Lian Ruohan, who he wanted to get to know the most, he didn't know whether to be grateful for Xiao Jia's intelligence or to admire Lian Ruohan's knowledge and employment. Ming.

Fortunately, Xia Xiang didn't know about this, and he didn't get a letter from his mother. At this time, he only met Zhang Hou and Shen Bao every day, and said a few words about the exam, and then closed their doors to thank them. Safe to read.Jin Jia and Cao Shujun didn't bother him either, they were busy with their own affairs, and their affairs were not in a hurry.

On the other hand, Zuoer came here once, only to say that she was passing by unintentionally and dropped by to visit Xia Langjun, but Xia Xiang could see from her care that she was entrusted by Mrs. Cao and came here on purpose.Xia Xiang didn't say anything, he not only answered every question he had, but also took the initiative to ask some questions that Zuo'er had not thought of.

When Zuo'er arrived, Shi'er was very vigilant. She stood guard at Xia Xiang's door, coming in from time to time to pretend to pour water, or asking Xia Xiang what he needed, intentionally or unconsciously casting a hostile look at Zuo'er.Zuo'er also did not show any weakness, and responded to Shi'er's provocative look, meaning, Xia Langjun is my wife's husband, so don't make up your mind.Shi'er was so angry that she couldn't help saying that she and Xia Xiang got along day and night, and Xia Xiang was her brother Zhang Hou's best friend, so she and Xia Xiang were right in the same family.

Xia Xiang can't laugh or cry, Shi'er likes to be lively by nature.It's true that Shier was not married yet. This time, she followed Zhang Hou to the capital to take the exam, both for fun and to escape marriage. Her parents wanted her to be married, but she refused, so she sneaked out.

After getting along for a while, Xia Xiang and Shen Bao both fell in love with the quirky and eccentric back then, and treated her like a little sister.Unexpectedly, when Zuoer came, she actually identified herself as Xia Xiang's fiancée.

Zuo’er didn’t know what to do, and when he went back, he told Cao Shuli about Shi’er, but he was still angry. First, he said that Shi’er was not good at all, such as being unruly, willful, rude, without tutoring, etc., and then talking about Xia Xiang’s No, I forgot Cao's goodness in a few days and flirted with Shi'er, she was really a heartless man.

When Cao Shuli began to listen, she frowned, thinking that Xia Xiangzhen and Shi'er were in love.Later, I always felt that something was wrong. When I asked carefully, it was exactly the same as her guess. Xia Xiang took the initiative to answer many questions that Zuoer had not thought of. How smart Cao Shuli was, she immediately understood that Xia Xiang had guessed that she had asked Zuoer to go. Visiting him, his answer is equivalent to telling her through Zuo'er that he is fine, please don't worry about him.

Cao Shuli was secretly overjoyed, but she couldn't say it well, so she had to ask Zuoer not to arrange Xia Xiang's no.Zuoer was not convinced, and blamed Cao Shuli for favoring Xia Xiang.

After Zhang Hou learned of this, he seriously asked Xia Xiang if he really liked Shi'er, and if so, he would be very willing to become in-laws with him.Xia Xiang laughed out loud, using He Yijia as an excuse for failing to be a Jinshi.

The next morning, the sky was bright and sunny, Xia Xiang, Zhang Hou, and Shen Bao got up early, took a bath and changed clothes, then burned incense and worshipped the sky, then put on new clothes, packed their things, and went to the exam room.

Today is the day of the competition.

The venue of the Daxia test is Gongyuan, and the Gongyuan in Shangjing is located in Liyu Hutong.Xia Xiang and the three walked in a car, and came to Mingyuan Building in a short time. There was a tall locust tree in front of him, and the canopy covered the sky and the sun.

"This tree is called Wenchang Huai." Zhang Hou, who took the exam for the second time, played the role of explaining Xia Xiang and Shen Bao. The bullfighting place is called Wenchang Huaihua. You see, Wenchang Huaihua root grows in the east of the road, but the tree body bends westward, so the crown of the tree is also on the west side of the road. It grows like a crouching dragon. Candidates pass under the tree like crossing over Longmen is based on this locust tree as the No.1 locust tree in the capital."

"No, no." Shen Bao shook his head to correct Zhang Hou's mistake, "Taizu never crossed the Yellow River in his life, how could he come to Shangjing, a thousand miles north of the Yellow River, and plant a locust tree in Shangjing? Complete nonsense."

Zhang Hou's face lit up and he smiled: "It's just a far-fetched legend, why is it so true?"

"Let's not have any major flaws in the legend, otherwise it is not my generation's scholar's character." Shen Bao clenched his fists to Zhang Hou, "Brother Zhang, although you and I are brothers and sisters, once you enter the examination room, you only want to compete. If I No. [-] in high school, don't forget your original bet."

"Don't forget it." Zhang Hou laughed, his right hand pointed to the four regular script characters "Liyu Hutong" on the side of the road, "Brother Xia, do you know the origin of Liyu Hutong?"

Xia Xiang heard the legend of Liyu Hutong from Li Dingshan earlier, and said with a smile: "Liyu Hutong was originally called Gongyuan Hutong. More than 20 years ago, a candidate came to the capital on foot day and night because his family was poor and had no money. Unexpectedly, he was too late. The inn was overcrowded, and with nowhere to go, an old man who lived near the Gongyuan took him in."

"Three days before the imperial examinations, it suddenly rained heavily. With the sound of thunder, a golden white carp flew out from the clouds and landed at the old man's house where the examinees were staying. Then the thunder came again, and the carp rose into the air and went straight to the ground. Flying towards the Gongyuan Examination Hall... Everyone said that this is the sign of 'the carp jumping over the dragon's gate'."

"The exam started three days later, and the candidate really went to high school. After high school, the candidate did not forget to help his old man, and built a big memorial arch for the old man. Since then, Gongyuan Hutong has been renamed Liyu Hutong...Brother Zhang, the legends I heard and Did you hear the same?"

Zhang Hou was stunned. The legend of Liyu Hutong was only circulated among the scholars who took the exam, and outsiders didn't know much about it. It was the first time Xia Xiang took the exam.

"Probably the same. However, does Brother Xia know who the legendary candidate is?" Zhang Houben wanted to show off his knowledge and didn't want Xia Xiang to steal the limelight.

Xia Xiang really didn't know, he shook his head and smiled.

The three of Xia Xiang walked in front, Xiao Wu and Shi'er followed behind.Originally Xia Xiang wanted Xiao Wu to wait at the inn, but Xiao Wu refused.Shi'er didn't listen to Zhang Hou's words, so he wanted to follow.

Shi'er and Xiao Wu walked behind, somewhat reluctantly. She wanted to walk with Xia Xiang, but Xia Xiang was fine, and she didn't say anything, but Shen Bao always obstructed her from approaching Xia Xiang intentionally or unintentionally.She put her anger on Xiao Wu, and laughed at Xiao Wu when she had something to do, but Xiao Wu was an elm lump, and Shi'er said whatever he said, which made Shi'er not know whether to laugh or cry.

Zhang Hou's question stopped at Xia Xiang, and when Shi Er heard it, he suddenly took a step forward and said loudly, "I know, I know who the candidate is. He is Li Dingshan from Xinzhou, Hedong Road."

Xia Xiang walked in the front, admiring the rich cultural scenery of Liyu Hutong, and did not take the question of who the legendary candidate was.Legend is legend, he thought it was not true.He didn't want the words "Li Dingshan" to suddenly appear in Shi'er's mouth. He was shocked and stopped, turned around and asked, "Sh'er, is what you said true?"

When Shi'er thought that Xia Xiang would suddenly stop, she ran forward excitedly, unable to hold back her momentum, and threw herself into Xia Xiang's arms. "Ouch", her nose hit Xia Xiang's chest, it was sore and painful, she hugged Xia Xiang hard, beat Xia Xiang's chest again, and said angrily: "Xia Xiang, you hurt me, your nose is so painful and sore, You pay me."

Zhang Hou smiled narrowly on the side, his shoulders shaking with laughter: "You have to pay for Shi'er, and spend time with Shi'er."

Shen Bao rubbed his nose, rubbed his hands again, and pulled Shi'er hard: "Shi'er, men and women can't kiss each other, Xia Xiang is not your second brother, let him go. If you want someone to pay you back, I will pay you back." Alright. Brother Xia and I are brothers and sisters, we can't just watch him being bullied, you better bully me."

Xia Xiang smiled secretly, taking the opportunity to push Shi'er, Shen Bao pulled, and Shi'er was pulled into his arms.Shi'er was annoyed, kicked Shen Bao, pushed Shen Bao away, and threw himself into Zhang Hou's arms.Zhang Hou laughed, and teased the two of them: "You are not allowed to bully Shi'er. Whoever Shier wants to pay will have to pay, and it is irreplaceable."

However, Xia Xiang didn't have any charming thoughts in his heart. He was suspicious of what he said just now, and asked Zhang Houdao: "Brother Zhang, the legendary candidate, is it really Li Dingshan?"

"Is this still fake? Li Dingshan's carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, there are not a few people who know. Anyone who knows the legend of Liyu Hutong knows who the legendary candidate is. No, strange thing, since you know the origin of Liyu Hutong, How can you not know that the candidate is Li Dingshan?" Zhang Hou was puzzled, blinked a few times, and smiled, "Brother Xia, could it be that the person who told you about the legend of Liyu Hutong is Li Dingshan himself?"

Xia Xiang shook his head and smiled, but did not answer.

In the past, when Yang Ting was asked by the emperor what year and date, Yang Ting avoided and didn't answer, because he didn't want to pretend to be the champion.When Li Dingshan mentioned the legend of Liyu Hutong, he did not say that the candidate was himself, and he did not want to be the protagonist of the legendary carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.I didn't expect Li Dingshan to have such a miraculous thing back then. Xia Xiang remembered the three years he had been with Li Dingshan, and suddenly felt that he knew very little about Li Dingshan, even what position Li Dingshan held in the capital, when and why he left the capital. I don't know.

The three of them arrived at the Gongyuan, and they were identified as being behind them. They said goodbye to Xiao Wu and Shi'er, and then stepped into the heavily guarded Gongyuan gate. Within three days, the three of them had to eat and live in it, and took the test for three days in a row.

Countless scholars have studied hard for ten years, only for three days of exams.Three days later, the officials and the people, the heaven and the earth, are clearly distinguished.As the saying goes, after ten years of cold window no one asked, he became famous all over the world in one fell swoop.

Xiao Wu and Shi'er couldn't go in. The two waved goodbye to Xia Xiang and the three of them. They sat down under the big locust tree next to them. Xiao Wu took out the sesame cake and took a bite. The sesame cake handed to Shi'er: "Shi'er, you eat."

"I don't eat the biscuits you've bitten, it's disgusting." Shi'er rolled his eyes at Xiao Wu, still perplexed, and kicked him again, "It's not like you don't know that I'm from the south, and I only eat pasta if I don't eat it." Mi Fan, hmph, it’s really a pig’s head, and it’s a lot stupider than Xia Xiang’s elm head.”

Xiao Wu hehe scratched his head and laughed, and after laughing, he ate the biscuits with great effort: "Sir is not an elm head, don't talk nonsense. At that time, Mr. only had brother and sister righteousness for you and no relationship between men and women, so don't pester you. He is, he is interested..."

"Who?" Although Shi'er was very young, he was very thoughtful, and with his eyes blinking quickly, he smiled slyly, "Could it be Zuo'er? Don't lie to me, Xiao Wu, Zuo'er is clearly a maid, why is Xia Langjun? Would you surrender your status and like a maid? Even if Zuoer married him as a concubine, he might not want it. After all, I was born in a famous family, and I was a perfect match for Xia Langjun. Xiao Wu, why don't you help me be a matchmaker, help me Get in touch with Xia Langjun, and after this is done, I will take care of your biscuits for the rest of your life."

Xiao Wu looked at the half-eaten biscuits in his hand, and thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "No, no, you can't betray Mr. for the sake of biscuits. Mr. Cao's favorite lady is Mrs. Cao, but she is the best match for Mr. My wife is Mrs. Mantuo. Whether it is Mrs. Cao or Mrs. Mantuo, I am still worried about Mr. Shi. If there is one more Mrs. Shi, it will be even more troublesome. Mrs. Shi, I advise you to marry Shen Baoshen. Good sir, he can eat better than Mr...."

Shi'er was angry: "What does it have to do with marrying him? Xiao Wu, you are really stupid."

"It doesn't matter if Xiao Wu is stupid, as long as the husband is good." Xiao Wu smiled honestly, and took a bite of the biscuits, "It's delicious, it's delicious. Now, help me think about it, if the husband married at the same time Lady Cao or Lady Mantuo, who is the older and who is the younger?"

"Don't think about it, I'm the big one." Shi'er raised her head, her palm-sized face radiated with confidence and joy, "Thank you Xiao Wu, if it wasn't for you, I hadn't thought about how to deal with Mrs. Cao and Mann. I understand when you say this to Mrs. Tuo. I will be more generous. I don't care about Xia Langjun's three wives and four concubines, as long as I am a big wife. In the future, I will take care of Xia Langjun's family affairs and not let him He is distracted by trivial matters, and he just needs to be a good official and serve the court."

While talking, I didn't know what to think of, and with a small mouth pursed, I was overjoyed: "Young Lady Cao, Lady Mantuo, you must all listen to me, if not, I want them to look good, hee hee..."

Xiao Wu shuddered and ate the rest of the biscuits in his hand in one bite, then shook his head: "Is this sick or what? It's really pitiful."

"Let's go, Xiao Wu, I invite you to Haojingchang to eat the delicacies of mountains and seas." Shi'er didn't know how to avoid suspicion, reached out and grabbed Xiao Wu's sleeve, got up and left, "After eating, the two of us will stay at a nearby inn. Come on, wait for Xia Langjun and the others to finish the exam."

Xiao Wu originally planned to wait at the door for three days. He brought dozens of biscuits and was dragged by Shi'er to eat delicious mountain and sea delicacies. He refused, but he couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food, so he said, "It's okay to eat, stay here. The store is free, you and I are alone, it is inconvenient after all."

Shi'er turned around and kicked Xiao Wuyi again: "Don't be delusional, I won't like you. If you want to marry a lady, it's good."

"Zuo'er?" Xiao Wu grinned, "Zuo'er is not bad, when you said she would marry me?"

"I'm going to ask her, how would I know?" Shi'er rolled his eyes, "Leave quickly, if you don't leave, I'll eat by myself."

"Let's go, let's go." Xiao Wucai didn't want to miss the opportunity to have a delicious meal, he hurriedly followed behind Shi'er, and walked towards the restaurant where the good times were often seen in the distance, with dozens of biscuits on his back. Shaking to and fro, quite a bit funny, he said to himself as he walked, "Sir, just answer the questions carefully, Xiao Wu won't leave Mr., just go to eat something and come back when you go."

Xia Xiang naturally couldn't hear Xiao Wu's voice. As soon as the candidates entered the Gongyuan, the gate of the Gongyuan would be closed.As soon as the door closes, the inside and the outside are like two worlds.

Wen Changju stood on the steps of the main hall, stroking his beard gently, staring at the students with majestic eyes and solemn face.There are as many as 3000 candidates taking the exam this year, and it is so dark that it looks like a thousand troops.

It is also surprising that among the many candidates, Wen Chang glanced at him, not only seeing Cai Bei, his favorite student, but also Xia Xiang, Zhang Hou, and Shen Bao.Although Xia Xiang's clothes are clean and tidy, they are neither gorgeous nor luxurious. Shen Bao's clothes are much more gorgeous. In contrast, Zhang Hou's clothes are not only gorgeous, but also more luxurious.He nodded secretly, Xia Xiang was not as good as Zhang Hou and Shen Bao in terms of clothing and style. Among the three, Zhang Houdang was the first, Shen Bao was the second, and Xia Xiang was the last.

Even though the Third Prince specifically told him to admit more students this year for the long-term future, Xia Xiang would still be taken down by him.Wen Chang thought to himself that even if Xia Xiang's articles are outstanding, there is no possibility of being on the list.The third prince already knew that Xia Xiang was Li Dingshan's student, and he also secretly found out that Li Dingshan was in the capital, conspiring with King Jing.If Li Dingshan confessed his mistake to the Third Prince and surrendered to the Third Prince after returning to Beijing, the Third Prince would have a large number of lords, and perhaps he would let the past go.Not only did Li Dingshan not sincerely repent, but he also intended to help King Jing plan to win the throne. No matter how magnanimous the third prince was, he could hardly tolerate Li Dingshan's actions.Therefore, the third prince was furious and asked him to win Xia Xiang's fame no matter what, so that Xia Xiang would be cut off from the path of Jinshi.

Xia Xiang, ah Xia Xiang, don't blame this official for taking your fame, the three kings keep your nickname, and it is considered to be the best of benevolence and righteousness.Among the three princes' staff, there were not a few who persuaded the third prince to kill Xia Xiang, and Yan Hao also volunteered to take Xia Xiang's life easily.The third prince is not allowed. The third prince cares about the world and does not want to chill the hearts of scholars in the world because of Xia Xiang alone.However, Wen Changju also knew that the third prince knew about Xia Xiang's talent, and he cherished it. If Xia Xiang took the exam three years later, when the third prince was sitting on the throne, Xia Xiang would definitely be used by him.

Fortunately, Xia Xiang was born in Daxia. If it was the Tang Dynasty, he would not have the slightest hope that the third prince would not deliberately force him to fail the ranking.At the time of the Tang Dynasty, there were only 30 people who won the Jinshi in the annual examination. A poet sighed, "If you raise your hands in sackcloth, only 260 osmanthus trees will grow."In the end of the Tang Dynasty, there were 640 Jinshi and 25 people who were awarded Jinshi six times, and the average number of Jinshi and Jinshi was less than [-] people each time.

After Daxia established the country, in order to better recruit talents, Taizu and Taizong successively ordered the world to take the jinshi examination. Those who were from commoners and commoners were given priority, and the number of jinshi was greatly increased. The prosperity of the wind has never been seen before.

Taizu also widely opened Enke, those who took more than [-] exams and were not admitted, no longer passed the exam, and were specially granted undergraduate background.Since the establishment of the country in Daxia, talents have been produced in large numbers, and the national strength has become increasingly strong, which is not unrelated to the rules for selecting talents established by the Taizu Taizong Dynasty.

Wen Changju's eyes stayed on Xia Xiang's face for a moment, and when he saw Xia Xiang responded with a kind smile to him, he retracted his gaze and coughed lightly, and the thousands of students on the huge venue suddenly fell silent.

"Students, this official is Wen Changju, the chief examiner of this year's competition. He is entrusted by the emperor to preside over the examination. He should abide by his duties, be diligent and dedicated, and live up to the emperor's orders and the common people. You should also follow the teachings of the sages and not cheat. No plagiarism and no entrainment. Once investigated and punished, they will be dismissed from fame and will never be hired. Did you remember it?" Wen Changju first said a piece of morality.

"take note of it."

The students responded to Hai Hushan.

(End of this chapter)

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