Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

Of course Wei Chen didn't care about this, but Sheng Changfeng and Qi Heng always denied this statement.

They have always respected Wei Chen as their teacher, and asked themselves how they dared to stand side by side with Wei Chen as the gap between them was like a firefly compared with the bright moon.

Seeing Gu Tingye and Sheng Changfeng staring at each other and refusing to give in, another "talented man" quickly came out to smooth things over.

"Second uncle! You are too silly. The second brother of the Sheng family, you and the young gentleman are all peers. How can Chang Feng treat you as an uncle? Wouldn't the seniority be completely messed up?"

Gu Tingye knew that he was in the wrong, so he snorted softly: "Well, I can't bear a junior like him. Yuan Ruo, my nephew, is very much in line with me. My second uncle will definitely love you very much in the future."

With that said, Gu Tingye reached out and patted Qi Heng on the shoulder with a kind look on his face.

Qi Heng opened his mouth in astonishment, but after all he didn't say much. He turned around and scolded Sheng Changfeng, who was watching the joke.

"I know you have a good memory and have memorized all 120 articles. But how profound and profound is Mr. Xiao's "Tan Wen Lu"? Even reading it a hundred times is not too much!

What was wrong with Uncle Gu and I in reviewing this book before the exam?

Is it your turn to talk here?That is to say, Mr. Xiao lives in Yuzhou. If he sees you like this, he will definitely punish you severely! "

Hearing Qi Heng carrying Wei Chen out, Sheng Changfeng felt a chill in his heart, smiled coyly, and quickly interrupted: "Okay, okay, let's wait until the exam is over to talk about anything else. It's getting late, we should Entered!"

Seeing Sheng Changfeng running away with the test box in a hurry, Qi Heng could only shake his head helplessly and called Gu Tingye to follow him quickly.

At this time, it was dawn, the dragon gate opened, and the candidates filed in according to the order of roll call.

When passing by the area where the Yuzhou scholars were, Gu Tingye's steps suddenly slowed down a bit, and his expression became slightly solemn.

Qi Heng and Wei Chen exchanged many letters. Seeing this, he immediately understood what Gu Tingye was thinking. He smiled and said: "Don't worry, second uncle, you have read Mr. Xiao's "Tan Wen Lu" more than once. Could it be that you have read it more than once? Don’t you know how powerful it really is?”

Gu Tingye couldn't help but smile and nodded when he heard this. He quickened his pace, and Qi Heng caught up with Sheng Changfeng and joined the queue of Kaifeng Mansion candidates.

This time the Kaifeng Prefecture's Instructor was not very lucky. The lot he drew was quite low. The Kaifeng Prefecture candidates waited for more than an hour before they heard the angry shouts of the warden from in front of the gate.

"Kaifeng Prefecture candidates are admitted!"

Gu Tingye, Qi Heng, and Sheng Changfeng all cheered up after hearing this, and followed the queue slowly into the gate.

After entering, all candidates, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, take off their clothes and belts and undergo inspection naked.

Even if Gu Tingye and Qi Heng were marquises in one family and dukes in the other, they would be treated equally when they got here.

After the inspection, the candidates rearranged their clothes and examination boxes, and found their respective dormitories and sat down under the guidance of the clerk.

After putting down the examination boxes and laying out the pens, inks and papers, the candidates all stretched their heads and looked out from the doorway. The scribes began to hand out papers. Their heads and feet were exposed in the examination alley, but there was silence and solemnity.

At this time, Gu Tingye discovered that the man opposite Lao She actually knew him. He was the middle-aged scholar who cried bitterly on the day Wei Chen gave a lecture on Jijie.

Gu Tingye remembered this person's name, Guo Jin. Gu Tingye also knew that this should be the fourth time this person had participated in the provincial examination.

When Gu Tingye noticed Guo Jin, Guo Jin also saw him. The two looked at each other and smiled encouragingly. Then they both lowered their heads and began to complete one of the most important exams in their lives.

Guo Jin got the packaged test paper, his palms full of sweat.

After failing the exam three times in a row, he was already disheartened. This time he regrouped and took the exam, but meeting Wei Chen that day aroused a trace of unwillingness deep in his heart.

Guo Jin was a native of Shenge Town, Mi County. He borrowed "Tan Wenlu" from the Yixue Library in Shenge Town seven or eight times. During this period, he copied the entire book by hand word by word. Come down.

Guo Jin knew that there were many scholars like him in Yuzhou who had failed repeatedly.

Everyone regarded the thick set of "Tan Wen Lu" as their last hope, frantically absorbing nutrients from it like a sponge, just for that slim chance.

Maybe this time, it will be different from the past...

Guo Jin took a deep breath and slowly

Opening the test paper, the first question of this rural examination suddenly appeared in front of me.

"It is not good for a villain to live idle, and he is omnipresent. When he sees a gentleman, he becomes disgusted. He covers up his bad deeds and focuses on his good deeds."

Seeing this question from the original text of the chapter "Sincerity" in "The University", Guo Jin couldn't help but be stunned, and then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Then, a burst of ecstasy came over me.

He actually did this question!

It’s among the 120 mock test questions in the last part of the talk!

Although the simulation question only excerpts one of the passages, the meaning of the question is basically the same!

Guo Jin answered all these simulation questions seriously, and revised his article more than once with reference to Wei Chen's explanation in the book and the sample essays provided.

Later, during a lecture, Guo Jin was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be given personal guidance by Wei Chen, who happened to be asking the question in front of him.

At that time, Wei Chen patiently pointed out the shortcomings in his article and suggested ways to improve it.

After Guo Jin returned, he revised this article based on Wei Chen's suggestions.

Therefore, Guo Jin was deeply impressed by this question.

coincide!

What a coincidence!

It's all a coincidence!

Even among the Yuzhou scholars who have carefully studied "Tan Wenlu", Guo Jin dares to guarantee that he is the only Scorpion Baba!

At this moment, Guo Jin suddenly felt extremely lucky!

He couldn't help but tremble all over, and was so excited that he couldn't even hold his pen. His whole body was filled with excitement, and he roared silently in the dormitory, making his face look hideous and terrifying.

If someone saw the scene in the dormitory through the door at this time, they would definitely think that the candidate has gone crazy.

After half an hour.

Guo Jin finally forced himself to calm down and carefully recalled the article he had revised. After pondering for a while, he dipped his pen in ink and began to break down the topic.

"A person who deceives himself is deceiving a gentleman, and a villain is hypocritical!"

Chapter 241 Frightened

Guo Jin put away his mind and focused on the article. In just over an hour, he finished writing the first major question of the Four Books.

He just put down the pen and moved his slightly sore wrist. He wanted to check it carefully before re-typing the article.

At this moment, in the dormitory not far next door, there was a sudden bang, as if someone dropped the pen and ink on the ground.

Before Guo Jin could react, he heard someone wailing: "Yang Yuanzhen, you are also a scholar. You also suffered from the hardship of being a poor student. Now that you are an examiner, you actually come up with questions to make things difficult for me and other junior candidates. You are really worse than a beast!" I..., I won’t take the exam, I won’t take the exam..."

There was silence in the examination alley, and all that could be heard was the heart-rending curses of the examinee.

Not long after, several sergeants who were invigilating the examination rushed forward like wolves and tigers, subdued the examinee mercilessly and dragged him out quickly.

The examinee kept howling, "Yang Yuanzhen, you are raising me as a slave, you are inhuman, you are inhuman!" It was not until his mouth was stuffed with a cloth that he gradually stopped.

"Driving another one crazy..."

A few drops of cold sweat suddenly broke out on Guo Jin's forehead full of wrinkles, and he was secretly glad in his heart. If he hadn't been lucky enough to get the guidance of Lord Zhizhou, he would not be much better than this person outside.

Inside Minglun Hall.

Yang Yuanzhen, the examiner of this provincial examination, was drinking tea and chatting with several examiners around him.

Hearing the commotion outside, Yang Yuanzhen frowned slightly, put down his tea cup, and called the clerk at the door to inquire about the situation.

When he heard what happened, Yang Yuanzhen's old face suddenly dropped.

"It's so audacious for such a candidate to dare to slander the president!" The fellow examiners sitting in the hall all had strange expressions on their faces and subconsciously cursed a few words.

Yang Yuanzhen did not show any anger, but said calmly: "When I was an examinee, I was young and frivolous, and I had many slanders against the examiner. Now that I am an examiner, I understand the difficulty. No matter what, no matter what, I Officials serve the country by promoting their talents, and they only want to have a clear conscience, so what does it matter if they receive some infamy?"

All the fellow examiners were slightly startled when they heard this, and then they couldn't help but admire secretly in their hearts.

The president is worthy of being a president!

Being scolded by a candidate for no reason was originally a shameful thing, but after his words, it actually became a good thing worth publicizing!

When Yang Yuanzhen's words came out today, who wouldn't praise him for being so open-minded and loyal to the country?

I think that after the emperor heard about this, he would also remember it in his heart and praise it!

At this time, a clever fellow examiner rolled his eyes and stepped forward to ask: "President, this person disrupted the examination room. Do you want to expel him from the exam as a punishment?"

Yang Yuanzhen glanced at the fellow examiner approvingly, then waved his hand and said, "No need. It's not easy to live in a cold window for ten years. Expelling him from the examination room, punishing him with both small and large punishments, and tempering his temper are all ”

All the examiners were impressed and took this opportunity to praise him: "The president is very magnanimous and extraordinary."

Seeing this scene, Yang Yuanzhen held his short beard under his chin reservedly, feeling quite proud of himself.

Hosting the provincial examination this time, I thought I would be able to accept a group of promising students, but it was already very disappointing.

Wrong, I didn't expect such an unexpected surprise, which allowed me to take advantage of the situation and spread a wave of good reputation.

What a worthwhile trip!

However, Yang Yuanzhen himself feels that the test questions this time are indeed a bit difficult. It is very difficult for ordinary candidates to write a qualified essay based on these. When it comes to marking, the standards can be slightly relaxed accordingly. .

……

After nine days and six nights of mental and physical suffering, the candidates finally experienced temporary liberation. They left the Gongyuan and prepared to go back and take a good nap to eliminate the fatigue.

The submitted papers were transcribed and sealed and sent to the Zigong Hall. The examiner Yang Yuanzhen led all the fellow examiners to start grading the papers.

Yang Yuanzhen was in a happy mood.

In his opinion, given the difficulty of the Henan Township Examination questions, not many candidates could write qualified articles.

After all, the competition in the provincial examinations in Henan has not been fierce. The degree of involution is far less than that of Jiangnan and Jiangxi, which are major scientific examination provinces in the south. The level of candidates is naturally much worse.

Therefore, Yang Yuanzhen had already told his fellow examiners to slightly relax the admission criteria. As long as the articles were acceptable, they could be sent to him for review.

However, as he read the paper, Yang Yuanzhen became more and more shocked.

The overall level of the following articles sent by the examiners is indeed as Yang Yuanzhen expected, but not satisfactory.

However, the number of eye-catching works was twice as many as Yang Yuanzhen expected.

There were even articles written by several candidates. They were profound in theory, powerful in style, pristine in words, elegant in style, and so wonderful that Yang Yuanzhen couldn't help but praise them.

Logically speaking, candidates who can write such articles should not be unknown, but Yang Yuanzhen thought hard and found it difficult to find a counterpart among the famous talents in the province.

It's just one or two dark horses. So many dark horses suddenly appeared, which made Yang Yuanzhen a little confused for a while.

However, after all, the provincial examination is held every three years, and a certain class of candidates experienced a big explosion. This kind of thing has happened in the past, so although Yang Yuanzhen was surprised, he did not take it too seriously.

However, when the 120 admission papers were selected, the seals were opened, and the roll call came to fill in the list, Yang Yuanzhen finally could no longer be calm.