Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

Wei Chen easily finished four articles, General Sheng Changbai wrote three, and Chen Jun hurriedly finished only two.

Wei Chen looked at Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun proudly. They looked at each other and smiled, both shaking their heads helplessly.

In the final analysis, this is just a little fun they find for boring study, and no one takes it seriously.

Not long after, a servant from the Sheng Mansion came in to deliver the meal, and the three of them stopped writing and prepared to have lunch.

The food in the Sheng Mansion was not like what Wei Chen imagined from the Haoying family. It was just ordinary home-cooked side dishes. As the young master of the Sheng Mansion, Sheng Changbai ate the same as himself.

Wei Chen guessed that this might be Sheng Changbai taking care of himself and Chen Jun while creating a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.

It can also be seen from this that the sincerity of the relationship between Sheng Changbai and Wei Chen does not have the stinking problem of having high self-esteem like the children of aristocratic families.

Wei Chen picked up the bowl and took a sip of the thick egg drop soup, then poured half the bowl into the rice, stirred it, and ate it with the vegetables.

After finishing a large bowl of rice, Wei Chen smacked his mouth with satisfaction and let out a long burp.

"Brother Wei, this is an insult to politeness!"

Chen Jun glanced at Wei Chen with disdain.

Wei Chenhun patted his stomach nonchalantly, shook his head and said: "Youran understands it from the heart, it's hard to tell you the beauty of it!"

It turns out that watching people eat can really increase your appetite.

Seeing that Wei Chen was eating so deliciously, Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun were both itchy and couldn't help but follow suit, pouring the egg drop soup into a bowl, mixing it with vegetables and eating.

After eating a bowl of rice, both of them burped unconsciously.

"belch----"

There was a loud hiccup, and Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun, who were belatedly aware of it, looked at each other, and the air was filled with embarrassment.

Wei Chen laughed.

"Insulting Sven, insulting Sven!"

At this time, someone knocked on the door outside the house, and the steward's voice came: "Second Young Master, Master Qiu of the Jiangning Prefecture wants to see you."

After hearing this, Sheng Changbai immediately put down his chopsticks, called the female envoy to wipe his face with water, then put on his clothes and went out to meet him at the entrance of the courtyard.

"I have long admired Mr. Qiu's name. Changbai did not treat me well and kept him waiting for a long time. I hope you will not blame me."

Sheng Changbai chatted with Master Qiu for a while and then invited him into the main hall.

After taking his seat, Master Qiu saw that there was no one around him, and then he lowered his voice and said, "My friend, Dong Weng asked me to let you know that this year's examination will be different from previous years."

Hearing this, Sheng Changbai's heart skipped a beat, and Wei Chen and Chen Jun standing behind the screen also held their breaths.

Sheng Changbai stood up, made tea for Mr. Qiu, and asked, "But what's the news?"

Master Qiu nodded and said: "My friend, you also know that among the junior exams, the provincial exam is the most difficult, and among the junior exams, the government exam is the most difficult. As the leader of a mansion, Shen Futai has to consider every aspect carefully.

This Jiangning Mansion is different from other places. There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the mansion.

There are many famous families, and each one goes to Shen Futai for help. Shen Futai either agrees or refuses. After all, there are only fifty places in the exam, so there are too many monks and too little food! "

Sheng Changbai nodded when he heard this. As a son of an official, he naturally knew the tricks in this junior exam. Even in such a rigorous examination as the provincial examination, there are still people cheating, let alone the anonymous government examination?

As long as we are in the officialdom, there are inextricably linked to each other. Teachers and students, classmates, fellow villagers, friends, and old friends are all covered one by one, and no one can escape.

The examiner is also a human being, so naturally he is not immune to customs.

For example, the Master Qiu in front of me is the aide of Shao Guang, the general judge of Jiangning Mansion, and Shao Guang is the same year as Sheng Hong...

Sheng Changbai knew very well that his father might have already told Magistrate Feng and Magistrate Shen to take good care of him during the admission process.

This is almost an unspoken and unspoken rule in officialdom.

It's just that the Jiangning Mansion is in a special situation. There are many wealthy and distinguished families, and everyone is eyeing the fifty places. As the chief examiner, Prefect Shen is also in a difficult situation. If he takes care of this, he can't take care of that, and he will be blamed no matter what.

Sheng Changbai asked: "Mr. Qiu, does Shen Futai have any countermeasures?"

Master Qiu sighed and said, "Master Futai has decided to issue a list of titles after the Futai examination."

"Title list?"

Sheng Changbai said in surprise: "Isn't that just for the provincial examination and the general examination?"

Master Qiu took a sip of tea and said in a deep voice: "On the title list, all the articles written by the students who took the mid-level examination are listed at a glance. Those who have no real talent and practical knowledge, even if they pass the government examination, will definitely be criticized as soon as their articles are published. Even the reputation of the family will be put to shame."

Master Qiu had already talked about this, so Sheng Changbai would not fail to understand.

"Master Futai uses this method to reject those requests from famous families in disguise!"

Master Qiu nodded: "That's what Mr. Futai means. In short, whether you win or not depends on the quality of the article."

Sheng Changbai bowed his hands sincerely: "Thank you sir for informing me."

Master Qiu waved his hand: "I was also entrusted by Dong Weng, so what's the point of thanking you!"

After Sheng Changbai sent Master Qiu's gift out the door, he returned to the hall, called Wei Chen and Chen Jun out, and told them Master Qiu's words in detail.

After Wei Chen heard this, he said thoughtfully: "I think that Master Qiu may not be here just to convey the news in good faith, but may also be under the instruction of Shen Futai to use these human connections to send warnings to the major families. "

Sheng Changbai nodded in agreement: "Shen Futai's meaning has been very clear. Either we will all be embarrassed together when the list of questions is released, or we will not sell anyone's face and let everyone take the exam fairly."

"The most important thing in aristocratic families is the reputation of the family, and Shen Futai is holding them close!" Chen Jun praised: "This Shen Futai is really extraordinary, he solved a problem so easily! "

Sheng Changbai shook his head and said: "This is also a helpless move by Shen Futai. The Jiangning family is so intertwined that he cannot withstand the pressure from the family. He can only use this method of common death to force the family to submit."

"All in all, we must strive to be fair during this government examination."

Wei Chen looked at Sheng Changbai and said with a narrow smile: "This is a good thing for Brother Chen and me, but it is very bad for you, brother. You are also a member of the family!"

Sheng Changbai glared at Wei Chen and said angrily: "My Sheng family is only somewhat famous in Youyang. How can it be considered an aristocratic family in Jiangning Mansion? Those rich and famous families eat meat, I'm afraid my Sheng family can't even drink soup. It’s less than a mouthful. Now I can take the exam with my real talent and practical knowledge, that will really benefit me!”

"Brother, are you so confident?"

"That's natural!"

Chapter 43 The hidden little fat man

March 28.

The date of registration for the state examination.

Wei Chen, Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun came to the government office to sign up.

The Yamen has not yet opened, but there is already a lively scene in front of us.

The teahouses and food shops on Fuqian Street were full of candidates who had gathered from various counties. They were all laughing and talking about interesting anecdotes from the county examination.

In order to attract business, many food shops put up their sheds on the street, making the already narrow Fuqian Street even more crowded.

"Why so many people?"

Chen Jun looked at the sea of ​​people in front of him and said in surprise: "Isn't there almost 3000 people?"

"I'm afraid there is."

Sheng Changbai nodded and said: "In the ten counties of Jiangning, each county admitted 200 to [-] people during the county examination. There are also scholars who have passed the county examination but were stuck in the government examination. There are all kinds of people gathered here."

Seeing this scene, Wei Chen finally understood why the Mansion Examination was the most difficult level in the Junior Three Levels.

Although there are a lot of candidates for the county examination, there is no threshold limit. Anyone who can write a name can take the exam. Take Youyang County as an example. Among the nearly a thousand candidates, there are only about five to six hundred candidates who can speak fluently.

But the prefecture examination is different. The base of candidates is large, and they have all passed the county examination, so the level will not be too bad.

Unfortunately, there are only fifty places in total for the government examination, and the candidates of this year are required to compete with the candidates of previous years. It would be strange not to kill everyone!

While he was talking, there was a sound of banging in the yamen, and the gate of the yamen opened.

In an instant, the thousands of scholars waiting outside stood up together and crowded towards the government office.

A dark, thin, gray-haired candidate squeezed in front of the door, but was pushed away by the gatekeeper.

The official shouted: "Don't crowd, don't crowd, come one county at a time, first Jiangning County, then Shangyuan County!"

"Yes."

The old candidate hurriedly bowed and walked aside tremblingly.

Not far away, Wei Chen, who was waiting in the queue of candidates in Youyang County, couldn't help but sigh when he saw the slump of the old candidate.

"I don't understand. What are these candidates trying to learn all their lives? If they come to take the exam at 50 or [-] years old, even if they win, they are just children."

"Brother Wei, you don't know this. Childbirth has many benefits!"

There is such an old boy in Chenjun Village who only passed the government examination at the age of 54, so he has the best say in this matter.

Chen Jun pointed at the old candidate and said: "Don't think this person is so old, but as long as he is admitted as a boy student, when he turns into a handful of loess in the future, he can also carve the words "To be presented to the official" on the tablet, but if He is not even a Tongsheng, so he can only write the word [virgin scholar]. With the name Tongsheng, he can be regarded as having an account of the books he has read all his life, and his descendants will also have some dignity, so he can be regarded as a scholar."

Wei Chen and Sheng Changbai were both stunned when they heard this: "It turns out it's for the sake of posthumous fame."

"More than that!"

Chen Jun continued: "If you are a middle school student, you can go to social studies, or you can go to a wealthy family and be a tutor. A salary of ten taels a year will not be a problem. If you can recite poetry, write, etc., you can go to a wealthy family and become a tutor." Qingke, your life is also leisurely."

Wei Chen held up his palms and smiled and said: "Brother Chen said this, I feel confident in my heart. Even if I fail to win in the future, I can still rely on a little bit of money in my belly."

For a talented poet, it would be very relaxing to be a guest in a rich family's house. "

After Wei Chen finished speaking, the three of them laughed.

Of course Sheng Changbai and Chen Jun knew that Wei Chen was joking. Wei Chen was the leader of Tangtang County's examinations. He was sure to pass the government examinations, but his ranking was uncertain. How could he not win?

Following the queue into the government office, the subsequent process was almost the same as when registering for the county examination. First, a resume was written in the office, then an examination reference was issued, and finally a stamp recording the candidate's physical characteristics was affixed.

It's just that this time Wei Chen's ticket is no longer short, but medium in stature. I guess it's because Wei Chen has grown a little taller in the past few months.

After taking the examination citations, the clerk learned that Wei Chen was the first in the county examination and Sheng Changbai was the third in the county examination, and stamped the word "tang" on their examination cards, which means the title of the hall.

The so-called sitting in the hall means that the examination room is set up in the lobby and you sit under the eyes of the examiner.

The disadvantage is that the difficulty of cheating rises sharply. The advantage is that it is easier to get the attention of the examiner, and you can get an interview with the examiner in person, so you have a greater chance of being selected.

Being promoted to a court seat is a reward that is only available to the top ten in the county examination. Chen Jun only ranked in the 50th place during the county examination, but he did not have the chance to enjoy it.

However, Chen Jun was not discouraged. During this period of time, he was reviewing together with two top students, Wei Chen and Sheng Changbai. He gained a lot from this. He was confident that he would achieve good results in the imperial examination. Whether he could be promoted to the imperial examination was not important to him.

After completing the process, the three of them left the government office and were about to go home and continue studying when they heard Chen Jun suddenly say: "Brother Wei, look, isn't that Tao Dazhi!"

Wei Chen looked up and saw a chubby little man with a horizontal body walking towards him. Who else could he be if he wasn't Tao Dazhi?

Wei Chen recognized the person and immediately smiled and saluted: "Brother Tao, you're fine!"