lovenovelstory 0031 [Disgusting Topic]
0031 [Disgusting Topic]
"All students, please line up here. Families accompanying their children to the exam, please refrain from gathering outside the county government office; such noise and disorder are unbecoming!"
A clerk stood at the entrance of the county government office, banging a gong and shouting.
After calling out several times, candidates began to line up.
Xu Lai, carrying a small basket on his back, a table, and a stool, silently joined the end of the line.
Chen Yanhong's grandparents and parents surrounded him, giving him a long lecture, which annoyed Chen Yanhong. He repeatedly agreed and went to line up. His page quickly followed with his books, and two strong servants also brought over tables and chairs.
The clerk in charge of maintaining order was about to reprimand him, but seeing that the richest man in the county was personally escorting him to the examination, he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and reminded him: "Young Master Chen, attendants are not allowed to enter the examination hall."
"I know, no need to say more." Chen Yanhong stood with his hands behind his back.
The clerk hesitated, then ultimately said nothing more.
For now, it's just a matter of queuing.
The clerk secretly observed Chen Yanhong's clothes, and the fabric made him envious, so he couldn't help but bend his body even lower.
Chen Yanhong wore a long robe made of dark-patterned silk fabric with a quilted lining. At first glance, it was unremarkable; upon closer inspection, it was incredibly luxurious.
Moreover, Chen Yanhong was also wearing a light-colored gauze cloak over the robe.
This cloak is so light and thin that it is almost transparent, like a feather robe draped over the body, giving a sense of ethereal elegance, like that of a celestial being.
Let me put it this way, that simple shawl alone costs over a hundred strings of cash, enough to buy at least 20 oxen!
Standing among the candidates, Chen Yanhong truly stood out like a crane among chickens, making others feel ashamed of their own appearance.
"And who is this person?"
"I just saw him standing with Master Chen. Could he be Master Chen's son?"
"The eldest grandson of Master Chen!"
"How come I've never seen this before?"
"He entered Songyang Academy nine years ago and only comes back occasionally for the New Year."
"Songyang Academy?!?"
"..."
The murmurs grew louder, and every now and then, some of the test takers would glance at Chen Yanhong.
Some people even stopped queuing altogether, leaving the front of the line to go to the back and try to make friends.
"Young Master Chen, my name is Liu Jing, courtesy name Bozhang, from Dafu Township, and I live in Dahe Village," one of the candidates said, bowing.
Chen Yanhong remained standing with his hands behind his back, only nodding slightly: "Okay, I understand."
The candidate was clearly taken aback, then looked ashamed and indignant, and stormed off in anger.
When scholars meet, unless they have a grudge against each other, they must return the courtesy. The examinee, having been met with such coldness in front of everyone, felt utterly humiliated.
He could hold a grudge against Chen Yanhong for the rest of his life!
Having learned from this example, the other candidates dared not act rashly, fearing they too would lose face and become a laughingstock.
As a result, two conspicuous bags appeared outside the examination hall.
One of them was Xu Lai, who was dressed rather shabbily and carried a basket on his back as a book.
One is Chen Yanhong, who is dressed in extremely luxurious clothes and shows no respect to anyone.
Xu Lai carried the tables and chairs and slowly moved forward with the group.
A moment later, it was finally his turn to be searched.
Before Xu Lai could produce his guarantee and family statement, the clerk in charge of the search said with a smile, "Please come in, Xu Sanlang. There's no need to check the documents."
Thank you!
Xu Lai put down the table and chairs, clasped his hands in a fist salute, then picked up the table and chairs again and walked inside.
The main hall of the county government office was already full of examinees, so Xu Lai randomly chose a spot in the courtyard.
He arranged the table and chairs, placed the basket on his right foot, and took out the bamboo tube containing the answer sheets. Then he took out an earthenware bowl, poured the water from the small bamboo tube into it, and then took out the ink stick to grind the ink.
"puff!"
A fifteen or sixteen-year-old examinee next to him covered his mouth and burst out laughing.
Nearby examinees looked in the direction of the sound and couldn't help but laugh as well.
This was the first time they had ever seen someone in the examination hall who didn't even bring an inkstone, but instead used an earthen bowl to fill the space.
Just then, Chen Yanhong also entered the examination room.
Chen Dalang couldn't possibly carry the tables and chairs himself; his clothes were expensive, and getting them dirty and wrinkled would be unseemly. Although his page and servants couldn't come in, the proctoring officials helped him move his things!
"Let's do it here," Chen Yanhong said.
A servant put down the table and chairs, arranging them neatly, and even used his sleeve to wipe the tabletop for Chen Dalang.
Another clerk carefully put down the book and gently shook it, as if afraid it wasn't laid flat.
Chen Yanhong expressed his satisfaction and said to the two clerks, "After the exam, go to the gold and silver shop to collect your reward."
The two were overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly clasped their hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "Congratulations, young master, on achieving first place in the county examination."
Chen Yanhong smiled.
Given Guangdong's educational standards, he would easily be first in the county exam, let alone the prefectural exam.
Chen Yanhong actually wanted to participate in the imperial examination in Guangzhou. He was sure to pass the provincial examination if he ranked at the top, but his elders felt it was not a sure thing.
This is not just about the quota issue; we also need to consider the upcoming provincial examination (the Ministry of Rites examination). If we study at the Imperial Academy, we can get in touch with the examiners, understand their habits, and have a better chance of passing the imperial examination.
Chen Yanhong opened the bookcase and slowly arranged the stationery.
He glanced at Xu Lai and saw that Xu Lai was reading "A Brief Account of Rhymes from the Ministry of Rites," and the earthenware bowl used to hold ink made him laugh.
The other candidates laughed, mocking Xu Lai for being too poor.
Chen Dalang laughed simply because he found it amusing. He didn't despise poor scholars; he only despised those with poor learning and those who flattered others.
Around 9:00 AM, County Magistrate Shen Zhi finally appeared.
Magistrate Shen took his seat in the main hall and said to the proctors, "Let the examination begin."
Wu, the clerk, reminded him, "Sir, you haven't set the question yet."
"Yes, I forgot to set the question." Shen Zhi has been living a very comfortable life lately.
He was blameless in the case of the robbery of the imperial convoy, and Wang, the registrar, fully cooperated with the work, making the county clerks more obedient than before.
After the worst comes the best, and everything goes smoothly!
Shen Zhi picked up his pen and wrote down two questions, then casually handed them to Wu, the clerk, to announce.
Wu, the clerk, glanced at the question and almost rolled his eyes. He suppressed a laugh as he walked and shouted:
"First question. Please compose a five-character, six-line poem entitled 'On the Righteous People Protecting Silver Back to the County.' Preface: In late autumn, salt bandits robbed a shipping vessel on the river at night. The villagers rose up, killed two bandits, and protected the silver back to the county. The county rewarded them accordingly, and the people were encouraged to do the same. Students, please compose this poem to promote moral education."
All the candidates were stunned.
Xu Lai and Chen Yanhong were also stunned.
The righteous people's killing of the thieves and protection of the silver was just a pretext; it was clearly a ploy to force all the candidates in the county to write poems praising the magistrate's educational achievements.
That corrupt official is shameless!
Wu, the clerk, continued announcing the examination questions: "The second question. Confucius said: 'To see what is right and not do it is cowardice.' Please use 'Ode to Courage' as the topic, and use the eight characters 'benevolence, righteousness...' as the rhyme..."
After reading the second question, Wu Yasi repeated the first question.
He repeated this process three times until all the candidates had finished copying before returning to Magistrate Shen's side.
Chen Yanhong's face was very ugly. He was arrogant and proud, and he hated flatterers the most.
That damned magistrate actually made him write poems to flatter him.
Writing poetry alone would be one thing, but the essay also had to be a sycophant. Although the essay was titled "Ode to Courage," simply writing about courage wouldn't get a high score; it also had to praise the magistrate's educational achievements!
If one's flattering poems are well-written and selected by the county magistrate as model texts to be posted, wouldn't all the scholars in the county see them?
The thought of the scholars in his county pointing fingers at his sycophantic articles made Chen Yanhong so ashamed and angry that he almost fainted.
What should I do?
If you deliberately write poorly, you might fail the county exam.
If I perform normally, I'll definitely embarrass myself.
After much deliberation, Chen Yanhong decided that saving face was more important. He pretended not to understand the magistrate's original intention in setting the question and planned to write something random, hoping to get by by relying on the influence of the richest man's grandson.
Xu Lai stared at the two questions, also lost in thought.
The poem he wrote to Yu Jing, though it had a hint of flattery, was definitely not bootlicking. Instead of being ridiculed, it became a celebrated story.
The poem he wrote to Wang Yuanbi was purely out of coercion by the eunuch, and also to help Yang Shu resolve his troubles.
But what do we do now?
To actually write poems and essays to flatter Magistrate Shen? That's utterly shameful!
Without much thought, Xu Lai began to flip through the "Rhyme Dictionary of the Ministry of Rites".
So what if it's shameful?
The time traveler has a sufficiently broad moral compass.
Following the method taught by Yu Shanyuan, he did not first devise how to write the poem, but instead selected a rhyme group by referring to the "Rhyme Scheme of the Ministry of Rites". Then he selected some words from that rhyme group, intending to use them as the rhymes for the entire poem.
The next step is permutation and combination, forcibly piecing together a poem.
Time flies, and it was noon in the blink of an eye.
Xu Lai took out a multigrain cake from his basket, chewed it without drinking water, and continued to compose his essay while eating the cake.
Chen Yanhong, who was not far away, had already handed in his paper ahead of time.
Chen Dalang suppressed his nausea and finally finished writing a poem and an essay. He was afraid he would vomit if he continued taking the exam.
Chen Yanhong strode up to Magistrate Shen, placed the answer sheet on the table, and turned to leave without saying goodbye.
Shen Zhi called out, "You're the first to hand in your paper, come back and let me give you my feedback."
The county magistrate commented on the answer sheets on the spot, which would have pleased any other candidate.
But Chen Yanhong really didn't want to listen; Magistrate Shen's question disgusted him.
Even if it's disgusting, you have to go back and stand there, after all, Shen Zhi is the county magistrate.
Shen Zhi stared at the answer sheet for a while, then slowly said, "The moon does not dislike the cold river, but who shares the clear night with me? This line is truly remarkable, with a lofty and expansive imagery, perfect parallelism, and exquisite word choice. However... your poem is somewhat off-topic."
Chen Yanhong replied, "I wrote about righteous people killing thieves to protect silver, and I also wrote about the need to educate the people."
Shen Zhi said, "You only wrote about the necessity of education, but you didn't write about how righteous people were inspired by education to kill the thieves."
Chen Yanhong clenched his fist and then relaxed it, gave a slight bow, and turned to leave.
Shen Zhi was furious at this behavior and angrily said, "This is an arrogant fool! I should..."
"My lord, let's first look at his family's financial situation," Wu, the clerk, quickly reminded him.
Shen Zhi subconsciously flipped back to the beginning of the book, saw the names of his grandfather and father, and smoothly changed his words, saying, "I should strive to do my best!"
Just a few days ago, Chen Han promised to donate money to erect a monument for the county government and also to gather a bunch of local gentry to donate money.
What kind of monument should be erected?
Officials and civilians joined hands to fight off the salt bandits and preserve the monument to the imperial treasury!
Funerals were celebrated as a celebration.
Chen Han's enthusiastic support for the county magistrate shows he must be a righteous citizen. The grandson of a righteous citizen may be a bit arrogant, but he's talented.
You must pass the county exam and be among the top scorers.
Before long, Xu Lai, having finished his pancakes, also finished his essay. He checked the copy and submitted it ahead of schedule.
Shen Zhi smiled as he looked at Xu Lai.
This person also has to pass and be among the top.
Who is number one?
Who's second?
The rankings left Magistrate Shen somewhat conflicted.
He carefully read Xu Lai's poem and was so happy that he almost slammed his fist on the table: This must be number one! Even if it weren't for Master Yu's sake, this scroll must be ranked first!
Shen Zhi thought to himself: No wonder the eunuch liked him; this kid is really good at flattery.
In fact, Xu Lai dared not include the famous lines in the text, fearing that they might be spread for hundreds of years if he were not careful.
Both the poem and the essay are his own original works.
Moreover, the object of praise is vague, yet it allows Magistrate Shen to automatically identify with it.
-
(I recommend the historical novel "Let the Tang Dynasty Fly," written by Liaodong Qiying, which depicts the ingenious and cunning tactics employed under Li Shimin.)
(Thanks to Mr. Sturdy, Black Shirt, Daoist 20200602, and other brothers for their generous donations. Many thanks!)
(Holy crap, this was added in the middle of the night. I saw the Silver Mighty, thank you for the generous gift, and thank you sfqk!!!)