Chapter 165 Do Your Best
Li Nuo took a book that Li An Ning sent him and opened it casually.
This is truly the top essay written by the top scholar in all the imperial examinations.
But this thing should be a confidential document, at least Li Nuo can't get it.
As for court painters, they were not considered officials, nor did they belong to any department in the court. They were under the jurisdiction of the inner court, and only members of the royal family could be mobilized.
In the spring examination, Li Nuo's essays and paintings were the only ones among the six subjects and nine items that did not receive excellent marks.
Li Anning was really worried about his exam.
She had never taken it so seriously before.
Li Nuo knew her so well, how could he not see through her little plan?
He put down the book in his hand and asked, "The Ministry of Justice should have a lot of files piled up recently, right?"
He hasn't been to the Ministry of Justice for a long time.
Li An Ning frowned and said, "There are only twenty days left before the imperial examination. You still have the energy to read the files. You should prepare for the examination first. I will keep the files for you. You can read them after you finish the examination..."
Li Nuo stood up and said, "Even if you are preparing for the imperial examination, you have to combine work with rest. I just finished the spring exam. It would be beneficial to read some papers to change my mind..."
The combination of work and rest was of course an excuse. In fact, he had consumed too much of his lifespan in the past few days for the exam, and he wanted to go to the Ministry of Justice to recover.
Seeing this, Li An Ning said nothing and went to the Ministry of Justice with Li Nuo.
Along the way, she hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help asking: "Do you think you can get the first place in all six subjects in the imperial examination like in the spring exam?"
Li Nuo shook his head and said, "Impossible."
Li Anning's expression changed, and then he asked, "Why?"
Li Nuo said honestly: "The difficulty of the spring exam is not even half of that of the imperial examination, but the people who take the imperial examination are much better than those who take the spring exam. How can it be so easy to get first place in six subjects?"
This is the truth. Li Nuo currently does not have the ability to be the best in all six subjects.
The fire of hope that had just ignited in Li Anning's heart was ruthlessly extinguished.
She was the top scorer in six subjects, and missing any one of them would not solve her problem.
Li Nuo was silent for a moment, and also couldn't help asking: "Tell me honestly, if I become the top scholar in six subjects, will His Majesty let me marry you?"
Li Anning glanced at him and felt a slight movement in his heart.
She rolled her eyes at Li Nuo and asked, "The princess cannot be a concubine. Are you willing to bear the infamy and divorce your wife for my sake?"
Li Nuo said: "Of course not."
Li Anning asked again: "Then do you think the court will allow the princess to marry a married man?"
Li Nuo thought about it and said, "Neither will I."
He scored full marks in etiquette, and there has never been a precedent for this in Daxia.
Li An Ning lowered his head and kicked his feet, saying, "That's it. Hey, it would be great if all the top scorers in the six subjects were already married. Divorcing the original wife in order to become a consort is unkind and unjust. Father will not let the royal family bear this stigma. They all have families, and the princess cannot be a concubine, so it is not considered that father is unfaithful. In this way, my marriage can be delayed for a while..."
Li Nuo murmured: "Is that so..."
In fact, he had never made a decision in his heart.
If you have to divorce your wife if you get the first place in six subjects, then it’s better not to be the top scholar in six subjects.
But in his heart, Li Anning is different from others after all.
He himself was in a mess.
Let’s get through this hurdle first.
There are so many experts in the imperial examination, and he cannot let them off on purpose.
What if he lets too many people go and lets himself fall out of the top ten? He will either be sent out to another place or stay in a government office in Chang'an, running errands and watching over warehouses. Wouldn't his practice be wasted?
Li Nuo found an excuse for himself, then looked at Li An Ning and said, "Although it is a bit difficult to get the first place in six subjects, I will try my best..."
Li An Ning waved her hands and said, "It's okay. Don't be too stressed. If it doesn't work, I can still run away. If my father really wants me to marry someone he doesn't like, I will flee from Chang'an and never come back..."
Compared to his wife, Li Anning obviously has more ideas of his own when it comes to his marriage.
Li Nuo stayed in the Ministry of Justice for a while and finished processing the files that Li An Ning had accumulated for him during this period. The life span he had lost in the past few days was basically made up.
The next morning, Li An Ning actually invited three court painters over.
Among the three, one is good at painting people, one is good at painting objects, and the other is good at painting landscapes.
The imperial examinations generally test these three types of painting.
It seems that she understands it very well.
In fact, Li Nuo didn't need them to teach him at all. He just needed to find a legitimate reason to arrest them.
It's not like he hadn't thought about it before, but the status of court painters was rather special. They were not considered outsiders, and as long as they didn't commit any criminal cases, the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple had no control over them, and he couldn't do anything about them.
Li Nuo has other arrangements on how to improve his painting skills.
However, we cannot let Li Anning down.
Li Nuo took out the painting he had given to his wife before, and painted a landscape painting and a still life painting.
Three old men with white beards were each looking at a painting.
Li Anning paced on the spot, and before he could speak, he asked impatiently: "How is his painting? Is there anything that can be improved?"
Not far away, Song Jiaren leaned against the door with a sword in her arms, looking at her thoughtfully.
The three painters exchanged ideas in a low voice for a while. One of them nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and said, "This young man's painting skills and use of colors can be called superb. He is only one step away from becoming a master painter. What he lacks is the accumulation of time and his own perception. We can't teach him too much. Whether he can take this step depends on himself..."
It is very rare for someone so young to have such painting skills.
Even the disciples they taught carefully were not as good as him.
The art of painting cannot be taught by anyone. If you give him enough time to practice and accumulate experience, he will always be able to take that step.
Li Anning nodded and said, "Teach as much as you can..."
The princess spoke, and the three dared not disobey. They taught her the painting techniques they were best at one by one. Then, the painter with a long beard said, "You can slowly comprehend these things first. If you have any questions, please ask me..."
Li Anning said: "You guys go back first and come back at this time tomorrow."
The three painters said goodbye and left. Li Anning wanted to stay a little longer, but he seemed to notice something. He slowly turned his head and met a line of sight not far away.
Finding that Song Jiaren was looking at her, she felt a little guilty and didn't dare to look her in the eye. She said, "I, I won't bother you anymore. You should prepare for the imperial examination. I'm leaving..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and left in a hurry.
Li Nuo looked at the three paintings, carefully appreciating the instructions given by the three painters.
However, this kind of artistic thing cannot be improved quickly with just a few words of advice.
These pointers apply to these paintings, but may not be applicable to a different scene.
Ultimately, you still have to improve your level.
After a moment, Li Nuo put away the paintings and walked into the room.
The lady was sitting in the room, carefully wiping the sword in her hand.
Li Nuo sat down opposite her, and at a certain moment, he suddenly asked, "Madam?"
Song Jiaren whispered: "Hmm?"
Li Nuo thought for a moment and asked, "Do you hope that I will pass the exam and become the top scholar?"
Song Jiaren paused while wiping her sword, and was silent for a moment before asking, "I hope you can pass the exam and become the top scholar. Can you pass it?"
Li Nuo said: "If you want me to be the top scholar, I can try my best. Maybe there is hope. After all, there are still 20 days and more than 200 hours. Everything is possible..."
Song Jiaren's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said, "It doesn't matter whether you win the first prize or not, just do your best."
Li Nuo paused, and then said, "But His Majesty said that he would choose a number one scholar as his consort. If I accidentally win the number one prize, what if I am the candidate?"
"Aren't there other top scorers?"
"What if I accidentally get the top score in all six subjects?"
…
Song Jiaren put away her sword and said simply, "If you want to divorce, I agree."
Li Nuo said decisively: "Then I won't take the exam."
The condition for helping Li An Ning is to give up his wife.
Then let her run.
With her level of cultivation, no one could catch her even if she ran away.
It was not easy for him and his wife to go from strangers to this point. It is impossible for him to give up her.
Li Nuo answered decisively, and Song Jiaren's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.
When she raised her head again, her eyes softened and she said softly, "Just try your best. It's good to be the top scorer, but it doesn't matter if you fail. Even if you are the top scorer in six subjects, it's your ability..."
How could she not want her husband to pass the imperial examination and become the top scorer?
Aunt Song Zhen has always been upset about not becoming the wife of the top scholar.
She has been listening to her reading since she was a child.
My aunt told me that the wife of the top scholar was the only woman who could ride a horse and parade in the streets with her husband on the day the results were announced.
By then, almost everyone in Chang'an will see this scene.
From childhood to adulthood, countless people said that she would never be able to get married, and countless people laughed at her husband and called him a fool.
She really wanted them to see it with their own eyes.
Look at the kind of person she married.
Li Nuo was not sure whether his wife was speaking in a sarcastic way, so he asked tentatively, "Do you really want me to be the top scholar, or even the top scholar in all six subjects?"
Song Jiaren nodded.
Just what he said just now is enough.
Li Nuo looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't believe it, unless..."
…
After a moment, Li Nuo walked out of the room.
It is impossible to divorce.
One must try one's best in every subject of the imperial examination and strive to become an official of the sixth rank at the beginning.
As for what to do if he finally becomes the top scorer in all six subjects, that is something the imperial court needs to consider.
My wife said to do her best.
So do your best.
Li Nuo walked to the gatehouse of the Song Mansion. Butler Wu looked up at him and pointed at one side of his face.
Leaving aside the lip print issue, Li Nuo asked, "How's the investigation going on with the thing I asked you to investigate last time?"
Butler Wu smiled and said, "Master, rest assured, I will do my job. I have already found evidence of crimes committed by more than a dozen painting masters. We are just waiting for your order..."
Li Nuo nodded and said, "Then let's close the internet..."
(End of this chapter)
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