Chapter 168: Counterattack
Qingfeng Academy.
A carriage slowly stopped at the gate of the courtyard.
Li Nuo lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.
After showing his ID card, Li Nuo entered the academy smoothly.
The academy does not allow outsiders to enter. Butler Wu originally wanted to come in with him, but was stopped. Li Nuo asked him to wait in the carriage.
There is unlikely to be any danger inside the academy.
Even if there is, he can handle it himself under extreme circumstances.
He came to take the imperial examination.
I'm sorry to ask Dean Tang to make another trip for such a small matter.
A moment later, in a small building somewhere in the academy, Tang Xian said with a smile: "Why did Mr. Li come here in person? I have been very busy these past two days. I said I would send it to you tomorrow when I have time..."
Li Nuo took the exam guide and said with a smile, "I just happened to be passing by the academy, so there's no need to bother Dean Tang."
Tang Xian said, "This is Mr. Li's first time to the academy, right? Would you like me to accompany you around the academy?"
Li Nuo shook his head and said, "Dean Tang is very busy, you can do your thing, I can just go around by myself..."
Tang Xian did not insist after hearing this. Firstly, he was really busy with important things. Secondly, with his status, if he walked in the academy with Mr. Li, he would definitely meet many students who would greet him, which would disturb his interest.
Li Nuo walked out of the small building and into the academy, feeling a different kind of experience.
There is none of the hustle and bustle of the outside world here, and there is a peaceful and harmonious scene everywhere.
On the grass by the lake, students were reciting aloud.
In the small pavilion in the forest, some people were painting and some were playing the piano.
From each classroom, the passionate voice of the academy teacher could be heard...
…
Inside and outside the academy are two completely different worlds.
Li Nuo hadn't experienced this kind of atmosphere for a long time. Walking alone in the college, he felt like he was dreaming back to his college days.
Qingfeng Academy covers a very large area. I heard that it was a royal garden before, and was later given to Qingfeng Academy as the new site. There are mountains and water in the academy. In addition to the strong academic atmosphere, the scenery is also very nice.
Some students passed by Li Nuo.
"Brother Huang, aren't you going to take the imperial examination this year?"
"Why would I want to take part in the imperial examination this year? I'm just giving myself to others as a stepping stone. I'll take the exam next time."
"Then you have to wait another four years?"
"I've waited for more than ten years. Another four years won't be too much. It would be a waste of opportunity and money if I go ahead."
"But I heard that there are some reforms in the calligraphy section of this imperial examination, which is beneficial to candidates like you who are good at calligraphy, but it may not be the case for the next one..."
"What reform? Why haven't I heard of it?"
"That's what Mr. Wei said. He is the question setter and examiner for this year's calligraphy paper. He told me that there are some changes to this year's calligraphy paper. Candidates can write three different characters, and the best one will be counted towards the score. Aren't you proficient in regular script, running script, and cursive script? This imperial examination will be very beneficial to you..."
Li Nuo paused slightly.
The questions in the imperial examinations were not exactly the same in every session.
Among them, calligraphy consists of four items, and the test questions have a certain degree of flexibility. Taking painting as an example, sometimes it tests ink painting, sometimes it tests color painting, and sometimes it tests both with a slightly reduced difficulty.
But calligraphy rarely changes.
He had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Li Nuo looked at the student and asked, "Brother, can you give us a little more details about the changes in the calligraphy scroll you mentioned?"
The student saw the Qingfeng Academy uniform that Li Nuo was wearing and said with a smile, "In fact, only one piece is used as the final score. It is not much different from before. However, if the calligraphy scores are the same, the other two pieces are better written, so the ranking can be ranked higher..."
It sounds like there hasn't been any changes on this one.
But Li Nuo was greatly weakened.
So far, he only knows how to write small calligraphy with flowers in his hair.
He was excellent at writing hairpin-flowered small regular script, but he was not even close to being good enough at the other two styles.
Great calligraphers are rarer than great painters, and Steward Wu has not given him any results yet.
Li Nuo even suspected whether this was deliberately targeting him.
After leaving Qingfeng Academy and returning to the Song Mansion, Li Nuo said to Butler Wu: "Help me check something..."
Butler Wu acted quickly and gave Li Nuo a reply an hour later.
The changes in the calligraphy paper this time were promoted by the person who set the questions and the chief examiner of this year's imperial examination calligraphy paper.
This man's name was Wei Xun. He was a famous calligrapher in Daxia. He held no official position and taught calligraphy at Qingfeng Academy. He had many students all over the world throughout his life. He was also incorruptible and had no leverage over anyone, so the Mingjing Division could not do anything to him this time.
This temporarily dispelled Li Nuo's doubts. Could it be that the adjustment of the calligraphy scroll this time was not aimed at him?
Butler Wu asked, "Master, why are you asking about this person?"
Li Nuo said: "It's okay, just asking."
Butler Wu said casually: "Wei Xun has a good reputation, but his son is not a good person. As an official appointed by the court, he broke the law knowingly and did many things that angered the heavens and the people. In the end, he was beheaded by the master..."
“…”
Li Nuo can now be sure.
If this calligraphy adjustment was not aimed at him, he would write the word "Li" upside down.
Calligraphy is different from mathematics. In mathematics, right is right and wrong is wrong. If all the answers are correct, it is excellent, and if one answer is wrong, it is A-. The examiner has no room for maneuver.
But calligraphy is different. It relies heavily on the subjective evaluation of the examiner. For the same piece of calligraphy, different examiners may give two levels of evaluation difference, which is within the normal range.
His father's enemy was the chief examiner of his imperial examination, which was not a good thing.
Although the imperial examination was anonymous.
But his hairpin-flowered small calligraphy is unique and can be easily recognized.
Li Nuo thought for a moment and said to Butler Wu, "Send someone to check again..."
When Butler Wu came back again, he said unexpectedly: "Master, your guess is correct. Not long ago, Wei Xun had contact with people from Fengyang Marquis's Mansion, but no evidence of his bribery was found..."
He looked at Li Nuo with some emotion on his face.
The young master and the old master are really becoming more and more alike.
The master also suddenly became enlightened in a short period of time, and was reborn, like a different person.
Now, the young master is also like this...
Is this the Li family’s special bloodline?
Li Nuo didn't know what Butler Wu was thinking. The hairpin-flowered small calligraphy was too conspicuous and definitely could not be used anymore. With less than ten days left before the imperial examination, he had to solve these problems as soon as possible.
He looked at Butler Wu and asked, "How are the investigations on those calligraphy masters going?"
Butler Wu said: "We are still investigating. It may take some time."
Li Nuoke didn't have any extra time. He slowly stood up and said, "Let's go to the Dali Temple..."
…
Qingfeng Academy.
"Hello, Mr. Wei."
"Meet Mr. Wei."
"Take care, Mr. Wei."
An old man with a gaunt face slowly walked out of Qingfeng Academy. Every student he met and the person guarding the door greeted him respectfully.
Mr. Wei is not only the teacher of Qingfeng Academy, but also the number one calligrapher in Daxia. He is proficient in many styles of calligraphy. Even his students hold an important position in the calligraphy world.
In this imperial examination, Mr. Wei was the chief examiner for calligraphy. After the joint efforts of him and several calligraphy examiners, he finally got the court to approve the adjustment of the calligraphy paper.
Although generally speaking, there is no change from before, but when the calligraphy scores are the same, candidates who are better at calligraphy will have an advantage in ranking.
Don't underestimate this tiny advantage. The candidates for the imperial examination are different from those for the spring examination. There is not much difference between them. A slight advantage may be the difference between being on the list and not being on the list.
After leaving the academy, Wei Xun took out a jade pipe from his waist, filled it with tobacco, and took a deep puff.
So what if he got first place in the spring examination? As long as he is still the examiner, that traitor's son will never be able to get an excellent score in the subject.
The hairpin-flowered small regular script is just the handwriting of a girl, not worthy of being in a formal setting. Even if he couldn't ban it, he wouldn't give it too high an evaluation.
“Heh…bah!”
After smoking dry tobacco for a long time, his throat felt uncomfortable and he casually spat out a mouthful of phlegm.
Passersby who saw this avoided it with disgust.
Wei Xun was about to leave when he was suddenly stopped by someone.
The other party was wearing a constable's uniform. If he were an ordinary person, he would probably be scared if he was stopped by a constable.
But Wei Xun just glanced at them calmly and asked, "Why did you stop me?"
A constable pointed to a mouthful of thick spit on the ground and said, "According to the Chang'an Sanitation Management Regulations, anyone who spits on the street will be flogged five times, detained for one day, and taken away."
Wei Xun's old face showed astonishment, and he asked, "I have been in Chang'an for decades, how come I have never heard of such a rule?"
The constable said with a stern face, "I'm sorry, this is a new rule that the Dali Temple has just set, and it will be implemented from today."
Wei Xun's expression changed, and he said, "I am a teacher at Qingfeng Academy. I don't know about this new rule. Can you two show some mercy?"
The teacher of the academy has an exclusive status and even the government officials have to show respect to him. This is also the reason why he is not afraid of these two people in the first place.
The constable shook his head and said, "Even if you are a teacher in the academy, you must abide by the laws of Daxia. Old sir, you are a person of status and you should set an example. You should just follow us honestly..."
(End of this chapter)
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