Chapter 57 Impossible Impossible
After a few good meals, Mr. Wen finally overcame his fatherly love and once again raised the ruler to Wen Zhu, forcing him to study hard, otherwise this guy would go to waste.
But there are countermeasures to every policy. Wen Zhu took the opportunity to go out to purchase the four treasures of the study and took Su Fengzhang out.
As a result, after buying the things, he was not willing to go home immediately. Instead, he dragged him into the restaurant and ordered a table full of dishes.
Su Fengzhang felt sick of all the delicious meat and fish. He loved meat, but he couldn't help but eat it every day. He couldn't help but complain, "You haven't eaten enough at home yet, and you're still eating out."
Wen Zhu said, "How can this be the same as being at home? We can sit here and see the beautiful scenery of Qingjiang River, drink some wine, and eat some meat and vegetables. Isn't that very elegant?"
Su Fengzhang followed his gaze, and now he felt something completely different when he looked at Qingjiang again: "Looking at Qingjiang now always gives me a different feeling. The river is so clear, and we have contributed to it."
"That's right. I feel backache when I see Qingjiang." Wenzhu also said with a smile.
"You." Su Fengzhang was helpless with him and reached out to pour a cup of tea. "You can eat, but don't drink. Otherwise, I won't cover for you later. Then prepare to get beaten."
"Okay, let's drink tea." Wenzhu is also a person who is easily satisfied.
This restaurant is built by the river. The breeze is gentle and it feels a bit cool. Sitting there and eating and drinking is quite enjoyable. What's rare is that the food in this restaurant tastes very good, and it is indeed different from the taste at home.
As they were drinking, they heard a few scholars at the next table clinking glasses. One of them shouted loudly, "Come on, drink, drink, drink! There are only a few days left. What's the point of studying at this time? You might as well treat yourself to good food and drink."
"That's right, hey, it's supposed to be a college entrance examination, but now it's become a big fuss, and people are not allowed to talk about it."
"If you ask me, it's still the North-South list of our Great Zhou Dynasty that's wrong. If we take the exam together, what will those northern students have to do? If nothing else, just look at Brother Zhao's literary talent. Isn't he a jinshi?"
"That's really great, but have you heard a joke? It happened in a small county town in the north."
"Our dynasty has a regulation that every county must admit at least three students each year. However, there is a county town located in a remote mountainous area. The people there can't even get enough to eat, let alone learn to read. Their education and culture are extremely backward."
"One year, there were only three applicants for the imperial examination. After the exam was over, the chief examiner collected the papers and took a look. Guess what happened?"
"It turns out that of these three people's papers, one only copied the question and wrote the word 'qie qu', one didn't even write 'qie qu', and the last one handed in a blank paper without even copying the question."
"But at least three people must be admitted," the examiner said helplessly. With a wave of his hand, the one who at least wrote the content got first place and was described as knowledgeable. The one who only copied the test paper got second place and was described as promising. The last one got third place, and he even praised him for handing in a blank paper, saying that although he didn't write rashly, he was also a cautious person."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scholars present were indeed in an uproar, and they all asked, "Is this true? For us scholars in the south, it is extremely difficult to pass the examination to become a Tongsheng. Many people have studied their entire lives, but are stuck at this hurdle."
"Yes, if the North really does this, wouldn't it be a great advantage?"
"If you ask me, creating a North-South ranking is just giving them an advantage for no reason. They themselves have no real talent, yet they blame us for being talented. That's just not right."
"Isn't it? It's a pity that Gu Daru, who was once famous throughout his life, ended up like this."
"Shut up! You're risking your lives! This is the decision of Emperor Taizu. The Fifth Prince is still in Qingzhou Prefecture."
When the fifth prince was mentioned, although the scholars were full of complaints, they did not dare to speak so bluntly.
Wen Zhu listened attentively all the way, then turned to Su Fengzhang and asked, "Fengzhang, do you think what they said is true?"
"The living standards of the people in the north and south are different. The south of the Yangtze River is more affluent. I can hardly imagine the hardship in the remote northern areas. Under such conditions, it is difficult to fill your stomach, let alone study."
"When the granaries are full, people learn etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they learn honor and disgrace. It is nothing more than this."
In the past, Wenzhu probably didn't understand what he was saying, thinking that the northern scholars had taken advantage. But after experiencing the flood control, he could understand some of it: "You do have some truth in what you said."
"But I still think it's a bit unfair if you can become a Tongsheng even if you hand in a blank paper."
Su Fengzhang added, "Tongsheng is just a nice-sounding title. If you really don't have talent, you won't be able to pass the academy and provincial examinations, let alone the metropolitan examinations."
"Over the years, the Northern Scholars have produced many talented people. Although there are separate lists for the North and South, the final rankings are the same. There are also many northerners who have won the top prize, so we can't generalize."
Wen Zhu nodded after hearing this: "That's true, but some people also say that the emperor prefers northern scholars to southern ones."
Su Fengzhang didn't know what he was thinking, so he leaned over to his ear and said, "I don't know about other emperors, but the current emperor is definitely not one of them."
Wenzhu seemed to have thought of something, and the two exchanged a meaningful smile.
Most people in the world know what kind of personality the current emperor has. During the time of Emperor Taizu, talent, place of origin, and even family background were considered when selecting the top scholar, and officials from the north and south of the court were weighed.
But this person is different. All educated people probably know that the current emperor is a face control. He likes good-looking people. It would be even better if you are good-looking and sensible.
The most famous one was that there was a Jinshi who had an outstanding appearance. It was said that he was handsome and elegant, but he only got the last place in the imperial examination.
As a result, when the imperial examination took place in the court, the emperor took a liking to this Jinshi at first sight. He thought that since he was so handsome, his knowledge must be extraordinary, and he was determined to promote him.
At that time, several university scholars tried their best to dissuade him, but finally took a step back and said that if it couldn't be the top scorer, then the third place would be fine.
But the emperor refused, saying to the outside world, "How can such a talent be inferior to others?" So he appointed him as the top scholar.
Not to mention Hui Yuanlang's frustration at that time, such things happened more than once during the current emperor's reign. The current emperor chooses his wife, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law based on their looks, which is fine, but he also chooses officials based on their looks.
Those first few scholars shared a common hatred for the northern scholars and wished to tear their tendons and bones apart. The main reason was that the cultural and educational levels of the north and the south were different. After the rankings were divided, the southerners felt that their resources were being taken away.
As they drank more and more, those scholars became more and more unrestrained. They dared to say things they had not dared to say before, and dared to confront people they had not dared to confront before.
One person even slammed the table and stood up, cursing, "Don't I have to say that the Fifth Prince's method of managing the river is simply a mess. Why is he making us work for nothing? If he weren't a prince, I would have already..."
"Brother Prince, alright, let's not talk about this. Let's just eat and drink and not talk about those things." Some people still had some sense and knew that talking about the fifth prince in public was not a good thing.
But the prince refused to give up and said, "The emperor doesn't care what scholars say. Does the fifth prince want everyone to shut up?"
The others obviously didn't think so. Someone said, "Hey, we've already eaten and drunk, why don't we go home? We should go back and review. We can't miss the college entrance examination."
The man's cheeks flushed as he boasted, "No need to review, I'll definitely be on the list."
"Brother Wang, are you so confident? You should know that Lord Fang is a Jinshi who was born in the imperial examinations twice. His talent is very outstanding. If he really wants to make things difficult for us, he can easily stump a group of people by just changing the exam questions."
"Could the other Lord come up with another difficult question containing a hundred names to embarrass us?" Brother Wang laughed.
A group of people burst into laughter after hearing this. Su Fengzhang had already finished his meal, but Wen Zhu wanted to sit for a while longer. Apart from anything else, it was also good to listen to their gossip.
Su Fengzhang dragged him away, saying, "These people are also scholars. Not only do they speak without restraint, but they also criticize the prince and court officials behind their backs. They really don't know what they are talking about."
Even if the court and the royal family do not pursue the matter, people who talk about others behind their backs are not gentlemen and are not people worth making friends with.
Wen Zhu also nodded: "That's right, he's too venomous, he's not a good person."
Suddenly, Su Fengzhang paused slightly and saw a figure through the private room from the corner of his eye.
After walking downstairs, Su Fengzhang whispered, "The person in the private room next to us seems to be Lord Fang."
"What?" Wenzhu exclaimed in surprise, feeling sympathy for those scholars.
Su Fengzhang thought about what had just happened. They hadn't spoken loudly, but he quickly thought of something: "Just now, Brother Wang said that Lord Fang wouldn't ask a difficult question containing a hundred names. If Lord Fang heard this, do you think he would ask it?"
Wen Zhu was also surprised when he heard this and asked, "No way, who would come up with a difficult question involving a hundred names?"
Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows and felt that it was not impossible.
What he didn't know was that the person in the private room upstairs was none other than Fang Zhiwen, the prefect. He was accompanied by Fang Yu. Seeing the outbursts becoming increasingly outrageous, Fang Yu asked, "Uncle, do you want me to chase them away?"
Fang Zhiwen just shook his head lightly and sneered: "Let them be. There is no need to bother with such ignorant people."
After saying this, Fang Zhiwen looked at Fang Yu again and said, "Did you remember everything I told you just now?"
Fang Yu nodded, but there was some hesitation on his face: "Uncle, is this really feasible? Will it be..."
"You just need to act according to the plan. If there are any accidents, listen to Linlang." Fang Zhiwen said.
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