Chapter 61 Difficulty
The academy examination is over. Logically, the prefect should host a banquet for many newly-minted scholars. This time of year has always been the most lively time, and being able to show up in front of the prefect is what these scholars care about most.
But on this day, before the banquet even started, the atmosphere among the scholars was somewhat depressing.
It's not their fault. After all, there was the banquet after the provincial examination. In the same place, looking at the same scenery, many of them recalled the final result.
Even though they had returned from the river, the scholars who had suffered a lot still couldn't let it go, so their expectations for the banquet dropped significantly. Some even felt that if they could refuse, it would be best not to attend.
I have to say that it is pitiful that Prefect Fang has ended up like this. After all, the Fifth Prince should bear the main responsibility for the previous events.
Wenzhu was very excited. He was very satisfied with the second place and was looking forward to the performance.
He glanced at the snacks on the table and whispered into Su Fengzhang's ear, "Can we eat these snacks now, or are they just there for show?"
Su Fengzhang sometimes couldn't understand this person's train of thought, and said helplessly, "Of course you can eat it. Aren't you afraid that the prefect will come over in the middle of your meal and your mouth will be full of snacks?"
Wenzhu imagined the scene and thought it was quite embarrassing, so she quickly gave up the idea of trying the snacks in the yamen.
Because there were only fifty places for the scholars who were finally admitted, this time there were long tables instead of square tables in the yard, with one table for each person, and they were arranged in order according to their ranking.
One of them ranked first and the other ranked second, and their positions were right next to each other.
After the provincial examination, there should have been a literary gathering for the students to socialize, but who knew that it would happen to bring up the incident involving the Fifth Prince, so even Su Fengzhang, the scholar of this session, looked unfamiliar.
The only one I was relatively familiar with was Lu Mingchuan, who had also passed the exam at the bottom of the list. He came over to greet me cheerfully, saying with a smile, "I had known that Brothers Su and Wen were so talented. Sure enough, one got first place and the other second. I'm so ashamed of myself. I'll have to ask for your advice more often in the future."
Before Lu Mingchuan finished speaking, someone suddenly snorted and sneered, "I heard someone flattering me right after I came in. It's simply disgusting. How could such a person even get into high school?"
Lu Mingchuan's expression changed slightly. He glanced at the third place and said with a smile, "My ranking is indeed not good. I can't compare to my two brothers, each one is better than the other."
"Why, does this brother have other ideas?"
The third person was a young man in his early twenties. Even in the south, he was considered short, half a head shorter than Wenzhu. But at this moment, he looked at them coldly with his nose in the air.
He only continued to sneer, "I was the top scorer in the county exam and the prefectural exam. If I hadn't been unwell during this college exam, it wouldn't be the turn of a pheasant to call itself a phoenix."
This is a bit harsh.
Wen Zhu laughed heartily and said, "What a coincidence! My Feng Zhang also took first place in the county exam, first place in the prefectural exam, and now he even took first place in the imperial court exam, a true top three. This brother was the top place in the prefectural exam last year, right? It's been quite a few years. Could it be that after taking first place, you didn't study hard, and that's why you lost to us?"
Su Fengzhang also laughed and said, "Wenzhu, even if it's the truth, you can't say it in front of your defeated general. It's not authentic."
Wen Zhu also nodded: "That's true. We've already won, so we have to give him some face."
The third-place guy's face turned red with anger, his nose was wheezing with anger, and the fingers he was pointing at them were shaking.
Finally, he seemed to have lost his mind and cursed, "Don't be so arrogant. This time, Master Fang asked such a difficult question, and yet you two both answered it. You two are from the same school, eat and live together, and you both answered it at the same time. Who knows what unspeakable conspiracy you have."
"Brother Wang, you can't say such things." However, the scholar who ranked fourth next to him came out to stop him when he saw that the situation was not good.
Wang Zhigao, however, seemed to have received some evidence and continued to speak without hesitation: "Am I wrong? You two are the only two in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture who have answered the question. Who would believe that there is nothing fishy about this?"
"Nonsense," Wen Zhu said angrily, "Feng Zhang won the first three places along the way, so he must have real talent and knowledge. You, a defeated general, should not humiliate his reputation."
Wang Zhigao stared at him and said, "He's the Little Three Scholars, but you're not. I know you're not very talented, but you managed to answer a difficult question this time. I'm not the only one here, I'm sure everyone here won't believe it."
This statement dragged everyone into the water, but except for him, everyone still had some sense. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, they all said, "What's there to believe or not? Mr. Wang, don't talk nonsense."
"That's right, please stop making noise at the prefect's banquet."
After all, everyone present had already passed the examination for the title of Scholar, even though their rankings were lower. They were the ones who least wanted any more twists and turns in this examination.
If Wang Zhigao were giving a speech outside and the person he was giving it to was a failed student, the situation would be very different.
Wang Zhigao grew even more furious when he saw them all avoiding the topic. He growled, "These two are close friends, yet they both answered the test questions. Don't you want to know what's going on?"
"I really don't understand what you're saying, Mr. Wang." Su Fengzhang said with a smile, "From what you're saying, it sounds like you suspect we knew the exam questions in advance, and that Lord Fang and the other deans are acting unfairly."
He directly exposed Wang Zhigao's words, which made him sober up a little. He quickly said, "That's not what I meant. It's just that it's possible that some people are guilty of something."
Su Fengzhang reached out to stop Wen Zhu from speaking, and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint Mr. Wang. I've always liked organizing miscellaneous things since I was a child. I have indeed organized the Seventy-Two Sages of Confucius and the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai before."
"Not only do I like watching it myself, I also like to drag Brother Wenzhu to watch it with me. Is there anything wrong with that?"
He spoke so frankly that Wang Zhigao was speechless.
Su Fengzhang continued, "Not only are there the 72 sages of Confucius and the 28 generals of Yuntai, I've also compiled the 42 clan names of the 25 sons of the Yellow Emperor, the 6 sons of Lu Zhong, the 5 tiger generals, the 5 good generals, and so on. This is Su's interest, isn't it?"
Wen Zhu also came back to his senses at once, and said with a tacit understanding, "Yes, my brother from the Su family has loved tossing and turning since he was young. However, it is because he has read the history books thoroughly that he can excerpt these things. If an ordinary person heard this, he would be dizzy and could only blame others if he couldn't write it in the college entrance examination."
"Oh, it's all Feng Zhang's fault that you're too outstanding. That's why others are jealous."
Su Fengzhang smiled faintly and continued, "If I'm not envied, I'm a mediocre person. If someone is jealous, it seems like they're praising me."
The two of them sang in unison, which actually made Wang Xiucai so angry that he fell backwards. He pushed away the person who was trying to stop the quarrel and said angrily: "I don't believe you can really recite all of this."
Su Fengzhang asked with amusement: "Why don't you give me a test and see if you can stump me."
Mr. Wang, not knowing he had fallen for a trick, immediately asked, "Then tell me, what are the eight bows of friendship?"
Su Fengzhang didn't even frown as he answered clearly, "The so-called eight bows of friendship refer to the directions, namely east, south, west, north, southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest. Among them, Yang Jiaoai and Zuo Baitao were friends for life and death, Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi were friends of soulmates, Lian Po and Lin Xiangru were friends of bearing thorns, Meng Liang and Jiao Zan were friends of eternal companionship, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were friends of the Peach Garden, Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya were friends of the same fate, Hu Zi and Gong Zishou were friends in need, and Cheng Ying and Gongsun Chujiu were friends of supporting an orphan."
"Am I right?" Su Fengzhang asked with a smile.
Wang Xiucai's mind was still spinning when Wenzhu shouted, "You can't even remember which eight sworn brothers you are, right?"
Wang Xiucai really couldn't remember it clearly. Who would remember it for no reason? But he would never admit it at this moment. He continued to ask, "Which three orders and which five orders are they?"
"The first order is to observe the enemy's plans, to see the convenience of the roads, to know where life and death lie; the second order is to listen to the gongs and drums, to observe the flags and banners, to unify their ears and eyes; the third order is to raise the axe, to announce punishments and rewards. These are the so-called five orders: the first order is to announce rewards and punishments, to unify their hearts; the second order is to observe the separations and alliances, to unify their paths; the third order is to draw the battle formations and banners; the fourth order is to listen to the fire drums in night battles; the fifth order is to deal with disrespectful orders with the axe."
"Mr. Wang, this is a bit too simple. If I can answer it, all the scholars present here can answer it." Su Fengzhang kept looking at Mr. Wang with a smile.
Wang Xiucai had already cursed him in his heart, thinking that this boy looked gentle and good-tempered, but he didn't expect that he was actually a smiling tiger, so disgusting.
Wenzhu was still stirring up trouble at this moment: "Yes, Mr. Wang, why don't you give us a harder test on Feng Zhang? What's the point of such a simple one? Isn't this just a waste of words?"
Wang Xiucai's face flushed crimson, and he became even more angry when he saw the looks from the people around him. Suddenly, he sneered, "Okay, since that's the case, I won't show any mercy."
"If you can answer this last question, I will recognize your exceptional talent today. You are truly worthy of first place."
Su Fengzhang said, "That's not right. The first place in the case was chosen by Lord Fang and the other principals. You and I are just newly-qualified scholars. How can we have the nerve to comment on this?"
Wang Xiucai's face turned pale and blue, and he finally shouted, "Okay, if you can answer this last question, I will obey you from now on and never say anything else."
"Please ask the questions." Su Fengzhang said lightly.
The more nonchalant he was, the more narrow-minded Mr. Wang seemed. The scholars who had originally thought that there was something strange about Su Fengzhang and the other man no longer thought so. They felt that Su Fengzhang at least had real talent and knowledge.
Wang Xiucai sneered and asked, "You bastard, tell me what the eight kinds of eggs are."
Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking that Mr. Wang was not too stupid, as he knew how to set a trap for him.
Upon hearing this question, a normal person would subconsciously wonder what the eight kinds of eggs are. For example, Wenzhu counted on her fingers and muttered, "Chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, bird eggs, snake eggs, and maybe even steamed eggs?"
Unable to figure it out, Wenzhu yelled, "Bastard is just an insult, what does it have to do with the words of a saint?"
Wang Xiucai seemed to have gained an advantage and asked with a smile: "Well, Su Xiucai can't answer it?"
Su Fengzhang laughed heartily, shook his head and said, "It's not that I can't answer, I just think Mr. Wang has misunderstood. In fact, the original meaning of 'Wang Badan' is to forget the Eight Virtues. The Eight Virtues refer to filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. It originally means to forget one's roots."
"It's just that this Wang Baduan is the words of scholars, so it's inevitably difficult to understand. When it spread among the people, it became a rumor and turned into a bastard."
"Mr. Wang's question just now was wrong. You shouldn't have asked me what eight kinds of eggs I am, but what eight kinds of virtues I am."
"So that's how it is. I always thought 'son of a bitch' was just a vulgar word among the people. Who knew it could be this way?" Wen Zhu was very interested in what she heard and said, "Feng Zhang, how do you know everything?"
"It's just that I read a few more books." Su Fengzhang said modestly.
The surrounding scholars all said, "Su Xiucai is too modest. He deserves to be the first in this case. His talent and learning are indeed extraordinary."
Su Fengzhang looked at Wang Xiucai, who was so frightened that he was sweating profusely. He seemed to have imagined the scene of him being submissive and servile, so he didn't dare to look Su Fengzhang in the eye.
Su Fengzhang reached out and patted his shoulder, smiling and saying, "We're all classmates, so there's no need to be subservient to me. However, I do have something to say to Mr. Wang."
After saying this, he leaned close to Wang Xiucai's ear and said, "There are three teachers in one village and two li, who don't know the Four Books, Five Classics and Six Principles, yet they dare to teach seven, eight, and nine others. How bold!"
After the words fell, Su Fengzhang laughed out loud and said, "I really like to make friends through literature. If you have time in the future, please feel free to come and find me. However, I am not very talented and knowledgeable, so please don't despise me."
This commotion actually made the originally quiet banquet lively. Everyone saw that Su Fengzhang was talented, had a wide range of knowledge, and was a humorous person, so they all came to join in the fun.
Only Mr. Wang looked embarrassed. But at this moment, a fellow villager came over and asked, "Brother Wang, what did Mr. Su whisper in your ear just now?"
Mr. Wang glared at him fiercely, then sat down angrily and drank his wine.
The man looked very innocent. He touched his nose and sat down, thinking that Mr. Wang was too narrow-minded. He couldn't beat others, so he couldn't beat them. He lost the provocation, but Mr. Su showed leniency to him, and he became even more excited. This kind of person should not be associated with.
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The author has something to say: Since everyone is so curious, let’s talk about who came up with such a weird question:
There are two different opinions on this question in unofficial history:
1.
During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, Li Xian served as the educational commissioner of Zhejiang Province.
Before the provincial exam that year, Li Xian went undercover to investigate the academic atmosphere. One day, he saw two young candidates playing chess and was deeply displeased: "The exam is so imminent, and you are so relaxed and at ease!"
At this time, one candidate said, "I've made sufficient preparations and will definitely pass the exam. The academic administrator can't possibly come up with a weird question with 100 names to confuse us, right?"
Another candidate chimed in, "Of course, I wouldn't expect him to come up with such a difficult question!"
After hearing this, the academician was furious. After returning to the government office, he racked his brains and came up with a question: "What are the virtues of the seventy-two sages of Confucius? What are the merits of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai?"
Who could possibly describe the virtues of Confucius' seventy-two disciples? The "Yuntai" (Cloud Terrace) was built in the Eastern Han Dynasty to honor twenty-eight founding heroes and features portraits of various generals. Such questions would be difficult to answer in an exam, let alone with the "Records of the Grand Historian" or "Book of the Later Han."
When the candidates saw the questions, they were all dumbfounded. Even the best candidate couldn't answer even one tenth of the answers. Finally, the examiner made another absurd decision: none of the candidates would be admitted!
2. This question was coined by Xie Jin, the editor-in-chief of the Yongle Encyclopedia, in the fourth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty. At the time, Lin Huan, a talented scholar from Putian, and Chen Shi, another talented young scholar from Putian, jointly entered the imperial court for the imperial examination. Their scholarship was comparable, but Lin Huan was handsome, while Chen Shi was unattractive. During the examination, the imperial concubines favored the suave Lin Huan over the unattractive Chen Shi. To favor Lin Huan, they deliberately made the wine and cup given to Chen Shi by the emperor extremely hot, causing Chen Shi to drop and break the cup, leaving a negative impression on the emperor. Lin Huan won the top spot, while Chen Shi was ranked second, a Jinshi.
Chen Shi, a young and energetic man, boldly submitted a memorial after the imperial examination, denouncing the unfairness of the examination and expressing his discontent. Chengzu summoned him to the palace, where Chen Shi declared his willingness to answer "a hundred questions and a hundred answers." Chengzu then ordered Xie Jin to set a new test for Lin and Chen. Xie Jin's question was: "Of the seventy-two sages of Confucius, what are the virtues of the sages? Of the twenty-eight generals of the Yuntai, what are the merits of the generals?" Lin and Chen complied with their answers. Chen Shi's essay, vying for the top spot in the imperial examination, ran to approximately a thousand words and can still be found in Volume 35 of the Putian County Chronicles, in the "Miscellaneous Talks" section. However, Chen Shi was ultimately sentenced to exile to the three frontiers on the charge of "disobeying the imperial decree by vying for the top spot in the imperial court." After a thorny, desolate, and grueling journey, and subjected to unbearable hard labor, this talented young scholar, whose impulsiveness had brought him disaster, ultimately died in the frontier.
Not accepting any of the former is also quite impressive. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2020-05-07 17:14:04 and 2020-05-08 16:41:27~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 13 bottles of BKD graduate student preparatory staff; 1 bottle of Huali;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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