I saw three or five people coming over, led by a young man with fair skin, who was obviously exhausted by alcohol and sex.
Song Chi recognized him. His name was Li Sheng and he was from the Li family in Ji County.
The Han family supported four major families in Ji County, and the Li family was one of them.
At the female commander's homecoming banquet, this person was following behind Han Yuanzheng and supporting him. He had passed the county examination with him and now came to take part in the provincial examination.
Song Chi knew that this boy had no talent, so he used the relationship of County Magistrate Bai Yong to pass the county exam. The Han family was about to fall, and the Li family, as a vassal, would have a bad ending. Yet, they ran to him to show off...
"Come on, let's go in."
Song Chi ignored Fu Cong and the others and went straight into the examination hall.
"You..." Li Sheng gritted his teeth when he saw that he was being ignored, "Let's see how long you can be so proud."
He turned to his companions and said, "The provincial examination is presided over by the prefect. You must have heard how the prefect treats him. He will be the first person to win the first place in the county exam but fail the provincial examination."
Several people sneered.
Little did they know that Song Chi had already made a "deal" with the prefect Zhou Zheng'an. Zhou Zheng'an would not make things difficult for him in the prefectural examination, and he would let him go when he submitted the evidence of his crime.
It is strange that two people who are already hostile to each other reach such a cooperation, and it is even more impossible for them to truly trust each other.
However, Song Chi knew that Zhou Zhengan would agree. For him, he just needed to do his job impartially in the provincial examination, and perhaps he could exchange it for a way out. Why not do it?
The county examination was held in this examination hall two months ago. Song Chi was very familiar with the venue. He passed the inspection according to the procedures and entered. The prefect Zhou Zhengan was sitting on the front stage, and every candidate had to come before him for inspection.
"Please take a seat."
Zhou Zhengan waved his hand casually and did not make things difficult. The two of them understood each other tacitly.
This young man who had shined at the female commander's homecoming banquet had now reached a point where he was unable to do anything about it.
No one knows how this matter will end, and even the Han family has prepared for the worst.
The candidates took their seats in turn, some in the examination room. The provincial examination was the second examination on the road to the imperial examination. It was obviously much stricter than the county examination, and there were many patrols walking around in the examination room.
Song Chi was confident and not at all anxious or panicky.
In the past two months, County Magistrate Feng has given him extra lessons almost every night. He has learned more than most other candidates and is now preparing for the provincial examination.
The county examination, prefectural examination, and academy examination can only be regarded as qualification examinations, while the provincial examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination are the formal imperial examinations.
But for most people, the qualifying test is already a difficult mountain to climb.
Song Chi's heart is as calm as water. His future lies in the officialdom, the real officialdom, not being a legal advisor to give advice to others.
Not long after he sat down, yamen runners walked back and forth in the examination room holding signs, announcing the test questions. Song Chi took a quick look and then bent down to start writing.
He had been practicing for a long time. As soon as he saw the question, the article would naturally appear in his mind. He would just spread out the test paper and start working without even writing a draft.
As long as Zhou Zhengan doesn't make things difficult for him, he can get the first place in the case based on his own strength.
However, since the transaction was done in advance, there is no need to worry.
After seeing the test questions, most candidates started to write, but many scratched their heads, not knowing how to start. The rules of the provincial and county examinations were similar, and some candidates had already started to hand in their papers in the afternoon.
When handing in the paper, just place it in front of the prefect.
Some brave candidates even try to get close to the examiner. This is considered a small interview. If they can pass it and get his approval, they will be selected on the spot.
It is no exaggeration to say that a single word can determine life or death.
Passing the provincial examination would give one the status of a student, which meant one had already escaped from the common people class. For many people, it was a life-changing experience.
This is power, this is official position.
I think many candidates nowadays are fantasizing that they will become the person sitting in that position in the future.
Song Chi was not among the first group to hand in his paper. He had already attracted enough attention, so he had to keep a low profile. He kept paying attention and saw that several more people had handed in their papers. Then he followed them to the front of the stage and put his test paper on the table like everyone else.
After handing in the paper, he was about to turn around and leave when he heard Zhou Zhengan shout, "Wait!"
Song Chi stopped.
Zhou Zhengan picked up his test paper and looked at it, shaking his head and reciting a few sentences from time to time.
The people around looked at him strangely, and some sneered.
Seeing this scene, Li Sheng also hurried over to hand in his paper. He was ready to watch the joke. Now everyone knew that Song Chi was the biggest troublemaker in Ji County. With Feng Zhixian as his backer, he didn't take anyone seriously.
There was no way that Governor Zhou would let him pass the county examination, no matter how well he wrote his essay.
"This boy is indeed very talented!"
Zhou Zhengan couldn't help but sigh in his heart while reading the article.
He would sometimes glance at the essays handed in by the candidates. It could be said that the quality of the essays was mixed, and there was no essay that caught his eye. Although Zhou Zhengan was lustful and greedy for money, he was also an orthodox Jinshi and an official who became an official through the imperial examination.
Poetry and prose are basic skills.
Song Chi's work is a rare masterpiece, and he deserves the first place for this article.
If this child had not died young, he would have become a dragon among dragons and phoenixes in the future.
However, he could not make it to the end. What he did in Ji County had angered the important people. Han Yu had already urgently informed the Prime Minister of what happened in Ji County. As the instigator of the incident, how could he have a good ending?
In Zhou Zhengan's opinion, Song Chi was being used.
The young boy was pure in heart. He just wanted to repay Feng Yuan for his hard work in winning him the first place in the county case.
Having said that, it was also because he was hostile to the Prime Minister's son at the female commander's homecoming banquet.
What a pity.
Zhou Zhengan sighed inwardly, then said, "You once presented a poem for the female commander at her homecoming banquet, and she valued you. Since then, I haven't heard you compose a poem again. Now, I order you to compose one first. If your poem is outstanding, you will be the first in the list."
He tested him on the spot because he was curious about Song Chi's talent.
Even if Song Chi couldn't do it, he would still choose Song Chi as the first choice. This article was enough, and this was also the deal between him and Song Chi.
"Please give the questions, sir." Song Chi bowed, surprised but not panicked.
"April is the time when orchids are in full bloom, so you wrote a poem on the theme of orchids."
Zhou Zhengan said calmly, "There are many poems about orchids, but few are outstanding. You should write it now so as not to affect future generations."
Some candidates who came to hand in their papers had already gathered, and their eyes were all focused on Song Chi.
There are many literary societies in Ning'an Prefecture, the largest of which is called Youlan Pavilion. This pavilion is located in the prefectural city, where you can enjoy the blooming orchids. Zhou Zhengan is a member of Youlan Pavilion and also the honorary leader.
Song Shiwen considered himself a gentleman, and therefore he loved plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum very much, and the literary party also followed suit.
"Do you have any writing materials?" Song Chi asked directly without pausing.
Writing a poem on the theme of orchid is something that comes easily to me.
"I will write and you just recite." Zhou Zhengan picked up the pen. He was curious about what kind of poem Song Chi could write.
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