Chapter 124: Exchange of Masters

After dinner, Zong Jincheng began his writing journey.

From the first time he heard Pan Hongzhi let the cat out of the bag, to when he went to Zong Wenxiu to borrow silver to redeem the jade pendant, to when he wrote a letter to his grandmother and never received a reply, he reflected for a while and finally remembered that his birthday was coming soon, and if his grandparents were coming back it must be because of this matter.

So he asked Shunzi to go to the kitchen to get a piece of chili pepper, rubbed some under his eyelids, and began his journey to pursue the truth.

Pan Hongzhi took a deep breath and pinched his Ren Zhong, forcing himself to put himself in Zong Jincheng's perspective.

I have to say, if you put yourself in the child's shoes, you will feel that this child is really smart. In the process of pursuing the truth, he quickly figured out a way to break the impasse and made successful progress, fooling the other person, an adult, around.

Awesome, really awesome.

Pan Hongzhi, who was coaxed into a tizzy, gritted his teeth and said, "After applying the chili pepper, you can describe your physical and psychological feelings in a sentence or two. This will better highlight your determination."

"That makes sense." Zong Jincheng made some revisions and added two more sentences.

Shunzi was laughing beside him.

He thought that Master Pan would feel better if he wrote it this way, as Master Cheng would at least have lost some money.

Pan Hongzhi tried his best to guide him in writing the article calmly. After seeing that the little devil wrote in the last sentence that he was happy and excited, and that he had memorized more books than usual...he felt that it was okay and helpful.

In the large study.

Xu Wan is still discussing Zong Wenxiu's learning progress with Cheng Zhidong.

Cheng Zhidong said, "Based on Wenxiu's current progress, he can be admitted even if he takes the examination for the Northern Academy of the Imperial Academy. That's what Hongzhi said."

"Is it the children's class in the North Courtyard?" Xu Wan asked.

"Of course." Cheng Zhidong said with a smile, "In the test three days later, Master Xiu will make steady progress, Madam, don't worry."

"Then can Luo Chen also come in?" Xu Wan asked again.

The two children had agreed on who would perform better in the exam. If both of them could get in, it would be hard to say who would win and who would lose.

Cheng Zhidong shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. We haven't seen Luo Chen's test paper, so we can't judge his level. As for Qin Shi, I heard that Luo Chen had a hard time surpassing Qin Shi. Their levels should be similar. If we can borrow a copy of Qin Shi's test paper, we should be able to estimate it."

Speaking of Qin Ye's brother, Pan Hongzhi had heard many rumors in the North Courtyard of Hanlin Academy. Qin Shi had a gentle personality and did not like to argue with others. People who knew him either wanted to cause trouble for him or stayed away from him because they were afraid of getting into trouble with him. Only Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu helped him once.

Young people are most grateful for favors. He thought that if he went to Qin Shi in the name of Zong Wenxiu to ask for a copy of his answer sheet, the other party would give it to him.

Xu Wan thought about it and said, "Let's ask Wen Xiu tomorrow if he is willing. If he agrees, I will ask Master Pan to help run the trip. After all, he was once a member of the Northern Academy of the Imperial Academy, so he should be more convincing."

"good."

Zong Wenxiu agreed. He also wanted to know how big the gap was between him and Qin Shi. Qin Shi was even more generous and let Pan Hongzhi bring back his monthly exam papers for the past three months without hiding anything.

Seeing Qin Shi's test paper, the two brothers of the Zong family came over excitedly to have a look. However, when they saw the handwriting on the test paper that was almost indistinguishable from the test questions, they were both dumbfounded.

Zong Wenxiu asked: "Why is this handwriting exactly the same as Qin Ye's?"

Zong Jincheng was also surprised and said, "Could it be that the wrong test paper was taken from Qin Ye?"

Finally, it was Pan Hongzhi, the former teacher of the Hanlin North Academy, who explained: "No, this is the test paper from the Qin Dynasty. Look, there are names written on it. As for the similar handwriting, it's because the first lesson for students in our North Academy is to learn how to write."

"Learning to write here does not mean literally, but writing with uniform and square structure, uniform and regular spacing, no connecting strokes, no crossing, no irregularities, just like the neat characters in printed fonts, the purpose is to make it easy for the examiners to recognize."

Pan Hongzhi's words broadened the perspectives of both children.

It is worthy of being the number one academy in Beijing, it is so exquisite.

"Is this also the kind of calligraphy that Luo Chen writes?" Zong Jincheng asked.

Pan Hongzhi smiled and said, "Of course, since it's an introductory course, anyone who enters the North Academy of the Imperial Academy must learn to write this kind of calligraphy, including me."

Zong Jincheng pursed his lips and added after a long while: "You are so boring..."

Pan Hongzhi smiled and tried to point out someone: "As long as you can do well in the exam, it is still necessary to practice calligraphy."

Zong Jincheng pretended not to understand and continued to ask, "Is Qin Shi better than my brother?"

He would not compare himself with Qin Shi. According to the previous performance of Hanlin North Academy, which beat Qingbo Academy, he was probably still far behind Qin Shi.

Cheng Zhidong looked at the test paper and said, "There are a few blanks here, which are the ones that Qin Shi did not answer or answered incorrectly, but Wen Xiu has mastered these points very well."

The implication is that Zong Wenxiu has surpassed the Qin Dynasty.

"Really? Is my brother really that awesome?" Zong Jincheng jumped with excitement.

Zong Wenxiu was still in a daze and didn't dare to move. He asked in disbelief, "I've surpassed Qin Shi?"

But, but he is Qin Ye’s brother…

Pan Hongzhi smiled and said, "When we came back, Qin Shi told me that his performance was similar to Luo Chen's. If you can be better than him, then it won't be a problem to defeat Luo Chen."

Zong Wenxiu was happy and excited holding Qin Shi's test paper, but then he became a little worried and said, "What about Qin Shi..." Isn't he sad?

Xu Wan patted his shoulder and said, "Don't think too much. Qin Shi is very strong and he knows how to go on his own path."

Zong Wenxiu heaved a sigh of relief and said to Zhao Yin, "Then I will practice this kind of formal handwriting while reviewing the knowledge in the next three days, so as not to lose to Luo Chen in this aspect."

Zhao Yin smiled and said, "I transferred to the Hanlin North Courtyard midway through my studies. I didn't stay there for long. If you want to be an expert in teaching this kind of characters, it has to be Master Pan."

Xu Wan responded, "That's true. Then Master Pan should switch with Master Zhao for the next three days."

Zhao Yin: “???”

No, that's not what I meant!

I slap my mouth which moves faster than my brain!!!

Pan Hongzhi's heart was already setting off fireworks, and after a while, he pretended to be calm and said, "No problem, I guarantee that Wen Xiu will be able to become a master in three days."

Zhao Yin looked at him with deep sorrow, he had already guessed how this guy was laughing in his heart. What a mistake! Why did he rely on the fact that he was poached midway and didn't learn this skill directly?

I regret it so much...

That night when he lived with Zong Jincheng, Zhao Yin moved over fearfully, like a kidnapped young wife, and was reluctant to go to bed, fearing that there were rats and cockroaches waiting for him on the bed.

But after waiting for a while and seeing no movement on the bed, he remembered that Pan Hongzhi had said that Zong Jincheng had never played a trick on anyone. He patted his chest, relaxed and encouraged himself: Stay calm, stay calm, there is nothing more difficult in the world than taking the imperial examination.