Chapter 234 Jiang Yan's Solution

"Ah?" The little devil tilted his head and thought about it. It seemed that there really was such a thing. "Zhao Gao, Liang Ji, Qin Hui... they harmed many good people."

Xu Wan nodded and said, "What I fear most is that bad people are smart and eloquent, and can easily deceive those in power or even the public."

Zong Jincheng lowered his head and muttered, "Then I have to study it carefully."

As he spoke, he turned back to the study. As he walked, he was still wondering what the corrupt officials were thinking. Why did they have to oppress others instead of enjoying their own good lives?

Xu Wan arranged for the two new teachers to live in the mansion. The Jinshi Jiang Yan was in charge of Shen Yibai, and the other one was named Xu Jin, who was Cheng Zhidong's cousin, and was in charge of guarding the road.

When Xu Wan and Cuizhi were arranging accommodation for the two children, she was still laughing and saying, "Thank goodness our mansion is so big, otherwise it would have been full long ago."

Cuizhi raised her eyebrows and said, "Madam, don't worry. There is an empty house next to our mansion. The old lady bought it a long time ago. If there is no room for it, you can break through the other side of the courtyard wall and connect it into one."

Xu Wan: “…” That’s not necessary.

Five children are enough. If there were more, her place would really become a primary school.

Zhao Yin took the two new teachers to familiarize themselves with the environment. Amid their constantly amazed gazes, Zhao Yin realized that the key classes in the Marquis' Mansion were far ahead of the academies outside.

Xu Jin said: "No wonder the two young masters were able to pass the examination to become Tongzilang within a year."

Zhao Yin smiled and said, "You two have to work hard too. Try to make sure these two young masters pass the Tongzi exam next year."

The two people who didn't know the level of Shen Yibai and Wei Xinglu said confidently: "Don't worry, brother, with your successful experience, we will definitely try our best to keep up."

Zhao Yin smiled quietly, but still pretended to be serious: "Thank you for your hard work. Keep trying."

"Uh-huh!"

Jiang Yan and Xu Jin are the new generation of Jinshi, and they have strong learning ability, so they can get started quickly. They are discussing with the two young masters what angle to use for the next debate, and then they are learning the life stories of good and bad officials.

The more Shen Yibai learned, the more he felt something was wrong. Finally, he reluctantly reacted and said, "No, we are the good officials. How can I understand what bad officials do?"

Wei Xinglu echoed, "Yeah, don't Jincheng and Wenxiu only know each other? Why do we have to know both sides?"

He Zheng weakly waved his hand: "Brothers, I am also learning from both sides. Because they both know a lot about historical figures, they just need to dig deeper into the people who are debating their own topics."

Wei Xinglu was twisted, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Jin Cheng also knows everything? He has only been studying for a year, how can he know everything?"

Shen Yibai was also very unconvinced: "That's right, one year is too fake, isn't it? Did Jin Cheng secretly study without our knowledge before?"

The little devil was busy reading a book in the study and didn't participate in their discussion at all. Even if he heard anything, he pretended not to hear it. He was so focused.

Wei Xinglu was even more puzzled. If it were in the past, his brother would have immediately jumped over to quarrel with them and show off, so why was he so calm now?

Are you really not possessed by some memorizing ghost or study ghost?

He Zheng threw the book to them and said, "Come and read it with me. It's nothing to pass the exam in one year. If we study hard, we can all pass it next year. I want to be determined to get the first place in the exam."

Shen Yibai and Wei Xinglu subconsciously took the book. Wei Xinglu shouted again: "How come you are as crazy as Jincheng? You dare to be the first in Tongzilang!"

He Zheng smiled and said, "There is still a year left. By then, I will definitely be more than the first place in the Tongzilang."

Wei Xinglu: “…” The more he spoke, the more boastful he became.

Shen Yibai: "Tsk."

He Zheng held the book and continued to look for Zong Jincheng to read it together. He wanted to ask him questions when he came across something he didn't understand.

However, Zong Jincheng was obviously not a patient person. He told He Zheng to stop making noise and wait for him to finish his work before coming over to talk to him. He Zheng did as he was told.

Shen Yibai was at a loss for words: "I remember He Zheng is one year older than Jin Cheng, right? How come Jin Cheng treats him like a younger brother?"

Wei Xinglu rested his chin on his hand and thought: "They both work so hard. If we stop reading books, we won't be able to beat them even the corrupt officials, right?"

Shen Yibai immediately retorted: "How is that possible? Corrupt officials can be punished by anyone. If he can win this defense, I will cut off my head and let him kick it!"

Wei Xinglu: “…”Brother, there’s no need to gamble so much.

Jiang Yan brought a book of celebrity biographies to Shen Yibai to read. Shen Yibai flipped through it casually and said, "Jiang Ziya, Zhuge Liang, Bao Zheng... Aren't these a lot of well-known ministers? Who doesn't know this? How can we not win?"

Wei Xinglu shook his head at his arrogance: "Brother, have you forgotten how Jin Cheng won the argument against us?"

"That's because the topic he raised is correct." Shen Yibai believed it firmly.

Jiang Yan listened to the two people chatting from the side, feeling amused and helpless. It was obvious that Shen Yibai's side was the most reasonable party in that debate, but the three of them were weaklings and couldn't win the debate.

Shen Yibai noticed that Jiang Yan was laughing at them, and immediately turned his attention to him: "Master Jiang, do you have a way to win over Jin Cheng?"

Jiang Yan smiled and said, "Of course, each of our teachers can defeat Jin Cheng."

Shen Yibai's eyes lit up immediately: "Savior!!!"

Wei Xinglu also hurried over and asked, "Master Jiang, are you so powerful? Tell us quickly, if you were to defend the case, how would you have won?"

Zhao Yin had already told him about the debate process of the previous day. Jiang Yan once again sighed that his wife was really creative, and then thought that if it weren't for the three inexperienced people on the opposite side, Jin Cheng and Wen Xiu would not have been unable to retort after just a few sentences.

He thought for a moment and reminded, "In fact, Jincheng used life expectancy as an example in the end in order to show you the growth trend, so as to convince you that the possibility of an eleven-year-old winning the imperial examination is very high. On the contrary, can you also find an example with a downward trend to make them believe that it will become increasingly difficult in the future?"

"But his father did become the top scorer in the imperial examination at the age of fifteen, breaking the minimum age limit for passing the imperial examination..." Shen Yibai was beaten so badly that he still looked very convinced.

Jiang Yan said, "Yes, the solution lies in the Tongzi Ke. To become the top scholar at the age of eleven, one must pass the Tongzi Ke to participate in the imperial examination as an exception. However, the Tongzi Ke has been on a downward trend. In the beginning, Tongzilang could become an official after passing the exam, but later it became a policy that only adults could be appointed as officials. Now it has been reduced to the point where only those who pass the imperial examination can participate in the imperial examination as an exception. What does this indicate?"

The two kids were suddenly enlightened and their eyes widened.