The chief examiner of the provincial examination was the academic official sent from the capital, and the other dozen or so examiners were selected from the Jinshi officials of the province. In mid-February, the academic official sent to Jiangnan Province had arrived, and then everyone would go into seclusion to work together on the examination questions for the provincial examination, and would not come out until all the test papers were corrected.
Seeing that there was less than half a month left before the exam, Xie Shu stopped holding literary gatherings and allowed the members of the literary society to focus on reviewing for the upcoming provincial examination. He himself also stayed in his study every day.
Today, Xie Shu did not continue reading in the study, but invited her husband to go out for a trip.
It was still the end of February, and although the frost had faded, the branches of the dead trees by the roadside had not yet sprouted tender green buds. In such weather, there were few pedestrians, and only the sound of wheels turning could be heard.
Yu Chuxi was wearing an autumn-colored crane cloak, with half of his face hidden in the white lining, revealing only his deep eyebrows and eyes. He held the hot water bottle in his hand tightly, and said lazily, "Why did you bring me out when you can't stay at home and read a book?"
Xie Shu smiled and said, "Now that the exam is approaching, even if I read a sentence or two, it won't make any difference. It would be better to relax my mind."
Yu Chuxi nodded upon hearing this and felt that what Xie Shu said made some sense. He originally wanted to ask Xie Shu where he was going, but now there was no need to ask anymore. He just curled the corners of his lips slightly.
Xie Shu looked at Yu Chuxi and felt a surge of joy in his heart as well.
These days, Xie Shu has been concentrating on her studies and literary club. Although she can find time to spend with her lover, she always feels that her lover is being neglected. Now she finally has a chance to travel with her lover.
It was almost afternoon when we arrived at the small cottage in the middle of the lake which Xie Shu had arranged in advance.
After a heavy snowfall in the mountains yesterday, the mountains were washed clean by the clear snow, and the white clouds in the sky were the same color. There were only two or three human figures by the lake, and the lake light was like a mirror, clear and rippling.
Xie Shu led her husband down from the carriage, and the two of them boarded a green-sailed boat, which sailed gently toward the center of the lake.
There was a clean stove in the boat, and a teapot was brewing, emitting wisps of green smoke.
This time, Xie Shu came not only to take her husband to enjoy the scenery in the center of the lake, but also to taste a local delicacy called snow fish.
This kind of snow fish will only swim out from the bottom of the lake in winter. Its meat is white, tender and refreshing, and not greasy. However, due to its extremely rare number and the fact that snow fish only move in icy water, it is rarely seen in Jinling City. Xie Shu thought about trying it himself.
Although Xie Shu didn't have much experience in fishing, fortunately the fishing rods here were quite easy to use and were somewhat similar to modern casting rods.
When Xie Shu was putting up the bait, Yu Chuxi also came over to take a look out of curiosity.
Seeing that Yu Chuxi was interested, Xie Shu taught him step by step.
However, fishing in winter is not easy, and the two of them don’t have much skills, so they are inevitably in a mess, but Yu Chuxi still refuses to give up.
Xie Shu was worried that Yu Chuxi's hands were cold, but he didn't dare to disturb him, so he had to pour him some hot tea to prevent him from catching a cold.
After playing for a whole day, I only caught a few small fish, but it was still very enjoyable.
As it grew dark, the boat docked at the shore and they happened to meet an old man carrying a fish basket, so they did not end up empty-handed.
When he finally got to eat the snow fish, he found that the fish meat was not only better than Xie Shu had imagined, but also had a sweetness that lingered in his heart for a long time.
*The Little Pig on the Run
"Rongzhan, the most important thing you need to remember about this strategy is to learn from the past and make recommendations for the present."
Jiang Hong looked at Xie Shu and said with a smile.
The eight words said by Jiang Hong explained the key points of the current policy. In addition to classics, poetry and essays, there was another type of question in the examination, called policy questions.
If the other three types of examination questions test the scholars' knowledge, then the policy questions reflect the candidates' true ability to handle affairs and political talent.
Since the rise of the imperial examination system, the proportion of policy questions has continued to increase, especially after the current dynasty implemented the imperial examination system reform, the number of policy questions increased from two to three.
The questions are roughly divided into questions on the meaning of the classics and questions on current affairs. The questions on the meaning of the classics naturally examine the contents of the classics, while the questions on current affairs examine the ability to solve state affairs.
Starting from the first year of Tai'an, the topics of the essays no longer focused on classics and history, but instead tended to focus on current affairs.
However, since the topics of policy essays often discussed the gains and losses of the country and the interests of the military and the country, if the people were allowed to discuss them freely, there might be changes. In addition, the Western countries were eyeing them covetously, and leaking secrets was not a good thing either. For these reasons, the court prohibited the printing of texts related to policy essays.
Therefore, how to answer policy questions has become the most difficult part for many students.
Fortunately, it is not completely without basis. The countermeasures can still be answered with the remarks in the Four Books and Five Classics, because the topics often respect the past and use the comparison between the past and the present to illustrate the problem. Most of them then list the famous deeds left by historical figures such as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and then supplement and answer the current situation.
The eight words Jiang Hong said refer to the key points of the countermeasures.
Xie Shu has been learning current affairs from Jiang Hong during this period, but Jiang Hong seldom actually explains how to answer current affairs questions. He just leads him to analyze the general situation of the world and compare it with ancient times.
Gradually, when Xie Shu faced a question, he did not think about what it was asking, but the current situation and problems of the entire country. How could he not know the teacher's good intentions at this time?
Xie Shu concentrated and said, "Teacher, I understand."
Jiang Hong nodded slightly and said with emotion: "Rongzhan, I have been teaching you for half a year. In fact, half a year is too short..."
Jiang Hong paused and continued, "But you surprised me. Now that you have learned it, it depends on your luck."
Jiang Hong's tone was calm, but to Xie Shu, it sounded extremely heavy.
Xie Shu bowed deeply and said, "Teacher, you have high hopes, and I will not let you down."
He had so many things to carry, but he was unwilling to give up any of them.
We will definitely ride the wind and waves on this trip.
The day of the provincial examination arrived as scheduled.
It was just after five o'clock that day, and the frost and dew were heavy, with no sky visible in the distance.
Xie Shu also arrived at the examination room. He was holding the things he needed to prepare for the exam, which were packed in a box and waiting to be checked.
When Xie Shu appeared, many people couldn't help but look at him.
As the leader of the Jinling Literary Society, how could Xie Shu not attract attention? If the examination room had not been cleared, everyone would have gathered around him and greeted him.
Of course, it wasn't that no one didn't recognize him. Many students who came from outside Jinling couldn't help but wonder who this person was. When they learned Xie Shu's name, they suddenly realized that he was the one who founded the Jinling Literary Society!
However, some people felt disdain for this. If this person was really as talented and knowledgeable as the rumors said, and was noticed by the great scholar Jiang Hong, how could he have fallen to the point of taking part in the provincial examination with them?
At this time, there was another pair of eyes watching Xie Shu in the dark.
Gu Yuanke's expression was gloomy and unclear. During this period, the Gu family was no longer as prosperous as before.
The Gu family had already spent a large sum of money to build a temporary palace for Emperor Qing during his last southern tour. Since Emperor Qing also needed money for food, clothing, housing and transportation, the Gu family withdrew part of the money from the Salt Administration's warehouse. Originally, this could have been easily offset.
But who would have known that the Gu family paid such a huge price, but in return they only received a warning from Emperor Qing before he left. Gu Zhong was trembling with fear and treading on thin ice. This missing part became a thorn in his side, which he could neither fill in casually nor not fill.
Gu Zhong could only make up for a part of the money every month. Now there were rumors spreading outside that the Gu family was now just an empty shell. Although the outer structure had not collapsed, the inner capsule was about to be used up.
The Gu family's reputation in Jiangnan is not as good as before, and its name is no longer useful. How could Gu Yuanke not feel the gap?
However, Xie Shu has transformed himself from an unknown and ridiculed son-in-law of a merchant to the famous Jinling Literary Society in Jiangnan...
Seeing that everyone around was gathering around Xie Shu, Gu Yuanke withdrew his gaze, but a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
These days, Gu Yuanke has been paying attention to Xie Shu and has also investigated Xie Shu's performance in the previous two provincial examinations.
Xie Shu failed the exam twice before. Was it really that no one had the insight to recognize his talent?
Of course not. Although Xie Shu passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen, he was not a gifted person. He was just smart and talented. Moreover, after getting married, his mind became a little distracted. How could he concentrate on his studies?
So what if Xie Shu has become Jiang Hong's disciple? No matter how powerful Jiang Hong is, it's only half a year, and Xie Shu has spent a lot of time in the literary club...
But they don’t know that it is difficult to live up to the reputation.
If the head of a literary society doesn't even get a good ranking in the provincial examination, how should the literati in Jiangnan view him?
The more fame this literary society brought to Xie Shu, the more severe the backlash would be.
Xie Shuzhen’s success and failure are all due to the Wenshe!
As long as the results of the provincial examination are out, everything will be clear.
Soon, after finishing the inspection, Xie Shu found his room and put his things down.
Each candidate is in a separate room and has to stay in the room for the entire day from morning to night.
Fortunately, there are not too many test questions, so if you can finish them early, you can come out early.
When the exam started, Xie Shu got the test questions. They were the same as the standard questions, with three questions on classics, one poem each, one essay, and three questions on current affairs.
Xie Shu read ten lines at a glance and roughly looked at the test points. He found that the meaning of the classics were all those that had been discussed in the literary society before. He couldn't help but smile slightly, and then went on to read the poems and essays.
The theme of the poem is based on a line from an ancient poem: "Yellow flowers are like scattered gold."
If you have not read this poem, it is difficult to understand the mystery of it. You may just think that this poem is describing the autumn scenery and Huang Hua is interpreted as chrysanthemum.
But in fact, this is a description of the spring scenery before and after Qingming Festival.
For Xie Shu, although it requires some thought, it is not difficult. The title of the poem comes from the Doctrine of the Mean, "Sincerity and wisdom are called nature, and sincerity and wisdom are called education."
The general idea is to talk about the sincerity and wisdom of the saints. This is a standard proposition and not as misleading as the former one.
Xie Shu had an idea in mind, so he continued reading.
The essay is taken from the biography of Han Xin in "Book of Han": "He talked with Xiao He several times, and Xiao He was amazed at Han Xin's talents." It means that Han Xin talked with Xiao He several times, and Xiao He was amazed at Han Xin's talents.
In connection with the above, we can know that when Han Xin first joined Liu Bang's army, he was just a deserter. It is not difficult to see the intention of the questioner, which is to praise Xiao He for his ability to recognize heroes and discover Han Xin's talent.
Xie Shu first wrote a sentence to open the topic: "Only after knowing how to plan the situation of the world can you recognize the talents of the world."
As for Shi Ce, Xie Shu glanced at it briefly and put it aside.
......
The dozen or so examiners who set the questions had gone back to the Imperial Examination Hall half a month ago. They had been living there during these days and could not do anything until they finished grading the papers.
At this time, seeing that the provincial examination had finally begun, the examiners could no longer hold back and began to talk at once:
"I wonder how this year's provincial examination went?"
"Do you still remember Wang Jing, the champion of the last session? He also passed the imperial examination last year, but he missed the palace examination by one step and only got the runner-up. What a pity."
"Oh? It's been a long time since we in Jiangnan produced a top scholar. Is it not okay for Wang Jing to be taught by Zuo Ran?"
"It's fate, how can it be so easy to be the top scholar? You might as well pay attention to today's provincial examination. Do you know the student named Xie Shu?"
"Are you talking about Xie Shu, the man who founded the Jinling Literary Society? I was just thinking about him..."
Upon hearing the name "Xie Shu", the examiner from the capital showed some interest.
Although he was far away in the capital, the examiner had also heard that when His Majesty was on a southern tour, he took a liking to Jiang Hong's current disciple and was ready to grant him the title of "Left Censor", but was rejected by Xie Shu.
Originally, the chief examiner had never thought that he would meet Xie Shu in this provincial examination. After all, Xie Shu's senior brother Lu Shuo had already won the top spot at the age of eighteen.
And why did Xie Shu, who was only twenty-one, need to take the provincial examination?
What's more, the four words "Jinling Literary Society" sounded particularly unfamiliar to the examiner. As soon as he left the capital, he went straight to the Imperial Examination Hall in Jiangnan Province. During this period, he had never left the post station and had never met other people. Naturally, he had no way of knowing any news, so he said nothing and listened attentively.
These people had been silent for many days, but now they opened up and talked about how Xie Shu became famous overnight and how he later set up a literary club. Everyone had their own opinions.
The younger ones are relatively open-minded. Some of them have even participated in literary societies, and when they talk about it, it still seems very fresh.
At this time, an elderly gentleman showed his displeasure. He had always felt that this literary society was not orthodox. Xie Shu was still a scholar, but he worshipped a great scholar like Jiang Hong as his teacher, but he only knew how to gather in groups all day long. He couldn't help but frown and said, "This person seems to be seeking fame and reputation and showing off to the world."
The old gentleman was already highly respected, and once he opened his mouth, even if others had objections in their hearts, they could not say anything else.
Instead, the chief examiner smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "The exam ends at sunset, so why don't you have some hot tea first?"
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