A group of Cuiwei students followed the officers out of the door.
Mu Erpang was the youngest among the group. It was his first time attending such a grand banquet, and he felt both novel and a little nervous.
But fortunately, they were going to the banquet together, and Wei Shu was very good at socializing, so he didn't have to worry about many things.
Wei Shu first took the lead in giving the wedding money to the messenger who came to invite people, and then asked about other details.
The official who came to invite them received six portions of wedding money in one breath. He was very happy and said, "The Deer Singing Banquet has always been held in the government office. This time, because there are so many people, it is held in the governor's office. Gentlemen, just follow me there."
After saying this, the officer saw that there was a carriage parked at the door of the house and suggested that they could drive over and he could sit on the shaft and lead the way.
Mei Ruochu first thanked him politely, and then said that there was no need for that, "It's still early, and we are young and strong, so it won't be a problem to walk for a while, but I'm sorry to bother you."
The officer did not make such a suggestion for the sake of saving money, but the Governor's Office was indeed some distance away from Shuyuan Lane.
For people like them, walking a few steps is really not a big deal, but I kindly mentioned it out of consideration for their frail bodies.
Since they were willing to walk, the officer did not say anything and led them for a while before he realized: these scholars looked young and inexperienced, but unexpectedly they were very flawless in their work.
All of them were successful candidates in the imperial examination. If they went there by car, they would appear to be superior to others.
Especially since four of them were the top four in this year's provincial examination, such behavior made them seem even more arrogant and domineering.
Compared to these, walking is indeed more suitable for them.
As expected, those who can pass the imperial examination have clearer and more transparent minds than ordinary people.
The officers sighed in their hearts and became more enthusiastic and earnest in their attitude towards them, and sent them all the way to the governor's office.
When they arrived at this place, these small officials were no longer allowed to enter and leave as they pleased. Someone else led a group of newly-qualified scholars in and took their seats.
The people from Cuiwei arrived neither too early nor too late, and there were already quite a few people sitting in the banquet hall.
Because the officials had not arrived yet, everyone just found a place to sit and chatted with each other.
Everyone from Cuiwei also found an inconspicuous place to sit down first, and then looked around the banquet hall.
In just a few moments, everyone noticed something was wrong.
Cui Fei asked quietly: "The number of people in this banquet hall... seems to be too many?"
Traditionally, the Lu Ming Banquet only entertained candidates who passed the imperial examinations on the first list. Of course, sometimes the higher-ups were lenient and wanted to encourage the candidates who passed the imperial examinations on the second list by inviting them to join them.
But even so, the total number of people on the top and second place lists of this provincial examination should be only around eighty.
There are nearly a hundred people in the banquet hall right now.
No wonder the runner in front said that the situation was so serious that the government office could not be set up, so they had to borrow the space of the provincial government.
Mu Erpang and Mei Ruochu all nodded slightly to show their agreement.
Just at this time, Shangshu Wang came over with a group of officials.
They didn't have time to think about this and stood up and saluted along with everyone else in the hall.
Shangshu Wang, dressed in court robes, walked in front. His hair and beard were all white, and his face was full of wrinkles, but he was fair and plump, with a kind face, and looked very amiable.
"No need to formalize, students." Shangshu Wang said with a smile, full of energy.
He sat down at the head of the table first, then said with a smile, "This is the first time I meet you all, and we are not familiar with each other, so I will first select a few people according to the order on the list to come out and see you. Do you have any objection?"
Naturally, everyone hurriedly said no.
Minister Wang stroked his beard with a smile and began to call out names.
Naturally, Mei Ruochu, Mu Erpang, Chen Aoshuang and Wei Xi were the first to be named.
The four men stood up from their seats in the corner and stepped forward to greet Minister Wang.
Shangshu Wang then praised, "The disciple surpasses the master. I never thought that you four are so talented at such a young age. Speaking of which, I was quite surprised when I saw people removing the names before the results were announced. You four are actually from the same prefecture. Did you know each other before?"
When he spoke, he was looking at Mu Erpang who was standing next to Mei Ruochu. It was obvious that he looked immature among the few people, was the youngest, and was the least likely to dare to tell lies in such an occasion.
Even though he was smiling all the time, his eyes were so sharp that Mu Erpang had never seen anything like it in his life.
Under such gaze, any disguise and lie will be easily exposed.
But fortunately, Mu Erpang had no intention of falsifying anything, which was the result of a joint discussion among the entire academy yesterday - because for many things, instead of waiting for someone with ulterior motives to verify, and then making a big fuss and letting public opinion ferment, it is better to just say it openly on the occasion.
So Mu Erpang bowed and said, "To answer your question, the four of us know each other, because we are not only from the same prefecture, but also from the same academy. We entered the prefectural school together, and now we are taking the exam together. Moreover, there are more than four of us taking the provincial examination this time. There are two other classmates from the academy who took the exam together and they are also on the list."
As soon as these words were spoken, the banquet hall suddenly became quiet, and then a buzz of discussions began to be heard.
"What academy produced six juren in one go, with four of them taking the top four spots?"
"I have never heard of any great academy in Qingzhou Prefecture, and even the most prestigious Hongle Academy has never been as glorious as this one!"
Minister Wang was not surprised at all, as he had obviously checked all this a long time ago. He smiled and nodded, then glanced around the banquet hall with a kind look, and everyone immediately returned to silence.
He then asked, "Who is your teacher?"
Mu Erpang revealed Lao Buyu's name.
Shangshu Wang smiled and shook his head, saying, "I still have some impression of your teacher. He was also a wild student in his early years. I didn't expect that after so many years, he would be able to restrain his temper and teach students like you."
As he spoke, he smiled to himself and said, "I heard that some people saw the results and saw that your hometowns were close, so they suspected that the exam was unfair. Now that they know that you are from the same academy, I'm afraid they have even more ideas."
After saying that, Shangshu Wang called out the names of a few more people and asked them to come forward, still smiling and asking them whether they were yes or no.
Mu Erpang and the others immediately recognized that these people were the ones who had been the loudest in shouting about injustice in front of the list yesterday.
It turned out that the number of people at the Lu Ming Banquet seemed to be wrong. It turned out that Minister Wang had invited their group as well.
As for the few people who came up later, although they were filled with righteous indignation in front of others yesterday and spoke with details and evidence, when they really faced the scholars in the hall, Minister Wang and a group of inner and outer curtain officials, they were so scared that their faces turned pale, their legs trembled, and their bodies swayed. No one dared to reply to Minister Wang.
Minister Wang did not ask them any more questions. He looked at the officials beside him and said, "It's still early today. How about we let these young men show off before the banquet starts?"
All the officials naturally followed Minister Wang's lead and responded in agreement.
"In previous years, we old guys always came up with the questions, which was a bit lacking in originality. This year, you guys will come up with the questions yourself."
After Minister Wang finished speaking, someone brought a wooden box and some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Pens, ink, paper and inkstone were distributed to everyone present, including the small group of scholars who did not pass the exam. Everyone improvised on a topic, whether it was an essay or a poem, and everyone wrote on their own. After writing, they let the ink dry, folded it in half and threw it into a wooden box.
Finally, Minister Wang called on those scholars who were still frightened at this moment and asked them to be responsible for drawing questions.
After picking out the questions, he would randomly point to one of Mei Ruochu, Mu Erpang and others and ask them to compose a poem or answer the questions immediately.
In the first round, Shangshu Wang still pointed at the people according to their ranking, first Mei Ruochu, then Mu Erpang, and finally Chen Aoshuang and Wei Xi.
Later on, I became more casual and pointed at whoever I wanted.
However, Minister Wang had read their papers and investigated them before the banquet, so he was very sensible in his "casualness". For example, when it comes to poetry and prose topics, he would rarely point them to Mu Erpang, but rather to Mei Ruochu or Chen Aoshuang.
Most of the questions about the meaning of the scriptures were assigned to Mu Erpang, while some questions that sounded simple but contained traps and required the answerer to be careful were assigned to Wei Xi.
The quiz lasted for a full hour. Only when half of the questions in the wooden box had been used up did Minister Wang call for a stop.
At this point, no student in the banquet hall dared to question the talents of Cuiwei and his group anymore.
Although Mu Erpang, Mei Ruochu and the others were all thirsty, their voices were slightly hoarse and they were very tired, they were grateful to Minister Wang for making such an arrangement and giving them the opportunity to prove themselves.
Minister Wang stroked his beard again and asked the scholars who had not passed the exam, "Do you have any objections to the rankings of this provincial exam?"
These people hurriedly said they didn't dare. Some were so frightened that their legs and feet became weak and they could not even stand. However, since they were in front of others, they could not just beg for mercy.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not a man-eating tiger." Shangshu Wang joked with them like an elder in an ordinary family, and then encouraged them: "When you encounter something, it is a good thing that you are diligent in thinking and dare to speak up. But you must also know the limit. I think you also understand the principle that everything is too much or too little. This matter ends here, but in the future..."
Several people hurriedly said they dared not. When people from the government office came to invite them over today, they were almost scared to death. After seeing the true talents of Mei Ruochu and others, they knew that their previous guess was extremely wrong. They were so frightened that they thought that after the test was over, Shangshu Wang would take action against them.
Unexpectedly, Minister Wang not only did not blame them, but only encouraged them and worried about their future.
They felt ashamed and grateful, and quickly admitted their mistakes and said that there would never be a next time.
Minister Wang waved his hand indifferently, then smiled and said, "It's just a misunderstanding. It will be over once it's explained. Since you are here, you should sit down like other candidates and have a feast together. As for your meal expenses, it's not appropriate to use the public account, so I will pay for it myself, as a treat for you. You eat and drink to your heart's content, and you must eat to your heart's content, understand? In a few years, when the next provincial examination is held, I hope you can come to the banquet as candidates."
These words came from the mouth of Minister Wang, who looked like an old man. They were particularly kind and amiable, and full of encouragement and hope.
There were tears and smiles on the faces of several people, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall suddenly became relaxed.
When the people of Cuiwei saw this, they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts, "The master was right. Minister Wang was indeed a man of great means. By using both kindness and force, he not only clarified the rumors, but also made those scholars who fabricated the rumors sincerely convinced and grateful to him."
I think if someone spreads gossip again in the future, these people who have been making groundless accusations will be the first to rush to the front line to dispel the rumors.
But this method was also aboveboard, which made Mu Erpang and others feel grateful and respectful.
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