Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The teacher who taught riding and archery was named Wei. He used to be a soldier at the border and was sent to suppress bandits, during which he was seriously injured.
While he was recuperating, his wife, who came from a scholarly family, forced him to read the Four Books and the Art of War, and even forced him to take the military examination.
Later, based on his achievements and ranking in the military examination, he entered the provincial school.
As a master of riding and archery, he was not as elegant as other masters. Even the opening remarks of the Six Arts of a Gentleman were written by his wife and he read them out.
On the parade ground, the wind in the July afternoon was still a bit sultry.
But being outside in the fresh air is better than sitting in the classroom.
More than twenty students stood up and listened to Master Wei speak.
"The ancients said that a gentleman's six arts refer to ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics."
"Our archery subjects are archery and charioteering. Charioteering nowadays is no longer about driving a car, and archery can be replaced by pitching pots, but pitching pots are just some small things. If you want to exercise your body and will, archery on horseback is the best."
Master Wei got off topic and said, "Students nowadays are weak. My wife said that your Confucius was nine feet tall and carried a sword. Saints like him would carry a sword, so you should learn from him."
The students couldn't help laughing.
They all knew that Confucius carried a sword with him and traveled around the countries.
But after Master Wei explained it this way, it became so interesting.
Ji Yuan was also laughing. The nine-foot-tall Shandong man was carrying a sword. He was worthy of being called "The Analects of Confucius" or "The Swing of Confucius" by later generations.
When Confucius talked about conquering people with virtue, he must have said it with a sword in hand.
Everyone laughed and Master Wei asked, "Have you chosen your horse?"
The students nodded immediately.
Cai Fenglan, Li Jin and Ji Yuan have also been selected.
The horses in Ji Yuan are indeed shorter.
There was no way. Even though he was taller than his peers, he was still short among a group of young people in their twenties.
Everyone was very excited.
Who wouldn’t be happy to ride a horse and have fun?
It was the first time for Cai Fenglan to learn horse riding, and he was very happy.
Unexpectedly, Master Wei smiled at them and said, "Wait a minute, let's do some activities first."
Activity?
Ji Yuan looked at Master Wei's movements and realized that he was doing warm-up exercises, otherwise he would easily get injured.
After finishing a set of boxing, Master Wei said, "Run around the training ground twice."
It is also a warm-up exercise.
But most of the scholars let out a cry and obviously didn't want to run away.
Just like what Master Wei said, most scholars are not in good health, and sitting for a long time is one of the major causes of illness.
running?
Most people haven't run for many years.
Ji Yuan was fine, he was wearing narrow sleeves today to cooperate with the shooting department.
Cai Fenglan also said: "Fortunately, we have all trained with you, otherwise we really wouldn't be able to finish this run."
After two rounds, many scholars were exhausted.
Master Wei shook his head: "How can you ride a horse if you run like this?"
Riding a horse also requires a certain amount of physical strength.
Otherwise, if you can't control the horse well, both you and the horse will be in danger.
For those who still had some energy left, Master Wei let them rest for a while and divided them into two groups. Those who could ride horses could ride two laps on their own.
But if you want to go to the racecourse, the place is small and you can only walk on the horse at most, otherwise it is unsafe.
As for those who don’t know how to ride a horse, I will leave them there to teach them.
After everyone has learned how to ride a horse, Master Wei will come and teach everyone archery.
If we talk about the daily fixed main subjects, such as the Four Books and Five Classics, we should intensify the study.
As the provincial examination approached, the teachers explained the questions even faster.
As for the shooting subject, which is a supplementary subject, I learn it at a leisurely pace.
When Master Wei first became a teacher, he trained his students like he trained soldiers, but in less than three days, all his students ran away.
No, only a few people from Wei were left, the rest of the Confucian scholars ran very fast.
In the next few years, Master Wei made several adjustments, and now the progress is most suitable for Confucian scholars.
If you look at the people who can stay after running, there are even fewer people.
Needless to say, the people from Wei, especially those led by Wuying, did not even have their breath disturbed after running.
Wu Ying greeted Ji Yuan when he saw him, and then he followed him and asked curiously, "You don't look strong, but you have good stamina?"
Ji Yuan smiled: "Our county school also allows running, and we exercise in the morning on weekdays."
But he didn't say that it started with him.
"So good? I should have gone to your county school earlier." Wu Ying said enviously.
Li Jin asked again: "Then do you know what is written on our Cuju field?"
Ji Yuan felt bad, but Cai Fenglan said first: "Civilize the spirit and brutalize the body."
"What? Pretty domineering, right?"
It’s really domineering.
When this sentence was uttered, Wuying and even Master Wei were very pleased.
That’s absolutely true!
Physical fitness is as important as mental fitness.
"We also say that physical education goes hand in hand with moral and intellectual education."
As several people spoke, Wei Ji and his group nodded repeatedly.
Yes, that's right, that's the truth.
As they talked, the group of people naturally became closer. Wu Ying also said, "Master Wei, let us help you train your students. We have taught them horse riding lessons."
Wuying is twenty-two this year, but he started riding horses at the age of twelve, so he is definitely familiar with it.
Master Wei nodded. These students from Wei were the closest to him, and they were taught riding and archery by their fathers, so there would definitely be no problem.
These children of the Wei family basically came from defense posts in various places and were born into military households, so most of them knew something.
During their time at the provincial school, they became more fond of it and learned it well.
Master Wei went to teach other students, and Ji Yuan, Cai Fenglan and others had one-on-one teachers.
Among the three of them, Li Jin was better. His family had a horse, so he could ride it and walk fast, but he couldn't really run.
This was the first time Cai Fenglan met Ji Yuan.
Especially Ji Yuan, in his previous life he had at most ridden a horse in a scenic spot, and it was rare to see one in this life.
Wu Ying said: "Don't panic, horses are very arrogant, if you are afraid of them, they will bully you. If you are not afraid, they will behave themselves."
Wu Ying said proudly: "My father once tamed a wild horse, and its temperament was really fierce."
Just listening to Ji Yuan makes me yearn for it. Who doesn’t want to gallop on a horse?
Which modern person doesn’t have a dream of riding a horse and waving the whip?
But if you really want to learn how to ride a horse, you still have to take it slow.
Just as Ji Yuan sat on the horse, another horse, also not very tall, suddenly appeared beside him.
The horse ran past so fast that Ji Yuan, the pony, was almost frightened.
If Wuying hadn't stopped them in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Wu Ying's face darkened and he angrily said, "Who is it? Don't you know this is a horse training ground? If you want to ride a fast horse, go further away!"
Master Wei, who was teaching other students, also frowned and said, "Get back here! Didn't you hear what I just said?"
The man on horseback then paused, walked back slowly, and said, "Master, I didn't mean it."
Yue Chang glanced at Ji Yuan and couldn't help but feel a lot of hatred in his heart.
Why is this person the center of attention wherever he goes?
He can't even ride a horse. What a country bumpkin.
He is so outstanding, but other people just can't see it!
Yue Chang did not admit it. After he knew that Ji Yuan had chosen the shooting subject, he also signed up.
Logically speaking, he should be reviewing his lessons and waiting for the provincial examination.
But then he thought that most poor scholars would not know anything like riding, shooting, calligraphy or painting. So if he came here, he could let Ji Yuan see what the six arts of a gentleman are.
Unexpectedly, they were chatting and laughing, and learning to ride horses, and didn't even look at him.
Even Master Wei did not praise them. He only let those who knew how to ride horses go racing for fun, and he had to wait until everyone had learned it before they could learn archery.
This is too biased towards the poor.
Yue Chang had a cold face and his apology was insincere, so Master Wei said directly: "Get off the horse and apologize."
Ji Yuan had already come down and was comforting the horse.
I don’t know if it was because both of them were frightened, but the horse was actually much more docile towards Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan looked at Yue Chang. He had no impression of this man. Seeing that he apologized reluctantly, Ji Yuan was too lazy to say anything more: "It's okay. Just be more careful next time."
Master Wei repeatedly stressed to all students: "There was an accident while riding horses in the prefectural school before, and this course was almost cancelled. If something happens to you, this horseback archery course will really be cancelled in the future."
"For yourself and for the people around you, you must be careful. Do you hear me?"
Riding a horse is indeed dangerous, as Ji Yuan just experienced.
After this incident, Master Wei asked people to check the horses again and said to Yue Chang, "Don't ride today. Follow me to fix the harness."
This is a punishment.
Racing in a small space can lead to death.
he?
Tidying up the tack?
Yue Chang was furious.
When has he ever done such a thing?!
Master Wei, who was born as a military general, didn't care about all that. He just asked Yue Chang to do the job without giving him any chance to speak.
When this person reluctantly went to help, several followers appeared around him.
Wu Ying sneered: "This guy obviously did it on purpose."
deliberately?
Cai Fenglan and Li Jin looked over.
Ji Yuan didn't notice it either. He was concentrating on riding his horse and was unaware of the actions of the people around him.
"Anyone who can ride a horse would not do such a thing. Seeing that he has been taught riding and archery since he was a child, how could he make such a low-level mistake?" Wu Ying continued, "Either he looks down on you for being from a poor family, or he looks down on me for being from a Wei family. I'm used to it."
Not only Wuying said this, several other people from the Wei clan also nodded.
Not to mention them, even Master Wei has been questioned.
But in the Cuju competitions in the previous few years, Master Wei led them to win several Cuju championships, which made people shut up.
So that's how it is.
Li Jin was helpless: "Who cares about his place of origin? Just study hard."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Wu Ying looked at him and said, "You are also a rich man. I thought you had the same idea as them."
"My family is rich, maybe I am a businessman."
Li Jin is naturally not from a merchant background, but they have all kinds of native places in Zhengrong County, so they are used to it.
If we talk about the Poor Society and the Money-Smelling Society in previous years, the county school has only focused on studying in recent years, so who cares about these things?
Some people were surprised: "Don't talk nonsense, it's inevitable that some people will discriminate against you."
Ji Yuan shook his head: "There is a merchant student in our county school. In the past one or two years, his ranking has never dropped out of the top ten. It shows that it is not important."
This is about Qian Fei. His grades are really good and he will probably be able to enter the B-level class next year.
It is hard to say when he will pass the examination for a scholar, but with his grades and hard work, it is only a matter of time.
I guess it's because of the influence of this learning-only theory.
People like Ji Yuan don't care about a person's place of origin, they only look at his character and personality.
When making friends, why bother with so many things?
Wuying and the others listened and wished they could become sworn brothers with Ji Yuan right there and then.
Well said!
Make friends!
Why do you care so much!
"Xiao Sanyuan! Hurry up and get on the horse! After learning to ride a horse, there is also archery! Our Master Wei T is a first-class archery expert! Let him teach us!"
"Yes, yes, Cai Fenglan, you should get on the horse soon. When we learn how to ride, we can rent horses and go racing in the suburbs."
Horse racing?
Ji Yuan felt itchy when he heard this.
study!
Learn now!
After the class, Ji Yuan felt like his legs were not his own.
When returning to Qiyan Temple, Monk Bai saw the two of them and almost had to support one with each hand and drag them back.
Li Jin couldn't stand it anymore and rented a carriage for them.
Sitting in the carriage, Cai Fenglan said, "What should I do? I'm scared of the horses now."
Ji Yuan felt this deeply.
After practicing for this afternoon, I'm really scared.
And it was indeed dangerous. Yue Chang, who almost hit someone with his horse, looked at him with something strange in his eyes.
It was obvious that the other party had a good family background, and he had been learning horse riding since he was a child.
Wuying and his men also said that this seemed to be intentional.
But does he know the guy named Yue Chang?
Ji Yuan thought for a long time, but couldn't figure out his connection with him.
Forget it, there's no point in thinking so much.
Returning to Qiyan Temple and looking at the long stone steps, Monk Bai laughed out loud.
Forget it, forget it, I have to move up even if I have to.
Fortunately, we are all young people, and after a night's rest, we will be almost ready the next day.
Whether it is people from Zhengrong County or Monk Bai, they are all hardworking people.
The full classes at the provincial school were nothing to them.
It's nothing more than walking more, memorizing more, and doing more homework.
It’s not because life in ancient times was boring.
If you want to have fun, there is a lot of nightlife in the city.
But this has nothing to do with them.
By the afternoon of the next day, Ji Yuan's legs had recovered to normal, and he was even eager to ride a horse.
Unfortunately, the auxiliary subject this afternoon is book subject.
The word "calligraphy" originally only referred to writing. Being able to write beautiful characters was considered a great skill in any era.
Now add painting.
Elegant taste and aesthetics are necessary lessons for cultivating a gentleman.
Ji Yuan didn’t think he didn’t need teaching, nor was he that arrogant.
But he has formed his own habits, and compared to guidance, he needs to practice every day.
This habit has never been interrupted since the first day he learned calligraphy.
However, Master Du, the teacher of the School, asked him in public whether he wanted to go to the School. If he refused, he would have no chance of success.
When I arrived at the Book Science School, I found that there were far fewer people than I had imagined.
Then Ji Yuan remembered that it was also because of the provincial examination.
The provincial examination is approaching, and students who used to study literature now have to prepare for the exam.
In comparison, the current trend is that the imperial examination is still the most important.
With fame and honor, you can change your destiny.
This is what people of all classes desire.
Speaking of the literature department, Cai Fenglan, Li Jin, Bai Heshang and others have all signed up.
When they walked in, the four of them were looked at vaguely.
Ji Yuan looked over and thought, isn’t this a coincidence?
Yue Chang and the others who had charged on horseback yesterday were also there, and Ji Yuan found his malicious intent odd.
I thought to myself, this is probably what Wuying and the others said, looking down on poor students?
Ji Yuan is not a real child, so he will not be frightened by such malice, nor will he feel inferior because of his situation and look calm and unpredictable.
Seeing his expression, Yue Chang felt a nameless anger in his heart.
He regarded Ji Yuan as his opponent, but Ji Yuan couldn't see him at all.
This kind of depression can't even be expressed in words.
The next second, Master Du’s words made Yue Chang even more unhappy.
"Ji Yuan, come sit in the front." Master Du nodded with satisfaction when he saw Ji Yuan coming to class. "I have taken the basic classes with them before. Come and write a few words so I can see your level."
Is this a special meal?
Yue Chang frowned.
Why do all the teachers look at Ji Yuan differently?
If you ask Mr. Du, this is completely wrong.
He just wanted to see Ji Yuan's level so that he could belittle him a few times, and then tell him how good his class was and how much he would miss if he didn't cherish it.
Ji Yuan did not refuse, he also wanted to know how good his writing skills were now.
Ji Yuan started practicing from the time he learned from Master Fang.
It started with the eight strokes of the character Yong, and then moved on to copying Jiang Ligang's Jiang Tie.
This helped him to get started with the official style of calligraphy.
But if we say that the handwriting began to have its own charm and become vivid, it was because he learned from Master Fang’s paintings.
Now that I'm outside, I don't know what the world is like.
Master Du saw him spreading out paper and asked, "What kind of calligraphy did you learn? Whose calligraphy did you copy?"
Ji Yuan replied: "Jiang Tie, I learned the official script."
Official style?
Mr. Du frowned.
Yue Chang, who was eavesdropping, also sneered and couldn't help saying, "Such a rigid handwriting is only learned by people like you who only know how to take exams."
This is the basic view of the world.
A single official style can easily become rigid from its regular and uniform beauty.
This is because most students only learn the fonts but not the spirit.
Therefore, when most people mention the official style, they will inevitably say that the handwriting is rigid.
Therefore, most scholars only use this special font during exams.
But Ji Yuan has been learning the most authentic Jiang Tie since he started, and the same applies to his daily calligraphy.
He didn't have much contact with other fonts.
Li Jin said, "There are also elegant and beautiful official scripts. Nowadays, all official books are in official script. What's wrong with that?"
I saw the students standing up to watch the fun.
Master Du also said, "Write first."
It seems that it was indeed a mistake for the young Sanyuan not to choose the literature subject.
I can correct myself.
He was finally able to save his face.
Mr. Du doesn't care about what his students are like. His face is extremely important to him.
Besides, how old is the era?
Eleven years old?
My family is not well off, so it’s enough for me to be able to learn a font suitable for the exam.
Ji Yuan dipped the ink and wrote a poem.
Only the Mirror Lake water in front of the door remains the same as before in the spring breeze.
This is a famous quote by He Zhizhang, which means that no matter what happens in the outside world, one's heart remains calm and the same as before.
The moment Ji Yuan put pen to paper, Mr. Du's eyes lit up.
After a line of poetry is written, the ink-rich calligraphy appears on the paper.
The ink is used well. It is full when it should be full, and the characters are smooth and powerful.
What’s even more interesting is that although this is an official style, it has its own charm. In the flowing strokes, one can see the smoothness and rigor of the brushwork.
Very beautiful words.
Enough to print a book!
"Okay, okay, are you sure you're learning ginger stickers?"
"Compared to ginger stickers, it's more casual."
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Jiangtie is bad. That is the official printing template, how can it be bad?
Ke Jiyuan's handwriting flows like water, and one can tell that the writer has an open mind.
Just like the poem he wrote.
Master Du said what he wanted to say: "No wonder you don't come to the School of Literature. You really don't need to come."
Master Du looked at it again and pointed out the key point: "Have you studied painting? Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to use the ink so well."
Ji Yuan nodded. Back then, he had mixed enough ink for his three friends to use for a long time.
Therefore, the ink color is rich, but it does not take away the artistic conception of the poem.
Different verses of poetry also require different ink colors.
He has never forgotten what Master Fang said.
Master Du said, "Let's try drawing."
Mr. Du had forgotten that he was in class.
Anyway, calligraphy is all about practice, so everyone should practice well. He just wanted to know how good Ji Yuan’s painting skills are.
Ji Yuan mixed the ink, thought for a moment, and then painted the Qiyan Temple in the eastern suburbs as it was now in July.
In the vast sea of smoke, the water and sky merge into one, and the Qiyan Temple hidden in the mountains appears and disappears.
With just a few strokes, the place where Ji Yuan and his men lived was drawn. Only a corner of the Qiyan Temple was left out, which was enough to show its majesty and solemnity.
Mr. Du looked at the painting, then looked at Ji Yuan, and then looked at the painting again.
"Forget it, you don't have to come to the School of Literature." Master Du said bluntly, "It's not that I can't teach you, but the courses in the prefectural school are very basic, and it's useless for you to learn them."
It has been said before that Mr. Du is narrow-minded, but it has also been said that he is a man of real talent and learning.
What he meant now was that Ji Yuan’s level was such that he didn’t even need to go to the provincial school for study.
Why?
Because his level has surpassed that of other students.
It's a complete waste of time to have him come here.
Master Du also said: "The writing skills are very skillful. It can be seen that he practices every day. Why does he need to study calligraphy?"
Master Du admired it and said, "This is the best official script I have ever seen. But you can also learn small seal script, which will be more helpful for your calligraphy."
"Once you have mastered Xiaozhuan, you can move on to Xingshu. With your talent and writing skills, this won't be difficult."
Master Du pointed the way to Ji Yuan. The more he looked at Ji Yuan, the more he liked him. He couldn't help but say, "As expected of you, you are the top three in the exam. It seems that you are right to be the top one in this year's exam."
The other students just looked at Ji Yuan with curiosity and envy.
Li Jin and the others were even happier for Ji Yuan.
Yue Chang over there almost tore the paper in his hand.
How can we say that he writes well when his handwriting is so rigid like official script?
A poor guy can only learn this kind of examination-oriented style.
It is truly worthy of the name "Little Three Yuan".
I am not bad at all.
Ji Yuan put down his brush and then said, "Master Du, I think you may have misunderstood me before. I should have explained it earlier. It was not my intention to embarrass you."
This naturally refers to choosing five of the six subjects in the era, but not the literature subject.
He himself understood what he meant, but outsiders had no idea how to guess. It was indeed because he was not tactful enough.
Mr. Du was stunned.
I didn’t expect that Ji Yuan wrote and drew just to explain these things to him.
Mr. Du's face turned red, but fortunately his beard was long enough to cover it up a little.
He is narrow-minded, doesn't he know it?
Now students are asked to explain themselves.
"Never mind, it's all over."
It's really uncomfortable to be laughed at for several days.
Looking at Ji Yuan again, he liked him so much that he simply said, "Stay after class. I have something to tell you."
Ji Yuan nodded and stayed obediently.
But he didn't expect that Mr. Du wanted to introduce him to a "job".
"You should know that there are several printing workshops in the capital city. Normally, they need to carve characters, but now there are more books and they are often too busy to handle it."
"If you have time and are willing to earn this money, you can give it a try. With your handwriting, you are definitely qualified."
Master Du said, "It's good to be able to print your own words in a book for people to read."
ah?
Is this possible?
Ji Yuan felt that his handwriting had improved greatly.
I never thought that it can be directly made into a template for woodblock printing.
Suddenly I remembered that his handwriting was still so ugly several years ago.
After Master Du finished speaking, he handed him a piece of paper and said, "There are several bookstores in the city, just pick one. With Master Ben's introduction, you can't go wrong."
"Wait until after the provincial examination. By then there will be a lot of books that need to be sorted and copied, and we'll need scholars with good handwriting."
After saying this, Mr. Du left uncomfortably.
He would never say that this was compensation for Ji Yuan!
They stopped him and accused him for no reason, and wanted to embarrass him in public, but this young man was still willing to explain.
Just consider it as your own compensation!
Anyway, those bookstores begged him to print books every day, but he was too lazy to go! So he just introduced some jobs to Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan looked at the note in his hand with surprise.
Isn’t this a letter of introduction?
It seems that he will not live off his savings!
He's going to have an income!
Ji Yuan didn't expect such an unexpected gain.
I once joked with Mr. Fang that if I ran out of money I would write couplets and sell them.
Mr. Fang also said that all you need to do is paint.
Now it seems that they were both right.
I guess one day he'll be able to make money by selling paintings?
Ji Yuan looked back and realized that he didn't need to take the textbook course anymore.
It is not a good idea to change it back to the Like department.
Or go to the shooting department?
Even though his legs were still sore from yesterday, he still wanted to learn how to ride a horse!
When I went to revise the course book again, the teacher from the Research and Study Department said, "Don't leave. Write two words for me to see."
The handwriting on the lesson book was small, and the teacher was a little nearsighted, so he never read it carefully, and it was his subordinates who sorted it out.
This time when I see Ji Yuan, I must ask him to write before reading it.
Generally speaking, students are not allowed to change their course schedules once they have been decided upon.
The Ji Yuan case is of course a special case. If Master Du hadn't given a heads-up, it would have been impossible for him to change it twice.
Since you've said hello, you must have explained the reason.
The Department of Rites was changed to the Department of Literature simply because Master Du was unhappy.
Change from book subject to shooting subject?
why is that?
Master Du also said: "Ji Yuan really didn't need to take the calligraphy exam, his handwriting is very good."
Therefore, the teacher in the Research and Study Department must see how good the calligraphy of a person who is praised by a petty person like Master Du is.
Ji Yuan waved his hand in embarrassment, but the teacher pressed the pen into his hand and said, "Write one and see."
Other teachers came to watch intentionally or unintentionally.
Is Ji Yuan's calligraphy really that good?
Ji Yuan had no choice but to put pen to paper and wrote the two words "wenmo".
The former is fine, the characters are relatively simple, but the ink characters are complex, and if they are not written well, they will be very disharmonious.
But when the words of Ji Yuan are written down, they make people feel refreshed.
This, this is really good.
It is even more beautiful than the words in ordinary books.
No wonder Master Du said he didn't need to study literature.
Ji Yuan didn't refuse to study because he was arrogant. It was because he knew himself well enough to understand that books were useless to him!
I can only say that he is worthy of being called Little Three Yuan!
Ji Yuan saw that there were a few more archery lessons and went to practice horse riding and archery with satisfaction.
What happened to the pony!
He can learn it too.
The final law subject is somewhat different from other subjects.
This subject does not test your understanding, your talent, or your foundation.
There is only one point to be tested.
endorsement!
The laws of the Tianqi Kingdom are so thick that they can kill people. Memorize them!
Please recite the supplementary clauses to me!
The situations in different places are different, memorize them to me!
Tax law? Back!
Criminal law? Back!
Just memorize it and it's done.
It is not necessary for students to memorize everything, but at least they can know the general idea when flipping through the book.
Ji Yuan, Bai Heshang, and Cai Fenglan chose this course and began their painful career of memorizing.
Monk Bai soon discovered a problem.
Only he and Cai Fenglan are suffering, so Ji Yuan is okay?
Cai Fenglan comforted him: "You'll get used to it. When we were in Class C, I didn't want to be his classmate."
"When I got to the second-class hall, this guy caught up with me again."
"Now that I'm in the prefectural school, I'm the one chasing him."
Cai Fenglan shook his head as he spoke and couldn't help but move closer to the book to read.
His myopia seems to be getting worse.
Ji Yuan couldn't help but think of Master Gao, the mathematics teacher, and Master Zhao, the tutor, who also needed glasses.
I don’t know how much a painting of the Fucheng costs. If I can earn enough money, I will buy one for Master Zhao.
Ji Yuan turned the page of the book.
Many things in the law are difficult to understand and may conflict with previously revised laws, so you must understand them all.
In the following period of time.
Ji Yuan walked back and forth between the main and auxiliary subject classrooms.
The atmosphere in the provincial school became more and more serious day by day.
The provincial examination is coming.
The provincial examination, held every three years, is the time to truly decide the fate of the scholars.
Back then, after Mr. Huang passed the imperial examination, he almost immediately had the opportunity to plead for the magistrate of his own county.
One can imagine what the identity of a juren is like.
What excited the students was that the officials sent from the capital had arrived!
The senior officials of the capital, headed by the Supervisor, have arrived!
They were directly appointed by the emperor to serve as the chief examiners of the provincial examinations!
The arrival of these senior officials also proved that this year's provincial examination in Jianmeng Mansion had officially begun!
Among them, Li Xun was the most well-informed, after all, he had been in the provincial school longer.
When everyone was having dinner together in the evening, Li Xun said, "According to past practice, the chief examiner is appointed by the emperor, and most of them are senior officials from the Hanlin Academy."
"This year is no exception. He is the Imperial Censor of the Hanlin Academy and also serves as the Minister of Ceremonial Affairs under the Ministry of Rites."
This is definitely a powerful official, probably a third-rank official, and he holds a lot of weight in the court.
No wonder the students were so nervous, the prefect and the academician were on high alert.
It seemed that the people had already arrived, and the place they were staying was a garden specially used to receive senior officials.
Someone said before that the prefect would let Ji Yuan go to welcome him.
I didn't call him this time, and I don't know why.
However, after they arrived, they no longer called the officials in the court by their titles. Headed by the Supervisory Official, Lord Xu, they were simply called the Supervisory Official.
This move also proves the importance of the provincial examination.
I have said this before.
Compared with the Tongshi, the Xiangshi is the formal imperial examination.
In the selection process stipulated by the imperial court, it all starts with the provincial examination.
The court also attached great importance to it.
It is a task that takes place every three years when selecting talents for the imperial court, and it must be taken seriously.
Some even say that the court regards this as the right way to treat scholars, and that the gentry consider it an honor to treat themselves in this way.
Only the imperial examination can make the people submit, silence private opinions, and ensure that all talented people are present.
In order to recruit talents, the imperial court has made great efforts!
"The provincial examination is getting closer, and I am so nervous." Li Xun sighed, and then said, "Speaking of which, my classmates in the county will also be here. The provincial examination is held every three years, and all the scholars will come."
Li Jin took the initiative and said, "Leave the arrangements for their food and lodging to us, and you just focus on preparing for the exam."
Li Xun did not refuse and told them to go back to Liu's Restaurant. He had greeted them before and they just needed to confirm the number of people.
Hearing these words, the provincial examination seemed to be just around the corner.
The provincial examination will be held on the seventh day of August, so the scholars below will definitely come early.
When Ji Yuan and his companions returned to Qiyan Temple to rest, they saw the scholar who was here to take the imperial examination.
Most of them are exhausted because they are preparing for the upcoming exams.
It was not until July 23rd that Ji Yuan and his team received a letter from the county school, and everyone would arrive on July 25th.
It only takes two days.
This is not bad, it is similar to what everyone thinks.
But the number of scholars in Zhengrong County really surprised everyone.
There were as many as sixty-eight scholars from Zhengrong County who came to take the exam.
Is this more than the number of people who came for the children’s exam?
Li Jin was surprised: "There are only a dozen people coming to the Tongshi exam, but there are so many Xiucai? I remember that the first-class hall, including the Xiucai teachers, is only more than 40?"
With this said, it seems that there were quite a few scholars in the county school. If you add the scholars who did not study in the county school, there were sixty or seventy of them, which does not seem strange.
Ji Yuan said: "The Tongshi exam is held once a year, and there are several candidates each year."
"As time goes by, the number of people will increase. We can take the exam until we are 45 years old. Everyone will definitely try many times."
With so much accumulated talent over the years, isn't it possible to have a lot of talent?
There are new talents emerging every year, but there may not be a single juren emerging every three years.
There can only be more and more scholars.
Everyone sighed.
The road to the imperial examination becomes more and more difficult as you move up.
Arranging food and accommodation for so many people is a problem.
Fortunately, Liu's Restaurant had prepared quite a few rooms, and Ji Yuan and his companions made several trips and finally managed to get it done before the scholars from Zhengrong County arrived.
Not only that, on the 25th, Ji Yuan, Li Jin, and Cai Fenglan went to the city gate to welcome them.
Although they were also scholars, Ji Yuan could not take the provincial examination, and the latter two knew their level and most likely would not make it, so they might as well do some odd jobs to help Li Xun share the burden.
The scholars do not need to be accompanied by teachers when they come here, and many of them are teachers themselves.
The scholars were all in their twenties, and the carriages they rode in were very crowded, and they looked very tired.
When more than sixty people saw Ji Yuan and his group, smiles subconsciously appeared on their faces.
After arriving at Liu's Restaurant, everyone looked at Ji Yuan, the kid, who was helping them around, and they didn't know what to say.
Scholar Zhang Xun said: "Seeing you busy, I feel guilty."
Ji Yuan, however, greeted Zhang Xun and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhang, for guaranteeing me before. Otherwise, I would not be able to come here. Now I am just doing some chores. It is nothing."
Zhang Xun was the scholar who acted as a guarantor for Ji Yuan. He only thought that Ji Yuan might pass the exam, but he did not expect that he would get one of the top three places.
Such a resume is a good thing for him.
After everyone exchanged greetings for a while, Ji Yuan left and let them rest.
He came a few more times in the next few days, and most of the scholars were able to take care of themselves and did not need much care.
Everyone was resting up and waiting for the provincial examination on August 7th.
I wonder how many out of the sixty or seventy people in Zhengrong County can pass the exam.
I heard that the admission rate for the provincial examination is 3%, which means that out of a hundred people, three can pass.
Among the more than sixty of them, are there almost one or two people?
This also depends on the knowledge of the scholars in Jianmeng Mansion.
As August approached, the atmosphere in the provincial school became restless.
Many scholars have no respect in public and tend to quarrel at the slightest provocation.
What? You touched me, I touched you, let me see what happened to your book, you also lent me another book before and so on.
This impatience is naturally due to the upcoming exams.
After the Confucian Temple sacrifice on the first day of August, classes for the students in the prefectural school were temporarily suspended.
Wait until August 20th for classes to resume.
Take twenty days of vacation in one go.
It seems that the students will not come back until the results are announced.
When the time comes, the students who have landed will continue to come back to study, and those who pass the exam will naturally have a bright future.
Let’s not talk about others.
Bai Heshang, Li Jin, Cai Fenglan, these candidates who were destined to be runners-up were also extremely nervous.
No matter what, this is a provincial examination and we must give it our all.
Ji Yuan discovered that among the 571 students in the entire provincial school, he was the only one who didn’t have to take the exam?
He felt the road was wider as he walked on it.
Others were absorbed in their studies.
That's not the case.
Ji Yuan happened to meet Wei Ji Wu Ying and his men. Wu Ying was also happy to see Ji Yuan and asked, "You don't have to prepare for the exam?"
"By the way, you are young."
After that, Wu Ying said, "We don't need to take the test either."
"Are you waiting for the martial arts exam?"
Ji Yuan wanted to say this before, it doesn’t look like the Wuying members are going to take the provincial examination.
They are more proficient in horse riding, archery and swordplay.
"Yes, we have to wait for the military examination." Wu Ying sighed.
The word "wait" is not used incorrectly.
They didn’t know what happened in other dynasties, but in the past two years, the martial arts examination in Tianqi Kingdom had not been held for four or five years.
In the Tianqi Kingdom, there is no absolute number for the military examination compared to the civil examination. It depends on the intention of the imperial court.
Wuying and his men were born in the Wei clan, and their literary studies were not as good as others.
The martial arts examination is naturally a good way out.
So that's how it is.
Ji Yuan consoled him, "Maybe we'll have the military exam next year. This year, their provincial exams are really tense, but we're having an easy time."
Wu Ying smiled and nodded: "That's right. By the way, do you want to practice riding? Let's go to the racecourse with Master Wei."
In the current provincial school, except for the main science hall, other places are empty. No one goes to the racecourse. Who would be in the mood to do that?
On the contrary, this group of people, those who are not old enough and those who are taking the martial arts examination should practice riding and archery!
Ji Yuan was moved by these words and followed without any further persuasion.
Master Wei, who was bored, did not refuse and took Ji Yuan and the others to the horse farm.
It was Ji Yuan’s first time at the racecourse, and he actually tried jogging twice. He walked fairly steadily. I guess it won’t take too long before he’ll be able to run a horse?
They were a group of people having a good time. Ji Yuan finished his lessons during the day and spent the rest of the time practicing riding and archery.
With the guidance of Master Wei and Wuying, his progress was rapid.
After horse racing, go to a nearby restaurant to have a bowl of soup and rice, it is so refreshing.
The depression of the Wuying people over not having a chance to take the martial arts exam also dissipated.
The more relaxed they are on this side, the more nervous they are on the other side.
Finally it’s the seventh day of August.
Ji Yuan went to send Li Jin and others into the examination room.
Li Jin almost cried.
Cai Fenglan wasn't much better off.
The White Monk kept saying, "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious."
Only Li Xun has calmed down now. It has been two years since he passed the examination to become a scholar. How well he has learned in these two years depends on today.
The same is true for Zhang Xun and others in Zhengrong County.
Let’s go into the examination room.
The provincial examination is coming.
Ji Yuan was stopped far away outside, and the guards carrying swords were even transferred from the capital. They represented the emperor's will and could not be violated in any way.
Many scholars came in one after another.
Yue Chang, who was surrounded by the crowd, had just taken a few steps when he glared at Ji Yuan and ran over to him and said, "Ji Yuan, your reputation as a child prodigy will be gone from now on."
This time when we went to meet the supervising official, he was also the one brought from the government office!
Lord Xu, the supervisor of the imperial court in the capital, asked about his age and said that he was a child prodigy and was waiting for his results in the provincial examination.
As long as I pass the exam.
That's the child prodigy!
Ji Yuan didn't understand where Yue Chang's resentment came from, and just said calmly: "Is that so? Come on."
"You? Didn't you hear what I said?" Yue Chang became even angrier. Why couldn't Ji Yuan care?
"I heard you. I don't care about the reputation of a child prodigy."
Ji Yuan paused, decided to forgive the kid while he could, and not to bother with a twelve-year-old child, so he didn't say any more hurtful words.
Instead, the guard with a sword next to him wanted to say something but was stopped by others.
"Young Master, the time is almost up, please go into the examination room." Yue Chang's servants urged in a low voice and looked at Ji Yuan again.
Isn't it said that Xiao Sanyuan is younger than their young master? Why is he much taller?
Yue Chang was furious, but he had no choice but to take the exam.
When the test results came out, Ji Yuan knew how impressive he was.
Without the reputation of Xiao Sanyuan, let’s see if he will be treated preferentially in the future.
After the examinee left, the sword-wielding guard who had been wanting to speak said, "Is that scholar stupid? Our Lord Xu hates the false reputation of a child prodigy the most."
"Yes, but don't say it in front of the students, so as not to delay his exam."
The guard who spoke later also looked at Ji Yuan and realized that he was generous enough to let the child prodigy go.
Otherwise, if you say a few unpleasant words, the other person's mentality will be ruined, not to mention the provincial examination.
"Hey, seven or eight years ago, every year people were talking about their own child prodigy. Each one was more outrageous than the other. They were all forced to be raised by their families. Apart from reciting poems, they couldn't do anything else. Otherwise, why would Lord Xu hate them so much?"
So that's how it is.
Ji Yuan was stunned. There were indeed a lot of hidden secrets involved.
I think only people in the capital know these things. They are far away in Jianmeng Mansion and have no way of knowing the adults' preferences.
Then Yue Chang was taken to see Lord Xu who came from the capital?
Wouldn't that be counterproductive?
The Yue family is really weird. They didn't even know Lord Xu's character and yet they sent the child prodigy over there.
Ji Yuan observed a second of silence and then left.
A second of silence is enough.
He also wants to go riding.
Once you have mastered horse riding, you can practice archery.
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