Midnight.
Occasionally, he would look up and see the stars in the sky. Most of the time, he could only see two lanterns leading the way. He crossed the bridge and entered through the door. The main hall was high up under the starry night sky. On both sides of the hall, there were guards with swords hanging from their waists.
"Second grade first Grand Scholar Zhang Zhi Gong sings his name!"
The man who was kneeling on the floor stood up, his vision blurring. He opened the golden book and announced, "Eleventh year of the imperial examinations, first grade first Grand Scholar Cao Wen Lin!"
"First grade second Grand Scholar Yin Ming Tang!"
"First grade third Grand Scholar Qian Min!"
Following the announcement, the Grand Scholars entered one by one. They took three steps, knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times. After a while, someone stood up and read, "Grand Scholar Cao Wen Lin is bestowed the title of Grand Scholar.
"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!" After an unknown period of time, all the Grand Scholars kowtowed in unison.
...
"Ah!" Pei Zi Yun awoke from his slumber and looked around him. He saw that the sunlight was shining through the window. The quiet streets from last night were now bustling with activity.
Beside the window, a sparrow was chirping.
After some time, he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs next door. Pei Zi Yun slowly regained his senses and massaged his temples. After some time, he laughed bitterly and mumbled, "Pei Zi Yun, you underestimate the heroes of this world."
Zhang Zhi Gong, courtesy name Zhong Jin, was initiated at the Zhang Clan Temple at the age of five. He passed the county examinations at the age of sixteen, passed the provincial examinations at the age of nineteen, and became a scholar at the age of twenty-five. He entered the Imperial Academy and was promoted to the position of Assistant Minister of Rites. Due to his incompetence in military affairs, he was dismissed from his post.
He returned to his hometown three years later and died of illness. These simple historical records gave Pei Zi Yun a huge impact. Although this book was written when he returned to his hometown, and was filled with literary thoughts, the rest of it was not easy to accept.
"Although the Plum Blossom is good, if one's body is not strong enough, and accepts it a few more times, one's mind might break." Pei Zi Yun sighed to himself.
Last night, he returned to his room at the inn and ordered that no one was to disturb him.
When he entered his room, he placed the book under his pillow. After much experience, he lay down and closed his eyes. Not long after, he fell into a dreamland.
It was different from the last time when he absorbed the Dao Thought. This time, it was very smooth. In his dream, he studied hard, was taught by a famous teacher, passed the imperial examination at a young age, became a Jinshi at a young age, and fought in the imperial court all his life. In his later years, he was dismissed and returned to his hometown, disheartened.
When he woke up, tens of years had passed, and he had no idea who he was. Although he was lost for a short while, it was enough to scare him.
"However, although there was a price, there was a lot of gain!" Pei Zi Yun stood up. Although he was a young man, he had a certain aura about him that was hard to describe. He could only sigh, "The Plum Blossom Sect is truly a tyrannical force. Others have spent tens of years working hard, but I only needed a single night and a dream. Although I only have a tenth of Assistant Minister Zhang's abilities, it is enough for me to pass the Grand Examinations."
"It's no wonder that the original owner of the body was able to cross the threshold even after such a long period of time. Young Master Xie, on the other hand, was able to break through the restrictions and become the first Immortal Dao Lord."
All sorts of emotions from the past were brewing at this moment. It would be uncomfortable if he didn't spit them out. Thus, he ground the ink and wrote the article. He felt his chest filled with excitement and vigor. When he finished writing, he laughed heartily.
When he was done laughing, the ink dried and he retrieved a scroll. He then walked out, "It's time to meet the Mentor."
Once he walked out of the shop, he would be on the long street. There were too many shops for his eyes to take in. Pei Zi Yun headed straight for the bookstore. Not only did the bookstore have books, there were also brushes, ink stones and paper. He bought a stack of paper, an ink stone and a brush and ink stone. All in all, he had the four treasures of the study. The price was neither expensive nor cheap.
Although the Mentor was upright and upright, he wasn't so lacking in emotional intelligence. If he were to reject this, he would be selling his name.
After choosing, he headed straight for the Mentor's house.
Slow River County, Mentor's House
The courtyard wasn't very big. It was a small corridor, with three main rooms and five side rooms.
It was a rare holiday, and the Mentor was talking to someone. Actually, the Mentor's face was fair, and his facial features were regular. He had a long beard, but his stern expression made him seem a little unapproachable. At this point, he was talking about poetry. There was a plate of salted peanuts on the table, and a plate of chicken.
The Mentor was sitting beside the table, and it was the Mentor. The Mentor had his own ranking. Although he was only of the ninth rank, and the Mentor was not of the same rank, he was still a knowledgeable person. They had known each other for a long time.
At this point, they were talking about the recent Elementary Scholars. When the topic of Pei Zi Yun came up, the Mentor said, "This person's words are experienced, and his words are clear. It wasn't luck that he was able to pass the examinations. From what I can see, his ranking can be raised."
The Mentor stroked his beard and looked at his old friend. It was said that the Mentor had to be a High Scholar before he could become a High Scholar. Most of these Mentors were Elementary Scholars who had failed for a long time. No wonder he agreed. He shook his head, "You're right. This person's words are clear, and his words are penetrating. However, he has a fatal weakness. The reason he was able to pass was because the Examiner cherished his talent, and could not bear to dismiss him."
The Mentor was taken aback and asked, "Would you like to hear more about it?"
"Loneliness. Amidst the flowery words, there is a hint of sadness in them. Just based on his talent alone, he was able to attain the top rank in the examinations. The Great Xu Dynasty has just been established, and we want to establish a new era of prosperity. The way he wrote these words, if not for the Examiner's appreciation, he could have been dismissed."
"Although he is talented, becoming a High Scholar is no small matter. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to succeed." The Mentor said.
The Mentor was also an old Elementary Scholar. After hearing these words, he was startled. His heart felt empty, but he was at a loss. After a long time, he smiled bitterly and said, "I see!"
He then continued, "This person was highly recommended in the previous examinations. It was said that the Examiner said that he had the qualifications to become a High Scholar. However, his resentment is a taboo in the imperial court. I'm sure he lost his father at a young age, and his family's circumstances are poor. It's inevitable that he would be resentful. But he's still young, and became an Elementary Scholar. I'm sure he'll recover after a few years."
The Mentor took a sip of tea and said slowly, "I hope so. But it's hard to change a person's nature …."
Before he could finish his sentence, an old servant came in and whispered something. When the Mentor heard this, he laughed, "I was talking about this person, he's here. Let him in!"
It turned out that a few minutes ago, Pei Zi Yun had arrived at the wooden door and knocked. An old servant opened the door. Pei Zi Yun reported to the old servant and entered. He saw that there were only two people in the room. There was a table, a plate of peanuts, a plate of vegetables, and a small pot of wine.
"Greetings to the Mentor, greetings to the Mentor."
The Mentor then said plainly, "Ah, you're here."
Seeing that Pei Zi Yun was carrying things, his face turned stern, "You're here to buy things from my house. Hurry up and take them back."
Pei Zi Yun pretended to be apologetic, "I passed the Imperial Examinations. Technically speaking, the Mentor is a disciple. It's just that I wasn't sensible in the past, and didn't have the chance to visit you. Today, I've made up for it. It's just four things, please forgive me."
When the Mentor heard this, his face darkened. He was about to lecture him again when the Mentor laughed, "That's human nature. Don't tell me you don't even accept a student's greeting?"
Since the Mentor had spoken, the Mentor couldn't just reject him. He then asked a few questions and said, "The Fall Examinations are just around the corner. Why aren't you at home studying? Instead, you're wandering around. What are you doing?"
These words were harsh to the ears. Pei Zi Yun thought to himself, "He's really an old scholar!"
As he thought this, he smiled, "Recently, I've been studying and had some insights. I've written an essay, and would like to ask the Mentor to correct me."
As he said this, he handed it over to the Mentor. The Mentor received it and read the first few sentences without much thought. When he read the last few sentences, his expression changed. After some time, he put it down and said to Pei Zi Yun, "This essay is not bad. I'll take a look at it tonight. There will be an essay session in a few days. Come early, I have something to tell you."
Pei Zi Yun was overjoyed and agreed to it. Seeing that the Mentor didn't speak, he stood up and left.
When Pei Zi Yun left, the Mentor shouted, "Bring me some old wine, and drink it with this essay!"
The Mentor was curious, "Why is it like this?"
"Read it!" The Mentor said as he took the essay from him. At first, the Mentor was taken aback, but when he read it, his expression changed. His hands trembled, "Unbelievable."
"That's right. This person's essay already had some elegance to it. It was pure and righteous. It's just that it was filled with resentment and resentment. It's not suitable for the founding of a nation. That's why I said it would be difficult for him to pass the High Scholar exam."
"But this essay, the Yin Qi has been swept away. The elegance of the essay has gained the upper hand. His thoughts are deep and sincere, and his strokes are clear and elegant. It's like the sun rising from the east. It's the essence of ancient literature."
As the Mentor said this, a few strands of his beard broke off, but he didn't notice.
Since the Mentor was like this, the Mentor was even worse. This was the Mentor's dream of attaining this level. How many years of hard work had he been trying to get close to it, but he had never achieved it. As he read it, his entire body trembled, "It doesn't make sense for such a talented person to not pass the High Scholar exam. I haven't seen him for a month, and he's changed so much. Is this really a gift from the heavens?"
As he said this, the Mentor started tearing up.
Could it be that the difference between a genius and a mediocre person was so huge?
Was this High Scholar exam really not something an ordinary person could aspire to?
For a moment, he didn't know what to feel, as he lost his composure.
The Mentor looked at him and understood his feelings. He waited for the Mentor to calm down before saying, "Look, even the handwriting is in the Guge style. Although looking at it yourself, the Guge style doesn't have much color to it, but the handwriting is neat and tidy. It's meticulous, serious and meticulous. No examiner would dislike it."
"This increases the chances of him passing the High Scholar exam by a few notches. This person's thoughts run deep!" The Mentor spoke with mixed feelings as he downed the wine in one gulp.
When the Mentor saw this, he downed the entire cup as well. He even choked a little and started coughing. When he was done coughing, he forced a smile and asked, "Do you think this person can pass the High Scholar exam?"
"My old friend, you should know that after I passed the Imperial Examinations, I went to the capital city three times to take the examinations, but failed every single time. The Great Xu Dynasty was established, and the scholars flourished and the military retreated. Although I was a High Scholar of the previous dynasty, I was given an official position, and became a teacher in the county."
"Although I didn't pass the exam these three times, I managed to comprehend some of the High Scholar's essays. In the capital city, there are many collections of essays written by High Scholars."
"From what I've seen, even for a High Scholar's essay, it's not eighty to ninety percent complete, but it's at least sixty to seventy percent complete." As he spoke up to this point, even the Mentor was in disbelief. He mumbled, "This person is only fifteen years old, and yet he has such a level of skill. Could it be that he's gifted by the heavens?"
The Mentor calmed down and shook his head, "The dynasty has just been established. Just like what you've said, the rise of the High Scholar exam and the fall of the High Scholar exam is the general trend. Perhaps it's a gift from the heavens."
"If this person were to pass the High Scholar exam, he would have a bright future ahead of him!"
Both of them understood the meaning behind these words. The dynasty had just been established, and the official positions were vacant. At this point in time, it would be easy to ascend.
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