In the examination room, the students continued to write their scripts.
Amongst them, Chen Zhiyuan had a smile on his face and was full of fighting spirit. He was determined to be the top High Scholar.
In the pavilion beside the temple, a group of officials looked at Zhao Jing Kong enviously.
Fang Yun carried a bamboo box and a basket as he walked out of the examination hall.
The sky was dark, but the area around the School of Arts was brightly lit. Many of the students' relatives and friends were living in the empty space in front of the examination hall. Some of them were in carriages, some had set up tents, and some were just laying blankets on the ground.
The bailiffs from the prefectural government were standing guard at the side, protecting the students' relatives and friends.
Further away were the oil lamps from the stalls. The smell of various snacks wafted in the air, reminding Fang Yun of his childhood after school. It was so distant yet so beautiful.
Fang Yun walked briskly towards the food stalls. He had been eating dry rations for the past two days, and the taste was not good. He was looking for something delicious to nourish his stomach.
Fang Yun had only taken a few steps when he heard someone crying.
"Wu wu … I am a disappointment …"
Fang Yun looked towards the source of the sound and saw a young Elementary Scholar kneeling in front of a forty year old middle aged man, crying.
"What are you crying for? 'Useless!' This is your first time taking the High Scholar Examinations. It would be a miracle if you passed! If you don't pass this year, try again next year! Get up, if you don't, I will beat you up! "
"Ok." The young Elementary Scholar wiped his tears and stood up.
Not far from him, several other Elementary Scholars carrying boxes were whispering to each other.
"Ai, how do I explain this to my family? I started writing well, but the more I wrote, the more uneasy I felt. I knew I was wrong, but I didn't know where I went wrong. I kept writing until I panicked and had no choice but to give up the examination. "
"Me too. The Confucian classics are killing me. Although the 'Book of Songs' was personally revised by Kong Sheng, he rarely came up with questions. When I saw the question, I panicked. It took me a while before I remembered. The more I wrote, the more uneasy I felt. "
"We are only Elementary Scholars, and do not have a photographic memory like the Grand Scholars. If the question was slightly off, we would have to rack our brains to think. For this essay, I spent ten hours thinking before I dared to write. I was afraid that I would make a mistake. I finished writing it, but for some reason, I was always afraid that I would make a mistake while writing the policy thesis. If he kept flipping through the pages of "Save the People's Will", his will would be too weak. With this lesson, I will definitely improve in the coming year! "
"We are all normal Elementary Scholars and cannot be compared to those geniuses. To be able to pass after ten years is already considered a blessing. It is normal for us to give up a few times. Look, there's another person who abandoned the exam and came to discuss with us … This person seems familiar. "
Someone smiled and said, "Oh? Could it be that they were classmates? This … Isn't this Fang … Fang Wenhou? Fang Wenhou abandoned the exam? "
The man's last sentence was almost shouted out.
Everyone looked at Fang Yun in unison. Everyone was shocked by the shouts of "Fang Wenhou abandoned the exam." The people in the distance didn't hear clearly and asked the people in front. Thus, the news of Fang Yun abandoning the exam spread in all directions.
First, the examinees' relatives and the surrounding yamen runners found out. Then, the surrounding vendors and passersby found out. Finally, everyone in Wenyuan Street knew.
This was Jiangzhou, the Dayuan Prefecture, Fang Yun's hometown. Everyone was paying attention to Fang Yun. Such an important piece of news spread at an extremely fast speed.
Many people didn't believe it and quickly walked to the entrance of the exam hall.
Fang Yun knew that he couldn't eat the snacks, but he couldn't say anything about the Holy Pen Review. He could only sigh helplessly and walk out.
"It can't be! No matter how bad Fang Yun's results are, he should only be out on the morning of the fourth day. Could it be that this person just looks like Fang Yun? "
"I can't be wrong. I saw him yesterday when he entered the exam hall. Even the box and basket are exactly the same. If he was out on the third day, I would definitely believe that he finished the exam in advance and easily obtained the top scorer position. But today is the second day. The actual time is only one and a half days. The time spent thinking and revising the three exam questions can't be less than one and a half days! "
"The exam started on the morning of the first day and left on the evening of the second day. It's been almost thirty-two hours. It hasn't even been a day and a half. Even if he wrote diligently, it's impossible for him to finish the exam. He's a genius, not a Half-saint! "
"Sigh …"
Fang Yun had no choice but to walk faster as the crowd discussed. However, in the eyes of others, it became evidence that he had failed the exam.
Usually, the crowd could stop Fang Yun, but they guessed that he was in a bad mood and didn't dare to do anything.
Someone couldn't help but ask loudly, "Lord Wen Hou, did you finish the exam or not?"
Fang Yun heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, someone asked a substantive question. He immediately said, "I finished." Then, he smiled and walked away.
"I told you. Fang Zhenguo finished the exam. Don't talk nonsense!"
"Then let's count carefully. Three policy essays, one scripture, and one poem. A total of five essays. Even if he wrote diligently, his speed is limited. After all, there are still drafts. Even if he wrote for four hours, there's still time. He spent at least six hours thinking, checking and revising each essay. This is already more than the previous examinees. That's a total of forty hours. Just by counting, it's already forty hours! Don't forget, this is the Imperial Examinations, not practice. What about his meals? Finishing each essay requires a lot of energy. What about his rest and sleep? You guys just came out like me. How did you get through last night? "
"When I was writing the poem, it was fine. But when I was thinking about the scriptures, my mind went blank and I saw stars. My literary palace swayed and I had to rest for a while before continuing. Last night, I slept for six hours before I was barely full of energy. It's fine if I don't sleep for two or three days. "
"I've already participated in the High Scholar Examinations twice, and it's always been the same. Scriptures and policy essays require too much energy. Actually, writing them isn't difficult, but writing them well is. Especially when it comes to the Holy Way. If I don't write clearly, my literary palace will sway. If it's serious, I'll vomit blood and faint. If I don't write these important thoughts, I won't even get a C grade, much less a A or B grade. "
"In other words, Fang Yun spent at least twelve hours on rest, eating, and sleeping. He spent eleven hours to finish writing five essays for the imperial examination? Ask those who passed the High Scholar Examinations and even the Grand Scholar Examinations. If they were to take sixteen hours to participate in the High Scholar Examinations, would they be able to enter the top ten of their respective prefectures? "
"That makes sense. It's not difficult for a Grand Scholar to pass the High Scholar Examinations in such a short time, but it's impossible for them to enter the top ten of their respective prefectures. "
"But Fang Yun did say that he was done. The Marquis of Literature would never lie to us."
"Yes, he was done. But how is his standard? How are his results? That's the key! And the key is his attitude. He left the examination hall after a day and a half. That's not just arrogance, it's contempt for the Holy Way! Let me ask you, as a Half-saint examiner, you gave the students three days to complete the examination. Someone only used half the time to complete the examination. Isn't that saying that the Half-saint doesn't know how to set the questions? "
"Nonsense! The results of the High Scholar Examinations haven't been released yet, how can you criticize others like that? Every year, there are scholars who bet on the Imperial Examinations. Maybe he did too! "
"Then let's wait until the results are released."
"Hmph, so what if he became a High Scholar? He's arrogant and looks down on the Saint! It's a pity that our Jingguo has lost the role model of a scholar! "
In the dark of the night, Fang Yun was dressed in a dark blue scholar's robe. After leaving the Wenyuan Street, he carried his bag and basket and walked towards the Fang Residence.
The people of the Fang Residence didn't know that he had left so early. There was no carriage waiting for him, so he continued walking. After walking for half an hour, when he approached the Fang Residence, the Marquis Wen Golden Seal on his waist constantly emitted strange waves. Compared to normal times, the Marquis Wen Golden Seal now seemed to be exploding.
Fang Yun smiled helplessly. He knew what was going on without looking. He was now a famous person in the Ten Nations. Half an hour was enough for all the scholars in the Ten Nations to know about it.
However, he had no choice but to read it. Fang Yun held the Marquis Wen Golden Seal in his hand and walked slowly while reading the letter.
"Fang Yun, what's wrong with you? Did you encounter something major that made you lose your composure? Did something happen to your family or something? I want to send a letter to Magistrate Sun, but he can't receive it in the examination hall! Tell me what's going on. "Cai He, the county magistrate of Ji County, who was very close to the Da Yuan Residence, was the first to send a letter.
"Are you crazy? Hurry up and make it clear! We left the Da Yuan Residence after sending you to the examination hall yesterday. We just arrived in Qingdu today and were planning to drink for three days before going to Kong City to participate in the Double Ninth Festival Literary Conference! We were discussing whether you could write a national poem during the Double Ninth Festival when we received the news that you abandoned the examination! What's wrong with you? "The second letter was from his good friend Li Fanming.
"Where are you? I'll go and pick you up. "The Jiangzhou Governor, Lu Hongyi, didn't say much, but his words were full of affection.
"Let's go back and take the examination next year. It's not a big deal, don't worry." After reading Li Wenying's letter, Fang Yun smiled knowingly and felt even more touched. Li Wenying had put in a lot of effort to comfort him.
"Fang Yun! What are you doing!?! You might as well kill me with your own hands! You're Jingguo's literary genius. If you abandon the examination, your reputation will be ruined! Others call it abandoning the examination, but you're cutting yourself off from the Holy Path and the Saint! Where are you? Tell me what's going on! "Yuhai Prefect Dong Wencong's words were full of anxiety.
"What happened that caused you to abandon the examination? If you trust me, you can tell me. "
"You've got guts! Damn it, we Jingguo people really have guts! You dare to abandon the examination? I'll definitely beat you up when we meet again after I've wiped out the grassland barbarians! "
"The Editorial Board of the Holy Path is waiting for news. Half of the Notre-Dame is in a mess. This is an earth-shattering event. You must not make a mistake! "Grand Secretary An, the Editor of the Holy Path, warned.
"We scholars of the Qing Kingdom have already gone mad with laughter and are preparing to attack you. We've joined forces with the sharpest brushstrokes in the Juwen Pavilion and are already grinding ink. We're only waiting for an inch of brush to stain your literary reputation and block your divine path." This was Zong Wude.
"I believe there's another reason. If you have a clear conscience, you don't need to care about others." After reading the letter, Fang Yun thought that Yan Yukong was indeed different. He was only a High Scholar, but he was calmer than many Grand Scholars.
"You! You! You! What's the reason? "Zhao Hongzhuang, who was far away in the capital, sent a letter.
"You almost angered me to death!"
Fang Yun's hand trembled. He didn't expect the Empress Dowager to personally send a letter to him. If the outside world knew about this, who knew what kind of rumors would be made up?
The Empress Dowager's status was special. She even sent letters to the scholars through eunuchs and eunuchs. She would never personally send letters to others because it was a royal etiquette.
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