"Good! Good! Good! "
Hong Xuanji suddenly stood up and said 'good' three times in a row. However, each word was sharp and it was obvious that he was laughing out of anger.
When he stood up, all the deputy examiners were shocked. They thought that he was about to explode and all took a step back. Li Shenguang glared at him and snorted coldly.
However, Hong Xuanji did not flare up. He merely flicked his sleeves and spoke in a calm but bone-chilling tone, "You are the Minister of the Board of Rites, a high-ranking official of the imperial court. Why would you strike the Jingyang Bell just for a mere High Scholar? Blood splattering in the throne room? Is this worthy of the word 'ceremony'? Today is the Nation's Grand Ceremony. I will not argue with you, lest I lose my dignity as an official of the court. Just wait and see. Being an official of the same court with a brute like you is a disgrace to me. "
With that, Hong Xuanji flicked his sleeves and left.
As the Grand Preceptor of the Prime Minister, he had to look at the bigger picture. If he really caused a ruckus over a small High Scholar title and caused the Jingyang Bell to ring and the Minister of Rites to bleed, even if he could win the case, he would become a laughing stock.
After Hong Xuanji left, the deputy examiners were still in shock and shook their heads, "Brother Shenguang, why do you have to make such a fuss over this? He wants to suppress his son because he wants to avoid arousing suspicion. It is not a big deal. At most, Hong Yi will have to train for another two years. Now that you have gone against him, it is not a small matter. "
"I know it is not a small matter, but this is the Nation's Grand Ceremony. There is no need to avoid relatives. Moreover, he is a famous official of Confucianism. Hong Yi's knowledge is different from his. Naturally, he does not think highly of him. This is not to avoid arousing suspicion or to seek a clean reputation. It is clearly to suppress a dissident. Although he is a small High Scholar, we cannot let him do as he pleases. "
Li Shenguang said proudly, "Don't be afraid. Just focus on marking the papers. I will bear all the consequences. I can even remonstrate with the Emperor. I am not afraid of the Grand Preceptor Marquis. "
"What about Hong Yi's paper?"
A deputy examiner said.
"You will still be ranked first. After the examination, we will decide on the ranking and release the results. The provincial examination under the feet of the Emperor of Jade Capital will be watched by millions of people, but it is different from the provincial examination. Be quick and quick. Don't be sloppy. "
…
Hong Yi naturally had no idea what was happening in the main examiner's room.
After he handed in his paper, he sat quietly in his seat and closed his eyes to meditate. However, he wasn't thinking about how the examiner was going to mark his paper. He was very confident about this exam. He knew that his essay had won the favor of the examiner and would definitely not be brushed off.
Furthermore, his handwriting was based on the Amitabha Sutra. It was guaranteed that the examiners would be captivated by it once they saw it, and wouldn't throw it into the exam without even looking at it.
He was thinking about how to arrange his life better after moving out.
With money, status, and fame, his future would be bright and comfortable.
As for the academic essay, Hong Yi knew that it was just a stepping stone. Once the door was opened, there was no need to think about it anymore.
When the sky darkened, the soldiers came to collect the papers, marking the end of the exam.
The scholars who had been holding back for a day no longer had the solemn attitude they had when they first entered. Instead, they swarmed out noisily. Some of them were arrogant, some were dejected, and some didn't care at all. All sorts of weird expressions were displayed.
Hong Yi carried his basket and walked out of the examination hall. He turned to the opposite street and spent another five taels of silver to order a bowl of steaming beef noodles.
The examination hall only provided plain porridge for the examinees at noon. It was extremely bland, and Hong Yi didn't drink much. By the time the exam ended in the evening, he was already hungry. He picked up pieces of beef and chewed on them while drinking the broth. He was very happy, but he was sweating profusely.
After eating, Hong Yi didn't want to go back to his residence. Instead, he took a stroll on the street.
The end of the exam had released all the pressure on him. Now that the exam was over, he felt much more comfortable.
Although it was evening, Yujing City was unusually lively. There was an endless stream of horses and carriages. Unknowingly, Hong Yi came to the busiest area, the Heavenly Bridge.
In the Heavenly Bridge area, there were vendors of snacks, storytellers, fortune-tellers, wrestlers, circus performers, martial arts performers to earn money, peddlers of Great Strength Pills, stalls selling antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc., a dazzling lineup.
"Good! Good! "
Just as Hong Yi was strolling around, a group of people suddenly formed a big circle in front of him. It was so tight that not even a drop of water could pass through. Inside the circle, he could hear a strong gust of wind, as well as the shout of a little girl.
Hong Yi heard the strange gust of wind and squeezed into the circle. When he saw the situation in the middle of the circle, he was shocked.
It turned out that there were three people performing martial arts in the circle. However, Hong Yi could tell that the performer was not an ordinary show-off, but a real martial artist.
In the circle, there was an old man, a strong man, and a little girl.
The old man sat on the ground and took out a tobacco pipe to smoke. The tobacco pipe was ridiculously big and black. It was actually made of pure iron.
The strong man looked like an iron tower. The most shocking thing was that the strong man was holding an iron rod that was as thick as a teacup and taller than a person. No, it should be called an iron rod.
Hong Yi's eyes were sharp. At a glance, he could tell that the iron rod was at least 80 to 50 kilograms. However, in the strong man's hand, it was like a matchstick that was spinning around.
"This strong man's arms must have the strength of 600 to 700 kilograms!" Hong Yi was secretly shocked.
As for the little girl, she had a pink face and looked like she was only 11 or 12 years old. She was wearing a red outfit, but it was dirty. It showed that she did not have a good life.
"She looks a bit like Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei. However, those three girls don't have the heroic spirit of this little girl."
Hong Yi looked at the little girl and recalled the appearance of the three little foxes in the secluded valley when their souls left their bodies.
"Oh!"
At this time, the surrounding crowd exclaimed again.
It turned out that in the field, the strong man suddenly raised his iron rod and hit the little girl. As he waved the iron rod, a strange sound could be heard from ten steps away.
Not to mention a delicate little girl, even a large water buffalo would be hammered into minced meat by this strike of the rod.
However, when the rod was about to hit the little girl, she suddenly jumped. Her body was like a butterfly stepping on the iron rod, and she floated up.
The strong man swung the rod again. The little girl jumped again and attached herself to the rod. She was so light that it seemed like she was weightless.
Everyone present was dumbfounded by what they saw.
Suddenly, the rod stopped. The little girl jumped down from the rod, and the strong man stabbed the rod hard on the ground.
The old man also stood up, holding a copper basin. "Those who have money, please …"
This meant that he was going to ask for money. When the surrounding people saw this, they all dispersed. Only a few well-dressed people threw out a few copper coins.
The old man, the burly man, looked at the few copper coins on the ground. He had a blank smile on his face as he stood there woodenly.
Only the little girl squatted on the ground and picked up the coins one by one. "Eighteen coins is not enough to stay in the inn. Grandpa, we have to sleep in the Shing Wong Temple again today."
Hong Yi heard the little girl's clear voice with a hint of disappointment. Suddenly, his heartstrings were tugged. He touched his pocket and found three gold coins, two gold biscuits, and a few silver coins. He took them all out and gently walked up to the copper basin.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
