Chapter 324 [All Suffering, Greed, Anger and Ignorance]
Han Mozhuang gently patted Xue Poye's shoulder and said, "Go in."
"Will the teacher preside over this exam?" Xue Poye asked with a smile.
Han Mozhuang shook his head, with a look of exhaustion on his face, and said calmly: "My child, I am an old man now, and I feel tired even if I do something. There are so many great scholars in Hangzhou, and so few of me. I am here just because
I came from Baili Academy when I was young. I remembered the plum blossoms in the courtyard in winter, so I came to take a look." He sighed and said with emotion: "The plum blossoms are still the same, but people are getting older. A hundred years of life is wasted.
Like a shooting star, you really don’t need to worry too much about it.” After saying that, he waved his hands gently, put his hands behind his back, hunched his old body, and walked away slowly, and after a while, he disappeared under the plum blossom tree.
Xue Poye watched Han Mozhuang go away with a respectful look, and a feeling of emotion arose in his heart. Even if a person is in the wind and clouds, when he reaches his age, he is just an old man, and what he associates with them is just the long lonely night.
.
Full of clothes, he led Xiao Shitou to the big bookstore. This big bookstore occupies a very large area, is huge, and has a huge capacity. As the largest university in Hangzhou, Baili Academy has cultivated many talents.
He contributed many pillars to the imperial court, and Baili Academy trained many Hanlin bachelors like Han Mozhuang.
It is precisely because of this profound historical heritage and achievements that Baili Academy has always been a benchmark project in Hangzhou. Over the years, it has been repaired several times, the campus has been expanded, and there are many students. It has become a sacred place in the literary circles of Jiangnan and even Dachu.
Mr. Chen Yin, Xiao Moting, also graduated from Baili Academy and eventually became a literary giant. He has always been a proud figure of Baili Academy and a role model for many underachieving students.
This time Mr. Chen Yin chose a disciple, and the Hangzhou literary world immediately treated it as a major event. Not only did dozens of highly respected literary figures come out to handle the matter, they even set up the examination room in this holy place, which fully demonstrated Mr. Chen Yin's talent.
prestige.
The bamboo forest swayed with the cold wind, exuding a rare fragrance in winter, which made people feel shocked when they smelled it.
Xue Poye raised his head and looked at the plaque on the big bookstore, which read the word "Jingshe". Although the handwriting was not flying and flying, it still had an elegant and refined flavor. The person who left the mark was obviously a master of calligraphy.
Entering the quiet house, you can immediately see a row of tables in front of the study house, with more than a dozen Hong Kong scholars sitting on them upright, all looking well-educated.
Downstairs, a large and dark group of people stood quietly. Even if a few people whispered quietly in private, they immediately shut up when they saw the strange looks cast from the side.
Xue Poye walked slowly into the crowd and raised his eyes to look at the banquet to see if Xiao Moting was there, but he could not see Xiao Moting's figure from beginning to end.
Xue Poye was well aware of Xiao Moting's original intention in choosing a disciple this time.
Xiao Moting's intention was naturally that he did not want Xiao Suzhen to marry into the Liu family. Although he admired Liu Tuo as a disciple, he was very dissatisfied with Liu Tuo's family background when it came to choosing a son-in-law.
This dissatisfaction is certainly not because Liu Tuo's family background is not good, but because Liu Tuo's family background is too prominent.
Liu Tuo is the only son of the Liu family, one of the three royal families of Da Chu. He is surrounded by gold and jade. In terms of personal qualities, Liu Tuo can be regarded as one of the best among his kind in terms of both civil and military skills.
However, the Liu family, as a royal family of the imperial court, has many complicated roots and every step is complicated. If one person is not good, there may be some unexpected big turmoil. For Xiao Moting, who is familiar with historical allusions, the decline of a wealthy family is ups and downs in the historical trajectory.
However, it is often seen that the nobles who are still prominent today may face the crime of annihilation tomorrow. As long as they are in the court, no one can guarantee when this kind of thing will happen.
As one of the three founding royal families of the country, the Liu family is extremely noble. With their prestige over the years, they have long formed a climate with deep roots. It is precisely because of this that they have become the vigilance and hatred of the master of the country. As the master of the country, no one can
I hope that under my rule, there are still some deep-rooted and powerful families, and the policies and actions of such a constrained king will definitely be a thorn in the side of the king, and he will quickly pull them out.
Xiao Moting has keenly captured the existential crisis of the three royal families from some of the actions of His Majesty the current emperor. In the hands of the current emperor, the three royal families that have been controlling the three garrison armies in Kyoto have gradually had their military power reduced.
Although the entanglement between the two could not be completely resolved for a while, the Holy Sage's intention was very clear, which was to abolish the three royal families.
The civil and military skills of the current emperor have not been widely displayed among the emperors of the past dynasties. There has been no war in Chu for many years, so the emperor has not made much achievements in martial arts. However, in terms of civil affairs, no one dares to ignore the huge contribution made by the current emperor.
The literati turned around and were respected everywhere. Now the country is at peace. In times of peace, literati was valued, but in troubled times, military affairs were emphasized. It is because of His Majesty the Emperor's emphasis on literati that the state machinery can move forward smoothly with rules and regulations. Even if armaments are relaxed, the country
In terms of civil administration, he was able to keep the huge Chu State in stability, and His Majesty the Emperor has become the holy king in the hearts of all literati, winning the support of the literati. In the Great Chu State where literati dominate, His Majesty the Emperor obviously has great
High political foundation and public opinion.
Just imagine, during the dispute between the two princes, the important departments of the court dismissed countless officials. However, because His Majesty the Emperor had already prepared candidates, during the quiet replacement, those worries did not arise.
During the great turmoil, a group of outstanding new officials continued to keep His Majesty's machine moving forward.
Xiao Moting obviously understood that if his daughter married into the Liu family, her future would be determined by the ups and downs of the Liu family. Of course, he couldn't bear to marry his daughter into such a dangerous place, let alone let his daughter fall into
In the midst of the extremely vicious family disputes in our family.
Therefore, in order to escape this marriage that was destined to be unhappy, he resolutely used the method of controlling the five elements' energy to deceive Liu Tuo first and extended the period for one year. However, once the period is up, the Liu family will definitely not give up.
If Liu Guogong really comes to ask for marriage, once he refuses, I am afraid that he will really offend me and affect the future of other disciples.
Xiao Moting doesn't like to involve others by nature, so he can only choose one way, that is, he must marry Xiao Suzhen during this year. In this way, he can get rid of the Liu family's entanglement, and he can even tell about Xiao Suzhen's strange illness.
There are more reasons to deal with the Liu family. In this way, the Liu family will not be offended head-on.
Of course, Xiao Moting would not be stupid enough to go out and search for a son-in-law. This would be a matter of face, and another one would give the Liu family a loophole.
After much deliberation, Mr. Chen Yin's final plan was to select a first-class talent as his son-in-law and marry Xiao Suzhen in the name of choosing a disciple.
Xue Poye was thinking about it when he heard a figure next to him say: "Shopkeeper Xue, please stand in line!"
Xue Poye came back to his senses and saw nearly two hundred candidates in the lobby, but they were all standing in teams. They were divided into fourteen teams. Each team had about ten people. In front of each team, there was a group of people.
Named Hongru.
This is really like queuing up to buy tickets at the train station in my previous life.
The person who spoke was an escort, who obviously knew Xue Poye and was polite to Xue Poye. Xue Poye hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "I'm rude, don't blame me!" He casually stood in the queue on the left.
.
After some tossing, when nearly two hundred people lined up, a thick escort leader appeared from the side and said loudly: "Everyone, Mr. Chen Yin's selection of disciples is of great importance. It is also important to me, Hangzhou and even the entire city."
It is a major event in the Chu Kingdom. All the young and talented people came here to apply for the election and passed the test. I would like to take the Hangzhou literary circle to thank you all for coming and congratulate everyone for passing the test. Congratulations!"
There was a roar of greetings from below, and even the brave and brave man behaved politely at this time. After all, he wanted to be Mr. Chenyin's disciple, and no one wanted to be regarded as a reckless man who was ignorant of worldly affairs.
"Okay, okay!" The escort leader looked back at all the scholars who were sitting upright, and continued: "However, although this level has been passed, it is only the beginning. Today is the second level, and these two levels, according to the rules
What Mr. Yin means is that there are two issues."
"Oh, aren't they just two questions? Ask them quickly, I'll be the one to answer them." A rude man couldn't bear it anymore, and his true nature was revealed, earning him a blank stare. Even the rude men like him, at this time
I also felt that when I was in a quiet house, I should maintain a polite appearance, so I looked at this brother with contempt. The brother was embarrassed and lowered his head, feeling that he had lost face.
The escort leader chuckled before continuing: "Only those who can pass this question can answer the second question."
"Isn't this just two levels?" Some people still couldn't help but mutter to themselves.
The escort turned back and bowed his hands to the fourteen scholars on the stage, then turned around and said: "Everyone, these fourteen are giants in Hangzhou's literary world. They are the leaders and predecessors of our Hangzhou literati and even the Dachu literati. They are highly respected.
Integrity and clarity, this question is asked by each gentleman to give the question to the young talent in front of him. If he can get it right, he will pass the test. If he can't get it right, he will be out of the game. Although he cannot pass the test, for the sake of
Thank you for your admiration for Mr. Chen Yin. We will give you two taels of silver as travel expenses. After this round, all the gentlemen will jointly take out the iron box locked by Mr. Chen Yin!" After saying this, the escort pointed to everyone.
Behind Hongru, everyone discovered that behind the Hongru people, there was a small table, and an iron box was suddenly placed on the table. The box was not big and looked like a decoration, but it was locked by a big lock.
stand up.
Although everyone was confused, they understood that this was a pure place and did not start any discussion.
Xue Poye had a faint smile on his lips and touched his nose, looking refreshed.
"Inside this box is a question asked by Mr. Chen Yin, so after everyone has finished answering Mr. Chen Yin's question, those who pass the test can accept Mr. Chen Yin's question." After the escort finished speaking, he waved his hand, and three drums sounded next to him.
, the escort leader announced loudly: "All young talents, please come forward in order and answer the questions one by one."
After the words were spoken, all the scholars sat up straight, looking aloof, waiting for the candidate to come up.
Xiao Shitou stood in the corner, looking at the rows of candidates. He was quite amused. He actually sat in the corner and watched. No one noticed him, and they all devoted themselves to the vigorous question-answering exercise.
The Jingshe has a huge capacity. Although there are more than two hundred people, it is still very empty. This is a place like a large lecture hall of Baili Academy. The two hundred people are keeping silence, although Xue Poye is the last one, not far from the front.
There was still some distance, but due to the scene in the quiet house, the previous topic came to my ears clearly.
Those questions, as expected, are all literary questions.
""Moderate"
In the second sentence of Chapter 14, there is a sentence: 'When you are rich and noble, you behave like a rich man; when you are poor and humble, you behave like a poor and humble person.' How should we continue from this?"
"The National Style of the Book of Songs. One section of Youfeng contains one chapter of Dongshan. Can you memorize it?"
"The Song of Zhou in the Book of Songs. In the Qing Temple, there is a section of "Shimai", and in the middle there is "carrying a halberd to fight, carrying a long bow and losing it." What is the meaning of this?"
…
My ears are full of simple questions from the Four Books and Five Classics. It is not difficult. If I am an ordinary scholar, I am afraid that I can answer it. However, in the quiet house at this time, there are many strong men and martial artists, but there are only a few who are both civil and military.
, this question immediately left many candidates who had only passed the level with brute force speechless, speechless, and thought blankly. In the end, the blind cat talked nonsense, and all the escorts were killed.
They sent him down and went out with two taels of silver.
Naturally, these rude men were a little unconvinced. After they went out, they could not help but talk about it, saying that they were deliberately making things difficult for others.
This person who lost was naturally dissatisfied. After he went out, he couldn't help but talk about it. He said that he was deliberately making things difficult for others and asked the martial artist to answer the Four Books and Five Classics. This was too ridiculous.
Someone next to me immediately said that it was strange for Mr. Chen Yin to select disciples and retake the literary examination. If this level is unfair to warriors, then how can the stone-moving lion level be fair to the weak scholars? Those weak scholars first level
If you don't pass, you won't get anything. A martial artist who hasn't passed these two levels should be satisfied if he can get two taels of silver.
After saying this, everyone understood a little and realized that this statement was reasonable. Mr. Chen Yin was a great man in the literary world, so it was really strange not to take a literary test.
Of course, some people must say: "If a level is worth money, then as long as you sign up, you will be given money. Wouldn't everyone from all over the world come?"
There was an uproar, but the outside of Baili Academy was very lively, and the arguments were flying all over the place, but inside the quiet house was still quiet. Those who passed the test were taken aside by the escort to rest, and the losers quickly left the house in an orderly manner. The exams were
The preparations were done extremely well.
Xue Poye felt a little uneasy. In fact, he only had a partial understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics. He could not answer most of the questions he heard. He had always been full of confidence, but he really didn't have much confidence at this time.
Finally it was his turn. There were more than ten people in this row, but only one person in front of him passed the test, and the rest were eliminated.
Xue Poye cupped his hands and saluted, and then looked up at his husband. He had a very good memory. When he saw this gentleman's face, he felt familiar. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly thought of the time when Xiao Moting was released from prison.
, once held a banquet in the West Lake and invited himself. I also met Liu Tuo for the first time that day, and this gentleman seemed to be among them. I immediately remembered that this gentleman seemed to be called "Mr. Qingyi" and he was also a prominent figure in the Hangzhou literary world.
, I have a relationship with Mr. Chenyin.
"Xue Poye!" Mr. Qingyi looked at Xue Poye briefly and recognized him.
Xue Poye smiled faintly and said, "How good is Mr. Qingyi?"
Mr. Qingyi snorted coldly and did not answer. He just looked Xue Poye up and down and said calmly: "I really can't tell. Not only is shopkeeper Xue's eloquence first-class in debating, he is also so strong that a two hundred kilogram stone lion was also beaten.
You moved."
"It's not moving, it's lifting." Xue Poye said with a full smile.
That day on the West Lake, Xu Poye was chatting with the Confucian scholars, and he was very popular. When he left, he was even more chic. If he hadn't put this clean-blooded person in his eyes, he would have offended this group of people long ago.
Among all the people that day, Xue Poye and Mr. Qingyi had the deepest bond, so Mr. Qingyi became angry as soon as he saw Xue Poye.
"Hehe, shouldn't I praise you?" Mr. Qingyi sneered.
Xue Poye said calmly: "Sir, please give me a question!" He knew that this old guy was bound to give an extremely difficult question.
Mr. Qingyi pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Let's do it this way. If I match up with you, I will give you a pass." Mr. Qingyi knew that Xue Poye had studied under Han Mozhuang. If he asked again
When he asked about the knowledge in the Four Books and Five Classics, the other party would definitely be able to answer it easily, but he didn't know that this was exactly Xue Poye's weakness. If he really found out extremely difficult questions from the Four Books and Five Classics, Xue Poye would really have 90% of the answers.
Not coming up.
It was precisely because he had determined that Xue Poye would follow Han Mozhuang, and Han Mozhuang was an ancestor who was proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics. Instead, he did not dare to ask questions, and only wanted to find difficult answers to stump Xue Poye.
After all, it is not difficult for scholars to learn the Four Books and Five Classics, and it is not difficult to master the Four Books and Five Classics as long as they put in the effort. However, this pair really does not match just by mastering the Four Books and Five Classics.
"Three points to Wei, Shu and Wu!"
After thinking for a long time, Mr. Qingyi finally came up with a pair. He had learned about this pair for a long time, and he had made many correct answers. However, after much thought, he still didn't have a good answer. Asking this question at this time was intentional.
It’s time to make things difficult for Xue Poye.
The two gentlemen next to them also finished asking questions. Seeing that there was something wonderful about this couple, they also came closer and wanted to know how Xue Poye would answer.
"Amitabha!" Xue Poye sighed.
"What?" Mr. Qingyi asked curiously: "Amitabha? What is this? Is it your lower body?"
Xue Poye immediately showed a strange smile and said with a chuckle: "Of course this is not the second line. I just thank Bodhisattva for blessing. If Mr. Qingyi comes up with other pairs, Xue may not be able to get it right, but this one
Yes, I can give it a try."
"Young man, don't talk nonsense. Although there is no best choice for this pair, it is very rare to be right." Mr. Qingyi said slowly. Although he has a grudge against Xue Poye, if Xue Poye
He was really happy that Po Ye could come up with a good answer to the question. After all, he was still a scholar at heart and had a deep interest in poetry. There had never been a good answer to this question, so he really hoped to have one.