The county examination was approaching, and Zhang Yuan did not dare to neglect it even though he knew the four books by heart. This was the first stop on his road to profit, and he had to pass it, otherwise more than half a year of hard work would have been in vain. Maybe in the eyes of others, waiting for another three years
It didn't seem to matter, it was just a kind of tempering. Liu Zongzhou hoped that Zhang Bi would take the imperial examination again at the age of twenty, but Zhang Yuan couldn't afford to wait. It is now the forty-one year of Wanli, and time flies like an arrow.
Wang Si appointed Zhang Yuan not to write ancient essays for the time being before the county examination, but to write two essays on the Four Books and eight essays every day. The county examination questions are all from the Four Books, and there will be no questions on the Five Classics, although the scope of the questions is narrower.
, but because it is a small question and the meaning of the question is incomplete, there are still many variables. Of course, as long as the luck is not extremely bad, the Four Books question cannot be difficult for Zhang Yuan. On the 28th of the first lunar month, Zhang Yuan made an appointment on the first day.
Zhang Dai, Zhang's eldest brother in the West, accompanied him to Shanyin Academy to register. On the morning of the 28th, he took Wu Ling to the first gate of the Zhuangyuan Hall and waited. Zhang Dai came out soon and said: "Meson,
The Great Father has called you to give you some instructions."
Zhang Yuan didn't know why his uncle called him, so he followed Zhang Dai to see Zhang Rushuang in the North Courtyard. Zhang Rushuang sat on an armchair in the study room and smiled as he watched the two most outstanding descendants of the Shanyin Zhang family come in and said: "Zhang Yuan, I'm going today.
Are you registering for the county examination? Well, I have something to tell you. Songjiang Dong Xuanzai wrote a letter to apologize to me for the Lantern Festival Longshan Lantern Festival, saying that he had scolded his son and asked me to forgive his son's rudeness. Haha,
There is another letter written to Mr. Shang Zhoude, which must be an apology. It was also sent to me. Please take this letter and give it to Mr. Shang Zhoude." Zhang Yuan took the letter and kept it in his arms.
But Zhang Rushuang, the great uncle of the clan, said again: "Dong Gong also mentioned something at the end of his letter, saying that his son Dong Zuchang had a large black spot on his left side and was using medicine for medicine. Apparently he still had complaints about this."
Zhang Yuandao: "The grandson of the clan has no power to tie up the chicken, so he just touched Mr. Dong lightly. Why should he delay the medical treatment? This is too exaggerated...
Zhang Rushuang said with a smile: "Dong Gong is famous for protecting calves, but he just complained a little and just beat him. Who made his son behave so wildly? That's all. Let's forget what happened that day."
Now, you can prepare for the exam with peace of mind."
Just as Zhang Yuan was about to bow down and leave, Zhang Rushuang said again: "Here is a painting of Yunshan Mountain imitated by Mi Yuanzhang by Dong Xuanzai. It was given to me with the letter yesterday, so I will give it to you. This is an apology from Dong Xuanzai's son." Zhang Yuan bowed and said:
"Thank you, uncle.
"After taking the scroll, he and Zhang Dai left the north courtyard together. They met Zhang Zun, who was holding an exquisite birdcage and playing with the birds. He asked: "Jiezi, what good things did your father give you?" Zhang Yuan said: "A painting by Dong Xuanzai.
, it was given to my great-uncle, and my great-uncle rewarded it to me."
Zhang E opened his eyes when he heard this and said: "On the day when the lanterns were put out in Longshan, I rushed over with a dozen slaves to catch up with the boy named Dong and beat him up to see if he still dared to despise me, Shanyin Zhang.
"Unexpectedly, he had already escaped by boat."
Zhang Dai scolded: "The third brother is too reckless. If you beat Dong Zuchang seriously, then the eldest father will not be able to apologize to Dong Xuanzai. Jie Zi only kicked him, but Dong Xuanzai still complained." Zhang E curled his lips and said: "Since the kick
If you complain about even one kick, you might as well beat him half to death."
Zhang Yuan said with a smile: "The third brother was also loyal to me that day. I invited the third brother to drink after the county examination."
Zhang Yuan then showed his face and said: "Then I wish you the title of County Chief Case Officer." The first place in the county examination is called the County Chief Case Officer.
Zhang Yuan hurriedly said: "Third brother, you should wish me good luck. Third brother said the opposite."
Zhang E laughed heartily, handed the birdcage to Fu'er, and said, "Jiezi, let me see what Old Dong has drawn." He reached out and took the scroll handed over by Zhang Yuan, unfolded it and looked at Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dai.
Let's take a look at it together. Zhang Dai said: "This is an imitation of Mi Fu's painting of clouds and mountains in the Song Dynasty. The clouds are stained with ink, puffing and extinguishing. It is very charming."
Zhang E said, "Why did the man surnamed Dong imitate other people's paintings? Isn't this plagiarism?" Zhang Dai smiled and said, "Imitating famous paintings by famous artists is a shortcut to figure out painting skills, just like us learning to write calligraphy. How can this be possible?
It is said to be plagiarism. There are many imitations of Dong Xuanzai's landscape paintings of Mijia and Ni Yunlin's paintings. Didn't he borrow Ni Yunlin's "Autumn Mist Picture of Hengyun" from my eldest father the year before last to imitate it?" Zhang E said: "Brother, if you can copy the paintings you usually make,
If you give your paintings to others, will they be annoyed by you?" Zhang Dai said with a smile: "This can't be compared. Dong Xuanzai is a famous artist, and even if he paints it just a few times, people will still fight for it." Zhang E then said to Zhang Yuan: "Meson, take this painting.
give it to me."
Zhang Yuandao: "Third brother, if you want this painting, just take it.
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized that something was wrong. Before he could change his words, Zhang E just heard a "hiss" sound and tore the painting of Dong Qichang, who had not yet put on his wedding anniversary, into two halves.
Zhang Dai shook his head repeatedly and said: "It is unreasonable to waste natural resources."
Zhang E laughed loudly, rolled up the broken paintings and threw them aside, saying, "Thank you very much, Mr. Jie." He waddled away with the bird cage.
Although Zhang Yuan felt a little pity, he could only shake his head and said to the few servants of Xi Zhang beside him: "Whoever wants this broken painting can take it and hide it. It will be worth a lot of money if it is passed down for dozens of generations." He and his eldest brother Zhang Dai laughed all the way out.
After arriving at the gate of the mansion, I walked to the left for more than a mile, crossed the Guangxiang Bridge, and entered the Confucian gate. I saw that the inner courtyard of the gate was crowded with Confucian boys and their families who came to register.
, but stupid young people will study for several years. Regardless of whether they have passed the county examination or not, they still have to pass the county examination. Therefore, the Shanyin Confucian County Examination that is held every three years is always overcrowded. One original saying:
"With so many people, how long will it take to register?"
Zhang Dai said: "Then let's go to the county government office, where you can also sign up."
The two of them were about to turn around and leave when they saw Zhang Dingyi, a clan brother, running over and bowing to the two of them: "Brother Jie Zi, are you here to sign up too? The eldest brother is the guarantor, right? Can I also guaranty the younger brother?"
"
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "You also want to take the exam, are you ready to hand in a blank paper?"
Zhang Dingyi said: "Brother Jie, don't underestimate me. I have been studying hard recently. I am sure to pass the county exam this time."
Dai looked at this clan brother, who was the same sixteen years old as Zhang Yuan but a little shorter in stature, and said with a smile: "It's okay if you want me to be your guarantor. You can recite a section of Zhongyong to me, from "The Gentleman's Rules"
"Tao, for example, if you travel far, you will be short of yourself; if you climb high, you will humble yourself. Recite it from now on."
Zhang Dingyi scratched his head and said, "Why should you start memorizing it from the middle? Let's start from the beginning - "Destiny is called xing, nature is called Tao, and cultivating Tao is called teaching." It's smooth to memorize it all the way down.
Zhang Dai laughed and said: "If you cut a section in the middle and ask him to memorize it, he won't know how to memorize it. He has to memorize it from the beginning. Can he pass the exam like this?" He said to Zhang Ding: "Stop singing songs and go home and play."
Zhang Dingyi, however, refused to leave and said honestly: "Brother Jie Zi is bound to win. Everyone says that the top case in this county test is none other than Brother Jie Zi. Brother Jie Zi is very fast in composing and can write ten articles a day."
Eight chapters are no problem. When the time comes, I will sit down with brother Jie Zi, and Jie Zi will help me write two chapters. Wouldn’t it be nice for us brothers to win together?”
Zhang Dai laughed and said: "You have a good idea. Do you want to go through the exam with Jie Zi and win the imperial examination for fun?"
Zhang Dingyi said with a smile: "My brothers, you must help me in this critical moment, right?"
Zhang Yuan frowned and said, "Dingyi, who gave you this idea?"
Zhang Dingyi said: "It's my own idea. How could I not know that Brother Jie is so talented? Why should I ask others?" He thought in his heart: "Jie is a god. How could he know that someone else came up with this for me?"
I don’t know that person, he’s an enthusiastic person.”
Zhang Yuan asked Zhang Dai: "Brother, once the fraud in the examination room is discovered, how will you deal with it?"
Zhang Dai said: "The punishment for the county examination and the government examination is lighter. They only slap a few boards and put them up for public display. If you are found to have cheated in the road examination, you will be fined two subjects and not allowed to take the exam for six years. This refers to minor fraud. If it is a big problem,
For example, if you hire someone to take the exam for you, it is a serious crime. If you are found to have cheated in the rural exam or the general exam, you will be sent to the border guards and sent to the army."
Zhang Dingyi laughed and said: "Brother Jie is very familiar with the county and government officials. We ate and drank together. How could they arrest Brother Jie?"
Although Zhang Yuan is not sure whether his clan brother Zhang Dingyi is being taken advantage of, he cannot commit fraud in the examination room. He is famous now and there are many people staring at him. At this time, he must stand firm and act upright. Then
Although Yao Fu and Yang Shangyuan have been stripped of their honors and imprisoned, their charges have not yet been determined, and their property has not been confiscated. Their families are still trying to rescue them. Prefect Xu Shijin must have received a letter of pleading from Yao Fu's cousin Yao Chengli, and did not want to convict Yao Fu of a serious crime.
, was sentenced lightly but did not dare, for fear of provoking public anger, so he delayed it. This shows how difficult it is to completely defeat a person with a backer. Zhang Yuandao: "Dingyi, this is also my first time to take part in the county examination. I have no experience.
I'm a little stage frightened. Let's do it next time. I'll take the exam with you next time. You should go home and read through the four books."
Zhang Dingyi rolled his eyes and thought for a while and said: "Three years from now, when I will be nineteen years old, and the nineteen-year-old scholar is also quite good, then it is settled. Brother Zongzi, brother Jie will see you later." Let's go first.
gone back.
Zhang Dai couldn't help laughing: "Who will take him to the exam in three years?"
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "If you explain more, he won't listen. You can only say this."
Zhang Dai said: "You can't help him cheat. It would be terrible if it drags you down. My eldest father will be angry to death."
The disciples of the school came over and bowed: "Are the two Mr. Zhang here to sign up? Sun Jiaoyu has given instructions. If you see Mr. Zhang coming, please come to Zhidao Zhai. You don't have to join the crowd to sign up."
Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dai then followed the disciple to Zhidao Zhai. When Sun Jiaoyu saw Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dai, he smiled with wrinkles on his face and praised Zhang Yuan personally.
It's done, just wait until the exam starts in ten days.
After leaving the gate of Confucianism, seeing that it was still early, Zhang Yuan said goodbye to his eldest brother Zhang Dai and took Wu Ling by boat from Guangxiang Bridge to Kuaiji to meet his brother-in-law, Shang Zhoude.@.