Just thinking about it, Yu Lu had already arrived at the main courtyard. Before he entered, he saw a figure coming out, and it was his grandson who greeted him personally!
Yu Lu and Fang Xi were both shocked by the changes in their friends before them. It hadn’t been too long since they were separated, but their former friends looked more intimidating than before!
After being stunned for a moment, the two of them hurriedly saluted him and said they were meeting their grandson.
Su Ziji smiled brightly and bowed only once. When he was bowing for the second time, he took a step forward and supported him heavily with his hands.
"Please get up."
Stopping the two of them, Su Ziji said warmly: "You and I have been friends since we were young, and we are classmates from poor families. Our friendship is very different. It's just that I'm not polite and it's not good for you. After all, you and I are monarchs and ministers."
"Now that we have bowed, the courtesy between monarch and minister has been completed. Now we are friends of the poor and the humble. Brother Yu Xian, brother Fang Xian, please." After saying that, Su Ziji motioned for the two of them to come in together.
Such a cheerful and measured look made Yu Lufang Xidu feel warm in his heart.
Now that he has reached his current status, he is still called by his old title. How can he not be moved?
Entering, Su Ziji asked people to serve tea and then asked people to leave. There were only three people in the not-so-large study, and they seemed even more intimate in this place.
The embarrassment that the two of them had originally felt due to the change in status was much lessened. Su Ziji asked about things about his hometown again, and after a few words, he glanced over and saw that the two of them were more relaxed, so he smiled and said: "
Did you come to Beijing to take the exam? It must have been a year or two since I last saw you, and you must have made great progress in your studies. Did you bring any papers with you?"
“I want to take a good look at your article! You don’t have to hide it, just bring the article and I will naturally comment on it!”
"If it's not good, I'll criticize it."
Su Ziji's natural attitude made Yu Lu and Fang Xi feel in a trance, as if they were back in time.
But, how can it really go back to the original state?
Yu Luyin sighed: "His Highness sent you a book earlier. It was not because we were trying to flatter you. His Highness did have real insights in the imperial examination. We have all benefited a lot. There is an article, so please correct it."
Then he took out the article and handed it to Su Ziji.
Su Ziji took out the article and waved his hand: "You drink tea first, and I will talk after you finish."
As he said that, he unfolded the article and read it carefully, but he read it very quickly. He read thousands of words in almost a few minutes. The two of them couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.
However, I understand that there are so many big officials waiting to be received outside, so giving him a few minutes to look around is already a great courtesy.
Unexpectedly, Su Ziji read it again, this time a little longer, five minutes. Then he put down the paper, turned around and smiled: "Brother Yu Xian, brother Fang Xian, you say you are flattering me in vain, do you think I am flattering you in vain?"
Seeing that the two of them were startled and quickly said no, Su Ziji said: "Do you still remember Zeng Lingchu and Zeng Xiucai in Linhua County?"
"Zeng Lingchu was a scholar? Is his father the one who was a fellow scholar and later wrote manuscripts for a living?" Fang Xi was more familiar with it and immediately remembered it.
"Yes, I spent twenty taels of silver on the one who gave me bail." Su Ziji recalled Mrs. Zeng who opened the door with cracked fingers, frostbite, and Ye Weihan who was coughing.
Real life is not as beautiful as the talented and beautiful women in time-travel novels, and the mistress also has to do a lot of work.
He smiled faintly and said: "Zeng Lingchu ranked first in the imperial examination at the age of 19 and was recognized as a scholar, and was recognized by the academic administration. However, he failed to win at the age of 30, and his family declined."
The two of them didn't know what they meant. They just listened and heard Su Ziji cover his tea cup with a smile: "Later, Zeng Lingchu made a living by writing books, but due to a lifetime of frustration in the literary field, his writings were naturally sad and melancholy, full of melancholy."
Yu Lu was startled and said hurriedly: "Although Zeng Xiucai feels sorry for himself, he still has no resentment."
"I don't mean to offend, I just want to analyze it for you. It has only been thirty or forty years since the founding of the Zheng Dynasty. The sun is rising in the east, and he is crying in the corner. Who can be the examiner?"
After hearing this, Yu Lu also sighed: "Your Highness said that now is the prosperous age, but this article's mood is contrary to the country."
"Not only that, I have also read the articles he wrote, and there are also scholars in them."
"In the article, he claimed that he was the most famous person in the world, but he failed to sell it every time. As a result, he gave some advice. So when he read the exam secrets, he thought that these were articles about the proliferation of kudzu and ulterior motives, while what he wrote was an article that established his words and established his doctrine."
"I know why this person has never been successful in his life."
As Yu Lu listened, he realized that Su Ziji was really giving his instructions seriously and was busy listening attentively.
Su Ziji said in a calm tone, as if he was smiling: "If the world's literature is divided into nine grades and eighteen grades, and those who are not in the mainstream are deducted, the eighth grade scholar can be successful."
"To be a scholar, you have to be between five and four ranks, and to be a Jinshi, you have to be three ranks. In other words, when most scholars are to be a scholar, the gap between them is a full four ranks, even more than the difference between being a scholar to a Jinshi. They are eliminated in this step.
Most people.”
"The fundamental reason why Zeng Lingchu failed to pass the examination was his lack of talent and learning."
"Someone might ask, Zeng Lingchu was a proficient reader of the Four Books and Five Classics. He didn't just memorize them by heart, but he also quoted them from classics. Why was he so talented that he couldn't make progress?"
"Actually, it's very simple. There is no official atmosphere."
Yu Lu was startled and asked: "Your Highness, is it because he has no official destiny?"
Su Ziji took a sip of tea and said: "No, it's not this. You and I both know that many people hate the Eight-part essay. They say it is a stepping stone. If they get it, they will throw it into the toilet."
Fang Xi also smiled and said, "That's what He Xiaolin and He Juren said."
"Then how can a person with good luck win the prize?"
"Eight parts" refers to the eight parts of the article, which are composed of eight parts: breaking the title, carrying the title, beginning, entering the title, starting part, middle part, back part, and closing part. The titles are all from the original texts in the Four Books and Five Classics. The last four parts
Each part has two strands of parallel text, totaling eight strands in total.”
"And you must speak in the tone of Confucius and Mencius. The four pairs of words are balanced. You cannot use romantic allusions to blaspheme the saints. The length of the sentences, the complexity of the characters, the high and low of the tones, etc. must also be relatively written, and the number of words is also limited."
"This set of rules seems very restrictive, but why does the imperial court require stereotyped writing for official work?" Su Ziji said calmly, but Yu Lu didn't know why, but he knew that the key point was coming, and he listened attentively.
"Then we have to ask, what is an official?"
"From the perspective of those in lower positions, and from the perspective of the common people, officials are wealth, they can do whatever they want, and they are willful. But from the perspective of those in higher positions, officials are the system and the rules. To be an official, you have to follow the framework of laws and regulations (eight-legged stereotypes).
), you can neither go too far beyond the realm of possibility, but also have to show off your flowers and see the subtlety of things."
"The Dharma is like an eight-legged piece, with officials in it, framed by ponds, how can one see God (text)?"
"So, whoever can write stereotyped writing well has already experienced the essence of officialdom in advance - if he hates stereotyped writing and refuses to be brilliant within the framework, then he is naturally unfit to be an official - are the people selected to be rebels or menglang?
?”
After saying these words, there was a thunderclap, and I was enlightened.
In a word, children and scholars only need to be familiar with the classics. If you want to be selected, especially Jinshi, you have to go through the eight-part essay and be able to write under strict rules (eight-part essay in literature, and rules in officialdom).
Wonderful and captivatingly written, these are the talents the court wants.
If scholars cannot understand this threshold and are unwilling to accept the rules of stereotyped writing, then the so-called talent and learning are just wild taste. Wild taste is not bad and can be passed down to future generations, but it has no chance of being connected with the imperial examination.
"This has something to do with nature. Some people cannot pass this test in their lives. They are naturally averse to rules and naturally cannot understand the true meaning of eight-legged essay. Such people, to put it mildly, no matter how talented they are, can memorize the Four Books and Five Classics by heart.
It is difficult for a scholar to succeed."
"Some people recognize the rules by nature and don't feel any hindrance at all, so they do the dojo in the snail shell and write in the eight-legged frame. In this way, their talents and learning will naturally improve by leaps and bounds. They can win the imperial examination in two or three years. If they are talented, they can even win the Jinshi.
.”
"Actually, the rhymes of poems are flat, oblique, oblique, and antithetical. The same principle applies, but it is still relatively loose. It is not as pure as the eight-part essay, which has a pure official spirit."
Su Ziji took the article: "If you have been in the officialdom for a long time, you can actually be an examiner and read the candidates' articles. You can tell whether there is official style in the examination paper at a glance - doing the dojo in the snail shell, writing in the eight-legged frame, this kind of
You can’t cover up the smell.”
"So I finished reading it in just a few minutes, and I didn't just read it in general."
"Of course, having rules does not necessarily mean you will succeed. There are many people in the world who want to be officials, but most of them cannot live in death and become Taoists. They are rigid and rotten."
"Of course the first priority of the imperial court is the rules, and the second is talent. What is the use of wooden people? Is the court salary wasted in vain?"
"Therefore, building a dojo in the snail shell and writing in the eight-part frame. The snail shell and the eight-part frame are the prerequisites. Being able to do the dojo and the article is the embodiment of talent - whether you can still be under the heavy constraints of the eight-part (officialdom)
Being able to write is like having a god (managing the world and benefiting the people) - this is the fundamental reason for selection."
"This way will never be easy, no matter how long it lasts, it will be like this for thousands of years. Even if the officialdom may be abolished in 10,000 years, the literary stereotype will never be abolished, but the official stereotype will never be abolished. Therefore, when talking about stereotyped writing, it feels corrupt. People like this are actually
It’s not enough to talk about the truth!”
"If you have an official spirit in your heart, you will write like you have a spirit."
"Brother Yu Xian, your nature is in line with the rules. Before you know it, your article has become popular. As long as you keep it steady, you can be a Jinshi."
"As for Brother Fang Xian, your talent for reading is actually very good. It's just that you are naturally out of touch. Although you have worked hard to read eight-part essays and learned my calligraphy skills, you still lack the skills. You must be very lucky to be able to get a third-level classmate."
Jinshi."
This evaluation is true to every word.
Yu Lu really understood that this was the fundamental way of the imperial examination, not a mysterious talk in the clouds. It could really be described as a mark with a whip, and blood with a slap.
It is very possible that only the great grandson in the world understands this.
After all, if this truth were to be passed down from generation to generation, the so-called farming and studying family would not only have achieved fame in the second or third generation, but would have held official positions for generations.
As for the luck mentioned by the grandson, it is relatively unmeaning. After all, Su Zi is the grandson now. In a word, it is naturally a lot of luck, which is worth the years of hard work of many people.
Yu Lu looked at Fang Xi, who was confused. Originally, the parties involved had to choose such major life events, but after hearing this truth, how could they repay this love if their fame and fame would remain intact for generations to come?
Not to mention that Taisun won the Jinshi title.
Yu Lu replied directly: "We appreciate His Highness's kindness, but in matters such as the examination room, one must rely on one's true ability."
After saying this, he hesitated again.
Su Ziji saw that he had something to say, so he said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you still hesitating? Is there anything else that you can't say?"
After hearing this, Yu Lu's original hesitation dissipated and said, "When the two of us came in just now, we saw many officials gathered at the door waiting to come in."
"And there are even more important people gathering in the mansion. The gifts for you are all brought in in boxes...it seems there are too many people and too many gifts..."
He did not dare to remonstrate directly, but said this in an emotional tone. Based on his understanding of Su Ziji, he could not fail to understand what he meant.
Su Ziji naturally heard it and burst out laughing. After a while, he sighed: "You are the only one who said that to me!"
After finishing speaking, he remained silent for a long time, showing helplessness, and explained: "The reason why so many people came and brought gifts is because the grand ceremony of canonizing the grandson will be held tomorrow, so the congratulations from all the officials are not like this every day.
.”
After listening to Su Ziji's explanation, Yu Lu felt relieved. He could feel that Su Ziji was not confused. He should know what he should do and what he shouldn't do.
After becoming the grandson, especially today, Su Ziji is really busy. After just talking for a while, people came to report several times, and they were all the first and second grade officials who came in person. As the grandson, he had to go
Meet.
Upon seeing this, Yu Lu stood up and said, "We didn't know that tomorrow was the day of canonization. His Highness must be very busy today, so I will not disturb His Highness for now and come back to see you another day."
After saying that, he stood up and left.
Fang Xi also said goodbye together. Compared to Yu Lu, Fang Xi was much more silent, not because he was timid and couldn't let go, but because there were some things that Yu Lu could see but he couldn't.
Su Ziji didn't try to persuade him to stay. After all, he was really busy now. He just said, "Where do you live? Is it still at Mao'er Lane in Nanluo Hutong?"
After getting the affirmative answer, he said: "In that case, let people go there to look for you from now on."
He sent them out of the study in person and asked someone to take them out.
Yu Lu and Fang Xi went out and still went out through the side door.
The Fang family has a house in the capital, which is not very far away from now. Since Yu Lu and Fang Xi are cousins, they naturally will not look for another hotel, but follow Fang Xi to this house.
Fang Xi ordered people to clean up and went to prepare meals. He saw Yu Lu looking silently at the courtyard, seemingly worried, so he asked: "Cousin, what's wrong with you? As soon as you came out of Taisun's Mansion, you
He seems to be worried, but is it because of his grandson’s attitude?”
Then he denied it himself: "It shouldn't be the case. Isn't my grandson very good to us? His demeanor is also heartwarming. He is more considerate and considerate than before."
Yu Lu sighed: "I still feel a little uneasy. With such overwhelming wealth, I wonder if my grandson can calm down and keep his footing?"
What he said made Fang Xi a little embarrassed to answer. The two of them were looking at each other, and another second-rank minister was sent to Taisun's mansion. After he left, only Su Ziji and Ye Taoist were left in the flower hall.
Su Zijifang took a breath and asked, "Have you recorded all the people tonight and tomorrow night?"
"Yes, everything has been recorded." The wild Taoist was silent for a long time, and then responded: "I don't know how many of them are sincerely flattering the Lord, and how many of them are inciting trouble?"
"I know that normally there is no such momentum. This is praise and praise, and it can be praised to such an extent that all the officials in the capital will bow down. I am afraid that only the emperor is the one."
Su Ziji stared at the candlelight dimly and spoke calmly.
"Yes, the emperor has bad intentions." The wild Taoist glanced at Su Ziji, then lowered his eyelids and said: "The current situation is that my lord is only in prosperity, but the hidden worries are very terrifying. Please be careful, lord, and prepare for it as soon as possible."
After the two of them said this, the snowflakes outside became thicker and thicker, making the window paper crackle, and it was extremely quiet and deserted for a while.