Not long after, a waiter brought a glass of wine, Shen Du drank it down, smiled and waved to Master Tang beside him.
"You have also been a scholar, so you are proficient in writing. Please read this article."
"Yes, Dong Weng."
Master Tang took the article from Shen Du and read it carefully. After reading it, he praised: "What a good article! It expresses one's feelings directly and has a rigorous rhythm. Reading it is like drinking sweet wine!"
Shen Du smiled and asked: "Then where do you think this article is?"
Master Tang looked hesitant: "I dare not say this."
Seeing that Master Tang didn't say anything, Shen Du didn't force it. He smiled and shook his head and said, "If you don't dare to say anything, then go and ask Lu Jiaoyu to come over."
Soon, an old man in his fifties came over. This man was Lu Jiaoyu from Jiangning Prefecture. He was a Jinshi and read poetry and books.
In terms of erudition, among the officials in Jiangning Mansion, no one can surpass this old professor.
Shen Du picked out two articles from the papers on the table and showed them to Lu Jiaoyu, who compared them and read them carefully.
He pointed to the first article and said: "This article is strange and dangerous, and it is thrilling to read. It can be said to be a trick!"
Then he pointed to the second chapter and said: "This book is pure in theory, skillful in tone, and stable. It can be said to be the right way!"
After saying that, he looked at Shen Du and asked: "I feel that these two candidates are both talented and knowledgeable enough to be the first in the case. However, they have their own strengths. It is difficult to distinguish between Xuan and nephew. I still need to ask Mr. Futai to make a decision."< /p>
Shen Du smiled and said nothing, and took out another paper.
"Please Mr. Lu, please read the next article."
Lu Jiaoyu was a little confused, but he nodded and started reading again.
After a while, he raised his head, his eyes were bright, and he clapped his legs and exclaimed: "This article has strict rhythm and clear diction. Reading it is like reading Yu Xin's Lament for Jiangnan. It is such a good article that it is difficult not to take first place!"
Shen Du stood up and asked: "Mr. Lu, you are a famous scholar in this house. You have always read poetry and books, and your vision is far beyond ordinary people. If you look carefully, you may be able to tell which Cheng Wen this third article comes from. Suppress the incoming attack?"
Lu Jiaoyu said with a smile: "Master Futai, you are too worried. I have read tens of thousands of articles about the previous dynasties of this dynasty, and there is absolutely no article like this among them."
After hearing these words, Shen Du's doubts disappeared.
Shen Du has actually been thinking about who to name as the culprit of the case, but he is cautious by nature, fearing that this article came from a counterattack, and when it is published in the title list and someone points it out, he, Shen Futai, will laugh. The world is under control.
Therefore, he must find the advice of the old scholar Lu who has been immersed in the scriptures for decades to close this last insurance.
Now with Lu Jiaoyu's guarantee, Shen Du is finally relieved.
After sending Lu Jiaoyu away, Shen Du sat back in front of the case again. He turned over the paper, looked at the word "Wei Chen" in the column of the candidate's name on the back, and said to himself: "If this kid is really talented, I will definitely ..."
Having said this, Shen Du suddenly paused and laughed dumbly: "Well, I am too impatient. Let's see how he writes the next few articles."
Wei Chen in the audience had no idea about this. He had already finished writing the second question. After drying the ink, he checked it carefully several times to make sure that the words and sentences were correct and the rhyme was smooth. Then he used the words one by one. Transcribed in Guange style on the paper.
After finishing this article, the remaining questions on the Five Classics and the five-character and eight-rhyme poems were also completed in one go. At this time, most candidates were still immersed in doing the questions.
Without thinking, Wei Chen took the paper in his hand and went straight to the court.
Magistrate Shen Du was sitting behind the case, with more than 20 officials and scribes standing on his left and right.
Several people in front of Wei Chen had already submitted their papers, and at this time, one of them was being interviewed by Shen Du.
This person is Zhou Yu, the leader of the case in Jiangpu County. He has always been a highly touted young hero in Jiangpu County. He feels that he will win two yuan in a row and even win the province's small three yuan.
Zhou Yu handed over the paper and smiled reservedly. Seeing that Master Futai's eyes stayed on his paper for a while longer, he felt so proud that the corners of his mouth reached to his ears.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, his paper was knocked back.
The smile on Zhou Yu's face froze instantly. He opened his mouth wide and asked, "Master Futai, what does this mean?"
Shen Du didn't even raise his head and said calmly: "No."
"But I'm the chief prosecutor of the county trial!"
Mr. Zhou was surprised and angry and said: "According to the usual practice, the county exam chief must pass the government exam!"
Shen Du was unmoved and just said softly: "Read the comments."
Zhou Yu looked down and saw a line of gorgeous calligraphy written on the paper: "Please come to Qin Xuanzheng, and I will admit them all."
Zhou Yu's face suddenly turned red.
It turns out that his first major topic was to suppress the Qinxuan Campaign in the Huiyuan Dynasty during the Zhiping Period!
This Zhou case leader was born with a good memory and had thousands of articles in his belly.
During the county examination, one of his articles was a result of the suppression, but neither the Jiangpu magistrate nor the academic officials noticed it, so no one has noticed it to this day.
That's why Zhou Yu repeated his old tricks and wanted to continue to use this opportunistic method to get through the government examination.
Unexpectedly, Shen Du saw through it at a glance.
Zhou Yu lowered his head, blushed and stuffed the test paper into his arms, saluted Mr. Futai, and then left in a hurry.
Seeing this scene, Wei Chen, who was queuing up at the back, secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he didn't rely on his amazing memory to memorize the text blindly, otherwise he would probably end up with the same fate as the leader of the case this week.
When it was Wei Chen's turn, Wei Chen held the scroll in both hands and presented it to him. The clerk on the side took the scroll and laid it on Shen Du's case.
"Your neat and elegant style alone is enough to make you a scholar!"
Shen Du glanced at the paper and said with a smile: "I just want to ask you one question, why do you want to have a career?"
Wei Chen said loudly: "The reason why students seek to be a leader is to live up to the emperor and live up to what they have learned."
Hearing what Wei Chen said, all the officials in the hall showed looks of approval on their faces.
Nowadays, most students like to use Zhang Zihou's Four Sentences of Hengqu as their ambitions. It seems high-spirited and impassioned, but in fact it is arrogant and unreasonable.
"Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living and the people, carry on the unique teachings of the past saints, and create peace for all generations."
How many people can achieve such a great ambition, let alone ordinary students, even those heroes who can leave their names in history?
Wei Chen's ambition does not sound as grand as Hengqu's four sentences, but it comes from the heart and is down-to-earth, which makes it easier for him to win the favor of all the officials present.
Those who excel in learning will lead to officialdom. The goal of scholars is to become an official. There is really nothing to hide.
Shen Du admired it from the bottom of his heart, but on his face he calmly picked up Wei Chen's paper and read it. After reading it, he nodded happily.
Then he picked up the ink pen and drew several circles on several of Wei Chen's papers.
"Wei Chen, my office has already taken your article, and the ranking will be determined after the case is released."
Wei Chen raised his hands, bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Lord Futai!"
Shen Du smiled and waved his hand and said: "Back off!"
Wei Chen took a few steps back facing Shen Du, then turned around, held his head high, and strode away.
When he was about to go down the steps, Wei Chen looked down and saw hundreds of candidates bowing their heads at their desks, struggling to answer questions. Wei Chen flicked his sleeves and felt proud.
Compared with them, I am already a child!
In the courtroom, Shen Du looked at Wei Chen's retreating figure and suddenly sighed: "It's a pity that he is still young and his writing is not yet mature. If one day his writing style becomes successful and unique, he will definitely become a literary sect. By then, I am afraid that scholars all over the world will rush to copy his articles!"
Everyone present was shocked when they heard Shen Du's words.