Zhang Yue felt a little restless in front of this wall, with names lingering in his mind.
After each high-spirited poem, they have no way of knowing what kind of person he was, what kind of face he had, and what kind of story each person had.
However, when they were in front of this wall, before the moment they put pen to paper, they all worked hard for the same goal.
From Su Qin’s cantilevered beam to thorn his butt, to Zhang Heng’s chiseling of the wall to steal the light, to the firefly reflecting the snow, those who left their names successfully crossed the single-plank bridge, while most of the others were lost in the dust of history.
The road to the imperial examination is also one in which one general achieves great success and withers away thousands of bones.
In Taixue, Zhang Yue once heard his classmates who failed the exam mocking themselves as "tribute Yu" people.
The word "Gongyu" sounds particularly poignant.
When Zhang Yue thought of this, he couldn't help but feel very sad for Senior Brother Guo who had not passed the exam. He still didn't know how to see him. He was the only one who passed the exam to comfort those who failed. He couldn't say anything, so he had to send Tang Jiu to send a letter to comfort him.
, and sent him money and food to allow him to study in Beijing with peace of mind, and told him that Zhang Heng had prepared a way for him, and he would take the exam when the Imperial College was filled.
But Zhang Yue felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart. He was drifting apart unconsciously. He still regarded Senior Brother Guo as his best friend, but what did they talk about when they met?
Huang Lvzhi Zhang Yue thought about it and said: "Back then, Bai Letian said that the number of inscriptions under the Ci'en Pagoda was the smallest among the seventeen people. But not talking about these people, even those who were Jinshi in the past, but now the inscriptions under the Ci'en Pagoda are no longer there."
Zhang Yue nodded and said: "I can't help but sigh for the ancients. There is nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, you and I both passed the provincial examination. Otherwise, even if we are extremely talented, we would still be sighing like snow in the south."
Zhongnan Snow is a poem that Zu Yong wrote in the examination hall. This poem was very well written but did not fit into the examination format. In the end, Zu Yong failed to pass the examination.
The two of them were chatting, and just then a young novice came up. He came to the two of them with a plate with pen and ink in his hand and asked: "Do you two guests want to write a poem and leave it here?"
Zhang Yue was interested in making Huang Lu famous and said with a smile: "Anzhong, you are now ranked fifth in the provincial examination. If you rank higher in the palace examination, you will definitely get the Bisarong. Take the test here quickly and add a good story in the future."
Huang Lu said calmly: "Bi Sarong, I never expect you to be a good talker, but you can give it a try to make you and I more interesting to talk about when we are old."
Huang Lu then took a pen and wrote a poem on the wall immediately.
There happened to be a dozen men and women walking nearby, including young and old, who were taking advantage of the good weather for a spring outing. They stopped by to look at the poems on the wall. They saw Huang Lu waving his hair.
There were two men in their thirties who stopped to watch the group. The older man said to the younger man: "Cunzhong, you have to take a good look. Although these two are young, their speech and appearance are extraordinary."
The young man nodded.
Zhang Yue Dan saw Huang Lu and wrote to.
It is quiet and dust-free, with a deep blue sky, a cool world. On the left and right, there are houses surrounded by bamboo poles, and there is a handsome lady in the middle.
The smoke is flowing across the path, the window is open and the wind is tight, making it look like autumn. Half a cup of fragrant dew, who can understand the true flavor of it.
There are a few stacks of suicide notes on the desk, protected by the twin trees, and the phoenix is singing loudly. Looking back at Xiao Ran's days together, I still remember Feiqiong's style.
In these years, the sky is so dark, and the calamity is fleeting. The jade world is far away, and the deer and chariots are carrying each other arm in arm.
When Huang Lu was halfway through writing, several people were full of praise, and two women in the group looked favorably at Huang Lu.
Zhang Yue also smiled at Huang Lu and said: "Good words, but this is not about reading, but about beautiful people."
Huang Lu put down his pen and said: "I'm not afraid of jokes. I study for beauties, and I take imperial examinations for beauties. Otherwise, why would I go all the way to go to Taixue? If we can't stay together forever, even if I get admitted to the imperial examination and become an official, it won't matter.
It’s ultimately boring.”
Zhang Yue said: "Anzhong, don't worry too much. After the imperial examination and appointment, you can just take leave and return home. Don't think too much about it now."
Huang Lu nodded.
Zhang Yue took the money from his pocket and put it on the plate of the young novice monk.
Huang Lu asked: "Do you really want to save him without writing a poem?"
Zhang Yue shook his head and said, "I don't want to moan bitterly at this scene."
Huang Lu couldn't help laughing when he heard the words, and was about to turn around and leave. At this moment, he saw the younger of the two people who had just stopped to watch, stepped forward to Zhang Yue, Huang Lu said: "You two are polite, I just saw this brother writing with his pen."
, Don’t you know your surname?”
Zhang Yue looked around and saw that this man was a bit straightforward, but the man behind him should not be underestimated. He behaved like a high official.
Facing the man's question, Huang Lu waved his arm and pointed to the wall: "Brother, why bother asking? There is it on the wall."
The man who inquired was suddenly embarrassed and looked up to see the signature next to the poem on the wall, which read "Shao Wu Huang Lu".
Recognizing the other party's name, a pedestrian on the side said: "Is this brother Huang Anzhong, the imperial scholar who ranked tenth in the provincial examination?"
Huang Lu nodded.
Everyone on the side showed admiration and said, No wonder he has such a great talent.
“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you.” Knowing that the other party ranked tenth in the provincial examination, the other party showed respect.
“I don’t know what this brother’s name is?” The man asked Zhang Yue again.
Zhang Yue cupped his hands and said, "I'll do it next time, Zhang Yue."
This time, everyone on the side took a breath. Only one person knew about Huang Lu just now, but when Zhang Yue's name was mentioned, everyone present had heard of it. Even the older man behind this man was moved and stepped forward.
: "Your Excellency, are you really the second best in this provincial examination?"
Zhang Yue nodded slightly, cupped his hands and said, "It's just a fluke."
The older man did not comment. The young man immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "I am Shen Kuo, whose name is Cunzhong. I am from Qiantang. I have met Brother Zhang."
Zhang Yue was also surprised when he heard this. This innocent-looking scholar was actually Shen Kuo? He thought the man behind him was a big shot.
Shen Kuo is ten years older than himself and Huang Lu, but his behavior is not as steady as Huang Lu.
Zhang Yue said: "It turns out that the Shen family of Qiantang, a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, has been disrespectful and disrespectful."
Shen Kuo was born in Qiantang. The Shen family was quite famous in the Song Dynasty, and several Jinshi scholars were born in the family.
The three of them greeted each other immediately, and several of the Shen family's children also came forward to greet them. It turned out that they were a family going out to socialize. However, the elder did not speak to them, but maintained his identity and walked aside to look at the wall of poems.
Zhang Yue and Huang Lu said goodbye after chatting for a while. Shen Kuo and several members of the Shen family were all very happy to get to know Zhang Yue, especially the two girls.
This older man's name is Shen Tao, and he is Shen Kuo's nephew in terms of seniority. However, Shen Tao is six years older than Shen Kuo. He was a Jinshi in the first year of Huangyou's reign and was famous for his talent.
Shen Tuo was originally ranked first in the palace examination, but because he already had an official position, Song Renzong said, "I don't want a noble man to live in a miserable world", so Shen Tuo was forcibly demoted to second place. Also because of Song Renzong's words
, there is an unwritten rule that the number one scholar must come from a poor family.
As for Shen Yu, Feng Jing also made it possible for him to win the top prize and win three prizes in a row.
Now Shen Tuan is a Zhizhigao, and has just been selected by the emperor to be the preliminary examiner for the imperial examination.
Besides Shen Yu, there were also Sima Guang, Pei Yu, and Lu Jing who served as preliminary examiners, all of whom were recognized as well-educated scholars in the palace, but Shen Yu ranked first and was still above Sima Guang.
He just wanted to avoid suspicion, so he didn't talk to Zhang Yue and Huang Lu, otherwise he would have gone up to get to know the leaders of the younger generation. But just now he had a preliminary impression of Zhang Yue and Huang Lu in his heart.
Shen Kuo didn't know that Shen Tuo had been selected as the first examiner for Jinshi, so he said to several brothers: "In this chapter, Huang Anzhong is a good writer, and they are all poor scholars. The number one scholar in this class may be among these two." It’s between people.”
One person said: "Isn't there another scholar named Wang Kui and Wang Junmin? I heard before that Wang Junmin invited a magician from the Daxiangguo Temple a few days ago. This magician specializes in prime ministers and has no future in the academic field. The only thing that is not accurate is that the cost of ten thousand dollars per hexagram is very high, which discourages many people. However, Wang Junmin asked this magician to divine it, and it was determined that he would definitely be the number one scholar in high school. Many scholars in the capital now believe it to be true, and they are satisfied. There are rumors in the capital that the number one scholar has been acquired by him."
Shen Yu smiled without saying anything.
Another person said: "I have heard that there are some magicians who are not learned or skilled, and do not rely on their true skills. They just speak tactfully and their sentences are ambiguous. Such people may not be believed."
Another person said: "These are all hearsay, but I heard that Wang Junmin is a very well-mannered man. He is not proud of his own talents and learning, and treats others politely. All the scholars who have interacted with him praise him."
Shen Yuanze said: "You must never make friends with such a person."
Everyone asked: "Why?"
Shen Yan said: "It seems that you can be friends with everyone. People outside will praise you and never ignore them. Because when you make friends, you will do what everyone likes and will never have a heart-to-heart with you. Sooner or later, you will be delayed by him." .”
Everyone nodded.
One person said: "Yes, I heard that this Wang Junmin was engaged to the rich prime minister, but he still provoked women outside and caused trouble. I heard that although he was suppressed, as my brother saw, this man is indeed a good person. Misbehavior.”
The other party still said good things about Wang Kui: "Although his character is not good, his talent is excellent."
Shen Kuo said: "But in my opinion, Zhang Duzhi is the best. The two of Huang Anzhong are very good, especially Zhang Duzhi. It's a pity that I just found out that they are engaged."
Shen Kuo's words were unintentional, but they made the two Shen women beside him blush.
Zhang Yue, after Huang Lu said goodbye to Shen Kuo and others, Huang Lu suddenly said to Zhang Yue: "Du Zhi, there is something I have never told you."
“What’s the matter?”
“That day, after you concealed Wang Junmin’s trace for the old man, I took it upon myself to catch up and tell the old man the whereabouts of Wang Junmin.”
Zhang Yue couldn't help but be startled when he heard this.
“I’m afraid I’m going to cause trouble to you.”
Zhang Yue waved his hand and said: "After reading Fang Cai's poems, I know that An Zhi is a very affectionate person. No wonder he can't understand Wang Junmin's behavior."
“Actually, I guessed half a dozen times that you were going to leave that day, but I didn’t stop you in the end. Now that I think about it, you were more happy about it, but I was more worried. That’s all, we won’t talk about this between you and me.”
That night, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu had a vegetarian meal at Erxianggong Temple, and then stayed in the monk's room for one night.
Zhang Yue had a sound sleep that night and didn't have any dreams, but he didn't know what Huang Lu dreamed about.
The two of them left the Erxiangong Temple early the next morning and returned to the Wu family residence next to Taixue to continue studying hard.