Early the next morning, several fast horses arrived at Shiyan County.
"Proclamation of the crown prince's order."
A soldier was riding on a horse, overlooking a large group of people in front of the post house.
Li Zhen and others took the lead and listened with clasped fists. Because of the relatively developed human rights reasons, men have gold under their knees, and the Kyushu Empire does not adhere to the law of the kowtow insect. They would only kneel down and worship when they saw the emperor.
"The prince's oral message: I heard that the Number One Scholar has arrived in Shiyan County. I can't wait to experience the style of the Number One Scholar. Please come to Jinzhou County immediately. I want to experience it in advance."
After the announcement, Bing Jia left immediately.
Li Zhen and others looked at each other, Mingkang smiled bitterly and said: "The smell of gunpowder is a bit strong."
Li Zhen frowned and said, "Why is the prince so interested in me? He seems to want to test me."
"I forgot to tell you that the prince was the number one scholar ten years ago. It is human nature for him to feel unhappy that he was outranked by you, the number one scholar."
Li Zhen smiled bitterly, he seemed to have gotten into so much trouble before he even entered Beijing.
"Then let's set off. Detour to Jinzhou County."
“…”
The plan is to take Shangluo County, the distance and journey are short. This time we took a detour to Jinzhou County and had to waste several days. Everyone felt a little unhappy. But no one dares to offend the prince. As long as he doesn't make mistakes, he will be the future emperor.
Jinzhou County.
A maid asked in confusion: "Prince, why did you ask the Number One Scholar to take a detour to Jinzhou County? He has an imperial edict, so he won't be gossiped about by others?"
Xun Shifei chuckled: "So what about the imperial edict? I just want to see if this number one scholar can bear the honor that I sang for him some time ago and resounded throughout the nine states."
"He must be inferior to the prince."
"Do you even need to say this?"
A sneer flashed in Xun Shifei's eyes, and he murmured: "I have been studying in the inner court of the imperial palace since I was a child, and have been taught by famous teachers all the way. I dare not compare with the pioneers of the Academy of Sciences, but I am more than enough to compare with him. He is just a commoner, and in the end Studying in the worst school in a bad area. If you haven’t received an elite education, what qualifications do you have to... surpass me, haha, the number one scholar in Kyushu for a hundred years?"
"Yes, he is definitely not as good as you. The number one scholar from a remote country may just have a good memory and be able to memorize all the knowledge."
"You're wrong about this. Li Zhen is really not just good at memory and learning. He has an extraordinary mind and seems to know some things that everyone doesn't know. But I can do it too. When I was in school, I also I know a lot of things that are not in the textbooks.”
"Anyway, the prince is definitely better than him."
Xun Shifei laughed loudly: "You don't need to tell me that. However, I really want to test the ability of this number one scholar for my father. Whether he is just an illusion or is he really learned a lot, I need to verify it myself. I hope Don't let me down, don't be too bad..."
Xun Shifei looked out the window, his mind wandering. I feel extremely conflicted, and I hope that the level of this number one scholar will not fall too far behind, so as to avoid the empire picking the wrong talent. I also hope that this number one pick will not work...
And Xun Shifei summoned Li Zhen to take a detour to Jinzhou County, and this matter quickly spread to Balong City.
The people in the capital were very familiar with Xun Shifei. They all knew that he was the nation's number one scholar ten years ago and the heir to the empire with great talent.
But the other one was hand-picked by the emperor of the day - the number one scholar in Kyushu in heaven and earth for a hundred years.
How could the number one scholar of the royal family admire the number one scholar who came from a remote country
"There's something good to watch."
"If the prince compares to Li Zhen, doesn't it prove that the emperor is blind? And he is the number one scholar?"
"Yes, the prince has not been able to deserve to be number one in the Nine Provinces for a hundred years. But this Li Zhen has been appointed. How can the prince be convinced?"
"I guess the prince wants to make things difficult for Li Zhen."
"The descendants of the royal family will never admit defeat. Xun Shifei is also the most talented person in the capital. Will he be convinced by this new number one scholar?"
"In the past, the crown prince would treat the top scorers in the college entrance examination as polite and virtuous people, as if they were teachers. But this time Li Zhen has gone beyond this norm, and is vaguely on an equal footing with him. How can the prince feel better?"
"No, I want to go to Jinzhou County to watch the fun."
"I also need to go."
“…”
The incident in Jinzhou County caused a disturbance in Balong City. The common people enjoyed watching the excitement, and they knew in their hearts that when the prince called Li Zhen to Jinzhou County, he would definitely have a discussion. Let's see if it's the descendants of the royal family who are outstanding, or the number one scholar appointed by the emperor.
Qian Mao, from the General Administration of Education, raised his eyebrows with interest after hearing the news:
"It's interesting. The number one pick ten years ago is not satisfied with the number one pick this year?"
"A competition between young people? It's interesting."
He turned to his entourage and ordered: "Get your horses ready. Go to Jinzhou County to watch the excitement."
"Is the General Administration going to come forward?"
"If I don't come forward, I'm just going to Jinzhou County secretly. Competition between young people is a good thing. What does it mean for me, an old gang member, to come forward? They won't be able to let go. Just observe in secret."
After thinking about it, General Administration Qian added: "In addition, you can ask people to help build momentum for this matter and attract public opinion."
"What kind of publicity has it attracted?"
"Hype this matter up. The bigger the hype, the better. The more sensational the better. It's best to let the people of Zhongzhou know about this matter and take it seriously. Haha, let the prince and Li Zhen feel it. What does it mean to be in the spotlight? Since we are competing for talent, we shouldn’t compete secretly in secret. Let the people of Zhongzhou know about it and make it public.”
The subordinate officer frowned more and more in confusion: "Master General Administration, why is this? The prince wants to take the exam for Li Zhen, which is a bit inappropriate. If Li Zhen is not as good as the prince, wouldn't it be a slap in the emperor's face? After all, he is the number one scholar in Kyushu appointed by the emperor, and the prince is not the number one in the world. If the prince loses, it will be uncomfortable for the royal family. No matter what the outcome is, neither party will be pleased. It is best to resolve it privately. Why make it public?"
Qian Mao laughed loudly: "Academics should flourish. If you worry about the face here and the influence there, how can you be called a scholar? I am so strong in Jiuzhou, so strong as my young man. Now a hundred flowers are blooming. Shouldn't this be publicized? Will you provide strong support?"
After saying that, Qian Mao whispered again: "I also want to see what talents the prince has. I also want to see how much Li Zhen weighs. When thousands of people are watching, he should be able to put aside his worries and show off his talents. Bar?"
"Who does the General Administration think is more talented? Haha, it's a coincidence that the prince is also a science student. If he is the top scholar in liberal arts, he can't compare even if he wants to."
Qian Mao laughed and shook his head and said: "He is probably the prince. He is 26 this year and has already graduated from college. Li Zhen lost because of his young age."
"Then since the General Administration knew that Li Zhen would lose, why did it want to publicize it? If Li Zhen really lost... would the emperor look ugly? Alas, that's not right. If the prince loses, the emperor's face will also look ugly. They don’t look good.”
Qian Mao said softly: "A scholar must not only have superb knowledge and rigorous character, but also have a strong heart. This time I want to see what Li Zhen will do after he is defeated by the crown prince in front of the world. Attitude. Will he collapse? Will he give in? Will he be hit, or will he keep trying indifferently? Looking at a young man's character, it is easiest to see it from the dust settled after the argument about winning or losing. I hope that after Li Zhen loses, he My mentality will not let me down, after all, there is still a long way to go.”
"I know the General Administration."
“…”
The subordinate followed the order and immediately made arrangements to spread the news. Go spread the word about this.
In just half a day, everyone in Zhongzhou knew it.
Originally, the prince just wanted to test Li Zhen's level. But after some publicity, the meaning changed to:
The top pick ten years ago is dissatisfied with the current top pick. He declared a challenge and wanted to compete in knowledge with the number one scholar in Kyushu. And the number one scholar ten years ago is the current crown prince...
This big news attracted countless attention. The prince was dumbfounded and went crazy: "When did I say I made a challenge to Li Zhen?"
It’s hard to get off the tiger!
PS: There is another chapter later
(End of chapter)