"Alas, what a pity." Wang Yuanjun couldn't count how many times he had said "what a pity" in the past two days.
Everyone reviewed the test papers.
Finally, Magistrate Cai and two other people came to Fang Yun's test paper and continued to discuss it, but in the end they could not find a solution.
So much so that when it was lunch time, County Magistrate Cai was still hesitant and had to leave it alone for the time being and go eat lunch.
After lunch, everyone took a short break and then returned to the examination room.
Magistrate Cai was still reluctant to let Jingguo's only double-A student slip away from his hands.
Wang Yuanjun explained: "Don't worry too much. With Mingzhou's talent and the words of the sage, his future achievements will definitely not be inferior to ours. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have the empty title of the world's top student. He can get the first place in the exam even though he is injured, so passing the exam is not a problem."
Magistrate Cai stood there for a moment, then suddenly said with righteousness: "We select talents for the king, the country, the saint, and the people. How can we be afraid to move forward because of the slander of others? What is worse than being scolded for a hundred generations!"
Wan Xuezhen and Wang Yuanjun looked at each other in silence. Magistrate Cai's words meant that if Fang Yun was given the double armor, he would be cursed for the rest of his life, but if not, he would be cursed for a hundred generations. This was praising Fang Yun to the extreme.
After Magistrate Cai finished speaking, he crossed out the other party's previous comment of Grade B on the Holy Word and wrote a new comment:
All sick and wounded,
Ox carts go to the examination room;
Poor people have few pens and ink,
Select virtuous people for the saint.
First!
Please make a judgment!
Wan Xuezhen and Wang Yuanjun were stunned. They didn't expect that Magistrate Cai would place such a heavy bet.
The two men had been officials for many years, and after watching the video, they immediately realized that Magistrate Cai saw that Fang Yun was bound to become famous, so he took this opportunity to make a try.
If he loses, he will just be fined. The court will not impose a heavy penalty, because helping Fang Yun win the double first place will also benefit Jing State.
But if he wins, he will become the first county magistrate in Jing State to produce a double-A student. Although the prince is in charge of education, the county magistrate is the chief examiner and the parent official of the county, and he has the greatest contribution, so he can definitely be promoted.
Wang Yuanjun and Wan Xuezhen were immediately convinced. No wonder the other party was a Jinshi. His courage and heroism alone were beyond their reach.
The two looked at each other and immediately shouted, "Please judge!"
The voices of the three people entered the void through the ubiquitous talent of the Wenyuan Academy, and finally came to Qufu, the Holy Academy, on the shore of the East China Sea and south of Mount Tai.
Looking from a distance, it was an inverted mountain, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, with the top of the mountain pointing down into the ground, and the top of the mountain was a huge platform with numerous buildings and floating white clouds on it.
Confucius loved Mount Tai, but was reluctant to leave behind the main peak, Jade Emperor Peak. So he took a 3,000-foot peak on one side and cut across the foot of the mountain. He carried the peak back to Qufu and threw it lightly. Thus, the world-famous "Inverted Peak Mountain" was created. He then picked up a brush and painted in the air, and a painting of a pavilion in ink and wash hung in the air.
When Confucius opened his mouth and blew, pavilions of pens and ink fell on the top of Daofeng Mountain, forming Qufu Academy, which is now Shengyuan.
In the center of the Holy Court there is an extremely spacious hall that can seat 100,000 people. It is where Confucius taught and is called the Hall of Saints.
There is an altar in the Basilica of the Saints, on which there are many statues, dedicated to all the canonized people from ancient times to the present.
Below the altar, there were three elegant old men sitting in a row, and no one else.
These three old men seemed ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, countless strange images were flashing in their eyes.
There is the movement of stars in the sky, the rotation of the four seasons, there are empty valleys and secluded mountains, and there is also the hustle and bustle of the city. From the grasslands in the north to the rainforests in the far south, from the deserts in the far west to the shores of the East China Sea, all kinds of things in the world are included in it.
At this moment, the images that flashed most in the eyes of the three people were the scenes in the literary academies across the Shengyuan Continent.
There are ten countries and ninety states in Shengyuan Continent, nine prefectures in each state, nine counties in each prefecture, and everything in the more than seven thousand academies is within the sight of the three of them.
One person spoke.
"It can be A or B."
Another person spoke up.
"The disciples of heaven, injured and ill, go to the exam, calligraphy can be practiced, the heart of sainthood is rare, A!"
The last person remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a word.
"Can!"
The last person's voice flew across thousands of mountains and rivers and exploded in the examination room of Ji County Academy of Literature. Everyone felt as if they were hearing thunder in their ears and their hair seemed to be blown by the wind.
Everyone was surprised and delighted.
"A semi-saint can transmit sound? That's equivalent to a month of hard practice for me!" A lecturer was ecstatic.
Wan Xue Zhengdao said: "Generally speaking, if a semi-saint agrees, he will just acquiesce. But the semi-saint actually spoke up. He is afraid that we will not give him the armor. This shows that he agrees with it. It is second only to the semi-saint's personal choice. This is a great thing."
Magistrate Cai thought for a moment and said, "The news of the semi-saint's message must not be spread outside. First, he is still young. If he knows about this, he will be proud, which will be detrimental to his future. It will not be too late to tell him after he becomes a juren. Secondly, he will become the target of public criticism after getting the double-class rank. If there is another semi-saint's message, I don't know how many villains will slander him behind his back. I will report this to the Minister of Literature and ask him to order him to keep it secret. If you dare to spread what happened today, the crime will be the same as killing a juren and you will be torn into pieces by five horses!"
Magistrate Cai's eyes were as cold as ice, his talent was surging in his body, and a chill was spreading in the examination room.
When a Jinshi gets angry, his talent can be transformed into a spear or sword that can kill people, which is extremely terrifying.
Ten lecturers who taught at the Academy of Literature bowed hastily and said they dared not.
"We have been citizens of Jing State for generations. We are overjoyed to see this talented person. How could we harm him?"
"Fang Yun and I are distant relatives. I even taught him to read. I will definitely not harm him."
"Hmph!" County Magistrate Cai snorted unhappily. The lecturer knew it was Fang Yun's name before the envelope of the test paper was even opened. It was obvious that these lecturers had eavesdropped on the conversations of the three examiners.
Wang Yuanjun said: "What the county lord said is very true. After all, he is still young, and we must not praise him too much. I have also seen Fang Zhongyong, and I have always been worried about him. It's a pity that his father is obsessed with money and greed, and it's hard to say what will happen to him in the future."
Magistrate Cai nodded and said, "Since the rankings have been determined, let's publish the names and write them on the gold list."
So everyone tore open the seal on the test paper and took out five large pieces of yellow paper, which were the so-called golden list.
Magistrate Cai remembered the fifty students at a glance and wrote in the upper left corner of the first piece of yellow paper: Fang Yun, A, A.
The second line reads: Fang Zhongyong, B middle, B bottom.
…
"Born at the wrong time." Wang Yuanjun said in a low voice as he looked at Fang Zhongyong's name.
After writing the list of the fifty successful candidates, Magistrate Cai said, "I will write the invitations to today's literary gathering."
Wang Yuanjun and Wan Xuezheng remained silent.
On the day after the results were announced each time, the three examiners would hold a literary gathering, inviting local people with official titles and the top ten students to attend, mainly to discuss, comment on and appreciate the examination papers of this county examination.
The invitation could have been written by someone else, but Magistrate Cai wrote it himself, which shows that he attached great importance to today's literary gathering.
By the time I finished everything, it was already past three in the afternoon. The main gate of the College of Arts was wide open, and there was a sea of people outside. A large number of candidates and their relatives and friends were crowded outside, making the originally spacious space in front of the College of Arts packed.
Without waiting for the golden list to be posted, a man hurriedly walked into the Academy of Literature. When everyone saw that it was the county's Captain Lu, they all guessed what big thing had happened.
Captain Lu quickly found Magistrate Cai, bowed and said, "Your Excellency, the incident that night has been basically investigated, but there is no evidence."
“Speak!” County Magistrate Cai was not very tall, but his eyes were very sharp as he looked at Captain Lu seriously.
"Yes! Liu Zicheng of the Liu family in Dayuan Prefecture took a fancy to Fang Yun's child bride and deliberately befriended Fang Yun, but Yang Yuhuan was a chaste and heroic woman who was devoted to Fang Yun, and Fang Yun did not give up her for money. Liu Zicheng was furious when he failed, and threatened Fang Yun. Later, he ordered people to beat Fang Yun in the alley near the Jixiang Restaurant."
"Are you sure it's the Liu family of Dayuan Mansion?"
"It can't be wrong." Captain Lu looked at Magistrate Cai cautiously.
Magistrate Cai frowned and thought hard.
After a moment, Captain Lu whispered, "I also heard a strange thing about Fang Yun, but I don't know whether I should tell you about it or not."
"explain!"
"Fang Yun said that on the night he was beaten, he was rescued by a mysterious man, who then took Fang Yun in as his student and taught him a lot overnight."
"Oh? How was Fang Yun's literary talent before? How was his knowledge?" Magistrate Cai asked immediately.
"Very bad, even worse than I was back then. There is no way you can pass the exam."
County Magistrate Cai looked at Captain Lu.
Two hundred years ago, the status of constables and yamen runners was very low, and they had no rank at all. However, in recent years, with the population growth and the flourishing of talent, more and more people have passed the imperial examinations, and a large number of scholars and students have been assigned to various positions. The rank of constable head has also risen to the ninth rank, and he is in charge of arrests and public security, and even has a cultural badge issued by the court.
This Captain Lu was a scholar who became a captain because he had no hope of passing the imperial examination.
"I understand. Don't tell anyone else about this."
"Yes, sir."
Captain Lu was about to turn around and leave when Magistrate Cai took out an invitation and said, "This is an invitation to him to attend a literary gathering at the Jixiang Restaurant. You deliver it to him in person. Arrange someone to keep an eye on him to prevent Liu Zicheng from seeking revenge again. If Liu Zicheng dares to take action, you will deal with him according to the Jing Law, with the highest priority being protecting Fang Yun. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Go ahead and make a good impression on Fang Yun."
"Yes! I will take my leave."
Captain Lu was startled. He knew that Magistrate Cai was a member of the Minister of Literature and was an old enemy of the Left Minister Liu Shan. However, the Left Minister was now so powerful that it was said that the Minister of Literature was almost forced to retire. At this moment, Magistrate Cai should never offend Liu Zicheng or anyone from the Liu family. However, he was trying to protect Fang Yun, which proved that Fang Yun was extraordinary.
Captain Lu was walking out when he ran into a yamen runner who was posting the gold list. He asked, "Is the man called Fang Yun on the list?"
"Ah? You didn't know? This year's top candidate is Fang Yun! And he's the top candidate in the double-A case!"
"Case Chief, what? Say it again! Double armor? Are you sure?" Captain Lu couldn't believe his ears.
"Look for yourself." The bailiff said as he spread out the rolled-up gold list. The first name on the first page was Fang Yun, with two eye-catching "A" characters on it.
Captain Lu took a deep breath. He was a real scholar and knew best the significance of a double-class student. In the two hundred years since the founding of Jing State, there had not been a single double-class student!
He looked down and saw that the child prodigy Fang Zhongyong was only a double B.
Captain Lu's mind became active, his pace quickened involuntarily, and he was quickly calculating in his mind.
"No wonder Magistrate Cai is not afraid of offending the Dayuan Liu family! It turns out that he is a top-ranked student. This means that Fang Yun's invitation to the emperor is correct. Such a person is definitely not ordinary. There must be a huge figure behind him. Could that mysterious person be related to the Minister of Literature? It is very likely! This time, you let me deliver the invitation. It is a great opportunity. I must seize it!"
The yamen runner whispered, "I heard from those lecturers that this Fang Yun is a former sage."
“Hiss…” Captain Lu took another breath of cold air. A double-class saintly student, even if he had no background, was worthy of Magistrate Cai’s full protection.