"Look at that man."
Fang Yun raised his chin towards a man in front of the bronze furnace in the holy temple. Everyone looked in that direction, all speechless, staring at the man silently and walking forward silently.
An old man in a tattered green robe embroidered with clouds stood in front of the copper stove, his hands hanging down, his head drooping, his body swaying slightly, his eyes closed, as if he was dozing off. His hair was like a chicken coop that had just been scratched by a hen, his beard was messy like a large piece of bitter gourd tangled together, and a noodle was hanging on his gray beard.
Fang Yun almost laughed out loud when he saw this scene. Although he had long known that this beggar emperor's uncle was famous, he did not expect it to be so exaggerated.
However, no matter how messy the beggar uncle's hair and beard were, there was not a trace of dust or grease on them, because he had been able to stay clean since he entered the Hanlin Academy. Even if Zhao Jingkong jumped into the oil and came out, his body would still be clean in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Jingkong's clothes were stained with a lot of oil, which was particularly dazzling in the bright morning sunlight.
"It's true." Fang Yun sighed.
"It's an eye-opener, but... alas... there are some things I'd better not say." Chang Wanxu said.
Several scholars nodded slightly, and everyone knew that Chang Wanxu was going to say that Zhao Jingkong was a little rude. However, Zhao Jingkong's rudeness did not hurt anyone, and Chang Wanxu also knew that too much criticism would make him rude.
"Sometimes, it doesn't matter whether this kind of gift is lost or not." Fang Yun's expression changed slightly, and his eyes as he looked at Zhao Jingkong seemed to imply something.
One person whispered, "It is said that this person did not get along with the late emperor and the old emperor's ancestors. He defiled himself to avoid suspicion from the late emperor and the old emperor's ancestors."
“This is the most likely possibility.”
"What a pity! If he had a strong character, he might be the second Li Wenying."
"Everyone has his own aspirations. The beggar uncle may have another world in his heart."
"Hard to say… "
Fang Yun and his group were talking, and some of the scholars around him listened attentively, while others didn't care at all. No one found it strange. This was completely different from Chen Zhiyuan's attitude towards Fang Yun. They were commenting, while Chen Zhiyuan was arrogantly accusing.
Fang Yun sighed softly. Others didn't know, but he heard from Dong Wencong and others yesterday that Qingguo alienated Zhao Jingkong from the late emperor and the royal ancestors, and used people from Juwen Pavilion and Miscellaneous House to attack Zhao Jingkong. Three people made a tiger, which eventually led to Zhao Jingkong's seclusion for more than ten years. It was not until he became a university scholar that Zhao Jingkong reappeared in Jingguo. But he had become a completely idle person, and he didn't even attend the funeral of the late emperor.
Because it was Li Wenying who asked Zhao Jingkong to take over, Fang Yun had a natural liking for Zhao Jingkong. No matter what this beggar uncle was like, he was a university scholar after all, which made people feel at ease.
The candidates arrived near the copper furnace one after another.
In addition to Zhao Jingkong, there were four other people standing in front of the bronze furnace: the examiner of the Holy Academy, the governor of Jiangzhou, and the director of the Imperial Academy.
The rest of the officials stood on both sides and did not take the main seat.
After everyone arrived, the ceremony that Fang Yun was very familiar with began. First, the governor of Gezhou led people to worship the saints, then Zhao Jingkong recited the "Sacrificial Text to the Saints", and finally the Dean of Jingguo Academy announced the rules of the examination room.
Zhao Jingkong looked drowsy at first, but he was very serious when reciting the Sacrifice to All Saints. If he closed his eyes and listened, he would be no different from other scholars. However, after reciting, he returned to his usual weak appearance, closed his eyes, dozed off while standing, and his body swayed from time to time.
Fang Yun looked at the scholars around him. Their average age was at least ten years older than the candidates in the previous provincial examination. He felt emotional.
After the ceremony, people who knew each other left one after another.
Before entering the examination room, Fang Yun looked back and saw that the beggar emperor uncle was actually sleeping soundly on a chair. The expressions of the officials around him were more helpless than each other.
Fang Yun smiled and continued to find his examination room.
After a while, Fang Yun found his own examination room, which was not much different from the one for the scholar examination. It had the necessary items such as a bed, a table, chairs, and a toilet, but nothing else.
Fang Yun quickly tidied everything and then stood behind the table waiting for someone to hand out the test papers.
The examination for juren candidates first tests poetry, then the interpretation of classics, and finally policy essays. Each subject lasts one day.
Soon, the sound of wheels rolling on the ground was heard, moving and stopping.
Fang Yun tilted his head slightly towards the direction the car was coming from because he heard several candidates calling out softly and also heard a rarely used word.
"Random test."
Fang Yun didn't even realize it at first, until he thought about it carefully before he remembered what it was.
Normally, the three subjects are tested one day in order, but for the random test, the questions for poetry, classics and policy essays are distributed together and the test time is also three days.
Fang Yun knew very well that although the two seemed to be not much different, random tests would test one's concentration and choices, because different topics could easily distract one. When writing poetry, one would inevitably think about the meaning of scriptures or policy essays, and thinking would become confused, causing the contents of the three subjects to influence each other, and ultimately leading to a lower grade.
This is not the most fatal thing. The most fatal thing is that once you find that your thinking is affected, you will fall into self-blame and regret.
Fang Yun thought for a moment and quickly made a decision.
A carriage appeared and the officer handed a thick stack of papers to Fang Yun. After thanking him, Fang Yun sat down with the test paper.
The first page contains the title of the poem and states the requirements for rhythm and subject matter, while the second page is blank.
Fang Yun put the thick test paper away and only took the first and second pages and placed them in front of him, as if he didn't know that there would be classics or policy essay questions at the back.
After reading the title of the poem, Fang Yun began to think slowly.
Writing poetry by oneself requires a long process. Fang Yun keeps thinking, considering various aspects such as subject matter, rhythm, structure, artistic conception, thought, intention, etc. If one wants to write a good poem, one day is not a lot of time.
During the thinking process, as soon as his peripheral vision touched the stack of test papers, Fang Yun's mood immediately changed slightly, as if there was a force urging him to look at the questions on classics and policy essays so that he could have more time to think.
However, from beginning to end, Fang Yun did not hesitate. In the end, he even put a paperweight on the thick test paper and continued to think seriously.
One hour, two hours...
"ah… "
A shout suddenly sounded and then suddenly disappeared. Fang Yun's heart trembled, realizing that someone had lost control of his emotions and was isolated by the power of the holy temple.
This kind of random testing method itself would not cause people to lose control of their emotions, but this was an examination for imperial examinations, and more than half of the candidates had failed more than three times, so the pressure was unimaginable.
What's more, even if the exams are not random, every year there are people who go crazy or even commit suicide before and after the exams.
A scholar is not a juren, and does not have literary courage. If he wants to answer the questions smoothly, he must rely on his own concentration. This kind of random test will not have any effect on a juren, and a literary courage can solve the problem.
Fang Yun never used the power of his literary advisor, because he had made up his mind when the papers were distributed. If he couldn't even pass the random test, he would have no qualification to be a candidate in front of the emperor and would not be qualified to mobilize the power of his literary advisor.
After a while, there was a cry, which quickly disappeared.
"Decision-making difficulty is indeed an incurable disease. Combined with the pressure, this random test is simply cruel." Fang Yun thought to himself and pressed the inkstone on the thick test paper again.
Fang Yun's emotions fluctuated at first, becoming more and more intense, but then slowly subsided after reaching a certain level. In the end, Fang Yun seemed to be completely unable to see the thick test paper, and only the poem topic remained in his eyes. (To be continued...)