"What? Fang Zhenguo gave up the exam?"
The examination rooms of most candidates were far away from Fang Yun, so they could not see Fang Yun leaving from the front, nor did they know that Fang Yun had left long ago. They could not believe the news when they heard it.
"Impossible! You must be talking nonsense!"
"Really! If you don't believe me, ask your family. The whole world knows about it."
"What's going on? Tell me about it."
So the people outside the examination room recounted in detail what had happened in the past few days.
All the examinees were filled with regret. Chen Zhiyuan clenched his fists, trying hard not to laugh. Originally, he thought he could only compete for the top five in Dayuan Prefecture, but now that Fang Yun was gone, and he had done very well in the three subjects, he had a great chance of becoming the first in Jiangzhou, the champion of the whole state!
A man with a Dayuanfu accent said, "Everyone can give up the exam, so why can't Fang Yun? You don't have to do this."
Chen Zhiyuan looked at the person who was speaking and said, "If I remember correctly, you are Chang Wanxu from Dayuan Prefecture. We chatted before entering the examination room on the first day of the new year. You are Fang Yun's classmate." Chen Zhiyuan emphasized the word "chat".
Chang Wanxu said: "It's me."
Chen Zhiyuan said, "Brother Chang, what you said just now is too biased! Do you think Fang Yun is a mediocre person like you and me, or an unknown newcomer? He is a role model for scholars and the spiritual leader of all the scholars in Jiangzhou. Do you understand the significance of him giving up the exam? If the best scholar in Jiangzhou and Jingguo gives up the exam, what will happen to all the students in Jingguo? Is he calling on the students in Jingguo to give up the exam? Do you think the Queen Mother is so angry for no reason?"
"Hmph, the Queen Mother's so-called confinement is obviously to protect him and allow him to calm down and hone his skills for a while." Chang Wanxu said.
"I admit that, but do you dare to say that the Queen Mother is not really angry?"
Chang Wanxu was speechless. Not to mention the Queen Mother, he himself felt a little angry and confused after confirming that Fang Yun had given up the exam, because Fang Yun was already half the spiritual pillar of the students of Jingguo. No one could accept this fact immediately, and it was normal to be angry.
Chen Zhiyuan continued: "You who speak for Fang Yun have forgotten the most important thing!"
"Oh? Brother Chen, please give me some advice." Chang Wanxu said.
"Fang Yun is a former juren! A former juren gave up the exam. Don't you know what that means?" Chen Zhiyuan's voice suddenly rose.
The area within a few feet suddenly became quiet, and no one spoke out in opposition.
Chang Wanxu's expression changed drastically, and a nameless anger surged in his heart. It was the first time he hated someone so much.
It was a sunny morning on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, but Chang Wanxu felt chilled to the bone.
"What, Brother Chang, you have nothing to say? I don't mean to attack Fang Yun, I just feel sorry for him. I hope he can really shoulder the responsibility of being a role model for literati." Chen Zhiyuan said with a smile.
Chang Wanxu looked at Chen Zhiyuan and said, "I hope so. Goodbye." Then he left in a hurry.
Chen Zhiyuan said loudly: "Although Fang Yun made mistakes, his merits outweigh his flaws. In my heart, his poetry is still unmatched and the best in Jingguo! I will write an article tomorrow to praise Fang Yun's literary reputation. I hope he can survive this disaster and reach a higher level. Continue to lead the literati of my Jingguo out of the haze!"
"Brother Chen is indeed a gentleman! He is worthy of being one of the best policy writers among the scholars in Jiangzhou. He will surely be a high-ranking official in the government one day!"
Some people said yes, but some people looked at him with a hint of contempt. It was normal for Chen Zhiyuan to use Fang Yun to gain fame. As long as there was no slander, it was understandable. But judging from the situation, Chen Zhiyuan had already pointed out the saint before the saint, and no one knew what he would say in the future. He would definitely take the opportunity to step on Fang Yun to get to the top, which was despicable.
Chen Zhiyuan criticized Fang Yun before the exam, but now he has put away his radical attitude. He has become approachable, smiling and talking to everyone. When talking about Fang Yun, he basically says good things, occasionally pointing out Fang Yun's minor mistakes.
Many ordinary scholars flocked to where Chen Zhiyuan was. As the top scholar in a state, Chen Zhiyuan was also proficient in policy essays. He would surely rise to a high position in officialdom in the future and was worthy of everyone's friendship.
On the road from the capital to Dayuan Prefecture, a convoy was heading towards Dayuan Prefecture. One of the vehicles was particularly large, covered by a green dragon curtain, and was pulled by eighteen dragon horses.
On the solid ground, the Jiaoma and Jiaox moved forward at an extremely fast speed.
On an oxcart, several soldiers were whispering.
"Alas, I would rather fight against the monsters in battle than do this kind of work. The problem is that without the poem to strengthen my body, it is really uncomfortable to be shaken like this."
"Alas, there is no way. The great ceremony cannot be violated. Even if the Minister of Literature can fly to Dayuan Prefecture, since he is an imperial envoy, he must have the imperial envoy's guard of honor. But I don't think the Minister of Literature is very enthusiastic about capturing Fang Yun. The Queen Mother asked him to travel overnight, but he set out on the third day of the New Year, rested for an hour at noon, and simply stayed in Niancheng at night. He will definitely not arrive today, and I'm afraid he will arrive on the evening of the fifth day."
"Minister Wen is a well-known good guy, so you should stop saying anything behind his back."
"Hehe, I'm just complaining, it's harmless. I actually don't want Fang Zhenguo to get arrested, what a pity."
"well… "
The sun sets, the lights come on, and the night in Dayuan City is more lively than usual.
Thousands of scholars from Jiangzhou gathered in Dayuan Prefecture, waiting for the announcement of the results.
These people were very tired after the imperial examination. They slept soundly during the day and woke up at night to call their friends to go to the red-light district to have a romantic story, or to busy restaurants and teahouses to chat. The famous scholars or those with good family backgrounds took part in various literary gatherings to discuss the questions of the imperial examination.
Unlike previous years, the hundreds of literary gatherings in Dayuan Prefecture today seemed a bit dull. No matter what the students talked about, they would always talk about Fang Yun.
"I heard that the Holy Academy has turned into a battlefield! The competition on the literary list is extremely fierce, with countless poems and essays being listed, and countless poems and essays being suppressed. As for the theory list, it can be described as a river of blood, with writers from various countries writing articles and fighting fiercely for Fang Yun."
"That's a place where only the candidates who have passed the imperial examinations and those above them can compete. We'd better stay away from that kind of place. If the holy way is discussed, we scholars will have to pay attention, and the Palace of Literature will be shaken."
"I was expecting Fang Yun to become a juren and be on the top of the list of the Holy Academy, but who knew this would happen. But we Jing people don't need to be discouraged, we just have to wait a few more years."
"In fact, Fang Yun's poems and essays could have been listed on the list of literary scholars a long time ago. It was a pity that he was not a formal juren at that time, otherwise his previous poems would have been enough to make him earn enough "literary talent". Even just thinking about it would make people envious."
"There is a candidate next door who is going to be on the list of candidates for the literary examination. He is constantly announcing news about the list of candidates for the literary examination and the list of candidates for the theoretical examination. Let's go and take a look."
"Walk!"
All the scholars in Dayuan Mansion were busy, but Fang Yun was the only one who was concentrating on reading in the world of strange books. From the second to the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, Fang Yun read more than 3,000 books of varying thickness, covering various aspects such as history, military affairs, economics, politics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc., which greatly broadened his horizons.
There is still a lot of knowledge that cannot be used in the Shengyuan Continent, but Fang Yun feels that these things are beneficial and can allow him to apply what he has learned to other areas.
After reading the third volume of "On War", Fang Yun left the world of strange books to rest.
Fang Yun stood up and stretched his body, but he was thinking about what he had learned today.
Suddenly, Fang Yun listened outside the window, then walked out quickly. His face became increasingly worse, and finally became as gloomy as water.
With a clang, Fang Yun pulled out the bolt, opened the door, and said to the soldier outside, "Please come in, Madam Wang."
The two soldiers at the door were terrified when they saw Fang Yun's face. Fang Yun's identity was fine, but General Chen Xibi always kept his word. If something went wrong, he might be whipped.
Someone immediately shouted towards the street entrance: "Marquis Wen has issued an order. Let that woman in! What are you looking at? Hurry and send Mrs. Wang over!"
"Right away! Right away!"
Soon, two soldiers escorted a middle-aged woman to the scene. The woman was wearing a light red fine brocade dress and a golden phoenix jade hairpin on her head. She had light makeup on her face and looked dignified, but the slight crow's feet at the corners of her eyes revealed her age.
Fang Yun bowed and said, "Are you Mr. Wang's wife? Mr. Wang once taught me the classics and other subjects at the State Academy of Literature. He even burned his life to use the Blood and Loyalty in the battle with the Turtle Demon General. He is someone I admire. Just say whatever you want to say. As long as I, Fang Yun, can do it, I will never refuse!"
Mrs. Wang's eyes turned red. She pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped her wet eyes. She said, "No wonder my husband praises you every day. I didn't expect that you are really as he said, a real person who values feelings. I am a woman who doesn't know how to speak. If I have offended you, I hope that Lord Wen will forgive me."
"Just say it." Fang Yun said with a smile.
Mrs. Wang immediately said, "Then I will tell you straight. Just a few days ago, our master was called to the government office and told that your four longevity fruits had been delivered, and my husband was asked to go and discuss how to divide them. You also know that it was the five scholars who used their blood and loyalty."
"It's indeed five people." Fang Yun said.
Mrs. Wang said, "These five people were willing to sacrifice ten years of their lives to kill the monster. They were all real scholars. Our master said that all five of them actually wanted the longevity fruit, but in the end they all firmly refused."
Fang Yun sighed softly. He still remembered the determination of the five candidates. They might not become Jinshi in their lifetime, but their aspirations as scholars were no less than those of famous scholars. And they were able to restrain their desires in front of the longevity fruit. They were truly role models for scholars.
"What happened next?" Fang Yun said.
Mrs. Wang said, "It is said that scholars are stubborn. Our master said that if someone was too selfish and wanted to get the longevity fruit, it might be better. Everyone would fight for it, and then four people would be happy and one person would be unlucky. But at that time, the five of them were moved by the selflessness of the other four, and they all had the stubborn temper of scholars and no one wanted it."
Fang Yun smiled slightly. It could be said that those five people were pedantic and stubborn, but they were all true gentlemen.
"When Magistrate Sun saw that he couldn't handle it, he simply put a minor official in charge. Without the pressure from the Jinshi, there was no one to control these five people, and it kept dragging on. But on the first day of the new year, a man who claimed to be the 'steward' of a famous family in the capital found one of the Jinshi and said he wanted to buy the longevity fruit at a high price. That's ten years of life, who can sell it! Don't you think this makes sense?" said Mrs. Wang.
"You're right." Fang Yun immediately thought of the "steward" in the capital, who was a family with the surname Guan. They were often misunderstood, but they were memorable.
"Of course the scholar refused to sell it, and told my husband and others about it on the first day of the new year. But I didn't expect that the man would come to our house on the first night of the new year." (To be continued...)