"Longnao inkstone, Mojiao brush washer, Fang Wenhou is really quick at every step. Even for a scholar from a semi-saint family, it is already the limit to get the Mojiao brush washer. This Longnao inkstone is too precious, even a Hanlin from a semi-saint family can hardly have it." Qiao Juze said enviously.
"Of course I have to thank Jian Ming and Minister Tong. If Fang Yun successfully passes through the five pavilions of Lingyan Pavilion today, he will get the Lei family's Denglong Stone. I have to thank them again."
"This is nothing. This poem is the key point. I wonder what special and wonderful poems Lord Wenhou can create in the future. I am really looking forward to it."
"Indeed, it's so wonderful that it's reversed. Look, Chang Dongyun is still laughing!"
Fang Yun put the table and the four treasures of the study into the Yinjiangbei, looked at Chang Dongyun, and said: "Since you don't want us to continue to see you off, then we will say goodbye here. I wish Brother Dongyun a safe journey!"
Chang Dongyun subconsciously bowed in return and said, "Thank you..."
The moment Chang Dongyun opened his mouth, everyone felt a chill that could only be emitted by swords on a battlefield. All the men with literary courage, including Fang Yun, instinctively released their literary courage to resist this force.
"Squeak..."
Countless sounds of cloth tearing were heard, and at the same time Chang Dongyun closed his mouth and looked around in surprise.
Except for Fang Yun's clothes which were intact, the clothes of everyone nearby were covered with dense tiny cracks, as if they had been slashed by hundreds of swords and would be shattered if torn even slightly.
Qiao Juze exclaimed, "Hide the edge! This is the ability of the great scholar Zhenyan to hide the edge! It turns out that this is an extremely rare hidden edge poem! Using the war poem as a scabbard, the edge of the tongue is sealed. Once the tongue is released, the power of the first attack is at least twice or even three times that of the usual! No wonder Chang Dongyun kept silent until the last moment when he accidentally spoke. Hiding the edge is like a Jinshi pregnant with a sword. It is best not to speak, and if you have to speak, you must speak less. That is why the newly-appointed Jinshi is called the cautious speech realm."
"What a pity. This poem cannot be passed down. If it could be passed down, the power of my verbal battles with the scholars of the Ten Kingdoms would be greatly increased!"
"There is nothing we can do about it. The handed-down battle poems are too rare. However, the Hidden Edge Poem is extremely useful. If Fang Yun uses it on a university scholar, his verbal sparring is enough to kill a demon king of the same level. Fang Yun's role is almost as good as half a university scholar!"
"I am convinced, I am convinced!"
Some people looked at Fang Yun with admiration, and some looked at Chang Dongyun with envy. In addition to the original and first book treasure light, this poem also has the treasure light of the pen and ink, which is four times more powerful than normal. Then Chang Dongyun's next first attack of the verbal battle is probably no less powerful than that of an ordinary Hanlin.
Chang Dongyun bowed to everyone with an apologetic look on his face, then pointed helplessly at his closed mouth, indicating that he was really not in a position to speak.
Qiao Juze immediately said, "Don't feel guilty, this is a good thing. Even if you have finished hiding your strength, you should still speak less. In the future, try not to use verbal battles unless it is absolutely necessary. You can only use them in extremely dangerous situations, and they may save your life."
Chang Dongyun nodded and continued to bow and apologize.
"Brother Dongyun, please go ahead and remember to send letters often... No, it's not convenient to send letters where you are. Remember to write letters. Tell me about the border so that I can understand it better. After I become a Jinshi, I must go there. I promised General Zhang Poyue when I sent him off in June that if his front army is in trouble, I will definitely go to rescue him."
Chang Dongyun nodded vigorously, then clasped his fists and turned away decisively.
After Chang Dongyun got on the carriage and left, the thousands of people who came to see him off left one after another.
Those students who were Juren or below walked the fastest, while the thirty or so Jinshi followed Fang Yun and walked back slowly.
After passing the imperial examination, scholars generally have two paths to choose from: one is to enter the official career, and the other is to enter the imperial academy for further studies.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of the former is that if one is not careful in officialdom, his literary talent will be tarnished and his hope of becoming a saint will be lost. The disadvantage of the latter is that if he cannot become a Hanlin, he will not have great achievements, and when he becomes an official when he is older, he will be far behind the Jinshi officials in the same list.
The advantage of directly entering the court as an official is that one can continuously gain secular power. Even if a Jinshi is not very good, he can still influence a government, and before retirement he can at least be promoted to the fourth rank. The advantage of entering the Imperial Academy for further study is that once he breaks through and becomes a Hanlin, his status is completely different.
No matter what, the number of Jinshi in Jingguo can be described as a stable harvest. There will definitely be dozens of Jinshi every year, but the number of Hanlin is uncertain. On average, there are less than five new Hanlin in Jingguo every year.
As the crowd turned back, Qiao Juze whispered to Fang Yun, "Last night, the young Duke colluded with many people in an attempt to get the people of Shangshe to agree to go to Lingyan Pavilion together. Once six people agree, they will go to Lingyan Pavilion together to save energy. When the young Duke found me, I didn't know what was going on, so I said I would give you an answer today. I would ask someone and then I would know that it was to embarrass you, so I refused. The young Duke can win over three people of Shangshe, and of the other seven, you and I will naturally refuse, one person from Guanhai Society has clearly refused, and a Jinshi from the Wenxiang lineage will naturally refuse, so there are only three people left. One of them is close to the Lei family, and he is estimated to have agreed."
"What about the other two?"
"One is from a wealthy family. Although he has a high birth rate, he is very low-key in the academy. The other is from a poor family. He does not learn the skills of the Mohist school, but focuses on the Mohist doctrine of universal love. He usually likes to mediate conflicts between students with the principle of universal love and non-aggression. However, this person does have a heart of universal love, acts fairly, and protects the weak. He has a very high reputation in the academy."
Fang Yun nodded to show that he understood. Starting from the Jinshi degree, scholars began to differentiate into different schools of thought, with the agricultural school, the industrial school, the medical school, etc. becoming more distinct, and those below the Jinshi degree would always focus on Confucianism.
Fang Yun said, "Which one do the scholars from the wealthy families major in?"
"A polymath. You Nian has always had clear goals. He once told his friends that he aspires to be the prime minister of a country and to use what he has learned to govern the country and maintain peace. He follows the path of the polymath."
"You mean, the little Duke is likely to gather six people?"
"Yes. The reason why there is no news now may be that the young Duke has failed, or it may be that he has kept it a secret and is waiting for the Lingyan Pavilion to open before making a sudden move. No one in the palace can interfere in this matter."
"I understand. However, there will always be a way when you reach the mountain, and we can't let uncertainty ruin our mood. If those people want to go to the Lingyan Pavilion together, let them go." Fang Yun said.
Qiao Juze said helplessly: "You are really good at speaking. What you said makes sense. Let's wait and see what happens."
Fang Yun sent another letter to Zhao Hongzhuang, but Zhao Hongzhuang said she had something to deal with so she couldn't come.
Walking into the academy, Fang Yun's mood was not affected at all. He smiled and pointed at a giant tree that was fifty meters tall. The tree was so thick that it took twenty people to hug it. This giant tree was much taller than all the trees and buildings in the academy and was extremely eye-catching.
Fang Yun said, "I heard that this tree was planted by Chen Sheng. When he was about to die, a few years ago, Chen's family held Chen Sheng's handwritten "Ode to My Tree Friend" and recited it aloud, which brought the tree back to life. Then they buried Chen Sheng's article in the tree's roots, and the tree grew thirty feet overnight. Is this true?"
Qiao Juze smiled and said, "You've asked the right person. I was a student at the time, studying in this academy. I was there that morning. Yes, the tree did grow thirty feet overnight. There were naughty children who wanted to climb the tree, but it was strange that no matter who climbed to three feet, they would feel weak all over and had to slow down. Later we realized that it was the tree that Chen Sheng had resurrected, so how could it be allowed to be climbed casually."
Fang Yun nodded, pointed to a bridge, and said, "Although this bridge is called the 'Hehe Bridge', I heard that people who have been heartbroken often jump into the river?"
The scholars all laughed, and one of them explained, "Yes, a hundred years ago, there was a scholar who was disappointed in love. He dreamed that Confucius said that if he jumped off the Hehe Bridge, he would live happily with the woman he loved forever, so he actually jumped off the Hehe Bridge. Coincidentally, that man actually got the beauty in the end, and he told everyone he met that Confucius had told him in his dream. Later, someone really believed him and secretly jumped into the river at night. But we all know that the so-called Confucius' dream was just that person's delusion, and the person who jumped into the river was not so much to save the relationship as to take the opportunity to vent."
As they walked, they talked about all kinds of interesting things in the academy. The Jingguo Academy was first built during the Eastern Han Dynasty and was gradually expanded, leaving behind many historical stories. Many celebrities had come here, and there were even twelve "holy residences", all of which were places where semi-saints had lived in the past.
Because it was still early for the Lingyan Pavilion event to begin, everyone took Fang Yun, who had just arrived at the Jingguo Academy, on a tour and kept introducing him to the various scenic spots and historical sites in the academy.
The history of Jingguo Academy is longer than that of Jingguo Imperial Palace. It is a famous cultural attraction in Jingguo. It is only open to the public during festivals every year to allow citizens to experience the atmosphere of the academy.
Soon, the bronze bell in the academy rang loudly.
"The Lingyan Pavilion will begin in a quarter of an hour, so let's go there quickly." said one person.
"Let's go." Qiao Juze pointed in the direction of the holy temple, quickened his pace, and Fang Yun followed.
As Fang Yun walked, holding the official seal in his hand, he sent a letter to the Minister of Culture Jiang Hechuan, asking him to expel Wei Yu from the imperial academy.
Jiang Hechuan quickly replied: "If nothing unexpected happens, all the students of Jingguo Academy will go to Lingyan Pavilion today. Are you sure you want to expel Wei Yu from the academy?"
Fang Yun was stunned. He didn't expect that the little Duke had already gathered six people. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "If Wei Yu is not removed, Chang Dongyun will have lost his bright future in vain! I have made up my mind. I hope that Minister Wen will help me."
"In that case, I won't force you. With your heart, you shouldn't be affected by just going to the Lingyan Pavilion together."
"Thank you, Lord Wenxiang."
Soon, everyone arrived in front of the holy temple.
Fang Yun had seen holy temples in counties, prefectures and states, but this was the first time he had seen a holy temple in a country.
The holy temple of Jingguo Academy also has red walls and black tiles. Except that it is larger than other holy temples, it has a more profound and vicissitudes of life. Every brick and tile seems to record a piece of history and carry a story.
In front of the holy temple stood many Juren and Jinshi, and in the distance stood many Tongsheng and Xiucai, who were not yet allowed to enter the Lingyan Pavilion.
Before the Lingyan Pavilion appeared, the voice of the Prime Minister was heard echoing in the sky.
"Wei Yu, as a student of Jing State, did not think about serving his country, but colluded with the Lei family to cause trouble for the academy. His heart is not right, and he should be sent to the Supervisory Council for questioning, but considering that he has made some small contributions, he will be remembered for the time being. Fang Yun has the right to expel him from the academy. If Wei Yu fails, his crime will be even more serious!" (To be continued...)