Chapter 22 The Road Ahead

After leaving Lin's house on the 24th, I walked and stopped all the way. When I returned to Shanxi Village, it was already March. Wang Xianming, who is over 50 years old, has a feeling that time flies by and I am already in my twilight years.

As the slow carriage entered Shanxi Village, the cool spring breeze blew slowly and played with the door curtains, bringing with it the faint sound of reading. The voice was so ethereal, it could not help but bring Wang Xianming into beautiful memories.

When the carriage stopped, Wang Xianming couldn't wait to lift the door curtain, and then he got out halfway, and then he retracted like a ghost. It only knocked Mrs. Liu behind her, who was about to get up.

"How can a person of such age be so impetuous in his work?" Ms. Liu steadied herself and did not pay attention to the strange look on Wang Xianming's face. He raised the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.

Then, Mistress Liu enjoyed the scene of being watched and saluted by more than a dozen pairs of eyes.

Ms. Liu herself was dumbfounded. What happened? Why is it that someone blocks the door to my home when I go out on my own?

That's right, this place is Shanxi Village. The house with the fence is the door to your own home. The lock on the door was bought by her herself.

The group of people surrounding her were naturally students from the county. Everyone was stunned when they saw a woman coming down. He quickly stood up and saluted, and another older man stood up and asked, "Excuse me, is this the frame of Mrs. Wang?"

Mrs. Liu nodded subconsciously, confessing her mistake on the spot.

There was a burst of suppressed cheers from the crowd, and the leader continued to ask: "May I ask if the lady is Mrs. Liu?"

These two words woke Ms. Liu up like an electric shock, and she saw a cold expression on her face. She wrote down this person's face. He said in a cold voice: "It's me, I would like to ask you all here - what are you doing here?"

These people didn't seem to understand Mrs. Liu's expression at all. They just saluted again and shouted in unison: "Welcome Master and Mrs. Madam home. I have been waiting here for a long time. Please accept us."

Damn it, even Liu, who claims to be the best among women, is all waxed at this moment.

The dumbfounded Ms. Liu looked at the group of students bending over to bow, and had to raise her hand to knock on the carriage. "Old man, come down, I'm not here to seek revenge."

Someone hiding in the carriage had no choice but to obey his wife's orders and slowly climbed out of the carriage. Right now.

"Dong dong dong."

There was a distant and near sound of gongs, attracting everyone's attention. A kid still wearing crotchless pants ran and beat the gong while carrying it. He was followed by a few older ones, who were also beating gongs and drums, shouting: "Welcome to the return of our mentor who is the head of the county examination case." village."

"Double Happiness, Chen Qi, what are you doing?" Mistress Liu shouted at the two leaders. These two idiots also sell people easily.

Shuangxi wiped the runny nose and said, "Brother...it's the eldest brother."

It was rare for Qisuo to see Liu getting angry, so he had no choice but to raise his hand and point somewhere behind him.

Well, now even Wang Xianming knows the culprit.

"Second and Third Son, I already understand your purpose of coming. It's just that I'm a little tired today, so why don't we let our couple take a rest. We'll choose a time tomorrow. Let's sit down and discuss it in the long run."

Wang Xianming said to the students, if they heard what the elder said, there was no reason why they should not agree. They all took their benches and said goodbye and left.

After they were all gone, Wang Xianming turned to Shuangxi and Qisuo with a dark face and said, "Let that evil disciple come to see me immediately."

…………

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Even if Chen Heng wanted to continue hiding, he had to come after his mentor ordered him to do so. He was smart when he arrived. He brought some dried fruits from home. As soon as he entered the room, he started to smile. He helped Liu make tea and moved a stool for Wang Xianming. His attentiveness was called diligent.

After silently watching the disciple finish everything, Wang Xianming spoke out: "Evil disciple, why don't you come and sit down."

Well, wait until I finish the work before you speak. Chen Heng twitched the corner of his mouth, raised his sleeves to wipe the sweat from his forehead, turned around and sat down with a smiling face.

"Is this all your fault?"

Wang Xianming asked sharply.

If you don't take action at this time, you won't be able to have a good time before the government examination. Chen Heng had already made a plan in his mind. He took out the script he had rehearsed for several days and said, "Master, please forgive me. I am indeed at fault for half of this matter. Please allow me to explain it slowly."

Then he told the truth about what happened in the county one by one. When Chen Heng said that he was 'stopped and asked' who his mentor was in the inn. Although Wang Xianming's face was calm, Chen Heng could tell from his twitching beard that the master was also happy inside.

"So you got the county's first verdict?"

Seeing that the Master's tone was slightly slower, Chen Heng felt certain in his heart. He stood up and saluted: "Fortunately, I have lived up to my destiny. I have lived up to Master's teachings and lived up to the expectations of my elders."

Wang Xianming was silent for a long time before he laughed uncontrollably and said, "Okay, okay."

The old man couldn't help but think of the scene when he returned to his hometown in frustration more than two years ago. Compare it to that day and look at today. He immediately understood the artistic conception of the spring breeze and the horse's hoof disease.

After laughing, Wang Xianming realized that he had not picked up his disciple. He quickly stepped forward to hold Chen Heng's arm. Looking at the other person's growing body, he couldn't help but tell him: "You have to do a good job in the next imperial examination." Be prepared. Don’t relax just because of official rules.”

Chen Heng nodded in agreement. He had a calm temperament. Wang Xianming was also very relieved about this and naturally he would not say any more.

Seeing that the atmosphere was harmonious, Chen Heng cleverly changed the topic to Yangzhou and asked about Wang Xianming's experience during his trip. Wang Xianming also had this intention, so he told his disciples what happened in detail after concealing Lin Ruhai's name.

Studying and reading, you should not only read the classics, history, and collections, but also expand your knowledge. If you can't do this, you will only be a bookworm in the end. Chen Heng huddled in Shanxi Village, and the world he could see was limited after all. Wang Xianming would naturally not miss any opportunity to broaden his horizons.

When Wang Xianming told the story of the Lin Mansion, Chen Heng listened with high spirits, thinking to himself: Today's businessmen really have a hard time, fortunately I chose the path of studying.

After the teacher finished talking about the plans of the prefect and others, Chen Heng couldn't help but slap the table and said: "What a good trick to lure you into a trap and kill someone with a borrowed knife."

Wang Xianming took a sip of the teacup and continued: "The salt merchants in Yangzhou will only have a harder and harder life in the future. I think the prefect dared to plan like this, and there must be the intention of the court behind it. When you go to participate in the prefectural examination, you should pay more attention to this point."

"Disciple understands." Chen Heng agreed deeply and decided to stay away from these people in the future.

Wang Xianming told some more jokes about salt merchants before turning the topic to Chen Heng's future, comparing the Chongzheng Academy in Jinling with the academy in Yangzhou.

This Chongzheng Academy has been famous all over the world for a long time. It was a place that scholars in Jiangnan yearned for in the previous dynasty. Since the founding of Dayong, most of the Jinshi who passed the imperial examination in Jiangsu came from here. However, this academy is very difficult to enter, and most of the quotas that can be recruited in a year are occupied by the children of Jinling's aristocratic families.

That is why there have been bad reviews in the past ten years. It is often heard that the disciples of the academy are fighting cocks and running horses, and it is unknown whether the teachers inside are still as focused on teaching as before.

Jiangsu has been in a state of decline in culture and education in recent years, and Chongzheng Academy will take half of the blame.

As for the rebuilt Yangzhou Academy, although its predecessor was not well-known, it now has the support of the prefect. The prefect is sitting behind the court, and at this time it is like dry firewood and raging fire, and it is quite ready to do a big thing.

After listening to the teacher, Chen Heng had made up his mind, but he still asked Wang Xianming what he meant, "What do you think?"

"Chongzheng Academy has a long history and has produced many Jinshi. After you enter, you will be able to pass the imperial examination and have more friends in the officialdom. And the imperial examination will be very different when the academy exam begins. This is what I have told you. Chongzheng Academy has been immersed in it for a long time, who knows what teaching methods they have."

"It's just that the tuition of Chongzheng Academy is quite high, which is also what I am worried about. Compared with it, those who can get into the top ten in this prefectural exam will be exempted from certain fees as long as they are interested in entering Yangzhou Academy. I just don't know what level the teachers in the academy are and whether they can teach you attentively."

Chen Heng nodded, he understood what the teacher meant. The imperial examination in the Great Yong Dynasty was somewhat different from that in the previous dynasties.

If the county exam and the prefectural exam are regarded as advanced elementary school literacy graduation, then the academy exam will test the knowledge points of junior high school and university, and the difficulty can be said to be rising rapidly.

Taking the academy exam as an example, those who are interested in obtaining the title of scholar must study books such as "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" and "Da Yong Law", because these are required questions. Ordinary old students have not learned well themselves, so how can they teach their disciples?

Only places like Chongzheng Academy, which have rich successful experience, have accumulated from generation to generation, and it is possible to find a way to make a breakthrough.

After the academy exam, "Da Yong Law" will have a large range of questions in the provincial exam, and the exam papers will show strange cases and important cases collected from all over the country for the scholars to judge.

Because of the title of Juren, as long as there is someone to help, you can go to the local area to be a county magistrate to satisfy your official addiction. If a parent official does not even understand these, he will become a corrupt official who takes human lives lightly.

Chen Heng really embarked on this road and realized that the so-called imperial examination was not like what he had seen in the novels in the past, which was based on the Four Books and Five Classics from beginning to end.

At each stage, there are books to read at each stage. How can the national talent selection ceremony recruit only those stupid scholars who can only read and write?

Just like the classics questions in this county exam, they test the students' talent and efforts in studying. Starting from the college exam and the provincial exam, the increasingly difficult policy essay questions are to measure the students' knowledge and ability.

The screening continues until the joint exam, the gathering of the best among the best. Those who can pass the exam are all top-notch students of the time.

Otherwise, how could there be: The filth in the past is not worth boasting, but the thoughts of today are boundless. The spring breeze is full of pride and the horse's hooves are galloping. One day, I saw the flowers in Chang'an.

After thinking carefully, Chen Heng tilted his head and said, "I want to go to Yangzhou Academy."

Although Wang Xianming was not surprised, he still asked, "Why?"

Chen Heng smiled and said, "It's not easy to live in Jinling."

Wang Xianming fell into silence and sighed, and he understood Chen Heng's considerations. It is indeed very difficult for children from farming families to study. He was still thinking about the pros and cons of the two academies, but Chen Heng was considering living in that place, which would put less pressure on his family.

Thank you for the support of the book friends. The new book by the new author has received your recognition. It made me feel a lot more relaxed, and I don’t feel nervous about writing anymore. I went out and took a look. We are ranked 29th in the list of new works by new authors in the history category. Hahahaha, I am a little proud.

Let’s follow Chen Heng to uncover this drama in Yangzhou.