Chapter 29 Now the Young Phoenix Is ​​Trying to Cry (First Update)

Chen Heng had the habit of going out early. When he stood in front of the Imperial Examination Hall, there were not many people queuing up. This prefectural examination would gather scholars from the seven counties below, as well as candidates from Yangzhou City.

Therefore, there was an endless stream of people coming to see him off, and some even drove to let their servants stand in line. He sat in the carriage and waited until it was almost his turn before entering the venue.

The process of entering the venue was similar to that in Taixing, but it was more detailed than the previous inspection. The brush cap would be opened, and even Chen Heng was required to take off his outer clothes, but fortunately it was only to this extent.

After this step was completed, Chen Heng took his number plate of "A-7". This was specially reserved for the top candidates in each county, from A-1 to A-8, they were all close to the prefect.

Walking to his own room, Chen Heng looked around with a fresh look. He stretched out his hand to measure the length and found that the fingertips on both sides were still some distance away from the wall. He sat inside and surprisingly found it quite spacious. This feeling was also wonderful.

But the seat under his butt was too stiff. When he thought about sitting here until dark, even Chen Heng was a little worried. In the corner, there was a wooden board that had been checked by the officials. There were raised grooves on the walls on both sides. When the time comes, you can use it as a desk by pressing it up.

"Bang, bang, bang."

The sound of salutes outside continued, telling the candidates to hurry up. If they don't come, the Imperial Examination Hall will be closed.

After another moment, the sound of crisp drums was heard outside the Imperial Examination Hall. Because he was close to the seat of the prefect, Chen Heng could hear the sound of the door closing.

Behind the seat of the prefect was a clay statue of Confucius. As usual, after three bows, the test papers with answers were also carried out of the ceremony room. Chen Heng didn't have to do anything. The yamen runners brought the test papers to him.

When everything was ready, Chen Heng only heard a majestic voice from above, saying, "Begin."

Then several yamen runners held up plaques and began to walk around the Imperial Examination Hall.

The first is that if the name is not right, the words will not flow. If the words are not flowing, the matter will not be accomplished.

The second is that even if plucking a hair can benefit the world, it is not done.

After copying the questions with a pen, Chen Heng could not help but fall into deep thought. The first question is easy to understand. It comes from "The Analects of Confucius·Zilu". If you take this question alone, it is not difficult to write the article. It is a famous sentence in itself, and any master with a little knowledge will explain its example to his disciples.

But it is interesting when paired with the second question. This question comes from Mencius. In connection with the context, it means: Yangzi advocates for me, even if it is to pluck a hair of his own and benefit the world, he is unwilling to do it.

Why did the prefect ask such a question?

Is it because it is too difficult?

No, on the contrary, it is too simple. Including Chen Heng, many students who want to strive for excellence fell into deep thought. Writing is a very interesting thing. Its judging criteria mostly depend on the cultural accomplishment of the examiner and his/her expectations of the problem.

However, since the development of the imperial examination, a group of people have summarized a safe writing method. That is, no matter what the examiner's intention is, you just write according to the question, and put in the teachings of the sage king and the saint. Although you can't get a high score, it will generally not be too low. As for whether you pass or not, it depends on the performance of other candidates.

This group of people often think that the imperial examination is to see who makes fewer mistakes, and it is difficult to evaluate the good and bad points. It is free to judge.

Chen Heng naturally did not want to choose this path. On the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination, any mentality of seeking stability may be pushed off the bridge by the brave and radical later comers.

Fight.

If you relax your requirements for yourself because you are guaranteed to pass the prefectural examination. What should you do in the future academy examination, provincial examination, and metropolitan examination?

Chen Heng naturally understood the principle of doing it in one go.

Scholars can decline, but it is difficult to revive.

Moreover, the Master said that only by getting the top ten in the provincial examination can some of the fees of Yangzhou Academy be exempted, and Chen Heng also wanted to save this money for his family. Having made up his mind, Chen Heng put all his thoughts into the idea of ​​breaking the topic.

So how can he write it in a new way and move the examiner's heartstrings?

Chen Heng has been a human being for two lives, even if he puts aside his talent and learning. The macro-consciousness cultivated by his more than ten years of study in his previous life is not comparable to that of ordinary scholars.

After careful consideration in his mind, Chen Heng chose "Benefiting the World" as his breakthrough point.

The first sentence he said was: The foundation of the world is the country, the foundation of the country is the family, and the foundation of the family is the people.

But he did not put the argument of "one hair" on its opposite side.

Many years of experience in the previous life told Chen Heng that if you overemphasize the contradiction between a pair of things, you will lose the real connection between them, so that you will be blinded by one leaf.

In fact, there is only a difference between the primary and the secondary. The "profit of a hair" is not self-generated, but comes from the "profit of the world".

Just like everyone needs parents and elders to raise them, the relationship between "a hair" and "the world" is just like this.

The profit of a hair is nothing more than borrowing the people of the world to support oneself. If there are no people in the world, how can there be a profit of a hair?

Therefore, it is better to say "pluck a hair and return it to the world" rather than "pluck a hair and benefit the world".

This is the same as people should take good care of the people who raise them to grow up.

If a person grows up and despises the old and weak people who raise them, wouldn't it be against human ethics to abandon them?

After laying the foundation for his own writing, Chen Heng took a deep breath, continued to pick up the pen, and began to break the topic on "not doing it".

This kind of discussion about human nature, even in later generations, everyone has their own opinions and reasons, and every family has their own tune.

Chen Heng thought about it and decided to use the method of Laozi and Zhuangzi to explain his point of view.

He wrote: It is said that in ancient times, there was a fisherman who hated the hard work of going out to sea every day. After several days of thinking hard, the fisherman thought of building a dam on the river to solve the hardship of going out to sea.

The fisherman took the young and strong people in his village to build a dam on the nearby river, trapping the fish that wanted to go downstream in the river. He only needed to leave his home for a few dozen steps every day and cast a net to catch much more food than before.

The fisherman was proud of his cleverness, and the villagers often praised him. After a long time, the people in the fishing village did not go out to fish, and each household did not repair the boat, but only knew how to weave fishing nets.

Suddenly one day, heavy rains hit the Xiang River upstream, and the river water rose overnight. The dam built by the villagers could not bear the load, and swallowed up the sleeping fishing village overnight.

At this point, Chen Heng's meaning has been expressed. All his past years of experience were slowly integrated at this moment, and he suddenly tasted the joy of his thoughts being clear.

At the end of the article, Chen Heng suddenly had a flash of thought in his mind, and he wrote: Treat all the people in the world as the mother of a hair, take from the people, and use it for the people, this is the way.

I reread the outline last night and suddenly had a new understanding. Considering the protagonist's future governance, I think it needs to be revised.