A few days later, the Ruan family parted ways again, and Ruan Chengxin followed Jiang Fang and went to Hubei Guangda Branch to engage in business. This "Guangda" is the name of the Jiang family's firm, for decades, the north and south of the river have become more and more famous, although Ruan Chengxin is not good at business, but he is usually cautious and will not make big mistakes.

Ruan Yuan went back to Chenji with his mother, and for the convenience of learning, he lived in Lin's house in Chenji. As soon as Ruan Yuan heard Qiao Shuyou's lecture, he knew that he was really quite talented, and when he talked about the scriptures and verses, he clearly understood that although he was not as talented as Hu Tingsen, he was very down-to-earth in every word, and Ruan Yuan was willing to communicate with him more.

Lin's father, Lin Tinghe, once served as the magistrate of Datian County, although the family is not rich and noble, but also has a lot of savings, Lin Tinghe is also a person who loves to read, and there are a lot of books in the family. Therefore, when Ruan Yuan arrived at the Lin family, he could also be erudite and knowledgeable, and unconsciously, he had a lot of benefits.

Studying and studying, not a day's work, unconsciously, more than two years have passed, this day is the early winter of Qianlong's forty-first year, Ruan Yuan took Zhu Zi's annotated "Zhou Yi Benyi", and came to Qiao Shuyou for advice.

Qiao Shuyou is good at "Zhou Yi", and patiently explains Ruan Yuan's incomprehensions one by one, and teaches master and apprentice on weekdays, as it has always been, and Qiao Shuyou does not ask Ruan Yuan about family affairs and other preferences. But on this day, seeing that Ruan Yuan's question was about to be explained clearly, Qiao Shuyou suddenly stopped and said, "Yuan'er, have you considered the matter of entering the official school recently?" ”

Ruan Yuan was taken aback, and didn't want Mr. Qiao to care about this, so he replied: "Sir, Yuan'er has been like this on weekdays, and the "Four Books" has been memorized in recent days, but I haven't thought much about the official school. Qiao Shuyou was not angry, but as always, patiently talked to Ruan Yuan about official learning.

In fact, the so-called "official learning" is already the category of the imperial examination, and when it comes to the imperial examination, it is often used to test Xiucai (in fact, Xiucai is a folk title, and the Qing Dynasty official does not have the word Xiucai, but uses the word "student" to call the so-called Xiucai. At first, it was regarded as participating in the imperial examination, and after the examination, the examination, and the palace examination, he became a jinshi. However, before the student examination, students must also pass the county and government examinations of their own prefectures and prefectures before they are eligible for the college examinations. Therefore, when summarizing the imperial examination, the broadest way to summarize is to start from the county examination of the county, and the candidates have to go through the six examinations of the county, the government, the hospital, the township, the association, and the palace before they can overcome all the obstacles and finally become a jinshi.

Compared with the general township examination and meeting examination in the later period, the initial county examination and the government examination are not very difficult as a whole, as long as they are qualified to study and study, they will participate in it when they reach a certain age. Although there was also a failure in the exam, it was not too difficult to persist for a few more years and pass the government exam. Candidates who have achieved excellent results in the county and prefectural examinations can obtain the qualification of "entering the government school" and go to the official school of the prefecture or county where they are located for further study. In the early years, the Ruan family changed their nationality to Yizheng because of the large number of county school places in Yizheng County, so in order to facilitate their education. If Ruan Yuan passes the two exams and his results are reasonable, he can enter Yizheng County School to study.

Although students cannot be officials, only after passing the college examination and ordering students can they get the preferential treatment of not kneeling in the county, having a seat in the court, and being exempted from errands. Therefore, for scholars, the most basic goal is to become a student, otherwise it will be no different from the common people, and it is difficult to talk about it among the same columns.

After ordering students, which are commonly known as "Zhongxiucai", the scholars will gradually differentiate, and some readers, such as Hu Tingsen and Qiao Shuyou, are not interested in officialdom, so they are unwilling to go to the township examination and take the exam. Even if Hu Tingsen is valued by Sazai, he is not a court official after all. There are also some people who want to be officials, so they will always insist on taking the road of imperial examinations. Ruan Yuan was only thirteen or fourteen years old at this time, and he didn't think about whether he would be an official in the future, but he heard his classmates and gentlemen talk about the imperial examination, and he knew that at least he had to be admitted to the student before he could be considered successful in his studies. Otherwise, not to mention that the scholars do not approve, they can't even guarantee their own livelihood.

Qiao Shuyou was afraid that Ruan Yuan would not understand, so he prepared a picture and explained the imperial examination in detail. Speaking of the content of the county school exam, he said: "This county school exam is the first exam for entering the school, and it is not very difficult in itself. When I was supposed to study in the county, the title was a poem with five words and six rhymes, and I silently wrote more than 100 words of "The Sacred Oracle", and then there was a piece of scripture. Yuan'er, you write poems and essays, I have seen it, although it is not mature to compose poems at the moment, the county test is not a problem. The "Sacred Oracle" is not very difficult, just memorize the words of the Son of Heaven and write down hundreds of words. As long as it's good, the academic official will not be difficult for you here. ”

Ruan Yuan felt that Mr. Qiao was really different from Confucianism, and when he talked about the words of the Son of Heaven, he also looked like an understatement. He is usually gentle and humble, but he does not succumb to power.

"Just." Qiao Shuyou sighed slowly: "Yuan'er, do you know what the so-called 'Eight Strands' is? ”

The word "Baguwen", Ruan Yuan has heard it many times since he was a child, his father has never mentioned this word, he only said that it is useless learning, Mr. Hu was in Jiangfu, he once talked about this word, but Hu Tingsen was also disdainful at that time. Seeing the attitude of his father and Mr. Hu, Ruan Yuan naturally had no good impression of Baguwen. Then he said: "I heard my father say Baguwen, and my father never thought it was a good thing." ”

"Naturally, I don't think there is any benefit to these eight strands, if someone ignores their conscience and talks about the benefits of these eight-strands, it is okay not to make such friends." Qiao Shuyou and Ruan Yuan have the same position. In fact, the style of Bagu Wen is complex, and if you want to write a good Bagu essay, you need not only the logic of the prose, but also the sense of rhyme of the prose, which is very difficult. can write a good eight-strand essay, and the writing level will definitely not be low.

From a purely stylistic point of view, Baguwen is not useless, but has a lot of merits. However, in the imperial examination of the Qing Dynasty, the Four Books of Jingyi were only allowed to be answered in the form of eight strands. Moreover, there is a word limit in the eight-strand text, even if the article has a good opinion, if the number of words is too much, it will be directly dismissed. Candidates who want to complete an essay still have a lot of brains, and where do they have time to explain their independent opinions? The Four Books Jingyi Examination is the most important one, in other words, if the Bagu Wen is not written well, there will be no future in the imperial examination room. So over time, the students only have hatred for Baguwen. Qiao Shuyou's comment was also the norm at that time.

But Qiao Shuyou is not a person who is blindly emotional, and then said: "It's just that from the county school exam, every exam, you have to test the four books of scriptures, and you need to answer in the format of the so-called 'system of righteousness', which must be divided into eight chapters before and after, and the last four chapters must be word by word to form a dual, so everyone calls it Baguwen, also known as Sishuwen." If the format of the exam is wrong, the exam will not be passed. So even though everyone doesn't like it, you have to learn it first. Ruan Yuan listened to Mr. Qiao's words, and he didn't have a good impression of these eight strands, but he also knew that if he wanted the examiner to learn it, he had to learn it first, so he nodded.

Qiao Shuyou said: "You are not prepared today, from tomorrow, I will teach you the way to write these eight strands." Although it is not easy to write well, if you just take the county school, you don't have to care so much. ”

Ruan Yuan replied: "Since Mr. said so, students can start learning tomorrow." That being said, I had already made up my mind that once I succeeded in my studies, I would never write any more Bagu essays.

But Qiao Shuyou's next sentence surprised Ruan Yuan: "But you may not be able to live in Chenji anymore." ”

Ruan Yuan was shocked and said, "What did Mr. say?" This Chen Ji has beautiful scenery, Mr. is erudite and talented, how can Ruan Yuan be willing to leave Mr.? ”

"Not the problems." Qiao Shuyou smiled: "It's the rest of the Lin family, I have also stayed in the Lin family for a few years, what are the descendants like, how can I not know?" Although they are not evil, they will not become successful except for you. ”

Ruan Yuan was speechless for a while, and Qiao Shuyou said again: "You love to read and are willing to think more, which is unmatched by no one in the Lin family." But I can also see that these children of the Lin family are not satisfied with you. ”

Ruan Yuan was told the truth by Qiao Shuyou, so he had to say: "What Mr. said is good, studying here is indeed with everyone...... But they didn't mean anything rude to me, and the teacher was here, and the students didn't know about it...... I don't know where there are such good people as teachers, so I don't want to leave. "Ruan Yuan and the children of the Lin family are indeed quite unfamiliar, but they are also reluctant to let Qiao Shuyou go, so they have been very conflicted recently, and I don't know what the future will be. Qiao Shuyou saw his face and knew what he meant, so he simply broke it directly.

Qiao Shuyou did this to point out a direction for Ruan Yuan. When they saw that he was honest, they treated him with sincerity. Said: "Actually, it's not your fault Yuan'er, you are naturally good at reading, and your knowledge has already surpassed them." If you can continue to improve in the future, there will always be your friends waiting for you. It's not that the teacher comforts you, the teacher is also from your age, and he knows more people than you. It's this Huaiyang place, a great Confucianism who is good at learning, is there less? It's just that if you want to see more celebrities and celebrities, and you have to have a reputation first. ”

Ruan Yuan saw that the teacher's attitude was gentle, his eyes were firm, and he believed that what the teacher said was true, so he nodded. From this day on, Qiao Shuyou began to teach Ruan Yuan some basic Bagu writing methods. Gradually, the year has passed, and seeing that the format and the content of the battle have been clearly explained, there is only practice left, and Ruan Yuan has no intention of living in the Lin family anymore, so he sent him out. Ruan Yuan returned to Yangzhou and began to formally prepare for the county school examination.

Although the county school examination is the first pass of the imperial examination, there are many requirements. Needless to say, the content of the exam also requires candidates to prove their identity and find five people to jointly guarantee before they can be qualified for the exam, that is, the so-called "five-person joint guarantee". Candidates also need to write down their family history and prove their innocence before they can participate in the imperial examination and enter the official study. Although the Qing Dynasty has abolished some so-called "lowly status", in terms of the qualifications for the imperial examination, there are still restrictions on people with bad family backgrounds, such as advocating excellent soap families, which explicitly prohibit them from taking the examination.

After the New Year, Ruan Yuan was only fourteen years old, and some of these things could not be done completely by his own ability. So Lin also wrote a letter to Ruan Chengxin, asking him to return to Yangzhou temporarily once to prepare for Ruan Yuan's exam. Ruan Chengxin took a boat and returned to Yangzhou all the way.

The south gate of Yangzhou is the junction of the ancient canal and the small Qinhuai, at this time there are many salt merchants in Yangzhou, known as the "eight salt merchants", in fact, the specific salt merchant family is impermanent, but it is generally eight. There are many salt boats to and from each family, and for a while, on the South Gate River, the river boats are like clouds of ants gathering, and Ruan Chengxin waited for a long time before he got the opportunity to go ashore.

Although this return is mainly for Ruan Yuan's entrance examination, before that, it is also necessary to report to the Jiang government about the salt transportation and exchanges, and the public and then the private. Ruan Chengxin looked at the salt boat all the way, thinking that he was originally a scholar, a farmer and a businessman, and a scholar should be the first, but he had to work in business to support his family, and he was also a little unhappy.

Jiang Fang didn't seem to care much about the revenue and expenditure of salt transportation, and when Ruan Chengxin finished handing over the relevant affairs, he smiled and said: "I have to go to Huguang for three years." The suffering of being alone in a foreign land, my uncle experienced it when he was a child, and he knows how difficult it is for you. It's just in time that you've come back today, and I have another matter to discuss with you. ”

Ruan Chengxin was stunned for a moment, and it was not a bad thing to listen to Jiang Fang's tone, so he had to return it respectfully, and said, "Uncle, no matter what happens, Chengxin will do his best." ”

Jiang Fang said with a smile: "If you don't do your best in this matter, it's not up to you, but you also need to be prepared." Yuan'er remembered that he was nine years old when he left my Jiangfu, and after four or five years, Yuan'er should have fourteen or fifteen, right? ”

"I'm fourteen years old." Ruan Chengxin replied.

"I have mentioned Yuan'er a lot with you, you never said whether Yuan'er can have a marriage contract, my uncle thought, Yuan'er should not be engaged yet, right?"

"Uncle Hui, this matter is really incompetent, and I haven't thought about these ......"

"Even so, my uncle is relieved." I don't want Jiang Fang to have such a sentence. "Among the grandchildren of my Jiang Mansion, there is a niece and granddaughter in the boudoir, I don't know if I like it?"

Before he finished speaking, he saw a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl walking slowly in the back hall, the girl's eyebrows were quite delicate, and when she saw Ruan Chengxin, she gave a salute first. When Ruan Chengxin looked carefully, he only felt that she had a melon seed face, soft eyes, and no arrogant and sluggish attitude, thinking that she was also a daughter of Jiangfu who had known books since childhood.

"Cai'er, this is your Uncle Ruan." Jiang Fu said with a smile.

It turned out that this girl was Jiang Cai, who eavesdropped on Ruan Yuan's poems at Jiangfu Jiashu a few years ago. Since then, Jiang Cai has had a good impression of this Ruan brother, and he is also quite good at poetry and books, and he even recites Wang Wei's poems every day in the future. Jiang Fang saw that she was studious, so he also specially invited Mr. to teach her to read, and over the years, Jiang Cai was very different from other Jiang family children of the same age, not only knowing books and etiquette, but also in needlework and embroidery, and never wrong. When Jiang Chun and Jiang Fang brothers talk about their grandchildren, the most reassuring thing is this granddaughter.

One day, the Jiang Chun brothers were strolling in the garden, and occasionally saw Jiang Cai secretly reciting several poems by Wang Wei. Jiang Chun still thought it was just a girl's taste, and he was the same as Daiyu Xiangling in "A Dream of Red Mansions", so he didn't think it was different. But Jiang Fang accidentally mentioned that when Hu Tingsen was in Jiangfu, he once said that Ruan Yuan had known Wang Weishi since he was a child. Jiang Chun suddenly understood, and called Jiang Fang that night to talk about Jiang Cai and Ruan Yuan's marriage.

At that time, Jiang Fang was still hesitant, after all, the situation of the Ruan family in the past few years was not ideal, and it was only with the blessing of the Jiang family that the Ruan family was able to maintain. But Jiang Chun's words made Jiang Fang have an epiphany. On this day, Ruan Chengxin was called to Jiangfu, not to investigate the salt transportation, but mainly to talk about Ruan Yuan's marriage.

Ruan Chengxin saw Jiang Cai's gentle temperament, and remembered that his family had moved several times in recent years, just to find a cheap place to live. In fact, when he went to Huguang that year, the Lin family talked to him about Ruan Yuan's future marriage, and it stands to reason that Jiang Fang took the initiative to promote marriage, which is a good thing. But thinking about it, if Jiang Cai marries into the Ruan family like this, he will be too sorry for others. Although he often reads the art of war and thinks more about the battle formation, he is very soft-hearted, so he replied: "Cai'er is a wonderful girl, but the situation of my Ruan family is very different from that of the house, but I am afraid that Cai'er will marry into my family, it is to ...... It is to live a hard life. ”

"Uncle doesn't know, Brother Ruan Yuan, I have known it since I was a child. Since the uncle is married, Cai'er ...... It is self-observed. Jiang Cai replied. In fact, she is the youngest in the family, and she is a woman, and she has no possibility of making decisions about marriage. But since he was a child, he saw that Ruan Yuanwen could speak and recite, and Wu Neng skillfully used the art of war, and he had already stored his admiration. On that day, Jiang Chun told her father Jiang Zhenji about Ruan Jiang's marriage, Jiang Zhenji was still groaning, and she was secretly happy. At this time, although he couldn't express his opinions directly and offended his elders, the former sentence had known Ruan Yuan since he was a child, and the latter sentence had already shown his intentions.

Jiang Fang smiled and said, "The rest of the matter will be decided by me and your Uncle Ruan." Jiang Cai retreated. Jiang Fang continued: "You naturally feel that your family is embarrassed at the moment, and I am afraid that Cai'er will come to Yuan'er and suffer. In fact, you don't have to think like this, Cai'er is the best girl in my Jiang family's grandchildren, she married someone else, how could my Jiang family not care? ”

Seeing that Ruan Chengxin was still indecisive, Jiang Fang continued: "I naturally know your intentions, do you think that Yuan'er has not yet entered school, and now he has no fame, if nothing will continue in the future, won't this marriage hurt Cai'er?" In fact, you don't have to think like this, Yuan'er is smart and studious, I have seen it with my own eyes, and I can still see it wrong, several teachers before and after him are also Huaiyang Confucians, how can he teach a student who is not successful? It will only be a matter of a few years for him to go to school, and in a few years, it is estimated that he will be able to be admitted to the student and complete his studies. Afterwards...... You should know that my brother is not an ordinary salt merchant. ”

In fact, these words were Jiang Chun's words when Jiang Fang was mentioned, Jiang Chun was very confident, even if Ruan Yuan's performance was poor, with the talent he had already shown, it would not be difficult to be a student. As long as he has this title, he is a first-class Guanglu doctor, and he has an old relationship with Qianlong, he can rely on this relationship to seek an official position for Ruan Yuan. No matter how incompetent Ruan Yuan is, if he finds a lack of eight or nine grades, it is not a problem to be a stable official for a lifetime.

When Ruan Chengxin heard this, he gradually relaxed his heart. Jiang Fang was afraid that he still had mustard, so he said again; "Actually, I also know that Yuan'er is only fourteen this year, and if she gets married now, it will naturally be early. It just so happened that Yuan'er was going to go to school, so he waited a few more years, and Yuan'er became an adult, and it was not too late to get married. Maybe by that time, the situation of the Ruan family will be better. Ruan Chengxin couldn't refuse this marriage anymore, so he had to thank him repeatedly, then quit Jiang Fang and went home to prepare for Ruan Yuan's entrance examination.

When Ruan Chengxin left, he was catching up with the Jiang family's account office to report the account. Seeing the back of Ruan Chengxin's departure, the account office couldn't help but be a little contemptuous, and said, "I don't know why the master wants to leave such a person to do things at home." ”

Jiang Fang knew that Ruan Chengxin had no talent for business, so he was not angry, and said with a smile: "My nephew, he is a good person like a Bodhisattva, even if my Jiang family raises a good person for nothing, why not?" Isn't it also a matter of accumulating virtue? ”

"Indeed, he is a bodhisattva." The bookkeeper smiled: "I can't remember my own things clearly, and I went to share the money with others." ”

Jiang Fang was puzzled and hurriedly asked why, only to know that when Ruan Chengxin returned to his hometown to Anhui, he happened to see a family in poverty due to a fire in their home. Ruan Chengxin didn't have much savings in hand, but he still squandered money and gave the family money, but he starved for several days.

Jiang Fang said with a smile: "My nephew was originally honest, if it weren't for that, I was afraid that I would lose nearly a hundred taels of silver in the rain back then." Thinking of this, he felt that although Ruan Chengxin had no merit or negligence, this was enough to satisfy him.

I didn't think about the account room, but said: "If it weren't for my eye, I looked at the salt ship more often, and I was afraid that ten stones of refined salt would have been lost unconsciously." This time, the boat that went to Huguang originally transported 40 stone salt. But what about when he comes back to pay the bill? Initially, it was only reported for thirty stones. Thanks to the fact that I remembered the accounts from the time I left the ship, and I asked him about it, and he found the bill for ten stone and the salt money. Otherwise, my Jiang family will suffer a big loss. ”

When Jiang Fang heard this, he was also quite worried, Ruan Chengxin was not a greedy person, and he would not covet the ten stone salt money. But if it goes on like this for a long time, every time there is an omission, day after day, I am afraid that I want to keep him, and my family will not let me. Then he said: "If that's the case, I'll go to Huguang next time." But you need to remember that this Ruan Dezhong is a scholar of the scriptures, and among Huaiyang, there is no one who can match him in the "Zuo Chuan". My Jiang family has always treated scholars with courtesy, and I can't owe such a scholar. ”

"Master, can you make money by studying here? Do you treat each other like this? The bookkeeper saw that Ruan Chengxin couldn't even understand the accounts, so he deeply despised himself and didn't believe that he had any talent.

"You don't know. This place in Yangzhou lives on salt, and has always been called the eight salt merchants, but there are only eight in total. In the past few decades, what is the result of poor management, you should know? It's so hard today, but it's just for peace of mind. If you do anything wrong on weekdays, one day, everyone will shout and beat you. If these scholars were better, they would spread the word, and the Jiang family would have a good name, and they would ...... in the future There will always be good people. "Jiang Chun is close to the government, and he is also familiar with Qianlong, and he knows the truth that accompanying the king is like accompanying the tiger. On weekdays, he not only fought for righteousness and wealth, but also told Jiang Fang this truth. Jiang Jiajia is prepared for danger in peace, and does more good deeds on weekdays, and does not dare to be disrespectful to local celebrities, so not only does he not have a bad reputation for being rich and unkind, but is often praised by the people.

Seeing that the account room was quite puzzled, it seemed that he didn't know why he had to think about other "kind people" with a huge Jiang family? Jiang Fang didn't want to say more, but said: "This is my family's hundred-year plan, and it's nothing if you don't understand." I'm afraid that my grandchildren will also have the same opinion as you. So saying, he went back to the backyard.

It is said that Ruan Yuan's preparation for the exam is not a day's work, and it took more than half a year to get together a five-person joint guarantee. By the time Ruan Yuan actually took the exam, he was already fifteen years old.

The Ruan family is from Yizheng, so they can only come to Yizheng a few days in advance to take the exam. Fortunately, the county examination is not as cumbersome as the township examination in the future, and the entrance examination is only one day. If you are not admitted, you can take another test, and there are five for candidates to choose from. However, no matter how many times you take the test, each time it will end at the start of the day, so you don't need to live in the test room.

But despite this, on the day of the exam, Ruan Chengxin was afraid that Ruan Yuan would get lost, or because he was weak and weak, he would be knocked down and injured, so he held Ruan Yuan until he saw him enter the examination room. Ruan Yuan is fifteen years old, and he is still held so tightly by his father, he can't help but feel a little embarrassed. So I thought about finishing the county exam in one breath and never letting my father worry about it again.

However, for fifteen-year-old Ruan Yuan, although the county examination is the first pass of the imperial examination, it is not so easy. The content of the county exam varies from person to person and from place to place, and the content of this day's exam is a poem with five words and six rhymes, four books and two texts, which is actually slightly different from what Qiao Shuyou said that day. The content of the test post poem is "desert lonely smoke straight" and the word "straight". One of the four texts is "stop at the highest good", and the other is "the one who gives up the fish and takes the bear's paw". It's not esoteric, either.

However, for Ruan Yuan, it is not so simple to write Baguwen. A five-character and six-rhyme poem will not be completed in a short time. But the first article of the eight strands stops at the best, it is already a little difficult to write, there are too many discussions in the front, and the next four paragraphs are compared, so it has to be simple and concise. It's easy to finish the first article, and the second article is a lot of ink to compare fish and bear's paws in a row.

There is a word count requirement for the text of the four-book exam, which cannot be exceeded or too little. However, Ruan Yuanchu was a little nervous when he passed through the examination room, and saw that he wrote a four-paragraph comparison, and the first paragraph was a long discussion of "Fish and Bear's Paws", and also about "sacrificing one's life for righteousness". Seeing that the text is close to the bottom line, if you write too much, this scene is doomed to be unacceptable. I was so anxious that I was sweating profusely, and the next few paragraphs could only be brought in a hurry.

It's easy to write four paragraphs and eight strands on the volume one by one, and it's time to appear when the sun sets. Ruan Chengxin waited at the door again, and when he saw Ruan Yuan coming out, he took Ruan Yuan's hand and took him back to the inn where he lived temporarily.

Although the first exam is important, after all, there is not much content. The list will be released in two days, and Ruan Chengxin and his son also went to the county yamen to watch the list. According to the convention, the person who was admitted to the county examination is to write a circle, and write the candidate's name clockwise from top to bottom. But Ruan Yuan read it from beginning to end, and he didn't have his own name.

Ruan Yuan didn't believe that he would fall off the list, so he looked at it counterclockwise from the bottom left to the top right. As expected, there is still no name of his own. Seeing that the first exam was hopeless to pass directly, I couldn't help but feel quite sad, and my eyes gradually became wet. This is only a voice from the county government that said: "Tong Sheng present, is there a person named Ruan Yuan?" ”

After the Qing Dynasty Academy Examination, if a candidate has a Chinese style, he can be called a student. Below the hospital examination, they are all called children, and the first county examination is called children, and the government examination is still called children, so the county officials call Ruan Yuan like this. Ruan Chengxin listened, for fear that the county official would embarrass his son, so he replied first: "Tong Sheng Ruan Yuan is a dog, I don't know what Mr. has to say?" ”

The county official was very friendly and said, "It's nothing important, it's just that the adults in the hall want to meet this boy." If you don't have anything important, sir, please move. ”

Ruan Chengxin saw that the other party was polite, not like he wanted to embarrass his son, so he took Ruan Yuan's hand and followed the county official to the inner hall. Ruan Yuanzheng was sad, and he didn't think much about it, so he went with his father. When I arrived at a small courtyard in the county office, I saw an official in official uniform with braided hair standing in the inner courtyard.

When Ruan Yuan looked closely, he couldn't help but be surprised. He was in Yizheng County at this time, and the magistrate was only a Zhengqipin official. But on the winter crown of the official in front of him, there is a coral embedded in it, Ruan Yuan heard his father talk about the matter of the court officials wearing the crown, and knew that the one who could use coral on the crown was a second-grade official. Speaking of Jiangsu Province, only a few people from Jiangsu, the governor of Jiangsu, and the governor of Caoyun can hold this high position. Looking at the lines of his heart, it is indeed a golden chicken, which is the symbol of the second-grade official.

The official listened to the footsteps behind him and knew that it was the father and son of the Ruan family who had arrived, so he turned around and smiled: "Presumably the two of you are Ruan Chengxin, the son of the country, and Ruan Yuan." ”

Ruan Yuan looked at this official, and only felt that his beard was not completely black, and he should be around fifty years old. But although he is a second-class person, his appearance is quite kind, and he does not have the official shelf that he often hears about on the bookstall. Ruan Chengxin saw a lot of officials, and he couldn't help but be a little surprised when he saw that it was a second-class official. Fortunately, he was experienced, so he immediately came back to his senses, pulled Ruan Yuan and fell to the ground.

The official didn't care about these etiquette, and said, "Two of you, please get up, today I took the initiative to invite, and there is no need to be polite." The official's surname is Liu, a single name, a single name, was originally a cabinet bachelor, this year put Jiangsu Xuezheng, came here by chance, and presided over the county test by the way, and I hope not to surprise the two. After that, he made a gesture to let Ruan Chengxin and his son get up.

This is easy to say, Ruan Yuan is still young and doesn't know officialdom, but it's okay. Ruan Chengxin knew that according to the official in front of him, he must be Liu Yong, the son of the former prime minister Liu Tongxun. Liu Yong not only has a prominent family background, but also once served as the prefect of Jiangning, and his reputation is far away. The people felt that he was an official and honest, and he was quite able to resolve doubtful cases, eliminate great harm, and even made up the lyrics "Liu Gong's Case" to sing it. Although Ruan Chengxin lives in Yangzhou, he is also quite famous for Liu Yong. At this time, I heard that he came to Jiangsu to supervise the school, and I was surprised and delighted.

Originally, the county school examination was only for the county officials to choose their own questions. But since Xuezheng is here, the county officials occasionally flatter him, and it is not impossible for Xuezheng to take the proposition and mark the papers. But Ruan Chengxin thought that if this was the case, Ruan Yuan's exam paper must have been dethroned by Liu Yong himself. But why did he open the net again and want to meet Ruan Yuan in person? At this time, I was also puzzled.

Liu Yong saw that he looked puzzled and knew his feelings, so he said: "Since the two of you have arrived here, I will also talk about the topic, I look at the resume on the paper, Mr. Ruan is a son of the country, Ling Lang is only fifteen years old this year." That's right. Ruan Chengxin nodded.

Liu Yong continued to say to Ruan Chengxin: "If this is the case, Ling Lang's talent is far better than ordinary people. When Ruan Chengxin heard this, he was even more frightened. According to the previous list of the county office, there is no name of Ruan Yuan, why does Liu Yong say this? But after all, there is a second-class member on the other side, and he can't lose his courtesy. Then he said: "I looked at the list in front of the door before, and there was no name of a dog, I think the writing is clumsy, and it is not in the eyes of adults." The adults are so high-minded, and the villain father and son are afraid that they can't afford it. ”

Who knew that Liu Yong said: "Ling Lang can't learn Chinese style, not because he learned it." Speaking of this, Ruan Yuan couldn't help but raise his head, his eyes were quite puzzled.

Liu Yong waved his hand, and the servant in the door sent a bunch of papers, and Ruan Yuan answered the test paper for a whole day, and he was familiar with what he had done. I only heard Liu Yong say: "Tong Sheng Ruan Yuan, this is two of the four books and two poems you wrote, and one poem with five words and six rhymes, I remember clearly, when the list was released, I wrote it down silently." Now I'll tell you why you can't use Chinese style. These five-word and six-rhyme poems, the artistic conception is open and rhythmic, although it is not a famous article, it is an excellent work for your age. ”

As he spoke, he turned over a page, looked at the next page and said: "The first four-book article before yesterday, I stopped at the best sentence, although it is only four words, but it is rich in connotation, and it is not easy to finish the volume. Your eight-strand battle, according to my opinion, can only be said to be a mediocre work. But you are very knowledgeable in speaking a few paragraphs, and I can't write such words at your age. ”

Ruan Chengxin and Ruan Yuan became more and more incomprehensible why Liu Yong said this, but did not admit Ruan Yuan.

Liu Yong continued: "But these four texts are not only a paragraph here, but also a battle in the future. Looking at the whole situation, it can only be regarded as a medium work. But even so, this is just a county school exam, and it is not difficult for me to choose your Chinese style. But why did the last of your four-book essay exceed 25 words? ”

At this time, Ruan Yuan realized that the content of his article was not badly written, but that the number of words exceeded the mandatory regulations of the imperial court. There are more than 25 words, even if Liu Yong wants him to pass, it will hinder the clear regulations of the exam, so he has to be deposed.

Liu Yong muttered: "I have been doing academic politics for many years, and I see that these four sections and eight strands, each strand is no more than three lines, and any more will inevitably be difficult to remedy." You only have one of them, and you have more than two lines, even if you want to make up for it later, how can you have time? The next few paragraphs are too superficial and not large-scale. But I look at your resume, you are only fifteen years old, and it is inevitable that the tone of the article is not perfect. If you study and practice more diligently in the future, you will have a lot to do. But tomorrow's second session, I advise you not to take the test. With your current pen strength, it is impossible to complete a considerable four-book essay. ”

Ruan Yuan listened to Liu Yong's analysis before and after, and the ancient poetry and prose writing he was good at did not deteriorate at all. There is only one section of eight strands, and there is not a word of praise. I was not good at eight shares, but because the exam was approaching, I learned some from Qiao Shuyou, and I have been quite bored. Listening to Liu Yong's criticism, he was angry in his heart, and when he heard Liu Yong's last sentence, he actually wanted to persuade himself to give up the exam. Not only was he angry, but he said: "If it is necessary to write that eight shares, this county school exam, I don't want to take the exam!" ”

Ruan Chengxin was shocked, and hurriedly made gestures, signaling Ruan Yuan not to be rude to his elders. Ruan Yuan was angry and uncontrollable, where could he care about this, and continued: "I originally followed my father to study, learn Tang poetry, and memorize prose, how happy I was?!" It wasn't until the year before last that I was ready to go to school, and I started to learn these eight strands, and I had to look at the number of words, and I had to do duality, more and more, and less and less, are there any more boring articles in the world? Since the academic and political masters also regard these eight strands as so important, then I really can't go to this official school. I'm going home from today and I don't want to take exams again! ”

Ruan Chengxin couldn't help but be furious when he saw Ruan Yuan being so rude, and stretched out his hand to hit Ruan Yuan. But as soon as the hand was stretched out, it was pressed down by the other hand. Seeing that it was Liu Yong who stopped it, he accepted it. Liu Yong pressed Ruan Chengxin, turned back to Ruan Yuan and said, "Even if I don't say eight shares, do you really think that your article is already proficient?" ”

Ruan Yuan was stunned for a moment, knowing that Liu Yong was a contemporary celebrity, and he was not joking when he said this. I only heard Liu Yong continue: "You started talking about this paragraph, in fact, the content is not bad, but the length is too long, and five lines have been used. You think your prose level is good, but the taboo of prose is the most verbose, and if you take a closer look at the places I have changed, do you still think you can write prose? ”

As he spoke, he slowly opened the scroll that he had written down silently, and when Ruan Yuan looked at the black characters of the original scroll, it was exactly the same as what he had made, but between the black letters, red lines and red characters were marked. Seeing that he started talking about that part, Liu Yong's red line crossed out more than ten words, and there were three or four other red lines on the side. Up and down the volume, there are a few small red pen characters, which I think was changed by Liu Yong.

Ruan Yuan read the few sentences he said, and sure enough, as Liu Yong said, when he put pen to paper, he had too many concerns, so he used cumbersome words, if he wrote according to Liu Yong, he could write about two lines less, so that even if he was blunt later, he would not fall off the list. Liu Yong saw that Ruan Yuan gradually understood, and said: "I still have a word, I think you are fifteen years old, and you should be clear." You are now taking the easiest county exam, and you have not yet passed. If you go out of this door, it's not good to say to people that Baguwen is so bad. What do others think? Do you think what you said is good, but the eight-strand text is really not good? Or do you think that you don't know how to learn, and you can hear some voices that are not satisfied with the eight strands, so you echo them? Think for yourself! ”

Ruan Yuan listened to Liu Yong's words, and gradually calmed down, in fact, speaking of these eight shares, although there have long been complaints among the scholars, but the scholars are inevitably inferior to the literati, and the Jinshi looks down on the lifters, and the lifters look down on the students. And the county examination, the government examination, is at the bottom, and many of the people who are named Sun Shan in the county examination are indeed not talented and not good at eight shares, but they are really not good at studying. Even the teachers Hu Tingsen and Qiao Shuyou, who don't like Bagu, also have a reputation as students, and they have already succeeded in their studies. I don't have any fame, so I want to respond to every call, which is naturally a fool's dream.

Liu Yong saw that Ruan Yuan was gradually enlightened, so he further mentioned: "There is indeed a second exam tomorrow, but the content of the second session is only a hundred characters written silently in the four books and the "Sacred Oracle Guangxun", then the "Holy Oracle Guangxun" is the simplest, and no one can make a mistake." So in the end, only four books remained, do you still believe that you will be able to do a good job? What's more, even if you pass the county examination, when you take the college examination next year, the main exam will still be me. I have been a student in Jiangsu, this Huaiyang student, what is the level, I have seen it with my own eyes, if you take the college exam next year, with your ordinary eight shares, there is no reason to be admitted. It's better to go home first, if you can find a teacher who is better than the four books, and practice for another three years, then there is hope. With your current talent, three years is not easy. ”

Seeing that Ruan Yuan was still quite unconvinced, Liu Yong also knew that he was blindly tough, but he was afraid that Ruan Yuan would be rebellious. still needs more encouragement, so he said kindly: "In the past, Zhang Jiangling should be promoted, and his master saw that he was very young, so he intended to let him fall off the list, and he had to go back to three years of training before he was hired." Your family's talent for learning is not under Zhang Jiangling, but when you make righteousness, it is obvious that you have not been mentioned by a famous teacher, so you are still inferior to Zhang Jiangling. But after all, you are only fifteen years old, even if you practice for another three years, you still haven't weakened the crown. And if you make up for the lack of eight shares, and then take the test, maybe it will be faster. ”

Zhang Jiangling is Zhang Juzheng, a famous minister of the Ming Dynasty, and Ruan Yuan has also heard his story, which is based on Liu Yong's words, and he can understand it immediately. Listening to Liu Yong say that if his weaknesses in Baguwen can be improved, it will be easier in the future, and he is happy, and the matter of falling off the list will not be so uncomfortable. Seeing that he had been in the county office for a long time, he bowed down again, thanked Liu Yong for his guidance, and the father and son of the Ruan family were ready to leave.

Seeing that Ruan Yuan had disappeared from view, Liu Yong suddenly said: "Ruan Gong stays!" Ruan Chengxin was shocked, so he had to turn around, Liu Yong saw that he was respectful, so he whispered: "Go back today, remember what I said, no matter what, you must not punish the child for half a point." I see that he looks like this today, I guess it must be because of you that he is not good at the eight shares, right? ”

Ruan Chengxin couldn't say it for a while, what Liu Yong said was actually right, he usually often told his son that learning the meaning of the text system was useless, maybe his son really remembered this, and he was born with an aversion to Baguwen. Since he did have something wrong, he naturally shouldn't blame his son. Liu Yong said again: "His family background is inherited, and the articles he has written, I have read them in the past two days, and they are indeed unusual, but they are not yet hot." If you go the right way, you may be able to change the way of the world in the future. ”

Ruan Chengxin felt that he couldn't afford Liu Yong's evaluation like this, so he laughed and said: "The adult is serious, the dog is just young and vigorous, and my Ruan family is an ordinary scholar, and I don't dare to be so delusional." ”

Liu Yong sighed: "Do you really think that I am the only person who is the one who is the only one? It's just that the style is difficult to violate, and although I was born as a Jinshi, my fame is because of my father. It is up to me to judge these eight strands, which is really a bit of a non-minced meat. But Ling Lang is different, if he has fame in the future, he will be much more powerful than me when he speaks. Go home and enlighten him, wouldn't it be a pity to waste such talent in Huaiyang. ”

Ruan Chengxin naturally didn't dare to imagine Ruan Yuan's future, but since Liu Yong said it, it was not easy to disobey, and after saying goodbye, he went home. The Lin family knew that Ruan Yuan was on the list, and they also felt that he was still young and did not blame him.