Three days later, the state school Zhang Bang announced the results of the Enke Township Examination in Yihai Nian, and two of the three people Shang Cheng cared about, Guan Xian took the third, and Huo Shiqi ranked eleventh, all of whom were new recruits on the list; As for Jiang Shuban, Jiang Shu, he once again unfortunately fell off the list. While congratulating and comforting the three people, Shang Cheng also asked them what they planned to do next. Guan Xianwan declined Shang Cheng's invitation, and he planned to pack his luggage and go to Beijing to prepare for the examination tomorrow spring after returning home to report the good news. Jiang Jian gladly accepted Shang Cheng's arrangement and stayed by Shang Cheng's side as a household counselor. As for Huo Shiqi, he made it clear before Shang Cheng opened his mouth that he would not go to Beijing, and he would stay to help Shang Cheng.

At first, Shang Cheng also tried to persuade Huo Shiqi to go to Beijing to try his luck. Although he knew that with Huo Shiqi's ability, it was a bit reluctant to lift anyone, but the examination had its inevitability and its chance, who could say that Uncle Seventeen would not take the Jinshi exam again like this time? For the scholars of this era, how important is the identity of Jinshi, it is simply the highest goal of the reader's life! It can be said that the ideal ambition of a person's life is almost entirely pinned on this aspect!

Huo Shiqi refused Shang Cheng's kindness without even thinking about it. The plan to revitalize water conservancy and build roads has just been approved by the Health Department, and now is when Shang Cheng needs help the most, how can he leave at this juncture? Besides, even if he was lucky enough to pass the written examination and palace examination in the Beijing Normal University, the highest official conferral of the new branch jinshi is the county order of the eighth rank of Shangxian County, but it is only at the same level as the six-room right Jianshu of the Admiral's Mansion, and the county order of a county is not so easy to do, no matter in any aspect, it is not as good as the right Jianshu......

Huo Shiqi's insistence moved Shang Cheng very much, and he accepted Uncle Seventeen's opinion. Yes, where to do things is not to do things? Instead of going to a new place where you are unfamiliar with life and starting over, it is really better to stay and do a good job in Yanshan together. However, he still asked Huo Shiqi to carefully consider the matter of going to Beijing for the exam. He said: "Do you know that the exam is sometimes a one-off thing, maybe you borrowed the good luck of your township test, and you will also skip the exam?" Don't worry, I'll keep the position for you, and I won't always come back to do it again after the exam. Even if you pass the test, you don't have to worry about the assignment of the imperial court, I can ask the officials to send you back to Yanshan. ”

Huo Shiqi hesitated for a moment before saying that he could be admitted to the lifting of people, it was not the real ability of one knife and one shot, if it was not for Wen Theory's help, how could he be able to pass the exam?

Shang Cheng was stunned by this. He glared at Huo Shiqi and didn't speak for a long time.

He said, Huo Shiqi is either busy with official business or on business every day, or he will have a hot fight with the singer named Sang or something in the teaching workshop, where does the time come from to figure it out, how can he be promoted in the first exam! He had long suspected that there was some small movement behind this. It's just that he has always been suspicious of Huo Shiqi's connection with a certain examiner who presided over the township examination, but he never expected that the person who helped the troublemaker turned out to be Wen Lun, and he was surprised that Wen Lun was Wen Lun! Wen Yan has always given him a very good impression, he is a decent and kind person, and he is completely a humble gentleman, how can he do such a thing?

He asked a little angrily: "How much money did you give Wen Lun, and he was willing to help you do this?" ”

"No money was sent."

Shang Cheng was even more surprised. Wen Lun is willing to help without sending money, so what is Wen Lun? Could it be that this person has been a two-sleeved state scholar for a long time, and wants to change to a two-sleeved and golden-style state official and county official? He asked angrily, "Then why should he help you?" "He's angry with Huo Shiqi! How could such a shrewd person as Uncle Seventeen be confused in this kind of thing? He didn't know what a big disaster it would be if the cheating in the township test came out? Not to mention that his current fame and position will be wiped out to the end, even his fake admiral can't keep him!

Huo Shiqi did not say anything.

Shang Chang sighed. Forget it, it's all like this, it's useless to say anything now, so I have to take one step at a time, the most important thing is to appease Wen Theory. Alas, since Uncle Seventeen has been lifted, then it is time to discuss the official for Wen next. Obviously, he can't refuse Wen Yan's request, one by one, the family took the risk to help Huo Shiqi, in fact, he is also helping him, whether he wants to or not, this person has to pay back.

He asked helplessly: "What kind of real official does he want?" There is now a vacancy in the county order of Nanzheng. It is a middle and upper county, the population is quite large, the agriculture, industry and commerce are good, and the traffic arteries, the south and the north are not less, the oil and water will not be less, he just does not scrape the land, and there are 300 yuan a year. If he wishes, I will be able to get the inspectorate to issue a statement immediately. He shook his head and said, "Di Xu originally wanted you to be the county magistrate in the past, but I refuted it......" He suddenly slapped the table angrily, "I don't understand, it's so important if you can't be promoted in the exam?" How do you think of getting up and going to Wen Lun to replace you, to ...... for you" He simply didn't know how to count Huo Shiqi.

Huo Shiqi was bored for a long time before he said, "...... It's not Wen Qizheng that I went to look for. ”

"Could it be that I am looking for Wen Theory?"

"It was he who said it himself, and he was able to lift me up. It was also he who pushed me to take the test in my hometown. ”

"What?!" Shang Cheng really couldn't believe his ears. Did Wen Lun let Huo Shiqi go to the state school to take the township test? Or did Wen Lun offer to cheat on behalf of Huo Shiqi? Is this possible? He was amused by all this nonsense. "Then why didn't Wen Yan ask me to take the exam? I look forward to being a Confucian general, but for a long time, I have been 'lupine scarf, talking and laughing and disappearing', how magnificent, pompous, how chic......"

Huo Shiqi glanced at Shang Cheng in surprise, frowned and thought for a while, and asked: "'Lupine scarf, talking and laughing will be wiped out', which book is this?" It seems that it can be used to describe Zhou Yu, the general of Wu during the Three Kingdoms. "The Biography of Zhou Yu in the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" says, "Yu Shao is good at music." Although after the three lords, there are mistakes, Yu must know it, and he must take care of it. Therefore, the folk said: 'The song is wrong, Zhou Lang Gu.' ’。 It is also remembered that Zhou Yu was 'young and talented', 'the best of the literati', and Sun Quan, the lord of Wu, also spoke highly of him, once saying that 'Gong Jin is strong, courageous and human'. And this person is magnificent, graceful, and ...... exactly what you have praised."

He squinted his eyes and folded his fingers to carefully review the judgment of Zhou Yu in "Three Kingdoms", and as he was talking, his eyebrows fluttered, and when he saw Shang Cheng's gloomy face like the bottom of a black pot, his tone couldn't help but stagnate, and he quickly turned the topic back and said, "It's really not the Wen theory I was looking for." The matter of the township test, it was indeed Wen Qizheng's words that stirred up my mind. If he hadn't promised me that I would be able to lift someone, I wouldn't have touched the book a few times, where would I have the courage to enter the examination room? Isn't this self-inflicted? ”

"Why did he help you?"

Huo Shiqi grinded and grinded for a long time before eating Ai Ai said: "Don't I like to listen to Sang Aiai talk about "Three Kingdoms"? One night I was listening to a book in Beiqiaoju, and I happened to meet Wen Yan there, so I invited us to have tea and talk. Who knew that he was also obsessed with "Three Kingdoms", the whole book has more than 60 volumes, and he can almost memorize it backwards, so he ......"

Shang Cheng laughed dryly and sneered: "So you guys touched your knees and talked at night and became confidants? ”

"I didn't talk at night. Because on the second day, I had to go to the yamen to do official work, but I just talked for a while. Who knew that he actually came to his house the next evening and talked to me about why Cao Cao was able to unify the north, and why the Jin Dynasty finally unified the world......"

Shang Cheng stared at Huo Shiqi with suspicious eyes. In any case, he didn't believe that a person who memorized the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" backwards would come to Huo Shiqi for advice. Just kidding, right? According to what he heard from Erya, until now, Sang Aiai has not finished "Three Kingdoms", and has just talked about Wuzhangyuan Zhuge Liang who died of illness in the army.

Huo Shiqi's expression suddenly became a little embarrassed, as if he had encountered something embarrassing. He shifted uneasily in his chair before swallowing his saliva and saying, "Well, that's what happened." One by one, I told Wen Yan some of your words. ”

Shang Cheng asked again in surprise, "My words?" What do I say? "What does this have to do with him?

"That's what you said to me a few times. The reason why Cao Cao won and Yuan Shao lost was that there was ......"

Shang Cheng frowned. He remembered immediately. Yes, Huo Shiqi likes to listen to the affairs of the Three Kingdoms, and on two occasions after tea and dinner, the two of them also discussed some stories in books, and they said some opinions that seemed or sounded. Because it was a casual chat after official business, I didn't pay much attention to it, and I probably said some "nonsense"; I remember that I had an argument with Huo Shiqi at that time. But can this have anything to do with Wen Theory and the Township Test?

"I told him everything you learned from your studies." Huo Shiqi said hesitantly, "It's just, it's just...... I didn't tell him that you said that...... Wen was very curious at the time, and later came to me a few times. After going back and forth like this, he introduced me as a close friend......" Speaking of this, his expression suddenly became a little timid. Wen Zhi is not only to introduce him as a confidant, if he hadn't repeatedly blocked him, the state school and the teachings would have wanted to write a book for him. He couldn't change his mouth and tell the true origin of these words, so he had to say that he was also talking nonsense. Who knows that this will make Wen Yan even more impressed, one by one, "Gongze is cautious and humble, and the theory is far from it"......

“…… That's it, Wen Luncai mentioned the township test. He said that there is no end to life and learning, and there is a specialization in the arts, although the system is a national system, it cannot be abandoned because of the worship of saints and sages, and when the strengths of all families are learned to open up the ....... The words behind Wen Lun are "Gongze sees what people can't see, and dispels what people don't hear, and its novelty and wonder are foolish at first glance, and every time you meditate, you will definitely get something, and the theory of independence can be in line with the facts." On not being able to be a teacher, it should be a good name for the country; Otherwise, it would be an exaggeration. ”

Huo Shiqi didn't finish his words, but Shang Cheng had already fully understood the meaning.

He didn't speak for a long time.

"Don't discard the rest because of the worship of saints and sages, but learn from the strengths of all families to open up your eyes and ears", these words actually came out of the mouth of a teaching, and there is nothing more incredible than this. What a magnanimity and open-mindedness!

Now, he didn't know what to say about what Wen Lun had done......