In the lobby of the Tribute Courtyard.

"Not really." A fellow examiner stood up with a smile and walked to the front of the desk to give a salute: "Xiaguan, you can be sure that Wu Jie and Shen Shixing's papers are among these three." ”

Li Chunfang was surprised: "What do you mean by this, is it possible to guess who the candidate is just by just a few articles?" ”

"Exactly." The examiner smiled and nodded: "Although the president is from the champion father, since he joined the office, he has been by the side of the Son of Heaven, and now he is the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, and he is doing all the real jobs, so I am afraid that he does not study much on weekdays." ”

Li Chunfang was not angry, and sighed: "This official is busy with official business, and he has not had time to study, if he can steal half a day of leisure, a cup of tea and a book, it is a happy thing." It's a pity that there aren't many days like this, helpless! ”

Examiner: "Unlike the president, Xia Guan and others worked in the Hanlin Academy, watched the government, and dealt with manuscripts and books all day long, so they were very clear about the things in Shilin. The fame of Wu Jie and Shen Shixing is now just like that of the Japanese side, and the poems and articles written by the two have already been engraved in the market I don't know how many editions have been published in the market. In particular, the eight-strand articles they made have become a model for the candidates to copy. Anyone who is interested in fame will buy a copy and think about it carefully. ”

"And that's what I said." Li Chunfang was very surprised.

"I waited in the Hanlin Academy, collecting books, paying attention to the public opinion and fashion of Shilin, the collection of these two people, I have read it many times, and I am also familiar with their literary style."

Li Chunfang smiled: "Your life is really leisurely!" Recalling the days when he used to be a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, he also sighed in his heart.

However, he remembered something again: "Speaking of which, Wu and Shen's articles have also been read by the officials. Shen Shixing's article is thick and steady, concise and concise at the beginning, straight as a sharp blade, pointing directly to the heart, but once he starts to speak, he is sprinkled with foreign emotions and pours thousands of miles, and when he reaches the end, the aftertaste is especially exhausted. This kind of writing is very old and spicy, and ordinary people really don't learn it; As for Wu Jie, it's hard to say. It seems that each of his articles has a different style, thick and heavy like the roots of an old tree, and light and agile like white clouds, but people can't grasp it. ”

All the examiners sighed: "I don't think the president is so familiar with the articles of these two people." ”

Li Chunfang pointed to the three volumes in his hand and said, "These three volumes are thick and steady, with a sharp beginning, slow spreading, and a lingering fragrance at the end, which is very exquisitely done, typical of Shen Shixing's style." If it is said that the scroll of Shen Shixing is inside, I believe it. But if it is sure that Wu Jie is inside, who is sure? ”

Speaking of this, he smiled bitterly: "What do you say about Wu Shizhen's things, it seems that he deliberately seeks innovation and change, and every article writes something different from ordinary people." ”

An examiner smiled and said: "The big president is the champion of Jiajing for 26 years, and no one in the world knows your article." And sir, you have always been calm and thick, and the candidates dare to write dishonestly? I'm afraid that all the candidates' papers are like this taste and routine. ”

Li Chunfang immediately woke up to the fact that the candidates knew that they liked plain and simple words, and in order to do what they liked, they naturally did not dare to make the articles too elegant and gorgeous, but they were afraid that even Wu Jie was no exception.

This Wu Shizhen's article is varied, and any kind of text can come, and it is not difficult for him to learn from me Li Chunfang and Shen Shixing.

With the talents of Wu and Shen and the eight-strand text, they must be in the top three.

Of course, no one can say for sure what happened in the examination room, and neither of them was in these three papers.

Until now, everyone is speculating.

Master Li also shook his head helplessly, and it is understandable that the candidates are trying to figure out the taste of the main exam, in order to get a good ranking. He participated in the imperial examination back then, wasn't it the same?

"In this way, everyone does the same article, and this section will be boring to try." …,

"Otherwise, these three articles alone are all very well written. Because it is the same style, it is easy for me to wait for the review of the papers, and I can easily distinguish the good and bad articles, and I am not afraid of missing talents. ”

Everyone nodded.

Li Chunfang: "If it is easy to distinguish between good and bad articles, this is the truth, but these three articles are all first-class, how to divide them, and how do you know which one is Wu Jie and which one is Shen Shixing?" ”

"This has to look at the test poem for the last question?" An examiner was excited: "Now, since Wu Shizhen competed with Yan Shifan, he seems to be a generation of poets. Although the format of the trial poem is strict, it is difficult for Wu Jie. Shen Shixing and other candidates tried to write poems with Wu Jie, and they were basically defeated and invincible. As soon as Wu Jie's poems came out, among more than 10,000 people, they naturally stood out from the crowd, and it was difficult not to be discovered. ”

After speaking, he walked straight up, turned the last page of the three volumes, and pointed out the three trial poems to Li Chunfang one by one: "President, it is best to take one poem among these three volumes, and the best one is naturally Wu Jie's." ”

Li Chunfang looked at it fixedly, and looked at the third place roll in turn.

The test post poems in the third and second volumes are very ordinary, the format is correct, and the sentences are smooth and beautiful, but there are no characteristics, and after reading them, they will not be too impressed. Such verses are not very good in the papers of a group of candidates, but they are just clichés.

The reason why it was selected into the top three is mainly because the first four eight-strand essays are really well written.

Both volumes are followed by the words of the examiner, Fang Shi, and the judgment makes a pertinent evaluation of the two poems, affirming the merits and pointing out the shortcomings.

After reading these two volumes, Li Chunfang casually picked up the pen and wrote a comment on each of them. In this way, these two volumes can be regarded as a tribute by him, the president.

When I saw the first paper, the examiner's judgment was very good: "The first art uses classics, which is quite interesting." The second three-in-one rule is concise and steady. ”

It was about the master of the house who felt that such a judgment was not very happy, so he mentioned a line, and then praised: "Lyrical super pen, thoughtful thinking." ”

This kind of evaluation is rare in previous examinations, Li Chunfang was taken aback, and immediately paid attention to the test poem.

I saw it at this glance, and I couldn't help but read softly: "There is no way out of doubt, and the vast sky is full of mountains." Fill in the clouds, lack of grouper. At first touch, Xu from the mouth of the valley ・・・・・・ Penglai as he could arrive, looking forward to the dust. Good, good poetry! ”

"No, it's not a poem, strictly speaking, trial poems are also a kind of art. However, this poem not only has the rigor of the eight-strand text, but also has the charm of poetry, great goodness! ”

Hearing Li Chunfang's praise, all the examiners smiled.

Someone said: "President, this volume must be the handwriting of Wu Shizhen, and only this generation of poets can make such a thing." Wu Shizhen's eight-strand style is varied, and I can't find it for a while. But even if the poems he wrote can be suppressed and restrained, they can't be hidden. Let's point him to get the first place Huiyuan, once he will take another champion in the palace test in the future. The big and small three yuan are complete, and it is also the glory of our examiners! ”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone became excited, and even claimed that they were.

The champion is not surprising, there will be one in three years.

There are three elements in the Ming Dynasty that have not appeared in the past two hundred years, let alone two three yuans.

If such a thing really came out of Jiajing's forty-year imperial examination, it would be recorded in the annals of history. Even the examiners have a share in leaving a mark in history.

Thinking about it, how can it not make people so excited that they can't help themselves?

"So, are you sure that this volume was written by Wu Jie?" Li Chunfang picked up the paper and looked at it, and asked with a smile. ..., he was born as a champion and worked as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy for many years. Later, he waited by the side of the Son of Heaven for a long time, and then went down to the Ministry of Rites to serve as the right attendant, following a typical process of entering the cabinet and becoming a Zaifu in the future. In addition, he is in his early fifties and is middle-aged, but this smile is full of majesty.

"Nature."

"President, we have the intention to fulfill this good story, why not order him first?"

Someone else thought further, stepped forward and said: "The president is afraid that if he wins Wu Jie as the Huiyuan, I'm afraid that someone will say that I am cheating in the field, or what benefits I will get from him?" However, the big president needs not worry. From the seam to the transcription, this volume is fully procedural, and no one can fault it. Moreover, the volume is innocent, the literature and science are usual, the words are accurate, and there is no suspicion of any subtlety. If you really take him, it will be difficult for others to say anything. ”

Immediately, the proctor nodded his head repeatedly, indicating that there was nothing wrong with the paper.

The man continued: "President, it is common for adults in the field to be beautiful or deliberately not to take it, and this is also the authority of the chief examiner. For example, when Zhang Ge Lao participated in the township examination, the main examiner thought that Zhang Jiangling was too young, and it would not be a good thing if he was promoted early. He guessed his scroll and brushed it down. This is what made this story in the literary world, and no one said that the examiner did something wrong! ”

Everyone said at the same time: "This is indeed the truth. ”

Li Chunfang said with a smile: "If I don't take this volume, others will say that I will follow the old things of Zhang Baigui back then; If you take it, you have a deliberate attempt to achieve the grand deed of connecting the three yuan. No matter what you do, you have traces and photos.

But ......"

His tone paused, and his face became serious: "Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever thought about it, those of us who are the chief examiners, holding the future of the scholars, can say one word of heaven and one word of hell." If you deliberately take who you don't take, is it fair to other candidates? Everyone reads the books of sages and sages, and was born in the imperial examination. If you are a candidate today, what will you think if you know that the examiners have such thoughts? ”

The reason is not clear, after all, they are all bachelors of the Hanlin Academy, and their hearts are upright and strict, and when they heard him say this, they all bowed their heads in shame.

Li Chunfang: "Whoever takes who doesn't take it, who takes the first, but with the quality of the article, we just have to do it according to our conscience." This volume, the official has his own judgment. ”

After speaking, he thought about it, picked up a pen and wrote a line on it, handed it to the vice president next to him, and asked, "Do you think it's appropriate?" ”

The vice president glanced at it, and then handed it to the room master in the examination area where the paper was located.

Fang Shi glanced at the verdict, and his face showed joy: "The president is selfless in his heart, and the subordinates admire him."

The other examiners all surrounded him, but they saw that behind the test poem was Lord Li's verdict: "Go to Qingli." ”

That's a very good review.

Everyone laughed quietly, and at this point, the Huiyuan of this subject examination is basically decided, as long as there are no major problems with the questions of this candidate in the last two games.