On this day, Xiao Shenxing, Xiao Shenyan, and the Liu family were the few to gather together in the main hall of the Xiao family's compound, and Xiao Mo was with them. (The full-text novel is read on the Shilu Literature Network)

"Fourth brother, do you mean that Mo'er can already go to participate in next year's county exam?"

Xiao Shenxing asked Xiao Shenyan, his words were full of incredulity, after all, Xiao Mo was only eleven years old, and Xiao Shenyan was only after he was twenty years old, and he was admitted to the reputation of Xiucai.

On the other hand, Liu looked at Xiao Mo next to him proudly and worriedly, on the one hand, he was proud of his grandson's achievements, and on the other hand, he knew that the scientific examination was difficult, and he was afraid that Xiao Mo would be unbearable.

And Xiao Shenyan nodded and said: "Although Mo'er is still young, she has worked hard in the past four years, and her memory and comprehension are excellent. What's more, Mo'er is still young now, even if he can't get through guò this time, he will still have a chance in three years, just feel the atmosphere of the scientific expedition. ”

Hearing Xiao Shenyan say this, Xiao Shenxing and Liu both nodded and smiled, full of relief, and Liu turned his head to Xiao Mo and asked, "Mo'er, what do you think?" ”

Xiao Mo smiled: "I listen to my grandfather and grandmother. ”

In this way, Xiao Mo's participation in the county examination this year was decided.

Then, Xiao Shenxing, Xiao Shenyan, and Liu discussed Xiao Mo's exam, but Xiao Mo felt that he couldn't interject, so he simply took the opportunity to leave the lobby and walked towards his residence. Xiao Yi had been waiting outside the main hall for a long time, and when he saw Xiao Mo coming out, he hurriedly followed, but his expression was a little dazed.

The two returned to Xiao Mo's room in silence, and Xiao Mo walked behind the desk as always, holding a pen and laying paper, ready to practice calligraphy.

However, before he put pen to paper, Xiao Mo suddenly looked up at Xiao Yi, but saw that Xiao Yi was still in the fugue too empty, although he was grinding ink for Xiao Mo, but his heart was obviously not here.

"Fourth Grandpa's words, did you hear them outside the hall?"

As if thinking of something, Xiao Mo suddenly asked.

Although Xiao Mo's words, Xiao Yi was shocked, his hand trembled, and the ink splashed out, staining his sleeves. However, Xiao Yi didn't show this, just hesitated for a moment, and then nodded silently.

Looking at Xiao Yi's silence, Xiao Mo suddenly remembered Xiao Yi's radiant spirit when he introduced his real name to him, and couldn't help but smile slightly, and asked again, "What do you think?" ”

"The young master went to take the county exam, which is naturally good."

Xiao Yi said softly.

Xiao Mo shook his head and asked again, "I mean, what do you think?" Do you also want to take the prefectural exam? ”

Over the years, Xiao Shenyan has put all his energy on Xiao Mo, and can be said to have paid no attention to Xiao Yi, but Xiao Yi, as a companion, has not wasted any opportunity at all, and has put much more effort into reading and learning characters than Xiao Mo.

It can be said that Xiao Yi is also fully qualified to participate in the county examination.

However, after hearing Xiao Mo's words, Xiao Yi was silent, he knew his status in the Xiao family, and with his identity, it was impossible for the Xiao family to let him participate in the county exam.

However, although they do not speak, sometimes they are silent, but it is also an attitude.

Seeing the silent Xiao Yi, the smile on Xiao Mo's face seemed to be even stronger.

I saw Xiao Mo staring at Xiao Yi and said, "As long as you say that you want to take the county exam, then I can help you do it." ”

The voice was soft, but it was extremely serious.

Xiao Yi suddenly raised his head and looked towards Xiao Mo. Xiao Mo's eyes told him that this was not a joke, and after following Xiao Mo for so many years, he also knew that Xiao Mo was by no means the kind of person who would joke about this kind of thing.

"I think."

Xiao Yi finally said, like Xiao Mo, although his voice was soft, he was extremely serious.

Xiao Mo finally laughed, but he didn't say anything more, lowered his head, and continued to practice calligraphy, but Xiao Yi's eyes faded into a trance and became brighter.

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At the same time, Xiao Shenyan also returned to his room and began to prepare for Xiao Mo with great interest, thinking that Xiao Mo was about to take the county exam, but he was inexplicably excited, and he was even more excited than when he took the exam himself.

You must know that Xiao Mo is not only his junior, but also his only disciple. Vaguely, Xiao Shenyan also entrusted him with his lifelong ideals.

However, just as Xiao Shenyan was preparing, a subordinate came to report that Liu Qingshou of the Liu Mansion asked to see him.

Liu Qingshou is a thin old man, about fifty years old, once hit the lift, is one of the few literati Xiao Shenyan can talk about in Changzhi City, and there are many gatherings on weekdays. At this time, hearing Liu Qingshou's visit, Xiao Shenyan naturally went to greet him outside the Xiao Mansion in person.

"Brother Liu, you said goodbye yesterday, why did you come to me again today?"

From afar, Xiao Shenyan smiled at Liu Qingshou and said that the relationship between the two was good, but there was also a lot less politeness.

Liu Qingshou was inexplicably excited at the moment, and when he saw Xiao Shenyan coming, he hurriedly greeted him and said, "Brother Xiao, don't you know?" The air patrol envoy has come to my Huanzhou!! I wonder if we are going to visit this senior together with the scholars in Changzhi City, doesn't Brother Xiao often praise your grandson Xiao Mo? You can also take him with you, and if you can get a compliment from the Sikong Inspector, then your grandson will have a bright future. ”

Xiao Shenyan asked suspiciously, "Sikong Inspector?" I don't know who it is? ”

Over the years, Xiao Shenyan has been teaching Xiao Mo to read, and he doesn't know as much about external affairs as he did back then.

"Who else could there be?" Liu Qingshou became more and more excited, and said: "Of course, I am the number one calligrapher in the face of the body, Lord Sikong Min!" ”

However, after Liu Qingshou finished speaking, he did not get the exclamation and response that Xiao Shenyan expected, and when he looked up, he saw Xiao Shenyan's expression sluggish, and he seemed to be extremely shocked.

After a long time, under Liu Qingshou's call, Xiao Shenyan finally sobered up, but saw Xiao Shenyan ask in a trembling voice: "Didn't Sikong Min be dismissed twenty years ago?" ”

Liu Qingshou said: "Two months ago, His Majesty reinstated him and appointed him as an inspector, and the first time he went out of Beijing, the inspection was my Huanzhou ......."

Xiao Shenyan couldn't hear the following words, because his mind was blank at the moment.

In a trance, Xiao Shenyan seemed to have returned to twenty years ago, that is, he was still in his thirties, young and strong, although there were occasional twists and turns in the road to the imperial examination, but he also passed the examination smoothly, rushed to the capital, and participated in the palace examination.

However, the palace examination does not mean that in the main hall of the imperial palace, in front of the emperor, the imperial examination is taken, and before that, there is also a preliminary examination, and those who pass guò become jinshi, among which those who have excellent results can participate in the real palace examination.

In the preliminary examination, Xiao Shenyan waved well, although the results were not announced, Xiao Shenyan was almost sure that he must have passed the guò, and there was a high probability of participating in the real palace examination, so he was excited, so he found a tavern to drink and celebrate himself.

However, while drinking, he hears a story that is circulating in the tavern.

The gist of it is that Sikong Min (Note 1), the chief doctor who managed the household department at that time, and Zhang Qian, the secretary of the ministry, because of mutual disputes, under the auspices of the emperor of the Chu Dynasty, were scheduled to fight poems three days later, although Sikong Min was the leading calligrapher of the Chu Dynasty, but in poetry was not the opponent of Zhang Qian, who was famous for his poetry, but the two were political enemies, that is, they fought poetry, and naturally refused to admit defeat lightly, so they studied and prepared in the study all day.

However, on that day, the drought in Hejian Mansion suddenly appeared, and the official document arrived at Sikong Min, which should be sent to the emperor quickly for a quick decision, but Sikong Min in order to fight with Zhang Qian poems, but he didn't care about it at all, and even said to his subordinates: "Drought is a trivial matter, but what I wrote is a poem that can be passed down for three hundred years." ”

Of course, it has long been unknown whether these words are true or false, but with the help of well-intentioned people, they spread all over the capital overnight.

The Chu Dynasty attached great importance to the poetry of the literati, and similar things were not uncommon, which was a common thing in officialdom, but at that time, Xiao Shenyan was proud, but he was a scholar, and he actually wrote a poem on the spot to ridicule it.

"Why is it famous all over the world? Watching starving bones? Poetry has been passed down all over the world for hundreds of years! Just for the notoriety! ”

Literati talking about politics was also the social atmosphere at that time, even if Sikong Min knew about it, he probably wouldn't say anything. However, the development of things is beyond everyone's imagination.

is still blocked by people with intentions, and this poem spread all over the capital overnight with Sikong Min's words.

Under the impetus of people with a heart, the emperor of the Chu Dynasty paid a private visit, but he heard that the people all over the capital were scolding Sikong Min for only fighting poetry for himself, but regardless of the safety of the people, he couldn't help but be angry. Suddenly, Sikong Min fell sharply in the emperor's heart,

The next day, because Zhang Qian was busy with official affairs and was not well prepared, Sikong Min Doushi won, but under the impeachment of countless imperial historians, most of his positions were deprived by the emperor, and since then he has faded out of the political center of the Chu Dynasty, and a year later he was dismissed by Zhang Qian, who had been promoted to the governor of the political affairs, because of a small mistake.

As for Xiao Shenyan, he greatly offended Sikong Min for this. Although Sikong Min, who no longer has an official position, is no longer able to retaliate against Xiao Shenyan, and even if he has any ideas, he does not dare to do anything under Liu Qian's surveillance. But there are still a lot of children in his disciples, and Xiao Shenyan did not win as expected that year, and the reason is known. The same was true of the temple examination three years later.

Later, Xiao Shenyan simply stopped taking the exam and embarked on an official career, but no matter how hard Xiao Shenyan tried, he could still only waste time in the county master book.

Today, the youth and frivolity at that time have disappeared, Xiao Shenyan has understood many things and human feelings under the suppression for many years, and knows that he must have been used at that time, but whether it is Sikong Min, who was dismissed, or Zhang Qian, who has now become the prime minister and the prince, it is not something that Xiao Shenyan can provoke, so he simply resigned and went home, and taught Xiao Mo wholeheartedly.

Originally, Xiao Shenyan was still a little worried about Sikong Min over the years, but thinking that Sikong Min had been dismissed, and his disciples had been squeezed out of the court by Zhang Qian one after another over the years, he put his mind at ease and gradually forgot about it.

However, at this moment, he suddenly heard that Sikong Min had recovered, how could Xiao Shenyan not be surprised?

Moreover, Sikong Min came to Huanzhou as the first stop after serving as an inspector, is it really just a coincidence?

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Note 1: After the Chu Dynasty described in this article was set as five dynasties and ten kingdoms, the officialdom system and social atmosphere were mostly borrowed from the Tang and Song dynasties. During the Tang and Song dynasties, a major feature of officialdom was that the official was in his position and did not seek his own government, which has been explained in the previous chapter, what an official is responsible for, not by virtue of his own official position, but by the emperor's orders and favor. In fact, this has always been reflected in Chinese officialdom.