In January of the 2nd year of Jiayou (1057), the grand ceremony of the literati of the Great Song Dynasty - another imperial examination began! There have been countless imperial examinations in Chinese history, but this one is unparalleled! In the history of Chinese literature, it is known as the "Eight Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties" Tang II and Song Liu, and among these 6 people in the Song Dynasty, 5 people gathered in this imperial examination, and they went through Chinese history several times, only this one, unprecedented! The remaining one was actually in the capital at the time. It's just that he's too maverick to play with these ordinary people...

Aside from him, the other 5 people, headed by the chief examiner Ouyang Xiu, were chosen by history to follow Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty to carry out the ancient literature movement in the Great Song Dynasty!

Before this imperial examination, all the literati and writers in the world were able to pay attention to words, and whoever could embellish them was everyone! Such articles are all about the extreme of dangerous rhymes, strange words, everyone competes to see who can play the never-before-seen flower work... As for the purpose of the article, no one cares about the ultimate question of why there will be an article in this world. Ouyang Xiu was the article everyone at that time, and he was very angry! He has been advocating for the restoration of ancient texts! Like the ancients, the first priority of the article is to make things clear! It must be beneficial to the country and the people. The article is by no means a fashion show, an imperial examination or a T-catwalk, this is to be praised to all generations, not just a temporary stepping stone!

On the 6th, he walked into the Gongyuan with such an idea, looking for a move that met his requirements, and he found it. This is really an outlier, the vast Shenzhou is thousands of miles away, the Song Dynasty has been founded for a hundred years, and the prosperity of culture and education is unprecedented since the beginning of writing, and the person who may have the same heart as Ouyang Xiu is actually in the western place of the far border - Sichuan. At that time, Sichuan was an authentic and poor area for the old and the young. Several times throughout Sichuan, before this imperial examination, there were only 2 jinshi.

One was in the Tianxi period of Song Zhenzong, and it was a Zhongju surnamed Sun. The other was born in 1024 by Song Renzong, his surname was Su, and his name was Su Huan. Meishan people's clan. In this year, when the local people in Meishan celebrated the birth of a new person, a 17-year-old boy became silent. He is Su Huan's third brother: Su Xun.

In the previous years, play was all Su Xun's life. That's when he was shocked! The glory of the second brother and the smiling face of his father awakened something in his heart, fame, was it like this? He started to read again. Attention is re-checked! This man's intelligence is undoubted, but he is playful, and this alone has created a depression in his life.

At the age of 17, he studied hard. Su Xun really worked hard. Three years later, when the next imperial examination began, he passed the township examination at one time, followed the path traveled by his elder brother, and advanced to the legendary prosperous imperial capital. At this time, he was convinced that the world was his, the fame was his, and everything was his. But the result: he fell off the list...

At that time, he just felt a little frustrated, or a little surprised, why didn't he get in? But there is no sadness. He knew he was still young. But I'm only 20 years old, so I'm going to take the exam again. I'm so smart that I'm sure I'll succeed. So he traveled back to his hometown lightly, on the way back. By the way, he enjoyed the land, mountains, lakes and oceans. His horizons have broadened, his mind has become broader... Sorrow also crept in at this time...

He studied for fame, and this continued throughout his life. But his character is on a different track. He is energetic, stubborn, and bold. These qualities are condensed in a person. It is doomed that he will not be obedient. In particular, he will not listen to those who he thinks are inferior to himself.

At this time, Su Xun was 20 years old, and he was just a hazy teenager before, and he believed in books. Rote memorization, desperate for fame. If he can pass this exam, he will go down the road of wealth smoothly. But he didn't pass the exam and returned to the nature of heaven and earth, which is hard to say, his soul is growing, and his knowledge is accumulating selectively according to his nature. It's not a situation where others teach him what he is!

This is his personal misfortune, but it is the luck of the entire literary history of the Chinese nation. History can prove that the growth of every extraordinary person has a process of self-awakening and self-improvement!

Su Xun walked all the way back to Sichuan, he saw the world outside the Sword Gate, and also had the first setback in his life, which made his heart change. He was tired of books, and the "knowledge" such as sound rhythm and tacit meaning used to test his fame could no longer interest him. He became a local eccentric, young and young, not farming, not doing business, and not studying, most of the time he traveled in the mountains and rivers, climbed the lake and the sea, and thoughtfully explored. If he hadn't gotten married during this time, he would really be like a scattered immortal in a lifetime.

This life went on for several years, and the good days finally came to an end. His mother suddenly fell ill and died after ineffective treatment. Su Xun was in pain and sorrow, and he decided to give glory to his mother, so he couldn't wait to grab the books he threw down that year. Fame! In any case, you have to get fame quickly!

From then on, he was 27 years old to 39 years old, a total of 12 years, he worked hard day and night. In the "Three Character Classic", it is said that he "Su Laoxun, twenty-seven, began to be angry, and read books" In the past 12 years, he went to Beijing twice to take the exam, but he was full of ambition and returned depressed. He didn't understand what he was talking about. Those people he doesn't look down on can be on the list, but he has repeatedly stumbled? At the age of 39, he failed the imperial examination again, he was full of depression and had no solution, and once again walked between the mountains and rivers...

Misfortune is not a one-way street, just when he walked to Lushan, Jiangxi, seeking spiritual comfort, his old father died. Su Xun traveled thousands of miles to mourn, thinking about the death of his parents in 12 years, he was almost not confused, and he still achieved nothing! One day, he threw all the articles he had written over the years into the brazier in front of his father's spirit... This is when the historical opportunity arises! Only by throwing away all the past can there be a new world of enlightenment!

Su Xun was bored during the period of filial piety, and read all the thousands of ancient books in his home. Those books are the light of the Chinese nation's uninterrupted civilization that has been inherited since ancient times. It has been more than 200 years since Han Liu died in the Tang Dynasty, and there are still frequent wars, and no one can revive the prestige of Hanwen, and this beam of light is about to be extinguished...

More than 200 years of blank and expectation, some people are famous in the prosperous world to pursue, such as Ouyang Xiu. There are also people in the western corner who are silently thoughtful, such as Su Xun. Throwing away the shackles of fame, he returned to his roots, and also walked along this road, he was destined to return to the same path as Ouyang Xiushu. It's just that he walked too slowly, too tired, and too silent on this path!

From the age of 39 to 46, Su Xun finally looked forward to the dawn of life. He no longer thought about entering Beijing. But a celebrity in the capital finally came to Xishu. This person's growth experience is somewhat similar to Su Xun's, which is destined for them to have a common language.

At this time, Su Xun and the past were completely like two people, when they were young, they jumped out of frivolity and became deep and silent, and the exam-taking style at that time was replaced by an understanding, insight and solution to all things in the world. He became a great Confucian. The so-called great Confucianism must not only be proficient in the hundred classics, but also be self-contained, introspective and external, and solve problems for the world. An article written with such insight and mind. It is the authentic system of Chinese Confucianism from Confucius to Han Yuxing! Around 1053, Su Xun established his own academic system, and several of the most important articles of his life were written. But it is located in the frontier, no one cares, and it is about to die of old age in the countryside, and it will be unknown for the rest of its life. But don't be busy! The world outside is very exciting, and all of a sudden, there are swords and soldiers, and there are many beacons! Nong Zhigao rebelled! After that, the whole south praised the prestige of the ghost-faced marshal Di Qing. The First World War was successful, flying over the natural danger, and the prestige was missed until the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty...

But I can ask you: Who can associate such a major event with a hillbilly in the Meishan area of Sichuan? Things are so wonderful, this is actually Su Xun's spring! Nong Zhigao fled to Dali. After that, there were rumors: he will fight back, and his breakthrough is Sichuan, which is adjacent to Dali! One spread of ten to hundred, and even the bigwigs in Kaifeng City couldn't sit still, except for the heavy troops from Shaanxi to gather in Sichuan. also sent a capable person: the former three envoys Zhang Fangping!

Zhang Fangping, this person has done the planning under the two governments as an official, but he is not from a Jinshi background. Where does learning come from? That's much stronger than Su Xunke. It is said that the two Song literati are ranked. If the standard is smart and memorable, he ranks second. is only slightly inferior to Su Xun's son, the unborn genius Su Shi! He can see ten lines at a glance and never forget. He once borrowed the "Three History" from others and returned it in 10 days, and every sentence in it can be firmly remembered. As for why is it so strong? It's also unavoidable. His family is too poor, life is a problem, he can only borrow if he wants to study, and the reality forces him to remember it quickly and quickly...

Now, Zhang Fangping stabilized the situation in Sichuan, and after grasping both the military and the government, he also attached importance to culture, and it was he who unearthed Su Xun and paved a road to Kaifeng, the imperial capital, for Su Xun...

Zhang Fangping wrote a letter to Ouyang Xiu. This letter is not trivial, according to research, this is one of the only few letters between Zhang and Ouyang, and they are rivals!

Zhang Fangping was Lu Yijian's cronies, and Ouyang Xiu was Fan Zhongyan's friend. This is incomparable to the later scholars of the Shenzong, Zhezong, and Huizong dynasties.

Su Xun left Meishan two years later and came to the capital. This was his third time in Beijing, and this time it was no longer usual, and he almost immediately became a miracle. In a short period of time, he established contacts with top officials and ministers in the capital. For example, Ouyang Xiu, Yu Jing, Tian Jing, Wen Yanbo, Han Qi, Fu Bi and others all received his articles and letters.

Without exception, everyone liked his articles, but shook their heads with a wry smile at his people.

Su Xun wondered, could it be that he did something wrong? Looking back and thinking about it, he came to the capital for a purpose, Confucianism entered the WTO, the poor are good for themselves, and the good are for the world. He saw all kinds of problems in the Song Dynasty in reality, and wanted to do something for the people of the world, and these ideas, and even solutions, were clearly expressed in articles and letters. So why did the celebrities in the court ignore him?

This was his fate, and he didn't come at the right time. For example, more than 10 years earlier, when the war with the Western Xia began, the Song Dynasty broke all stereotypes and bad habits, as long as it was a useful idea, it would be adopted, and it was not difficult for him to gain fame when he appeared at that time. But more than 10 years later, it is not allowed to promote talents beyond the ranks, and the hierarchy of the Great Song Dynasty has long been unbreakable. Everyone is in the system, what kind of sage do you have to be to make an exception for you?

What's more, Su Xun's specific approach is also too strong. For example, in the letter to Han Qi, he asked Han Qi to kill a group of lazy soldiers, and the morale of the army was immediately boosted. Right? Right! That's what Di Qing did. But today's Han Qi is no longer the young man on the battlefield in the northwest back then. Homicide? Han Qi is as noble as the wings flying in the sky, condensed like the ice and snow on the top of the snowy mountain, and he will no longer do those rough jobs.

Another example is the letter to Fu Bi, Su Xun opened his mouth to accuse, starting from the Qingli New Deal, until he took office this time, he did not save face for the prime minister of the dynasty at all. In the final analysis, this is what Su Xun did in the Yasheng Mencius Sect. Mencius said, "Say that the adult, then despise it" This is the code of action of Yasheng's life, such as Mencius saw King Liang Hui, his words were not inferior, and after turning around, he said "I don't look like a human king", I don't look like a monarch! Is it contrary to the highest purpose of Confucianism - monarchs, ministers, fathers, sons? Whether you are a saint or not, you don't have such a reason to despise your superiors, do you? But Mencius just did it! In troubled times, only by such means can those in power be convinced. The example is how Zhuge Liang persuaded Sun Quan.

Su Xun is like this, he runs into walls everywhere, and he is still at a loss, leaving a bad impression on the entire power layer and not knowing it. To put it mildly: If it weren't for the super good luck, if Ouyang Xiu happened to be in charge of this imperial examination, it would be possible for him and his two talented sons to return to Sichuan again. But this can't be blamed on him, when Confucius and Mencius traveled around the world, did they get any good fruits to eat? Confucianism itself has irreconcilable and irreparable flaws, which have never been perfected by the founders!

Confucianism has joined the WTO and has to solve specific problems that arise in the world. This is what happened, and the specific problems should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and solutions should be found in reality. In many cases, problems arise with the progress of the times, and the solutions must also be innovative. It's like the relationship between a new virus and a new vaccine. But what about Confucianism? The solution is not to study in reality, but to find annotations and answers in the books of the ancients. This is the reason why when you look at various ancient Chinese documents, the beginning of the "ancient clouds" appears. Everything depends on how the ancients and ancestors solved it, and then we all copy it... Will this work?

Therefore, as a requirement of the progress of the times, Confucianism has long been a waste! Not only now, but even in the Northern Song Dynasty more than a thousand years ago, Su Xun met his sworn enemy - Wang Anshi, the minister of "the sky is not enough to fear, the ancestors are not enough to be afraid, and the words of people are not enough to be compassionate".

At this time, Wang Anshi was working as a herd judge in the capital, responsible for raising horses throughout the country (by the way: because of ancient wars, horses were important strategic materials. Therefore, the official who raised horses was a very prominent official position in ancient times. It is by no means as "Journey to the West" said: Bi Ma Wen is a petty official who is not in the stream) They met in Ouyang Xiu's house, and they didn't like each other when they first met, both of them were the same stubborn temper, the same arrogance, and it happened to be the same self-taught. Where else can such an ideal rival be found? Lao Su and Wang Anshi became enemies, and even Da Su and Xiao Su later had a long-term discord with Wang Xianggong. Of course, that's all for later.

Jiayou's 2-year imperial examination has finally begun. The person who can almost represent the entire glorious and brilliant Song Dynasty culture - Su Shi Su Zizhan was finally born!

Su Shi's talent is a myth in China. His name is called "Po Xian", of course, that was after he was called Su Dongpo.

Dongpo, in fact, these two words are not wonderful at all, on the contrary, they are a painful memory of Su Shi's personal life. However, it is precisely since then that his literary brilliance, calligraphy and painting can transcend the sainthood, reaching the level of the Song generation and the first talent.

As for how his talent came about, educators of every era will emphasize: like Li Bai, "as long as the kung fu is deep, the iron pestle is sharpened into a needle", and it doesn't matter whether Li Bai is willing or not, he will define it like this! Su Shi is very honest, he once handed in the bottom once when he became an adult, saying that "it is too late to read books in this life" to do things with talent! It is said that Su Shi's knowledge was brought from his previous life! (To be continued......)