The third day of the Blackwater City conference test, in the afternoon.

Completely different from the first day of the general examination, although the second day of the general examination included both the children's examination and the official examination, the number of people who came to Luofeng Valley to watch the excitement suddenly became very few, only a few officials and city lords who maintained order were present, and the great Confucian scholars who had been seated yesterday did not appear. After all, the children's test is not like the weak crown test on the first day, there are so many items. The children's test is simply for these children to take a written test to calculate the final score. The preparation for the official examination in the afternoon is only a link, and it is only the written test composition of the candidates. In this way, there is naturally nothing to join in the excitement of this day's exam. On the originally full seats, there were only about 100 parents and teachers of the candidates at the end of this day, sitting on the cold bench with hot buttocks, all staring at the examination room built not far away, thinking that their children could take the lead.

On the third day, the scene in the Valley of the Falling Wind exceeded the excitement of the first day. This is the last day of the three-day general examination, and the examination schedule is also quite rich, and the intensity of the preparation for the official examination is no less than that of the weak crown test two days ago. The essay for the first round of the official examination has been completed and is used as the main part of the evaluation of the results. More than ten years ago, the old city lord of Blackwater City reformed the preparation for the official examination, and he believed that only being good at political analysis and writing articles was not enough to comprehensively judge a person's ability. After the first round of written examinations for the official examination, he added a part of writing poems with propositions to test the candidates' literary literacy. Originally, the second round of the official examination was also a proposition essay, and the candidates took a total of two essay scores as the final score. He compressed this round and stood out from the "poetry test" before a few people could participate in the third round of the written test.

However, the rules of this "poetry test" are different from all other exams. If you are interested in participating, you need to submit a group of no less than six poems to the government half a year before the general examination, and after several months of evaluation, 50 people will be selected to participate in the "poetry examination". However, this rule does not prohibit and cannot prohibit non-candidates from doing it on their behalf. As a result, it is not uncommon for teachers to ghostwrite and ask someone to write for them. Therefore, to put it bluntly, this preparation for the official examination is not a one-man competition for candidates, at least in this link, the candidates' family background, and the advantages and disadvantages of teachers are all factors.

On the third day, the poetry test was held all morning. Fifty people were divided into five groups, and five scholars wrote the questions, and completed the propositions and composed poems in a time of one stick of incense. There is controversy in the poetry examination, especially the inability to control the selection of others, which makes the round of preparation for the official examination a little uneven. Some uneducated and unskilled families are also mixed in these fifty people, so there are not many outstanding works. The Bachelors will select 20 talents who will enter the third round of the written examination, and will briefly evaluate the poems that are scored in the top 25.

Not surprisingly, the second son of the first wealthy family in the city, the eldest of several people in the Wang family, Wang Shiingshen has always been full of literary talents, and won the unanimous praise of many scholars in this poetry test, and won the first place. The next few places were also obtained by the children of the two great families, the Gao family and the Wang family. The competition for the top ten in the poetry test is much fiercer, and many middle and upper families have a piece of the pie. In general, it seems that due to the appointment of the lord of Hezhe, the top works in the poetry examination have also exceeded the level of the previous examinations, and the comments of the scholars have also fascinated the guests in the audience. It is worth mentioning that this time there were only 19 people in the established score of the poetry test, and the last place was a competition between two talented people with the same score.

The group proposition of these two people has even more origins. Master Sen Dao actually personally proposed a proposition with the other four bachelors in this poetry test. And as soon as his topic came out, it was refreshing for everyone. This topic is to ask for a poem to comment on the border of Qinshan ten years ago, the military city of Daya sent troops to the north to attack Mingze. Over the years, it is rare to see this kind of war-themed proposition in poetry examinations, but it is a highly respected elder like Sen Dao, which makes this proposition more interesting. These two talents with the same scores in the group, one of them is from the Gao family, and he is the second eldest among the candidates sent by the Gao family this time, named Gao Li.

The other person was unknown to everyone before, and he was very frugally dressed. He is also older than most candidates, and he looks like he is thirty years old, and at first glance he looks like a flat-headed ordinary person. But he is actually from a small family, Qiao Xuebin, the second son of the Jianzhu Qiao family.

Several examiners have made in-depth comments on the poems of the two of them, which made a deep impression on everyone. But in the end, it should be the son of the Gao family who was better, and after a heated discussion, he was allowed to enter the third round of the written test. Qiao Xuebin on the other side also seemed to be convinced, thinking that he was not as good as Yu Gao.

And most of the afternoon of this day is the third round of written examinations for the official examination. This round of written test is different from the first round. Although a lot of time has been compressed in the reform, the quality has been better guaranteed. And the results of this round of exams will not be included in the overall evaluation of candidates for the official examination, but it can leave more impressions on the examiners, and it is a great opportunity to show themselves, and they have a better chance to be appreciated or even examined. This round of written examinations unifies the propositions and is a political argument, but the prescribed propositions are all comments and analyses of other countries' political decisions, and the first round is often suggestions or praises of domestic policies. This year's proposition is the proposition deliberated by the Minshan Prefecture Prefecture, and it is an analysis of an important defense matter in the country. This proposition is decent, which is not only related to the candidates' political literacy, but also has a lot to do with their understanding of the history of neighboring countries, and can test the candidates' basic military quality. The 20 candidates who were selected were all very good, and the competition was actually very fierce. In an hour, the paper in his hand was full.

However, when all the exams were over, there was not a single piece of space in the guest table. This is because there is another important part of the next conference test.

In the past years, there has been such a link that has nothing to do with the exam. The great Confucians and bachelors from all over the world invited by Blackwater City will prepare some strange couples in advance, and after the discussion of the bachelors, they will examine the literary level of the candidates. However, it is true that this part does not count towards any test scores. The first few times, some university scholars got a coincidence, or wrote the first half of the poem, but they had no inspiration and couldn't think of the following, so they used this to test the children of Blackwater City. Therefore, this link is also an opportunity for talents to show their style, and at the same time, none of the 3,000 guests want to miss this great opportunity to join in the fun. What's even more attractive is that Master Sen Dao has tested the children of Blackwater City with his own words from time to time over the years, but there are very few people who have won his heart. The proverbs announced by Master Sen Dao are often very prophetic of the future trend of Blackwater City, and they are also very eye-catching. Who knows if this year's master will have his own words to show the way for Blackwater?

When the sun is about to set, the final part of the conference test is in full swing.

A full 500 candidates for the weak crown test and the preparation official test were all seated back in the spacious guest seats. They leaned on the table in front of them, or carefully placed the stack of rice paper on their laps, waiting for the next scholar to come up with the question.

On the test table, the city lord of Hezhe's family, and all the bachelors also have pen, ink, paper and inkstones in front of their desks to answer. And the city lord and Yun Cang have also come up with answers to many questions before, but they are a little dwarfed by so many talents. Only Xiao Lian blushed and held the pen in her hand, really helpless against these couplets.

The rice paper brought to the stage by the candidates was circulated by seventy or eighty scholars, and they soon made up their minds. The last exam question was a novel couplet proposed by Mr. Zhong, a former Tai student, and the better answers selected by the bachelors, among which the best answer was actually won by the little-known weak crown test candidate, Ji Bingrin, the eldest son of Ji Mansion.

"Ask who is riding the green ox, there are yellow cranes flying from the sky!"

The battle is neat and far-reaching, and it is really exquisite. When people were still immersed in this delicate taste, Master Mori Dao took Mr. Zhong's place at this time, walked to the front of the stage, and immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Ahem... It is rare for us to gather together today, and it should be a great event in this world. The talents of Heishui are far better than in the past, and they coincide with the post of director of Dutch City, and the fortune in this has its own decision, and the monarchs listen to the poor Tao. ”

Everyone in the audience was extremely excited after listening to Master Sendao's straightforward words. For three sessions, a total of six years, the most famous Taoist leader did not put forward his own words to test the talents of Blackwater City at the examination, and did not use his way to divinate the future of Blackwater City. The candidates in the audience drew a piece of rice paper one after another. If it is recited by Master Sendao, it is not only the most meaningful exam question, but also the most difficult question. After all, people in this world know very little about the affairs of the Daomen, let alone be able to speak to the Daomen.

Although some of the gentlemen had already put down the brush in their hands, most of them were still gearing up and waiting for the master to come up with the question. The Hezhe family, and even dozens of bachelors who have also attended the conference examination many times, did not expect that Master Sen Dao would chant in this session, and they all picked up the pen and prepared to listen to what this magical Taoist proverb would be. Of course, except for Xiao Pian, who was holding the brush that had just touched a few days ago, he was looking at the master in front of the stage crampedly.

“... The last sentence of this confession says, 'After descending to the country and thinking of the king', please make the next sentence with me. ”

This proverb is surprisingly simple, and many talented candidates immediately think of the same word as the word "down" in "descending the country".

It is the opposite of "Pro", and the word "Pro" is the first word of the nine-character mantra of Daomen. And the next few words of mantra, such as "soldier" and "fight", are all relative to the words "country" and "thinking". Moreover, the Taoist proverbs are more meaningful, and the requirements for battle are not as high as those of ordinary couplets and poetry. Many candidates directly took the four Taoist mantras "those who fight in the army" and add the word "after" to the opposite of the word "before", and it becomes a confession - "after the country is surrendered and the king is thought of, before the soldier fights".

Counting the scholars on the stage who have some knowledge of the Taoist mantra, the number of people who can make this confession is really quite a lot. Master Mori Dao saw the stack of rice paper sent by the servant, and his divine sense quickly swept over, revealing a satisfied look, but he was not surprised. After all, this admonition is relatively simple, even if you just know the couplet battle, plus a little understanding of the nine-character mantra, you don't need to understand the meaning of the proverb.

So although this is easy to say, the profound truth contained in it was not long before people discovered that it contained an astonishing prophecy. Sen Dao looked around, and it seemed that except for He Zhe and a few scholars who were also opposite, no one in the audience seemed to have an incomprehensible expression on their faces. It's just that I'm excited about it.

"The people of Blackwater City are outstanding, and the answer you give is the answer in the heart of the poor road. It's just that although this admonition is simple, the meaning is still profound, and I am willing to encourage you together. There is another message here, please listen to you. ”

This sentence says: Empty dreams must be remembered in the future. This confession was obtained by chance in a dream of the poor road, and the poor road could not come up with the best answer after thinking about it for several months. If there is a fate today, it is all guests, please solve the confusion of the poor!"

When they first heard this first half of the confession, everyone looked thoughtful. However, this admonition is obviously different from the previous one, and if it is only corrected according to the law of couplets, it will not be possible to get such an obvious conclusion as the first four nine-character mantras, but only an ordinary couplet battle. Therefore, this question must be answered through understanding. But the first half of the speech was so abstract that the meaning was difficult to fathom, and the venue suddenly fell into silence. The crowd watching the excitement also asked the candidates for paper at this moment, hoping that they could get the master's attention by saying a word that was difficult to explain to the master.

Immediately after that, a servant brought in one answer after another. While Sen Dao looked at it carefully, the expression on his face did not spread. Obviously, these answers were far from what he had in mind. Most of the scholars on the stage who were holding the brush put down the pen in their hands, and they were very self-aware that their understanding of the Taoist school was completely inadequate. It doesn't hurt that the newborn calves of the candidates are not afraid of tigers, but they have to do their best.

On the city**, He Zhe also put down the pen in his hand and quietly looked at the candidates who were holding the pen and thinking hard. Some felt clueless, so they wrote two strokes and handed them to the servants who were waiting beside them, while others pondered and meditated, resolutely unwilling to answer the questions hastily. After Master Sen Dao read the answer in his hand, he also raised his head to look at the candidates who were still thinking in the audience, and he actually didn't have any thoughts in his heart. He also laughed at himself in his heart, how could these fledgling hairy boys know such a difficult and profound sentence that he couldn't really say!

However, at this time, the eyes of Sen Dao and He Zhe converged on Xiao Lian's body beside He Zhe at the same time. He Zhe looked at her with some surprise, Xiao Lian was holding the brush awkwardly, writing two words crookedly, and thinking for a while with her head on her back, and then writing down the third word.

"Blame, kid. She didn't have any thoughts at all in the previous couplets, and she didn't look interested at all. Just like those peasant girls, it's normal to have no clue. How did she get to this proverb of Sen Dao, which is still the most difficult one, and she has an idea instead?"

He Zhe was puzzled, and Sen Dao was also puzzled. And Xiao Lian's expression seemed to be really thinking seriously, rather than writing it blindly. Master Mori Dao also had a deep curiosity in his heart. cast a small spell to block Xiao Lian's sense of herself, walked to her side, and saw the six words she had written, and her expression immediately became extremely interesting.

"Wake up drunk and watch the fire across the boat..."Master Sen Dao muttered these six words, as if he was recalling some past events. Soon he burst into laughter, as if he understood the meaning of the proverb. The laughter made the guests in the audience very strange, many stopped thinking, and the excitement in the stands went away. "Fishing... That's right, that's the word!" Sen Dao was very satisfied when he saw that Xiao Lian clumsily "drawn" such a word "fishing". "Empty dreams come to Japan to remember, drunk to wake up across the boat fire to watch fishing", Sen Dao knows a lot of Taoist secrets, this proverb is already very enlightening for him. However, this child's performance was too much for him to expect, how could a fifteen-year-old peasant girl know those Taoist secrets? However, Sen Dao is not worried at all, the proverb is different from the couplet, in fact, it is a "fate" word. If it is really a destined person, even if it is a child who is still nursing in his mother's arms, he will definitely be able to express the meaning of this second half of the confession in his own way. If he is a person who has no chance, racking his brains, it may not be able to satisfy him.

Just like this proverb, the battle is completely untidy, and if it is judged by the standard of couplets, it is blind matching. But the second half of Xiao Lian's confession completely solved Sen Dao's doubts, and in his opinion, it was the most in line with his heart among all the answers. Sen Dao gently patted Xiao Lian's shoulder, who was still bowing his head, and Xiao Lian saw that the master suddenly stood behind him, and hurriedly wanted to get up and salute, but was stopped by Sen Dao. He stretched out his hand and lifted Xiao Lian's rice paper out of thin air, and his consciousness moved, and he wrote the first half of his confession in chic lines to the top of Xiao Lian's crooked second half of his confession.

"Haha, you can stop writing. The pen and ink of the city lord's daughter have won the old man's heart!"

"Empty dreams come to Japan to remember, drunk to wake up and watch fishing across the boat. ”

Everyone in the audience and the scholars on the stage all showed puzzled looks. Although the requirements for fighting are not high, it is too strange to be completely bullish like this, right?

"Master... I..."

Sen Dao pressed his other hand on Xiao Lian's shoulder and did not salute her. He was not surprised at all by the attitude of the people, and only cared about himself and said: "The proverbs of the Taoist sect are easy to be right for those who are destined. The meaning of this proverb is profound, and you can also ponder the deep meaning for yourself. Lord of the city, I don't know what to call your daughter?"

When He Zhe heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then said naturally: "It's not a secret, the little girl was originally the adopted daughter of a peasant woman at the foot of Luofeng Mountain. ”

This news can startle everyone on and off the stage. Sen Dao remained calm, waved his hand with a smile, and the invisible Dao method enveloped the entire venue, suppressing everyone's discussion a lot. "That's okay. Miss He's advice to her won the old man's heart. Not only is he in love with the lord of the city, but he is also in love with the old man!"

He Zhe had a smile on his face, "Haha, He doesn't dare to be it!"

Compared with the city lord who accepted a righteous daughter just after being transferred, what shocked and even envied the guests was that Xiao Lian was originally just a peasant girl? So many people have wondered if Master Mori Dao himself transmitted the answer to the girl, so that the city lord has a light on his face?

But after a little thought, it seems impossible. Sen Dao was originally a monk who retreated to the mountains and forests, and he had never taken the initiative to curry favor with any city lord in the past few decades. This is not only unnecessary, but also because Sen Dao is indeed a highly respected elder in the hearts of the people of Blackwater City. Besides, even if it is cheating, why don't you let Yun Cang, the little son of the He family, come out?

After a moment of silence, the staff of the Dutch Mansion took the lead in applauding. The rest of the candidates and guests and the scholars on the stage also applauded, and the discussion of praising Xiao Lian was endless. Especially her adoptive mother, Zhang, had tears in her eyes at this time.

Xiao Lian stood up and saluted and gave a circle of filial piety, her eyes full of gratitude and happiness.

Sen Dao said at this time: "In this case, the poor Dao's words have been pronounced by Miss He. However, please wait for a while, Poor Dao has a few words to say to the city lord. ”

"Miss He and Poor Dao are so in love, today Poor Dao's heart is puzzled, just now I accidentally got a word, and I want to use it as the name of the eldest lady. ”

He Zhe glanced at Xiao Lian first, and saw that she didn't mean to object at all, and her eyes were still full of reverence for Sen Dao. It seems that the people of Blackwater City still have a very high respect for Sen Dao, not to mention that they are also so attached to each other, and they haven't thought of any good names in their hearts for a few days. He Zhe smiled and nodded.

"There are poets in the East who write poems and praise a Zen temple - the mountain light is pleasing to the birds, and the lake shadow is empty. Wan Lai is silent here, but Yu Zhong chimes. The Zen realm is deep and rich. Poor Dao deeply loves this poem. The old man thinks that it is very good to use the word 'Yue' as the name of a valuable daughter, which contains several meanings. What does it not just the lord of the castle think?"

He Zhe touched his chin and looked up to see Xiao Lian with a bright smile on his face, and he seemed to be very satisfied with this name, the name given by Master Sen Dao himself. "Yue... Heyue, Heyue... Very good, very good..."