"Master Jiang, it's not the time to rank second, is it? These test papers must be dismantled and compared with the original papers before they can be determined. Isn't it too early for you to talk about this? Gu Xinian raised his head and said lightly.

Jiang Tongyi choked, annoyed in his heart, but helpless.

Of these 398 students, it is natural to find out the original test papers and compare them one by one, and then determine them, so as to avoid mistakes and omissions, so as to lose their crowns and mislead their future. However, because of the heavy responsibility, the officials in charge of sealing and transcribing have always been meticulous and rarely make mistakes in this regard, so the list of people who are sorted can be discussed according to the names on the transcription papers, and it is not necessary to check all the test papers before discussion.

But Gu Xinian took the rules to talk about things, and even if Jiang Tong was the chief examiner, it was not easy to say anything.

He had no choice but to smile and say, "Master Gu has said so, how dare Jiang not comply." ”

He's the main examiner, and he should be in charge of everything here. But Gu Xinian not only did not listen to his orders, but raised objections, and Jiang Tong accused him of disrespecting his superiors.

"Master Jiang is old, and the emperor is worried that your old man is tired, and I, as the deputy examiner, naturally have to take more responsibilities so as not to worry the emperor. Master Jiang might as well go and sit on the side, we are busy here. After Gu Xinian finished speaking, he called a young examiner, "Go and make a good pot of tea for Master Jiang." ”

This implies that Jiang Tong is old and has already been a scholar, so don't point fingers here. Stay and don't talk nonsense, it's the right thing.

The two of them are arguing with each other, implying that they are coming and going, and the other examiners are silent, and they don't dare to breathe, and they only bury their heads and hands and feet to do things quickly, lest they be affected by the pond fish.

In a short time, almost 400 test papers were dismantled. The sealing office also sent the original test papers, and everyone checked them one by one to make sure that they were correct, and the official who copied the list set his eyes on Gu Xinian.

Anyway, no matter how dissatisfied Jiang Tong was, since he was going to hug Gu Xinian's thigh, he would unswervingly support Gu Xinian. The most taboo in officialdom is to sway from side to side, and both sides want to please the wall grass. So, how to write this list, he made up his mind to listen to Gu Xinian.

Gu Xinian was embarrassed.

Naturally, he didn't want Du Jinning to get Huiyuan. I rejected Jiang Tong just now because I didn't want to lose face. He planned to find the original paper and find fault with the handwriting on the original test paper. If the handwriting on the test paper is not good or too good, then his reasons are very good.

If Du Jinning's handwriting is okay, then he is not out of the question. As long as there is one person in the top ten test papers who writes better and surpasses Du Jinning, he can also use this as an excuse to move him to the first place. In this way, Du Jinning is naturally not Huiyuan.

After all, calligraphy is also one of the talents, isn't it?

Who knew that the top 10 test papers were laid out in one line, and the most eye-catching was the first one. The handwriting in that test paper was very neat and beautiful, and the eyes of those of them who wanted to vomit when they read the text were bright.

This word is good, this word is so well written, even Gu Xinian and Jiang Tong, who have a hatred for the first test paper, can't help but be attracted to it for the first time. After his mind cleared up, Gu Xinian's heart was filled with a strong sense of powerlessness.

If you want to pick Du Jinning's handwriting, you can't write it well. How can this guy write such neat and beautiful words? It's like the print on the engraving.

He wanted to say that this word was not good with a clear conscience, and he couldn't help but praise those fellow examiners?

"Oh my God, it's the first time I've seen such beautiful and neat characters."

"If you look at these words, it seems that the strength and uniformity of the ink are the same. It's hard to know how he wrote. ”

"If the copied test papers are all like this, we don't have to have such a hard time reading them."

"Yes, although this word is not as elegant as those in line and cursive, it seems to be quite suitable for the imperial examination or the transcription of official documents. You don't know, since I'm in my forties, my eyes can't do it, and I can't see everything. I don't want to read the official documents written by my subordinates if the handwriting is a little sloppy. If everyone could write like that, I wouldn't have to have a headache reading official documents. ”

"yes, yes, empathize."

The same examiners saw that Jiang Tong wanted to move this test paper down, but Gu Xinian refused to allow it, so they thought that Gu Xinian wanted to keep this candidate who wrote very beautifully. Praise at this time is naturally unscrupulous.

Gu Xinian couldn't say what he was suffering for.

"Alas, that's it, this son is so lucky, he can't stop it, so let him get this huiyuan. Fortunately, there is also a palace test, if he can also win the top prize in the palace test, then it will be ominous to have a bad relationship with this kind of person who is in charge of good luck. ”

Gu Xinian and Du Jinning have no direct grievances, but they are just angry. He has been an official all his life, and he can come to this point, and he is not a stupid person, and he knows the truth of following the trend.

He smiled: "I also said that if this son's handwriting is not good, I am afraid that I will have to consider moving one place down." Now his words have been praised by everyone, and his name is well deserved. He looked at Jiang Tong, "What does Master Jiang think?" ”

Jiang Tong knew that no matter what he said, he would not be able to change the situation, and if he said more, he would bring humiliation on himself.

He immediately sneered: "Master Jiang naturally says whatever he says, is what I say, will anyone listen to what my bad old man says?" ”

Even if Gu Xinian won this game, he also had to bite off a piece of Gu Xinian's meat, so that he would have a bad reputation of disrespecting superiors and disrespecting his predecessors. Today's incident reached the ears of the emperor, and he believed that the emperor would definitely have a bad impression of Gu Xinian.

"It's not interesting for Master Jiang to say this." Gu Xinian was furious in his heart, but he still had an indifferent expression on his face, and his tone did not change, "Just now, the lower official was asking for your opinion, I don't know what you mean by saying this kind of yin and yang weirdness?" ”

In this officialdom, either the east wind overpowers the west wind, or the west wind overpowers the east wind. Everyone is generally "smiling on their faces, and selling criticism in their hearts", and their joy and anger are invisible, but they always have to compete secretly to gain a greater right to speak. This is the norm of officialdom, and it is also the reason why Jiang Tong and Gu Xinian competed.

However, Jiang Tong is old and refined, so he can't see that Gu Xinian is really annoyed. Although he has withdrawn from officialdom, he is rigid if he has no desire, and he is not afraid of Gu Xinian, but his children and grandchildren are still mixed in the officialdom, and it is always bad to offend people ruthlessly. Moreover, although the emperor invited him to come out of the mountain, he did not mean to let him come back. If you want to choose between the old man who is a general of his line and Gu Xinian, the emperor must still choose Gu Xinian. In front of the emperor, he didn't win.

For this reason, he regretted that he had made too much trouble with Gu Xinian, and said in a soothing tone: "You just asked me?" That seems like I misunderstood. Okay, just do what you just wanted, Master Gu. ”

And so it was settled.