Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

With Jia Cong's deliberate promotion, the news of the fraud in the Jinke Examination spread like wildfire and quickly spread among the circles of scholars in Beijing.

The reason why he didn't use Jin Yiwei's power to spread rumors was to completely distance himself from the matter.

Zheguilou, which has the hottest business before and after the scientific examination, is destined to have no sleep tonight.

The upper and lower floors were all occupied by scholars. Each one of them made impassioned speeches, criticizing the darkness of the examination room and the corruption of the examiners, and scolded the chief examiners such as Song Rui, Chen Dao, and Lu Wenbin bloody.

On the third floor, there are a lot of new imperial examination candidates sitting or standing, talking incessantly, enjoying themselves and having strong ambitions.

The waiters in the shop were all careful in serving these gentlemen, nodding and bowing to deliver food and wine.

The shopkeeper is also aware of current affairs and offers a 20% discount tonight. He is afraid that he will offend this group of cowardly people and make them run away from the order in anger. He dares not take care of the business and dare not fight. He will definitely lose his job. .

A man wearing a moon-white robe and a haoran scarf said: "Brothers, have there been such rampant things since the founding of the country?
Half of the candidates for one subject were admitted, so what else should I take? Why not tell someone who is not from the same hometown as the CEO to pack up and leave as soon as possible! "

Those who were successful in the same subject in the National, Township, and National Examinations were considered to be of the same year, and they called each other brother.

In recent decades, it has been a trend among scholars that even if they have passed the examination one after another, they can still be called "Jia Zi" with the same year, so all the candidates in the world are of the same year.

"What Brother Nian said is that I have been studying hard for ten years in Hanchuang, taking countless major and small exams. I don't want to be at the feet of the emperor, but I am so corrupt. I have studied the saint's way hard and am not as good as the country party's personal love;

Writing eight-legged essays is not as good as taking the exam from a fellow countryman, which is really sad and ridiculous. "Juzi, who was wearing a square scarf and an old robe, sighed.

"As the saying goes, a country can be ruined by a single heart, and a country can be prospered by a single heart. It is only between public and private matters!
We will not be able to tolerate such unethical things, otherwise what will happen to others in the future? Another man wearing Confucian clothes and a Zhuge scarf said angrily.

In the corner by the window, there is a man in his thirties, wearing an azure blue brocade robe with unique jacquard pattern, a Xiaoyao scarf on his head, a square jade on the scarf, two jade rings on the side, and a jade belt around his waist.

He suddenly stood up and threw the wine glass to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

"Brothers, if you don't win, then you won't win. Although the township party favors selfishness, it's just a common thing. Where can there be no township party?
It's just that this time it's a little more intense. Take a look at the Cheng Wen Zhujuan that has been posted. Are your articles better than others? I am the most unjust person in the world! "

When everyone saw that he was dressed in luxurious clothes, they did not dare to look down upon him. They all raised their hands and said, "Brother Nian, your surname is yours? What's the injustice?"

The man waved his hand and said: "It's not a matter of honor. It doesn't matter if I don't mention the humble name. If I mention it, it will be an insult to my ancestors. I'm going down three, so you can call me third brother."

"Third brother, it's okay to say it. Although we don't have much power, we are still willing to say something fair for our brothers." Everyone said one after another.

The old man sneered and said: "Do you think that the articles in Jinke Xingbang Zhujuan, especially those written by scholars from the three provinces, are full of brilliance, thoughtfulness, and sublimity?"

Although everyone was upset because of not being on the list, they had already read the articles on the list, which were indeed extraordinary. However, hearing the disdain in Lao San's tone, it seemed that there was something hidden.

They all asked, "That's true. Is there something weird in it?" Their voices were full of hope.

The third child laughed miserably and said, "Fuck it! You've already leaked the truth, don't you know?

The selfishness of the township party is just a little help. If the article is too bad, who dares to risk the disapproval of the world? Only by disclosing the problem to the villagers in advance can we ensure that we are sure of success and that no flaws will be missed. "

"What?!" Everyone was shocked and angry.

It is reasonable to support fellow countrymen, but this is too much, and it is obviously to bring trouble to the world.

"Have you ever heard of the three lantern riddles?" Lao San asked.

"What riddle?" everyone asked hurriedly.

“Haha, you really don’t know anything, and it’s not unfair to lose your reputation.

It's a pity that I spent five thousand silver in vain to buy lantern riddles, but I still failed. This world is so unfair! "Lao San shook his head and sighed with tears in his eyes.

Everyone heard that there was something mysterious in it, and hurriedly comforted them: "Now that we are all downgraded in the world, why don't you, third brother, talk to me to relieve your depression, and we can give you some advice."

"Yep."

The third child wiped the corners of his eyes and sighed: "This year's Lantern Festival, I spent five thousand silver to buy three lantern riddles from a friend."

"What's so clever about the lantern riddles? Why are they so expensive?" Everyone wondered.

"Can it be expensive? The three lantern riddles are the three four-book questions in the first test of Jinke!" The third child said with a sad smile.

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed and hurriedly asked: "Dare you ask me what the lantern riddle is?"

"See for yourselves." The third child took out a small roll of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the person next to him.

Everyone gathered around to watch, and one person read: "What do you want to study for half a month?"

"Half a month means fifteen. What do you want to do? It also contains the word "learning". This is really the second question. I am fifteen and am determined to learn!" The crowd said angrily.

"Look at the second one. He who is diligent and thrifty will have no shortage of things."

"Huh, those who are diligent and thrifty in managing the house are the way to make money. Those who have no shortage are the ones who are sufficient. Those who are diligent are the ones who want to live and do things. Those who are frugal are the ones who are few and comfortable.

Sure enough, the first question is hidden, there is a great way to make money, if there are many people who can make money, if there are few people who can eat it, if you can make it, you will be sick, if you can use it, you can feel comfortable, then you will have enough wealth. "

All the scholars have been immersed in the Four Books for many years and are already familiar with them. They can guess the origin of the lantern riddles in an instant.

"Look at the third one. It's the most difficult to do it without holes."

"Bah, how despicable! If you don't have any hands, you can't follow the rules. If you are in the right way, you have to follow the rules! This is the third question clearly, don't follow the rules." Everyone yelled in unison.

The third child sighed: "To be honest with you brothers, my friend is a member of the examiner's family.

I heard that the big housekeeper wanted to secretly sell some lantern riddles to some village party members, so he knew it was a big deal, so he managed to get a share for me.

The younger brother felt like he had found a treasure at that time, thinking that he would definitely pass this subject. Little did he know that people are not as good as God, and God is not as good as officials. Who will be on the apricot list and who will not be, have long been secretly determined, how can you and I, who have no roots and no connections, do it? peep? "

Everyone wondered: "Since you have foresight, why don't you ask famous experts to write for you in advance? Who can depose you?"

The third child smiled bitterly: "Am I not aware of such a simple truth?

After winning the title, my younger brother hired a famous writer to write the essay for five hundred silver per article.

I think that the craftsmanship in every piece of work is all of a noble physique, a superb character, a sophisticated mind, and a deep and mellow smell. Is there anything wrong with that? Who knows... haha. "

Everyone shook their heads and sighed to themselves, the examination room was too dark, and I couldn't even win the questions I bought in advance. How can ordinary people like me compete?
But then I thought about it, and everyone was a little gloating about it. Compared with the "third brother" who spent thousands of money, entered with high ambitions, and returned with his head hanging down, he seemed much luckier, at least the examiner did not cheat the poor.

"I would like to ask my third brother how to solve the first question?"

Some people are unconvinced and suspect that they do not understand the classics and principles, do not distinguish between good and bad, and have been deceived by those who want to take advantage of others.

Lao San said: "The first question is, there is a great way to make money. There are many who live it, few who eat it, those who work it are sick, and those who use it are comfortable, then the wealth will be constant and sufficient. What I have solved is to get the sage's way of managing money. There will never be any shortage.”

"Good! It is indeed worthy of the famous artist's handwriting. It is refined and precise, and it is in line with the rules!" Everyone praised.

"It's so powerful, it's worth five hundred silver. The second question is, I am fifteen years old and am determined to learn. How can my third brother defeat me?" "The way of a saint can only be achieved gradually." The third child said.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Extremely exquisite! It can be said to be a creation of the void, covering all directions. It's really high." One person praised it, and everyone agreed in unison, sighing that it was not as good as it was.

"Third brother, the third question is not based on rules, how to solve it?"

Everyone was itchy, just like the candidates in later generations who couldn't wait to answer the questions after taking the exam.

"If you have the law but don't rely on it, how can you reach the state?" Lao San said.

"I've been waiting for a long time. This broken title fits the title, like a rock falling from a cliff. It's deafening and enlightening. It's far beyond my level."

"The rules are the law, and the square and the circle are the best. This solution is straight to the point, and it is three points more accurate than those on the list."

Everyone nodded, believing more and more that there were drawbacks to the imperial examination. If they couldn't even get on the list with such a broken question, it would mean that they would never have a chance in their life. Is there any justice?
Little did he know that this was drafted by Pang Chao, the then number one scholar, so how could it be any worse?

Suddenly I heard a middle-aged man next to me say: "The third brother's solution to the problem is naturally excellent. It should be named on the apricot list. But there is one thing. I wonder if the third brother has ever thought about it?"

"What's the matter?" asked the third child.

"Brother, do you know that the famous person you hired has not been hired by others? If he wants to save trouble and sell more for one pen, and the same papers appear in the examination room, he will be dismissed altogether." The middle-aged Juzi said.

"This……"

"This makes sense. Since the title has been leaked a long time ago, other people will definitely have this idea. There are only a few famous writers in the world, so it is not unusual for overlap." The crowd said.

The third child was silent for a while, sighed, and said with cupped hands: "What Brother Nian said makes sense. All in all, I am just unlucky.

Brother Guan, with his magnanimity and spirit, must be a well-educated man, why did he fail? "

The man shook his head and sighed: "I dare not accept this gold medal. I have been studying hard since I was a child. It has been more than thirty years and I still haven't made it to the UK. How can I talk about being well-educated?"

Listening to your words today, I felt like I was waking up from a big dream, and I realized that although the book contains a golden house and a beautiful face like jade, there is no way to fight against the law. "

The third child rolled his eyes and heard the words "illegal method" and knew that this was "one of his own".

Following the words, he said: "How does my craftsmanship compare to what I just said? Could it be that I am not appreciating my talent?"

That middle-aged man was none other than Jia Fang. After being disguised in a disguise, he came to this busiest restaurant to work as a "caregiver", just to prove that this science was flawed.

Jia Fang smoothed her short beard under her chin and said calmly: "Although I dare not say victory, I still want to make more concessions."

Everyone was in an uproar. This person was too crazy. The few broken questions just now were comparable to the top ten in Jinke Zhujuan, but this person dared to compare with them.

The third child said, "This is written by a famous artist. It cost five hundred silver for an article. How can Brother Nian be so confident? How do you solve the first question?"

"Yes, Brother Nian, let's talk about your breaking method. We will make a decision after reading it."

Everyone is not displeased. It's fine if they lose to a "famous" person. If they lose to another poor scholar, this is unacceptable.

Jia Fang waved her hands and said: "What my third brother said just now about the test questions for this subject has been leaked for a long time. Even if I say it out, it will inevitably be suspected that it was done by someone else.

If you young brothers are interested, why not improvise a question and ask me to answer it on the spot? Wouldn't it be new? "

"Good! What a spirit." Everyone clapped together and hurriedly came up with questions, trying to stump this "crazy student".

"Human ethics are clear to those above, and the common people are close to those below." One person was the first to raise his hand.

This is a famous saying by Mencius, which means that if the gentlemen above can clarify the principles of life, such as the relationship between monarch and minister, father and son, husband and wife, friends, elders and young, etc., then the common people below will naturally love each other, and Presenting a peaceful scene.

This question is quite difficult because it involves elements such as superiority, inferiority, human relations, clarity, and affinity. To solve the question, you must not only eliminate all of these elements, but also point out the deep connotation of this sentence.

Jia Fang said without hesitation: "The effect of establishing learning is obvious by working from above and responding from below."

"Huh? Okay!" Although everyone was not convinced, they had to admit that this problem-solving skill was straightforward and penetrated deeply into the bone marrow, and they had already understood Mencius' true meaning.

Only five words are used to express the meaning of the question. The last sentence makes it clear that in order to understand human relations and to make people familiar with each other, it must be achieved through the establishment of schools and education. It can be said that the sage did not say it. .

This is the fundamental purpose of the eight-part article, to speak for the saints.

In other words, candidates should regard themselves as saints and say what the saints have not written in the book.

"Come again. Virtue is the foundation; wealth is the end." Another person said.

This sentence comes from "The Great Learning", which means: Morality is like the roots of a tree, and wealth is like the branches of the tree.

It is emphasized that a gentleman's virtue is the first and wealth is the last. There are four elements: virtue, wealth, origin, and end. The difficulty in solving the problem lies in explaining the relationship between these four elements without deviating from the sage's principles.

Jia Fang pondered for a moment and said: "With good virtue and manageable wealth, the difference between the root and the bottom is clear."

"Hiss... This is a good break! The divine machine coincides with it."

Everyone is recruiting people from all over the country, so how can they not distinguish between good and bad? This question hides the meaning of the sage: a gentleman should be cautious before he is virtuous. There is a person with virtue, there is earth for a person, there is wealth for someone with earth, and there is use for wealth.

This means that when a gentleman has cultivated his virtues, the people will naturally support him, and the wealth produced by the people will naturally be used by him, so it is called "rich in virtue and manageable wealth."

These six words profoundly explain the relationship between virtue and wealth, and they sound like a saint. This is called "entrance Qi".

"Then again, what if you can help others by giving generously to the people? Can it be called benevolence?"

This sentence comes from "The Analects" and was asked by Zigong to Confucius. It means: If a person can benefit the people extensively and help the people live a good life, what about this person? Can it be called benevolence?
This question is very difficult. It is a question from the Confucian classic "On Ren".

Because this sentence has rich meanings and has two questions, one is asking what this person is like, and the other is asking whether it can be called benevolence. When solving the problem, it is difficult to solve it perfectly without falling into the cliché.

It is not easy for ordinary people to solve all the three elements of "if there is something", "benefit the people" and "help the public", let alone still have the ability to solve the last two problems.

Jia Fang pondered for a moment and said: "Assuming that something is not easy to exist, the sage has not yet fully believed in its benevolence."

Everyone chewed in silence, "something that is not easy to have" refers to the two things of "giving to the people" and "helping the people", "suppose you have" means "if there is", the "sage" is Zigong, "I have not yet been convinced of his benevolence", The last two questions were accurately pointed out, and Zigong's mentality when he asked the questions was clearly understood.

The meaning is that if there is such a person, Zigong already thinks it is "benevolence" in his heart, why should he ask Confucius again? It is because he "has not yet convinced of his benevolence".

The four words "not yet convinced" are so exquisite that they vividly and meticulously portray the state of Zigong who has made a judgment in his heart but is not sure yet.

"Brother Nian is a great talent. We are willing to be inferior. How can we not be on the list? Let's cry out for brother Nian!" Everyone was filled with indignation and said with cupped hands.

Jia Fang sighed, waved her hands and said, "Thank you all. There are so many mediocre people like me, and the world is like this, what can I do?"

After saying that, he bowed his hands and left "sadly", looking like he was lost. (End of chapter)