A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 194 Seed (End)

Failing the exam is the norm.

Liang Qian sighed deeply at Song Xuan's carefree attitude.

If he were treated so unfairly, he would definitely not let it go.

As for the tempering, screw you!

He stood up for Song Xuan, but in fact Song Xuan himself knew his current strength.

When it comes to poetry and prose dominated by the Xikun style, he is still a little immature and has not fully mastered it.

"Now that we know the result, why don't we have dinner together at my place to celebrate for Han Qi, Fan Xian, and this new friend Liang Qian."

Song Xuan felt that anyone he knew who could fight his way out of a vast army was a capable person.

"it is good."

Song Xuan shouted, "Everyone, go to the West Market and buy some food you want to eat. I will pay for everything."

"Jiao Ming, take my classmates out for a walk. I'm going to take a shower first."

Of course Jiao Ming understood that there was a woman waiting in Song Xuan's room.

He naturally led the way and invited everyone out.

Zhang Fangping wanted to stay and talk with Song Xuan. He was a little worried that his twelfth brother was in a bad mood, so he pretended to be strong here.

Song Xuan shook his head and said that he wanted to be quiet for a while, so he asked them to go for a walk first.

Wait until everyone leaves.

Song Xuan rushed upstairs, which delayed him for a while.

"Good sister, how come you're all dressed in just a moment?"

Madam Gu came over and hugged Song Xuan:

"Good brother, it's getting late."

Song Xuan felt Mrs. Gu's tenderness and lowered his head to kiss her.

Mrs. Gu naturally understood her lover's reluctance to leave, but she was afraid that her maid would be back soon.

It's best if you and I know about this kind of thing.

"I hope you won't have these troubles affecting your exams next year."

Mrs. Gu stroked Song Xuan's cheek, feeling both guilty and distressed.

He was clearly a potential candidate for the imperial examination, but due to external factors he was unable to perform well.

"Don't worry, sister. I will calm down and study hard. I will pass the exam next year and show you how to do it."

Mrs. Gu felt that the young man in front of her exuded confidence from the inside out, which was very attractive to her.

Song Xuan carefully tidied Mrs. Gu's clothes.

Mrs. Gu was naturally very touched. She had never felt such a tender moment before.

If I could stay with Song Xuan, I would have no regrets in this life.

pity.

Song Xuan asked her to sit aside, and Mrs. Gu kissed him again, which made Song Xuan laugh.

Then he pretended to pick up a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals and lay on the chair.

At this moment, Tao Hong went upstairs and saw that they were already sitting seriously. He brought a pot of cold soup, refilled it for the two of them, and poured himself a cup.
Sit down.

Mrs. Gu was a little worried because she realized that the lip print on Song Xuan's face had not been completely erased.

"Master, I heard that someone wants to start the same business as us."

Tao Hong subconsciously touched his cheek.

Song Xuan got the hint and touched his face pretentiously: "You go ahead and talk."

Mrs. Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

Tao Hong then informed He San that someone had gone to test him and wanted to poach him.

This is what He San just said quietly. The person said he was from the Zhao family.

Is he the head of the silk industry?

Song Xuan nodded slightly: "It's okay, I've been waiting for them to come, you can just go and take a look later."

As they were talking, Wang Gui came up with her maid and heard Song Xuan and Tao Hong talking about business.

"Brother, you really didn't make the list."

Wang Gui looked at it carefully for a long time.

He really didn't know many words, but he knew the two words "Song Xuan".

"Well, that's fine. I'll take the exam again next year."

Madam Gu looked at her maid and saw that she nodded solemnly, then stood up.
"Shi Erlang, the Gu family will give you an explanation for this matter."

"Sister-in-law, you don't have to be like this. This is my own choice. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Your health is more important."

Mrs. Gu said goodbye with the help of her maid.

Song Xuan called Wang Gui to help him get home, after all, he still hadn't recovered from the cold.

Wang Gui sent the person out.

Although Mrs. Gu was in high spirits, her legs were a little weak and she leaned on the maid.

"Madam, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I just heard that news and I'm feeling uneasy and unsteady on my feet."

"Then let's rest for a while before going back."

"Need not."

Wang Gui asked the master and servant to wait, and he asked an idle man to call a sedan chair to take them back.

After everyone left, Tao Hong winked and said:
"Master, you are so brave!"

"Do you know what it means to be in love with each other?"

Song Xuan did not deny it. As long as they were not fools, they would know what this was.

Tao Hong leaned back in his chair and said, "Master, what do you want us to do? Let's kill that guy named Gu and get our sister-in-law back!"

"She will already be a widow by then, and we can't let her live like a widow any longer!"

"Oh, no need!"

Song Xuan quickly stopped his good brother from having such thoughts.

"We are all law-abiding people. Don't always resort to the same tricks as those on the mountain."

"It's okay. If you can't do it, it's okay for the brothers to do it."

Song Xuan put down the book in his hand and waved his hand:

"They all said that I extended Mr. Gu's life, but I just prevented him from dying instantly."

"This method is extremely risky, as you know."

"understood."

Tao Hong nodded and stopped asking questions.

Because in this situation, it would not be used unless you are about to die.

The risk is extremely high, and it is impossible to identify everyone's blood type, so we can only leave it to fate.

When they made this thing out of gold, they tested it on pigs, but the success rate was not high.

Pigs have a wider variety of blood types than humans.

"Master, did you really fail the exam, rather than there being some inside information?"

Tao Hong was actually very surprised that Song Xuan did not make the list.

After all, based on Song Xuan's ability, it's not surprising that he became the top scorer.

Unfortunately, he failed at the first step of the imperial examination.

Very abnormal.

Song Xuan nodded slightly: "Actually, I had some doubts in my heart."

"But when I think about the fact that Yan Shu is presiding over the imperial examination, he will definitely be biased towards me."

"And Cao Liyong is also an inspector sent by the court, and he intends to take me as his son-in-law."

"If something happens to me that I'm being targeted, he won't keep quiet."

"Even if I didn't make the list, if I answered the test a little better, they would have picked me up, at least to the same position as Fan Xiang."

"Maybe I'm just a little too arrogant. I look down on those students who fought so hard for the imperial examinations, and I underestimate everyone in the world."

"Right!"

Tao Hong just heard about it.

Few people from Song Xuan's small group made the list.

It seems that the competition this time is quite fierce.

Especially at night, when you spend so much energy, there will always be an impact.

Besides, he felt that Song Xuan studied, but he was always careless.

I guess I can only demonstrate some of my abilities by studying on weekdays.

This failure in the exam may allow the young master to focus more on his studies.

Anyway, they already had a targeted plan for opening a lottery shop. Song Xuan and the others were celebrating here.

Wang Zhu, Song Xuan's homeroom teacher, requested to see Song Xuan's test paper.

Even if he doesn't make the list, it's still good to see where his weaknesses are and provide targeted coaching.

Yan Shu waved his hand and said:
"I can tell you, but the test papers will never be shown to outsiders unless the person himself requests it."

"Song Xuan has problems in all four subjects, it's just a matter of whether there are more or fewer problems."

Fan Zhongyan was listening on the side, and he actually knew it.

Song Xuan's poems and essays are well written, but his temperament is still too erratic. I hope he can become more calm this time.

Wang Zhu frowned, "Prefect Yan, I'm his teacher, so don't I have the authority to read the papers?"

"It makes no sense."

Yan Shu didn't want too many people to get involved, he just comforted:

"Song Twelve has only been in the academy for a little over two months, and the academy hasn't given him much experience or knowledge. Go back and teach him well for a year. By the time the exam is held next year, he will surely be able to rank first in the exam."

"Because the result has already been determined and sent to the court, it's impossible to change it. There's no point in looking at his paper."

Seeing that he could not persuade Yan Shu, Wang Zhu quickly looked at Fan Zhongyan who was sitting next to him.

"Dean, please say something!"

Fan Zhongyan stood up and said to Yan Shu:
"I will certainly teach the students of my academy carefully, so I won't bother Mr. Yan any more. Let's go."

Wang Zhu found it hard to accept for a moment.

After they left the house, Fan Zhongyan stopped Wang Zhu from talking:
"You must believe that Lord Yan will not collude with the Dou family to suppress Song Twelve."

"It's because of what happened that Song Twelve can't display his full strength, especially in poetry. He still lacks the ability to use parallelism, and he only has a superficial understanding of the Xikun style. He even fabricates nonsense. This is absolutely unacceptable. You should teach him a good lesson."

"what?"

"Mr. Yan just told me that Song Xuan used allusions, but they were all fabricated stories of his own. He fooled the other examiners, but he failed to fool the prodigy Yan Shu. You should let him keep his feet on the ground."

After listening to Fan Zhongyan's explanation, Wang Zhu felt his scalp tingling.

He had experienced several examinations and had seen many of his classmates perform in the imperial examinations.

However, he compiled allusions on the spot and dared to use them in the imperial examinations.

not a single one!

Song Twelve is really brave!
"Dean, I understand the seriousness of this matter."

Wang Zhu finally resolved his issue: "I will definitely teach him well in the future."

"Ah."

Fan Zhongyan also felt that Song Xuan was a very wild child.

Others treat the imperial examination with great caution, fearing that something might go wrong.

It would be good for him. If his behavior of disrespecting the chief examiner were to be spread out, how would he be able to win a reputation in the imperial examinations in the future?
After Shi Yannian looked at the list, he finally gave up.

He had already decided to follow Song Xuan's advice and become an official.

But as soon as he entered the door, he saw many classmates washing and cleaning there, and also preparing ingredients for the barbecue in the evening.

Shi Yannian also knew that Song Xuan was not on the list, and expressed sympathy for him.

"Shi Er Lang, I have made up my mind. I have decided to accept the position of the Third Shift."

"congratulations."

Song Xuan was about to offer Shi Yannian a glass of cold water, but immediately took it back:
"You should drink more boiled water in the future, and drink less of this sweet stuff."

Emperor Zhenzong of Song selected those who failed to pass the imperial examination three times and appointed them to the third class of officials.

In fact, it was just a separate policy given by Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

This is to prevent those who fail to pass the imperial examination from starving to death in the future because they have no other skills.

At least I can eat the emperor's food!
During the Song Dynasty, military positions were divided into three groups: East, West, and Horizontal.

Those who entered the officialdom first served as temporary officials in the third class, then transferred to the third class as full-time officials, and were promoted in sequence, with the highest position they could reach being a Jiedushi.

The Song Dynasty adopted the policy of using civil power to control military power, so few scholars wanted to switch to this field.

Shi Yannian felt deeply ashamed at the time and refused to accept it.

If Song Xuan had not persuaded him once, Shi Yannian would have changed his mindset and failed the exam twice again eight years later before he really gave up and listened to the advice of Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Zhibai and accepted it.

Because of his father, although he had the status of a palace guard, he eventually became the Taizhu of the Taichang Temple. After serving as an official for nine years, he died of alcoholism and illness.

"what?"

Shi Yannian never imagined that he would have to avoid so many things.

"Your liver is like being soaked in a jar of wine day and night. I don't know how many years it will take for your liver to be freed from the jar."

Shi Yannian understood. Of course, he didn't know the scientific name of alcoholic liver disease, but Song Xuan's words were so easy to understand that he kept them in mind.

"Twelfth brother."

Su Xun and his second brother Su Huan appeared at the door of the shop: "I'm back from Tokyo."

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan had just finished talking with Shi Yannian when he took a few quick steps and hit Su Xun with a stick:

"Good boy, you didn't come back as a beggar."

"This is my second brother Su Huan. With him protecting me, how could I become a beggar?"

Su Huan was a newly-minted Jinshi this year. He had heard Song Xuan's name countless times. Since his younger brother had a playboyish temperament, the friends he could make with him must also be playboys.

After meeting him today, Su Huan changed his prejudice.

"It's Second Brother Su." Song Xuan saluted.

Su Huan returned the gift with reserve. He was a calm person, unlike Su Xun who was so outgoing.

"Twelfth brother, I heard that the results were announced today. Did you get the top scorer?"

Su Xun had a proud look on his face.

He had boasted to his second brother countless times about his good elder brother Song Xuan.

Whether it is reading or talent, it is leverage.

In the future, he will surely become the top scholar, become famous in Donghua School, and be known to the world.

"Let Sanlang know that not only did I not pass the exam this time, I actually failed."

"what?"

Su Xun was completely stunned and subconsciously retorted:

"Impossible, you must be being targeted!"

"Is it the Dou family?"

"Yes and no."

Song Xuan explained it to Su Xun.

Although he was assassinated and mistakenly captured at night, it was ultimately because of his lack of knowledge that he failed to make the list.

Su Huan was full of surprise. This matter actually happened. Didn't the court care about it?
Wang Tai and others were very new to buying vegetables and meat.

Because they have hardly ever done this kind of work.

"I never thought mutton would be so expensive. Few people buy it!"

"Yes."

As for Fan Xiang.

I usually eat for free, or pick up some rotten vegetable leaves. I rarely spend money to buy anything. If I have extra money, I would buy more rice.

"If I ever become a county magistrate, I will definitely go to the market in plain clothes and take a look. If anyone dares to sell at an exorbitant price without permission, they will be severely punished."

"Hahaha, you should pass the imperial examination first."

"Everyone of us failed the exam, what is there to be proud of?"

"Well, you'll see what happens next year."

Everyone was laughing and joking.

Han Qi, who was always taciturn, came over:

"Shi Er Lang, if you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask."

"Thank you."

Song Xuan knew Han Qi's temper. This kid was a bit of a fool. He didn't want to talk at all, just like Zhu Yu.

The two chatted for a while.

Song Xuan raised his wine glass and said with a smile:

"Everyone, those who passed today will need to work hard in the provincial exams in the future, and those of us who didn't pass will have to catch up."

"Just listen to what Brother Twelve said. We must study hard and wait until next year to take the test to show our prowess!" Zhang Fangping held his breath in his heart.

"Okay, I, Wang Tai, will never let you look down on me."

"cheers."

"Dry!"

(End of Volume 1)

(End of this chapter)