A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 196: Top Scholar's Notes
Master Wang Zhu looked very solemn.

The last time the test was held, many students in Class A who should have passed the test failed, but that didn't make him look so serious.

Anyway, the last time was just a test of the waters. We have only been studying in the academy for more than two months, so more problems are bound to be exposed.

Today's news is like a bolt from the blue.

Because the difficulty has increased a lot.

Those "old students" who have passed the Fajie exam are experienced and will further seize the places of students who have not taken the Fajie exam.

By then, there will be even fewer new people emerging.

The students in Class A sat upright, not knowing what the teacher was going to announce.

"Everyone, please be quiet. The court has issued new rules regarding the imperial examination."

Involving new rules for the imperial examinations.

Everyone in the school naturally quieted down.

Who in the room doesn’t want to get a good score in the exam?

Therefore, everyone attached great importance to the court's reform of the imperial examination system.

Wang Zhu quickly explained what had happened.

In short, only those who pass the provincial examination, like Wang Yaochen, do not have to take the examination again.

To put it bluntly, the three-year deadline for the trial is the same as if it had not been set at all.

As soon as the news came out, the classroom was filled with wailing.

No one sitting in this class is stupid.

Of course I understand what Wang Zhu meant.

That is, if you fail the provincial examination, you have to start all over again.

In the past, if you passed the test, you didn’t have to retake it.

There is no such thing.

This is tantamount to doubling the difficulty for everyone to pass the test.

Song Xuan exhaled:

"As expected, the path of learning is like sailing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will fall behind. The words of the sage really didn't lie to me."

Zhu Yu beside him nodded:

"The imperial examination is becoming increasingly difficult. Does Shi Erlang still have confidence this time?"

"Of course, let him be as strong as he wants, the breeze blows over the hills." Song Xuan chuckled twice:
"Otherwise, how could I study so frantically these days?"

Zhu Yu admired Song Xuan's ability to speak so eloquently. As a member of the small group, he knew how hard Song Xuan worked, so he didn't say anything more.

Zhang Fangping glanced at Wang Yaochen beside him, who seemed to be extremely capable.

Many people passed the provincial examinations and even if they were rejected in the palace examinations, they were still one step closer to becoming an official.

That is why there are some privileges in the imperial examinations.

I just wonder if there are many people like Wang Yaochen?

Thousands of people passed the provincial examinations, but only a few hundred finally entered the palace examinations, and then a certain number of people were eliminated.

"Shi Er Lang, are you feeling any pressure?"

Wang Tai was really panicked after hearing the news.

Otherwise, why do we say that the mentality of these scholars is much worse than Song Xuan's?

Song Xuan shook his head:
"Of course, I'm not under any pressure. The difficulty of the provincial exam will increase, but the number of people taking the provincial exam will also decrease accordingly. Those who do will not necessarily be able to pass the exam successfully."

When Wang Tai heard this, he was immediately surprised.

As long as you pass the Fajie exam, there will be fewer competitors.

Even if they are all the best in their respective states, who dares to fight them in Tokyo?

its not right!
"We didn't even pass the test!"

"It's passed this time, that's all."

Song Xuan's words were so casual that Wang Tai didn't dare to respond for a moment.

The difficulty of the test will only be harder than last year.

How is it possible to do it just by touching the upper lip to the lower lip?
After all, Wang Tai didn’t make the list last time, and he couldn’t hold his head up.

All of them behaved themselves.

For fear that someone would mention that this wasn't so-and-so's ranking in the entrance exam, in the end, none of them made the list.

On the contrary, Fan Xiang, who ranked last in the exam, made the list.

Even though Wang Tai was the son of the prime minister, he had no confidence to refute.

After all, when it comes to the imperial examination, food is the original sin.

It’s useless even if you are the prime minister’s son!
If you have the ability, show your strength and become the top scorer in the exam.

Even if you can't get the top spot in the imperial examination, you won't be stopped by the first hurdle, the test, right?

Wang Tai's two elder brothers became officials through imperial favor, so naturally some people advised him to do the same.

Wang Tai was unwilling to do so, thinking that the Wang family depended on him to revive.

However, Shi Yannian's example made Wang Tai extremely uncomfortable.

Although he was confident, he didn't want to end up with nothing, so he could only grit his teeth and follow Song Xuan's footsteps and start learning.

Therefore, he had heard a lot of such sarcasm.

Song Xuan didn't care at all.

He even publicly fought back with words like "Three years in the east, three years in the west" and "Don't bully the young and poor".

The other party was left speechless.

Because no matter how much they refute, they can't say anything more encouraging than this.

Unless Song Xuan really fails the exam three years later, people will have the opportunity to continue mocking him.

Although everyone gathered together to study in the past, the small group was not headed by Song Xuan.

But after failing the exam.

If we talk about the one with the best mentality, it has to be Song Xuan.

They really can't refuse to accept it!

Song Xuan also didn't understand why the mental quality of these scholars was so poor?
He could only blame it on the lack of social beatings.

Besides, there are only more than 10,000 competitors.

As candidates from the four provinces of Shanhe, there are more than hundreds of thousands of competitors every time from the junior high school entrance examination to the college entrance examination.

The number of candidates in Henan is often around one million, and the highest is even over 1.3 million, which is more than the current population of Tokyo.

Song Xuan didn't feel panicked because he was competing with ten or twenty thousand people.

In some places, the number of applicants for a single civil service position even exceeded 20,000.

Compared with it, the competition at this moment is nothing!

"Dear classmates."

Wang Zhu once again signaled for everyone to be quiet:

"I can tell you that once this new rule is promulgated, the number of candidates taking the exam in Yingtian Prefecture this year will be much higher than last time. This time, the number of candidates will truly be one in a hundred, or even higher."

"oops."

"Master Wang, please stop talking. It's summertime and my heart is chilled."

"Hurry up and let Shi Er Lang save you. I heard him say that he can save people with a kiss."

"I wanted to learn from him, but he was too stingy to teach me."

"Hahaha."

When some people wail, others make jokes.

"Oh oh oh."

Ever since Fan Xiang passed the test, he has been filled with joy.

Listening to the teacher's words at this time, I immediately felt lucky.

If he were to take the test again this year, he probably wouldn't even be the last one on the list.

This really cannot be separated from luck and is also a proof of strength.

When he was in the mutual aid study group with Song Xuan and others, Fan Xian had no intention of slacking off. His goal was to take the provincial examination.

At that time, all the scholars who are good at taking exams in the entire Song Dynasty will gather together to take the exam.

The difficulty can be imagined.

Han Qi and Fan Xiang looked at each other.

They really caught up with this last session.

"Hey hey hey."

Han Qi also laughed out loud unexpectedly.

Because just thinking about this kind of thing makes me feel lucky.

The story continued in the classroom.

The students in Class A were all saying things like "It's too difficult, what should we do?"

They are all pretending there!

Everyone tried hard to hold back and prove their ability in the examination room.

……

Song Hao held the top scholar's notebook tightly in his hand.

The expression on his face was extremely ugly.

"Twelfth brother is really ungrateful!"

After listening to his fifth brother's words, Song Ming got used to it.

These two brothers don't get along.

You shouldn't hang out in the same family.

These three brothers really don't like each other.

Of course, the main reason is that Song Xuan dislikes his two brothers.

Everyone is mutual.

Song Ming felt that if anyone was to blame, it should be his third uncle.

Not only did he act recklessly himself, he also failed to educate his sons, causing them to become a loose group.

"Fifth brother, don't be angry. Twelfth brother is young and full of vigor. He is confident that he can pass the exam."

Song Ming would never add fuel to the fire.

He had long understood the strength of his cousin!
Not to mention that the court officials couldn't do anything to him, the renovated dormitories and classrooms of the academy were all paid for by him, Song Xuan.

In addition, at night, whether it was lamp oil or candles, each one of them was paid with real money!
The only lottery bookstore in Songcheng that survived was his and Mr. Lei's shop.

In addition to three-star lottery, there is also five-star lottery, and so on.

At first glance, the layout is the same as in Lema Town.

The two of them teamed up to shut down the other shops selling cold paste and make money for themselves.

Song Xuan also organized donations to the academy with the merchants of the silk guild, and the students of Yingtian Academy all remembered his kindness.

Song Ming admitted that Song Xuan really didn't take money seriously and was willing to spend it. However, he didn't treat his cousins ​​with special care, and they just interacted with each other casually.

"Twelfth brother, he really is!"

Song Hao wanted to curse, but he held it back. He paused for a moment:
"The top scholar's notes are so precious!"

"Ordinary people want this opportunity, but it's impossible to get it!"

"Now it's right in front of him. Is it worth it to sacrifice your future for that little bit of face?"

"Swindler!"

"Wasn't the lesson he learned from the last test enough?"

"Does he really think he can pass this test?"

"Song Twelve still wants to take the imperial examination. Let him dream on!"

Song Hao was so angry that he was gasping for breath and holding onto the tree trunk.

This top scholar's notes were kept very well by Song Hao.

Apart from their brothers, no one else was shown it.

This is like a secret!
If you study well, your achievements will rise sharply and surpass many people.

Who would easily spread the news?

Of course Song Ming remembered.

At that party, Brother Song Yang was surrounded by everyone.

He also knew that Song Qi looked down on their branch of the Song family, thinking that they were trying to force their relationship by flattering others.

It is just as Song Xuan said: If you are poor in a busy city, no one will know you; if you are rich in the mountains, you will have distant relatives; even ungrateful relatives and friends cannot be separated.

The two brothers are like those ungrateful relatives who are willing to bow their heads for their own future.

Because when you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

Song Ming knew that his twelfth brother was different!
He would not easily bow his head even to high-ranking officials in the court, let alone others.

In fact, Song Ming also felt embarrassed that time. The feeling of being ridiculed was really unpleasant.

But he had no strength to resist and could only endure it silently.

Song Ming really couldn't do anything as decisive and straightforward as his twelfth brother.

"Fifth brother, you also know Twelfth Brother's temper. Perhaps he will only understand your painstaking efforts after he falls a few more times."

Song Ming's words of comfort did not make him feel better, and his face was filled with anger:

"You also know that the Song Yang brothers built two champion buildings in their hometown, and their hometown was renamed Shuangta Town."

"If the three of us brothers excel in the palace examination, it will become a great story!"

"Why doesn't he understand our painstaking efforts?"

Song Ming nodded: "Fifth brother is right."

But neither of us has the ability to become the top scorer in the imperial examination.

Even if we win by numbers, is there nothing worth promoting?
and many more.

Song Ming suddenly reacted.

Who said the Soong brothers didn’t have the potential to be the top scholar?

My twelfth brother Song Xuan has it!

Last time, there were reasons why he didn't do well in the exam, but this time it might not be the same.

Just now, the twelve brothers spoke frankly and were clearly aiming for the title of top scholar.

Could it be that the fifth brother wants to emulate the story of the Song Yang brothers?

The younger brother got the first place in the exam, and the empress dowager felt that the older brother should not be ranked behind the younger brother, so she promoted the older brother to the top scorer?
Song Ming suddenly had an idea and thought of this possibility!

But he was a cautious man, so he did not express his doubts.

Song Hao was still a little unwilling:
"Seventh brother, how can we make him accept it?"

Song Ming did not respond to this.

He felt that his twelfth brother was too indulgent to his fifth brother.

If the twelfth brother had not turned a blind eye to the fact that the fifth brother plagiarized his poems, the fifth brother would not have such an illusion today!

Besides, with this top-scoring notebook, can I definitely pass the provincial exam?
That’s not necessarily the case.

So there was no need for him to say anything.

"Song Wulang, come quickly, the Master has something to announce."

The two Song brothers hurried back to the classroom and heard a bolt from the blue.

The ones who were hit the hardest were students like them who had passed the preparatory examination but failed the provincial examination.

Now he returned to the starting point and took part in the test with Song Xuan and others.

This will increase many risks!
Who can guarantee that he can pass the test every time?
Song Hao stood there in a daze for a moment, wanting to take the test again!

"Fifth brother, there is a risk."

"Don't be afraid, we have the top scorer's notes."

Song Hao carefully patted the notes in his arms.

"No matter what, the advantage is mine!"

Wait until after school.

Song Xuanxin thought of getting a small pendant to amuse children and hanging it on the bed to coax her to play.

After all, she is my own daughter.

Even if others don't feel pain, you will feel pain.

"Twelfth Brother, what did you do with Divine Doctor Wang at noon?"

"Waiting for someone to have a baby."

Zhang Fangping was surprised. "Ah? You can even do the work of a midwife?"

"No, the main purpose is to save Gu Zimo's father. He is so exhausted that he just wants to have a grandson. If he has a granddaughter all of a sudden, he might die."

"Oh?"

Zhang Fangping nodded slightly, "Gu deserves it."

He had seen his twelfth brother taking Madam Gu's pulse, carefully explaining some matters regarding pregnancy, and even massaging her legs and feet.

In short, they are all medical matters, and Zhang Fangping doesn’t quite understand them.

Anyway, he was just a virgin and really couldn't see any love between men and women.

In Zhang Fangping's mind, Song Xuan is a person who is eager to help others and is indecisive.

Otherwise, no one would have rescued Mr. Gu, and would not have taken care of his wife out of resentment.

"Twelfth brother, there will be more people taking the Fajie exam this year. I suspect that the questions given by Prefect Yan will be even more difficult."

"It's difficult, so it is."

Song Xuan patted Zhang Fangping's shoulder indifferently:

"Just answer the questions carefully, and don't forget how many simulations we've gone through these days."

Compared to other students.

As soon as the weekend came, Song Xuan organized the members of the Qinglong Mutual Aid Study Group to practice the tactic of doing a lot of questions.

Anyway, I just spent a day and half a night to finish the exam, and then check for any gaps I missed.

These people were all tortured by Song Xuan's learning method.

As a result, many people feel powerless.

Song Xuan didn't care.

This is just a little bit of what my teacher taught me. As long as I get numb to the test, I won't be too nervous when I'm actually in the exam room.

The tactic of doing a lot of questions does have a certain effect.

At least you can find out where your shortcomings are and make continuous improvements.

Zhang Fangping recalled the mock test questions given by his twelfth brother and sighed again.

It will continue during the next rest period.

"When will this day end?"

Zhang Fangping sighed and followed Song Xuan.

When he got home, the food was ready and Zhang Fangping had gained some weight, no longer as thin as before.

"My uncle told me to go see him tomorrow. I guess it's about the new rules, and he wanted to give me some encouragement."

Song Xuan responded, but his mind was spinning with thoughts about what kind of toys to get for his daughter.

It’s a pity that we haven’t even met each other yet.

I originally asked my sister to eat an apple every day, but I didn’t know if it would work.

Zhang Fangping was talking to himself, but Tao Hong knew that the young master's mind had long gone elsewhere.

My sister-in-law gave birth to a child, but we don’t know whether it’s a boy or a girl.

When Zhang Fangping went to take a shower, Tao Hongcai asked at the dinner table:

"Master, is it a son or a daughter?"

"It's my daughter." Song Xuan chuckled twice:
"It's a pity that we haven't met yet. Especially now that the weather is hot, confinement isn't very comfortable, and I haven't been able to take care of you."

"congratulations."

Tao Hong and others laughed out loud, saying that this was the young master's flesh and blood.

"I'll set up a table when I have time, and we'll celebrate."

"We have to celebrate properly."

Song Xuan wiped the grease from his mouth and said, "I don't think the Gu family likes this granddaughter very much. They will have to take her to live next door to us."

Anyway, for safety reasons, the houses on both sides have been bought a long time ago.

There was no prohibition on widows remarrying in the Song Dynasty.

Song Xuan thought for a moment and said, "If any of you have a partner and want to get married, you can live in either courtyard. But I think Sister Qian will move in first after a while. This family business needs someone to look after it."

"We'll have to hire a nanny then."

Tao Hong thought about it and didn't respond:

"When the time comes, hire He San's mother to serve as a waiter. We are all familiar with each other and have experience."

"Ah."

Song Xuan nodded slightly. This was his first idea, and he would find a chance to ask her opinion later.

"By the way, Master, there's a letter from Su Xun. It's already in the study."

"it is good."

Song Xuan stood up and went back to the study to wash up later.

Sitting at the table, he opened Su Xun's letter.

"Twelfth brother, I know you are going to take the test again."

"I was bored at home. Although I envied my second brother for passing the imperial examination and having people from my hometown come to greet him from dozens of miles away, I still couldn't concentrate on my studies. My father asked me to go out for a walk, and I agreed immediately!"

"So guess where I am writing to you now?"

(End of this chapter)