Chapter 149 – Rogue Scholar (25)
Zhou Song was working as an academic commissioner in the prefecture next door and and he was in charge of the xiucai exam. But he was not in charge of the provincial exam. In fact, he was not a big official, and his hands couldn't reach the Donggu County.
But he is an official after all.
Therefore, since he and the Wei family fell out, and the Wei family is in Donggu County, each day is worse than the last
First of all, the academy where Wei Zhiyuan teaches, don't want Wei Zhiyuan.
Teaching in the academy, at most half a day of classes per day, there are many holidays, and a monthly income of several dozen taels of silver. They can also stay in the academy with other scholars to discuss knowledge... How many people want such a job?
Wei Zhiyuan offended someone, so his position also changed.
Previously, when Wei Zhiyuan had this income, it still wasn't enough to pay for his living expenses in Fucheng. Now without this income, he is reluctant to return to Donggu County, or he should say that he feels ashamed and unwilling to return to Donggu County. He had to ask for silver taels from his family every month.
Moreover, the clansmen in the Wei family blamed them, and the Li family squeezed them out. Even the thugs in Donggu County especially like to trouble the Wei family's industry.
Wouldn't the Wei family's life become more and more difficult?
All of this is known to Yan Jing Ze, after all, he used to be the head of the thugs.
Donggu County thugs will look for trouble with the Wei family and will come to him to claim credit...
Now that he has become a xiucai, these thugs have a different attitude towards him. They are both respectful and fearful of him. Yan Jing Ze also advised them to stop making trouble, but unfortunately, their parents are not good at managing them, he naturally cannot help.
And he has his own life to live, it is impossible to keep in charge of others.
He is now living his little life with Wei Lingxiu in Xing'an Village. He only goes to the Wei's bookstore every few days to borrow a few books and exchange his calligraphy.
Such a life is simply a fairy day for him, especially since he and Wei Lingxiu are now a real couple.
It's no wonder that men in this world want to marry a wife when they are old. At night, someone warms the bed and nobody warms the bed, it's really different!
The night before, Wei Lingxiu had been "flogged", and Yan Jing Ze was full of energy the next day.
"You are not allowed to talk to me about the law today." Wei Lingxiu was a little listless: "I like to write poems and I didn't force you to write poems with me!"
Yan Jing Ze: "..." OK! Follow all your orders!
Yan Jing Ze suddenly thought of something: "The food at home is almost gone. Today is the day to go to the market. Let's go shopping?"
Wei Lingxiu was "punished" a lot last night. He felt a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to go, but he didn't want to stay at home alone, so he finally agreed, "Okay."
"It's okay, we are going by boat, you won't be tired." Yan Jing Ze knew Wei Lingxiu's mind and added a sentence.
Wei Lingxiu wanted to go even more.
He is now a xiucai and he is treated respectfully when he goes out! It feels so good!
Today is the day to go to the market, Xing'an Village has specially built a boat to the county seat for people who want to go to the market.
As soon as Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu passed, someone gave way, but this time it was not because of fear, but because of respect.
"Master Xiucai is here! Master Xiucai, sit in the middle, it's more comfortable in the middle."
"You have to go to the market too!"
"Master Xiucai, what are you going to buy?"
...
People in Xing'an Village asked Wei Lingxiu one after another.
Although Yan Jing Ze didn't hit people now and was kind to people, they were still a little afraid of him, but Wei Lingxiu... From the beginning, no one was afraid of Wei Lingxiu.
Wei Lingxiu answered one by one.
The people in the village couldn't help but envy him while talking to him.
Everyone knew about him and Yan Jing Ze.
They used to think he was miserable, but now they don't think so. With Wei Lingxiu and Yan Jing Ze behind their backs, some people secretly regret — had they known that Yan Jing Ze could change so much after "marriage" and not be an asshole at all, they would have married their daughter to Yan Jing Ze back then!
There was a time when Yan Jing Ze overheard someone say so, he was especially speechless, these people did not think about the matter of him liking men at all?
The boat weaved its way through the river and it didn't take long to reach the county seat.
Today is the Market Day, and on both sides of the streets in Donggu County, there are some stalls that are not usually available, from all kinds of snacks to all kinds of gadgets.
Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu bought a lot of things and went to the restaurant together.
The two ordered food, but they have to wait a while... Yan Jing Ze looked at Wei Lingxiu: "Lingxiu, I forgot to buy something, now I'm going out."
Wei Lingxiu nodded: "Okay."
Yan Jing Ze smiled, touched his hand, turned and left.
Before, he thought about coaxing Wei Lingxiu and asked the silversmith in the county seat to make a hair crown with a piece of good-quality silver he got. He planned to take it now and give it to Wei Lingxiu when he returned home.
Yan Jing Ze left soon. Wei Lingxiu was too lazy to move, so he slowly drank the chrysanthemum tea given to him by the little servant boy. He was drinking it when he suddenly saw seven or eight men in their 20s and 30s entering the restaurant.
Wei Lingxiu subconsciously lowered his head – he recognized these people!
Aren't these people the same people who robbed him of his money and beat him a year and a half ago, only to be beaten away by Yan Jing Ze?
It was because of these people that he got to know Yan Jing Ze.
Wei Lingxiu was a little scared, but soon thought that he is now a xiucai, and these people do not dare to make a move on him no matter what.
Thinking so, Wei Lingxiu relaxed, and at the same time, those people took their seats diagonally behind him.
There was a screen between them and the people over there couldn't see him. Wei Lingxiu became more relaxed, and at the same time, began to listen to those people.
According to those people, they had just collected a sum of money back and were rewarded before they came to the restaurant to eat.
Speaking of which, someone from those people suddenly said: "Unfortunately, Brother Yan is no longer doing this work. When we go to collect money, it takes a lot more effort. If Brother Yan is in, just throw people on the water, who wouldn't give money?"
"Yes, Brother Yan has the best skills."
"I really didn't expect that he could still pass the xiucai exam!" Another person said.
Wei Lingxiu was taken aback.
Before, hearing those people say "Brother Yan", he did not think much of it, after all, there are many people in Xing'an Village who have the same surnames, but now they mentioned a xiucai... this Brother Yan is Yan Jing Ze, right?
Wei Lingxiu tensed up and listened carefully.
"Brother Yan can really accomplish anything! What he wants, he can definitely get. Like the young master of the Wei family, after he took a fancy, didn't he get it?"
"Yes, we also accompanied him in a play!"
"When Brother Yan got the young master of the Wei family at that time, his hand became much more generous."
"Yeah... I thought he was playing around with Young Master Wei but I didn't expect it to be genuine."
......
At the beginning, Yan Da received money from others to lead Wei Lingxiu astray, but his mouth was still quite tight, and did not tell other people.
In addition, Wei Lingxiu later gave him a lot of money... The money spent by these thugs during that time was all cheated by Yan Da from Wei Lingxiu.
Of course, they have such thoughts now because of the attitude of Yan Jing Ze this year...
At this moment, after someone mentioned this matter, another person immediately said: "You do not want to live anymore? How dare you say this, be careful of being beaten by Brother Yan! The last time someone said something bad about the young master, have you forgotten what happened to him?"
"Right... What Brother Yan said at that time, not a bit of information can be revealed."
"Don't say it, don't say it."
"Drink, let's drink!"
......
These people ate and drank again, and some other things were said in the middle, all related to the casino.
Wei Lingxiu: "..."
Before, Yan Jing Ze was really a casino thug?
Their first encounter was also deliberately arranged by Yan Jing Ze?
Wei Lingxiu was thinking about this when the little servant boy came to serve food, and at the same time, Yan Jing Ze also came back.
"Lingxiu..." As soon as Yan Jing Ze came back, he smiled and greeted Wei Lingxiu. At the same time, because he was tall, he saw an acquaintance sitting behind the screen behind Wei Lingxiu.
Yan Jing Ze hurriedly looked at Wei Lingxiu's expression and found that Wei Lingxiu's expression was the same as before. He was finally relieved and winked at the person who saw him behind the screen.
The casino thugs: "......" They saw their boss and seemed to hear their boss calling that Young Master Wei's name?
That Young Master Wei was sitting near them, did he hear their words?
That is what their boss told them not to reveal...
These thugs were all stunned. After looking at each other, seeing that the dishes were not yet served, they went straight away.
Yan Jing Ze stood up quickly, blocking Wei Lingxiu's line of sight.
"What are you doing?" Wei Lingxiu looked at Yan Jing Ze, pretending not to understand.
"It's nothing... I bought you a gift," Yan Jing Ze said and took out the hair crown he had just bought to Wei Lingxiu: "I think this hair crown is especially suitable for you."
Wei Lingxiu took a look and surprisingly found that there were words engraved inside: "Bought it?"
"I didn't buy it, I had it custom made," Yan Jing Ze coughed lightly.
Wei Lingxiu smiled and took it: "I like it very much."
At this time, the thugs had already left, and Yan Jing Ze finally relaxed and sat down, ready to eat.
At this time, Wei Lingxiu asked: "Brother Yan, when did you like me?"
Yan Jing Ze said: "The first time I saw you, I felt very fond of you, so you should be my wife!"
Wei Lingxiu glared at Yan Jing Ze and sighed secretly.
He firmly believed that Yan Jing Ze was not a casino thug before, but he did not expect that Yan Jing Ze was indeed...
What else can he do? Can only pretend not to know.
Just... the person he likes is too stupid. He has liked him for so long but didn't say it earlier.
Thinking about it this way, when the hotel's signature braised duck came up, Wei Lingxiu tore a duck leg to Yan Jing Ze: "Brother Yan, you can eat more to replenish your brain."
"My brain is very good."
"So, all the more reason to make up for it!" Wei Lingxiu said.
Yan Jing Ze tore another duck leg to Wei Lingxiu: "You also eat to replenish."
Wei Lingxiu: "...you think my brain is not good?"
Yan Jing Ze hurriedly said, "No! Absolutely not! My family's Lingxiu is the smartest."
Only then did Wei Lingxiu eat up.
Yan Jing Ze breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Wei Lingxiu's attitude towards him was the same as before. He probably didn't see the former "little brothers" of the original owner, or he saw but those people didn't say anything.
That's good!
He ate in big bites, and at the same time, he put the dishes that Wei Lingxiu likes in front of Wei Lingxiu. He is not a picky eater, so the dishes they ordered are all Wei Lingxiu's favorites...
Wei Lingxiu: "......" Half of his table is almost piled up!
On the other side, those casino thugs arrived outside the restaurant, and they all broke out in a cold sweat.
"What to do?"
"It's over. It's over..."
"Will Brother Yan beat us?"
They thought about it, and finally someone said, "How about we go get the Wei family in some trouble? Brother Yan would be happy to see this..."
The Wei family: "......"
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ
Chapter 150 – Rogue Scholar (26 – Extra 2)
Yan Jing Ze passed the provincial examination without much surprise.
At this time, he was already very famous in the south, and he was a recognized scholar. Therefore, it was no surprise that the academic commissioner placed him as the jieyuan.
Wei Lingxiu did not take the provincial exam, he is still lacking in the end.
After the provincial examination, Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu lived in Fucheng for a period of time, discussed their knowledge with other juren, and learned a lot of things.
In September of this year, Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu are preparing to go to the capital to participate in the national examination next spring. By the way, Wei Lingxiu's adoption to Zhou family was also completed. After the three-year academic administration tenure, Zhou Song has already returned to the capital before they did.
Originally, Yan Jing Ze wanted to enter the capital later. Wei Lingxiu has not yet passed the juren exam and the provincial examination must be taken in his hometown. If he is admitted as a Jinshi official in the capital, they will be separated for a long time in the future when Wei Lingxiu returns to the village to take the provincial examination.
But Zhou Song said, because the Zhou family's ancestral home is near the capital, as long as Wei Lingxiu's adoption is done, Wei Lingxiu will be able to take the provincial examination near the capital in the future.
Upon learning of this, Yan Jing Ze took Wei Lingxiu to the north.
It was September when they set off.
Jiangnan's September, although the sky has cooled down, the weather is actually just right and is particularly comfortable, but all the way north, the situation is different.
They went north with other juren. Most of the time, they took a boat and hired a car in some places. The farther north they went, the colder it got.
"The weather is clean and clear, the frost is falling, the rooster crows in the morning, the geese fly south..." A juren sat on the bow of the boat, reciting a poem to the mountains by the river. However, as soon as he finished speaking, he sneezed and immediately wrapped his clothes tightly and hid in the cabin.
The wind on the boat was so strong that Wei Lingxiu was blown by the wind and rested the idea of composing a poem.
On the whole boat, Yan Jing Ze was completely unaffected, he was even excited to learn how to sail the boat.
"Brother Wei, Brother Yan is really...different!" a juren surnamed Wang said to Wei Lingxiu.
This Wang Juren was in his thirties, he was not too old, but also not too young. He was very rich, but he became less and less rich all the way to the north.
"Brother Yan is naturally different from ordinary people." Li Xiucai...no, now he should be called Li Juren. He respects Yan Jing Ze very much. He praises Yan Jing Ze every day and tells others by the way that he has a very good relationship with Yan Jing Ze.
"Brother Yan's body is very good." Wei Lingxiu was a little proud when he heard people praise Yan Jing Ze.
This journey is quite tiring. Among the fellow juren, some even fell ill halfway through and could only find a place to stay to recover from the illness. Yan Jing Ze is different... At this time, he still has the energy to toss him!
Wei Lingxiu felt that he was about to fall apart.
Fortunately, they are almost in the capital!
Since the beginning of winter, the weather in the capital has been getting colder day by day.
But in some restaurants, the atmosphere is very warm.
The national exam will be in the spring of the coming year. Right now, almost all the juren from all over the country have gathered in the capital.
And among them, the most famous one is a juren named Cai Shaozhang.
Cai Shaozhang was born in a big family, and when he was seven or eight years old, he made a poem that made people marvel, and after that, his fame became bigger and bigger every year.
He had already passed the juren exam and won the jieyuan rank before, this time, he went to the capital to participate in the national examination, and get the huiyuan rank.
Recently, his fame has spread in the capital, and his collection of poems has been sought after by countless people.
Cai Shaozhang participated in the literary meeting this day and made another poem. Someone praised him: "Good poem! Next year's spring examination, Brother Kong Lin will definitely be nominated for the Golden List."
Cai Shaozhang's courtesy name is Kong Lin, at this time, when he heard the compliments of others, his face showed a reserved smile to.
Another person said, "Brother Kong Lin may be able to achieve the jieyuan."
"It is very difficult to achieve jieyuan, you have a high opinion," Cai Shaozhang said. Although he said that, he showed some pride on his face.
Someone didn't enjoy seeing Cai Shaozhang like this and suddenly said, "Although Brother Kong Lin is very talented, I am afraid he cannot compare to another person."
Hearing the man's words, the crowd was curious, but Cai Shaozhang was frowning.
The person continued: "When I went to the capital to rush for the exam, I stayed in the Jiangnan area and learned that there was a man named Yan Jing Ze, who had the ability to never forget, and his brushstrokes were even more comparable to those of the previous dynasties."
Jiangnan is too far away from the capital. Although Yan Jing Ze has some reputation in Jiangnan, not many people know him in the capital.
"Saying he can never forget, many people can remember something for a short time, but after some days they will forget them, it is not much," Cai Shaozhang said.
Of course, there are people who can memorize things easily, but in the imperial examination, they do not necessarily have an advantage.
Because most of these people can only remember for a short time and they will forget it after a few days.
However, despite what Cai Shaozhang said, many people still praised Yan Jing Ze: "I have also heard this person's name."
"It is said that he used to be illiterate and didn't start studying until he was 18 years old, but in just one year, he passed the xiucai exam and became anshou!"
"I've seen his writing, and I really sighed to myself."
...
Most of the juren in Jiangnan have heard of Yan Jing Ze's name. They didn't mention it before because they are all scholars and don't want to praise others.
But now that Cai Shaozhang is too popular, some people have brought up Yan Jing Ze.
Cai Shaozhang did not believe it at all: "He just started reading and learning at the age of eighteen, and in one year, he passed the xiucai exam? That's ridiculous!"
"Brother Kong Lin, there are men beyond men."
"Whether it's a cat or a tiger, let's wait until I get past him!"
Yan Jing Ze has not yet entered the capital, there are already people thinking about him, but he knows nothing about it.
When they were on the boat, the wind was strong, so they always felt cold, but the last part of the journey was by car, so it was warm, but the road was too bumpy.
Yan Jing Ze took Wei Lingxiu in his arms and let Wei Lingxiu sit on himself, so he could also feel better.
The two of them hired a car separately. No one else knew about this. However, when taking a break on the road, Wang Juren rushed over and lifted the curtain...
The three looked at each other, Yan Jing Ze calmly released Wei Lingxiu's hand, but still held Wei Lingxiu: "Brother Wang, something is wrong?"
Wang Juren smiled awkwardly: "Nothing." He just suddenly couldn't remember the content of a book he had read before, so he wanted to ask Yan Jing Ze, but he didn't expect to encounter such a thing.
He thought about it too, why Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu were too good to each other...so that's it!
Wei Lingxiu was suddenly seen by someone. When he got out of the carriage and went to rest in the tea shed next to him, he was very uncomfortable. Seeing Wang Juren looking at him covertly, it was even more embarrassing, so he only went to talk to Li Juren.
As for Yan Jing Ze, he borrowed the kitchen from the people who run the teahouse and planned to make something to eat.
A tantalizing aroma came from the kitchen and they could see that Yan Jing Ze was cooking inside... Wang Juren came up to Wei Lingxiu and asked, "Brother Wei, how did you please Brother Yan?"
Wei Lingxiu's face changed.
Wang Juren said again, "I wonder if Brother Yan can see me..."
Wei Lingxiu stepped on the foot of Wang Juren.
Yan Jing Ze can't look at this fat guy!
Li Juren, who heard Wang Juren's words: "..." Brother Wang, you'd better look in the mirror before you say this.
"Brother Wei, forgive me...I just want to be able to discuss knowledge with Brother Yan day and night..." Wang Juren said. If there is someone beside him who can answer his questions at any time, he is willing to sell his body!
Wei Lingxiu increased the strength on his feet.
Wang Juren: "..." He was wrong!
Wang Juren was indeed wrong.
Before that journey, he approached Yan Jing Ze to ask questions, Yan Jing Ze has always had an answer, but since that day, Yan Jing Ze ignored him.
He didn't expect that such a big man like Yan Jing Ze would be afraid of his wife!
Wang Juren was extremely sad.
When they arrived in the capital, they separated.
These juren have different family backgrounds. The rich can live in good inns, while the ordinary ones can only borrow to live in the homes of the people or even live in the temples.
As for Wei Lingxiu and Yan Jing Ze, Zhou Song prepared a small courtyard for them in advance, just in time for them to live.
The house Zhou Song prepared was not big, and there were not many rooms inside, but the yard was not small, and there were a lot of flowers and plants planted in the yard.
Wei Lingxiu fell in love as soon as he arrived and Yan Jing Ze also liked it. They started directing the servants Zhou Song sent them to organize the house.
Seeing a pile of firewood in the corner of the yard, he was eager to try, and finally couldn't hold back to chop the firewood.
Wei Lingxiu: "...Brother Yan, let the servants chop the firewood." Zhou Song prepared a family of servants for them, a middle-aged couple in their thirties and their two sons and a daughter.
The middle-aged man is still very capable of working hard.
"I want to train my body," Yan Jing Ze said. He has been on the road all the way. He never had the opportunity to exercise. Occasionally, he would just throw Wei Lingxiu up and catch him... He always feels that the muscles and bones are stiff.
Alright... Wei Lingxiu didn't stop him.
It's better for Yan Jing Ze to chop firewood than to throw and catch him again.
He was not even thrown up and then caught when he was a child. He never thought he would be able to experience one when he grew up. At the beginning, he was scared!
He couldn't even scream—the soundproofing on the ship was not good!
It was really too hard for him!
Wei Lingxiu couldn't find anything to do, so he simply found some paper and prepared to paint Yan Jing Ze.
He likes painting very much recently, and he doesn't know how many times he has painted Yan Jing Ze along the way.
Wei Lingxiu painted very attentively. After he finished the painting, he wrote a poem: "The spring mountains are indifferent to the light smoke, and the misty ravine is filled with the sound of chopping wood."
Putting down the pen, Wei Lingxiu was extraordinarily satisfied with himself and picked it up and showed it to Yan Jing Ze: "Do you think I painted well?"
"It's a mess!" A voice suddenly said.
Wei Lingxiu froze, and only then did he realize that someone was actually watching him from the side.
It was a few literati in their 20s and 30s. The one who walked in the front was a young man with a tall stature. At this time, he grabbed his painting and said: "This painting is simply made by a child. As for the characters... Is this a calligraphy comparable to the masters of the previous dynasty?"
The person who spoke was none other than Cai Shaozhang.
After he learned that Yan Jing Ze came to the capital, he specially brought people to find Yan Jing Ze, and wanted to know Yan Jing Ze for a while.
The door of the yard was open, the servants were cleaning, and there was also a weak looking man wearing a crown who was painting... Cai Shaozhang naturally felt that this man was Yan Jing Ze.
And after he saw the man's calligraphy and painting...
To be honest, the painting of this man, although there is no skill, but it is full of emotion. He painted the man who was chopping the wood with great charm.
But that's all. He could have made such a painting when he was about ten years old!
As for the handwriting, it's not bad, but it's ordinary, at least his handwriting is better than this guy's!
"Who are you?" Wei Lingxiu frowned.
"Cai Shaozhang." Cai Shaozhang said: "You should have heard my name."
"Never heard of it." Wei Lingxiu said, "Return the painting to me."
"This kind of painting, I am ashamed to show it to people." Cai Shaozhang let go of his hand and said with contempt, "You really are... not living up to your fame!"
As a result, just as he finished speaking, he was given a heavy slap on the shoulder, and he staggered and almost fell.
When Cai Shaozhang raised his head, he saw the tall servant who was chopping wood before, standing beside him now, looking at him with an unpleasant expression, and added: "You're the one who's in a mess!"
Yan Jing Ze glared at Cai Shaozhang and then looked at Wei Lingxiu: "Lingxiu, you don't need to care about this lame man! You drew extremely well, I like it very much."
His Lingxiu is in his own home painting for fun, does he need others' evaluation? This person is really annoying.
Cai Shaozhang was "beaten" by someone, and suddenly became angry, and said to Wei Lingxiu, "Yan Jing Ze, is this how you are, you let your servant beat me?"
Among those who came with Cai Shaozhang, there were actually some who were dissatisfied with Cai Shaozhang, but at this time they also felt that the "Yan Jing Ze" was not doing the right thing.
Cai Shaozhang is still a scholar, how can he allow his servant to treat him like this?
"Who are you calling a servant?" Wei Lingxiu said angrily.
Yan Jing Ze also said: "Did you make a mistake? I'm the one who is Yan Jing Ze."
Cai Shaozhang and others: "..."
zʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ
Jieyuan – the juren who ranked first in provincial exam.
Juren – a qualified graduate who passed the triennial provincial exam.
Huiyuan – the gongshi who ranked first in national exam.
Gongshi – a recognized scholarly achiever who passed the triennial national exam.
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ
Chapter 151 – Rogue Scholar (27 – Extra 3)
After chopping firewood for a while, he felt hot, so he took off his long robe and cotton-padded jacket. Now he is wearing a thin white dress, so everyone can see clearly the shape of the muscles on his arms.
Coupled with his tall stature... everyone will think this is a servant who does hard labor.
As a result, this is Yan Jing Ze?
That Yan Jing Ze who is said to be no worse than Cai Shaozhang?
Wei Lingxiu also said at this time: "What do I have that is not worthy of my fame? I am just a xiucai!"
He is a xiucai who can draw such paintings and write such characters, he is already very good!
Cai Shaozhang was a little embarrassed for a while, but soon recovered, and said to Yan Jing Ze: "I want to have a match with you."
"Come on, it's okay to compare two games to three games." Yan Jing Ze threw the axe in his hand to the ground.
Cai Shaozhang subconsciously dodged to the side, his heart jumped – he was really afraid that Yan Jing Ze would cut him with the axe!
Yan Jing Ze admits that he lacks a bit in poetry, he lacks feelings.
But to be honest, the most famous poets throughout the ages, there are only dozens of amazing poems left behind, and most of them are made only when they have sentiments on specific scenes. If they really write one in the exam, it may not be possible to immediately make a poem that can be passed down through the ages.
And compared with these people, Cai Shaozhang is far inferior.
Therefore, in terms of poetry, Cai Shaozhang may not be able to compare Yan Jing Ze who has read a few years' worth of poetry.
As for the others...
Yan Jing Ze is now a walking library! This walking library is quite smart, he understands all the books he has read!
Cai Shaozhang alone, how can he memorize more than one "library"?
Cai Shaozhang came over aggressively, and competed with Yan Jing Ze, but eventually left in a desperate manner.
The existence of Yan Jing Ze was almost immediately known to the people of the capital and a number of scholars came to visit.
And whenever people who have not seen Yan Jing Ze ask these people about Yan Jing Ze's appearance, the expressions of these people will be very strange.
Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu spent a year in the capital.
Speaking of it, Zhou Song welcomed them very much, and invited them to live in the Zhou residence several times, but Zhou Song's wife treated them indifferently, so Yan Jing Ze and Wei Lingxiu didn't come in to embarrass themselves.
In February of the following year, the spring examinations began.
At the time of the examination, the candidates could only wear single clothing, so many examinees were shivering from the cold. Among the candidates, Yan Jing Ze did not only stood out from the crowd, but he also didn't feel cold at all.
All the people who knew him were envious—this Yan Jing Ze really does not look like a scholar at all!
Yet it was this person who didn't look like a scholar who did better than everyone else on the exam.
The questions for this year's exam are difficult. Many people don't even know the source, but Yan Jing Ze answered them very well. There was also a question at the end asking about problems encountered in the court and he quoted from the history books and answered everything.
What's more, his calligraphy is just too good!
The huiyuan is the one that will leave a mark in history and there are people in the court who don't want him to get it. But these papers will be shown to His Majesty, and when His Majesty asks why he's not number one, how will they answer?
Yan Jing Ze, on the other hand, was not surprised to get the huiyuan.
On the day that the list was posted, his name hung high on the first.
" Huiyuan has not yet married!" Don't know who yelled, but there are still people who plan to catch a son-in-law from the list, but if Yan Jing Ze is caught...
However, they thought too much.
Yan Jing Ze was a man who was like a gate that even ten thousand men cannot open. With a wave of his hand, all those who wanted to "catch" him were pushed away by him.
He is Wei Lingxiu's!
Next people: "......" Cannot catch, then they better change!
After the national exam is over, it will be the palace exam next. You have to take the exam again in the presence of the Emperor and ministers.
Because at this time, people are slow in writing and everything, it takes a long time to finish the test.
In front of the emperor, everyone else was very nervous, but Yan Jing Ze didn't feel nervous at all. Even if the emperor stood in front of him for a long time and kept staring at him, his hands were still very stable.
Emperor: "..." When he saw this Yan Jing Ze, he felt that this man did not look like a scholar, so he specifically came down to see his examination, and it turned out...this is really a scholar!
That handwriting is outstanding! And the answer sheet speaks for itself!
It is a good thing to have this person as a zhuangyuan! Yan Jing Ze's talents and learning are indeed above everyone... he was named the zhuangyuan on the spot.
Then, when the new graduates paraded through the streets on horseback...
Someone asked: "Who is the person in front?"
Someone answered: "Could it be a guard?"
Someone looked at these two people speechlessly: "You are stupid! Look at his clothes! He is the champion!"
It's really weird, this year's champion, actually looks like a general.
After winning the examination, Yan Jing Ze's official career was prosperous.
He's still very good at what he does. He can remember everything that others have said to him, or what people he has seen have seen... If he can't walk far in officialdom, don't even mention others.
Years later, he even became a close minister of the emperor and was well liked by the present emperor.
Who wouldn't like a minister who could answer any question he was asked?
And then later on, when the emperor was old, the young emperor ascended to the throne, Yan Jing Ze also held power over the dynasty.
Usually, after the minister was given power over the court, the end is inevitably bad. Because when they become officials, they will definitely do things to benefit the family, and they will have a large network of relationships. In this way, they must have selfishness, and when you have selfishness, it is easy to stand on the opposite side of the throne.
However, there is no such thing when it comes to Yan Jing Ze.
He has only one mother who has remarried. Although he has a lot of care for his mother and his half-siblings, but those people are not even scholars. His so-called care is to buy more land and let them be rich.
He has not yet worshipped a teacher and hasn't been under anyone's tutelage.
More importantly... he didn't get married; he didn't even have a child!
Coupled with his appearance, it always makes people think that he is an outspoken warrior, and it is somehow believable.
Of course, there is another reason why the emperor believes him.
No matter what official position he later achieved, he never left Wei Lingxiu.
Such a man of great affection is naturally trustworthy.
Hundreds of years later, in Donggu County, the old house of the Yan family.
A tour guide led a group of tourists into a house.
"Everyone, the old house of the Yan family that we are going to visit today is the former residence of the very famous prime minister Yan Jing Ze! The house in front is the place where Yan Jing Ze was born, and the house behind is the house he built after he returned to his hometown in his old age!"
"Everyone should know the life of Yan Jing Ze? After all, you'll have to take the middle school history test. I will tell you more today. Yan Jing Ze is a famous calligrapher, philosopher, military expert, and politician in history. The most comprehensive history book recognized by scholars was written by him."
"He put together many books throughout his life, and also preserved them properly, leaving us with precious historical information!"
"His calligraphy is even more outstanding. He can copy many people's calligraphy vividly, even making it difficult to distinguish the true from the false. Moreover, sometimes he can write better than those masters... When he reached his old age, he created a unique font!"
"He even went to battle. At that time, the emperor originally just let him go as a supervisor. But he did not expect when he arrived at the place, he actually found the defenders there were cowardly and incompetent. He grabbed the commander flag, went into battle, and also led the soldiers. A war that was originally losing, was won!"
......
"Of course, the most talked about thing about him is his love life. Everyone should know that he likes men and still remained devoted to his lover!"
"However, his lover is hardly mentioned in the history books. Today I will focus on his lover... Yan Jing Ze's lover in history records is called Zhou Lingxiu, formerly known as Wei Lingxiu, in fact, he is also a scholar."
"Yan Jing Ze made a lot of contributions to public service throughout his life, and was known as the Star of Literature coming down to earth, so after his death, his old residence was well kept. And a year ago, when the government allocated funds to repair the old residence, surprisingly, a secret room was found, and in the secret room, there were still many old manuscripts of Yan Jing Ze and his lover, and it was these old manuscripts that let us know about the real Yan Jing Ze."
The tour guide led people slowly inside, and soon came to a hall where many precious manuscripts were displayed.
"As we all know, after passing the juren exam, Yan Jing Ze's lover did not continue to take the gongshi examination. Some people thought it was because he did not learn enough. In fact, this is not the case. He did not take the gongshi examination because he didn't want to be separated from Yan Jing Ze because of being an official."
"He is actually very talented. In the secret room, there are more than 5,000 paintings he made for Yan Jing Ze. The paintings he painted in his later period are not inferior to well-known painters in history!"
"Of course, you can only see some of his early paintings here. All of his later paintings have been collected by the National Museum."
....
"In addition, he has many poems handed down to us, and we can see from his poems that he was a very romantic person!"
The tour guide introduced Wei Lingxiu in detail, and also showed everyone Wei Lingxiu's manuscript—Wei Lingxiu's writing is equally outstanding!
At this time, the tour guide said: "In history, there are still many rumors. Among them, Yan Jing Ze used to be a thug in the village... Previously, historians always thought this was nonsense, but since the discovery of the old house of the Yan family, this was confirmed! When he was young, Yan Jing Ze was indeed illiterate and was a casino thug."
The tourists were shocked.
The tour guide added: "What is even more shocking is from the content of a memoir-like book left by Wei Lingxiu... Yan Jing Ze had done unexpected things back then. It is said that when Yan Jing Ze was young, he fell in love with Wei Lingxiu, so he let people act on Wei Lingxiu, and he pretended to be a hero who saved the beauty..."
Tourists: "!!!" There is such a thing? Shouldn't Yan Jing Ze be a mature and stable grandfather? Why would he do such a thing?
"By the way, in front is the place dedicated to the display of Wei Lingxiu's paintings. Before you go in, you should prepare yourselves and forget about the Prime Minister Yan who looks so worried about the country in the history books," the tour guide said.
The visitors readied themselves.
Then they saw a lot of paintings.
Some were of Yan Jing Ze chopping wood, some were cooking, and some even on top of the roof.
Some of these paintings are accompanied by poems, and some have a few written sentences, stating where they were and what Yan Jing Ze was doing. Regardless of the painting, or the words above, you can see the love of the painter for the person in the painting.
The person in the painting must also be in love with the person who made the painting.
Otherwise, how could such a great Confucian as Yan Jing Ze chop wood and do cooking, willingly?
Of course, there is another important thing... The portrait of Yan Jing Ze in the history book looks no different from the portraits of other ministers, but the portrait here...
This muscular man is really Yan Jing Ze?
Now they believe he's worked as a thug!
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ
Zhuangyuan – overall highest scorer in Jinshi exam
Jinshi – scholars who passed the palace exam