Three Kingdoms

Although Fei Qian spoke impassionedly when he visited Zheng Xuan, Zheng Xuan did not immediately prostrate himself to the ground and fell at Fei Qian's feet like a kowtow-headed insect. After all, Zheng Xuan and Sima Hui were similar, both were mature figures, and naturally there were many Things are not as impulsive as they are for young people.

But on the whole, Zheng Xuan, and even Sima Hui, are still somewhat touched by the idea proposed by Fei Qian. As for whether this touch can eventually evolve into a trend of thought, it will still take a certain amount of time and follow-up means...

Literati often have a sense of worry. It is not that literati are born to worry about things, but because they know more things and think about more things, they naturally arise. Knowledge determines vision, and vision determines the height of thinking. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were also a large number of worried literati like Qu Yuan. When the Western Han Dynasty began to show signs of decline, there were also great Confucian scholars like Jia Yi. Now that the court is in turmoil and all directions are restless, naturally there are some literati who feel their feelings and consider the future direction. Therefore, Zheng Xuan, like many opposition parties, uses articles to express political leanings and then criticizes current ills. This is a very normal operation.

However, such behavior has left many bad precedents for future generations.

It is not impossible to criticize the current evils. You can write a new article. For example, you could write a Liangdu poem before, but now you can write a Liangdu poem or a Sandu poem to express your thoughts. There is no problem in this.

However, it is far-fetched to say that all the ancient articles express political thoughts, and every word is directed at the court, and even corresponds to the current political affairs. This is a bit too much.

We can study some of the social background at the time when the ancient Chinese works were written, the author's mentality at the time, the reasons for the creation of the works, etc. These are not nothing, but they all converge towards the idea of ​​caring for the country and the people, and the country and the country. In fact, it is a misunderstanding. , and this kind of misinterpretation was just a symptom in Zheng Xuan's case. In later generations, it became more and more popular, separated from the article itself, and became a political method, which is a bit offensive.

Therefore, what Fei Qian means is that if you want to criticize current affairs, you can write an article yourself, and then others will read it. Whether they have insights or not, it is normal. Then come and put gold on your face. This kind of behavior is unacceptable.

Now that Fei Qian is a hussar general and a powerful figure in the Han Dynasty, his words naturally have some weight. Although Zheng Xuan did not say anything in the end, he will naturally consider and think about it...

Putting aside what Zheng Xuan will do in the future, the competition at Shoushan Academy officially kicked off today.

It is not difficult to hold an event, but it is not easy to hold an event well.

Without good logical thinking and process coordination skills, when the number of people reaches a certain scale, various problems will often occur. Just like in an ordinary family, occasionally one or two people come to the house as guests and stay for two days, and there may be no problems. What's the problem? But if there are a dozen or so people staying there for a month or two, problems will naturally arise.

And now, at Moriyama Academy, there are more people participating in the competition than last year. It is not just one or two people, but several hundred people. A total of more than two thousand people have to take the exam. Of course, this requires more than just It’s paper and pen.

It is a big deal for the candidates participating in the competition, and it is also the same for the organizers. Linghu Shao, the Grand Priest of the Academy, hurriedly checked back and forth for a long time, checking every task, but he was still a little worried, because after all, in the previous competition, at most Xun Chen would occasionally come over to take a look, and he was still in charge. It's Linghu Shao himself, and if something goes wrong now, he's not the only one who can let it go...

But correspondingly, if this event is successful, Linghu Shao will have better bragging rights. After all, martial arts and martial arts skills are not in short supply now, and it will not be Linghu Shao's turn to show off his biceps. But Wenzhi, isn't it the current competition?

Not only Linghu Shao was nervous, but even the entire Pingyang City regarded this competition as a grand event. Many shops had already started preparations before dawn, and there were many people on the streets, some of whom were giving away gifts. Those who took the exam, some of them were idle people who also got up early and threw out auspicious words and blessings as if they were free...

Many candidates were not used to such a scene. They avoided everyone's attention like a shy bride. However, the more they were like this, the more excited the crowd became. On the contrary, there were more generous candidates like Ma Fu and Ma Jun. Fang made no secret of it, and many people laughed and laughed for a while before looking for the next target of teasing.

Although Ma Fu looked calm, he was still a little nervous in his heart. He opened the cloth bag with pens and ink in his hand and checked it again and again, for fear that he would miss something...

Just after Mao hour, the gates of Pingyang City were opened. The students who had been lining up in the street also enjoyed Fei Qian's privileges this time. They walked in the middle of the street and walked all the way to the academy under the guard of soldiers.

Many spectators, relatives of the students, or servants who followed were stopped at the academy entrance, and only qualified students were allowed to enter the academy. The candidates took out their test cards from the cloth bags one after another. After checking their identities, they took out a number plate indicating the seat from the box in the clerk's hand, registered and checked, and then boarded the Xuegong Mountain Road and walked upward.

On both sides of Xuegong Mountain Road, there are huge wooden signs erected beside the road from time to time. There are only a few large words on the wooden signs, which indicate the location of the examination room and also serve as a guide on the way to prevent some candidates from going the wrong way. Although the wooden signs on the mountain road There are still soldiers to maintain order, but it is inevitable that some people who can't tell the difference between east, west, north and west are confused.

For this time's Academy Competition, desks were basically arranged in all places within the academy. Even the places where classes were held on weekdays were not completely sufficient. Corridors and squares were also built into temporary examination rooms. Of course, this is quite good. In later imperial examinations, many candidates could only take the exam in temporary examination rooms. Many temporary examination rooms were even built directly in the wilderness, without any details about the decoration. Even the ground is not flat at all. While exuding the fragrance of earth, there are also some cute little insects as companions...

When the wind blows, the dust flies, and when it rains, it becomes muddy. Therefore, in later generations, exams were often chosen in autumn, not because autumn is a fruitful season, a harvest season, etc., purely because This is so that the weather in autumn is relatively stable and there will be no wind, rain or other weather changes.

What? Build a shed? Exam booth? Maybe there are, but there are also exam sheds that are like cowsheds, which basically don’t have any effect of sheltering from the wind and rain...

With relatively ample paper, we can have this large-scale competition written with pen and ink. Otherwise, if one thousand or two thousand candidates gather together, if they encounter someone who is tricky in asking questions, will someone just directly Cut wood into soldiers and rise up? You know, before the large-scale use of paper, many students not only carried pens and ink, but also carried a sharp knife with them...

The academy is square in shape. In addition to the main entrance, there are also corner gates and other entrances and exits on all sides. Therefore, this time, not all people rushed in at the main entrance. Instead, under the constant shouting of the clerk at the main entrance, Let the candidates gradually disperse from the entrances on all sides to enter the venue and find their own exam tables to sit. Even so, many candidates are still seen wandering around like headless flies. Even though there are small officials in the venue giving guidance, He still couldn't see his number, and even bumped into someone else's table.

Huang Xu stood behind Fei Qian, looking coldly at these confused and panicked candidates, he couldn't help but feel a little disdainful, and muttered in a low voice: "If this is in the military... haha..."

It is absolutely impossible to expect these students to obey orders and prohibitions like skilled soldiers. Fortunately, Fei Qian had already considered these issues and instructed Linghu Shao to re-formulate and improve some of the original rules of the competition. Otherwise, various riots would inevitably occur...

In the battle formation, tension will cause muscle spasms. Even when the enemy's swords and guns are coming, there is no way to effectively resist. Some may even be unable to escape, and will only scream and huddle their limbs in one place. . Huang Xu saw many such useless soldiers, and naturally looked down upon those students who showed unusual nervousness in the examination room.

"The army is the army..." Fei Qian said softly. Anyway, he and his guards were on the podium in the academy hall, and there were no other people around. "However, those who are flustered in the examination room are often the same as those in the army. Those who are timid in battle are the same...it is difficult to become a great weapon...Those who are calm are the focus of this competition..."

It can be said that moderate tension is helpful for human beings to face danger, but excessive tension is really useless at all. Therefore, Fei Qian also focused on observing those candidates who performed calmly, and hoped to find more talents in this competition.

Fei Qian looked at the candidates, and these candidates participating in the competition also looked at Fei Qian secretly.

On the high platform of the academy hall, Fei Qian was sitting high in military uniform. Behind him and to his left and right were the ceremonial guards of the General Hussars. The mighty guards were all tough, which made Fei Qian even more majestic. He seemed to have sharp edges all over his body. The brilliant light pierces the eyes, making people dare not look directly.

Ma Jun didn't know if anyone would sigh with emotion, "A real man should be like this". He actually felt that such a heroic and handsome Fei Qian was worthy of the title of "Hussars General". If he came this time, he would see an obese man with a big belly. A stupid hussar general would inevitably be extremely disappointed with the Han Dynasty.

Linghu Shao saw that most of the candidates had already entered the venue and were seated, and the time was almost up, so he stepped forward to ask for instructions.

Fei Qian nodded slightly.

Linghu Shao took the order and turned around to step down, and then announced that the last drum beat would be played, which also meant that the final preparation time was entered and the exam was about to begin. In the academy, when class begins, drums are played quickly and continuously. The drums sound almost continuous. Those who have not entered the classroom when the drums stop will be punished. After class, the drums are played. The bell is slow and low, as if the tense mood in class has been relieved. Therefore, many students who were originally from the Academy were very used to it, and subconsciously began to sit behind the desk, waiting for the next order.

Although Ma Jun came from Fufeng and was not very familiar with the rules of the academy, he couldn't help but sit motionless when he looked at the situation of other people around him.

Amidst the sound of drums, some students who came late rushed in hurriedly, breathing like cattle. These people were lucky enough to catch the last bus. If they were unfortunately delayed by something, a few moments later in the evening, the drums started to sound. Stop, once the door is closed, this opportunity is gone.

After a while, the drumming stopped and the whole audience was solemn.

Linghu Shao didn't say any nonsense, he announced the start of the competition on his behalf, and then asked a dozen minor officials to hold high the wooden plaques with the questions for the first exam, and slowly walked around the examination room. On the one hand, it is convenient for all students in the examination room to see, and on the other hand, it also has the meaning of patrolling and invigilating the exam.

"Articles on musical rituals?" Ma Jun frowned and repeated in a low voice, wondering in his mind that this question seemed a bit...

As soon as the topic came out, some people naturally cried and some were happy.

These days, the competition has just begun, so naturally there will be no cheaters. Just like the game market, only when the audience becomes wider will some people slowly want to go astray. Most of the people who couldn't help but express emotion in the examination room were focused on the question itself.

This question is not an unusual one. At least it is not as perverted as the stereotyped questions in later generations. However, it cannot be considered an ordinary question, because in the previous competition exams, basically They all used titles from Shangshu and Spring and Autumn Period. This time, they actually changed a book, which naturally surprised many people.

Now Fei Qian has just launched the competition. Even if the previous years are included, there are not many exam questions. Naturally, there is still a lot of room for manipulation. Unlike later dynasties, it is not only the exam questions. All of them have been published, and even the sample essays are one after another. Some candidates even memorize the sample essays as if they were "familiar with three hundred Tang poems". If they are successful, the examiner will Even though I knew I was copying a model essay, I still had to take it...

After all, those are excellent articles from the past. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with them. On the other hand, some of the people who wrote them are big shots from the current dynasty. If you don’t take them, do you want to express some ideas to the big shots from the current dynasty?

Many candidates had predicted that the Spring and Autumn period questions would be asked, because many people knew that Fei Qian himself was born in the Spring and Autumn period, but some people said that they would not use the Spring and Autumn period questions, but would be asked about the Shangshu, because the Spring and Autumn period questions were too easy to guess, and it was difficult to learn. Ancient Chinese classics are highly respected in the palace, so is there any ancient Chinese classic that is more representative than Shangshu?

The result was naturally beyond many people's expectations.

This time, the Academy Competition started with some people rejoicing and others lamenting...