Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 501

"The facts are right here," Bai Liang spread his hands. "If he's not obfuscated, he's a genius. If he's obfuscated, he's nothing. Doesn't that make the point clear?"

Shen Jing was so angry that he jumped up and down. These words were not only mocking Yuan Qing, but also implying that the examiners of the previous county and prefectural examinations had let the students off. The chief examiner of the prefectural examination was his father.

"You are a piece of trash who has not even passed a county exam. What qualifications do you have to point fingers here? You should just go back and sleep.

Obviously, the test this time was very difficult, and only four people from our Jiahu Academy passed..."

Further away, he saw a middle-aged student with gray hair crying with joy, "I finally passed the exam!"

There were also young people full of vigor and ambition who were surrounded by a group of people to congratulate them, but more of the candidates who failed the exam had sad faces.

Yuan Qing gradually came back to his senses, scanned the list, and locked onto the four familiar names on it.

He calmed himself down and thought that something unexpected must have happened. He had clearly performed very well on the test and felt satisfied after finishing it.

Among the four people who passed the exam at the academy, except Lu Xu, he believed that his writing was no worse than Pu Yan and the other two, and he should not have failed.

He turned around, grabbed Shen Jing, who was about to roll up his sleeves to fight Bai Liang, and said in a deep voice: "Brother Shen, I want to see my paper."

Shen Jing calmed down a bit, met the unwillingness in his gloomy eyes, and nodded, "Okay, I'll have someone find it for you first."

To ensure fairness, after the college entrance examination, the clerks would select the top ten Cheng Mos and post a notice for all the candidates to check their papers.

This is what the clerks are busy with right now.

Since the prefect's son Shen Jing had spoken, and he was only looking for the paper of one candidate, the clerk naturally agreed, and there was nothing against the rules.

Not long after, Yuan Qing's paper was found, and the attendant whispered, "It was found from the fourth grade."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jing was immediately disappointed. Fourth grade was also very poor among the failed papers.

Yuan Qing had no expression on his face and opened the paper without saying a word. The first thing that caught his eye was the three red circles at the top of the Five Classics title.

"I said something was wrong, you should be the top candidate!" Shen Jing shouted immediately upon seeing this, and the others watching nearby were also surprised.

One red circle means good, and three circles are usually only given for the first volume!

Yuan Qing flipped the page again. The entire page was filled with tiny handwriting arranged like stars, with even density. Only in the lower right corner, the words "Yan Ku Kong Zhi Zhuo" were crossed out with a black line, and the word "fabricated" was written next to it.

Bai Liang immediately scoffed, "You actually made up a story! Tsk tsk, I never thought a poor kid like you would be so bold!"

Shen Jing wanted to retort, but he had never heard of this story. Tao Tixue was a Jinshi from the Hanlin Academy, so his knowledge must be much deeper than theirs. If he said it was fabricated, then it must be true.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Brother Yuan, you..."

Yuan Qing said nothing and walked towards the government office with the paper.

"Brother Yuan! Brother Yuan, what are you doing?"

Shen Jing was stunned for a moment and tried to chase after him, but Bai Liang grabbed him and said, "What else can he do? The examiner's comments are unfavorable on the paper, and the examinee must face the censure in the classroom. Of course, he should go to see Tao Tixue to receive the reprimand."

Shen Jing also remembered this and did not pursue him anymore. Instead, he shook off Bai Liang's hand and said, "We were classmates. Can you please stop gloating over my misfortune?"

Bai Liang rolled his eyes. "Hey, who was it that rubbed salt into my wounds yesterday? Why don't you think about our friendship as classmates?"

On the other side, Tao Tixue was holding the test paper and looking at the young man standing below, his face full of regret.

He was deeply impressed by this paper, especially the first question on the Five Classics. The language was fresh and simple, combining theory and practice, and was written incisively. More importantly, at such a young age, his literary style had already begun to take shape. In time, he would surely become a master of writing.

The second question about the Four Books was not as good in terms of writing, but it was still a rare masterpiece. I didn't expect that the latter part would contain fabricated allusions.

A scholar’s writing may be bad, but his character must not be!

"The classics of the sages, every word weighs a thousand words, the essays for the imperial examinations, every sentence is from the heart, yet you dare to use false words and deceitful rhetoric in a vain attempt to deceive the heavens and steal your reputation..."

Tao Tixue's eyes were as sharp as knives and his voice was as cold as iron, determined to touch his soul and make him truly realize his mistakes.

But he also cherished Yuan Qing's talent. At the end, he gently placed Yuan Qing's paper back on the desk, and his voice was full of earnestness. "Young people are eager for quick success and instant benefits. I understand this, but the art of writing requires sincerity and integrity. You have such talent and ingenuity. If you are willing to devote yourself to the classics, there is no need to worry about not being able to produce true scholarship."

Yuan Qing looked a bit embarrassed and hesitated to speak several times.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken, Tao Tixue's brows furrowed even deeper, and his tone became stern again, "You're so stubborn! You've read so many books by sages, but don't you even know that admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue?"

Yuan Qing pursed his lips and finally spoke, "Grandmaster, your advice is indeed correct, but this quote comes from Yangzi Fayan, and is not something I fabricated."

Tao Tixue was stunned for a moment, and after a while he looked at the several prefecture and county school teachers present, "Find a copy of Yangzi Fayan."

Several prefectural and county teachers were stunned. They were amazed at Yuan Qing's courage for actually pointing out the examiner's mistakes in class. What was the difference between this and slapping someone in the face in public?

It can be said that the college examination was entirely decided by the provincial education official. If Tao was embarrassed in public, even if he really did not fabricate the story, he might still be rejected for other reasons.

Even if we take a step back and Tao Tixue changes the grade to first-class for the sake of face, it is very likely that he will leave a bad impression in front of him.

If he has trouble in the subsequent annual examinations, what will happen to his qualification to participate in the provincial examinations?

Secondly, Tao Tixue was surprised. When his mistake was pointed out in public, he was just stunned for a moment and then asked them to find the book to check. Is he cunning, or is he really broad-minded?

Although they were surprised, they quickly found "Yangzi Fayan" and found the sentence "Yan Ku Kong Zhizhuo" in the second half of the first chapter "Xue Xing Pian".

The teacher who was flipping through the book was surprised again, and couldn't help but look at Yuan Qing in the hall. It turned out that it was not a fabrication!

Tao Tixue noticed his movements and asked, "Did you find it?"

The teacher came back to his senses and nodded quickly, saying, "Found it."

As he said that, he handed the book to Tao Tixue.

Tao Tixue took the book, glanced at it, and his eyes fell on the sentence "Yan Ku Confucius is the most outstanding."

He was stunned again, then suddenly stood up from the armchair and bowed to Yuan Qing: "I passed the imperial examination at a young age and never read this book. I am grateful for your guidance!"

Yuan Qing quickly moved away, lifted his robe, and knelt. "Grandmaster, please be kind to me. Master, I am a strict and venerable teacher. Even if I have made mistakes, I still hope that I will become a useful person. I am afraid that I will fail in my studies and fail to live up to your teachings. How dare I accept such a courtesy?"

The teachers were surprised again. In April, Yuan Qing took the top spot in the provincial examination. These teachers all knew him and knew something about his situation.

Born into a farming family, Tao was able to handle the situation well when facing the educational inspector who decided his fate. In particular, this tactic of retreating to advance not only preserved the dignity of the educational inspector, but also implicitly expressed his grievance.

PS: Forgive me for being uneducated. I really don’t know which allusions are niche for ancient scholars, so I borrowed the story of Xu Jie, the chief examiner of the provincial examination in the Ming Dynasty.