Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 357 A Few Idle Stories: The Provincial Examination is Approaching
Because the provincial examination was an extremely important step in the imperial examination process, the imperial court attached great importance to it.

After all, a scholar who had passed the provincial examination before the provincial examination only had a very basic political status. If it came to becoming an official, it still depended on the results of the provincial examination.

Only those who pass the provincial examination and obtain the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) are qualified to become officials.

Moreover, as long as you pass, even if you don't do well on the exam or your ranking isn't high, as long as you "try your best" and get some influential people to help you, you will still have a chance to become an official.

Once you become an official, it's basically like rising to the top in one step, giving you the means to make a living.

Therefore, the provincial examination was extremely crucial!
Of course, it was extremely difficult. Otherwise, Sheng Shulan's "ex-husband" Sun Zhigao wouldn't have wasted nearly ten years and still be a useless little scholar.

"Father, who is the most likely examiner to be the chief examiner this year?"

Sheng Changquan wasn't stupid; he already knew why his father and brothers had summoned him here.

I suspect their primary objective isn't the Shen family matter, but rather this.

But since it's because of the provincial examination, he must already have some ideas, or rather, he must have some secret information, which is why he asked in this way.

"hehe!"

At this moment, Sheng Hong was in no hurry to answer. He simply turned his head, looked at Sheng Changbai beside him, and asked tentatively, "Changbai, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changquan turned to look at his second brother, anticipating his reply.

However, at the same time, he was also secretly analyzing and pondering the answer to this question.

"Father!"

Sheng Changbai remained serious, one hand in front of him and the other behind his back, and said slowly, "Actually, I think the chief examiner for this provincial examination might be Lord Zhai!"

"Oh?"

Sheng Hong raised a thick eyebrow, his expression somewhat strange.

"Changbai, how did you know?"

Upon hearing Sheng Hong's words, Sheng Changquan immediately understood.

"It seems that the chief examiner for this provincial examination must be this Grand Secretary Zhai from the Hanlin Academy!"

Sheng Changquan thought to himself.

Zhai Daxueshi's original name was Zhai Jingnian. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the year the late emperor personally led the expedition. He did not enter the central government, nor did he care about the disputes. He simply buried himself in the Hanlin Academy, compiling and editing books, attempting to write a biography and leave a strong mark on history.

Regardless, Lord Zhai Jingnian was a veteran of two dynasties. Although he did not wield any significant power, he enjoyed considerable fame in the literary world.

Although a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy was only a third-rank official with a low rank and little power, he was extremely noble and highly respected by the world.

Sometimes, Lord Zhai dared to speak out clearly in court, saying things that others dared not present to the emperor.

Because he doesn't get involved, or rather, rarely gets involved in the disputes within the court, the emperor and his ministers often tacitly agree to let him step forward at such important moments.

Of course, some people might ask, if that's the case, then why not let Liang Jijiu be the chief examiner?

In reality, there is another reason behind it.

This is because many students from the Imperial Academy are taking the provincial examination this time, so in order to avoid suspicion, it would be difficult for Lord Liang to be selected.

In fact, in all the imperial examinations, no one had ever served as the chief examiner. Since the founding of this dynasty, they had at most served as deputy examiners; anything more was pure fantasy.

"Father!"

"In my opinion, if we're talking about who's the most suitable to be the chief examiner, then of these three officials, it really is Lord Zhai who is the most suitable."

While Sheng Changquan was secretly analyzing the situation, Sheng Changbai also began to explain his reasons.

"Although the officials have nominated these three gentlemen, it is absolutely impossible for Lord Liang to be nominated!"

"As everyone knows, there is no precedent in this dynasty for a Grand Master of Ceremonies to serve as the chief examiner. Therefore, Lord Liang..."

At this point, Sheng Changbai shook his head, immediately rejecting the idea of ​​the High Priest.

To be honest, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was also in a rather miserable state.

Because whenever it was time for the provincial and metropolitan examinations, they would always be nominated as candidates to be chief examiners. However, in the end, they would often be eliminated first and could only serve as deputy examiners.

In short, their position is just for those who are there to play the role of runners-up.

"Ok!"

When Sheng Changbai got to this point, Sheng Changquan nodded in agreement, agreeing that what he said made sense.

"As for Lord Sun!"

When the Minister of Personnel, Sun Zhixing, was mentioned, Sheng Changbai paused slightly, and his expression became even more serious.

It's clear that Sheng Changbai harbors a deep sense of apprehension towards Sun Zhixing.

"Lord Sun is currently at a critical juncture. If he wants to enter the cabinet, he certainly won't have the time or inclination to serve as the chief examiner for this year's provincial examination. Therefore, all things considered, Lord Zhai still has the best chance!"

It was unclear what Sheng Changbai was thinking during his pause, but after recovering, he casually brought up the topic of the chief examiner for the provincial examination and continued, "Moreover!"

"I remember that when Lord Zhai was in the Hanlin Academy recently, he often said that there was a shortage of manpower, and it seemed that he wanted to find more people to supplement the staff of various government departments."

"Therefore, I think this provincial examination is probably the best opportunity for him to recruit people."

Sheng Changbai is now a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, which means that Lord Zhai is his boss. Based on his understanding of the actual situation and his calculations, his conclusion is not unreasonable.

"Not bad!"

After Sheng Changbai finished speaking, a hint of appreciation flashed in Sheng Hong's eyes.

He even smiled, which was quite rare for him.

As Sheng Hong gently stroked his beard, he looked at Sheng Changbai with a serene expression.

"Changbai, you have a very comprehensive understanding of these issues, and your analysis is very insightful!"

"It seems that the training you've undergone these past few years has already yielded some results!"

Sheng Hong's praise made the two brothers, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changquan, feel a little awkward. After all, this was a once-in-a-millennium scene—Sheng Hong praising his sons to their faces!

"Father, you flatter me!"

Even Sheng Changbai felt somewhat uncomfortable in the face of Sheng Hong's "kindness".

He awkwardly lowered his hands, which were placed in front of and behind him, and said in a tone that was as calm as possible, "I was just thinking wildly. In the end, I still need you to make the final decision!"

"Cough cough!"

After this reminder, Sheng Hong quickly realized what was happening. He immediately stopped smiling, put on a stern face, and reverted to the "strict father" that Sheng Changquan knew.

"hehe!"

Sheng Changquan chuckled inwardly, but on the surface he pretended to lower his head, thus avoiding Sheng Hong's awkward moment.

"Chang Quan!"

Seeing that no one in the room knew about his embarrassing moment, Sheng Hong finally spoke up with relief: "Your second brother's guess is correct. The chief examiner for this provincial examination is indeed this Scholar Zhai!" Although it was unclear where Sheng Hong had gotten the information from, if the old man dared to say it, then it must be true.

He walked calmly to Sheng Changquan's side and continued the previous topic, saying, "Changquan, you must remember this!"

"In the next few days, you should ask your second brother for advice and remember this Scholar Zhai's personality and what kind of writing style he prefers."

"Memorize all of this; it'll come in handy later!"

Sheng Hong sat down again and said, "Chang Quan, this isn't the first time you've taken this reference, so I'm sure you understand these things!"

"Yes, Father, I understand!"

Sheng Changquan stood up and bowed respectfully, indicating that he understood.

"Ok!"

Seeing that he had already said everything he wanted to say, Sheng Hong couldn't help but nod to himself.

"In that case, you should go back first!"

Looking at his two sons, both as tall as him, standing beside him, Sheng Hong couldn't help but feel a little gratified. He waved to his two sons, signaling them to leave.

"Yes, father!"

After exchanging a glance, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changquan decided to leave.

However, just as Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changquan were about to leave, Sheng Hong spoke up again from behind, offering a word of warning.

"Changquan, the provincial examination is about to begin. You must not let the Shen family's affairs ruin your future!"

Sheng Hong was worried that Sheng Changquan would put the cart before the horse and prioritize Shen Shouzheng and the Yu family's affairs over the provincial examination, which is why he said that.

"Yes, Father, I understand!"

Sheng Changquan returned the look with an affirmative gaze.

In fact, Sheng Changquan knew the importance of this matter even without Sheng Hong's explanation. If he hadn't been confident that he could quickly resolve the letter from the Shen family, he wouldn't have even agreed to it.

"Ugh!"

"It's a pity that Changfeng isn't here today, otherwise, we should let him learn more from us!"

After Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changquan left, Sheng Hong stood alone in front of the table at Hanhaitang and uttered the following sentiment.

By the way, in the past six years, Sheng Changfeng still failed the imperial examination. He took it twice, but both times he ended up with a dismal result.

Now, Sheng Changfeng no longer boasts about his sure-fire success. The harsh realities of society have taught him how to be humble!

Moreover, because Sheng Changfeng is getting older, Sheng Hong is planning to find him a wife and start a family this year, which will be next year's imperial examination, regardless of whether he passes or not.

……

Outside, the two brothers, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changquan, walked back together.

"Xiao Qi, thank you so much for the gift this time!"

Sheng Changbai turned his head to his younger brother and thanked him.

Because of his studies abroad, when Sheng Changquan returned, he naturally prepared gifts for everyone in his family.

Among them, because Sheng Changbai had a child, he gave them the most and most precious things in the courtyard.

"Ugh! Second brother, what are you saying?"

Sheng Changquan shook his head, pretending to be somewhat displeased, and retorted, "Second brother, we are all family. What's wrong with me, as your uncle, giving my niece a small gift?"

"Are you really going to refuse such a small thing?"

"little things?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head with a wry smile: "Xiao Qi, the things you gave me can hardly be called small gifts!"

In fact, in addition to the jade pendant, Sheng Changquan also gave Zhuo Jie'er a string of dzi beads that had been blessed by a high monk.

This dzi bead, not to mention that its raw material is extremely precious, is a thing of extreme strength and yang, buried deep in the earth and born in the most yin and cold place.

As the saying goes, yin gives rise to yang, and this dzi bead is a spiritual material born from such a mysterious creation.

After that, needless to say, they were all consecrated and blessed by eminent monks and virtuous masters. After all these processes, their value has undergone several qualitative leaps!
"Humph!"

In response, Sheng Changquan merely hummed softly, not wanting to say anything more.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Sheng Changbai was both amused and exasperated by Sheng Changquan's reaction: "Little Seven, this time it was Second Brother who was wrong!"

"I shouldn't have been so distant with you, saying all this to you!"

However, Sheng Changquan still ignored him.

"Xiaoqi..."

There was nothing he could do but follow Sheng Changquan and apologize to him honestly. It was only after a long time that Sheng Changquan reluctantly forgave him, grumbling and mumbling.

Actually, this is only because the two brothers have a good relationship. If it were Sheng Changfeng, this scene would probably never have happened.

"correct!"

After appeasing Sheng Changquan, Sheng Changbai suddenly asked, "Xiao Qi, when you saw Zhong Huai, was he in a good state?"

Sheng Changbai and Gu Tingye are truly best buddies. Now that everything has calmed down, Sheng Changbai finally started to care about his best buddy.

"Second Uncle Gu?"

Sheng Changquan thought for a moment and organized his thoughts before saying, "Actually, Uncle Gu is doing quite well with the canal gang. Although it's tiring, I feel he's much happier than he was at the Ningyuan Marquis's residence!"

"I think this kind of wandering life is the kind of freedom he longed for!"

With his eyes open, Sheng Changquan wrote down his evaluation of Gu Tingye's life based on his own intuition.

"is it?"

Sheng Changbai was somewhat puzzled: "Would Zhong Huai like to wander the world?"

"But I heard him say before that what he really wanted to do was to come back in a high-profile manner and have the Gu family beg him to return to the mansion. Why is he doing this now?"

Sheng Changbai pondered to himself, wondering if Gu Tingye had changed.

In fact, Sheng Changbai misunderstood. All of what Sheng Changquan said were his own subjective thoughts.

If Gu Tingye were beside Sheng Changquan right now, he would probably immediately pick up the small gun bestowed upon him by the Emperor and stab Sheng Changquan straight in!

There's nothing I can do; he just talks so irritatingly!

I'll correct the typos and other errors later.
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(End of this chapter)