Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 162 The storm is coming! (Today 8k)

Zhang Qinghe and Yuan Baoer entered a teahouse beside Longjin Bridge, ordered two cups of tea and some snacks, and listened to a storyteller telling the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

At this moment the story of Guan Gong passing through five passes and killing six generals was being told, and it was a very exciting one, but the minds of the people present were not on that, because from time to time there were voices announcing good news whizzing through the streets, and each time it would always cause a lot of discussion among the guests in the teahouse.

The storyteller saw this and knew that business would be difficult today. He simply knocked on the board to attract everyone's attention, then smiled and said, "Today is the day for the exam results. I think everyone is not interested in listening to the Three Kingdoms. In that case, why don't I tell you about the exam?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the guests all laughed.

"Sir, just tell me. If you tell it well, you will get the reward."

"Yes, yes, tell me, tell me. If you tell me well, I will give you dozens of coins and a roast chicken as a reward."

"Tell me quickly!"

"..."

The guests urged for more.

The storyteller smiled, but was not in a hurry. He knocked the board, waited for the guests to quiet down, and then said with a smile: "This year's autumn examination is the second imperial examination after the reform. The examination changed from poetry and prose to classics and policy essays. It is a move that the emperor and his ministers believe can select real talents.

It is still too early to know what the original effect would be, but this year a book called "Collected Commentaries on Mencius" suddenly appeared, which re-annotated the classic "Mencius" by the sage Mencius. It is said that this commentary is extremely brilliant, fully expounding the words of the sage, and directly brought the sage Mencius into the Confucian Temple, which can be said to be a great merit.

This also reflects the great merit of the current emperor in reforming the imperial examination system. If the emperor had not supported the reform of the imperial examination system and increased the emphasis on the meaning of the classics, how could such a collection of annotations have emerged?
Therefore, the present emperor has made great contributions to future generations. Of course, the emperor’s merits and virtues are beyond the reach of an old man. The protagonist I want to talk about today is the author of the Annotated Mencius, Su Yunsu! "

At this moment, someone suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "Isn't the author of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that you just talked about Su Yun? Are they the same person?"

The storyteller clapped his hands happily and said, "That's right! If it weren't for this connection, I'm just a storyteller. How could I pay attention to something as lofty as the meaning of the scriptures? I don't have the qualifications!"
But since it is the matter of Su Lang, the author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he is my bread and butter, or in other words, like all of you, he is my bread and butter, so I cannot help but pay attention to it.

You may not know much about Su Dajia, so today I will tell you about Su Dajia.

Speaking of this Su family, they are not ordinary people.

He was born in Meishan, a member of the Su family, a prominent family in Meishan. The Su family has produced several great figures in recent generations, one of whom is Su Laoquan. Su Laoquan had sons, one named Su Shi, Su Zizhan, and the other named Su Zhe, Su Ziyu.

In the second year of Jiayou, Su Laoquan led his two sons, Su Zizhan and Su Ziyu, to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Both sons passed the exam together, shocking the entire Bianjing..."

"Sir, just talk about Su Yun, why are you talking about so many other people?"

The storyteller smiled and said, "Right away, right away!" This Su Yun is a member of the Meishan Su family. Two years ago, the Wutai Poetry Case broke out. Su Zizhan and Su Ziyu were both implicated in the case and were exiled to a remote state. People at the time said that the Meishan Su family had fallen into decline.

However, two years later, Su Yun of Meishan came out of nowhere. He became famous with his "Linjiang Xian" and covered everything in his "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", including astronomy, geography, economy, military affairs, and governance. Then, he wrote "Qingyu'an" which shocked the whole city of Bianjing. From then on, the Lantern Festival lyrics became a masterpiece.

At this time, some people said that among the Meishan Su family, Su Yun was the most virtuous.

However, not long ago, Su Shi published a volume of "Collected Commentaries on Mencius", which brought the sage Mencius into the Confucian Temple and promoted the book "Mencius" from the "Zi" section to the "Jing" section, listing it alongside the Five Classics.

Mr. Su is now a great Confucian scholar. If you see him, you can respectfully call him Su Zi!"

At this time, someone else shouted, "Aren't you going to talk about the imperial examination? Why do you keep talking about Su Yun? Yes, he is great, but what does he have to do with the imperial examination?"

The storyteller clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Hey, what a coincidence! Su Zi is participating in this test!"

Someone laughed and said, "If Su Yun joins, it will be a good show. He is now a great Confucian scholar. If he can't even pass a test, it will be a joke."

When Yuan Baoer heard this, she whispered to Zhang Qinghe, "Sister, it would be a shame if Su Lang fails the exam."

Zhang Qinghe was also a little worried, thinking that Su Yun was praised so highly, it would be really embarrassing if he failed the exam.

Then the storyteller laughed and said, "Don't say that, everyone. Mr. Su is good at studying Mencius, but Mencius is only a supplementary classic, not a main classic in the imperial examination. So it is wrong to require Mr. Su to pass the examination.

When it comes to the imperial examination, you are not guaranteed to pass it just because you are talented. Mr. Changli (Han Yu) in the Tang Dynasty failed six times, and Mr. Liu Qi of this dynasty failed repeatedly. But who can say that they lack talent?

The reason why I tell you about Mr. Su is because I really admire his talent. I talk about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms every day, but you don’t know the details of its author, which really makes me regretful.

So today, I am using the imperial examination to let everyone know about Master Su, but I am not asking everyone to laugh at Master Su. "

Someone sneered, "You can admire me if you want, but that doesn't stop us from gossiping a little. Su Yun is so famous, but if he can't even pass a small test, it's really suspicious. Could his Mencius annotations be ghostwritten by someone else?"

"Ha, it's not impossible. His uncle Su Che returned to Bian Jing during that period. As far as I know, Su Che's original scripture was Mencius. So, it seems that there is a lot of meaning in it!"

Yuan Baoer became furious when she heard this and was about to slam the table, but was stopped by Zhang Qinghe.

Yuan Baoer said angrily in a low voice: "Sister, why don't you let me say it? Although Su Lang is blind, he is definitely talented and has good character. It is impossible for him to let someone write for him to gain fame. I want to clear his name!"

Zhang Qinghe said solemnly, "Something is wrong! These people came here with a plan. They want to ruin Su Yun's reputation!"

Yuan Baoer was shocked when he heard this and said, "Then I must clear his name!"

Zhang Qinghe stood up and said, "Let's go!"

Yuan Baoer hurried to catch up and followed behind Zhang Qinghe. Zhang Qinghe walked very fast, and Yuan Baoer had to jog to keep up.

After walking for a while, Yuan Baoer quickly caught up and said, "Sister, where are we going?"

Zhang Qinghe said, "Let's go to the teahouse."

After crossing the Longjin Bridge, walk a little further to Shazhu Lane, where there is a teahouse.

Zhang Qinghe brought Yuan Baoer in and indeed heard a storyteller talking about Su Yun inside. What he said was similar to what the storyteller at Longjin Bridge said. Both of them said they admired Mr. Su and wanted to introduce him to everyone, but then they accused him of being a ghostwriter and so on.

Zhang Qinghe got up and went to another teahouse, where the same thing happened.

Zhang Qinghe's expression became more serious, and he said, "Someone wants to ruin Su Yun's reputation. Although I don't know why, their intentions are extremely sinister! Three people can make a tiger. If this becomes a trend, then the reputation that Su Yun has accumulated by writing the Mencius Annotations will be completely destroyed!"

Yuan Baoer was so anxious that she jumped up and down, and asked, "What should I do, sister?"

Zhang Qinghe said, "We can't do anything else, but we have to inform Master Su immediately. He has an uncle who may have a solution! Let's go!"

But after walking for a while, they suddenly remembered that they had no idea where Su Yun lived.

Zhang Qinghe thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Su's mansion. Su Zhe is an official, so it should be easy to ask where he lives."

Just as the two were discussing countermeasures, voices announcing good news came rushing past on the street.

"Meishan Su Yungong, the first place in Kaifeng Prefecture's exam, Jieyuangong!"

The two of them looked up in astonishment.

"Mr. Su Yun of Meishan, the first place in the Kaifeng Prefecture examination, Mr. Jieyuan!" The voice passed by again. This time, both of them heard it clearly and showed surprise.

Yuan Baoer clapped his hands in delight and jumped up: "Now it's good, let's see who dares to say that Su Lang's talent is fake and that the Mencius Annotations were copied!"

There was joy in Zhang Qinghe's eyes, but slowly her expression became solemn again.

Yuan Baoer was stunned and asked, "What's wrong, sister?"

Zhang Qinghe said: "Even if Master Su wins the title of Jieyuangong, once this rumor comes out, it can no longer be stopped.

After all, the imperial examination is the imperial examination, and the interpretation of the classics is the interpretation of the classics. What is the status of the master of the interpretation of the classics?
The profound knowledge of the classics required to annotate the sages' classics is not comparable to the imperial examinations.

Moreover, this time it is an examination for the preparatory level, but there is also a examination for the Ministry of Rites and a palace examination. Can Master Su still get the first place and the top prize?
Whenever the test results are not satisfactory, this rumor will spread again!"

Yuan Baoer was dumbfounded and asked, "Does that mean Mr. Su will never be able to clear his name in his lifetime?"

Zhang Qinghe shook his head and said, "I don't know about this, but I know that we must find Master Su and tell him about this so that he can be prepared!"

Yuan Baoer nodded repeatedly.

……

Just as Zhang Qinghe expected, Su Yun did not dare to show his face at the Imperial Examination Hall and hid in the Su Mansion.

Zhang Ze also brought many strong servants to the Su Mansion to set up defenses and guard the entrance and courtyard wall, fearing that someone would break in.

Su Yun was a little surprised and asked what this was for. Zhang Ze said that it was Zhang Ruo who arranged for him to come.

Su Yun was a little amused and helpless, but he also felt that Sister Ruo was concerned about him, and he was quite touched.

With Zhang Ze's deployment, Su Yun was able to answer the questions with peace of mind. He didn't pay much attention to the test, as he thought his name would definitely be on the list. As for the top scorer, Su Yun didn't think too much about it.

In fact, even if Su Che answered the questions, he might not be able to win the first place. This is actually a test of luck. If the examiner did not like Su Che's essays, it is possible that he would fall behind.

As for whether the government will make any arrangements... haha, the questions have been leaked, and I still don’t do well in the test, then the government will probably scold me.

So, it's just a top ranking position, and there's nothing to look forward to.

But maybe the real reason is - even if you get the top spot, what does it matter? It's not your own achievement to take the exam, so how can you feel any sense of accomplishment?

When Su Yun finished writing the questions on the meaning of the scriptures, it was already around ten or eleven o'clock, but no one had come to the house to announce the good news.

Su Yun was calm and composed, but Zhang Ze was getting restless.

"Hey, Juzheng, do you think they might have gone to the Imperial College? They thought you lived there. How about I send someone to check over there?"

After a while, he said, "Hey, Juzheng, I think you answered this question well, right?"

Su Yun nodded and said, "It should be possible."

Zhang Ze rubbed his hands repeatedly and said, "Why haven't they come yet? Don't they know how to get to the Su Mansion? Oh no."

Su Yun consoled him, “Maybe it’s because of the higher ranking. The higher the ranking, the further behind?”

Zhang Ze shook his head repeatedly and said, "How is that possible? At most, it was posted twice, but the difference would not be too big. How could it be that long?"

Su Yun pursed his lips.

After a while, Zhang Ze said again: "They must have not found the way. I will go to the Imperial Examination Hall to see!"

Having said that, Zhang Ze ran outside. Su Yun did not call Zhang Ze and let him go.

At this time, someone shouted, "Meishan Su Yungong, the first place in the Kaifeng Prefecture exam, Jieyuan Gong!"

Eh?
Su Yun raised his eyebrows.

Did you really get the top scorer in the exam?

Oh, I really...my uncle is so awesome.

Zhang Ze rushed in like the wind, jumping up and down in joy, and said, "Ju Zheng, you are the Jie Yuan Gong, you are the Jie Yuan Gong! Hahaha, you are the Jie Yuan Gong! Hahaha, when you pass the imperial examination in spring, my sister can marry you, hahaha, I am free, I am free! Hahaha!"

The aunt, who had hurriedly asked the servants to carry two baskets of copper coins out, was shocked when she saw Zhang Ze's appearance and asked, "What's wrong with Brother Zhang? Is he hysterical?"

Su Yun smiled and said, "It's okay, auntie. I'll trouble you with the things outside."

Auntie smiled and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me. You just keep an eye on Brother Zhang Shi and make sure nothing really happens."

Zhang Ze was too embarrassed to stop and said, "Aunt, I'm fine."

When the aunt saw that Zhang Ze was fine, she took Feng out to give out wedding money.

Su Che had taken a special leave today and was waiting at home. At this moment, he also heard the voice coming from behind.

Su Yun saw Su Zhe's pleased expression, smiled and bowed, saying, "It's all thanks to you, uncle... for your good guidance."

Su Che looked at Zhang Ze and said with a smile: "It's not all my credit. Your uncle Zhang should take the credit."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The two of them talked for a while, and then the aunt came in. She looked a little hesitant, especially when she looked at Zhang Ze.

Su Zhe thought for a moment and asked directly: "What?"

The aunt said, "There are two women outside looking for Ju Zheng."

Zhang Ze's whole body tensed up immediately and his eyes became nervous, just like a dog guarding its food.

Su Zhe's expression remained unchanged. He said to Su Yun and Zhang Ze, "Let's go and take a look together."

Su Yun couldn't help but nod. Su Zhe was worthy of being Su Zhe. He couldn't hide anything at this moment. If he did, it would seem that he had something to hide. The more frank he was, the less likely people would question him.

Sure enough, Zhang Ze's body relaxed a little.

However, when he saw the people coming, Su Che immediately became furious, because he recognized one of them as the maid from Jiujiang Tower whom he had met in Huangzhou before!
How could this woman be so shameless that she actually carried on the entanglement from Huangzhou to Bian Jing?
(End of this chapter)