A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 1: The Fall of the Prodigy

"Song Xuan, rank 31st."

"The result of the mock Yingtianfu College entrance examination is ~failed."

Listening to the private school teacher's announcement, Song Xuan, who was sitting in the last row of the classroom, had a blank expression on his face.

In the Song Dynasty, of course, everything was inferior except reading.

Those who have the conditions should study, and those who don’t have the conditions should create conditions to study.

In the current environment, being able to pass the civil service exam is the most suitable way out!

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the students in the classroom burst into laughter.

"Brother Twelve is ranked thirty-one, last."

"I've heard stories about my twelfth brother being a child prodigy since I was a kid. How come eight years have passed and he still hasn't been admitted to Yingtianfu College?"

"Hahaha, my eldest and second brothers studied with him, but they got in a long time ago and even took the exam."

"Let's stop calling him Brother Twelve and call him Brother Thirty-One."

"I heard that when the prodigy was only eight years old, he smashed a water tank to save your brother."

"Not only that, I heard he ordered your brothers to fill the ball in the tree hole with water."

"He even wrote a poem about frogs that became famous throughout Lema Town. How come he hasn't made any progress in all these years and has actually regressed so much?"

"Who knows."

"Twelfth brother rides his donkey to hunt, fish and play with animals every day. He doesn't pay any attention to his studies at all. How can this be possible?"

"Alas, Brother Twelve has wasted his talent."

The classroom is filled with children and teenagers aged five to sixteen.

However, these cousins ​​only dared to speak in whispers.

After all, Song Xuan is tall and strong, and his fists are very hard.

The only way they can "crush" him in terms of knowledge is to find a sense of existence.

As the strongest repeater in the Song family private school, Song Xuan, who was sitting in the last row, propped up his cheek with one hand without any concern.

He came to the Northern Song Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong for unknown reasons and became an eight-year-old child.

As a result, the jar that Sima Guang failed to smash was smashed by Song Xuan.

He also did the same thing as Wen Yanbo did when he poured water into the ball to get it.

I couldn't help but recite a poem about frogs to show off.

But things did not develop as he wished. This kind of thing requires the help and praise of celebrities in order to become a child prodigy.

It's a pity that he is a bastard, neither loved by his father nor by his mother.

Even my maternal uncle's family has no one to support me.

After all, his mother remarried.

From then on, Song Xuan became quiet and waited to grow up.

Especially those who could not remember the poems in their minds for long enough to show off, and finally became "Fang Zhongyong".

Anyway, he has become "Zhongyong", so Song Xuan doesn't care.

As the family private school teacher, Master Song knocked the table with his ruler and continued to read out the rankings with an expressionless face until the last person:
"Zhang Fangping, first place, excellent."

"Wow."

There was a burst of wows in the classroom.

The Song family private school did not only teach members of the clan.

Sometimes, good seedlings from poor backgrounds can also be attracted to invest in order to gain some reputation and future benefits.

Zhang Fangping is the same age as Song Xuan. He is very good at studying, but his family cannot afford to buy books.

He came to the Soong Academy just to borrow books more conveniently and enrich his theoretical knowledge.

Compared to Song Xuan, Zhang Fangping had a clear shot at getting into Yingtianfu College in a month.

After the final reading was completed, many boys dispersed.

However, a few older brothers from the Song clan came over to ask Zhang Fangping a few questions.

There are always people who want to ask good students if they have any special methods to improve.

After all, in a month, everyone would be taking the entrance exam for Yingtianfu College, a school that had been praised by Emperor Zhenzong.

Shangqiu became Nanjing, the secondary capital of the Northern Song Dynasty.

People in the Song Dynasty said: "The establishment of schools in prefectures and counties began here" and schools across the country "prospered based on this."

For students, being able to study at Yingtianfu Academy is the strongest catalyst on the road to the imperial examination.

Many students from the surrounding counties and prefectures wanted to be admitted to Yingtianfu Academy.

In addition, the class teaching system is small, and the college does not want everyone to study, so it is not planning to expand enrollment.

We also have to see if you have the potential to study and take the imperial examinations, so as not to ruin the reputation of the academy.

Song Xuan stood up slowly, picked up the bow and arrow hanging on the wall, put it on his back and prepared to go hunting to stretch his muscles.

"Twelfth brother, wait for me."

Zhang Fangping shouted, confessed his crime to the people who surrounded him, and followed Song Xuan's footsteps.

Although the two are the same age, Zhang Fangping is thin and short because of his family's financial difficulties.

On the contrary, Song Xuan didn't care about his belly at all and grew up to be tall and strong.

The two have known each other for more than a year, and their relationship is better than that of these brothers in the same clan.

After all, who wants to play with a little kid?

The private school teacher couldn't help but sigh when he saw the first-place student taking the initiative to play with the last-place student.

Zhang Fangping went out, took Song Xuan's fishing rod, and went fishing and hunting with him to satisfy his hunger.

"Twelfth brother, I have almost finished reading all the books in the Song family private school. In a month, I will take the entrance examination for Yingtianfu Academy."

"I heard that after you get in, they'll provide some financial support to poor students, so I'm going to give it a try."

Listening to Zhang Fangping's words, Song Xuan chuckled with his hands behind his back:
"You should have taken the exam last year. Why did you waste a year here with me?"

"Twelfth Brother has done me a favor, and I want to do my best to help him improve his knowledge."

But Zhang Fangping discovered that he really had no talent for being a teacher.

Although Brother Twelve has a better memory, his insights into policy papers are always a little "beyond the scope".

Also, his understanding of the scriptures is always distorted.

How can that be possible?
But I never straightened him out.

"Hey, Fang Ping, you don't have to worry about me." Song Xuan strode forward.

"In a month, I will take the exam with you and strive to enter the Yingtianfu Academy. In the Song Dynasty, you must take the imperial examination to become an official. Otherwise, everything you do will be in vain."

The Song Dynasty ruled the world together with the scholar-officials.

Song Renzong had just come to power and the government was controlled by Empress Dowager Liu E.

Even though Han Qi did not call out the names of the good men in the Donghua Gate roll call in public.

However, the entire Song Dynasty had already established a policy of preferential treatment for scholars.

The poem encouraging learning written by Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty a few years ago has spread throughout the entire Song Dynasty.

If Song Xuan wanted to live a happy life in the Song Dynasty, he had to take the imperial examination.

It's okay to have a lot of wealth and many wives and concubines, but in the Song Dynasty, you can't protect these things without the status of a scholar.

And becoming a Jinshi is the dream of all scholars.

Even Huang Chao chose to attack because he had no hope of becoming a Jinshi.

Having a Jinshi degree is equivalent to having a golden medal of immunity from death in the Song Dynasty!
The old rule that was implemented the longest and most effectively in the Song Dynasty was the well-known oath of Emperor Taizu of Song:
"Scholars and officials, and those who submit petitions to express their opinions, shall not be killed."

Song Xuan recited another sentence from Emperor Zhenzong of Song:

"If a man wishes to fulfill his life's ambition, he should diligently study the Six Classics by the window."

Hearing this, Zhang Fangping breathed a sigh of relief.

He was afraid that Song Xuan would give up on himself and rely on his skills to become a bandit and join the army.

Then you will never be able to get up again in your life.

"If Brother Twelve wants to give it a try?" Zhang Fangping's eyes lit up immediately:
"For the next month, I will fully support Brother Twelve and help him improve his policy writing skills."

　New person, new book, come and have a look.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)