Chaos in the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Chapter 72 Zhong Shan Collection (1)

In Jiankang City, the sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly, which is a rare and beautiful scene in autumn.

But the city suddenly fell silent.

It's nothing more than an empty alleyway.

Today, it is the Jiupin Zhongzheng held every three years, and students from all over Yangzhou gather in Jiankang.

Although Jiupin Zhongzheng is similar to the imperial examinations of later generations and is an official selection system for selecting talents, it is quite different in form.

No matter whether it is literary or martial arts, there is no need for pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

You just need to go to that station, Zhongzhengguan will see you with extraordinary appearance and elegant demeanor, and you can recite a few lines of mysterious poems casually, and Zhongzhengguan will make a decision for you.

Of course, this is the nine-rank Zhongzheng in history. The official in the family has already had a detailed understanding of the reputation, family status, and talents of the person being evaluated.

The Nine Grades Zhongzheng in this world is slightly different from the later generations, that is, there are more elegant and clear talks.

When the elegant talk is a fixed article, the Zhongzheng official will set the question. The students need to distinguish the meaning with the Dazhongzheng, quote the classics to explain their views, and show what they have learned as much as possible.

Talking is to determine the martial arts, martial artists and students exchange ideas, and the Zhongzheng official will judge their martial arts, and then decide the product.

People from Jiankang City had already gathered on Zhongshan, and they were all waiting for Zhongzheng officials and students to climb the mountain.

Niu Er was also among the crowd at the moment, he folded his arms, and proudly said to the two brothers: "Elder brother and second brother, that day I drove a young gentleman to Andong Temple, and he is also Zhong Shanya. One of the students in the collection, I never imagined there would be such a person who rode in my Niu Er's ox cart, hahaha."

"You can brag about it, I heard that this year's Zhongshan Yaji only decides martial arts, and there is no literature. Whoever decides martial arts is not a child of a high-ranking family, how can it be possible to ride in this broken car of ours."

Niu Er was taken aback by the question, and didn't know how to refute, so he had to say: "Anyway, that young gentleman will attend the Gathering, I heard it with my own ears in the car!"

The two simple rough-faced men next to him smiled and said: "Then you mean that the young gentleman is a nobleman?"

Niu Er said again: "But he said he is not a nobleman."

"Hahaha, then stop bragging..."

Seeing that his two elder brothers didn't believe it, he said fiercely: "Just wait and see, when the designated students go up the mountain, you will naturally see it."

"How do we know if you are pointing at someone blindly?"

"Hmph, that little gentleman is very nice. He calls me little brother, buddy, friend, etc., and he will definitely agree to me if I call him!" Niu Er said excitedly.

"I can do it for you. If you really know the students who participated in this year's final product, my elder brother and I will help you wash the cattle pen for a month!"

Niu Er readily agreed.

"Okay, second brother, you said it yourself!"

……

Early in the morning, after Guan Ziyang and Xie Xuan were fully dressed, they waited for Xie An in the hall of the other courtyard.

After a while, Xie Yi came out. Seeing that the two of them were ready to go, he said, "You two go first, and my third brother and I will come later."

So Guan Ziyang and Xie Xuan went to Yirenquan. The Zijin Courtyard was in Zhongshan, and they could walk there.

Guan Ziyang was puzzled: "Why didn't Xie An come with us? Could it be that the hermits all have to make an appearance at the finale, showing a wave of aloofness and status, just like Xie Yi in the promotion ceremony of the Wei family nobles?..."

After leaving the Zijin Courtyard, the two of them walked along the path into the mountain. Along the way, there were many people who kept entering the mountain. Seeing that the two were dressed in rich and extraordinary clothes, and there were two servants accompanying them, they guessed that the two of them should be the same. quality students.

So they all looked sideways at them, both of them are handsome and extraordinary, wherever they go, they will hear a burst of praise.

When the two arrived at Yirenquan, they found that apart from the common people who came to join in the fun and a dozen soldiers to maintain order, the two of them were the first to arrive.

There are jagged rocks, lush vegetation, a large open space, and ding-dong springs. It must be said that Zhongzheng officials are very particular about choosing this place as the venue for this gathering.

Guan Ziyang said: "Young Daoist, we seem to have come a bit early, hahaha."

Xie Xuan smiled, and said humorously: "People in the world value leisure, and it's popular to be late for this party. It's boring for the two of us to wait. Find something to do?"

Guan Ziyang said: "What are you looking for?"

Xie Xuan ordered the servants to open the packages they were carrying. Inside were a qin and a bamboo flute.

Although this piano is not as elegant as Guan Ziyang's bell, it is still made of high-quality wood and painted in an extraordinary color.

Xie Xuan smiled and said, "If I knew you weren't prepared, I would have prepared it for you."

Then he ordered his servants to place the qin on top of a boulder, and Xie Xuan said again: "Come on, I haven't heard your qin for two years, let me feast my ears, and play the song you played when we parted two years ago." The song that sent me on my way."

Guan Ziyang was puzzled and said: "Young Daoist, we are here to determine martial arts, will playing the piano like this displease the Zhongzheng officials?"

Xie Xuan leaned close to Guan Ziyang's ear, and whispered, "You don't understand this, although it is said that scholars learn martial arts, common people learn literature, nobles determine martial arts, and common people determine literary qualities."

"But this is just social ethos, and no one has made hard and fast rules. On the contrary, if your talent is appreciated by Zhongzheng officials, it can also give you a lot of points for ordering."

Guan Ziyang said: "Then Youdao, you have prepared a bamboo flute, are you going to play it with me?"

Xie Xuan put his hands on his hips and sighed: "Hey, I really want to, but unfortunately I can't?"

Guan Ziyang asked suspiciously: "Then why do you still prepare the bamboo flute, and I don't know how to play the bamboo flute either?"

"Oh, don't ask me any more, go over there and climb up the boulder, I'll listen to your performance here." Xie Xuan said while pushing Guan Ziyang towards the boulder.

The boulder is four or five meters high, and the servant who carried the piano on his back took a lot of effort to get up, and the servant who had both hands and feet could climb down.

Guan Ziyang raised his inner energy and jumped up...

Immediately, the surrounding people applauded one after another...

"Why do I feel like I'm doing a show? Let's do some acrobatics first, and then some music..."

Guan Ziyang sat on the boulder, and he could have a panoramic view of the entire Yaji site. Guan Ziyang looked around, but there was no one there except the common people.

"Okay, prestige, fame is the last word. While there are many people, let's come for a while..."

At this moment, a person in the distance couldn't help waving to him, still shouting: "Young master, young master!"

While talking, he brought two men to the boulder.

When the three came to the bottom of the boulder, Guan Ziyang realized that it was Niu Er, the driver of the ox cart.

Although this talkative but honest boy left a good impression on Guan Ziyang, that's why he was hired several times.

Guan Ziyang waved at him and said, "Brother Niu, are you here to join in the fun? Don't drive today? Many people in Jiankang are going to Zhongshan. Your business should be good."

Niu Er replied: "Hey, I don't want to be absent from the grand event held every three years. It's enough to have something to eat, and I'm closed today."

"By the way, young master, are you also a Dingwu rank? But I heard you say you are a commoner?"

Guan Ziyang smiled calmly, and replied: "Who said that the common people can't determine martial arts?"

……

Seeing that Guan Ziyang was actually chatting with someone, Xie Xuan roared in the distance: "Quiet, play quickly, it won't be enough if you are late."

Guan Ziyang thought: "It's too late? Isn't it just playing casually?"

He picked a flat place on the boulder and sat down cross-legged, then placed the piano on his knees.

"clank……"

When the sound of the piano sounded, Guan Ziyang responded to Xie Xuan's request and played "Farewell" first.

"Outside the long pavilion, by the side of the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky. The sound of the willow flute is still in the evening wind, and the mountains outside the sunset mountain..."

(End of this chapter)