Idle courtiers

Chapter 73 The Gunner
The so-called tower cutting question is a special question in the examination room of the middle and late Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.

The imperial examination started from the Northern Song Dynasty, to the Yuan Dynasty, and to the Ming Dynasty. Because the scope of the examination was strictly limited to the "Four Books" and "Five Classics", it was strictly limited to Zhu Xi's annotations. Up to now, it can be said that all the questions that should be asked have been exhausted.Every sentence in the book is followed by countless sample essays, and there are no new tricks to come up with any questions.

Therefore, the examiner took out a sentence in the sentence, truncated the beginning and the end, and asked the examinee to write a composition.

At this time, the test is the memory of the scholars and their familiarity with Confucian classics.Later, when the title of the tower was published, the number of words in the title became less and less.By the end of the Qing Dynasty, strange titles such as "Xi Zi" appeared, which made people confused.

Xizi, isn't Xi Shi? What does it have to do with the words of the sage?
There is no way, everyone can only use "Xizi is a national beauty. A husband looks like a Xizi, beautiful, contemptuous, and a strange woman through the ages!"

It is understandable that Jieta appeared in the examination room of the provincial examination and the general examination. Now it is really outrageous to use a boy to try this kind of question!

Zhou Nan couldn't help shaking his head, and said again: "Mei Pu, write an article on this topic for me to read."

Mei Pu raised her chin, defiantly: "You tell me to do it, I will do it, who are you?"

Zhou Nan: "I'm your private school teacher, and I take 50 or two bundles a year. Is it wrong to ask you to write an essay?" He laughed: "My boy, you have also read sage books for many years. As a teacher, I forgot that you have not performed the ceremony of worshiping a teacher, so quickly kneel down and kowtow."

Seeing his son being humiliated by him, Mei Kang said with a livid face: "The surname Zhou has something to say. If there is nothing wrong, the old man is going to see off the guests." He wanted someone to drive Zhou Nan out.

Zhou Nan said lightly: "Mr. Mei, don't forget what you and I said on the boat that day. I am the gentleman hired by you, and it is my duty to teach students to study and make progress. If you drive me out today, that matter will be fine." That's all, farewell!"

Mei Kang hurriedly shouted: "Zhou Nan, you stop. Okay... you will teach Pu Er knowledge. Mei Pu, little beast, listen to what you have to say, and write an article for Mr. Zhou to read."

"Daddy..." Meipu cried out in grief and indignation.

"composition."

Mei Pu had no choice but to suppress the anger in her heart, sat down at the desk, picked up the pen and began to write on the paper.

Zhou Nan didn't care about his self-written articles, and just sat and read a book, while Mei Kang stared at him fiercely with eyes full of anger.

About half an hour later, Mei Pu finally finished the article and threw it on Zhou Nan's lap with a sullen face.

Zhou Nan picked it up, looked at it, and nodded: "The handwriting is not bad, but in the examination room, it takes a lot of money to write well."

Mei Pu asked subconsciously: "What's the advantage?" Then he was furious: "Is it none of your business, young master?"

Zhou Nan didn't get angry with him either. He said it as if he was teaching his own disciples: "Take the last palace examination of the imperial examination as an example. The emperor himself acts as the examiner to rank the Chinese Jinshi. In fact, At this level, who is not a talented person who has learned a lot and writes colorful articles. If we really want to divide, we can’t tell who is good and who is bad. So what to do, we can only see who writes well and who writes. Well done, who will be the champion."

"Let's talk about the boy's test, because you don't transcribe and don't blur your name. Your handwriting is beautiful. If the essay is done well, the examiner will be refreshed. Maybe he will let you pass. But if your handwriting is too poor , even so scribbled that it is difficult for people to recognize. The examiner was impatient and threw it aside. Even if you write an article every word is as good as it is, you will be famous. The so-called handwriting is like a person, and good handwriting is very helpful for obtaining fame. Good."

"Actually, you don't have to work hard to practice handwriting, and you don't need to be too particular. Just blindly write the Sanguan style, and the writing is as good as woodblock printing."

Zhou Nan's words are the imperial examination experience summed up by later generations, which is unheard of for scholars in small places, and it also made Mei Pu feel a sense of enlightenment.I thought to myself: I heard that the thief surnamed Zhou was selected as a scholar before, and he is the number one talented person in our county. He really has some skills.

He admired it in his heart, but there was a sneer of disdain on the surface.

Seeing that Mei Pu was successfully shocked, Zhou Nan immersed himself in reading Mei Pu's article again.This reading, I just feel sleepy, it is too boring.To describe it in one sentence, it is: empty and dry, cliché, and nothing to say.

As far as the level of composition is concerned, that is, the level of ordinary people, if he is nominated as the top case by Shizhi County in the future, I am afraid that the scholars in this county will not accept it and cause unnecessary disturbances.

"How?" Mei Kang couldn't help asking because he was most concerned about his son's studies.

At this time, something unexpected happened to the father and son.Zhou Nan picked up Mei Pu's article, put it in front of the candle, and set it on fire: "Garbage, there is no need for it to exist! Go down, I don't want to see you again as a teacher."

"You, you villain insulted me too much, I will never give up with you today."

Zhou Nan ignored the second-year middle school boy, and only said to Mei Kang seriously: "From the article of Mr. Ling, it is not bad to be on the list, let alone the first name. It can be seen that the third son does not study very much on weekdays. Sample?"

Fan Meipu was angry with the private school teacher when he failed in his studies, and Mei's staff naturally knew what kind of material his son was.Hearing what Zhou Nan said, he also believed it, and scolded Mei Pu: "Little bastard, I told you not to study hard on weekdays, it's embarrassing."

Zhou Nan was still yelling: "Go down, go down for me!"

Mei Pu: "You, you are so bold, don't forget, this is my Mei family, how can you allow you, a bastard, to be rampant?"

Zhou Nan looked at Yuanwai Mei and said, "Yuanwai, since your young master said so, let's end our agreement here. I can't teach this student."

Member Mei's expression changed, and he scolded his son angrily: "Get out, get out of here, old man."

"Father, why did you help the enemy who killed eldest brother?" Mei Pu's eyes were full of humiliating tears.

Zhou Nan and Mei Yuanwai discussed the matter of giving the third son Mei a scholar. How secret is it?

Therefore, the third son Mei felt extremely humiliated.

After Mei Pu went down, member Mei said, "Master Zhou, you didn't come here just to call my son a rotten wood, did you? Say, what's the matter?"

Zhou Nan smiled and pointed to the ashes thrown on the ground: "I'm afraid your son's fame as a scholar this year will fall on this article."

"Ah, is this a question?" Member Mei was shocked, and immediately understood why Zhou Nan burned the paper just now, because he didn't want others to know.

Zhou Nan didn't answer directly: "Do you know what to do next? However, judging from what the third son said just now, I'm afraid it's impossible to go to the examination room like this. After all, the county lord also needs face, and the papers are the most important. It’s too bad, and it’s hard to give Shilin an explanation.”

"Understood, understood." Mei Yuanwai lowered his voice: "I will go to Fucheng to pay for an essay master to write an essay for Pu Er to memorize."

"Confused." Zhou Nan said bluntly: "There is no impenetrable wall in the world, and Huai'an is only a little bit bigger. This matter has a lot to do with it. Only you and I know it. If it gets out and people hear it, your son will be fine." Do you want to be a scholar? If the incident happens, the elder will be ashamed, and the third son will no longer be eligible to take the exam in this life."

"That's, that's, you can't let others know." Mei Kang nodded and said: "One customer does not work, or else, Master Zhou, you have written an article so that Pu Er can memorize it by heart."

"I'll do it?" Zhou Nan's eyeballs almost fell to the ground.

What a joke, stereotyped essay, what the hell is that.My Chinese learning level can also be able to punctuate sentences, and I can understand ancient prose one by one.Ask me to write articles, I am afraid that I am no better than an eight-year-old child.I really want to write it forcefully, so I won’t be ashamed to say it.The most terrible thing is that he was a scholar back then, a well-known talent in the county.Now that I can't even write stereotyped essays, it will inevitably arouse suspicion from others.

Member Mei nodded: "Of course it's up to you to do it. You used to be considered a scholar anyway, so this topic must not trouble you. Why, did Master Zhou treat the agreement between you and me as a piece of waste paper?"

"No, no, I don't know anything about it. It's not that Zhou is boasting. A stereotyped article can't trouble me. It's just that many of my previous compositions have been circulated in the market and have been engraved into a collection of current essays. Yuanwai didn't read it. I have said that I don’t know about scholars. Everyone’s writing style and charm have their own unique characteristics, and others can’t imitate them even if they want to. When an article is published, if you are familiar with someone, you can recognize the author at a glance. You must not hide it from anyone.”

"Master Zhou is justified. Let me think about it after I come down, and where can I get an article that I can read by heart so that Pu Er can memorize it by heart." When Zhou Nan said this, Yuanwai Mei believed it.

Indeed, the thief surnamed Zhou is a rare talent.After he came back from Liaodong this time, the poems he wrote had spread throughout the city, especially the women in the brothel chanted these masterpieces every day.

This person's reputation is getting louder and louder. If he is asked to write articles, it is indeed easy to be seen.

Zhou Nan nodded and said, "Okay, that's it. You and I are enemies but not friends. I won't bother you this dinner. Do you remember what I said just now?"

Member Mei: "It seems to be mentally handicapped?"

Zhou Nan laughed loudly: "It's the truth of wisdom, not some mental retardation."

When Zhou Nan left, Yuanwai Mei sat on the chair resentfully, gnashing his teeth: "What an arrogant little thief, I will smash your body to pieces when my son becomes a scholar."

"Daddy, I heard people say that the bandit Zhou is here, are you... all right?" came the voice of daughter Mei Chi.

Mei Kang snorted coldly: "A little Xu thief, but relying on the momentum of the county lord, really think I can't do anything to him? Daddy is fine."

Mei Chi looked worried: "Then what is this thief doing at our house?" She had a bad feeling that Zhou Nan would be bad for her father and bad for the Mei family.

Since Zhou Nan returned to Andong County from Liaodong, first there was the disappearance of his sister-in-law, and then he was kidnapped by him on the boat in front of so many people the day before yesterday.The reputation of the Mei family was completely ruined, and they could no longer hold their heads up among the gentry.

Thinking of that villain, Mei Chi's heart bleeds, she just wished she could swallow him alive.

Just now when someone said that Zhou Nan was visiting, she was worried about her father, so she ran over without much thought.

(End of this chapter)