Chapter 152

Because of Zheng Lizheng's words, the eyes of He Qiao and the two scholars were all on Xue Tingxiang's face.

Naturally, they didn't understand the clues of this, and they only thought that Zheng Lizheng suddenly mentioned whether there was something hidden in it. After all, they all knew before coming that this was a competition between two descendants of the same family.

What is compared is knowledge, and what is compared is also future.

They were all from humble backgrounds, and of course they knew how difficult it was to study in a farming family, so before Xue Tingxiang said that the Xue family never forgot to cultivate their children and grandchildren while they settled down, Qiao Xiucai praised them greatly.

Because he knew that this matter seemed insignificant, but it was actually too difficult for farmers. How many families had the idea of ​​changing their own destiny by reading books.

It can be said that those who are born in a poor family in the countryside and can achieve great fame have all experienced great hardships. The starting point is much lower than others. It takes countless efforts to catch up with others, and at the same time they have to face all kinds of cruel competition.

This kind of competition is not only between classmates and exams, but also between the same clan, and even one's own brothers.

If you succeed, the sea and the sky will be bright, and you will not be an ordinary person since then. If you fail, you will put down the book and pick up the hoe, and face the loess and the sky for the rest of your life.

It is because they understand this kind of cruelty that the two of them can't help but wonder whether this son deliberately said that his knowledge is weak, or he just wants to pull his brother to reduce the difficulty of the question. But this is a double-edged sword. After all, it is a disadvantage to oneself to lose one's studies to others.

These thoughts only happened in an instant, and because of the sudden attention of He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai, Xue Qingshan's eyebrows jumped wildly, for fear that Xue Tingxiang would say something amazing again. At this moment, he couldn't care less about why Xue Tingxiang knew the explanation of the scriptures, and he completely forgot that his previous idea was that Xue Tingshan didn't understand the scriptures, and it would be easy for his son to beat him.

This is also true for Patriarch Xue. If something happens in the clan that cannot be seen by others, it is limited to the clan. If it happens in public, it will be a bit ugly.

The eyes of the two seemed to have needles, and they were anxiously focused on Xue Tingxiang's face. Unexpectedly, he smiled shyly and said: "The boy was weak and sick when he was young, so he inevitably fell behind."

Xue Qingshan hurriedly laughed and said: "That's exactly the case. Don't be afraid that the two seniors will laugh at me. My nephew is talented and intelligent, but his weak body hinders his studies."

Patriarch Xue also nodded in agreement.

Others didn't know what was going on, they just opened their eyes and watched. Only Zheng Lizheng seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but he couldn't tell the details, so he could only keep silent.

After He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai gave in to each other again, He Xiucai was the main one in the end. Sitting at the top, he said to Xue Tingxiang: "Since you don't understand the scriptures, it's a bit unfair to go beyond the scope of what you have learned. You two are still young, and it's time to lay down the foundation, so I will test your two. Human base."

Hearing this, although Xue Juncai was a little disappointed that he was overqualified and missed his opportunity to perform, he also felt disdainful.

If you don't test the scriptures, then Xue Tingxiang is not his opponent!

He Xiucai squeezed his beard with his hands, and after pondering for a while, said: "Zhu Zi said: the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the way, it is only one. It is also suitable for young people. If you don't learn it in elementary school, you will have nothing to learn. Its heart, to cultivate its virtue, is the foundation of the university. The two of you will each silently write a "Disciple Regulations."

Neither of them expected that the first question would be Mo's "Disciple Regulations". You must know that "Disciples Regulations" was learned at the beginning of elementary school, and the whole article is only about a thousand words. In addition to the general narrative, it is divided into seven chapters: filial piety when you enter, brotherhood when you go out, sincerity, faith, universal love for all, kindness and benevolence, and Yu Liwen.

Each chapter is not long, with three words and one sentence, rhyming in the same pattern, and catchy. It lists the various norms that disciples should abide by at home, when going out, and when dealing with people. It also just proves what He Xiucai said before, the size of learning is inherently different, but it is the truth that it is only one.

Someone has already prepared a square table and pens and inks, and each person has a table and table in front of the hall, and even the ink has been sharpened.

When the two came to the table, they picked up a pen and wrote without any hesitation.

As the two rushed to write and write, the noise gradually faded away. Even if the country people don't understand the basic principles, they also know that scholars should not be disturbed when they are doing their studies.

This is not a problem for Xue Tingxiang, because he only has one book, so he has spent too much effort to memorize the things he has learned.

Not only memorizing, but also keeping in mind, so that when asked in school, he can answer fluently, because he has no reference at all.

It is better to have no books than to have books, because these are all engraved in the mind. Especially since having that dream, in order not to affect his memory, he has silently recited the book he had memorized countless times in his mind.

While Xue Tingxiang was writing vigorously, he also had a slight change in his opinion of He Xiucai.

He could see that the other party asked such an unexpected question, not because the other party deliberately released the water, but because the other party wanted to make a surprise. Because this discipline is too simple for scholars, they have learned it when they were just learning, but they just throw it away after learning it.

Except for the beginning of learning, my husband will not take these things in the future. It may be to test the Three Character Classic, or even a hundred surnames, and a thousand character prose, but it will not be the rules of this disciple.

Xue Tingxiang even couldn't wait to see Xue Juncai's reaction. Maybe the other party can roughly write down this article, but can you write down all the thousands of words, and the words are correct and the order is good? And He Xiucai's request to silence this disciple's rule is probably not just silent, but also one of the "books" in elementary school.

Just relying on your own words is enough to beat the opponent.

As Xue Tingxiang thought, at first Xue Juncai really felt contemptuous. He even wondered if this He Xiucai was out of his mind to take the "Disciple Regulations" test.

Who wouldn't know this disciple? It is something to learn at the beginning of school. But after he fell silent, he realized that he really wasn't as good as he thought.

After you leave, do you love me, or are you hurt? You must know that this Disciple Rules is not like other articles, it can connect the past and the future, confirming each other, if the first sentence is wrong, the latter paragraph will be wrong.

The more Xue Juncai became silent, the more annoyed he felt, and he always felt that he was wrong in being silent. If someone asks a question, he can naturally answer it fluently. Ke Mo, Mo is still a good word!

At first, he wrote like flying, but then it became slower and slower, and even reached the point where he couldn't write, obviously he was not sure if his memory was wrong.

On the contrary, Xue Tingxiang has been calm from the beginning, and he is still writing at a leisurely pace at this time, but it can be seen that his writing is very coherent, with almost no pause.

At the first place, Qiao Xiucai glanced at He Xiucai with exclamation, and did not hide her surprise at all. He naturally had a panoramic view of the following situation, and he had to admire He Xiucai's ingenuity.

He Xiucai smiled slightly. In fact, he would ask this kind of question, but he just wanted people to make mistakes. I was very proud of my inspiration.

He stroked his beard and said with a faint smile, "You two little friends, don't worry, there is a stick of incense time, enough to write it down."

Yizhuxiang wrote more than a thousand characters, which seemed a bit hasty, but it is not impossible to write something as simple as the disciple's rules silently, as long as you pay close attention to it.

But that was before, Xue Juncai couldn't help but feel even more anxious when he heard someone mention the time.

In the following time, he kept looking at the stick of incense, because he looked at it too frequently, which made his speed even slower.

"Okay, time is up."

As the words fell, Xue Tingxiang made a big stroke and put down the brush in his hand.

Xue Juncai didn't move, until someone went in front of him, only to find that his whole body was as stiff as a stone, and he was dripping with sweat, and the paper in front of him was only half full.

Because the two were behind the gate, and Xue Qingshan and Yang Zhong were sitting at the end, they didn't notice anything strange about it. In their minds, a "Regulations for Disciples" couldn't be simpler, and Xue Juncai's strange appearance also attracted the attention of the two of them, but they still didn't expect that Xue Juncai could not finish writing it.

It wasn't until He Xiucai and Qiao Xiucai looked at each other's papers that they looked at each other, and He Xiucai announced that Xue Tingxiang won this match.

Xue Qingshan stood up from the chair in surprise: "How is it possible?"

At the same time, there was a lot of discussion below and outside the door, and it seemed that Xue Juncai couldn't believe that Xue Juncai had lost. Insiders look at the doorway, while laymen watch the excitement. The villagers who didn't know a single word didn't know what the test was about, they only knew that Master Xiucai said that Xue Juncai lost to the Xue family dog.

Xue Juncai lost to Xue Gouzi?

This, this is really surprising. You must know that Xue Juncai has always been the most outstanding young man among the younger generation in Yuqing Village. Whoever mentions him does not give a thumbs up.

"Senior He, Senior Qiao, did you make a mistake, a disciple's regulation..."

He Xiucai gestured with his gaze, and two people stepped forward to unfold Xue Juncai's and Xue Tingxiang's papers, held them up, and showed them to everyone.

I saw that on one of the rice papers, the handwriting was full of strength, correct and beautiful. On the other piece of rice paper, the handwriting was not bad, but it was anticlimactic, and it became more and more scribbled as it went to the back, and there were even spots of ink on it.

"Xue Tingxiang's words are not bad, and there is no ink on the scroll, which is a good appearance. And Xue Juncai didn't finish his silence, and there were mistakes and omissions, so Xue Tingxiang won this round."

"Brilliant!" Xue Qingshan said in surprise, his eyes were full of disbelief, he wanted to say something, but was pulled by Yang Zhong.

Xue Juncai didn't raise his head until now, he raised his head stiffly and looked at Xue Tingxiang with red eyes.

...

Next is the second round, and this round will return to the normal school exam homework.

He Xiucai asked the question, and the two answered.

"Seeking the ancients to seek the theory, how can you solve it if you let go of your worries?"

"Search for the ancients and the ancient things, and read more wise and famous sayings, so that you can get rid of distracting thoughts and be at ease." Xue Juncai took a step forward and replied.

"Meng Ke is dunsu, Shi Yu is upright. What's the explanation for Lao Qian's edict?" This sentence was asked by Xue Tingxiang.

He pondered for a while, and said: "Mencius advocates simplicity, while Ziyu, the official historian, is upright. What he said is that a person should conform to the standard of the mean as much as possible. He must be hardworking and humble, be cautious, and know how to advise himself."

"Saying the warning, what's the next sentence?" When He Xiucai asked this sentence, he didn't look at any of the two of them.

Xue Juncai was still in a daze, but Xue Tingxiang had already replied: "I'm almost ashamed, Lin Gao is lucky."

"Don't talk about each other's weaknesses, what's the solution to relying on your own strengths?"

This time Xue Juncai didn't let up, and hurriedly said: "Don't talk about other people's shortcomings, and don't rely on your own strengths to make progress." Before he finished speaking, his cheeks were hot, and he didn't know whether it was embarrassment or self-ashamed.

"Okay!" He Xiucai clapped his hands together, "All the answers are pretty good."

Suddenly, he said again: "Shuixie."

Xue Juncai was stunned for a moment, Xue Tingxiang's eyes flashed, and he replied: "Shanzhai."

Hearing this, Xue Juncai realized that He Xiucai was taking a pair test.

Before schoolchildren enter university, in addition to the basic three hundred and thousand thousand, they also need to learn "Enlightenment of Rhythm", "Longwen Whip Shadow", "Children's Learning Qionglin", "Zengguang Xianwen" and so on.

Among them, "Enlightenment of Rhythm" and "Longwen Whip Shadow" teach children to understand the rules of rhythm and parallelism. In the process of learning Pingzheqie rhyme, at the same time begin to understand and master poetry rhyme, and acquire a large number of vocabulary and ancient allusions.

Nowadays there is a saying that few schoolchildren who have been taught can't match the right pair.

Especially this simple pair and couplet.

After suffering two losses in a row, Xue Juncai was obviously smarter. It was almost He Xiucai who asked the question. Answered successfully.

It can be seen that Xue Juncai is doing well in his studies, and there are almost no pairs that He Xiucai can't answer.

"Recently, the old man sighed in his heart. He occasionally got something. He came up with an upper couplet, but so far he has not been able to get a suitable second couplet. This time I will test you two. It may be too difficult for you now, but give it a try. It doesn't matter." He Xiucai withdrew his gaze and looked at Qiao Xiucai: "Brother Qiao, if you are interested, you can also try it, so as to relieve the pain of brooding for many days."

Qiao Xiucai smiled slightly, knowing that this was He Xiucai's desire to compete.

As the saying goes, there is no first in writing, and there is no second in martial arts. In the nearby villages, he and He Xiucai were the only ones who passed the entrance examination. He Xiucai's reputation in the outside world has never been prominent, and he can understand that he will compare.

"Brother He, it's okay to say."

He Xiucai stroked his beard and said: "One person is great, and two are heaven. Heaven is greater than human affection, and human affection is greater than heaven."

Xue Tingxiang's eyes flashed, his eyes flicked across the faces of the first two people, and then fell on Xue Juncai's face. Seeing him bow his head in thought, he also lowered his head.

There was silence in the hall, no one dared to make a sound, and couldn't figure it out that there were two juniors in the examination school, so how could these two match up.

Suddenly, a clear high-five sounded.

Qiao Xiucai clapped his hands and said, "Two trees make a forest, three trees make a forest. The forest is luxuriant, and the forest is luxuriant."

Xue Tingxiang thought to himself: In fact, this pair is difficult to say, and it is not difficult to say that it is not difficult.

He Xiucai's one person turns into a big man, and two people turn into a sky, and the two lines of confrontation afterwards have the finishing touch. And Qiao Xiucai used two trees to form a forest, and three trees to form a forest, which is perfect.

In fact, he was also right. Before Qiao Xiucai, he only knew that this question was not mainly about him and Xue Juncai, so he kept silent. Now that Qiao Xiucai has matched up, he naturally doesn't have to be afraid of Zhuanmei, after all, he and Xue Juncai are the two who got the most out of the test.

He raised his head and said, "The kid has it too."

Xue Tingxiang was not ambiguous either, and cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for your suggestion, but there are still trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is settled, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."

"You are straightforward, so you are not afraid of being implicated and hindering your fame?" Boss Chen asked curiously.

"The kid hasn't entered school yet, so why talk about fame? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. If they are really talented, presumably the magistrate Hu will not dare to stop them too much."

"I can't see that you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will recommend you one or two. Although my classmate is rigid and dull, he is not good at words, but his knowledge is first-rate. Don't dare It is no problem to teach a person to become a Jinshi, but a scholar is fine."

"Then thank Uncle Chen first."

*

For several days, Xue Tingxiang and Zhao'er left early and returned late.

Someone from Xue's family asked twice, and Zhao'er said to take Xue Tingxiang out to get some fresh air, so as not to be overwhelmed. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn't help shaking his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingxiang was doomed. Maybe the two children in Erfang also have a lot of mentality, so they broke the cans and didn't read books, but ran around playing.

You must know that even if you are as qualified as Xue Juncai, you have to read books at home for many days to prepare.

In the blink of an eye, it was five days.

This day is no different from ordinary days.

The farmhouse is always busy in the morning, and after a night, the family's livestock have to be waited on, and the whole family has to be tossed about to eat. After breakfast, the men will go to the fields, and the women will do housework at home.

If there is some difference, Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than others for breakfast.

Because of Mr. Xue's beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao didn't dare to openly fight against the big family members these days. Today, seeing that life is not normal, she couldn't hold back.

Originally, Xue Tingxiang didn't have any, but Yang Shi saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao Shi to ask for two eggs, and put them in the bowl for him.

Xue Tingxiang wants to recruit one of them separately, but he doesn't want to be recruited, but it's a pity that he can't be persuaded.

For the sake of one egg, the two of you whispered one sentence at a time, while Mr. Xue's expression on the top was particularly serious.

But life in the country is like this, no matter how heavy your heart is, you can't lose your livelihood. Especially when rushing for spring plowing, Mr. Xue still took his two sons to work in the fields for a while, and didn't come back until the sun was high.

The news about the competition between the two children of Xue's family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.

It's not that there are people who say strange things, but most people can still understand what old man Xue did. It's not easy for rural people to earn a little money, and no one's money comes from the big river. If there is a way, no one will do this.

Knowing that today is the day, let the children of the family watch in the village. Seeing a stranger go to Zheng Lizheng's house, these hairy kids ran into the field, shouting from a long distance, "Someone is coming from Lizheng's house". The adults stopped planting the land, so they picked up the hoes and rushed back.

Not long after, the big courtyard of Zheng Lizheng's house was full of people, and more villagers kept coming here.

There was a lot of commotion in the yard, everyone was gossiping and discussing today's matter at the same time.

In the room, Zheng Li was talking with a middle-aged man in a scholar's shirt and a flat scarf on his head.

This man had a thin and long face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. She doesn't look good, but her identity seems to be extraordinary, and she actually sits in the main seat.

And Zheng Lizheng could only sit on the sidelines.

His Gu Pan has a different temperament from ordinary people. This person is Qiao Xiucai, who has a reputation in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages.

Long before, Zheng Lizheng had thought about it. Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone from the Xue family, if he didn't expect, it should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong, Yang Zhong is just a boy, so he will invite a scholar.

On the one hand, it seemed that he was impartial, and on the other hand, it was a good time to show his prestige.

"Qiao Xianggong, you drink tea, I will order someone to remind you."

Qiao Xiucai waved his hand indifferently: "Don't worry."

Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside, but it was patriarch Xue who came with someone.

However, it was not Patriarch Xue who took the lead, but an old man over fifty years old. This old man is of medium stature, dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai, also wearing a scholar's shirt and a flat scarf, obviously even if he is not a scholar, he is still a child.

Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he quickly stood up from his chair and bowed to him.

"I never thought it would be Senior He, late born is so polite."

"Don't be too polite, just sit down."

This He Xiucai was the person invited by patriarch Xue to preside over this competition.

Zheng Lizheng was right, at first Xue Qingshan really planned to invite his father-in-law, but it was a pity that this matter was rejected by Patriarch Xue.

Patriarch Xue also only knew that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They all said that he should not avoid relatives when he was a virtuous person, but this is not the way. Since he felt that the chances of winning were more than guaranteed, there was no need for people to make mistakes, so he took care of this matter.

He knew in his heart that the surname Zheng would not let go of the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he must be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Qiao Xiucai, but he was a step late, so he had to delay the relationship and invite He Xiucai.

After courteously giving way to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.

Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.

"Let Brother Lizheng worry about it."

"Don't bother, don't worry, I'm the leader here, so I can't show up if something happens in the village."

A lot of back and forth, seemingly amiable, but there is a hint of wit hidden in the words. During this period, a few old people walked in from the outside, but they were a few old people from Yuqing Village, Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.

Another uninvited guest was Xue Qingshan's father-in-law Yang Zhong.

Yang Zhong was in his fifties, with a chubby body. He didn't look like a scholar, but a landlord with a fat brain. As soon as he came in, he joined Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, but unfortunately, these two scholars were not willing to talk to him, they said a few words with him, and then went to sit aside awkwardly.

Xue Qingshan sat at the end.

The Weng and the son-in-law are considered pretty people, and those who can sit here are all respectable people in the village, but because of the identity of this boy, they can also sit in the hall. You know, even Mr. Xue doesn't have a seat, so he can only stand aside.

"I don't know the real master, but he's here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had come.

Patriarch Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai hurriedly said, "Here we come."

Just as he was speaking, the villagers surrounding the door made way, and two teenagers walked out from the crowd.

These two teenagers are all dressed in short brown, and they can be seen from humble backgrounds at a glance.

The one in the lead looks gentle and handsome, with a slender figure. Although the clothes are simple, he is quite personable. The one in the back is half a head shorter than the one in the front, his body seems a little weak, and he seems a little introverted, his eyelids are always half down, and he seems a little afraid of strangers.

But when the two came to the hall and accepted the scrutiny of the crowd, they had some clues.

The elder's appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if the clothes don't fit well. But the young one has been standing neither humble nor overbearing, the half-drooped eyelids not only do not make people feel contemptuous, but it feels like the respect that the younger generation should have for the elders.

Therefore, it seemed that the older one looked directly into the eyes of everyone, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to have self-confidence, but when the younger generation faces the elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.

All this happened in an instant, and Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were seated in the main seats, had the initial judgment on these two young people.

"Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingxiang, I have met all the elders."

He Xiucai nodded, Qiao Xiucai nodded, and asked curiously, "Tingxiang? Does this name have a meaning?"

Xue Tingxiang was taken aback, and Fang Zuoyi said: "Hey, I mean to follow suit. The student's great-great-grandfather was also a student, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the exam. Although my Xue family was born in a poor family, there are many generations. Forgetting the last wish of the ancestors, while settling down to live and work, he has been working hard to let the children of the clan read and write, and be able to understand the principles of life.

"It should be noted that if you read a lot, you will have hills and valleys in your heart, and you will have a poetic spirit in your stomach. The younger generation will follow the last wish of the ancestors. Although they are not very knowledgeable at a young age, they have great ambitions. They hope that one day they can continue the path that their ancestors walked, and continue to do so. go down."

These words are very well-chosen, and the words are too polite, or they say something to study and become an official to serve the court, to establish a life for the people, and to bring peace to all generations. They are all suspected of deliberately showing off, which makes people laugh. After all, they are still brats, not even children.

And Xue Tingxiang's words just echoed his age and knowledge, and even because of the ancestor's last wish, it added a bit of filial piety.

After listening to Qiao Xiucai, he stroked his beard and said, "Okay! What a big ambition!"

With this praise, everyone's eyes were on Xue Tingxiang.

Most people don't understand what it means, they only think that Qiao Xiucai is exaggerating the dog of Xue's second room, but they can understand but they have different thoughts.

Shocked and complicated like patriarch Xue, the look in Xue Tingxiang's eyes implied excitement and admiration. He is the head of the clan, and he always regards the glory of the clan as his great responsibility. Xue Tingxiang's words not only praised his ancestors in front of others, but also inadvertently showed the unusualness of the Xue clan, which made his face extraordinarily honored. Unconsciously, he straightened his back.

Some secretly scolded this son for being cunning, and even used the occasion to grandstanding.

Still upholding the last wish of his ancestors, whoever asked him to uphold it was just bragging! Why didn't I see that this son was so eloquent earlier.

"The elders in your family took this name for you, and they have high hopes for you."

When Qiao Xiucai said this, he was embarrassed again, but it was the Xue family who were embarrassed.

Just when Patriarch Xue and the others were afraid that Xue Tingxiang would be ignorant to tell the reason, he saluted again and said: "This junior will definitely study hard and live up to the expectations of his family."

Xue Qingshan couldn't sit still.

Today's book is for the examination of Xue Juncai and Xue Tingxiang, who is eligible to enter the school. The exam hadn't even started yet, but Qiao Xiucai's words were intended to encourage and agree with the other party. The so-called failure before the battle was nothing more than that.

He couldn't help but interjected: "Seniors, can we start?"

Only then did Qiao Xiucai realize that he had spoken too much, but once he said it, he would naturally not take it back, and Xue Qingshan's words obviously made him feel embarrassed. There was a slight displeasure in his heart, so instead of avoiding it, he nodded appreciatively to Xue Tingxiang, and then went to take a sip of tea on the table.

Between the actions, there was a sense of treating Xue Qingshan as nothing, which made his face darken immediately. But he didn't dare to have any doubts at all, he just smiled and sat back.

Qiao Xiucai put down the teacup, cupped his hands and said to He Xiucai: "Senior He, look at this—"

"Let's begin then."

"Are you a senior, or you are the main one."

Qiao Xiucai is a polite word. He is only in his thirties, he is already a scholar, he may be able to raise a scholar in the future, but He Xiucai is already an old man, the possibility of being selected is very slim. That's why it was obvious that He Xiucai was the main one, but when Qiao Xiucai spoke, He Xiucai didn't interrupt him, and didn't even blame him for taking the lead.

This is the way of the imperial examination, which pays attention to qualifications and seniority, but also pays attention to potential.

Talents like Yang Zhong who fail the exam all their lives will be old boys when they grow old. However, if one can pass the examination as a scholar, even if one is over half a hundred years old and the other is a young man with a weak crown, they can still be on equal footing and be friends with each other as peers.

It's like Xue Qingshan is about to call himself a junior in front of Qiao Xiucai, and he can only accept Qiao Xiucai's embarrassment to him. Although Qiao Xiucai gave He Xiucai too much courtesy, He Xiucai put him first in words and deeds.

Few of the people present understood these principles, but Xue Tingxiang did, which made him even more determined to be a scholar.

"Where are you two in your studies now?"

"I have finished studying the Four Books, and now I am diligently reading the "Book of Songs" among the Five Classics." Xue Juncai answered first.