Chapter 200: Art Exam

After listening to the monk chanting scriptures, Chen Ao ate Kong Ding and Kong Jing’s tea and pastries made by Kong Jing himself, the three of them slowly went down the mountain. There was nothing to visit along the way, so they went straight back to the Duke’s Mansion.

When he returned to the mansion, Chen Ao calmed down again, studied and made a fuss. After a few days, the art exam period was already here. First, the classics and rituals exam was conducted at noon until the end of the evening.

Early in the morning, Chen Ao calmly washed up, then went to his wife's place to sit radiantly, and was called to the study by Duke Zhou Zheng.

This exam is about fame and fortune. It is a competition for the fish bag of red clothes. As long as you have high school, you can immediately enter the Hanlin Academy. Therefore, it is much more grand than the several exams in the Imperial College, and Zhou Zheng also attaches great importance to it.

Encourage Chen Ao in the study and said, "If this time is in high school, there are hundreds of tables of water banquets in the mansion, you must celebrate it well. Chen Ao, many colleagues have asked you about your art exams now. Don't let your uncles down."

Chen Ao nodded. It seemed that Zhou Zheng was under great pressure. Everyone knew that he was a genius. If he had a stumble this time, Zhou Zheng's colleagues and some friends would not be able to raise his head.

Thinking that Zhou Zheng was almost better to him than his own son, Chen Ao was grateful and made up his mind to say, "Uncle, don't worry, Chen Ao will definitely compete for a Jinshi."

Zhou Zheng stroked his beard and smiled: "If you want to fight, you can compete for the top three. What does it mean to be a Jinshi and a Jinshi?"

Chen Ao was ashamed. Zhou Zheng had high expectations for himself, but I was not afraid. At least I signed up for four exams. Even if the horse made a mistake, it would not be possible that all four of them would be lost.

After coming out of the study, Liu Wenan taught people to prepare, the carriage, the pen and ink she had been carried, and the food boxes she had eaten in the examination room were all ready. He smiled and said to Chen Ao: "Young Master, Liu Wen wishes you all the best in high school."

Chen Ao laughed and said, "If you really have high school, I'm afraid you'll be busy enough. The master said, if you win, you'll have hundreds of tables of water feasts. At that time, all the tasks you'll prepare for will be handed over to you."

Liu Wen said: "As long as you cousin the young master in high school, Liu Wen will be happy no matter how hard or tired he is."

Chen Ao laughed. Master Liu has become very good at flattering recently. It seems that Master Liu is indeed a chore to train people. On the contrary, he is himself, this craft seems a little unfamiliar recently.

When he arrived at the door of the mansion, he was stopped by Zhou Ruo. Zhou Ruo no longer looked sternly at Chen Ao today and said with a smile: "Cousin, come."

Chen Ao walked over and said, "Do you have anything to encourage me?"

Zhou Ruo immediately showed her usual cold and frosty face and said, "Who wants to encourage you?" After pausing, his face calmed a lot, and then said, "You have a good exam. I made a sachet and you wear it." As he said, he brought out an exquisite sachet. This sachet looked like a goldfish bag, but the patterns and appearance were slightly different. The so-called fish bag was a proof of identity worn by officials in the Tang and Song dynasties. Therefore, in the folk, many people wear sachets that are similar to fish bags to get a colored head when they are in festivals and scientific examinations.

Chen Ao took the sachet and sniffed it gently. There was a fragrance of plum blossoms, and the needle and thread were sewn very well. When it touched, it felt a sense of smoothness. Chen Ao smiled gratefully at Zhou Ruo and said, "Thank you, cousin."

Zhou Ruo said: "It's useless to say thank you. You should take the exam carefully and don't let everyone down."

Chen Ao tied the fish bag to his waist and nodded repeatedly: "In order not to waste my cousin's intentions, Chen Ao must get a good result." Since he woke up today, he has promised this sentence to countless people, but this time, he was sincere and honest. When his cousin treats him well, he will return it ten times a hundred times.

Zhou Ruo nodded and turned around and said, "Go quickly, don't delay, I'll go with my mother."

When the carriage arrived at the Imperial College, the Imperial College could no longer move forward. It was bustling in the distance and it was already uninterrupted. As a last resort, Chen Ao got off the car and walked and taught the coachman to go back first.

As they got into the crowd, there were all kinds of candidates, some were white-haired, and some were as big as Shen Ao, but they all seemed energetic. In the distance, a series of examiners began to issue exam numbers. Chen Ao found a team and lined up and walked slowly with the team.

After half an hour, he finally squeezed in. The examiner raised his eyes and looked at him, then said happily: "It turns out that it is Chen Ao, Chen Ao, come on, come on, I heard that you have signed up for four exams this time."

Chen Ao also recognized the examiner, who was Xuezheng from the Imperial College, and quickly followed the disciple's etiquette and said, "Students have met Master Xuezheng."

Xue Zheng danced and stroked his beards and said, "No need to be polite. Just now, Lord Tang was asking you everywhere if you got the exam number. I didn't expect you to come as soon as he left. There were only a few people in the Imperial College for art exams. You are the most promising high school. You can't teach people to underestimate the Imperial College for the exam."

Chen Ao nodded quickly and said with a smile: "Countless people have said this sentence from early morning to now, sir..." Chen Ao changed his face and said: "You don't have to be a cliché anymore. At that time, students are really high school. How about adults treating students to a meal?"

Xuezheng was slightly surprised. Such bold students were rare, not to mention that he was Xuezheng, responsible for the rules and rewards in the Imperial College. Therefore, when the students saw him, they were like mice and cats. Chen Ao was not afraid of him at all. Xuezheng was not used to communicating with the students like this and said dryly: "Okay, as long as you are in high school, you can discuss anything."

As he said that, he gave Chen Ao the exam card. Chen Ao held the card and squeezed out of the crowd.

The test card says the Taixue Jia Pai Chen number, which is no different from the examination room in later generations. Taixue is the venue for the exam, A is the district examination room, and Chen number is the examination room. Chen Ao hurried to the Taixue examination room with a food box and Bimo.

It was his first time to enter the Imperial Academy and felt a little relieved. Fortunately, there were crowds here, and no one noticed him. He quickly found the examination area. When he went to the examination room, he handed over the examination card to the invigilator, and settled in the examination room. The food box was put at the end, and the pen and ink were spread on the examination table, waiting for the examination.

Chen Ao has experienced quite a few exams in this world, but this time, it is obviously more grand than the first exam, and the middle school entrance examination. Not only are there clerks present, but there are also imperial guards coming to check and cheat. The examiners are no longer just from the Ministry of Rites. Officials from the Hanlin Academy and Honglu Temple have also become examiners, and the scale is no less than that of the imperial examination.

After waiting for half an hour, all the candidates were in their seats, and they heard the clerks ringing, and the clerks opened their voices everywhere, "Open the book..."

A pair of test questions were distributed. Chen Ao opened the question, but his eyes widened and murmured: "This...is considered a test question?"

The so-called test questions are just a circle in the shape of O-shaped characters, without words, just a symbol. Although most of the classics of the art exam are not formal, they do not need to be completely derived from the four books like the imperial examination questions. However, drawing a circle to do the test questions is too terrifying.

Chen Ao smiled bitterly and suddenly remembered some rumors. Because it was an art exam, the meaning of the art exam was often very different from the meaning of the imperial examination. Therefore, the question-setting officers of the art exam liked to give some off-the-score questions, which not only tested the candidates' learning foundation, but also tested the candidates' urgent wisdom. However, this year's questions are not only biased, but also weird. How can you draw a circle as a question in the world? Is this funny?

He was speechless! Chen Ao raised his eyebrows and heard waves of wailings coming from the nearby examination hall. It seemed that Chen Ao was not the only one who was frightened by this question.

When the wail came out, several clerks rushed over and scolded, "I shouted loudly, just keep silent, otherwise I'll drag it out." The exam room calmed down, and countless people burst into cold sweats and stared at the test questions.

"Circle, circle..." Chen Ao concentrates his mind and mutters these two words. What does the circle represent? Or what can it represent? How can it be extended to the principles of the saint?

Solving the problem is the key. The problem is to draw a problem by a circle, and the difficulty can be imagined. How powerful does this require?

Chen Ao bit his pen and was suddenly enlightened. He cursed the questioner in his heart, and repeated the eighteen generations of ancestors several times. This questioner must be a pervert. Using such a question is simply a tendency to abuse people.

Although he thought so, Chen Ao was not depressed. After all, this kind of question was difficult for him, but it was not easy for other candidates. Everyone was fair and would not be cynical.

After thinking for a long time, Chen Ao smiled bitterly. Not to mention inspiration, he didn't even have a clue. He had done so many articles on scriptures, but for the first time he discovered that there were such problems in the world.

Looking up at the sky, the sky was cloudless, and the weather was rare, and the gentle sunshine fell, which made people feel refreshed.

"No, you can't delay it. You must come up with a way to solve the problem. Otherwise, you can't even pass the verse exam, so how can you take the art exam?" Chen Ao's heart was trembling, and then he was refreshed, looking at the circle in a daze.

The weather is so good, but I am in such a bad mood. Alas, it is true that I am unparalleled in luck. The weather is good, but this test question is embarrassing. Chen Ao knew that he would rather be rainy.

Hey, the sky, the sky, the place of the heaven, does this circle represent the sky? What is the sky? Heaven, earth, king, parents and teachers, heaven is the boss, and the master of all things. With...

Chen Ao suddenly smiled, as if he was afraid that the inspiration would disappear, so he quickly picked up his pen and wrote on the rice paper: "The saints first set their words and obtain the celestial phenomena." A simple sentence is considered to be a breaking of the topic, which means that the saints often have mastered the development laws of things before writing books. The ancients, the heavens are round and the way of humanity is based on the way of heaven, so this sentence solves the question, referring to the circle as heaven, and extending it from heaven to the saint. In this way, the question has a bright future.

The following topic is about starting with the lecture. You just need to write an article around the four words "The Saint" is a saint. The Saint writes books and talks, and this topic is a big deal. It is just to write tens of thousands of words, which is nothing to Chen Ao.

Chen Ao's wrist began to relax. After solving the question, he finished it all in one go until he tied his thighs and fell down. He sighed and put his pen to check his article. Even he felt quite satisfied. He thought in his heart with resentment: "Your son, you are a turtle boy, you miss a slut, haha..." After thinking proudly, he felt a little hungry. He put away the test paper and brought out the food box to eat a few pieces of pastries.

Until the sun sets west, I hear the sound of the clerks again, and the clerks said one after another: "Collection of the book, the book is closed, all the book is written..."

Chen Ao walked out of the examination room and felt very relaxed. For him, although the art exam was of great importance, he did not put his life on this art exam. Whether it was business or the imperial examination, he had many paths to choose. Therefore, his mentality in exams was calm and free, but he did not seem solemn.

On the other hand, some of the candidates around them frowned, some laughed, some called their friends, and some shed tears secretly. Needless to say, this question alone has already stumped many people, but I am afraid that many people will take the exam in vain again and have to wait for the exam three years later again.

As the people flew out of the Imperial Academy, the candidates were still struggling. Chen Ao was about to leave, but happened to be stopped by several familiar prison students. This question: "Brother Chen, how did you do this exam this time?" The one said: "Brother Chen has figured out the problem to solve it?"

Chen Ao was fighting with them. Seeing their sigh-like expressions, he thought to himself: "No, you haven't solved the problem? It's been an entire afternoon." He didn't know whether it was joy or sorrow, hey, it's not okay to study hard.

When he returned to the Duke Mansion, Liu Wen and his friends looked forward to it, saw Chen Ao from afar, hurriedly came over and said, "Young Master...Young Master...How did you do the exam?"

Chen Ao smiled and said in annoyance: "Not good."

Liu Wen's face changed drastically: "Young Master Chou is a talented man, how could something go wrong? Oh, what should I do?"

Deng Long came up and said, "Young Master Chen, how did you do in the exam?"

Chen Ao rolled his eyes and thought to himself: "There are only these unnutritional problems all the way back. Alas, even a big guy like Deng Long has this bad habit." He curled his lips and said, "It's okay."

"Is that okay?" Deng Long held his chin and chewed Chen Ao's words. I wonder if this is humble or is it really not good?

After entering the mansion, I met Zhou Heng. Today, Chen Ao was rarely asked to take the exam. Zhou Heng was also worried and didn't go out to play. He waited for the result: "Cousin, how did he do the exam?"

"It's the third time." Chen Ao replied speechlessly, "It's not bad!"

Zhou Heng said with a romance: "Of course there is no problem with my cousin."

After entering the back garden, he bumped into Zhou Ruo. Zhou Ruo said reservedly: "Why did my cousin come back so early? Could it be that he didn't do well in the exam?"

"Great!" Chen Ao touched the sachet on his waist and said with a smile: "It's not a small one, it's a big one. I passed the test steadily this time."

Zhou Ruoxi raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't be too proud. You must know that people have made mistakes and horses have made mistakes. Whether it is good or not is not your final decision. It depends on the examiner."

Chen Ao said modestly: "What my cousin said is that I must be modest and cautious, so just now, Master Liu asked me how I did in the exam, but I couldn't say it."

Zhou Ruo sneered and said, "Master Liu must be very sad. He has been asking you to get the first prize in the past few days."

Chen Ao said: "The greater the disappointment, the greater the joy he will be when I pass the exam, right? Later, Deng Long asked me how he was doing in the exam, and I said it was okay."

Zhou Ruo asked: "What's the reason?"

Chen Ao said: "Because he is not interested in the art exam, this question is mostly out of politeness, so I can go back, it's okay, neither salty nor light, so he won't think too much."

"Yes." Zhou Ruo thought it made sense.

"Later, I ran into my cousin again, and my answer was pretty good." Chen Ao continued with a smile.

Zhou Ruo asked: "Why is this?"

"My cousin likes to break the pot and ask the final questions. He understands my talent, so I will not let him get entangled with it if I answer this way."
Chapter completed!