Tang Shen was scolded by Sun Yue for three days. Only after he agreed to treat Fatty Sun to a big meat bun sold at the entrance of Ziyang Academy did he finally vent his anger.

Sun Yue: “How could you only be the young master of the Tang family? You definitely have a share in Zhenbao Pavilion!”

Sun Yue was not a fool. There were many rich people in Gusu City, but to be able to enter Ziyang Academy, one at least had to pass the standards of Zheng Shanchang and have some real talent and learning. When Tang Shen and Madam Tang unveiled the red cloth in front of them, how could he not know Tang Shen’s identity?

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

After thinking about it, the little fatty was still upset: “You have to treat me three times!”

Tang Shen: “That’s all the ambition you have!”

The two laughed.

After eating the buns, the two talked about the county exam in five days.

Sun Yue said: “Are you sure about the county exam in five days?”

Tang Shen thought to himself: This was not a question of whether one was sure or not, this was a matter of passing the exam no matter what.

“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Tang Shen asked, “What about you?”

Sun Yue let out a long sigh: “I came to school last year and have been studying for a year and a half now. In addition to the seven years of studying privately at home, I have been studying for more than eight years. You are only fourteen this year, and I am already fifteen years old. Did you know that my cousin became a xiucai at the age of fifteen?”

Tang Shen said: “There is no injury without comparison, I understand.”

Sun Yue’s eyes widened: “You understand? What do you understand? Tang Shen! I originally thought that we were grasshoppers on the same rope, advancing and retreating together. Who would have thought that you plan to pass and become a xiucai!”

“Isn’t this too soon to say?”

Sun Yue: “You will definitely pass the exam. God, why must I be your classmate? If you don’t pass the exam, that’s fine. But if you pass the exam, my mother will definitely nag me. I have studied longer than you, yet I’m far lacking in studies than you! Brother Tang, my Brother Tang, could you spare this little brother this time?”

Tang Shen said calmly, “You are not the only child who has been vexed to death by your Brother Tang since childhood. Go study hard, Fatty Sun.”

“Hah?”

“Nothing. Do you still want to eat meat buns?”

“Let’s go!”

Tang Shen was determined to pass this county exam.

Five days before the county exam, the students of Ziyang Academy were given a vacation, allowing them to study on their own. Almost all the students in the school had achieved a scholarly rank, but there were also a few like Tang Shen and Sun Yue who had to take the county examination.

Tang Shen originally wanted to study hard at home for five days, reviewing the past and familiarizing the new. Unexpectedly, early on the first day, a carriage stopped in front of his house. Tang Shen went out to greet Liang Song who got out of the carriage and said, “Yu Zhi went to Jinling for some business. I’m going to Shazhou County in the next few days, will you come with me?”

Tang Shen was stunned: “Sir, I will take the county exam in five days.”

Liang Song: “You can’t pass the exam?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“…”

I want to be in the top ten! ! !

Tang Shen couldn’t say this. Liang Song looked at his awkward expression while holding back his words, which finally made him look his age. Liang Song laughed and said, “Let’s go. If you can’t pass the county exam, don’t call yourself my student in the future.”

Tang Shen accepted the order, packed his things and left with Liang Song.

The carriage left Gusu City and headed north. The weather was getting warmer, but there was still a bit of chill. The carriage was equipped with a small heater. Tang Shen remembered that when he went to pick up his teacher at the city gate a month ago, his teacher gave him this thing to warm his hands.

The teacher and student didn’t chat in the carriage, they both read books separately. Sometimes Liang Song would ask Tang Shen to answer several questions. Tang Shen would answer them one by one, and Liang Song would point out the flaws.

In the evening, the two arrived at Shazhou County.

Shazhou County was in the northernmost part of Gusu Prefecture. The snow in Gusu Prefecture City stopped three days ago, but Shazhou County was still covered in snow. The endless fields were thinly covered with a layer of silver-white snow, and several villages were dotted among the endless white. The driver drove the carriage to one of the farm houses.

The carriage stopped in front of a small courtyard. Before they even got off the carriage, the owner of the house went out to greet them.

This was an old man with gray hair and a stooped back. He walked to the carriage with a cane, bowed to Liang Song, and greeted: “Liang daru.”

Liang Song got out of the carriage and saluted back: “Zhao juren.”

Tang Shen was stunned. He didn’t expect that this old man, who seemed to have an ordinary appearance and an ordinary background, was actually a juren.

Zhao juren invited them in and arranged a room for them.

Liang Song said: “I came to borrow two books from him and take a look around Shazhou County. We will leave the day after tomorrow. My eyesight is dim and he is no longer the age to read and write. As Yu Zhi is not here, you will take his place and help me copy down the two books.”

Tang Shen smiled bitterly and said, “Yes.”

So he was dragged over to do hard work!

Zhao juren gave Tang Shen two books on the customs, people and sentiments of Shazhou County, and Tang Shen copied the contents carefully. He didn’t write quickly, especially as when writing such small characters, one had to hold the brush with the wrist in the air. After copying a few pages, he felt a little tired. Tang Shen rubbed his arms and continued to copy.

Liang Bowen was a great contemporary Confucian scholar, but he liked all kinds of books.

Tang Shen once went to his teacher’s study room, where thousands of books were kept. From astronomy and geography to poetry, song, legends, and Confucian miscellany, there was everything one could ever want to read about. Liang Bowen never stuck to any kind of genre. He was erudite and knowledgeable.

When Tang Shen began to copy the second book, it was already dark.

“When making a hook, restrain the sharpness.”

Tang Shen was stunned for a moment and almost made a mistake, but inevitably, there was still a small ink dot on the book. He raised his head: “Sir?”

Liang Song stood beside him at some point, quietly watching Tang Shen write by candlelight.

Tang Shen never liked studying at night. As the saying went, to stay up late to read. Tang Huang once joked about this, saying that her brother was not diligent enough and he did not want to go to school. However, Tang Shen said confidently: “To study with the light of the oil lamp, do you want your brother to gain myopia at a young age?”

Ah Huang didn’t understand what myopia meant, but she could see Tang Shen’s firmness.

The warm candlelight swayed gently, Liang Song stood at the table, and Tang Shen sat copying books.

Liang Song: “Continue.”

“Yes.”

Tang Shen wrote more carefully, concentrating on his handwriting. Halfway through writing, Liang Song said: “It is indeed effective for you to practice calligraphy every day, but you always show your sharpness when writing.”

“Isn’t it good to reveal your sharpness?”

“It’s not good to show off one’s sharpness and edges. But you only do so a little, so it’s not a big deal, rather it gives your writing more character. If this handwriting is too much, wouldn’t all the masters of remix cursive script in the world be considered sharp and arrogant? But Tang Shen, you must remember that you are just a common scholar without any rank. If you want to take the exam, you must be able to write in the Guange style.”

Liang Song held Tang Shen’s hand and guided him to write. In an instant, beautiful ink characters appeared on the paper.

Perhaps in this era, many fathers once held their sons’ hands and patiently taught them: “Square and round, beautiful and gorgeous. Do not stand out of line, and do not reveal the sharpness of the hook. Each word is of the same size and detailed. You must write the Guangge style well, otherwise even if you are wenquxing reincarnated, you will not be able to pass the palace exam.”

There was silence in the room. After a long time, Tang Shen said: “Sir, when did I say that I wanted to pass the palace exam?”

Liang Song laughed and scolded: “You little rascal, are you implying that if you want to pass the palace exam, you can pass the palace exam? I’m afraid you won’t even pass the juren exam!”

Tang Shen thought very seriously: “If I fail to pass the juren exam, wouldn’t it mean that sir’s reputation will be ruined? I will be the first of your students to fail the juren exam?”

“Begone, you!”

“Ai!”

Tang Shen was guided by Liang Song to write two pieces of paper, then Liang Song had him write a few more pieces by himself.

“Okay, go to bed first and continue writing tomorrow.”

Tang Shen: “I want to write for a while longer.”

Liang Song: “Go to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow to go have a look around Shazhou County.”

Tang Shen had no choice but to accept the order.

After resting one night at Zhao juren‘s house, the teacher and student took a carriage and headed to Xiangshan in the north of Shazhou County. The carriage reached the foot of the mountain, and the two got out of the carriage and walked along the path. Xiangshan was the highest mountain in Shazhou County, more than 100 meters high. There were yew and masson pine on the mountain. The green trees cover the sound of the stream but the sound of birds singing amidst the white snow could be heard.

Tang Shen was young and fit, and he did not find it difficult to climb up with his luggage on his back. However, Mr. Liang was old, and he was already gasping for air after they reached Peach Blossom Stream. At this spot they could see the mountain of green pine trees buried in silver snow and when one stepped on it, the snow reached their ankles.

Liang Song stopped and said, “I really can’t walk anymore. Tang Shen, go up the mountain by yourself.”

Tang Shen was stunned: “Sir?”

“I’m old and there’s still some distance to the top of the mountain. You go up by yourself.”

Tang Shen didn’t want to go up. He came to climb the mountain with Liang Song. If Liang Song didn’t even climb anymore, what was the point of him climbing alone? But Liang Song also said that he had climbed up to this point, and he had more ambition than strength. Tang Shen might as well climb to the top and take in the panoramic view of the scenery.

So Tang Shen climbed up alone.

“Where is the scenery that sir promised!” Tang Shen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In fact, this was true, this Xiangshan was just an ordinary little mountain in Shazhou County, Gusu Prefecture. In his previous life, Tang Shen climbed Mount Tai, the first of the five mountains, and Huashan, which was famous for its rugged and steep cliffs. Compared with the former two, Xiangshan was nothing to mention.

After going down the mountain, Liang Song asked: “How nice was the scenery on the mountain?”

Tang Shen thought for a while: “The mountain is high and the air is refreshing. It is cloudless today. Although I can’t see Gusu City after reaching the top, I can get a clear view of Shazhou County. The scenery is quite good.”

“Standing at the top of the mountain is better than being within the mountain, with a new atmosphere and a glimpse of the grand view, yes?”

Tang Shen was about to answer when suddenly he was stunned and stared straight at Liang Song.

“Sir… did you not bring me out for some fun?”

Liang Song asked back: “When did I say it was for fun?”

Tang Shen himself laughed first, and said: “So it’s like that! Sir asked me to copy books because you are testing my calligraphy skills and teaching me to write in the Guange style. But now that sir has brought me to mountain climbing, I don’t understand.”

Liang Song: “You are going to take the county exam the day after tomorrow, are you worried, scared?”

“It would be a lie to say I am not afraid, but I am also not very afraid either.”

“You are arrogant, but you are also honest. Tang Shen, you have been in Gusu City for half a year and have been my student for four months. In these four months, you have written more than 200 eight-legged essays. Do you have any reflections made?”

Tang Shen thought carefully: “Sir, do you think I did not write well?”

“No, you wrote very well.”

“Sir?”

“Do you know what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are?”

Tang Shen didn’t know.

Liang Song: “Your shortcoming is that your writing style is mediocre, and occasionally there are minor mistakes regarding the level and oblique tones. But your advantage is that your style is free and unrestrained!”

Tang Shen suddenly realized.

In the past four months, Liang Song asked him to write more than two hundred eight-legged essays. He taught Tang Shen what breaking open the topic was and what the middle leg was. The eight-legged essay had a certain format, and even in some details, it occasionally required the writing to have level and oblique tones. Liang Song was like the most strict teacher, not allowing Tang Shen to make any mistakes.

But he never taught Tang Shen how to write an eight-legged essay!

What he taught was format, neat words and sentences, the form and template that must be required for eight-legged essay writing.

But he never corrected Tang Shen’s thinking.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“Shen’er, when you break open the topic, you often have brilliant insights. You are always unconventional, just like the sentence, ‘the great spirit can be exceedingly great, heaven and earth exude righteous energy; it commingles with objects and gives them forms.’ You have your own spirit! You see further and broader than many people, in fact, you are even more free and magnanimous than I, your teacher. I hope that you will remember that all the mountains in the world have their own shapes, and you should never stick to one mountain. You have to climb to the top to see its grand view.”

Tang Shen looked at Liang Song steadily and said loudly: “This student will remember the words of sir’s teachings.”

Liang Song smiled and said, “Let’s go back.”

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