On the afternoon of August 14th, Yang Lian, the officer of the "Spring and Autumn Classic" of the Zhejiang Provincial Examination in Yimao, was reviewing the first recommended papers sent by the three marking officers. As usual, he first glanced at the comments of the academic officers at the end of the paper before starting to mark the papers.

Seeing Yuyao Gu Jiaoyu's comment on "Yiguan Benfang", Yang Lian thought in his heart: "I haven't finished reading the volume, so I recommend the top one. Isn't it rash." But when he finished reading this first chapter,

Yi, his expression became solemn, he read the next six chapters in one breath, and said: "It's wonderful, full of righteousness, bright and impressive, there are many loyal people who follow the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Yang Lian's classic is also the "Spring and Autumn", so he was temporarily assigned to serve as the official of the "Spring and Autumn". Those who read the "Spring and Autumn" should pay attention to the ways of the three kings, distinguish the rules of personnel, avoid suspicion, and know right from wrong. This can be summarized in four words.

Yang Lian is such a person who "clearly distinguishes right from wrong". When he saw the pure and elegant writing techniques of the seven pieces recommended by Gu Jiaoyu, especially the four pieces titled Spring and Autumn Period, he was amazed.

, feeling that we were not alone, he summoned Gu Jiaoyu to ask if the second verdict, edict, or form had been delivered? Gu Jiaoyu said that it had just been delivered, and Yang Lian asked Gu Jiaoyu to find out the relationship between "Yiguan" and "Yiguan".

The second exam paper with the same number as "This House Paper" came out. After reading it, he said: "Don't even read the third exam. This person is the top of the "Spring and Autumn" room."

Gu Jiaoyu was overjoyed. If the deputy examiner and the examiner had no objections, then the examinee for this paper would be Spring and Autumn Classics Leader. This examination paper was recommended by Gu Jiaoyu. Although the marking officer had no status, unlike the room official and the examiner.

You can recognize him as a disciple, but it is always his glory——

Yang Lian asked Gu Jiaoyu to evaluate the second exam paper, and then he also wrote a few comments at the back, put them together with the seven papers from the first exam in a paper bag, and wrote "Top Exam Paper" on the paper bag

Three words, put aside——

Gu Jiaoyu asked cautiously: "Since Yang County Master values ​​this examination paper so much, why doesn't he recommend it to the Deputy Examiner's Office?"

Yang Lian smiled slightly and said: "This is the final exam, so it should be placed at the end, and it would only be prudent to recommend the top scorer to leave the room after the three exams are completed."

Gu Jiaoyu only said yes and retreated to the adjacent room to continue grading papers.

…

Zhang Yuan never knew that his room officer would be the famous Yang Lian. He was now eliminating all distracting thoughts and devoting himself to the exam. For the third exam on August 15th, he still had to check in at midnight and take a nap. The exam questions were finished at dawn.

He began to compose an essay, consisting of three essays, asking the candidates questions about Confucian classics, historical events, and current affairs. The first essay asked about the origin of the Eight Trigrams. Zhang Yuan started by saying: "The sage's writing of scriptures does not leave out teachings, but does not rely on numbers. Confucian scholars

When talking about scriptures, it is important to rely on principles, but not to learn from principles. Is the number that covers the world not the principles, and the principles of the world are not the heavens. The sage has a tacit understanding of heaven, and he can understand the way of the world..."

It is eloquent, and a policy of more than a thousand words is written in one go. This policy is the time when knowledge is truly displayed. Many candidates only read eight-part essays on weekdays and know nothing about the rest. The policy and essay are just nonsense, but because the examination room only pays attention to the first seven essays, the paper is graded.

After reading the million-word examination paper, the official was already dizzy. He basically didn't read the policy questions in the third session, but in Zhang Yuan, he wanted to start well and finish well, and he also had the energy to write the four policy questions in a clear and concise manner——

At the beginning of dusk, Zhang Yuan handed in his papers and headed towards Longmen. The exam was finally over. He had tried his best. As for the results, he put them aside for now. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. He went back to the ship to celebrate the festival. He had to get drunk before he could rest.

When I was far away from the building, I saw lanterns and colorful decorations upstairs, and the aroma of wine was filling the air. The examiners were also preparing to drink and admire the moon and compose poems in the Mingyuan Tower——

As soon as he came out of the dragon gate, Mu Zhenzhen trotted over to greet him and said happily: "Master, the test is finally over." He took the test basket from Zhang Yuan's hand.

Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Yes, I finally finished the exam and have nothing to do."

Zhang Dai's maid Suzhi stepped forward to salute Zhang Yuan. Zhang Yuan was a little surprised that Suzhi was here too. Suzhi had small feet and could not walk far. She had been waiting on the boat for the first two games——

After waiting for a while in the square in front of Longmen, Zhang Dai, Qi Biaojia and others came out one after another, all looking relaxed and in high spirits. Zhang Dai was the most playful and suggested going to the West Lake to drink and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Everyone responded enthusiastically

, from the ninth to the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, my heart strings are tense, I can’t eat well, and I can’t sleep well. Now it’s time to have fun. I’m glad that the weather is sunny today, and the full moon of the fifteenth day has already risen over the Qiantang River——

Qi Biaojia said: "When I get back to the boat to take a bath and change clothes -" He took three exams on the "Shit Hao" and felt ashamed of himself.

Zhang Dai grabbed Qi Biaojia and said, "Let's go together. Don't delay. It will be bright when you return to the boat and take a bath."

It is about four or five miles from Hangzhou Gongyuan to the Broken Bridge of West Lake. Laifu went to hire some sedan chairs. Zhang Yuan was willing to walk, so he took the sedan chair and walked on foot, chatting and laughing, and left the west gate of Hangzhou toward the north bank of West Lake.

Walking across the Broken Bridge, I could hear drums, flutes and flutes playing all the way, and clear songs were singing. When I arrived outside the Broken Bridge, I saw a lot of tourists, boats on the lake with flutes and drums, a grand banquet in Eguan, and bright lights.

, the sound and light are chaotic, most of these buildings, boats and boats are just wandering along the shore, admiring the moon in the sky and the moon in the water, watching the lakeside scenery and the chaotic tourists——

The idlers on the shore, drunk and well-fed, gathered in small groups, singing tuneless songs. When they saw famous girls and ladies sitting on the terrace of a building, they crowded to the shore to watch. These people were not admiring the moon, but mainly watching people——

At this time, it was about the end of Youyuan and the beginning of Xu. People were crowding around the Broken Bridge, with poles hitting poles, boats bumping against boats. Carmen and sedan chairmen were lined up on the shore. There were also Zaoli shouting, sergeants raising fires, and many people clamoring to hire a boat.

We were going on a lake tour, but we couldn’t find a boat at this time. Ni Yuanlu said, “It’s a pity, so I had to walk on the shore of the lake.”

Zhang Dai smiled and said: "Come with me." He led the people around the lake and walked towards the tomb of King Yue. They reached the foot of the Jade Lotus Pavilion, a tall willow embankment, and rows of buildings and boats. The Jade Lotus Pavilion is also called the Cable Boat Pavilion.

Lakers all buy boats from here to enter the lake. At this time, the lights are brightly lit and the noise is like a city. However, although there are many high-rise boats moored on the shore, they all have their own owners——

With a smile on his face, Zhang Dai led everyone to walk several dozen feet. In a corner of the lake, in a remote part of the city, it was already deserted and deserted with no tourists, but there was a painting boat moored quietly on the shore, with two lanterns at the end of it.

The dark lake was still and red. When the boatman saw Zhang Dai and his party at the bow of the boat, he immediately stood up and greeted: "Mr. Zhang is here." Soon, four more lanterns were lit on the boat, and the light suddenly shone for several feet, and the lake was quiet.

Ripples of blue——

Ni Yuanlu said happily: "The eldest son has already prepared the boat, no wonder he is so sure."

Zhang Dai said proudly: "Be prepared for a rainy day. If you wait until you have finished the three exams before looking for a boat, you will only be able to watch others enjoy the joy of painting boats and playing music, while we will have nothing to do on the shore."

Jian's servant Nengzhu suddenly walked out of the cabin onto the boat and said with a naive smile: "Master Zongzi asked me, Nengzhu, to come to the lake to hire a boat after the second exam, just to wait for the princes to come."

Everyone was happy and got on the boat one after another. Mu Zhenzhen helped Su Zhi get on the boat too——

Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "Brother is really leisurely. He is so nervous about the scientific examination, but he actually thought of going to the lake on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. This kind of leisure and leisure is rare, he is a playboy at heart." He said: "Hey, this boatman looks familiar—— "

The boatman on the boat heard this and crossed his arms and said with a smile: "Two Mr. Zhang. The last time we went to the Huxin Pavilion to see the snow, it was also a villain's boat."

Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Great, I'm a regular customer."

This small painting boat is about four feet long, which is more than enough for Zhang Yuan's seven scholars and more than a dozen maids to sit in it. It is surrounded by an Eight Immortals table and armchairs. Food, wine, melons and fruits have been prepared on the table, and they are all very exquisite. Among the fruits are Southern Fujian oranges. , Tangqi mandarin oranges, Xiaoshan square persimmons, grapes, chestnuts, and watermelons are naturally indispensable. There is a Mid-Autumn Festival watermelon party. The wines include Suzhou Sanbaijiu, Shaoxing bean wine, and Yangzhou snow wine, each in a jar. The wine dishes include bone-in Abalone, fish breast, oriole, water shield, leek sprouts, river crab, corrugated clam...

Zhang Dai said: "You are not allowed to talk about things in the house tonight. Anyone who violates this will be fined with alcohol."

Zhou Monong said: "Zongzi is right. Thinking about those stereotyped articles now makes me want to vomit."

The boatman joked: "These gentlemen will definitely go to high school now, and from now on they will be the princes of the government and the county. They don't need to study anymore."

Everyone laughed.

The painting boat rowed leisurely towards the lake. You can see the cruise ships coming and going everywhere, but you can hear the ensemble of Sheng and singing. The bamboos are blooming, and under the bright moonlight, the large green and yellow lotus leaves along the lake still have a delicate fragrance——

As the boat circled the west of Gushan Mountain and passed under the Xiling Bridge, Zhang Dai chanted: "You can tell where you are by playing the fishing flute, but I suspect it is the first bridge in Xiling." Pointing to the Xiling Bridge, he said to Zhang Yuan: "Meson, last year Wang Xiuwei The boat ride on Broken Bridge must be on the shore of Xiling Bridge. Yan Ke even went ashore to chase, but fell down, haha."

Zhang Yuan smiled, recalling that chance encounter on the broken bridge, Xiu Wei's cloth robe and bamboo stick, looking like a fairy under the moon. That was a wonderful beginning. Xiu Wei was okay in Qingpu, but it was really difficult for her to learn the Dragon Gate account -

Mu Zhenzhen on the side suddenly said "Hey", leaned on the railing of the painting boat and stared towards the Xiling Bridge——

When Zhang Yuan looked at it, he saw an exquisite boat, with a beautiful woman standing on the bow. Several men on the shore were getting on the boat from the pedals. The famous prostitutes and enchantments on this West Lake boat often carried calligraphy, paintings, tea and wine, and the guests Arrive, carry it away, the mist is misty, and will not return for ten days. It can be called a gentle country, a gold-selling cave——

Zhou Menong couldn't help but feel hot in his eyes when he saw the graceful beauty under the bow lamp, and said: "What fun does it have for me to just drink wine? It would be better to invite a few singing girls to have some fun."

The boatman who was rocking the boat immediately responded: "Are these gentlemen looking for prostitutes to drink wine? Can I introduce them to you?"

Zhang Dai smiled and said: "Let's wait for another day. The tiger son is young, so don't embarrass him."

When fourteen-year-old Qi Biaojia heard what Zhang Dai said, although her face was always serious, her cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

Huang Zunsu was a cautious person and did not like to travel in a narrow and unruly manner. He said: "It is best for us to drink and admire the moon."

Mu Zhenzhen approached Zhang Yuan and whispered: "Master, I saw someone over there who looked like Dong Qichang's eldest son. He's on the boat now and can't be seen."

"Dong Zuyuan!"

Zhang Yuan frowned slightly. His eyesight was very good. He should not be mistaken. Didn't Dong Qichang's family move to the capital? Why did Dong Zuyuan appear in Hangzhou? Could the rumor of "one day rise to the sky" really be caused by Dong's family? for?

Zhang Dai saw Zhang Yuan's expression was strange, so he came over and asked, "Jiezi, what's the matter?"

At this time, Zhang Yuan's boat had already bypassed Gushan and headed south along Su Causeway, and the boat beside Xiling Bridge was also slowly sailing away from the shore——

Zhang Yuan pointed: "Dong Zuyuan seems to be on the boat over there."

Zhang Dai was stunned and said: "So the stone cloth that night was really Dong's conspiracy?"

Zhang Yuan sneered and said: "Dong and his son are going to shoot themselves in the foot, so let's take advantage of the situation and hit them hard." He called the boatman and asked if he recognized the beauty on the boat over there?

The boatman shook his head and said: "There are many beautiful girls and beautiful women in the painted boats on this lake. How can I recognize them? But this painted boat is very exquisite. It seems to be the boat of Xu's daughter behind the tomb of King Yue."

Zhang Yuan asked: "Is she the daughter of Xu Jiheng from Suzhou?"

The boatman nodded repeatedly and said: "Yes, yes, she is Xu Jiheng's daughter. Her name is Ansheng. She is beautiful, intelligent, and versatile. She has friends with all the celebrities from the south of the Yangtze River. She is very famous in Suzhou and Hangzhou."

Zhang Yuan thought to himself: "The last time Xiuwei left Shanyin and passed through Hangzhou, he stopped here at Xu Ansheng's place." He asked the boatman to row slowly. He let the boat behind him catch up and called Laifu over to give him a few words -

Zhang Yuan was sitting drinking. He heard the song coming from the boat behind him. When the two boats were side by side, the distance between the sides of the boats was only a few feet. Zhang Yuan's ears were extremely sensitive. He heard a woman's voice amidst the sound of singing and orchestral music.

He said: "Wang Wei came to Hangzhou half a month ago and is now living outside the Yongjin Gate. However, she has a rift with Mr. Wang, so I'm afraid she won't come to see him."

Zhang Yuan's heart sank slightly and he thought to himself: "Xiu Wei arrived in Hangzhou half a month ago. Why don't you come to see me?"

Then I heard the voice of a middle-aged man saying: "It's not me who wants to see her, it's Mr. Dong who wants to see her."

This is Wang Ruqian's voice. Wang Ruqian is also on this boat. Very good. Then we can be sure that the rumor of "Once upon a time running smoothly" came from the mouth of Dong and Wang. Is this considered the same enemy, they hit it off, and they worked together in collusion.

Then I heard Dong Zuyuan say: "Just say that you invited her to swim in the lake and admire the moon."

The woman pondered for a moment and said: "Okay, but you can't force others to make things difficult. It would make everyone look bad if they cause trouble."

Wang Ruqian smiled and said: "How could this happen? We are all gentlemen, and Master Dong just admires his reputation. Besides, Wang Wei also visited Dong Hanlin. It was Chen Meigong who introduced him."

Dong Zuyuan said: "I was not in Huating that time, and I met the oiran of the old courtyard."

Wang Ruqian smiled and said: "Then..."

The boat quickly passed Zhang Yuan's boat. The sound of voices gradually became inaudible, except for the sound of sheng and flute that continued——

Zhang Dai asked: "Jiezi, Wang Ruqian is also on this boat, right? I heard their voices, and they seemed to mention Wang Wei."

Zhang Yuan was in a bad mood, nodded and said: "These two people are the ones who started the rumor." He ordered the boatman to follow the boat——

Wang Binglin and Zhou Menong also knew about Zhang Yuan's old grievances with Dong and Wang Ruqian, and they were very angry. Wang Binglin said: "This is too despicable. They actually used such despicable means to frame and slander Jie Zi and his colleagues in the Han Society. We and others
To be continued...