Competition in class

Zhao Tong looked at the man on the wooden couch in front of him, and saw that this man was in his thirties, with slender eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a nose like a hanging gallbladder, a clear beard under his chin, a complexion like autumn water from three rivers, and an expression like the bright moon in the sky.

He also saw that this person was dressed completely different from the Jurchens he had seen along the way. He was actually dressed in Hanfu, with a gauze robe with big sleeves, a Confucian belt around his waist, and a Pisces pendant. He was holding the letter of recommendation in his hand.

Zhao Tong knew in his heart that it must be Wanyan Xiyin, so he hurriedly put the gift box in his hand on the ground, prostrated and said: "Caomin Yuanyi, I pay my respects to the general."

Wanyan Xiyin looked him up and down without saying anything. He put the letter of recommendation aside and seemed a little tired when he moved.

Zhao Tong felt a little embarrassed, reached out to touch the gift box next to him, picked it up, and whispered: "A gift from the common people to Da Dutong."

"Pfft..." Someone chuckled behind the desk next to him.

Some people say to themselves: "How can talent and learning be compensated by gifts? If you have real talent, you don't need etiquette. If you don't have real talent, what's the use of etiquette?"

Zhao Tong turned around and saw that the one who smiled was a fat man with a white face, but the one who spoke sarcastically was a haggard old man.

Zhao Tong suddenly had a look of fear on his face, he didn't know how to answer, and he was at a loss for a moment.

Wanyan Xiyin then said: "Yuan Yi?"

After the case, the three of them were stunned for a moment, then frowned. They wanted to laugh but did not dare to laugh loudly. They just lowered their heads, and the folds of clothes on their belly twitched.

After the three of them finished reading, their gazes towards Zhao Tong changed. Zhao Tong looked at the three of them and said shyly, "My dear friends, do you think that my talents are enough to win the exam?"

Zhao Tong was stunned and said hurriedly: "Let the common people think about it carefully, think about it carefully."

Wanyan Xiyin's face showed a trace of interest: "How?"

Wanyan Xiyin said: "Since you recommended me, I won't make it difficult for you. Just tell me what you are good at. If you pass the exam, you will stay. If you fail, I will let you go."

Zhao Tong thought for a long time and said: "It's all the common people's fault for not marrying a good wife!"

Zhao Tong blushed and said: "Although Yuan Yi dare not say that he has the talents of Wang Zuo, he thinks that he is better than those who make money. Those people can do whatever they want with the gold and silver in their homes, but they don't have any skills. Sooner or later, the Liao Kingdom will

Die at the hands of these people."

Wanyan Xiyin said: "Just use the imperial examination as the title."

Zhao Tong said: "Please give me your instructions."

Wanyan Xiyin said: "I see in Mu Zhaha's letter that you are a descendant of the Bohai royal family. Doesn't your family have more gold and silver than those people?"

Although there were many scholars in the Song Dynasty and many Jinshi, there would always be positions. Even if Cai Jing included supervisors as elected officials, there would always be idle positions, not to mention the extremely high status of scholars in the Song Dynasty. Who would have no time to cross the border?

The sea runs here?

Unless he made a big mistake and escaped, or he was simply lying!

Zhao Tong nodded, with a look of reminiscence on his face, as if he was back in the examination room, and then said with a heavy expression: "I have never written a pen and shed tears. I have been studying hard for more than ten years. If the examiner doesn't take me away, the student will go home and go to hell."

Wanyan Xiyin took it and took a look, but was slightly startled. Then he narrowed his eyes and looked up and down Zhao Tong.

Wanyan Xiyin looked at Zhao Tong, took a breath slowly, and said: "This poem of yours..."

Wanyan Xiyin said: "But... since he is doing this as a favor, I don't know if you really have any skills. If you do, you still have to let me see."

Zhao Tongli said: "Please also ask the general to come up with a question."

A poem was quickly finished, and after he dried the ink at home, a soldier came to pick it up and send it to Wanyan Xiyin.

This calligraphy is written in both Khitan and Chinese. The writing methods of Khitan and Chinese are basically the same. The Khitan text was born out of Chinese. The so-called Khitan calligraphy is actually imitating Chinese calligraphy, and the strokes are exactly the same.

The dark and thin middle-aged man also came over to take a look. Within a moment, sweat started to appear on his forehead.

Wanyan Xiyin said calmly: "Yuan Yi, are you good at calligraphy?"

Zhao Tong said: "We are waiting outside the village."

"Oh?" Wanyan Xiyin nodded and looked at the three people behind the table. All three of them looked surprised. Although Zhao Tong took more time, there was no such thing as seven steps and ten steps.

It's not a step, but being able to write a poem in such a short period of time is indeed something I've just learned.

Wanyan Xiyin said: "So I don't really believe what you say, and I have some doubts about your talent."

Wanyan Xiyin said: "Since it is about making characters, calligraphy is naturally better. As for poetry, it is a reflection of talent. Even in the imperial examination, poetry must be written first. You should write a poem first, and I will see how well you learn."

Zhao Tong looked at the three of them, and the three of them looked at him, all looking slightly unkindly. After all, a monk likes to drink water, but if there are too many people, he won't drink any water.

He did not comment, but looked at Zhao Tong with piercing eyes. Zhao Tong murmured: "Dadu Tong, how do you think this poem is? Maybe the common people are too busy writing it, so it is not the best."

"Tell me about it!" Wanyan Xiyin said.

Zhao Tong blushed and said, "Most people don't know this. Those who make money are not all from wealthy families. Some of them have good marriages, and their wives' families have a lot of dowry. It's not like a common man marrying a butcher's daughter.

Not only does she have a bad temper, but she also has a bad temper. She quarrels with ordinary people from time to time. How can ordinary people be willing to be on the same level as her? It's just because she is insulting to her gentleness."

Zhao Tong seemed to be relieved when he heard this: "Back to Dadu Tong, it is Cao Min, Yuan Henry Zhen's Yuan Dynasty, and Yi Jing's Yi."

After finishing the poem, the hall was completely silent and you could hear a pin drop.

Hearing Zhao Tong's words, he felt more and more guilty. Wanyan Xiyin said, "I'll give you another chance and just write the poem you just composed."

Normally at this time, one would have to show off one's talent and become a blockbuster, shocking Wanyan Xiyin, and then be happy to recruit him, but if he did this, he would be doomed. With that kind of talent, how could he learn anything?

How could the family fortunes in Jin, a poor and miserable place, be completely ruined?

As for doing it indiscriminately, it doesn't matter if it can't be seen. If it's too bad, it will always cover up the obvious traces.

Zhao Tong said: "Most people don't know something. The Liao country is corrupt and corrupt. They have to make money at every step. If they don't have money, they will be laid off even if they win."

The old man frowned, but when his eyes fell, he was suddenly startled: "This, this..."

"Ah?" Wanyan Xiyin was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then burst into laughter. The three people behind the wooden case below also laughed.

Jinshi of the Song Dynasty? Zhao Tong was moved when he heard this, but he didn't believe it. He looked at the three people. In addition to the fat man and the old man, there was also a dark and thin middle-aged man. Wanyan Xiyin should be referring to this person.

.

Wanyan Xiyin couldn't help but smile when she saw his expression: "I saw that Mu Zhaha praised you several times in this letter, but I know that Mu Zhaha is a person who can't even write poetry. Most of his praises are

It’s just a matter of family friendship.”

Zhao Tong lowered his head and did not dare to speak. He just raised the gift box of salted venison shanks upwards.

"Oh?" Wanyan Xiyin smiled: "So you are not appreciating your talent?"

Zhao Tong's expression changed: "The talent and learning of common people in Dadu, Tong, is real. Otherwise, how would you dare to boast in front of Dadu, just ask Dadu to take the exam?"

As he said that, Wanyan Xiyin pointed to the side: "Three of them have achieved fame, and one of them is a Jinshi of the Song Dynasty. I have heard about what you call spending money to buy fame, but it's not like that.

As unbearable as you said, there are always people who can pass the exam based on their own abilities."

Wanyan Xiyin nodded and said: "Yuan Yi."

Wanyan Xiyin said: "You know why I recruit literati. I, Daijin, want to create characters, but I don't want to imitate Khitan fonts, so I won't use people who don't have real talent and learning."

Zhao Tong's eyes lit up when he heard this. A moment later, a soldier held up a pen, ink, paper and inkstone. When he came to a case, he laid out the paper, then filled it with wolf hair, and after thinking about it, he started to write.

Wanyan Xiyin looked at him: "Could he be proficient in the Book of Changes?"

Zhao Tong said: "I have been practicing calligraphy since I was a child, copying Yan Liu, and I have been successful in ten years. Now I am alone in my own family, so...it's pretty good."

Wanyan Xiyin looked at his arms and said, "But salty deer legs?"

Zhao Tong thought for a while and said: "Dadu Tong, the common people are good at poetry and calligraphy."

Zhao Tong sneered in his heart. This was not a poetry test. It was clearly a test. If he didn't do well, he might be arrested as a spy. As for Namu Zaha, I'm afraid it wouldn't be good either.

Zhao Tong pursed his lips and said bitterly: "Back in Dadu, our ancestors were like this, but it's just that in the generation of grass-roots people, in the generation of grass-roots people..."

Wanyan Xiyin said nothing and handed the paper to the side. The fat man among the three people immediately took it and looked at it with disdain. But just for a moment, his expression changed drastically, and then he held the paper with his fingers trembling slightly.

Pass it to the old man next to you.

Zhao Tong walked around on the ground a few times and pondered for a moment. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he said: "The common people are here to rule the country!"

Zhao Tong's arms holding up the gift box trembled slightly: "Dadu Tong is wise and wise, and he is right to the point."

Zhao Tong said hurriedly: "Exactly."

Zhao Tong immediately looked a little panicked and lowered his head: "A little...a little gain."

Zhao Tong stood up and handed the gift box to the soldier on the side. Wanyan Xiyin said: "I read in the letter that you have been studying since you were a child, but you have not achieved any fame?"

Zhao Tong hurriedly said: "Dadu Tong, what do you think of Cao Min's calligraphy?"

Wanyan Xiyin nodded: "Take the gift and get up and talk."

Wanyan Xiyin smiled and said, "Is your wife outside the village?"

The three of them were unwilling to speak at this moment, and immediately looked at Wanyan Xiyin.

But Wanyan Xiyin shook his head and said, "Yuan Yi, your imperial examination has gone astray."

Zhao Tong was puzzled: "Dadu Tong..."

Wanyan Xiyin said: "Yuan Yi, sit down and talk."
Chapter completed!