Interstellar: Food chain operation

Ouyang Xiu has read three biographies of "Spring and Autumn" since he was a child, and is well aware of the exaggerations and grotesques in "Zuo Shi Zhuan".

Therefore, I wrote on the test paper: "The stone spoke in Jin, and the gods descended on Xin. The snakes outside fight and the snakes hurt inside, the new ghosts are big and the old ghosts are small."

Such neat and catchy parallel prose sentences.

After the exam, Ouyang Xiu walked out of the examination room easily, just waiting for the good news to appear.

Nan Jiao listened to Ouyang Xiu talking complacently about the exam in the subsequent connection. She didn't know what was going on at this time.

As expected, although the article was widely recited as soon as it was published, Ouyang Xiu still failed. The only reason was that some rhymes in his article exceeded the rhyme range specified in the examination paper and did not meet the requirements of the "Shiwen" stylistic format.

Ouyang Xiu was not discouraged. He remembered this time, lost his edge, continued to study hard, and kept this mistake in mind.

Zheng's mother nodded happily. The student was most afraid of being unable to recover.

"Mom, don't worry, I will definitely pass the exam next time!"

Nan Jiao was also present at that time. Ouyang Xiu's attitude of continuing to study hard, and the assurance from his mother and uncle, Ouyang Gong was still the same energetic young man, and the exam did not affect him.

"Xiao Xiu, once we fail, we must remember the content of the test questions and answer the questions within the scope of the questions." Nan Jiao was in a bad mood because she knew that the famous Ouyang Gong still made the same mistake in subsequent tests.

"Miss, I remember it!" Ouyang Xiu replied seriously.

The transactions in recent years have remained roughly the same, except for the addition of wine.

After letting his uncle teach him how to ride a horse, Ouyang Xiu rode horses from time to time to play with his friends. During the trip, he fell in love with the taste of wine.

With no shortage of pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and food, Ouyang Xiu's transactions almost always require various kinds of wine.

Ouyang Xiu, who loves wine, has exchanged many different kinds of wine for his own collection.

Nan Jiao also introduced him to red and white beers, and she even changed a lot of cocktails with low alcohol content.

Of course, wine is served in wine jars and wine cans.

The transaction this time was for Wutan Wuliangye and two sets of toiletries.

When Ouyang Xiu was ten years old, Ouyang Xiu even exchanged two old village chiefs for six volumes of Han Yu's "Collected Works of Mr. Chang Li" at Li's house. Ouyang Xiu loved his works so much that he couldn't let go of the volumes.

Nan Jiao's appearance did not affect the change at all. Even if there was no wine, Ouyang Xiu would be given a collection of essays when he was ten years old, and his hobby of wine would also appear. If it can't change, you can imagine the next imperial examination.

In the following days, Nan Jiao would spend the rest of the time contacting Ouyang Xiu, except for visiting the primitive and ancient planes once every four or five days.

As he grows older, Ouyang Xiu has regarded his young lady as his confidant and tells Nan Jiao everything that happens every day.

Nan Jiao also stayed with him throughout his life.

In the autumn of Tiansheng's fourth year, Ouyang Xiu came to take part in the interpretation test for the second time.

Ouyang Xiu successfully passed the exam and was qualified to go to Beijing to take the Jinshi Examination of the Ministry of Rites.

In the winter of the same year, Ouyang Xiu and his disciples from all over the country gathered in Kaifeng, Bianjing, waiting to take the Ministry of Etiquette examination the next spring.

In the spring of the fifth year of Tiansheng's reign, the triennial examination of the Ministry of Rites was held as scheduled. The examiner was Liu Jun, Privy Councilor, Minister of Rites, and one of the famous leaders of the Xikun Sect.

He advocated the formalistic "Shiwen" and used the requirements of writing "Shiwen" as the standard to grade papers.

Nan Jiao gave many instructions the day before.

When the exam comes, some instructions are just drifting smoke, disappearing between heaven and earth in an instant.

What exists in Ouyang Xiu's mind is Ouyang Xiu who was deeply influenced by Han Yu's "ancient prose".

The test paper did not fully meet the "Shiwen" requirements and I failed again.

The failure in the imperial examination cast a shadow on his mind.

Sure enough.

Nan Jiao knew that no matter how she changed, it was just a cloud.

Tiansheng failed to win in the first year and failed to win in the fourth year of Tiansheng, which made Ouyang Xiu's recognition of himself waver.

"Xiao Xiu, you need to go out and practice." Nan Jiao mentioned in advance what would happen sooner or later.

With the help of his uncle Ouyang Ye and the support of his mother, Ouyang Xiu listened to Nan Jiao's advice and planned to go out to visit a teacher.

In the late spring of the sixth year of Tiansheng's reign, Ouyang Xiu brought his two poetry manuscripts and the carefully written "Shangxu Scholar Qi" from Suizhou to Hanyang to pay homage to the world-famous Hanyang military commander Xu Yan.

Xu Yan read Ouyang Xiu's letters and manuscripts and was very impressed. He felt deeply that this young man had profound knowledge, skilled skills and great potential for training, so he happily wrote his reply.

Da Qi praised Ouyang Xiu for his "infinite wandering thoughts, and the fragrance of his hometown is far away", and encouraged him to "take off his wings and become the best among many scholars".

When Ouyang Xiu came to visit him, Xu Yan walked over to greet him and praised him repeatedly, his joy was beyond words.

Xu Yan kept Ouyang Xiu under his tutelage, guided him step by step, diligently enlightened him, and taught him the secrets of writing "Shi Wen".

Ouyang Xiu improved day by day in his studies. Xu Yan was delighted to see Ouyang Xiu, and he cared about Ouyang Xiu as much as he did his own son.

In the winter of the same year, Xu Yan was transferred to the capital to serve as the third magistrate of the Zhigou Academy and also to study daily life notes. Ouyang Xiu followed his mentor to Bianjing.

In the capital, Xu Yan led Ouyang Xiu to make friends with celebrities and attend literati gatherings, which made Ouyang Xiu well-informed and famous.

In the spring of the seventh year of Tiansheng.

Recommended by Xu Yan, Ouyang Xiu was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Kaifeng Prefecture.

(The Imperial College was the highest institution of higher education in the imperial court at that time. It specifically admitted the children of bureaucrats of seventh grade or above. The general limit was 200 students. Those who passed the Imperial College entrance examination could be added as Imperial College students. If the Imperial College students completed their studies in prison and passed the exam, , you can be qualified to participate in the Ministry of Rites Chunwei selection together with the Gongsheng students in the national state examination).

In the autumn of that year, Ouyang Xiu took part in the Imperial College entrance exam. The topic for Ouyang Xiu's entrance exam to the Imperial College was "If jade cannot be polished, it cannot become a tool."

Ouyang Xiu's examination essay has a total of 416 words, with forty-six antithesis throughout, and occasional use of four-seven syntax. The content is to the point, the form is neat, and the style is solemn and elegant. It is a model work of examination essays at that time and was rated as the second best. one.

Ouyang Xiu lived up to his mentor's careful training and won the first prize in one fell swoop. He was recruited as a student of Guangwen Hall and became a student of the highest university.

He won the first place in both the Cantonese Guanwen Examination and the Guoxue Interpretation Examination of Guozixue, and became the Yuan of Prison and Heyuan. He also won the first place in the Provincial Examination of the Ministry of Rites the following year and became the Yuan of the Province.

This time, his mentor and himself were even more confident and looking forward to the palace examination.

Ouyang Xiu felt that he would definitely win the top prize in the upcoming palace examination, so he specially made a new suit of clothes to wear when the time came.

Ouyang Xiu had a classmate in Guangwen Hall named Wang Gongchen, who was only 19 years old and also qualified for the imperial examination.

One night, Wang Gongchen playfully put on Ouyang Xiu's new clothes and said proudly: "I'm wearing the No. 1 scholar's robe!"

Unexpectedly, on the day of the imperial examination, Wang Gongchen actually won the first prize.