Placid Chang'an

After the last subject of the exam, Su Cen handed in the papers early and came out of the dormitory as usual, bowed to the Hanlin bachelor who was invigilating their section, straightened his back and walked away.

This is not the first time that this person has handed in the test paper ahead of time. After a few days, Zhang Hanlin has already paid attention to it. He can usually finish the essays that others have to do for three days. He picked up the blurred test paper and took a look. Surprised.Haohaotangtang, written in regular script, with flowing clouds and flowing water, with long strokes and hanging needles showing sharp sharpness, can't hide the youthful spirit.Looking at the content again, Zhang Hanlin shook his hands, and the three-page article pointed directly at the harm of the current party struggle, pinpointed the current disadvantages, and was clearly organized, not at all like a young man's insight.

Every line between the lines is like that person's demeanor.

Hastily raised his head to look at the figure who had gone far away, passed through the building, and headed towards the door with his head held high. The February sunlight hit the man's back, and it was so hard to open his eyes. The figure gradually disappeared outside the door, Zhang Hanlin lowered his head and pressed the center of his eyebrows.As long as the talent of managing the world is not deliberately hidden, it will be able to turn into a sharp blade to show its edge in the court, splitting the chaotic court into a clear one.

Su Cen went out of the Gongyuan to look around, the shop selling sugar water was still there, the sun was just right, Su Cen went to ask for a bowl of sugar water and drank it all, and asked for another bowl before sitting down to drink slowly.

The old man who bought the sugar water still recognized him, and he didn't have any business at the moment, so he came up to talk to him and asked him if he handed in the paper early again?

Su Cen didn't pretend to be modest, and smiled slightly: "Today's answer went well, and I will hand it in after I finish writing."

"Young people are awesome," the old man said with a smile. "More than ten years ago, there was a young man who handed in the paper one day ahead of schedule, and now he has achieved the Zhongshu Order. I think you will have great promise in the future."

Su Cen smiled, knowing that the old man was referring to the right minister Liu Zhen, one of the pillars of the Queen Mother's party.This Liu Xiang was the number one scholar in the 22nd year of Yonglong, and it was also the last scientific examination held during the reign of Emperor Taizong.It's just that the success of Liu Youxiang cannot be copied. In the battle between King Ning and the late emperor during the Yonglong period, this Liu Xiang successfully stood in the right position, and was promoted by the late emperor all the way. Passed away suddenly, the new emperor who was only six years old ascended the throne, and Prince Ning, who held the military power, entered the court. Stepping on other people's corpses to climb to the peak of power, and being a prince in his early forties, is an unattainable honor in the eyes of others.

Now that the situation in the court has stabilized, and the two forces are in the middle, it will not be so easy to show up again.

So Su Cen just laughed it off, and besides, it was not his wish to have both sides in the cracks of the party struggle, so he might as well send the place down to do some practical things for the common people.

"Has your sugar shop been around for a long time?" Su Cen asked.

"Yeah, it's been more than ten years," the old man squinted at the closed courtyard door, "I've seen too many people like you go in that door, and I've seen too many people come out of that door. Some of them are proud of the spring breeze, some are crying, there are teenage children, and there are also old men who are nearly sixty years old, many of them have drank sugar water from me."

Su Cen said with a smile: "Then your sugar water is very powerful. Those who have drunk it are at least above Juren. Why is it called Tian Ji Tang Water? You might as well change it to Number One Scholar Tang Water."

The old man looked at the fluttering flags, the handwriting has been blurred after so many years of wind and rain, it is not as bright and beautiful as those new signs, but he still shook his head lightly: "Be a man, you can't forget your roots..."

Five days later, when the list was released, Ah Fu took a lot of effort to squeeze in from the crowd. He couldn't read all the characters, but he remembered the word Su in front of his house. .This morning the second young master got up as usual, he was even a little nervous on the day when the rankings were released, but the second young master looked like he had nothing to do with himself, after getting up, he leisurely watered a few potted flowers, and then took out a free book and leaned on the couch to relish it look.In the end, he couldn't hold back anymore, and rushed over to take a look.

Sure enough, he missed.

Ah Fu was squeezed out from the crowd in dismay, and was thinking about how to go back to comfort his young master, when he saw a group of people coming on horseback, a few guards separated the crowd who were reading the list, and the Honglu Temple lawsuit posted the last apricot list to the bulletin board.

"Why is it so late this year?" Someone whispered.

"It seems that there is a dispute over the candidate for Huiyuan. It is said that the Imperial Academy and the Ministry of Rites almost fought over this candidate."

"Which side won in the end?"

"It's not clear which side won, but the person on the list must have won."

When Honglu Temple's lawsuit and all the guards left, everyone rushed forward.

Someone inside shouted: "Huiyuan is from Suzhou."

People outside also shouted, "What's your name?"

He only heard the voice inside: "Su Cen! It's Su Cen!"

Ah Fu's legs softened and he almost knelt down.

He ran all the way from the Gongyuan back to Su's house, rushed into the door and saw that the victim was still lying on the couch, holding a book in one hand and a piece of shortbread in the other. The shortbread crumbs fell all over his body, but the man didn't realize it.

Not sticking to small details, it really is the demeanor of a big man!

"I won! The second young master won!" Ah Fu excitedly said.

"Oh?" Su Cen raised his eyebrows, "Hui Yuan?"

Ah Fu was stunned: "Second young master, do you know?"

Su Cen stood up and swept away the dregs on his body: "My article, either became a blockbuster or died without a burial. There is no third way."

"Successful double, second young master, you are too good!" Ah Fu circled around the crowd. He had always thought that Su Cen was just a spoiled dude from an ordinary wealthy family. , but there is always something strange in my heart.But after getting along along the way, he felt more and more that his young master was not as carefree as he appeared on the surface. He became alert and thoughtful, and his knowledge was genuine. He didn't know how to express his admiration, so he repeated the phrase "too amazing" over and over again. up".

"In a few days it will be the court examination. When the time comes, we will fight for the champion and come back. If we win three yuan in a row, our Su residence must be smoked from the ancestral grave." Ah Fu swayed from the left to the right. Yes, in the future when the second young master becomes a high official, maybe I can also go to the imperial city to have a look, second young master, you are really too powerful, too powerful!"

"Ah Fu, Ah Fu," Su Cen held the man down, and the man jumped up and down in front of his eyes like a cricket. His head hurt from shaking, so he took a shortbread from the table and stuffed it into the man's hand, "Eat a shortbread."

"Second Young Master, I don't want to eat," Ah Fu pushed back excitedly, "You are really too..."

"I'm too good, I know," Su Cen interrupted in time, took the shortbread back and took a bite, frowning: "Actually, I don't want to eat it either, I'd rather have a bowl of rice porridge."

This person went out early in the morning to look at the list and didn't even make him a meal. In desperation, he went to the alley to buy some brown sugar shortbread. He didn't eat the brown sugar, but the shortbread crumbs fell all over the room.

Ah Fu was taken aback, scratching his head in embarrassment, "I'm going to cook now."

Seeing people running out happily again, Su Cen couldn't help but sit down and smile knowingly.It would be a lie to say that he wasn't nervous, he didn't sleep well all night.The article he wrote was too extreme, and it was very likely that he would offend some people and give him some tricks to keep him from turning over.At the beginning, old man Lin said that he was too hostile, and he did not know how to cover up his sharpness. At that time, he smiled disapprovingly, and retorted, "Teacher, you can resign and return to your hometown in a fit of anger. What am I?" The teacher stroked his goatee and sighed, "If a tree is beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy it; if it is piled on the shore, the current will be turbulent; if it is higher than others, the crowd will criticize it. Don't learn from me."

He was respectful on the face at that time, but what he thought in his heart was that the wind destroys the wood to make it brittle, and the stone is destroyed by the flow to make it shattered.

So the moment I pick up the pen, I write down whatever I think in my heart, and I never go against my heart.

Being able to enter the list now, it must mean that there are still sober people in the court, and it is not in vain for him to travel thousands of miles.