The Sage of Confucianism and Taoism

Ge Xiaomao rushed into the doorway, looked at Fang Yun happily, then bent down and held his knees to breathe heavily.

"Sit down and take a rest." Fang Yun said.

"You, why don't you care at all? That's the first place in the Tongsheng! By the way, you are still double-A! Our Jingguo has never produced a double-A Tongsheng. Others say that our Jingguo is unprecedented. Now, everyone in the Academy of Literature is saying that you have broken the unprecedented!"

"Really double-A?" Fang Yun was surprised. He thought that he could only get a B by asking for the Holy Word.

"Of course! It's written clearly on the golden list. Without the affirmation of the Semi-Saint, the list will never be released. By the way, I could have come earlier, but I watched a good show and came late." Ge Xiaomao said with a smile.

Yang Yu leaned against the door frame of the main room and listened carefully. She couldn't help but want to know more about Fang Yun. She liked to listen.

"What good show?" Fang Yun asked.

"You know Fang Zhongyong, right? Before the results were announced, everyone thought he was the first in the exam, and no one thought it was you. Fang Zhongyong was fine, he was just unhappy, but his father threw a tantrum, questioning whether there was a problem with the county exam and demanding to check the papers, like a shrew anyway. It happened that County Magistrate Cai came out, and County Magistrate Cai said that he had something to say at the literary meeting, and if Fang Zhongyong could also write a poem that was as good as Mingzhou and the words of the sage were all correct, then he would go to ask the sage for judgment again."

"Then what?"

"Then the whole audience was shocked. Writing a poem that was as good as Mingzhou, even a Jinshi Hanlin might not be able to write one, and how many poems and lyrics of a semi-sage could be as good as Mingzhou? His father was scared, and his father also knew that without the approval of the sage, you would not be able to get the double first place. Fang Yun, how come you are so talented all of a sudden?" Ge Xiaomao said excitedly and admiringly.

Fang Yun pretended to be surprised and said, "Didn't I tell you before the exam? I met my teacher, and then he opened my eyes, so I understood a lot of things."

Ge Xiaomao smiled and said, "Can you tell me who your teacher is? He can open your eyes, so he must be a great scholar, right? Is he a half-saint?"

"I don't know that either." Fang Yun said helplessly.

"By the way, what about Liu Zicheng?"

Before the exam started yesterday, Ge Xiaomao and others knew that Fang Yun was beaten, so they came to Fang Yun's house this morning to ask what happened. Fang Yun simply told them what happened. These classmates felt very sympathetic towards him, but they were helpless.

"Let's not talk about him in advance. I passed the exam and he dared not do anything to me. By the way, how are you guys?"

Ge Xiaomao said happily: "Lu Lin also passed. Although he was only 19th and not as good as you, he was also envied by his classmates. Mr. Sun also went there and smiled so much that many parents want to send their children to his private school. Alas, Mr. Sun's tuition is going to increase again."

"That's good. I will go to see Mr. Sun after visiting the Holy Temple tomorrow." Fang Yun said.

"But it's a pity for Liang Yuan. He said that if he didn't pass the exam this time, he would not take it again. He didn't want to run his father's rice shop, but he had to do it. But Liang Yuan has a good business mind, so don't worry about him."

Fang Yun nodded and chatted with Ge Xiaomao. They also talked about inviting the Holy Words and writing poems. Fang Yun said some of his own opinions, which made Ge Xiaomao ecstatic and took notes carefully.

Not long after, more than a dozen people came to the gate of the courtyard carrying things.

"My nephew, I'm here to congratulate you!" Fang Yun's uncle walked in with an extremely exaggerated expression, holding a big pig's head in his left hand and two strings of 2,000 copper coins in his right hand, equivalent to two taels of silver.

Fang Yun didn't expect that even this uncle would be so generous. The money in Jingguo is not the worthless earth.

Here, three copper coins can buy a big bun. In terms of food, three copper coins here are almost equivalent to more than one yuan in the era of soaring prices.

In general, one tael of silver in Shengyuan Continent is almost equivalent to three hundred yuan.

Fang Yun and Yang Yuhuan have been working hard to make money. Before taking the Tongsheng exam, they only saved thirteen taels of silver. Even if the uncle's family is a butcher and relatively rich, the money saved at home is at most four or five hundred taels.

In Ji County, four or five hundred taels of silver is enough to buy a nice house in the county town.

"Uncle, aunt, aunt..." Fang Yun called everyone out in one breath, and then asked them to sit in the house.

These relatives all brought gifts and gifts, and only four relatives gave nearly four taels of silver.

Before these relatives from Fang Yun's mother's side sat down, more than a dozen relatives from Fang Yun's father's side came outside, and they all brought gifts dozens of times more than usual.

In the words of Fang Yun's uncle, even a fool knows that Fang Yun will be a juren at worst in the future.

After becoming a juren, as long as he manages a little, he can become an eighth-rank official. If he works hard, he can even become a third-rank official.

Fang Yun received these relatives very politely, without the arrogance of a future juren. Those relatives were also reasonable, and no one dared to be arrogant in front of the "breaking Jingguo Tianhuan" double-class tongsheng.

Fang Yun wanted to receive these relatives and friends, but Yang Yuhuan reminded Cai County Magistrate that there was a literary gathering there. Fang Yun hurriedly apologized to his relatives and friends, but the relatives did not blame him, but urged him to leave quickly and not to delay the tongsheng literary gathering.

Fang Yun rushed to the Jixiang Restaurant. There were not many people on the street. Many people were still in front of the Academy of Literature. Only Fang Yun's relatives and friends knew that Fang Yun had passed the Tongsheng exam and immediately went to his house to get money to buy things.

Passing by the alleyway yesterday, Fang Yun stopped, looked, took a deep breath, and continued to walk towards the Jixiang Restaurant in front.

Before Fang Yun entered the door, Zhen, the shopkeeper of the Jixiang Restaurant, came out and saw Fang Yun. His face changed and he said angrily: "Didn't I tell you not to come? Get out now. The county magistrate is upstairs. If you disturb him, you will suffer."

Fang Yun was stunned for a moment, then realized it, showed a strange expression, and asked: "Didn't you go to the county academy to see the results?"

Zhen Manager said impatiently: "The annual Tongsheng Literary Meeting is held here. I'm so busy, why go to the academy! I said this morning that you are not allowed to enter the Jixiang Restaurant in the future. If you take another step forward, I will have someone break your legs!"

Fang Yun remembered what Zhen Manager said in the morning, his face sank, and said: "Zhen Manager, don't go too far! I, Fang Yun, as a Tongsheng, rushed to the county's literary meeting and wanted to enter this restaurant. You can't stop me!"

"I can't stop you? I...what did you say? You became a Tongsheng? It's so funny! Are you crazy? I don't know what you are like? Get out of here immediately! Do you hear me!" Zhen Manager didn't believe Fang Yun at all.

Fang Yun worked at the Jixiang Restaurant for more than two years. At first, Shopkeeper Zhen thought Fang Yun might have a promising future, but as he got to know Fang Yun better, he looked down on him more and more. He even asked his son, who was a student, to take the exam for Fang Yun. His son believed that Fang Yun would never pass the exam in his lifetime, so he became more and more indifferent to Fang Yun. Because he wanted to marry Yang Yuhuan but failed, he became even more harsh on Fang Yun.

Fang Yun said coldly: "Since you are the boss of the Jixiang Restaurant, if you don't let me in, I won't go in. When Magistrate Cai asks, you will tell the truth that it was you who drove me away. Goodbye."

Fang Yun originally wanted to teach Shopkeeper Zhen a lesson through Magistrate Cai, but he suddenly had an idea and had a better way.

Fang Yun grabbed a handful of copper coins from his purse and said loudly to the passers-by: "Everyone coming from the south and north, do you see the money in my hand? I will give you a riddle now. Whoever answers it first will get the money! Don't miss it if you pass by. It's free money. Anyone who doesn't take it is a fool!"

People nearby were immediately attracted and soon more than ten people gathered around. People in the distance saw people gathering and immediately ran over to see what was going on.

Jixiang Restaurant is located on the most prosperous street in the county. Soon, a large number of people surrounded it in three layers inside and outside. People on the second floor nearby also looked down.

Wang Yuanjun was sitting by the window. He looked out of the window and couldn't help but smile and said, "County Master, it's Fang Yun."

"What's going on?" County Magistrate Cai came over and looked down, and others also walked to the window and looked down.

Fang Yun was standing in the crowd, turning more than 20 copper coins back and forth with his hands.

"Hurry up and give the riddle! Are you going to regret it?"

"Hurry up and tell me."

"Isn't this Fang Yun? He just won the first place in the double-class case, why is he here playing?"

The shopkeeper Zhen, who was watching coldly, was sweating profusely when he heard this. He was stunned for a moment and couldn't believe that Fang Yun really won the first place in the case.

Fang Yun said loudly: "I will make a crooked poem as a riddle. You have to guess an object that every family has. Okay, listen to me: the head is pointed and the body is thin and white like silver. It is not even a fraction of a centimeter in weight. The eyes are on the buttocks. It only recognizes clothes and not people. Who knows what this is? There is a prize for guessing it."

The magistrate Cai on the second floor couldn't help but laugh softly and asked: "How did shopkeeper Zhen offend him? This Fang Yun, his mouth is sharper than a knife."

"He scolds people so well, worthy of being a double-class student." A refined old man in his fifties said with a smile.

At this time, someone in the crowd raised his hand and shouted loudly: "I know, it's a needle! It's a needle for sewing clothes! Isn't the eye of the needle on the buttocks? Of course, the needle only recognizes clothes and not people."

"Correct answer! This money is yours! The eyes are on the buttocks, only recognize clothes and not people, it's the needle!" Fang Yun said, pointing at Shopkeeper Zhen.

Those who knew Shopkeeper Zhen burst into laughter.

Someone started to make a noise: "You are worthy of being the top of the double-class case, you are so talented that you can write poems to scold people! Shopkeeper Zhen, why don't you say anything! Turn around and let us see if you have eyes on your buttocks!"

Now even those who didn't know Shopkeeper Zhen knew what was going on and laughed along.

At this time, Duan Hu, who went out to buy vegetables, came back and saw Fang Yun and shouted: "Fang Yun, congratulations on your first place in the high school student exam! You are from our Jixiang Restaurant. The door of the restaurant will be trampled in the future. When you win the first place, I can say that I am the friend of the first place scholar."

Shopkeeper Zhen had offended many people, and someone immediately said sarcastically: "The first place scholar knows Shopkeeper Zhen, but Shopkeeper Zhen may not know the first place scholar. In the eyes of Boss Zhen, even the university scholar is nothing."

Shopkeeper Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead with trembling hands, and cursed Duan Hu's eighteen generations of ancestors in his heart. If Duan Hu had come a moment earlier, it would not have been like this.

Shopkeeper Zhen looked at Fang Yun in panic, and sighed that it was indeed a scholar who killed people without a knife. This hand was too good. The first double-class student of Jingguo wrote a poem in front of his restaurant and scolded him for "only recognizing clothes but not people". The brand of Jixiang Restaurant was completely stinky.