jdhmnovel Chapter 1465 Reunion with the Skinny Scholar Bai
Chapter 1465 Reunion with the Skinny Scholar Bai
Grandpa Wang and Uncle Wang walked out of the yamen with pale faces, their backs covered in sweat.
The Wang family rose to prominence late and had little experience, especially regarding scholars.
Seeing that the broker stood out from the crowd and passed the imperial examination to become a scholar, I was overjoyed.
I never imagined that the academy would have so many traps. I thought that a place for studying was sacred and wouldn't have any messy things.
If Sun Shan hadn't told him, how would he have known whether Wang Jiaxing's studies were progressing or regressing?
I had high hopes for this provincial examination, but it's normal to fail.
If the path to the imperial examinations were so easy, every member of the Wang family would have become a scholar, a provincial graduate, or even a metropolitan graduate.
Uncle Wang wiped the sweat from his brow and said with lingering fear, "Father, what should we do? Could it be that the broker has made some bad friends at the prefectural school and gone astray?"
If you haven't gone astray, how can you regress? At worst, you'll just stay in the same place.
Grandpa Wang held the test answers that Wang Jiaxing had written down from memory. They were covered with red marks, clearly indicating that Lord Sun had corrected them carefully and hadn't been perfunctory at all.
I looked up at the dazzling sunlight; it was almost impossible to look directly at it.
After a long silence, he blurted out, "The broker is getting on in years; it's time for him to get married. He needs a wife to keep him in check. Whether he passes the imperial examination or not is secondary; he absolutely cannot be a spendthrift and squander the family fortune."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Wang nodded repeatedly: "Uncle, you're right. It's indeed time to get married, and I should be able to hold my grandson."
After Wang Jiaxing passed the imperial examination, the Wang family wanted to find a suitable marriage partner, but unfortunately, a suitable marriage partner was not so easy to find.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, the most familiar official is Lord Sun. The others he knows are either minor officials or people he knows but who don't know him.
The Wang family would like to arrange a marriage between their daughter and Lord Sun, but unfortunately, Miss Sun is just a little girl.
Grandpa Wang sighed and said, "Let's accept reality. Every pot has its lid. Let's find a good girl we know well and not think too much about anything else. The broker isn't destined for that, so we won't force it."
Originally, I also wanted to try my luck. If Wang Jiaxing could pass the imperial examination, his standards for choosing a spouse would rise significantly.
Unfortunately, he failed the exam, so he had no choice but to be down-to-earth and find a girl who was a good match for him.
Wang Jiaxing, who was leisurely enjoying his snacks at home, had no idea that his father and grandfather had gone to the yamen and that his wedding was about to take place.
If he had known, he would have rushed to the yamen, pointed angrily at the heavens, and given Sun Shan a good scolding.
He didn't go astray at the prefectural school, nor did he make any bad friends. It's just that no one supervised him at the prefectural school, and he preferred traveling and sightseeing, so he relaxed his studies and his grades dropped.
Moreover, Wang Jiaxing had no desire to get married. Having a wife to manage him would be too much of a burden, and he preferred to live a carefree and happy life alone.
Sun Shan had no idea of Wang Adie and Wang Aye's decision, nor did Wang Jiaxing silently curse.
At this very moment, they are receiving the fat scholar Bai—no, the skinny scholar Bai.
Oh my goodness, Gui-ge didn't say anything, but Bai Xiucai really did become a skinny guy, his round belly was completely gone, which was really impressive.
Scholar Bai was carefully examining the examination paper that Sun Shan had graded. The dense red characters all demonstrated Lord Sun's seriousness and responsibility.
The scholar Bai bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I have learned a great deal."
Sun Shan waved his hand and said gently, "Although you failed the exam this time, your studies have improved a lot compared to the provincial exam. Very good. Keep up the good work, and you still have a good chance of passing the provincial exam."
Sun Shan always believed that hard work pays off, and Fatty Bai Xiucai was not stupid. Given the opportunity, he really had a chance of passing the imperial examination.
Bai Xiucai was overjoyed. His chubby face was now thin and bony. He bowed again and said, "Thank you for your encouragement, sir. I will work harder and study at the academy to live up to your expectations."
Sun Shan nodded and discussed scholarship with Bai Xiucai.
People are different from one another, and scholars are even more different from one another.
Fatty Bai Xiucai came prepared this time, bringing with him a newly written article and some questions.
If not now, when? The person before me is a scholar with impeccable credentials who has passed the imperial examinations step by step. His knowledge is absolutely solid. If he can offer even a little guidance, I will surely benefit greatly.
Sun Shan admired studious scholars the most, and happily answered Bai Xiucai's "difficult questions".
He encouraged him again: "Scholar Bai, in your spare time at the prefectural school, read more books besides the Four Books and Five Classics. To succeed in the imperial examinations, you not only need to be proficient in the classics, but also have a broad range of knowledge. Read and write more, and you will surely reap the rewards."
Scholar Bai nodded repeatedly: "Sir, I know that there are many books in the library of the prefectural school, and there are also many books in the bookstores outside. I will read them carefully."
Sun Shan also advised him to pay attention to current events, read the official gazette more often, and especially read the articles of famous people.
He recounted his learning experiences in great detail.
Bai Xiucai said with emotion, "Thank you for the reminder, sir. I have benefited greatly from it."
Compared to Wang Jiaxing, Sun Shan was much gentler towards Bai Xiucai. The two chatted happily, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.
Bai Xiucai recounted his weight loss experience, which made Sun Shan burst into laughter.
They eat very little every day but engage in a lot of mental activity.
Fatty Bai Xiucai couldn't help but smack his lips when he saw the words of the prefectural school.
Scholar Bai pleaded, "Sir, could you please talk to my father and ask him to give me more of my monthly allowance? I'm eating too little at the academy, and my stomach is growling. I'm really suffering."
Sun Shan was delighted and readily agreed: "Alright, if I see Master Bai, I'll mention it. Now that I'm thin, I really don't need to lose any more weight."
A few days later, Sun Shan delivered his completed "Sun's Mathematical Studies" to Instructor Deng.
He said calmly, "Your Excellency, this is a mathematical manual I have compiled. Take a look and see how it is written. If it is good, you can let the students take a look. Good writing requires accumulation over time, but mathematics is different. Once you grasp the rules, you can learn it very well."
Instructor Deng paused, holding a handwritten copy of mathematics that was neither too thick nor too thin.
He asked in surprise, "Sir, did you write this?"
Instructor Deng didn't particularly like mathematics, but he still had to take the imperial examinations.
Although it doesn't account for a large percentage of the total score, losing points can be very serious.
Sun Shan nodded and said earnestly, "Instructor, to be honest, my greatest strength is not writing essays, but solving mathematical problems. I scored full marks in mathematics in all three provincial, metropolitan, and imperial examinations. I was also one of the top mathematics experts at Yuelu Academy."
Sun Shan wasn't exaggerating at all; he really was very good at mathematics.
He was once chased by two teachers from Yuelu Academy to answer his questions, and Sun Shan believed that his level of knowledge was unparalleled in the entire Yuanlu County.
The minor county-level examination and the major provincial examination were both easily passed in mathematics.
Sun Shan continued, "In the imperial examinations, it is very difficult to write excellent articles, so we have to find another way and do a good job in the less important mathematics and the five judgments, which are the easiest to score points."
The side details of scientific research are easy to grasp, and you can spend some time studying them carefully.
As for the marks for writing the eight-legged essay in the main section, Sun Shan didn't have any good solutions; it all depended on the candidates' hard work and talent.