Ethan Ji nodded slowly, his eyes sparkling: "It turns out to be You Huiyuan, I have heard a lot about you. I am Ji Xian." He looked him over carefully from head to toe, his eyes brighter, and pointed to a seat by the window, asking Owen You to sit down. Owen You said: "Mr. Ji, please go first."
Ethan Ji leaned back in his chair casually, while Owen You sat upright. Ethan Ji waved his fan and said, "I have heard that Mr. You is very talented. Did you participate in the imperial examination to gain fame?" Owen You said, "My father was an official in the court, but he retired and returned to the countryside. He still hopes that his descendants can serve the emperor for generations."
Ethan Ji said, "Your father must be an honest and upright man." Owen You said, "My father said that an official should be as clean as water and as honest as a mirror. And nine kinds of people are not suitable to be officials." Ethan Ji asked, "Which nine kinds?"
"No tolerance for alcohol, no popularity, no gold or silver. Talented, hate evil, too high a degree, timid, talkative..." Owen You spoke slowly, and at this point, he couldn't help but smile, "People who are not good at S3x." Ethan Ji couldn't help laughing, "I understand the first eight types, and I hope Mr. You can give me some advice on the last one."
Owen You waved his hand: "This should not be discussed any further." Ethan Ji put away his folding fan, moved closer, and glanced at Owen You lightly: "Minister Washing D!ck." Owen You was slightly startled, then smiled and said: "Mr. Ji is really an open-minded person. The palace examination will be held in a few days. I will have a good chat with you afterwards." He stood up and prepared to leave.
Ethan Ji poured a glass of Luofuchun and handed it to Owen You: "It's a pity that you have to leave so soon. Let me offer a glass to you and wish you success in the imperial examination." Owen You said: "Just call me Ziwang. Goodbye." After saying that, he left without looking back. The madam waved a small handkerchief to see him off.
Ethan Ji walked over and whispered to the madam: "When Lord Chang comes out, tell him to tell the emperor that Ethan Ji will obey his orders and wait for his permission before going to court." The madam nodded: "Lord Ji is leaving?" Ethan Ji smiled shyly at Qiu Yi behind him: "Qiu Yi, accompany me to the inner room for a drink."
The next morning, after the court session, Grant Ji brought back a "good news": the emperor had stopped Ethan Ji's vacation.
When Ethan Ji heard the news, he was teasing Shanzha in the room. He whistled at the Shanzha who had just grown some hair: "Little Zha, no matter how your mother treats you, you must eat well and don't be willful, okay?" He shook the crane patch that he used to pad the birdcage and placed it beside the bed.
Then Lord Ji went back to work hard.
In mid-April, the emperor asked the candidates for the imperial examination, and specially asked Prince Aiden Feng, Grand Secretary Hugo Liu and several officials from the Ministry of Rites to accompany him. The emperor was in high spirits, and Ethan Ji's face was long. Aiden Feng leaned over and asked, "Master Ji, are you feeling unwell?" Ethan Ji said weakly, "For the emperor, it's worth dying." The emperor said, "Old Nine, don't worry about him."
From a distance, you can see that the Fengtian Hall is filled with heads. The emperor took a big step and sat on the dragon throne, with Ethan Ji, Aiden Feng, Hugo Liu and the Minister of Rites Liam Gui standing behind him.
Aiden Feng moved to Ethan Ji's side and whispered: "Xiaoxian, are you still angry with the emperor?" Ethan Ji glanced at the emperor and whispered: "If I don't show that I'm upset, he will know that I want to come." Aiden Feng said: "Didn't you say that all the tribute students are ugly?" Ethan Ji smiled and said: "There is always an exception to everything."
Hugo Liu cleared his throat: "Keep quiet in the courtroom."
The originally quiet hall became even quieter, and Aiden Feng and Ethan Ji also shut up. Standing in the front row, the third from the left, from the moment the emperor came in, every part of his body, from his hair to his heels, was shaking, so he was honored to be the first one the emperor noticed: "What's your name?" The tribute student looked left and right, and finally pointed at his face. Hugo Liu said: "The emperor is talking about you."
The tribute student said: "I~~My name is~~I'm Zhang~~Zhang Shedui." Hugo Liu scolded: "How dare you! What do you mean by me and me!" Zhang Shedui was stunned for a long time, then knelt on the ground: "I know I'm wrong~~I'm guilty~~I deserve to die." The emperor waved his hand: "Forget it, get up, I'll give you a couplet and you answer it."
Zhang Shedui stood up, his eyes almost burning a hole in the ground. The emperor said: "The dragon doesn't roar, the tiger doesn't howl, the fish doesn't jump, the toad doesn't jump, the bangs on the head are so funny." Zhang Shedui shook a few more times, thought for a long time, and stammered: "The phoenix~~the phoenix doesn't sing, the lion doesn't~~howl, the bird doesn't call, the frog doesn't~~make a noise, the monk bald head is crying to death."
The entire hall was completely silent.
Hugo Liu's old bones almost fell apart, Aiden Feng's eyes opened wide, and the emperor suddenly looked up at Zhang Shedui: "Did you really pass the exam to get in?" Zhang Shedui's face turned pale: "Your Majesty, yes~ yes." The emperor leaned back in the chair, rubbed his temples, and sighed.
Suddenly, applause broke out in the hall. Everyone turned their eyes and saw that it was Ethan Ji who was applauding. The emperor was also confused: "My dear minister, what do you mean by this?" Ethan Ji smiled and said, "Zhang Gongsheng's couplet is so neat, but not elegant enough." He leaned close to the emperor's ear and said, "Your Majesty, this is the first one, don't scare the others."
The emperor nodded in concentration: "Well, my dear minister, you are polite. Come, take him down to get some silver." After sending one away, Ji Fei took a step back and looked straight into the crowd. Hugo Liu whispered: "Then your majesty, how should we deal with this man?" The emperor opened the list: "Failed, failed."
Then he asked several people the same question. Everyone was a little nervous, some better than Zhang Shedui, but none of them stood out. Ethan Ji lowered his head and yawned, then raised his head again, his eyes lit up again. The emperor said, "Are you Miles Ling? Or continue with that couplet."
The tribute student named Miles Ling had a pair of drooping eyes, thin cheeks, and a clean white face. The more he looked at him, the more evil he looked. He thought for a while and continued, "The car has no wheels, the horse has no saddle, the elephant has no tusks, the cannon has no fire, and the general in the camp is captured alive."
It turns out that flowers need green leaves to match. Even the emperor couldn't help but applaud. The emperor said: "The country will last forever." Miles Ling thought for a moment and said: "The world is one family." The emperor said: "Make friends with scholars all over the world." Miles Ling said: "People read the books of the ancients."
Ethan Ji poked Aiden Feng's arm: "He must be among the top three." Aiden Feng said: "Whether he can get the top prize depends on how Owen You performs." Ethan Ji said: "Even you know Owen You?" Aiden Feng nodded, but before he could say anything, the emperor called out: "Next, Owen You." No one answered.
The emperor called again, "You Ziwang." Still no one answered. The emperor asked, "Owen You didn't come?" Hugo Liu quickly leaned forward and said, "I don't know." The emperor frowned and said, "You are late even for the palace examination." He dipped a brush in ink and drew a cross on the list. Ethan Ji glanced at the crowd again and indeed did not see Owen You.
The palace examination ended at dusk. All the subsequent candidates performed well, but none of them performed as well as Miles Ling. After the last candidate finished the examination, the emperor wearily took the list and circled Miles Ling's name with a red pen: "He's the number one."
At this moment, a man hurried in. Before Ethan Ji had time to look at him, the man had already knelt in front of the emperor: "I am guilty of a thousand deaths. I have delayed the time. Please allow me to make up for the exam."
Only then did I see clearly that delicate face, it was Owen You.
***
Some people asked about the meaning of some nouns in the article. The explanation is on the right---》
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