His eyes flickered for a moment, but he finally moved away.

Xue Tingzhi got up, with a faint smile on his face that could not be seen, bowed and replied: "Back to mother's words, just after the first round was over, Tingzhi went for a walk around the lake. At that time, the book boy said that you were also here, and the second round of exams will end, and there will be a ceremony for apprenticeship downstairs soon, so Tingzhi is waiting for you here."

"So it is."

Lu Jinxi waved his hand, told him not to be too polite, sat down, and then sat down on the armchair on the other side of the tea table.

"But I remember that there is a Xiangzhi serving by your side. Why is there no one now?"

"When I went upstairs, the book boy said that the two sisters, Bailu Qingque, who were beside you, went to the lake to find Tingzhi. I thought that I had come back, and I didn't have to make the two sisters work harder, so I ordered Xiangzhi, I also go to the lake to have a look, and if I see them, let them come back."

Xue Tingzhi's voice was light, his eyes drooped slightly, and he could only see Lu Jinxi's slender fingers casually resting on the armrest.

On the varnished wenge handrails, there are shallow cloud crane patterns carved.

A person sits on it, and when he puts his hand on it, it just presses on the cloud, a round and smooth piece, one can't help but gently rub it with the pulp of the finger, very comfortable.

She leaned back on the chair with a bit of comfort, and smiled when she heard the words: "It's hard for them, all of them ran out to find someone, but I didn't expect that you and I were already sitting here chatting."

This seems to be just a casual joke.

But Xue Tingzhi replied: "It's Tingzhi's bad thinking, just thinking that brother Chi's exam will not end so soon, and mother won't come to Yingwei Museum so soon, so walking around makes mother worry. "

"worry?"

Lu Jinxi suddenly looked at him.

Xue Tingzhi was extremely cautious and careful when speaking, especially when speaking to her "mother", as if trying to make it watertight.

But at the moment, this sentence is restrained a little too much, and it is a little unfamiliar.

With a slight movement in her mind, she inevitably thought of the answer sheet: Gu Juefei said that in the first round, Xue Tingzhi also handed in a blank.

It seemed to be an opportunity that he valued very much, but now he gave up without fighting for it.

This is what Lu Jinxi finds very confusing.

Although the young man in front of him still has the youthfulness that has not been completely taken off, when he is sitting so upright, he has a kind of maturity far beyond his age.

When he lowered his eyes, the sharp edge on Jian Chang's eyebrows also faded.

There was a faint silence.

She frowned secretly, and smiled like a smile: "The scenery of Baiyue Lake is very good. Even if the eldest son goes for a walk, even if he is concerned, he will not be able to get anywhere. On the contrary, it is the eldest son's answer sheet, which makes people more concerned..."

Xue Tingzhi finally raised his eyes to look at her, his peach blossom eyes were full of silence.

Lu Jinxi did not intend to let this matter pass.

Because she was really curious, she made a roundabout way and asked straight to the point, "Why did you hand in a blank?"

why…

Xue Tingzhi had a rare feeling of irritability in his heart. He didn't want to see her open and closed lips, and he didn't want to hear her calm and indifferent voice at the moment.

He suddenly asked, "Did the other eldest son say it?"

Another eldest son?

Xue Tingzhi, who suddenly showed a bit of edge, made Lu Jinxi not react. After a moment of stunned, he thought that he should be referring to Gu Juefei.

Xue Tingzhi was Xue Kuang's eldest son, and was called "the eldest son" in the mansion; Gu Juefei was the headmaster of the Taishi mansion. ".

So Xue Tingzhi's words sounded like no problem.

But after thinking about it carefully, since it is suspected that it is Gu Juefei, it is enough to name him and call him "Master Gu", so why use such a strange "other"?

Makes people uncomfortable.

Lu Jinxi looked at him, frowned, and wanted to ask something.

But Xue Tingzhi lowered his eyes before she could speak, and continued: "The gentlemen of Yuewei Museum are all highly talented people, and most of the dignitaries who come to apprentice are dignitaries. When I asked my mother for permission the day before yesterday, of course I wanted to ask a famous teacher to answer my questions, but today in the exam room, I felt that it might be better for Tingzhi not to answer."

"…"

Just now, Lu Jinxi felt that there was a kind of hostility and ridicule hidden in his "another", but after listening to his words at the moment, he felt that there was more self-deprecation.

After all, the two are "eldest sons", but they are so different from each other.

But…

The uncomfortable feeling in my heart didn't fade away, but it was a little heavier because of Xue Tingzhi's remarks.

But she still didn't make any comment on Xue Tingzhi's choice, she only said: "Since the eldest son made his own decision, there is nothing to say."

There seemed to be a gentle smile in his voice, but the bottom of his eyes was indifferent, and the temperature faded.

Her attitude suddenly turned cold.

Not much to cover up.

Of course Xue Tingzhi felt it right away, but Lu Jinxi didn't mean to say anything, and he didn't even know what to say.

Several maids went out to find someone, and the examination results were about to be released in the Yuewei Museum.

Therefore, neither of the two mothers and concubines wanted to leave.

Lu Jinxi called the boy next to him, put two cups of tea on the table, drank tea while waiting, and occasionally looked at the decorations and furnishings around him.

After a while, Egret Qingque and the others came back together with Xiangzhi.

Because Xiangzhi had described the whole story, they all knew that Xue Tingzhi had returned to the Yuewei Museum, so they were not surprised when they saw Xue Tingzhi upstairs.

On the contrary, they were very curious about the results of the exam.

The always lively egret stood by Lu Jinxi's side, glanced around, and asked in a low voice, "Madam, you went to see the gentlemen just now, how did it turn out? Are our brothers married?"

"The emperor is not in a hurry for the eunuch."

Lu Jinxi glanced up at her, and was amused by her anxious look of wanting to know the result.

"You'll know when the results come out. What's the use of asking me? I'm not a gentleman."

"Can…"

But you just met Mr., you must know something.

Egret said quietly in her heart, but seeing that Lu Jinxi didn't have the slightest bit to say, she didn't panic, and of course didn't dare to ask questions, so she quietly pouted, suppressing that strong curiosity.

At this moment, the time for answering the second round of exams has completely passed.

There have been more people in the Yuewei Museum, and it is estimated that they all came to take over. Although everyone was talking with their voices down, it seemed that there was a lot of noise around them.

The cafe on the second floor was gradually full of people.

But in the inner hall, no one came out.

Twenty-eight students who were fortunate enough to pass the first round, including Xue Chi, who knew how to fish in troubled waters, were still inside. Although they handed in the last answer sheet for some time, they all followed the instructions of Tao’an scholar Meng Ji and did not leave. .

Some sat alone, while others stepped aside to talk to people.

The second round of the exam consists of three questions and three answer sheets.

Although most of the people were so frightened by the first question that they didn't even dare to write, the next two questions were obviously not as "out of line" as the first question.

I want to come to the three questions of the seven gentlemen, and the questions are separated from each other.

The answer sheet of the first question, even if it is perfunctory, should not have a great impact on the later. What's more, even if the gentleman who asked the first question fell in love with them, they wouldn't dare to worship the gentleman who dared to discuss the topic "Peace"!

All those who have answered the last two answer sheets earnestly still have hope, and there is a sense of ease and confidence in their speeches.

But here in Xue Chi, it was boring.

Others are sloppy on the first question, and serious on the last two questions.

He is the exact opposite.

The first question happened to have some ideas, although in the eyes of adults, it may be naughty words of children, but he just wanted to write, so he answered it seriously;

But the latter two questions were "whatever it is", and Xue Chi couldn't even read it, so he naturally handed in a blank paper.

At this moment, he was lying on his desk, looking at the people around him boredly, listening to the high-level discussions between them.

If it wasn't for Meng Ji's refusal to leave, he would have patted his **** and went directly to the outside world.

What's the use of being drowsy here?

Xue Chi's eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and he was about to fall asleep.

Unexpectedly, at a certain moment, the surrounding noisy voices suddenly became quiet. The next moment, it was a neat greeting: "Waisheng, wait to see you gentlemen!"

The sound was sudden and unpredictable.

Xue Chi was so frightened that he woke up halfway from a drowsiness. When he looked up, he found that everyone in the inner hall bowed forward and bowed down respectfully.

Looking at the front again, I don't know when, seven people have already stood.

Six of them are old people, most of them have gray hair and beards, some look serious, some kind. The one left alone looks extraordinarily young and extraordinarily good-looking.

Xue Chi blinked, looked at it for a long time, and then remembered it.

I've heard people say that today's students are all Confucian scholars and old men, but only the Grand Master Gu from the Grand Master's Mansion is the exception.

If he remembered correctly, it was the one who gave Hong Lujian to his mother.

turn out to be…

He looks like this!

Everyone else stood and saluted, Du Du Xue Chi was still sitting in his seat, he didn't react when he looked in front of him, and he didn't even stand up to salute.

But he was originally short, and there were many people here, and no one noticed him.

Several gentlemen waved their hands.

Ji Zhiyin laughed: "Everyone who can come today must be devoted to their studies. I can only wait for people who are seeking in this world, so please don't be too polite. The answer sheets for the second round of three questions have already been read by a few of us. Everyone has been waiting for a long time, and I won't betray the old guy - Meng Ji, come on."

Everyone got up and immediately became nervous when they heard Ji Zhiyin's words, and quickly looked at Meng Ji.

Meng Ji was beside him, holding a booklet.

Hearing Ji Zhiyin's words, he took a step forward with a smile on his face, and said: "You should have guessed that the exam is divided into questions. Each question is written by different gentlemen, so as long as a certain If you get one question right, you will be selected by the gentleman who asked that question. In this exam, there are three questions, and a total of five people were recorded."

Only five!

When everyone heard this, they all took a deep breath, and couldn't help sweating for themselves for a while, only to think that five were too few.

I also know that some gentlemen must not select satisfactory students from the answer sheet.

The following responses vary.

But Meng Ji didn't look at it, he just showed the book in his hand, looked at the name and the corresponding title on it, and started to roll his name.

"The third question, Mr. Liu, Zhang, and Zhu, choose three. The first person, Zhou Chun, recorded by Mr. Liu—"

"Thank you, Mr. Late!"

The first person whose name was pronounced was a scribe in white. Looking at the age, he still showed an expression of surprise and excitement. He hurriedly bowed and bowed to Mr. Liu who was standing above.

From now on, this is his "Mr.".

Meng Ji waited for him to get up, and then read back: "The second person, Wang Huai, recorded by Mr. Zhang."

"Wang Huai thanks Mr. Thank you!"

"The third person, Qin Kezhuang, recorded by Mr. Zhu."

"Thank you, Mr. Zhu, lately."

"The second question, Mr. Qiao and He, wrote one, and recorded one: Shi Yizhi, recorded by Mr. He."

"Thank you, Mr. He, directly!"

Whenever a name is read, that person must stand out, or be excited, or happy, or grateful, and they must bow and salute to the gentlemen who recorded them above.

But there were only five people in total.

In the blink of an eye, four have been read, but the last one is left!

Those who haven't been pronounced their names feel like a big rock has been pressed in their hearts at this time, and they can't even breathe.

Because, until Meng Ji finished reading the questioner of the second question, they were horrified to find out:

There are seven gentlemen in total, and five have appeared now.

There were only two people who didn't show up.

One is Ji Zhiyin, the most prestigious Xiangyang Academy among several great Confucian scholars, and the other is Gu Juefei, the eldest son of the Taishifu who actually possesses the greatest energy!

And the unpublished topic, only the first question...

discussion and.

The question that makes them daunted, the question that makes them feel more difficult, the question that makes them think about him or even perfunctory!

finished...

At the moment of realizing this, the remaining twenty or so people sank in their hearts almost in unison, and their originally full hope suddenly became as thin as a hairspring.

There were only a few people who thought they answered "smartly", still staring nervously at Meng Ji.

But at this time, Meng Ji seemed to know what they were thinking, and after reading the fourth name, he paused for a long time.

The hearts of the people were suddenly overwhelmed.

Twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on Meng Ji's body.

But Meng Ji just raised his eyes, looked at the many faces in front of him, his eyes swept past the figure lying on a certain bookcase in the corner, and calmly read the following text.

"The first question, Mr. Ji and Young Master Gu are out."

"Choose one person: Xue Chi."

"Mr. Ji and Young Master Gu—recorded together!"

What, what? !

As soon as Meng Ji said this, everyone in the inner hall was stunned, and almost couldn't believe their ears: what did they hear!

The first question actually recorded Xue Chi?

The five-year-old child in the General's Mansion, the little overlord?

Moreover, Ji Zhiyin and Gu Juefei recorded together...

Being favored by two gentlemen at the same time, and also the best and most energetic of all the gentlemen? !

This…

How is this possible?

There was a "lively" sound in the inner hall, and some people couldn't help but whispered: "What the **** is going on here..."

Of course, many people looked at Xue Chi with strange eyes.

But only then did I know that he was the one who was the most deceived by the news at this moment!

The moment he heard his name, he almost didn't react.

It was only when he realized that almost everyone turned to look at him, he realized that he was not auditory hallucinations, and his scalp exploded for a while, and his mouth opened wide and his eyes widened: "Me, me?!"

Xue Chi's demeanor, as well as the reactions of the others in the inner hall, were all watched by the leading Confucians.

Suddenly, someone frowned.

The smile on Ji Zhiyin's face also faded a bit. Looking at these people, there is only a kind of understanding that has read through the vicissitudes of life in his eyes.

Although they went out to play at first, but after they came back, together with Gu Juefei, they roughly scanned the answer sheet of the first question.

Gu Juefei's question is indeed controversial.

But these people don't even look at them, what kind of **** they answer!

Are you still clamoring now?

Ji Zhiyin is highly respected, and his disciples are all over the country, and he is not afraid of offending people at all, so he opened his mouth unceremoniously: "The title of the first question was written by me and Rangxian, and the answer sheet was also written by me and Rangxian. I have read it. Now a five-year-old child is recorded, and it seems that you are not convinced!"

"…"

The hall fell silent in an instant.

Ji Zhiyin's voice was even colder, so he continued: "If there is any scholar in high school who is dissatisfied and wants to enlighten me, please bring your answer sheet and come to us to clarify the theory!"

The silence just now turned into a dead silence.

For a time, no one dared to step forward, and no one dared to look directly at Ji Zhiyin's pair of eyes that saw things in the world. Just thinking of his sentence "bring your answer sheet" is already full of shame and guilty conscience.

What did they answer, can they not be clear?

All of them want to step into the officialdom, they are careful every step of the way, and they don't dare to write anything at all.

Xue Chi is of course a child.

But perhaps it is because of his young age that he is not familiar with the world, and because he was born in a general's mansion, he dares to write, and maybe he can really write some opinions.

Otherwise, how could it have won the favor of Ji Zhiyin and Gu Juefei at the same time?

Even if Xue Chi is a mediocre person, under the background of their group of people, he may not stand out from the crowd.

When everyone thought about it, they felt aggrieved and embarrassed for a while, but they didn't dare to choke, and they couldn't afford to lose that person.

Gu Juefei stood beside Ji Zhiyin and watched, without saying a word from beginning to end.

Only Meng Ji observed his face and vaguely read his meaning. Seeing that no one would stand up, he stepped forward with a smile and played a rounder that was not a rounder.

"Ji Lao wants to discuss knowledge with everyone. But today's exam has been delayed for a long time, I'm afraid it will be too late today. Now I ask everyone to put this matter aside, but please come out with Meng Mou and prepare for the five selected candidates. Let’s go to the ceremony of apprenticeship.”

Suddenly someone started to sigh.

The few who were selected were full of joy, and when they heard the words, they walked out quickly and walked to Meng Ji's side, wanting to stay together to prepare for the etiquette of apprenticeship.

But at this moment, a cautious and somewhat timid voice suddenly came over: "Well, may I ask, do you have to be a teacher if you are selected? Can I, can I not worship?"

"…"

All were stunned.

Whether it's those who regretfully lost the election, or the four lucky people who have come to Meng Ji's side, or even the few great Confucians standing at the forefront, all eyes widened when they heard this!

Brush and pull!

A large group of eyes looked towards the direction of the sound almost instantly—

It turned out to be Xue Chi!

He was still sitting in his place, without getting up, he raised a hand tremblingly.

Probably because everyone's eyes were too scary, a little fear was added to a childish face, and a pair of black eyes were filled with very embarrassment and entanglement.

He really doesn't want to be a teacher!

Obviously I came here to play around, but somehow I passed the first round, I was inexplicably picked up by the gentlemen, and I was inexplicably going to apprentice?

I don't get it at all...

Xue Chi only knew that he wanted to eat, drink, and play...

So he raised his hand honestly and expressed his thoughts honestly, just like Lu Jinxi taught him to be an "honest" good boy.

But this scene, in the eyes of everyone, really made people unable to bear the urge to beat him!

Only Gu Juefei.

I already knew about Xue Chi's first round of blank papers, and later, Lu Jin's sympathetic remarks, I guessed Xue Chi's attitude.

Hearing him say this at the moment, is not at all surprised.

As his tall body turned, Gu Juefei laughed lightly, breaking the eerie silence in the inner hall, and only said to Meng Ji, "Go ahead and prepare, I'll have a chat with Young Master Xue."

Xue Chi was dumbfounded.

Meng Ji naturally took the order and took people there.

The remaining students and Confucian scholars in the inner hall all looked at each other. Although they wanted to know what Gu Jue had to talk about with Xue Chi, everyone had spoken, and it was obvious that they did not want others to listen.

So they are also sensible, don't stay too long, and then go out.

The outside soon became lively, but the inner hall suddenly became empty. The twenty or so lined bookcases are also covered with future and retracted pen and ink. In the air, the fragrance of ink and flowers are mixed together, which is particularly refreshing.

However, when Xue Chi smelled it, he felt a kind of trembling, like sitting on pins and needles.

He just watched Gu Juefei come down from above, and came to him in a hurry, the corner of his lips curled into a chuckle, but he couldn't hear the slightest bit of unhappiness.

"You are Xue Chi..."

Xue Kuang's posthumous son.

Gu Juefei had heard of it back then, but before today, he had never seen it. When I met Lu Jinxi upstairs before, when I saw Xue Chi, I only saw the outline from a distance.

But at this moment, when he stopped, he was already in front of Xue Chi's book.

As they got closer, Gu Juefei saw Xue Chi's face.

Even if there is a little baby fat on his face, he can't completely cover his outstanding facial features. This is more inherited from his mother, and it looks elegant, but the taste between the eyebrows...

There are actually three points, inherited from Xue Kuang.

At this moment, everything from six years ago flashed through his mind like a glimpse.

In the city of Quzhou, there are yellow and thin faces; in the treasury account book, there is a piece of snowflake silver flowing like water; in the dossier war report, a great achievement with a pen name written down in history...

The merit is him, and the past is also him.

Good or bad, they all have the same face and the same eyebrows.

Gu Juefei's scrutiny eyes became a little deep for a while, but in the end those emotions turned into a dark light and disappeared without a trace.

In his eyes, the only thing that can be noticed is a school of Wen Wen Ran Ruyu.

"Young Master Xue doesn't want to worship me as a teacher?"

He seems to be such a friendly person, but...

Hearing this, Xue Chi was actually a little scared for no reason. When he replied, for some reason, he subconsciously stood up: "I-I just don't want to be a teacher, not just you. here..."

Gu Juefei smiled and said, "Do you want to know, little boy, how to have both fish and bear's paw?"

"Fish and bear's paw?"

Xue Chi obviously didn't understand, but felt that his words were inexplicable.

Gu Juefei didn't mind either.

With a hand behind him, he only turned the jade flute lightly and looked at Xue Chi.

"Generals and strong men don't need to wrap their bodies in horse leather or bury their bones in yellow sand; the common people, Limin, can live and work in peace and contentment. Since some wars are wrong at the beginning, the young master doesn't want to know if there is a way of doing both things in this world, so that it can start in the first place. Won't it happen?"

It's his answer!

Xue realized it later, and finally understood it, but Gu Juefei's last sentence made him instantly confused: Is there such a way?

He looked at Gu Juefei.

But Gu Juefei did not intend to continue to answer his doubts.

He just lowered his eyes and said calmly: "Under the heaven, every book has thousands of different ways of reading, so there are thousands of different people. There is still a little while for the apprenticeship ceremony, little son. You can sit here and think slowly..."

Think slowly...

Xue Chi blinked and looked at Gu Juefei like that, but somehow, from the person who used to be as famous as his father, he could see a little bit like his mother.

But more specific, I can't say.

He was stunned for a moment.

Gu Juefei suddenly remembered the various causes and consequences of his plan to kill Xue Kuang at first. Looking at Xue Chi's face, he couldn't say anything, so he smiled lightly, just turned around, and walked out of the inner hall.

There are many people outside.

But Meng Ji, who was supposed to go to Zhang Luo to pay his respects to the teacher, somehow stood three steps away from the door, waiting for him.

When he saw him coming out, he wanted to say something.

But after a closer look, he found that at this moment, Gu Juefei's expression was a little subtle, and he didn't speak for a while.

Gu Juefei glanced at him, and suddenly asked with a sigh, "Meng Ji, do you think I am a bad person?"