Fantasy: Starting out as a gigolo, born a Confucian sage

"Mothers and wives came to see him off, the dust obscured the Xianyang Bridge. They pulled at his clothes, stamped their feet, and stopped in the road crying, their cries reaching the sky."

"People passing by asked the pedestrians, and the pedestrians only said that they were walking frequently. Some were from the age of fifteen to the north to defend the river, and some were from the age of forty to the west to fight for the fields."

"When I left, the village head wrapped my head, and when I returned, my hair was white and I was still guarding the border. The blood on the border turned into sea water, and Emperor Wu's intention to expand the border was not over."

Lu Yuansheng read out word by word, and his voice echoed throughout the cell.

At first, the others didn't care, but just glanced at it from time to time.

But when they read this, the scene of war and the scene of farewell had already emerged in everyone's mind...

Parents and wives saw him off, crying and wailing all over the field, tears falling on their clothes.

A baby in his teens went to the battlefield, and if he died, he died, and even if he survived, he would never be able to return home.

They moved to Lu Yuansheng's side involuntarily, listening or watching.

"Have you not heard that in the two hundred states of Shandong Province of the Han Dynasty, thousands of villages are covered with thorns and thorns. Even if there are strong women holding hoes and plows, there is no grain growing in the fields."

"Moreover, the Qin soldiers are tolerant of hard battles, and they are driven like dogs and chickens. Even if the elders ask, how dare the servants complain?"

"And this winter, the soldiers in Guanxi have not been given a break. The county officials are eager to collect rent, where do the rent and taxes come from?"

The soldiers fought hard on the border, but in the eyes of the generals, they were no different from chickens and dogs.

They treated human lives as worthless.

But the wives and children at home have never received any preferential treatment, but have been forced to run around by heavy taxes.

There are no men to farm the land, but the taxes have never been reduced. The county officials are eager to collect rent, where do the rent and taxes come from?

When the officials heard this, their bodies were trembling, and the men's eyes were red.

They were from the Ministry of Rites, and they might not be shaken even if they were hit by a sharp blade.

But now... someone is carving a knife in their hearts!

"It is known that having a boy is bad, but it is good to have a girl. If you have a girl, you can still marry your neighbor, but if you have a boy, you will be buried with the grass."

"Don't you see, in Qinghai, there has been no one to collect bones since ancient times. New ghosts are worried and old ghosts are crying, and the sky is cloudy and rainy, and the sound is chirping!"

The last few sentences magnified this sadness to the extreme.

Because men were the main labor force in the feudal era, the people have always valued boys over girls.

But now the people "know that having a boy is bad, but it is good to have a girl."

Giving birth to a daughter can at least live, but if you give birth to a boy, you can only wither and die with the grass, and die in obscurity.

"Good, good article, this is a great article." Zhang Zhushi couldn't help but cry.

"I know that there are wars every year and the people are suffering, but I didn't expect...it has been so miserable."

Lu Yuansheng's voice was also trembling, and he even choked a little, his eyes were slightly red, and a big man almost cried.

And just as the two exclaimed, a white light on the test paper shot up into the sky and instantly passed through the ceiling of the room.

"A strange phenomenon in the heaven and earth, a white rainbow piercing the sun?"

"This is a peerless article, this... who wrote this? It's so good."

Zhang Zhushi couldn't help but look sideways, looking at the white light rising into the sky, and suddenly felt admiration in his heart.

Even though he was called Hongxing Zhushi, he was a first-class poet in Luozhou.

But in his life, there was no one who could trigger such a strange phenomenon in the heaven and earth.

"This poem... it should be said that it is not surprising to be angry, but the question is how should we score it?"

A examiner asked a question.

"It can have such a peerless article, and the level of this poem is also seen by you and me."

"But the problem is that it is a satire on the government, just short of pointing at your majesty's nose and scolding you for being a waste of military power, this..."

"It's not about your majesty, but about the late emperor and Empress Dowager Wei. After all... your majesty, how long have you been in power?"

Everyone talked about it, and from the bottom of their hearts, they naturally wanted to rate this article as the best.

But they are Confucian scholars, and more importantly, they are officials, so they cannot ignore influence.

After talking for a long time, no one discussed a result, and finally looked at Lu Yuansheng in unison.

After all, Lu Yuansheng was the chief examiner, and only he made this decision.

Lu Yuansheng was silent for a moment, and did not speak, but picked up the next paper.

"Let's take a look at his second work first."

Lu Yuansheng said, and then began to read: "Floating clouds travel all day, and the wanderer has not arrived for a long time."

After reading the first sentence, Lu Yuansheng felt a little strange. Isn't this contrast too strong?

Just now he was still lamenting the suffering of the people, but he turned around and started writing about longing for love?

Others were also confused. What the hell is this?

Isn't the theme of the second question to evaluate Shang Yang? Why is there also love?

"Uh... I dreamed of you three nights ago, and I can see your affection. I am always embarrassed to leave, and the road is not easy."

"There are many storms in the world, and the boats may be lost. I scratch my white hair when I go out, as if I have failed my lifelong ambition."

"The capital is full of dignitaries, but this person is alone and haggard. Who says the net is wide, and it will entangle my old body."

"A name that will last for thousands of years, but a lonely posthumous affair."

After hearing this, everyone seemed to be thinking about something. On the surface, it seemed to be just a longing and worry for a friend.

But the intention was profound, expressing the remembrance of Shang Yang and the loneliness of Shang Yang's reform...

"The capital is full of dignitaries, but this person is alone and haggard."

Zhang Zhushi muttered in his mouth, feeling that his soul was trembling, and he wanted to kneel for this person!

In just a few sentences, it seemed as if he saw the lonely figure of Shang Yang during the reform.

Others were for fame and fortune, but Shang Yang didn't care about so much, and only promoted the method of enriching the country and strengthening the army.

Even if he is criticized, even if he is alone... the capital is full of dignitaries, but he is alone and haggard.

This person's attainment in poetry is absolutely second to none, the kind of soul-shaking.

"It must be rated as the best, it must be."

A grading officer's eyes sparkled, and he grabbed Lu Yuansheng's arm, "Such a great talent must be rated as the best!"

There are only nine grades in the imperial examination, from the best, the best middle... all the way to the worst.

However, those below the middle and the worst are usually thrown into the bamboo basket without any comments.

"Lord Wang is right, even if he satirizes the government, from my humble point of view, he is also sincere!"

"Don't lower his score for this reason!"

"White rainbow piercing the sun, a peerless article! I'm afraid that even if we want to suppress it, it's impossible."

When the second poem came out, although there was no white and red piercing the sun, it made the grading officers feel more touched.

After all, they lamented the hardships of people's lives, but they were always from the perspective of a superior, and they might not be able to empathize.

But they have written many articles about love and admiration, but none of them can match the level of this one.

Naturally, they all agreed.

Lu Yuansheng also showed a touch of admiration in his eyes, "It should be the best... But I found that this word... is a little familiar."

"Is it someone that Lord Lu knows?" Zhang asked, but he quickly changed the subject.

"But the names on the test papers have been covered, and as the saying goes, we should promote the virtuous without avoiding relatives!"

"Everyone has seen this man's poetry talent, Lord Lu, don't let it..."

"No, no, no." Before he finished speaking, Lu Yuansheng shook his head, "It's a test paper I just read..."

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