During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a scholar named Jiang Chuanbo, who was smart and studious since he was a child, and his parents had high hopes for him, hoping that he could be admitted to the Jinshi and glorify his ancestors. Jiang Chuanbo also lived up to expectations, studied diligently, and was admitted to the juren at the age of eighteen, and was praised by the villagers.
Hiroshi Egawa is not arrogant or impatient, continues to work hard, and prepares to take the exam. In order to support his study, his father did not hesitate to bankrupt his family and sold all his land, leaving only a dilapidated thatched hut for him to study in peace. Jiang Chuanbo thanked his parents for their kindness, worked harder, and vowed to repay the shame of the Yixue family and repay his parents for their nurturing grace.
Finally, the day of the exam came, and Jiang Chuanbo rushed to the capital with full enthusiasm and countless hopes to take the exam. He was full of confidence and felt that his article was well written, and he would definitely be able to win the first place and win glory for his parents. He waited with anticipation for the announcement of the list, praying in his heart that his name would appear on it.
However, there are unforeseen circumstances in the sky, and people have good and bad luck. When the list came out, Jiang Chuanbo found that his name was not among them, and he was stunned and couldn't believe his eyes. He hurriedly ran to the examination room, wanting to check his paper to see if he had written it wrong and why he had fallen off the list. However, when he saw his scroll, he was even more astonished, for it was not written by him at all, but a rotten piece of writing, unorganized, and full of typos.
Jiang Chuanbo suddenly understood that his roll must have been replaced, and he was framed. He wanted to redress his grievances, but no one believed him, and they all thought that he was unwilling to fail and wanted to make excuses. He ran around trying to find the truth, but he didn't know where to start, he didn't know who did it, and he didn't know why. He only felt that all his efforts had come to naught, that his future had been ruined, and that his parents were going to be disappointed. His heart was full of despair, he felt that his life was meaningless, and he wanted to die.
He ran to the edge of a cliff and wanted to jump and end his life. Just as he was about to jump, he suddenly heard a voice say: "Young man, don't commit suicide, you still have hope, you still have a future." Jiang Chuanbo was startled, and when he looked back, he saw an old man with a white beard and white hair, wearing a green robe, and holding a cane, standing behind him, with a kind expression and deep eyes.
Jiang Chuanbo didn't know who this old man was, how could he appear here, he said coldly, "Who are you?" Why are you stopping me? Don't you know how miserable I am, how helpless I am, and how desperate I am? Leave me alone, let me die, and when I die, I will be freed. The old man shook his head and said, "I am the mountain god of this mountain, I can see your pain, and I know what happened to you, but you should not give up your life because of this, you should live strongly, find the truth, return your innocence, and give your parents a comfort." ”
Egawa Hiroshi didn't believe his words and said, "How can you know what happened to me? How do you know the truth is in**? You're just a ** who wants to play with me and make me more miserable. ”
The old man said: "I'm not lying to you, I really know what happened to you, and I also know the truth in **, because I saw everything with my own eyes." Your roll was replaced by a person named Wang An, he is your fellow countryman and your classmate, he is jealous of your talent and wants to frame you and make you fall off the list, so he can get into the top successfully.
He devised a plan before the exam, he secretly wrote your name on his paper, wrote his name on your paper, and then after the exam, took advantage of the crowd, swapped your paper with his. That's it, he got your papers, you got his papers, and you fell off the list, he was in the first place, and he succeeded. ”
Jiang Chuanbo listened to the old man's words, his heart was shocked, he remembered Wang An, they are indeed fellow villagers, but also classmates, they have studied together since childhood, grew up together, he has always regarded him as a friend, but he didn't expect him to be his enemy, and he actually did such a thing. He couldn't help but be angry and wanted to settle accounts with Wang An, but he felt that the old man's words were a little incredible, and he asked: "Since you know all this, why don't you tell me, why don't you expose him, why wait until now?" ”
The old man said: "I am the god of the mountain, I can't interfere in the affairs of the world at will, I can only appear at the critical moment, give you some hints, let you find the truth by yourself, to fight for justice." I saw that you were going to jump off a cliff, so I came out to stop you, tell you the truth, so that you don't give up hope, you still have a chance, and you can turn the tables. ”
Hiroshi Egawa asked, "What other chances do I have?" How else can I turn the tables? Now that the list has come out, Wang An has won the Jinshi, and I have become a clown who has fallen off the list, who will believe me? Who will do justice for me? ”
The old man said, "Don't be discouraged, you still have one more chance, and that is the temple test." The palace test is presided over by the emperor himself, and you can take this opportunity to state your grievances to the emperor, so that the emperor can find out the truth and give you justice. You don't have to be afraid of Wang An, although he won the Jinshi, but his talent is insufficient, his articles are unbearable, he will definitely show his feet in the palace examination, as long as you seize this opportunity and show your talent, you may surpass him, get the emperor's appreciation, and become the champion. ”
Jiang Chuanbo listened to the old man's words, his heart moved, he thought of his parents, remembered his ideals, remembered his talent, he felt that he couldn't just give up, he still had a chance of life, he still had to fight for himself again. He said to the old man: "Thank you, mountain god, you have made me regain my confidence, you have made me see hope, I am willing to listen to you, go to the temple examination, to find the truth, to fight for justice." But how do I do that? How can I state my grievances to the Emperor? How do I prove my innocence? ”
The old man said, "You don't have to worry, I will help you, I will give you a proof, a proof that your paper has been changed." As long as you bring this evidence to the palace and show it to the emperor, you can make the emperor believe you, and you can make Wang An unable to refute it. You have to remember that this evidence is your only hope, and you must not lose it or let others know about it, otherwise you will lose everything. ”
As he spoke, the old man took out a small jade pendant from his sleeve, handed it to Jiang Chuanbo, and said, "This is the evidence I gave you, this is a magical jade pendant, which can show the true content of your scroll, and it can also show the true content of Wang An's scroll." As long as you put it on the scroll, you can see that the words on the scroll will become the words you wrote, or the words written by Wang An.
You can use this jade pendant to prove that your scroll has been changed, and you can also prove your talent, so that the emperor can see your true level. You have to take good care of this jade pendant, don't let it fall into the hands of others, and don't use it when it is unnecessary, otherwise it will arouse the suspicion of others and put you in danger. ”
Jiang Chuanbo took the jade pendant and said gratefully: "Thank you, mountain god, you are really my savior, you gave me a chance to be reborn, I will definitely cherish this opportunity, I will definitely use this jade pendant to prove my innocence, I will definitely use my talent to defeat Wang An, I will definitely make my parents proud and make my motherland glorious." ”
The old man smiled and said, "Don't thank me, you just have to be yourself, you have extraordinary talents, you have a strong will, you have a righteous heart, you will definitely succeed, I believe in you." Go and prepare for the temple exam now, and I will bless you in secret and wish you good luck. After saying that, the old man disappeared, leaving only Jiang Chuan Bo and the jade pendant.
Jiang Chuanbo put away the jade pendant and regained his spirits, and he decided to take the palace exam and fight for his fate. He hurried back to the inn, packed his bags, and set off. He was careful along the way, not daring to let others discover his jade pendant, nor daring to talk to others more, he only thought about how to state his grievances to the emperor in the palace examination, and how to use his talent to prove his worth.
The day of the palace test finally came, and Hiroshi Jiang came to the Forbidden City, along with the other Jinshi, waiting for the emperor's summons. He saw Wang An, Wang An was talking triumphantly with the other Jinshi, his face was full of pride and contempt, he didn't take Jiang Chuan Hiroshi in his eyes at all, he thought that he had succeeded, he had won.
Jiang Chuanbo felt a burst of anger in his heart, he wanted to immediately expose Wang An's conspiracy and let him receive the punishment he deserved, but he held back, he knew that now was not the time, he had to wait until the last moment to give Wang An a fatal blow, make him embarrassed, and let him never recover.
Finally, the emperor appeared, he sat on the dragon chair, his eyes were like electricity, he glanced at all the jinshi, and his voice was loud: "Jinshi, you are all the pillars of the country, you are all my courtiers, you are all my sons, I have high hopes for you, I hope you can serve the country and the people, share my worries, and serve the court."
Today, I will personally test your talents to see if you are worthy of becoming my confidants and assistants. You have to answer the questions carefully, and don't deceive in any way, don't cheat in any way, otherwise I will not forgive you, and I will let you know my majesty, let you know my wrath. ”
After speaking, the emperor asked the eunuch to come up with the question, distributed it to each jinshi, asked them to complete it within the specified time, and then handed it to the eunuch, who sent it to the emperor and the emperor personally reviewed it. After Jiang Chuanbo got the test paper, his thinking was like a tide, his words were like fire, and his articles were like swords, and he did it in one go, shocking everyone, including the emperor.
His article profoundly analyzed the social contradictions at that time, and put forward a series of reform measures, which have both theoretical support and practical basis, both literary style and momentum, both talent and moral embodiment, and can be said to be an impeccable masterpiece, a masterpiece of eternal swan song.
The emperor read his article and greatly appreciated him, feeling that he was a rare talent, a virtuous minister who could assist him, and a hero who could serve the country and the people, and he decided to give him a special reward, let him become the champion, let him enter the court, and serve himself.
He personally summoned Jiang Chuanbo and said to him: "I have read your article and feel that you are a talented and virtuous person, your article is the best article I have ever seen, your talent is the highest talent I have ever seen, your insight is the broadest insight I have ever seen, your advice is the most useful advice I have ever seen, I am very satisfied with you, I have decided to give you a special honor, let you become the champion, let you enter the imperial court, share my worries for me, and serve the country and the people, are you willing?" ”