There is a god in the sky

Chapter 74 Xikou Post Station 8

It was already broad daylight; it was time for them to set off.

But looking at the inn that had been burned to ashes behind them, everyone felt a pang of sadness.

The underground cave collapsed due to the explosion, blocking the entrance, making it difficult to dig out the bodies.

Shen Lan found her burned toolbox in the ruins and retrieved some tools, but the liquid in all the bottles and jars had burned dry.

lost heavily.

At the intersection, the officials parted ways with Lord Xiao.

They had to return with news of their colleague's death and inform the prefect of what had happened, so they would not escort Lord Xiao to Jiangzhou.

"Please be careful on your journey, sir!"

"You too, thank you for seeing me off on this journey."

Sui Feng gave them a purse, saying, "This is a small token of my appreciation for the deceased's family. Please comfort the relatives on behalf of my family."

The officials were slightly moved and bowed to Lord Xiao in unison.

They parted ways and went their separate ways.

On Xiao Ji's side, only Sui Feng is left to catch the carriage.

Bai Yu was frightened and listless, so she was led along behind the carriage.

Shen Lan, Fu Qingyan, and Xuan'er sat in the carriage, and the three of them remained silent for a long time.

In the end, Shen Lan took out paper and pen and began to write out a study plan for Fu Qingyan.

"The imperial examinations mainly focus on the classics, essays, and policy questions, but there are also subjects for those specializing in classics, law, literature, and mathematics. I wonder which subject Young Master Fu would like to choose?"

Fu Qingyan said with great pride, "If we're going to take the exam, we should definitely take it to become a Jinshi!"

Shen Lan pushed the paper and pen towards him, saying, "Please write a poem for me, Young Master Fu."

Fu Qingyan was confident in his poetry skills, and he casually wrote a poem on the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Shen Lan nodded secretly. This young master was indeed quite learned, and his calligraphy was also quite good.

"Young Master Fu's handwriting is elegant, but his calligraphy for the exam needs to be refined to the official style. He needs to practice ten sheets of calligraphy every day."

Shen Lan quietly added calligraphy practice to her plan.

"In terms of poetry, Young Master Fu is no worse than the other candidates. He doesn't need to practice specifically. It will be enough for him to attend a few more poetry gatherings after returning to the capital."

The most important things are the interpretation of the classics and policy essays. The former can be learned by rote memorization, while the latter requires practical application, so start with the interpretation of the classics.

Shen Lan made a list of the books he would read each day on a piece of paper.

Although one can finish reading the Analects in a day, it would take a year to fully understand it.

Moreover, it requires breaking down each word and sentence, because exam questions often select a few words or sentences from them. If you don't fully understand them, you might not even know where the exam question is coming from.

Xiao Ji lent Fu Qingyan books that he had read years ago, books with very detailed annotations, which were invaluable teaching materials.

With these materials, Shen Lan was able to get a general understanding of the content and direction of the exam.

She doesn't need to be an expert; she just needs to know the key points.

"Let's start with the Analects. We'll spend seven days reading this book."

When Fu Qingyan saw her burying her head in writing, her handwriting was messy, and she didn't even recognize some of the characters, he immediately felt a little regretful.

He shouldn't have agreed to Miss Shen's request so easily; listening to a country girl's study plan sounded very unreliable.

Shen Lan put down her pen, looked up at Fu Qingyan and said, "Alright, let's begin now. Today we'll read the first chapter of the Analects. Young Master Fu should be able to recite it, right?"

Fu Qingyan said confidently, "Of course, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I can recite it backwards."

After all, the Four Books and Five Classics were compulsory subjects for every student, so memorizing them was not a problem for him.

"Alright, then let's study the first chapter today, breaking it down word by word and sentence by sentence, and write down the explanations."

Fu Qingyan thought it wasn't difficult, so he spread out the paper and began to write.

Shen Lan reminded him, "Everyone's interpretation will be different. To avoid misunderstandings, please have Lord Xiao review your work after you finish writing it."

"it is good."

Fu Qingyan is very enthusiastic about learning.

Writing explanations was too easy for him; these were things his teachers had taught him.

But after he confidently filled his page with explanations, he was met with five pages of questions.

"Where...where did these come from?"

"I've set the question, now answer it. Is an hour enough?"

"Just write the definition?"

"Of course not, we should answer the questions according to the exam."

During the scientific expedition, it was not simply a matter of translating the text, but rather explaining the meaning of each verse.

I examine myself three times a day.

“Be frugal and loving towards the people, and employ them at the right time.”

"Filial piety and brotherly love are..."

The questions are all taken from the first chapter of the Analects, but there is no pattern to them. They are numerous and varied, and sometimes the questions are repeated.

Many people instinctively shrink back when faced with a sea of ​​problems because they find it tedious.

Learning is a monotonous and tedious thing, especially studying the scriptures.

Repeatedly, meticulously, and continuously summarizing.

The carriage stopped.

Shen Lan then realized that it was already noon.

She got off the carriage with Xuan'er, turned around and saw that Fu Qingyan also wanted to get off the carriage, so she pushed him back with one hand.

"Young Master Fu, come down after you finish your questions. I'll bring your lunch to your car."

Fu Qingyan stared at her with wide eyes, unable to believe his eyes.

Shen Lan pulled Xuan'er away, leaving Fu Qingyan sitting in the carriage looking frustrated.

Xiao Ji got into the car and sat facing him.

"Cousin, save me..." Fu Qingyan realized he had been tricked.

He showed the five pages of questions to Xiao Ji with a look of utter despair, "Doing all this in an hour, is it going to kill you?"

Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow after reading it, then flipped through his own book and asked Fu Qingyan, "These are all the simplest questions, and you're already giving up?"

"Not really."

"Then do it. You're in luck. Miss Shen will be a great teacher."

"This is considered good?" Fu Qingyan exclaimed in surprise. Even he could tell that Shen Lan had just randomly come up with a messy question, and he didn't know if she even understood it.

"You have to put in the effort to succeed. It will take you two months to get back to Beijing from here if you travel slowly. I look forward to seeing your progress."

Xiao Ji took a look at the explanation he had just written. It was conventional and his understanding was very superficial.

Xuan'er brought over a bowl of steaming hot rice porridge.

They mostly ate dried rice cakes on the road, and also cooked porridge with fried rice.

Cook the stir-fried rice with hot water, then add some dried shrimp and dried meat to make a nutritious rice porridge.

"My sister asked me to deliver food to Young Master Fu." Xuan'er handed the bowl to Fu Qingyan.

Xiao Ji got out of the car and heard Xuan'er say again, "Sister said that there is only one cup of tea during mealtime, and I will come to collect the bowls when it's time."

Fu Qingyan found it hard to believe.

He wants to take back what he said earlier; Miss Shen is not kind at all.

Xiao Ji sat down with a smile, took the bowl that Sui Feng handed him, and tilted his head to look at Shen Lan.

Shen Lan took out a jar of dried radish, added a spoonful to her own bowl, and asked Xiao Ji, "Would you like some, sir?"

"it is good."

Along the way, he also noticed that although Miss Shen didn't have much luggage, she had a lot of food.

After the meal, he saw Shen Lan carefully wiping the tools she had picked up and said guiltily, "When we get to Jiangzhou, shall I make another set of tools for Miss Shen?"

Shen Lan didn't have enough money to make another set of tools, and her losses should have been compensated by the government.

However, it would be difficult for ordinary craftsmen to create what she wanted.

Over the years, she has made many trips to blacksmith shops to collect this set of tools, sometimes having to redo a single tool more than ten times.

"That's all we can do," she sighed.