Chapter 1 Feng Zi is Indeed a Super Master of Crossword Puzzles

Feng Zi was indeed a super master of crossword puzzles. In full view of the public, he easily solved two sets of crossword puzzles. The attention of the crowd didn't seem to distract him at all; on the contrary, it seemed to activate his thinking, making his speed even faster than So Zheng had previously said.

The team of question setters summoned by Ye Tao looked at each other in dismay. The questions they had set were by no means simple. At least, for everyone present, it would be very difficult to complete them all without consulting books and archives. No one dared to say that they had such a broad range of knowledge and reading, let alone that they wouldn't get stuck on any particular entry. Feng Zi, on the other hand, almost filled in the correct answer in the grid as soon as he glanced at the description of the entry. After completing two sets of crossword puzzles, he barely hesitated a few times. The two-color printed test paper was extremely clean, without even a trace of alteration.

"Young Master Feng is indeed exceptionally talented, truly admirable," Ye Tao sincerely praised.

Feng Zi chuckled. Although he was somewhat wild and unrestrained, and the young Ye Tao, although already able to be classified as an important court official, hardly made him feel any airs or pretense, this sincere praise still made him a little embarrassed. He quickly said modestly, "I dare not, I dare not. It is admirable that you, sir, could come up with such a method. This crossword puzzle is truly too much fun."

Tan Wei Shi said somewhat dissatisfied, "This is not just for fun. This is a question for recruiting grassroots officials for the Grand Canal Governor's Office."

Feng Zi hesitantly asked Ye Tao, "Sir, although using this crossword puzzle as a question makes some sense to me, don't you think it's a bit frivolous? It is said that many scholars who have been stranded in Danyang for many years are looking forward to this exam, regarding it as an important opportunity for their career development. If they encounter such questions to select officials, it is inevitable that these people will have some complaints. Don't you care, sir?"

Ye Tao retorted, "Do you think I should care? Or are you someone who cares very much about this kind of thing?"

Feng Zi was taken aback, then chuckled. "However, even so, adding the third question of case studies and official documents cannot guarantee that qualified officials will be selected, right?" Feng Zi boldly raised his further question.

Ye Tao found himself quite drawn to someone with such a strange personality as Feng Zi. Although it wasn't necessary, Ye Tao still explained, "No method can guarantee that the selected officials will be qualified. Recommendations and selections from various regions cannot, recommendations from the Imperial College and the Imperial Academy every year cannot, and naturally, neither can such examinations. I just want to screen out those who cannot possibly be qualified."

Ye Tao's simple evaluation of the official selection system made some of the people listening on the side feel a jolt in their hearts. This statement was indeed bold, but it was not without reason.

Feng Zi thought for a moment and asked, "These three questions have different assessment methods and different content. I have heard a little about your achievements, sir, and I know that you value various data in operational management very much, so this first question is probably to assess this aspect. This third question is naturally to assess the ability to make decisions in case of emergencies, to be able to make good use of the manpower and material resources at hand without abusing them, and to comprehensively consider all aspects in order to be able to write that simulated official document. Although when things really happen, many people may not really be able to do what they did when answering the questions, at least it shows that they have some understanding of the situation. But this second question, with all kinds of entries from all over the world, even if one really knows everything, it doesn't necessarily prove that they are very capable."

Although Feng Zi said this, there was no self-deprecating meaning in his tone. On the contrary, he was discussing the problem very calmly, as if he wasn't the super master of crossword puzzles at all.

Ye Tao raised the corner of his mouth and said, "It is really rare to find someone as knowledgeable and retentive as Young Master Feng. This question does not expect everyone to be able to answer it completely. According to our assumptions, most people will not be able to answer it completely. This question is only to prove that the people taking the exam are not limited to a certain aspect in their minds, but can jump out of a certain frame and think about problems without restraint. People who study books to death are obviously not suitable for working in the Grand Canal Governor's Office, and those who read books to death are even worse. As for those who die from reading, it is better not to appear in front of me."

"Study books to death, read books to death, die from reading books..." Feng Zi repeatedly chewed on the meanings revealed by the three combinations of these three words, and couldn't help but feel a little moved. These three types of people do exist, and this simple summary and comparison completely summarizes their characteristics. What's even more troublesome is that not everyone has self-awareness.

Feng Zi thought again, stood up, cupped his hands at Ye Tao, and finally said somewhat respectfully, "I have been taught."

Ye Tao then asked, "Is Young Master Feng really not interested in the position in the Grand Canal Governor's Office?"

Feng Zi shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Sir, being an official is a hard job, let's forget about it."

Ye Tao didn't force him and continued to ask, "Setting crossword puzzles is also a hard job. Many people here are busy with it. Would you be willing to come and help?"

Feng Zi's eyebrows twitched slightly, obviously a little moved. He hesitated and said, "...But in this way, what was originally a very interesting pastime, wouldn't it be like entertaining oneself?"

Ye Tao and the people listening to their conversation on the side laughed in unison. Ye Tao said, "Doing questions is certainly a challenge, but isn't setting questions also a challenge? If Young Master Feng is interested, then you might as well come and try it first. If you don't think it's suitable, we will never force you. Even if you come specifically to do questions, helping us test these questions is also good. However, there's no need to emphasize more about not leaking the questions, right?"

Feng Zi clasped his fist and replied, "That would be great."

Feng Zi, who was unwilling to be restrained, did not tell anyone about his adventures, which happened to coincide with the wishes of the people who were planning for the Grand Canal Governor's Office. The rules of the Grand Canal Governor's Office are very similar to those of the Blood Kirin Army. Although it does not reject exceptional promotions, such exceptions must be based on sufficient ability. Inviting Feng Zi to stay and set questions, in addition to the fact that he may be relatively good at and like crossword puzzles, is also to see what his abilities are in other aspects. If, in this situation of unclear circumstances, people think that they can gain the favor of the Governor-General by relying on game-like questions, it is not a good thing.

There is a special office area in Zheng Garden for handling various documents. Various affairs of the Ye family's properties pass through here, and now matters related to the Grand Canal Governor's Office also pass through here. In this relatively independent courtyard, the left wing is for handling official business, the right wing is for handling business matters, and Ye Tao's office is in the middle. After Ye Tao's office, passing through a small courtyard, is Ye Tao's studio in Zheng Garden.

After Feng Zi joined the crossword puzzle question setting team, he also frequented this courtyard. Although he was not used to the environment of the large office and each person's relatively independent office cubicle, he quickly felt the benefits of this layout for handling affairs. What was even more surprising were the people who belonged to the same question setting team as him. They suddenly discovered that Feng Zi was not only good at the first two of their classic three-question propositions, but his insights into the third question, which combined case studies and drafting documents, were equally sharp. Unlike the official documents drafted by others, Feng Zi often had the ability to directly see the most critical issues in the cases, and the various solutions he drafted were simple, clear, and operational. Ye Tao quietly took these documents to Situ Huang Xuping to read, and also received extremely high praise. Huang Xuping's meaning was that if this Feng Zi had not been a local official himself, then at least someone in his family was. Although he felt it was impolite, Ye Tao still asked Zeng Man to help him investigate Feng Zi's origins.

With Feng Zi's joining, the original twenty-four sets of random questions for the formal exam became thirty-six sets, and the design of the questions was more technically advanced. In the key third case study question, many traps were even designed. For example, in the reported situation in the case, the scenario was set as subordinates reporting to superiors. The so-called requesting instructions from superiors had a relatively subtle meaning of shirking responsibility. To deal with this kind of question, examinees need to have a clear understanding and definition of the relationship between superiors and subordinates, and the authority of different positions. It also requires a combination of tough and soft means. This kind of question is more challenging for students who have relatively simple backgrounds and have not been exposed to the environment.

Even after completing the questions for the formal exam, the crossword puzzle question setting team continued to operate, but the people in it had changed a lot. Those who were originally internally designated by Ye Tao to take positions in the Grand Canal Governor's Office had to start preparing for their new assignments. Those who were transferred into this team were some relatively pure academic types. Although they didn't have to set questions for the exam, the crossword puzzle, as a form of entertainment, could probably be regarded as a unique royal special supply. Tan Xiaopei might not have time to do a question every day, but Empress Zhuo Xiu, who had always been idle, was very enthusiastic about it. With the promotion of the royal family and many young people in Danyang, the crossword puzzle seemed to have a spreading trend. Some people had already started setting their own questions and spreading them in their circles of friends. Unlike Ye Tao's policy of fully considering the popularity characteristics of the questions, which came from modern times, the crossword puzzles popular in those small circles were sometimes a kind of deliberate difficulty.

In this situation, Feng Zi, who already knew all the exam questions, seemed a little bored. The relaxed and harmonious working atmosphere in Ye Tao's mansion, the endless stream of novel ideas generated by everyone chatting and brainstorming, and the relaxed energy of everyone taking out Go and playing a game to regulate their minds from time to time, all made Feng Zi very enjoyable. He had never thought of becoming a member of the vast Eastern Peace bureaucracy, even though he had been cultivated in this way since he was a child. But probably, the greater the pressure, the greater the rebound. He, who was placed high expectations on, almost ran away from home with the money he had saved. Unexpectedly, in Danyang, under this young Grand Canal Governor, he had found a little bit of feeling.

Although he didn't know how long he could stay in such a system, he finally decided to ask Ye Tao for a job.

"Have you finally decided? I didn't force you, oh." These days, Ye Tao was too busy, so busy that he didn't have time to pay attention to the changes in Feng Zi's mentality, who was a very interesting person. However, when Feng Zi himself took the initiative to suggest that perhaps he could find a job to do for a while until he felt bored again, Ye Tao was still very happy to accept his statement. He himself didn't want to be an official and was still thinking about when it would be better to withdraw, so he naturally understood the mentality of this guy, who could definitely be called a problem youth in this era.