A trip starting from the courtyard

Chapter 643 If you sit crookedly, hehe, stay in the top three!

The palace gate was wide open, and a group of internal officials holding lanterns lined up on both sides of the gate.Officials from the Ministry of Etiquette appeared in front of the gate and preached the discipline of the examination room and the rules of the palace.
"When you enter the palace, loud noises are prohibited, and you must not fall behind." The two officials saw more than 300 tributes lined up in three rows under the command of the inner officer. After reiterating the palace rules, they led the candidates and stepped into the high wall.

Most of the tributes entered the imperial palace for the first time, and each of them was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden - it was dazzled.

Chen Mancang saw a magnificent hall not far away, with a majestic momentum, surrounded by corridors, engraved with dragons, phoenixes and flying clouds, carved with méng painted buildings, steep jue (jué) with layers of cuī, black terracotta tiles and green glazed tiles in Chuyang shining brightly.

After seeing that no one was paying attention, he whispered to Wang Lidong who was behind him, "Brother Qi, what kind of hall is that?"

Wang Lidong glanced at the direction Chen Mancang pointed, and whispered, "Daqing Hall."

"What about that one?"

"Tianzhang Pavilion."

"Where is the one with two ears on the top?"

"Government Hall."

"It's the place where the prime minister and the ministers work?" Chen Mancang didn't pay attention for a while, his voice was a little loud, and a large group of people happened to pass by. Loud noise inside?"

Chen Mancang hurriedly tightened his neck, muttering loudly in his heart, didn't see, didn't see
There are palanquins (sedan chairs) in the team. Anyone who can sit in this thing in the palace must be a nobleman, and he will be arrested. The more he thinks about it, the more frightened he becomes, and a large amount of cold sweat pours out from his forehead.

It's a pity that dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel!
All the Gongsheng students turned their gazes to him and Wang Lidong in unison, and the people around them also moved two meters away wisely, the two of them were like fireflies shining in the dark night.

Wang Lidong glanced at the eunuch with hanging eyebrows, he knew him, but he was not very familiar with him, he was Concubine Rong's personal eunuch, and he stepped forward to salute, "I have met the official Ximen." A 100 yuan bank note slipped into the eunuch's sleeve inside.

Before the Chinese New Year, the Universal Bank launched silver dollars, gold coins and silver tickets. 100 silver notes are equal to 100 silver dollars and are equal to two hundred copper coins.After more than two months of promotion, coupled with his credit blessing from the Great Song God of Wealth, several currencies have gradually become popular. Most of the merchants who do business with Sihai Trading Company accept silver dollars and gold coins. As for bank notes, there are also a small number of merchants. start using.

"So it's Young Master Qi," Ximen's officer twirled his fingers, knowing that it was a 100-face value Universal Bank Note, and a smile appeared on his face immediately.He likes new things very much, and a stack of small pieces of paper can be tens of thousands.

Wang Lidong asked in a low voice who was in Jianyu, and after knowing that it was Concubine Rong, just let him report the truth.

"My lord, wait a moment."

Ximen's inner-official walked back to the red sandalwood shoulder table with nine phoenixes carved in red gold in the middle of the team, and explained the situation with Concubine Rong.

Concubine Rong gently raised the curtain, glanced at Wang Lidong not far away, sighed slightly, put down the curtain and said, "Let's go."

When Concubine Rong's team left, and the tribute team started up again, Wang Lidong pulled Chen Mancang, who was pale, "It's okay, let's go."

After walking a few steps, Chen Mancang whispered, "Brother Qi, thank you for your kindness."

Wang Lidong waved his hand and said, "Concubine Rong is the most modest, she won't fuss with you over such a trivial matter, at most she will say a few words about you."

Chen Mancang twitched the corners of his mouth and opened his eyes to speak nonsense.

Although he is not a native of the capital, he still knows a little about Concubine Rong's deeds.It is said that this old woman is the most narrow-minded, she can remember every little thing for a lifetime, if it is not for Wang Lidong today, he will definitely be in great trouble.

Chen Mancang cupped his hands and didn't say any more.

Now in the palace, with so many people around, it's better to be cautious.

learn from mistakes.

After half a cup of tea, a group of candidates arrived at the examination room, Chongzheng Hall.

I saw hundreds of officials in red robes and purple robes standing under the eaves on both sides of the main hall. Seeing the arrival of the tribute students, there was a sudden noise, commenting on the scene. Playing, a group of people gathered in front of Monkey Mountain, pointing and laughing...

"Master Sheng, who is your son?" The left servant of the Ministry of Industry looked at all the tributes, squeezed to Sheng Hong's side, and asked.His second daughter had just passed the Jiji ceremony and was looking for a suitable son-in-law everywhere. Sheng Hong had intended to marry him before, but at that time Sheng Changbai had just passed Juren.Now that they have passed the general examination, and they are still ranked eighteenth, and Sheng Hong's youngest daughter has just married Qi Guogong, the two families can barely be regarded as well-matched.

"Lord Li." After Sheng Hong cupped his hands slightly, he pointed his finger at Sheng Changbai who was standing three feet away, "A scholar with azure brocade robes and thick eyebrows and big eyes is a dog."

Seeing the satisfied look in the eyes of his boss, Li Shilang, Sheng Hong felt a burst of pride. At the end of last year, he had tried this guy and wanted to sell his second son, but unfortunately he didn't give him a good look at all, and his nose was ashamed. .He was so angry that he didn't go to sleep with Lin Xiaoniang for several days.

"Master Sheng, the young man in the green robe is the son?" A red-robed official standing beside Sheng Hong sized up Sheng Changbai and asked eagerly, "Mr. Sheng, how old is the son this year? Are you ready for a marriage?"

Sheng Hong smiled and said, "Twenty years old, not yet married."

"Grand man"

Cheng Guogong saw Wang Lidong standing in the candidate group, walked up to the Marquis of Xiangyang, reached out and patted his shoulder, "Bin Zhou, your grandson has given us honor this time. Isn't it just the Four Books and Five Classics? It's not difficult." Yes. Us rough people, as long as we put in a little effort, Jinshi is easy to get. Next time if some big scarf dares to call us rough, I won’t beat him to death!"

The Marquis of Xiangyang slapped Cheng Guogong's palm away and said, "Be gentle, boy, my old bones can't withstand three punches from you."

Cheng Guogong said with a little regret, "It's a pity that my daughter is married, otherwise it would be robbery, and I would make your grandson my son-in-law."

The Marquis of Xiangyang rolled his eyes and said, "I want to eat it. As for your strong daughters, my Heng'er will definitely not like them."

Cheng Guogong laughed and said, "As far as Qi Heng's eyes are concerned, he will definitely fall in love with him. Look at the young daughter-in-law he chose, she is as thin as a stick, and her face is only a little bit prettier than my youngest four." Said He pushed the Marquis of Xiangyang with his elbow, and glanced at the Duke of England who was not far away, "I heard that he is planning to go to your son-in-law's house to propose marriage and let Gui Fen be your grandson-in-law. It's a pity that he was a step late. Haha~~ "

"Don't talk nonsense! His family, Gui Fen, has high eyesight, how could he think of my family's Heng'er!"

The Marquis of Xiangyang had this plan before, but unfortunately after inquiring carefully, he immediately retreated.The girl is good-looking, but she has been spoiled by pampering since she was a child, and she has the same virtues as his daughter.If you really want to become the grandson's daughter-in-law, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will definitely fight.When Zhang Guifen returns home crying and roaring, the old Zhangtou will definitely bring four embryo-killing sons to call the door, and he will not be able to survive that day.

"In the 11th year of Xuanhuangyou's reign, Xin Chou Ke Gongshi entered the hall." An internal official walked out of the Chongzheng Hall and stood in front of the hall and said loudly.

The Gongsheng students lined up again in three rows, followed by officials from the Ministry of Rites and filed into the main hall.

Rows of small tables less than two feet high are neatly arranged in the examination room, and behind the table is a square stool.

Before the Southern Song Dynasty, the examination table was a few seats made in the Tang Dynasty. Candidates had to sit on their knees and bow their heads to take the case. It was not until the Southern Song Dynasty that the few seats were abandoned and tables and chairs were used.

According to the seat number announced on the palace wall yesterday, Wang Lidong checked the candidates' names pasted on the upper left corner of the small table, and found his seat in order. This time he was lucky, the seat was in a corner of the main hall, next to it There is a big red pillar, which can be leaned on to sleep after finishing the paper.

I sat down at pg and tried it, but the table was too short, and I had to bend over when writing.Fortunately, it's only one day. If you come here for three days, your waist will be broken.

Picking up the pens, inks, papers and inkstones placed on the table, they are all high-quality tributes. Such a set of stationery can sell at least eight or nine hundred pens in the market.

In addition, there is a sterling silver knife for correcting typos.Because the test paper is made of specially made rice paper, it is much thicker than ordinary rice paper. If you make a mistake, you can scrape it off with a knife and write it again. Otherwise, it will be regarded as a "dirty paper" and will be lowered.

All stationery can be packed and taken away after the exam is over, which can be regarded as a reward from the official family.

What a luxury!
In terms of conversion, it can be worth about 50 yuan. After going out to find a bookstore to pawn, if you don’t marry a wife, you can go out a few times a month, and you can be happy for several years.

Not long after all the candidates were seated, the current official, supported by two internal officials, tremblingly walked up to the hall.

Hula, one kneels down in the hall,
"Student **** pay homage to the Holy Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live."

After the old emperor sat down firmly, he raised his hand and signaled, "Everyone is flat."

Looking at the hundreds of energetic students, the official's mood improved a lot.

Maybe it's because he's getting old, maybe he knows that this is the last palace exam he will preside over in his life, and he babbled about it for half an hour, during which time he drank two cups of tea.

Towards the end, the old emperor finally said a few truths, telling everyone to take the exam seriously, don't just pretend that you won't fail the exam.First-class Jinshi and third-class Jinshi, when assigning jobs, one is treated in the sky, and the other is halfway up the mountain.

Yijia can directly enter the Hanlin Academy, which is equivalent to the senior class of the Zhongyang Party School. After a few years of mixing, he can become a small leader in the Zhongyan Step Committee, and he can be promoted quickly. Most of the ministers come here like this .

Those who came from the top three and Jinshi, who are unlucky (without background), will be given the position of county lieutenant or master book, similar to the director of the police station, deputy township head, etc., and those who are lucky (there is someone behind them), at most A hundred miles.

The tribute students who were a little slack at first were all shocked, especially the grassroots candidates, who were full of energy.

Those who walk a hundred miles will take half ninety, and the winners will accumulate steps!

Those who can enter this hall today, even if they are ranked last in the test, are all top scholars from the hundreds of thousands of people in the Song Dynasty.

No one wants to be at the bottom, and then be assigned to a small county town to be a township official. He faces trivial matters every day, but in the same year, he sits in a magnificent hall, talking and laughing about state affairs.

The old emperor was very relieved to see that all the examinees listened to his words. He turned his head to the chief examiner and ordered the palace examination to start, and then walked out of the hall with the support of the inner officer.

A group of internal officials held the test papers and handed them out one by one.

After Wang Lidong got the test paper and opened it, there were three questions in total, one poem, one fu and one policy theory.

Fill in the name, age and other information first, lest you forget it in the end, no matter how beautiful the answer is, it will still be a zero score paper.

After filling in the information, carefully read the three exam questions this time, "Poems of the Lord and Saints", "Ode to the Minjian" and "On Confucianism and Conservation".

Whether it's poetry, fu or policy theory, the essays in the palace examination can be top few in high school. Some people have summed up historical experience. They have one thing in common, that is, they must flatter today and sing praises!Otherwise, no matter how clever the writing is, the flowers are full of flowers, and the emperor will say that he can't do it at a glance. There is no big loophole in that Zheng Ce, and it will be hell if he can be given a high position.

The other is the issue of "position line, political team". Simply put, is your pg sitting on the current side? If it is wrong, hehe, stay in the top three!

After pondering for a while, Wang Lidong finished the draft, studied the ink and picked up the pen, and the pen fell into the wind and rain, as if writing with spirit.

In the evening, Shengfu

The afterglow of the setting sun is intoxicating. Rulan walks back and forth at the gate with her little hands behind her back, looking out of the gate from time to time. Unfortunately, the sun is about to fall into the sea, and her second brother and father are nowhere to be seen.

"Magpie, you said that Daddy and Second Brother won't go out to drink, right? It's almost at You Hour (5:4 p.m.). Yesterday, Second Brother said that the palace examination will end at [-]:[-] p.m. ([-]:[-] p.m.). Come out from the palace Back home, it will take half an hour at most."

Magpie thought for a while, then nodded and said, "It's really possible. After today, the second son will no longer have to take the exam. Girl, why don't you go back to the small courtyard first. I'll let Xiaomu wait here, waiting for the lord and the second son. As soon as the young master comes back, let him go back to the courtyard to report."

Ru Lan thought for a while, she had already waited for half a day, and said unwillingly, "Wait a little longer."

Magpie caught a glimpse of the familiar carriage driving outside the gate, and hurriedly said, "Girl, the lord and the second son are back."

what!
Ru Lan glanced out, picked up the hem of her skirt, and hurried out of the gate.

As soon as Sheng Changbai got out of the carriage, "Boom!", he was bumped into his arms and staggered. Fortunately, the book boy at the side saw the opportunity quickly and reached out to help him, otherwise he would be bitten by a dog.

Seeing that it was his little sister who bumped into him, Sheng Changbai frowned and said,

"Fifth Sister, you're in a panic, did something happen at home?"

"No, everything is fine." Ru Lan quickly waved her hands, sized up her second brother, and asked concerned, "Second brother, didn't you hurt you?"

Sheng Changbai rubbed his still sore arm, and said, "I'm fine. What are you running out for?"

Ru Lan said with a smile on her face, "Second brother, did the imperial examination go well today?"

Sheng Changbai suddenly understood, and joked, "It's not me you want to ask, but your Second Brother Heng?"

Ru Lan blushed slightly, and shook her head vigorously, "Second brother Heng, whether he did well in the exam has nothing to do with me."

"Okay. Don't shake it. Your second brother Heng should have done well in the exam. He finished the test paper this morning." Sheng Changbai recalled the scene of the imperial examination, and said, "After dinner, I saw him leaning on the pillar Dozed off."

"real?"

"real."

"Second brother, mother has been worrying all day long, and she didn't even eat two bites at noon." After getting the news she wanted, Ru Lan walked home, "I'll tell mother, second brother, you're back. "

Sheng Changbai finally realized what is meant by 'duplicity. Throw it away when you're done using it'.
(End of this chapter)