Fenghou

Jumping off the carriage, Xu Pei suddenly waved his arms and roared, waking up the sleepy scholars, and everyone quickly cheered up.

"You two brothers, see you in the afternoon!"

Xu Pei waved his hand vigorously, turned around and left with a rather tragic expression.

Yu Shou and Wang Pu looked at each other and shook their heads secretly, they really didn't like Xu Pei.

"It might be difficult for him to go home!" Wang Pu asked in a low voice.

"why?"

"He cried for a long time in the middle of the night last night, and slapped himself, saying that he was ashamed to go home to see his wife, and he failed her expectations."

Yu Shou sighed and said, "Actually, I don't blame him. He has been a civil servant for ten years, and he has forgotten all about it. If he is tested in the county government, he must have no problem."

Speaking of this, Yu Shou's heart suddenly moved. Xu Pei is actually a very good helper.

"It's almost time, let's go!"

Yu Shou didn't have time to think about it, so he broke up with Wang Pu and followed the crowd into the examination room...

Today's Jinshi subject is about strategy theory. When the test papers were handed out, Yu Shou glanced at the topic nervously, and couldn't help being startled. This topic...

"Strategies for Revitalizing Bianliang", his father told him about this topic!He also specially taught him how to write this article, analyzed it from all aspects, and talked about it all night. He was always confused. Why did his father teach him this?

Only now did Yu Shou realize that his father knew about the imperial examination questions a long time ago, so he specially taught him how to write this countermeasure.

Yu Shou's heart thumped, the deal between his father and King Yong was true, he was guaranteed a Jinshi, and he was appointed as an official in his hometown Yuchi County.

He restrained his mind and wrote with a pen: "The rise and fall of Bianliang is a general trend, and it cannot be changed by manpower..."

Other examinees are racking their brains to figure out how to develop Bianliang's advantages, such as opening canals, promoting trade, etc., but Yu Shou sees it more clearly. Kaiming Zongyi wrote that Bianliang cannot prosper again. It is prospered because of the establishment of the capital, and at the same time it will also decline due to the abolition of the capital. This is the general trend. It is impossible to have the prosperity of the Xuanhe period. The decline of Bianliang is inevitable.

Of course, decline is also relative. Compared with the rule of the Jin Dynasty, as long as it is cultivated, it will gradually improve, and the lives of the people will also improve, but this is not revitalization, but recovery after extreme weakness.

When it returns to the normal Kaifeng government level, its recovery will slowly stagnate. If Henan Road Shangshuxingtai is placed in Bianliang instead of Luoyang, then the recovery of Bianliang will rise until it reaches the level of prosperity Match its political status, and its recovery stops.

The country has the great prosperity of the capital, the prosperity of all the roads, and the vitality of the government. If we spare no effort to allocate resources just for its revitalization, it will eventually lead to a lot of waste of resources. Therefore, the revitalization of Bianliang must have a sober First, a clear plan, then appropriate support, and finally let it make blood by itself, and let it recover step by step by its own ability.

Yu Shou wrote [-] words in one breath, basically following his father's rhetoric.

For the first time, he had confidence in passing the imperial examination.

……

"Dang! Dang! Dang!" The bell finally rang for the end of the exam. As batches of candidates appeared on the stage, there were some who were happy, but most of them were frustrated and sad.

The Jinshi department still can't see it. After all, everyone can write countermeasures, it's just a matter of level. Besides, everyone thinks that they write well, so most of the candidates for the Jinshi department look relaxed, talking and laughing.

However, Ming Jing and Engineering Computing are full of joys and sorrows. There is no level of level in their exams, only right and wrong.

When Yu Shou saw Xu Pei, he was like a defeated rooster, with a dull expression and lost his mind.

"Brother Xu!"

Yu Shou stepped forward and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

Xu Pei smiled wryly and said, "Basically, I have memorized the topics and finished writing them all, but I don't know if they are right."

"That should be good! Go back and look through the book to know if you are right."

Xu Pei shook his head, "The problem is, I have forgotten what I wrote silently. There are too many questions. I have taken fifty questions in the exam. I don't have time to think about it, and I don't have time to check it. I can only resign myself to fate."

Wang Pu who just ran over said with a smile: "Brother Xu, your luck has always been good!"

Xu Pei grinned, "Trust the two brothers for auspicious words, I believe I must have good luck, let's go! Go eat soup cakes, I'll treat you."

Yu Shou and Wang Pu looked at each other, and said in unison: "Let's switch!"

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

In Lin'an, the negotiations between the two sides have been stalled for ten days because they have reached an impasse. Neither side is willing to make concessions, so the negotiations have been shelved.

But there are always people who can't hold their breath first, and the emperor Zhao Gou is one of them. Of course he wants to get Bianliang, and he also wants to get it in his dreams. Even if it is only a nominal possession, he will be happy and encouraged.

Maybe after negotiation, he can still control power buildings such as the imperial palace, ancestral temple, altar or imperial mausoleum. In this way, he still actually controls the part of Bianliang as the capital.

Of course Zhao Gou is not stupid, he is smart enough, as long as the imperial power of Bianliang is controlled, the other part is a bigger county, and he is not interested at all.

But Qin Hui is also right. Chen Qing expanded the scope of Jinghu South Road. The strict Jinghu South Road is limited to Tan, Heng, Dao, Yong, Shao, Chen, Quanzhou and other seven states, as well as Wugang Army and Guiyang Supervisor. .

However, Chen Qing included Jianglingfu, Yuezhou, Ezhou, Dingzhou, Yuanzhou, Jingzhou, and Lizhou, which originally belonged to Jingbei North Road. Formed a siege, a great threat.

Not only Qin Hui could not tolerate it as a prime minister, but Zhao Gou, as the emperor, also found it difficult for him to accept it.

But the fish wants what I want, and the bear's paw also wants what I want. Zhao Gou didn't want to make too many concessions on Jingnan South Road, but also wanted to have substantial gains in Bianliang, so he could only put pressure on his subordinates.

Xu Xiantu bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Jinghu South Road is too far away from us, and it is too close to Sichuan and Shaanxi. Chen Qing has actually controlled Jinghu South Road by suppressing bandits and salt dealers. Now he is negotiating with us and only wants to It's just a name."

"nonsense!"

Zhao Gou was dissatisfied and said, "All the officials on Jingnan South Road were appointed by me. Could it be that they all betrayed me?"

Qin Hui also said beside him: "Xu Xianggong is a bit exaggerated. How can Jinghu South Road be so easy to control? If the name is not right and the words are not right, it is meaningless to just take it by force. People yearn for the court. It was fully reflected in the chaos with Liu Guangshi, Your Majesty, the reason is very simple, if it is forcibly occupied, why should Chen Qing negotiate with us? It was he who first proposed the negotiation!"

Qin Hui's words were very pleasing to the ear, and they were completely in Zhao Gou's heart. He nodded happily and said, "Mr.

Xu Xiantu said helplessly: "We think so, but the other party doesn't think so. They have stopped negotiating. Hu Yun simply can't find anyone, and the minister can't do anything."

Qin Hui sneered, "This is just the negotiating skills of the other party. It is they who want to negotiate, not us who want to negotiate. It is their purpose, not ours. They want the title of Jinghu South Road, but they only give us one." Bianliang is empty, and even the appointed officials can only stay in Lin'an. They are too bullying the court. If they don't want to talk, they will freeze. If they have the ability, they will send troops to directly occupy Suzhou and Pizhou. Since he calls himself Song Chen, I want to see if he dares to use force against the imperial court against the disgrace of the world?"

"Then, may I ask Mr. Qin, what should we do if the other party ignores us?" Xu Xiantu was really dissatisfied.

Qin Hui shook his head, "Can't Xu Xiangguo figure it out? Our reaction has completely exceeded Hu Yun's authority and Chen Qing's plan in advance. Of course Hu Yun has to report to Chen Qing, but such a complicated situation is not Ge Xin can make it clear that he will definitely send someone back to Jingzhao to report. This has been going on for at least a month and a half, and Hu Yun doesn't know what to do now? He can only hide from us. Once Chen Qing's reply comes , he will definitely take the initiative to come to us, the negotiation is like this, you have to wait patiently, you have to deal with it calmly, you can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry.”

Xu Xiantu sighed, "Since Xianggong Qin said so, there is nothing I can do."

Xu Xiantu bowed to Zhao Gou again, "Your Majesty, I am not capable enough to solve your majesty's worries and problems. I request to withdraw from the negotiation!"

Zhao Gou looked at Xu Xiantu for a while, then nodded, "Xu Aiqing went to Huaixi for me, and went to reward Zhang Jun's army for me, so I can learn more about the situation, do you understand what I mean?"

"Wei Chen understands!"

Of course Xu Xiantu understood that the officials had asked him to take over Zhang Jun who cut down the vassal. If nothing else happened, it should be Qin Hui who took over and presided over the negotiations.

Xu Xiantu resigned, and Zhao Gou immediately said to Qin Hui: "Qin Xiangguo and Zhao Yan have a good talk, understand the current situation of the negotiation, and then formulate our corresponding countermeasures. I can't always make concessions and let the other party make progress. Sometimes, a little Toughness can actually soften the opponent."

"Your Majesty's words of gold and jade, I will remember!"

……

In Xinfeng Teahouse, Hu Yun was drinking afternoon tea with Wang Mu. Speaking of negotiation, Hu Yun sneered and said, "Zhao Yan came to me this morning and said that the leader of the negotiation has been replaced by Qin Hui. Is there any possibility of bridging interests?"

"Did Brother Xian agree?"

"How do I agree? I asked him if there was any change in the plan they proposed before? He said there was no change. Since there is no change, what is there to talk about?"

Wang Mu took a sip of his tea and asked with a smile, "I don't quite understand what their demands are? So that the negotiation cannot proceed?"

"They didn't have any demands at all, and they completely followed our thinking. Their little demands were nothing more than to actually control the palace, ancestral temple, and altars in Bianliang. It could be over, but Qin Hui came in to disrupt the situation. He first proposed to use the Yangtze River as the boundary and take away most of Jiangling Mansion, and then proposed that Ezhou was not included in the negotiation. I was dumbfounded at the time, Jiangling Mansion and Ezhou were not there As part of the negotiations, when King Yong visited Lin'an the year before last, he had allocated the five prefectures on South Jingnan Road and Quanzhou on Fujian Road to us, and the late emperor wrote the abdication edict. Now they are going to tear up the agreement and refuse to accept it? How can you talk about it?"

Hu Yun became more and more annoyed as he spoke, Wang Mu quickly smiled and waved his hands to calm him down, "The initiative is in your hands, if you think it's unreasonable, just leave them alone."

Hu Yun nodded, "I have already reported to King Yong, and I am still waiting for King Yong's reply. Brother Shaofu, how do you think King Yong will respond?"

Wang Mu pondered for a while and said, "I guess King Yong will forcibly annex South Jing South Road, and then put pressure on Jiang Jing North Road, forcing the court to return to the negotiating table and accept his previous plan."

Hu Yun sighed, "It's entirely possible what you said, hey! Your Highness still values ​​fame!"

Wang Mu smiled slightly: "Of course fame is very important. After all, the Song Dynasty is still orthodox, and the rule of the Song Dynasty is far from the point of resentment. We are not aliens, and we cannot use the Jurchens to seize the country. , the best way is to follow the example of the Song Dynasty and replace the Hou Zhou, and use the method of abdication, and everyone will accept it."

"That's right! You must be patient and eat away step by step. In the end, only the Lin'an domain is left in the court. Who will recognize it?"

"That's why it's very important to be right and sound. After all, the Jinghu South Road was not taken from the Jurchen, so the court voluntarily agreed to confer it under the jurisdiction of Prince Yong's Mansion."

Hu Yun pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "I know, just two words, patience!"

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

The time to publish the list finally came. At noon, the gate of the inn was crowded with scholars anxiously waiting for the newspaper.

Since the last imperial examination, the "Beijing News" has also participated in publishing the rankings, and it is the first to publish the rankings, and then it will publish the rankings in the square outside the examination house in the afternoon, so as to avoid large-scale crowding and prevent stampede accidents.

The three of Yu Shou were also standing at the door. Like everyone else, they stretched their necks, looking at the end of the road, there would be children selling newspapers running towards them.

"Bang!"

The sound of firecrackers sounded in the distance, which meant that someone had read the newspaper and started to celebrate.

The crowd became more eager and commotioned uneasily, and suddenly someone shouted: "Come! Come!"

I saw two children running over from the street, holding newspapers in their hands, and faintly heard them yelling: "The imperial examination results are released! The latest news!"

Two passers-by stopped the children from buying newspapers, and the scholars immediately panicked and rushed forward, surrounding the two newsboys. In a short while, all the newspapers in their hands were sold out.

Wang Pu was lucky, he bought a newspaper, and Yu Shou and Xu Pei rushed to read it together.

Except for the first page, today's newspapers are used to publish the admission list. The second page is Jinshi, the third page is Ming Jingshi, and the third page is Taixue admission.

Yu Shou was extremely nervous, trembling slightly while holding the newspaper in his hand. The Jinshi Division only admitted 80 people, and he didn't see his name in front of him. Suddenly, he saw No. 70, Yu Shou from Bianliang County, and he was excited. I was shaking all over, and the tears flowed down uncontrollably.

"I passed the exam!" Wang Pu shouted suddenly, jumping up excitedly.

"No. 40 eight! I passed No. 40 eight!"

The engineering and computing subjects were not easy to take. More than 200 people applied for the exam, but only 30 people were admitted, and an average of [-] in [-] people was admitted.

Wang Pu grabbed Yu Shou's arm and asked excitedly, "How are you, did you pass the exam?"

Yu Shou nodded lightly, "No. 70!"

Wang Pu gave a thumbs up, "You are too good, much better than me, Jinshi Division!"

Yu Shou gave him a wink and pouted to the side. Wang Pu noticed Xu Pei. He was squatting on the ground looking at the list, looking very lonely. He had searched for three times, but he still couldn't find his name. Needless to say , he lost his name to Sun Shan.

Yu Shou knelt down and persuaded, "Only 5 of 200 applicants are admitted. It's too difficult. It's even harder than Jinshi. It's normal not to pass the exam. Brother Xu, don't be sad."

Wang Pu also persuaded: "Brother Xu, don't be sad. It seems that no one in the entire inn passed the exam. Everyone is very silent."

Xu Pei smiled wryly and said: "It's normal for me to fail the exam, but it's not normal for me to pass the exam. I lost the scriptures for ten years and only picked them up again half a year ago. I spent three days fishing and two days drying the net. In fact, I didn't tell you. To be honest, I only did half of the [-] questions, and the other half was empty. I hoped that others would do worse in the exam. Now that I think about it, it’s really naive.”

"It's good to see it!"

"I can see it! At worst, I will take the exam next year."

Xu Pei stood up and sighed: "It's just a pity that I didn't seize the opportunity of this year's prison officer. This is fate!"

Xu Pei patted Wang Pu's shoulder again and said with a smile, "Congratulations, brother, for passing the exam. Go to Sanxian Restaurant for a drink. You want to treat me!"

Wang Pu scratched his head in embarrassment, "I'm not the one who should treat you?"

Xu Pei was taken aback, and stared at Yu Shou with wide eyes, "Has Yu Shou passed the Jinshi exam?"

Yu Shou smiled and said, "It's not bad, No. 70."

Xu Pei opened his mouth wide in shock, "My brother is amazing! He actually passed the Jinshi exam and is about to become an official. You have to support me!"

Yu Shou smiled slightly and said, "Maybe I really have this chance."

At this time, the shopkeeper asked loudly: "Is there anyone who passed the exam? Did they pass the exam?"

Xu Pei immediately raised his hand and said, "Yes! Yes! Some of us have passed the exam, and my brother has passed the Jinshi exam."

There was an uproar in front of the inn, and countless pairs of envious eyes came to see that someone actually passed the Jinshi exam, which is amazing.

The shopkeeper ran over and asked, "Who is the Jinshi?"

Xu Pei pointed at Yu Shou, "My brother passed the Jinshi examination."

The shopkeeper clasped his fists and said with a smile on his face: "Just now there is a notice that tomorrow morning at the exact hour, all the scholars who have passed the exam will gather at the entrance of the examination institute. In addition, I kindly ask Jin Shilang to write a letter for the shop. According to the rules of the shop, your residence Store money is free."

"Thank you, shopkeeper, for telling me, let's go to lunch first, and then write to the shopkeeper when we come back."

"Ok, Ok!"

The three of them walked towards the Sanxian Restaurant diagonally opposite.

Yu Shou ordered three pots of sake, and ordered a dozen dishes. The three of them toasted and drank it all in one gulp. At this moment, Xu Pei had something on his mind.

After drinking another five or six glasses of wine and eating two braised pig's trotters, Xu Pei asked through the alcohol, "Is my brother planning to stay in Jingzhao, or do you want to be sent abroad?"

Yu Shou said with a smile: "To tell you the truth, my family has some favors in Jingzhao Mansion. If I pass the exam, there will be a high probability that my relationship will be released."