Overlord's Road to Ancient Emperors

The results of the first exam came out the next day. After reading the transcript, Li Xu cut a score line, and then pasted the list of candidates who passed the exam on the wall outside the exam room, attracting onlookers from students and common people.

Li Xu thought to himself, if the imperial examination system is implemented in the future, when the red list is posted, it will definitely be a scene of empty streets, and there will be the custom of catching a son-in-law under the list, which is quite interesting to think about.

The emperor curiously took the test papers of the first few candidates to read, because they were all basic knowledge points, and the questions were not profound. Anyone who worked hard could answer them, but the difficulty lies in the wide range of knowledge in this paper. There are many types, and it is a bit difficult to answer every question correctly. It is said that the more prestigious children of the capital family did not get full marks. Fake.

After reading the test paper, the emperor asked Li Xu, "I think this kind of assessment method is very good, why do you only target poor students instead of letting all students take this test?"

Li Xu always told the emperor three parts of the truth and seven parts of the lie, "The children of the aristocratic family started their enlightenment at the age of three or four, and they have been studying continuously for more than ten years. Basic questions like this are not difficult for them. , the juniors who can be recommended by each family must be outstanding, if they all take part in the exam, maybe there will be fewer students from poor families who can be on the list."

The emperor looked at the score list and found that it was indeed the case. There was a natural gap between the poor family and the aristocratic clan. The children of the aristocratic clan had the best teacher since childhood, could read the best books, use the best pen and ink, and the probability of success Much bigger than poor students.

No wonder Li Xu valued so much those who can stand out from the poor. Only those who are outstanding and have perseverance can read their grades.

"You did a good job, so what are you going to do in the next exam?"

"It's the same, but it's more difficult, and we add writing questions. After all, we are going to select people to be officials. We need to know a little bit about all aspects. It's good if we have specialties, but it's a pity that we won't be able to evaluate them one by one."

Li Xu was trying to instill a little bit of professionalism in the emperor, when he heard arguing outside the door, he looked back at the closed door, thinking who would have the guts to make a noise at the door of the imperial study.

The emperor ordered in displeasure: "Go and see which slave is so bold, beat him out!"

Eunuch Zhao went out to check in person, and soon came in with a young maid. The maid knelt on the ground and whispered, "My Majesty, Mrs. Wang... Mrs. Wang said that she has a stomach discomfort..."

The emperor stood up with a "whoosh" and walked out before she finished speaking. As soon as Li Xu heard the name "Mrs. Wang", she knew that it was the pregnant beauty, because she was promoted to Mrs. Wang.

As soon as the emperor left, there was no need for Li Xu to stay. When he left the palace, he ran into the eldest prince. The bruises on his face were still lingering, and he looked very pitiful.

"Hmph, the second younger brother entered the palace again early in the morning, what a busy person!" The eldest prince satirized Li Xu's intentions to curry favor with the emperor, all filial piety and kindness were for others to see.

"Brother Huang said, it's too hard to get up at Yin time every day, and there are endless memorials to be approved all day long. It's not like you, Brother Huang, who can still lie at home to recuperate. Hey, those who are capable Much work!"

The eldest prince laughed angrily at his shameless words, "One day, if the second brother can go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, it will really be hard work for the capable."

"Brother Dahuang, you are wrong. There are some advantages and disadvantages. Of course, people have to sit in the position they are good at to play the greatest role. For example, Brother Dahuang, you are brave and invincible, and you go to battle to kill the enemy. It would be perfect for you to entrust this matter to you, and similarly, if you were in the Northwest, wouldn’t you be able to say that those who can do more work?” Li Xu almost told him clearly: You are not suitable for playing politics, you should go back to the Northwest to see Go to the door.

During this period of time, Li Xu has received letters from the Northwest one after another. Ye Changqing has already arrived at the border, and the conditions in the Northwest are more difficult than they imagined.

Especially at the border between the two countries, because of the perennial killings, not a single blade of grass grows, not even a ghost. The people are afraid of the precarious life, and always want to move to the inland, but the border cannot be without people. If there is no population, who will do the logistics?

Therefore, the Northwest forcibly suppressed the relocation of household registrations, but anyone who found someone who dared to flee with his family would be punished as a rebel and beheaded.

However, the growing conditions in the Northwest were very poor. One field in South Vietnam could support one person, but ten fields of the same size in the Northwest might not be able to support one person, not to mention hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Every year, the imperial court allocates very limited food and grass. Some of the Northwest Army buys food and grass from other places, and some collect it from the people's food tax. When encountering wars, the food tax is frighteningly high, so starvation happens every year in the Northwest.

On the other hand, Guanshi Jin also sent news to Li Xu. Before the eldest prince entered Beijing, he told his confidants to take care of Li Xu's wool factory. The wool factory has already started mass production, and the order will be delivered after this summer. If the deal is successful , will be the biggest order of Shun Wang Mansion this year.

But according to the news obtained by Manager Jin, a certain shameless person wanted to take things for nothing without paying, and even wanted to occupy his factory.

Li Xu is not surprised at all. The northwest borders on the grassland, so it is very convenient to buy wool, and the Northwest Army goes to war with the Huns every year. The prince can definitely ask the Xiongnu to pay a few thousand catties of wool. At that time, the factory will be purely profitable.

Li Xu doesn't like this kind of banditry. Anyone who knows how to do business will look at the long-term interests. Even if the eldest prince takes away his production this year and his factory, if he can get three years of bonuses, he will win. Do you think a factory can be supported by just a few occupying people?

"By the way, Big Brother, has the cotton planted in the northwest?" Li Xu reminded him to ask.

In fact, compared to the wool factory, cotton should be the thing that the eldest prince pays attention to. The grain output in the northwest is low, so it is better to grow cash crops and use the money to buy grain elsewhere. If he is the eldest prince, he only needs to open a business road in the northwest, specializing in smuggling business , will be able to continuously earn money from overseas.

"How does the king know about such a trivial matter? Moreover, the officials in the northwest do not agree with using the fields to grow cotton. There is not enough food in the northwest. If a part of it is divided into cotton, the people will starve to death!"

Li Xu rolled his eyes at him, and said sarcastically, "Aren't you stupid? After the cotton is planted, you can sell it to buy food!"

The eldest prince snorted coldly, "Don't fool me, how much money can you make with that little cotton? The price of grain in the northwest is not as good as that in the south of the Yangtze River. Who wants to do this loss-making business?"

It is a fact that there is a difference in food prices. Li Xu has no information to talk nonsense, but he is sure that growing food is definitely not the best way out.

"Brother Huang, is there any business in Northwest China with foreigners?"

"Why do you ask such a question?" The eldest prince looked at him vigilantly, "Don't even try to accuse me of crimes. I live in the northwest and keep my own life. Collaborate with the enemy and betray the country, let's save it!"

Li Xu felt that his head was a bit big. This Li Zhao was too difficult to deal with. He was playing the piano with a cow. How did such a master stick to it until today?

The two broke up unhappy, Li Xu walked out of the palace gate, saw Huang Junshi standing at the gate of the palace looking into the distance, and walked over to greet him.

Huang Ying greeted him very politely, with a kind and gentle expression, completely unlike his master.

He asked curiously: "I heard that Junshi Huang was with Brother Dahuang because of his life-saving grace. These years must have been very tiring, right?"

Master Huang understood Li Xu's subtext as soon as he heard it, so he naturally refused to accept the move, "What King Shun said is true, the King of Zhenbei is kind to the humble, but it's not tiring to be with His Highness, after all, the humble doesn't know how to fight. All the soldiers in the Northwest have to worry about those things."

"Oh? What are you doing, Military Master Huang?"

"A humble job is to follow the eldest prince to do some chores, small and innocuous things."

"That's really humiliating. Originally, the king wanted to persuade the emperor to let you participate in the selection of officials, but he was afraid that he would be reluctant, so he didn't mention it. I wonder if Junshi Huang intends to take an official career?"

As a scholar, it is a lie to say that he does not want to be an official. Huang Ying was once a child of a wealthy family. He received an elite education since he was a child.

Huang Ying said humbly: "The lord has promoted a lowly position. The lowly position comes from a poor background, lack of knowledge, and it is difficult to be a big responsibility."

"You are so humble. It would be great if Brother Dahuang was half as humble as you." Li Xu shook his head and muttered a few words, then got into his own carriage and left.

Huang Ying looked at their retreating backs and thought deeply about a question: Is this Prince Shun really a brother to the First Prince?Why is there such a difference?

He sighed and continued to stare into the distance in a daze.

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When Li Xu returned home, he met Kou Xiao face to face, and jokingly said, "Hey, General Kou is finally willing to go out? Are you finished confinement?"

Kou Xiao originally asked Situ Yong to go out for a drink, but when he saw Li Xu came back, he immediately took a break. Li Xu is a busy person, and it is not easy to have a meal with him recently. The two basically only spend a few hours together in bed. together.

"Why do busy people go home so early today?"

"Come check the post and see if my concubine is stealing someone behind my king's back!"

"That really makes you sure. I'm about to have a private meeting with my mistress. Is the lord going to see what my mistress looks like?"

"Does it look good?"

"It's not bad." Kou Xiao thought back to Situ Yong's appearance, it should be barely noticeable.

"Does this king look good?" Li Xu moved his face closer and asked Kou Xiao to take a closer look at his own face.

Li Xu's skin is quite good, fair and delicate, and his facial features are surprisingly good-looking. Wherever this face is placed, it is difficult to find someone more beautiful than him.

"My lord is the most beautiful man in Dayan, unmatched by anyone." Kou Xiao couldn't walk every time he saw this face, which showed how powerful it was.

"Isn't he the most beautiful man in the capital? How did he become Dayan?"

"I've traveled all over the world, and I haven't seen a man who is more beautiful than you. Naturally, I am number one in the world."

Li Xu thought for a while and felt something was wrong, why should he be more beautiful than a man?He is one person under ten thousand people, and he has never traveled the world relying on beauty, what is the use of such a name?

He waved his hand and bid farewell to Kou Xiao, "Princess is good to go, I won't see you off, my king is going to cook some new dishes." After speaking, he didn't even ask Kou Xiao where he was going, and went straight to the kitchen.

Kou Xiao frowned in confusion, Li Xu cooks the food himself, what kind of food does he have to cook, he was not considered a delicious person before, but who doesn't like delicious food?

Situ Yong asked him to eat and drink at Fulai Restaurant, and he also knew that there would be no food that would surprise him. If he left, the food made by the prince would be cheaper!

Thinking about it this way, Kou Xiao knew that he couldn't leave, so he called a personal guard and told him: "Go to Fulai Restaurant, let Commander Situ come to the palace, and tell him that the general treats him to dinner!"

That personal guard knew his general too well, knew that he was reluctant to go out, and asked: "If you want to invite someone back for dinner, do you have to ask the prince first?"

The personal guards around the two knew that the prince didn't like Commander Situ. They privately guessed that it must be because Commander Situ got too close to General Kou, and the prince was jealous.

Now that General Kou wants to bring someone to the door, it's no wonder the prince is happy. After all, this mansion is Prince Shun's residence, and everything is based on Prince Shun's opinion.

Of course Kou Xiao knows this, but he also knows that Li Xu's so-called jealousy is harmless, and he just likes to see him jealous.

"Don't dawdle, go quickly, if Commander Situ refuses to come, forget it." He is not very willing to add a light bulb in a good two-person world.

But what exactly is a light bulb?Kou Xiao still couldn't figure it out, Li Xu would occasionally say something that he couldn't imagine, and he didn't know what was in his head.

Since Kou Xiao didn't intend to go out, he went back to his room and changed into a set of regular clothes. He was wearing that new purple suit. Just now Li Xu took a few more glances at his clothes. It must be very pretty, but it's a pity. I can only wear it out and show off in the market next time.

I heard that Wang Ye caused a great commotion when he went out wearing that new set of dot-ink clothes. Nowadays, people everywhere are asking where they can buy such cloth, but it is a pity that they can't find the same second cloth even after searching all over Dayan. Come.