Overlord's Road to Ancient Emperors

The three exams have become a hot topic of discussion in the capital this month, and no one has even mentioned the lace news about King Shun. The most direct impact of this incident is that there are several more private schools in the capital, which specialize in accepting children from poor families. What the bosses think It's also very good, after the palace exam is over, see which poor students who failed the exam hire a few to be teachers.

In the past, poor students depended on relying on the nobles to get ahead, and they had the chance to climb up only after being recommended by the nobles. Now the imperial court has given a relatively fair and just opportunity to take the exam. As long as they are successful in their studies, anyone can take the exam in the future. Did you pass the exam?

"Go and see the imperial list. The results of the third test have been announced. Only 50 people can enter the palace test. Oh my god, my cousin is on the list!" A young man who works as a waiter in a restaurant excitedly preached .

This kind of thing is really amazing. Common people like them can enter the palace to meet the emperor one day because of a few exams.

In the past, even if he was recommended by a nobleman, he could be a petty official, but he would not be able to see the emperor. Thinking about his cousin standing on the Fengxian Hall, what a glorious thing it must be!

The young man was so happy that he even ran briskly, and his whole body was filled with joy.

A familiar old customer joked: "Niu Er, isn't your cousin named Niu Da, even such a difficult name can be on the list? Don't be a lie, right?"

Niu Er waved the rag in his hand, ran over to clean the table for him, poured tea for him, and said with a smile: "If you don't believe me, go and have a look, but my cousin changed his name. Niu Zhuangshi, it’s the third last one at the end, it’s really amazing! My mother and my aunt made an appointment to offer incense to the ancestors tomorrow, so that they can bless my cousin to become an official.”

"It's right to respect ancestors, but shouldn't we also pray to gods and worship Buddha? I heard that several temples and Taoist temples outside the city are crowded!"

Someone asked puzzledly: "Isn't there only 50 people shortlisted, why is it so crowded? Do we still have to invite friends to burn incense?"

"Stupid, besides these students from humble backgrounds, aren't there other families who have chosen them? They are not stable, and of course they have to pray to God and worship Buddha!"

"Even if those young masters can't become officials, they won't be short of pools or clothes, and if they don't make it this year, they can wait for next year. What's the rush? Let me tell you, the imperial court should strictly control it, and there is no need to elect a corrupt official who will harm the world. Come!"

"Corrupt officials have existed since ancient times. No matter their origin, they only look at their character. Besides, if you are a big family member, how can that little salary be enough?"

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In the Wei family, in the study of Master Wei Xiangye, the old man was talking to his eldest grandson, and he was talking about the palace examination, "It is a good start to go to the Fengxian Hall to meet the Holy One. The official career is also smoother, are you ready?"

Wei Lan hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Ah Weng, what kind of officials do you want to choose for the emperor this time?"

Wei Xiangye comforted him and said: "I understand your concerns. This time, His Royal Highness Shun Wang took the lead, so what he meant was to select hundreds of good seedlings who are capable of being officials, and when there are vacancies, they can be filled immediately. Fill.

Originally, with your status and qualifications, you don't need to go through this experience, but this is also an opportunity to make a name for yourself. No matter how high your starting point is, you have to do something realistic to convince the public. Grandpa thought, this kind of This is the first time for the group Fengxian Palace to take the imperial examination. It's good to show your face and win the first place. At least in the next few years, the court will know that you are a character. "

Wei Lan is also confident. He has done every test paper and scored higher than them. As long as there is no accident, it is a certainty that he will get the first name.

But I always feel that King Shun's purpose is not simple, what if he intervenes?

"Ah Weng, isn't King Shun really trying to promote a poor family?"

Mr. Wei Xiangye glanced at him, smiled and shook his head: "Are you foolish to be the king of Shun? Even if he wanted to reuse the poor family, he would not choose this time. Since he made the assessment, it means that he only wants to give the poor family a chance. , do you think that he can surpass you, the children of aristocratic families, to select scholars from poor families to train? How much time will it take?"

This is not a joke. Promising juniors from various aristocratic families have been carefully cultivated. Which family has spent a lot of money and energy, but they are far from being comparable to poor students.

"Think about it, Ji Hanyu, who was used by the prince when he was in South Vietnam, was also Lu Shanzhang's closed disciple. Although the relationship between the two masters and apprentices broke down, his knowledge is solid, and the few officials he used are all He came from an aristocratic family, and I heard that even Song Wang went to him, and a scholar from a really poor family either taught children in a private school, or was a manager, which shows that he has a clear mind."

"Grandson understands. There is only one question in the palace examination. I don't know if this question was written by His Majesty or the prince?"

"It must be His Majesty, and His Majesty is also looking forward to seeing you capable juniors. You can't let King Shun take all your good reputation. Don't worry, the articles you write on weekdays are good and cover a wide range of topics. , His Majesty has been having a headache about disaster relief recently, so he will definitely ask about it."

"Disaster relief!" Speaking of this, Wei Lan thought of the previous incident and asked, "I don't know how Commander Lin and their disaster relief trip is going? Have you encountered any trouble?"

Prime Minister Wei sighed, and said, "Official documents came in every two days. The progress is not bad. There must be a lot of trouble. Officials who refused to obey were tied up several times. Lin Zhao didn't investigate the case or ask for guilt. It is said that they were tied to the capital and handed over to Ting Wei for trial. The people also made a lot of troubles. What about the Thousand Feather Forest Army, who would dare to fight them with swords and guns?"

"Is it true that it was sent directly without the government's hand?"

"Yes, but there is a record of how much food and silver is distributed every day, and it is announced. Even in the capital, a copy is posted at the same time. Every day, officials read it. The prince said that the people should know the taxes they pay. Where are they all used, since corrupt officials can’t be stopped, then mobilize the masses to supervise together, and the corrupt officials will always be restrained.”

"Good method!" Wei Lan said excitedly. He walked around the study for a few times and said excitedly: "Ah, with such a wise master, my Dayan will definitely become richer and stronger!"

Prime Minister Wei shrugged. Of course he knew that Li Xu was very good and could do better than the incumbent, but the prosperity of the family does not depend on whether the monarch is wise or not, but whether the monarch is willing to value them.

Prime Minister Wei dared to say that after Li Xu came to power, even if he did not dare to attack the family, he would definitely suppress their growth. The Wei family is now one of the best clans in Dayan. How many years can the three families of Wei, Wang and Xie remain stable? ?

"Grandfather remembers that you had a good friendship with King Shun back then. You can try to surrender to him, but in my opinion, he probably won't use you much."

"Why?" Wei Lan couldn't figure out why King Shun looked at him so indifferently, as if he was a completely irrelevant person.

"Because he is afraid of the Wei family, you may need to change your path. It would be nice to be a feudal official in the future. I'm afraid this cabinet will not be destined for you."

"Just because my surname is Wei?"

"Yes, because your surname is Wei, and you are the eldest grandson of the Wei family!"

"Grandson thinks that King Shun is not such a person, but he has something to offer. It will be difficult for the Wei family to go further. They really need to restrain their edge."

Prime Minister Wei looked at him with relief, "It's good that you can understand this truth. After grandfather dies, the Wei family will separate. When the clan grows, it will inevitably hide dirt, and it may become your stumbling block in the future."

"Ah Weng..." Wei Lan looked at him in surprise, never expecting his grandfather, who always cared about his family, to say such words. Could it be that King Shun really wanted to deal with the Wei family?

"Ah Weng, if... can we choose another talented person? The eldest prince, the fourth prince, and several little princes, all are fine?"

"In the past, King Shun still had a chance before he returned to Beijing. Now it seems that it is very difficult. The eldest prince cannot protect himself, and the fourth prince...unless the first two are dead, he will not be able to turn to him at all." Needless to say.

The emperor is not a foolish emperor. The balance technique has been used very well these years. There is no dominant official in the court. No one is so capable if he wants to coerce the emperor to make the princes.

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Two days later, the palace examination came as scheduled, and early in the morning, the gate of the palace was full of spectators and students waiting to enter the palace.

These students were divided into two camps, one side was dressed in brocade robes, the other side was clothed in white robes, they were clearly separated, and they looked as if they were about to fight at any time.

The palace examination was held at Chenshi, and just after the court meeting ended, the palace gates opened wide, and Eunuch Zhao led his attendants to announce the decree: "Proclaim...the virtuous talents enter the palace to receive the decree!"

"Look, that is Eunuch Zhao who is most trusted by His Majesty. He is really old. I heard that he has been friends with His Majesty for decades, and he has more face than ordinary ministers."

"Those are the eunuchs in the palace, right? I have a distant cousin who sacrificed his life to enter the palace to save his mother. There has been no news for so many years, and I don't know how he is doing well."

"No news for several years? Then prepare for the worst. The palace arranges family visits every year. If the person is still there, it is impossible not to show up for several years. You...sorry."

This palace city symbolizes the pinnacle of power in the world. It is located in the center of the capital city, but even the people who have lived in the capital city for generations may not have seen its interior. There are rows of high-walled palace gates and rows of elite guards. , like a gap, blocking the relationship between them.

So even the people of the capital are in awe and curiosity when facing the imperial palace, and those from poor families who were able to step into this palace city recently were even more excited and burst into tears. After all, they were the ones received by the emperor.

Walking through the palace gates, I don't know how long it took before they finally arrived at Fengxian Hall. They couldn't walk steadily.

When they entered the main hall, a cool air rushed towards their faces. It was midsummer at this time. They stood outside for a long time and walked for a long time. Everyone was sweating profusely. The cold wind blowing on their bodies made them feel comfortable. But it is also shocking.

The hall was quiet, and the students who entered the door did not dare to raise their heads. They knelt on the ground as the crowd flowed into the hall, and after saluting, they heard the voice of the eunuch just now: "Let's get down and take your seats. You have one hour to answer the questions. After an hour, no matter whether you finish writing or not, you must stop writing and collect the paper, otherwise it will be regarded as cheating."

Then everyone raised their heads slightly, looked left and right, and indeed saw hundreds of tables and chairs placed beside them, they were secretly startled: How big is this Fengxian Hall, and it can accommodate so many tables and chairs.

The test papers were already placed on the desk, and the students were seated at random. There was no numbering, but there was a tacit understanding. The children of the aristocratic family sat in the front, and the children of the poor family sat in the back.

It is actually a bit difficult to write a policy theory in an hour, but there is only one question in the palace test. Even if you only write a few hundred words, you can stand out as long as you hit the key points. Therefore, it all depends on their level.

Sitting in the middle of the front row, Wei Lan glanced at the test paper and found that it was not a question about disaster relief, but a question about filial piety. The question was simple and clear: old, old, and old; And when people are young, the world can be transported in the palm of their hands.

Even children who have never read a book can understand the meaning of these words. Wei Lan frowned slightly, not understanding what His Majesty meant by asking this question. Is it just to let them talk about filial piety?

Some people think deeply, so naturally they want to write about how to use filial piety to govern the country, and the principle of filial piety first, and think more simply. From this, they think of their hard-working parents, and write a prose poem thanking their parents. Gorgeous and touching.

Li Xu only knew the topic on the spot, and he didn't have any unexpected thoughts. The emperor may just be old, so he will inevitably think about what happened after his death. He also has the throne to inherit, and he is more afraid of old age and death than other old people. For the emperors of all dynasties, it would be nice to die.

Kou Xiao was also in the hall today, he was standing a little far away from Li Xu, listening to the people around him whispering about the exam questions, what he thought in his heart was: If the world is really like this, then he and Li Xu don’t have to worry about not having a son, anyway The children of other people's families are their own children, so what do you want to do for the elderly?

Standing for an hour is very boring, and later the emperor returned to the back to rest halfway, so Li Xu asked the palace servants to bring tea and snacks, and asked everyone to sit on the ground and rest for a while.

These ministers who went to the court all entered the palace before dawn, and they ate casually for breakfast, and then formally had breakfast after the court was over, but they would definitely not be able to leave this morning, with their hungry chests stuck to their backs, Li Xu's actions undoubtedly won the hearts of all officials.

Wei Lan also noticed the commotion here. To be honest, they didn't dare to eat and drink more for breakfast, fearing that they would have to pay respects halfway, so they all felt a little uneasy when they smelled the fragrance over there.

Li Xu doesn't care about these candidates. I heard that candidates under the imperial examination system have to live in a small single room for several days, eating, drinking and drinking in the room. They are all young people, and they will not die of hunger.

An hour later, the emperor was helped to sit back on the dragon chair, and Wang Chao ordered someone to collect the papers. The eunuchs who were transferred temporarily pasted the names of the candidates with paper, and then sent them to the examiners in disordered order.

More than a dozen civil servants reviewed the papers in public, and each of them divided dozens of papers. The short ones were not bad, but the long ones were really not enough to read at a glance.

However, it is clear at a glance whether the article is good or not, and whether the words are good or not is more intuitive. Experienced officials can judge whether the article is good or not just by looking at the beginning and the end, so the speed is still very fast.

And they were just the first ones. The selected papers were put aside for review by the chief examiner, Wang Chao, and several other prime minister officials. In the end, Wei Xiangye handed the top-ranked papers to the emperor.

The emperor became more free-spirited, and kept what he liked, and threw away what he didn't like. When the work was done, only a dozen papers remained in the emperor's hands.

And those papers that were screened out at the first pass were equivalent to failure. The eunuchs revealed the names, found the corresponding candidates, and guided them to leave, and the rest had nothing to do with them.

Li Xu took a glance and found that most of the poor students left, and less than 50 of the [-] left. It can be seen that the level is indeed not as good as the children of the aristocratic family.

Glancing at Wei Lan, he was wearing a moon-white gown with ink-colored bamboo printed on it. It was similar to the one he wore before, but recently this style of clothes is very popular, especially for scholars. All eight of them are dressed like this, but if you want to look good in it, you still have to look at your face and figure. The eldest grandson of the Wei family wore it like a model.

Li Xu thought to himself: If I had known earlier, I would give him a set and let him promote it more, the effect would definitely be good!