After the concubine took the script of the son-in-law

It has only rained in Bianliang a few days ago, so the weather is still a bit cold, but the willow tree buds on both sides of the river have already sprouted crisp and tender wicker, and the flowers are also in full bloom in the spring breeze.Apart from those people who are busy making a living by the river, there are also leisurely figures traveling together in twos and threes.

The figures of Shen Ji and Li Yunyao were also among them. Suddenly, Shen Ji saw many lanterns hanging beside the flower farmers selling flowers and plants by the river. She walked over with great interest and asked the flower farmers: "Why is it already February? There are so many lanterns?"

"These were not sold during the Lantern Festival, and it would be a waste to leave them alone, so I took them out and continued to sell them. The little official bought two for this lady? It would be cheaper to buy them with flowers." The flower farmer urged road.

Shen Ji looked back and saw Li Yunyao squatting down, looking at the flowers in front of him, and asked, "Do you want to buy flowers?"

"The courtyard outside the bookstore is a bit dull, it's not bad to buy some to bring back the spring."

"Then these lanterns and flowers, I want them all, and send them to Deputy Envoy Shen's home for me."

Seeing that she wanted all of them without even asking the price, the flower farmer excitedly agreed, saying that he would deliver them to them in a while.

Li Yunyao glanced at her: "What are you buying so many lanterns for?"

"Decoration! Our room has been repaired, it's a little monotonous, buy some lanterns and go back to decorate."

Li Yunyao sighed: "You claim to be able to settle accounts, but why are you spending so much money?"

Hua Nong happily said: "In my opinion, it's not that the petty official is extravagant, it's called spending a lot of money to be a beauty."

"Oh?" Li Yunyao looked at Shen Ji with teasing eyes.The latter wanted to deny it at first, but when he met the provocative eyes, he nodded bravely and said confidently, "Father gave me a monthly increase, and I have a lot of money. Why don't I let it rust?"

Li Yunyao: "..."

She suspected that Shen Yilu lived frugally and spent all his monthly salary on Shen Ji!

However, considering that Shen Ji has been studying at home recently, and there are fewer opportunities to go out to spend money, let's turn a blind eye this time!

The two came to Yingxiang Pond along the river. There are gardens and waterside pavilions here, and the environment is elegant. Many literati like to hold elegant gatherings and poetry gatherings here.

After the provincial examination of Jinshi, these candidates are waiting for their results, it is difficult for them to calm down and read books, so today a group of candidates gathered at the waterside pavilion of Yingxiang Pond to hold an elegant fair.

Shen Ji likes to join in the fun the most, so she and Li Yunyao also stood in the crowd to watch, but fearing that the flow of people would crowd them apart, Li Yunyao reached out and grabbed Shen Ji's sleeve, and the latter felt the pulling force of the sleeve, so he simply pulled her. Hold her hand.

Li Yunyao looked at Shen Ji, and saw that her expression was as usual, so he also silently looked away.

The Gathering here is basically an answering scene, but because someone broke into it, the atmosphere of the Gathering suddenly changed:

Let's say that one moment everyone was talking about Fu, and boasting to each other that the other's article was gorgeous and excellent, but the next moment, someone criticized contemptuously: "The article is full of gorgeous rhetoric, without reason, lofty meaning, and What is the use?"

Shen Ji quite agrees with his words. After all, these words are similar to her teacher Li Mu's advocating the elegance of articles and opposing exaggeration. If she didn't hang around Li Mu often and knew that Li Mu had no other students, she would be afraid It is to think that the other party is Li Mu's student.

However, the other party's words aroused the indignation of other candidates, and the two sides randomly started a fierce debate.

Shen Ji looked at the brawler, and after arguing so loudly that his face turned red, he simply unbuttoned his clothes.Seeing this, Shen Ji turned his head to cover Li Yunyao's eyes, and said, "This guy is rough and has a bad temper."

Li Yunyao didn't care about that behavior, she just pursed her lips and smiled lightly because of Shen Ji's little gesture, and said: "Not everyone in the world is so gentle and refined."

"You're disrespectful!" Shui Xieli had already attacked the irritable boy with other words.

Some people also began to persuade them: "Brother Zhongtu, don't get excited."

"Zhong Tu? Don't you have the word Shaoyuan, which means inheriting Liu Zongyuan's will?" Someone who recognized the irritable son asked.

As soon as he mentioned it, more people thought of it: "So, this is Liu Jianyu?"

Li Yunyao felt that the name sounded familiar, so the irascible boy said: "I changed my name, now I am Liu Kai, with the word Zhongtu!"

"Didn't you call yourself 'teaching Confucius and being friends with Meng Ke, Qi Yangxiong and shouldering Han Yu'①? Why did you change the name?" Although the words of this person were interrogative, they were full of ridicule.

"It turned out to be Liu Kai." Li Yunyao suddenly realized.

"Yinniang knows?" Shen Ji asked.

Li Yunyao didn't want to gossip about people in public, so he said, "We'll talk about it when we go back."

However, the two did not leave immediately. As more and more people knew that the irritable person in front of them was Liu Kai, some of them stopped participating in the discussion, and only some people who had different opinions from Liu Kai continued to discuss.

Shen Ji remembered a few people, including Song Zhun, who had a refined personality, and Xu Shilian, who was full of confidence in his tribute.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Yunyao took Shen Ji's hand and said, "Let's go, there's nothing to see."

On the way back, Li Yunyao did not let go of Shen Ji's hand, the latter was obsessed with listening to gossip, but he had no intention of paying attention to it.

"Na Liukai was born in a scholarly family. He was already famous when he was young, but he is more widely known for his courage and bravery than his talent and learning. It is rumored that when he was 13 years old, his home was burglarized. Everyone was scared to death, but he drew his sword and fought the thief, repelled the thief, and cut off the thief's toe."②

Shen Ji said: "I have slightly changed my opinion of him."

"His personality is rough, and it is easy to make enemies for himself. Just like in the water pavilion just now, his words offended many people. So he has already attracted a lot of abuse and slander before he was awarded a Jinshi. Everyone thinks he has repeatedly The fact that he failed in the examination papers repeatedly mocked him."

"Practice examination" is a custom left over from the Tang Dynasty, because the imperial examinations in the Tang and Five Dynasties not only depend on the ability of the on-the-spot examination, but also on the daily talent and fame.Therefore, in order to allow the examiners who preside over the tribute exams to choose themselves, many candidates will give the examiners a "passbook" at the front, so that the examiners are familiar with themselves.

Although the imperial court has repeatedly stated that it is not allowed to "produce scrolls", but because it is only a verbal prohibition without actual punishment measures, the trend of "produce scrolls" continues to be banned repeatedly.

Liu Kai thought he was talented and learned, but the imperial examinations were not fair, so he had to "take papers" everywhere, from Wang You, the magistrate of Daming Prefecture——Liu Kai was from Daming Prefecture, and he should be in Daming Prefecture when he took the exam. For the government examinations——to Dou Xi, Liang Zhouhan, Lu Duoxun, and even Li Fang who was in charge of the tribute examination this time, he has repeatedly "written papers" to them, so that there are as many as a cartload of articles in the "book papers" . ③

Shen Ji said: "Hey, except for Wang You, these are all my familiar acquaintances."

Li Yunyao paused for a moment, and realized that this was really the case: Dou Xi was the fifth uncle that Dou was talking about, and Liang Zhouhan was the Zhao boss who planned to reward him. The speaker who won the reward.Lu Duoxun and Li Fang are also people Shen Ji knows.

Shen Ji asked again: "If it's the day for me to participate in the tribute examination, will I also have to 'pass'?"

"How's that for fairness?"

Shen Ji said: "Everyone's 'passing the test', but I am the only one who doesn't 'passing the test', isn't that unfair to me? Besides, every time the tribute is held, there are only a dozen or so people who can get the Jinshi. What should I do?" Be that living Bodhisattva and give up the opportunity to others?"

Li Yunyao knew that what she said was reasonable, but he still refuted her habitually: "You are wrong to think so."

"What's wrong is not my idea, but the system of gongju and the people who know the gongju. If the system and regulations of the gongju can be improved, the chance of favoritism and fraud will be completely eliminated; if the people who know the gongju can get rid of selfishness , Only by choosing the pros and cons of the essays for the provincial exam, the wind of passing the exam will no longer exist."

Li Yunyao said quietly: "Even if you don't go to the 'Xingjuan', the chance of being selected is very high."

Shen Ji doesn't deny her words, but she knows how important she is, even if she goes to take the imperial examination when her father is in a high position, the person in charge of the tribute examination will let her win the exam because of her father's name, she will not I am ashamed to run to the Gongyuan.

-

After the one-day spring outing, Shen Ji spent some time after dinner with Li Yunyao to arrange the potted plants and lanterns she bought. Afterwards, in the strong atmosphere of the imperial examination in Bianliang, she devoted her mind to her study again.

Ten days later, on the first day of March, the door of the Gongyuan finally opened, and the list of Jinshi in the provincial examination for this year was also posted on the list.

Because Shen Ji had heard a lot of gossip about these candidates, he asked someone to inquire a little bit, and learned that the leader this time was at the Gathering that day, and because of his elegant and eloquent conversation, he let her stay. Song Jun was deeply impressed.

"Is Liu Kai's name on the list?" Shen Ji asked the servant who went to see the list.

"There are a total of ten people who won the Jinshi examination this time, and the young ones have never seen this name on the list."

Shen Ji was in a complicated mood, but he didn't say anything.

That Liu Kai is already 27 years old, and he "applied papers" to so many people, but he still failed in the end. It can be seen that the style of writing he advocated was not taken seriously by others, nor did it impress Li Fang.

Shen Ji thought of herself again, if her father hadn't been Shen Yilu, if her father had lost power, would she have been like Liu Kai for the rest of her life, needing to "walk around" in order to have a glimmer of success?

Shen Ji planted a seed in her heart to change the atmosphere of the imperial examination, but right now she is not worried about it.

She thought that the tribute exams were over, and those who were deposed should go back to their respective homes and prepare for the exam again, so she didn't pay attention to this matter any more.

Unexpectedly, there was an examiner who found out that Li Fang's fellow countryman was on the list, but he failed, so he angrily beat the Dengwen drum and sued Quanzhi Gongju Li Fang for favoritism and fraud, thus opening a corner of the reform of the imperial examination system. ④

The author says:

If Shen Xiaoji goes to "roll"——

Li Mu: Do you usually show me too few papers?To avoid suspicion, go find someone else!

Lu Doxun: Admitting you, others say that I am playing for selfishness, not admitting you, and I am ashamed of my conscience, you should find someone else!

Li Fang: Do you think that if this happened, would I still have a chance to take the exam?Don't cue me.

Hu Meng: Hey, the old man has not been an examiner for many years.

At this time, Wang You, a handsome boy whom he had never met before, appeared on the stage.

Wang You: Young man, look at me?

(Wang You is also known as Wang Hu, and Er Zai is the famous Wang Dan.)

-

Notes: ①From Liu Kai's "Shangfu Xingzhou Book"

②From the entry of Liu Kai

③Refer to "General History of China's Imperial Examination System Song Dynasty Volume"

④ In the sixth year of Kaibao (973), Xu Shilian and others beat Dengwen Drum to accuse Li Fang of cheating for selfishness and recruiting fellow villagers. Boss Zhao was furious and summoned 360 people who failed the exam to conduct the first round of interviews, and then screened out 100 people. There are many people, and the remaining 195 people will enter the re-examination, and the final 195 people will be selected from the 26 people (Song Zhun is still the champion).Since then, the Palace Examination has become the third examination in the imperial examination system after the Examination Examination and the Provincial Examination.

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感谢在2022-02-1801:26:47~2022-02-1903:50:15期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the rocket launcher: 1 Xingzhaoye;

Thanks to the little angel who threw the mine: Nima Dimiaoyu, 10251;

感谢灌溉营养液的小天使：晚上风大30瓶；3540522220瓶；流光转千年19瓶；Oss5瓶；青山、赤豚1瓶；

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!