To The Land of Nevernight

On the seventh day of April, 291 new high school Jinshi of this year's examination put on Jinshi Confucian uniforms and stepped into the palace again.

On this day, the Zichen Palace was full of ministers of civil and military affairs.Just like in the early morning court on weekdays, the civil servants stand on the left side, and the military officers stand on the right side. Of course, it is impossible for more than 200 Jinshi to squeeze into the Zichen Hall. At 27 o'clock in the day, the sky turned pale, and the eunuch leader Ji Fu walked out of the Zichen Hall and shouted: "In the [-]th year of Kaiping, Jinshi will be admitted to the Zichen Hall to face the saint!"

After the words fell, the two young eunuchs standing under the majesty stone on the first floor shouted together: "In the 27th year of Kaiping, Jinshi will be admitted to the Zichen Palace to face the saint!"

Further down, four eunuchs shouted in unison.

In the end, they shouted 31 times, and the shrill voice was so loud that it resounded through the palace.

Then, Ji Fu called out the names of the ten Jinshi who had been selected as the top three candidates, and let them enter the hall.

Tang Shen's name was ranked fifth, which meant that among the ten people, he was listed fifth by the examiners.With his head down, Tang Shen walked out of the queue with a calm expression, and walked towards the Zichen Hall with the other nine people.

Among these ten people, there is Yao Bang, who was famous before the exam, Wang Xiao, a member of this year, and two of Tang Shen's Guozijian classmates, Liu Fang and Mei Shengze.

But at this time, even close friends will not whisper to each other.All ten people entered Zichen Hall with their heads down. They stood in two rows, five people in each row, and stood in order according to the order Ji Fu called just now.

In the main hall, only a slight breathing sound was heard, and there was no unnecessary sound.

Zichen Hall is the place where the emperor of this dynasty summoned his ministers and went to the early court. It is nine rooms wide and five rooms deep, which symbolizes the nine-five-year honor.Looking up is a yellow glass double eaves roof, and the zenith is painted with gold lacquer paintings of various colors.A plaque hangs high in the center of the main hall. During the first emperor’s time, the plaque was inscribed with the words "Be cautious at the end as the beginning". "Bi" is taken from the Taoist "Zhuangzi" that "everything is completed through oneness, and ghosts and gods are subdued without experience".

When ten Jinshi arrived, Meng Lang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, held a gold wire tray and presented the palace examination papers of these ten people to Zhao Fu.

Zhao Fu didn't take the paper directly, but said with a smile: "Look, gentlemen, I can see ten new black heads every three years." After the words fell, Zhao Fu said again: "This time it's my Wrong, there is a gray-haired one underneath, what's your name?"

This is No.7 out of ten people. Tang Shen had heard about this person before the test. He was Xie Yuan from somewhere in Shanxi.

Being mentioned by the emperor, the old Jinshi, who was over [-] years old this year, was so grateful that he knelt down and said his name on the spot.

Zhao Fu said: "Heaven rewards hard work."

Just four words made this old Jinshi burst into tears.

Zhao Fu asked ten Jinshi to raise their heads, and the ten raised their heads.For some of these ten people, today may be the closest they have ever been to the emperor in their lives.Tang Shen stood at the edge of the first row, looking down at the ground quietly, without making a sound.He heard Zhao Fu talking to Baiguan and Meng Lang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites.

Such an emperor, no one can say that he is a fatuous king.Even though he is obsessed with cultivating immortals and spending a lot of national and financial resources overseas to find fairy islands, this country is still prosperous and prosperous.The people lamented the death of Zhong Taisheng and other great scholars, but no one hated the emperor.

Zhao Fu is not a wise king, but a successful one.He favors villains (Qin Tianjian, Li Xiaoren, etc.), but does not blindly believe in villains.He only said a few words today, Tang Shen looked at Mei Shengze standing beside him out of the corner of his eye, his face was expressionless, but he sighed in his heart: This friend of mine has obviously decided to be the emperor's most loyal friend. Your courtiers!

Zhao Fu used ten percent of the emperor's technique!

After saying a few more words, Zhao Fu flipped through the examination papers of the ten people.This is "Tianzi Reading".As the only examiner in the palace examination, the ten examiners can only rank the emperor among the ten people, but until the last moment, no one knows how the emperor will change the ranking.

Zhao Fu leaned over slightly, poked his head out from the dragon seat, and flicked the papers with his hands.

He read quickly, obviously just glanced casually, and when he saw a certain paper, Zhao Fu paused for a moment.He said something in a low voice, the words were so soft that only Ji Fu who was standing beside him heard him, not even the Minister of Rites.

Ji Fu immediately raised his head and looked straight at Tang Shen.

Tang Shen was originally looking at the emperor like other Jinshi, when Ji Fu looked at him, Tang Shen quickly lowered his head, and the two did not meet their eyes.

Looking at Tang Shen's handsome and immature face, Ji Fu thought to himself: I never thought that the Emperor Linyong would really benefit him so much!

What did Zhao Fu say just now?

Zhao Fu said: "Afraid to frighten the heavenly beings? But what should I do if I am already startled?" After speaking, Zhao Fu held a red pen in his hand and directly changed Tang Shen's ranking from No.5 to No.3.

During the palace examination, three hundred Jinshi were divided into the top three.

The first class is "Jinshi Jidi", and there are only three champions, the second place and Tanhua; the second class is "Jinshi background", how many people; the third class is "same Jinshi background".Ji Fu was so surprised that Zhao Fu actually gave Tang Shen a first class!

Others don't know Zhao Fu, but Ji Fu knows that no matter how colorful the emperor's words are, and how much he loves the people like a son, in fact, Zhao Fu has never had the slightest interest in the imperial examinations all these years!Say "Heaven rewards diligence" today, and forget what that "Heaven rewards diligence" old Jinshi looks like when he cultivates immortals tomorrow.

The emperor is ruthless, but Zhao Fu actually lifted the armor for Tang Shen, which shows that Zhao Fu has remembered Tang Shen.Even if he is just a No. [-] pick, his future may be even more brilliant than this year's No. [-]!

Ji Fu secretly remembered the name Tang Shen in his heart.

After Zhao Fu finished the examination paper, the Minister of Rites took the paper back.He opened the paper and saw Zhao Fugai's ranking, his eyebrows twitched, and he quietly looked at Wang Qin who was standing among the officials.

I saw Mr. Wang looking at his nose and heart with his eyes, looking down at the ground, counting how many floor tiles there are in Zichen Hall without distraction!

Mr. Meng cursed in his heart, "Just pretend", and then began to announce the first class of this year.

"In the 27th year of Kaiping, the champion of the new division, Yao Ju and Yao Wenji!"

Yao Ji was originally ranked first by Meng Lang and other examiners. When he heard his name, he was overjoyed and hurried forward to salute.

"No. [-] in the new division, Wang Xiao and Wang Daiyue!"

Wang Xiao was originally ranked second, so he also took a step forward.

"Xin Ke explores flowers, Tang Shen and Tang Jing rule!"

Tang Shen's heart was shocked, his eyes showed surprise, but he didn't show it on his face, but walked forward calmly.

Then, the Minister of Rites reported the name of the No. [-] Jia again, and finally the rest were all the top three "beginning with Jinshi".

Meng Lang said in a loud voice: "Golden palace pass on the coffins, all Jinshi worship the Son of Heaven, thank you benefactor!"

At this time, whether it was the ten Jinshi inside the hall, or the more than 200 Jinshi outside the gate, as well as all the civil and military ministers present, bowed to Zhao Fu and completed the last step of passing on the ceremony.

After Zhao Fu left, the three of Tang Shen walked out of the palace through the central gate of Xuanwu Gate, and the rest of the people could only walk out through the gates on both sides.

The moment he walked out of the palace, Tang Shen breathed a sigh of relief, he subconsciously turned his head, trying to find his brother among the officials in the palace.It's a pity that Wang Qin was not there, and even a few senior officials of the first and second ranks of the imperial court were also absent, presumably they were left behind by Zhao Fu.

Tang Shen didn't quite understand why he wanted to find Wang Qin all of a sudden. Before he could understand, he heard a deafening sound coming from outside the palace gate.All Jinshi walked out of the outer palace gate, only to see that both sides of the spacious palace road were already surrounded by common people!

All the girls in Shengjing are probably gathered here!

Seeing the No. [-] Scholar, No. [-] and Tanhua coming out of the palace gate in the middle, the onlookers, especially the unmarried girls, all stared wide-eyed.Yao Ji is over forty this year, Kong Wu is powerful, but has a rough appearance.The girls couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when they saw that the number one scholar who walked in the first place turned out to be a warrior.

Seeing Wang Xiao again, they had some hope again.

Someone in the crowd said: "This is the No. 31 Wang Xiao Wang from the Jinling Mansion. He is distantly related to the Langya Wang family! He is [-] this year and already has a wife."

"Pity!"

The crowd lost again.

When Tang Shen walked out the door, everyone's eyes widened.

"Such a young Tanhualang must not be married!"

"So young, she must be Tang Shen Tang Tanhua from the Gusu Mansion!"

"Sure enough, the drama did not deceive me. It is said that the number one scholar is talented, and Tanhua is handsome, like a flower like a jade, and Tanhua is in a dream!"

Tang Shen who heard this sentence: "..."

You are just like flowers and jade, and your whole family is like flowers and jade!

The folk customs of the Song Dynasty were open, and the court also acquiesced. When Yijia paraded through the streets, the people cheered happily on both sides of the road.

Tang Shen had never been paid attention to by so many people in his two lifetimes combined. He was riding a tall horse, obviously he was walking behind Yao Bo and Wang Xiao, but the people crowding around him were the most.

Fortunately, there was no tradition of "women throwing fruit and jade to express their love" in the previous dynasty, otherwise Tang Shen might be smashed to death by these happy people!

After returning home after a busy day, Tang Shen took a hot bath, and before he could recover, there were knocks on the gate of the yard.

Tang Shen couldn't help laughing: "It's better to take the fifth place in the exam, and everyone will be stunned!"

However, when he was finished, Tang Shen sent back all the guests who came to congratulate him. He went back to the study and took out the copybook Wang Qin had given him.

Tang Shen put the copybook on the desk, studied the ink, and began to write.

After writing a whole sheet of paper, Tang solemnly let out a sigh of relief and sat down on a chair.He closed his eyes, his mind was clear, and his mind began to recall everything he had experienced since he entered Shengjing like a revolving lantern.

When he first entered Shengjing, he was just an ordinary scholar. He was cared by Fu Xiru and personally taught by Wang Zifeng.

Entering the Guozijian, I met friends from my classmates in twos and twos, and everyone chatted with each other over wine.

In the provincial examination, he won the Asian yuan, and in the general examination, he won the second place.When it came to the palace examination, the emperor changed his name himself, and lifted his ranking from No. 5 in the second class to Tanhua in the first class.

Suddenly, Tang Shen opened his eyes, and he hastily took out Zhong Taisheng's "Famen Temple Monument" copybook from the bookshelf.

Tang Shen looked at the "Famen Temple Monument", and then looked at the copybook written by Wang Qin himself.

After a long time, he looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "Wang Zifeng, you've managed to get things right from the very beginning!"

When he first came to Shengjing, Wang Qin asked Tang Shen to use the "Famen Temple Stele" to practice calligraphy, because Zhong Taisheng's handwriting is well known throughout the world, and his handwriting is easy to learn and easy to practice.After passing the provincial examination, half a year before the examination, Wang Qin changed the copybook for Tang Shen.

At that time, Tang Shen guessed that Wang Qin was for his future palace examination. When he was "read by the emperor", Zhao Fu didn't like his handwriting.As Tang Shen guessed at the beginning, four of the ten people in the palace examination wrote in Zhong Taisheng's handwriting. These four people didn't make it to the first class, and Zhao Fu didn't say anything.

But that's all?

"During the palace exam, it's not easy to pass. I can be ranked No.5, maybe it has something to do with him!"

The eldest brother is like a father, and the teacher is like a father.

Wang Zifeng is his senior brother, but also his teacher in a practical sense.

Tang Shen thought strangely: "...Father?" As soon as the words came out, Tang Shen was stunned.Even if he was willing to recognize his father (he wouldn't even kill him), Wang Zifeng probably wouldn't recognize his son either!

"So, why is he so nice to me?!"

Tang Shen fell asleep tiredly with doubts.

After the results of the palace examination were released, Tang Shen attended various banquets for several days and entertained all kinds of congratulatory guests.On the seventh day after the end of the palace examination, Fu Wei sent someone to call him, telling him to go to Fu's mansion tonight, and the three teachers and students gathered together to celebrate Tang Shen's admission to Tanhua.

Tang Shen immediately pushed many banquet invitations and hurried to Fu's residence.

Wen Shutongzi was already waiting at the door. He took Tang Shen into Fu's mansion, walked through the moon cave gate in the garden, and said as he walked, "Young Master Tang, have you been tired these days? Oh no, he should be called Tanhualang." Yes! Nine years ago, Mr. Wang was as busy as you when he was the champion of high school. I understand all this." Wen Shutong said winkingly: "When you didn't win Tanhua, no one cared about it. No. [-] Tanhua, whether you know him or not Those who don’t know me all come to congratulate you, it’s annoying!”

Tang Shen vomited bitterly: "The one who knows me is Wen Shutong!"

Wen Shutong said with a grin, "Young Master Tang please!"

The two were walking through the garden, and just after passing a rockery, Tang Shen suddenly ran into a person head-on.Both of them took half a step back, Tang Shen raised his head, and saw Wang Qin wearing a white casual dress, covered with gold and jade, looking down at himself.Seeing that it was Tang Shen who bumped into him, Wang Qin frowned slightly and was about to speak.

Tang Shen was tormented day and night by the phrase "an older brother is like a father, and a mentor is like a father" for the past two days. Now when he suddenly saw Wang Qin, he subconsciously shouted: "Dad!"

Wang Qin was taken aback for a moment: "Enough?"

Tang Shen: "..."

The face of Xinke Tanhualang "like a flower like a jade" turned red with a bang!

The author has something to say: Xiao Tang Lang: Dad!

Pharaoh next door: Father (heavy fog!) Ziwen?