Chapter 244: Finally, the Bright Future Is Here, and Fame Spreads All over the World
In April in the capital, the weather is suddenly warm. When a group of Jinshi passed through the Meridian Gate, a golden sun jumped out from the distant mountains. The bright red light flies thousands of miles, shining on the carved animals and birds of the Jinshui Bridge. The Fengtian Temple in front of you is like a palace in the sky, which makes people fascinated.
Chen Heng has walked this road countless times. But my mood today is somewhat unique. He is Huiyuan, and according to the ceremony, he will be ranked at the forefront of all new scholars. The neat and orderly queue followed behind him, making this Yangzhou Huiyuan feel proud to guide the country.
The leading officer led the new scholars into the Huangji Palace, where the palace examinations were held. When we got here, it was still an hour before the palace examination started. Don’t worry, officials from the Ministry of Etiquette will arrange where everyone will stand. All students should be placed on the east and west sides of Danqi with odd or even numbers according to their rankings in the joint examination.
Waiting so quietly until the sky is bright, the auspicious time comes, and the minister of Honglu Temple ascends to the palace. As the palace music played, all the officials were solemn. Li Zhi, dressed in yellow robe, walked into the palace. Everyone present saluted. This was the conversation between Li Zhi and Gu Zaiyong.
Chen Heng was a little far away and couldn't hear clearly. But it's not hard to guess, it must be all about the scene of the test. After Gu Zaiyong reported the situation, Li Zhi nodded and handed over the test questions he thought up last night to the internal officer, who then sent them to Mr. Gu Ge.
This step is called Linxuan's decision. Mr. Gu Ge read out the examination questions in public: "In the year of Yiyou, in front of the Emperor's Palace, the emperor asked the tributes from all over the world to attract knowledgeable people. Today, I ask..."
The question is very long, but the beginning is a quotation, which only introduces the origin of current events related to the question. The real test questions are in the last two sentences.
"His Majesty has been in power for more than twenty years. He has not forgotten the teachings of the saints, devoted himself to frugality, worked hard to govern, and worked hard day and night. However, natural disasters continue and people's troubles arise one after another. What is the way of the church? How can people's troubles be eliminated?"
After the announcement, Gu Shoufu took the policy into his hands, and the minister of Honglu Temple continued: "The new ministers are seated."
The so-called seat is a mat covered with soft cushions and a table. Still in order of odd and even numbers, one hundred and fifty tributes were seated on the left and right. The palace examination begins at the beginning of the Chen hour, which is the time for all officials to leave.
Soon, only the invigilators headed by the cabinet, as well as other deacons, examiners, inspectors, etc. were left in the venue. When the deacon left a packet of palace cakes for each of the tributes, all that was left was to wait.
"The exam begins."
As soon as the first moment of the hour came, the ceremonial officer gave the order, and the scholars began to pick up scrolls and study ink.
The palace examination only tests policy questions, but the policy questions in the palace examination are different from those in the general examination and the provincial examination. The latter two's policy questions tended to be practical and current affairs, and they were Li Zhi's channels for understanding the world. The former questions tend to focus more on political opinions and political skills.
At this point, we are faced with a group of people who choose the best from the best in the empire. What Li Zhi wants to see is the ambition of these people, their inner understanding and thoughts about Dayong's future. Therefore, although there is only one test question, it is the most important one based on the path to officialdom.
The topic is broad and difficult to write. It is the moment that determines the fate of the next few decades, and the tributes cannot be careless. Everyone is thinking about His Majesty's intentions, and Chen Heng is no exception.
He closed his eyes and thought. People's troubles, people's troubles. If the officials force the people to rebel, if the officials don't force them, how will the people's troubles come? At a glance, the solution to this problem is naturally to start from "selecting talents and appointing capable officials, using honest and good officials as envoys, and keeping the pastoral side".
This is the way to get the No. 1 Scholar. As long as it goes smoothly and without mistakes, what is waiting in front of you is a road leading directly to Qingyun.
Chen Heng held the pen and after thinking for a long time, he still hesitated. Li Zhi asked Gong Shi about his political views. Is this his own? Yes and no.
Because Chen Heng knew that this was a solution, not a radical cure. For the people of the world, it is nothing more than a cycle of three good years and three bad years.
With an upright official here, everyone can live and work in peace and contentment. When a corrupt official comes, he is afraid of the wind. If this continues, can we really expect that Ren Ren will be a good and honest official? In other words, can the people of the world really live and work in peace and contentment on the self-examination of a small group of people?
Thinking about this problem in his mind, Chen Heng fell into a temporary dilemma. He paused in place for a long time, and finally looked away from the road, even though this road had the most people walking on it and the most steady way.
I have made up my mind to see the sun and the moon with a pure heart. If a bird does not sing, it will die, and if a tree has no roots, it will die. Chen Heng could never forget the figures working in the fields. Among the people there were his grandfather, his father and uncle, himself, and many more people like himself.
"I hear, I am right..." Chen Heng put pen to paper. This is the fixed beginning of the imperial examination policy questions. After resigning from the Sixth Section, this is the second time he used the word "Qi Chen". To this day, this word seems to carry a huge burden, and even more of a feeling in my heart.
After a simple introductory sentence, Chen Heng's writing will take off and go straight to the policy question.
"The way of enlightenment by saints is to enlighten the people's wisdom, inspire kindness, and distinguish between loyalty and evil." After summarizing the way of enlightenment in a few simple sentences. Chen Heng began to sort out the origins of the people's troubles on paper, which every candidate must have written about. It's nothing more than a bad year, parents' inaction, etc.
Chen Heng's words were sharper. His habit of making up stories broke out at this time. Between the letters, the words were precise: There was an interesting story in the countryside in ancient times. It was about a blind man who went to the deaf-mute in the village to borrow money.
Your Majesty, guess what, they are talking like ducks, one can't see and the other can't hear. After gesticulating for a long time, neither of them knew what each other meant. The blind man had no choice but to invite a fellow villager to help them convey the message.
The deaf man's family happened to have money and land. After being informed by the villagers, he generously lent money and food to the blind man. When the villagers saw the money and silk, they had evil thoughts. The next day, I came to borrow money again in the name of a blind man. The deaf man was kind-hearted, and even though he didn't understand it, he borrowed it.
The villagers saw that it took no effort to come, and they simply came again and again. As time passed, a kind-hearted person told the blind man about this. The blind man made this known to the public, and everyone drove the man out of the village and invited a wise man to help them.
But after a year and a half, the wise man will have to travel far. The blind man searched the village but could not find anyone he could trust.
Afterwards, the blind man stood on the side of the road and couldn't help but cry to the sky: "God, God, if only I could see."
When the deaf man learned about this, he rushed to the blind man's side and cried with him.
"The troubles of the people are troubles of the officials, and the troubles of the officials are here." Chen Heng looked solemn and wrote quickly on the paper, "We have always heard that virtuous people are rare but not always found. The safety of the people's wealth depends on the virtuousness of one person. , putting the cart before the horse."
"The saint enlightens all the people, which is the act of opening their eyes and listening to them. When ministers are among the people, it is common for the imperial court to post imperial notices, indicating that the state governments all over the world should cultivate internal governance and save money. However, the people know very little, and the speaker is even more ignorant. I don't know. The superior does not know the suffering below, and allows corrupt officials to do evil in the middle and do whatever they want."
"However, binding hundreds of officials with laws and binding people's hearts with morality is like putting out a fire from a drop of water, putting out a fire with tea. If things fail, they will be exhausted. I believe that we should open up the people's opinions. The first priority is to open up the people's wisdom, the second is politics, and the third is In the official position, if you do all three things at the same time and persevere, you will be able to sweep away the world."
After writing so eloquently, Chen Heng felt relieved both physically and mentally. Then I slowly added at the end, "I am reckless and new, I don't know the taboos, I work hard and strictly, I am trembling with fear. I sincerely respond".
This is also the practice of the palace examination. Failure to write this sentence is directly regarded as a violation of the rules and is basically a dead end.
At last count, there were about two thousand words, which was not excessive in terms of the imperial examination. Many people around stood up to hand in papers. Chen Heng checked the papers and handed them over to the official in charge.
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April 12th, the third day after the palace examination. Li Zhi took advantage of his free time in the imperial court and used the time he would have spent reviewing memorials to read the tributes' strategies. There were a total of one hundred and fifty papers, some of which he read quickly, and some of which he stopped to read word for word.
He would do it personally because he could not trust Gu Zaiyong and others. What's more, Li Zhi wanted to see with his own eyes what the emperor's disciple selected this time looked like. Fortunately, what I got this time was pretty good. He found a lot of good strategies and articles from it. Li Zhi would select these articles from time to time and let the prince Li Xian and his eldest grandson Li Jun read them together for guidance.
Tomorrow is Xiao Chuanlu's day, the day to decide the top ten in the imperial examination. Li Zhi was still holding a paper and reading it carefully. At the beginning of the paper is written the candidate's place of origin and the situation of the three generations of ancestors. His Majesty Li Xian knew that this scroll was written by Chen Heng. During the past three days, my father took it out and read it again from time to time, which shows how much Li Zhi likes it.
After reading the beginning again, Li Zhi slowly moved his eyes downward along the handsome and unruly fonts. His favorite number one scholar wrote this on the paper.
"The difficulties in the world cannot be cured by strong medicines. The difficulties of education cannot be achieved in a few years. The First Emperor fought for the remaining six generations to control the world. Emperor Wu used his troops and horses to sweep away the Desert Court. Everything comes first, and so will future generations. Knowing the merits of the ancestors, there would be no First Emperor without the Sixth Generation, and there would be no Emperor Wu without Wen Jing.”
This was a great saying, and Li Zhi was overjoyed when he heard it. He couldn't help but pick up the tea cup, take a sip, and continue to look down.
"However, your Majesty's efforts in broadening the people's wisdom are no less than those of the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty. A few words in the history of history cannot express the gratitude of the people. The saints and sages of ancient times are in the annals of history and in the hearts of the people."
After reading it in one sitting, Li Zhi couldn't hide the joy on his brows. Li Jun was more courageous than his father. Seeing Li Zhi's strange behavior, he asked: "Grandpa, have you decided on the candidate for the No. 1 pick?"
Li Zhi raised his eyebrows, suppressed the smile on his lips, and said no more.
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On April 13, Chen Hengshang was sitting at home, discussing the future approach with Qian Dayou and others. The latter did not have to worry about being dismissed, but began to worry about the selection of the Imperial Academy after the imperial examination.
This step is known as the Shujishi Examination by later generations. Those who pass the exam are considered Hanlin and are called Shujishi. After three years of observing government in the Hanlin Academy, he can be officially conferred an official position.
Don't worry if you haven't passed the exam. You can go directly to the Ministry of Personnel to find a job as an official. The starting point is naturally higher than recruiting people to serve as officials, and the order of the official positions should also be prioritized. But compared to the Hanlin people named Chu Xiang, the road ahead is far worse.
Qian Dayou and Chen Heng can advance, attack, retreat or defend. Jiang Yuanbai is really in trouble. As a candidate, even if he fails the exam, his life will not be bad when he returns home.
But Jiang Yuanbai always felt that if he took the exam again, he would still not be sure of passing the exam. Rather than wasting every day in vain, it is better to get out of office in advance and work hard in the officialdom. If someone helps him, his life may not be worse than that of ordinary Jinshi.
With this thought in his mind, Jiang Yuanbai couldn't help but ask Chen Heng about the situation of the six departments. There was nothing to hide. Chen Heng told the truth, and only warned him not to be tricked by the people from the Ministry of Revenue.
Among the recent failed candidates in the capital, the most people were invited by the Ministry of Household Affairs. Some candidates who had no connections in the capital got into the Hubu Yamen by mistake. Chen Heng felt worried for them when he saw their cheerful backs.
Xue Ke was the least concerned about these things. He had said before that he would travel around the beautiful mountains and rivers after returning to Yangzhou this time. He only mentioned this once, but was caught and beaten by Chen Heng and Jiang Yuanbai. It was really too much.
A group of people were still playing in the study room. Xinda suddenly ran into the room and told Chen Heng that an official from the Ministry of Rites was visiting. Chen Heng knew that it was about the small biography. He went to the front hall as he was told. The official from the Ministry of Rites really congratulated him and told him to go to the Linjing Hall to see the emperor tomorrow morning.
Chen Heng was not surprised by this. He was the champion of this meeting. Unless he made a big mistake, he would not fall out of the top ten.
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The next day, in front of the Linjing Hall.
Chen Heng and the other nine tribute scholars gathered in the side hall. They came here today to let Li Zhi take a look at the candidates. If there were those who were not good-looking, most of them would fail here.
When Chen Heng arrived here, he found an old acquaintance, who was Wen Yu, whom he had not seen for a long time. Chen Heng walked up to him, smiled and saluted, saying, "Ruchu."
Ruchu is Wen Yu's pen name. He also saw Chen Heng coming and hurriedly replied, "Chixing, I haven't congratulated you on passing the imperial examination yet." The two met because of Shenzhou and Qingniwa, and their relationship was pretty good. Chen Heng accepted his friend's congratulations with a smile, and joined Wen Yu's conversation with his friend.
When the others saw the imperial examination coming, they also subconsciously came over. Today, we are fortunate to pass the imperial examination in the same year, and we will be friends of the same year when we go out. This relationship is still very reliable in the officialdom.
The ten people discussed the age, and Chen Heng was the youngest, which made everyone tease him. But the first to be in the limelight were still people from Yuzhou. Among the top ten Jinshi this time, Yuzhou alone had two. One was Wen Yu, and the other was his fellow villager Tang Jingsen.
After everyone talked for a while, they were summoned by Li Zhi. Everyone went in alone, and when it was Chen Heng's turn, he was already the fifth.
The king and his minister met again, and the atmosphere was not much different from before. Li Zhi was in a good mood today, and asked with a smile when they met: "If I let you participate in the selection, will you make up a story for me?"
"I dare not." Chen Heng bowed and smiled, and said, "If your majesty wants to hear it, I can tell you at any time."
Li Zhi pointed at him with his hand and directly led the conversation to the minister's marriage, "When are you going to marry the beloved daughter of Lin Qing's family?"
"Your majesty, after the grand ceremony of the imperial examination, I will prepare to propose marriage and discuss matters."
"Have you found a good host?" Li Zhi became interested and asked with concern. If he went to the second-rank official's house to propose marriage, he estimated that Chen Heng would not be able to find a suitable candidate.
"Your majesty, not yet." Chen Heng was also a young lady getting married, this was the first time. If he was asked to talk about the Four Books and Five Classics, he could still say one, two, three. When it comes to marriage, he is blind.
"Okay." Li Zhi nodded and waved his hand directly, "You go down."
No, Your Majesty, you just ask for fun? Chen Heng muttered, and didn't say much, just followed the officials of the Ministry of Rites to leave.
After meeting the emperor, there is no need to wait in the Linjing Hall for a long time. Chen Heng said hello to his peers and went home to prepare for tomorrow's ceremony of announcing the names of the successful candidates.
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April 15th is a full moon day. The red light of the morning sun shines on the central axis of the palace city. In front of the Fengtian Hall, all officials are present. The Jinwu Guards standing on both sides are watching the new Jinshi standing beside them.
After this group of people came in from the Meridian Gate, the ritual music in the square never stopped. The golden light covered the golden tiles, and the morning glow set off the thousands of miles of the morning, which made the tribute scholars feel relaxed and happy. In another half an hour, they will complete the biggest change in their lives.
The three officials responsible for singing the grand ceremony have already taken their positions, standing in turn from the front of the hall to the end of the steps. These people all have good voices, and the tribute scholars are also looking forward to being the first to hear their fame from them.
The time passed little by little, and the spring breeze was still blowing. The sound of clothes blowing could be heard in the swaying flags. Suddenly, bursts of bells came from a distance, followed by two whips. A chief eunuch moved to the front of the hall and said loudly: "Your Majesty has ordered that all civil and military officials enter the Fengtian Hall to meet with the emperor."
The ceremony of announcing the names of the best candidates is a national event, and the atmosphere in front of the hall is solemn and dignified. As the most regulated building in the palace city, the Fengtian Hall will not be opened easily. In the two years that Chen Heng has been in office, he has only heard the morning court in the square in front of the Fengtian Hall.
The civil and military officials went ahead, and the Jinshi had to wait outside, but it was not too late for them to enter the hall. After a while, Wei Yinghong, then the Minister of Rites, came out with the golden list. He stood in front of the desk in front of the hall and waited for a while.
The music continued. Wei Yinghong looked at the ceremonial officer and confirmed the auspicious time. As the Jinshi candidates were eagerly waiting, he unfolded the golden list in his hand.
"On the Bingshen day of the Yichen month of the Yiyou year, the emperor asked the world's talented and wise men for advice. The first class was selected as usual. The first place was awarded the sixth rank, the second and third places were awarded the seventh rank, and they were awarded the Jinshi Jidi. The second class was selected forty-seven, and they were awarded the seventh rank and were awarded the Jinshi Chuan. The third class was selected for one hundred, and they were awarded the eighth rank and were awarded the Tong Jinshi Chuan."
Don't look at Wei Yinghong's position, it's not far from the new Jinshi. But Fengtian Square is so big, and the wind is blowing, it's definitely not something you can hear by ear.
But it doesn't matter, the chanting officer standing next to Wei Yinghong is prepared for this. After reading the preface, Wei Yinghong paused for a moment before trying his best to speak in a loud voice: "The first place in the palace examination on the day of Bingshen in the month of Yichen in the year of Yiyou, Chen Heng———"
The old man shouted very loudly, just enough for the official beside him to hear clearly. He immediately stood up and said in a loud voice.
"The first place in the palace examination on the day of Bingshen in the month of Yichen in the year of Yiyou, Chen Heng."
After one voice, another voice started.
"The first place in the palace examination on the day of Bingshen in the month of Yichen in the year of Yiyou, Chen Heng."
"Chen Heng, the first place winner of the first class of the palace examination on the day of Bingshen in the month of Yichen in the year of Yiyou."
As the three officials finished reading the names one by one, all the Jinshi, including Chen Heng, experienced the first Jinluan chanting in their lives.
At this moment, another voice came from the Jinluan Palace.
"Chen Heng is here to see the emperor."
"The first place winner of the first class is here to see the emperor."
"Your Majesty has ordered that the first place winner of the first class is here to see the emperor."
The shouts came one after another like a relay, and the sky suddenly broke through the clouds, and suddenly a beam of light shone on the eaves of the Fengtian Palace. The ceremonial officer waiting outside came to Chen Heng and whispered, "No. 1 scholar, His Majesty summons you to the palace to see the emperor."
After his reminder, Chen Heng woke up from his great joy. The pounding heartbeat just now made his brain blank, and he had no time to react.
I'll see if I can drive the second chapter of the No. 1 scholar out of the street. He was fine this afternoon, but suddenly I have work in the evening. It feels uncomfortable... But don't panic, I'll eat dinner and continue writing, hahahahahaha