It was raining heavily, shrouding the entire city of Beijing in a haze of drizzle, which made people feel bored.

Unlike the urban water coexistence in the south, the north is drier, and the rainwater flows into the Haihe River through the sewers and disappears.

On the soaked ground, the dust turned into mud, and there were yellow traces everywhere under the trampling of people and animals, making it look dirty and messy.

It would be better if it rained heavily, as it would flush the mud into the sewers, but it was light rain.

Gu Yuan wore cloth shoes and walked on the slightly muddy street. Carriages passed by from time to time. No matter how careful he was, he couldn't avoid some mud.

As a result, his already shabby clothes looked even more desolate, and his slightly curved back made him look like a small farmer in the countryside, not a scholar at all.

But he didn't take it seriously and still walked with his head held high and his chest high.

"Brother Gu——"

At this time, a carriage suddenly stopped on the side of the road, and a slightly elegant man opened the curtain: "Let's get in the carriage together!"

"Do you know where I'm going?"

"Fanwang Street, who doesn't know it?"

The man smiled, not caring about his dirty clothes, and helped him up.

Gu Yuan got into the car and quickly took off his clothes and shoes, for fear of soiling this ordinary carriage.

"You should change into this!" The man brought a package: "These are my old clothes, as well as shoes and socks. Today is a good day, so I have to be decent."

Gu Yuan wanted to speak, but as the words were on his lips, he swallowed them deeply and just sat there and put on his clothes.

The man opposite looked at him with a smile.

Afterwards, the two sat across from each other, and Gu Yuan felt emotional.

This Mr. Zhao is extraordinary both in talent and appearance, but he was born lame.

Compared with his hunchback, it is more difficult for a lame person. If he were not born in a wealthy family, how could he be alive today?

"Are you going too today?"

However, Zhao Chun did not take it seriously and said calmly: "Of course, the two kings do not stick to their status and reputation. As long as they have talent, they can be admitted."

"What does it matter if someone has a leg problem?"

"I admire you greatly for your talent, since you can win the championship."

Gu Yuan raised his head and said sincerely: "It's just that the two vassal kings must go somewhere to join the country, but they are thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty. I'm afraid your government won't be willing to let them go!"

"As long as you have an official status, what should you fear?"

Zhao Chun chuckled.

The two of them looked at each other in silence.

The wheels of the carriage turned, and Zhao Chun suddenly said: "Brother Gu, do you definitely want to be an official?"

"Otherwise? Will all this talent just be put into a coffin?"

Gu Yuan raised his head and said firmly: "If you don't become an official and hold power, I would rather die."

This time, it was complete silence.

Both of them were talented, but they were rejected by the imperial examination.

However, not only the imperial examination, but also his daily life was quite inconvenient because of his appearance.

It is precisely because of this that it is necessary to add official positions and shape status, so as to truly stand up and be a good person.

The most typical example in this regard is Yanzi of Qi State in the late Spring and Autumn Period.

By the time the two arrived at the commonly known Prince Street, the place was already crowded with people. A large number of scholars and warriors came to apply for jobs, all wanting to serve the two princes.

"King of Qin? King of Qi?" Zhao Chun suddenly asked,

The two palaces are side by side, both with red carpets to welcome talents from all over the world.

"King Qi——"

Gu Yuan said decisively: "The King of Qin has already entered the country, and many people have already pledged their allegiance to him. His power can be seen from the fact that he returned from the grassland and recruited hundreds of people."

"The King of Qi is different. He is single and weak, so there is room for you and me."

The central gates of the two mansions were wide open, and the crowds in the King Qin's courtyard were surging, but the King of Qi was only in twos and threes, so he could see everything clearly.

Zhao Chun nodded in agreement and then walked towards Prince Qi's Mansion.

The Prince's Mansion was also very courteous to the corporal. The central door was opened wide, and many servants were sent to arrange tables, chairs and benches in the long corridor, and served snacks and hot tea.

"How dare a hunchback come to respond?"

"Not only that, there are also lame people——"

They were whispering to each other in a very low voice, but it made the two of them very angry. However, they did not ridicule them face to face, and this made them angry.

After all, no one knows whether these servants are the spies of King Qi, reporting on his situation?

The most annoying thing in the world is a villain who puts on airs and makes fun of others.

"When your number is called, go to the palace."

Soon, the two of them received their number plates.

Gu Yuan looked up and saw written in large characters and numbers:

One hundred ginseng number four

134

It had just arrived, and it was still raining lightly. I never expected that there would be so many people there.

Looking back, I saw an endless stream of people coming to sit down, either closing their eyes to relax, or eating snacks and drinking tea, with different expressions.

Soon, the time reached noon.

Among those who go in, those who come out are in despair, and those who have not come out must remain.

Soon, Gu Yuan was called.

He ignored the ridicule of others and entered resolutely.

King Qi Zhu Cunhua lowered his head, thinking about it all morning, making him mentally exhausted.

"Sir, someone is coming." The eunuch on the side shouted quickly.

Only then did he force himself to cheer up.

"Hunchback?" King Qi was stunned, but a good education changed his face and kept smiling.

"what can you do?"

"I, Gu Yuan, am from Wanping. Because of my appearance, I was not allowed to take part in the imperial examination, so I have been wasting my time till now."

"But after reading poetry and books for a long time, I can not only do eight-legged essays, but also read through some classics and historical collections..."

"Okay, I'll give you an hour to write an eight-part essay."

King Qi said in a deep voice.

Soon, Gu Yuan came to another room. There was a desk, pens, ink, paper and inkstones. Many people were immersed in writing and didn't even bother to look at him.

This made him incredibly excited.

Not being kicked out is the biggest surprise.

On King Qi's side, there was a hunchback in front of him, and a lame man came behind him.

However, he is neatly dressed and has a handsome appearance. He obviously comes from a wealthy family.

After being asked about their names, they were much more modest and they only had a vague understanding of them.

"Then what are you best at?"

"Students are best at calculating."

"Oh? This is a specialty." King Qi said with a smile: "Nowadays, the provincial examination and the general examination also test arithmetic, so you have been delayed."

"Come here, prepare a table for this young master, and ask the chief historian to come up with arithmetic problems to study."

And soon, both of them passed the exam, and both of them were outstanding, and could be regarded as talented people.

King Qi struggled for a long time, and the appearance of the two made him want to reject them directly.

As a result, Chang Shi made it clear: "Your Highness is inferior to the King of Qin, so why do you drive out such talents?

No matter how bad it is, a thousand gold worth of horse bones will not be a loss to His Highness."

Only then did the King of Qi become interested, and promised him an official position, and he was brought into the government as a staff officer.

As for Prince Qi's palace, the lame and hunchback were selected, which immediately caused an uproar in the entire capital.

Not to mention those who laugh at it, but for those who have no hope of taking the imperial examination, or who are proud of their talents, this is definitely an attractive opportunity.

Learned the art of literature and martial arts, and brought goods to the emperor's family.

A prince is also a king, and he will become a powerful vassal king in the future. A vassal state is also a country!
To be continued...