"It's really cold in the morning. I don't know what questions to take this year."

On the early morning of February, outside the Fanglin Gate of Fanglin Garden, many candidates were waiting to enter.

It was very cold in early spring, and there was frost on the tiles on the eaves.

The candidates felt their hands and faces were cold, but their bodies and feet were not cold, so they put on new shoes and clothes.

Just like last year, His Majesty provided them with them. After the exam, I took my old clothes and shoes and left.

Wang Xu put his hands in front of his mouth and breathed, trying to warm his little hands with the temperature of his breath.

The three people who went to Liangpo Village to serve as village officials were by his side, and they all got along well.

"Come on, come on, one serving per person, don't eat too much and go inside to sleep." The imperial convoy came out.

Stacks of pottery bowls and bamboo chopsticks.

The large buckets contained stewed mutton and lean mutton. I was afraid that some students would become fat after not eating oil and water for several days.

Add tea eggs, cucumber pickles, and steamed buns.

Each person holds half a bowl of mutton, a large steamed bun is placed on top of the soup, tea eggs and pickles are thrown into the soup to soak.

There are many students this year. Those who failed to pass the exam in previous years and then became village officials must all take the exam.

There were also new candidates from various states, crowded on the road.

"The imperial court is getting richer and richer. It is willing to give out floor heating, clothes, and the four treasures of the study. I must pass the exam this year and become a good official who serves the people."

Xia Hao squatted next to Wang Xu and said while holding his own mutton stew soup.

Wang Xu looked at the people in front of him with envy. They were all candidates.

The difference is that if someone does well as a village official, he or she will be awarded a Liuwai official title before taking the exam, either as a first-grade Liuwai official or as a second-grade Liuwai official.

These people do not need to take the imperial examination, and there are local arrangements.

They came to take the exam because they wanted to be promoted to a higher official position, starting from the ninth rank, if they passed the exam.

If you pass the exam, you will be promoted faster. If you don't pass the exam, you can still advance to the ninth grade after two years.

Like Wang Xu, after studying hard, the village gave him a better evaluation.

He has the status of being a sixth-grade foreigner, but he has no place to arrange it unless he continues to be a village official.

All the petty officials in the county are above the third rank of Liuwai, and there is no shortage of officials in Jingzhao Mansion.

In fact, all the candidates who went to the countryside had a foreign official, and the one who was most examined was the seventh grade, which was regarded as a reward for their hard work.

At least they can read and hyphenate, which is countless times better than ordinary people looking for that.

How can they survive if they are not even given a foreign official?

"The officials from Lijiazhuangzi who were admitted last year have replaced the village officials like me. Do you think they will be in trouble?"

Not far away, someone was talking with an expectant look on his face.

Everyone knows what he means. If you pass the exam and you are still ranked first, but you are not as good as us when you get to the village, what does that mean?

"Brother Donglai, who has gone to Liangpo Village? Will he do well?" Chai Baohong heard what others said and also talked to Wang Xu.

Wang Xu took a sip of the hot soup and said, "We are all people who have been to Lijia Village. How can Mr. Li teach people without talking too much?

If anyone wants to see a joke, just wait, those two hundred and twenty students will not be given for free.

In the past, forty students became county officials, and they overshadowed the county magistrate and county magistrate."

"It's true that other people with Li family background will try their best to get promoted quickly, but they are not in a hurry." Zhu An expressed his admiration.

The most powerful of the forty-two students is the top one. Everyone else has a real job, but Zhao Donglin does not.

Someone in the court said that whenever Zhao Donglin wanted to become an official, he could join the army directly. If he waited any longer, he could be appointed governor.

Zhao Donglin was in charge of forty-one classmates and mobilized the entire twenty counties of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Isn't this just the history of the governor? The history of the governor is nothing more than many military aspects.

Zhao Donglin was trained by Li Yi alone in Lijiazhuangzi. How could he not learn military skills?

The others still stayed in their positions of chief registrar and county lieutenant and worked seriously, and never mentioned that they wanted to be promoted.

"It's a pity that I didn't catch up." Xia Hao said, lowering his head and eating cucumbers and pickles.

He regretted that Li Jia Zhuangzi gave him two opportunities, but he refused them both. From then on, only a group of students living outside were left.

They will also take part in the imperial examination this year and help people with lawsuits for free on weekdays.

After being baptized by village officials, those who had emigrated to official positions became less arrogant.

The new candidates are different. They feel that they are confident and easy to take the exam, and they are outstanding in their local area.

So they gathered together, looking relaxed, thinking that the imperial examination was just a formality for them.

…

In Liangpo Village, which was mentioned by Wang Xu and others, a man in a military coat was recording the location of the toilet.

"Chang Yu, come here and eat steamed buns. My wife's steamed steamed buns this morning, stuffed with sauerkraut and oil residue." A woman greeted Zhou Changyu.

Zhou Changyu was ranked first in last year's imperial examination and was assigned to serve as a village official in the village.

There is nothing official about him. If his back were not straight, he would look like a farmer.

His face had a weathered look, and his hand had a small cut.

There was skin care ointment and hand cream, but he didn't put it on.

As soon as he arrived at the village, he first looked at each hut, its size, the terrain, and its surroundings.

He writes and draws in his notebook and always smiles at all the villagers.

I didn’t even ask Muramasa Chen Mo for the account books. He knows how to measure things. Can I just ask for the accounts?

"Ms. Chen San, no, there are leftovers from last night. It won't go bad in the cold weather. You can eat them when you get back and heat them up."

Zhou Changyu smiled and waved his hand, refusing.

The woman came over, pulled his sleeve and left: "I'll heat up your food at noon and eat steamed buns in the morning. My aunt's family is rich and I don't need a pair of chopsticks from you."

Zhou Changyu was taken to the home of Chen San's mother-in-law, who had a son, a daughter-in-law, and two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was older and the girl was still nursing.

He greeted them one by one and chose a position facing his daughter-in-law, who was carrying a baby.

"Xiao Zhou, you've been here for a while, and you've been looking at other people's homes all day long...without giving me any advice? You're from the Li Family Village."

The old man sat on the main seat with a small bowl in front of him. In the bowl was rice wine. He drank it early in the morning. After drinking it, he felt less cold when he went out to work.

"Uncle Chen San, it's almost time. After dinner, I'll go see Muramasa and discuss it with Muramasa to see if the idea is right."

Zhou Changyu picked up a bun and gave it to the six-year-old boy and answered respectfully.

"Let's discuss it further. If someone from your village can't be trusted by others, you can't trust Boss Li either?" the old man said carelessly.

"The proprietor said that every matter should be discussed one by one and should not be taken lightly. If you do the right thing, it is your duty. If you do the wrong thing, the people will suffer." Zhou Changyu was still so respectful.

The old man nodded: "That's right. Bishop Li Dong is better than others. The four children in the first year thought they were so capable, but in the end they couldn't even cook."

"They are actually quite good. They only care about the village and have good intentions." Zhou Changyu did not criticize others.

"You baby..."

"Old man, let's eat." Mrs. Chen San grabbed two buns and put them on Zhou Changyu's plate.

"Eat, eat, I'll go look for you with you after I eat." The old man stopped talking and picked up the bowl to drink.

Zhou Changyu was not polite. He said, "This family is indeed rich. They have planted ten acres of greenhouses and hired two outsiders to work with them."
Chapter completed!