Chapter 325: Inside the Palace and Outside the Palace
Without seeing Liu Mianmian, Fang Yingwu had to go home. He really had no choice. After all, he lacked the ability to directly intervene and could not do anything without an agent. While sitting quietly at home, he could only think about Liu Mianmian.
What's Cotton's agenda?
At this time, his father Fang Qingzhi had gone out again. In the evening, he saw his father coming back from outside and brought new news.
"Today, all the princes in the Hanlin Academy are talking a lot. They all think that Liu Boye has been dormant in the cabinet for several years. Now the time has come. He wants to use this to establish his authority and show his strength to the world!"
So that’s it! When Fang Yingwu realized something, he couldn’t help but sigh that the Hanlin Academy is indeed a place where elites gather, and the analysis is indeed different from that of ordinary people!
Liu Mianmian's drunkard's intention is not with wine, but with his second assistant Liu Jue. He has been dormant and patient for six years, and now he is ready to make a move!
The No. 1 pick is just a prop! What makes Liu Mianhua unable to control himself is not the glory of the No. 1 pick, but the further advancement!
Some historical data flashed in Fang Yingwu's mind - Liu Jue and Liu Ji and Liu Mianmian both entered the cabinet at the same time in the 11th year of Chenghua, and were about the same age. It has been six years now.
The overall conditions between the two are evenly matched. They are both senior scholars of the Three Pavilions. However, Liu Jue is the second assistant, and he usually likes to make comments. He often competes with Wan Shoufu, while Liu Mianmian is the third bachelor, and he usually keeps a low profile.
.So in terms of reputation, Liu Jue is higher than Liu Mianmian.
In addition, the chief assistant, Wan An, is more than ten years older than the two colleagues named Liu. Once Wan An changes, Liu Jue, the first assistant, may have a older surname.
But a while ago, Liu Jue was inexplicably slapped because his son failed to live up to expectations, and he became the laughing stock of both the government and the public. Coupled with the deliberate suppression by Wan Shoufu, his momentum was greatly reduced.
This time, when vying for the place to be admitted to the Royal Palace Examination, Liu Mianhua was uncharacteristically, and he also competed tit-for-tat with Liu Jue, and finally defeated Liu Jue. Is he really competing for his future son-in-law? I'm afraid it means more than just that.
That's all?
If in the end Liu Mianhua really promotes his future son-in-law as the number one pick, the biggest symbolic meaning is indeed to show his strength, or to show that he is not weaker than the second assistant! He can even make the number one pick, what better advertisement is there?
As for whether it is fair or not, and whether it is shady, it may be attacked by scholars, but to some court officials with shady foundations, these are irrelevant. In their philosophy, only those who have the ability to create injustice are qualified.
People with strength are right to recognize this point.
However, is this really good for your own future? Anyone with a discerning eye can see that for Liu Mianhua, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, but for others, it will definitely do more harm than good. Who wants to be successful as soon as he enters an official career?
Carrying a stigma?
Thinking of this, Fang Yingwu began to sweat on his back, fully feeling the cruelty of politics. With Liu Mianhua's IQ, he would not have thought of this, but Liu Mianhua still did it without worrying about friendship or future family ties.
His own participation in the imperial examination has become a tool used by Liu Mianhua to turn things around, and he cannot allow himself to resist at all. He can really only stare at this kind of competition at the highest level.
Father Fang Qingzhi explained to his son leniently: "Nine times out of ten, life will be unsatisfactory. Even if it is unsatisfactory for a moment, it doesn't matter. He who is clean will be clean himself."
Fang Yingwu sighed: "Father spoke too early, and the rumors may be just rumors after all."
"From what I heard, Liu Boye has obtained Wan Shoufu's tacit approval. Two of the three bachelors have nodded. Who can stop him?"
Fang Yingwu smiled bitterly, he should have had this realization a long time ago. Since life is like that, if you can't resist, just close your eyes and enjoy it. At least you can become the real number one scholar in the world, right?
On the seventeenth day of the third month, in the Wenhua Palace of the Emperor's imperial palace, all the examiners also went to the palace to submit test papers.
At the same time, all the candidates gathered outside the left gate of Chang'an, the imperial city, waiting for the release of the imperial examination list, which is also known as the imperial list or golden list in the common saying.
Fang Yingwu didn't want to go, but not going would make him feel guilty, so he was no exception. He and Xiang Chengxian rushed outside the left gate of Chang'an early in the morning to wait. There were about three hundred candidates, which was not that many, so it was easy to find Wang Hua.
They are the same as fellow provincials.
The fellow villagers looked at Fang Yingwu strangely. People with some connections had heard the rumors. It seemed that this little fellow villager was going to win two yuan in a row.
Others were concerned about the dignity of their fellow villagers and kept their mouths shut, but the outspoken Li Min couldn't help it. The other party responded and asked: "Are the rumors true?"
Even the eloquent Fang Yingwu didn't know how to answer. There was no answer to this question at all, or in other words, this question shouldn't have been asked at all.
At this moment, a man in his thirties walked up to him and asked, "Isn't it Fang Huiyuan that's in front of you?"
Fang Yingwu took the opportunity to ignore Li Min and turned his head and asked: "Who are you? Where are you from?" The man replied: "I am Zhang Tianrui, a graduate of Qingping County, Shandong Province."
Fang Yingwu suddenly understood. He had also heard that after the imperial examination, two Liu Ge elders were arguing over a quota. Liu Mianhua recommended that he had good looks, while the other party had the advantage of having an auspicious name. In the end, he won based on his face.
The man in front of me has an auspicious name, and he and Liu Cifu are both from Shandong. His appearance is also a bit bad, so he is probably the one recommended by Liu Cifu.
This person took the initiative to talk to me, but he didn't come if he was not kind, Fang Yingwu thought. Sure enough, he heard Zhang Tianrui say sarcastically: "Congratulations in advance to my friend Fang for winning two yuan in a row and taking the first place!"
Fang Yingwu was a bit angry, and it was enough for others to make fun of him. If he admitted his fault, what qualifications did Tianrui have to make fun of him?
He didn't believe that Zhang Tianrui didn't follow Liu Jue's path, otherwise why would Liu Jue support him so strongly? It's just that he didn't succeed. He couldn't immediately transform into a pure and fresh white lotus just because he failed to commit a crime because of his lack of strength?
Fang Yingwu then spoke sarcastically: "The imperial list has not yet been released, how do you know who is the number one scholar? Could it be that you can give the first name to the Holy Emperor?"
Not to mention the quarrels outside the left gate of Chang'an, the atmosphere in the Wenhua Palace in the palace was solemn and solemn. The Emperor of Chenghua was sitting on the throne in the palace, and the chief minister Wan'an came forward and knelt in front of the emperor, and the other document readers were arranged behind him.
On this occasion, it was customary for the elder Ge to recite three test papers, and then the remaining test papers were presented to the emperor according to the predetermined ranking, and then the official ranking was the final result.
The first person to read aloud was naturally the first assistant, Wan An. He held out a test paper and read it slowly. After listening to the beginning, everyone knew that the test paper that Wan An read aloud first was "suspected" to be
Hui Yuan Fang should be in harmony with things.
The first assistant was the first to read this test paper, and it was self-evident what it meant. Everyone had their own thoughts for a while, but their expressions remained the same. Only the second assistant, Liu Jue, changed his face slightly. (To be continued.)