On the tenth day after the results of the provincial examination were released, the palace examination to determine the ranking of Jinshi finally came as scheduled.
In the spring of March, when the flowers are blooming and the flowers are blooming, the day of the imperial examination has arrived. Wu Zhi and Pan Wei got up early, ate the pastries prepared last night, and hurried to the direction of the imperial city. They sat in a carriage
, driven by Wang Er, marched slowly along the Royal Street. In order to cope with the transportation problem, Wu Zhi and the others spent fifteen guan a few days ago to buy a horse-drawn carriage as a means of transportation.
At this time, the sky was not completely bright yet, and the lights on the Imperial Street were sparse and dim. There were shadows on both sides of the Imperial Street, and there were only a few passers-by. Only the officials entering the palace and new scholars were rushing towards the palace in sedans, horses, cars, or on foot.
.
Half an hour later, the two finally arrived in front of the right door of the palace by car. From a distance, they saw a long queue in front of the right door, as well as in front of the left door. After getting off the car, they told Wang Er to go back first.
, and waited until night to pick them up. The two followed him and lined up behind the team, waiting to enter the palace.
As the left and right doors slowly opened, the officials of the Ministry of Rites began to conduct etiquette training for the new scholars to avoid losing etiquette in front of the officials; then the Imperial City Guards guarding the palace gates conducted body searches one by one. After the inspection,
The two teams were each led by a chamberlain, and began to enter the palace in order from the left and right doors. People were searched when entering the palace, and weapons were strictly prohibited in the palace. During the march, everyone walked on the royal road of the imperial city,
They were all very scared and did not dare to make any noise.
It was the first time for Wu Zhi to enter the palace. He was full of curiosity and not so timid. He didn't walk with his head down like others. He looked around and saw that the front to the left and right was magnificent, with ridges and eaves, and palaces.
Lin Li had such a solemn and majestic royal atmosphere. When he saw the palace guard of the imperial city on duty wearing a red shirt, he smiled and nodded. Pan Wei, who was following him, was frightened.
, sweating profusely.
Finally, everyone arrived in front of a magnificent tall palace with red walls and green tiles, and cornices and ridges. It was very spectacular. This was the Jiying Hall, where the palace examinations were held. On the left side of the Jiying Hall, directly
Facing the center of Xuandemen, there is also the tallest and largest palace: Daqing Palace! Looking at the towering hall in front of them, except for a few royal nobles who have seen the palace, most of the Jinshi felt a little more awe-inspiring.
I have a deeper understanding and understanding of the royal majesty.
Walking into the Jiying Palace in order, they saw carved beams and painted pillars. The palace was vast and could accommodate thousands of people. There were several side halls next to it. A solemn and solemn aura rushed towards them, and everyone felt a little more fearful and humble.
Wu Zhi followed the team and saw from a distance a thin young man in his twenties sitting on the throne above Jiying Hall, wearing a crowned dragon robe. It was Emperor Zhao Xu! Under the throne
On the right side of the head stands a middle-aged eunuch, this is the eunuch Hao Sui, who was known to the imperial eunuch at the time.
At the bottom of the stone steps of Luantai, there are more than 30 officials, big and small, standing on the left and right sides. They are dressed in different costumes. Most of them are wearing purple robes and purple robes, and a few are wearing red robes, red robes or green robes. They all wear crowns and hats.
, holding wats in both hands, standing solemnly and quietly. Among them, dozens of ministers in purple clothes and purple robes in the front row are particularly eye-catching.
Standing on the left hand side of the front is Zhang Chun, the prime minister wearing a Diao Chan crown. Standing to the right are An Tao, the Privy Council envoy wearing a Diao Chan crown, and Zhang Chun, the Minister's right servant.
Li Qingchen, the assistant minister of Zhongshu, Zeng Bu, the minister of the Privy Council, who wore the crown of Jinxian of the Six Liang Dynasties, Cai Bian, the left prime minister of Shangshu, and Huang Lu, the right prime minister of Shu, who wore the crown of Jinxian of the Five Liang Dynasties. All six of them are in power, so they should stand in the first row;
With a slight gap, there are six people on the right: Xu Jiang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Minister of the Ministry of War, Cai Jing, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Andun, the Minister of Censorship, Lin Xi, the Minister of Rites, Xing Shu, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and Zhang Shangying, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, etc., lined up in order.
These are the twelve most powerful ministers in the court, and they are all review examiners.
Officials at the rank of minister were standing in the second row. Chen Xian, the minister of rites, was also present. He was also one of the examiners. Like Wu Juhou, the minister of household affairs, Guo Zhizhang, the minister of Honglu Temple, and others, they were among the thirteen preliminary examiners.
members of.
Eleven other officials from the Ministry of Etiquette, wearing red robes, red robes or green robes, stood in the third row in sequence. They had a lower status and were all members of the palace examination staff.
The two brothers Cai Jing and Cai Bian looked very similar, and Wu Zhi recognized them at a glance. These two people would be the targets of his special attack and suppression in the future, especially Cai Jing, who was his first target. In fact, these two brothers were very similar.
He is quite good. He looks talented and does not look like a treacherous villain. He seems to be hiding quite well. One of these two people is the Minister of the Ministry of Finance and the other is the Minister Zuocheng. They are both high-ranking ministers. Wu Zhi
Feeling extremely stressed.
From a distance, everyone knelt down and kowtowed in turn. Wu Zhi also knelt down with the crowd and shouted "Good luck to your Majesty!"
In the Song Dynasty at that time, except for the first meeting or important occasions such as court meetings and palace examinations where you had to kneel down to worship the emperor, you did not need to kneel down when you saw the emperor. You only had to bow and salute.
"All the ministers are safe!" A breathless voice came out of the emperor's mouth. It seemed that the official Zhao Xu was indeed not in good health. Wu Zhi thought to himself and took advantage of the situation to stand up with everyone.
Wu Zhi stood in the crowd, raised his head and observed Zhao Xu quietly. Although he was well-dressed, his face was sallow, his eyes were dark, and his body was thin. It was obvious that he was frail and sick but also overindulged. It was strange.
He died three years later. He looked like a short-lived ghost!
After Zhao Xu said some words of encouragement, the imperial examination of Ding Chou in Shaosheng's fourth year officially began. The imperial examination was personally presided over by Emperor Zhao Xu.
Jiying Hall is large enough, with 570 tables and chairs already set up. Under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Public Rites, the new scholars sat down at the tables and prepared for the exam.
The imperial examination was a policy test, and the emperor himself set the questions: policy questions about profits and losses that should be made in response to current affairs. The questions are stated as follows:
The kings of Ming Dynasty in ancient times used Dao to guide affairs and appointed officials based on talents. People were able to use their talents to the best of their ability, and the laws were sufficient to carry out their intentions. The small and large were divided, and the customs of the far and near were the same. Therefore, they supplemented their ambitions, and there was no doubt that they were planning and working hard.
To persuade the prime minister, but not to bother the subordinates. To cultivate the government on the earth, the mountains and trees are saved, and the rivers are watered. In order to coordinate with the rules in the sky, the sun and stars will follow their course, and the years will follow their order. As for the
Ritual preparation and music are performed to announce its success. How can we achieve this by shouting and shouting?
I was entrusted with the ancestral temple, but I was afraid that I would not be clear-minded and could not follow the late emperor's virtue. Therefore, since I came to power, Jia and his ministers and officials have cultivated the Ming Dynasty and explained my aspirations. I have been here for many years. However, the original intention may not have been fully understood, and people have since
For the sake of righteousness, the benefits should not be investigated. What is the reason for this?
"Book" goes as follows: "The destiny of heaven is determined by the time." The current tasks, the profits and losses that should be made, must be done in due time, and there must be an order. There are several of them, which should be known by Zi Da Da. From the Tang and Yu to the Zhou Dynasty, there were more than sixty-seven saints, and then their methods were greatly prepared. Now that the writing tools are there, it can be said through examination. However, which one is ruthless and not harmonious, which one can be inferred How to do it? The details are in the article, I will read it personally.
The general idea of this topic is: the late emperor appointed only talented people, and governed the country and the people on a meritocratic basis. The results of the country's governance were also good, and the relationship between the monarch and his ministers was also very harmonious. He also upheld the late emperor's legacy, worked hard to govern, and appointed good ministers. But why can’t the monarch and his ministers always get along? Is there any good way to solve this problem?
"Why can't the monarch and his ministers get along? Isn't it because you are eager for quick success and revenge, and Zhang Chun, Li Qingchen, Zeng Bu and others are madly suppressing and retaliating against Yuanyou's old party? How dare you ask?" Wu Zhi scorned in his heart, but He must never say these words!
In the fifteen years since Zhao Xu became emperor, the one thing that the entire court did most was: party fighting! Attacking Xixia and regaining some lost territory was just incidental.
At the beginning, Sima Guang, Han Zhongyan and others, with the support of the old woman Empress Dowager Gao, overturned the new law advocated by Wang Anshi. Anyone who had anything to do with the new law was defeated and denounced, and even the emperor did not look down upon it.
After Empress Dowager Gao passed away and Zhao Xu took over, Zhang Chun, Li Qingchen, Zeng Bu, Cai Jing and other so-called new parties once gained power, using the excuse of promoting the new law, they in turn dragged Sima Guang and other Yuanyou old party members from heaven to hell. In an even more crazy retaliation, almost all members of Yuanyou's old party were demoted to the desert-like Lingnan to wait for death. Su Shi was demoted again and again by them, until he was demoted to Danzhou, Hainan, thousands of miles away!
Regardless of the new party or Yuanyou's old party, neither group of people are good people. They only know how to bite dogs if they don't do business. In Wu Zhi's heart, in addition to his feelings for the late Wang Anshi, Fan Zhongyan, Bao Zheng, Shen Kuo and others Apart from respect, he had no good impression of these people at all, including the Empress Dowager Xiang and Zhao Ji. The Northern Song Dynasty was slowly tortured by these people! He despised them in his heart.
But Wu Zhi is now helpless against them, and he even relies on them to push him!
According to Wu Zhi's historical knowledge, he knew that the number one candidate in this imperial examination was He Changyan, the second person was Fang Tianruo, and the third person was Huan Guo. Zhang Chun's son Zhang Chi was also a Jinshi. The number one person He Changyan and the second person Fang Tianruo were both speculative. They In the policy papers, the old party of Yuanyou was belittled and the new party was praised. Because it catered to Zhang Chun, Li Qingchen, Zeng Bu, Cai Jing and others, they were abruptly mentioned to the number one and second place. But Huan Guo really has something. Cai, because he did not speak ill of the old party or flatter the new party in the policy paper, was suppressed by Zhang Chun and others. Fortunately, Zhao Xu knew the goods and gave him the best chance.
Therefore, what Wu Zhi has to do is to follow the same example and follow the same pattern! Even if he feels unhappy, he will go against his will and say as good things as possible about the emperor and the new party in his policy papers, and try to belittle the old party. Anyway, he looks down on these two groups of people. If you don't like it, you can help yourself by the way. Now Wu Zhi has to show a style of not giving up until the goal is achieved and using any means to achieve his set goal. In fact, before the palace examination, Wu Zhi also reminded Pan Wei , told him to try his best to favor the new law and the new party during the palace examination, and to speak good words for the emperor and the new party. I don’t know if Pan Wei can listen and obey.
If I don’t go to hell, who will?
After thinking about the countermeasures, Wu Zhi felt relieved and started to think about it slowly. Wu Zhi himself was not completely disgusted with the new laws. He also felt that some of the new laws and measures, such as the Conscription Law, the Farmland Equalization Tax Law, and the Market Change Law, etc. It is necessary to implement it, but even though it is not implemented very well, it cannot fundamentally solve the problem. What he hates are people, those mad dog-like people who ignore the interests of the country and the people for their own interests! He is now weak and can only Cater to them first, and then reform and deal with them when you have enough strength in the future. This is called saving the country through curves.
Wu Zhi first drew up an outline of what he wanted to write, and then based on the outline, he slowly considered how to start, how to expand, how to end, how to combine words that derogated the old party of Yuanyou and praised the new party, and how to express his own views. And so on, and so on. After thinking about it, he picked up his pen and wrote quickly in cursive: "Those who have heard of wisdom are the ones who respect the king and resist the barbarians! Just like Guan Zhong and Leyi, they are all role models for us..."
Drawing on ancient metaphors to describe the present, he writes about the bravery and wisdom of the late Emperor Shenzong, and explains the advantages and disadvantages of Xining's reforms. He praises the current emperor's profound knowledge, insight, wisdom, and martial prowess. He praises the benefits of the new laws. He praises the hard work and merit of the officials of the new party in the imperial court and their good intentions. He criticizes Yuan You. The old party is rotten and treacherous, coupled with the chicken soup for the soul of putting oneself first, helping others first, respecting and giving in to each other, and a man doing what he wants and what he doesn't do. More than a thousand words jumped out on the paper. In less than two hours, Wu Zhi had written the policy. After checking that it was correct, he slowly transcribed it word for word in regular script. It took more than half an hour to finish the writing.
After he finished writing, he checked it again. After confirming that it was correct, he put down the pen and sat quietly in his seat, either closing his eyes and concentrating, or watching others answer questions.
At noon, they had a rest and had a meal. Lunch included mutton buns, cooking cakes, mutton soup, etc. Wu Zhi and the eunuch who delivered the meal took two mutton buns and a portion of mutton soup, sat down relaxedly on their seats, and spoke slowly and calmly. After enjoying it, the food in the palace tasted quite good. After eating two mutton buns, he still felt that he was still unsatisfied, so he greeted the young eunuch again, ordered a piece of cooking cake, and slowly ate it with the mutton soup.
Seeing Wu Zhi's leisurely tossing, the surrounding Jinshi gentlemen gnashed their teeth with hatred. If their eyes could kill, they would have killed him thousands of times. They were still racking their brains and guts for the strategy. This Wu Zhi Well done Zhi, let’s enjoy the delicious food leisurely in the main hall. Can you not be irritating?
It is said that Wu Zhi was leisurely killing time after writing the policy paper. Pan Wei was not calm in his heart. He was still worrying about the position of the policy paper. Should he praise the new party and belittle the old party? Or should he be impartial? Relying on Mingzhe to protect himself? As he was thinking about it, he saw Wu Zhi sitting in front of him leisurely closing his eyes and concentrating. Thinking of what Wu Zhi said to him before the exam, he gritted his teeth and said: "Just die!" Then he started. In the text, he added words praising the New France and the New Party and derogating the old party without leaving any trace. It was a brilliant stroke. Pan Wei showed off his flattery skills, but he also wrote it in a high-sounding way that made people blush and heartbeat. Anyway, even he himself felt embarrassed after reading it. , is an exaggeration.
Time passed quietly, and Wu Zhi spent the whole afternoon sitting quietly and waiting. Zhang Chun, Zeng Bu, Cai Jing and other dozens of ministers also sat quietly on the embroidery bench with expressionless faces, facing everyone, silently watching everyone answer questions, From time to time, they would look at each other with Wu Zhi.
During this period, many officials were unhappy when they saw Wu Zhi looking bored. Some even walked up to him out of curiosity. After seeing that he had indeed written a policy, they couldn't help but shake their heads and leave with a depressed look on their face: "What is this?"
Where are you? You write so fast! What a monster!"
Zhao Xu, who was sitting on the throne, was surprised when he saw Wu Zhi, the youngest new scholar, doing nothing all afternoon. He couldn't help but send Hao Sui over to have a look. When Hao Sui turned around and told him,
After the new academician named Wu Zhi had finished writing his answer sheet, he relaxed his tense face and smiled knowingly: "I remember this Wu Zhi!"
At dusk, the imperial examination was finally over. After the official from the Ministry of Etiquette, who had received, sealed, and collected the examination papers, Wu Zhi stood up, bowed and saluted Zhao Xu, the official who had insisted on staying on site to supervise the examination, and then
He left Jiying Hall with everyone, and together with Pan Wei, slowly walked outside the palace under the contemptuous eyes of everyone.
When we walked out of the palace, it was already dark, the Imperial Street was brightly lit, people were coming and going, and the prosperous nightlife of the Song Dynasty was about to begin again.
Wang Er had already driven a carriage and waited in front of Zuoye Gate for a long time. The two of them got on the carriage and returned home while chatting and laughing. Xiao'e had already prepared meals at home, and they were too lazy to go out to eat, and Xiao'e's
My cooking skills are quite good and I can enjoy delicious food at home.