"Take off your green shirt and wear this dress. Change your shoes as well. Try to see if these shoes fit you well."
Before dawn, Aunt Yun came to Meng Xinghe's room and pointed. Today is the day when Meng Xinghe goes to the palace for the imperial examination. He can't be too shabby as usual. So Aunt Yun urged Meng Xinghe to put on the green shirt early. He changed his clothes and tattered shoes. He also personally dressed him in clothes that he never wore.
These clothes were tailor-made for Meng Xinghe by his wife Shi Yu from Taoyuan. When they were put on Meng Xinghe, his whole appearance seemed to change. But Meng Xinghe in front of the mirror always felt that he was wearing such dazzling gold clothes. Pretending to be more coquettish, but forced by Aunt Yun's hot eyes, Meng Xinghe knew that he had to listen to her arrangements. Who told him that he liked to hold other girls' hands when he had nothing to do, so he had to listen to other girls' words.
After dressing him up, Aunt Yun couldn't help but look at it a few more times. She thought to herself that she didn't see anything outstanding about this guy. She only saw him wearing that miserable blue shirt. No one would pay attention to that fluffy shirt. Under the hair, that playful and smiling guy actually has a pair of handsome facial features.
She just glanced at it, then stopped her thoughts, and then simply told Meng Xinghe not to be reckless when entering the palace. She must behave herself, especially when meeting the concubines in the harem. She must not come forward to show off. You must understand the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers in everything. Don't act lightly. If you offend someone in court and please someone else, as long as you act more steadily than usual, you will be in good luck. As for whether he can perform well in the high school championship during the palace examination, Aunt Yun is not worried about this. He just hopes that Meng Xinghe will not cause trouble. .
I have seen too many smart people die in the court. Aunt Yun told Meng Xinghe everything she knew. I hope he can remember it.
Meng Xinghe just nodded. Most of the words went in one ear and out the other. He had long forgotten what Aunt Yun said. It was just a matter of going to the court for the imperial examination. I don’t know what Aunt Yun was worried about. Could it be that she was afraid that she would be chopped off?
After breakfast, a carriage from the palace had already come to pick him up. I got into the carriage with a few classmates. We all got to know each other a little bit. We didn’t talk too much. After all, we will all be opponents in the palace examination later. Who can be selected by the Holy Spirit as the No. 1 pick in high school depends on each individual’s performance. It’s not necessarily that the person who takes the first-A exam will be the No. 1 pick. It’s also not necessarily that the person who takes the 10th-A exam is destined to be the 10th-A student. Everything can only wait for today. We will find out after the palace examination.
The carriage entered through the Xuanwu Gate and stopped when it went around the Chengtian Gate. Inside was the place where the civil and military officials of the Tai Chi Palace went to the morning court. The person in charge of leading the students into the Tai Chi Palace was a middle-aged man surnamed Wang. He was slightly fat and smiling. It looks like a Maitreya Buddha. His official rank is not high. He is the fifth-rank Huangmen servant. In the palace, he is a person who has no real power and is responsible for running errands for the emperor.
However, compared to other Jinshi masters who were not familiar with world affairs and had a high-minded attitude, Meng Xinghe was more honest. It didn't take much effort to become brothers with the man named Wang. This does not mean that Meng Xinghe was good at management. It's just that he is relatively relaxed. He doesn't feel that entering the palace is a matter of pride. He is not the kind of showman who is arrogant and thinks that he will be successful in the future after being on the gold list.
So, when we were at Chengtianmen, some students didn't see it. Meng Xinghe secretly stuffed a piece of silver into Master Wang's hand. "Be careful. If Brother Wang doesn't accept it, he will look down on me, Meng Xinghe. I don't care about matters in the palace." Too familiar. I will have to rely on Brother Wang to take care of me more in the future."
The boy came up. Mr. Wang put the money into his clothes. "Brother Meng, don't worry. I still know a little about the things in this palace. Brother Chengmou thinks highly of me, Wang Guinian. I promise to pay more attention to you."
"Then I'll have more Brother Wang." Meng Xinghe said with a smile. Dropping a stone first to ask for directions. It's much better than crossing the river by feeling the stones.
While the two were talking, several more high school students came outside Chengtian Gate. Meng Xinghe saw Zhao Haoran among them. Naturally, his two brothers came together happily and followed Wang Guinian into the Tai Chi Hall.
A temple is a temple. It is worthy of the generosity of countless people trying to get in. When they arrived at the Tai Chi Hall, all the civil and military officials in the hall had already stood neatly and looked majestic.
After a brief ceremony of the emperor and his ministers, the examination in front of the palace officially began.
This kind of examination tests the students' eagerness and good ideas for governing the country. There are no fixed examination questions. The emperor sitting on the dragon throne just asks the students what he wants to test. If any of the ten students in front of the palace answers brilliantly, he will be asked. He will be selected as the top scholar in Jinke.
Li Shimin glanced at the top ten names given by the Ministry of Rites before the Long Case. Then he asked in a deep voice: "Where is Meng Xinghe in Taoyuan County?"
"Here. Here. I'm here." Meng Xinghe, who was standing at the end without showing his face, walked out.
This old man wants to play some tricks again. When I walked in just now, I saw him staring at me. Is he deliberately torturing me?
"You retreat to the position beside the door of Tai Chi Hall and wait." Li Shimin still said coldly. He had already pointed to the position where Meng Xinghe was going to stand. It was the last vacant seat in the hall.
Meng Xinghe walked over and stood there. In front of him was Wang Guinian who had just led the way.
"Congratulations to Brother Meng. You haven't even taken the imperial examination yet, but you have already become an official in the same court as me." Of course Wang Guinian knew what Li Shimin's small order meant. All the civil and military officials in the court were not blind, so they could naturally see it. Li Shimin thought highly of Meng Xinghe, but everyone acted very calmly. Privately, they were thinking about how to curry favor with this upstart who took the scientific examination this year.
"Same joy. Same joy." Meng Xinghe cupped his hands and congratulated him. He was happy in his heart, not because he received such an honor, but because the position was so good. There were ministers in front of him as obstacles, so he could avoid Li Shimin's sharp eyes. It doesn't matter if he sleeps here. He happened to get up too early in the morning and took a nap first. Meng Xinghe thought to himself that he had already dozed off.
Li Shimin looked at the list again and said with great interest: "Dear dear friends, I have been thinking about a question. I still haven't come up with an answer. Since I came to the throne and have been in charge of the government for decades...how do I stand in the eyes of the people? Is he a wise king or a cowardly king?"
Coax. As soon as these words came out, the government and the public were shocked. Fortunately, this is a palace examination. Ministers don't have to answer timidly. Let these students who are just high school scholars and prepare to become officials in the court suffer this hardship.
This question is too tricky. If you don’t answer it well, you may offend Long Yan. All nine students looked at me and I looked at you. No one dared to answer first. Even if they knew it, if the answer was brilliant, they would definitely The top pick in high school. But no one dares to take the risk of beheading.
The hall suddenly fell silent.
After waiting for a long time, no one had the courage to comment on Li Shimin's merits and demerits. Li Shimin looked at the end of the hall, where almost no one could be seen.
"Meng Xinghe, please answer my question." Li Shimin named Meng Xinghe.
However, after Li Shimin's voice fell, there seemed to be no reply. This is really strange. Some people dare to ignore the words of the Holy One.
"Brother Meng, the Holy Father has called you." Li Guinian touched Meng Xinghe behind him and thought to himself that this boy is really brave. He can actually fall asleep at this time.
"Uh-oh." Meng Xinghe suddenly woke up and walked out of the queue: "The Holy One is calling me."
Li Shimin glared at him. He thought to himself that this man actually dared to sleep in my court. At that time, he even wanted to cut his heart. "I ask you. It depends on you whether I am a wise king or a coward."
All the ministers looked at Meng Xinghe. Now there was something good to watch. Li Shimin was also more interested in knowing Meng Xinghe's answer. So at this time, dozens of pairs of eyes in the court were fixed on Meng Xinghe. It made him feel a lot of pressure.
In such an urgent situation, Meng Xinghe could only say cautiously: "Go back to the Lord. According to the people, the Lord is a wise king." Meng Xinghe answered very carefully. He was afraid that he would be pushed out and chopped by the old man above.
"For now." Li Shimin frowned. He thought Meng Xinghe would loudly say that he was a foolish king. After all, this was something that had never happened before. That day in the back hall of Dali Temple, he had scolded him with the word "faint king." So Li Shimin did what he did. I was ready to hit him dozens of times. Who would have thought that Meng Xinghe would change his attitude very quickly. If he really didn't threaten him, he wouldn't tell the truth.
"Speak." It was a cold word. Everyone could see that the Holy Spirit was in a bad mood.
Meng Xinghe paused. Don't say anything casually. Otherwise, if you say something wrong, there will be no room to take it back.
"Now the world is at peace, and the people are prosperous. The people who were displaced by the wars in the late Sui Dynasty have settled down and established businesses in various places. A large number of poor people from all over the world are able to drink and have fun under the mansion. The saint has benefited future generations. It is already a great merit." Today's Dafa The Tang Dynasty was indeed a time of peace and prosperity for the country and the people. Especially after Zhenguan, the people were free from rent and reduced taxes for a long time. The people who had sufficient rest and recuperation had lived a life of abundant food and clothing. This was tantamount to political enlightenment. Li Shimin's evaluation must also be fully affirmed.
"There's more." There was a hint of joy in Li Shimin's eyes. Although he had heard these words countless times, no one would dislike others complimenting themselves.
"Then let's talk about the Xuanwumen Incident." Meng Xinghe's words were not surprising. He revealed an issue that no one in the court would be so bold as to bring up in an ordinary way.
This kid is really looking for death. All the ministers looked at Meng Xinghe as if he were a dead person. Because everyone knows that what happened in Xuanwu Sect back then is the most taboo thing for the Holy Emperor today.
"The prince is cruel and the king of Qi is unkind. The Holy One has obeyed the order of heaven and carried out the crusade on his behalf. I only hope that the prince can prevent the slightest change and prevent the world from being warred again and the people will be plunged into dire straits and never recover. Although we know that no one can hurt a tiger's heart, and a tiger can hurt other people's thoughts. Even On that day, the prince and the king of Qi died suddenly outside the Xuanwu Gate. It was really their own fault. It was only their own fault. But there are always good people in the world who like to confuse right and wrong. They will know that the king has the world in mind and cares for all the people. He cares for the country. All living beings in the country can be prosperous and stable. Although they are ridiculed by rumors, their merits are their faults. Later generations will comment on it. However, now the Tang Dynasty is at peace and the people everywhere are prosperous. Even in the past, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and even the era of Emperor Qin and Han Dynasty, are not as good as those of today's Ten Thousand Nations. Pilgrimage to the prosperous early Tang Dynasty when Kyushu was unified. The ordinary people did not dare to judge the great achievements of the Holy Emperor. Because the ordinary people did not understand the way of being a king, and no one in the world understood it. But as far as the ordinary people are concerned, the Holy Emperor has been regarded as an emperor for eternity." Bi. Meng Xinghe secretly glanced at Li Shimin above. He slightly modified what he knew and finally flattered Li Shimin for once.
"There's more." Li Shimin's eyes were completely satisfied, but he was very disgusted with Meng Xinghe's open mouth and silence. He really wanted to demote this guy to a grassroots. He had already put him in the court. He Are you still a commoner? Ignorant of current affairs.
Meng Xinghe swallowed: "Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, the canal has been in disrepair and has become heavily silted. Large ships can hardly sail, which has hindered the development of water transportation along both sides of the canal. People don't know that the canal was built by the Holy Spirit for connectivity. In the northwest and Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, it promotes trade between the two places and guides canals along the rivers. It effectively prevents droughts and floods in spring and summer. This is a merit that benefits the country and the people. Secondly, it calms down the border wars and maintains the peace of the border countries within a few years. Stability. At this opportunity, we open up the road from the northwest to the countries in the Western Regions. Set up inns and pavilions along the way to facilitate the exchanges between the countries in the Western Regions and the Tang Dynasty. From the initial establishment of diplomatic relations between countries to the current economic, cultural and technological exchanges, to now all countries worship me. During the prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, these were the immortal achievements of the Holy One. They were also feats that benefited the present generation and benefited the future."
Meng Xinghe breathed a heavy sigh of relief and shook his dazed head. He said these words not to please Li Shimin, but because he knew that the existence of the Grand Canal and the Silk Road a thousand years later would indeed be a political achievement that would benefit the future.
"Okay. Well said. The merit lies in the present, and the benefit lies in the future. Meng Xinghe. With these eight words, you can afford the title of Number One Scholar." Li Shimin's face looked happy on the dragon chair. Obviously, what Meng Xinghe said Those words were all things he discussed with the ministers in the court before. However, many of those ministers were opposed. They said that building the canal would only waste people and money. He was afraid of repeating the mistakes of the previous emperor Sui Yang and opening up the border roads. If the Western Regions The entry of unethical ideas from various countries into the Central Plains will destroy the foundation of the country and affect the original pure folk customs. That is ruining the civilization of the Central Plains. But how can they understand the king's thoughts, maintain internal and external diplomacy, and not be blindly closed-minded. This is the establishment of the country. Guarantee of eternal inheritance.
The ministers also stared blankly at this up-and-coming man. How could he have such profound insights at such a young age? Even Li Shimin, who rarely laughed out loud in court, made an exception and laughed today. This made them feel sad. They were all a bit lacking in skills. The man named Meng Xinghe did have some skills. At least the words he said made the minister who had previously not understood why the Holy Spirit insisted on opening up the northwest from building canals suddenly understood something when he saw the clear sky above his head after clearing the clouds.
"Meng Xinghe, come forward." Li Shimin happily asked Meng Xinghe to walk to the center of the hall. Then he called the names of several students and asked some simple questions. Finally, he personally answered the dragon table in front of him. He hand-picked the places for number one, number two, and number three. Then he handed the written edict to his attendant Wei Ming.
He picked up the edict nominated by Emperor Taizong himself. In front of all the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty and the students of this year's imperial examination, Wei Ming personally read out the edict nominated by the Holy Emperor to the top three.
"Inherited by heaven. The emperor's edict said that in the 16th year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, he was appointed by the emperor. The top scholar in this imperial examination was Meng Xinghe, a student from Taoyuan. The second place. Zhang Ji from Xiangzhou. Tanhua. Shang Junxie from Jiangdu. The rest of the students were all awarded. Jinshi is born. Immediately, the record will be recorded by Shangshu Sheng, and he will be awarded an official position. He will retire from the court."
"Long live my emperor. Long live. Long live. Long live." All the ministers knelt down and stood up.
After the edict was announced, Meng Xinghe heard that he was the top scholar in high school. After many days of hard work, he finally had the result. At this moment, he could not wait to fly back to Mengjiacun to tell his mother at home. He, a prodigal son, could finally fight for the success of his ancestors. The tone is gone.
"Congratulations to the third brother. He is the top pick in high school." At this moment, he had retired. The eldest brother Zhao Haoran came over and congratulated him repeatedly.
"Same joy. Same joy." Meng Xinghe said with cupped hands. He also exchanged a few words with a few students around him. Most of them were congratulatory words. To say that he was unhappy at this time would be deceiving. Han Chuang studied hard. Who I don’t want to ride a horse to see all the beauty of Chang’an in the spring breeze.
At this time, the surrounding civil and military officials came up, some they knew and some they didn't. Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling walked together. They looked at this young young man and listened to the wonderful words he just said. Naturally, I was very optimistic about him.
"Congratulations to Brother Meng for being the champion in high school." Du Ruhui was the first to congratulate him. Fang Xuanling beside him asked a joking question, saying: "I see that Meng is a young champion. I wonder if he has ever gotten married."
"The late student is already married." Could it be that this old man wants to betroth his daughter to me? I have encountered this situation before when I was in Taoyuan High School. Meng Xinghe smiled and said, "I haven't asked your honor yet."
"Fang Xuanling." Fang Xuanling said softly like an old scholar. Apparently he didn't believe Meng Xinghe when he told her that he was married.
When Meng Xinghe heard the word Fang Xuanling, he was a little surprised. No wonder this old man had such a good relationship with Du Ruhui. It turned out to be Fang Xuanling who was called Fang Mou Du Duan by later generations in history. He called him humbly: "It turns out to be Mr. Fang. It's better to meet him than to be famous. Meng Xinghe was born late. I will rely on Mr. Fang for your guidance in the future."
Why do I feel that this No. 1 Scholar is a bit slippery? Fang Xuanling, who is not familiar with Meng Xinghe's personality, thought that the No. 1 Scholar who could express such unique insights before was a gentle, knowledgeable and modest gentleman. Who knows, but he is not as well-known as he is in person. Mr. Fang Quite disappointed.
While several people were chatting with each other, Wei Ming, who had read out the imperial edict before, came over. "Master Du, Master Fang, and Master Meng. Your Majesty has already held a banquet in the Manlu Hall. Please come with me."
"Master Wei, please." Meng Xinghe replied politely. When he turned around, he saw Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling behind him, whose faces were not very good. They seemed to have something unspeakable. Meng Xinghe left a thought. Is there something fishy in Ganlu Palace? Otherwise, why would these two people The mainstay of the court looked troubled. He didn't think much about it. He accompanied the two adults and walked towards the Ganlu Hall.