Chapter 338 The Eunuch Controls the Situation Secretly
Li Guolou's family was in the capital, and because he had an official position, he did not live in the tribute courtyard like other Jinshi. Instead, he rushed to Xihua Gate alone and waited to enter the Forbidden City with 279 Jinshi.
The most important test paper in his life.
The sky was not bright yet, so Li Guolou took out his pocket watch and checked the time. It was not five o'clock yet. Standing here in the open terrain, the morning breeze coming from Haizi in the north was cool, damp and cold, and it made him shiver.
I was worried at first
An's nervousness was eliminated. He was not late, and the other Jinshi had not arrived yet. He stood alone in front of the wall photo and looked at the palace gate. Inside, the lamps and corridors were crisscrossed, and the palace buildings were like paper-cuts pasted on the fish-belly white walls.
of the sky
Above, along the north and south walls of the yellow palace walls, there are high-hanging palace lanterns. Below, stand the military academy of Shanpu Camp, each of them motionless, quite like Weng Zhong standing on both sides of the mausoleum tomb. To the west is an open square.
, the broad open space is hazy
It was hazy. The residential buildings in the distance were too far to see clearly, but the water color in the northwest direction formed a line. The water color was sparkling and undulating. The swaying waves showed the shadow of the willows. The graceful willow branches swayed, and the postures were charming and alluring.
Heart-warming.
Further north is a peach orchard, which cannot be seen, but when the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the strong floral fragrance blows over with the wind, and the cool and sweet fragrance is very pleasant. Li Guolou took a deep breath, and the refreshing fragrance
The fragrance made people feel relaxed and happy, and his originally groggy brain suddenly became clear-eyed and calm. He couldn't help but squinted his eyes slightly, trying to see through the haze in the morning light.
The eight military officers from Shanpu Camp unlocked the huge lock of the palace door and slowly opened the palace door. Their pleasing movements prevented Li Guolou from noticing that the group of Jinshi were neatly arranged from far to near. The red light of the morning light printed on Li Guolou.
The tall and straight figure, the pink rectangular face, the golden clouds between the eyebrows, and the smiling expression, have already made people think of the military academy, which has fancy and beautiful movements, but the army is vulnerable, which makes people sigh.
"Li Guolou, go to the back of the queue." Teacher Mao Changxi shouted loudly. I have never seen such a determined person. He actually watched the military school doing exercises at the palace gate, and he was fascinated.
"It's the teacher!" Li Guolou was shocked. How could he be distracted at this moment? He quickly ran to the back of the two columns.
The examiner Li Hongzao, who was standing at the front of the team, stroked his beard and showed a smile on his face. Li Guolou was a different person, a maverick. He came to Xihua Gate by himself. He stood at the back of the team with a good image.
I also believe that it will make Emperor Tongzhi notice Li Guolou.
Studying knowledge, giving lectures, and teaching apprentices must endure loneliness and poverty. As an imperial teacher, Li Hongzao not only taught the children of Emperor Tongzhi and other emperors in Yuqing Palace, but also lectured in the Hanlin Academy. Being an examiner for scientific examinations is a blessing.
Pampering is also a blessing.
As the 280 Jinshi disciples, they all have to visit their mentor Li Hongzao to express their gratitude to their mentor Li Hongzao for choosing them. They also have to give a apprenticeship ceremony. It is said that they become rich overnight. This is true for Jinshi, and so is the examiner Li Hongzao. The 280 students in this subject
A famous Jinshi is Li Hong
These students have the capital of their lives. When they get promoted, celebrate the New Year, or even pass by Li Hongzao’s hometown, they have to visit their teachers and teachers. Therefore, the lifelong dream of those academicians in the Hanlin Academy is to be the examiner of a scientific examination or to settle for the second best, housing.
The teacher is enough.
Li Hongzao served as the examiner of the scientific examination, and Emperor Tongzhi wanted to use him so that he could gain political capital and have a group of disciples who would obey his orders. This was a symbol of Li Hongzao's entry into the court, and it was also the beginning of Emperor Tongzhi's sole control of power.
There is a great advantage of walking at the end of the queue. No one will notice that Li Guolou is not like the people in front who lower their heads one by one and walk while looking at the floor tiles without even daring to take a breath. Instead, they look left and right and look up at the scenery in the palace. Li Guolou didn't care about the eunuchs and palace maids standing on the roadside glaring at him. He nodded slightly in greetings with the attitude of an official treating his subordinates, letting the eunuchs and palace maids see that he was an official.
In order to meet the emperor's etiquette, more than 200 Jinshi who had studied in the Gongyuan came to the Qianqing Palace and lined up in order. Li Guolou was still at the back, with black heads in front. The desks for writing articles had not yet been laid out. , there was only a dragon chair placed high in the empty hall.
There is a curtain hanging on the right side of the dragon chair. The curtains of the empress dowagers of the two palaces have not been removed, which symbolizes Ci'an, the empress dowager of the east palace. Cixi, the empress dowager of the west palace, is still uneasy about the Tongzhi Emperor Zai Chun who has been crowned, and takes care of the last hurdle for the emperor. A group of people Senior officials in court uniforms lined up in sequence, standing on both sides of the hall, with a solemn and silent atmosphere.
The chime bell rang, sweet and sweet. When it rang for the third time, the male duck's voice said: "The empress of the east palace has arrived! The empress of the west palace has arrived! The emperor has arrived! All the ministers kneel down to greet him!"
Tongzhi Emperor Zaichun, who still had a childlike look on his face, was wearing a dragon robe embroidered with nine golden dragons, twelve Eastern beads hanging around his neck, and a satin crown on his head. He first held court to invite the queen mothers of the two palaces to take their seats, and then took his seat on the dragon chair. .
After three kowtows and nine obeisances, Zai Chun said to the more than 200 Jinshi who were still kneeling on the ground: "All of you, dear friends, are the pillars of the country. The purpose of the country's recruitment of scholars is to select you. Today you come to Qianqing Palace." , don’t be flustered, just like when you were studying in Gongyuan, write the article calmly and show your true level. I send my sincere hope to you 280 Jinshi. The future of the Qing Dynasty depends on you. I am thinking You have been working hard for more than ten years, and you are a little nervous when you come to the Forbidden City for the first time. Don’t be afraid! Test your true level;;;;;;”
From the beginning to the end, Li Guolou never had the chance to look up and see what Emperor Tongzhi looked like. After thanking him, Li Hongzao said some words of encouragement. Then a group of eunuchs placed 280 tables. Li Guolou was killed by an eunuch. From the last row to the front row, people were standing next to the seats on the left side. Others were also disrupted and were no longer seated according to height. There was a bamboo curtain on the high step in front, and the Queen Mother of the two palaces sat behind the curtain.
Behind the curtain, Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Li Guolou, who was watching her nose and heart. She couldn't help but smile. He really looked like her eunuch Xiao De Zhang. When she thought of Li Lianying telling her that Li Guolou and Xiao De Zhang met by chance for the first time. Regarding the matter, Cixi immediately raised her hand and whispered: "Sister, look at that person, does he look like Xiao Dezhang? He is the grandson of Li Zhongtang, from the line of Li Zhongtang's grandfather. His name is Li Guo building."
Empress Dowager Ci'an looked at Li Guolou, and then at Xiao Dezhang standing next to Empress Dowager Cixi. She couldn't help but burst into laughter, and nodded: "It's really similar, except that the frame is a little bigger. Where does Li Guolou rank?" "
Standing behind the Empress Dowager Cixi, Xiao Dezhang's expression did not change. He had already overturned the five-flavor bottle in his heart, knowing that their efforts were not in vain. Li Guolou was reviewed by the two empress dowagers, and his net worth immediately rose. Thousands of taels of silver are about to be obtained. Xiao Dezhang winked at the little eunuch standing next to the Empress Dowager Ci'an. Anyone who sees the white silver will have a share.
Before the imperial examination, more than 200 Jinshi had actually already had a top-three ranking. It had almost been decided. It would depend on whether Emperor Tongzhi had any objections. Generally, emperors had to slightly change a few rankings. Some people's fate changed because of their names or appearance. .The first, second, and third graders are all Jinshi, but their official positions are arranged differently and their promotion speeds are also different.
The three Jinshi who entered the first class will have a roll call in the Forbidden City later. Hairpins are placed on the official hats in the imperial garden. They drink at the Qionglin banquet and all the officials celebrate. Dozens of guards and eunuchs start from outside the Qianqing Palace gate. The name of Yi Jia was called, and the sentry continued to shout one after another, all the way to Chang'an Street. There were a large number of spectators as the officials were paraded through the streets. The most glorious thing in the past and present is at this moment. The place where civilian officials are more glorious than military attachés is passing the exam. " "One".
Cixi said: "Little Lizi! Bring Li Guolou's examination papers to us."
Cixi had a strong foundation in eight-legged prose and could write Chinese. Many of the imperial edicts promulgated in the name of Emperor Tongzhi in the past were written by the Empress Dowager Cixi. Now that her son Zaichun has grown up, Cixi no longer writes Chinese, but is habitually in power. The country pays special attention to the selection of scholars. People are judged by appearance, and they also want the person to be promoted to the top. Cixi first needs to read Li Guolou's articles, and where Li Hongzao placed Li Guolou, and what is his rank?
"Tie!" Li Lianying bowed and stepped back, taking Li Guolou's exam papers and those of the other top two candidates from Li Hongzao. Both Queen Mothers had to read the exam papers of these thirty-three candidates. As for the top three candidates, The two empress dowagers could only select papers and read them.
Similarly, Tongzhi Emperor Zaichun also sat on the dragon chair and read the candidates' examination papers. The Jinshi in the hall only had three to four hundred words to write an eight-part essay. No matter how slowly the candidates wrote, they would finish it in one morning.
The Empress Dowager Cixi first looked at the roster, and Li Hongzao ranked Li Guolou at the top twenty-nine. She also looked at the article written by Li Guolou. The font was of the Juanxiu type, which was pretty good. She didn't have the previous fill-in-the-blank question. If she was interested, the eight-part essay was the only standard for her to read. The eight-part essay written by Li Guolou was the proud work of the examiner Li Hongzao. It immediately caught the eyes of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and she nodded slightly with approval.
"Sister, take a look." Empress Dowager Cixi handed the Li Guolou examination paper to Empress Dowager Ci'an.
At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was by no means arbitrary as later generations would say. She had a very good relationship with the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and the two palaces coexisted peacefully. Another point is that the Empress Dowager Ci'an did not like the political power in the court and had no political ambitions. Decisions are all based on the opinions of the Empress Dowager Cixi. The Empress Dowager Cixi has not established absolute authority. For the ministers in the court, the status of the Empress Dowager Ci'an is higher than that of the Empress Dowager Cixi. National affairs must be reported to the two empress dowagers together.
Cixi hoped that her son Zai Chun would be able to act arbitrarily and handle the government affairs on her own as soon as possible. She did not have the ambitions of Wu Zetian, nor did she have ruthless methods. She used her beauty to seduce Prince Gong Yixin and seize power from the eight princes, and she did not go on a killing spree. .She only wants the Qing Dynasty to last forever, and she can help her son Zaichun complete the restoration of the Qing Dynasty, so she has a high interest in the country's recruitment of scholars. The importance of discovering and promoting talents to the country is self-evident. When Cixi When the Queen Mother saw Li Guolou's article, she couldn't help but be filled with joy.
Empress Dowager Ci'an did not have the literary talent of Empress Dowager Cixi, but she could tell the quality of eight-legged essay. After reading it once, she said: "Well, sister, that Li Guolou wrote well. He has such a level at such a young age. I heard that He also stayed abroad, which is rare."
Empress Dowager Cixi frowned slightly and said, "Oh! Why don't I know this? Xiao Lizi, please bring Li Guolou's files to me for a look."
Empress Dowager Ci'an didn't pay attention and continued to read the articles of other Jinshi. The most important thing was the examination papers for the first three people recommended by Li Hongzao, among which was Lu Runxiang's examination paper.
Li Lianying is a smart person. He just told the story about Li Guolou and Xiao Dezhang as a joke to the Empress Dowager Cixi. How dare he tell the story of Li Guolou and just click on it. As for the Empress Dowager Ci'an Knowing what happened to Li Guolou, it was a trick done by Zhang Yiyi, the eunuch of the East Palace. This way, it would not be obvious and the two queen mothers would not realize how stupid they were and became the tools of the eunuchs around them.
The other Jinshi just want to bribe the examiner and pass the Jinshi. They use their brains to go to Qianqing Palace and try to squeeze into the top three of the first class. Those who plot against the emperor and the empress dowager of the two palaces, there is only one Li Guolou in the world.
After reading Li Guolou's resume, the Empress Dowager Cixi had an idea in her mind, but she kept her face calm and put Li Guolou's examination paper aside instead of replacing it with the original top 29 position.
A group of unmoved eunuchs, who have already developed the ability to express joy, anger, sorrow and joy like actors, are secretly excited. What kind of person is their master? Do they, who are slaves, not know? The snow-white silver is waiting for them. They divide it.