Among the ten newly submitted test papers, Zhu Qiyu saw many familiar names, including Ke Qian, Liu Sheng, and Yu Zijun. These were the ones who ranked very high in Chunwei's performance in his previous life.
What surprised Zhu Qiyu was that papers from Qin Hong, Wang Yue, Xu Tingzhang and others were among them.
After thinking about it, Zhu Qiyu ordered someone to open the paper and take a look. Sure enough, the first circle drawn on Wang Yue, Qin Hong and Xu Tingzhang's test papers was all written by Yu Qian.
With a general idea in his mind, Zhu Qiyu went through the test papers one by one and examined them carefully.
The test paper this time is very different from the previous one.
At least, six of these ten test papers did not hold a wavering attitude on the issues of establishing morality, establishing morality, and performing meritorious services like the previous ten.
Although the opinions are different, the arguments are detailed, each is reasonable, and the opinions are clear.
Although the remaining four copies also talk about the need to integrate morality and merit into one, so that the title of emperor and king can be unique without distinction, but both in terms of writing and arguments, they are much better than the previous ones. , at least, it is much higher than Cheng Zong’s test paper.
However, there are also surprises, because this time, among the three papers placed at the top, one is from Ke Qian, who advocates the establishment of a country based on virtue, and believes that the dynasty is peaceful and the emperor's virtues are regarded by all people as an example for the world. The world is at peace, and all nations come to court.
It should be said that it is easy to write this kind of point of view as empty and empty, but Ke Qian is obviously not like this. Even with such a broad point of view, he still writes very informative and credible.
As for the later ones, two of them have similar views to Cheng Zong's previous ones, but they are much better in terms of writing and literary talent.
Zhu Qiyu knew most of the names of the ten test papers that were submitted, and the top people he selected in his previous life were also among them.
However, what really surprised him was the tenth test paper at the end.
The owner of this test paper is named Wang Yue!
If there was one true pillar of the imperial court in the spring of the second year of Jingtai, then it was definitely Wang Yue.
Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, there were three people who were knighted as civil servants. One of them was Wang Yue. Although he was a civil servant, he went out to the fortress three times and attacked the Tatars twice. At the farthest time, he led his army to the Helan Mountain. He can be said to be Yu Qian's After that, he was the civil servant with the most military talent.
However, the reason why Zhu Qiyu was surprised was that although Wang Yue was both excellent in terms of literary talent, in fact, he was not ranked at the top among this selection.
Moreover, because his views were somewhat radical, in the spring of his previous life, Wang Yue's ranking was not only not high, but also very low, ranking sixth among the top three.
However, now his test paper was handed over as a candidate for the top spot.
Glancing down, Zhu Qiyu remembered that during the discussion just now, there seemed to be a small dispute downstairs.
I looked at the evaluation at the top of the test paper again, and sure enough, only Yu Qian gave it a circle representing the best, while the others, Hu Hui, gave it a triangle representing the second best, and Chen Xun was even more straightforward, giving it directly to the third best.
mark.
Therefore, if nothing unexpected happens, the reason why Wang Yue's test paper can be placed in the top ten should be the result of Yu Qian's efforts.
You must know that, except for Wang Yue's paper, the other papers all received at least two circle symbols representing the first grade, and the last remaining one was at least a triangle mark.
In fact, the first three copies were all filled with circle symbols. Only Wang Yue's copy had a circle symbol.
As for why this disagreement occurred, Zhu Qiyu had an idea in his mind after reading the test paper.
The scientific examination in this life is very different from the spring in the previous life. Not to mention the changes in the court, just talking about the examiners. In the previous life, the person who presided over the imperial examination was not Xiao Tan but Jiang Yuan.
Next is the title. Although the titles of both lives have the same theme, there are still slight differences.
In his previous life, Zhu Qiyu was determined to be an eternal sage, so in the question, he directly asked "How to combine morality and merit to become an emperor?" In this life, his ideas are more pragmatic and he has less scruples.
Even less, the final destination becomes "Tao, virtue, and merit. One of the three can be called an ancient saint. How can the emperor be any different?".
This difference caused a huge change in the answers of all candidates. Take Ke Qian for example, his answer sheet was very different from his previous life, but after all, his skills were there and his writing was also very good.
However, Wang Yue is different. The core theme of his examination paper is exactly the same as that of his previous life, that is, one should rule the world with merit. In Wang Yue's policy, the difference between Tao, virtue and merit is discussed in detail.
The conclusion reached is that only by serving the country can one be called a saint.
Of course, this merit does not only refer to the merit of opening up territory and expanding territory, but also the merit of protecting the environment and the people, ensuring the livelihood of the people, and making the country peaceful and peaceful, which are also the categories of merit he described.
Compared with Tao and De, this statement is actually more pragmatic, but it seems a little deviant. Moreover, when reviewing papers in previous lives, it was considered that the views were too extreme, emphasizing merit rather than virtue, which was contrary to the way of sages.
Therefore, he was promoted to the top three.
Even now that the questions have changed, his test paper is still not accepted by many examiners.
However, perhaps because of God's will, a rather watery Cheng Zong's paper was placed in front of Zhu Qiyu, which made Zhu Qiyu suspicious and re-evaluated all the papers.
What's even more coincidental is that this test paper was assigned to Yu Qian!
These views may not be to the liking of others, but they must be extremely to Qian's liking. You must know that although Yu Qian was managing military settlements during this period, he never gave up on the important city of Jiubian that he had always been thinking about.
In Wang Yue's test paper, the contribution to ensuring peace on the border and establishing the country was used as an argument. It would be strange if it did not play into Yu Qian's intentions.
Of course, this slightly extreme view is definitely not recognized by some ministers of the DPRK and China, especially those from Qingliu.
Therefore, Chen Xun, who has always been circulating in the clear stream, unceremoniously gave him a rank of top three. However, Yu Qian's character is not easy to deal with.
With such a fuss, this test paper was placed in the last one among the ten and presented to Zhu Qiyu.
After reading all ten test papers, Zhu Qiyu frowned and thought for a moment, and quickly made a decision. He took out three of these test papers, then picked up the ink pen and quickly determined the ranking on them.
A group of ministers below looked at the emperor's actions, but they were not in a hurry. They had been working hard all day anyway, and they didn't want to miss this moment.
After the emperor put down the ink pen, Huai En, who was standing next to him, stepped forward to take the test paper at the emperor's signal, and then read directly.
"Yu Biao, in the spring of the second year of Jingtai, the first and first place, Ke Qian, Putian, Fujian, the first and second place, Wang Yue, the famous name of Zhili, the first and third place, Qingshen Yu Zijun, Sichuan."
As Wynn's words fell, the top three candidates for the first class in the spring of Jingtai's second year were finally decided!
However, this result obviously surprised the elders present. As Zhu Qiyu expected, Yu Qian breathed a sigh of relief when Wang Yue's name was read out.
At the same time, Chen Xun on the side looked a little ugly.
Of the three people appointed by the Emperor, Ke Qian was promoted by Hu Hui from the Ministry of Rites, Wang Yue was promoted by Yu Qian from the Ministry of War, and Yu Zijun was promoted by Shen Yi from the Ministry of Husbandry.
Not to mention whether the emperor had any deliberate bias when selecting people, the test papers of these three people were basically unique. Only Ke Qian's was moderate, and the remaining Yu Zijun and Ke Qian were not good at saving money.
of lights.
Ke Qian won't talk about it. Yu Zijun's opinion in the test paper was similar to his. He believed that merit lies in the state of the country and only then can one become a saint. However, Yu Zijun believed more in perseverance and was not as radical as Ke Qian.
He had the heart to argue, but as soon as he raised his head, he saw Cheng Jing on the other side of the emperor gently shaking his head and turning his body slightly to the side.
Chen Xun frowned and looked in the direction of Cheng Jing's body. Suddenly, he broke out in a cold sweat.
He almost forgot that besides them, there were ten "record readers" in the side hall!
Although I still don’t know the details, but if they hadn’t made a mistake, they wouldn’t have let me and others come over to read the paper again.
The difference from the imperial examination is that the examiner of the palace examination is the emperor himself, and the others are deacons at best.
This is actually like a cabinet. The opinions put forward by everyone are just suggestions, and the final discretion rests in the hands of the emperor.
Even if the emperor rejects all the ten test papers they submitted and personally selects a top candidate from more than two hundred papers, then they can only bow their heads and admit guilt, saying that they and others are not knowledgeable and have failed the holy grace.
.
Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Chen Xun still swallowed the words that were on his lips.
But what he didn't expect was that at this time, Hu Hui frowned and said.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. As Your Majesty said, the best among the best are selected in the imperial examination, and the best among the world's scholars are selected to be included in the first class. Ke Qian has a wide range of knowledge and his articles are quite moderate. Naturally, he is worthy of being named the number one scholar."
"However, although Wang Yue and Yu Zijun's articles are also excellent, they can be improved in terms of wording, writing style, and writing. In terms of literary style and writing, the Wu Hui and Zhou Yu submitted by the ministers,
Lin Jing, both are better, so please think twice about how to decide."
At this time, the eyelids of many ministers present could not help but twitch. Even if they restrained themselves repeatedly, their eyes could not help but look towards the serious Hu Hui.
This is really the sun rising in the west. This old guy would actually disobey the emperor on such a matter?
However, after Zhu Qiyu, the leader, heard these words, he did not get angry. On the contrary, he looked at Hu Hui with a more meaningful look.
After pondering for a moment, Zhu Qiyu spoke.
"As I have just said, the imperial court selects scholars according to their talents and virtues. Those who can pass the examination are all outstanding talents of our Ming Dynasty. They have studied hard for decades, read many poems and books, and have learned a lot. The difference between their talents and learning is actually negligible.
also."
"Policy and discussion should focus on practicality, principles, and insights, and should not be judged solely by literary talent. Although Wang Yue and Yu Zijun are slightly inferior in literary talent, they have detailed content, clear reasoning, and unique insights. They are full of vitality.
, Those who dare to speak out and take responsibility are the talents of the imperial court."
"Therefore, I have selected two people as the second-ranked ones. I want to warn the world's scholars not to close their ears to empty articles and read hard. The sage said, after reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, there are ravines in your chest. Only when you put down a pen can you write a thousand words and become a beautiful embroidery.
Articles, pillars of the imperial court!"
At this time, the elders present finally reacted.
Uncle Hu Dazong was not trying to speak against the emperor. He was clearly giving advice to the emperor. At the same time, he was also selling favors to these new scholars.
You must know that the test papers for the Imperial Examination must be filed in the Ministry of Etiquette, and many times they will be circulated to the market through various methods, which will be used as an important reference for future scholars who come to Beijing to take the exam.
There is a secret in the minds of the scholars. If these test papers are circulated and everyone talks about Wang Yue and Yu Zijun's test papers as being inferior to others, it will inevitably have an impact on their reputation as scholars.
Now, Mr. Hu has asked these people what they want to say. With the emperor's endorsement, Wang Yue and Yu Zijun will encounter much less criticism.
On the contrary, other scholars would use them as examples, combined with the emperor's evaluation of them, to try their best to figure out how they were in line with the emperor's wishes, so that they could still enter the first class even though their literary talents were slightly inferior.
Perhaps for the emperor and Hu Xi, this was just an ordinary duet. However, if Hu Xi did not ask, or if he did not ask the question in his capacity, the emperor would definitely not explain to his ministers why he ordered it.
The two entered Yijia.
Therefore, it may seem like a simple and inadvertent act, but for the two people who have just entered the official career, it is as great a favor as Yu Qian who recommended their papers to the emperor.
This old fox!
After understanding it, they were also speechless for a while. It was clear that just now, Hu Xi had criticized Wang Yue's test paper, but who would have thought that his tone would change so quickly.
However, this is not the end yet.
After hearing the emperor's explanation, Hu Hui nodded, but did not unfurl his frown, but continued.
"What your Majesty said is reasonable. However, according to the usual practice, the first grade can be directly admitted to the Hanlin Academy without being selected by the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy is a place where the world's most talented people gather. If you are not a person with outstanding literary talent, you may be criticized if you enter the Imperial Academy. Your Majesty. consider."
The meaning of this sentence is also very simple. The first-level students are all going to enter the Hanlin Academy. However, Wang Yue and Yu Zijun only have unique insights, rather than being superior to others in literary talent. In this way, they will enter the Hanlin Academy, which is famous for its literary talent. , it seems a little difficult to convince the public...
When the voice fell, the ministers present were surprised again. If Hu Hui's words just now could be considered as resolving the criticisms of the two in advance, then what are they trying to do with these words now?
Could it be that the eldest uncle was really sleepy and wanted to ask the emperor to take back his life and take these two people out of the first armor?