Yuan Tiangang was a fortune teller, and Li Po had heard of him.
At the end of last year, Fu Renjun angrily resigned from office without taking a single thing with him, and Yuan Tiangang's name was immediately reported.
Li Po knew at a glance that this was another official tactic. Even if Fu Renjun didn't step down, he probably wouldn't be able to work for a few more days.
As for the person who can be recommended by Wang Gui, the imperial emissary, and He Chou, the Duke of Pi, it is naturally not easy. Li Po will give this face regardless of whether he has heard of Yuan Tiangang's name or not.
It wasn't an important position, and he believed in He Chou's vision.
Yuan Tiangang is from Yizhou, and he is a fellow villager with He Chou. Like Sun Simiao, he is one of those immortal figures who are not in Chang'an but have a good reputation.
He is proficient in numerology... His main business is reading people's faces, astronomy, and calendars. This is the standard knowledge equipment of fortune tellers in this world. He is not the kind of guy who only wants to fool people's money.
This man's family also had officials for generations, but it was only in his generation that they fell into decline.
In the early years, he served as a minor official in the former Sui Dynasty. He became prosperous while living in Luoyang. He became known as a divine fortune teller and became famous as a fortune teller for the dignitaries in Luoyang.
Wang Gui recommended him because he had met him in Luoyang and became a friend.
The imperial examination has begun, but the recommendation system is still very popular. It seems that there will never be a way to eradicate it, because it is almost the instinct of officials to form alliances with cronies...
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Li Po really wanted this person to do his fortune telling to see if he was that amazing and could figure out his origin, or if he was just like those in the Taishi Bureau who used vague words to fool people.
This is obviously the bad taste of an atheist who believes that all accidents have explanations.
Of course, this is just a small episode...
No matter how famous Yuan Tiangang was, he was just a fortune teller in Li Po's mind. If he didn't make any achievements in astronomy and calendar, he would still be replaced.
Li Po felt that it would be more useful for people like Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng to figure out how to tell the direction of ships sailing on the sea instead of telling people's fortunes.
For example, making a sextant or something like that. Like many things, Li Po knew the name, but he didn't know the principle. He had no choice. Soldiers who defend their homes and countries don't rely on these to make a living.
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What Li Po is currently facing is not the trivial matter of the Taishi Bureau, but the imperial examination...
In February, officials from all walks of life in the Tang Dynasty set off to Chang'an to take the exam.
For this reason, Li Po also issued an edict, ordering all counties and counties in the world to try their best to ensure road safety and not to let the scholars be intercepted and killed by bandits on the road.
At this point, Li Po was quite impressed. Later, those story books always contained stories about rushing to take exams. It seemed that poor scholars would go through a colorful journey while rushing to take exams.
Either I encountered bandits or had some indescribable stories with wild monsters in the mountains...
It's just that he thought a little too much, and banditry is still there now. After all, the country was founded not long ago, and the embers have not yet dissipated, so the road is not safe.
But what is different from the later Zhao Dynasty is that how many poor scholars are there in the Tang Dynasty today? Nine and a half of the ten who can come to Chang'an to take the exam are descendants of aristocratic families.
There is no need to worry about them at all, they all know how precious life is.
Moreover, many people actually came to Chang'an at the beginning of last winter. They were all thoughtful people who wanted to take advantage of the winter months to get familiar with the environment and gain some reputation in Chang'an.
This is a very correct operation for scientific examinations. The more prosperous your literary reputation is, the more opportunities you can take in the Beijing examination.
So in March, when the weather in Chang'an is still a bit cold, the market in Chang'an becomes lively.
Large and small cultural gatherings were held in the wine shops and teahouses. The colorful Caiyufang was even more fragrant with the coexistence of calligraphy, ink and powder, and business was getting better and better.
Scholars have a lot of fun, and they are more disciplined when they visit the scenic spots and historic sites near Chang'an together. Those who can go to Chang'an Academy, talk about literature and painting with others are capable and have a strong background, and hang out with prostitutes, drink and have fun.
The ones that I don’t know are in my mind.
As for the few people who want to do some small things in advance, such as getting test questions...well, this is a bit disturbing.
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In the Tai Chi Hall.
"Have you found it?" Li Po asked Li Gang, the Minister of Etiquette. The Beijing Examination was about to happen, and no one expected that a scandal like leaking the test questions would happen.
To Li Po's dismay, Li Gang shook his head, "I've made some inquiries and found some results, but... we haven't been able to trace the source."
Li Po nodded in understanding. It is indeed difficult to find out about this kind of thing. People who dare to do such things will definitely not leave too many clues, and catching small fish and shrimps is not interesting.
Therefore, he did not put too much pressure on his subordinates.
"Then let's take another look. Don't put all your thoughts on this. The Ministry of Etiquette is presiding over the big exam and just do your own thing. Since you know in advance that someone is going to do that dirty thing, then try to stop it and do other things.
Let’s talk about it later.”
The emperor is so reasonable, what else can Li Gang say?
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that the questions for this year's Beijing Examination are only known to the ministers and the people who asked the questions. They will be sealed in the Ministry of Rites until they are opened by the examiner when the exam begins.
If someone knows the test questions in advance, it will be much easier to investigate."
Li Po smiled, no matter how strict the preventive measures were, there would still be loopholes. If he was intentional... Bah, we have never cheated. We are much better than the little beast at home who hired someone to write for us.
If the child hadn't been young, he would have been suspicious at first, and then those guys with braids were too impressive.
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The imperial examination is a top priority, but other things cannot be put aside.
In fact, in February, news from the northwest had already reached Chang'an.
At the beginning, Liangzhou Governor Fan Wenjin and Zhang Lun and others sent letters to the court, and Cheng Zhijie and Hou Junji sent news that the Tibetan people in the highlands had the intention to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.
Li Po didn't pay much attention to it. The Tubo people on the high ground only had a few troops. If the Tang army hadn't been able to reach the high ground, they would have been wiped out long ago.
What he wanted was news about the civil strife in Tubo, and the journey of Cheng Zhijie and Hou Junji was much slower than he expected.
He felt that when these two fearful guys reached the hinterland of the plateau, the civil strife there might have ended. If that was the case, he would behead the bearded dog.
In March, news from the northwest became more and more frequent.
Today it is said that the Tibetans are raising food and grass, and tomorrow it is said that the Tibetans have arrived in the Bailan and Dangxiang areas and are fighting against the highland tribes.
The news that reached Chang'an finally made Li Po's eyes turn to the northwest...
This chapter has been completed!