Chapter 314 The Number One Scholar in Renxu Branch
When the rooster crows, the night is dark and the morning light is barely visible. There is still a thin layer of mist filling the Jinming Pond, and the atmosphere is cold. In the palace, after a night of burning, only a few ashes remain of the palace candles. The imperial couch was hidden among the numerous palace tents, and a wonderful body lay across the couch.
Being an emperor is really a test of one's character. Apart from the supreme power, there are too many temptations of all kinds. Female lust is only a small part of it, but it is the most representative one. All the beauties in the world have it. You can take whatever you want and let them enjoy it. Use yourself to save others. Sometimes, Liu Chengyou can understand why there are so many lustful and foolish kings.
Concubine Zhou Ehuang woke up from her sleep, opened her misty eyes, and saw that everything around her was empty, but her delicate body felt sore and weak. She was really tortured last night.
Thinking of those clouds and rain, a crimson color hit her cheeks, and Dazhou's red lips couldn't help but curve. However, soon the little woman's happiness completely dissipated. She sighed quietly, and her beautiful eyes showed a little sadness. .
It has been almost ten years since she entered the Han Palace in the fifth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign. She has also transformed from a young girl with spring in her arms to a mature woman and mother. Over the years, Dazhou has always adhered to the teachings of her father when she first entered the palace. , do not fight or grab, stay calm and low-key, wandering among poems, articles, music, songs and dances, as if they have no fight with the world.
As the most talented woman among the concubines, Liu Chengyou still had a certain attraction to Liu Chengyou because of this characteristic. Although Liu Chengyou was not good at talking about the music of poetry and calligraphy, chewing peonies was also a special pleasure.
In the past ten years, Lady Zhou also gave birth to a boy and a girl to Liu Chengyou, namely Liu Hui, the seventh son of the emperor, and Liu Xuan, the fifth daughter of the emperor. Because of her achievements, Concubine Zhou Shu's position in the palace was relatively stable. Why Most of Liu Chengyou's children were from higher-ranking concubines. Because they were favored and visited by the emperor more often, the chance of pregnancy was naturally higher.
Compared with those beauties and court ladies who were favored by the emperor and then forgotten in a blink of an eye, Concubine Zhou Shu was lucky. In addition to her beauty and talents, the emperor's acceptance of her also had certain political significance. After all, she was a beauty born in Jianghuai.
However, the palace gate is as deep as the sea, and it is inevitable to feel lonely. Because she reads a lot and is talented, Concubine Zhou Shu still has some slight illusions about love...
But the emperor obviously could not satisfy her. She was just one of the many beauties in the Han Palace, although her status was not low. Just like recently, she was very favored. The emperor visited her many times and took her with him to entertain the generals in Qionglin Garden.
However, maybe it won't be long before the emperor changes again, and she will be forgotten again. She doesn't know how long it will take before she can once again bear the rain and dew of Liu Chengyou. She has seen this kind of situation many times and has experienced it.
However, the sadness in her heart was quickly hidden. She was already a mature-minded woman. Taking advantage of this rare favor, she still had to work hard to please the emperor.
Waking up in the early morning is the most embarrassing thing. For women, it is even more embarrassing if they don't clean up. Under the service of the palace maid, it took a certain amount of time to wash up and dress up. There was no heavy makeup, just simple and clean. When Zhou Shufei opened the curtain and came out When he came out, he had already regained his usual aura. The plain, light silk clothes, in addition to highlighting his impressive figure, also added a bit of aura.
The genius was bright, and even though he was indoors, he could still feel the dim morning light outside. Under the illumination of a palace lantern, Liu Chengyou was sitting cross-legged at the desk, reviewing official affairs.
In recent years, among the people, the lifestyle of the people has been subtly changing, which is reflected in the use of tables, chairs and benches, the summary and application of abacus, the transformation of ships, the development of cotton products, the improvement of textile machines, and printing Technique upgrade...
Like inside the palace, there are also some updates of tables and chairs, such as the "Grand Master's Chair", the "Eight Immortals Table", etc. Of course, these are indispensable for the emperor's "wonderful ideas". He just mentioned it, and someone made it and gradually spread it. .
Of course, perhaps because he is used to sitting on his knees, Liu Chengyou still likes to use a long desk most of the time, such as this time. Perhaps it is because he can just lie down and rest when he is tired, without having to move, which is also convenient.
"Officials, breakfast has been prepared. Do you want to enjoy it?" Concubine Zhou Shu took the initiative to sit next to Liu Chengyou, pressed her delicate body gently against him, and asked softly, naturally taking over Sun Yanyun's duties.
Liu Chengyou seemed to be in a good mood, with a slight smile on his lips. He glanced at the well-behaved beauty, and I saw that she looked pitiful. If today's schedule had not been arranged well, he would have stolen half a day and spent it on the bed. between.
"I'm feeling hungry in my belly. Order someone to bring it to you!" Liu Chengyou ordered.
In the past few years, Liu Chengyou's meals have been very simple, but each meal is simple, varied, and rich in dishes. Take the porridge he drinks in the morning as an example. He can go without drinking the same thing for half a year. Today's big men have a better and better material foundation. It has become more and more abundant, especially among the people. The wisdom of the working people is endless. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, and all aspects have entered a period of rapid development. When the world is unified and the transportation between the north and the south complements each other, perhaps it will enter an explosive period... ..
"Did the official family encounter any happy events?" Noting the smile on Liu Chengyou's lips, Zhou couldn't help but curiously asked.
"Today is the first day of the college entrance examination. Talents from all over the world have gathered in Tokyo for me to choose. Isn't it worth being happy?" Liu Chengyou asked.
To this, Dazhou naturally nodded in agreement: "Of course it is a happy event, and the heroes of the world should join the official family!"
Liu Chengyou smiled, looked at his concubine Shu, and said: "In my opinion, my concubine Shu can pass the high school if she takes the exam!"
"The officials are joking! How can I have such ability?" Mrs. Zhou said quickly.
Of course Liu Chengyou is good at jokes, poetry, articles, classics, calligraphy and painting, music, etc. Mrs. Zhou may be good at it, but it will not be that easy to take the exam. Of course, there may be some hope in Ming Jing Ke, but it is basically the same academic It is equally difficult for accomplished literati to fight.
Today's imperial examinations of the Han Dynasty are probably the most unfriendly to pure scholars. If you have little knowledge and no practical knowledge, it is really not easy to pass the examination.
Therefore, in the past two years, whether in temples or in the world, there have been many criticisms of the imperial court's employment policy. They say that the imperial court does not pay attention to morality, which makes the officials full of villains who do not follow etiquette and observe morality and only care about profits. This is not a big deal. A world of governance.
Although such voices cannot be said to criticize the imperial court (actually, the emperor) employment system, dissatisfaction is brewing and accumulating. However, opposition is useless. After the new imperial examination system has been implemented for so many years, there is no No matter what problems arise, we will continue to improve them and try our best to coordinate and consider all situations.
If it is said that the development of academics has been suppressed, that is not necessarily true. There are many literary greats in the official schools of the Han Dynasty, and there are also many learned scholars in the Three Halls and the Imperial College. The culture of the Han Dynasty has gradually moved towards prosperity. Under such circumstances , some voices were naturally ignored by Liu Chengyou.
In Liu Chengyou's view, being a scholar and being an official are two different things that cannot be confused. Of course, in the officialdom, there are indeed some people who only pursue fame and wealth and ignore morality, but after all, they are a minority, and such people , there is no shortage of laws and regulations in any era. As long as the laws and regulations are complete and the law enforcement is strict and can play a restrictive role, there will be no big problem.
After coming back to his senses, Liu Chengyou said to Mrs. Zhou: "However, what I find interesting is that I, the emperor's uncle, don't take stock of the prisons and check the case files, but always want to be an overseer. Do you think he is not doing his job properly?" ?”
Hearing what Liu Chengyou said, Zhou couldn't help but smile: "Did Uncle Murong suggest that the officials build a palace again?"
"No!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said meaningfully: "This time, he asked me to rebuild Luoyang!"
In fact, Murong Yanchao really didn't want to be the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He wanted to be the Minister of the Ministry of Works. It seems that after supervising the construction of Kaifeng City once, he became interested in construction.
During his free time, he recruited some architectural talents to do research there, and he really came up with a lot of things, which were implemented in Kaifeng City. There is a saying that Emperor Murong Emperor may leave a legacy in the history of architecture. Although he may not be very well-versed in his reputation, he has enough strength and resources for his development...
This time, Liu Chengyou didn't know if Murong Yanchao was guessing his thoughts and proposed to rebuild Luoyang. However, as expected, he only refused. The imperial court really did not have the energy or financial resources to do this.
On February 15, the 15th year of Qianyou, the Renxu Scientific Examination was held, the second regular examination since the founding of the Han Dynasty. There were 2,500 scholars from all parties, and the emperor personally visited the Gongyuan to inspect it.
The top scholar in the undergraduate program was named Zhang Quhua.
