The sedan chair swayed slowly, and the Minister of Civil Service, the Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, and the Inspector-General Ling Han took a nap following the rhythm of the sedan chair.
The old man is in his eighties, and he is already very old. He is really out of his depth when it comes to matters in the yamen, both in terms of energy and physical strength.
A few days ago, he also gave the emperor a resignation letter. The minister is old and dying and cannot be used. If he continues to be a high-ranking official, he may delay state affairs.
It means that I am retiring and don’t want to work anymore.
But the emperor said that you have been a minister for two generations and the pillar of the country. If you are mentally weak, you can catch the big ones and let go of the small ones. I will not force it. What is missing in the court now is a loyal, diligent and pragmatic person like you. Do you have to abandon me?
go?
Ling Han almost burst into tears when he received the Zhubi imperial approval.
"Your Majesty is so generous!"
"You really have nothing to say to me, an old minister!"
While my mind was wandering, the sedan suddenly stopped.
Ling Han opened his eyes slightly, "What's wrong?"
He is a former warrior from Henan, and the servants around him are also from Henan, so he speaks Henan dialect when he speaks.
However, before the servant outside the sedan could speak, dozens of familiar local accents suddenly came to his ears.
"Lord Ling, let us young people make the decision!"
"Ling Butang, we Henan people are so miserable!"
"What's going on?" The familiar local accent and the cries of injustice outside made the old Ling Han suddenly feel nervous.
People in the world are the most protective of their shortcomings, especially those who have become high-ranking officials. No matter how powerful they are in Beijing, one day they will fall back to their roots and return to their hometown. They are the people in their hometown who rely on them, and they are also the spokesperson of their hometown.
"Sir!" the steward said, leaning against the sedan, "a group of our Henan scholars blocked the road, saying they had grievances!" After saying that, he paused and said, "The juniors are all kneeling!"
"Get off the sedan!" Ling Han ordered, and then slowly got down from the sedan without anyone supporting him.
The scholar complained in the street, and Ling Han thought with his toes, knowing that it must be a shocking event.
There are not many things in the world that can force scholars to complain.
Dozens of people, led by Liu Hansong, a scholar from Henan, knelt on the long street, surrounded by many ordinary people.
"Master, please make the decision for us!"
When they saw Ling Han, these scholars cried loudly and kowtowed.
Ling Han stepped forward slowly with a sullen face, "What? You're all crying, get up and talk to me!" He said, looking at the leader Liu Hansong, "Young student, what is your name?"
"Back to my lord, my student Liu Hansong was promoted to Shangqiu!" Liu Hansong choked with tears and said, "My student's grandfather moved from Xinxiang to Shangqiu. The place where his ancestral home is is only a hundred miles away from his hometown!"
"Uh! Fellow!" Ling Han smiled, then suddenly paused and said sternly, "So what if he is my fellow? How is it appropriate to block my sedan chair in broad daylight? As a scholar, what's the point of acting like this? Yes.
Injustice? Dali Temple and the Inspectorate are not allowed to go? Do you have to stop me?"
"My lord, sir! We really have no choice!" cried a scholar from behind, "We are all scholars who came to Beijing to take the exam this time, and we came all the way. But who would have thought that we would all fail the exam?
!”
Ling Han was furious and kicked him over, "If you don't succeed, go back and continue reading. What are you doing to me?" He continued angrily, "If you don't succeed, just go to me and cry on my head. There's nothing like a man from Henan."
You’ve all lost face!”
"We are not the only ones from Henan!" Liu Hansong suddenly hugged Ling Han's thigh and cried, "Sir, there is not a single scholar from the five northern provinces on the list, and the top three Jinshi are all from the south!"
"What?" Ling Han was stunned on the spot.
"We are waiting for the northerners, but none of them have been admitted!" Liu Hansong continued to cry, "If we fail in one province, the students will have no complaints. But how can there be any reason why all the northerners will fail? There are countless imperial examinations in the past dynasties.
Such behavior is unheard of!”
"Moreover, not only are the candidates taking the exams all from the South, but all the examiners are also from the South. We are dissatisfied!"
"The scholars who come to Beijing are all local leaders. I don't dare to hope for the first grade. Is it possible that we, the leading scholars in the north, can't even pass the third grade?"
"When the results were released today, the adults in the Hanlin Academy told us that the format of our policy was wrong, our language was vulgar, and our writing style was unreasonable!"
"I dare to ask, Mr. Boss, we are scholars who have lived in poverty for ten years. If our language is vulgar and our writing is incomprehensible, then where did this candidate come from? We traveled thousands of miles to Beijing and deliberately wanted to do this in the exam? Are we kidding the examiner?
"
"One person failed, hundreds of people failed, but the five northern provinces, Huguang and other places all failed, which is really abnormal!"
"It's not that we are messing around, it's that the judges are unfair. We know the consequences of complaining, but if we don't complain, how can we have a foothold among the students in the world?"
"Master, the pillar of our country and the hope of Henan, please make the decision for the students!"
The old man Ling Han was furious.
"It's your aunt's fault!" the old man cursed in his heart.
He has been a civil servant all his life, and was a Jinshi during the Yuan Dynasty, so he naturally knows the things that everyone knows about in the imperial examination.
He also knows the virtues of those nobles in the Hanlin Academy today.
"Okay, stop howling!" Ling Han yelled and looked at the students, "Go back now, write another copy of your exam papers and send them to my house!" After saying that, he paused and continued.
He said loudly, "If you shouldn't hit it, you shouldn't hit it. But if someone deliberately makes you feel wronged, I will break my head and give you an explanation!"
With that said, he rolled his sleeves and got on the sedan, groaning angrily inside.
"Damn it, I was bullied by Ling Tietou. In the past few years, Henan has not won eleven or twelve in any subject. This year, I won't get even one. If you say there is nothing fishy, I won't believe it!"
Immediately, he stuck his head out of the sedan and said, "You don't have to go back to write. Come home with me. I'll watch you write!"
A group of Henan scholars followed Ling Han's sedan in a mighty manner, wiping their tears as they headed towards Ling's Mansion.
~~~
In the Wuding Marquis Mansion, the gray-haired Guo Ying was lying on a bamboo chair with her eyes closed to meditate.
The old man was already very old, but his body was still strong and his belly was open. There was a cattail fan on it, and there was chilled sour plum soup at his hand, which was cool to the touch.
"Master!" Guo Wu, the limping butler, came over and whispered.
The housekeepers of the Warrior House are all veterans who fought with these nobles in the past. Most of them have disabilities. In name, they are masters and servants, but in fact they feel as close as family members.
"Ah? What's the matter?" Guo Ying opened one eye.
"A man named Liu asked to see him, saying he was from Fengyang!" the housekeeper said.
Guo Ying turned over, a little impatient, "Well, give me some money, leave a meal, and give me a few pieces of cloth!" Then he added, "Whenever someone comes from my hometown, just take care of it. If you ask for help, don't agree.
.If you are having a hard time, don’t give someone a cold face even if you come to your door to say something cool!"
"Master, Liu family!" the housekeeper reminded again.
Guo Ying sat up immediately and said thoughtfully, "The Liu family of the imperial mausoleum?"
"right!"
"Let him come in!" Guo Ying put on her clothes and said, "Let the kitchen prepare food and wine!"
Not long after, Liu Nianen, led by the housekeeper, came in with some anxiety.
The reason why he was uneasy was that he was intimidated by the carved beams and painted buildings of the Hou Mansion. Although his Liu family was unusual in his hometown, they were worth as much as the serious military merits and deeds.
When his great-grandfather was still alive, he said that a good deed by our Liu family changed the wealth of several generations. But as a person, you must know how to advance and retreat. Don't shamelessly comment on us and make people annoying just because we have done something good.
"Little Liu Nian'en, kowtow to Lord Guo!"
Looking at Liu Nian'en, who was tall and tall but wearing scholar's Confucian uniform, Guo Ying smiled and said, "Get up, you belong to Liu Shanren."
"You are talking about the little great-grandfather!" Liu Nianen whispered.
"How is your grandpa?" Guo Ying asked again.
"He has been gone for many years!" Liu Nian'en said, looking up at Guo Ying, "My grandfather also left the year before last!"
"Oh!" Guo Ying said, "Look at me, I don't even know these things!" He said with a smile, "Look at your clothes, you are a scholar now? Just came from your hometown?"
At this point, Guo Ying stood up and said with a smile, "You seem to be a simple and honest young man. If you have anything to do, just tell me directly. For your great grandfather's sake, I will never hesitate to help you."
“The students from this department are the best candidates to enter Beijing!”
"Ha, there is smoke coming out of the ancestral graves of your old Liu family, and you have also been elected?" Guo Ying laughed, "How did you do in the exam this time?"
"Missed!" Liu Nianen whispered.
Guo Ying's face softened, "It doesn't matter if you don't win, it's already a big deal if you have the status of being a juren!" After saying that, he paused and said, "Do you want to go directly to the Sixth Ministry as an errand, or do you want to go to the Imperial College? I'll give it to you.
Make arrangements to go!”
"Old Marquis, not only did I fail, but none of our scholars from Fengyang missed the mark!"
"What?" Guo Ying frowned, "No one hit?"
"It's not just Fengyang, not a single student from the five northern provinces was on the list!" Liu Nian'en said again, "I have taken the liberty of coming here today because I want you to help me seek justice!"
"Suffering from mother-in-law!" Guo Ying's eyebrows and beard stood up, "I don't care about the other places. Fengyang is the central capital of the Ming Dynasty and the hometown of us people. In the Ming Dynasty, we Fengyang people were all bought with our heads.
Yes. Those damn examiners won’t admit anyone from my hometown, what does he want?”
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This chapter has been completed!