The minister said, "The atmosphere in the south is soft and weak, so it can be virtuous. The atmosphere in the north is strong, so it should be controlled by coercion."
Emperor Hongwu said, "The land has a north and a south, and the people have no two minds. The emperors treat each other equally, but there is no difference between them. You say that the atmosphere in the south is soft and weak, so it can be virtuous, and the atmosphere in the north is strong, so it should be controlled by coercion. But where is the gentleman and the villain?
None? A gentleman is virtuous, a villain is afraid of power, and each has his or her own role in giving, so why not just say it?" - "Taizu's Treasured Instructions".
~~~~
The palace is brightly lit.
Ling Han drank several bowls of strong tea to suppress his tiredness.
Carefully read the masterpieces submitted by my examiners, word for word, with a smile when you read the parts that you are happy about, and a frosty face when you read the parts that are not smooth.
I put the exam papers aside casually. Instead, I used a pen to write down comments on the unfinished papers, just like a teacher correcting a student's homework.
"Lingbutang!"
At midnight, Zheng Yi, the Minister of Rites, came over and said with a smile, "It's almost done. Should I show the paper to Lord Long Live?"
Ling Han did not speak, but took a pen and wrote the last line on a candidate's paper, "Your heart is not pure, and the writing at the end of the examination paper was sloppy and exhausted. The country recruits scholars for the sake of the country and the people.
Even if you have such stage fright, how can you be a good official in the future?"
"If you write this, the candidates won't be able to see it!" Zheng Yi said with a smile.
"I have already sent a petition to the Emperor!" Ling Han whispered, "After these papers have been reviewed, they will be distributed to the candidates one by one." He yawned, "Let them know where they are lacking. Otherwise, they will be in trouble for the rest of their lives."
Even if you cover your head and study hard, you won’t get anywhere!”
"My lord, you are truly a master of public affairs!" Zheng Yi said with a smile.
Ling Han stood up, waved his arms in an indistinct manner, and motioned to others, "Take the paper and follow me to see the emperor!"
Zheng Yi was standing by, "This time, Mr. Boss, you are leading the review. How many people from the north have come up to supplement the review?"
"Eleven!" Ling Han said.
"Huh?" Zheng Yi was suddenly startled and almost fell down, "Sir...?"
"Seeing that you are so scared, do you think I have deposed all the students from the south?" Ling Han laughed and said, "How could I do that? Learning is good if it is good, and bad if it is not. Although I am a northerner, I can't do that.
You can’t deliberately pull down other students just because you want to help the Northerners!”
As he spoke, he smiled and said, "According to the emperor's order, I opened the Beibang alone, and all the scholars I took were from the north!"
"This..." Zheng Yi was even more puzzled and puzzled, "Then what happens next?"
"Routine!" Ling Han said, "There are huge religious differences between provinces. If the country selects scholars from just one place, it will not be a blessing to the country, nor will it be a blessing to the students in the world!"
In Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yunxi did not take a break either, looking at the memorial and waiting for the results of the marking.
Ling Han and others came in holding examination papers, "I'm waiting to pay homage to the Emperor!"
"It's been a tiring day, so there's no need to salute!" Zhu Yunxi put down the memorial in his hand with a smile and said, "Wang Shai, show them a seat and ask someone to pass on the food!"
"Yes!" Wang Shai responded and ordered the young eunuch to bring stools and square tables for the ministers. After a while, palace servants came in carrying food and placed them in front of everyone.
"You have all been busy all day, and you haven't eaten any rice!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "Put aside the rule of not saying anything about what you eat today, we monarchs and ministers will talk while eating!" He said, "Put the fried lotus root aside."
In front of Ling Laoshangshu, he is old and needs to eat something light!"
This favor made all the ministers jealous.
Unexpectedly, Ling Han said, "Your Majesty, although I am getting older, I still like to eat meat!"
"Oh!" Zhu Yunxi smiled, "Then send the roasted mutton over too!"
Ling Han was not polite. He grabbed the leg of lamb and gnawed it. After a few moments, his mouth was full of oil. As he was eating, he said, "Your Majesty, I am not nitpicking this old minister. This mutton is not as good as the chef at home!"
After taking two bites, he said, "It's really a waste to stew the mutton chops. I simmered them in a radish casserole over low heat. The soup that came out was milky white, and then I paired it with two steamed buns. Eh, it's not cured!"
Zhu Yunxi laughed, "I didn't expect Ling Aiqing to be interested in gourmet food!"
"It's not about dabbling. Although I am ten years old, my temperament is still about the same as that of a forty-year-old man!" Ling Han grinned, "Wine wine, roasted meat and delicacies, and that... pretty lady!"
"Hahaha!" The palace was filled with laughter, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
Zhu Yunxi drank half a bowl of millet porridge and put down his chopsticks after eating a piece of carrot cake.
"Are the results out?"
Ling Han wiped off the oil stains on his hands and said, "The selection has been made! I then read the examination papers and selected Han Kezhong, the scholar from Shandong Province, as the number one scholar!"
"Oh? This name sounds familiar!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile.
Zheng Yi immediately said, "During the palace examination that day, he didn't have enough test paper. It was the Emperor who gave you the golden mouth to allow him to take the test paper, and also diligently asked him to take the test slowly!"
"Well, I remembered, there really is such a person!" He said, looking at the ministers and smiling, "Don't just follow my fancy and think that I know this person, so I selected him as the top pick!"
"Other veterans don't dare to vouch for it, but here, there is absolutely no guarantee! If you don't have talent and learning, even if the prince himself ends up, the veteran will be deposed!" Ling Han said sternly.
"Han Kezhong!" Zhu Yunxi read the name again and opened the paper.
"Speaking of which, there is something strange about this candidate!" Zheng Yi, the Minister of Rites, said again.
"Tell me about it!" Zhu Yunxi said casually while reading the paper.
"That day, the Minister of Rites, Xia Shilang, brought all the ministers into the palace, and they had to search him first. On his body, they found..." Zheng Yi pretended to be a good person and continued to laugh, "We found steamed rice cakes on his body."
Steamed buns!”
Suddenly Zhu Yunxi was a little surprised and raised his head to listen.
"Shilang Xia was anxious at that time. It is such a big event to go to the palace to meet the emperor, but he still brought steamed buns? Han Kezhong said that he was afraid that he would be hungry during the exam and have no place to eat!"
At this time, Zhu Yunxi smiled.
Zheng Yi said again, "Shilang Xia scolded, how could the emperor not prepare food for the candidates if he is so kind? Let Han Kezhong throw away the steamed buns quickly!"
Zhu Yunxi's smile slowly disappeared.
"Han Kezhong said, those are white-faced steamed buns, how can you throw them away casually!" Zheng Yidao said, "A candidate and the minister of the court stood up outside the Meridian Gate!"
"What happened next?" Zhu Yunxi immersed himself in the exam paper again.
"Later, it was Uncle Guo who rescued the siege!" Zheng Yi said with a smile, "Marquis Huaiyuan was on duty that day. When he saw this, he stepped forward and told Han Kezhong that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so he took a few guards to share the steamed buns."
Saying that, Zheng Yi said, "I still have some admiration for Uncle Guo. While eating steamed buns, Uncle Guo also said to others that it is not easy for students from poor families, so they should be more tolerant!"
"The Minister of Rites you are talking about, is Xia Yuanji?" Zhu Yunxi glanced at the paper, but the words on the paper particularly caught his attention.
Because the exam question was about the harm of land annexation, Han Kezhong stood from the perspective of rural farmers. He first elaborated on the difficulties of farmers and their lack of capital to resist risks. He also explained that the government's dependence on large families led to the lack of control over land by large and prestigious families.
Taking advantage of others.
Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Exactly!" He continued, "Before he was promoted to the position of Minister, Minister Xia was an academic official in Fujian!"
Zhu Yunxi picked up his pen and wrote accurately on Han Kezhong's paper. Then he put down his pen and looked at Zheng Yi, half-smiling but not smiling, "You, you know these things very well!"
These words immediately made Zheng Yi lower his head and swallowed the rest of his words.
(https://.bqkan8./41379_41379500/11253173.html)
.bqkan8..bqkan8.
This chapter has been completed!