The two examiners in Jukui Hall sat in the chiefs in the left and right. According to the order of writing the imperial edicts at that time, Qian Xili should be the main focus, and Ma Yu is the deputy examiner.

However, there was an outrageous problem with the Yichou exam, that is, the title of Minister of Rites, which should have been given to the Ministry of Rites, was not yet named until the examination began.

Therefore, Qian Xili's current official title is still a fifth-rank bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.

Although Ma Yu's nominal Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion is only a fifth rank, once he is given the title of Grand Secretary of the Fourth Hall and Second Hall, it means he is promoted to the rank of the Hall and Pavilion ministers, which is one level higher than ordinary civil servants.

Not to mention that Ma Yu is still a member of the cabinet, who controls the real power of the Ming Dynasty. Qian Xili, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, is not enough to compare it with the subordinates.

The emergence of this outrageous situation led to Qian Xili's lack of decision-making power in the ranking of the imperial examinations, and most of the other examiners tend to favor Ma Yu's opinions.

In order to ensure fairness and avoid favoritism in the examination, the power of the examiner was greatly restricted and needed to be agreed with the examiner. Now even if you want to vote, Qian Xili can't compare to the other party, and there is a sign of being undermined.

At this time, the placement of the answer sheets on the desktop is basically determined by Ma Yu, which is why Shen Yichen's test papers are placed so far behind.

Seeing that all the examiners had taken their seats, Qian Xili cleared his throat and spoke: "Dear colleagues, today is the last day of filling out the list of the Yichou Clinic Test, and it is also the time to decide on the ranking of the Five Classics Leaders in the General Test."

"We have received great grace from the holy people and seeking talents from the country. We have received great grace from the holy people. We must repay them with a fair and just heart. We must not let any scholar's talent and learning be covered with dust!"

Qian Xili's speech seemed to be polite, but in fact it was said that it contained profound meaning.

Because he had read all the eighteen answer sheets placed on the table briefly, he had a rough idea of ​​the quality of the article. Nowadays, it is obvious that the arrangement of the position is not determined by the level of knowledge, but by other reasons.

Although Qian Xili has always been in a "prime and noble" place like the Hanlin Academy, he has not involved too much intrigue in the court. However, he has served as the chief examiner of the provincial examinations and the imperial examinations for several years. How could he not understand the various tricks in it?

So the purpose of his words was to tell all the forces present that it was too ugly to be distinguished, and at least he gave the truly talented candidates a chance to make a comeback.

“Yes, President.”

When the eighteen examiners heard Qian Xili’s speech, they nodded in one after another. As for how much they could listen, only God knew.

"Mr. Qian said so much. My colleagues will work hard on the last day and prepare to discuss filling out the list."

Ma Yu next to him echoed without any pain and then called the examiner to start work.

Compared with the old and pedantic words like Qian Xili, Ma Yu's words are obviously more popular.

After all, the ten days of marking the papers can be said to be all night long, and many people's mental and physical strength have reached a critical value, so they have no time to listen to you here to talk about the big truth.

According to the ranking process, it starts from the sixth place. Since the examiner has the right to make a decision and the ranking is not important in the lower ranking, there is not much room for controversy.

Unless the answer sheets from which room are particularly optimistic about the examiner and thinks that this candidate has the strength to compete for the Five Classics, he will come out to apply for re-reading.

Generally, when this happens, the examiner will basically not forcefully decide to make a one-man show, but will convene all the examiners to discuss and then decide whether to include them in the list of the Five Classics.

"The recommendation volume of the Three Rooms of the "Yi" is ranked sixth in the Yichou Clinic Examination."

Qian Xili filled out the list and read out which room recommendation article was recommended by him and which one was ranked.

When I heard the examiner of the third room of the "Yi" who was ranked in this ranking, a look of annoyance appeared on my face. As long as I step closer, I can become the answer sheet of the Five Classics. This is just one step away!

"The first room recommendation volume of "Spring and Autumn" is ranked seventh in the Yichou Clinic Examination."

Compared with the examiner in the third room of the Book of Changes, the examiner in the first room of the Book of Changes was much more calm, and he was very satisfied with his current ranking.

"The second room recommendation volume of "The Book of Rites" is ranked eighth in the Yichou Clinic Examination."

"The book of the fourth room recommended, ranked ninth in the Yichou exam."

...

Listening to the rankings going backwards, Lai Rong felt a little restless, and his dissatisfaction and anxiety were mixed in his heart.

He is very sure of the value of the answer sheet he highly recommends. Even if there is no first in literature or second in martial arts, everyone has different preferences for the style of the article, and they will never be ranked outside the top ten.

Lai Rong could not be a "silly and sweet" person who could serve as a test examiner. He just never expected that the pool water of Yichou Department would be so deep, and he forced such a talented scholar to outs the top ten positions.

"The first room of the poem "Shi" is ranked 12th in the Yichou Examination."

"The second room of the Book of Books is recommended, ranked thirteenth in the Yichou Clinic examination."

When Lai Rong finally heard the ranking of his recommended articles, he couldn't sit still. He stood up and bowed and said, "Sir, this answer is thorough, clear and wise, and has explained the way of Confucius and Mencius in depth. I hope to take the advice of one or two!"

Although Lai Rong did not express the word "re-reading", his meaning was already very clear, that is, the candidate's writing skills were definitely more than 13th!

Seeing Lai Rong coming out to ask for a review again, Qian Xili had a playful smile on his face.

Because all the rankings so far are not based on his standards, but are filled in one by one according to the order of the answer sheets on the table.

How many tricks are there in this? How can Qian Xili not know?

But he also knew in his heart that he was single and weak in this test. It was impossible to ensure that all candidates were fair and just. He could only do his best to make the Five Classics answers to the answers.

"Since Lord Lai praised it so much, how about all my colleagues appreciate it together?"

After saying that, Qian Xili focused his attention on Ma Yu intentionally or unintentionally, and it was obvious that he was the leader behind the ranking of the exam.

"It's so good, according to Lord Qian."

A minister like Ma Yu is naturally an old fox. He immediately agreed to read it again without saying a word, which makes people unable to find any mistakes.

Soon, Shen Yichen's first answer sheet was selected and spread out on the table alone. Twenty examiners present surrounded him, wanting to see how strong the candidates who were willing to offend Shangguan and even the forces behind him were at the risk of re-reading.

As soon as he looked at it, the examiner named Fang Dou of the Book of Books remembered that this was the answer sheet that Lai Rong shouted for "Gao Recommendation" in the night before?

At that time, the quality of the articles of this candidate received unanimous praise from the examiners in the room. In particular, the Five Classics questions were ridiculously strong. Even after six or seven days, I have read almost thousands of test papers, but I still remember them freshly.

Such a talented answer sheet is only ranked 13th?

"This answer sheet is impressive, and it is indeed outstanding in writing and talented."

"I also remember that after reading that night, I felt that the answer sheets of other test students were more than one level higher than those of the other test students."

"Sir, the senior official agrees with what Mr. Lai said!"

Just a glance, the several examiners who had corrected Chen Yichen's answers that night all stood up and supported Lai Rong with a clear stand.

After all, the candidate's answer sheet was too outstanding. If he didn't stand up and say his conscience today, it would be a violation of the oath made to Confucius at the opening ceremony of the Examination!

Facing the fact that all the examiners stood up to support him, Ma Yu's face changed slightly, but soon returned to normal, and even said with a faint smile: "Since all colleagues think that this answer sheet is halal and elegant, then I will put it aside for the time being and decide the title of the sutra together with the first five answer sheets."

"Mr. Qian, what do you think?"

Ma Yu also solicited some opinions from Qian Xili, and he had done his best on the surface.

"Just as Lord Ma said."

When Lai Rong heard the test paper he recommended and had the opportunity to enter the top five to compete for the top five, he couldn't help but clench his fists to vent his inner excitement.

Up to this moment, his struggle for Chen Yichen's answer was no longer just for the benefits brought by a higher ranking, but more about a kind of struggle.

Prove that your vision is correct, prove that Chen Yichen's article is absolutely crushing, and prove that candidates with such talent should not be buried by external factors!

After the episode of Chen Yichen's answer sheet passed, the ranking of the list continued. However, Lai Rong started and soon another examiner came forward to apply for a review.

However, this time, it was not recognized by most examiners, and the examiner who applied for re-reading had to sit down in disappointment.

Soon there were only six answer sheets left on the table by the Five Classics. Next, we entered the real hot stage of the Yichou exam, deciding who could become the highly anticipated leader of the Huiyuan.

"Dear colleagues, we are in the ranking stage of the Five Classics Kui and Huiyuan. I hope you can speak freely and discuss the outstanding answers."

Qian Xili said this without any emphasis, the examiners who have the chance to be shortlisted for the final selection will not be polite.

If you bring a Huiyuan in your hand, the benefits of the teacher-student friendship will be immeasurable. After all, the examiners are not as powerful as the examiners. Most of them are small civil servants around the seventh rank, and they are more interested in hugging their thighs in the opposite direction.

At this time, a fellow examiner named Gu Tao stood up and recommended himself: "The official believes that the answer sheet he recommended can be regarded as the first year of the year."

“What’s the reason.”

Qian Xili asked back.

"This article is clear and vocabulary, and is kind and friendly, and has achieved the ability to express your feelings directly through writing. It is also a charismatic."

Before Qian Xili could give the evaluation, another examiner immediately stood up and said, "The lower official has different opinions, I think..."

If the previous six to eighteen were fighting secretly, then the competition for Huiyuan would be like an open fight, and several examiners quickly quarreled with each other!

Regarding this scene, Ma Yu only had a faint smile on his face, making them quarrel as if they were watching a show.

The reason is very simple, that is, except for Chen Yichen's answer sheet, which can be regarded as an anomaly, the other five rankings have been decided long ago!

Huiyuan is similar to the provincial examination, and there are many different places. However, the biggest difference between examiners is not the number of people, but all examiners are selected from Beijing officials!

In order to prevent the examiners from protecting each other by local officials, the provincial examination will send academic and political officials to serve as chief examiners, which will play a role in supervising and checking and balancing each other.

All the people in the imperial examination are their own people, and there are many senior officials in the capital, and the interests of all factions are intertwined, so the fairness of the ranking cannot be guaranteed.

Even the name of a missed person seems to be useless to many examiners.

The ranking of the Five Classics is actually the result of compromise between the forces of all parties.

Ma Yu's son Ma Zheng was placed in fifth place. This is not because he has no way to win a higher ranking, but for the exam, he either wins the metropolitan area, otherwise there is no big difference between two, three, four, and five.

Considering his identity and avoidance of suspicion in "My Chief Examiner's Father", Ma Yu put his son in fifth place, which is a relatively suitable ranking in all aspects.

Sun Shaozong, the son of Huichang Bo, was placed in the fourth place. As the uncle of the Emperor's infrared relative, the Five Classics Kui naturally had a place.

But for Sun Shaozong, Ma Yu was unwilling to be the leader of the Five Classics from the bottom of his heart because his knowledge was too poor. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to even win the Jinshi, so he was also worthy of being selected as the leader of the Five Classics?

However, this is true in the officialdom. If you want to favor personal gain for your son, you will have to use some of your interests to exchange them. Otherwise, you will be impeached the next day after the report is released.

Another scholar named Yang Hongze was named in the first three. Ma Yu had not had time to find out what his identity was, but the background was quite large.

He was elected by Hu Yi, the Minister of Rites, and the famous sayings must be guaranteed to be ranked in the top three. Compared with a fool like Sun Shaozong, Ma Yu agreed with Yang Hongze's answer after reading it. Even if this son did not go to the back door for personal gain, he still had the ability to win the Five Classics.
To be continued...