It was originally a big day, and all the servants and bookboys were watching, but Zhou Hongli had the habit of being lazy in bed. After washing up and eating something, then... he became anxious.
"Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou..."
Fortunately, he lived near Wenyuan, and the road was not far away. As he was walking slowly and hurriedly, when he saw he had reached the place, someone called him from behind.
Zhou Hongli stopped and looked back, seeing a bamboo carriage approaching, followed by several servants.
Zhou Hongli raised his head, took a look, and held his hands in greeting, "Who do you think you are? It turns out to be Brother Liu. Why did you come so late?"
As I was talking, I was thinking to myself, there are so many people named Liu.
He had attended many cultural gatherings in Jiangling these days and met a lot of people named Liu, all of whom were of Han Dynasty Miao origin, but he was not very surprised.
There are many people with the surname Liu in Jiangzuo, and most of them are actually descendants of the Southern Barbarians. Only a few are descendants of the Han Dynasty, and most of them are from Jiangzuo when they traveled south.
This Brother Liu was a friend Zhou Hongli met at a cultural gathering. His name was Ya, his surname was Qiyuan, he was a native of Jiangling, and came from a family of officials. In the past two years, someone had gone to Chang'an to become an official, and he was much richer than the Zhou family in Zhijiang.
Liu Ya asked people to stop and jumped off the bamboo pole neatly.
Bamboo carriage is a unique travel tool in the south of the Yangtze River. The southerners are different from the northerners. No matter how far or near the wealthy people in the northerners are, they usually ride horses or carriages. Very few people ride in sedan chairs. If you dare to travel in a sedan chair, others will laugh at you.
Being so weak may even despise your character.
If people are treated as animals and driven to interact with each other, their moral character will naturally be very low and they are not worthy of respect and interaction.
This is the result of Hu Feng's spread to the south, and it is also one of the symbols of the toughness of the northerners.
The situation in the south is different. Because of the lack of horses and the limited environment, southerners usually travel by boat when traveling far away. When traveling on land, they take horse-drawn carriages. If they are closer, they will ride on bamboo carriages, and they will not easily ride in sedan chairs.
………………
After his feet landed on the ground, Liu Ya cupped his hands and said with a smile: "I'm not as far away as Brother Zhou. If I hurry up and hurry up, I'll be late."
Both of them were very generous, and they smiled tacitly at this moment, and then walked together.
………………
The Wen Yuan was located near the Imperial Palace. Today's Jiangling Imperial Palace is actually where Xiao Mian's palace was when he was there, and the Wen Yuan was the original Guozixue.
As they walked in a hurry, they soon saw the wall of the literary college.
Liu Ya's pace slowed down a bit at this moment, "The Governor is really... so courageous that he actually turned this place into a liberal arts academy."
Zhou Hongli was not from Jiangling, so he didn't express much emotion and said casually: "I heard that Brother Liu studied here?"
Liu Ya nodded silently, thinking that he had not only studied here. If Emperor Xiao hadn't died and the country was destroyed, he would have already become an official, so why would he need to take part in the imperial examination?
The people who were educated by Guozi were respected in the county even if they were exposed to outsiders. If they were good enough, they could become high-ranking officials in the county. There were also many people who immediately became officials in the court. It all depended on personal planning. Of course, it also depends on the family.
strength.
Liu Ya sighed in his heart. He didn't know whether Zhou Hongli really didn't know what Guozixue meant or if he just said it unintentionally. He quickened his pace again and rushed to the main entrance of the Academy, saying, "Things are different and people are different."
, I don’t know what the inside has been changed into.”
………………
Soon they arrived at the main entrance.
It's not as lively as they thought.
There were quite a lot of people, and there were some servants and parked carriages and horses surrounding them in the distance. There were also some awnings built where people could sit and have a rest.
There are people everywhere, but the noise is not loud, because there are soldiers guarding all parts of the Academy, and those who make any noise will be expelled.
Li Jing attached great importance to the first imperial examination to select talents. Not only did he mobilize troops, but he also carried out strict inspections. Naturally, these measures were notified to the scholars who came to take the examination in advance to avoid confusion.
Of course, this was still the first time, so there was a lot of randomness. For example, Li Jing gathered all the scholars from all the counties in Hubei North Province to Jiangling for reference.
The main reason is that I am worried about the corruption of officials in various counties. If I put it under my nose, although I have greater responsibilities, I can control it.
Secondly, they took into account the lessons learned from the Sui Dynasty and worried that the number of scholars in each county would be too small and the scene would be too ugly. If all the counties were gathered in one place, they would no longer have to worry about this problem.
……………………
Zhou Hongli and Liu Ya looked at it for a moment, then took the book bag from the servant and stepped forward to let the officials guarding outside inspect it.
The person in charge of the search was very rude. Not only did he empty out all the items in the book bag, but he also searched the two people from top to bottom, leaving the two aristocrats in a very embarrassed state.
They were indeed late. There were thousands of people attending the big exam, but they were the last two to arrive. After a while, the door to the liberal arts college was closed, and they couldn't even get in.
The officials guarding the door were from the Governor's Mansion. As they watched the two of them hurried in, one of them seemed to have trouble using his legs and feet. When he entered, he stumbled and knelt down, making them all laugh like pigs.
"Brother Wu, in terms of physical disability, did we miss something in the test?"
Another cheerful answer was, "It's not too late to pay my respects now."
“There are gods three feet above my head, but I don’t know which one to worship.”
A few unscrupulous guys basically completed the task, and most of the people on the list were present. However, there were a few unlucky ones who were either injured or sick and could not come for reference. They also sent people to inform the others.
Everyone has arrived, and Zhou Hongli is the last two.
There was no trouble, and no one made any noise with them because they were late and couldn't get in. Feeling relaxed, several guys laughed so hard that they burst into tears.
Zhou Hongli fell down in front of the door. He fell hard and was dragged up by Liu Ya. He was sweeping the floor gracefully. Hearing the laughter from behind, his face turned even red. He was supported by Liu Ya.
He limped and entered the main entrance dejectedly.
………………
Once inside, the two of them looked up and their eyes were a little dizzy.
Even if Liu Ya studied here, he would not recognize the place where he lived for two years.
It's not just modifications, it's almost reconstruction. The houses are so densely packed one after another that if no one is there to guide you, you will have to get lost if you go in.
The original Guozixue was not like this. The trees were lush, the houses were well-proportioned, and there were several ponds. The scenery was very good.
But now it has become extremely ugly, like a damn prison, with a spooky and ghostly atmosphere.
The two of them were holding signed wooden signs. Someone immediately came over to look at the wooden signs and led them to their own examination rooms.
The scientific examination is not just one day, but three days. During these three days, they are not allowed to leave the examination room. They have to eat, drink and have sex here. They are definitely not friendly to others.
From the moment the scientific examination was born, there was actually only one goal, which was to break the nobility's monopoly on official positions and bring some fresh blood into the officialdom.
It's just that there is no hope for this goal now. Those who participate in the imperial examination are still children of the family. How can the political pattern formed over hundreds of years be broken so easily?
………………
The main hall of the Governor's Mansion.
Li Jing was sitting on the couch, handling official duties while people came to report one after another. The Academy of Literature had been closed, and no one came late.
Li Jing nodded from time to time, and occasionally gave a few instructions to send people away.
He has been preparing for the resumption of the imperial examination for more than a year, and has been exchanging letters with Chang'an. Whether it is the overall situation or the details, he has accurately grasped it, so in the end he looked so calm and relaxed.
Feeling at ease.
Nowadays, his focus is no longer on the imperial examination. The emperor visited the north and formed an alliance with the Turkic Khan, leaving the queen to supervise the country in Chang'an.
The alliance with the Turks was a major event of the day. He closed his eyes again and imagined it, but he could only sigh secretly. It was a pity that he could not participate in such a grand event.
Furthermore, I was worried that my daughter would not be able to suppress the ministers in Chang'an, and she would do something wrong... It was just that the father-in-law was too far away to help his daughter.
Fortunately, her daughter has given birth to two children, and her position as queen has become more stable. As long as she doesn't make a big mistake, no one can do anything to her.
……………………
Li Jing squinted his eyes slightly and took a rest for a while. He was no longer young. He was now nearly sixty years old and had been in charge of Jiangzuo for several years. His political achievements were outstanding and he showed signs of becoming a general and becoming a prime minister.
He has been stumbling all his life, and he only became successful when he was old. He can be called a late bloomer.
Li Jing himself definitely refuses to accept old age. He is physically strong, has a sharp mind, and is full of energy.
He contracted a cold last year. When a famous doctor from Jiangzuo treated him, he said that he had the appearance of a long life and that he was lucky to have minor ailments occasionally. If the heart-fire qi was released, serious illness could be cured.
Li Jing was not very convinced, but he was somewhat proud of it. He, Li Jing, was still usable, and for the time being he did not have to worry about getting old or sick and wasting time at home.
………………
After taking a short rest, he took out a document from the case and read it.
It was a directory, and he would make sketches on it, sometimes pondering for a while.
This is a bloody list, and the people listed on it are already greeting the Lord of Hell with one hand, and there is no room for him to be careless.
This was still the beginning and end of the imperial examination. For Jiangzuo's imperial examination to be held so smoothly, he had to put in a lot of effort.
After the imperial examination is completed, some people must be dealt with to serve as a warning for the next imperial examination.
Some of them can be killed directly, some have to be reported to the court, and some of them can be exempted from death penalty at their own discretion. This is Li Jing's power.
With just one stroke of the pen in his hand, a life might be lost.
The main crime of these people is to manipulate the imperial examination. It can be said that there are many tricks. The two most serious crimes are the senior officials in Jiangling City. They actually wanted to leak the examination questions. I really don't know how to write the word "death".
After verification, they were all captured by Li Jing.