Chapter 1,159: The head of the government examination case, Jiang Lis thoughts
The eighth day of April.
The Chang'an Mansion Examination begins.
Ugly moments.
Xiren, Qingwen and several maids had already gotten up and began to help check pens, inks, paper, inkstones and other items in an orderly manner.
Yin hour two quarters.
It was still very dark.
However, Su Mingzhe and Li Gui had already arrived in front of the Confucian Temple.
"Second Master, there are so many people in front of us!"
Li Gui looked at the long queues and was dumbfounded for a moment. With such a long queue, how long will his second master wait in line?
Although Su Mingzhe was surprised, he had no other emotions. He just sighed:
"It's really 'If you don't leave early, there will be more early travelers!'"
The Kaozi next to him heard this, his eyes lit up, and he asked:
"Brother, I'd like to invite you. May I ask where the phrase 'Mo Daojun leaves early, and those who leave early' comes from?"
Su Mingzhe bowed politely and replied:
"This sentence comes from the Song Dynasty's "Jingde Chuan Leng Lu"!"
Although the publishing industry was developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, most scholars could only read the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as books related to the Eight-part Writing System for Scholars.
Ordinary families simply cannot afford such widely circulated "extracurricular books" as "The Legend of Jingde".
With people to talk to, queuing will not be so boring.
Half an hour later.
Su Mingzhe finally passed the body search and stood in front of the official hall with thousands of candidates.
The Yin hour has passed and the dragon gate is closed.
Candidates who are late will not be able to come in again.
Under the leadership of Chang'an Governor Jiang Li, nearly four thousand candidates lined up and began to worship the saints in the Confucian Temple.
After the worship, number plates began to be issued.
Like the previous county examination, Su Mingzhe's number plate was in a good location, close to the government office and far away from the toilets.
The sky is getting slightly brighter and the sun is rising.
The examiners began to hand out test papers.
Like the county examination, in order to encourage students to study, Daqing's government examination papers are also divided into two types: adult and minor.
Su Mingzhe was only thirteen years old, so he naturally answered the test paper for a minor.
The juvenile test paper is much easier than the adult test paper.
Before noon, Su Mingzhe had already answered.
Check, copy, and the process is complete.
The time has come to the end of noon.
Su Mingzhe confirmed that it was correct and raised his hand to hand in the paper.
At this time, it is already too late.
Those candidates who are quick-thinking have already gone out in several batches.
As the examiner of the government examination, Jiang Li saw Su Mingzhe hand in the paper and accepted it with a blank expression, as if the two did not know each other and had never met.
As a candidate, Su Mingzhe had to bow respectfully before turning around and waiting to leave at the dragon gate.
After Su Mingzhe left, several invigilators who were standing far away came over.
Several people, including Jiang Li, looked at Su Mingzhe's test paper and couldn't help but admire:
"I heard that this second young master is a drunkard and a lustful person. It seems to be all rumors! If he is really a drunkard and a lustful person, how could he write such a beautiful Taige style!"
"This article is also well written, as well as this poem about praising plum blossoms."
“‘Young ladies don’t fight for spring, they only repay spring when it comes!’ Just this sentence can be rated as first-class!”
"It's a pity that such a talented person turns out to be a noble son!"
Several people were talking about it, but they all looked at the examiner, Jiang Li.
When Su Mingzhe participated in the county examination, the county magistrate made him lose the title of the case in order to avoid suspicion. It was not uncommon in Chang'an City.
These examiners looked at Jiang Li, wanting to know whether this confidant of Emperor Longqing wanted to imitate the Chang'an County Magistrate and continue to avoid suspicion.
Under the gaze of everyone, Jiang Li picked up Su Mingzhe's test paper, looked at it again and again, suddenly took a deep breath, drew a circle on the test paper, and said loudly:
"If nothing else happens, this document will be the head of the case!"
Seeing this, several other people also dipped their hands in ink and drew a circle on the place they thought was worth mentioning.
After a while, seven or eight circles were drawn on the entire paper.
Not even three moments later.
Su Mingzhe returned to Rongguo Mansion and learned that Jia Zheng was waiting for him in Rongxi Hall, so he had to come to see his father first.
As before, Jia Zheng asked his son to write down the test questions and answers silently.
There was no Jia Yucun to help check this time.
Jia Zheng and the four Qing guests read it again. They felt that Su Mingzhe had answered it well, but they were not sure about the details.
However, the last poem about plum blossoms really surprised a few people.
Zhan Guang was the first to congratulate:
"Old man, just by virtue of this song about plum blossoms, the second young master's talent is stable!"
"What Brother Zhan said is true!"
Seeing that several people kept commenting on Taizu's "Yong Mei", Su Mingzhe quietly left the Rongxi Hall.
Plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum are the four gentlemen among flowers.
Among them, poems about plum blossoms are the most common.
After Su Mingzhe went to the examination room, after thinking about it, he still felt that Taizu's poem about plum blossoms was the most suitable for his own thoughts, so he copied it immediately.
I believe that with this song "Yong Mei", I can still pass the exam even if I don't get the title!
Unless this time Jiang Li, the governor of Chang'an, wants to avoid suspicion and deliberately belittle himself like the magistrate of Chang'an.
After Su Mingzhe returned to his residence, the maids did not dare to disturb him, leaving only the pretty Qingwen to sleep with him for a while.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the third day, the results of the first round of the government examination were released.
Su Mingzhe ranked first in high school. When the news came back to Rongguo Mansion, Jia's mother happily took out her personal money and directly rewarded the whole family with two ounces of money each.
Everyone from Su Mingzhe Academy, high or low, inside or outside, was rewarded with five taels of silver.
After Ningguo Mansion learned the news, Jia Zhen, Jia Rong, Youshi, and Qin Keqing also came to express their congratulations.
Then the re-examination for the provincial examination will begin the next day.
The questions in the re-examination were roughly the same as those in the first exam, except that the last poem was changed to chanting the lotus.
Su Mingzhe did not continue to show off, but just casually sang a song.
So, I'll give it a try.
Su Mingzhe got the head of the government examination case and made a splash at the Luming Banquet.
Not to mention how the Rongning and Ningfus celebrated.
When Jiang Li reported the results of the imperial examination, someone from the palace immediately called him to the palace to see him.
Or the Daming Palace.
This time the place where Emperor Longqing summoned him was changed to the Imperial Study Room.
After Jiang Li arrived at the imperial study, he knelt at the door and waited for half an hour. Then Xia Shouzhong walked out expressionlessly and preached:
"Lord Jiang, Your Majesty wishes you to have an audience. Please come!"
"Thank you, father-in-law!"
Jiang Li stood up carefully, endured the pain in his knees, and entered the royal study.
Emperor Longqing did not hide his pettiness at all. He poked Jiang Li's lung tube and asked:
"Jiang Li, did you accept a bribe from the Rongguo Mansion? The Chang'an County Magistrate did not dare to give Jia Ying the head of the case. Your head is bigger than his, right?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down and I will admit my guilt! However, Your Majesty, please take a look at Jia Ying's examination paper!"
As a confidant of Emperor Longqing, how could Jiang Li not know that the Second Mansion of Rongning had offended Emperor Longqing a long time ago.
As long as the Supreme Emperor dies, Emperor Longqing will settle the scores and cause trouble for the four princes and eight princes.
And he actually gave Su Mingzhe a case report during the government examination. In the eyes of Emperor Longqing, this was Chi's betrayal.
Emperor Longqing didn't have many elite soldiers and generals, so Jiang Li was considered a close confidant of his. The purpose of calling him into the palace this time was to give him a chance to defend himself.
Jiang Li had already expected that he would bring Su Mingzhe's test paper with him when he entered the palace.
Xia Shouzhong quickly took it and presented it to the imperial case.
Although Emperor Longqing punished Jiang Li and knelt down for half an hour, he still looked angry. In fact, this was a settlement of accounts, and most of his anger had disappeared.
When he started reading Su Mingzhe's test papers, his anger dissipated a lot again:
"This Jia Ying is really good at handwriting!"
“The article is also well written!”
"As soon as this song was published... I'm afraid it will be difficult to surpass it within a hundred years!"
After reading the test paper, Emperor Longqing was silent for a moment, then looked at Jiang Li and asked:
"Jiang Li, did you choose him as the head of the case because you cherished his talents?"
"Although I cherish my talents, I dare not disobey the holy will!"
Jiang Li heard that Emperor Longqing was no longer that angry, but he did not dare to relax his vigilance, but continued to explain:
Emperor Longqing was reminded and looked at it again:
"The journey of the great road is also about the world being one for the common good, selecting the worthy and capable, adhering to trustworthiness and cultivating harmony..."
"Select the talented and capable, be trustworthy and cultivate harmony!"
After Emperor Longqing thought about it for a few times, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Although Jia Ying comes from a distinguished family, she also has a bit of public spirit. You, the head of the case, have done a good job."
"It's just that it's hard to tell whether he said this to prepare for the imperial examination or whether he meant it sincerely!"
Seeing that Emperor Longqing no longer pursued him, Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief and reminded him with a smile:
"Your Majesty, whether he is sincere or fake, he is the one who wrote this test paper anyway. He is 'making a cocoon of himself'!"
When Emperor Longqing heard this, he couldn't help but clapped his hands and laughed.
With Jiang Li, I really have a lot of peace of mind!