The two of them said they were close, so they switched their carts and sat together.
The first group of rice-carrying Taiping trucks passed the inspection, so the guards still inspected the trucks. When it was Ye Qing and Fu Chengshan's turn, they were immediately released after showing their license plates.
Passing through the two city gates, you can see the barbican between the gates, which is a long straight street with a width of a hundred paces. There are new taverns and old teahouses. High and low eaves overlap each other. There are dense pedestrians and shops.
The windows and doors are open to welcome customers, and the densely packed stalls sell all kinds of groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables.
The rarest thing is that there are old trees everywhere, either growing on the side of the road, in the courtyard, or on the street corner.
The two women looked at each other and were both surprised: "It feels warm now."
Ye Qing smiled, this is actually a large formation covering the entire imperial capital. The white marble city wall stretching for hundreds of miles is the ritual, the imperial city is the core, and the spiritual veins of the Three Rocks and Seven Springs under the Thousand Miles of Mountains are the source.
"Adjusting winter to spring and summer to autumn" is a bit exaggerated, but it is not difficult to adjust it up or down by about five degrees, especially in the north of the city where the imperial palace, government offices, and Taoist workshops are concentrated.
Most Taoist products have strict environmental requirements. Millions of people outside the imperial capital are engaged in large-scale industry and commerce. They are still in the realm of the human world. The north of the city is already a blessed place on earth.
"This capital city is essentially the world's largest man-made blessed place. How else would it be known as the place that connects Jiuxiao? Legend has it that there is a way to heaven at the spiritual eye of the underground molten veins and water vein formations, but no one has seen it." Ye Qing.
He introduced with a smile: "This is not something that happens in one generation. It took three dynasties of repairs and hundreds of millions of dollars to be completed before it was completed. I think the person who is qualified to see it must be an important minister of the country..."
I thought to myself that in the first century of the earth, there were no such exaggerated projects. This is the privilege of the world where Taoism manifests itself.
"It's too much." Fu Chengshan said coldly without smiling at this time.
Seeing Ye Qing startled, he continued: "I said this is too much. It is said that this project cost 30 billion taels of silver. Even though it was shared over a thousand years, this is not a small number. Even the reduction of the country in the previous two dynasties was a huge amount.
There is this reason - Emperor Deqing of the previous dynasty was about to subjugate the country and was still repairing it. I really don’t know the reason. Could it be that for the sake of enjoyment, the country and the people’s livelihood were ignored?”
"Although the imperial capital is prosperous, the states and counties are different. The population is multiplying, the land is being annexed, the rent is too heavy, the government is corrupt, the rent is resisting, and there are even sporadic killings of officials and rebellions - there is more and more hostility in this society.
"Having said this, Fu Chengshan took a deep breath and said, "If the Bai Yujing project had not been completed, I, as a successor, would resolutely write to the imperial court to cancel this project, so as to avoid ruining the country."
Ye Qing was startled. He didn't expect that Fu Chengshan was still an angry young man at this time. He was still angry when he saw him. He breathed out roughly, pondered for a moment, and then said: "There is no way to annex land. Even if there is no land, there is still annexation of assets."
…”
Seeing Fu Chengshan's gaze, Ye Qing ignored it. He remembered the events of his previous life and had some thoughts in his mind. He said slowly: "As for this project, enjoyment is a trivial matter, or it may have deep meaning."
Seeing that Fu Chengshan didn't seem to believe it, Ye Qing coughed lightly and said: "Think about it, this big project has been passed down for thousands of years and has gone through three dynasties. It has so many important ministers, so many people with lofty ideals, and so many heroes. What you can see, they can't see."
?Why are there only voices from the people and no dissenting voices from the court?”
"Besides, in the past three dynasties, there have been thirty-seven generations of emperors, some virtuous and some foolish, but why didn't anyone raise any objections? Isn't it all just for enjoyment?" Ye Qing said this with a smile, then put away his smile and sighed: "
The water here is deep, so you shouldn’t move lightly, lest you get inexplicably convicted. Besides, even if you want to submit a memorial, you have to make sure it is clear from beginning to end. It is not the behavior of a minister to make a confused memorial..."
Having said this, Ye Qing smiled slyly and said no more, but felt a chill in his heart. If what he had guessed was correct, then the Tao Lord had already anticipated the catastrophe thousands of years ago and made all kinds of preparations.
As I said, the water is really too deep.
Fu Chengshan listened and was stunned for a long time, sighing in his heart: "I won the national examination at the age of sixteen, and now I am only seventeen, so mature. How can Ye Qing be so thoughtful?"
Seeing that Ye Qing looked both sad and happy, he asked, "What are you still thinking about?"
Ye Qing waved his hand and said: "It's okay. Look, it's going to rain. I don't know if I can make it to the Ministry of Rites."
The sky was overcast, covering the imperial capital, looking dark and gloomy. The coachman also saw it and drove forward quickly. However, although the road in the south of the city was wide, there were too many pedestrians and it was still too crowded. To prevent accidents at all times, the coachman carefully drove the carriage among the cattle and horses.
Walking through the gaps in the crowd, everyone stopped talking.
When we reached the north of the city, the flow of people became sparse, and finally they stopped across a street. The coachman apologized and said, "Sir, we can't go any further."
Ye Qing left Jiang Zinan still sitting in the car and walked over with Fu Chengshan. As soon as they walked over, they heard the sound of rain coming, making a lot of noise.
It was just that the eaves here were wide and it was rare for rain to hit him, but Ye Qing knew the road. Not long after he walked on, the three-layered gate with cornices and brackets appeared in front of him.
The Seventh Department of the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Palace are located in the imperial city. Ye Qing did not dare to peek at the dragon veins of the imperial city at this time. It would be very easy for him to encounter a counterattack from the dragon energy. However, as an official, there was no problem in looking at the center of the country.
At this time, you can see in the eyes of the sky that billowing golden qi is coming together, and the qi is turning into a rich blue-purple color. Although it is not as good as when it is at its peak, it still has a strong gas phase.
The vermilion door was open, and a row of soldiers stood solemnly with their swords in hand. Their eyes were calm and not squinting. Ye Qing was shocked when he saw it. He didn't realize it when his cultivation was low in his previous life, but now he saw the same feeling.
Each of these front-level warriors has peak martial arts strength. If you put them in the arena, they may not be as good as the first-class masters. But if more than ten people fight in a battle formation, the so-called first-class masters will only be completely tortured. This does not count as Taoism.
.
"Exam candidates should show their gold medals and wait in line." At this time, an eighth-grade civil servant shouted in a low voice and guided the candidates to a side hall. At this time, there were already some candidates waiting in front, and everyone bowed and obeyed the order.
They walked towards the hall step by step. Ye Qing and Fu Chengshan also followed in at this time, not daring to say anything.
The civil servants in the Ministry of Personnel are all wearing scarlet robes, showing that they are all eighth-rank officials. Eight-rank officials are only low-level officials in the capital, but they still have a sense of superiority from the central department, and their attitude towards foreign officials like Ye Qing is indifferent. However,
The processing speed is not slow.
After a while, I entered the hall. As soon as I entered, I felt warm. There were calligraphy and paintings hanging inside. A seventh-grade official was sorting documents in front of the case. There was a golden rooster on the case. This is a supervisory instrument. It has different effects according to the grade.
, but the appearance is basically the same.
Several eighth- and ninth-grade officials around were checking the documents carefully and affixing small signatures one after another.
"It's such a great experience." At this moment, even Ye Qing cursed secretly. After entering this place, not only was there no cold at all, but with the warm breeze, it was still a little hot. This was equivalent to the central air conditioner on earth.
A group of people stood in front of the copywriter. Some of them looked around blankly, as if they were fools going to town. But soon, it was Ye Qing's turn.
At this time, Ye Qing handed over the household registration and deed file. The seventh-grade civil servant flipped through it, raised his head, and said in surprise: "Jie Yuan, sixteen years old?"
"I am a student, but I am seventeen years old this year." Ye Qing bowed his head in ceremony, and handed over a letter of recommendation from the state government, a gold medal, and a gold seal.
The golden rooster instrument on the copywriting clicked on the seal with a "snap" sound, revealing Ye Qing's appearance. At the same time, there was a faint fluctuation, which was the spirit checking the aura.
After a moment, nothing happened. The golden rooster raised his head to prove his identity. The seventh-grade civil servant felt a little emotional and seemed very easy-going. He looked at Ye Qing and said: "You are a fifteen-year-old middle school student, a seventeen-year-old scholar and a scholar, you are really talented."
Be energetic and work hard together.”
"But with such talent, why not give birth to a child at the age of twelve?"
"Thanks to your auspicious words, there is a boy who was born at the age of twelve, and that is Brother Fu." Ye Qing didn't know whether the words of these seven civil servants were praise or criticism, but it didn't matter, he just responded.
Besides, how could I have won the childbirth at the age of twelve?
The people who held the exam later were a little impatient, but when they heard that the young man in front of him won the exam at the age of sixteen, it was not due to his tender face or Taoism, he couldn't help but be startled.
The seventh-grade officer looked at Fu Chengshan again and said: "Another prodigy, after all, only human beings are alike."
After laughing again, he took out a document from the case, added it one by one, and said: "February 18th is the imperial examination, you have to remember it well."
"Also, you don't have an inn yet. The imperial capital is a mixed bag. It's best for newcomers like you to go to a few inns designated by the imperial court. The cooks, courtyards, and manpower are all clean, and there are armored soldiers to protect you. You will definitely have no worries.
, if something happens outside and delays the exam, you are asking for it."
This was considered an advice. Although Ye Qing knew it, he still listened patiently to what he said and responded: "Yes, thank you for the advice, sir. I will be very grateful."
At this time, all the formalities are completed and a jade token is obtained.
This jade token has a dragon pattern and a kind of fluctuation. Ye Qing knows that with this jade token, many places in the imperial capital can be entered and exited during the examination period.
The patrolling guards and gods will also pay special attention to safety.
After taking it, he left the official office. After waiting for a few minutes, Fu Chengshan came out, holding the jade token: "This is the third time I have gotten this jade token. If I don't win again this time, I will be really embarrassed."
Ye Qing smiled and said: "Brother Fu is so talented, how can he keep failing the list? By the way, where does Brother Fu live?"
"It's a designated tribute shop, so it's safe."
"Let's go together."
After leaving the door, he walked along the eaves, but he didn't get caught in the rain. When he got outside, he saw a car parked at the intersection. The driver and his family were also taking shelter from the rain. So Ye Qing held up the jade plaque in his hand and waved it. Jiang Zinan and
Zhou Ling's eyes suddenly lit up: "Is this the imperial examination jade medal?"
As he spoke, everyone came up to look at it and couldn't put it down. Fu Chengshan was a little sarcastic, but this is how a young man behaves, and he was really too old just now.
After a while, Zhou Ling asked, "Sir, do you want to find an inn?"
"No, the imperial court has an inn specially designed to accommodate candidates who come to Beijing. It's in an auspicious place not far away, and the accommodation is free..."
"Is it so good?" Influenced by their son's behavior, they don't believe there is a free lunch in the world.
"You will know the reason when you see me..." After Ye Qing finished speaking, he waved his hand: "Brother Fu, please"