The imperial examinations are as follows: county boy examination in August, county scholar examination in February of the following year, state examination in August, palace examination in spring and February of the third year.
After this is completed, it will stop for three years and the cycle will start again.
In the county examination in February, the examination room was in the county town. Children from the seven counties in the county went to the county shortly after the New Year. There is a big river in the south of the county, Beibei Mountains in the north, Taiping Lake in the east, plains, mountains and water.
Dividing the world, generally speaking, the south is flat and has prosperous cultivated land and waterways.
Pingshou County is in the northeastern corner of the county, with many mountains and little land. Only tributaries flow into the river, which facilitates the trade of mountain products. The road to the county town is not too far, but there is no advantage of the river. Although there is an official road, it takes two days.
Considering taking a rest, we will set off in ten days.
The tribe sent a recommendation, and considering the impact of the snow, they specially equipped an ox cart, which gave them plenty of time. Ye Qing took Qianqian and set off early in the morning.
When the cold wind blows, the driver shouts and the oxcart starts moving. It is cold in February and there are almost no pedestrians on the road. There are two people sitting in the canopy built on the oxcart. It is not cold, but very warm.
The oxcart drove leisurely, only hearing the sound of hooves on the road. Ye Qing looked back and saw that there were still people looking at the door in the distance, and the entire Ye Mansion had some white air, and there was a faint red light in the core. This is
Red house weather.
The Ye family was considered a large family in the county. At that time, there were three people in the family, and they were somewhat famous in the county. However, they did not produce the same level of Jinshi, and the legacy they left behind has gradually become thinner after two hundred years.
We are already a third-rate family in the county, and we don’t have many connections to manage. This is all we can do...
After understanding this, I realized that Ye Zifan was a talented scholar, but he was willing to run a family. Although his fame was great, the connotation of his family was fundamental.
Ye Qing thought about this and sighed: "The rest is up to me."
"What are you muttering about, Master?"
"It's nothing, girl."
Following this journey, at dusk on the third day, when we entered the county town, there were still eight days left before the spring examination.
At this time, the snow stopped, and the ground was completely white. The city wall stretched for thirty miles. Once you entered the city, you could see that the main street had been cleared of snow and the gravel road had been restored.
The county town has deep streets and alleys, dotted with houses and hundreds of thousands of households.
Looking at it with my spiritual eyes, I saw thousands of smoke curling up from cooking stoves, and my luck was all yellow, with several times the red energy underneath.
This scene in the human world is not inferior to the Dragon Palace.
"Go to the Yamen!" Ye Qing directly ordered. The coachman responded and walked slowly in the cold wind. Half an hour later, he saw the county prefect's Yamen. He saw some scholars queuing up at the side door, and there were armored soldiers guarding the oxcart.
After a pause, he stopped, and the coachman said: "The little man has been sent here. Mr. Qing, hurry up and sign up. Maybe you can get the test license before the official office."
Ye Qing got off the bullock cart, glanced at the yamen, and sighed in his heart, feeling the golden luck constantly flowing out, and the stone lion at the door had a faint aura, which was different from the county yamen.
Qianqian also jumped out of the car, wrapped in a thick coat, and took out a small package from her arms and handed it over.
Ye Qing took the package containing the necessary documents, nodded slightly to the coachman, and looked at Qianqian. Her body was invisible in the thick robe, and her beautiful features were hidden by the hood, so she would not attract attention, but he still ordered her to get to the car.
waiting.
Not letting her go to the inn was a customary safety precaution. Ye Qing would rather go to trouble than throw away this caution.
On this occasion of civil affairs, the government office is as majestic as a prison, suppressing evil spirits invisibly. Even some outstanding scholars can only line up in person. This government office is currently the safest place in the city. In the Ming Dynasty,
Even the prefect is not allowed to act recklessly.
I went over to line up and noticed that the armored soldiers at the door were all wearing hard armor, with cold faces and evil aura, obviously they had been on the battlefield and seen blood.
Ye Qing narrowed his eyes, entered the Yamen, queued up at the registration desk, and within a quarter of an hour it was his turn.
The registration officials are all wearing dark red robes. They are official-level civil servants. Their energy and thinking are of the highest quality, and they handle matters very quickly.
The receptionist was Ye Qing, a thin, middle-aged civil servant who quickly jotted down on paper without raising his head: "Name, place of origin, household registration, child seal, letter of recommendation."
"Ye Qing, surname from Pingshou County, Nancang County, household registration, child seal and letter of recommendation are here." Ye Qing took out the documents and handed them over.
The golden light flashed slightly, and the golden rooster pecked the seal.
The muscles on the middle-aged civil servant's face twitched unnoticeably. When he raised his head, he felt a golden aura lingering in front of him.
"He is a descendant of the Ye clan!" The civil servant said with a calm face and no expression. He just registered the clan's famous family lineage and took a pale gold examination card: "It's still the same old rule. When you enter the examination room in the future, use this card as proof.
, don’t lose any mistakes.”
"Thank you!" Ye Qing took it respectfully and bowed out.
The middle-aged civil servant narrowed his eyes. There were less than ten households in the county with such a golden aura. The Ye family had never heard of it. He couldn't help but think to himself: "Who is coming, and who is favoring him?"
But now is not the time to think, just say: "Next!"
So one person continued, and the idea was temporarily suppressed.
While I was busy, it was dark in the blink of an eye and thousands of houses were lit with lights.
The middle-aged civil servant stayed in the government office and finished proofreading the last file, then took a long breath and put down his pen under the oil lamp.
A young man in casual clothes carrying a lantern came in from the door and laughed: "Master Lan is really hardworking. He is still working hard on the king's affairs at such a late hour."
The middle-aged civil servant Lan Chongwen, the oldest among the examiners this time, is not actually a superior. He is just an acquaintance. He joked and responded with a smile: "It's been snowing these days and things are busy, so this is what I can do."
It’s too late, Mr. Zeng is joking, but this is about the future of the country, how dare we be careless.”
Zeng Lian was slightly solemn when he heard this. He was also one of the examiners. They had similar temperaments. Although they were different in age and had some different ideas, they respected each other.
He just tried to persuade her in a tactful way: "We can't be careless about important matters of state. Mr. Lan, you should also pay attention to your health. Your home is so far away from the Yamen, and it's snowing again today. How can you go back?"
"Let's go to your house now!" Lan Yunchong didn't take it seriously and said, "Just stay overnight."
Zeng Lian was speechless when he heard this, and just smiled: "In that case, it's getting late, so come with me."
Now the two of them walked together, carrying lanterns, and headed home. The Yamen of Zeng Lian's house was not far away. They walked for less than a moment at night and arrived at the door of their home.
At that moment, everyone entered the house. When a young woman saw Zeng Lian coming back, she quickly asked the maid to prepare food. Zeng Lian stopped her and said, "Madam, please prepare some dishes and warm the wine. Lord Lan and I will sit down together."
Lan Chongwen looked ashamed and said, "I'm a drunkard and I'm tired."
"In any case, please don't say that, sir." Mrs. Zeng responded with a smile. This was just polite and she didn't want to seriously participate in their joking.
He turned around and went to the kitchen to warm wine and cook.
Within a moment, a pot of warm wine, meat and vegetable dishes, and a basin of rice were all brought over by her. The steaming heat and aroma made the host and guest move their index fingers.
"In winter, there is a shortage of fresh vegetables and ingredients at home. Use them first. If you don't have enough, tell me and I will ask your maid to buy some." Mrs. Zeng took off her plain white apron, with a slight apology on her pretty face.
Lan Chongwen started to move the chopsticks, but without noticing anyone else, Zeng retreated.
Zeng Lian and Lan Chongwen had been drinking for three times, their eyes were dazzled, and their conversations were much more open-minded. The two had a close friendship, otherwise Zeng Lian would not have invited his wife to meet him at night.
After going back and forth, Lan Chongwen talked about Ye Qing this afternoon and sighed: "This boy came to register with the letter of recommendation from the Pingshou County government below. He is a child student himself. I still vaguely remember this Ye Clan, but I just
We are just a big family in the county, but where does this golden luck come from?"
"Also, although I looked at it in a hurry, I saw that this boy's character is a bit weak. I don't know which noble person appreciated it and blessed him like this..."
"Tongsheng, blessed by golden energy..." Zeng Lian pondered for a moment, concentrated his energy, thought for a moment, and asked: "What's the name?"
Lan Chongwen thought about it for a moment, and the memory emerged clearly from the essay volume: "Ye Qing."
"Yes!" Zeng Lian clapped his hands and said in a long voice, "Who do you know he is?"
"You are very well-informed, but you only tell the truth. Tell me quickly!"
Zeng Lian smiled slightly: "Do you remember the song "Guan Taiping" I sang with you the other day?"
"Of course I remember that the journey of the sun and the moon can only be seen in it; the stars can be shining brightly in it. Fortunately, it is even a song to chant one's aspirations - this poem is so noble!" Lan Chongwen nodded and suddenly woke up: "Is it possible?
Is this the one who overwhelms all the men of the Dragon Palace and takes the lead?"
"What do you think? This person's family is just mediocre. Besides Long Jun, who else in this county is so talented?" Zeng Lian slowly raised his glass and drank, his eyes focused: "This son was born as a child and received this fate.
Blessings, it goes without saying that this scholar is talented. I heard that he is only fifteen years old. This is really..."
In this murmur, Ye Qing's fortune reminded him of himself, and he raised his glass with half interest and drank it all in one gulp.
The figure on the curtain moved slightly, and a female voice coughed slightly: "Husband, remember to invigilate the exam tomorrow, and don't disturb Mr. Lan's rest for too long."
This reminder made Zeng Lian pause and had to put down the glass.
Lan Chongwen looked at it and sighed, this man had always been a talented man, and for a time he was the best in the county and praised by thousands of people. However, due to his luck, he failed to win the election many times.
His actions are senseless, but who knows that he is depressed in his heart?
Fortunately, he was frustrated in his official career but happy in his love life. He married a virtuous woman and helped her husband make some corrections.
"The so-called daughter of an IKEA family is nothing more than this." She just secretly praised her and changed the topic: "No wonder I see that this person has a weak life, but she has good luck."
Having said this, Lan Chongwen shook the chopsticks in his hands, and a thunderbolt flashed through his heart: "I was originally from a poor family in Kyoto. Although I have little talent, it took me too long to accumulate my luck, and I failed many times."
"I was promoted to a bachelor by Meng Tong, and I became an official in this county. Although my official position is ordinary, it is my mission to secretly make friends and recruit talents to join the camp!"
"Zeng Lian came from a poor family, was suppressed by the local aristocratic family, and had limited luck. His performance in the imperial examinations was mediocre, and he started at a low position in the officialdom. However, he has been an official for many years and was promoted to the eighth rank... Whether it is hard to conceal his brilliance or he has accumulated a lot of experience,
Or if your wife is very lucky, she has comprehensive luck and is worthy of your marriage."
Now that he heard what Zeng Lian said, Lan Chongwen thought: "This Ye Qing can be regarded as a man with undiscovered luck. Can he get in touch with him? If so, the poor sect will have one more person like him!"
"But it's hard to bear the bad luck, which leads to a complete collapse in the examination room. I've seen many of them..."
"The Dragon Palace has blessed the golden luck. He is just a child. How can he really bear it? A scholar who has studied for many years and has a clear ambition has mountains and rivers in his heart. He can still bear it with courage and experience. This boy is only fifteen years old!"
"I don't know the strength of the examination room. If I don't hand in this examination paper, it's too early to rely on luck alone. It won't be too late to wait until after the county examination..." After calming down, he grabbed the wine glass from Zeng Lian's hand with a smile: "Don't do it.
You drank too much. With your drinking capacity, do you still have to go to the Yamen on errands tomorrow?"
After saying that, he stood up: "Go to sleep, I'll go to the west wing!"