There was a thunder in the distance, accompanied by fire.
On the top floor of the main building of Xingqing Palace, Li Longji, dressed in casual clothes, felt disappointed as he watched lightning split a big tree in the suburbs.
No matter how tall the trees are, they cannot withstand the thunderous strike of lightning in the heavy rain.
The recent state affairs have been turbulent and the internal fighting in the court has intensified, making him extremely disturbed.
"Sage, Concubine Wu Hui asked for an audience, but was blocked by the slave."
Gao Lishi came over and whispered to Li Longji, who was watching the rain scene. It was clearly noon, but the rain outside formed a powerful water curtain, making the sky dark and unclear.
Just like Li Longji’s current mood.
"She must be here for the prince."
Li Longji couldn't help but sneered.
"Back to the saint, it's true. Concubine Wu Hui asked her slave to tell her that the prince, King E and King Guang secretly cursed her and King Shou and asked the saint to bring justice to them."
Gao Lishi said slowly, carefully trying not to show any emotion. Whoever gets involved in such a thing will die. Although he accepted the bribe from Concubine Wu Hui, he would not speak for her, not even a word!
In the palace struggle, the disasters of witchcraft and poison appeared one after another. There is no other reason. This trick is really easy to use, and it perfectly takes advantage of the emperor's suspicious and jealous human weakness.
It can be said that it has been tried and tested repeatedly.
Now Wu Huifei is following the same pattern, and her ambition is not small!
Li Ying's position as crown prince was in danger. Not only the courtiers saw this scene, but also the concubines in the harem, and the princes in the ten princes' houses also saw it.
Everyone pushed the wall down, and now the first person to push down the wall and throw stones into the well appeared, and that was Concubine Wu Hui, who had reached the point of immortality with Prince Li Ying!
"Lishi, you personally lead the team to search for witchcraft and poison in the East Palace." Li Longji said expressionlessly, his voice very indifferent.
Gao Lishi's heart tightened, and then he suggested in a low voice: "Concubine Wu Hui's words are conclusive, and she may be trying to deceive the saint..."
Concubine Wu Hui reported that Prince Li Ying cursed her and King Shou Li Ying with witchcraft. Could there be no back-up plan? There must be servants around the prince who were bribed. It would be easy to find out the witchcraft. This kind of frame-up has no technical content and is all done by the former.
The whole dynasty has been bad at it!
Gao Lishi didn't believe that Li Longji, who had been growing up in the conspiracy politics of the palace, would not be aware of it at all.
"I know, just go and watch the show."
Li Longji patted Gao Lishi's shoulder, squeezed it hard, and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
Concubine Wu Hui’s moral character is far from enough! However, Li Longji has wanted to depose the prince for a long time, but now he is just following the trend.
Regardless of success or failure, the villain is Concubine Wu Hui, and she is the "bewitched" saint, which is good.
"The slave then asked Chen Xuanli to take the imperial troops with him. Tomorrow Chang'an will seal off the streets and no shops will be opened. This matter will not go through Zhongshu Province and Xianggong Zhang will not be notified."
Gao Lishi suggested in a low voice.
"Others are as you said, except that Xianggong Zhang still needs to be notified, Ge Nu also needs to be informed, and the other courtiers do not need to let them know."
Li Longji raised his hand to signal Gao Lishi to step back.
"I'll do it now."
Gao Lishi exited the top floor of the Qinzheng Building with gentle steps. After coming out, his heart was still beating violently.
Knowing clearly that Concubine Wu Hui was trapping her, Li Longji not only did not stop her, but instead "played into her trap"!
Let Concubine Wu Hui bite the crown prince and the two kings to death, and then let the courtiers fiercely oppose Concubine Wu Hui as the queen and the title of Prince Shou as the crown prince. Let them recall the moody political terror when Wu Zetian was in power.
Finally, Li Longji pushed his favorite prince to the front.
What a terrible plan!
Gao Lishi was so cold that he stopped outside the door for a long time.
"Why don't you go quickly, strong man?"
Li Longji actually walked out of the attic, looked at Gao Lishi who was in a daze outside the door, and asked softly with concern.
"The prince is the foundation of the country. No matter how little he cares about him, he is afraid that the country will be in turmoil and the saint's reputation will be ruined. Alas!"
Gao Lishi pulled Li Longji's sleeves and begged.
"I know you are loyal and loyal, but there are many things that I can't help myself with, so just go ahead."
Li Longji patted Gao Lishi on the back and said, this is what he is most satisfied with about Gao Lishi.
Gao Lishi is not a completely blind follower. He will also give advice when it is time to give advice. Although it is often of no use and is mostly commonplace.
After Gao Lishi left, Li Longji fell into deep thought and wandered alone at the door of the attic.
The next prince must be able to stay in that position for a long time and cannot be easily removed! For someone like Li Ying, although he himself has made mistakes, his lack of strength is a flaw. p>
Li Longji himself never thought about making the prince the emperor. Not even for a moment!
If the prince becomes the emperor, where should he go as the emperor?
Once you have tasted the taste of power, you cannot quit it.
A man cannot live without power for a day. If the emperor loses power, even a peaceful life may be a luxury!
The prince, you can only be the prince for the rest of your life!
Li Longji believes that the prince must sit in that position for as many years as he lives! He will sit until the emperor dies!
Now Li Longji feels that his body is still very strong and he does not look old at all. Therefore, he can continue to be the emperor.
Ten years, or twenty years? Who knows that kind of thing, for long-term planning, the layout must be calculated based on at least twenty years.
If you want to be an emperor comfortably, a prince whose position is stable but unable to shake his throne must be carefully crafted.
That's right, in Li Longji's opinion, erecting such a prince is like pruning a potted plant.
The branches and leaves should be beautiful, not hideous and scary, not to prick your hands, and not grow wildly and make the house a mess!
Li Longji now needs a pair of sharp scissors in his hand to prune "branches".
It's easy to use and obedient, and it won't hurt your hands.
"Mr. Zhang, we can no longer be in the court."
Li Longji sighed and said with some regret.
Zhang Jiuling, who always said that "the prince is the foundation of the country", can no longer adapt to the requirements of the new dynasty.
Now it's time to change phases.
Zhang Jiuling himself was an archway erected by Li Longji to unite the hearts of the ruling and opposition parties, especially those scholars who rose to power through the imperial examination.
When Wu Zetian was in power, she vigorously promoted imperial examination talents and expanded the scale of the imperial examination. By the Kaiyuan period, the proportion of imperial examination officials in the DPRK and China had exceeded 20%, which can be said to be of great importance.
Losing Zhang Jiuling would have a great impact on the court's reputation, but Li Longji didn't think it mattered.
As long as he is happy, that's all. If you can take care of the rest, just take it into consideration. If you can't, just let it go.
……
"Mr. Lang, the gate is closed today. You are not allowed to go out!"
Fang Dafu walked over to Fang Chongyong with a sad face and said salute to Fang Chongyong. Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun were also chatting with Fang Chongyong at this moment. Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and then their expressions changed slightly.
Why does Chang'an City have to set up a city structure? Don't the people in power know that this will be very inconvenient?
Of course they knew that this would cause great inconvenience to the daily lives of the residents in the city, and even to the people in the palace. But for other more important considerations, each area in the city must be divided into separate small areas.
Easy to manage.
Usually, blocking the streets is the most common usage. This scene has long been familiar to the people who have lived in Chang'an for a long time.
"There must be something big happening in the palace. You two should not visit relatives or friends in the near future, nor go to noble people to deliver things."
Fang Chongyong said sternly to Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan.
Hearing what he said, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan's expressions suddenly darkened. Only they knew about their predicament in Chang'an.
Is it easy to take the imperial examination in Chang'an?
Whether it is difficult or not depends not only on personal ability, but also on the background.
Fang Chongyong studied for several years and reported that my father was Fang Youde. It was impossible to win the first prize, but it was still very reliable to win the Jinshi.
There is no other reason. In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examinations were not anonymous. The background and family background of the candidates, and whether there were noble people in the background, were also important factors affecting the imperial examinations.
For example, Chongyong’s extra points for the college entrance examination in his previous life were much better!
During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, the main subjects of the imperial examination were Ming Jing and Jinshi. There were also some messy subjects, and there were even martial arts examinations, but to be honest, they were not a straight road.
As for Ming Jing, among Jinshi scholars, Jinshi is the king, and it is the most valuable and most difficult subject.
What is Ming Jing Ke?
To put it simply, the main content of the test is to extract some words and sentences from the scriptures and write the context of the original text of the scriptures based on these words and sentences. It is very similar to Fang Chongyong’s text fill-in-the-blanks in his previous life, but it requires more dictation and is more difficult.
In addition, you will also be given a passage from the scriptures for you to analyze and discuss based on actual politics.
It is obvious that the Ming Jing examination relies heavily on rote memorization of scriptures. No matter how it is tested, memorization is the most important thing anyway.
Since you can memorize it, you can pass the test by rote memorization. In comparison, it is not that difficult, and more people will pass the test.
Of course, it is impossible for a scholar who has Ming Jing Ke to be awarded a high official position. The starting point and ceiling of the officialdom are pitifully low. Really talented scholars will not bother to take Ming Jing Ke.
So what is a Jinshi?
This subject attaches great importance to literature. It takes all the Ming Dynasty tests, and also tests current affairs and poetry. Do you think that a liberal arts time traveler can walk sideways and copy a few ancient poems to get full marks?
No, no, no, maybe there will also be a math test, it depends on your luck. And writing poetry is a propositional composition, and even has strict requirements on rhyme and rhythm. If you want to pass the test by copying poems, you don't have to memorize "Three Hundred Tang Poems"
It can be done.
To put it simply, the Jinshi exam tests literary accomplishment. Candidates must at least be proficient in classics, history, literature and current affairs to have a chance of passing the exam.
Moreover, the core test for Jinshi is poetry, and candidates must be proficient in phonology and rhythm to have a chance to stand out.
Obviously, Jinshi is much more difficult than Mingjing, and very few people pass the exam.
Commonly known as "thirty old Ming Jing, fifty young Jinshi".
The starting point and ceiling of Jinshi are relatively high.
Of course, even if you are rich in knowledge and think that your knowledge is invincible, you can go sideways in the Jinshi Department, that is too much thinking.
In addition to their own abilities, candidates need to look for celebrities and examiners to recommend themselves and build relationships with them. Otherwise, there is no chance at all!
The most important way for candidates to self-recommend is to prepare their own composition collection and use their works to impress celebrities and examiners to gain their appreciation. These works include policy essays and poems.
It's called "submission" for short.
Historically, when Bai Juyi entered Chang'an, he showed the poem "Li Liyuan to the grass, one year old and one dry" to everyone in the literary world at that time. Looking at the situation, it is enough to show that it is not unusual to find connections to build relationships.
For Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, they can no longer improve their knowledge in the short term. They can only try to find ways to build relationships, which may be of great use.
"Mr. Lang, why do you think the imperial court blocked the streets?"
Xu Yuan looked at Fang Chongyong and asked in a deep voice.
"Probably, it's nothing more than deposing the prince."
Fang Chongyong said nonchalantly, as if he was saying that I had a bowl of porridge for breakfast today.
"Mr. Lang, be careful what you say!"
Xu Yuan covered Fang Chongyong's mouth as a conditioned reflex, and when he saw the helpless look in Zhang Xun's eyes, he let go.
"You two just don't dare to think about it. Now that the saint's foundation is solid, it is impossible for anyone to dare to mutiny. And the Forbidden Army patrols the streets to prevent the powerful and nobles from jumping over the wall with their servants to attack Xingqing Palace, Daming Palace and other fortresses.
Land.
And besides deposing the prince, what else could be worth such a big fight?"
Fang Chongyong's analysis was reasonable and well-founded, while Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan both remained silent.
It was precisely because it made so much sense that they couldn't believe it.
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Nowadays, the country is at peace, and all the nations come to court. Why is it that the prince who has been a prince for twenty years has to be abolished as soon as he wants to do it?
The prince is the foundation of the country!
Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan both couldn't believe that they both knew this simple and easy-to-understand truth, but today's saints don't know it!
"Xiangong Zhang will probably be dismissed as prime minister. If you are looking for connections, don't look for Xianggong Zhang. Not only will there be no help, but it will be implicated, which will be bad."
Fang Chongyong kindly warned.
"Well, we found Yan Tingzhi. He is the minister of Zhongshu and a close friend of Xianggong Zhang..."
Xu Yuan said sarcastically.
"Then...that's probably it."
Fang Chongyong said vaguely, it would be difficult for the two unlucky guys in front of him to get the first place this time, so they can only wait until next year.
Both Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun passed the "first round of examinations" held in their respective prefectures, which are called "rural examinations" and also called "Autumn Examinations".
If you can't pass the Jinshi examination or something, you can go to Jiedushi and become an aide or other official, and you can still get along in the local area.
"If, I mean, if there is no chance in Chang'an, I'll see if I can recommend you to serve as a staff member to Jiedushi in the future. This is also a way."
Fang Chongyong comforted Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun and said.
The three of them chatted about some current affairs. It was obvious that after hearing that Zhang Jiuling and Yan Tingzhi were likely to be dismissed from office, Zhang Xun and others were obviously less interested in chatting.
However, compared to the shocking event the next day, everyone’s small emotions today are completely worth mentioning.
On the second day after the streets in Chang'an City were closed to the public, the ban was lifted, all businesses resumed, and there was a huge flow of people in the east and west cities. It seemed that they were not affected by yesterday's ban at all.
However, an unbelievable rumor spread crazily in various cities in Chang'an City.
Prince Li Ying, King of E Li Yao, and King of Guang Li Ju were all deposed as commoners.
Moreover, the three of them were ordered to die at Chengdong Station outside Chang'an City. The three corpses were hung on the white silk ribbons of the beams, quietly narrating the sorrow and helplessness of being born in an emperor's home.
At this time, there was no imperial edict from Li Longji, so no one dared to remove the body.
The officials and people passing by Chengdong Station were all frightened and horrified.