After that, after Yunxi inspected the capital, he formally issued an order to let most of the newly appointed censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate go on inspections across the country. For a time, countless "central inspection teams" came out of the capital and rushed to To all parts of the country.
Jian Yi was assigned to Henan, and Yang Shiqi was assigned to Shandong, and followed the others. Although they patrolled separately, they still walked together before reaching the fork in the road.
In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-July. On this day, Yunxi went to the Imperial Palace to inspect again, and personally selected several supervisors to fill the vacant positions in the imperial court. Since there were not many memorials today, Yunxi just pretended to be there. Several guards who didn't look like warriors, but more like literati, started walking on the street.
Walking to the side of Gongyuan, it was afternoon time, which is supposed to be the cleanest time of the day for hotels and restaurants. However, Yunxi saw that the nearby hotels and restaurants were full of people. Although they were not full, they were still more than half full.
Yunxi turned around and asked: "Why are there so many people now? What happened?"
His bodyguards really knew that. The bodyguard Feng Quanliang said: "Master Zhu, September is the Zhili Provincial Examination. The examinations in various places to select scholars who can participate in the Provincial Examination have also ended. Even the 'Scavenging Supplements' exam held in the capital has also ended." It ended at the beginning of the month, so most of the scholars from Zhili who were qualified to take part in the provincial examinations have come to the capital."
Yunxi said in surprise: "There are still more than fifty days before the provincial examination, and they are all coming to the capital? Why are they coming to the capital so early?"
Tong Maohua said: "Master Zhu, there are only more than fifty days left. Reading at home will not be of much use. Instead, it may be more beneficial to come to the capital and communicate with other scholars."
"And you can also ask local senior officials for advice on some things that you can't understand at ordinary times. Officials in the government are also willing to spend a small amount of time to communicate with famous scholars in their hometown. This is a provincial examination. If you know how to take the exam before, I'm afraid people will still know how to do it. More."
"Besides, I'm afraid there are still people with ulterior motives, wondering if they can find ways to cheat in advance." Tong Maohua, who is not a scholar, told the dirty thoughts of some scholars without mercy.
"Oh, that's it." Yunxi said: "But I remember that scholars don't have much power in the local area. The cost of living in the capital is not small. Most scholars should not be able to afford it. Why are there still So many people came to the capital so many days in advance?"
Tong Maohua couldn't explain this, and neither did anyone else. In fact, starting from the next Zhili Provincial Examination, there will be separate examinations for the north and the south of the country, and the quotas are also completely separate. Officials in Jiangnan in Beijing are trying their best to prepare for this provincial examination. He wanted one of his own to pass the exam, so he sent a message to his hometown to ask the scholars to come to the capital in advance for face-to-face interviews, and even to see if they could cheat.
Yunxi thought for a while, but didn't understand, so he gave up. He took a few guards and pretended to be scholars who came to Beijing to take the exam, and walked into the restaurant to see if any of these scholars could impress him.
Yunxi sat in a wine shop for a while, and then someone ran in, came to a table and said, "Have you heard that a local scholar in the capital has booked a place next to Mochou Lake today to hold a cultural conference? , I’m making friends through literature.”
"And no matter who it is, as long as they are literati, they can participate. Don't be afraid of those who come." Although he said it to his friends, his voice was very low, but Yunxi was sitting next to them and heard it.
Yunxi was very surprised. Forget it at the local level, a literary meeting was held in the capital. Although it was only a few scholars, if they did not refuse anyone who came, wouldn't they be afraid of the emperor's taboo? It was the early years of the Ming Dynasty.
The guard Ji Lanshan on the side also said to Feng Quanliang: "Who is so lacking in talent that he dares to hold such a literary conference in the capital? Don't you want to live anymore?"
Just as they were talking, everyone at the table next to them paid their bills and left. Yunxi was curious, so he also paid his bills and followed with his guards.
After walking for a while, everyone came to the side of Mochou Lake. They saw some big men gathered around, a few people who were probably scholars walked in, and some were stopped outside.
After Yunxi inquired about it, he found out that someone was indeed holding a cultural gathering here today, but not everyone is not afraid of coming, and there are requirements for those who come. They must be recommended by someone, and they must be from a relatively good family background, or
He is a person who has a great reputation in his hometown and is very talented. In fact, there are not many people who can enter, only a few dozen scholars. Now that there are more than a thousand scholars in the capital, it is not considered too many people.
Among the real guides that Yunxi had forged before, there was a scholar from the Zhili area. It was easy to pretend to be a rich man. He was indeed a rich man! But he had no recommender, so he couldn't get in.
.
But this is not a problem for Yunxi. They only reserved a place on the shore of Mochou Lake, not the entire Mochou Lake. Yunxi can also hire a boat and let the boat sail to the shore where they are, and then listen to
What’s the content of their cultural conference?
The people who convened this cultural conference may not be unaware of this loophole, but if the entire Mochou Lake is convened, the noise will be too big, and it will definitely reach the ears of the emperor, so it is not a good thing. Like now, it is just a cover-up
Leaving a place is something that the powerful people in the capital often do, and it doesn't seem out of the ordinary.
And the person who can charter a boat on Lake Mochou must have a rich family, and he meets one of their conditions. It's okay to get acquainted with him.
Yunxi didn't have a penny on him, but he had guards, and the guards who followed him had a lot of money with them.
Yunxi became a little interested in this cultural meeting again, so Tong Maohua took the money and went to a boat parked next to the lake, hired the boat, and then asked the boatman to drive the boat to the place where the cultural meeting was held.
.
This was Yunxi's first time taking a boat trip to the lake. He was somewhat interested. He looked at the slightly turbulent lake water outside and said to several guards: "This is my first time to take a boat trip to the lake. I didn't expect it to have a different flavor."
Feng Quanliang said: "It's July now, which is a good time to visit the lake."
Yunxi said: "In a few days, I will take a boat to visit Xuanwu Lake. Xuanwu Lake is more famous than Mochou Lake, and it should be better."
At this time, the boatman laughed and said: "This young man, your accent sounds like you are from the capital area? Why are you so loud? Could it be that you are from several other counties near the capital and have heard of the name Xuanwu Lake?"
Just want to come to the capital and see it?"
"As early as the time of Emperor Taizu, Xuanwu Lake had been closed by Emperor Taizu. He also built a yellow register warehouse on Zhongzhou Island in the lake to store the national household registration, tax and other records, which is the most important in the world.
One of the forbidden areas in the warehouse. It is a place where ordinary people can go! At least only those from a noble family can enter and play!"
"This young master," the boatman said to Yunxi, "my old boatman thinks that your family doesn't look like ordinary people, but it doesn't look like people from a noble family either. I'm afraid you won't be able to enter Xuanwu Lake."
"It's better to give up the idea of going to Xuanwu Lake as soon as possible."
After hearing what he said, Yunxi was not angry or even reacted. He just turned his head and continued to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mochou Lake. He had passed the time of showing off to others and distinguishing himself from others in everything. There was no need to argue with an old boatman.
say what.
Several guards also knew Yunxi's custom of going out, and they didn't say anything. Some stood beside Yunxi, as if they were watching the beautiful scenery of Mochou Lake, but actually they were protecting Yunxi; others stood scattered inside the boat.
, seems to be disorganized, but anyone who knows military formations can see that this is a miniature defensive formation. Although it seems useless to put such a formation on the ship, the guards still stand meticulously.
Ji Lanshan, the youngest, seemed to want to say something to the old boatman, but seeing that the others didn't say anything, he didn't say anything in the end.
After a while, the boat arrived on the lake next to the place where the cultural gathering was held.
Yunxi looked towards the shore and saw that there were about twenty or thirty people on the shore now. They were sitting together in twos and threes and talking. The person sitting in the main seat did not say anything to everyone, but was talking to the people next to him.
people are talking, it can be seen that the meeting has not started yet.
Yunxi continued to look at the shore, and saw 66 people coming here one after another and sitting down respectively. There were also people who looked like servants pulling a big car. Before the car hood was opened, the smell of wine was already filling his nostrils.
Even Yunxi on the lake can smell the strong aroma of wine.
Then the servant opened the hood of the car, took out several jugs of wine, and placed them next to the people present.
Most of the people who held this cultural meeting stood up and walked to the lake. They said to Yunxi and the other boats: "Several friends, do you want to come to the cultural meeting? Are you willing to get off the boat and sit with us?"
On the shore, drinking wine and meeting friends with poetry?" The man's voice was not quiet, and Yunxi heard it clearly.
Several boats docked at the nunnery, and some people got off the boats, exchanged a few words with the Chinese-speaking people, and were arranged to sit down; however, some people did not get off the boats.
Of course, it was impossible for Yunxi to get off the ship. Getting off the ship to join the Wenhui at this time was too eye-catching in the eyes of everyone. Yunxi was afraid that his identity would be exposed. Although logically, none of these scholars should have seen Yunxi, but
Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the unexpected; and what if it’s not just talented people?
Many supervisors will also take part in the provincial examination, especially those in Zhili areas. They have studied in the capital to take the provincial examination, so it is convenient for them to take the provincial examination. Yunxi has been to the Imperial College many times. Although he has changed his clothes now, the supervisors recognize him.
It should be possible to come.
Therefore, it was impossible for Yunxi to get off. He didn't even show his face, and let the most polite-looking guard reply to the other party. That was all. In addition to Yunxi's ship, there were several people on the ship who did not get off, and they were all
Just give me an answer.
The man didn't force himself. He said a few more words and returned to his seat. After a while, perhaps everyone had arrived, or it might have been time. The man stood up and announced the start of the literary meeting.