Amidst the heavy rain and snow, the imperial examination for the tenth year of Tongguang was held as scheduled.
Scientific research, which was once a hot topic, has become less popular this year.
No one talks too much anymore because everything has become a fact.
After the imperial examination reform, we have taken the exam three times. Many vested interest groups have been created. A new path has begun to take shape. Many things are not so easy to go back to.
This year, the departments of construction and medicine were added, and they were selected according to their disciplines. The agriculture department, which was the first to be added, has received its third imperial examination, and Mingshu and Mingfa have received their second. Everything is proceeding step by step.
There are vague rumors in the court that the next scientific examination in three years' time may slightly reduce the number of Jinshi admission places, compressing them to less than a hundred people. The specific recipients of the ten extra places have not yet been determined.
Reform has never stopped.
People must be responsible for themselves and their families.
The number of candidates this year is also the highest in history, with nearly 4,000 people.
The farthest comes from the Erie Valley.
They took the Bingong Jinshi exam, which is a separate quota. After passing the exam, you can be an official in Daxia, or you can return to the Yili Valley to be an official, just like the story of the former Tang Dynasty.
There are also people from places like the Seven Saint Prefectures of the Grassland who come to take scientific examinations. They are geographically affiliated with Liaodong Road, and they also use the quota of Liaodong. To be honest, their level is still very poor, and there is almost no possibility of passing the exam.
But no matter what, these Han, Xi, Khitan, and Tatar students still have to give it a try. The important thing is to participate. What if the examiners are collectively blinded, or are blinded by lard, and admit them?
It doesn't matter if they fail the exam. As rural tribute scholars recommended at the county level and passed the state exam, they are already "high-end talents" in the local area. At worst, they will return to their hometowns to become small officials and minor officials, focusing on cultivating their children and grandchildren. Several generations, ten
After a few generations, maybe they will pass the exam?
The world's elites danced gracefully under the baton of the imperial examination without making any mistakes.
…
Shao Shude stood on the high building and looked at the students filing in.
The cold sleet was beating in front of him, and he stared at the entrance intently as if unaware.
"Life is short, it only spans a few decades. I have done so many things, whether they are sins or merits. Haha!" Shao Shude flicked his sleeves and got off the tall building.
His face was unusually rosy, as if his heroic ambition to fight on the battlefield had returned when he was young.
He recalled the heroic act of shooting three arrows in a row at the Zhelu Army City, killing two of Li Keyong's men.
He recalled the scene in Jinyang City where he cut off the copper locks with an ax and distributed the money and silk in the treasury to the sergeants.
He remembered how Tuoba Sigong was afraid of the military power outside Youzhou City and fled without fighting.
He recalled the tens of thousands of people marching along the Yellow River during the attack on Helong, showing their arrogance and ambition.
He remembered the Battle of Shengaoyi in Guanzhong. The soldiers' morale was so high that they defeated more than ten thousand Meng Kai's men and drove them into the Wei River.
He recalled that when Huang Chao retreated, all the armies were fearful, and he was the only one who pursued bravely to the gates of Wuguan City.
He thought of the difficult battles after leaving the east.
He thought of the reforms that were implemented after a lot of effort and effort, and the hair on his head turned white.
He thought of too many people.
…
Only the Spring and Autumn Period can tell me that I have sinned. There is a similar saying in the West: Only God can judge me!
People in this world are not qualified to judge me.
After leaving the Ministry of Rites, he went straight to the Longxi County Mansion in Anyefang.
The boots creaked through the crystal clear rain and snow as they entered the central hall, passed through the courtyard, and came to a bedroom full of medicinal fragrance.
Several people waiting outside the bedroom door hurriedly saluted, Shao Shude waved his hand, went straight in, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat on the hut in front of the bed.
The old man on the couch looked gloomy. When he saw Shao Shude coming in, a slight smile appeared on his face.
"Your Majesty, I have remembered many old events in Jinyang." Chen Cheng said softly.
Shao Shude raised his head, thought about it, and said, "I remember it too."
"At that time, I still had some selfish motives." Chen Cheng sighed: "After the difficulties, it was not that there were no civil servants to lead the army. The thousands of sergeants who came from the Zhaoyi Army were all good men, and I still wanted to lead them. But later
I found that I really can’t carry it away.”
"I have forgotten a lot of things, but I still remember what happened that year." Shao Shude laughed unconsciously and said: "Chen Qing said at that time, 'To be fair to the general, I didn't leave last year because I had some selfish motives. Now now
Only then did he realize that he was not the material to lead troops. He was left with little support and could no longer maintain his position.'"
Chen Cheng also laughed.
Forty years later, looking back on those past events brings a lot of emotion.
"Seeing you here, Lao Li was still a little disappointed." Shao Shude laughed and said, "Later, he came to me in private several times and said that outsiders can't be trusted."
Chen Cheng always maintained a faint smile.
It is normal for a small group that has been working well together to suddenly join a group of outsiders and replace its original position of "providing advice".
But the group will always develop, and there will always be new people joining.
Li Yanling is actually very good.
He knows the limits of his abilities, works hard to do his job well, and is always making progress. With such an old brother and colleague, what else can be said?
Whether it's kindness or resentment, at this point, it's time to look away.
"Later, I had to be appointed the governor of Suizhou. Did your heart freeze after you came?" Shao Shude joked.
"Suizhou is actually pretty good." Chen Cheng shook his head gently: "His Majesty brought three thousand elite troops to take office, and was supported by Marshal Zhuge. Xia Sui Town was your Majesty's sooner or later. At that time, I carefully planned to eliminate the generals in the town.
Unexpectedly, Your Majesty is even better at this. After the four towns of Xia Sui, Shuofang, Tiande, and Zhenwu were unified, they were then integrated into the Dangxiang tribes, and the situation was completed."
"I'm so lucky to have Chen Qing." Shao Shude sighed and said.
After he finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.
The snowflakes hit the window lattice and made a rustling sound.
The north wind whimpers, like a call to the soul.
"Old Chen, do you still have any unfulfilled wishes?" Shao Shude suddenly said: "Old brothers, there is a priority. I am walking a few steps late and have some concerns, which I can handle for you."
"Your Majesty..." Chen Cheng shed two tears from the corners of his eyes. He shook his head gently and said, "My life has been perfected and I have no regrets."
Shao Shude was silent.
Are there really no regrets? There are many regrets in life. When you are a teenager, when you are young, when you are middle-aged and even when you are old, you can taste all kinds of regrets, remorse, reluctance, sadness, etc., and when you leave, you will be truly complete.
How many are relieved?
"Is there anything else you want to say to me?" Shao Shude asked.
There was another long silence.
"Your Majesty, take care of the dragon body." Chen Cheng's vague sigh sounded in the silent room.
"Okay!" Shao Shude nodded and said no more.
When they parted, the differences between the emperor and his ministers had long since disappeared.
Decades of making plans, decades of exhaustive consideration, decades of handling government affairs, decades of friendship. In the face of these, what do some disagreements, disagreements, disputes, and incomprehensions mean?
The monarch and his ministers faced each other in silence, but everything was in silence.
The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and Chen Cheng's sons came in to visit several times. When they saw Shao Shude, they were respectful and very nervous.
Shao Shude said a few pleasant words to them, and then continued to sit on the bed.
Medical officers from the Imperial Medical Office also came in from time to time. In fact, they had long been at their wits' end and just talked about personnel matters.
Shao Shude didn't look at them, and sometimes he just kept thinking about things.
People came and went without attracting his attention.
How many people in this world can occupy a place in his heart? There are fewer and fewer.
The gentle yet firm social changes feel strange to many people.
Why doesn't the world where his old brothers leave one after another feel strange to him?
He thought of Li Keyong's murmur before his death: "I'm tired..."
Yes, his life is too rich and he has done too many things, so why isn't he tired?
"Your Majesty..." the medical officer of the Imperial Medical Office reminded softly.
Shao Shude came back to his senses and looked at the bed.
Chen Cheng was already furious and kept looking at him.
He grasped his bony hand.
"Your Majesty, take care." Chen Cheng shed tears again.
"You go first to gather warriors for me, and I will come later," Shao Shude said.
The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth opened slightly and he slowly settled on this.
The imperial doctor watched from the side, wanting to step forward but not daring to do so.
Chen Cheng's children and grandchildren also crowded in. They wanted to cry but did not dare to cry for fear of disturbing the saint.
After a long time, Shao Shude let go of Chen Cheng's cold hands, stood up and tucked him in, and said: "The Ministry of Rites, Honglu Temple, and Taichang Temple will work together to handle the funeral. My old brother is gone, how can we not leave him alone?"
Pomp and circumstance.”
After saying that, he left the bedroom and came to the courtyard.
The sky has darkened, and the rain and snow have not stopped.
He walked casually into the rain and snow, and the guards quickly held up the umbrella cover.
The wind and snow are getting heavier and the north wind is getting stronger.
Even with the umbrella cover, the rain and snow still fell on Shao Shude mercilessly, even blurring his eyes.
The last journey of life is actually so windy and obscure, dark and difficult to distinguish.
At this moment, warm lights slowly lit up in the streets and alleys of Luoyang.
Every family sat together, enjoying dinner calmly and peacefully. Occasionally, there were a few laughters of satisfaction and joy, which seemed to be the most beautiful music in the world.
Shao Shude walked faster and faster, and became more determined as he walked.
What is your initial ideal? Isn’t it just that you want to see the peaceful scene with thousands of lights on?
He recalled the scene when Yang Yue was held at a banquet in the city of Xiazhou and asked him to send troops.
In the crucial battle of life's rise, Yang Yue confided in his heart, saying that he was loyal to Xia Sui's Wanjia Denghuang.
It is said that loyalty is not absolute, but it is absolutely disloyal. Is Yang Yue loyal?
Everyone has a different definition of loyalty, so why should we be harsh? Seek common ground while reserving differences and tolerate each other for the sake of the country. There are not so many things in the world that are black and white, but more complicated and changeable gray.
This moment is exactly like that moment.
The lights and laughter of thousands of houses in Luoyang were the signposts in Shao Shude's stormy journey in his later years.
With their guidance, you will not be confused in life, and finally accept the ending moment calmly.
