The dormitories cover a huge area. There are more than a hundred densely packed rows of houses, each row has 150 dormitories, and several wooden toilets are built at the top.
The previous dormitory was built in a relatively grand manner, with only one room in each row, two meters long, and candidates could sleep in it at night.
Now all the dormitories are divided into two, and a door is opened on the wall on the other side. In this way, one dormitory becomes two. Originally, it could only accommodate 15,000 candidates, but now it can accommodate 30,000.
people.
Guo Song walked into a dormitory and sat down. With a smile, he took a wooden board and put it on the brick support. He patted the wooden board and said, "This will save money on making tables, at least tens of thousands of dollars."
At this time, Guo Song suddenly discovered that the dormitory had become shorter. The entire dormitory was only three feet long and three feet wide, which was half less than the previous seven feet long.
"How...how do candidates sleep at night?"
Yan Shuo was helpless for a long time. He almost wanted to say, wasn't this forced by your old man?
"There is no other way. In order to increase the number of places, we can only change the rules. We will not spend the night in the dormitory. After the exam is completed on the same day, the candidates will go back and come back before dawn the next day."
"That's not bad. I've said it before, people come up with solutions. If you think of a solution, there will be an examination room that can accommodate 70,000 candidates."
"But what if there are more than 70,000 candidates?"
"Then open up Guozixue. The extra candidates will take the exam in Guozixue, but they won't be needed. I remember that the number of people who participated in the imperial examination every year was only 70,000 or 80,000! Next year, Chengdu will divide it into half, and there will be 30,000 or 40,000 candidates.
That’s pretty good.”
Yan Shuo knew that Guo Song was telling the truth. In fact, he was just complaining.
At this time, Guo Song asked again: "How to solve the shortage of examiners and invigilators?"
"Your Highness, I have decided to second the professors and teaching assistants from Hedong Prefecture. There are hundreds of them. They will come to Taiyuan after the New Year to gather. This has basically solved the manpower problem. However, there are no candidates for the chief examiner. Please appoint Your Highness."
Guo Song sighed slightly and said: "Actually, your father is the best examiner. It's a pity that he is no longer here. Then please ask Li Mi to come out. I will tell him that you have to make arrangements and don't let him be too tired. He is mainly responsible."
Take control of the situation.”
Yan Shuo was overjoyed. Li Mi had a high status and had presided over three imperial examinations. If he came to be the examiner, it would undoubtedly be good news for all scholars.
"The humble job will definitely be arranged!"
...........
A few days later, a cold wave from the north hit, the temperature dropped sharply, and a thin layer of ice formed on the river. Winter finally arrived in Taiyuan.
Xue Tao has been quite busy these days. Her mother, Han, came from Chengdu with her brother Xue Qing. Her father, Xue Xun, was demoted to be the governor of Bozhou. Her mother, Han, was looking for help everywhere in Chengdu, but no one paid attention to her, for fear that she would be killed.
Frustrated and helpless, Mr. Han could only bring his son Xue Qing to Taiyuan to join his daughter.
Han was originally quite flamboyant and simple-minded, and she always liked to show off. However, after this severe blow, her personality changed drastically. Although she was not yet steady, she at least talked nonsense and made others laugh at her.
His son Xue Qing is a very sensible child. He has been strictly educated by his father Xue Xun since he was a child. Although he is only nine years old, he has already read a lot of poems and books, and is not afraid of writing poems and prose. He also wrote beautiful calligraphy and was praised in Chengdu.
Known as a child prodigy.
Guo Song liked this brother-in-law so much that he let him live with his son. The two were about the same age, both loved reading, and had relatively stable personalities. They just happened to study together, live together, and become playmates.
In the imperial garden, Xue Tao accompanied his mother for a walk. Han sighed and said: "Tao'er, your husband is so powerful that even the emperor wants to please him. Please help him and tell the emperor to let your father come back for the sake of my mother."
I'm really worried about him."
Xue Tao smiled bitterly and said: "The problem now is that dad himself refuses to come back. My husband has already written to the emperor, asking him to pardon dad. I heard from my husband that the emperor made dad a bachelor and did not give him real power, so that he could come back to take care of him in his old age.
, but dad just refuses to obey the edict, you know dad’s temper, even ten cows can’t get him back if he’s determined.”
"Then what should we do? If your father is in such a remote place, his body will not be able to withstand it."
"Mom, don't worry too much. My husband has sent people to protect dad. The Dugu family has also sent warriors and doctors to protect dad and Uncle Han. I don't think the problem is too big. At least dad should be safe and sound. If he gets sick, there are doctors from the Dugu family.
!”
Han was relieved by her daughter's relief, and she asked again: "Where is Qing'er? I haven't seen him these past few days, where is he?"
"Mom, he and Jin'er are together! The two of them study and play together, which is a good companion. I always felt that Jin'er was too lonely, and Qing'er came at the right time."
"Then who will take care of their daily life?"
"The former housekeeper and his wife took care of their daily life. They have been with the family for many years and have watched Jin'er grow up. They are trustworthy. During the day, they are under the supervision of the master when they study. They are very strict. Mom, feel free to relax."
"Then I'll be relieved. Hey! I want to go back to Luoyang sometime. Your grandparents are old and I want to see them."
Xue Tao pondered for a moment and said, "I would rather advise mother not to go to Luoyang."
"Why?"
"Next year Zhu Si is likely to move the capital to Luoyang. My husband is more worried about the safety of his two uncles and my grandfather, so I wrote to my two uncles not long ago asking their family to move to Taiyuan, and both uncles agreed."
"But your great-grandfather will definitely not agree!"
Han shook his head and said: "He will not leave Luoyang. All his students are in Luoyang! He regards that school as his lifeblood."
"It is true that he refused to agree, but my uncle said that he had a way to ensure that the grandpa and grandma came to Taiyuan happily."
"Hey! Your wife is easy to talk to, and your grandfather is as stubborn as your father. Unless the school moves to Taiyuan with him and then guarantees him good wine, he will probably agree."
"That's the way. The school is merged into the Guozi School. The Taigong and two uncles are all teaching in the Guozi School. As for the fine wine, there is no need to mention it."
"Since they are coming, I won't go to Luoyang. Tao'er, I have to tell you something. You are the princess. Why can't you live in such a big Jinyang Palace and have to squeeze into this small place? And
Those eunuchs and maids who don't use it will be laughed at."
Xue Tao said disapprovingly: "Who would laugh at such a thing?"
"Then you don't know. What do noble ladies talk about all day long? They just laugh at this person and that person. Everyone talks about all kinds of stories in the palace. If you don't want to live in the palace, you must
It’s their topic.”
"The mouth is on them, and if they say let them go, I have no control and I don't care."
Xue Tao didn't want to talk about this kind of thing with her mother, so she quickened her pace, and Han quickly caught up and said, "Also, if you want to be more discerning, it's best to persuade your husband to promote a few more people from the Xue family. That's yours."
Mom’s family, the Xue family is too weak and it’s not good for your status. Mom is someone who has been here before and has seen this kind of thing a lot.”
Xue Tao sighed and said to his mother: "Mom, you'd better go to Luoyang!"
........
At night, Guo Song sat in the study, drinking tea and playing with his jade. It was rare for him to have such leisurely elegance, and he had no time. The charcoal fire in the study was burning brightly, making the room as warm as spring. His charcoal
There was an iron stand on the basin with a teapot hanging on it. Occasionally, he would be interested in making himself a pot of fragrant milk tea.
He held a piece of red-skinned suet-fat jade in his hand, and felt the fat and smoothness overflowing in his hand.
At this time, the door to the outer room opened, and Xue Tao walked in with tea.
"Husband, I will bring you tea."
"Madam, you've come just in time to help me judge these two pieces of jade."
Xue Tao smiled knowingly, her husband was actually thinking about buying jade. This had not happened for a long time.
She walked into the room, put the tea cup on the table, took the two pieces of jade and said with a smile: "I have studied these two pieces of jade. According to the three evaluation criteria of shape, color and quality that my husband told me before, these two pieces of jade
The jade is of the highest quality, with plump seeds, no cracks, impurities or water lines. The skin is red and bright, and both are highly fat and white. The jade powder and ripe wax are just right, but I personally prefer the one on the left.
, its ripeness is better, and I still prefer more mature jade.”
Guo Song gave a thumbs up and praised: "My wife is better than me, she is better than me."
"I watch it every day. Of course I will be a little bit better than my husband."
"How is your mother?" Guo Songxiao asked.
Xue Tao smiled bitterly and shook his head, "She is still the same, asking me to find a way to get my father back all day long, but my father refuses to come back. Do I have to kidnap him back?"
"You are right. Your father has a strong sense of honor. He is unwilling to betray his beliefs. As long as Li Yi is in Bozhou for a day, he will not leave. If he is asked to leave Han Xiangguo and Li Yi and come back alone, he will definitely not
I will agree."
Xue Tao sighed, "I told my mother, but she had nothing to do, and then she asked me to take care of the Xue family. I have a big head, and when she came, she was nagging in my ears, or saying that I would not be a princess.
, I can’t live in such a big palace, and people laugh at me, or say that I don’t know how to support my mother’s family, I really can’t stand her.”