Chapter 529: Western Europe’s Road Is Cut Off, the Wizards’ Fate Is Short

This...

Da Gama's younger brother Paul stood next to Menezes, and a stream of blood just splashed on his face, and at this moment, his heart seemed extremely terrified.

Originally, he also wanted to move out of Portugal. After all, Portugal has a very high status in Western Europe, and it is even superior to the indigenous kingdoms in the East.

At this moment, he was very glad that he had not said it just now, otherwise he would have ended up like Menezes.

Wang Wusheng looked coldly at the body lying in a pool of blood, and silently took back the flintlock in his hand, as if he had just killed a barking dog.

Da Gama stood there and dared not move, a string of sweat beads slid down his forehead, and for the first time he felt that he was so close to death.

"This governor will give you two ways! One is that you trespassed into the sea area controlled by this governor, so you will be executed by this governor according to the law!" Wang Zhi's pen was still writing on the paper fan, and he said it lightly.

Da Gama's brother Paul shook his head violently. If he dared to choose the first option, he was 100% sure that the thugs next to him would shoot and kill the two brothers again.

Da Gama knew that he actually had no choice now, so he said seriously: "Please tell me the second way, Governor!"

"The second way is that you become servants of my Indian Ocean Governor's Office and hand over all the information about Europe. Choose it!" Wang Zhi stopped writing and looked at the two brothers with a smile.

Although the emperor did not agree with his approach of continuing to go west to the Atlantic Ocean, he knew that the ambitious Emperor Hongzhi wanted to rule the world. He not only wanted to include the West in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but also could not ignore the Mediterranean.

Now collect intelligence from Western Europe first, and when the time is right, the Ming Dynasty's fleet can directly enter the Mediterranean, so that the whole of Europe will prostrate at the feet of the Ming Dynasty.

"Okay, let's choose the second option!" Da Gama was a very straightforward person, and he made a choice immediately.

He knew that he had no choice. Although he didn't want to be a traitor, he didn't want to die here with his brother, so he decisively chose a way to live.

As for the King of Portugal, he has never been absolutely loyal. Moreover, he not only sold out the intelligence of Portugal, but also did not keep any intelligence about Spain. He was doing a good thing for the king.

"Take them away!" Wang Zhi waved his hand and ordered lightly.

Although he couldn't go west to the Atlantic Ocean and kill the Mediterranean, he would definitely let these Western Europeans who dared to come to his territory die without a burial place.

The time has come to the middle of the eleventh year of Hongzhi, and history has undergone major changes.

Originally, Da Gama led the Portuguese fleet to India as a Western European and became a pioneer of Portugal, but failed.

The Columbus fleet heading to the American continent was severely defeated, and the fleet led by Da Gama was annihilated. The budding of Western European navigation has been pinched off by the Ming Dynasty.

Whether they want to go east or west, they are actually facing a dead end.

If Western Europe had not caught the train of maritime trade, they would have missed a hundred years, and they would have been reduced to the "Western barbarians" in Wang Zhi's mouth.

Just as the Governor's Office of the Indian Ocean extinguished the spark of the Western European fleet to reach the Indian Ocean, the Ming Dynasty also ushered in a new round of talent selection.

No matter in which era, talent is the first productive force. Han Gaozu Liu Bang and Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang both benefited from the outpouring of talents. Now that the Ming Dynasty wants to achieve a period of hegemony, it is even more inseparable from the support of talents.

Since this year is the year of the big competition, after the boy's test, various places officially started the competition for the provincial examination.

Nanjing, in front of the Yingtian Gongyuan.

"I will try to donate a year's effort for it. If you don't sell it, I will throw it away!"

A young scholar looked up at the Gongyuan in front of him, and couldn't help but think of the agreement he made with his friend a year ago, and then resolutely walked into this Gongyuan that determined his fate.

In this world, there are indeed some geniuses.

Although he was always greedy for fun, and even during the imperial examination, he was almost deprived of the qualification for the provincial examination by the newly appointed governor of education Fang Zhi because of his prostitution and drunkenness, but he was stronger than those who worked a hundred times harder.

"The new champion of the Yingtian Provincial Examination: Tang Yin!"

Time soon came to the day of the Yingtian Provincial Examination, and the name on the list was like a bolt from the blue, making the candidates who looked at the list dare not believe their eyes.

Who is Tang Yin?

He was from Wu County, Suzhou. His ancestor was Tang Hui, the general of Lingjiang in Jinchang County, Liangzhou, Former Liang. He was smart since childhood, familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, and read extensively in historical books.

At the age of sixteen, he took the scholar examination and won the first place, which was a sensation in the whole Suzhou city.

In the third year of Hongzhi, Tang Yin painted "Dou Bamboo Picture".

Poem: The rice bowl and gourd are not tired of being in the family for a long time, and I am a good host with an open mind. The couch is full of yellow leaves, and the breeze is blowing every day. This gentleman has been in love with me since he was young, why do you only want to be with me? The moss covers the western steps and no traces of people, and the eyes are green after a hundred years of looking at each other.

As soon as this calligraphy and painting came out, it immediately shocked Jiangnan.

It is said that when the current emperor Hongzhi went to Jiangnan, he asked his entourage about "Double Bamboo Picture" and learned that the picture had been sold by Tang Yin, so he stopped asking.

Although it was just a rumor, someone offered 10,000 silver dollars for Tang Yin's "Double Bamboo Picture" but failed to get it, and Tang Yin's status has risen.

In the inherent impression of many people, Tang Yin is indeed a great talent in Jiangnan, but unfortunately he has abandoned his examination career.

But no one expected that this great talent in Jiangnan, who was once regarded as a negative example by the teacher, actually won the provincial examination in one fell swoop. This kind of thing that even vernacular novels dare not write about has actually happened.

"Is Tang Yin Jieyuan?"

"I heard that he was seen on a flower boat on the Qinhuai River before the provincial examination!"

"Oh my God, if you go to a brothel every day and you can get through high school, how can you make those failed candidates locked in the attic miserable?"

…

As the news spread back to Suzhou Prefecture, if the news channels were not very reliable, many people would not believe that Tang Yin turned out to be Jie Yuanlang in the Jinke Township Examination.

People who work hard actually lose to people who don't work hard. This incident has refreshed many people's concepts.

"Life is proud to be thoroughly enjoyed themselves!"

"After this drink, there will be another!"

"Mr. Tang, if you don't give up, how about I sleep with you tonight?"

…

On the Qinhuai River, Xinke Xie Yuanlang Tang Yin was treated like a star, and how many men could resist such a gentle place?

Peach Blossom Temple in Taohuawu, Peach Blossom Fairy in Peach Blossom Temple. The Peach Blossom Fairy planted peach trees and picked peach blossoms in exchange for wine money. When I'm sober, I just sit in front of the flowers; when I'm drunk, I come to sleep under the flowers. Half awake and half drunk day after day, flowers fall and bloom year after year...

Tang Yin may have had a desolate dream, but when he woke up, the beauty on his pillow had left, but the lingering fragrance was still there, and there was also a piece of snow-white silver lying there.

At the Luming Banquet, Tang Yin shined brilliantly and wrote the poem "Understanding the Empress of the Yuan Dynasty to Thank the Chief Secretary": The ambition is not willing to chase the woodcutter and fishermen, but the Qin Dynasty is ready to be swept away. The sword is worth a hundred gold, and the jade is suddenly sold after being deposed three times. Hong Ling dares to look forward to next year's cake, but Huang Ling is deeply ashamed to write this day. The three strategies are not ancient poems, so how can God boast about them?

Although he once had the idea of ​​giving up the imperial examination, or he was unwilling to bow before the carriage when he was young, so he has never been enthusiastic about official career, and even wanted to stay away from it.

After all, when his poems and paintings come out, they can also be worshiped by the world, and even these poems and paintings can be passed down through the ages.

But now that he has completed high school, it is naturally impossible to stop here, so Tang Yin and other new imperial examination candidates rushed to the capital to participate in next year's examination.

Although the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway project has been approved, it is not possible to build it from Beijing to Suzhou, so he naturally chose to take a boat from the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to Beijing.

But he probably didn't expect that he would still meet someone who would change his life.

On the way, he met Xu Jing, a candidate in Jiangyin. Xu Jing was born in a wealthy businessman's family in Jiangyin. Since Tang Bohu had long been famous, he had admired him for a long time and was a die-hard fan of Tang Yin.

So as soon as I was happy, I covered all the expenses for the idol's "food, accommodation, transportation and fun".

There is a banknote checkpoint on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Ordinary people need to pay about 3.48 taels of silver for each pass. Originally, it was free to go to Beijing to take the exam, but starting from the sixth year of Hongzhi, this treatment was canceled by the court.

Tang Yin's father, Tang Guangde, ran a tavern and was originally an ordinary businessman. He passed away four years ago. Since Mr. Tang often lived and drank, and was now short of money, he was very happy to "make" this friend.

The two of them were similar in age and hit it off immediately. They sang the wind and the moon along the way, especially with Xu Jing's money, so the journey to Beijing was a smooth sailing.

However, along the way, Xu Jing discovered that Tang Yin did not read the Four Books and Five Classics as rumored, but often delved into them.

Although my level is not as good as that of the opponent, how can I be a fool if I can try to kill from Yingtian Township, so I took the opportunity to communicate and discuss with Tang Yin.

Time soon came to the spring of the twelfth year of Hongzhi. The best candidates from all over the country were gathered in the capital to participate in the examination, and the most dazzling ones were two people: Tang Yin and Wang Shouren.

In fact, from the two capitals and thirteen provinces in the country, there are as many as fifteen Jieyuanlangs in this term alone.

It's just that as a major imperial examination province, Southern Zhili has a very high value in Jieyuan. Nearly 80% of the people who have Jieyuan are successful in the gold list. However, Tang Bohu was still a famous talent, so he caused a greater sensation than the previous Nanzhili Jieyuan.

In fact, everything needs a gimmick. Obviously Jieyuan of Nanzhili in the previous session also participated in this conference. Why is it that only Tang Yin, Jieyuan, shines?

Tang Yin is not a traditional nerd, but is proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, especially his calligraphy and painting, which has become famous in Jiangnan. For such a talented person to take the provincial examination and win the first prize, it is as shocking as a famous singer from later generations to win the top prize in the college entrance examination.

It is precisely because of this that Tang Yin's appearance broke the traditional concept of "not hearing anything outside the window and only reading the books of sages", and naturally attracted special attention from the world.

After Tang Yin arrived in the capital, he did not go to the brothel. Instead, he was often dragged by Xu Jing to visit some officials from Nanzhili.

Although Cheng Minde was executed by Hongzhi after his family was confiscated, Xu Jing was rich and well-connected, and Tang Yin was already a golden brand, so no Southern Zhili official turned them away.

Song Cheng, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, is from Shexian County, Southern Zhili. Originally, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment was known to be unkind, but this time he met Xu Jing and Tang Yin in an unusual way.

"Tang Yin's fate is really good. The Minister of Song Dynasty is famous for his high threshold. I didn't expect that he could get in!" After learning that Tang Yin successfully visited Song Cheng, many candidates immediately said sourly.

As for another man of the hour, Wang Shouren, he is even more dazzling. There are even rumors that he is already the emperor's designated number one scholar.

Wang Hua has been in charge of the Imperial College in recent years, and he has the air of being the first principal of the Ming Dynasty. His reputation is of great importance throughout Shilin. As for the emerging walks of life, students from such colleges have more or less respect for the chief principal because of his status as the Imperial College's sacrificial wine minister.

As the son of Wang Hua, the new uncle of the current Imperial College, Wang Shouren naturally attracted great attention.

Wang Shouren himself was also favored by the emperor. Although the emperor shelved Wang Shouren's proposal to develop iron ore from Australia and did not give him a new official position, the emperor personally arranged for Wang Shouren to participate in the imperial examination.

Originally, Wang Shouren had missed the time for the imperial examination, but the emperor personally said hello and asked the Zhejiang Provincial Education Commissioner to allow him to participate in the provincial examination as a "supplement".

It is said that Wang Shouren was preparing for the examination to complete the Australian Records. Emperor Hongzhi personally gave Wang Shouren ginseng soup and told him to make sure to get his name on the list so that he could be reused. It can be seen how much he valued him.

If Wang Shouren successfully passed the joint examination, given the emperor's preference for Wang Shouren and Wang Hua's favor from the emperor, it would seem natural for him to be selected as the top scholar.

In February of the twelfth year of Hongzhi, the joint examination ended.

History seemed to be an inescapable curse. The chief examiner of this imperial examination was Song Cheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the essay questions he asked were very tricky.

If the provincial examination focuses on the Four Books and Five Classics, then the metropolitan examination begins to focus on policy questions, which tests candidates' views on current affairs.

Although the third policy question of Wan Yi this time is not an in-depth analysis of the ideological attainments of predecessors Zhang Zai, Yang Shi, Lu Jiuyuan, and Xu Heng, it is also a historical policy question: "Ask about the Hundred Schools of Thought in the Spring and Autumn Period, which one is most related to Lü Buwei, can you explain the reason?".

Examination-oriented education is a product of the times, and the eight-part essay almost imprisons the candidates' thoughts. As for compiling history, many people think it is the job of Hanlin officials.

This is why there are voices criticizing candidates for the eight-part essay: "Han, Wei, Sui, and Tang, I don't know what they are, but I only know that there is Zhu Xi. Which category did Taishigong pass the imperial examination? Which category does "Historical Records" belong to?".

The questions this time cannot be said to be beyond the syllabus, but the Hundred Schools of Thought are known, and Lü Buwei is the most hateful, but who knows what the connection is between the two!

"Isn't this a blind test?"

"I can't answer it, I really can't answer it!"

"This question is so tricky, who wouldn't write a blank paper?"

...

All the candidates couldn't answer it at all, and they were so angry with the Minister of Justice who set the question that they were delayed for another three years by this person.

Some were happy while others were sad. When they couldn't answer it at all, Tang Bohu was already able to answer this "free point question" easily, and even made a bold statement: "I will definitely win the first place in this exam and achieve the great feat of winning three consecutive first places!" (End of this chapter)