Chapter 532: The Foundation of the Country, the Mystery Is Revealed

If you go to work in a barbarian land, not to mention that life there is very difficult. Compared with the picturesque Jiangnan with fireworks, it is the difference between hell and heaven, and the bumps on the road are beyond imagination.

For example, it takes half a year to go to the American continent, and a year to go back and forth. How is this different from exile?

Incidentally, working overseas also presents significant life opportunities.

How many generals who have returned from overseas have been placed in important positions by the imperial court, and officials who have served overseas have received high-level salaries. Xu Shiying, the governor of the East China Sea, is now a minister in the military aircraft cabinet.

In fact, what they are facing now is not a simple choice question, but a life choice.

If they choose to refuse to serve overseas, the Ministry of Civil Affairs should not violate their personal wishes, and they can still enter the officialdom with the title of Shinke Jinshi.

It's just that the consequences are equally obvious. Although they can enjoy a generous official life at home, their treatment will definitely lag behind those of the same age who dared to go overseas, and their future career may also be bleak.

Today's Emperor Hongzhi is famous for his pragmatism. Back then, Emperor Hongzhi overthrew Qingliu, who ruled the country on paper, and instead chose Wang Yue and others who dared to go on a killing spree in the local area.

If there is any good position in the court in the future, it must belong to those who dare to go to sea to open up the Ming Dynasty, rather than those who are content with enjoying themselves at home.

Just like this, there were six hundred candidates in the huge examination room, but when faced with a very simple multiple-choice question, they couldn't write for a long time.

The frivolity on Tang Yin's face disappeared. After making a hard decision, he finally wrote on the white paper: Learn martial arts and sell to the emperor's family.

Although he is famous for being frivolous and likes to linger in the land of fireworks, in fact these are just appearances.

As a member of the Ming Dynasty, he received pure Chinese education since childhood, and naturally wanted to serve the country loyally. It's just that his talents in poetry and painting are too high, so it is inevitable that he will sink into the fireworks and willow alley.

This time he was questioned because of his arrogance, which triggered a major public opinion, allowing him to see the warmth and warmth of human nature, and he also achieved real growth.

If the court had not been clear and the emperor had been wise, I really don’t know which way things would have developed. Now that he has the opportunity to prove himself, does he really want to miss it?

For this reason, he chose to agree to work overseas, which was not only an inner decision but also a way to prove to the world that he could not only write poetry and paint.

"Surrender your body to serve the Ming Dynasty, and die in mourning for your country!" Wang Shouren had been thinking about promoting the Ming Dynasty to develop Australia's iron mines, so he immediately wrote the article eloquently.

"Report your favor on the golden stage, support the Jade Dragon and die for you!" Lun Wenxu also chose to bravely go overseas. When writing, a sense of righteousness flashed in his eyes.

He is a son of a poor peasant family. He has been accustomed to seeing the sufferings of the world since he was a child. He also witnessed the decline and prosperity of the Hongzhi Dynasty with his own eyes.

He did not exclude foreigners like others. Originally, Guangdong was regarded as a southern barbarian, but now the development of Guangzhou city is actually no worse than that of Jiangnan.

Although it is indeed difficult to go overseas and there are many unknown dangers, it is not a new life experience and will also be a part of his growth.

Because of this, he decided to make a huge gamble in his life, hoping to bring back more resources from overseas to the people at the bottom of the Ming Dynasty.

Six hundred candidates wrote their papers one after another and made a choice of their own lives.

"My parents are here, so I won't travel far!"

"I just want to be quiet and be a beautiful husband."

"I have declined and can no longer go overseas to share the Emperor's worries."

…

Although many people choose to have the courage to work overseas, most candidates are not willing to take this risk, but express their willingness to stay and work in China.

Life is like a crossroads, and there is no absolute right or wrong.

As the test papers were handed in one after another, everything was finalized.

Just as they came, the six hundred candidates walked out of the Meridian Gate in neat rows and left the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate.

"I have no chance with Yijia!"

“It’s so difficult overseas, but it’s so beautiful if you don’t go there!”

"I know I regret it when I'm old, but I don't dare to go!"

…

Many candidates have lost all illusions and feel somewhat dejected.

A Jiangxi examinee said fancifully: "Perhaps this second question is just a routine question about our employment intentions and will not be counted in the palace examination score?"

"Haha... you probably don't know what the plaque hanging on the wall of the Imperial Study Room says, right?" an older candidate said scornfully.

The Jiangxi examinee had a bad premonition, so he asked seriously: "What is it?"

"Empty talk will harm the country, but hard work will make it prosperous!" the older candidate gave the answer.

As soon as these words came out, the candidates around him were stunned, but they also sighed helplessly.

It is said that it is a great good thing that they meet the wise king who only meets once in a century, but for some lazy people, it seems that it is not necessarily a good thing. The current officialdom is really too complicated.

With the end of the palace examination, the examination of papers begins.

It was presided over by Yin Tai, the chief minister of the cabinet, and twelve important ministers participated.

The examination paper of the palace examination will not be "copied", only the name of the candidate will be blurred, and the original paper will be presented to the marking officer. In theory, the marking officer can determine the test paper from one or more candidates through handwriting.

It's just that the workload of the palace examination is relatively small, and the time is abundant. Unlike the provincial examination and the joint examination, which are divided among eight examiners, the palace examination requires each marking officer to review and score.

Take Wang Shouren as an example. Even if a senior official recognized Wang Shouren's test paper and gave him a high score, as long as other examiners did not cheat, the score would still be relatively objective.

Before the cabinet chief Yin Tai began to mark the papers, he directly hammered some candidates: "Our test papers are divided into five levels! According to what we just discussed, the highest level for candidates who do not express their willingness to go to sea can only be the fourth level!"

After this, most of the new Jinshi who want to be content with the status quo are destined to have difficulty getting high scores.

"Everything is arranged by your majesty and the prime minister!" The senior officials present solemnly stated.

Although the second test question was proposed by the emperor, they also agreed with both hands.

The good days of staying in a comfortable position and waiting for promotion because of good test scores are gone. The current Ming Dynasty employs more practical talents.

Now these new Jinshi who do not have the courage to go to sea can only start from the bottom, and the pillars of the Ming Dynasty in the future will tend to choose officials with overseas resumes.

The direction of talent selection in the Ming Dynasty is quietly changing. It is paying more and more attention to practical talents who dare to take responsibility and work hard, and will also be the engine for the Ming Dynasty to continue to take off.

In just one day, the ranking of the palace examination was released.

Since they had no right to finalize the first-class Jinshi, Yin Zhi and others tied up the best twelve candidates' test papers and handed them over to the emperor for decision after arranging the rankings of other candidates.

After seeing the names of the twelve candidates, Zhu Youtang noticed that there was an unexpected name, and the corners of his mouth could not help but rise slightly, and he also held the small biography according to the convention.

The next day, the sun was shining.

Since the Hongzhi Dynasty, the small biography has been held in the West Garden, and the location is usually chosen in the open space in front of the Tingchao Pavilion.

Zhu Youtang is now more and more adept at handling government affairs, especially after training a large number of capable and courageous officials, no longer sending everything to him.

Since the workload of reviewing memorials is less, he has plenty of time.

Zhu Youtang also wanted to meet a celebrity from the future, so he personally came to Tingchao Pavilion to preside over this Xiaochuanlu examination.

"I respectfully ask you how you are!" Wang Shouren and other twelve newly-appointed Jinshi saw the emperor in person, and they also suppressed their excitement and bowed.

They all experienced the earth-shaking changes of the Hongzhi Dynasty and saw a thriving Ming Dynasty. Even a Jiangnan talent like Tang Bohu had to admit that the current emperor was a rare wise ruler in a century.

In fact, when Hongzhi went to Jiangnan, Tang Yin had seen Hongzhi sitting on the dragon chariot from a distance, but now such a close contact made his heart pound.

Lun Wenxu also lowered his head, fearing that he would offend Zhu Youtang.

Wang Shouren was Wang Hua's son after all, and Wang Hua was extremely favored, so he seemed the most calm, but he knew more clearly in his heart the boldness of the emperor in front of him to create the current prosperous era.

Xiaochuanlu is actually the interview of the best 12 new Jinshi candidates by the emperor himself after the written test, which is more conducive to the selection of talents.

"My Lord, please stand up!"

Zhu Youtang sat on the dragon chair in front of the pavilion, and also looked at these emperor's pride.

I thought Tang Yin was a handsome and elegant young man, but he didn't even dare to raise his head when he came to him. He was not frivolous as the outside world said, but a very stable young man.

"What did Xiaochuanlu test this year?"

"Will they let the 12 raise grass carp like they did back then?"

"The patterns are different every year, and this year should not be repeated!"

...

When the outside world learned that Xiyuan was holding Xiaochuanlu, they also speculated on the content of the emperor's test, and also wanted to know whether they could crack the emperor's true mind.

Zhu Youtang smiled slightly and announced the topic: "I know that there are several of you twelve who are good at making couplets, so I will give you the second couplet, and you will make the second couplet!"

Wang Shouren and others knew that the real exam had begun, and to a large extent, it was related to their final ranking on the gold list, and even the ownership of the top scholar.

Liu Jin waved his hand, and two young eunuchs simply carried a table with four treasures of the study room.

This...

Wang Shouren and others exchanged glances silently, but did not dare to say a word.

Let alone the outside world's speculation, even if they now knew that the emperor wanted to test them to make couplets, they still did not know what the emperor was up to.

You know, the examination of the small biography is usually not about appearances, like the fish farming in the past, and the three Jinshi who got the first place have now disappeared in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Facing the eyes of the candidates, Liu Jin showed: "Your Majesty's first couplet is: The first month of the North Tower is a happy time."

"I will come first!" As soon as the voice fell, Lun Wenxu took the lead to stand up and said.

Liu Jin motioned him to come forward and write. Lun Wenxu, who was known for his quick writing skills, came forward, grabbed a wolf-hair brush and smiled, twisted his sleeves, splashed ink, and wrote in one go: "The bright moon in the south room hurts the bell."

"Good sentence!"

"Nice antithesis!"

"As expected of a quick-witted scholar!"

...

Several new scholars saw the second couplet written by Lun Wenxu in a flash, and nodded in praise.

Tang Yin thought this second couplet was average, mainly because of the word "quick", but suddenly noticed that Wang Shouren's mouth corners were raised: "Brother Wang, why are you laughing!"

"Lun Wenxu is too careless, the top scholar may be between you and me!" Wang Shouren glanced at Tang Yin and said in a shocking way.

Ah!

Tang Yin's mouth slightly opened, but he didn't understand why a well-balanced second couplet could actually ruin the top prize.

Wang Shouren was like a worm in Zhu Youtang's stomach. After seeing Zhu Youtang read the second couplet, he said: "Lun Wenxu, you're no longer the top prize!"

"Ah?" Lun Wenxu was secretly proud of himself, and he looked at Zhu Youtang in shock when he heard this.

Zhu Youtang looked at this freshly-minted official, and said earnestly: "After entering the officialdom, this urgency may not be all good!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not ask for the top prize, but I am loyal to your Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. I don't know where I am wrong?" Lun Wenxu knelt down and tried to find an answer.

Wang Shouren found Lun Wenxu so stupid, so he reminded him: "Brother Lun, you probably don't know that the first couplet was actually taken by His Majesty from the poem of Du Ming, the former Minister of Works, and your second couplet is the same as Du Shangshu's!"

"I haven't read Du Shangshu's old works before, and it's definitely not plagiarism!" Lun Wenxu felt wronged when he saw that he had the hope of regaining the top prize.

Tang Yin seemed to have thought of something, and said lightly: "This sentence can not only not be copied, but also can't be mentioned. Brother Lun, think carefully in the future!"

"In the first month of the year, the cups in the north tower are happy, and the bells in the south room are sad?"

The nine new scholars behind him repeated silently, and then seemed to understand something, but looked at Lun Wenxu kneeling on the ground with pity.

Wang Shouren thought more, and now he finally understood that when His Majesty insisted on using Wang Yue, when the Qingliu headed by Yang Pu attacked Wang Yue for writing poems and resentment, Du Ming, the then Minister of Works, suddenly turned to the emperor.

Unexpectedly, the mystery of the officialdom for many years was solved in this small biography.

"I have no intention of collaborating with the enemy, nor do I have the intention of satirizing the emperor. Please Your Majesty, please understand!" Lun Wenxu was not a stupid person, and he also realized that he had caused a big disaster.

Zhu Youtang saw that Lun Wenxu's face turned pale, so he gently raised his hand: "Lun Wenxu, you don't have to panic! I asked this question, which was a trap deliberately set up. The original intention was to warn you: since you are in the officialdom, you should be cautious in your words and deeds in the future, but you must avoid falsehood and go to the truth!"

"I will remember your majesty's teachings!" Wang Shouren and others learned about the emperor's good intentions and bowed respectfully.

Lun Wenxu really felt this lesson and kept it in mind. He knew that this was indeed the emperor's good intentions for them, and he also felt the heart of the emperor in front of him.

Zhu Youtang's eyes fell on the nine new Jinshi standing behind him, and his eyes were fixed on a tall young Jinshi: "Yan Weizhong!". (End of this chapter)