After this incident, Zhu Shiyang has grown a lot, and his daily political affairs are arranged in an orderly manner, and he no longer needs to be talked about by everyone. As a result, the country's government and government have gradually embarked on the right path. The other four members of the cabinet were both pleased and puzzled by the emperor's change, and only Lu Wenyuan knew it in his heart and was not surprised.

In the blink of an eye, March is approaching, and many planned political affairs are beginning to be put on the agenda, including the imperial examination.

Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites said that the palace test was set on the first day of the third month from the seventeenth year of Ming Tai/Zu Hongwu, and the officials of Qin Tianjian also said that the day of this month was indeed an auspicious day of the zodiac, and everything was not taboo. And so it was settled.

On the first day of the first month of March, more than 100 tributes who participated in the palace examination waited outside the noon gate early. Since the palace examination is only to distinguish the ranking of Jinshi, and will not dethrone the selected candidates, everyone present is not as nervous as when they were in the examination a few days ago, and they all gather together to talk and talk.

After a while, the civil and military ministers who came to the court also arrived one after another, and it became more lively outside the noon gate, two groups of people, you look at me, I look at you, look at it, the bold among the tributes can not bear it, and they drill back and forth in the ranks of officials to hand posts, worship protégés, and the timid also squeeze forward one after another, and talk to the ministers. The officials of the Ministry of Rites in charge of order couldn't see it, and the eagles drove the unruly tributes around like chickens, making a quiet noon gate on weekdays, and almost caught up with the vegetable market outside Xizhimen.

Lu Wenyuan couldn't help but laugh in the front row, and Fu Qian talked about participating in the palace examination that year. Yan Yong couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he thought that he had been so angry and harmful to Lu Wenyuan that he was so angry that he didn't mind it, but when he saw that Lu Wenyuan was talking and laughing and didn't mind, he gradually relaxed. The five members of the cabinet got together and had a great conversation.

This scene is very shocking in the eyes of the new Gongshi, just because there was no prime minister in the Ming Dynasty, and the cabinet scholars were the first of the hundred officials, and the power was not small, among which Lu Wenyuan was the head, and he was promoted to the first assistant at a young age, and also served as the secretary of the ministry, and the power was great, which can be called "heavenly officials" , In the past dynasties are unprecedented, the tributes have long heard of his prestige, and now the legendary characters are close at hand, how to have a reason not to take care of carefully, all of them held their breath and looked at it, and after a look, they inevitably had to make some emotional discussions.

I only heard one person: "I have long heard that Lord Lu is the youngest among the previous first assistants of the Ming Dynasty, and now when I see it, he is much younger than he imagined, not to mention the past, I am afraid that in the future, there will never be such a young and promising first assistant." ”

Everyone present nodded yes, but one of them snorted coldly, quite disdainful. Everyone was a little surprised, and when they turned their heads to look, they saw that it was a young man in plain clothes, only sixteen or seventeen years old at first glance, but his face was extremely good, especially a pair of oblique Danfeng eyes, looking forward to the brilliance between the displacement, saying whether he liked it or not, it seemed to be disgusting and not hateful, which was particularly fascinating.

Everyone was stunned for a while, and Fang reacted that this was Huiyuan Chen Yan, who won the first place in the examination a few days ago. To say that this Chen Yan is also a famous character in today's Shilin, as early as the age of 12, he was called a prodigy because he participated in the township examination, and he was a little older, and he was famous for his beauty, people often compared with "Pan An" and "Song Yu", with the meaning of both his talent and appearance, this examination is even more limelight, ranking first at the age of seventeen, and he is really worthy of the title of "prodigy".

Naturally, everyone didn't dare to slack off on such a character, and they gathered around at the moment. The man from before hugged his fists and said, "I don't know what Brother Chen thinks?"

Chen Yan twisted his long eyebrows slightly and said: "If I remember correctly, Master Lu was nineteen years old when he was released, and now he is twenty-three or four, so he may not be the youngest first assistant." "The implication is that if I win today, I will be two years younger than Lu Wenyuan back then, and this title of the youngest and most promising first assistant in the history may not be my turn.

Of course, everyone knew what he meant, but one of them interjected bluntly: "Brother Chen is young and talented, and I can't wait for it, but this first assistant, I'm afraid it won't be Brother Chen's turn to sit, just because the previous first assistant has been promoted by the second assistant, even if Brother Chen can surpass Lord Fu, Lord Zhao and other rising stars to become the second assistant, but can he survive Lord Lu's retirement? Even if Brother Chen can survive at that time, I am afraid that he will be dying of old age, and he will no longer be able to call him young." ”

Chen Yan said with a smile: "The sea is up and down, who can always stand? Besides, those successive first assistants, in the name of retirement, but which one was not brought down by his subordinates." You're saying this too absolutely. ”

When the man heard this, he lowered his voice and said: "Listening to Brother Chen's meaning, he actually wants to defeat Lord Lu? This is absolutely unacceptable, how powerful Fan Zhefu is, he has not fallen under Lord Lu, it can be seen that Lord Lu's wisdom is far-reaching." Even if Brother Chen is promising in high school, he should be cautious in his words and deeds everywhere, don't be too ambitious, and I will have something to rely on in the DPRK and China in the future. ”

Chen Yan smiled slightly: "Look at you scared, I didn't say anything, what are you trying to guess yourself?"

While speaking, the deacons and eunuchs at the various palace gates have shouted one after another, "The emperor is driving the palace." The civil and military officials were suddenly silent, purged the two columns, and prepared to enter the palace to meet them. The tributes were also frightened by this huge scene, and gathered in a solemn group outside the noon gate, at the disposal of the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

The civil and military officials only made routine court meetings on this day, and did not go to the court, so they withdrew from the Fengtian Hall in turn after a short time after entering, leaving only the tributes to be presided over by the emperor himself.

The tributes used to be idle clothes living in the countryside, but now they were so panicked when they saw the emperor that they didn't even know where to put their hands and feet, and the etiquette just taught by the Ministry of Rites forgot everything completely, and they buzzed around the Fengtian Hall like headless flies.

Zhu Shiyang saw that there were no rules in the crowd, but he didn't feel very angry, but he just thought it was funny. Sitting on the dragon chair and watching it quietly for a long time, he gradually noticed that one of the tributes was generous and graceful, which stood out among the other tributes around.

The more Zhu Shiyang looked at him, the more his eyes were smooth, and occasionally he saw him throwing a glimpse at himself between kneeling, and his heart was chuckled, and there were some ripples. At that moment, he set aside his heart and secretly paid attention to this person, so that he could make plans in the future.

There are nine tables in the Fengtian Palace, where the top nine tributes will be questioned, and the other tributes will be examined in the east and west of the Fengtian Temple according to their ranks.

More than 100 tributes were dispatched by the officials of the Ministry of Rites to take their places, and the monitoring officers inspected the examination room, and Zhu Shiyang solemnly asked: "I am the only one who is ordered by heaven to rule the world, and I am responsible for the rule of the king, but I am wise and wise, and I am enough to have a ...... I am deeply suspicious. Doctor Zi learns the way of the first king, and judges the return of the name and the truth, and it is advisable to be careful, not hidden or general, and I will pay attention to it. ”

Zhu Shiyang only needed to recite this Chinese question, and Gui Xi had to mention it on the side, so he finished the test question after a while. The nine tributes in the hall closed their eyes and contemplated their own strategies. Zhu Shiyang turned his eyes around the hall, turned around, and caught up with the tribute who had been watching for a long time.

This person sat in the front row, and he had already started to write at this moment, Zhu Shiyang looked at the position of his desk, and knew that he was the Huiyuan in the last exam, and he was also unfamiliar for a while, and he expected that this person was not a simple person. Zhu Shiyang then beckoned Guixi to take two steps forward, pointed at the tribute, and asked quietly, "What is the origin of that person over there?"

Gui Xi had already prepared a roster in his hand, immediately opened it to check it, and whispered in Zhu Shiyang's ear: "That person's name is Chen Yan, he is the Huiyuan in the last exam, the first emperor Jingping was born in the twenty-second year, and now he is seventeen years old, and he is originally from Luoyang, Henan Province, ......."

Zhu Shiyang said: "Only seventeen years old? I remember that Lu Wenyuan is quite famous, and he was only nineteen when he was in middle school, and now this Chen Yan is actually younger than him, and he can really be said to be a talented person from all generations." ”

Gui Xi complimented: "This is all because the emperor governs the country well, and talented people in the world inspire the emperor's kindness, so that they can go forward and devote themselves to the family and country." ”

Zhu Shiyang smiled and said nothing.

The examination time of the palace examination is three hours, and it is impossible for the emperor to stay in the palace all the time. Zhu Shiyang sat for a while, and then got up and went back to the harem, but he did not go directly to the back door of the Fengtian Hall as usual, but patrolled around the hall and went around the palace from the main gate. Gui Xi only thought that the emperor was concerned about the strategy of the tributes, but he didn't want Zhu Shiyang to have other plans, so he wanted to go closer to see what Chen Yan looked like.

Zhu Shiyang pretended to paced between the tables of the tributes, and when he passed by Chen Yan's table, he deliberately slowed down and paused.

Chen Yan is also extremely clever, when he knelt down in the hall to worship, he felt that the eyes of the Son of Heaven were always around him, and when he saw the clothes of the Son of Heaven in front of him, he simply raised his head and took a bold look, which happened to collide with Zhu Shiyang's downward gaze.

Zhu Shiyang's heart jumped, only to feel that this Chen Yan was more bright and beautiful when he looked at it up close than when he looked at it from a distance, and he was unconscious of it, but Chen Yan was very generous and calm, smiled at him slightly, and continued to bow his head and compose.

Zhu Shiyang later walked on the way back to the palace, his eyes were full of that smile, and Chen Yan's crooked eyes really wanted to hook his heart.