When more than a thousand people sat down in the examination room, they found that this place was not as cold as they imagined. Almost 100 braziers are placed in different positions to keep the room warm at all times, and all lifters can benefit. In this way, at least when they answer and write, the ink will not be frozen, and their fingers will not be too stiff to move the pen.

At this time, dozens of Jin Wuwei entered with knives and stood quietly in the examination room. Soon after, Liu Xijiu, the eunuch of the country, and Li Hui, the king of Xin'an County, walked in with a group of scribes and sat on the main seat next to them. The crowd immediately stood up and saluted them, and the two of them bowed their bows in greeting. Facing the eyes of scrutiny and scrutiny, Li Hui sat very calmly, and the lifters looked at the young county king so closely, and their hearts were full of complicated and indistinguishable feelings.

"Let's start the first game." Liu Xijiu instructed the scribes to hand out today's examination papers. The provincial examination of Jinshike Province is two days, and one test is taken every day. The first session is to read history, and there are three different examination papers according to the "Historical Records", "Book of Han", and "Book of the Later Han", from which the students can choose the papers they are best at answering.

Wang Zixian did not decide what exam papers he would do earlier, as other movers did. He kindly asked the scribe for three different papers, pondering the questions. There are five questions in one exam paper, fifteen questions in three exam papers, and almost no one can answer three exam papers in one day, what does this young man want? -- The scribe who gave the scroll couldn't help but look at him a few times, and secretly remembered the appearance of this handsome young man.

In fact, many talented people may not be able to answer three exam papers, but it is difficult to perform well in every question. Wang Zixian is no exception, his current accumulation and ability are still insufficient, perhaps it will take another ten or twenty years for him to answer the three exam papers effortlessly and perfectly. Of course, this time, his goal is not to answer the three exam papers, but to judge the intention of the questioner from the questions.

All the scholars know that the questions for this provincial examination were given by the saints of today. They also understood that as long as their answers could satisfy the saints, it would mean that the road to Qingyun would be unimpeded in the future. But what kind of answer did the saint really want to see? What was his primary concern? Perhaps it is difficult for even many court officials to guess, let alone these immature and almost ignorant of saints.

Wang Zixian and Li Hui have discussed the predicament and governance countermeasures of His Majesty the emperor many times, and they have some understanding of his thoughts. However, he still needs to carefully read the subtleties contained in the provincial examination questions to determine whether the emperor has other obsessions that are not well known.

He soon discovered something keenly from these topics, and his eyes moved slightly: perhaps, there were other more hidden undercurrents that neither Xuan Qi nor he had yet noticed. And these undercurrents may be one of the reasons why His Majesty the current emperor is a little suspicious. If these undercurrents are not resolved, His Majesty the Emperor will never be able to be a loving uncle with peace of mind. No matter how peaceful the Yue Wangfu and the Pu Wangfu are, they are very likely to be affected by these undercurrents, or even completely swallowed up.

While the lifters were cautiously reading the questions or starting to sharpen their ink, the number of scribes on the lookout gradually increased. Wang Zimu followed behind a group of green-shirted scholars, silently looking for his eldest brother. The next moment, he realized that he didn't have to look for it at all, and his brother was sitting in the most conspicuous position, and anyone could see the young man who was not in a hurry at a glance.

He watched his brother's every move closely, and the apprehension in his heart gradually dissipated a lot. By the time he came to his senses from hunger, it was nearly noon. He was hesitant to leave for a while, to go to a nearby village for lunch and come back, but he was worried that he would miss something important.

At this time, the prince in the examination house had already finished answering a paper. But instead of handing in the papers, he took out a few cakes and roasted them on the brazier next to him. It wasn't until the sesame cakes were browned on both sides and gave off an enticing aroma that he began to enjoy them with satisfaction. And the lifters next to them were tempted by this burnt fragrance, and they all spoke with relish, their stomachs were like drums, and they no longer had the heart to answer the questionnaire.

As examiners, Liu Xijiu and Li Hui naturally had someone to send them to eat. However, looking at the slightly cold Langxia food in the food box, Liu Xijiu couldn't help but sigh, and muttered to Li Hui in a low voice: "This kind of Langxia food is not as fragrant as the sesame Hu cake offered by the prince!" ”

Li Hui smiled slightly, took out his own food and shared it with Liu Sai wine. His food box was sent by King Pu's Mansion, not only the dishes were extraordinarily rich, but also kept warm all the time, with good color, flavor and taste. However, he felt a little sorry that he couldn't share the food with his best friend, but now he thinks that he may be underestimating him. How can a person who has traveled many times fail to take care of himself?

Wang Zimu, who was far away from the observation deck, also seemed to be able to smell the burnt smell of sesame cakes, he hesitated for a moment, and finally turned around to find something to eat. However, after walking a few steps, he saw two familiar figures, and he was stunned, and couldn't help but take two steps forward: "Li Shiyi Lang, Twelve Lang ......"

"It turned out to be you." Princess Changning, who was holding Princess Yong'an, looked back and laughed softly. She is still dressed as a man, but there is a girl's unique delicate meaning in her heroic hair, and when her eyes wander, it seems that ice and snow can melt for it: "Shhhhhhh Let's go, go outside and talk. ”

The two sisters had just come up quietly, and Princess Yong'an hadn't seen her brother yet, so she was naturally reluctant to leave. The little one clings to the railing of the observation deck and refuses to go, and his furry mass is like a small animal. Princess Changning was very helpless and tried to lift her up. However, the little guy in a heavy winter coat is really not light. Rao is a perennial archery and horseback rider, and after only lifting it for a moment, she felt that her hands were a little sore.

Just when she wanted to put her sister down, Wang Zimu next to her took Princess Yongan over and held it high: "Forgive me for taking the liberty of ......."

The young man didn't dare to look directly into the girl's gaze, his ears were slightly red, and his eyes tried to move elsewhere, but he still quietly lingered on her from time to time.

Princess Changning glanced at him, her red lips curved, and she smiled with great pleasure. She was already old enough to understand the meaning of these behaviors. It must be said that she had always found this young man more interesting than her future colt. Every time they meet, they can make her feel happy from the bottom of her heart.

After Princess Yong'an had seen enough, the three of them left the observation deck. Wang Zimu was already so hungry that his stomach was screaming, which provoked Princess Yong'an to turn her head to look, her face was full of curiosity, and Princess Changning's smile was even stronger.

The young man blushed and hung his head because he felt ashamed, and his mood immediately fell from secret joy to the bottom. Then he heard her say, "We haven't eaten yet." Come with me and take you to the best restaurants nearby. The five-color wonton stew and soup cakes there, even Brother Ao never forget......"

At this time, the smell of various meals filled the house, which was really unbearable. However, because the top of the test room is very breathable, the smell quickly dissipated. They don't have to endure any strange smells, and they can continue to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the answers. And Wang Zixian also completed the second answer sheet and the third answer sheet one after another.

Liu Xianjiu and Li Hui walked among the candidates, checking the progress of their answers. When he came to Wang Zixian's side, Liu Xianjiu took away the three answer sheets he had completed with lightning speed. The prince was stunned for a moment, and wanted to say that he felt that some questions were not sure, but the old man ignored him, stroked his upturned white beard, and walked away on his own.

Li Hui laughed softly, with a bit of ridicule in his eyes, and at the same time said that he couldn't help. After all, he was only an assistant examiner, and the examiner had been staring at someone for a long time, just waiting for him to finish answering all the papers.

Seeing this, the prince had no choice but to shake his head and sigh lightly. However, even the sighs are still full of confidence, which makes the pressure on the people around him more and more.

By this time, it was already dark, and the first history exam was officially over. Whether or not they had completed the answers, the scribes mercilessly put them away. As a result, for a while, the faces of all the lifters were different, either full of confidence or eclipsed. After Liu Xianjiu and Li Hui left with the scribe holding the scroll, Jin Wuwei took turns to change shifts, and the people in the examination room also got up one after another, moving their bodies that were almost stiff.

After the lifters had eaten and returned from taking turns to change clothes and wash, a tall and thick barrier was erected outside the examination room. From a distance, it looks like a huge tent. The cold wind was shielded from the cold, and in the warmth, everyone fell asleep wrapped in heavy winter clothes.

Early the next morning, the tent was quietly removed, and it was restored to its original appearance. In front of everyone's eyes, the second session of the current policy examination officially began. The prince read five examination questions: one is the policy of the people's livelihood, the second is the trouble of the frontier, the third is the change of tribute, the fourth is the law of supervision, and the fifth is the importance of Zhou and Qin. Thinking of the exam questions in the first reading of history, he felt that he should have touched the hidden worries in the heart of His Majesty the Emperor.

Seeing that he walked the dragon and snake, almost in one go, Liu Xianjiu and Li Hui were not surprised. When everyone else was careful and eager to be cautious enough, he was like a smooth stream, his attitude was calm, and even just waving his pen seemed to be chic, which was enough to show that he was confident. Not only did many of the people in the examination house feel secretly admired, but the scribes on the observation deck were even more amazed.

"Yesterday, the prince gave three full answers, and today he answered so smoothly, which shows the richness of the accumulation on weekdays! Alas, it was true that we were too short-sighted in the past. obviously didn't know him at all, but he followed everyone and slandered him behind his back because he was only famous because of his background and connections......"

"yes, if only I had gotten to know him earlier. Such a character, after becoming the head of the first place, is not something that ordinary people like you and me can come into contact with! However, do you think that this king will also hold a literary meeting in the future? We'll have to work hard to get some posts! ”

"I heard that the place where he lives, what is it called...... 'vine garden'? Why don't we visit a few more times while the list has not yet been announced? No, it's my mistake, and I can't wait. We'll visit early tomorrow morning, and we can't wait until the vine garden is full of visitors! ”

"That's right! That's how it should be! ”

The hermits, who were good friends with Mr. Song, also quietly came to the observation deck for a while, and then gathered together and muttered: "That old boy would rather play music in the vine garden than come and take a look, it turns out that he is so relieved of his disciple." But we worried about him in vain! ”

"Since you're here, how can you come for nothing? Leave all the disciples behind, and a few of us will go to the vine garden to find him! In any case, at least we should get some good food and wine to entertain us! ”

Not to mention how the reputation of the prince spread again in Beijing, after the second examination, he said goodbye to the people he knew and went back to the vine garden to rest. And even he probably didn't expect that Liu Xianjiu immediately held the answer sheet he had already read, selected twenty or thirty copies of each, and went straight to the Liangyi Hall to ask to see the saint. Li Hui was a little helpless, and ordered the scribe to follow closely with other answer sheets.