Because the new emperor ascended the throne, in addition to the amnesty of the world's lavish rewards, as usual, there will still be a term of Enke, in order to show the current emperor's grace and virtue.

In the second year of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, Enke opened at the beginning of February. The spring is cold and cold, and the scholars who want to take the imperial examination have to wear single clothes to endure in such weather and a simple examination room for nine whole days. Some scholars who are physically weak and powerless can't bear this kind of suffering, and those who faint due to illness in the middle of the examination and are carried out of the examination room by the servants can be regarded as giving up this year's scientific examination. Ten or even dozens of years of cold windows have become floating clouds.

The gong sounded in the examination room, and the invigilator and messenger who had been waiting for a long time passed by the end of the long verandah and put away the examination papers one by one.

Chen Hua rubbed his hands a little unbearably cold, and after the errand officer finished collecting his exam papers, he packed up his things and left the examination room. The carriage servants of the Chen family were all guarding outside the examination room, and when they saw Chen Hua coming out, they rushed up to put on the big stove and the hand stove.

The thick sweater was draped over his body, and he immediately blocked the cold wind outside. Chen Huan bowed down and was just about to get into the carriage when he was stopped by the people behind him.

"I don't know if Brother Feng Juxian can be sure of his fate this time?" The person who came was also dressed in a gorgeous crane, holding a delicate blue and white porcelain copper hand stove in his hand, and asked with a smile.

Chen Huan turned his head and said with a smile: "It turned out to be Brother Hu." Seeing that Brother Hu Shi's appearance is so good, I think that I will definitely be able to make some gains this time. ”

When Hu Jinzhong heard this, he couldn't hide his smug smile between his eyebrows: "It's easy to say." If there are no exceptions, you should change your name to my brother-in-law after the list is opened. ”

When Chen Huan heard this, his heart became more and more happy. The marriage of the Chen and Hu families has been set for several years, but because Chen Wan is still young, and the Hu family insists that Hu Jinzhong can only marry Chen Wan after he is admitted to the Jinshi examination, it has really been delayed for several years. Now that Chen Huan heard that Hu Jinzhong was so confident, he couldn't help but smile and said: "As the saying goes, the cave room spends candle night, and the gold list is inscribed." It seems that Brother Hu Shige is going to take it all. ”

Hu Jinzhong probably did well in the exam, and he kept smiling from ear to ear. opened his mouth and said: "Brother Feng Ju is talented and intelligent, and he is good at practice. There is also Master Xu's own adjustment and teaching, presumably the title of this year's gold list is not a problem. ”

Chen Hua smiled slightly. He has always been low-key and pragmatic, and he doesn't like to talk about it. Even if you are completely sure of everything, you are only humble to the outside world. What's more, now that he has just finished the exam, and it is not yet time for the list to be released, Chen Hua will not boast that he will definitely go to high school in Haikou. Therefore, Chen Hua just smiled and said, "It's not certain." It's just doing what I can. ”

As they spoke, a group of people walked from the two of them. The leader heard Chen Huan's humble words, and couldn't help but sneer: "Brother Feng Ju's words are too humble. Who doesn't know that Brother Feng Ju's father is the famous Chen Qi Chen in the dynasty. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, Lord Chen Jian is favored in the emperor's heart, and now his only son is going on a scientific examination, how can it be unreasonable? According to his humble opinion, he felt that Brother Feng Ju must be in high school. At that time, I will have to ask for a glass of wine to eat. ”

The man's voice was raised when he spoke, and it immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding scholars.

Chen Hua frowned indiscriminately, and said directly: "You can eat indiscriminately, but you can't talk nonsense." What Brother Mei meant by this sentence, but he suspected that this year's Enke was suspected of fraud? Brother Mei Shi's mussels and white teeth are nonsense, I don't know if I dare to bear the consequences of saying these words? ”

When Brother Mei heard this, he immediately smiled and said, "It's just a casual joke." Why should Brother Feng Ju be seriously annoyed. ”

Hearing this, Chen Huan glanced at the students around him, and said with a smile: "This matter has nothing to do with me, and I can't be angry." It's just a blessing for Brother Mei. After all, the chief examiner of this year's Enke is the head of the cabinet of the dynasty, Lord Zhang Huaiyuzhang, who was born in a poetry family, learned to be rich and rich, and is a humble and high-spirited person, and it is all over the world. With Zhang Ge's old mind, he naturally won't worry about Brother Mei Shi. If there is another person, and the good person is actually accused by Brother Mei Shi, will he be seriously angry? ”

Before he finished his sentence, the candidate surnamed Mei suddenly turned pale with fright. He glanced at Chen Hua with some taboo, and didn't dare to say more, so he walked away while everyone else hadn't come back to his senses.

Hu Jinzhong looked at this scene with a face like a spring breeze, and still didn't forget to smile and say: "It's still Brother Fengju who is reasonable." Otherwise, today's matter has changed to others, and he will not be annoyed and angry and report directly to Lord Zhang. ”

Chen Huan glanced at Hu Jinzhong, then looked at the crowd, and said meaningfully: "With Brother Zhang Shishi here, where do you need me to talk more?" ”

When everyone heard this, they saw a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy in the crowd, handsome and elegant, with graceful manners, and a brilliant figure. At this moment, he was looking at the direction in which the scholar surnamed Mei had left with a gloomy face.

Hearing what Chen Huan said, the man reluctantly hooked the corners of his mouth, and said: "My father has a neutral temperament, and he will never do that favoritism." Some people don't have enough to learn themselves, so they like to speculate about others at will, which is ridiculous. ”

After speaking, he only said a few words to Chen Huan and Hu Jinzhong, and then left uncontrollably.

Hu Jinzhong gloated and hooked the corners of his mouth, and smiled at Chen Huan: "What is this called?" didn't have a long brain to say bad things about other people's sons, but let other people's sons hear it. Sure enough, it is the present world that is reported in the eyes of people. ”

After that, they exchanged a few words with Chen Huan, and then they got into the carriage and went home separately.

Everyone in the Chen family had already prepared a hot soup bath, and they just waited for Chen Huan's house, and immediately served Chen Huan properly to wash and rest.

Chen Hua slept for a day and a night before he woke up. Xu Shi hurriedly brought the ginseng chicken soup that had been warm on the stove for a long time. Chen Huan drank three bowls of bowls, and ordered someone to stew a ham stewed elbow and eat it with the blue stalk rice, and then smiled freely: "In the examination room for the past nine days, I don't want to think about anything, I just want to go home after the exam and have meat to eat." Just think about the elbow with the dry bun, you don't know, the taste is not mentioned. ”

Xu couldn't help but shake his head, and after serving Chen Huan, the two of them hugged their brother and went to the room to say goodbye.

At that time, Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Chen, and Feng were all there, discussing Chen Huan's results in the imperial examination. Chen Qi himself is a donor, and he has never experienced this. I thought about waiting for Chen Huan to come to his senses and take him to visit the Yue family and listen to Xu Zichuan's meaning.

When everyone in the Chen family heard Chen Jue's idea, they naturally thought it was true.

Seeing Chen Hua enter the door for a while, Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen were busy shushing the cold and asking for warmth, hugging the eldest grandson for a while and saying that he was thin, and then saying that he was thin. Chen Huan accompanied his grandfather and grandmother to talk, and then followed his father to visit Xu's house.

Xu Zichuan's own son was already in high school in the last imperial examination, and now he is in the Hanlin Academy. When the Chen family father and son came to the door, the Xu family father and son were also discussing the results of the son-in-law/brother-in-law's imperial examination.

Chen Hua has experienced all these years of failure, and this time the imperial examination is very certain. He acquiesced all his eight articles to his father-in-law and uncle, and the two of them took Chen Huan's articles and studied them in the study for a long time, pondering everything from the rhetoric of the article itself to the preferences of the examiner, and then made a decision-

"Ten will be high and medium."

Although it was not yet time to open the list, the Chen family father and son were also relieved after hearing the assertion of the Xu family father and son. After all, this is the evaluation of a veteran of the imperial examination, and it must have reference value!

As soon as the father and son of the Chen family were happy, they drank and sang at the Xu family for most of the day. It wasn't until the time of the lamp that the drunken family went to wait for the list.

Within a few days, the imperial court released the list, and Chen Huan and Hu Jinzhong were indeed on the list. Chen Huan is the seventh in the second grade, and Hu Jinzhong is the eleventh in the second grade. Both of them have good results. And because of Chen Jue, Chen Hua was hand-picked as Hanlin after high school. can be regarded as a member of the noble civil officials.

As for Hu Jinzhong, although he was not named Hanlin, there was the Hu family maneuvering in secret, and Chen Jue, an old man, was in charge, and when he was released to the state officials, he was directly assigned to Shanxi, the base camp of the Jin merchants. I believe that with the support of Chen Jue, the old man, and the financial support of his own Yutai Commercial Bank, Hu Jinzhong's three years of release are just three years of accumulating qualifications. At that time, the three-year assessment will be on top, and it is also expected.

However, the top priority is not that Hu Jinzhong wants to go to Beijing to take up his post, and it is true that the Hu and Chen families want to arrange a marriage for a pair of children. The wedding was scheduled for the beginning of May.

Chen Huan, as an important minister of the imperial court and the most trusted confidant minister today, his only daughter is going to get married, and the civil and military nobles of the Manchu Dynasty, including today's saints, will naturally express it.

Although the Hu family is not as powerful as the Chen family, the name of the Jin merchants is widely spread all over the world, and Yutai Commercial Bank is the leader among the Jin merchants. The eldest grandson of their family, the eldest grandson, wanted to marry a wife after entering high school, and he was married to the only daughter of Chen Qi's family, the household servant...... All those who have a friendship with Yutai Commercial Bank and have no friendship with the heart of the hot stove are also flocking to it.

When the saint was still in the court, he specially wrote a handwritten letter of "a match made in heaven" and gave it to Chen Qi. and said with a smile that when the Chen family held a happy event, they would send the prince and the princess over to have a good time.

When the sage said this, his heart moved, and he couldn't help but think of the past, and said: "I remember that when your brother and son got married, I and the queen went in person. And the royal brothers also went. Now that your girl is married, I will send the crown prince and the crown princess over. It's like they're taking advantage of you. ”

As soon as these words came out, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty once again realized the favor and intimacy of today's saints to Chen Jue. I can't help but look at Chen Qi with envy and jealousy for a few years.

Chen Qi has long been accustomed to the eclecticism of today's saints in their private dealings with him. However, the two monarchs and ministers are like this in the court, but it is the first time. Chen Jue was stunned at that time. Immediately came to his senses, so he had to step forward and quietly turn the conversation around.

However, no matter how excited the saint was, how the Chen and Hu families planned, a sudden disaster still disrupted the arrangements of the two families.

Within half a month of the release of the imperial examination, a rumor quietly spread in Beijing, but it was said that there were people in Enke who had cheated for personal gain and the examination room was unfair. Some people even say it as if they have seen it with their own eyes.

As a result, the rumors intensified, and eventually developed to the point where the people who did not pass the examination gathered and knelt down in front of the ceremonial department to petition.

As soon as this incident came out, the government and the opposition were shocked. The saint was even more furious. The Criminal Department and Dali Temple were ordered to strictly investigate the matter. If someone engages in malpractice, he must be severely punished. If no one cheats, the court will not be allowed to slander or slander the rumors in the market. It is imperative to find out the people who spread the rumors and deal with them vigorously so as to set an example. and ordered that all the students who signed up for Enke this time should be re-examined. The examination room is placed in the Daming Palace, and the examination room for the Jinshi who has been admitted is in the Qinzheng Palace, and the examination room for the lifting of the examination is in the Taihe Gate, which is invigilated by the sage himself. After the exam, all examiners and candidates are not allowed to leave, and the papers will be judged on the spot.

Because they were in the whirlpool of rumors, the marriage between the Chen family and the Hu family had to be delayed. Just wait for the re-examination of the Qinzheng Palace, and then make a calculation.