Nine days after the official start of the Spring Festival, with the improved food, the candidates rushed to the examination room with the determination to become benevolent if they were unsuccessful, and they wrote their feelings.

Xi Chao didn't go to the town, she had more important things to do, and she was discussing with Mu Jinming where to assign the Spring Exam candidates.

The Xi Dynasty has already calculated its intentions, the land needs to be re-measured, and the population of the common people now needs to be re-recorded, mainly in the uneven distribution of land, the big families and wealthy merchants occupy a large area of land, and the taxes paid are not as much as the people, and the frequent arrears have become the norm, and reducing taxes alone is still a way to treat the symptoms but not the root cause, and we have to start with the root cause of the land.

The people have no money left in their hands, no fields or bought fields, and there are also local officials who forcibly seize good fields, the grain roads are not abundant, and the local officials cannot pay taxes, and the local officials peel their skins layer by layer, and the people in some places can hardly make a living even if they grow grain, and the vicious circle is still there, the land is evenly distributed, the people are fed and clothed, and there is surplus grain in the treasury.

Then there is the problem of river embankments, a lot of money is allocated every year for the construction of river embankments, although we have not heard of the losses caused by flooding, we still should not take it lightly, in previous years it was because of the lack of rain, this year and the future climate can not be set in stone, early prevention is the first.

The candidates sent down mainly do these few things, and the Xi Dynasty is not worried at all that they will not be able to do well and will not be able to achieve results, the reason is that many people are involved in the family behind their backs, and there is a way that there are people in the DPRK who are easy to do, of course, it is not impossible for the two parties to collude to report false news.

In order to prevent the occurrence of deception and concealment, necessary supervision is indispensable. On the bright side, a group of four people is divided into several cities as a district, and the two are partners with each other to coordinate and cooperate and supervise each other. One of the possible problems is to be bribed or to stand in the camp, whether it is coercion or inducement, the secret guards sent out secretly will pass on the news, and report back the daily actions of the group of four people in charge.

There is also the Xi Dynasty who wants to take this opportunity to go around and observe the people's situation and the expressions of local officials, and some local officials are powerful in the local area. The emperor of the sky is far away, and it can be said that he covers the sky on his own territory, and this kind of atmosphere cannot be promoted, and in addition to this, he also thinks about building official roads. It is convenient to come and go, but the problem is turned back and comes from the cost, and the National Treasury Committee is not abundant, and every penny is less.

When Mu Jinming heard that the Xi Dynasty was going to go out again. The good mood dissipated in an instant. The old man, whose face suddenly turned cloudy, said unhappily: "You're going to leave again?" "Being by his side is short to the point of being entangled, but he can't open his mouth to leave people behind, Xi Chao has his own visionary ambitions, he can't be a cruel winged man, once like the title named by his father himself, which represents the expectation of soaring.

"Use my eyes to walk the country on your behalf." If it weren't for the fact that it would not be easy for Mu Jinming to leave the palace as an emperor, let alone travel far away, Xi Chao really didn't want to leave Mu Jinming alone in the cold and unpopular palace. He has a supreme position and renounces his original freedom. This is the irreparable price, and every qiē is fair. There are gains and losses, we must learn to relax our minds to adapt, rather than stubbornly resisting, and in the end it is still ourselves who suffer.

Mu Jinming sighed helplessly, he shouldn't have restrained the Xi Dynasty for the country and the one he paid for himself in order to fill his own emptiness, it would be too unfair to the Xi Dynasty, and he would look down on himself.

"Remember my birthday to come back." Mu Jinming doesn't want to be alone, he can't wait for the company of his family in his heart, and he knows that he is not as strong as he seems to be, so what, he is the king of a country worshiped by all the people in front of him, and he just wants to enjoy the only warm companionship with his family after him, too lonely will not be able to bear it, the palace is too cold and too cold, like a big tomb.

"Okay, I remember." Xi Chao could see Mu Jinming's chaotic mood and gave him a hug to comfort them, they were lonely people, only relying on each other, but the moment of companionship was so short, and they had to devote a lot of energy to what they had to do.

"How's the matter of the Acropolis, and that Yan brother." Mu Jinming vented his temper and immediately got back on track, "The person surnamed Zhan didn't believe it, isn't he going to show his strength in Mu Guoda?" ”

Xi Chao felt a little hungry and got up to get the snacks on the table, poured two more cups of tea and took one for himself, and pushed the other cup in front of Mu Jinming.

"I don't know, the court on the Yan side is a bit special, the troops haven't been evacuated yet, and Zhan Junfei estimates that he still has to run for the army's food and grass." The Xi Dynasty didn't think about the reason why the Yan brothers didn't lead the troops back to the dynasty, as long as they didn't have a crooked mind, they went with them.

"There are Xu Chenlin and others in the Acropolis, it should be no problem to follow the steps during the construction period, and the news will not arrive until tomorrow." After reading the news at that time, Xi Chao was fully prepared and trusted Xu Yan and the others, so he was not worried.

When the spring list is released, it is more lively than the autumn list, and the passion is uncontrollable, and the mind is full of the beautiful things that are on the list and then just entering the officialdom, and the face is happy, and secretly muttering that the ranking is not important, and it is important to be on the list.

The candidates rushed to the place where the list was released like crazy, and it is not an exaggeration to say that there are many people, they are not only looking at their rankings but also their future prospects.

This year's reward is extraordinarily generous than in previous years, and the kid who specializes in exploring the list is so happy that he can't see his teeth, and he wants to be like this year's spring, and it's no longer a dream to have a better life, by the way, there are still two years, it's really a great thing, no, you have to rush in once, just remember the names of the top 20 at the beginning, and you have a chance to stay on the list, and you run away without a shadow.

The sound of firecrackers comes and goes, adding a joy to the students on the list, there are happy and lost, and every imperial examination has a polarized phenomenon, and the reality is so cruel.

The deadline for reporting for the job selection is set for three days, so you have to wait for the candidates to pass the excitement and can't help themselves, and calm down and consider which way to choose.

Of course, it is not only a question of which one to choose, but also the position that is not too difficult corresponding to your ability, so as to avoid losing face together because of the low hand and low hand of the master, and you can't eat in one breath step by step. The way to cross the minimum standard to reach the ideal position in his heart is not to not have zài, but not to show too much, which will be ridiculed for not being able to do his best, not that the calf is not afraid of tigers. The most taboo words in officialdom are especially bad, even if it is only a temporary opportunity, you can't relax your vigilance and feel unprepared.

People who think too simply are doomed to suffer, and on the contrary, people who think too complicated can simply be decisive when doing things, instead of looking ahead and dragging others back? It takes time to consider and compare, and the level of the position is also related to the starting point in the future, and it is inevitable that there will be wavering situations in the choice.

The street gate of the Ministry of Officials began to get busy without touching the ground, and the candidates who came to register in the morning formed a long line. It's not that you can go back after handing in the paper with your intentions, the procedures that need to be taken are indispensable, even if you are anxious to wait. No one dared to do anything unfavorable to themselves at the yamen, everyone adhered to their duties, and whispered in voices like mosquitoes and flies, moving forward little by little with the procession.

All the officials went into battle. There are too many people who can't sign up. There are a lot of things that need to be written, and with the checklist of candidates, one person with eight hands feels that it is not enough.

None of the candidates who made the list were willing to give up this hard-won opportunity, so there was no change in the number of candidates.

Two days later, a large stack of registers was presented to the royal case, and Xi Chao glanced at it, and ordered the secret guards who followed him to come out and classify the lists.

Those who seek official positions on their own are clearly written in the six ministries, and those who have contact with or have a close relationship with officials in the DPRK and China are divided into one category.

"Why?" Mu Jinming was quite puzzled and said curiously. "What's the purpose, and what is not wanted?"

"Tomorrow summon those who enter the sixth department. Others, in addition to the relationship, should be done according to the previous discussion. Xi Chao held his chin and looked at the information from various places in his hand and said unhurriedly, "I can't tell whether a person's ability is good or bad now, time is the best whetstone to identify talented people." ”

"You really let people enter the six departments, and I'm afraid that there are candidates for both departments of household workers in your charge?" Mu Jin knew that Xichao was impatient, and those who had other purposes were dangling under his nose.

"When are you leaving?" Mu Jinming suddenly thought of something, "You are gone, those who have premeditated plans will not let go of the opportunity to wait for the opportunity." ”

"That's not right." Xi Chao smiled ill-intentionedly, "Let those people use eighteen kinds of martial arts to show their bravery, what I'm afraid is that they are too calm, just to eliminate those with bad intentions and two ambitions before the palace test, the handle is in our hands, whether we want to rub it flat or round it depends on how we feel." ”

"I don't know who the master who will be loyal is, and what to do with these wine bags and rice bags." Xi Chao crossed a dark cloud under his eyes, "It's not a matter of killing one or two others, then it will be decided by quantity, and one day I will be afraid, knowing what to do and what not to do." "The Xi Dynasty has no intention of reasoning with hundreds of officials at all, and killing a hundred officials who have not involved themselves will not have a complete deterrent effect, and there are still those who are not afraid of death jumping out.

Hearing the murderous intent unintentionally revealed in Xi Chao's words, Mu Jinming's mind suddenly appeared with the words that he had said in Puhua Temple that day, and his eyes became deeper and deeper.

"The time to travel is not fast, at least those who have entered the sixth department have stabilized." Xichao habitually plans and then moves, and only when you are ready to leave can you rest assured.

"Take Xu Mian with you." With the imperial doctor following all the way, Mu Jinming can feel at ease.

"Hmm." Xi Chao did not refuse, and had the intention of taking Xu Mian with him from the beginning.

"Just going brightly?" Mu Jinming asked, his heart was still sour, and the time they had been together was too short.

"Well, the holy decree says that the parade on behalf of the Son of Heaven will be carried out lightly on the road to avoid officials from all over the country." The Xi Dynasty doesn't like extravagance, so it's better to be low-key in secret visits.

"The forbidden army should also be well rectified and singled out those who are related to Mu Zhao's faction, and although it is good to keep them close to them, it is still not very safe." The Xi Dynasty has always been wary of Mu Zhao.

"Okay." Mu Jinming should have said yes, "Don't forget this year's martial arts." "After calculating it, Xichao can stay for a month and leave at the end of April.

"Sign up tomorrow." Xi Chao is not worried, the first time there are often some people who take a wait-and-see attitude, and there is no problem in coping with it.

"What are you going to do with the winner of the martial arts?" Mu Jinming wanted to hear Xi Chao's opinion.

"Train first, then see." There is no place to arrange it for a while, Xi Chao is not really worried, "Together with the forbidden army, those who want to enter the forbidden army camp must work harder, and the same is true for those forbidden troops who want to keep their positions, there will be progress only if there is competition, there will be a difference in status, it is inevitable to look down on each other, and as long as the fight does not hurt people's lives, go with them." Think of it as a competition. ”

Mu Jinming saw that the dark guard had finished tidying up, waved his hand and the dark guard disappeared back to the place where he had stayed, picked up the tidying up and looked at it.

"There were only fifty people in the sixth department. Except for the sixty people who have left the relationship, the rest are equally distributed. Mu Jinming flipped through it roughly and didn't look closely.

"Is there one you fancy here?" Xi Chao asked, Mu Jinming should also cultivate his own manpower, and the ones left by his father are not as loyal as he personally promoted.

"Gu Sicong, I was born in a poor family and knew about it in the academy, and I did well in the ninth place." Mu Jinming took out a list and handed it to Xi Chao, on which were the candidates selected this time.

"I hope it's worthy of their ranking." Xi Chao made a note of the people on the list. "Where to go?"

"Go with the flow and wait for distribution." Mu Jin said, "It's okay to go down and work for two years, and it will be beneficial to you to understand the rules of officialdom in the future." ”

"There is no one in the Ministry of Works. There were fifteen people in the household. Mu Jinming looked at Xi Chao and waited for Xi Chao to answer.

"How many of the fifteen are credible?" The Xi Dynasty refers to people who are not from the faction of the Great Prince.

"Five, if you don't stand in line now, sooner or later you will have to stand one day, and it's too early to give trust in advance." Mu Jinming didn't dare to be completely sure that these people would defect.

"The household officials are not vegetarians. I still have the word "temporary" on my head. Xi pointed to the corner of his lips slightly. No one is willing to let go of a good errand, especially now that they have started it, they are quite precautionary against newcomers, and they don't have to worry about the problem of backwater, which is also an opportunity to test the loyalty of officials, and how good it is to send it to the door.

"I'll say hello to Zhou Gan over there in the Criminal Department, and there is an empty shelf left in the Military Department now, and I can't afford to make waves." The tide circled in a circle.

There is such a capable sister. Mu Jinming felt honored and shared a lot of things with him. is the most tacit partner.

On the morning of the second day, as soon as the main business of the above recital was finished, the fifty people waiting outside entered and bowed to the turn of the candidates who were most enthusiastic about the matter at present.

"This king doesn't know and doesn't want to know your intention to choose the six departments, just make it clear that the six departments are in charge of the lifeblood of the country, not to go in and have the right to speak, you are a newcomer, no matter how much family power is behind you, you can't go beyond the established rules, follow Shangguan to learn by heart, put away the thoughts that shouldn't be there as soon as possible, remember the identity of you and others, and deal with things according to the law, although it is temporary, don't take luck in your heart, and act recklessly."

"If there is a situation of concealment and cover-up, it will be counted as a joint seat." After Xi Chao finished speaking, he looked at the ministers.

"The rest of the candidates are assigned to various places, and the specific city is decided by drawing lots." Xi Chao said casually, "There are three things to do, one is to survey the land, the second is to re-register the household registration, and the third is to repair the road. ”

"The land, including the existing ones in the hands of the families under everyone's name, must be verified without exception, and there is no concealment, and there should be no small actions that should not be had, if it is found that the right to cancel the candidates' palace examinations, the two imperial examinations will not be hired, and it is even more impossible to be an official." Xichao made a request, and there was no room for negotiation at all.

"The same is true for household registration, whether it is biological, living or illegal, and the verified parents are registered together." Xi Chao did not elaborate on the purpose of doing so, "The local government received a circular and tried their best to cooperate, and there were still some beggars without a father or mother. ”

"Road repair includes the reconstruction of official roads and the repair of dilapidated roads in the city, and the cost of user subordinates is 1,000 taels per city to make good use of it." Xi Chao stopped talking and waited for the courtiers to react.

Regardless of the first two things in advance, the cost of road repair alone is too little, it is not enough at all, and the Wing King is so picky.

"It doesn't matter if a thousand taels is enough or not, the king can take out so much." Xi Chao continued unhurriedly, "No matter how the candidates raise the rest of the silver, whether they borrow or raise money or pay out of their own pockets, or gamble with this thousand taels, winning a pot of gold with gambling luck is also their own ability, but one thing to remember is that it is not allowed to levy a penny from the people, not on the surface, not in secret, and it is not allowed to use identity to bully and force tricks to set up a name." ”

"Road construction is a major event for the people's livelihood, and the people have grievances and have no way to live, and the law will be dealt with and will not be tolerated." Shio's cold voice uttered chilling words.

"How can you raise such a large sum of money?" The Wing King was obviously in trouble with the strongman, and some officials stood up against it.

"Why do you still use this Wang to teach these things one by one?" Xi Chao ridiculed, "There are rich and noble families in the city, it depends on how you reach a consensus, building roads is also a good thing to accumulate virtue and do good, some people don't care about melons and jujubes, and then there are businessmen, read so many sage books to be spiritually useful, no matter what tempting conditions you give to reach an intention with it, remember that painting bread can not satisfy hunger, cakes are not fools in the big others, remember to bear the consequences of overwhelming people with power, remember to carry the consequences, no one will clean up the mess for you." ”

What the Winged King said was easy, but it was bitter for his own children, and many courtiers slandered the rules and regulations drawn by the Winged King in their hearts to toss the dead, knowing that they should go to other places, and put on these three things to let people live.

"It's going to be written on the notice." Xi Chao turned a blind eye to the courtiers' gaze, "The lottery will start tomorrow." ”

The last of the three things is clear, and the courtiers find it difficult to understand, what is the purpose of the Wing King's measurement of the land, is it to prepare for tax evasion and non-payment to collect evidence? The next moment the drum beat in his heart, the Wing King has always done things unexpectedly and treacherously.

As for the re-recording of household registration, the courtiers were even more confused, and they couldn't guess what kind of medicine was sold in the Winged King gourd, even the beggars were counted, and they had no clue if they wanted to break their heads, and a small pimple twisted between their eyebrows.

The courtiers felt more and more that the returning Wing King was even more incomprehensible than the emperor, and the whims were one after another, and they couldn't find a reason to refute them, so they could only admit it. (To be continued......)