Gongin.

More than 10,000 scholars are in a variety of postures in the tribute courtyard, each with its own appearance.

I don't know how many people gradually have cold sweat on their heads, and it is difficult to write.

These questions are completely different from what they have known and practiced before.

A large amount of traditional content has been lost, and more content of the 'Six Arts' and 'New Laws' has been added, and the scriptures and meanings have been greatly compressed to focus on 'pragmatism'.

For the young scholars who are immersed in hard reading and do not listen to what is going on outside the window, even if the 'New Law' movement is vigorous, it is still impossible to form a relatively complete answer on paper.

In particular, it is necessary to figure out the thoughts of these ministers in the court, especially the examiner, which really increases the difficulty.

On the first day, the test was 'poetry and songs', which really stumped many people.

Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo walked back and forth between the examination rooms from time to time, observing these scholars, in the first row of Bi Gradual, Zhao Tan and others worked hard to write, their expressions were not moving, they seemed calm and confident.

Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo paid special attention to these two people, Li Qingchen saw that the two of them looked calm, nodded with Shen Kuo, and continued to inspect.

Not long after leaving, I saw a test house, as if there was no one.

Shen Kuo was puzzled, walked forward, looked past the door of the examination house, and saw a ten-year-old boy, sitting on a chair, quickly putting down the pen.

Shen Kuo was stunned, looked back at Li Qingchen, and said in a low voice: "Is there such a young prodigy in Jinke?" Why haven't I heard of it? ”

Li Qingchen glanced at Zhao Ji, who was engrossed, pulled Li Qingchen and walked a few steps, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness Eleven, you are locked up here by the official family." ”

Shen Kuo also heard of Zhao Ji, especially when he poured tens of thousands of copper coins on the street and humiliated the merchants, which really made the officials and the court shameless.

Shen Kuo remembered that Zhao Ji had been demoted to a concubine, so he shook his head secretly and didn't say much.

"What kind of topic is this, I won't take the test!"

Suddenly, someone from the examination room let out an angry roar, directly overturned the table, and began to kick the door of the examination room, about to rush out.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites and the guards around him quickly dispatched to control this person.

The young man was controlled by the guards, covering his mouth and gagged inside the test house.

The front and back of the examination house were alarmed, and many people stuck out their heads to look.

"Does it matter if you have a future? Keep the exam! ”

There was a servant who strode around and shouted in a deep voice.

A group of people were awe-inspiring, and they shrank their heads back, suppressing their curiosity and continuing to write.

Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo rushed over, looking at the candidates whose eyes were red, their chests were rising and falling violently, and they were still angry, and their expressions were not good.

Every year, there will be all kinds of things in the imperial examination: some people drug and poison competitors in the same department to buy murder without going to the tribute court; Some people have just entered the tribute courtyard, suddenly turned around, shouting, 'My generation Penglai people, singing and laughing at Kongqiu' and strode away; some people suddenly went crazy in the examination house and set fire to the tribute courtyard; some people suddenly fell ill and fell into a coma, some people went crazy, some people were stupid, some people were stupid, some people were incontinent, and some people vomited......

Of course, there are also such as those in front of me, tearing up the exam papers angrily and venting their grievances.

In doing so, whether sober or impulsive, he has cut off his career.

Li Qingchen glanced at him and waved his hand.

The guards immediately forcibly took him and threw him out of the tribute courtyard.

Subsequently, the official of the Ministry of Etiquette took the list of exams, and marked a × in the person's name, remarks: Crazy in the exam, disqualified.

After calming down this matter, Shen Kuo continued to inspect with Li Qingchen, shook his head, and said: "Now empty talk is prevalent, there are few pragmatic people, and Zhang Xianggong These topics are afraid that they will lead to a lot of problems." ”

The Great Song Dynasty is now prosperous in literature and Taoism, and Sima Guang and others emphasize the scriptures and righteousness and ignore the practice, so the topics of the imperial examination are as always, focusing on the scriptures and righteousness, and empty talk is the top. Now that Zhangdun has greatly reduced the meaning of the scriptures, how can it be accepted by those scholars who have studied the scriptures of the saints diligently and are good at dissecting the scriptures and the people behind them?

Li Qingchen's face was flat, and he said: "They can be prosperous and rich by studying, what is the benefit of the country and the people?" ”

Shen Kuo himself is a 'scientist', and he pays the most attention to practice, and after taking a few steps, he suddenly said: "When you read the papers, you have to be cautious. ”

Li Qingchen's expression was slightly abrupt and he nodded slightly.

This year's imperial examination is destined to have many problems, if they have problems in marking the papers and are caught, then the imperial court will really be passive.

The inside of the Gongyuan was calm again, quiet, but outside it was not peaceful.

The candidate who was thrown out was resentful, and roared at the gate of the Gongyuan: "The ancestral system does not exist, treacherous people are rampant, woohoo, my Great Song Dynasty is miserable......"

The parents waiting outside the door looked at him in surprise and hid far away.

But anyone with some experience knows that being thrown out of the tribute academy is equivalent to being removed from the meritorious service, and it is difficult to enter the exam, such a person cannot be approached!

But this made some family members even more anxious and uneasy, and their eyes were glued to the gate of the tribute courtyard, and they wanted to rush in.

Other subordinates even held the hourglass in their hands and counted the time a little bit.

Both inside and outside the Gongyuan are anxious, each with their own expectations.

Time passed little by little, and finally waited for the end of the exam, and the sound of gongs and drums at the end sounded on every test room road.

The candidates came out with a lot of expressions.

The people at the gate of the Gongyuan quickly greeted them and began to care about how they did in the exam.

Some are calm and calm, which naturally makes parents happy and encouraged; Some of them were expressionless, which made the family members worried, but they didn't dare to say more; Some were depressed, ushered in severe accusations from parents, and scolded old accounts; Some broke the jar and broke it, and went away.

Bi Gradual, who has long been famous and highly valued and expected, left very calmly and with a smile on his face, surrounded by a group of family members.

Zhao Tan was even more chic, there was no family waiting for him, and he didn't go back, but laughed and went straight to the restaurant to drink.

At the gate of the Gongyuan, there are really all kinds of things in the world, and scenes are staged together.

In one of the examination rooms, Zhao Ji was holding a big bowl of food, eating with a snort, and muttering to himself: "Whoever produces the exam papers, what kind of mess...... However, I seem to have seen some ...... in the official study."

Zhao Ji blinked, his eyes flashed, and his face was full of cunning.

Li Qingchen, Shen Kuo and others collected the exam papers, and while ordering the curtain officer to act according to the regulations, they had to prepare for the third day of the exam.

There are three exams in total, each time every other day, and after the end, the palace exam will be held in early March, and the list will be released after the palace exam.

Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo, the two examiners, packed up the examination papers and sent them to the Hanlin Academy, where they were read by the Hanlin academicians for the first time.

Tens of thousands of exam papers have to be cross-reviewed, which is relatively fair because of the vague name.

The Hanlin Academy stepped up the marking of the papers, and Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo stayed here, and they needed to judge some special examination papers and make a 'final review'.

The next day, the temple opened its doors again.

Compared with the first time, there are many fewer candidates who came this time, and some of them have already given up the exam.

Li Qingchen was not surprised, and went to work in order to preside over the exam.

This is the second time, and the candidates who came with a bite to the head are still numb in their scalps.

The first time I tested poetry and songs, the theme was biased towards 'changing the law', even if the 'scriptures' of the second test were actually related to the 'new law'!

Poetry and poetry can still rely on the 'new law', what should we do with this 'scripture and righteousness'?

I don't know how many people scratched their ears and scratched their cheeks, and scolded the person who gave the exam questions in their hearts, but they had no choice but to do it.

This exam really gave a lot of people a head start, naturally, more of a circle.

Poetry and poetry do not account for a large proportion in the examination, the most important thing is the 'Jingyi' and 'Strategy', if the 'Jingyi' level is broken, the following 'Strategy' does not need to be examined.

After surviving most of the day, the candidates who came out were more depressed than the previous time, and too many people scolded and cried at the gate of the Gongyuan, and even hit the wall, and threw themselves into the river, I don't know how many.

Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo watched this scene, and they could only shake their heads, there was no other way.

For the third and last time, 'Strategy' is also 'Discussion', and this time, many people seem to have realized something, and they write quite calmly, obviously prepared.

Li Qingchen stopped outside the Bi gradually examination room, and seeing that his demeanor was steady and focused, he nodded secretly and continued to walk forward.

Shen Kuo and Li Qingchen turned around and came to the eaves.

Shen Kuo handed him a cup of tea and said with a smile: "This time, it doesn't seem to stump many people." ”

Li Qingchen took the tea and said, "After all, there are two foundations. This time, the total number of palace examinations will not exceed fifty. ”

Shen Kuo understood, took a sip of tea, and said, "Su Xianggong, Zhang Xianggong went to Hanlin Academy yesterday?" ”

Li Qingchen nodded, held the teacup, and said, "This time, the opinions of the two ministers are about the same, and they will not admit so many more." ”

Shen Kuo looked at the empty examination room, and estimated that there were at least 8,000 people, and if only a few hundred people were admitted, something might really happen.

"I still have to notify the Kaifeng Mansion, the Criminal Department, and the Yushitai to make some preparations." Shen Kuo said thoughtfully.

If the scholars make a fuss, it is not trivial, and if the people behind them follow suit, it will be difficult for the court to sit still - after all, these people are related to too many people in the government and the opposition, and there are not many real, helpless and helpless people.

Li Qingchen snorted, and then said with a smile: "In the past two days, there are indeed some people who are good, I estimate that the ones I fancie, Bi Gradual, and Zhao Tan are all in it." ”

The selection of materials should be the most enjoyable thing.

Shen Kuo also smiled and said, "Some people may be a little worse in literature, but other aspects are good, after the palace examination, I plan to recruit them into Taixue." ”

Li Qingchen glanced at him and said, "You may not be able to do so, their ambitions may not be on those." ”

'Studying for being an official' is the ultimate long-cherished wish of scholars since the imperial examination. If Shen Kuo wants to get them into Taixue and not take the official career, it is estimated that few people can agree.

Shen Kuo sighed lightly and said helplessly, "Try it." ”

Shinong industry and commerce, except for 'shi', who else is willing to go to in-depth research?

For most of the day, the gong at the end of the examination sounded again and again, the clerks of the Ministry began to collect the papers, and the candidates left the examination room one after another.

This is the last one, some people are relieved, some people are happy, but more are sad.

Whether it was in the past, or the number of admissions that is about to be tightened, most people are always disappointed in the imperial examination.

Outside the gate of the Tribute Courtyard, all kinds of situations in the world were staged again, looking for death and life, and madness was staged rapidly.

Li Qingchen, Shen Kuo and the others didn't have time to take care of these, packed up the exam papers, cleaned up the examination room, took the exam papers, and went to the Hanlin Academy under the escort of many guards.

At this time, in an examination room, Zhao Ji frantically banged on the door of the examination room, and said angrily: "The official family only said that I will be locked up until the end of the examination, why should I still be locked up?" You are resisting the decree, and I will cut off your heads! ”

The guards outside the door turned a deaf ear, they could not let this Eleventh Highness leave without receiving an order.

Zhao Ji was so angry that he carried the inkstone in his arms, and tried to 'escape from prison' from top to bottom, but he was finally arrested.

Li Qingchen, Shen Kuo and others forgot Zhao Ji, and came to the Hanlin Academy at this time to conduct a nervous reading of the papers.

Su Song, Zhang Dan, Cai Bian, and Han Zongdao came one after another, this is the first imperial examination since Zhao Xu's pro-government, and they also want to find good talents from it, not only about the present, but also in the future!

Big families still know how to stretch their wings, let alone these bigwigs?

A piece of exam papers were worn around the Hanlin Academy, and from time to time some people were amazed, and sent a piece of exam papers into the rooms of Su Song, Zhang Dian and others.

There were also people who scolded at a few exam papers and threw them aside.

These Hanlin academicians who read the papers do not have much power in ordinary times, but when they are reading the papers, they dominate the future prospects of these scholars. When they say no to a person, it often means that the person will never be able to achieve a career.

Su Song, Zhang Dian and others stayed here all night, and the next day they finished handling political affairs in the political hall and the blue tile house, and rushed over again.

They are trying to select the talent they need from among the tens of thousands.

Su Song wants someone who has the same philosophy as him and will shine in the court in the future.

What Zhang Dian wants is a newcomer, a newcomer who supports the 'new law', and he must be selected not only from the existing court officials, but also from this and future imperial examinations.

They think long-term and attach great importance to talents.

Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo are also looking for them, and the direction they are looking for is a little different, Shen Kuo is mainly looking for someone for Taixue; Li Qingchen considered the Ministry of Rites, and then the 'new law' was implemented.

With the attention of the four ministers, the Shangshu of the other ministries suddenly realized that they quickly joined it, and even Dali Temple and others joined, and they were all in urgent need of talents.

The implementation of the 'new law' requires more and more manpower, especially new people!

The imperial court attached so much importance to this imperial examination, and the government and the opposition looked sideways, and those candidates and their families became even more nervous.

Some people can't wait to give gifts and leave the relationship, and even, when it comes to Li Qingchen and Shen Kuo!

For this reason, Su Song and Zhang Dian were furious, and fraud in the imperial examination was the most intolerable.

The Criminal Department decisively intervened and arrested people, and the Ministry of Officials directly removed the fame of the five people as a punishment.

In this way, the liveliness of Kaifeng City was slightly calmer.

Zhao Tan didn't drink alone, this time, he was invited everywhere he went, and even some big families took the initiative to marry him.

But Zhao Tan didn't agree to any of them, but was very similar to a Taoist priest.

This Taoist priest is really capable, and Zhao Tan, who said it in a few words, took him as a confidant, and he hated to see each other late.

That night, this Taoist priest took Zhao Tan to meet many people, all of whom were now or former big figures, and their speech and demeanor were very high-spirited, which made Zhao Tan's depressed heart stretched and excited.

Kaifeng City is very lively, you sing and I will appear, and there is no stop.

However, in the past, the Su Mansion, which was full of friends and guests, seemed very lonely.

The Su family can be said to be the home of poetry and books, which is rarely comparable in the Great Song Dynasty.

Since Su Shi's grandfather, and then to their generation, not to mention Su Shi's father and son, Su Zhe once worshiped the prime minister and ranked in the center.

Su Shi, Su Zhe's children, almost all of them are Jinshi and first, which is not much better than Zhang Zhang's family.

But nowadays, there are few people in front of the door.

Su Mai's face was a little withered, he entered Su Shi's study, raised his hand and said, "Father." ”

Su Shi has always been free and easy, looking at his eldest son who was unhappy because of him, and nodded silently.

Su Mai stood respectfully and said, "Father, father-in-law is ready to live in seclusion and set off tomorrow." ”

Su Mai married the daughter of Lu Tao, and his father-in-law was referring to Lu Tao.

Su Shi sighed lightly, put down the book in his hand, and said, "Maybe it's time for my father to live in seclusion." ”

Su Mai's expression moved, and he did not speak.

The imperial court enforced the 'new law', and all those who stood in the way were deposed, and the previous derogation was gone.

The Su family was removed from the list, nominally because of 'disrespect for the will', but in fact it was because of the opposition to the 'new law'.

The current 'New Party' is completely different from that of the Xining period, and the means are fierce, and the people and things that block it are all strongly demolished.

'Seclusion?'

Su Mai muttered to himself.

Su Shi is less than sixty now, and he is not yet thirty, so is he living in seclusion?