Tai'an 2nd year, March. The imperial court opened a department to take scholars, and all the people went to Chang'an to catch the exam.

In the mist, a simple carriage slowly drove towards Chang'an. Not far from the city gate, a man wearing a square scarf and a blue Confucian costume lifted the curtain and looked through the carriage window. Seeing that the city gate was tall and stiff, like a black shadow with a bloody mouth about to eat people, it was eerie and terrifying; The city walls are boxy, imprisoning everything here, and they can't breathe.

In the eyes of men, such an avoidable place, but the world flocks to it. They are chasing, crazy, and flocking, just to enter the court once peacefully. As everyone knows, here justice and evil confront each other, greed and desire dance together. Then he gradually lost himself in the center of power, and finally could not Chang'an.

Now, the triennial spring festival has begun again. This was the first spring after the new emperor ascended the throne, and the court was in a tense and hectic manner. Even in this Chang'an City, there is a lot of traffic and a shuttle of people. As far as the eye can see, Chang'an Street is full of green shirts.

"Wow, this is Chang'an. Childe, you see this is so beautiful and big, it's much more fun than Qin Huai. The little guy next to him, Ari, stared straight at the magnificent scene outside the car, and he was already happy.

"Ari, Chang'an, is a place that will make people get lost!" As if he was tired, the man narrowed his eyes slightly, but his hands unconsciously clenched into fists. Chang'an, Chang'an, whether it's heaven or hell, it's a place he must come back to. Because this is the battlefield of his life, and there are fetters that he can't get rid of.

It's a pity that Ari doesn't understand what his master means, just as he doesn't know his experience. His master, Shao An, ran away from home at the age of twelve and returned home at the age of twenty. I thought that he would study business at home, but he didn't want to stop for a year, and suddenly asked Master Shao to donate money for him, in order to win the name of the prisoner of the country, so as to be eligible to participate in this examination.

As for why the master returned to his home and why he abandoned business and became an official, Ari didn't know anything. And the eight years of running away from home seemed to be taboo, and the master never mentioned it.

Ari was immersed in his memories when he suddenly heard his master call: "Stop." Arelema, looking up blankly, saw a simple and unpretentious mansion. At a casual glance, Ah Rui felt that it was no different from the mansions of those dignitaries, and it was even less luxurious than the mansion of the main family in Qin Huai. He didn't understand why his master would get out of the car and stand here for a long time, looking up at such an inconspicuous mansion so reverently.

It's a pity that Ari can't read much, and if he recognizes the plaque that reads "King An's Mansion" in the center of the hanging gate, he will be surprised to close his mouth.

Shao An silently looked at the words "King An's Mansion", mixed with joy and sadness in his heart; After all, I can't go back.

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After nine days, three exams will be completed.

Shao An was calm and calm before the exam, but he was a little anxious after the three exams. Ah Rui's heart is secretly furious, the master should not fall behind.

On the day of the release of the list, the scholars flocked to the Ministry of Rites to see the list. Ah Rui was anxious like ants on a hot pot, but his master read and drank tea peacefully.

"Isn't Childe going to see the list?"

"What's the use of seeing? We'll know when the time comes. When he said this, Shao An put down the book and took a sip of tea, as if he didn't care whether he could win it or not.

"Childe was so anxious a few days ago, but now he is not in a hurry?" Ari muttered as he spoke.

Shao An was silent when he heard this, but Ah Rui still saw his left hand holding the tea trembling slightly, and the tea rippled slightly.

Because, what made him anxious was not the results of the scientific examination, but the person he was about to meet.

Ari was puzzled, and then another piece of news made him suspicious. A large number of people suddenly appeared in the originally peaceful inn, and they shouted and high-fived, and those chaotic voices gradually converged into one sentence: Qin Huai Shao'an, high school Huiyuan.

Shao An has been low-key since he entered Chang'an, and he has not interacted with scholars, so he has been anonymous. Now once you get it, those who know and don't know come to congratulate you. The world is cold and warm like this, and everyone tends to be inflammatory. Ari stood aside and was embarrassed by those boastful words, but his master seemed to be commonplace, neither humble nor arrogant.

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On the twenty-first day of April, the palace examination began.

Sun Yi was dressed in a purple robe, wearing a goldfish bag, and stood on the white marble steps with his hands in high spirits. In the distance, three teams of tributes dressed in green clothes are walking towards the Fengtian Temple, and today, it is the opening of the temple test.

The palace exam will not be defeated, only the ranking. Therefore, the examination for the tribute is basically equivalent to the middle jinshi, and then enter the officialdom. After the ups and downs of the sea, or proud, or frustrated, each is its own creation.

As a supreme minister, Sun Yi, the official of the ministry, watched the younger generations climb up step by step with the attitude of a person who has come over.

"Lord Sun, all the three hundred tributes have entered the palace, and it has been confirmed." Subordinate officials hurriedly came to report the situation.

Sun Yi touched his slightly whitish beard and nodded: "Inform the Ministry of Rites to lead the tribute into the hall at the right time." With that, he turned around and planned to go to the front hall to preside over the matter. But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the leader of the group of tribute students in the middle who was very familiar, as if he was an old man.

Sun Yi was puzzled in his heart, so he waited for the team of tribute students to get closer, and then squinted his eyes to take a closer look, and was suddenly shocked and inexplicable. He turned his head and pointed to the team and asked the little officials behind him, "Who is the one who hit the head?" ”

This is a strange question, and the leader is naturally Huiyuan. But how could the boss question it, so he replied decently: "It's Qin Huai Shao Junyi." ”

"Shao Junyi?" Sun Yi was stunned for a moment, and suddenly asked, "What is his real name?" ”

"Single-name Ann."

Sun Yi looked at Shao An's figure with a complicated expression, his expression was indistinguishable from joy and sorrow, and he whispered to himself: "Shao An, Liu An? Could it be him, he's back? ”

When the hour came, the bell rang and the door opened, making the already silent Gongsheng even more into a faction of slaughter.

At this time, the ministers of the court all arrived, and the officials led the way into the palace, followed by Gongsheng. The tribute students gathered in front of the hall were separated from the left and right, making way for the officials.

Prime Minister Liao Cheng led the way into the palace, followed by the various departments of Shangshu and Shilang. And Sun Yi stopped when he passed by Shao An and glanced at him meaningfully. Shao An raised his eyes and calmly looked directly at Sun Yi's puzzled gaze.

Sun Yi sighed lightly and walked towards the hall.

When the tributes entered the main hall, the yellow bell was played, and the song Da Lu was sung, and the emperor of the Celestial Empire, Su Jinmin, finally made a grand appearance in the midst of thousands of calls.

Su Jinmin is thirty-three years old Chinese New Year's Eve, with a pair of handsome eyes and deep wisdom; Wearing a black crown of twelve, wearing a dark crown robe, and a flying dragon embroidered with teeth and claws on the dragon robe, he looks even more magnificent. He was the fifth son of the former emperor and was canonized as King An at the age of 20. Later, he made meritorious service at the border pass, but he was originally a concubine, and he was not favored, so he had no chance with the throne. Until a year ago, the crown prince Su Jinyu launched a palace change and competed with the eighth prince Su Jinqi and the snipe clam to make him a fisherman and win the throne.

The seats of the palace examination are arranged according to the results of the examination, and Shao An's seat is in the front row. After three long live calls, the emperor ascended the throne, found Shao An's location at first sight, and looked at him quietly. I saw that he was a little less sharp and more cautious than back then. Seeing this, the emperor recalled the previous Shao An, although he was very intelligent, but he was arrogant and arrogant, and it was difficult to achieve great things. Goodbye today, become respectful, courteous, modest and discreet, and be entrusted with important tasks. However, such a radical change was because of such a tragic change, and the emperor felt heartache when he remembered what happened three years ago.

Shao An naturally knew that the emperor was sitting on the throne, but he still obeyed the rules, and stood with his eyes and nose and heart like the rest of the candidates. The emperor gave the student a few words of encouragement, and the gentle voice echoed clearly in his ears, as if it were exactly the same as three years ago; Listen carefully again, but there is a little more majesty and domineering. After all, King An of the past and the emperor of the present dynasty are not the same.

After the emperor finished speaking, he led most of the officials to leave, leaving only the two scholars of the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Rites, as well as an official of the Ministry of Rites as an invigilator.

After leaving the palace, Chen Gonggong, the chamberlain beside the emperor, observed his words and said: "After the palace test, the emperor wants to summon ...... Shao Junyi? When the word "Shao Junyi" was spoken, Gonggong Chen was stuck for a moment, and almost blurted out the word "Liu An".

After hearing this, the emperor groaned for a while before saying, "No." Now I will be criticized by the disciples, and it will not be too late to wait for the results of the temple examination to be announced. ”

At the end of the palace test, Shao An slowly walked to the gate of the palace with the scholars in twos and threes, and suddenly heard someone call him his old name - Liu An.

Shao An was in a trance when he heard someone call his old name again, no one had called him that for a long time. That name, that time, those people, have all gone with the wind. Since he changed his surname to "Shao", no one has called him by his old name anymore.

And only those people know his old name. Shao An looked back, and sure enough, it was Sun Yi.

Sun Yi, whose name is clear, and Shao An were both private advisers of King An. Now I haven't seen him for three years, and Sun Yi has been promoted from the small right attendant of the ministry to Shangshu and has become an important minister in the court.

Shao An bowed his head and saluted, "Lord Sun." ”

"Liu An......" Sun Yi showed a worried look between his eyebrows, as if he had a thousand words to say, but he didn't know how to say it when it came to his mouth.

"Liu An died three years ago. In the lower Shao'an, the word Junyi. ”

Sun Yi also experienced the changes of three years ago. Therefore, he can better understand Shao An's feelings, and even empathize. He understood that no words could comfort Shao An's dead heart at this time, so he had to say: "Junyi, your brother's affairs are changing smoothly." ”

But Shao An's eyes lit up when he heard the word brother, and he said as if he was sad and happy: "Brother, he is not dead." ”

"What?" Sun Yi was shocked, "He's still alive?" How can it be? ”

"It's true. The emperor met his brother by chance at the beginning of the year. It's a pity ......" Speaking of this, Shao An's eyes darkened, "Brother, he has amnesia." ”

"Amnesia, amnesia?" Sun Yi gradually calmed down from the shock, and unconsciously muttered in his mouth, "No wonder, no wonder ......"

"What's the wonder?"

"No wonder...... He didn't come to you. Sun Yi sighed, "But why did I lose my memory, I don't know if there is a cure." ”

Shao An shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I'd rather he don't remember the sad things in the past." If he remembers, he is afraid that he will cut off his robe with me, and there will be no recovery. ”

At this time, candidates came in the direction of the palace gate one after another. Seeing Shao An and Sun Yi secretly talking, they all looked sideways, speculating in their hearts about the relationship between Hui Yuanlang and the chief examiner. Shao An knew that it was inconvenient to talk in detail here at this moment, so he hurriedly bid farewell to Sun Yi. Sun Yi looked at Shao An's back in a hurry, his mind turned a thousand times, he never thought that his brother was still alive, let alone that he would lose his memory. Is this sad or joyful?

※※※※※

On the day of the release of the list, the roll call was spread. Shao'an Toad Palace is crowned, the world is great!

Hand-picked champions, the palace gives brocade robes, the royal street walks the horses, and Qionglin sets up a banquet. Whether it is the first, second or third, all of them are proud. After all, after studying hard for ten years, once he ascended to the Tianzi Hall, how could he not see all the Chang'an flowers?

Shao An, as the champion, didn't show much ecstasy, he was still so light-hearted. Qionglin banquet was polite, relaxed, and talked happily with the upstarts and old ministers. However, in the eyes of Sun Yi, who was familiar with him, he could see the deep anxiety in his heart under his calm face.

After all, the title of the gold list is not the end, but the beginning of another game of fighting.