Jinling Gongyuan.

Main hall.

All the examiners were looking at the exam papers, and they were all a little confused, and the shock in their hearts was even worse than that of the candidates.

Kong Hanyou read the exam papers from beginning to end.

I understand the exam questions.

But he couldn't answer!

All Confucian classics talk about the great principles of life, and they will not involve these exam questions at all.

Even he, the head of the Confucian family who is so knowledgeable, and the leader of the Confucian sect can't answer it, but you can imagine how many Confucian students in the world can answer these exam questions?!

I am afraid that the Confucian scholars will be wiped out.

In this way, this imperial examination is not beneficial to Confucianism, what is the significance of the imperial examination?

Kong Hanyou held back the anger in his heart and said, "Little Dum, such a difficult and obscure exam question, no one can answer it. ”

Chu Tianxiu drank the tea disapprovingly, and said with a faint smile: "Prime Minister, don't be so eager to make a conclusion!" Dachu has a vast territory and a large population. Someone can't answer, but there must be someone who can.

It was dark, the national examination was over, and the officials were collecting their papers. It's not too late to wait for the paper to be collected and see the results before drawing conclusions. ”

"Lord Wang, what do you think?"

Kong Hanyou turned his head and said.

Imperial Doctor Wang Su fell silent.

This national examination paper is indeed too difficult.

He couldn't answer.

I'm afraid that most of the Confucian scholars can't answer, and I'm afraid that the Jinling scholars are about the same... A little bit better at best, not much better.

Confucianism and scholars don't take advantage, who will benefit?

However, the admission to the imperial examination is in the top 200.

Even if the scholars can only get ten points for answering this paper, which is higher than the nine points of other Confucian students, they can still be admitted.

Therefore, the scholars should be slightly cheaper than the Confucian scholars.

"Let's talk about it after the verdict!"

Wang Su said.

The three of them were talking, and Yin Wangxu of Jinling Mansion had already personally brought in a group of dozens of officials with a pile of thick papers.

"Three adults, 1,200 examination papers have been collected. The candidate's last name has been pasted. ”

Wang Xu arched his hand.

"Well, blockade the Tribute Courtyard. Tonight the judging will begin! All examination papers are classified according to the score line, and the results of the national examination will be reported to the emperor as soon as possible. ”

Chu Tianxiu took out more than ten answers from his sleeve and said.

The emperor was anxious for the next round of palace examinations to see the effect of the selection.

He personally stared at the judging papers in the Gongyuan and finished judging all the examination papers as soon as possible.

Wang Xu and the officials who batch the papers quickly classified the examination papers.

Those blank volumes, as well as those with only a few strokes below tens, were piled up directly and asked by the officials to mark the papers, and they were all eliminated anyway.

The high-scoring papers that answered a few questions correctly were all singled out separately and given to the three main and deputy examiners, Xiao Duhou, Kong Hanyou, and Wang Su, to look at them together.

The three chief and deputy examiners scored together in vermilion to prevent favoritism.

...

The Golden Luang Hall of the Imperial Palace.

In the evening, the courtiers and the doctors, together with the doctors, finally finished the national examination paper.

The ministers of the court quarreled in the palace, and they couldn't answer the nine exam questions in person.

It is conceivable that among the talents in the examination room, how many can answer?

"Your Majesty, no one can answer these national examination papers! If no one can answer this paper, what's the point of selecting talents in this country?! ”

"Little Dusk, this is nonsense!"

"Please ask the emperor to depose the chief examiner, send another chief examiner, and reorganize a national examination!"

The imperial historians and some officials were furious and protested strongly.

Emperor Xiang Yanran was also helpless, and looked at the ministers of the Three Princes and Nine Secretaries.

"Your Majesty, the matter has come to this, and it is useless to say more. The national test should be over, so it's better to wait for Xiao Duhou to hand in the list of the top 200 lifters. Look at who they are and what the effect of talent selection is, it is naturally clear at a glance! ”

The big farmer made Yang Chu smile bitterly.

"Well, then wait, it's just a day or two."

Xiang Yanran nodded.

...

Two days passed.

Morning.

Chu Tianxiu, Prime Minister Kong Hanyou, and Imperial Historian Wang Su went to the court and submitted to the emperor the list of the top 200 scores in the third round of the national examination.

"Gengzi Imperial Examination, the third round of the national examination list: Dongfang Su 57 points, Sang Hongyang 51 points, Zhu Maichen 40 points, Zhang Yan 39 points, Dongguo Xiangyang 38 points, Aperture 36 points, Su Wu 35 points, Jiyan 33 points..."

When Emperor Xiang Yanran and all the courtiers got this list, they all looked shocked and couldn't help but look at each other.

Although the score is not all representative of ability.

However, how difficult the national examination paper is, the emperor and the ministers know in their hearts. The ministers themselves are estimated to be at the level of twenty or thirty points. Dozens of ministers and doctors got together, and they could barely solve the problem of forty or fifty points.

Dongfang Su and Sang Hongyang are as high as more than 50 points, far ahead of other talents.

This, this is simply incredible.

"It's... Is the list of lifters in the national examination correct? Who is this Dongfang Su and Sang Hongyang? ”

Xiang Yanran's face was stunned.

"Please Prime Minister and Lord Goshi, report it!"

Chu Tianxiu smiled and looked back at Prime Minister Kong Hanyou and Imperial Doctor Wang Su.

"Your Majesty, the ministers and the other three chief and deputy examiners will mark the papers together... Confirm that it is correct. ”

"Dongfang Su, born in the Pingyuan County clan, boasts that he knows everything from a hundred schools."

"Sang Hongyang, born in Luoyang, a wealthy businessman, is good at mental arithmetic, a businessman, and is the most popular in the market."

"Zhu Maichen, a native of Wu County, a poor and studious family, sells firewood for a living, and reads through hundreds of schools."

"Zhang Yan, Du Lingren's family, a disciple of the Legalists, proficient in the law, read through a hundred schools."

"Dongguo Xiangyang, a person from the Qi State, a son of a salt merchant."

"Kongjing, Nanyang people's clan, the son of an iron merchant."

"Su Wu, the son of the official eunuch of Jinling, is a longitudinal and horizontal study."

"Ji Dark, Puyang people's clan, the son of an official eunuch. Huang Lao's learning. ”

"The above people, the ministers see each other one by one, and they are indeed all rare talents, and they are very human. This list, ministers... Speechless. ”

Prime Minister Kong Hanyou's helpless report.

At first, he thought that no one could answer this national examination paper.

However, the result made him feel stunned, this Great Chu Dynasty Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger.

It's just that the group of talents at the top of the ranking are almost not Confucian scholars, nor are they gate lords and nobles. They came from commoners, wealthy merchants, big landlords, and official families all over the world, but they were well-educated, and suddenly appeared overnight.

However, what comforts Kong Hanyou a little is that such talents are a minority after all.

The top twenty or thirty, a lot of them are these strange people.

Between thirty and one hundred, a large number of scholars began to appear, as well as a small number of Confucian scholars.

Between one hundred and two hundred, a large number of Confucian scholars began to appear. ... After all, the number of Confucian scholars is the largest, and there are many people, and after picking the previous batch, it is finally their turn. Although their score is only less than one or twenty points.

Although the nobles and Confucian scholars did not excel in the big examination, they also accounted for a considerable number.

This very unexpected result made Kong Hanyou and Wang Su silent, and finally accepted it.

The emperor implemented the Gengzi New Deal, and he wanted to select talents from all over the world, not those mediocre talents. The handful at the front of the national examination, almost all of them are top-level talents.

This list of national examinations obviously makes the Confucian faction, the gate lord noble faction, and the emperor feel more satisfied.