Although the world in the north is in turmoil, it has not been greatly affected by the peaceful Guangdong, except for the increase in the number of displaced people.

In November last year, Zhu Hongsan, the king of Chu in Guangdong, issued an edict, and on the first day of February in the second year of Hongguang, the township examination was officially held in Guangzhou.

The world is in turmoil, Guangzhou's township examination has been stopped for six years from the 14th year of Chongzhen to now, and now I hear that from the opening of the township examination, people from all over the countryside have gathered in Guangzhou before the year to wait for the township examination to begin.

Guangzhou's Gongyuan is in the northwest corner of Guangzhou City, that is, near Wenming Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. Guangzhou Gongyuan is one of the four major tribute courtyards in China, Guangzhou Gongyuan was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty, and was destroyed by war after the Meng Yuan Dynasty entered the Central Plains. Hongwu 25 years and rebuilt the Tribute Courtyard on the basis of the Southern Song Dynasty Tribute Temple, after the repair of Jiajing and Wanli dynasties, now there are more than 5,000 rooms.

Tong Yangjia rested at home after the budget meeting on the 16th day of the first lunar month, preparing for the township test ceremony on the first day of February. This township test is different from usual, the selected people basically have to come out to be officials, although Tong Yangjia is now a positive third grade, but as a literati, it is really a big regret in life that he has not been lifted.

Tong Yangjia closed his door for the past two days, adjusting his mentality to prepare for the exam. Tong Yangjia is fifty-three years old this year, and he has been in exile for nearly 20 years after leaving Liaodong.

Just when Tong Yangjia sighed, someone came in outside the courtyard and said softly outside the door: "Master, it's time to go!" ”

This is the voice of Tong Fu, the housekeeper of Tong Mansion, Tong Yangjia's home is on the edge of the temporary Chu Wangfu, which used to be the house of a sugar merchant, and was rewarded to Tong Yangjia by Zhu Hongsan. Tong Yangjia's home is in Beicheng, some distance from Gongyuan, so he has to get up early to go there.

Tong Yangjia put on a new linen robe and a square scarf, indicating that he was a showman, brought the certificate issued by Dongguan County, and opened the door to come out.

Seeing the housekeeper Tong Fu standing at the door, Tong Yangjia asked, "Are you ready?" ”

"Yes, sir! The sedan chair is at the door, please get on the sedan chair! ”

Tong Yangjia came to the gate, the family was there, the Dong family and the concubine Xu stood at the door, and their two sons also got up, seeing Tong Yangjia come out, all the family members said together: "I wish the old man success and victory!" ”

Tong Yangjia smiled, reported to the youngest son in Xu's hand, kissed him, and said, "Everyone is waiting for my good news!" After speaking, he went out and got into a sedan chair to rush to the Gongyuan.

Tong Yangjia is now a bachelor of Hanlin, a member of the cabinet, and a member of the third grade. But Zhu Hongsan told him that if you want to take the exam, you must rely on your own skills and don't make some crooked ways, so Tong Yangjia didn't use anything else, only took two family members, sat in a small sedan chair carried by two people, and came to the Gongyuan.

When Tong Yangjia came, the square in front of the Gongyuan was already full of people, and Tong Yangjia got off the sedan chair in the distance, and said to Tong Fu: "You go back, pick me up in three days!" ”

"Yes, sir, this is the food box and the clothes and quilts prepared, Mrs. said, it's still very cold in February, let the master pay attention to his body!"

Tong Yangjia nodded, took the package and food box, and Tong Fu took people back to the house.

Tong Yangjia stood in the square and looked around, found the license plate of Guangzhou Mansion, and stood behind. At this time, there are more than 500 people in the team of Guangzhou Mansion, Tong Yangjia is more than 50 this year, but he is not the oldest in the crowd, and there is one who looks seventy years old, it seems that the temptation of the imperial examination is still very great, think about it, as long as you win the lift, you will immediately become the ruling class, so there is a saying in the countryside that the gold lifter and the silver jinshi.

After waiting for a while, the sky turned white, the gate of the Gongyuan opened, and a group of soldiers came out of it, these are the officers and soldiers who maintain order today, all of them are borrowed from the Guangzhou garrison.

In order, the first to enter is Guangzhou Mansion, the second is Chaozhou Mansion, and the third is Zhaoqing Mansion. The official at the door shouted: "The lifter of the Guangzhou Mansion, come here, come to me to search your body!" ”

Tong Yangjia followed the crowd to the front, and searched them one by one into the tribute courtyard.

At this time, the petty official said: "Ladies and gentlemen, this year, His Royal Highness the King of Chu of Cheng'en Prison Country has opened a township test, everyone must rely on their true ability to take the test, and the prison country can have strict orders, and those who cheat will be disqualified from showing their talents, and they will not be allowed to take the exam again in their lives." Listen, everyone, now give you one last chance, throw away all the cheating tools and books you prepared, and don't complain about the official being polite when you find out in a while! ”

After the petty official finished speaking, several people in the crowd came out of the team one after another, came to the side and discarded the cheating tools they had brought.

Tong Yangjia sneered in his heart when he saw this, these guys really don't know how to write dead words. However, Tong Yangjia doesn't care about cheating or cheating, because he has been prepared. Now Feng Ziyong, who is in charge of the Ministry of Rites, has a good relationship with Tong Yangjia, and the greeting has already been completed, so he must have no problem raising people this time.

Tong Yangjia confidently followed the team to the front, and it was his turn to search for the next.

The little official at the door saw Tong Yangjia coming, hehe sneered, stepped forward and said, "I'll search this body!" ”

Tong Yangjia looked up, and was shocked, he was unlucky, the petty official in front of him was Ma Jiyuan's second son Ma Shaoji.

Ma Shaoji and Zhu Hongsan have been working with his father since they came to Guangdong, because he is also famous, a few years ago Zhu Hongsan's subordinates were not talented, Ma Shaoji was sent to Zhaoqing to be a county magistrate, to manage the work of Tuntian. didn't expect to return to Guangdong, Tong Yangjia secretly screamed in his heart that it was not good, and it would be unlucky to fall into his hands.

It turned out that Ma Mingyuan knew that Tong Yangjia was going to take the exam, and he originally wanted to stir up this matter through Feng Ziyong, but he didn't expect Feng Ziyong to be in the honeymoon period with Tong Yangjia now, so he didn't agree. Ma Mingyuan used his own rights to transfer his nephew, who was the county commander, back and arranged for him to go to the Guangdong Xuezheng Yamen, to be a positive six-grade experience, and at the same time explained that he must take care of Tong Yangjia.

Ma Shao Jipi stepped forward with a smile and asked, "Isn't this Tong Ge Lao?" Why aren't you a jinshi? ”

Ma Shaoji's words made Tong Yangjia's face flush, and Tong Yangjia said: "The prison country has restored my status as a showman, and I am here to test the people, why does Master Ma have any questions about the edict of the prison country?" ”

"I don't dare, but since Lord Tong is participating in the township test, he has to follow the normal rules and take off his clothes!"

"Why take off your clothes!"

"This official wants to search your body to prevent you from being entrained!"

Tong Yangjia pointed to a few lifters on the side and asked, "Why don't they have a body search?" ”

"That's because the official trusts them, but you, Lord Tong, are not a good person at first glance, and the official will search you! Do you want to take the test? If you don't want to search your body, you don't need to take the test! ”

Tong Yangjia has no choice, if it falls into the hands of others, he will listen to others. Tong Yangjia took off his robe and signaled that it was okay.

Ma Shaoji shook his head, "No, take it off again, take it all off!" ”

Tong Yangjia had no choice but to take it off, and finally took off only a pair of underwear.

Ma Shaoji looked at Tong Yangjia's skinny rib chest and said with a smile: "I didn't expect Lord Tong to be in good shape!" Ha ha!! ”

"Hurry up, what's the matter!"

"No, you have to take off your underwear, the officer suspects that there is something hidden in your underwear."

Tong Yangjia was really forced to do nothing, and whispered: "Ma Shaoji, don't force people too much!" ”

"Master Tong, this is all a normal procedure, if you want to go in, take it off!"

Tong Yangjia thought for a while and said: "Ma Shaoji, this official can not be examined, but this official is still a cabinet elder, you be careful not to fall into the hands of this official in the future, so that you can't survive or die!" ”

After all, Ma Shaoji is young and has little political experience, and he is the opponent of Tong Yangjia, an old slippery head, and when he saw Tong Yangjia being ruthless, he was also very scared in his heart, for fear that Tong Yangjia would take the opportunity to retaliate in the future. He forgot that the Ma family is now in trouble with Tong Yangjia, no matter what Ma Shaoji does now, the Ma family's unlucky Tong Yangjia will definitely not be able to spare him in the future.

Ma Shaoji was afraid of Tong Yangjia's revenge, so he didn't insist that he take him naked, and waved his hand to signal that Tong Yangjia could go in.

Tong Yangjia glared at Ma Shaoji, put on his clothes and walked into the Tribute Courtyard.

After entering the Gongyuan, there is a stone road, on both sides of the road is the number, each row of twenty, all with a thousand characters of the serial number. Guangzhou Mansion is divided into 800 numbers from the sky number to the frost number. Tong Yangjia came in early, found a good seat and sat down. This trumpet is in the middle, not on either side, and the wind cannot blow or rain in. The room is only one meter and two deep, and there are two boards, the first board can be lifted as a table, and it can also be put down to sleep at night.

Tong Yangjia looks pretty good, Guangdong has a warm climate, which is much stronger than the test in Liaodong back then. However, the test is only one day, and the township test takes three days.

Tong Yangjia suffered a leg injury when he was wandering in the rivers and lakes, and he was beaten by Zhu Hongsan in Huguang that year. He took out the wolfskin mattress that his wife had brought, half of it was padded and half covered it on his legs, and it was very warm.

At this time, the sun has come out, and Tong Yangjia's room is just rising sun, and the sun is very warm when it enters the room. The lifters outside began to come in one after another, and there were a lot of lifters who came to take the exam this year, about more than 5,000 people, and the number was slowly full, and a few unlucky ones were assigned to the dung number, not to mention the exam, they couldn't breathe, it seems that they are going to take the exam in vain again this year.

Near noon, the Guangdong Xuezheng Yamen first prepared lunch, two steamed buns and a plate of pickles per person. However, Tong Yangjia can eat these, he opened the food box and took out the cold food prepared at home, which are all some sauced beef, white-cut chicken and other foods, and the steamed buns also have a unique flavor. The soldiers at the door of the room were very depressed when they saw the old man take out four or five dishes to eat, whether he was here to catch the exam or to have a picnic.

After eating, I drank some water, and the exam officially started, the first exam question released today, and the most difficult one, Bagu.