Zhao Ziliang, Prince Li Shi, Prime Minister Yuan Zai, and Li Kui, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, stood at the gate of the Gongyuan and watched a team of candidates enter the examination room after passing the inspection, Zhao Ziliang asked: "Li Shangshu, how is the number of candidates this year compared to previous years?" ”

Li Kuo said: "There are fewer, many candidates think that there will be no examination this year, so they have returned to their hometowns, and the students who go home are students from the surrounding states and counties of Chang'an. ”

After all the candidates entered the examination room, Zhao Ziliang waved his hand to everyone: "Okay, close the door, hurry up!" ”

"Yes!" Li Kuo agreed, and immediately ordered the soldiers standing guard outside the door to close the entrance of the examination room, and a horse was carried over and stopped at the entrance, and the soldiers stood in their respective positions on guard. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Zhao Ziliang was about to take the lead in walking into the Gongyuan Courtyard, when two shouts came from behind: "Wait a minute", "Wait a minute, don't close the door!" ”

Hearing this voice, Zhao Ziliang stopped and turned his head to look over, and the prince, Yuan Zai and others also stopped and turned around, only to see two young students in plain clothes running over panting with packages on their backs, shouting as they ran.

"Master Jun, let's go in, we are students who are participating in the imperial examination!" An emaciated student said to the soldiers guarding the entrance.

The soldier refused: "No, the adults have ordered the entrance to the examination room to be closed, and now no one is allowed to enter!" ”

A slightly fat young student next to him pleaded and said: "Master Jun, it's not easy for us to come to Chang'an to participate in the scientific examination, we came in the first half of the year, who knew that we waited until September but encountered the rebel siege, I wanted to return to my hometown, but I didn't expect the regent Kai'en to reopen the imperial examination, if we can't take the exam, it will be really wronged!" Okay, military master! ”

"You know that you are going to take a scientific expedition today, why didn't you come earlier? When is it not good to be late, but today is late? Come back next year! ”

The two students begged bitterly, but the soldiers guarding the door just didn't agree, which made them a little emotional.

Zhao Ziliang thought for a while, turned around and walked back and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

The soldiers guarding the door turned their heads and saw that it was Zhao Ziliang, and hurriedly bowed down and saluted: "King, they are students who signed up for the scientific examination, but they are late!" ”

The two students were stunned when they heard the words of the soldiers, looked at Zhao Ziliang, and realized that this majestic person was Zhao Ziliang, and immediately bowed and saluted: "Students Lu Lun and Sikong Shu meet His Royal Highness the Regent!" ”

Zhao Ziliang asked, "Lu Lun, Sikong Shu, why are you late?" I don't know if I can't take the test again after the time to enter the test room? ”

Lu Lun and Sikong Shu glanced at each other, and Lu Lun said: "Back to the king, the two of us were given sweat medicine in our meal last night, so we ······ If it weren't for the owner of the borrowed house to wake up the students, the two students would only be afraid that they would have to sleep until the afternoon to wake up, please be gracious! ”

Someone drugged people with sweat? Zhao Zi's conscience said that the two of you are also very unlucky, and someone assassinated you before the exam! It seems that these two should indeed have some talents, otherwise they would not have let others take sweat pills to prevent them from taking the exam.

At this time, several other examiners had already followed, and Zhao Ziliang turned his head and asked Li Kuo: "Li Shangshu, has it been past the closing time?" ”

Li Kuo said: "It's already over, and there is another time for tea to issue the exam papers!" ”

Zhao Ziliang thought for a while and said: "That's it, it's not easy for students to come often, if you want to wait until next year, you have to wait a few more months, this time the imperial examination is an increase, not a regular subject, the rules can also be flexible, let them go in to take the exam!" It doesn't matter if you refuse two students to participate in the scientific examination, if you miss two talents, it will be a loss to the imperial court, the prince, Lord Yuan, don't you say? ”

Zhao Ziliang said everything like this, what else can Li Shi and Yuan Zai say? If you don't agree, aren't you a wicked person in vain? Can only agree. Lu Lun and Sikong Shu were able to enter the examination room to take the exam.

After hurriedly passing the inspection of the soldiers, Lu Lun and Sikong Shu walked into the examination room with their bags on their backs, and the two couldn't help but rejoice, Lu Lun said to Sikong Shu: "Cousin, I am fortunate to meet the regent and see it, otherwise my brothers will regret it even if they die!" ”

Sikong Shu was also afraid for a while, and sighed: "Who said it wasn't!" I didn't expect this regent to be a good man and so easy to talk to! ”

Lu Lun looked at Sikong Shu like a monster, "Tut-tut, cousin, it's really the sun that comes out in the west, and you actually praise the regent for being a good person?" Since I was sensible, I haven't heard you praise who is a good person! ”

"Go, go, he's really a good person, if it were someone else, he wouldn't let us in!"

Zhao Ziliang saw Lu Lun and Sikong Shu muttering and walked into the gate of the Gongyuan, then looked on the street, and said to the prince, Yuan Zai and others: "It seems that no candidate is late, let's go in!" ”

With the sound of "clang", the door of the Gongyuan was slammed shut, Zhao Ziliang, Prince Li Shi and Yuan Zai and others came to the invigilator and sat down in turn, Zhao Ziliang asked: "Li Shangshu, according to the process of the examination room, which one should be carried out first?" ”

Li replied; "Back to the regent, you should check the candidate's identity and number plate before issuing the test paper! The invigilators have checked that the identities and number plates of all candidates are correct! Now that the time is approaching to issue the exam papers, will the exam papers be issued? ”

Zhao Ziliang nodded, waved his hand and said, "Since that's the case, let's start!" ”

"Yes!"

The invigilators began to send a piece of the exam paper to each candidate in the examination room, each candidate has a separate room, the small room has a bed, desk and kitchen utensils, because the three days of the exam can not leave the examination room, so the candidates have to bring their own rice and grain to cook, tired can rest on the bed, if you want to go to the toilet, you must raise your hand to report, accompanied by the invigilator to the toilet to solve, this is the only time to get out of the room, any other time can only stay in the room.

Zhao Ziliang, Prince Li Shi and Prime Minister Yuan Zai and others actually have nothing to do, and there are invigilators in the examination room, who patrol the examination room from time to time, and if someone is found cheating, as long as the evidence is conclusive, they will be caught on the spot, and the officials will be immediately called to drag the cheating candidates away.

Zhao Ziliang and the others had nothing to do, so they sat on the chair drinking tea and chatting and farting, Li Kuo remembered something and said to Zhao Ziliang with a smile: "The king may not know how many special people are among the candidates this year!" ”

"Someone special? How special? Zhao Ziliang became interested and asked.

Li Kuo smiled and said: "There are three people who have been admitted to the Jinshi before, but this time they came to apply for the exam again!" ”

This situation not only aroused Zhao Ziliang's interest, but even the crown prince Li Shi and Yuan Zai and others were also curious, Li Shi said: "People who have been in Jinshi before have participated in the scientific examination again? Nothing like this has ever happened before, has it? Why did they take the expedition again? Brains are fine, right? ”

Yuan Zai also laughed: "This thing is very interesting! ”

Zhao Ziliang asked: "I'm afraid that this kind of thing really hasn't happened before, Li Shangshu, tell me, what are the surnames of these four people?" Why do I need to take the expedition again? ”

Li Kui said: "One is called Han Hong, one is called Qian Qi, and the other is called Geng Xiang. Qian Qi and Han Hong were the jinshi in the eleventh year of Tianbao and the thirteenth year of Tianbao respectively, and Geng Xiang was the jinshi in the first year of Baoying! Han Hong was appointed in the shogunate of Hou Xiyi in the Ziqing Festival in his early years, and after Hou Xiyi was transferred to Chang'an, he also followed, and has been serving as his staff, Hou Xiyi died two years ago, and he lived in Chang'an. Qian Qi and the first have been serving as a school secretary in the secretary province since then, and later transferred to Lantian County Lieutenant; Geng Xiang Jinshi and later served as the lieutenant of Zhou Zhi County, until now. When the three of them signed up, Wechen also asked them why they wanted to participate in the imperial examination again, they heard that it was the king who decided to reopen the scientific examination and personally served as the chief examiner to give up his previous fame to sign up for the scientific examination, and the rules of the scientific examination did not say that such people could not be referred to again, Weichen could only let them participate! ”

Zhao Ziliang said with a smile: "I didn't expect this king to have such a charm that can make so many wise men give up their former fame and come back for reference!" Well, in that case, the king should see what they are capable of! ”

Li Kuo said again: "The King, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and all my lords, there is a special person among the candidates this time, and he is different!" ”

"And someone special? How can there be so many special people in this year's candidates? Tell me, who is this special person? ”

Li Kuo said with a smile: "This person used to be a Taoist priest, named Ji Zhongfu, a monk in Zixiao Palace in Chuzhou, and later became vulgar, this person has a great reputation in Taoism, and he came to Chang'an not long ago, and often interacted with princes and nobles, but I didn't expect him to sign up for the scientific examination!" ”

Zhao Ziliang said strangely: "Oh? He is a Taoist priest, although he is still vulgar, how can he be qualified to participate in the imperial examination? ”

In the Tang Dynasty, if a Taoist priest wanted to become an official, he had to be recommended by the minister of internal and external affairs and appreciated by the emperor. Obviously, all the people in Jizhong Fuzhi are qualified to participate in the scientific examination, and someone must have dredged up the relationship and obtained the qualification for the scientific examination for him, and this person is Yuan Zai! If Yuan Zai is willing to recommend, Ji Zhongfu can be an official without participating in the scientific examination, but Yuan Zai obviously doesn't want to ask Zhao Ziliang for this matter, so he can only get him a qualification to take the exam.

Sure enough, Yuan Zai bowed his hand to Zhao Ziliang and said: "Regent, this Ji Zhongfu was recommended by the old minister and gave him a qualification to participate in the scientific examination. This person came to visit the old minister some time ago, and the old minister talked with him and found that he was quite talented, thinking that it was a pity that such a person could not become a court official, so he asked Li Shangshu for a reference place! ”

Zhao Ziliang did not contradict Yuan Zai in this matter, just a reference qualification, and he couldn't conflict with Yuan Zai for this matter, and the ministers of the court have the right and obligation to recommend talents for the court, which is a common practice! He smiled and said, "Okay, the person who can be favored by Lord Yuan must not be far behind!" ”