The chief bookkeeper of Tianxing County, Fengxiang Mansion, took Han Gang's hand and was very affectionate: "The old year is goodbye, and two years have passed in a flash. After this parting, Yukun is already famous all over the world. ”

"Brother Siwen is too praised, and the younger brother is just a fluke." Han Gang said modestly, "I received a letter the day before yesterday, knowing that Brother Siwen will also participate in the hall lock test, the younger brother was pleasantly surprised, and he has a company in Beijing this time." ”

Murong Wuha said with a smile: "Duomeng Yukun Ji Yan. ”

Han Gang laughed twice and asked again: "It's just that Brother Siwen has already made a list of Ming Jing, and I don't know how he has the heart to take the Jinshi exam again?" ”

Murong Wu already has the identity of the Ming Jing, and he can be regarded as a background, only one level worse than Jinshi. Han Gang was a little surprised by this, basically he had never heard of taking the Ming Jing exam before taking the Jinshi exam.

Murong Wu sighed: "This opportunity is rare. The poems changed the scriptures, and the southerners were caught off guard. If you can't catch up with this subject, you won't have such a good chance in the future. The foolish brother chose the Ming Jing because he couldn't succeed in poetry. Now that the Jinshi Department has changed the scriptures, of course, it has to give it a go. ”

He snorted at the few officials who came out of the transfer yamen, and said softly: "On weekdays, there would not be so many current officials in any section. But this is different. Not including you and Brother Yukun, among the other thirteen people, there are still four who have resigned from their posts and are properly sent. ”

"I see!" Han Gang nodded.

There are still many smart people in this world, and he can see the joint of the change of the imperial examination subjects, and of course others can also see it. Whether it is the number of people who participate in the lock hall test, or the proportion of current officials among them, it should be far better than the previous one.

Murong Wu was still sighing: "It's all gambling now." A dispatch is not easy to come by, I quit today, and the next time I turn again, it will not be just the Year of the Monkey. But if you get a middle sergeant, then the situation is different. ”

Han Gang nodded silently. There are 20,000 officials in the world, but only 11 officials in the Beijing Dynasty, and there are only 2,000 Jinshi in the officialdom. These two tenths basically coincide. Only a very small number of Jing Dynasty officials were not Jinshi, and only a small number of Jinshi were not Jing Dynasty officials.

Generally speaking, as long as you are promoted to a jinshi and a Beijing official, there will be no shortage of dispatches.

Therefore, Murong Wu said to Han Gang with envy: "After all, the selection of people is not as good as the officials of the Beijing Dynasty. Yukun, if you go to the political affairs hall, it will be a dispatch on the spot, and it is no problem to pick and choose. When we wait to choose people, we can only guard the outside of the stream. ”

"With the talent of Brother Siwen, in the future, he will be a Jinshi, and the officials of the Beijing Dynasty will also be idle."

Murong Wu accompanied Han Gang inside. Among the oncoming officials, there were many people who knew Han Gang, even if they hadn't seen it, listening to the reminders of their companions, they all knew that Han Yukun, who was famous in Kansai, was here.

Han Gang's promotion speed is incredible. The envious and jealous eyes that were thrown at him were also what Han Gang was used to. But there should be a number of courtesies, and none of the owners of these eyes dare to lack. Han Gang's official quality, at present, among the Qin Feng Transfer Division, who has just left the deputy envoy of the transfer, only Cai Yanqing is higher than him, and even the transfer judge Cai Yu is already under Han Gang. With such an identity, few dare to be disrespectful in etiquette.

After saluting and greeting this group of officials, Han Gang got out of the way.

Just turned onto a long corridor, coincidentally, Cai Xi happened to bring a few people and walked over face to face.

Eyeing Han Gang, Cai Xi stopped.

In terms of grade, Cai Yu is lower than Han Gang, so he will not avoid the way, but he should bow first. But Cai Yu stood still and didn't move, and Han Gang paused for a moment, and then took the initiative to step forward and give his hand: "Han Gang has seen Yun Juan." ”

Seeing that Han Gang made a move first, Cai Xi put on a straight face, returned a salute, and walked away.

Watching Cai Xi walk away, Murong Wu said, "Didn't you hear that Yukun you are at odds with him?" Why do you still salute him first! ”

"Since we are locked in the hall and tried to know the same thing, we are already our teachers in terms of etiquette, so I want to let the upper ...... Brother Siwen pushed the younger brother in front, isn't he reminding? ”

Murong Wu laughed twice, laughing without saying a word.

Participating in the imperial examination, there is naturally a friendship between the examiner and the candidate—that is, the so-called relationship between the teacher and the protégé. In the Tang Dynasty, there was even a saying that the mantle was passed on. Although Emperor Taizu of this dynasty did not like officials to form a party, he set up a palace test on top of the Ministry of Rites Examination, and all the Jinshi became protégés of the Son of Heaven. However, in the following tribute, such a teacher-student relationship is not strictly forbidden – because it is not required. Gongsheng can't get into the Jinshi, and he has to retake the exam the second time, and the teacher-student relationship that can't be stabilized doesn't need to be scrupulous in the imperial court.

It's just that this reputation still exists, although Han Gang looked down on Cai Xi at all, when he was still in Xihe, he still pressed Cai Xi helplessly, and he didn't give him any face. But in the current situation, he wouldn't do anything with a bad reputation. What's more, if you abide by the common habits of the world, you will not lose a piece of meat.

And in the garden outside the corridor, in the pavilion behind a few lush laurel trees, one person retracted his gaze, "The official position is already extremely high at his age, but it is rare to be so polite, and your luck is much worse...... Zhang Hengqu is really good at teaching his disciples. ”

Cai Yanqing smiled and said meaningfully: "If it weren't for that, how could Han Gang be valued by so many people?" ”

The person sitting in the pavilion opposite Cai Yanqing was a little old, fifty or sixty years old, but a pair of eyes were sharp and profound, as if they could penetrate people's hearts. If this kind of look is used in the trial, the thief who is being tried will be sweating like pulp.

He stared at the wine glass in his hand: "Whether it is sincere and polite, or it is a false decoration, it is good to make it, and there is no need to blame." ”

“…… Gongzuo is still so generous! Fengxiang Mansion is blessed. Cai Yanqing smiled and raised his glass in greeting, not disagreeing.

The old man pinched his wine glass: "Han Yukun should be here to report, Zhongsu, don't you go to see him?" ”

"Not necessarily. Although there is nothing to avoid in the hall locking test, it is better to talk about it after the meeting. ”

"That's right." The old man smiled, then raised his glass to reconcile with him, and drank all the water and wine in the cup.

……………………

Han Gang went to the Yamen of the Transshipment Division, but only met Cai Xi, and did not see Cai Yanqing, the transshipment envoy. From the mouth of the little official in the yamen, he found out that Cai Yanqing was drinking with the visiting new Fengxiang prefect Su Yu. I really don't know what to do, Su Yu didn't take over, and went to Qinzhou to do it? Of course, it is a pity that I did not meet the examiner, but it is enough to register my name.

It is important to know that if it is a rite examination or a tribute in a local military state, candidates cannot meet the examiner in advance to prevent the exam questions from being leaked in advance. Only the locked hall test will be looser in advance - because there is no point in cheating on this test at all.

Even if you can be confused in the lock hall test, when you get to the etiquette test in Beijing, you still lose the halberd and sink into the sand. Moreover, after failing the examination several times in a row, the special performance name of the official is of no use to the officials who participated in the lock hall examination, and they seek to be a jinshi background, not the official qualification behind the jinshi that ordinary scholars want. In this way, it is natural that the restrictions on the lock hall test should be relaxed.

I didn't go to the transfer department, and I finally met a classmate, and at the same time learned a little information about the candidates who participated in the lock hall test. There are a total of fifteen people who participated in the entrance examination, and according to the ratio of three out of ten, there are four places to pay tribute - there is no rounding in this.

"To be able to put down the dispatch of their hands and participate in the test, those four people should be a little confident. As for the rest, don't worry too much, most of them are old faces who have participated in the past, just to have fun. ”

Leaving the yamen, Murong Wu still walked with Han Gang.

Qinzhou's tribute was also in these two days, and there were many more scholars in the streets and alleys, most of them borrowed to live in the temple, and those who were rich entered a better inn. However, Han Gang didn't need to crowd the temple or inn, but directly invited Murong Wu to the old mansion where he had lived for a short period of time.

Of course, Murong Wu would not refuse, he broke up at the street entrance and prepared to go back to pack his luggage, while Han Gang sent one of the remaining companions to follow him, so that he could lead the way.

Han Gang returned to the old mansion first, and a bunch of gifts were placed in the main hall. Listening to the report of the companion who came back with the salute in advance, this is the report of several major merchants in Qinzhou Zhilu Dao Han Gang is coming to participate in the tribute, and he sends people to guard the door every day. When the companion came back, when he heard the letter, he immediately sent all kinds of gifts.

Han Gang looked down at the gift list, and there were a lot of valuable things in the dazzling array of things. Businessmen make heavy profits, give more things, and of course get more in return. He handed the gift list to his companion casually, "Put it away after making the book, don't get confused." ”

Before the exam, Han Gang had no intention of dealing with these merchants. And the merchants are also very knowledgeable, so they don't bother Han Gang at this time.

Reading with Murong Wu at home. A few days of hard work passed in a flash. In the blink of an eye, it's exam day.

Sitting in the side hall of the transfer department, more than a dozen tables were neatly arranged. Han Gang and the other fifteen officials who took the examination were already in place.

There are only fifteen candidates in the locked hall test, and there is no need for any reference officer or seal officer, just like the Ministry of Rites test, there are dozens of examiners, Cai Yanqing and Cai Yu directly served as the main examiner and the re-examiner, and the questions were also made by the two of them.

The examination papers are all printed and distributed, and there are regulations for writing names and places of origin. Because many of the blank official documents used in officialdom are also printed in advance, when they need to be used, they will be filled in the blanks directly. Officials who are accustomed to it do not need to be reminded, so they fill in their names and places of origin.

The title is on the list. Among them, there are ten scriptures and righteousness, plus a question.

There is no need to dwell on this exam for a long time, and solve it in one day.

Just like the Ministry of Rites test after going to Beijing, the local examination also has to be transcribed. That is, the candidate's name is concealed and then the clerk is asked to copy it. The examiner is looking at the copied copy. This is to prevent the examiner from colluding with the candidate in private. Although the test tube bundle in the locked hall is not strict, there will be no shortage of necessary procedures.

But Cai Yu is full of confidence, even if all the officials in the examination room are personally selected by Cai Yanqing, he is still sure to recognize Han Gang's papers!

After confirming the identity of the candidate, it will not be difficult to quietly depose him or trap Cai Yanqing together.

Yin Yin laughed, and he waited for the candidates to hand in their papers.