The maid Ah Lian returned to Huilingguan a little late, and immediately entered the kitchen after greeting Mama. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

In the evening, a cup of rock sugar Sydney pear was sent to the Taoist aunt in the apricot yellow robe, and said softly: "Lady, this is rock sugar Sydney, which has the effect of clearing heat and removing fire, moistening the lungs and relieving cough." ”

Dao Gu glanced at the different shapes and colors of Sydney pears in the delicate white porcelain cup, took a small silver spoon and tasted two bites, nodded first, and then said curiously: "This is also the method that the person told you before?" ”

Ah Lian said excitedly: "Yes, it is a young man named Xue Zong, I finally found him today, and he also has such a special diet method." ”

"Oh, you specifically asked his name?" Dao Gu asked lightly.

"Well, this Xue Gongzi not only sacrificed the method of food therapy, but also saved the lives of the slave maid today."

"What happened?" Dao Gu's expression suddenly became a little more solemn.

Ah Lian told the street encounter with a look of grievance, and the focus was naturally on the rampant thieves in the west, as well as Xue Zong's courage and words.

Dao Gu's brows gradually furrowed, and she said in a deep voice: "The Western Thief is becoming more and more rampant, and he dares to go to Bianliang to spread wildness, and Kaifeng Mansion is really a nest." ”

Ah Lian said: "It's not, those servants who catch heads seem to be afraid of the western thieves and treat people unfairly, which really makes people angry, thanks to Xue Gongzi, otherwise the slaves and maids may not be able to come back today." ”

Dao Gu said lightly: "According to what you said, this person is indeed extraordinary, at a young age, it is really rare to have that insight and courage, and he can be called a young talent." ”

Ah Lian said boldly: "That's it, Xue Gongzi is really good, but he is a young talent, if the lady has a chance, she might as well recommend one or two......

"I've never been involved in that, you know." Dao Gu's answer was very cold.

Ah Lian chuckled in her heart, and hurriedly said: "The slave and maid have lost her words, and the lady forgives her sins." ”

"Hmm!" Dao Gu responded lightly and said softly: "The imperial court has a way to select talents, as long as this young man is a talent, there will definitely be people who have a good eye and will definitely be able to get ahead." ”

"Yes, that's what the lady said!" Ah Lian nodded, agreeing with this.

……

At the same time, the middle-aged man also returned to a mansion in Huihefang.

"Gong Li, his subordinates have already investigated, and Xue Zong, the young man who rescued Shen Niangzi that day, is indeed a native of Tokyo. At the age of fifteen, his parents died, and he raised his grandmother and young sister alone, with an innocent family background and simple communication, there is nothing wrong with it. ”

"That's good!" The old man, who had turned white for the most part, did not have the slightest doubt, and completely believed the middle-aged man's conclusion.

"But my subordinates happened to witness an interesting incident today."

The old man said with interest: "What an interesting story, say that you are happy with the old man." ”

The middle-aged man said: "There is a group of Western thieves riding horses on the streets of Tokyo and almost injuring a woman, and it is this young man Xue Zongfei who rescued him." And after that, he refuted the western thief with righteous words and questioned the officials of Kaifeng Mansion......"

After listening to the detailed description, the old man said slowly: "It's a little interesting." ”

"This son has good skills, and his subordinates have specially inquired, it should be a family heirloom martial arts. His father, Xue Pengju, was a captain of the forbidden army, and died in the battle of Haoshuichuan the year before last. ”

The old man suddenly said: "It turns out that after the martyrs, he and the western thief are considered enemies!" ”

"The main reason is that the western thieves are too rampant, and Kaifeng Mansion actually sits idly by, which really loses the majesty of my Great Song Dynasty." The middle-aged man couldn't help but complain.

"Kaifeng Mansion is a little too much, but the reason is not them, the west thief came to pay tribute, it is really a peace talk, and Li Yuanhao is a lion in terms of the year."

The old man sighed: "Who made the ministers of the two provinces have the intention of being war-weary, and they are not tough at all, or even weak, in front of the western thieves, so far. ”

When it comes to the overall situation of the government, middle-aged men feel that their status is low, and they dare not talk much.

The old man said to himself: "The old man is not in his position and does not seek his own government, but in the past two years, there have been frequent floods and droughts in Hebei, and the people are poor, and it is an indisputable fact that they need money and food relief. ”

"Li Gong, so... Wouldn't some of the two ministers' guilds be unhappy? The middle-aged man was slightly worried.

The old man smiled lightly, shook his head and said, "Don't worry, don't forget that the old man has also stayed in the two mansions in the past, and with his old face from the Qiandi, the official family will still listen to it."

What's more, I'm just telling the truth, only talking about what I do, and the old man will never overstep his responsibilities and give the thief how old he is, and he won't put his beak. ”

The middle-aged man thought about the identity of the old man, and there was nothing to worry about.

The old man sighed leisurely: "Today's government ...... Although Lu Yijian is a scholar, he still has a great influence in the court, and Zhang Dexiang, Yan Shu and others are all scholars and are not tough enough.

For decades, the border army has been defeated many times, and it has become a habit to spend money to buy peace, and everyone wants to settle things. Now in the court, there is really a lack of a character like Kolai Gong (Kou Zhun)......"

The old man occasionally has a sentence or two to discuss the government at home, and the middle-aged man who is a close confidant will always just listen to it, and will never dare to say more, let alone leak half a sentence.

"That's it, although the old man has asked for an order to guard the northwest, but His Majesty will not allow it, and now it is a rare year, and he can't control it much."

The old man sighed: "I hope God bless the Great Song Dynasty and put down the scourge of the Western Thieves as soon as possible, the old man will teach his children and nephews well at home, and young talents are the real hope of the Great Song Dynasty." ”

"It's proper for a few sons to enter the Simen Pavilion to study, and Gong Li doesn't have to worry about it."

"My children of the Li family, it is a shame that they failed to enter the national prison and go to the Simen Pavilion, I hope they will be ashamed and brave, and they will be able to roll up outside the Donghua Gate in the future."

Sighing lightly, the old man said leisurely: "They, if they can be like Yan'er, then I will have a lot of peace of mind, and I will be able to smile at Jiuquan." ”

……

The enrollment of the four gates, most of the noble princes' families have arranged a good way for their children, and the exam is basically a formality.

Regarding this point, the officials and doctors from the emperor to the Guozijian all knew it well, and they all acquiesced in it.

Since the release of military power with a glass of wine during the Taizu period, the Great Song Dynasty has been particularly favorable to the generals, including preferential treatment for their children. In addition to Enyin, Guozijian and Simenguan will give some places, so that these Jiangmen disciples have a glorious background, and they will have a good future in the future.

It is not so easy for the children of ordinary generals, they have to rely on their fathers and ancestors to donate their lives on the battlefield, and they can only get one chance, and if they want to enter the four halls, they have to take exams.

In the past few years, the Great Song Dynasty has not been able to go well in foreign wars, and there are many generals who have died in the king's affairs, and there are naturally many children and nephews, so the competition is naturally relatively large.

However, most of the ordinary generals and soldiers are not high, and there are relatively few people who can read and write, and many of them are half-hanging, so this exam is inevitable......

On the day of the exam, when Xue Zong came to the Simen Hall in Xiqing Yuan, he found that there were already many people gathered here, most of them young people in their teens and twenties.

Since the day of the fight, there was a conflict with the party members on the bank of the Bianhe River, Xue Zong has been quite interested in this matter, after all, it is a way to enter the office.

Looking at people's faces, it's really hard to be kicked on the nose and face by a little errand at every turn.

The Great Song Dynasty is an era of emphasizing literature over military force, if you don't have a little literary talent, you can't be a civil official, and it's really not easy to be decent.

It's just that the content of this exam, most of the subsets of the history of the book are superficial, and they may not be able to cope with it, so they can only take one step at a time.

There was already a long queue at the entrance of Xiqingyuan, which was inspected by the officers and was not allowed to bring books and other miscellaneous items. However, it was not as strict as the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty recorded in the history books, at least there was no body search and inspection of these actions, and the scholars were relatively more decent.

What cheat sheets can bring? Anyway, Xue Zong didn't know.

The imperial examination of the Song Dynasty seems to be different from the eight-strand template of the Ming Dynasty, God knows what questions the examiner will make, and it is almost impossible to prepare in advance.

After entering the door, there is a large square in the courtyard, and hundreds of cases have been placed, and the enrollment and selection examination of the four gates of the Qingli three years is carried out here.

Xue Zong found his seat, and as soon as he sat down, several well-dressed doctors walked around a middle-aged man with an extraordinary bearing.

A long beard is the characteristic of the times, and men aspire to be beautiful bearded men these days, but this person should not be very old, only thirty-five or sixteen years old. From the official robe, it seems that the level is not low, and this person gives people a sense of elegance and knowledge, calm and solemn, he should be very knowledgeable, maybe he is still a celebrity.

A doctor stepped forward and said: "This recruitment examination of the Four Gate Pavilion is the knowledge system, and the Hanlin Ouyang Bachelor presides over it. ”

What is the knowledge system of the Hanlin Bachelor?

This is an amazing identity, the Hanlin scholar of the Song Dynasty is equivalent to the emperor's adviser and think tank, and he has little real power, but he is a close minister of the Son of Heaven. What's more, he also has another layer of identity - Zhizhi Xuan, responsible for drafting edicts for the emperor.

Its status is so high that it can be seen that it is average.

What Xue Zong noticed was his surname - Ouyang, the Great Song Dynasty was famous for his knowledge, and his surname was Ouyang...... It won't be the famous Ouyang Xiu, right?

The middle-aged civil official stepped forward and said, "Fellow students, this official Ouyang Xiu was ordered to preside over the exam today. ”

Sure enough, it was Ouyang Xiu!

Xue Zong looked up curiously and observed, one of the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, a great writer who left a name in history, the sentence "The drunkard's intention is not in wine" is a famous sentence through the ages, but it seems that it has not been born at this time.

Ouyang Xiu on the steps didn't notice that there was an admiring and curious look in the audience, and he said aloud: "Today's exam, there is no topic, all candidates do their best, just write an article."

You can talk about poetry and Taoism, you can talk about history, or what you have about the affairs of the world, or what suggestions you have for the imperial court, you can discuss one or two, please speak freely. ”