"My Datang originally had an annual imperial examination, and this year's additional spring election doesn't seem to be necessary, but Your Majesty still chooses the will of the spring election in the first month, why are you?"

Wang Yuan said: "Your Majesty is gracious and recruits talents." ”

Yang Zhao said with a smile: "Isn't the annual imperial examination enough to recruit talents?" ”

Wang Yuan frowned and said, "That's what I said, why is that?" ”

Yang Zhao smiled and said: "You don't know this, let me tell you, it's because Your Majesty has lost confidence in the annual imperial examination." Why do you dare to make bold accusations about the imperial examination today? Am I confused? No, that's because I know that only by poking at the sore spot in His Majesty's heart will His Majesty agree to my recommendation for you to enter the Hanlin Academy. Because His Majesty knows in his heart that even if he is a talent who has passed the heavens and latitudes, he may not be able to pass the scientific examination and be hired. ”

Wang Yuan couldn't believe his ears for a while, and said in amazement: "Yang Duzhi, I don't quite understand what I said, how could Your Majesty have such an idea?" How does this relate to the spring election? ”

Yang Zhao waved his hand and said, "Isn't it clear what I said?" Your Majesty knows better than anyone else that if you participate in the imperial examination, you will definitely not be hired. So when I boldly pointed it out, His Majesty was not happy, but he knew that I was telling the truth, so he agreed to my recommendation. ”

"The more I listened, the more confused I became."

Yang Zhao said with a smile: "You are confused because you don't know what happened in the imperial examination in the past few days. In particular, the case of Zhang Zheng, the son of Cheng Zhang Yi in the imperial history last year, caused even more turmoil in the government and the opposition. The loss of officials and the denigration of a large number of officials can be called a major case of fraud in the imperial examination since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. ”

Wang Yuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh? Is there such a thing? ”

Yang Zhao said: "Didn't you hear about it? Although you were in the Yong'an Fang market last year, you knew all about this case, and you should know it. ”

Wang Yuanxin said: "At that time, I was still in another time and space, where did I know about this case." So he nodded perfunctorily.

Yang Zhao didn't ask deeply, and said in a low voice: "Zhang Zheng, the son of Cheng Zhang Yi in this imperial history, is a complete gentleman, he is not diligent, he can't distinguish wheat, and he doesn't know anything about the classics and history. Although I, Yang Zhao, was born in the army, I also know a few lines of words, and I can hold back a few lines of poetry when necessary. Compared with this Zhang Zheng, he can be regarded as a literati. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Du Zhilang is extremely shrewd, fortunately he didn't study since he was a child, otherwise we would all be willing to bow down." ”

Yang Zhao took a sip and said, "Phew, don't make fun of me, I just said that this Zhang Zheng doesn't know anything at all." But after the results of the imperial examination last year, the results were announced, and Zhang Zheng was actually selected as the first subject, do you think this matter is ridiculous? ”

Wang Yuan was stunned and said, "This is okay?" It must be cheating. ”

Yang Zhao smiled: "Is it cheating? Even if he put the answer in front of Zhang Zheng, he couldn't write a word, and he didn't have the ability to cheat when he cheated him. ”

"Then how did he get into high school?"

"Hehe, don't you know, his father Zhang Yi took the exam paper directly before the exam, asked someone to answer the question and write an article, and asked his son Zhang Zheng to bring it in during the exam. When people are working hard to write in the examination room, this Zhang is bored and sleeping, and when the handing bell rings, wipe the saliva and hand in the exam papers full of writing to be happy, and there is no need to worry about it at all. ”

Wang Yuan was amused and surprised, he didn't expect such a farce to happen, he felt sad and ridiculous when he thought about it.

Yang Zhao blinked and smiled: "Brother Wang, think about it, Jiake is in the middle of the world, it's a big joke in the world." There are only a dozen people in my Datang who can enter the A department every year. Most of the imperial courts in the middle of the first class have granted heavy responsibilities, and you think it's ridiculous to think that this Zhang Zheng will have a heavy responsibility in the future. ”

Wang Yuan smacked his tongue and said: "It's true that you are too bold, the imperial examination is one of the most important things in a country; If you can't take the sages of the world to be loyal to the court and govern the world, won't the world be in chaos? I didn't expect there to be such a bold and reckless person among the officials of the Tang Dynasty. ”

Yang Zhao smiled and said: "It's not over, this Zhang father and son are unlucky." Among those who fell in this section, one of them was a subordinate of An Lushan, the envoy of Fan Yang Jiedu, and was recommended by An Lushan to take the exam. After falling to the top, this person was really angry, and secretly heard the rumors, so he drove his horse back to Fanyang after leaving the capital, went to An Lushan's tent, and told An Lushan all the things about Zhang Zheng's father and son. ”

"An Lushan?"

It was the first time Wang Yuan heard the name An Lushan from the mouth of the Tang Dynasty, not only was he surprised, but if Yang Zhao didn't mention it, he almost forgot about this figure who would affect the fate of the Tang Dynasty in the future.

"An Lushan, you may not know him, this is a Hu man, I have seen him twice, both in the palace. Although he is ugly and fat like a pig, he is a good hand at leading troops into battle. In recent years, the Turkic rangers have repeatedly harassed Fanyang, and An Lushan has repelled them, and His Majesty is very fond of him. Yang Zhao explained.

Wang Yuan nodded and said: "I see, I'm afraid this An Lushan is going to write a statement to expose it." ”

Yang Zhao said: "That's right, An Lushan is the most protective of his shortcomings, how can he allow his recommended subordinates to be squeezed out of the list, so he wrote a fold and presented it to His Majesty, exposing the unfair admission of this subject and the collusion of some people to cheat." Others also forget it, but it was An Lushan who exposed it, and His Majesty had to give him an explanation, so he summoned everyone in Dengke to the Calyx Tower of Xingqing Palace for a reexamination. It's a bad cake this time, that Zhang Zheng bullshit doesn't make sense, and he can't write a word from the beginning to the end, so he directly handed in the blank roll. ”

Wang Yuan smacked his lips and said, "Hey, isn't this lifting a stone to shoot yourself in the foot?" Your Majesty is in a bad mood. ”

"Needless to say? His Majesty was furious and ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. This investigation does not matter, and six cases of bribery and cheating were discovered, and half of the dozen or so people admitted to Section A were taken by fraud, and for a time the government and the opposition were in an uproar. In the end, it was found out that Song Yao and Miao Jinqing, who presided over the imperial examination, were demoted to three levels, and Zhang Yi in the imperial history, Pei Fei in the Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites, Zhang Xuan, the resident of the house, Song Yu, the superintendent of the imperial history, and Meng Chao from Zuo Shizhi were all dismissed, and many of them were degraded to Lingnan, which made people panic. If it weren't for His Majesty's reluctance to involve too much and didn't continue to dig deeper, I'm afraid it would be difficult for the bigwigs in the court to clear themselves. ”

Wang Yuan said dumbfoundedly: "I see, no wonder you said that Your Majesty has some distrust in my Tang imperial examination system, maybe because of this matter." ”

Yang Zhao nodded and said, "That's right." Your Majesty is sad and sad, and the hearts of the scholars in the world are also broken. After the incident came out, people all over the world wrote poems and satirical poems, and many people reported their desire to serve the country, but they also died down. It is said that there are hundreds of hermits in the mountains of Jungnam in a month, and they are all disheartened. ”

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "It's really disappointing." So what's going on with this spring's audition? ”

Yang Zhao said: "This is Your Majesty's move to appease the scholars, and this spring election actually has a theme, which Your Majesty calls it 'searching for the world's talents' in your Majesty's will." The so-called Yicai means the missing talent. By doing so, His Majesty wishes to make amends for the mistakes made by these fraudulent officials in previous years while in office. At that time, the scholars who participated in the imperial examination may have fallen because of the fraud of these officials, but now the imperial court has issued a special department to give these people who have repeatedly failed to pass a fair chance. In the final analysis, it is necessary to make up for mistakes and win the hearts of scholars. ”

Wang Yuan understood, nodded and said, "That's it, my friend Du Fu has also failed many times, and he was also called for the exam this time." ”

Yang Zhao nodded and said, "Isn't it." Then Du Fu called me to think that he is also a talent, why did he fail repeatedly? Naturally, it's not that he doesn't learn enough, he can naturally be called 'Yicai'. ”

Wang Yuan said: "This is a good thing. But why did I hear you say that you didn't take a single person in this spring election? It's all down, it's an exaggeration, it's weird. ”

Yang Zhao said with a smile: "Don't you know, in this spring election, in order to do a good job and attach importance to it, Your Majesty handed over this matter to someone who he thinks will definitely be able to do it well, this is the right minister Li Linfu." Li Linfu is not close to him, he will never be able to carry you. Although some of these talented people fell to the top in those years, most of them were caused by recklessness and stubbornness. Many of these people wrote poems behind their backs, insulting and satirizing officials in the court. There are many people who have scolded Li Linfu. How could Li Linfu let them have a good future? Therefore, this spring election national examination became a passing scene in the hands of Li Linfu, and when His Majesty took the concubine to Lishan to bathe in the hot springs, Li Linfu sent all these people away. ”

Wang Yuan said: "Thousands of moves, one is not hit, slow down Your Majesty, anyone will doubt it." ”

Yang Zhao said: "Of course Your Majesty is suspicious, you have to see the ...... of the lifters in person."

Wang Yuan said: "Then Li Linfu won't show his stuffing?" ”

Yang Zhao glanced at Wang Yuan and said, "Brother Wang, you are too young, if such a thing can stump Li Linfu, how can he still be in power in the court for more than ten years without falling?" He dispelled His Majesty's thoughts with just a few words. ”

Wang Yuan was surprised: "So powerful? What did he say? ”

Yang Zhao said: "I was on the spot when he said this, and he said to His Majesty, 'Most of these people are from the countryside, all of them are vulgar and ordinary people, and they don't know the rules of the court. Otherwise, if Your Majesty sees the words of these people and becomes angry and punishes these scholars, it will not be contrary to the original intention, but will leave a voice among the scholars. ’。 ”

Wang Yuan was stunned and speechless, and sure enough, it didn't leak.

He also said: "Although no one was selected in this spring election, the minister Li Linfu congratulated His Majesty the Emperor, the three kings of Degao, and the five emperors. The people who were edicted to enter Beijing to take the examination this time, and the ministers and others carefully read the papers and carefully inspected them, and they were all members of the Nanguo Dynasty, and none of them were so-called "Yicai", so no one was selected. Looking at my Tang Dynasty, today is really a mediocre official in the court, and there is no virtuous man in the wilderness. This kind of highest level of governance, even if Yao Shunyu Tang is alive and the civil, military and Zhou Gong is resurrected, it is nothing more than that! Your Majesty governs the country in a good way, and his achievements are as majestic as Mount Tai, and the sun and moon shine forever, which is really gratifying! ””

Wang Yuan stood dumbfounded, this was a slap in the face, but this ecstasy soup was indeed a bit logical. Xuanzong may understand that he is a sycophant when he hears it, but I am afraid that he will not go down the donkey to take it seriously.

"I was born in the army, and I am hostile to scholars who read, this is Li Linfu's mind, otherwise why do you think Li Shizhi wants to have a competition with him in the Pear Blossom Poetry Club? He just knew that Li Linfu was the most taboo, and people said that he had no literary talent. He has a nickname called the Prime Minister of Rongzhang, that is, the scholars secretly joked that he wrote Rongzhang as a deer. Li Linfu didn't care on the surface, but in fact, he hated it extremely much in his heart. You were almost killed by him, and I believe you feel more than I do. Yang Zhao said lightly.

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "I see, it's unimaginable that this matter has such an inside story." ”

Yang Zhao said with a smile: "There are still a lot of messy things in the court, and I will tell you slowly in the future, I have a guest to see in a while, so I won't keep you." Today is your big day, and you should have been asked to go back to celebrate with your family when you left the palace, but it was inappropriate to pull you over for a meal. You go, remember to enter the palace with the palace attendants early tomorrow morning, and go up tomorrow morning, the will will come down, you have to go to receive the decree and thank you, and you will serve in the Hanlin Academy in the Daming Palace in the future. By the way, from tomorrow onwards, I will call you Master Wang. ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "Du Zhilang said that he laughed, if there was no support, how could there be today." ”

Yang Zhao patted Wang Yuan's shoulder and said, "Take care of each other, we can mix well, and even mix well, remember my words." ”

……

The Wang family had already learned the news, which was a letter from the servants of the Yang Mansion when they went to Yang Zhao's mansion. Wang Yuan stepped into the house, and the three brothers and sisters of the Huang family rushed out in unison, and surrounded Wang Yuan with gossips and asked questions.

Huang San smiled and said, "Erlang, I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it to be today." What kind of official is Hanlin? ”

Huang Xing shouted: "It doesn't matter what kind of official he is, in short, it's just an official, Brother Wang is also an official, then we are no longer afraid of being bullied." ”

Huang San said: "In the future, you can't call me brother and brother, I want to call me master, don't have no rules." We will all change our names in the future, and I will be called Master from now on. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "San Lang, are you trying to torment me?" A little Hanlin bachelor, no grade and no rank, what is there to be happy about. ”

Huang Ying said: "I heard that I can accompany Your Majesty? ”

Wang Yuan said: "Yes." ”

Huang Ying said: "Aren't you still satisfied?" I'm like looking at what His Majesty and the concubine look like, I didn't expect the brothers of the Wang family to see it every day, I'm really envious. ”

Wang Yuan laughed, although it was all gossip, Wang Yuan was actually quite proud in his heart. When I walked to the back house, I saw that Li Xin'er and Lan Xinhui also heard the news, and surrounded them and asked happily, and finally Li Xin'er asked Huang San to buy some good wine and food on the street and come back to celebrate in the evening, Huang San laughed. Lan Xinhui and the eldest sister stayed to talk, and they all dispersed, but they didn't see Gongsun Lan appear from beginning to end.

Wang Yuan returned to the room, Li Xin'er followed, and said softly: "Congratulations to Lang Jun, congratulations to Lang Jun, from now on, he will no longer be a cloth clothed commoner." ”

Wang Yuan was happy in his heart, stretched out his hand to hold her and kiss her, and said with a low smile: "You are also Mrs. Hanlin." ”

Li Xin'er said shyly: "Am I rare? If I care about this, I'm afraid it's not difficult to be an official's wife. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Although you don't care, aren't you happy for me?" Besides, if we want to live in peace, don't we have to climb up? Today is the first step, and step by step in the future, there will be a day when Li Linfu is not in my eyes. ”

Li Xin'er sneered: "I didn't expect Lang Jun to be so ambitious. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "This is not my ambition, it is a wish. ”

Li Xin'er said: "If it can come to that day, Lang Jun promised me that he would kill Li Linfu to avenge my father." ”

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "That's for sure, I will cut off his head and give it to you to pay tribute to your father and mother." ”

Li Xin'er gritted her teeth and nodded slightly.

"Where's your master? Out again? ”

"In the back garden."

"Does she know about me?"

"Of course I know, but I don't mean anything, the master has always been reluctant for us to have anything to do with the imperial court, and she is not particularly happy about this. Are you going to meet her? ”

Wang Yuan thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Forget it, I still want to go out, you can go with me." ”

"What are you going to do?" Li Xin'er said excitedly, this is the first time Wang Yuan took the initiative to invite herself to accompany her out, and after the two had a round room, the relationship was no longer the same.

"I went to meet a friend, I just learned about him, I had promised to see him a long time ago, but I have been busy with the affairs of the house and my own affairs for more than a month, and I have not fulfilled my promise. Now should be the time when he most wants someone to comfort him. ”

Li Xin'er didn't know who Wang Yuan was talking about, but she didn't ask much, so she cleaned up and went out with Wang Yuan. When he walked to the street, Wang Yuan thought about it, went to the dim sum shop on the street and bought a few large bags of dim sum and two jars of wine, and called a carriage out of Jing'anfang all the way to Xicheng.

Wang Yuan was going to Du Fu's rented house in the capital, and he chatted at the Pear Blossom Poetry Meeting, but Du Fu left an address at that time, and Wang Yuan couldn't leave an address because he was staying in Li Shizhi's mansion at that time. In other words, if Wang Yuan didn't go to Du Fu, Du Fu wouldn't be able to find himself now.

I vaguely remember that the address left by Du Fu is Xicheng Zhixian Fang, which is a folk square in the Yanhe Gate of Chang'an West City, which is the folk square of Xicheng, and it is the westernmost part of Xicheng, far away from Xishi, almost a dilapidated folk square.

After entering the Waiting Place, I saw that only the houses on both sides of the main street in the square were still the same, and the houses outside the street were almost all low mud houses and small courtyards, which were inferior to the small courtyards of their own Yong'an Fang.

Asked all the way to the north of Xianfang, the narrow alley and the potholed ground were almost difficult to gain a foothold, Wang Yuan walked around with difficulty holding two large jars of wine, and almost spilled the wine several times and fell.

Finally, a small courtyard at the end of the alley appeared in front of him, this is the only person who lives in this alley, the surrounding people are ruined and long grass, I am afraid that no one has lived in it for a long time, according to the address given by Du Fu, it should be here.

The courtyard door is hidden, Wang Yuan lightly pushed the door open, although the small courtyard is broken, but it is also sprinkled clean, the main gate is also hidden, under a green jujube tree in the courtyard, a wooden table and bamboo chair are placed there, and a book is placed on the table, but other than that, it is quiet and empty.

Wang Yuan walked in slowly, put the wine jar on the ground, stretched out his hand to pick up the scroll, and before he saw the title of the book, he heard a surprised voice say, "You guys...... Who is it? ”

Wang Yuan and Li Xin'er looked up, and on the corner of the room, a middle-aged woman with a bun and a headscarf and a blue cloth coarse coat with a delicate face was standing there with a small bamboo basket in her hand, her face full of confusion.