The palace examination, also known as the court examination, was first held in March Shuo, and later changed to Wangyue from the eighth year of Chenghua. That is, it was changed from the first day of March to March 15th. This is also the last level of the imperial examinations, the highest level in the country, which is particularly impressive, and the examination process is very solemn, and it should be held in the Forbidden City.

But since Emperor Jiajing moved to Xiyuan, the emperor who no one can manage has changed his rules...... I will never return to the Forbidden City, either I will leave it alone, or I will obediently move here.

With the strong support of Yan Ge Lao, the examination room for the palace examination was moved from the Forbidden City Jianji Hall to the platform in front of the Ziguang Pavilion in Xiyuan, and the palace examination of the 35th Bingchen Branch of Jiajing was no exception...... The day before the exam, the officials of Honglu Temple began to set up the throne and the yellow case, and the officials of Guanglu Temple set up the test table and arranged the seats of the candidates...... Everything was done by the officials themselves, and the eunuchs and palace ladies were not allowed to interfere.

The next day it was still dark, and before the time had passed, the Gongshi who took the exam ...... Also called 'Chinese-style Jinshi', they waited in front of the gate of Xiyuan Palace, their eyes brighter than lanterns, and they couldn't help themselves with excitement...... What is the purpose of the book test? Isn't it just for 'the morning for Tian Shelang, and the evening for the Tianzi Hall'? Now after layers of inhumane examinations, the four hundred elites of the Ming Dynasty finally stood in front of the Son of Heaven and their house, and they wanted to complete the last leap of the carp jumping over the dragon gate, and their bladders were swollen with excitement when they thought about it.

And different from the nervousness of the previous exam, the atmosphere before this exam is more excited and eager to try, because as long as you don't make a fool, the palace exam will not disgrace the candidates, but the ranking of the exam will be rearranged, which is a process of 'selecting the best of the best'...... For many people, this is much more comfortable than sitting on a cold bench in Beijing.

For example, Lord Xiao Zhang is upright, the sixth in the hall test, and the selection of Shu Jishi, which is extremely noble. Then I drank tea in Hanlin Temple for ten years, and so far nothing has been accomplished...... Beijing officials like him abound, and many people just ate and waited for half their lives to die, and finally retired with honor, or became a pond fish that was affected in a political dispute between a bigwig.

This is what it means to lose the horse and know whether it is a blessing or not, and to know whether it is a disaster or not to lose a horse.

Besides, the ups and downs of the sea and the dangerous career are dangerous, and the most reliable ones in the future are these people in the same department...... These rookies have to communicate with each other, support and support, in order to gain a foothold in the officialdom full of ghosts and ghosts, in other words, they have to fight together, regardless of whether they are reasonable or not; If there is a benefit, you must first think about the same year, regardless of whether it is suitable or not. Although it is very bad, it is an iron rule that wants to survive in the officialdom.

In fact, after the test, these gangs were connected in tandem in the same year, and now they are very familiar with each other, but silence is an exception, he came back drunk, and just woke up, except for those Zhejiang fellows, they didn't recognize anyone.

But don't worry, because his current name is too loud, and in the same year, they all competed to come to visit, and the silence naturally did not make a big difference, and he was enthusiastic and thoughtful in the face of every new childhood, which made people feel like a spring breeze, and their goodwill rose sharply...... Originally, they were still worried that this benevolent brother who would not show up after winning Huiyuan would be too arrogant and too difficult to contact? Now one, the worries are gone, and they are all happy and convinced.

Just when everyone's feelings were heating up sharply, the hour came, the bell rang and the door opened, and there was silence in front of the palace gate, and the tense atmosphere suddenly came out of the corner and occupied everyone's heart...... They all say they don't care, but who doesn't want to take a good ranking, choose a Jishi, and enter the cabinet in the future? So when it comes to the end, I am all holding up a lot of energy, and I want to make a final sprint!

At this time, the sky was already dawning, and the officials began to enter the palace, and the candidates stood aside, looking at the bachelor in a python robe and jade belt with reverence; looked at the Shangshu squire wearing a red official robe and a gold and silver belt with envious eyes; With indifferent eyes, he looked at the chief in the green robe, the outsider, and said in his heart: "This is the ladder of my progress!" ’

When the officials finished entering, and the tribute students' intentions came to an end, the salute officer of the Ministry of Rites said loudly: "Xuan Jiajing Bingchen Kegong Shengjin!" ”

The candidates hurriedly lined up in front of the palace gate, and under the leadership of the guide officer, Yuguan went to the West Garden. After entering the door, no one could even get a pack of palace cakes and a bottle of pear juice...... Not only does it have to make people sigh, the public treatment is good, and just after being admitted, they began to eat and drink.

With a surging heart, he followed the officials of the Ministry of Rites, passing through the deep doorway, and the court rooms on both sides of the square made the road leading to the Ziguang Pavilion seem very narrow. But after passing through the two palace gates, I suddenly saw a very open platform, white stone railings, carved dragon pillars, and rows of neat tables and chairs, which set off the majestic Ziguang Pavilion at the end of the towering and magnificent volume...... Feeling the majesty of the palace, the tributes all felt a sense of awe...... In their eyes, the place where the emperor lives is undoubtedly the palace.

Officials who came in early have separated on both sides of the red carpet on the platform. The Gongsheng were also guided, standing behind the officials on the left and right.

When everyone stood still, the music on the platform was loud, accompanied by Huang Zhong Dalu, Xiao Sheng's reed flute, and chime's copper chime, which was really a nine-fold sound, sweeping people's hearts, and making the officials and gongsheng in the hall all look solemn.

In the midst of this music, Zhu Houxi, the Jiajing Emperor of the Ten Directions of the Ming Dynasty and the Lord of the Trillions of Billions of People, appeared in front of the Ziguang Pavilion.

"The ministers knock to see my emperor, long live long live, long live...... long live the voice of the mountain, always so charming, Emperor Jiajing, who has not been in court for many years, thinks about it with extra enjoyment. Then he began to speak, of course, those clichés and empty words, useless leaders spoke.

But many ministers were very excited, and said in their hearts, Your Majesty, we have been separated for so long, and I really want to go back to the past, although we can't stand it every morning; As for those who witnessed the face of heaven for the first time and listened to the hadith, they were even more excited and burst into tears, and although there were no screams and moans, several of them fainted.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Jiajing felt very refreshed and spoke louder. But Shen Mo knew that the tributes were not to see the emperor's excited fainting, but to remember and worship the long and dirty career of scholars.

But he didn't have any special feelings, after all, the exam went smoothly all the way, he didn't experience so much suffering, and he didn't have so much unhappiness to be sacrificed, and even had the leisure to secretly look at Emperor Jiajing who was wearing a dragon robe, and said secretly: "This is like a king of a country, what kind of system does it become to wear a Taoist robe all day long?" ’

In the midst of his thoughts, the emperor finally finished speaking. He picked up the knife and opened the test questions on the yellow case in person, and then awarded it to Yan Song, a university scholar around him. Then he handed it over to Zhao Zhenji, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

In Long Live Shanhu, the emperor withdrew, and the officials who were pulled to fill the scene withdrew, leaving only the scholar Zhang Zhi, the two scholars of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Officials, and an official of the Ministry of Rites, these dozen or so are the invigilators of the palace examination, and the lineup is extremely luxurious.

Under the instructions of the invigilator, the tribute students sat down behind the examination table in turn, and when everyone sat down, Zhao Zhenji, who had a righteous face, said loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, this palace examination is divided into two sessions in the morning and afternoon, three hours in the morning, and the examination starts at the hour. In the afternoon, after His Majesty's meal, the second ...... was not examined."

Before the words fell, there was an uproar, and some tribute students asked: "Dare to ask your lordship, how many years have the palace exams been only test and asked, why do you want to change the rules?" ”

When Zhao Zhenji returned to the capital, he was full of ambition and wanted to show his strength, when he heard the words and said coldly: "The examination room is noisy, what kind of system is it?" Don't you want to take the test? ”

The lethality of these words was too great, beyond the range of the tribute students, and it immediately made the examination room silent.

At this time, Li Mo, the secretary of the ministry, said again: "You are no longer civilian scholars, you are 'Chinese-style Jinshi', officials of the future Ming Dynasty!" We must have the ability to adapt, otherwise how can we face the ever-changing government affairs? Although the candidates were not convinced, no one dared to turn back...... If you get on the blacklist of the Ministry of Officials, what else is going on?

Li Mo was a ruthless character who couldn't rub sand in his eyes, and he lowered his face and said: "If anyone is not convinced, you can go out now, I am an official like you in the Ming Dynasty!" ”

Now everyone is completely honest, and even the resentment in their eyes has to be hidden in their hearts.

Zhang Zhi, a university scholar, was a good man, so he smiled and said, "What about this palace test?" It is the best of the best, and no one is degraded, it does not have to be as strict as the township examination, and the method is flexible, which is beneficial and harmless. He waved his hand and said, "Answer the questionnaire, it's time soon." ”

Only then did the officials of the Ministry of Rites begin to distribute inscriptions. The paper was framed on rice paper, and was extremely elaborate, with each page twelve inches long and four inches wide. There is a red line straight grid, and only 24 characters are allowed to be written on each line, and each word is required to be written in a pavilion style, which is full and neat.

In the end, the test question was issued, and the question was: 'The law of the ancestors is the foundation of the country, but the ancestors forbid the sea, and the ancestors forbade it, why are the ancestors different?' Where do we go from here? ’

(To be continued)