Shen Shixing saw that Wu Jie was so calm, and secretly screamed in his heart - ashamed! Brother Shizhen's qi cultivation kung fu is really good, and I think I am also well-informed, but when I entered the palace for the first time, I was still shocked by this kind of heavenly qi, and I couldn't do it calmly.

He and Wu Jie were originally friends, but now they are ambitious: now let Shizhen give jokes, no, if you are afraid now, how can you compete with him for the first place later?

Thinking of this, Shen Shixing raised his head, took a deep breath, the turmoil in his chest calmed down, and the whole person calmed down.

After passing through the noon gate chalk, and just as he was about to enter the city gate, he heard three whips. This early morning leather whip was brittle and bright because of the dew, as if a small firecracker had exploded near the ear.

All the candidates were trembling, and the team was suddenly a little chaotic.

Wu Jie looked carefully, but saw a eunuch at the door carrying a whip of about ten meters and slamming it on the ground.

He was curious in his heart, and couldn't help but ask Shen Shixing beside him: "Ru Mo, what does this whip mean?" ”

Although Wu Jie is very familiar with the Forbidden City, he is not clear about the etiquette system of this palace test.

Shen Shixing was aroused by Wu Jie's bearing just now, and when he heard Wu Jie's question at this moment, he was suddenly a little proud. He had already heard these procedures from his teachers and commanders, and he replied in a low voice: "This is the pure whip, one of the emperor's honor guards, the whip shape, the wave makes a sound, making people silent. ”

"Oh, I see." Wu Jie asked again: "What is the next ceremony, and where is this palace test?" ”

Shen Shixing replied again: "In the past, you didn't have to enter the palace, so you just answered the questionnaire on the noon gate chalk field. Later, he felt that the examination in the noon gate chalk was not solemn enough, so he moved to the bottom of the steps of the east and west pavilions of the Taihe Palace. But the child's face in this May was not good enough to rain, and then it was set up in the east and west of the Taihe Palace. It's just that when Jiajing was twenty years old, Taihe Hall lost a fire. Banzai probably felt that it was ominous to take the exam in that place again, and it should become the Bohol Temple, so it became a rule. ”

Wu Jie suddenly realized: "I see, in this way, I have to walk a few more steps." First of all, it is necessary to pass the noon gate, then the Jinshui Bridge, the Taihe Gate, the Taihe Palace, the Zhonghe Palace, and finally the Baohe Palace. ”

Shen Shixing was taken aback: "Shizhen seems to be very familiar with Ouchi." At this time, he remembered a legend that this Wu Shizhen seemed to have a great background in the capital.

Hearing the two whispering, the officer leading the team turned his head and smiled: "Silence." ”

This official served in the Ministry of Rites, and it was not the first time that he had led a team to participate in the palace examination, and it was the first time to see candidates like Wu Jie and Shen Shixing, who spoke quietly while walking, and did not look sincere and frightened at all.

Speaking of which, except for a large number of dazzling figures such as Zhang Juzheng, Li Chunfang, and Xu Lun during the 26th year of Jiajing's palace examination, there have been many years when there have been no good people entering the palace. Now that Wu Jie and Shen Shixing are two young talents, they are really exciting.

But Baume & Mercier has the style and temperament of Baume & Mercier, and sometimes it is a little difficult to restrict, which is also a helpless thing.

When they arrived at the Baohe Palace, the scene in front of them made all the candidates unforgettable, and even Wu Jie was deeply impressed.

I saw that there were five rows of small tables in the small chalk field in front of the Baohe Palace, and there were no stools behind the tables, all of which were embroidered brocade pride. There was a small incense burner on the table, which was being lit, and the cigarette curled up and rose into the sky. There is also a small basket on the table, which contains four steamed buns and a bowl of soup, which is the lunch of the candidates.

In addition, the four treasures of the study are also placed.

Although the palace examination is the highest level of examination, it is also a ranking for Chinese newcomers, and it is not so strict, so naturally there is less trouble in searching.

According to the name, the candidates each found their own table and sat quietly and waited with bated breath. ..., waiting for the arrival of the emperor and the examiners.

The palace member of the Ministry of Rites smiled and glanced at everyone: "Have breakfast first." "It turns out that the temple test is to serve two meals.

At this time, the newlyweds' anxious hearts were relieved, and they all picked up the steamed buns and ate them in small bites.

Wu Jie ate two bites of steamed bread, and found that the steamed bread was cold and hard, and there were only two vegetable leaves floating in the bowl of soup, and there was no heat for a long time. Only then did I look at the papers, and I saw that the test papers were all white rice paper. According to the rules, on the first page, candidates need to fill in their names, hometowns, ages and resumes of three generations.

Breakfast was hard to swallow, and Wu Jie didn't have the heart to eat, so he grinded the ink and filled in the first page.

By the time it was finished, the other candidates had already finished their meals.

Suddenly, the sound of drums was loud, and the hearts of the scholars that had been put down were suddenly raised. I saw that the undergraduate invigilators came over in two rows under the leadership of several officials, among them, Wu Jie saw Yan Song, Xu Jie, Zhang Juzheng, Li Chunfang and Gao Gong, and there were also a few officials, I don't know the name, look at their official uniforms, they are all second and third grade complements, it is estimated that they are all high-ranking officials such as various ministries and ministries and squires, and they are the decision-makers of the core decision-making level of the Ming Dynasty.

The Chinese newcomers below are all Li Chunfang's protégés, and Master Li nodded and smiled at everyone, and then his eyes fell on Wu Jie and Shen Shixing, who were his proud students.

Hearing three more whips, an old eunuch ran to the front of Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, and whispered twice, and then turned around and ran quickly.

I saw a bright yellow wind rolling in front of the Baohe Palace, and the honor guard of the Son of Heaven walked over. Wu Jie could see that it was Jiajing Huangliang who was sitting upright

Next to the emperor stood Huang Jin, who was the examining eunuch of this section.

All the candidates bowed down at the same time: "Long live, long live, long live!" ”

Jiajing waved his hand to the candidates who hailed the mountain long live.

The emperor went to the Baohe Palace, and the two columns of ministers slowly passed through the platforms on both sides of the hall, and gathered in front of the main hall.

From beginning to end, Jiajing's gaze did not stay on the faces of any of the candidates for a moment, and he looked expressionless.

Next, there was another ceremony, and then there was a drum music, and there was no melody, and a "loud" Wu Jie was panicked by this noise, and his head also rose faintly.

This is simply a kind of mental torture, the palace exam will be a question of more than a thousand words, and if you do it quickly, it will only be a matter of an hour.

The palace test has to last from the morning to four o'clock Beijing time in the afternoon, and it is really difficult to pass it away for such a long time without getting some tricks. Therefore, in the eyes of the imperial court, this is a powerful ceremony, and the form is greater than the content.

Finally waited for the music to stop, and the eunuch Huang Jin shouted: "The minister who reads the paper plays the question!" ”。 ）