Many times, people can not grasp their own destiny, all kinds of accidental factors and deliberate arrangements will make a great change in the trajectory of life, although so, but not satisfied with the destiny, unwilling to accept the status quo, never succumb to the arrangement of fate is the charm of life -

Zhang Yuan did not know that the conspiracy against him in the Gongyuan was unfolding, he still went all out to devote himself to the next two exams, February 12, the second exam, the same as the township exam, as an argument, edict, edict, table to choose one, there is a judgment of five ways, the argument is the first of various styles in the second exam, the Ming Dynasty imperial examination to test whether the candidate's thinking is clear, whether he is good at reasoning, reasoning and eloquence is the quality that officials need to have, Zhang Yuan is good at writing, the topic of this examination is "the politics of the world comes from one", There is only a lower limit on the number of words in the essay, there is no upper limit, the lower limit is not less than 400 words, Zhang Yuan made a "proposed Han Wu Emperor to strike Tian Luntai edict" well, the edict and the edict are official documents issued in the name of the emperor, this is to test the candidate's familiarity with ancient and modern political affairs and the ability to write official documents, it is the duty of the cabinet to draft the edict on behalf of the emperor, which is to cultivate talents for the cabinet and auxiliary government in the future.

"I was angry that the Xiongnu were tyrannical, and several envoys attacked thousands of miles into the desert, and still placed several counties in Hexi, so that the envoys recruited the Western Regions, placed school captains, and ploughed the canals in Tuntian, hoping to weaken the Xiongnu ......"

An edict of more than 600 words was made in less than an hour, Zhang Yuan looked at it himself, was very satisfied, and took an hour to write the five judgments, and then concentrated on the argument, sprinkled with enthusiasm, and wrote until three o'clock in the afternoon Shen Shi was written, this treatise has more than 1,800 words, the remarks are grandiose, and the ranking is surging, such as the Yangtze River, there is Jia Yi, Su Shi's wind, Zhang Yuan thinks that he writes very heartily, to be checked, the transcription stops, the number of the house has been darkened, and the test is later than the first one, although the scientific examination is heavy on the first one, But Zhang Yuan went all out in every game, and he also had enough energy to support it, when he went to the receiving place to hand in the papers, the lights were already high, and the sealing officer commanded a few scribes to be busy, and he didn't pay attention to Zhang Yuan's scrolls at all.

……

At the same time as the second examination of the general examination, the reading center has completed the reading and proofreading of the first red scroll and the original ink scroll sent by the transcription office, and stamped the seal of the reading official on the surface of the red scroll, and sent the ink scroll and the red scroll to the outer receiving office, and after checking that the number of the zhu scroll and the ink scroll is correct, the zhu and the ink roll are separated, and the ink roll is left in the outer curtain receiving office, and the zhu scroll is sent to the Ti Ti Hall, and the supervisor wraps a number of rolls into a package, stamps them, and packs them into a box and sends them to the inner curtain, and the inner curtain reading place has six rooms of "Poems", five rooms of "Yi", four rooms of "Books", and "Rites" The third room, the second room of the "Spring and Autumn Period", a total of 20 rooms, these scrolls are sent to each room according to the number of this scripture, so from the afternoon of February 12, the reading of the papers has been in full swing -

Twenty room officials are selected from the Beijing officials above the sixth grade of the official with a good reputation of learning and character, in addition to the room officials, there are four to five marking officers in each room, most of these marking officers are the words of the Hanlin Academy and the James Mansion, Xu Guangqi served as the marking officer in the "Spring and Autumn" room, Xu Guangqi returned to the Hanlin Academy to apply for reinstatement and was promoted, from the Hanlin Academy review to the Janese Mansion Zuo Chunfang Zuo Zanshan, the Hanlin Academy review is from the seventh grade, the James Mansion Zuo Chunfang Zuo Zanshan is from the sixth grade, even promoted two levels, this is because Qian Qianyi Ding Wei returned home, There was a vacancy in the James Mansion, and Xu Guangqi's reputation was good, and it was the right time, so he was promoted.

"Spring and Autumn" a room together with the room official Zhang Heming a total of five people, the afternoon sun obliquely shining, the reading room is spacious and clear, Xu Guangqi sat behind a large bookcase, on the left is a stack of high Zhu scrolls to be read, before starting to read the papers, Xu Guangqi did a Zhang Yuan taught him cervical spine self-treatment, shaking his head, rocking his arm, pinching his neck, other marking officers looked strange, and asked what happened, Xu Guangqi said: "I have suffered from headache and dizziness for many years, and I learned this neck rubbing brain play from the same door two months ago, and it is quite effective. ”

When rubbing his neck and shaking his head, he asked Xu Guangqi to treat this cervical spondylosis is the famous Shanyin Zhang Yuan, and a marker said: "Zhejiang Xie Yuan, the head of the Han Society, is very famous among the eight thousand people in this section, and he is also proficient in the art of Huang." ”

Another examiner smiled at Xu Guangqi and said: "Brother Zixian, that Jieyuan scripture is the Spring and Autumn Period, maybe the volume is in our room, maybe it is the one that Brother Zixian is reading now." ”

All the graders laughed.

Fang official Zhang Heming is over 60 years old, black and healthy, and the current military department Langzhong, said: "Don't laugh and talk about it, don't read the papers carefully, don't miss the talents." After a pause, he said: "There are more than 800 candidates in this subject, and the task of marking the papers is heavy." ”

Break when you read the paper to the palm lamp, then eat, drink tea, continue to read the paper at two o'clock, and then start the reading of the day at three o'clock.

Just before the afternoon of February 13th, Xu Guangqi read such a Zhu volume, the first title "only the benevolent can be good and the wicked" to break the question, the title is quite fine, although the writing is a little hasty, but the sage on behalf of the sage to stand in order, can be regarded as a relatively excellent craft, between the desirable and the undesirable, Xu Guangqi pondered for a while, is waiting to see the candidate's eight shares of the scripture, if the eight shares of the scripture are good, then recommend to the room official, but the page has not been turned over, and suddenly found that there are two lines of small characters at the end of the volume: " The examinee committed the temple of the first emperor, and the transcription was still wrong"——

Xu Guangqi frowned, and then looked at the candidate's first question making art again, and found that there was indeed a "Mu" word without a defective painting to avoid it, the temple number of Emperor Longqing, the father of Emperor Wanli, Mu Zong, where the examinee encountered the imperial name and temple secret, he must lack writing strokes to avoid it, and the offender will be dethroned-

Xu Guangqi shook his head and said in his heart: "This candidate is too careless, there is such an obvious mistake in Shouyi, there is no need to read the next six articles." Immediately use a green pen to write on this red scroll the words "offense, paste", which means that this red scroll is against the style and will be sent to the public court for posting.

Of course, to the public court, these papers posted due to the violation of the style can only be seen by the inner curtain officer, and the candidates cannot see it.

The sealing official saw the red scroll posted in the room of "Spring and Autumn", nodded secretly, and it was done.

……

On February 15, Zhang Yuan conducted the last exam, the exam questions were three strategic questions, and the answer sheet was very smooth.

These two days the weather is obviously warmer, Xi Xi can smell the breath of spring in the evening breeze, that is the fragrance of leaves and flowers, Zhang Yuan stands in front of the dragon gate and looks back at this huge tribute courtyard, the thorn wall is heavy, towering and strict, the east and west two archways, the east says "Ming Jing takes scholars", the west says "for the country to seek talents" -

"Brother Zhang Gongzi, what else are you watching, haven't you been happy to take the test yet?"

Shang Jinghui saw that Zhang Yuan looked back at the Gongyuan frequently, so he asked with a smile.

Zhang Yuan hurriedly said: "No, no, I have had a good time, and I never want to go in again." Xin said: "Don't let Xiao Jinghui say a word, that's bad." ”

……

On the afternoon of 17 February, a marking officer in the first room of the "Spring and Autumn Period" was reading the papers, and suddenly praised it: "This theory is wonderful, not inferior to Han Liu Ousu." Immediately recommended this exam paper to the housing official Zhang Heming, and said: "Lord Zhang, please read this treatise and edict, a rare good art, it is advisable to crown this room." ”

Zhang Heming already has dozens of first papers recommended by four examiners on his desk, and when the second paper is finished, he will recommend these two papers to the deputy examiner Liu Chuxian, and the third exam paper is not very important, as long as it is passable.

Zhang Heming saw that the examiner praised this examination paper so much, so he put down the paper in his hand, read this first, and saw that this article "The government of the world comes from one theory" wrote: "The world has a political foundation, and the people are honest and important, and then the government is subordinate to its origin without distinction." The man of the world is also the instrument of the master, and the government is placed in the instrument and the house is safe and eternal......"

Zhang Heming nodded while reading, and after reading this long treatise, he read "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Strikes Tian Luntai Edict", and wrote at the beginning: "I am angry that the Huns are tyrannical, and several soldiers have attacked thousands of miles in the desert——"

After reading it quickly, the good article looks so smooth, Zhang Heming praised: "It's really a rare good art." "Looking at the number of this Zhu scroll, it is a southern scroll, indicating that the candidate is from the two provinces of Su and Song in Nanzhili or Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Huguang, Fujian, and Guangdong.

-- The Ming Dynasty implemented the system of the north-south volume, stipulating that the southern provinces and the northern provinces would divide up more than 300 jinshi quotas on June Fourth, because if this system was not implemented, then the southern juzi would occupy the vast majority of the jinshi quota, the southern economy and culture were developed, the villages and alleys were full of books, and many of the peddlers were literate, and there were few scholars in the north, that is, the scholars, often except for the eight shares, there was nothing to do, so the northern juzi could not pass the southern juzi test, and the two examples were tried to be given in Ji'an, Jiangxi alone. In the Ming generation, there were eleven champions, eight huiyuan, and thirty-nine Xie yuan; A county in Putian, Fujian, there are 324 scholars in the calendar, far more than a province in the north, if this is not subject to geographical restrictions, then the northerners are equivalent to accompanying the examination, which will definitely cause strong dissatisfaction with the northern gentry, causing a political crisis, so Zhu Yuanzhang divided the north and south volumes to take the scholars, to ensure the admission opportunity of the northern scholars, although the southern scholars are also dissatisfied, but the south accounts for six, can bear it, and the palace examination is still the vast majority of the southerners, it is precisely because of this north-south volume system, there will be the disadvantages of impersonation in different places, There was once a Zhejiang lifter who failed to pass the Jinshi exam many times, moved to Henan, and in the blink of an eye to high school, he was not allowed to change his nationality later.

Zhang Heming saw that this exam paper was a southern paper, so he rummaged through the first exam paper with the same number in the southern paper recommended by the four marking officers, but he searched for it again and again, but he couldn't find it, and thought: "The second field can make such an art, and the first one must be good, is it because I haven't read that paper yet?" So he asked Xu Guangqi and the other three examiners to look for it in the first Zhu scroll that had not yet been read, and find out the numbered Zhu scroll for him, but Xu Guangqi and the three of them did not find this numbered volume in the first volume on the desk, and they couldn't even find it in the falling file.

A grader asked: "Could it be that the first volume was assigned to the second room?" ”

Separate room marking, the first volume is sent to which room, and the same number of Zhu rolls will continue to be sent to the room, of course, mistakes are also possible, Zhang Heming took this two Zhu rolls to the second room of "Spring and Autumn", and looked at the more than 400 first Zhu rolls one by one, but still did not find the same number of exam papers, which made Zhang Heming wonder, how could the first volume disappear!

Xu Guangqi hesitated: "Two times ago, I posted an exam paper, and that exam paper committed the first emperor's temple, wouldn't it be that paper?" ”

Zhang Heming loves talents, these two exam papers are really excellent, I can't bear to miss it, and it is also the honor of the housing official to promote outstanding talents, so he asked Xu Guangqi to go to the court to check it.

Xu Guangqi went to the public court to see that the volume posted was indeed the first volume they were looking for everywhere, and it had been pasted on the wall, of course, there was no reason to take it off again, Xu Guangqi returned to the reading room and said to Zhang Heming: "Lord Zhang, it's a pity, that first volume is really a mistake, and I can't recommend it." ”

Zhang Heming was quite disappointed and sighed: "It's a pity, it's a pity, this talented candidate has to wait for the next subject, and it's another three-year cold window." ”

Xu Guangqi took the second Zhu roll and looked at it, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt that it seemed to be Zhang Yuan's work, but how could Zhang Yuan, who was so careful, make such an obvious mistake in the first performance!

Xu Guangqi shook his head, feeling that it was impossible, he did not immediately discard this red scroll into the pile of falling papers, but put it aside and continued to read the papers.

On February 19, the third policy questionnaire was also sent, and at this time, the papers that should be recommended were all recommended, and the three policy questions were never taken seriously, and the examiners reviewed millions of words in just a few days, and they were also tired, and they did not have the energy to look at the papers of the third field in detail, but they were all based on the numbers of the nearly 100 copies of the first two fields that had been determined to be recommended, and found out the relative third field of the papers, and took a cursory look at them, and there were no mistakes.

Xu Guangqi deliberately found out the third Zhu scroll of the person who was posted in the first art, three questions about concern, understand Zhengda, no flashy words, but have insightful opinions, read these three questions, Xu Guangqi's worries in his heart became more and more serious, from the perspective of the second and third games, this is very likely to be Zhang Yuan's exam paper, but how could Zhang Yuan make such a low-level mistake, this is like a Go player filling himself in a dead dragon, it stands to reason that it is impossible to happen, is it a wise man's thousand thoughts, and finally a mistake?

The last two productions are really excellent, and people can't give up, whether it is Zhang Yuan's or not, Xu Guangqi has to go to the court again to see the posted volume, and he hasn't read the next six articles.

(To be continued)