The first place ink scroll was removed, and the scribe glanced at the name of the frontispiece, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Zhang Yuan, Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province." ”

The officials in the hall looked at each other and nodded their heads one after another, Zhang Yuan's craftsmanship really stood the test, although he was frustrated and criticized by various criticisms, but in this re-examination of the Ministry of Rites, he once again proved his innocence and talent with his excellent craftsmanship.

Deputy examiner Liu Chuxian is also relieved, if Zhang Yuan does not perform well on the spot this time and loses the election, it is really a pity, and it is also very bad for the reputation of the two examiners of him and Wu Gelao, and now Zhang Yuan blocked the mouth of those with ulterior motives with the first retest, clean and neat, very happy - but, Huiyuan Shen Tonghe was defeated, how to deal with it?

The official examiner Congzhe said: "Find out Shen Tonghe's paper from the falling paper." ”

Several examiners opened the envelope together, and quickly found Shen Tonghe's paper and presented it to Fang Shoufu, Fang Congzhe looked at Shouyi, frowned and said: "This 'letter and then admonition' is very good, why can't you recommend it?" ”

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense, since Fang Shoufu admired Shen Tonghe's craftsmanship, then which examiner deposed him, is there a hidden secret?

Han Guanghu stepped forward and said: "This volume is the dethronement of the lower officials, and the first art is indeed excellent, but please take a look at the next few articles." ”

Fang Congzhe turned to the second Mencius question-making art, and shook his head secretly after reading the problem and speaking, obviously there is a lot of difference between the level of the first art, and the third mediocre question is not good, several big comparisons are unclear, the meaning is unclear, and then look at the two scriptures, Shen Tonghe is a scholar of the scriptures, but the first scripture question is not finished, and the second question is simply blank, of course such an exam paper cannot be recommended - Fang Congzhe knocked lightly on the book case, and muttered: "If you talk about the first art, Shen Tonghe is talented, why is it so abnormal later?" ”

Han Guanghu said: "Zhao Mingyang is also studying the Book of Rites, and this Shen Tonghe estimates that he has not read through the Book of Rites, so the second scripture question does not know the source and cannot be solved. ”

It is very common to copy the old texts of predecessors in the examination room, so Fang Congzhe read Shen Tonghe's first art to the examiners present, and asked: "Do you know which eight-strand master is this, whether it is Zhenchuan or Tang Jingchuan, and the style of this article is similar to these two?" ”

The officials searched for the dry intestines, and shook their heads and said that they couldn't remember.

Fang Congzhe's eyes swept over, and when he saw that the scribe in charge of dismantling the number stretched his neck and wanted to speak, he asked, "What do you say?" ”

The scribe hurriedly knelt down and said, "Elder Qiyuge, this Shiwen villain has read it——"

All the officials in the hall paid attention to this scribe in his fifties, and Fang Congzhe asked: "Who made it, and which collection did you see it?" ”

The scribe said: "It was written by Zhang Yuan of Shanyin, and the little official read it in the collection of "One Hundred and Twenty Essays of Zhang Jiezi's Shiwen". ”

The officials looked at each other.

Fang Congzhe said in a deep voice: "Don't talk nonsense, is there evidence?" ”

The scribe said: "The little official still has this collection of current texts, which can be taken and presented to the elder pavilion." ”

This scribe lived in the back hall of the Ministry of Rites, and soon took the volume of "One Hundred and Twenty Chapters of Zhang Jiezi's Shiwen" and turned it to this topic and presented it to Fang Congzhe, Fang Congzhe closed the book after looking at it twice, and said to the scribe: "You are well-read and memorized." ”

The scribe said respectfully: "The little official likes to read all kinds of current collections, and when he encounters a good eight-strand text, he will serve it as a drink." ”

As soon as they said this, several officials of the Ministry of Rites in the hall laughed, they had heard that there was such a person in the Ministry of Rites, who often drank wine and read the Bagu text, and muttered to themselves that if this article was written by me, then I would not be in high school - the other officials looked at each other, Shen Tonghe actually copied Zhang Yuan's old work, this is simply a big joke, but it is reasonable to think about it, when you encounter this kind of question in the examination room, you can't do it well, and you just remember a good time essay with the same topic, so you will naturally copy it, if it weren't for this scribe, These examiners really don't know that this article is plagiarized from Zhang Yuan, but they are just suspicious, which is also blamed on Shen Tonghe's poor level of craftsmanship, he used to rely on Zhao Mingyang, and he didn't even read the book "Book of Rites", otherwise the first art of this re-examination was copied, and if the next few articles were still passable, I was afraid that it would not be degraded, of course, if it was revealed afterwards, then the world's scholars would ridicule the examiners for not learning and not knowing, and the field was always full of all kinds of accidents - now the problem is very clear, Shen Tonghe will pass the cheating Chinese style, Shen Tonghe must be tried in the Criminal Department and confess to being an accomplice to cheating, as for how Zhao Mingyang will deal with it, it will be determined after Shen Tonghe's interrogation results come out.

Still have to write the list, the list of six people, stamped with the big seal of the Ministry of Rites and posted on the wall outside the gate, attached to the main list, the first place is Wen Zhenmeng, because Zhang Yuan is not counted in the re-examination of the six places, the list is deserted, the sky is not dawn, and it is still in the curfew, when the curfew is lifted, the more than 100 candidates arrived almost at the same time, only Shen Tonghe and Zhao Mingyang did not come, Zhang Yuan saw that the names of Wen Zhenmeng and Xu Guanji in the list of six people were very happy, two of the five members of the Han Society who participated in the re-examination, This can be regarded as an unexpected help to the Han Society by the fire of the Gongyuan, in this way, the number of people who will test the Chinese style of the Han Society will reach ten, and the Han Society's power in the DPRK and China has begun to show signs - although there are only the names of Wen Zhenmeng on the re-examination list, but the news that Zhang Yuan was the first in this re-examination still spread quickly, Zhang Yuan's reputation is like Zhongtian among the 8,000 candidates in this subject, and Shen Tonghe plagiarized Zhang Yuan's old works that have been engraved and printed in the re-examination, and it has become a joke, but it is a pity that Yang Shixiang has not spread the book to the capital, Otherwise, Zhang Yuan's collection of essays will be expensive in the capital - in the afternoon of the re-examination, Shen Tonghe, the current branch will be arrested and interrogated by the Criminal Department, because the fifteenth day of this month is the period of the palace examination, and the Wanli Emperor sent an edict to find out Shen Tonghe's fraud process within three days, in fact, there is no need to say that Shen Tonghe has been pampered since he was a child, brocade clothes and jade food, and has not suffered hardships, although Zhao Mingyang told him to bite to death when he was in a bad mood during the re-examination, so that the literature and science were absurd, but in the face of the fierce and hideous prison officials of the Criminal Department, Shen Tonghe was already frightened before he was tortured, 1510 all confessed, and it was Zhou Yingqiu of the Ministry of Rites who arranged him to be adjacent to Zhao Mingyang's house, and there was also a deputy envoy of the Ministry of Rites surnamed Fang from the eighth grade who was also an accomplice, in order to pass the joint, Shen Tonghe sent Zhou Yingqiu 6,000 taels of silver, as for the two soldiers, they were temporarily given ten taels of silver each - ironclad evidence is like a mountain, Zhou Yingqiu of the Ministry of Rites and Rites was finally imprisoned, and the next step was to track down the arson case of the Gongyuan, Zhao Mingyang was also immediately questioned, and the seventh place was canceled in the current section, and there was no Huiyuan in the examination, This is the Ming Dynasty opened the branch of the scholar for more than 200 years has never happened, the cabinet deputy Wu Daonan and the Ministry of Rites Shangshu Liu Chuxian jointly on the Wanli Emperor, to Zhang Yuan to make up for the Yuan, but the Wanli Emperor did not approve - Zhang Yuan did not care much about whether he could make up the Yuan, the Yuan is just a false name, the key is that the palace test to play well, he is now fully prepared for the palace test, the palace test only one policy text, by the emperor personally made the policy question, generally the emperor is more concerned about the national economy and people's livelihood issues, internal affairs, diplomacy, finance, trade are possible, but to the end of WanliThe test taker only needs to write some big words, empty words, and compliments in accordance with the fixed routine to successfully pass the palace test, and the palace test will not be dethroned by the candidates, and only the top three rankings will be arranged according to the policy - Zhang Yuan has become a show since Sanyuan Lianjie, and the work spent on the art has been relatively reduced, and he has paid attention to the various policies and status quo of the Ming Dynasty, his foresight and wisdom are not comparable to others, and he did not plan to write some clichés of compliment and praise in this palace test, He wants to write insightful opinions, scholars to save the country from now on - March 13th, the celebrant sent out the Wanli Emperor hand-appointed to read the scroll and the deacon, the reader of the scroll by the cabinet of two auxiliary ministers, the six Shangshu, the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan, the Tongzheng Division, the official of the Dali Temple, as well as the James, the Hanlin Academy, a total of 14 people, the supervisor is the supervision of the imperial history of the two members, the official in charge of the file is the Ministry of Works, the receiving officer is the director of the Ministry of Works, the sealing officer is the secretary and supervisor, the reading officer is the Shangbao Si Cheng and the Hanlin Academy of editors and two members, the rest of the prison officials, The inspector served as a ——......

At the end of March 14, Zhang Yuan got up early to bathe, Mu Zhenzhen rubbed his wet hair for him, and served him to wear the robes and crown boots issued by the Ministry of Rites yesterday, and the examination basket was still equipped with pens, ink, and inkstones - the sky was not yet bright, the lights were swaying, Mu Zhenzhen looked at the young master in fresh clothes and shoes and looked very relaxed, and he was not nervous about the palace test, and asked: "Do you want to bring a few Wanping plums to eat?" ”

Zhang Yuan likes to eat that kind of plum, but at this time he shook his head and said: "I will eat it again when I come back from the palace exam, and my stomach should be empty during the exam, and if I am full, I don't want to do anything." ”

The knock sounded, and Shang Zhouzuo's voice said: "Jie Zi, how are you preparing, let's eat with a plaque, and I will go to Chengtianmen with you." ”

Zhang Yuan ate half a bowl of minced meat, the sky was already bright, and he went out with his brother-in-law Shang Zhou Zuo, Jinghui sent out the second door, and said to Zhang Yuan: "Uncle Zhang Gongzi, this time in front of the emperor, no one dares to harm you, you must be a champion." ”

Zhang Yuan turned around, the little girl's front hair was cut flat, the neat ends of the hair were just pressed on the eyebrows, the black hair, delicate eyebrows, clear eyes, and lips pursed up with a smile were very cute, according to the rare shadow of her little aunt, Zhang Yuan thought: "If you give birth to a daughter for me this time, I don't know if it will be a bit like Xiaohui?" smiled and said, "Okay, I must work hard." ”

Shang Zhouzuo smiled, thinking that his sister-in-law didn't dare to say this time, the top three were very likely - the carriage drove to the outside of the Daming Gate to brighten the sky, Zhang Yuan got off with the test basket, gathered in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites, and lined up according to the ranking of the examination, Zhang Yuan was the sixth in the examination, and now ranked fifth, the top four were Laifu, He Fengsheng, Qian Shisheng and Hong Chengchou, and the six people in the re-examination Chinese-style Wen Zhenmeng were ranked last, a total of three hundred and forty-eight people, led by He Zongyan, the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, and the five classics and room officials, walked through the Thousand Steps Corridor and the Jinshui White Jade Bridge, Came to Chengtianmen - Chengtianmen said today that in addition to the Jin Wuwei who is usually on duty, there are two hundred Han generals of Jinyi Guard, the Han generals are not really generals, but also palace guards, these Han generals are nearly six feet tall, wind wing helmets, golden armor, tall and majestic, majestic, neatly lined up on both sides of Chengtianmen, hands on the hilt of the knife, staring at the candidates who walked in front of them - this search is not based on books, but to search whether there are weapons, this is just in case, which candidate will bring a sword into the palace, Isn't this looking for death?

After the search, the five meridian room officials stayed outside the gate, three hundred and forty-eight candidates followed He Shilang into the Chengtian Gate, the end door, through the six branch corridors, and then into the noon gate, on both sides there are Jin Wu, Yu Lin Wei lined up as if to welcome and like a monitor - the right side of the noon gate is the Huiji Gate, inside is the cabinet straight room, Wenhua Hall and the Imperial Pharmacy, the left is the Guiji Gate, the towering gatehouse is the Huangji Gate, Jiajing is called Fengtianmen in front of Jiajing, at this time, the vermilion lacquer gate that is several zhang high is still closed, the candidates are silent, wait for a while, the morning sun shines from the imperial pharmacy, But listening to the sound of drums, the gate slowly opened, standing in front of Zhang Yuan saw the square in front of the Huangji Hall and the Huangji Hall built on the three-story stone platform at the end of the square, although there is still a mile from the gate from the Huangji Palace, but the majestic and magnificent royal style has been shrouded, making people feel solemn.

He Shilang led the candidates through the bluestone paved palace square, standing outside His Majesty Dan, followed by Fang Congzhe, Wu Daonan, two ministers headed by fourteen paper reading officials and dozens of deacons came in and stood in the Dan Majesty, according to the ancestral system the emperor is to ascend to the palace to accept the hundred officials to salute and give advice on the spot, but the Wanli Emperor has not been in the court for many years, and the palace examination has not come in recent years, and the current branch is no exception, the two ministers led the officials to bow to the emperor's throne, and the three hundred and forty-eight candidates also bowed five times and kowtowed, and then stood on both sides- The officials of Guanglu Temple have already placed 348 examination cases neatly on the main hall, this imperial hall is 32 zhang wide, 16 zhang deep, grand and high, more than enough to accommodate nearly 400 examination cases, all the candidates took their seats in order, began to grind ink and wait for the paper to be issued - 14 paper readers stayed in the Wenhua Hall last night, each prepared a policy, let the eunuch of the master of ceremonies send the pen eunuch to the Qianqing Palace by the emperor's imperial pen circle to set a question, and then sealed it back to the cabinet, and ordered the inner chamber of the cabinet to print 348 copies on the spot, When the title was printed, the inner and outer doors were isolated, and the topic was never allowed to leak out in advance - the topic was sent down, and when Zhang Yuan stared at it, the title printed on the frontispiece was:

"The system said: I inherit the heir to the unification, I have been dreaming of the night, but I want to be the outline and raise ten thousand eyes, cultivate benevolence and favor in the sea, so that people are clear on the top, the customs are thicker than the bottom, and the people are rich and have no worries about losing their worries, but the disasters and famines in the provinces are still frequent in the years, I am anxious, disaster relief and famine, there are few good strategies, and the scholars have a strategy to make disasters auspicious and share worries for me, please make it clear in the article, no generalization, I will see it for myself."

(To be continued)