In the third year of Jingyou, after brutal selection in various states, a group of new people gathered in Bianjing to participate in the biennial provincial examination. Although he was promoted in the examination, he could get rid of the common people class and join the scholar class. However, if you want to really worry about the world and achieve the position of Zaifu, you must be admitted to the Jinshi.

At the beginning of February, Bianjing was still very cold, and more than 10,000 people flocked to Bianjing at once, and the house prices of the inn soared in an instant, and the prices in the capital also rose.

In the past few days, Liu Ming received an invitation from the Tobe waiter and lived in the Kyoto Hall, and the conditions and treatment in all aspects were much better than the inn. This household servant was Fan Zhongyan's previous subordinate and was favored by Fan Zhongyan. Hearing that Fan Gong's newly accepted disciples in his later years came to Bianjing for the exam, he couldn't help but say that he took someone to invite Liu Ming into the hall to rest.

Liu Ming was also polite, but he couldn't stand the hospitality of this household waiter, so he moved into the hall. Three days before the provincial examination, the candidates of the 16th Road in the country all felt Bianjing, and the people from several states near Qingzhou had a clear idea and went directly to Liu Ming's side.

Liu Ming was inexplicable, and became the leader of these states again.

As a leader, I can be much busier than before. Liu Ming had to take these dozens of people to participate in the pre-exam tutoring class organized by the Hanlins.

The lecture hall was set in the square at the entrance of the Provincial Examination School, and hundreds of people were taking notes in the cold wind. Several Hanlin academicians on the stage, roasting charcoals, looked lazy, and talked about scriptures and history, policy discussions, poems and other contents.

Liu Ming couldn't stand the cold as the first one, so he ran directly to the restaurant opposite Fuxue, asked the store to move a charcoal stove, drank wine, drove away the cold, and looked at the people listening to the lecture in the cold wind on the square with a smile.

The day before the provincial exam, Liu Ming exchanged for the exam card and went to bed early to rest. When I got up in the morning, I found that many people had dark circles under their eyes, and when I asked, they all said that they were so nervous that they didn't fall asleep.

It's all at this point, whether you sleep well or don't sleep well, you have to cheer up and prepare for the exam.

The provincial test venue was held in Kaifeng Mingli Temple, and in the early morning, on the street in front of Mingli Temple, it was heavily guarded. Kaifeng Mansion Yin Qin sat in command in front of the square.

In this courtyard, the buildings are endless, square shapes, eaves are out of the eaves, and there are windows on all sides. The doorpost is engraved with a couplet,

Shanglian said: Ten years of hard study, just for self-cultivation and self-cultivation, the family rules the country and the world.

Xialiandao: Once Mingtang competes for the top, only then can he offer advice and suggestions to be close to the people and show his ambition in politics.

When these people saw it, they all felt excited, they were already the best in solving the test, as long as they passed the provincial test and locked the seat of the tribute, their task was completed.

Under the heavy guard, everyone raised people, and no one dared to make a mistake, and they lined up to enter the tribute courtyard. Naturally, it is a strict search, whether it is clothing or shoe soles, all must be single-layered, the brush must be hollow and many other requirements.

The lifters finished another cold wind undress in their lives, shivering and undressing, and then sneezed into the tribute courtyard.

In front of the main hall in the Tribute Courtyard, the King of the Ministry of Rites and other officials were standing in the courtyard yawning. Everyone didn't sleep well, and they complained to each other about the poor conditions and facilities in the tribute courtyard. In order to prevent examiners from cheating in the Song Dynasty, the court locking system was already implemented. All the examiners who preside over the spring festival should rush to the tribute court as soon as possible after receiving the edict and packing up their things. If you go in, you won't be able to come out until the exam is over.

"Lord Song ......of the Ministry of Rites is here," the doorman shouted.

The waiter of the Ministry of Rites and other officials hurriedly cheered up and hurriedly saluted Song Itch.

Song Qi was dressed in a purple official robe, with a curved collar and large sleeves, a horizontal pleat, a leather belt, a head, black leather boots, and a majestic face, which was like two people from the obscene old man in the Qinglou.

"Did you sleep well last night?" The examiners greeted respectfully.

However, looking at Song Itchy's dark eye bags, I understood that this was another nonsense.

"Ladies and gentlemen...... We are all officials of the imperial court, and this spring festival is a national talent ceremony, so we should do our best. At this moment, the seal should have been affixed to the family, and it must not be torn off before the end of the exam, which is the meaning of the official family. It means that adults should be strict with self-discipline and refuse to ask for bribes. Song itch admonished.

The waiter of the Ministry of Rites and others naturally praised and obeyed the holy order.

Then the black-pressed lifters entered one by one, standing in several rows and columns in front of the square, waiting for the examiner to admonish.

Song Qi put his hands behind his back, looked up at the rising sun in the sky, and then said,

"This official is edicted to preside over the Spring Festival, here, there are a few words to say before the exam." Song Qi said, "Green, taken from the blue and green from the blue; Ice, water for which it is cold and cold. In five hundred years, virtuous ministers will be born, and kings will prosper. Some of you are able to make a name for yourself. You should be grateful to live in this peaceful era, where you have not encountered war and can concentrate on your studies. ”

Song Qi began his routine pre-exam lecture, and suddenly his pupils shrank, his brows suddenly furrowed, and the speed of his speech slowed down.

The surrounding officials of the Ministry of Rites didn't know what was going on, and they all muttered in their hearts. And those candidates were also nervous.

"Your Excellency...... Any questions? The waiter of the Ministry of Rites next to him asked in a low voice.

Song Yi was stunned, shook his senses, waved his hand and said, "It's nothing......" He cleared his throat, "Spring has officially begun!" I hope you will keep up the good work! ”

After Song Qi finished speaking, he stepped aside, his eyes fixed on one of the people in the lifting team.

Coincidentally, one of the lifters in this team was the young man who sat on the bed above his head when he visited the Golden Boudoir that day, and mixed himself with a stumble, which made Song Itch's face long.

Song itch has been up and down for decades, and there are still basic measures of mind. If Juzi was just a general offense, then he, as the examiner, would not care. The problem is that this visit to the Golden Boudoir Building was originally a stain on his life, and it was completely controlled by this young man. How could this not make him feel depressed?

What's more, when he was speaking, the man was dozing off with his head down. Song Qi has presided over several exams, and I have never seen such a calm and complacent candidate. Anyone else can fall asleep standing up before the exam? It's incredible.

"Your Excellency...... According to the regulations, you should go to Qingfang Hall to take a look at the marking environment......" A Ministry of Rites official next to him reminded. He saw that Song Qi was just staring at a Xie Yuan, but for some reason, he said that the other party appreciated Liu Ming very much. Immediately said, "My lord has a lot of vision, this person Liu Ming is the ...... of Qingzhou Xie Yuan."

Song Qi's face was extremely strange, and he didn't say anything, just avoided it.

A gong sounded, and the spring season officially began.

At the beginning of February, the spring is expected to be cold, and the temperature is still quite low. I don't know if God made a joke, the spring exam began, the sky suddenly changed, the wind tightened, and the clouds were dense in all directions, and then, goose feathers and heavy snow fell one after another.

The north wind whistled back and forth in the courtyard, and the snow hit the roof of the house, making a ticking sound.

The two chief examiners, who persisted in the courtyard for a while, were so cold that they stomped their feet and temporarily avoided in the inner hall. The soldiers were helpless, and felt more and more that the iron halberd in their hands was cold and piercing, and their shoulders and heads were covered with a layer of snow.

And many candidates in the number room did not expect this sudden cooling, and some of them did not have enough warm clothes, so they could only shake the rope, and their feet were numb and stiff for the exam.

Liu Ming was in the house, but he was not affected in the slightest. Beside him, there was a small charcoal stove made of delicate pure iron, which was glowing and warm. The body is covered with sable fur, the wool is soft, good thermal insulation, and a pair of thickened cotton boots under the soles of the feet are sewn by Xing'er herself.

Other candidates were so frozen, but Liu Ming scolded Fang Yu in a fairly stable state. The questions in the provincial examination are similar to those guessed before, first the strategy, then the theory, and finally the poem.

When it comes to exams, Liu Ming is always a good player, he answers heartily, and everything is under control.

Not far away, Song Qi, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, who was wearing a wolf's skin, was sitting in the inner hall. He beckoned to one of the attendants beside him, "Go and see how the test papers of the candidates in Room No. 3 are doing?" ”

"Three?" The squire thought for a moment and responded, "Is that Qingzhou Xie Yuan named Liu Ming?" ”

"Very good, you can be familiar with the names of each candidate in the dormitory, which really surprises the old man." Song Qi said casually.

"My lord, it's not that I have a good memory of my humble duties, it's just that Qingzhou Xie Yuan Liu Ming is too famous among this gang of people." The squire responded.

"Oh?" Song Qi remembered the scene in the Golden Boudoir Building that night, and felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, he ordered, "You go and see how Liu Ming's article is doing?" Whether or not you can be admitted as a tribute. ”

The squire hurriedly said, "Your Excellency has instructed you to do it, and you should do it." It's just that...... This hand-appointed tribute is a sacred right granted to the lord by the official family. Humble and shallow in learning, dare not overstep the bounds and make vain evaluations. ”

Song Qi thought to herself, how can I show up? In case that kid laughed on the spot and pointed out that he shook out the golden boudoir, it would really hurt. He said impatiently: "The official just asked you to routinely check the other party's level, as for whether to be recorded as a tribute, the official has his own discretion." ”

The squire was ordered to run out to check, and after a while, he ran back with a surprised expression.

"How?" Song Qi asked as he tasted tea.

"Your Excellency...... This Liu Ming really lived up to his reputation, and the article he did could be called ......," the waiter said carefully, "It can be called a masterpiece, and the writing is extremely good." According to the lower officials, even if you don't take the yuan, it's no problem to take the top ten. ”

Song Qi was entangled in his heart, this good tea was also extremely bitter. Uneasy, he asked again, "Is this really good?" ”

How did the squire know Song Qi's thoughts, and thought that he loved it, so he immediately touted: "This bit of ink in the belly of the following officials can also be judged." Adults learn to be rich in five cars, just at a glance, you will definitely be satisfied. ”

The squire thought that Song Qi wanted to take a fancy to Liu Ming from his protégé, and he kept a good voice to Liu Ming, saying that he was three years old and became a poem at the age of five and seven steps, praising him as a flower.

The more Song Qi listened, the heavier his heart became. Pulling the squire back, he locked himself alone in the inner hall in a daze......