In October, the cold winter gradually came, and the streets of Chang'an were paved with a thin layer of frost and snow, and the vermilion lacquer palace walls were also wrapped in silver.

This year is destined to be a year that cannot be peaceful, the autumn test of the township has just come to an end, and the officials in the tribute courts in various places have been fighting at night to review the candidates' answer sheets, and the list of the winners will soon be posted on the list in the city.

Every time like this, the officials always have to flatter a few words, which is nothing more than to praise my Great Zhou Dynasty for its talents, and the Haiyan River under the rule of Long Live Lord. Qin Xu had never been interested in looking at these flattering things, so he threw them to Xue Ji with his backhand at the beginning, and ordered him to approve them and send them back.

Pity Xue Ji, who has become the prime minister, is the head of the hundred officials, but what he does is no different from the small officials in the yamen. When I opened the recital at hand, I saw the same singing of merit and virtue, without any new ideas, which was irritating.

Fortunately, this drudgery didn't last long, and Xue Ji was not a brainless stunned young man, seeing that His Majesty didn't care about these things, he simply asked Xu Yan to borrow a few officials from Zhongshu Province and gave them the job.

When the heavy snow covered the streets and the rivers formed thick ice, the officials of the DPRK and China were busy again.

First of all, it is a common practice every year, there are always snow disasters and famines in a few places waiting for the imperial court to provide relief, and officials have to be sent down to run errands when the year is approaching, so naturally some people will inevitably complain.

In addition, the spring festival will be held in Beijing at the beginning of the spring, and the chief examination officials must be selected before the end of this year, and then the examination questions will be drawn up, the examination questions will be sealed, and the officials and soldiers will be arranged to strictly guard against it, so as to put an end to fraud.

As early as the eighth year of Changning, after Xue Ji paid homage to the prime minister, Xu Lang took the opportunity to be promoted to the position of Shang Shuling. For the officials of Shangshu Province, the newly appointed governor is not an outsider, and he has long been accustomed to doing things, so he is naturally happy.

Today, Xue Ji was busy and took advantage of his leisure time at noon to go back to Shangshu Province, and he came by coincidence, and when he got off the horse, he happened to meet Xu Lang coming out of it.

"Kiyoyuki!" Xu Lang's eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace and stepped forward. "How do you have time to come? Have you eaten, together?"

"Talk as you go." Xue Ji didn't look like a prime minister, smiled heartily, patted him on the shoulder, and walked side by side with him to the kitchen. "Have all the officials been selected this time? You have to make sure you have more snacks and you have to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

This is Xue's first spring meeting since taking office, and it is also the first time he has presided over the examination, of course, he is inevitably cautious everywhere and walking on thin ice.

How could Xu Lang not understand? He will not disappoint Xue Ji either.

"Don't worry, I'll be watching this carefully." Saying that, Xu Lang sighed lightly again, and said helplessly: "Your Majesty has rectified the officialdom many times, and every time he has acted ruthlessly, not to mention us, even the small officials under the Ministry of Rites dare not be negligent. How much oil and water can be made by taking risks and favoritism? No one would be stunned to take Xiang Shang's head to covet this little profit."

Hearing this, Xue Ji was a little relieved and said, "It's good to know that you are jealous."

When the officials of the DPRK and China work together to do one thing well, no matter how difficult it is, it will become easy.

The end of the ten years of Changning is gradually approaching, and gradually the shops on the street have closed their doors, and red silk flowers have been hung on several archways, and the palace and the palace are full of joy.

At the end of the year, it's time to rest.

Shortly before the saint sealed the pen, all the matters of the spring imperial examination in the coming year have been settled, and this time the Manchu Dynasty can stop for the New Year in peace.

Qin Xu stood on the tower of the palace, wearing a heavy fox fur, facing the wind and snow, he overlooked the courtyard of the mansion in the city, looked at the reputation of the city, and looked at his Chang'an. I don't know what he remembered, he suddenly glanced at Xue Ji who was standing next to him, and seemed to ask casually: "It's rare to have a peaceful year, why don't you go home and take a look?"

Xue Ji said calmly: "Jiangling is far away, and the beginning of spring is a big exam, but I'm afraid I won't be able to catch up."

Qin Xu turned around, leaned back slightly, leaned back against the city wall, and chuckled at Xue Ji. "You are a good rich son, you insist on admitting this hard work, and you don't regret it?"

It will never be the name of a gentleman."

After saying half a sentence, the latter sentence came to his mouth and swallowed back.

In and out of the phase, success will be famous, defeat will be notorious, either of them will be famous through the ages, but no one wants the latter.

"Your eldest brother is a business wizard, he became famous at a young age and is praised by everyone, right?"

Xue Ji didn't understand what he meant by asking, but this word really caused several ripples in his heart.

"The minister knows that he has no talent for business, and he can't do the thing of the brothers fighting for his father's business, so he can't be confused for a hundred years......

At this point, he suddenly paused again.

Brothers fighting for their father's business, isn't this what Qin Xu has done all the way.

Xue Ji's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked up, for fear that these words would pierce his ears and arouse the anger of the Son of Heaven again.

Fortunately, Qin Xu didn't seem to care.

"I don't have a choice."

If you don't fight, you can only be an idle clan member who does nothing for a lifetime, and even be on guard and be imprisoned for a crime at will.

This is the helplessness of being born in heaven.

Xue Ji was a little uncomfortable, this unease came from a line of defense in his heart, and the person who was approaching the line of defense. People say that a companion is like a tiger, he has always kept a certain distance from His Majesty, and he also has a horizontal scale in his heart, he always keeps the word "proportion" in his heart, and never crosses this line.

But today's Qin Xu seems to be chatting casually and talking to him about common things, which has already surpassed a barrier between ordinary monarchs and ministers, a little ...... It's too close, and it makes him confused.

So he lowered his head slightly and very bluntly diverted the topic. "It's snowing heavily, let's go back."

Qin Xu's hand in his sleeve gradually clenched into a fist, and he was angry that this person was too rusty, and he didn't even know how to change the topic.

"Have you seen King An and Chen Yu back then, and are they as estranged from each other as you are?"

The name Chen Yu knocked on Xue Ji's heart lightly, and he hadn't heard these two words in His Majesty's mouth for a long time, and he had a feeling of being in a different world.

Unconsciously filled with bitterness in his heart, that kind of good story of a monarch and a minister may not be encountered once in half a year, even Xu Yan does not dare to be too close without measure, not to mention him, a latecomer.

The nine sons of Long Sheng are different, and the temperaments of King An and King Ning are completely different, how can they be generalized.

Going deeper, although Chen Yu and King An are close friends, King An also regards Chen Yu as a confidant......

Xue Jiyan said insincerely: "Your Majesty is respectful, and there is a difference between monarchs and ministers, how can you be like King An."

Before he finished speaking, the snow fell heavier, and it was blown by the wind and landed on Qin Xu's sideburns, which looked a little vicissitudes at a glance.

Xue Ji looked stunned, and didn't think of how to react for a while.

Qin Xu didn't know why his face turned cold, and he didn't see the way he had just talked to him, so he went straight to the side of the steps, preparing to go down the city tower and go back to the imperial study.

Xue Ji came back to his senses, and he was bitter in his heart, but his footsteps did not stop at all, and he hurriedly stepped forward to help.

"Not necessarily."

Before Xue Ji's hand touched Qin Xu's sleeve, he waved it away, only to see him walking towards the snowstorm alone, and his resolute and somewhat lonely back inexplicably made people's hearts tremble slightly.

When the spring breeze blows in the eleventh year of Changning, it means that the short-lived peace of the officials belonging to the DPRK and China has come to an end.

The new big examination is just around the corner, and it can be said that apart from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry, no one in the DPRK and China will be idle.

The night before the exam, from the first watch to the fourth watch, Xue Ji never sleeped.

As soon as the morning dawned, he got up to wash and change his clothes, changed into a python robe belonging to the prime minister, and then put on jade beads in front of the bronze mirror, and pedaled a pair of gold silk cocked boots. This outfit shows the majesty of the prime minister, Xue Ji looked at the blurred figure in the mirror, and felt a little emotional for a while, and he also had an irrepressible excitement.

Coming to the gate of the Gongyuan again, and beside him was Xu Lang, who accompanied him all the way, Xue Ji remembered the old things many years ago.

"What about you and me then

I think I'll be standing here again one day, and I'll be the chief examiner." Xu Lang looked at the familiar and unfamiliar courtyard wall on the side of the Tribute Courtyard and smiled dumbly.

Scenes of the old past poured out of his mind, and Xue Ji clearly remembered that when he first came here in the eighteenth year of Genghe, the person sitting in the middle of the Gongyuan was wearing a purple python robe, and his body was imposing, which was intimidating.

Xue Ji still remembered that the person was Chu Qiu.

Chu Qiu, who was invincible back then, had already been shot down by the bloody rain, and it was he Xue Ji who determined his ending.

Later, after seeing thousands of troops and horses, watching the ups and downs, hearing the roar of the stormy waves, and hearing the sound of drizzle, he finally had the opportunity to sit in this position.

Xue Ji had this thought in his mind. When I came back to my senses, I raised my eyes and saw a familiar figure among the students who had passed the body search and walked into the examination room in the distance.

Xie Zhixi?

He has rarely studied Jinglun books since he attached himself to Chen Shao, and it stands to reason that he doesn't have to dwell on this way out, why did he still come to the exam this year?

Xue Ji couldn't help frowning, and roughly counted in his heart, Xie Zhixi is already here to take the test, right? If you don't win, won't it spread all over the capital and become a laughing stock?

Unless, he is sure that he will pass the test.

Thinking of this, Xue Ji suddenly had an alarm bell in his heart, no one dared to say that he would definitely be able to pass the exam, if he had such confidence, then he must have found the right way. If there is a side door...... Isn't that fraud?

"Is this spring festival really foolproof?" Xue Ji turned his head to Xu Lang and asked, his eyes full of worry.

Xu Lang was stunned when asked, as usual, nothing could happen, and he didn't dare to say that it was foolproof, at least there was no negligence in the hundred secrets.

But Xue Ji suddenly asked like this at this time, and he was at a loss in his heart.