After Hu Hu saw the name of Shen Yichen, who was at the top of the list, he quietly glanced at Ma Yu beside him.

The two of them had already divided the ranking of the five classics, and now that Shen Yichen was in the top five again, he actually won the title of the head of the Huiyuan. Ma Yu is also a cabinet minister, how could there be such a low-level mistake, and his ability to control the field is so poor?

Facing Hu Hui's gaze, Ma Yu shook his head a little helplessly, he didn't know how to explain this kind of thing, and he couldn't explain it.

It can only be said that Shen Yichen became a Huiyuan because of the expectations of the public, and he was powerless to go backwards.

In addition to Shen Yichen at the top of the list, He Pingyan's name appeared in second. Shuntianxiang tried his identity as Yayuan, but he was forced to be pressed by Shen Yichen Xie Yuan, but he didn't expect to try this battle, and he was trampled on his head again.

The scholar named Yang Hongze arranged by Hu Hui still squeezed into the top three positions, which is also the limit of what Ma Yu can operate.

After all, neither of the two gods in front of him can withstand it.

The fourth and fifth places are also ranked according to the previous plan, and the later places are slightly irrelevant, just take the middle.

The examiner who spread out the draft list turned to the chief ministers and replied: "Ladies and gentlemen, if there is no objection to the draft list of the examination, the next step will be to carry out the matching of the two volumes of Zhu Mo and the grinding survey. ”

"No objections."

Hu Hui is an official of the Ministry of Rites, and he is also the manager of the orthodox ten-year Yichou Branch Examination, so this decision naturally has to be issued by him.

To be honest, although he was dissatisfied with Shen Yichen's seizure of Huiyuan in his heart, it was not unacceptable.

Because there is no irreconcilable conflict of interest between Hu Hu and Shen Yichen, it is nothing more than the breakdown of negotiations and the desire to support a better controllable person of his own to take the position.

It's just that Shen Yichen's light is too dazzling, and if he doesn't suppress it properly, the other candidates will look dull under his cover.

It's like the moment the grass list opened, everyone's attention was on Shen Yichen, who cares which cows, cows, horses and horses are behind the rankings, and Yang Hongze, who was selected by himself, was not even mentioned.

The arrangement of the number of the test, the parachuting of his own people to take the Jingkui, joining forces with Ma Yu to suppress Shen Yichen's ranking, and even delaying Qian Xili's title of waiter in the Ministry of Rites, are actually based on this purpose and idea.

However, Hu Hu made a big taboo, that is, he wanted to suppress Shen Yichen and prevent this kid from being too popular and affecting the support of his own people.

But he was not ready to completely tear his face and offend Cheng Guogong, no matter how he said it, there was still a family relationship, and in a sense, the interests were bound, which led to the incomplete suppression!

When there is no continuation, it will be disturbed.

Today's ranking at the top of the list may be just the beginning, there is not much difference between blocking people in the imperial examination and cutting off people's financial routes, if Shen Yichen can know, how can he give up?

It can only be said that Hu Hui, an old fritter who was an official in the four dynasties, has recently aged and is not in good physical condition, so he will make such a confused and not ruthless move. If he is ten years younger, even if he offends Cheng Guogong, he will have to press Shen Yichen to death first, and he will not be able to leave himself with trouble.

Either don't do it, or do it, this is the means that officialdom should have!

After the "Zhu Scroll" and "Ink Scroll" were brought up, the officials who were conducting the matching and grinding surveys all stepped forward to start their work.

Among them, after Shen Yichen's test paper was spread out and checked, it triggered a wave of exclamation and praise from the audience.

"I have long heard that Shen Yichen's words are beyond his age, it is really better to hear than to see, and the words of this official are far inferior."

"Look at the first title of Shen Yichen's four books, it is not treacherous, not delicate, no biased, no oddity, it perfectly matches the meaning of the question, and Huiyuan is really worthy of the name."

"There is no vanity under the fame, this son can gain a foothold in Beijing as a son of a southerner, and there is also a vague fact of a young leader, which is enough to witness his ability."

"Don't look any further, stay in Huiyuan!"

In the face of these colleagues' discussions about Shen Yichen's test papers, Ma Yu looked at Hu Hu with a wry smile on his face.

It's like saying you saw it, right? Now I understand why Shen Yichen is still at the top of the list, and this is the situation at that time, what can I do, I am also desperate!

Hu Hu still has that indistinguishable look of joy and anger, but from Ma Yu's wry smile, he can understand the other party's state of mind. It is recognized that to such a point, and it is not the chief examiner of the township examination who controls the absolute ruling power, it is indeed impossible to exclude public opinion.

After a long day of checking the number and grinding, there were no problems with most of the test papers, but a typo was found on one of them.

I don't know if the transcription officer at the time didn't find out, or if he had some other intention to cover it up, anyway, this test paper was dropped on the spot, and the relevant officials had to be held responsible.

Once you have completed this step, you will fill in the final "apricot list". Different from any previous imperial examination list, this list is divided into three parts, which is the famous "North, South, and Central" list.

During the period of Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, there was a famous "North and South List Case", and all the candidates admitted to the first session of the examination were from the south, which caused the group dissatisfaction of the northern scholars.

So Ming Taizu abolished the admission of examiners and personally selected sixty-one Jinshi, and all of them were northerners. It's just that this kind of action, although it calmed the anger of the northern scholars, was really willful and could not fundamentally solve the problem.

In the first year of Hongxi, Yang Shiqi, a scholar of Akihito Sect, agreed to try to obtain a number of scholars, with a rate of 100 people, and the number of admission places was 6/10 of the total. The northerners call it the North Roll, and the admission quota is four-tenths of the total.

After Xuande, the south and north each returned five to the middle volume, so the allocated quota became 55 in the south volume, 35 in the north volume, and 10 in the middle volume.

This distribution model has been fixed since then, and every official list is released according to this standard.

When this "apricot list" is filled in, everything will be truly settled, and there is no possibility that Shen Yichen's identity as a huiyuan will be changed.

Wang Ying can be said to be smiling at the moment, he originally felt very sorry because of Lin Zhen's resignation in the past few years, but he didn't expect to send a good "apprentice grandson" to himself.

Now Shen Yichen's kid Xie Yuan and Huiyuan have occupied two yuan, as long as they win the top prize in the palace test, they can achieve the highest achievement of the literati of the three yuan and the first. At that time, he will also have a big right-hand man in the court, and he can even consider delaying retirement and climbing one step higher.

Thinking about it, Wang Ying inadvertently glanced at Hu Hu beside him......

With the completion of the "Apricot List", Shen Yichen in the Chengguo Mansion also copied the information about Wang Shan's crimes.

The reason why he chose to copy it by himself was, on the one hand, that this matter had to be kept very secret, and the less people knew about it, the better. On the other hand, Shen Yichen planned to leave the original copy of Wang Yong's incriminating evidence, and the "fake" imitated by his own notes was handed over to Zhao Hongjie.

The reason is simple, that is, when the evidence is useful, the original will be far more effective than the copied version, and all factors must be taken into account to do great things.

At this time, it was already dark, but because of the approaching good things in the Chengguo Mansion, the lights were still bright, and it looked joyful.

Zhao Hongjie was still standing at the door of the Chengguo Mansion in a flying fish suit, and did not choose to go in.

Now the reputation of Jinyiwei is developing rapidly in the direction of deterioration, and the normal officials' mansions are not too welcome Jinyiwei to enter the door, especially the Chengguo Mansion is preparing to hold a happy event.

So even with Shen Yichen's invitation, Zhao Hongjie still chose to avoid suspicion and stood in the corner of the door and waited.

"Hongjie, I've been waiting for a long time."

Shen Yichen sat in the study and copied for an hour or two, and felt some backache, but Zhao Hongjie was standing at the door and was blown by the cold wind, and the situation could be imagined.

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Zhao Hongjie smiled, and was about to reach out to receive the evidence about Wang Shan's crime.

It's just that Shen Yichen didn't hand it to him directly, but said lightly: "The weather is cold, why don't Hongjie find a place to sit down and have a drink, it seems that we haven't eaten a meal seriously when we come to Jingshi." ”

After experiencing the tempering of Jinyiwei's career for more than half a year, now Zhao Hongjie is no longer the simple-minded boy who only knows how to play in Ying Tianfu. He mentally understood that Shen Yichen must have wanted to say something to himself when he suddenly said this.

So he nodded and said, "Okay, it's true that I'm busy with official business during this time, and I don't have time to come to you for a drink." ”

"It's okay, there is a restaurant not far from the mansion, I'm in for a treat!"

Shen Yichen pretended to reply easily, and then turned around and walked in front to lead the way, preoccupied.

Zhao Hongjie followed behind Shen Yichen, the snow on the ground had not completely melted, and two long footprints were trampled on.

It may be that they are walking together, and for the first time neither of them knows what to say.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I asked for a private room, and then served a few side dishes and a pot of warm wine, and after a few glasses of wine, Shen Yichen handed the evidence of Wang Shan's crime that he had copied to Zhao Hongjie.

"This is my transcription, the original version was left in the public mansion, the handwriting is imitated enough to be true, Hongjie, you should have no problem taking it back and handing it over."

"You left the original, do you really have the intention of dealing with Wang Shan?"

Zhao Hongjie asked rhetorically, only when he was in Wang Zhen's eunuch group could he realize how powerful the power was.

The cabinet, the six ministries, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Jinyiwei, the various political departments, all kinds of real power departments you can imagine, all have party henchmen supported by Wang Zhen, and even most of them even recognize him as a godfather.

This kind of power group even Cheng Guogong has to bow his head honestly, Shen Yichen doesn't even have an official body, and to deal with Wang Zhen's nephew, isn't that self-defeating?

"Prevention is better than prevention."

Shen Yichen replied lightly, of course he knew how big the difference in strength between himself and Wang Zhen was, and he would not do it lightly.

And having said that, he and Wang Zhen have not torn their faces, let alone become enemies. Even if there is a chance, Shen Yichen may temporarily choose to cooperate with Wang Zhen for the sake of his own goals.

He is not the kind of old-fashioned old pedant, he would rather die than be in the company of eunuchs, and the necessary compromise and bowing are also a means for those who achieve great things.

But if you choose to seek skin with the tiger in the officialdom, you have to let yourself have a few more weapons that can balance the tiger, otherwise you will be swallowed by the tiger and there will be no bones left.

Hearing Shen Yichen's words, Zhao Hongjie didn't ask any more, he knew that Shen Yichen had a good brain and would not do things that he was not sure of. Now that he has become an understanding yuan, he is expected to return to the capital teacher, and he doesn't need to worry about it himself.

After a few more glasses of wine, Shen Yichen finally asked, "Hongjie, why did you hide the evidence about Wang Zhen." ”

This layer of window paper is going to be pierced after all, and Shen Yichen must also know what kind of feelings Zhao Hongjie is currently in for Wang Zhen. He really doesn't want to see his best friends and brothers in this world become spurned by the world.

"He has been gracious to me."

After a few simple words, Zhao Hongjie raised his wine glass and drank it all.

Shen Yichen is not as impulsive and angry as Li Da, and he has long been mentally prepared for this result.

"Hone?"

"Do you still remember that when you were in Yingtianfu, you helped me arrange for Nanzhen Fusi?"

"Hmm."

"Actually, after I came to Jingshi, the first thing I entered was not the North Town Fu Division, but the South Town Fu Division."

Hearing this, it was finally Shen Yichen's turn to be surprised, he really didn't know that Zhao Hongjie had entered the South Town Fu Division, and thought that he had been in the North Town Fu Division all along.

"What happened?"

With Zhao Hongjie's personality from the beginning, after entering the Nanzhen Fusi, he will definitely not take the initiative to transfer to the Beizhen Fusi, which is full of bloody violence, and there must have been something happening.

"Most of the Jinyi Wei are hereditary, and the work of the Nanzhen Fusi is idle and noble, so those who choose to enter the Nanzhen Fusi are all high-level descendants."

"I'm a concubine who is not valued by the family, and I have a weak and timid personality, what do you think I will encounter in the circle of Jingguan Gongzi after I enter?"

After that, Zhao Hongjie raised his head and looked at Shen Yichen and smiled, this smile was not only bitter, but also a trace of ruthlessness.

This sentence made Shen Yichen silent, what will happen to Zhao Hongjie, in fact, it has been staged once in the outer courtyard of the Chengguo Mansion, that is, being bullied!

It's just that the schoolchildren in the outer courtyard, including Li Da and others, still have a bottom line, except that they can't get used to Zhao Hongjie's weakness and think that he has lost the face of the general's children, usually you avoid them, Li Da is really not so active as a bully.

But there are more gentlemen in this world who have no bottom line, you are a low-level brocade guard who came from Tianfu from other places, and there is no family power to rely on behind them, they will not have too many scruples, and it is possible to bully them to death.

Not to mention ancient military institutions, even in modern society, incidents of bullying recruits in the military of various countries are also endless.

"Did Wang Zhen help you?"

"That's right, it was when the prince inspected the Nanzhen Fusi that he saw the scars on my face. Then he accepted me as his godson, and was also transferred to Beizhen Fusi as a hundred households. ”

"It can be said that I can persist in Jinyiwei, all thanks to the princess."

When he said this, Zhao Hongjie's tone was obviously much more resolute, and Wang Zhen did have a lot of weight in his heart.

Shen Yichen doesn't like to stand at the highest point of morality, to arbitrarily judge the practices of others, and don't persuade others to be good without others suffering.

Speaking from the heart, if Shen Yichen was in an environment where he was bullied and bullied, and suddenly fell from the sky to save himself from fire and water, he would not care if the other party was a big bad guy or a big thief.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have recommended you to Jinyiwei in the first place."

The matter has come to this point, it is useless to say more, and Zhao Hongjie has not done anything wrong.

Shen Yichen just regretted it a little, he should have been more decisive at the beginning, thinking that Zhao Hongjie's personality was not suitable for joining the army, and even Nanzhen Fusi should not recommend it to him, so he might have avoided the current situation.

"Yichen, why do you have to apologize to me, and you didn't do anything wrong?"

"Seriously, I'm very grateful to you, if it weren't for you recommending me to join Jinyiwei, maybe I'm still on the street with nothing to do, and I still look weak and timid, not like a man."

"I also know that in the eyes of you literati, the prince is a heinous thief who has done many bad things. But he is a benefactor to me, and people can't be ungrateful, so I expect you to understand. ”

"I understand."

Shen Yichen nodded, this time it was his turn to drink the glass of wine on the table.

Well, this kind of thing is sometimes more difficult to deal with than hatred.

Speaking of which, everything that should be known is known, Shen Yichen didn't ask any more, just drank with Zhao Hongjie one glass after another, until he was so drunk that he couldn't even walk steadily.

This is also the first time that Shen Yichen has drunk like this since he came to Jingshi, and everyone is really drunk without getting drunk.

How did he return to the mansion, Shen Yichen couldn't remember clearly, and when he woke up dizzy, it was already noon the next day.

"Brother Chen, you're awake, there is sobering soup and food on the table, you should get up and eat and drink quickly."

Ah Niu was sitting on the edge of the bed at the moment, and when he saw Shen Yichen waking up, he immediately greeted him.

"Okay."

There was too much wine last night, and Shen Yichen felt very uncomfortable with a hangover, and planned to drink this bowl of decanting soup first.

But soon he found that there was an extra gift box on the desk, so he immediately asked Ah Niu vigilantly: "Ah Niu, has anyone entered my house?" ”

The original version of Wang Shan's incriminating evidence is placed on the desk, which may cause great trouble if it is seen.

"No, Brother Chen, you mean the gift box, it was a gift brought by the eldest prince from Shaanxi, I saw that you put it on the table before you woke up."

Hearing that no one came in, Shen Yichen breathed a sigh of relief and added, "Ah Niu, remember that no one is allowed to come in my room in the future." ”

"Brother Chen, I understand."

"By the way, Zhu Yi came back from Shaanxi?"

"Well, tomorrow is the wedding of the second son, and of course he has to rush back as the eldest brother. Brother Chen, you won't even forget this, will you? ”

"I drank a little too much last night, and I really forgot."

Shen Yichen patted his head, drinking was really a mistake, and at the same time reminded him of one thing, tomorrow is still the release day of the Yi Chou Ke exam!