"How will you spend the next few days, Your Majesty let our clan fend for itself! I can only receive another year's worth of silver and rice. ”

As soon as Zhu Shunxian's father returned home, he complained with a sad face.

"If you want me to say, Your Majesty was deceived by those ministers, how much silver do we spend every year, although the usual silver and rice are a little less, but they can barely make ends meet, but now ......" Zhu Shunxian's mother said, she couldn't help but feel sad and sobbed.

Zhu Shunxian and their lineage, is the side branch of the Hui Wangfu, usually when receiving Lu rice, all the money and grain are received by the Hui Wang Mansion in advance, and then distributed to the side branches below, and this process is inevitably deductible and difficult, so every time Zhu Shunxian's father goes to the main house to receive the silver and Lu rice, he has to lose his temper when he returns home.

At present, King Hui's mansion has been raided by Jinyiwei, and the silver and Lu rice are naturally gone, so they can only rely on the family's grain to live, and the grain has to feed a family of four, and Zhu Shunxian also has a two-year-old brother.

"Father, didn't Your Majesty say that the clan is allowed to choose its own profession? Can we also learn from those people who are farming or doing business? Zhu Shunxian, who was reading in the house, heard the complaints of his parents outside, put down the book, walked out of the house, and wondered.

"Hmph, what do you know? Our family is royalty and aristocrats! How can you be the same as those people......" Zhu Shunxian's father heard his son's words, his face turned dark, and he sneered.

"Father, please forgive the child for taking the liberty of being presumptuous, it doesn't matter whether this royal title or not."

"What do you say, you rebel?"

"Every time we go to the Lord's house to receive silver and rice, we will always be troubled by the steward, the number of my Daming clan adds up to millions, and the child feels that the title of the royal family is not precious, but when you are in a high position and have enough ability, the title of the royal family and nobleman is even more precious."

"That's why the kids want to take this year's children's exam!"

"What? You're going to the imperial examination! Zhu Shunxian's father couldn't help but widen his eyes when he heard what the child said.

"Yes, the kid wants to give it a try!"

As the Ming clan, it is not allowed to engage in other industries, so most of the clan members have nothing to do all day long, changing the law to find fun, either lingering in the gambling house, or staying in the Qinglou overnight, and can regularly receive enough money and food from the imperial court to support their families, without the pressure of life, it is easy for a person to fall like this.

But Zhu Shunxian was regarded as an outlier by the rest of the clan members because he liked to read, and was ostracized, scolding him for being a nerd behind his back, what is the use of reading so many books? You can't participate in the imperial examination, let alone be an official!

Therefore, Zhu Shunxian did not have many friends, so he could only study hard at home every day.

"Okay, if you want to participate in the imperial examination, then prepare well! Let outsiders see that my Ming clan is not all lounge rice bags. Zhu Shunxian's father sighed after seeing the resolute expression on his son's face, and no longer stopped him.

……

Forbidden City, Cabinet.

After the correction of the fold in his hand was completed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, called out the little official, and sent the fold to the celebrant for approval.

"Anyway, I'll try it in a few months, right? This winter is almost over. Yan Song said, putting his hands on the stove to bake.

"It's supposed to be held in March next year, so hasn't the examiner been decided yet?" Xu Jie took over the conversation and said suspiciously.

"No, no one wants to be the examiner, usually from the Ministry of Rites, and this year the Ministry of Rites is not willing to be out." After his palms warmed, Yan Song rubbed his hands, and then picked up the teacup and sipped.

"I remember when I was the examiner, I occasionally got an article, the rhetoric was extraordinarily gorgeous, shocking, but the text was not right, in desperation, I still died, and it was not good to be the examiner, I sat there for a few days, my nerves were tense, and I couldn't even sleep well." Xu Jie also picked up the teacup and took a sip, as if reminiscing.

"Alas, according to the practice of previous years, the chief examiner should have been decided a long time ago! No one wants to be the examiner now, and if nothing else, few people can resist that temptation alone. Yan Shifan also sighed and complained.

Everyone in the room understood what Yan Shifan was referring to, last year, there were some candidates with a wide range of doors who wanted to buy test questions through layers of relationships, but they were later discovered by the imperial court, and none of them escaped from the independent examiners, and they were imprisoned one after another, and those candidates were also severely punished and banned from participating in the imperial examination.

During the chat, a new memo was handed over, and everyone immediately stopped chatting and continued to read it.

"Hey, the land measurement over there in Zhejiang has been completed?" Xu Jie looked at the fold in his hand and spoke.

"So fast?" Yan Song said, taking the fold from Xu Jie's hand.

"I heard that the person in charge of measuring land in Zhejiang was personally recommended by Xiao Ge Lao, it seems that his name is Gao Hanwen, right?" Xu Jie said, turning his gaze to Yan Shifan and asked.

"Yes, that Gao Hanwen is my student." Yan Shifan opened his mouth and replied.

"Xiao Ge Lao is really discerning, and he recommended such an efficient, shrewd and capable official to the imperial court!" With a warm smile on his face, Xu Jie's mouth opened his mouth to praise.

"Xu Ge Lao laughed, this son is dull and embarrassed! That's why I sent him to do such a small thing as measuring the land. When Yan Shifan heard Xu Jie's words, he couldn't help but raise his vigilance in his heart, and slowly spoke.

"Regardless of your aptitude, it's great to be able to take things one step at a time! At present, the imperial court is lacking such capable and practical officials, right, Xiaoge Lao? He seemed not very satisfied with Yan Shifan's statement, and then added.

"That's what Elder Xu Ge said." Yan Shifan was helpless, so he had to respond to it.

……

At night, the Forbidden City, the Palace of Nourishing the Heart.

"Your Majesty, Elder Yan Ge asks to see you!" After Jiajing got out of the state of concentration, a eunuch came in to report.

"Let him in." Jiajing waved his hand and said lightly.

"Yes!" When the eunuch who came to report the news heard this, he quickly bowed and left.

"Elder Yan Ge, please come in, Your Majesty is waiting for you inside."

"There is Father-in-law Lao."

Immediately afterwards, with the support of a little eunuch, Yan Song stepped on the stairs tremblingly and entered the Heart Cultivation Palace.

"Weichen Yan Song, see Your Majesty!"

"Excuse me, get up, look for me so late, what's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, the land in Zhejiang has been measured, please take a look at it!" Yan Song said, kneeling on the ground and lifting the fold.

"Oh, so fast."

Jiajing said, Yan Song took the fold, looked through it carefully, and put it aside.

"Now that the land has been measured, how long will it be possible to change rice to mulberry at the earliest?"

"Your Majesty, now that the autumn harvest is almost over, and the people have surplus grain, when the weather warms up, half of the fields in Zhejiang can be used to officially plant mulberry trees! If I had to say a definite time, it would be February next year. ”

"Next February? I'm right! In addition, we must do a good job in propaganda work, so that the next province will also prepare food in advance, so that it will be ready at that time. ”

After listening to Yan Song's report, Jiajing pinched his chin and commanded.