Time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it's time to hold the Enko exam.

According to the custom, whenever the examination is held, the chief examiner of the examination must be present in person, preside over the corresponding sacrifice ceremony in the tribute temple, and pay tribute to the souls who died in the tribute courtyard, so as to pray for the smooth progress of the examination.

But whether it is Li Chunfang, who is the chief examiner, or those fellow examiners who are preparing for the exam together, they are very clear in their hearts.

Although this examination is nominally called the Enke Examination, in fact, whether it is the examination process or other matters, it is no different from the ordinary imperial examination.

Even the Enke examination held this time was more stringent than the imperial examination in previous years, after all, in last year's palace examination, there was such a thing that some candidates openly opposed the imperial court policy.

Everyone was secretly praying that something like this would not happen again.

After all, last year's candidates, as well as the examiners in charge of grading, were implicated to varying degrees.

At this time, in the Gong Courtyard, Li Chunfang saw that the time was almost up, and immediately gathered his mind, turned around, and looked at Zhang Juzheng on the side.

After Zhang Juzheng noticed Li Chunfang's gaze, he raised his head, looked at the sky carefully, and then nodded imperceptibly.

Then, I saw Li Chunfang turn around, look at his subordinates on the side, and commanded: "Let's start!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

The subordinates on the side responded and quickly walked away.

"Well, let's get started!"

Soon after the subordinate left, only the sound of gongs and drums sounded in the Gongyuan, which was usually quiet and abnormal, seemed to be very lively at this moment.

I only listened to the man who was the leader sing and said: "Respect the sages, bless Weiyang, Mount Tai is firm, Su Si is long, the wind of the master, the mountains are high and the waters are long......"

After the recitation of the memorial text, the entire tribute courtyard was sprinkled with yellow paper money everywhere to pay tribute to the souls who died in the tribute courtyard.

Let them let go of those candidates who are about to take this exam and pray that the exam will go smoothly and that they will not go out of the water.

Everything is very similar to the last time, and after completing the above steps, it is the turn of Li Chunfang, the chief examiner, to appear.

I saw him take three incense sticks with green smoke from the hands of his subordinates on the side, and step on the steps step by step, to the long table covered with red cloth, on which the tablet of Confucius was enshrined, as well as the three animals and six animals that sacrificed to heaven.

At this moment, only a loud voice sounded: "Bye! ”

When the words fell, everyone present knelt on the ground in unison, and then bowed three times very solemnly.

After that, I heard the voice of the previous voice again: "Get up! ”

Then, I saw Li Chunfang take the lead in getting up from the ground, and after he got up, the remaining officials also got up in turn.

After getting up, I saw Li Chunfang step forward and carefully insert the three incense candles in his hand into the incense burner, and then take a step back.

After doing this, Li Chunfang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Soon after, I heard a continuous burst of firecrackers in the courtyard, and this announced the end of the sacrificial ceremony.

The successful conclusion of the sacrifice means a good start, if something goes wrong in the sacrificial ceremony, then the hearts of all the people will be shrouded in a thick haze.

……

Soon after the successful conclusion of the sacrificial ceremony, Li Chunfang, Zhang Juzheng and other officials were led to the room in the tribute courtyard.

The banquet had already been prepared in the room, and everyone was soon seated one after another according to their rank and qualifications.

Li Chunfang, as the secretary of the Ministry of Rites and the chief examiner of this examination, naturally sat in the main seat, and the closest place to him sat Zhang Juzheng, the secretary of the Ministry of War.

At this time, the atmosphere in the room was a little restrained, after all, Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng were both many officials present, and they could hardly reach the height in their lives, and they had never dealt with officials of this level much on weekdays.

Then, I saw an official pluck up his courage, raise his glass, and propose to everyone: "I propose, how about everyone salute Elder Zhang Ge and Master Li together?" ”

Seeing that someone was taking the lead, the rest of the officials naturally had no choice but to get up from their seats and toast Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng.

Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng and Li Chunfang had warm smiles on their faces, and then got up to salute them.

After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere at the scene gradually became warmer, and those officials found that both Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng were very approachable, and they felt like a spring breeze when they got along.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Zhang Juzheng left the room first on the grounds that he was not strong enough to drink.

Soon after this, Li Chunfang also left the room after him.

As soon as Li Chunfang walked out of the room, he saw Zhang Juzheng not far away, and Li Chunfang could see that Zhang Juzheng was deliberately waiting for him.

When Zhang Juzheng saw Li Chunfang coming, he withdrew his gaze and said unhurriedly: "Let's take a walk together, and sober up by the way!" ”

"Hmm."

In the face of Zhang Juzheng's invitation, Li Chunfang did not refuse, and after answering, he followed Zhang Juzheng's steps and wandered around the Gongyuan.

Although Zhang Juzheng and Li Chunfang were both Jinshi in the 26th year of Jiajing, they can call each other "the same year", but apart from a few intersections in official affairs, there is no other intersection.

The last time Li Chunfang came to visit, it was also because of official business, and since then, neither Li Chunfang nor Zhang Juzheng has any intention of getting closer to each other.

At this time, neither side had the intention of speaking, and the atmosphere fell into stagnation for a while.

Subsequently, perhaps because he couldn't stand the embarrassing atmosphere, or because he wanted to provoke a topic, he saw Li Chunfang stop, withdrew his gaze from Zhang Juzheng's body, and asked: "By the way, the previous incident ......?"

When Zhang Juzheng heard Li Chunfang's words, he stopped, and after thinking for a while, he said in response: "Don't worry, everything has been arranged, there is no problem!" ”

"Hmm."

After learning the news from Zhang Juzheng's mouth, I saw Li Chunfang nodding and responding imperceptibly.

After that, the two sides fell into a long silence.

……

Time passed slowly, and just as Li Chunfang was about to find a random reason to leave, he only heard Zhang Juzheng's voice without a trace of emotion ringing in his ears: "Brother Zishi, in your opinion, how is the current Ming Dynasty?" ”

When Li Chunfang heard Zhang Juzheng's words, her pupils suddenly contracted, and her face looked incredulous.

After taking a deep breath and calming down his good mood, I saw Li Chunfang looking directly into Zhang Juzheng's eyes and giving his own answer.

"Do you remember the dead Qintian Prison Supervisor, Zhou Yunyi?"

"Before this, the imperial court spent excessively, the government was greedy for ink, and the people were not able to make a living.

"However, under the hard work of His Majesty, the imperial court lifted the sea ban, implemented the integrated grain payment of the officials and gentry, and implemented the policy of changing the land and returning to the river in the southwest."

"I, Daming, have reversed the emptiness of the treasury in one fell swoop, and now the silver accumulated in the treasury is enough for the imperial court to support it for more than ten years without collecting any taxes!"

"At the moment, the Japanese in the south have been completely exterminated, and according to the current situation, it is only a matter of time before the Tatars in the north are eliminated!"

"It is no exaggeration to say that the current Ming Dynasty is under the rule of His Majesty's hard work, and the national strength is gradually recovering, and there is a trend of Zhongxing!"

Zhang Juzheng on the side agreed with Li Chunfang's words, and immediately, he nodded and said in response: "Well, Brother Zishi, you are right, now I Daming does have a trend of ZTE!" ”

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "But the situation that the big families wantonly annex land, the rich are even strange, and the poor have no place to stand, and the life of the people is not easy!" ”

"Not to mention the heavy labor, and the officials who are greedy for ink are wantonly oppressing and enslaving the people, and the guards in various places are also rotten, and the military fields of the guards are occupied by the officers and the court magnates, and the sergeants are used for free service."

"It is not uncommon for the sergeants of the guard station to unite and flee because they are overwhelmed."

"Although the current Ming Dynasty is still in the middle of the trend, but urgently need a major change, only to get rid of these ills, the people can live a good life, my Ming Dynasty can be prosperous."

As early as when Zhang Juzheng mentioned the topic of the rich and the poor have no place to stand, Li Chunfang knew what Zhang Juzheng wanted to do.

He wants to emulate the former Zhang Xuan and Zhang Ge Lao, and implement a huge change from the inside out in the Ming Dynasty!

Immediately, I saw Li Chunfang come back to her senses, licked her chapped lips with her tongue, looked in the direction where Zhang Juzheng was, and asked, "Do you know what happened to Zhang Xuan and Zhang Ge Lao?" ”

When Zhang Juzheng heard Li Chunfang's words, his face was full of inexplicable looks.

Then, I saw him raise his head, look at the moon hanging in the air in the distance, and said to himself: "This is natural, during Zhang Zhang's tenure as the first assistant of the cabinet, he suffered countless attacks, so that he rose and fell three times in the position of the first assistant of the cabinet!" ”

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he paused for a moment, and the expression on his face became resolute: "But so what, there is a way, for the sake of the official, for the benefit of one party, since it has reached this position, you have to do something, don't you?" ”

"Although Zhang Xuan and Zhang Gelao's reforms have not been implemented, aren't we still here?"

"Even if we fail, there will be those who will carry on our legacy and continue to carry out the reforms, generation after generation."

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he unconsciously clenched his fists, and his face was full of determination.

At the same time, Li Chunfang also understood why Zhang Juzheng was telling him so much, the purpose was to pull him into the gang and prepare for the change.

Although the temptation to go down in history is great, Li Chunfang is still a little hesitant.

After all, since ancient times, those who have been indomitable and determined to carry out reforms, regardless of whether the reform succeeds or fails, will inevitably be liquidated in the end because the reform touches the interests of too many people.

You don't see it, Shang Ying, who implemented the law change in the Qin State, was finally falsely accused of rebellion, died of the harsh punishment law formulated by himself, and ended up with five horses and corpses.

Thinking of this, Li Chunfang couldn't help but ask herself: "Li Chunfang, do you really want to gamble your life?" ”

In Li Chunfang's view, as the champion of Jiajing for 26 years, no matter how much he will leave his name in the history books in the future, there is no need to take such a huge risk.

Then, I saw Li Chunfang gather her mind, look in the direction where Zhang Juzheng was, and ask, "What if I don't agree?" ”

When Zhang Juzheng heard Li Chunfang's words, the expression on his face did not change much, but he said coldly: "If you don't agree, the Gao Pavilion Elder and I will use all means to bring you down desperately, even if you enter the Pavilion!" ”

"The cabinet doesn't need a corpse vegetarian to take a seat!"

Rao made Li Chunfang have a gentle temper, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but have a trace of anger on his face.

At the same time, Li Chunfang also quickly realized that there seemed to be some kind of political alliance between Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong.

According to what he said before, it is not difficult for Li Chunfang to guess that what Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong are seeking is a change!

But he learned so many secrets from Zhang Juzheng's mouth, and now it's too late to pretend that nothing happened.

Even if he were to change himself, he would make the same choice as Zhang Juzheng.

Thinking of this, Li Chunfang's face was full of bitter smiles.

It was only at this time that he reacted, this was clearly a bureau set up by Zhang Juzheng, the purpose of which was to pull himself into the gang and prepare for the change together.

At the same time, Zhang Juzheng should know his temper and temperament very well, otherwise, he would never say so much to himself.

"I, the champion of the Yuanlang, is actually not as good as Zhang Juzheng, the ninth Jinshi in the second class, it seems that there are still many things to learn in the future!"

After this, I saw Li Chunfang gather his mind, look in the direction where Zhang Juzheng was, nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Since this is the case, I agree!" ”

"Life is in the world, but it is only a hundred years, rather than die namelessly, it is better to gamble on your life and go vigorously!"

"I, Li Chunfang, don't want to leave only a champion in the future history books!"

When Li Chunfang said this, his face was heroic, and at this time, he seemed to have changed back to the ambitious and high-spirited young man he was at the beginning.

Zhang Juzheng saw that Li Chunfang agreed to his request, his face was full of joy that he couldn't hide, and immediately, he saw him come to Li Chunfang, and said unhurriedly: "Well, Brother Zishi, it seems that we will have to support each other in the future!" ”

"Hmm."

……

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and the next morning, Li Chunfang, who was still asleep, was woken up by his subordinates.

"Lord Yu, the candidates who took this exam are already waiting outside the Gongyuan!"

"Well, the official knows, you go down first!"

After learning the news from his subordinates, he saw Li Chunfang nodding and commanding.

"Yes, sir!"

When the subordinate heard Li Chunfang's words, he immediately arched his hand, leaned down, and responded respectfully.

After the subordinate left, I saw Li Chunfang finish tidying up her appearance, and then walked out of the room.

At this time, at the gate of the Gongyuan, countless candidates who came to take this exam have gathered.

And Zhang Juzheng, as well as other fellow examiners, were discussing how to search and inspect this group of candidates.

Seeing Li Chunfang's arrival, the examiners did not dare to slack off in the slightest, and immediately leaned down and bowed to him.

Li Chunfang didn't care about this, just waved his hand and motioned for everyone to get up, and then, I saw him come straight to Zhang Juzheng and asked, "Is it time?" ”

At this time, Zhang Juzheng was looking at the booklet in his hand intently, which recorded in detail the names, origins, appearance characteristics and so on of the candidates who came to take the Enke exam.

Hearing Li Chunfang's words, I saw Zhang Juzheng take his eyes off the booklet in his hand, and said in response: "It's soon, the time is coming soon!" ”

At this time, outside the Gong Courtyard, Xu Wei looked at the bustling crowd in front of him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness in his heart.

"There are so many people taking the exam, and I don't know what rank I can get, if I ......"

Just as Xu Wei was still struggling with the gains and losses of the next exam, Zhu Shunxian's voice came from the side, pulling it back to reality: "Brother Wen don't have to worry too much, with your knowledge, you will definitely be able to go to high school!" ”

When Zhu Shunxian's words fell, Xu Shixing on the side also added: "Yes, Brother Wen, your talent and learning, we are all obvious to all, and we will definitely be able to go to high school this time!" ”

When Xu Wei heard this, he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart, and then, he looked at the direction where Xu Shixing and Zhu Shunxian were, arched his hand, and said with a smile: "Then borrow two auspicious words!" ”

At this moment, I saw the official in charge of maintaining order in the Gongyuan stood up, faced many candidates, and said loudly: "Line up, start the search now!" ”

As soon as the words fell, the bustling candidates who had originally gathered at the gate of the Gongyuan quickly lined up in several long lines and began to be searched by the officers and soldiers on the spot.

……

"That's fine, too!"

After searching and inspecting a candidate, an officer and soldier instructed the officer who was in charge of recording on the side.

"That's fine, too!"

At this time, while the officers and soldiers were searching, Li Chunfang, Zhang Juzheng, and a group of fellow examiners on the side all stopped to watch.

Among the candidates who participated in this Enke exam, there were also many well-informed people who recognized Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng at a glance.

"That seems to be the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Li Chunfang, the champion of Jiajing for twenty-six years, Lord Li!"

"Next to him is Zhang Ge Lao!"

"Hey, if you can become the protégé of these two, then you really have no regrets!"

Just as the exams who were being searched were talking to each other, only a loud voice sounded: "Silence! ”

As the words fell, the scene suddenly became extremely quiet, and then the search continued in an orderly manner.

After an officer and soldier searched for a candidate, he instructed the officer who was in charge of recording the records on the side: "This is no problem, ...... pass."

"Wait!"

Everyone followed the prestige, only to see Zhang Juzheng stand up and come to the candidate who had just dressed up, at this time, the candidate had just taken his luggage and was about to enter the examination room.

Seeing the official uniform Zhang Juzheng was wearing, the candidate was suddenly frightened, trembling all over, and didn't even dare to move.

"Open his luggage and search it again!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Juzheng's words fell, and the officers and soldiers on the side did not dare to slack off in the slightest, and immediately stepped forward, snatched the luggage from the candidate's hand, poured out all the contents of the baggage, and carefully rummaged through them.

"Dry food, candles for lighting, brushes, ......"

Then, I saw Zhang Juzheng step forward, lean down, pick up the brush by himself, break it from the middle, and then take out the note from it.

The words on the slip of paper are so small that you can't make out the handwriting unless you look closely.

Seeing that the matter was revealed, the examinee's face suddenly turned pale, and his face was full of panic, and he didn't know what to do.

And Zhang Juzheng just glanced at the candidate quite indifferently, and said in a voice without a trace of emotion.

"Write down his name and place of origin, and he will not be allowed to take the imperial examination for ten years!"

"Yes, sir!"

Soon after that, officers and soldiers stepped forward, registered the candidate's name and place of origin, and drove him out of the Gongyuan mercilessly, despite the candidate's bitter pleas.

After doing this, Zhang Juzheng returned to his original position as if nothing had happened.

After that, I saw that the official who had witnessed the whole process stepped forward and patted his ass: "It's still Zhang Ge's old wisdom like a torch, you can see it at a glance!" ”

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, he shook his head imperceptibly, and said to himself: "Alas, after so many years, these candidates have not made much progress, and they don't know how to be a little flexible!" ”

This sudden episode made the subsequent search countless times stricter.

From time to time, there are candidates who are written down their names and places of origin because of entrainment, and then expelled from the Tribute Academy.

Soon, after being searched, the candidates entered the Gongyuan in an orderly manner.

Immediately, a full-time official stepped forward to answer the roll call, and the candidates could prepare for the next exam with peace of mind after receiving the admission ticket.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Li Chunfang, as the chief examiner of this exam, immediately ordered: "Lock the courtyard!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

When the subordinates on the side heard Li Chunfang's words, they didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and immediately looked awe-inspired, and responded in a deep voice.

Soon, Li Chunfang's order was conveyed, and the gate of the Tribute Courtyard slowly closed.

There were three consecutive examinations of three days, each of which meant that these candidates had to stay in the Gongyuan for nine days before they could leave.

After locking the hospital, the exam papers were distributed in turn, and the moment Xu Wei saw the exam questions in his hand, he already had a draft in his heart.

I saw that the title on the examination paper was: "A gentleman enters virtue and cultivates his profession, is faithful, so he enters virtue, and his rhetoric is sincere, so he lives in the industry, and heaven and earth are born, and there is no way to benefit it, and the metaphysical one is called the way ......"

Seeing that the exam had begun, I saw Zhang Juzheng retract his gaze from a distance, and said to himself silently: "Zhu Shunxian, Zhu Shunxian, you have to take the exam well!" ”

(End of chapter)