What kind of road does a scholar have to go through if he wants to become an official?

First of all, you have to study hard for many years and participate in the triennial autumn township examination, and the top of the township examination is called "Xie Yuan"; After winning the game in the autumn festival, he passed the triennial spring examination, and the top of the examination list was called "Huiyuan". Those who pass the examination are all "tributes", and they are already the best among the world's scholars.

Gongshi participated in the palace examination, and the first name was "champion".

If you win the first place in the autumn and spring examinations, it is called "even the three yuan". In the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there are very few people who are even in the middle of the three yuan, even if the officialdom is not obvious, it is also a famous figure in the history books.

Huo Wensong and Huo Wenbai once won three yuan.

"But now, it's different."

Pei Zhang flipped through a page of the list, shook his head and said: "Even if you have such an honor as Lianzhong Sanyuan, it is difficult to do anything in the officialdom if you don't visit the celebrities in the imperial capital and don't choose good trees to live in." Being excluded, being cross-examined, and finally leaving the scene is the final fate of many readers. ”

"Where did you get the good wood? It's just a choice between the wolf's den and the tiger's den. Chu Zhixia fiddled with the teacup and said casually, "There are very few like Zhang Gui. If he hadn't supported Bai Huan before, he would have been killed a long time ago. ”

"Ten years of hard work, but I don't know that the fate of many people is predestined from the moment they are born." Pei Zhang sighed, "In the long run, the century-old foundation of the imperial dynasty is in jeopardy. ”

"Can you say something useful?" Chu Zhixia supported the corner of his forehead with one hand, played with the white porcelain tea cup with the other, and said weakly, "What new article did the Metropolitan Procuratorate make up yesterday to scold Shoufu, and how did Shoufu's dog legs bite each other with them?" ”

"Don't believe me." Pei Zhang couldn't help laughing, "Guess who beat the pioneer and scolded Shoufu yesterday?" ”

Chu Zhixia saw that his expression was subtle, so he guessed: "Zhang Gui? ”

Pei Zhang gave her a thumbs up.

In the end, because he scolded too harshly, Shoufu was old, and he almost passed directly in the Xuanzheng Palace. Pei Cifu was stunned and didn't let him fall, so he listened to it stiffly. Pei Zhang spread his hands and said helplessly, "Zhang Gui is really not afraid of death, and in the end, His Majesty couldn't listen to it anymore and almost dragged him down." ”

Chu Shixia expressed his admiration.

Shen Ming is dead, but the scientific research fraud case still has to be investigated.

Dali Temple arrested the little eunuch who was responsible for sending the temple test questions to the Ministry of Rites, and tortured him to extract a confession, but the little eunuch just didn't let go. Dali Temple is severely punished, to this point do not confess the culprit, it is conceivable that the status of the mastermind behind the scenes, the poison of scheming, the identity of this person is geometric, as if it has been revealed.

When Chu Zhixia and Pei Zhang were sighing, Cheng Yuan hurriedly broke in from the outside, his face pale.

"Miss, it's not good." Cheng Yuan was anxious and said, "The Metropolitan Procuratorate impeached General Chu for trespassing on the Luhe Palace, treating the difference between monarchs and ministers as nothing, and harboring evil intentions. ”

Chu Zhixia's face was slightly gloomy.

Chu Ming's cultivation of the Dew and the Hall was a matter of Chu Zhixia's blue-eyed snake gall poison a few years ago.

After many years, the emperor deliberately covered up for Chu Mingxiu, and neither the Metropolitan Procuratorate nor the Shoufu should know about it. The only one who knows the ins and outs of things well, except for Xu Delu, who has eyes and ears all over the court, is the Queen Mother of Chu Zhixia and the Chen family behind the Queen Mother.

"And then?"

"There is a book in the imperial history, impeaching the eldest lady for robbing the Chamber of Commerce in Jiangnan and using torture for private purposes, and there are many crimes. His Majesty can't bear the verbal criticism of the official, and wants to put the eldest lady in prison. Yu Linwei is already on his way here, please take shelter for the eldest lady. ”

Chu Zhixia got up and tidied up his clothes, and said to Cheng Yuan: "It's better for you and Pei Gongzi to stay away for the time being, don't add another charge to me of forming a party for personal gain." ”

Pei Zhang got up like a stream, and poured his cup of tea properly, and the cup was buckled on the table. Pei Zhang carefully put away his things, hid in the backyard, and didn't forget to ask Chu Shixia: "What do you have to advise?" ”

"Don't act rashly, Your Majesty won't move me." Chu Zhixia was stunned and said, "Take care of the second son." ”

——

Night.

Bai Ziche hid his face and knocked on the side door of Pei's house, the side door quickly opened a crack, and stretched out a hand to carry Bai Ziche's collar and dragged him in. Shen Zhou's forearm was across Bai Ziche's neck, pressing his whole body against the wall, unable to move, and breathing in embarrassment.

"It's you."

"What?" Bai Ziche was inexplicable.

"The matter of you going to find Shen Shilang was known to Shoufu, and he expected that you were in a group. can't move you, so he started with Mo Xue. Shen Zhou's eyes were tight, and his pupils were dark and deep, "Will Dali Temple be executed?" ”

Bai Ziche shook his head with difficulty.

"She's missing a hair, and I'm going to kill everyone involved." Shen Zhou said calmly, "Shoufu, Regent, Xu Delu, Shen Shilang...... And you. ”

"Mo Xue will be fine." Bai Ziche had difficulty breathing and said, "Your Majesty is just an expedient measure, he knows that this is Shoufu forcing Mo Xue to loosen his mouth, and he doesn't really suspect that Mo Xue is guilty." ”

Shen Zhou withdrew his hand, and Bai Ziche inhaled a large breath of air violently, coughing nonstop. Shen Zhou walked towards the pavilion with sparse grass and trees without looking back, Pei Zhang and Xu Yan had been waiting for a long time. Bai Ziche rubbed his throat and walked over and drank a large glass of water.

Xu Yan looked at Shen Zhou who was sitting not far away in shock, and asked Pei Zhang in shock, "Has he always aligned His Royal Highness like this?" ”

Pei Zhang is used to it, "He treats everyone like this." ”

"Your Highness isn't hurt, is he?" Pei Zhang asked Bai Ziche again.

Bai Ziche shook his head and said, "Shoufu wants to force us to stop. He came to me privately and said that there was evidence that could kill the Chu family. Once it is made public, not only Mo Xue and the Chu family, but even I will have no place to be buried. ”

This level of threat sounds more like alarmism.

But Pei Zhang's eyelids jumped uneasily, "What evidence?" ”

"I don't know, he didn't say." Bai Ziche hesitated and said, "But he said that it was about the Spirit Emperor." ”

"Listen to him."

Shen Zhou sat on the railing of the pavilion, looking at the moonlight flowing on the wall, as if he was distracted, but he did not listen to every word they said. Shen Zhou didn't wear a mask, his crow-like eyelashes covered most of his eyes, and the thick shadow fell on his plain white skin, like a black and white fine stroke.

"Mo Xue is safe and sound, I will take the head of the first assistant." Shen Zhou said, "No matter how powerful and high the status is, he has to be a living person." What is the use of a dead man? When a person dies, everything is solved. Will he still be able to get up from the coffin and give orders? ”

The three were speechless.

Pei Zhang said euphemistically: "Shen Zhou, do you remember Wang Xianfu?" died a Wang Xianfu, and another Xu Delu came. What matters is not the person who sits in that position, but the important thing is to change the current situation, otherwise it will be endless and repeated. ”

Shen Zhou turned his head to look at Pei Zhang, his eyes were clear and cold, "I can't care so much." But I'm telling you, as long as I'm here, no one will want to treat Mo Xue as an outcast. Mo Xue is not Shen Ming, and I am not Shen Shilang. ”

Shen Zhou was like a hedgehog, silently erecting the spikes all over his body.

——

Dali Temple Prison.

Chu Zhixia shackled his hands and feet, sat in a relatively dry corner, and smashed the steamed buns to hit the trembling rats on the other side. The mouse grinned at her, and slowly stopped being afraid of her, and rubbed along the broken steamed buns. Chu Zhixia carried the tail of the mouse and hung it on the iron fence with a thin rope made of straw.

A pair of clean soap boots stopped in front of the cell.

"Miss Chu is really ...... Ingenuity. ”

Chu Zhixia turned his head to look at him, the man was already in his fifties, his sideburns were gray, but he was not bloated and sluggish, but thin and straight. The days of deterioration did not destroy his temperament, and he was as proud as his name, pine and cypress.

This is the first time that Chu Shixia has had direct contact with Zhuang Songbai, the first assistant of the cabinet.

"Shousuke is in good health." Chu Zhixia showed him the shackles in his hand and said, "I won't greet you." ”

"I'm curious, I've never offended you, why are you targeting me like this with King Qi?" Zhuang Songbai was genuinely puzzled, "If you go into the imperial capital, the matter of your entry into the imperial capital is also the regent's grudge against you deeper!" ”

"I really have no grudges with you, Shousuke doesn't have to be confused." Chu Shixia said, "But the justice and morality of the world have nothing to do with personal grudges. Shousuke-sama, you don't really have a clear conscience about what you've done, do you? ”

"What did I do?"

Zhuang Songbai looked down at her condescendingly, held his head high and said: "How many poor students, because of me, they were able to enter the court as officials; Because of me, they got a future that they would never have attained in their lifetime. If it weren't for me, this Xuanzheng Hall would be full of famous families, how could the poor children stand up? ”

"Whether you support those students because you cherish their talents, or because you want to cultivate your power and fight against the regent, only you know."

Chu Zhixia smiled calmly and said, "A lie repeated a thousand times will not come true, Lord Shousuke, stop deceiving yourself." Where did the people who were really talented and unwilling to grovel and go along with the dirt? ”

Do they live their nameless lives in the Hanlin Academy, entrust their talents with nowhere to display in pen and paper, or end up depressed on the way back to their hometown? Emperor Taizu opened the scientific examination to recruit talents from all over the world, regardless of family lineage or family background, only talent.

But things in this world are never black and white.

What people say and what they do is never consistent.

"Childish words." Zhuang Songbai refuted disdainfully.

"Just stand up and watch our kids mess around." Chu Shixia still laughed, "You don't have much time to laugh." ”

Zhuang Songbai showed an unfathomable smile and said, "Chu Zhixia, don't be too happy. Do you think I'm here tonight to discuss with you who's right and who's wrong? ”

"I don't think you have what it takes to kill me."

Zhuang Songbai clasped his hands in his sleeves and said with pity: "It turns out that you don't know anything. Didn't your father, King Zhenbei, tell you this great secret? This secret is enough to make your Chu clan irreversible. ”

Chu Zhixia looked at him with the same expression.

"Do you know how the Spirit Emperor died?"