On March 12, the twelfth year of Wanli, the weather was slightly cool.

Today is the start time of the Daming Palace Examination, and the tributes who have won the test are gearing up, waiting to show their strength in the palace examination.

What they have in mind is nothing more than the content of the topic and the beautiful life that will flourish after achieving a good ranking.

Since the palace examination is an equal admission, they naturally do not worry about being brushed off.

As for why it was an equal admission, according to legend, there was a student named Zhang Yuan in the Northern Song Dynasty, who went directly to Western Xia after failing the palace examination.

That student was reused in the Western Xia, causing a huge loss to the Song Dynasty, so the emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty learned a lesson, and all students who participated in the palace examination were awarded the Tongjin Shi background.

From this lesson, it can be seen that there are many outstanding people who have fallen off the list since ancient times.

There was a talent named Huang Chao in the Tang Dynasty, and there was an art student in Germany who failed to make the list.

After they fell off the list, they all caused great turmoil to the society at that time.

Of course, the rankings are different, the treatment is naturally different, and the same Jinshi background is naturally not as good as the real Jinshi.

Needless to say, the first class is a jinshi and the first, then it is called a step to the sky.

If you can be ranked as a second-class jinshi, maybe you can be selected as a common man, and the future is unlimited.

If you are unfortunate enough to come to the end, don't be discouraged, Zhang Fujing and Xia Yan, the first assistants of the Jiajing Dynasty, are both from the top three Jinshi.

At dawn, 300 tributes, led by the attendants of the Ministry of Rites, walked through the corridor to the Chengtian Gate, and lined up in a line according to their ranks to wait for the inspection of the Praetorian Guards.

Xu Guangqi stood at the head of the team in a green shirt, standing out from the crowd and suppressing the limelight of the students around him.

At this time, the air was still a little cold, but the students did not feel cold at all.

The rising sun shone on the faces of the students, and the students couldn't help but straighten their waists.

As the minutes ticked by, the sun grew higher and higher.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, the palace door slowly opened.

The students first tidied up their clothes, and then their expressions became serious, not daring to relax in the slightest.

An old man in a red official robe slowly walked out of the palace gate, and the brocade rooster on his chest indicated his status as a second-grade civil official.

The person who came was the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and Yu Youding, a scholar of Dongge University.

Yu Youding cleared his throat and said with a full heart: "You are all the pillars of my Ming Dynasty, congratulations on coming this far." ”

"Old man, I wish you all satisfactory results."

Many students had a look of excitement on their faces.

Yu Youding took in their expressions.

"Admission is now open, don't make a noise." With that, he turned around and walked towards the palace.

After Yu Youding walked away, the soldiers began to move, searching the students' bodies one by one, for fear that they would bring something that should not be brought in.

Xu Guangqi opened his arms cooperatively, allowing the soldier to grope his body, and after a while, the soldier said in a deep voice.

"Go in, wait there, and when everyone is ready, someone will take you in."

Xu Guangqi bowed his hand to the soldiers, and then walked into the palace gate first, waiting at a pavilion.

There is a rockery pond next to the pavilion, and the pond is surrounded by exotic grasses, and there are many koi fish in the pond.

Xu Guangqi looked at this scene, and his tense nerves couldn't help but relax slightly.

The next step was Xu Guangqi's hometown, Tang Wenwen.

The two smiled at each other, then stood still.

Xu Guangqi held his breath and began to think about the problem.

"My lord once said that the dilemma of the Ming Dynasty can be solved at sea, and the emperor is likely to start from here this time." Xu Guangqi secretly calculated in his heart.

Then Xu Guangqi began to think about how to deal with Wanli's strategy in his heart.

As the minutes passed, more and more people in the pavilion came, and people who knew each other began to talk to each other and began to guess the questions of the palace test.

"Boom!"

Finally, when Du Ling entered the harem, the door slowly closed.

Li Zhi, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, looked at the students who were standing neatly, nodded with a smile, and then led them to the depths.

After passing through a long corridor, you will soon come to the Fengtian Temple.

Hundreds of officials waited there early, and the candidates immediately stood still after arriving, and then the officials of Honglu Temple invited Wanli to ascend to the palace, and Wanli was dressed in regular clothes to the palace, setting off firecrackers, and the officials and candidates kowtowed

Chanting: "Hooray! ”

After the salute is completed, the emperor gives the policy, which is then transmitted by the attendants and placed on the policy, and then the deacon moves the plan in the middle passage of the Fengtian Temple.

The official of the temple led the candidates to bow five times and bow three times to the emperor, and stood after the ceremony.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites distribute the test questions, and the candidates kneel and accept them, bow their heads, and then answer the papers.

During the entire answering process, except for the invigilators, inspectors and other officials in the examination room, the rest of the officials are not allowed to stay in the examination room.

Soon, the front of the hall, which had been a bit noisy, became quiet in an instant, and only the sound of students flipping through the papers could be heard.

Du Ling took a look at the strategy, and it was the opening of the sea.

He was overjoyed, picked up the pen and wrote it down with great enthusiasm.

Soon, the time came to noon, and it was time for lunch.

But don't worry, the students don't have to bring their own food this time, they are all prepared by the imperial chef in the palace.

The students who took the exam looked a little simple compared to the examiners, with two steamed buns and a bowl of soup per person.

However, it is also better than eating cold steamed buns before.

After hurriedly eating the steamed buns, the students began to continue answering the questions.

The time quickly came to the afternoon.

"Clank!"

As the bell rang, some officials came to read the answer sheets.

Regardless of whether the answer is finished or not, the people who refer to it are relieved, and it is finally over.

Du Ling got up and clapped his hands, soothed his body, and followed the officials out of the palace towards the East Corner Gate.

As for these test papers, they were immediately sent to the cabinet and handed over to the examiners for reading after they were collected.

When the examiner marks the papers, the test papers are divided into first, second, and third grades, and the first-class test papers are read to the emperor for the emperor to rank first.

The emperor only ordered the first three places, and the rest were determined by the chief examiner.

The next morning, after Wanli went down, the paper readers each took a volume and began to read it aloud.

"The disadvantage of my Ming is the land, but the land on the earth is limited, and the number of people who are Ming is increasing day by day.

"I heard that overseas lands are vast and sparsely populated, and most of them are barbarians, and I will definitely look at the wind as soon as my power arrives tomorrow."

"In this way, my people of the Ming Dynasty will have less to do."

“......”

After hearing this, Wanli nodded.

Immediately, the next reader began to read another volume, and after reading 6 volumes, Wanli waved his hand to stop.

"That's it for the first, second, and fifth volumes."

Subsequently, Wanli took out the top three and lit up.

"Tang literature, the first champion of the first class."

"Xu Guangqi, the second place in the first class."

"Yang Daobin, the third place in the first class is Tanhua."

After the first class was confirmed, Wanli gave a banquet to the volume reader to comfort them.

At the end of the feast, money will be given to the examiner.

In the afternoon of the day after the dismissal, the paper readers retreated to the East Pavilion, dismantled the second and third grade test papers, and then sealed them to the cabinet, and filled in the yellow list with the names and origins of the second and third grade candidates.

The second and third class candidates are determined by the paper reader, and in the afternoon of the same day, the information of the second and third class candidates has been filled in on the yellow list, and only the first class has not been filled.

Outside the left gate of Chang'an.

At this time, the yellow list was already crowded with people.

Xu Guangqi and Du Ling came later, and they couldn't even squeeze in.

After everyone was gone, they slowly approached.

Du Ling learned smartly this time, and directly found his name from the bottom.

"Dong Zhaoyin's 300 fellow jinshi were born

Yan Zhengbang 299 Tongjinshi were born

Gao Yan was born in 298 Tongjinshi

Liu Ne was born in 297 Tongjinshi.

Zhang Yingfeng was born in 296 fellow jinshi

Yiheshan 295 Tongjinshi were born.

......”

Du Ling looked for him for a long time and didn't see him, and his mood became more and more excited.

I finally found my name in the second class.

"Du Ling, a native of Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, ranked 67th in the second grade, and was born as a Jinshi."

"Hahaha..... Brother Zimei, you are a second-class jinshi. ”

Xu Guangqi said ecstatically.

Du Ling was not as excited as he imagined this time, and replied lightly: "Hmm." ”

Then he turned away, and the corners of his eyes became moist.

Xu Guangqi searched for a long time on the list, but he didn't find his name, and his face showed ecstasy, and his heart was about to jump out.

He was ordered by the emperor.

That night, the two returned to the courtyard and got drunk.

Three days later, many Jinshi went to the Zhongji Hall together, and today the emperor will personally announce the first three people, and at the same time set up a banquet for all Jinshi.

After arriving at the Central Pole Hall, the new scholars stood with the hundred officials.

Wanli stood on the high platform wearing a dragon robe, and Feng Bao stood on one side, took out the holy decree and began to read it.

"First place, Tang Wenwen, Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, champion."

"Second place in the first class, Xu Guangqi of Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, the eye of the list."

"The third place in the first class, Yang Daobin, Shun'an County, Shuntian Prefecture, Tanhua."

The three of them heard Feng Bao pronounce his name, and took a step forward and bowed to the emperor.

"Flat, you are all the pillars of my Ming Dynasty."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The three of them then got up and retreated to their positions.

The officials in the north also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and one of the top three was finally their own person.

In the evening of the same day, Wanli set up a banquet to invite the new science and technology scholars.

The new science and technology scholars are full of spirit, pointing out the country in groups of three or five and inspiring words.

Xu Guangqi was naturally attracted by many officials as a role model, and many officials wanted to pull him into their camp, and some even did not hesitate to resort to beauty tricks.

He was so annoyed that he had to report Zhang Yun's name.

When Xu Guangqi reported Zhang Yun's name, the officials who came to win over him obviously looked embarrassed, obviously not wanting to offend Zhang Yun, Wanli's favorite minister.

Xu Guangqi saw that it was much quieter, and he was naturally happy.

The banquet lasted until late at night, and after Wanli was the first to leave the table, the officials and students began to slowly retreat.

"Let's go, we should go back too." Xu Guangqi looked at Du Ling, who was slightly drunk, and said with a smile.

Du Ling smiled and nodded, then stood up and slowly walked towards the small courtyard.

Naturally, they didn't have to worry about their safety, and Wanli intimately instructed the guards in the palace to escort the soldiers home.

When they got home, they went straight to their house and fell asleep.