In the sixth year of Hongzhi, February 15, Gongyuan.

Everything recovers, the grass grows and the warbler flies. It is a good time for the National Talent Ceremony.

Li Dongyang, the chief examiner of the examination, sounded the gong with his own hands.

The tribute soldier next to him shouted at the top of his voice: "Student, go out of the dragon gate!"

The gates of the Gongin Temple opened. The students stepped out of the gate of the Tribute Academy.

Chang Feng followed the crowd out of the tribute courtyard. This is the second time he has taken the examination. Last time, the name fell to Sun Mountain. This time, he took the three exams for nine days in a row, and he felt that he did well.

Suddenly, a man accidentally bumped into Changfeng.

The man hurriedly said, "Brother Nian, it's rude."

Chang Feng looked up and saw that it was Wang Shouren, the son of Wang Hua's family.

Chang Feng smiled and said, "Prince Wang, you still owe me six pot helmets!"

Wang Shouren was surprised: "Master Chang, is that you? Hey, you've been remembering the six pot helmets for eight years! At the Qionglin banquet, I will toast you with six glasses of wine, and I should return you six pot helmets!"

Wang Shouren seems to be full of confidence in the title of the apricot list and the gold list.

Chang Feng smiled and said, "Then borrow your auspicious words. We can both be named on the gold list and be a real brother."

The spring list was released three days later.

After the exam, Li Dongyang was busy reading the papers with the examiners in the Ministry of Rites.

Three days later, Chang Feng and Wang Shouren came to the gate of the Gongyuan and waited for the release of the list.

The township examination list is called the Gui List, the meeting examination list is called the Apricot List, and the palace examination list is called the Gold List.

In fact, the nomination of the apricot list is far more important than the title of the gold list.

Those who are successful in the examination will be "plucked from the tribute" and become tributes to participate in the palace examination.

And the temple examination does not eliminate people. All Gongshi can become Jinshi. It's just that there are high and low rankings.

That is to say, as long as the scholar is titled on the apricot list, he will definitely be able to promote from a person to a scholar. A minimum of seven grades can be awarded.

Before the release of the apricot bang, the Ministry of Rites conducts a series of complex rituals.

The apricot list has finally been revealed. In the undergraduate examination, a total of 298 people were tributary.

Chang Feng went from the top of the list to the end of the list, and watched it three times. Where is his name?

Wang Shouren also unexpectedly fell to Sun Mountain!

It's unexpected, but it's not unexpected. The examination is a competition between the top readers of the entire Ming Dynasty.

For example, in later generations, more than 2,600 counties (county-level cities) in 1,336 counties (county-level cities) across the country gathered together the top students in the college entrance examination for literature and science, and took one exam.

Who dares to say that you will definitely be able to get into the top 300?

The name of the emperor's favored retainer and the son of Beizhili Xuezheng fell to Sun Shan, which just shows that the undergraduate examination is particularly fair under the auspices of Li Dongyang.

Li Dongyang walked over and saw Chang Feng and Wang Shouren.

Chang Feng is a big celebrity around the emperor, and Li Dongyang naturally knows him.

Li Dongyang and Wang Hua were colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, and they also knew his son-in-law Wang Shouren.

Li Dongyang comforted the two: "It is common for students to fail in the test. You don't have to be sad."

Chang Feng said heartily, "I, the butcher of the brocade guard, participated in the examination, just to have a good time. If you don't hit, you won't hit."

Although he said this, Chang Feng still felt a little sad in his heart.

Wang Shouren also had a calm face: "Students are only shallow in their studies, and they need to make persistent efforts."

Li Dongyang joked with Wang Shouren: "If you can't pull out the tribute this time, you will definitely be the top student in high school in the next subject." You can try to make a champion for the next imperial examination."

"Tell you quietly. Your test paper is only one lap away from the title of the apricot list."

Daming will try to read the papers, not a single person. For the sake of fairness, the examiners will collectively circulate the three copies of the papers made by each candidate.

If you think it's advisable, draw a circle next to the roll. Finally, the list of tributes is determined by the number of circles.

Chang Feng asked on the side, "Can Master Li reveal how many laps I am missing?"

Li Dongyang smiled awkwardly: "It's a lot, many circles."

Changfeng Township Test is at the bottom of the list.

His intellect is not necessarily much worse than that of the named Gongsheng. But the Gongsheng students are all full-time students studying for exams.

Chang Feng can only spare time in the evening to prepare for the exam. "It's a lot worse than a lot of circles" is not surprising.

Chang Feng arched his hand: "Lord Li, little brother Wang. I'll go back to Jinyiwei on an errand first. Goodbye."

Wang Shouren returned home.

Daddy Wang Hua hurriedly greeted him: "Did you get it?"

Wang Shouren smiled and replied, "No."

Wang Hua was afraid that his son would not be able to think about it, so he enlightened him: "If you don't succeed this time, you will be able to succeed in your next effort."

Unexpectedly, Wang Shouren smiled and said, "Scholars all over the world are ashamed of not being in the first place, and I am ashamed of not being in the first place but being annoyed by it."

"Father, don't worry, I'm very open-minded. In this life, how can everything be smooth sailing? Nine times out of ten, life is unsatisfactory."

Wang Hua patted Wang Shouren on the shoulder: "You are stronger than your father!" Chenghua 17th annual meeting before the trial release list. I thought about it wildly, and made up my mind that if the apricot list was nameless, I would jump into the Yongding River and kill myself to feed Wang Ba."

"Fortunately, Bagong won thirty-three places, and he won the top prize in the palace examination."

On the first day of March, the palace examination was held as scheduled. The gold list was announced, the first Mao Cheng was the first, Xu Mu was the second, and Luo Qinshun was the third.

Emperor Hongzhi attaches great importance to the talent ceremony. specially summoned the top three of the first class. He also randomly selected ten people from the second grade, and selected ten people from the third rank to play the right face.

A group of new scholars answered the questions raised by the emperor fluently, showing their talents.

Emperor Hongzhi was extremely satisfied.

This day is early. Emperor Hongzhi praised Li Dongyang: "Li Dongyang is conscientious in this examination. Nearly 300 qualified tributes have been selected for me."

"I have personally inspected their talents, and all of them are talents that the imperial court desperately needs."

Emperor Hongzhi paused and asked Chang Feng, "Chang Feng, the taste of the name of Sun Mountain is not pleasant, right?"

Chang Feng arched his hand: "Your Majesty, the ministers are sparse and shallow, and it is expected that the apricot list is not the first. The courtiers are calm."

Emperor Hongzhi smiled: "The word calm is extremely rare. Zhuqing, Chang Feng is my favorite minister. But Li Dongyang is not biased at all."

"Also missed, there is also Wang Shouren, the son of Li Dongyang's friend Wang Hua."

"It shows that Li Dongyang treated everyone equally when presiding over the examination, and he had no selfishness."

"Such a great and selfless person will be rewarded. It is proposed to promote Li Dongyang to the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, and still serve as a bachelor of waiting."

Li Dongyang was directly promoted from a five-grade Hanlin scholar to a minister of the third-grade ministry and was among the "ministries".

It's only one step away from entering the cabinet!

At this moment, a Yellow River flood soldier flew into the Fengtian Temple: "River Xun! River Flood!"

There are only two types of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty who can enter the palace without a purpose.

The first is the Red Feather Messenger who transmits military information. The second is the river flood soldiers who convey the flood situation.

In ancient times, the flood situation was more urgent than the military situation.

Emperor Hongzhi's face changed suddenly: "Express!"

The Yellow River flood soldiers arched their hands and said, "Your Majesty, the eastern section of the Yellow River has broken the Zhangqiu Dike!" Countless fields have been flooded in the twenty-one counties of the three prefectures."

Emperor Hongzhi gasped: "Ahhh How could it be! I have been worrying about the southern section of the Yellow River all winter. However, the break actually appeared in the Shandong section!"

"I want to choose a good minister to serve as the envoy of the Qin mission and go to Shandong to govern the river. Do you have a candidate?"

Li Dongyang, who was in the limelight this morning, was the first to come out of the class and said, "The minister recommends one person."

Emperor Hongzhi asked, "Oh? Who?"

Li Dongyang replied: "Liu Daxia, the political envoy of Zhejiang, is reporting on his work in Beijing. This man is up to the task of governing the river."

Emperor Hongzhi smiled slightly: "Liu Daxia is your fellow brother, right?"

In the fifth year of Tianshun, Li Dongyang and Liu Daxia studied under the same teacher Li Chun. That's not a brother who has a strong relationship, but a real teacher of the same karma.

At the beginning, Li Chun's men were known as the "Three Heroes of Li Door". In addition to Li Dongyang and Liu Daxia, there is also Yang Yiqing, who is now in charge of the criminal name in Shanxi.

Li Dongyang replied loudly: "When you return to the emperor, you will not avoid relatives and enemies if you move internally. The minister recommended Liu Daxia out of

Public-mindedness."

Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly: "Yes. Well said. Liu Daxia's ability is clear. At the beginning, the old minister Huaien was critically ill, and when he was dying, he recommended three people to me. Wang Shu, Ma Wensheng, Liu Daxia."

"Proposed decree, order Liu Daxia to lead the right deputy capital imperial history title, and go to Shandong to govern the river."

Ma Wensheng, the secretary of the ministry, said: "Your Majesty, you should choose another shrewd and capable person as Liu Daxia's deputy."

Chang Feng's heart in the military attache class moved.

Over the years he has experienced too many officialdom battles and palace intrigues.

He was tired of doing all those shady, fly-proof errands all day long.

He is very eager to do something for the people.

Chang Feng came out of class, and Mao recommended himself: "Your Majesty, the minister is willing to serve as the deputy envoy of the Qin Mission."

Marven said, "No! Chang Zhen Fu envoy, you don't understand water conservancy, how can you serve as the deputy envoy of the Qin mission to govern the river?"

Emperor Hongzhi agreed: "Yes, Changfeng. Your intentions for serving your country are good. But you don't understand water conservancy."

Chang Feng talked eloquently: "Your Majesty. Controlling the river requires a huge amount of national money. The matter of water conservancy, because the embankment was washed and built, and the construction was washed and rushed, and it has always been a conscience account. There are so many places where river officials can get their hands on it."

"In the five years of Hongzhi alone, there were thirteen river officials above the fifth rank who were arrested and convicted by the Fusi of Beizhen."

"Although the minister does not understand water conservancy, he knows how to investigate and control corruption. To control the Yellow River, it is necessary to rely on Liu Daxia, the envoy of Qincha."

"What the minister can do is to ensure that every tael of river silver pulled out by the imperial court is actually applied to the embankment!"

Ma Wensheng stroked his beard: "What Chang Zhen Fu said makes sense. The participation of the treasurer of the Northern Division in the control of the river as a deputy envoy can deter those corrupt officials who covet the silver of the river."

Li Dongyang echoed: "If you often calm down and appease the envoy to participate in the control of the river. Even if corrupt officials and corrupt officials have a thief's heart and greed for ink and silver, I am afraid they will not have the courage to be thieves."

Emperor Hongzhi clapped: "Okay, I ordered Chang Feng to be the deputy envoy of the Qin Mission, and cooperate with Liu Daxia to run the errand!"

"Chang Feng, remember what you just said. You have to make sure that every tael of river silver is used in practice!"