Chapter 2067 Token

Not to mention Marquis PY, who has been enjoying a lot of glory in the past two days, because the time for the imperial examination has come.

The reason why it is called a palace examination is because this examination was held in the palace hall.

It's like seven o'clock in the morning.

Song Yan and more than 300 prospective Jinshi came to wait outside the palace.

Just as these would-be Jinshis were chatting and complimenting each other, officials arrived and led them to the Tai Chi Hall.

After saluting and prostrating, under the announcement of Emperor Wei, the palace examination officially began.

However, Emperor Wei was not the kind of patient person. A normal palace examination lasted for two hours. Therefore, he only stayed for most of an hour before getting up and leaving. Wei Zhen, the Minister of Rites and Rites, proctored the examination on his behalf.

Before I knew it, two hours had passed.

The exam questions this time are one policy, three questions, and one poem.

The policy is a national policy with a wide scope. You only need to write a national policy based on your own knowledge.

As for the three questions, they are some of the problems currently encountered by Weiguo, which respectively involve military, civil affairs and official affairs.

If you want to write a poem, there are no specific requirements. You just need to write your favorite poem.

Weiguo has been in existence for a hundred years, and the country is still peaceful and peaceful, but in fact it is on the verge of annihilation. Land annexation is serious, corrupt officials are rampant, and the people are living in dire straits.

Moreover, floods broke out in the lower reaches of the Ziwu River this year, and drought and locust plagues occurred in the three provinces of the northwest, leaving many farmers with no harvest.

In addition, the four major vassal kings are already disloyal and ready to take action. It can be said that the current Weiguo is a powder keg. It only takes a spark to detonate the entire Weiguo.

This is only an internal situation. Outside, Liang and Yue are watching. Once something happens to Wei, Liang and Wei will send troops to attack.

Song Yan did not intend to express himself in the palace examination. His articles can be said to be well-written and contain the golden mean. The main reason is that the current Weiguo is a big sieve. Unless a person with strong means carries out reforms, maybe Weiguo will It can last for a few more decades.

However, the three ministers in charge of the cabinet today are all leaders of various parties. They are focused on party struggle and have no idea of ​​​​reform. Therefore, Weiguo's life span will not exceed ten years.

Therefore, even if Song Yan knew about the problem of defending the country, he would not write about the reform method, because once he wrote such an article, he would become a public enemy of the powerful and officials.

After handing in the papers, Song Yan and others can leave the palace.

After some urgent marking.

Six papers were delivered to Emperor Wei.

Emperor Wei will circle the manor, second place and top pick from these six papers.

Emperor Wei pretended to pick up a paper and read it.

After looking at it for a while, he put it down and picked up the second copy.

He ascended the throne at the age of fourteen. After being the emperor for more than ten years, this was not the first time that he appointed the second and third overall pick, so he was not very interested.

Until he saw the poem written in the fifth paper, his eyes lit up and he chanted: "If this is the first time in life, why does the autumn wind paint the sad fan? This poem is well written. He picked up the wolf brush and wrote it on the paper. In the circle above, this person should be the top pick!"

The next morning.

Song Yan didn't go anywhere, but stayed in Taiyuan College to study honestly, because the results of the palace examination would not be released.

The article he wrote in the palace examination was not outstanding, but the plagiarized poem was quite amazing. A second-class Jinshi could not escape. He had no idea about becoming an official in Beijing, and he was unexpectedly let go and became a parent official.

But at half past ten.

A eunuch and a group of guards came to Taiyuan College and announced the news that Song Yan and Song Ziyu, students of Taiyuan College, were appointed by His Majesty as the Tanhua Lang.

"Where is Song Ziyu? He hasn't come to receive the order!" the eunuch who delivered the order said proudly.

Someone immediately ran to Song Yan's dormitory to notify him.

Song Yan was not surprised at all when he got the news that he had won the title of Tanhua. After a while, he went outside to receive the order.

A student from Taiyuan College won the third prize, and the entire Taiyuan College felt proud of it. Song Yan was also summoned again for Jijiu.

After being encouraged by the sacrificial wine, Song Yan went to visit Cai Zixiao's house.

The other party is his teacher and he must tell him the good news.

Similarly, Cai Zixiao already knew the news that he had won the third prize.

Therefore, he had already given instructions that if Song Yan arrived, he would be led directly to his study without any communication.

Cai Mansion, in the study.

Cai Zixiao looked at Song Yan with a look of relief: "Ziyu, you really lived up to my expectations as a teacher. I am very happy to be a teacher!"

"It's all teachers who teach well!"

Song Yan said modestly.

"You, don't be humble. What you are today is all due to your own efforts and has nothing to do with being a teacher. According to the rules, all first-class Jinshi will enter the Hanlin Academy. When you enter the Hanlin Academy, you have to behave well. !" Cai Zixiao warned.

"Teacher, the students want to be released!" Song Yan said.

Hearing this, Cai Zixiao's face changed slightly, and he said solemnly: "Ziyu, you have to think clearly. To enter the Hanlin Academy, you must be at least a sixth-rank Beijing official, and it is easier to be promoted in the Hanlin Academy, but if you are sent abroad , you can’t be promoted in three years, it will be at least six years later, and after you are released to other places, if you want to enter Beijing in the future, it will be very difficult and dangerous!”

"Teacher, please let me do it!" Song Yan said resolutely.

"You!"

A helpless look flashed in Cai Zixiao's eyes: "Generally speaking, officials from the capital will be sent to their hometowns. Your hometown Huangshan County is just a lower-class county, and the county magistrate is only a ninth-grade county. However, as a prefect, you have not With that qualification, you can serve as a magistrate at most, and you are also subject to the prefect. I suggest you stay in the capital for a few years, and then upgrade your official position to the sixth rank. Then you can be released, and you will be qualified to serve as the fifth rank prefect. Yes, but only at the local level, if you want to be promoted to prefect in three years, it is simply impossible!"

"It doesn't matter where the teacher puts it, the students just want to benefit one party!"

Song Yan said again.

"Hey!" Seeing that Song Yan couldn't be persuaded, Cai Zixiao couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and a bit of disappointment flashed in his eyes: "Well, you go back first, and I will inform you when there is news!"

“Students let their teachers down!”

"Go!" Cai Zixiao waved his hand.

After bidding farewell to Cai Zixiao, Song Yan was about to leave Cai Mansion, but was stopped by someone.

"Ziyu has met senior sister!"

Song Yan saluted a beautiful girl who was dressed as a lady. This girl was wearing a green skirt, no makeup on her face, an oval face, and a pair of eyes like autumn water, which made her look extraordinarily gentle.

She is Cai Zixiao's youngest daughter. Her name is Cai Qiang and her courtesy name is Cai Xueji.

Because she was still keeping her fiancé's filial piety, she dressed relatively plainly, mostly in dark colors.

"If this is the first time we meet in life, why is the Autumn Wind Sad Painting Fan? Junior Brother Ziyu, you are so talented!" Cai Xueji said with a smile, with a hint of admiration in her eyes like autumn water.

"Senior sister, you've received the award!" Song Yan said modestly. Although Cai Xueji is a girl, she has read poetry and books since she was a child and is one of the most famous talented women in the capital.

"Junior brother, I'm sorry, I just heard the conversation between you and dad. Do you really plan to go out?" Cai Xueji asked.

"Yes, senior sister!"

Song Yan nodded.

"Junior brother, why don't you stay in the capital? You are the leader of this class. With dad's help, you will definitely have a prosperous official career!" Cai Xueji advised, and then she told Zhou Qing that her father Cai Zixiao's appointment He has come down and served as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites is the head of the six departments, and the left minister of the Ministry of Rites is concurrently held by the elder, but the elder does not care about the affairs of the Ministry of Rites, so the right minister is the second-in-command of the Ministry of Rites.

He definitely has a bright future, and his influence is not even weaker than that of a minister.

With such a big backer, if Song Yan stayed in the capital, he would definitely have a prosperous official career. However, he knew that the Wei Kingdom was not far from collapse. In the future, no matter how big an official he was in the capital, it would be useless.

If you want to have the right to speak, you still need to appoint local officials and train an elite army. This is in line with the general trend of the world.

But he would not reveal his true thoughts to the Cai family and his daughter, so he could only say: "Senior sister, junior brother was born in a poor family and is well aware of the suffering of the people. Therefore, junior brother has sworn since he was a child that if he can pass the exam one day As a Jinshi, I must bring benefit to the country, so that the people under my jurisdiction can have enough to eat and wear warm clothes!"

Hearing what Song Yan said, Cai Xueji could not persuade her any more: "Junior brother's spirit is admirable, but you should think it over carefully!"

"Thank you world, junior brother will consider it carefully!"

Suddenly, Song Yan's heart moved, and he took out a jade pendant and handed it to Cai Xueji: "Senior sister, this jade pendant was ordained by an expert. Wearing it will protect your safety!"

Cai Xueji blushed when she saw the jade pendant handed over by Song Yan, but after a slight hesitation, she reached out and took it, then took out a folded snow-white handkerchief with a plum blossom embroidered on it and handed it to Song Yan : "Junior brother, this is senior sister's return gift. This is what senior sister has just embroidered and hasn't used yet!"

"It doesn't matter, even if it's used!" Song Yan said with a smile, he put the handkerchief away with a smile and put it into his sleeve: "Senior Sister, then Junior Brother, I'm leaving!"

Cai Xueji whispered: "Wait a minute, junior brother, can you send me a poem?"

Song Yan was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment and recited: "There are several plum blossoms in the corner. Ling Han is blooming alone. He knows it is not snow because there is a faint fragrance."

Cai Xueji's cheeks turned redder when she heard Song Yanyong's poem.

Because she liked plum blossoms very much, otherwise, she would not have embroidered a plum blossom on her handkerchief, and her word contained the word "snow", so she completely thought that this poem was Song Yan's praise for her.

"Junior brother, what is the name of this poem?"

"Mei! Senior sister, junior brother is leaving!"

After saluting Cai Xueji again, Song Yan turned around and left, but did not notice that Cai Xueji looked at his back with a slightly crazy look in her eyes. But Song Yan didn't know that the jade pendant he gave to Cai Xueji just now was completely regarded by her as a token of exchange.

And he happened to accept the handkerchief that the other party gave in return, plus the poem. Therefore, Cai Xueji had a somewhat strange feeling for the other party in her heart.

In the next few days, more people invited Song Yan.

But he refused them all. On the tenth day, Emperor Wei summoned all the new scholars. Song Yan and the number two scholar would answer questions with Emperor Wei.