Pass the imperial examination, make a big splash, take the top spot, win three prizes in a row... the more auspicious it sounds, the more comfortable it makes you feel, and the higher the rate of ordering dishes.

As more diners come, the restaurant becomes lively, especially when the food and wine are served, then people talk even more.

"Brother Zhang, you passed through Wuxi on your way to the exam, didn't you visit the Donglin Academy?"

Zhang, the scholar, smiled with a touch of pride as he said, "How could I not go to such a place of rich culture? Donglin Gong wrote this couplet: 'The sound of wind, rain, and reading, each one is pleasant to the ear; family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs, all are of concern to me…'"

The people around him cast envious and admiring glances at him. Zhang, the candidate, bowed and solemnly concluded, "I will remember this for the rest of my life and practice it."

"Brother Zhang has such an understanding. He will surely become a pillar of the imperial court. He will undoubtedly pass the examination."

"Brother Zhang has an extraordinary talent and has made it to the top three on the list. It's easy for him to get it."

In the private room on the second floor, Zhu Youxiao smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed softly.

Looking out from the private room, you can roughly see the scene in the lobby and hear the sounds vaguely.

Zhu Youxiao was a little surprised when he heard the couplet "The sound of wind, rain and reading, each sound is pleasant to the ear; family affairs, national affairs and world affairs, everything is of concern."

Although he was familiar with it, he really didn't know that this couplet was written by Donglin leader Gu Xiancheng and was hung in Donglin Academy.

The Donglin Party harmed the country, and the Ming Dynasty fell at the hands of the Donglin gentlemen; the Donglin Party spoke of benevolence and morality, but behind the scenes they were thieves and prostitutes; the Donglin Party was greedy and corrupt, and was a drain on the Ming Dynasty's treasury...

Even as a time traveler, you probably only know this much and are not clear about the origin of the Donglin Party, their political propositions and theoretical beliefs.

Zhu Youxiao also had to admit that he did not know much or in detail about the Donglin Party.

But Zhu Youxiao knew that the Donglin Party's classification was too broad. Was it his teacher Sun Chengzong? Was it Yuan Keli? What about Sun Chuanting, a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel? And what about the national hero Zhang Huangyan?

Therefore, we cannot generalize. In other words, Zhu Youxiao planned to divide the Donglin Party into two groups, one is bad and the other is good.

Bad people should be demoted and killed, and good people should be used.

Several more guests entered the lobby, including the thin but strangely strong Lu Xiangsheng. However, he had no companions, so he found a small table by himself.

Before the waiter came up, Lu Xiangsheng took a quick glance and found that the hero who had stopped the frightened donkey was sitting at a table near the stairs with his three companions, having a drink.

He had a good impression of this strong guy, and when the hero also looked at him, Lu Xiangsheng nodded and smiled politely.

The hero looked at it for a moment, as if he had some impression of it. He didn't smile, but nodded, and then turned his eyes away.

Lu Xiangsheng thought it was just the other person's personality and didn't take it seriously. At this time, the waiter came to greet him. He was about to order when he heard someone greeting him.

"Brother, your act of lifting the car to save people is admirable. Could you please come to this table and drink with us?"

The one who greeted Lu Xiangsheng was Wen Zhenmeng. He had witnessed Lu Xiangsheng lifting the car to save people and had a good impression of him. Seeing that Lu Xiangsheng was alone, he stood up and invited him.

Seeing that he was also a candidate, Lu Xiangsheng hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "I am Lu Xiangsheng from Yixing, Changzhou Prefecture. May I ask what your name is, sir?"

"I am Wen Zhenmeng from Changshu, Nanzhili." Wen Zhenmeng was very surprised. They were both from Nanzhili. One was from Yixing, Changzhou Prefecture (now Yixing, Jiangsu), and the other was from Changshu, Nanzhili (now Suzhou, Jiangsu), which were not far away.

Lu Xiangsheng opened his eyes wide and asked, "It's Brother Wenqi. I've heard a lot about you."

Wen Zhenmeng was stunned for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "Thirty years have passed, and I've failed the imperial examinations ten times. Is this how I became famous?"

Lu Xiangsheng said seriously, "Brother Wenqi, nicknamed Xiangnan, is well-versed in classics and history, and his talent is renowned far and wide. Your grandfather, Wengong Tianxiang, is also someone I admire the most."

"Ashamed, ashamed." Wen Zhenmeng bowed and said, "I am incompetent and ashamed of my ancestors."

Wen Zhenmeng is not particularly famous in Ming Dynasty history, but he was the top scholar in the second year of the Tianqi reign. His ancestor was even more remarkable: Wen Tianxiang, one of the Three Heroes of the Late Song Dynasty, and his great-grandfather was Wen Zhengming, one of the Four Great Scholars of Jiangnan.

After some conversation, Lu Xiangsheng, being a fellow villager and having long admired Wen Zhenmeng, accepted the invitation and came to Wen Zhenmeng's table to greet the other two candidates. After they sat down, they enjoyed the food and wine and started chatting.

In the private room, Zhu Youxiao became excited again when he heard the three words "Lu Xiangsheng". He had encountered a treasure while walking, and another powerful general of the Ming Dynasty had arrived!

Although he couldn't see clearly what Lu Xiangsheng looked like, when Zhu Youxiao heard about lifting a cart to save people, he immediately thought of the fair-skinned scholar with a strong arm.

"The Jinyiwei are downstairs, right?" Zhu Youxiao was unsure, so he ordered Wang Tigan, "Tell the one who stopped the frightened donkey to come up. I have something to ask him."

Wang Tigan took the order and went out. Soon, he brought the man who stopped the donkey into the private room.

"Your humble servant Lu Jianxing greets Young Master Long." Wang Tigan had reminded him, but Lu Jianxing did not dare to kneel, let alone address him as Your Majesty. He only half-knelt to greet him, and his words were incoherent.

"Get up!" Zhu Youxiao's eyes flashed when he heard his name. He smiled and raised his hand, saying, "You did a good job in stopping the frightened donkey and preventing casualties among the people. There's a relative of yours in the hall below, named Lu Xiangsheng. Is he the scholar who lifted the cart to save people?"

Lu Jianxing bowed and replied, "My lord, it is the fair, thin, and strong scholar."

Zhu Youxiao nodded, knowing what was going on. He carefully examined Lu Jianxing and felt that he looked more like the expressionless Shen Lian. He smiled and asked, "Lu Jianxing, right? What is your current official position?"

"I am honored to be a centurion." Lu Jianxing answered respectfully.

"Do your job well, I will remember you." Zhu Youxiao nodded slightly and raised his hand to signal Lu Jianxing to leave.

Lu Jianxing bowed and retreated, his face expressionless, but he was pleasantly surprised. To be able to have his name in the emperor's heart, wouldn't that mean he had a bright future?

At this time, the candidates in the hall drank some wine and began to recite poems or talk about the imperial examination. Zhu Youxiao lost interest and got up and left.

When passing through the lobby, Zhu Youxiao deliberately glanced at Lu Xiangsheng, pursed his lips slightly, and smiled faintly.

Since you are a candidate for the imperial examination, you are within my reach and there is no need to worry.

……………..

The first month of the second year of the Tianqi reign.

The capital was busy with the emperor's upcoming wedding, the arrival of candidates, and the spring imperial examination. The war in Liaodong seemed unimportant.

In Liaodong, the Battle of Guangning has entered a critical moment.

Nurhaci led his army to besiege Xiping Fort outside Guangning. At that time, there were only 3,000 Ming troops in Xiping Fort. If the Eastern Tartars attacked with all their strength, it would soon fall.

However, the Eastern Tartars were not in a hurry to attack, which gave the Ming army in Guangning and other places time to come to the rescue. Their purpose was obvious, which was to use their advantage in field combat to encircle and attack the reinforcements and defeat the Ming army reinforcements in the field.