Chapter 101 Mu'er Persuades Reconciliation

Song Mansion.

Li Nuo had forgotten what happened just now and was completely immersed in the book.

The experience during this period made him realize one thing deeply.

He must take the imperial examination.

Prolonging his life is his main purpose, and cultivation is just a by-product.

If you want to live longer, you still have to become an official.

Judging cases secretly and covertly will only give others an opportunity to use force against them.

There is no way to seek redress after the account was blocked.

Although there are many things to criticize about Daxia's laws, it must be said that the imperial court really does govern the country according to the law.

After all, Daxia was the birthplace of Legalism and was the country most influenced by Legalist thought.

Redemption of punishment, official positions and titles, although unfair, are clearly written in the laws of Daxia.

Even as his father, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he could not change it, at least he could not openly violate the law.

Li Nuo did not pass the imperial examination and did not hold an official position, but he was given a title by the court, which was reasonable and legal.

But if he passed the imperial examination, even if he was just a small county magistrate, as long as he behaved uprightly, the higher-ups would have no way to do anything to him.

Of course, not everyone can do this.

Magistrate Pei is also a county magistrate, and the highest-ranking county magistrate in Daxia. But even if he is incorruptible and performs his duties conscientiously, the higher-ups can still find countless excuses to get rid of him.

Who made his father’s name not Li Xuanjing?

Therefore, Li Nuo must take part in the next imperial examination.

Not only do you have to participate, but you also have to gain fame.

The question now is, how to gain fame?

The book in Li Nuo's hand records the imperial examination system of Daxia in detail, including the historical changes of the imperial examination system and the current latest system.

Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, the imperial examination has tested the six arts of Confucianism, and this has not changed for hundreds of years.

However, in the early days, the six subjects were completely separate.

At that time, candidates did not have to know everything. They could choose any one of the six subjects to take the exam.

If you can achieve the best in any subject, you can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi.

Depending on the subjects chosen, the successful candidates will be placed in different positions.

The most advanced talents in mathematics will be assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, etc. The next best ones will also enter other government offices and do clerical work such as calculations.

Most of the successful candidates in the Imperial Examination and Archery Examination entered the Ministry of War, the Imperial Household Department, etc.

The successful candidates in the rites and music examinations will be recruited by the Ministry of Rites and the Taichang Temple, and will be responsible for ceremonial and sacrificial matters.

These five subjects are all considered as specialized talents.

The subject of the book exam is the most diverse, including literature, economics, system, law, political commentary..., and has the widest range of employment opportunities. Most of the orthodox civil servants of the Great Xia Dynasty come from the book exam. The competition at this moment is also the most intense, like a huge army trying to cross a single-plank bridge.

Li Nuo thinks this is a good idea. Admit students based on their specialties, assign specific tasks to specific people, which is scientific and reasonable.

In later imperial examinations, the six subjects were gradually merged into one, changing from admitting specialized talents to admitting all-round talents.

Such measures seem fair, but in fact they are unfair.

Literature and mathematics are two popular subjects.

Although compared with the children of the powerful and wealthy families, poor students have to endure more hardships and take more detours to acquire knowledge in these two subjects, they can make up for it with hard work.

But how to make up for the other subjects?

If you want to study the imperial examination, you must have a horse and a carriage.

Most poor students could not afford a carriage even if they sold all their money.

Shooting and music also require the instruction of famous teachers and practice from a young age to achieve success.

The amount of money spent on this often amounts to thousands of taels of silver.

For the subject of etiquette, you can just read books. The books will have detailed records of various etiquette procedures, and you can just follow them step by step.

But what is written in the book is one thing, and actual practice is another.

Even if a poor student knew all the Five Rites by heart, how could he compare to Song Yu, whose father was a member of the Ministry of Rites?

Even the literature department has undergone tremendous reforms over the years.

In the past, calligraphy and painting were not tested in the literature subject. These two skills are difficult to master on one’s own and also require guidance from famous teachers.

Although the threshold is lower than that of horse riding and archery, it also requires money to pave the way, especially painting.

Ink painting is okay, but the pigments used in color ink painting are extremely expensive and ordinary families simply cannot afford them.

The original imperial examination was a general public examination, but with continuous reforms, it became more and more high-end and gradually became an exclusive game for the powerful and wealthy.

Although it is not clearly written in the book, everything is obvious.

Since the reform of the imperial examination system, poor students have almost completely lost the channel for promotion, which can be seen from the number of people taking the imperial examination.

Twenty years ago, the number of candidates for each imperial examination was often over 500,000.

But in these two sessions, there were only about 100,000 people.

The increasingly high threshold kept 80% of the students out of the imperial examination.

Although each major academy would admit some talented students from poor families every year and provide them with the conditions to learn the Six Arts.

However, with almost no foundation, it is undoubtedly a difficult task to catch up with others' accumulation of more than ten years within a few years.

Li Nuo should be thankful that he was born into a powerful family.

Otherwise, even if he had the ambition to take the imperial examination, his family did not have the financial resources to provide him with the conditions to learn the six arts.

Before officially taking part in the imperial examination, he had to do one more thing.

He must enter a certain academy.

Only students in academies registered with the imperial court were eligible to take the imperial examinations.

Each major academy holds public examinations every year to recruit a group of students.

This year's entrance examination has passed, and the next one will be after the imperial examination.

But this is not a problem for Li Nuo.

Li Nuo closed the book in his hand and walked to the classroom prepared for Murer and Ning'er in the Song Mansion.

The four old gentlemen from Qingfeng Academy are already waiting here.

There is no need to trouble his father with this matter, as he has his own connections in the academy.

After finishing today's mathematics course, Li Nuo mentioned this to them.

Mr. Chen was delighted and asked happily, "Mr. Li agreed to teach mathematics at Qingfeng Academy?"

Li Nuo shook his head and corrected: "It's not to teach mathematics, it's to be a student."

"ah?"

The four old gentlemen were extremely shocked when they heard this.

All the mathematics teachers in Qingfeng Academy are his disciples, and they have all attended his classes in the Song Mansion. Who has the ability to teach him, and who dares to teach him?

He dares to listen, but they may not dare to speak.

Li Nuo explained: "I want to participate in the next imperial examination. If Qingfeng Academy is not convenient, I will go to other academies to ask."

“Convenient, convenient!”

"It is an honor for Qingfeng Academy to have Mr. Li come to Qingfeng Academy."

"It's not inconvenient. If Tang Xian dares to disagree, I will write to the court and remove him from his position as dean!"

…

The old gentlemen came to their senses and of course agreed without thinking.

Mr. Li selflessly dedicated himself to passing on his understanding of mathematics to them without reservation and without asking for anything in return.

If he can't even agree to this small request, how can they deserve to listen to his class?

However, he actually wants to take part in the imperial examination?

The four of them were just about to propose to the court that a slight reform be made to the mathematics subject, retaining the original "Nine Numbers" question format unchanged and adding some new mathematics learned from Mr. Xiao Li, in order to select more outstanding mathematics talents for the court.

Of course, we need to consult Mr. Li about this reform.

They all planned to have him review the questions for the mathematics subject in advance.

But in this case, wouldn't he be both the candidate and the examiner, setting the questions for himself?

This seems... a little bad.

It’s decided to go to Qingfeng Academy.

After the four old gentlemen left, a figure walked into the classroom.

Ever since Li Nuo sparked her interest in mathematics, Song Jiaren would sit in every time he gave lectures to several gentlemen.

As before, she pointed to the two lines of equations on the board and asked, "How do you get from here to here?"

In the past, Li Nuo would explain things to her patiently until she understood them completely.

But today is different.

Li Nuo didn't even look at her and said, "I'm tired today. Let's talk about it next time..."

…

Li Nuo didn't sleep very well last night.

Because my wife is not around.

She went to sleep with Mu'er last night.

Li Nuo knew that this was because she did not explain the questions to her.

If she wants to sleep alone, just sleep alone. As for other things, you can let her take care of them. It’s not a big deal.

But when it comes to matters of principle, we will not give in.

If he gave in this time, he will have to give in again next time. He did nothing wrong, so why should he suffer this injustice?

Last time, I almost broke my wrist while drawing for her. Whenever I saw something beautiful outside, I wanted to bring it back to her as soon as possible, but what I got in return was her distrust...

I'm tired.

Li Nuo no longer thought about this matter. After getting up, he ate breakfast alone and began to plan for the imperial examination half a year later.

He divided the six subjects of the imperial examination into two parts.

Books, numbers, and etiquette.

Music, driving, and shooting.

Among them, the first three subjects are considered liberal arts. As long as you master the knowledge in the book proficiently, you can get good grades and can improve in the short term.

As for the last three, they all required extensive practice over many years and were almost impossible to master quickly. He had to think of other ways.

Specifically, it is to find target persons who are proficient in these aspects, search for evidence of their crimes, and then send them to jail, even if it is only for a few days, as long as their portraits are lit up on the code.

Among the first three subjects, mathematics is the subject. If he doesn't get full marks in this subject, he will be embarrassed in the other world.

The etiquette subject is not a big problem. This subject mainly tests the etiquette procedures in various occasions. As long as you memorize the five books "Auspicious Etiquette", "Inauspicious Etiquette", "Military Etiquette", "Guest Etiquette" and "Auspicious Etiquette", there will generally not be any big problems.

If you really feel it's unsafe, find a reason to send your second uncle Song Lian in for two days.

He was the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Rites, an official who happened to be the one who did practical work. In the entire Ministry of Rites, or even in the entire court, no one understood etiquette better than him.

Li Nuo was familiar with the "Edict of Official System", and the imperial court had detailed rules for the management of officials.

Officials who are late or leave early, or who appear in dishevel during court hours will be punished.

It's just that the court didn't enforce this aspect strictly, so officials were naturally lax. If they really wanted to take it seriously, there would be legal reasons to send him in jail for two or three days.

But Li Nuo’s account is still blocked, so when the time comes, he will have to ask his father for help.

Mathematics and etiquette are basically done, but literature is a little more complicated.

This subject accounts for the largest proportion among the six arts, and can be further divided into calligraphy, painting, law, and writing.

There is a portrait of Gu Yanran in the calligraphy. When the time comes, one can exchange one day of his life for her calligraphy ability. Her calligraphy skills are graceful and elegant, with hairpin flowers in small characters, which few people in Daxia can compare with.

Although that kind of handwriting is a bit feminine, there is no rule in the imperial examination that prohibits its use.

If it doesn't work, just catch a few more calligraphy masters.

As for painting, lighting up Han Zhuo's portrait shouldn't be a problem.

Law was Li Nuo's strong point. He looked at the examination papers of previous imperial examinations. As long as he was familiar with the Daxia Law, the possibility of having problems in this subject would be small.

The last item is the article.

For this small subject, candidates will be asked to write a poem on a given topic at the beginning. This is not a problem as you can copy it even if you don’t know how to write it.

But poetry only accounts for a small part of the article, and the following political commentary is the most important part.

Political commentary involves current affairs, economy, military affairs, history..., and tests the candidates' ability to govern the country. It requires candidates to not only have comprehensive insights, but also to put them on paper and write brilliant articles.

This is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It goes without saying that he will need the help of the legal code.

After all, he is just an ordinary person and does not have such brilliant talents as others.

Fortunately, he has a plug-in.

It doesn’t matter whose talent it is, as long as they break the law, it’s his talent.

In the six subjects of the imperial examination, one may not be the first in every subject, but one cannot have obvious weaknesses.

Even though the number of candidates for the imperial examinations has been greatly reduced in recent years, there are still 100,000 candidates. No matter which subject you are weak in, you may be squeezed off the single-plank bridge...

Li Nuo pondered for a while.

If you want to be absolutely sure, you have to ask your father-in-law for help.

He had to ask him for a list of successful candidates in the last imperial examination.

The officials who passed the most recent imperial examination must be masters of the six arts. It is possible that all six skills can be gathered by catching only one person.

The older the Jinshi, the more likely they were to neglect the Six Arts.

After all, the Six Arts are only required in the imperial examination. Once you pass the examination and become a Jinshi, you will no longer need these things.

Few officials would practice the Six Arts after passing the examination.

It's like asking college graduates to take the college entrance examination. I'm afraid very few of them can pass.

Go find your father-in-law, preferably with your wife.

However, he and his wife are still in a cold war, and she will definitely not pay attention to him.

If it really doesn't work, he can go alone.

While Li Nuo was hesitating, they arrived at another courtyard in the Song Mansion.

Song Muer asked with some concern: "Sister Jiaren, did you have a fight with Brother Li Nuo?"

Being with the two of them every day, she clearly noticed that something was not right between them in the past day.

Sister Jiaren slept with me yesterday.

There must be some reason behind this.

Song Jiaren shook her head and said, "No."

Mu'er is only six years old. There are some things she won't understand even if you tell her.

Song Muer thought about it, seemed to understand something, and asked: "Are you angry because those two beautiful sisters came to see Brother Li Nuo yesterday?"

Song Jiaren glanced at Mu'er and shook her head slightly.

Song Muer's face showed a determined look, and she said, "You are angry!"

She held Song Jiaren's hand and advised earnestly: "How can you believe what those people outside say? Brother Li Nuo is so good to you. He draws for you, plays tricks on your husband to vent your anger, and brings back beautiful flowers for you when he sees them outside. If you doubt him so much, Brother Li Nuo will be sad. Husband and wife should trust each other..."

Song Jiaren lowered her head, recalling what Mu'er said, and felt a little regretful.

She subconsciously asked: "What should I do then?"

After thinking for a moment, Song Muer said, "You do this first, then this..."

…

Li Nuo was practicing the health-preserving exercises in the yard.

The two subjects of riding and archery require not only skills but also physical strength.

With his weak body, he has the skills but cannot display his full potential.

During the next six months, he needs to intensify his training, at least to improve his physical fitness and strength.

Even if he had acquired superb archery skills, it would be a laughing stock if he couldn't even pull the bowstring.

Although he had no talent for martial arts, practicing this set of exercises several times a day could strengthen his body, and the effect was better than any training method in later generations.

While Li Nuo was practicing, a figure walked in from outside.

Song Jiaren walked to Li Nuo's side, opened his clenched fist, and said: "This is a palm, not a fist. Also, exhale when you extend your palm, and inhale when you close your palm. This is the correct way to breathe. If the breathing method is wrong, there will be no effect even if you practice for a long time..."

Li Nuo was stunned and said: "Oh..."

Aren’t the two still in a cold war?

What does she mean?

Could it be that I guessed wrong, and she was not angry at all, but was just really tired yesterday?

Sleeping with Mu'er last night wasn't targeting him, was it?

Li Nuo showed a trace of shame on his face. As a grown man, he actually judged others by his own mean mind. This was really wrong...

When he was practicing, Song Jiaren helped him correct his mistakes in movements and breathing. After Li Nuo practiced it once according to the correct method, he really felt different.

Although my whole body was soaked with sweat, I felt stronger.

After taking a shower and changing clothes, it was just time for lunch.

Except for the Song family dinners, Li Nuo always ate with his wife and Mu'er.

Before dinner, Li Nuo explained yesterday's question to her.

While eating, he peeled a few shrimps and placed them in a jade bowl in front of his wife.

Because they often eat together, Li Nuo has long observed that she likes to eat stir-fried green beans or shrimps with walnuts.

But if it is boiled shrimp, she won't even move her chopsticks.

It's not hard to guess that she likes eating shrimps, but she doesn't like peeling them.

Song Jiaren picked up a white and tender prawn that had been peeled by Li Nuo from the jade bowl, but did not eat it herself. Instead, she put it in Li Nuo's bowl.

She gave the second shrimp to Song Muer.

Then comes yourself.

Song Muer sat between the two of them, looked at brother Li Nuo, then at sister Jiaren, and finally her heart settled down.

God bless, they really reconciled...

Sister Jiaren and Brother Li Nuo are really something. They are so grown-ups, but they are still like children. When they are angry, they just ignore each other.

What would this family do without her?

(End of this chapter)