Chapter 87 The Imperial Examination Begins
Lian'er wrote at the end that she was also a person of the Great Zhou, and she did not want to see an emperor who truly worked for the people die because of a conspiracy.
"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" Han Yuan stood beside Yan Xuanyu at some point.
Han Yuan is really old, and this peace talks trip made him look even more haggard, but his eyes are still bright.
"I'm thinking, in everything... as long as I have a clear conscience, that's all that matters." Yan Xuanyu said in a low voice.
Han Yuan nodded, "That's right."
This time it was a blessing in disguise. The Turkic king wanted him dead twice, but he didn't expect that the peace talks would go smoothly and some commodity trade between the Turks and the Great Zhou would be opened up.
Yan Xuanyu had long been interested in livestock products such as wool and milk from the grasslands. The border cities of the Great Zhou also raised cattle and sheep, but they were a minority after all. If he could purchase a large amount of wool and then use the technology of the Great Zhou to make wool yarn into sweaters, it would be of great benefit to the people of the Great Zhou.
Only a gentleman can be bound by a contract. A person as unpredictable and scheming as the Turkic king may break the contract and invade the Great Zhou at any time.
But what the Turkic king was planning made Yan Xuanyu vaguely feel that his cleverness lay in his desire to have a "legitimate cause", for example, to fight against the Rongdi tribe under the pretext that the Rongdi tribe wanted to destroy the peace talks between the Turks and the Great Zhou.
The King of Rongdi suffered an "unprovoked disaster" this time, and the Great Zhou stood by and watched. The King of Rongdi had once raided Huangsha City, leaving blood flowing and pestles floating outside the city still vividly in people's minds.
How long can the Rong and Di people gain by trying to get the skin of a tiger?
Altai must have been filled with remorse at this time, because he had harmed the entire tribe because of his own actions. Although the Rongdi King expelled him, Altai had never thought of overthrowing Rongdi. After all, that was where he grew up and there were people he was familiar with.
But it was useless to regret anymore - or perhaps, he no longer had the chance to regret, as he had already turned into a handful of earth.
The Turkic attack on Rongdi once again allowed Yan Xuanyu to see the strength of the Turkic army. However, as he said before, Yan Xuanyu did not want to go to war without complete preparation.
Yan Xuanyu doesn't want to be the one who seeks the skin of a tiger. He wants to be the one who "beats the tiger" and can kill the "tiger" with one blow.
The two stood by the river, quietly watching the water flow by.
"I don't know when the Turkic king will tear up the contract and attack the Great Zhou. I only hope that during this period of time, our Great Zhou will become stronger in terms of military strength and horses to meet the enemy." Han Yuan sighed.
What Han Yuan said was exactly what Yan Xuanyu was thinking.
"Before that..." Han Yuan continued slowly, "Your Majesty, you should know that only you can make the Great Zhou better and better, so please take care of yourself."
"I will." Yan Xuanyu said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Mr. Han."
It seems that what he has done recently has seriously affected the hearts of the ministers... But there is no way, he can't reveal the secret of the system!
Also, because he often ignores advice and insists on taking risks, the system has judged him as "willful and stubborn" many times. Isn't that a small income?
Time passed by like the flowing water before their eyes today. After returning to the capital, they received good news that the first batch of potatoes and sweet potatoes were about to be harvested.
These two crops have high yields, and within a few seasons, people will be able to plant some of them in their fields.
After a few busy months, the imperial examination was here in the blink of an eye.
During the first imperial examination, Yan Xuanyu repeatedly emphasized that special attention should be paid to every aspect.
Not only that, he also issued stricter laws. If anyone cheated, their name would be recorded and they would not be allowed to take the imperial examination after three cheating attempts. If an official accepted bribes and assisted in cheating, he would be dismissed and never employed again, and all his property would be confiscated.
This would be more painful than killing them.
Anyway, I have already said it before. If there are still people who knowingly commit crimes and hope to get away with it, you can't blame others.
While Yan Xuanyu was busy, the system popped up again to show its presence, saying that he had achieved the harsh achievement.
Yan Xuanyu: ...
Should he protest his injustice?
All these scattered points added up are almost enough to draw another card!
...
The fourth year of Yong'an was the first year that the imperial examination system was implemented in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was called the "first year of the imperial examination system" by countless students in the Great Zhou Dynasty and even in later generations.
Tang Xing first took the exam in Hanyun City.
He was very lucky. His city, Hanyun, was designated as an "examination center." Candidates from surrounding cities had to travel here in advance—but now that an official road had been built, driving was also convenient.
A notice at the entrance of the government office said that the Great Zhou Dynasty would later launch a "long-distance carriage", but it has not yet been unveiled.
In addition to important news, the government notice boards are now updated daily, so ordinary people like them can also understand what is happening recently, and sometimes even what is happening in other places.
...
Because it was the first year of the imperial examination, everyone was a little confused.
This exam will last for a long time, so it tests not only your mental quality but also your physical quality.
The examination room is equipped with hot water and toilets. All food will be provided by the examination room and candidates are not allowed to take it away from outside.
In addition, pens, ink, paper and inkstone were also provided by the examination center. When Tang Xing learned the news, he was surprised and happy - he was happy that he didn't have to spend extra money to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and he was surprised that this way, he didn't need to bring anything with him to the exam!
On the first day of the imperial examination, Tang Xing stood in a long queue and walked forward. Even though he was usually very calm, he felt nervous and dry-mouthed at this moment.
The person in front of him was from Jinning. The two chatted briefly and exchanged names.
Through chatting, I learned that the student from Jining was named Fan Chuntai.
"What are they doing in front?" Fan Chuntai suddenly asked.
Tang Xing followed his gaze and saw that there seemed to be a commotion at the front of the team.
The news was passed down layer by layer, and it didn't take long for them to find out - someone was caught trying to smuggle a note!
"Smuggling a note?!" Fan Chuntai couldn't believe it. "How could they do that?"
"This is what the official notice says: cheating."
Tang Xing was also surprised.
Another message came from the front that the student had stuffed the note in his socks.
They were both shocked.
It's really... insulting!
...
Yan Xuanyu knew a lot of cheating methods. It was not that he knew a lot, but the examination had been passed down for thousands of years, and the cheating methods were already varied and bizarre. How could a student from the Great Zhou Dynasty who was taking the imperial examination for the first time be able to hide them?
Yan Xuanyu had already published a booklet and distributed it to invigilators from all over the country. The contents inside were "top secret."
Soles of shoes, inside sleeves, inside headscarves, inside the layers of clothes...
But what really opened Yan Xuanyu's eyes was that someone got stuck in the crack of his buttocks...
The cheating rate was much higher than Yan Xuanyu had imagined. The reason was that Yan Xuanyu had people compile the imperial examination booklets. If you didn't know what was being tested, you wouldn't know how to cheat. But once you were given a scope, wouldn't some people become more creative?
This matter was not mentioned again because some candidates were pushed out directly and efficiently, and the other candidates all obediently accepted the inspection.
After being searched inside and out, Tang Xing was taken to his examination seat.
This examination room is also an eye-opener for the students. There are separate small compartments, and there are several examiners standing on them to patrol in one examination room. The movements of the candidates in each compartment can be seen clearly!
Before entering the examination room, the candidates were told that if they wanted hot water, they should not make any noise but just raise their hands. The same applies to going to the toilet.
It’s not that no one secretly complained about the strictness of the imperial examination, but the stricter it was, the happier Tang Xing felt in his heart - not because he felt he had a sure win, but because he was happy for the importance that the Great Zhou attached to the imperial examination.
Fair imperial examinations are not just talk under the guise of fairness.
Tang Xing felt warm inside. He sat in his exam seat and saw the test papers in front of him were pressed flat. He calmed down and carefully turned over the test papers...
He first looked at the dictation and recitation, and the dictation and recitation alone took up the entire test paper.
Tang Xing calmed down, dipped his pen in ink and began to write.
Taking an exam is indeed a very exhausting task. After Tang Xing finished writing the second sheet, he moved around to ease the numbness in his body.
He moved his ears and could hear the sound of the candidates around him flipping through their papers.
As Tang Xing wrote, he seemed to forget that he was in the imperial examination room and immersed himself in it wholeheartedly...
The imperial examination booklet was just the basis. There would be many variations of the questions on the examination paper, so there were many questions on the examination paper that Tang Xing was not sure about. He wrote down his answers after careful consideration.
The same is true for other candidates.
...
When Tang Xing walked out of the examination room, he felt as if he was in another world.
Is it over...?
Candidates came out one after another, and their rich and poor became apparent.
The candidates from wealthy families had already been picked up by carriages, and a long line of carriages formed outside. The servants in some families were dressed much better than Tang Xing.
Tang Xing walked back alone with his bag on his back.
It was almost sunset when he finally reached his home.
As soon as he got home, his mother had already prepared meals for him.
His mother did not ask him how he did in the imperial examination, but was busy boiling water and adding more food for him.
The younger sister held up a piece of maltose the size of her thumb and said, "Brother, have some."
Tang Xing touched her head and said, "You eat it, brother won't eat it."
It is embarrassing to say that all the money he spent on preparing for the imperial examination was given by a young man from the capital whom he once made friends with.
Thinking back to the test paper he had answered and the hustle and bustle of traffic outside the door, Tang Xing felt a little uneasy. He has never been a person who shows his emotions, but he just doesn't show it on his face.
He was also a little nervous. What kind of ranking could he get among these people?
When his mother came back, he told her that he wanted to continue copying books to make money after the busy farming season.
Naturally, the mother agreed.
...
Yan Xuanyu has also been paying attention to the examination trends in various places.
He knew that there was no absolute fairness, and he could only try his best to ensure that there would not be a huge gap between students due to their wealth. Therefore, he built bookstores for students to use, and ordered people to compile imperial examination books.
The results also proved that his efforts were not in vain.
The imperial examination lasted for two days. First, examiners from all over the country graded the test papers and ranked them. There would be a second examination held in the capital afterwards.
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