As a result, the oldest tribute students in the front row sat down again on the ground as soon as they stood up because of their poor legs and nervousness about meeting the emperor.
When something went wrong, they became more and more nervous, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, and they struggled on the ground for a long time but couldn't get up. In the end, several people behind them gritted their teeth and helped them up.
emperor:"……"
Really, why is he still messing around at such an old age? He will not be responsible if he accidentally kills his old bones. Isn’t it better to give the opportunity to young people and enjoy his retirement comfortably at home?
Fortunately, the emperor did not blame them. He waved his hand and returned to the dragon throne. Seeing this, the chief eunuch said in a loud voice, "Please take your seats, all the tribute students."
The examination tables and chairs had already been neatly placed on both sides of the hall, and on them were placed pens, ink, paper and inkstones of the same specifications.
The candidates once again demonstrated the virtue of humility to the extreme. They were arranged according to age, and waited until the older ones had chosen the good seats before the younger ones.
When Zhao Yiming and others arrived, they could only take the seats left by others.
It took a quarter of an hour just to sit down.
emperor:"……"
If we really assign officials to these old guys, then even the morning court will have to be postponed.
No, maybe they even have difficulty walking to the main hall.
Without further hesitation, the emperor began to ask the first question.
“Food is the most important thing for the people. As officials about to take office, you will naturally need to learn a lot from books and theories, but you must also not neglect agricultural work.
The first question is, in the southwestern region of Tianling Country, what crops should be planted at what time of year? How many crops can be planted in a year? What is the yield?
If you want to be an official, it is not enough to just know the Four Books and Five Classics and be able to write poems and articles. Knowing farming is the most important thing and is the most basic ability that a fatherly official needs to possess.
In almost every palace examination, the emperor would ask this question in a different area.
Families with officials in the court would hire someone to train their children. This issue is not unfamiliar to them.
Some of the children from poor families have had personal experience in farming, so this question is a piece of cake for them.
However, the time for this exam is a bit tight. The emperor only gives one stick of incense, so everyone has to hurry.
Almost as soon as they heard the questions, the candidates started picking up their pens and writing against the clock.
During the years that Zhao Yiming lived in Shangba Village, although he was well protected by his parents' personal maids and guards at the beginning, he was never allowed to go to the fields even when life was difficult.
But after meeting Tian An, they worked tirelessly on the farm to make a living, and during the spring planting and autumn harvest seasons, they would put down their books and work in the fields themselves. He was no stranger to farming.
He picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and first briefly described the general climate, terrain characteristics, and soil properties of the southwest region on a piece of white paper.
Then write down the seasons of the year that are suitable for growing crops, and then list the crops that are suitable for planting based on these seasons, and then briefly record the growth cycle and yield of these crops.
When we were in Shangba Village, because of Tian An, our family’s crop yields were always higher than those of other families.
Zhao Yiming did not blindly use his own crop output data to answer the question. Instead, he listed two sets of data and summarized a number of methods to increase crop yields.
After making sure that there were no missed points, he took out a clean piece of paper to formally copy the answers.
In the hall, there was a rustling sound of paper and pens rubbing against each other. The emperor suddenly had some free time, so he stood up and walked towards the ministers who were supervising the exam.
I couldn't help but murmur to the elders of the six ministries, "This year's candidates are a bit old!"
The two elders looked up at the candidates opposite them who were probably older than them, and couldn't help but twitch their lips.
But he could only say: "There are still quite a few young people."
After searching the crowd for a while, he finally raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Zhao Yiming, An Yichen and the others, saying, "Those people look quite young. They can fight for the country for many more years."
"But there are still too few such talents."
In the past, he didn't care about it, but this year is different.
Last year, many corrupt officials were brought down by taking advantage of the chaos. Now he urgently needs fresh blood. He is short of people!
The elders knew his difficulties, and could only console him by saying, "It's better to have nothing than to have something of inferior quality!"
The emperor nodded. This was the only way to comfort himself. He just hoped that the officials selected this time would be good ones and there wouldn't be so many corrupt officials.
Soon the time of one stick of incense was up. The candidates had just handed in their test papers, and before they could catch their breath, the emperor asked the next question.
This time the questions involved law, so the emperor specially looked through the files of the Ministry of Justice and found a representative case from it to give to the candidates to judge.
This question tests the candidates' familiarity with the country's criminal law. As a senior official, if you are not familiar with the criminal law, how will you judge cases in the future during your tenure?
If you cannot judge cases well, you cannot uphold justice for the people and eliminate violence and protect the good, and you are not a good official.
It also took the time of one stick of incense. After hearing the questions clearly, the candidates began to answer them in a hurry.
The papers that had just been collected were already in the hands of the examiners for review.
There were more than 200 tribute students participating in the palace examination this time. Each of the ten or so examiners was given several test papers. After quickly browsing through them, they divided the test papers into three grades: upper, middle and lower.
Then the best ones were taken out, circulated among each other, and the ten best ones were selected and submitted to the emperor.
The emperor took a quick look and had a clear idea of what was good and what was bad.
After drawing out the three that he liked best, he returned the rest to his officials, who then ranked them.
Another stick of incense passed and the answer to the second question came out.
Soon, the emperor gave the third question: "What is the biggest problem facing Tianling Kingdom today? You have half an hour to answer."
When this question was asked, all the tribute students were in an uproar. Wasn't the emperor asking everyone to expose his shortcomings?
If there are problems in the country, then it means that there is a problem with the monarch’s governance ability!
But who dares to say this?
Every country has some problems to a greater or lesser extent. If you write about some irrelevant issues, you will not be able to get a high score.
But if you want to get a high score, you must touch on some sensitive topics. If you accidentally make the emperor unhappy, it would be a serious matter of losing your head!
This question may seem simple, it's just asking a question, but it actually tests people's hearts. The question is there, the key is whether they dare to speak up.
Looking at the candidates below who were in a dilemma, some of them picked up their pens and put them down again, their palms full of sweat.
The cold sweat on some people's foreheads dripped onto the white rice paper, staining it.
The emperor sneered and thought to himself, "If you want to be an official, then show your determination and courage! Don't let me down!"
Without looking at the people below, he returned to the dragon throne and began to read the papers.
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