Chapter 128: Palace Examination (I) Palace Examination (I)
The center of the capital is a complex of buildings with red walls and yellow tiles. This is the imperial city of the Zhou Dynasty.
Inside the imperial city, palaces stand side by side and landscapes are densely packed. The tall and majestic palaces demonstrate the royal demeanor, hide a world unknown to outsiders, and symbolize the supreme imperial power.
The imperial city had a gate in each of the north, south, east and west directions. The southern gate was called Chengtian, the northern gate was called Beian, the east gate was called Dong'an, and the west gate was called Xi'an.
Before dawn that day, more than a hundred people gathered outside Chengtian Gate, waiting obediently and orderly. Despite so many people, there was no sound at all.
Su Fengzhang was also standing in the crowd waiting. He was sitting near the front, with Su Qun in front of him. Apart from smiling and nodding at each other at the beginning, the two of them did not say a single word.
They waited until the palace gates were opened, and the eunuchs filed out and began to call the roll outside the south gate. This time, the scholars did not have to be searched, and the rules seemed to be more relaxed than those of the imperial examinations. After confirming the identities of the tribute students, the eunuchs began to announce the decree ordering the tribute students waiting outside to enter the imperial city.
Anyone who thinks that the imperial city is a fairyland will probably be greatly disappointed. Whether it is the palaces painted in vermilion or the stone railings carved from white jade, what they guard is more of the power of the human world.
In the Qinzheng Hall, three rows of tables were placed, extending all the way to the white jade square outside the hall.
The Qinzheng Hall is also where ministers hold court on weekdays. It is majestic everywhere. Answering questions in this hall is a supreme honor for the tribute students, but also a huge pressure.
Not to mention that all the civil and military officials in the court, as well as the famous scholars of the Hanlin Academy, were standing nearby, and some of the more timid tribute students were already sweating on their foreheads.
Su Fengzhang lowered his head slightly, but his heart was shocked, simply because he saw a familiar person in the crowd.
Before he could suppress his surprise, he saw a figure walking up to the high seat.
"Your humble servant pays homage to His Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor."
"This humble commoner pays homage to His Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor."
The tribute students saluted together with the officials. This time they performed a grand ceremony, which was also the part that the Ministry of Rites had focused on teaching before.
"Stand up." A gentle voice came from the high throne. As the king of a country, His Majesty's tone was very gentle.
At this time, the students taking the exam also showed distinct expressions. Some were extremely excited and their bodies were shaking when they stood up, while some were calm as usual, with only a hint of excitement on their faces.
Su Fengzhang did not look up at the emperor, simply because the dragon throne was nine steps higher than their position, and even if he took a careful peek, he would be discovered. He did not want to be accused of being disrespectful in front of the emperor because of his curiosity.
He did not look up, but he did not know that the emperor was carefully observing the people below him. He saw that the tribute students in the front row of the hall were all beautiful and graceful. It seemed that both the prince and the examiners were familiar with the emperor's aesthetic taste, and the orders were passed down. Therefore, those who ranked high in the examination were at least decent in appearance.
The emperor looked down and was delighted. He thought to himself that their Great Zhou Dynasty was prosperous and that all the tribute students this term were outstanding.
Looking at the three people standing in the front, their appearances were even more outstanding compared with those behind them. The leader, Su Qian, was dignified, Su Fengzhang was handsome, and Meng Ting was also suave. When the three of them stood there, the whole palace became brighter.
The emperor nodded in satisfaction, feeling that the prince was somewhat measured in his actions. At least he didn't push those unfitting ones to the forefront. "You are all tribute students selected from all over the world of the Great Zhou. You will not disappoint me in today's palace examination."
Then came a few familiar hadiths. After that, the emperor nodded to the eunuch Li beside him. Eunuch Li picked up the imperial examination paper with both hands, walked down the steps and handed it to the person from the Ministry of Rites.
A drum sounded, the tribute students took their seats, and the palace examination began.
During the palace examination, all supplies were provided by the government. Su Fengzhang and others were not allowed to bring in anything except their clothes, and at this time he had to start grinding ink himself.
When the test questions were handed out, Su Fengzhang looked up and was surprised. He believed that if they were not in the hall at that moment and the emperor had not left yet, the tribute students present would have cried out in surprise.
On the apricot-yellow scroll, it was written: "Take the old books and return to my old retreat."
The poem "Carrying old books back to my old retreat" comes from a famous poem from the previous dynasty. The poem is called "Returning to Retreat." Originally, it consisted of eight lines: "Ten years of wandering the world, looking back at the green mountains, often in dreams." "The purple streets are full of glory, and I struggle to sleep; the rich are better off poor." "Sadly, I hear swords and spears supporting a lord in danger; I am bored, seeing the music and singing intoxicating me." "Carrying old books back to my old retreat, wild flowers and birds singing are like spring."
Every word and sentence in this poem expresses the protagonist's feeling that the past days of striving for fame and fortune are too painful to look back on, and he completely lets go of the mundane world and retires to the countryside.
The poem is good, but this kind of enthusiasm for reality is reduced to zero, without any hope, and even the mood of giving up everything and retiring may be praised by scholars, but in the eyes of the court it is definitely not something worth promoting.
The palace examination was to select talented people who could make a difference for the Great Zhou, but the central idea of this poem is to give up all the glory, wealth, and troubled world, return to the pure land of green mountains, and not care about worldly affairs.
Isn’t this completely contrary to the original intention of the palace examination?
Su Fengzhang also frowned slightly. He saw that the people from the Ministry of Rites were looking at each other with their eyes fixed on others, and seemed indifferent to this question. He knew that this question must be the intention of the emperor.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Su Fengzhang's mind, and eventually they all became rumors among the people. It was said that this emperor loved beauties more than the country, loved painting more than government affairs, and acted in a very casual manner.
The emperor has done many ridiculous things in recent years. It is not surprising that he would ask such difficult questions in the palace examination. It just makes life difficult for the candidates this year.
The emperor was willful, but the candidates could not be too willful. What was the purpose of their ten years of hard study? After all, it was not to retire to the countryside and live by the stream.
But the emperor is thinking about that. If you criticize him harshly and suggest that he should retire, he might find it annoying and sweep you away. Wouldn't that be a loss?
The tribute students below were scratching their heads and ears, but the emperor, who was being speculated about by a group of candidates above, was smiling and looked in a good mood. He even stood up and walked down.
Catching sight of the figure from the corner of his eye, Su Fengzhang subconsciously straightened his back, forcing himself to pretend he was oblivious.
The white rice paper in front of him exuded a faint fragrance. It was a high-quality paper that was rarely seen in ordinary times. Su Fengzhang quickly calmed his mind, frowned and thought hard, but the wolf hair brush in his hand did not stop, and he wrote the four words "Danggui Zegui" on the paper.
You can't just write that you like to live in seclusion. After all, if you do that, why would you bother taking the palace examination? Wouldn't it be better to just go up the mountain?
But we cannot ignore the emperor's preference for seclusion, as this person is the one who ultimately determines the ranking.
Su Fengzhang stared at the test questions and thought for a while. He quickly decided on the topic and began to write down his answers without hesitation.
It is natural to retire from the world, but before that, as a scholar, a scholar who has studied hard for ten years, I naturally have to do something for the Great Zhou and for my family.
Before retiring, he had to devote all his energy to the Great Zhou. After doing all this, he could let go of all worldly things and return to the countryside and mountains to enjoy the tranquility and beauty.
Su Fengzhang wrote with great speed, and the words fell on the spread out rice paper. He wrote as if possessed by god. For a moment, he really forgot about the emperor who was walking down, and began to answer the questions wholeheartedly.
Avoiding the important issues, Su Fengzhang's entire answer revolved around how to contribute to the Great Zhou and how to return to peace after contributing. As for whether he would be reluctant to let go after achieving success, or whether he could achieve success at all, he kept silent about it.
While he was immersed in his own world, the emperor slowly walked to his side. The emperor had just read Su Juan's article. As expected of Su Juan being the first in the examination, his article was also smooth and elegant.
But seeing him talking about the benefits of retirement wholeheartedly, the emperor felt happy but then felt a little bored. After watching for a while, he walked towards Su Fengzhang.
There was no need to cover the names of candidates in the palace examination. The emperor nodded and looked at the paper. He felt that the three words "Su Fengzhang" were particularly familiar.
Looking more closely, Su Fengzhang was young but very handsome. When he looked down, there was not a single blemish on his face. The emperor was also obsessed with looks. He even walked around Su Fengzhang, trying to find out if there was any blemish on his face.
In the end, no flaws were found, but a red mole was discovered at the right corner of Su Fengzhang's eye, which looked very nice.
The emperor looked at the child and sighed in his heart, thinking that he didn't know which family raised such a beautiful child. Why had he never seen one before? He should have seen it earlier.
After walking around, the emperor lowered his head to look at the words he had written. This time, he was even more delighted and nodded frequently.
The emperor stayed with Su Fengzhang for too long, so the prince and others on the other side looked unhappy. The prince even murmured in his heart, wondering if his father had made the mistake of only looking at the appearance again.
It's no wonder he muttered like that. The current emperor has always had a serious problem of judging people by their appearance. Not to mention the concubines in the harem, there was once an incident where he thought someone had an outstanding appearance during the imperial examination and directly promoted that person from a fellow Jinshi to a Tanhualang.
The prince couldn't help but compare Su Qun and Su Fengzhang in his mind. Both of them had the surname Su and had their own unique looks, but Su Fengzhang was from the south, had fair skin and a tall stature. Although he lacked some masculinity, he was indeed slightly better than Su Qun.
When the emperor finally walked towards Meng Ting, the prince was relieved, because compared to Su Fengzhang, Meng Ting's suave appearance was actually more in line with the emperor's preferences. Wasn't the former top scholar like that?
But surprisingly, the emperor did not stay with Meng Ting for long this time, but continued to walk back.
The prince's expression was unpredictable. He really couldn't guess what his father was thinking. He just hoped that his father would not do anything rash. This time, he was the one who was chosen by his father to be the invigilator. After all, he wouldn't deliberately embarrass him, right?
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