Chapter 109 Palace Examination

After eating with Yun Hao at Jinzun Tower, Zhao Wangshu took him to go shopping and accidentally walked outside a gambling house.

There were many people outside the gambling house. Zhao Wangshu was shocked when he heard Zhao Yin’s name, “My eldest brother didn’t study etiquette at the Ministry of Etiquette, how could he come to the gambling house?”

Just after passing the exam, her eldest brother dares to be so arrogant? She wanted to tell Grandma to break his legs.

"Don't panic, my eldest brother is still in the Etiquette Department and didn't come to the gambling house. These are the top ten in the gambling hall's opening test." Yun Hao pulled her and explained.

“I was scared to death.” Zhao Wangshu patted his chest.

The two of them squeezed in to look at the gambling list published by the gambling house. The third person was Zhao Yin, nineteen years old, from the capital. It was said that he was the nephew of the current empress, Jinke Jieyuan.

Zhao Wangshu curled his lips, "Obviously he is a nephew."

It is not that close to an aunt-nephew relationship.

The odds of Zhao Yin becoming the top pick are 4 to 1, the odds of winning the second place are 3 to 1, and the odds of being the top pick are 2 to 1.

Huiyuan’s name is Zhou Ye, he is twenty-five years old and comes from a scholarly family in Shandong. He is smart and studious, and is also the Shandong Prefecture Examination Jieyuan.

His odds are: No. 1 pick pays three to one, No. 2 pick pays one to two, and No. 3 pick pays one to one.

The second name of the Huixi was Tang Lin, who was twenty-one years old and a native of Tanzhou Prefecture in Xiangfu.

"The top three are all Jinke Jieyuan. The palace examination must be a battle between dragons and tigers." Zhao Wangshu frowned, "My eldest brother's opponents are all very strong."

"I believe that eldest brother will stand out." Yun Hao said with a smile.

The two of them squeezed out without looking too much. Just as they were about to leave, a thug from the gambling shop picked up one and threw it out.

Zhao Wangshu took a closer look and said, "Zhao He."

Zhao He didn't notice her and Yun Hao. He got up from the ground and patted the dust on his body twice. He cursed and left.

Back home, Zhao Wangshu told Mrs. Zhao Cui about this, and Mrs. Zhao Cui snorted, "What kind of good children can someone named Yang raise?"

Zhao Cui He was not interested in educating other people's children, and Zhao Wangshu would not go to the mansion to inform him about it.

What's more, if the mansion is really strict, they will not know about Zhao He's addiction to gambling, and they don't need to tell them.

March 19th, re-examination.

The location of the re-examination is also in the palace, Taichu Hall. Like the palace examination, it only tests policy questions and will mark the papers, but there will be no ranking and no registration.

Re-examinationTen days later, on March 29, the palace examination will begin. The tributes who participate in the palace examination will not be eliminated, but their rankings will fluctuate slightly.

But who doesn’t want to rank higher?

Having a high ranking means being able to show your face in front of the emperor, which is helpful for your official career.

Zhao Cheng was actually worried that he would fall into the status of a fellow Jinshi. No one in the Yongguo Palace of the late empress’s natal family was a powerful official. This shows that the emperor did not want a powerful descendant.

Furthermore, the Queen has been the Queen for several years, but the Emperor did not give the Zhao family a title.

The Ministry of Rites once reported in accordance with the etiquette and law that the emperor refused to grant the title of title to the Zhao family on the grounds that he would not have a legitimate son.

Zhao Yin had the same worries. If he fell into the top three, his future would be bleak. It was not that he would not be promoted, but that the promotion process was very difficult, but he did not show it.

The poem in Xingyuan is definitely not as good as it is, but it is like a bow to give you scarlet.

There is no surname in the imperial palace, and the robes of the clan across the river are handed down.

The chariot in the world of mortals is covered with tung trees, and swallows are flying on the green foil.

When crossing the horse, calling at the fingertips, half of the whip silk is brushed against the golden horse.

On the day of the imperial examination, the Zhao family and his son got up at dawn, drank a cup of almond dew, ate apricot blossom cake, and went to the palace with the fragrance of apricot blossom all over their bodies.

The carriage stopped a little far away from the palace gate. Today is the palace examination, and no idlers are allowed to approach the palace gate. Even the tributes who enter the palace to participate in the palace examination must go through identity verification before they can enter.

Although there were more than 300 tributes, no noise could be heard at the gate of the palace except the officials calling their names.

"Zhao Cheng." The official looked at the brochure, "Zhaojiazhuang people in the capital."

"Yes, sir." Zhao Cheng took out the name tag.

The official looked at it and said, "Go and wait over there."

"Thank you, sir." Zhao Cheng said with cupped hands.

The official looked at the booklet and said, "Zhao Yin is also from Zhaojiazhuang in the capital, and you are of the same clan."

"Sir, this is my son." Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

The official laughed, "Father and son are in the same field. This is a good story."

Zhao Yin cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, please read the famous brand post."< br />
“Okay, go and wait over there.” The official said.

When entering the palace to participate in the imperial examination, you must also be searched.

The search had only one purpose, to ensure the emperor's safety.

Since he is a tribute, no one will take him away from him.

TributeThe sergeants are already quasi-officials. For the sake of their face, the search will not be done in public, and there will be a special room.

After more than 300 people searched, it was already dark.

"When Mao hour comes, all the tributes enter the palace gate."

The palace gate opens. In addition to the little chamberlain who leads the way, there are eight officials from the Ministry of Rites and four guards.

The location of the palace examination is Taiji Hall. Taiji Hall is the east side hall of Fengtian Hall, and the west side hall is Taichu Hall.

The main hall of Fengtian Hall is the location of the large court meeting, and the small court meeting is in the Zhongji Hall.

Under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Rites, the tributes entered the Taiji Hall and lined up on the east and west sides of Danqi. They stood facing the north. All civil and military officials stood in attendance according to the usual etiquette.

There was the sound of whips and the sound of footsteps outside the hall. Everyone in the hall hurriedly bowed down and worshiped, "See you, Your Majesty."

In the sound of worship from everyone in the hall, worshipers Emperor Yuan entered the hall, glanced at everyone, and nodded with satisfaction, "Everyone stands up."

After hearing this, everyone stood up.

Emperor Chongyuan sat down and said, "Fang Qing, let's begin."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Fang Shu, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was standing aside, took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, According to the order, the palace examination will begin in the fifteenth year of Chongyuan."

The tributes sat down in order, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites began to hand out papers.

The palace examination lasted only one day, and the emperor personally set the questions: The way of the world is based on universal love.

The principle of universal love comes from "Mozi", which means that if people in the world do not love each other, unfilial and unkind things will happen.

This question may seem simple but has far-reaching implications. It requires candidates to deeply understand its meaning and refine their own opinions in a short period of time.

All the candidates lowered their heads and began to think deeply.

The entire Tai Chi Hall was silent, with only the occasional sound of paper and pen rubbing together.

The emperor sat on the throne, beside him were several assistants, reviewers, and several princes.

The candidates either closed their eyes and meditated, or wrote quickly, or thought over and over again.

Time passed slowly. The emperor and the ministers were observing silently, exchanging opinions from time to time and evaluating the performance of the candidates.

The emperor stood up and came down from Danqi. He stayed for a long time beside the three tributes, including Zhao Yin.

The officials are all discerning people. Seeing that the emperor paid more attention to these three people, he also took it to heart.

Looking at the seats, you can tell that these three people are the top three in Huiyuan.

"Hui Yuan looks a little older, and I don't know if the other two are compatible." Someone whispered.

Those who have daughters at home have already made secret plans.

At the beginning of noon, the emperor left temporarily to have lunch.

The lunch for the tributes was brought in by the chamberlain, consisting of two steamed buns and a bowl of soup. They were still only quasi-officials, so their treatment was naturally not high.

The lunch for the examiners was quite high, with five plates of tea and four different dishes.