ebonymovies Chapter 1069: Dapeng Rises with the Wind on the 1st Day (Part 1)
Chapter 1069: Dapeng Rises with the Wind on the 1st Day (Part 1)
Chapter 1069: The Great Peng Rises with the Wind (First Update)
The second year of Yuanfeng was the year of the great examination.
According to the ancestral system, when an official took the imperial examination, it was called the "locking hall examination". As the name suggests, the official would be locked in the hall and come out.
Lock the hall test.
It was specifically designed to provide a chance for the sons of the Zhao family, such as Zhang Gen, to pass the imperial examination. There were also some members of the Zhao clan and their sons-in-law, who were not allowed to take the imperial examinations, but after the second year of Xining, Wang Anshi advocated that they should also take the imperial examinations.
Zhang Yue also agreed with Wang Anshi's decision.
Its main purpose is the same as that of other examinations, which is to prevent these people from competing with children from poor families for places.
In the Song Dynasty, the number of officials who were granted imperial favor accounted for more than 60% of the officials, while in the imperial examinations for Jinshi, the number was less than 30%.
Jinshi, who were selected through imperial examinations, were called "youyuan". The rest were all called "yuren". Not only were the rest of them promoted slowly, they were also looked down upon by people in officialdom.
In addition to officials with royal titles and royal clan members, there are also many gray-haired special officials and officials who have been trapped in the "selection sea" for many years and want to try to change their fate through the lock-up test.
When Zhang Gen, who was about sixteen or seventeen years old, entered the examination room of the locked hall with a group of white-haired old men, he heard an old man wailing, "The remaining members focus on martial arts, and the old prostitutes dance on the branches."
The "shengyuan" were retired soldiers over the age of 60 during the Song Dynasty, and the Zhezhi dance was usually performed by girls.
Several special candidates like the old man sighed after hearing this, but Zhang Gen was the only one who laughed out loud at a very inappropriate time.
Suddenly, several people glared at Zhang Gen.
Zhang Gen ignored the looks and swaggered into the examination room carrying his exam basket.
Zhang Gen thought to himself, if someone looks down on me, then that's fine, there's no need to be perfunctory about it. Do I really have to pretend to comfort him by saying "an old horse in the stable still has ambitions to run a thousand miles?"
I can't say that.
Since it is a big competition, the capable ones will be promoted and the mediocre ones will be demoted. There is no need to show respect for the elderly.
Li Bai once said, "The great roc rises with the wind one day." Since I have the talent of a great roc, I should soar up to 90,000 miles. How can I be with a flock of crows? Today, I will make a stunning debut!
Zhang Genyi walked to his seat and sat down.
The chief examiner of the Suoting Examination was Ye Zuqia, the number one scholar in the third year of Xining.
Among the Jinshi candidates in the third year of Xining, Ye Zuqia and Shangguan Jun were also rivals.
Shangguan Jun was praised for his uprightness because of his opposition to the Reform Movement, and now he was promoted to the position of Imperial Censor, but Ye Zuqia was accused of being dependent on the Reform Movement. Although Ye Zuqia had been suppressed since Wang Anshi was dismissed from his post, Zhang Yue was very caring towards this fellow countryman and promoted him from time to time.
Not only Ye Zuqia, Zhang Yue has always helped officials from the same nationality whenever he can. This is also because of his good reputation and popularity.
Among the officials, those from Fujian are particularly shrewd, capable, ambitious, and highly capable of taking action, but they also have the bad habits of retaliation and forming cliques.
With Zhang Yue's support, Ye Zuqia had been promoted to the position of Zhisherenyuan, and was appointed as the chief examiner of this lock-hall examination as an exception.
After the exam started, Ye Zuqia kept patrolling after he came out of the exam room. He stopped at Zhang Gen.
When Ye Zuqia saw that the young man had delicate features and bright eyes, he knew, as he was well versed in physiognomy, that this boy was definitely not an ordinary person.
Then Ye Zuqia changed his mind and realized that none of the candidates who came to the lock-up hall for the examination were ordinary people.
The one he heard about was Yan Tong, the nephew of the former prime minister Yan Shu. As for the others, he didn't know. He also asked the officials of the Ministry of Rites secretly, but the person turned out to be a good friend of Shangguan Jun and ruthlessly rejected him.
Thinking of this, Ye Zuqia smiled with relief, and was about to turn around and leave, but he saw that the other party had already answered a question. Seeing this, Ye Zuqia frowned a little, thinking that young people don't know their depth. This question is the face of the paper, and generally one has to think carefully before answering it, or answer it at the end.
How can you answer it so easily?
Ye Zuqia thought to himself, should I give some advice or two, or else I'll waste such talent?
As the chief examiner, Ye Zuqia is also extremely responsible. After all, the candidates who are admitted in the lock-hall examination will be his "disciples" in the future.
So Ye Zuqia calmly picked up Zhang Gen's paper and began to read it.
"Good calligraphy, you can tell it was taught by a famous master!"
"The article is also good, with a surprising style... It doesn't seem to be reckless..."
"The allusions here are very good, and he is really well-read and well-remembered."
"This article and this meaning... are rare, rare... Only with this confidence can I write it in one go without thinking, but could it be copied? How can the son of an official have such talent at such a young age? This must be the result of decades of hard work..."
"Excellent! Excellent! The ending at the end is truly a stunning stroke of genius. If this person is in office and is another Shangguan Jun, I should retreat three steps and avoid his sharp edge... I might as well hone my skills!"
When Ye Zuqia thought of this, his expression turned pale, and he immediately stretched out his hand to check his name and hometown for three generations!
Zhang…Weng…Jianzhou Pucheng…Father Zhang Yue…
It turns out to be...it turns out to be the Qilin child of [En Xiang]!
No wonder... No wonder... The son of a benefactor should be like this! It's a pity that he has the talent of a top scholar, but he can't win the top prize.
The jealousy in Ye Zuqia's heart disappeared in an instant and turned into ecstasy... It seems that the rest of my life will depend on this child.
Thinking of this, Ye Zuqia suppressed the joy in his heart and placed the paper gently on Zhang Gen's desk.
Zhang Gen subconsciously raised his head and saw the examiner in front of him with a smile as warm as a spring day in March, and his eyes were full of earnest expectations... Zhang Gen curled his lips indifferently, thinking that this person's smile was so silly.
……
And inside the Ministry of Rites examination hall.
Chen Guan, Chao Buzhi and Li Kui, all of Zhang Yue's disciples, were also writing furiously in the examination room.
……
Ten eunuchs entered the Jiying Hall one after another, holding imperial trays with the examination papers of the Ministry of Rites and the Lock Hall Examination on them.
Wang Gui, Yuan Jiang, Feng Jing and other officials in charge of the two governments are all listed among Your Highness.
Since the government took charge of the imperial examinations in person in the third year of Xining, it has attached particular importance to evaluating talent.
Promoting talented people from humble backgrounds was the secret to the Zhao Song Dynasty's stable rule and orderly succession of dynasties.
The emperor will carefully examine the papers of the top ten examiners selected by the Ministry of Rites this time to see if there are any who have no knowledge but have gained their place through connections.
However, I am glad that the examiners are very responsible in their selection.
The emperor said to his ministers: "I seek talents from all over the world. There are talented people among the poor, but there are also talented people among the officials. I should treat them equally and seek talents for the country!"
"These ten volumes are very suitable, so let's use them to determine the list!"
Wang Gui, Feng Jing and other assistant ministers all agreed.
……
In front of the ritual department.
It’s the once-every-three-years time to look at the rankings, and people are gathered in three layers inside and three layers outside.
Many wealthy businessmen drove their carriages loaded with gold and silver and parked outside the gate of the Ministry of Rites. After the results were announced, they would make their choice on the spot if they found a suitable candidate.
The strong slaves kept by the rich businessmen were all eager to try.
The famous prostitutes in Bian Jing also sat in the float, vying for a glimpse of the most talented people in the world.
Books contain golden houses and beautiful women, and it is true as the saying goes.
As the chief counselor of Zhang Yue Prefecture, Chen Guan is naturally the favorite. He is now also the one who is watching the list. It is said that before the announcement of the list, a famous monk in the capital had predicted who would be the top scorer.
The monk thought highly of Chen Guan and said to him, "It is impossible to get the top prize in the imperial examination." This remark made many people laugh.
A moment later, an official from the Ministry of Rites came out holding the list, and the crowd was immediately excited.
……
Within the Zhang Mansion.
Zhang Shi and Yu had already gone to Daxiangguo Temple to draw lots for Zhang Gen. When the examination started and the results were announced, Daxiangguo Temple and other temples were packed with people.
Zhang Yue, who was still ill, was at home.
Needless to say, three of his disciples are going to take the exam today.
However, his eldest son Zhang Gen disobeyed his order not to take the imperial examination and lived in Huang Lu's house to prepare for the Ministry of Rites examination. Huang Lu replied to Zhang Yue, "Don't worry about this. Gen has his own ideas. I will take care of it for you."
Zhang Yue couldn't help but feel that Zhang Gen was getting a little too powerful and actually found his father-in-law as a backer. Shiqi Niang sent people to ask Zhang Gen to go home three times, but he refused.
Today, the Ministry of Rites announced the results. Zhang Yue sat in his mansion, feeling very nervous. He was concerned, anxious, and angry.
Even Shiqi Niang and Zhang Cheng had gone to the Ministry of Rites early to check the list, so he didn't even have anyone to talk to at home.
Just at this moment, a burst of firecrackers was heard outside. Zhang Yue stood up from his seat, only to see Peng Jingyi running inside.
"My husband, my husband, my son got first place in the high school entrance exam!"
"it is good!"
Zhang Yue stood up suddenly and kicked the desk, instantly grimacing in pain.
"Where are Yingzhong, Wujiu, Sihe, and Shaoyou?"
Peng Jingyi said: "Except for the young master of the Qin family, the rest have all passed."
Zhang Yue closed his folding fan and said, "Very good! Now, it hurts so much!"
Peng Jingyi hurried forward to support him, and said with a smile: "Sir, you should pay attention to the dignity of the Prime Minister! Don't do this!"
Zhang Yue cursed, "Nonsense! My son got first place in the imperial examination. I should be so happy..."
At this point, Zhang Yue felt his throat suddenly choked up and he couldn't utter a word. He then bent down and covered his toes.
"What's the value of this prime minister's face?"
"pain!"
Peng Jingyi smiled and said, "Sir, please bear with it."
Zhang Yue said: "This boy passed the imperial examination without my support... If you don't let him succeed, it will be bad. Just let him go! It depends on his own luck in the future. My Zhang family has been loyal to the country for generations. I hope he will at least not bring shame to the family's reputation!"
At this point, Zhang Yue couldn't hold back his tears and couldn't stop them no matter what he did.
After a while, Zhang Yue regained his composure.
"It is better to teach your child a scripture than to leave him a thousand gold coins."
"It is better for a son to learn to read than to be a prime minister."
"Be filial to your parents at home and be loyal to your ruler in your country. This is the romanticism of me, a scholar, and the reason why my Zhang family has been passed down from generation to generation!"
Peng Jingyi smiled and said, "It turns out that my husband has already forgiven me in his heart!"
Zhang Yue laughed when he heard this: "If I don't annoy him, I'm afraid he won't know how to cherish me."
Peng Jingyi said: "Sir, the young master is at the bottom of the list right now. If you are not angry, why not go and see him!"
Zhang Yue shook his head and said, "There will be many guests coming to celebrate soon. You should entertain them for me first. I will go to the Shadow Hall first to comfort our ancestors. My family has another Jinshi!"
Speaking of this, Zhang Yue couldn't help but his eyes became wet again.
……
Under the Ministry of Rites list, Zhang Gen looked at himself ranked first in the Lock Hall Test and couldn't help but smile: "As expected, I will make a big splash today!"
Ps: This is the first update, making up for what I missed during the Spring Festival.
(End of this chapter)