Prime Minister

Chapter 276 Palace Exam
In the Song Dynasty, the examination was conducted by the local military state, while the provincial examination was administered by the Shangshu province.

What about the imperial examination?Since the examination is conducted in the name of the Son of Heaven, but the Son of Heaven manages a lot of things every day, it is impossible to be responsible for everything in the palace examination, so which Yamen is in charge?
There was no palace examination in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but after the Song Dynasty established the palace examination, it faced such a problem.

In the Song Dynasty, there were two institutions that served the emperor, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.The Royal Pharmacy Institute is affiliated to the Inner Province, and its imperial medicine position is closest to the emperor because it has served the emperor's medicine for a long time.

At the beginning of Song Renzong's accession to the throne, the Imperial Medicine Academy was only responsible for serving medicine.

However, Song Renzong continued to use the Imperial Medicine Academy, and the Imperial Medicine Academy was no longer purely for the emperor to cook medicine. In the reign of Jingyou, it was divided into raw and cooked medicine cases, miscellaneous affairs cases, opening and dismantling cases, and cooperative cases.

Among them, the miscellaneous affairs case is responsible for the selection of candidates in the palace examination, the suburban ceremonies, the preparation of banquets, the manufacture and supply of imperial clothes, etc.

When taking the test and the provincial test, candidates bring their own test paper, which is bound by the bookstore and stamped by the secretary.

Then when it comes to the palace examination, these people are the so-called disciples of the Son of Heaven. How can the emperor be so picky with the candidates when facing his own students?

As a result, the Imperial Medicine Academy took charge of the binding of the examination papers smoothly.

In addition, there is a rule in the provincial test. If you do not understand the test questions or do not know the source, you can ask the examiner for advice.

In the Palace Examination, if the examinee cannot pass, please ask the emperor for advice.

Therefore, from the first year of Jingyou, Zhao Zhen asked the Imperial Medicine Academy to take charge of this matter.

All the examination papers of the palace examination were engraved and printed, and the emperor would inform the eunuch of the Imperial Medicine Academy of the examination questions and the source of the examination questions in advance, and asked him to print them on the examination papers.

The emperor believed that the ministers of the imperial medicine academy were the emperor's own people, and they did not collude with scholars like the ministers, and would never leak the examination questions to the examinees in advance.

At the same time, the Imperial Medicine Institute is also responsible for supervising the examiners, which means that they are responsible for everything for the emperor, and no one dares to supervise.Of course, it is also because of not giving up in the palace examination, and candidates generally will not take risks because of this.

However, Wang Kui, accompanied by a businessman, was whispering with a courtier of the Imperial Medicine Academy.Wang Kui learned that the three exam questions given by the emperor were "The King's Ode to Heaven, Earth and Man" and "Tian De Qing Ming Poetry".

Wang Kui felt that the other party's asking price was too high, so he refused.But with the two questions in hand, Wang Kui's heart was already determined. Now that the palace examination is only a few days away, if he thinks carefully, the number one scholar will definitely be within his grasp.

February 26, the day before the imperial examination.

Zhang Yuehuanglu went to the bookstore to get his number. On the day of the palace examination, he had to use his number to enter the venue, and the fee was not much more than two hundred yuan.

However, Zhang Yue feels that since he entered Taixue, he has spent a lot of money on book shops, not only for reading, but also for the imperial examinations. Few of the people here have no money.

The people in the bookstore hinted that Zhang Yue would give him some more money so that he could get the next day's exam position.What's the point of getting a test seat, of course, it's convenient to cheat with your neighbors, and even invite gunmen.

Even when it comes to the palace examination, these frauds are still unavoidable.

Zhang Yue felt that the system of our Song Dynasty was really easy to make holes.But Zhang Yue simply inquired about the price, and shook his head that it was too expensive.But having said that, as No. 2 in the provincial exam, who should I copy when I get to the exam room?
I'm afraid the only way to sit next to Jiang Yan is.

After paying the money, Zhang Yuehuang walked out of the bookstore, and all the shopkeepers of the bookstore were sent out, saying auspicious words all the time.

The other scholars were puzzled when they saw it, but when they asked Zhang Yue, who was the second in the provincial examination, they were all relieved, and many people came forward to make acquaintances.

There are many scholars who come to the bookstore to ask for a number this day, and the bookstore that Zhang Yue asked for is just facing Nanxunmen Street, the main road from Bianjing into the city.

After Zhang Yue and Huang Lu bid farewell to the scholars, they saw that the street was very busy.

When today's son was in the year of Jingyou, after the abolition of the market system, ordinary people could open their shops on the street at will, and the prosperity of Bianjing's market suddenly exploded like a blowout, appearing in front of every commoner who came to Bianjing.

The walls of the squares were torn down and replaced by mansions.

But I saw a pavilion built on Nanxunmen Street, and willows and apricots were planted all over the banks of two rows of diversion canals. You can see that under a big willow tree, there are three or five umbrellas for sunshade. Fighting tea and selling tea, this scene attracts the people who have just arrived in Bianjing to linger in front of the vendors. This is a first-class smoky scene,

In addition to the market, there are many rich and official residences on both sides of Nanxun Gate.

And it seems that many of these high-ranking official residences have built watchtowers.Officials and eunuchs do not allow women in their families to lean on the door to watch the street. They think it is a first-class debauchery, so they build a building specially for women who live in deep boudoirs and cannot go out to climb upstairs to overlook the street.

In the Tang Dynasty, the dignitaries built the Guanjielou very gorgeously. When one of them was just appointed as the censor, the dignitaries heard the news and covered the Guanjielou and sealed it with mud.

As for the storybooks of the market in the Tang and Song Dynasties, countless encounters between men and women are in the street.

On this day, the book shop asked for a test number, and women from wealthy families around Nanxun Gate went up to the street watching tower to look at the street.The more reserved women lowered the curtains to look at the street, or lowered the curtains to peek behind the curtains, or some women lifted the curtains to look aside, pointing at the scholars to chat and laugh.

A group of scholars passed by downstairs in the street, and it is not known whether their hearts are turbulent.

Zhang Yue and Huang Xing walked and chatted on the street, but they didn't look around.

As they were walking, they heard chatter and laughter upstairs in the street, and saw an embroidered handkerchief fluttering down from the upstairs in front of the two of them.

Zhang Yue Huanglu raised his head, but saw a woman from the building in front of him covering her face with a fan and couldn't help but smile coquettishly.

Zhang Yue knew that if he wanted to, he could pick up the Xiu Padeng mansion and return it, maybe a marriage could be achieved.

However, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu just bowed to the woman upstairs and left.Occasionally, I heard a sentence in my ear that the tall man was so elegant and handsome, but it was a pity that he had no chance.

Zhang Yue couldn't help looking back, but saw a woman looking at him upstairs, and turned away with a smile when he saw himself looking back.

Zhang Yue smiled embarrassedly. At this moment, he felt that his steps were brisk. This worldly world of mortals is so lively and beautiful, especially before the palace exam tomorrow.

At this moment, he seems to be waiting to open the dice. Although the lid has not been opened yet, the size of the dice inside has more or less been decided.Although Zhang Yue knew that there would be a good result, he was still waiting for the final reveal of how big it was.

As for the embroidered handkerchief floating in front of her eyes, it is an embellishment in this experience, which will be engraved in her memory forever.

After returning to the house, Butler Wu served tea soup to the two of them.

After Zhang Yue had tea, he went to the study and wrote a fu and a policy without hesitation.Then I stretched the bow dozens of times in the yard, and took a bath after exercising and sweating.

Mu Yu chatted with Butler Wu and the others for a while, everything was as calm as usual, keeping a peaceful state of mind, not affecting emotions, and at the same time, it was necessary to properly put some pressure on oneself, this was Zhang Yue's state of preparation before the palace exam.

For more than [-] days, Zhang Yue has been living like this, like a soldier before going out to sharpen the sharp edge of the sword in his hand.

Finally, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu had a light and delicious dinner.

After eating, he went back to his room, and Zhang Yue went to bed after checking the items for the next day's exam, because he had to get up early in the morning after the third shift of the next day.

February 27.

Huang Lu woke up Zhang Yue early.

Zhang Yue saw that Huang Lu's expression was not good, and there was phlegm in his throat.

Zhang Yue thought to himself, Huang Lu doesn't know what's wrong with the sunrise of the palace exam.

"Anzhong, did you sleep well last night?"

Huang Lu nodded and said, "The nose is a little stuffy."

Zhang Yue immediately said, "Steward Wu, Steward Wu."

Butler Wu went in immediately. He knew that Zhang Yue and Huang Lu had to go to the examination room early in the morning, so they were busy all night without sleep.

Butler Wu said: "Your Majesty, are you asking about the food carriage?"

Zhang Yue said: "No, if there is any medicine to get rid of wind evil, boil a bowl immediately."

Huang Lu waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I'm afraid that after taking the medicine, I'd be sleepy during the palace exam, so I should just eat some hot soup and hot food, I don't think there will be any serious problems."

Seeing this, Zhang Yue said, "Forget it, then Steward Wu prepares some medicine for An Zhong to take with him, and also brings some hot soup and hot food."

Zhang Yue has always had a good appetite, and he ate a lot before the provincial examination, but he only ate some of the yellow shoes.

Zhang Yue said: "The imperial examination will take a whole day, eat as much as you want, otherwise your writing will shake."

Huang Lu nodded and ate some more reluctantly.

Zhang Yue put some food on his body and said to Huang Lu, "Eat while walking."

The carriage was arranged by the Wu family, and Tang Jiu accompanied them on the carriage.

After Zhang Yue boarded the carriage, Butler Wu and other servants chased him to the side of the carriage and said auspicious words loudly.Zhang Yue smiled and put down the curtain, and then the carriage drove the two of them away at a gallop.

In less than four watch days, the carriage drove straight from Nanxunmen Street all the way to the Imperial City. The sky and the streets were pitch black all the way. After entering the inner city, it turned a corner and finally arrived in front of Donghua Gate.

Zhang Yue and Huang Lu got off the carriage one after another.

However, the city gate was lit with several fires, the imperial guards at the foot of the imperial city were standing outside the imperial city, and a waning moon was still hanging on the top of the city.There is a specified time for the opening of the imperial city, and now the candidates who have come one after another have rushed here one after another, waiting outside the city gate.

Zhang Yue took out food from his pocket and shared some with the yellow shoes.

Overhearing two scholars chatting, one said: "Do you know that brother Jiang Sheng passed away a few days ago?"

"Ah? What's the matter? Didn't brother Jiang Sheng always cherish his body? Why did this happen before the imperial examination? Why are you so unlucky?"

The other party replied: "Jiang Sheng is very happy after passing the provincial examination, but he is not a fun-loving person, he lives in a hotel and doesn't go anywhere. Unexpectedly, brother Jiang Sheng suddenly fell ill overnight for some reason. I was in a foreign country, and I didn’t know to ask a famous doctor for treatment, but I was sick for two days and went there, and now I have to add a person who was not on the previous list.”

Another person sighed: "There is another matter, this sick person is also a bad life, and it is a good life to make up this person."

When Zhang Yue heard this, he immediately felt that it was a trick of good fortune.

The imperial examination was about to come, Zhang Yue couldn't help pacing to calm his mind, but he saw that the scholars on the left and right were relaxed and optimistic, which was different from his nervous expression.

Zhang Yue thought for a while and figured out why, the cruelest provincial test had already passed, they came here just to set the final ranking, Jinshi was already within easy reach for them.

But I am different, this time I come here for the imperial examination, without him, I am fighting for the champion.

(End of this chapter)