Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 647: What kind of tricks are they selling?

Gongyuan of Beijing,

Zhang Jinyu stood at the inner door and looked at the examiners who were presiding over the examination. Except for the inspection officials, who were younger, they were all gray-haired and older. It seemed obvious that the inspection inspection was a physical job, so it would be right to use some young people.

When it comes to reviewing papers, naturally the older the person is and the more experienced he is, the more reliable he will be. As for whether it is really that safe, it is a matter of benevolence and wisdom. Anyway, Zhang Jinyu doesn't really believe that anyone can do it. Correcting, young people marking papers, anyway, they are more energetic, older people
"Mr. Nan, I don't have any high opinions. Some of me are just curious. It turns out that the place where students take the Enke examination can be so difficult. Sure enough, many things are not easy. The imperial examination is even more difficult."

Zhang Jinyu also felt this. All the officials across from him were smiling, and the previous barriers were gone. It seemed that there was no hostility.

Mr. Nan, the scholar of Wuyingdian University, smiled heartily.
"Master Marquis, you are right. I have studied hard for ten years in order to be named on the gold medal list. The right time, place, and people are indispensable. Even if a man with a lot of money has bad luck and bad luck, he is really Can't pass the exam."

Nan Zixian had a deep understanding that his most promising students ranked first in poetry, literature, and talent. Unfortunately, he only entered the court three times because of other things. He was delayed again and again, so that he did not perform well in the exam and lost his reputation. There are more people like this, so it is possible that luck is greater than knowledge here.

: "That's true!"

Zhang Jinyu nodded, then looked at Chu Nian beside him and asked about this first,
"Master Nan, Lord Ben and Chu Nian are here today. In addition to taking a look at the layout of Gongyuan, there are some things that Master Nan needs to mention, and I would also like to ask Master Nan for his advice."

"Oh, why is the Marquis so embarrassed? Please tell me."

Nanda people don’t look very relaxed either. The number of people taking part in the imperial examination this year is beyond imagination. It is the highest number since the founding of the country. The pressure is very high. What’s more, there is no precedent for arranging examination rooms on a large scale in the palace.

"Master Marquis, don't be joking. These people are all from the Gongyuan Palace. As for the Hanyuan Palace, the Marquis still needs to ask for some people from the palace. As for the officials who will review the papers, the Marquis had better find some. After all, There are too many papers, and there may not be many people available here,”

"Mr. Nan, this is the first time for candidates to take the Hanyuan Hall exam in the palace. Although Hanyuan Hall is large, it cannot accommodate thousands of candidates. Even if it is rebuilt, firstly, there is not enough time, and secondly, there is not enough space. , please give me some advice, Mr. Nan.”

Obviously, after realizing this from Mr. Nanda’s words, everyone remained silent.
Chu Nian also understood it and wanted to explain it to the Marquis again, but Zhang Jinyu did not refuse and continued to ask,

Zhang Jinyu didn’t beat around the bush, as the imperial examination was approaching, he would have no time if he didn’t ask.

The officials who reviewed the papers were all old Hanlin officials from the capital. They were rich in experience and made fewer mistakes. Why is this happening now? What happened inside?

When Nanzi saw it, his face was dull and he waved his hand.

As well as the Hanyuan Palace examination room, there are some academy disciples and official officials taking examinations in the palace. It involves a lot of things, and no one dares to speak out.

"Sir, how could this happen? If there are not enough officials, we can call them again. Why do you let the Marquis choose officials?"

Then, he bowed to them, which scared many officials and hid aside. Those young people with nimble legs were so frightened that they knelt down and showed their ugly behavior.

They were all silent. It turned out that there was something else going on. Those senior people, some of whom wanted to compete for the position of chief examiner of Hanyuan Palace, also shut up now. Enke's matter was not just lip service. What is important is to be foolproof. If it is better in Gongyuan, it involves the palace and the reconstruction of Hanyuan Hall. If any place is neglected and does not do well, and Enke's affairs encounter a big problem, then we will be in trouble. He will be the scapegoat. Not the examiner.

At this time, Chu Nian beside him also noticed that something was wrong. Mr. Nan seemed to have completely let go of Hanyuan Hall. Why was that?

"Master Nan, I will keep it in mind. After all, this is my first time as an examiner and I have no experience. Since this is my first time, there is nothing I dare not accept. Master Nan, I will not bother you anymore. Time is running out. We still need to go to Hanyuan Hall to inspect the renovation and try to arrange it in the shortest possible time. Time waits for no one. "

Mr. Nan's words made the entire courtyard fall into silence. Before arriving, many officials, especially the young officials, were unconvinced. Why would the examiner of Hanyuan Palace be given to a distinguished noble, a marquis? Who knows? What?
now,

"Master Nan, what you mean is that as long as the exam is unified and there is no cheating, it's fine. As for how to take the exam, it's not right or wrong to be bound by the form."

Nan Zixian is not a pedantic person. Almost everyone in the palace is watching. Anyone who wants to cause trouble in the palace will have disastrous consequences.
Zhang Jinyu already had a vague idea in his mind at this time. The exams in later generations are all one exam at a time. No, it's no problem. This is because people can't leave and need to live here. It requires too many manpower and it's difficult to handle it.

Zhang Jinyu finally understood. Nan Zixian was indeed shrewd. He would fool him if he pushed two, five or six. But it was okay. The general meaning was that he understood. As long as he could pass the exam and as long as there was no cheating, it was up to you. How to take the exam? In this case, the responsibility lies with the examiner.
After glancing at the group of officials behind Mr. Nan, their eyes were a little evasive. They seemed to be all human beings. Suddenly, he became teasing and asked;
"By the way, Mr. Nan, among the officials behind you, are there any chief judges of Hanyuan Palace? If so, please go with me and have a good discussion on how to ensure that the Enke exam goes smoothly. As the saying goes, the master is the master. First, I still want to ask them for advice."

Nan Zixian stopped, looked back at the two of them and asked,

As soon as these words came out, the officials around them whispered. What's more, they all knew that because there were too many candidates, there were two examination rooms, red and white.

"Master Hou, I don't have any suggestions. This is the first time I have encountered these things. However, the most important thing for Enke is to prevent fraud. Candidates are not allowed to cheat in the exam, let alone plagiarism, or disrupt discipline in the examination room. So Master Hou, These three points are the core points. Lord Marquis, please keep them in mind. As for how to arrange the exam, Lord Marquis, you are the examiner and it is all up to you."

"Haha, Mr. Hou, you can also say that. I believe that the subjects of the scientific examination are not necessarily the students, but the examiners. Mr. Hou, you have to remember that as long as the students take the exam, as long as they enter Longmen, there will be no time for anything. People are not allowed to go out unless they have handed in their exam papers in advance, but there are very few such people,"

Zhang Jinyu also felt that something was wrong at this time. What do you mean by going to the palace to ask for someone? Is it possible that except for a deputy judge next to you, you are an official and you don't want to give it to anyone. Isn't this asking you to stand on the stage shirtless and shout? ,

"It's not that I won't give it, it's that there is no one to give it to. Lord Marquis, do you know how many people are currently holding white lottery tickets?"

Nan Zixian had a wry smile on his face, and even the officials behind him felt helpless. Zhang Jinyu wondered how many there could be. Two thousand people at most, and one thousand people with red tickets, how many more could there be. "Mr. Nan, how many can there be? I remember that there are more than a thousand people in the red lottery. Can there be 2,000 in the white lottery?"

"What the Marquis said is wrong. For the first provincial examination, let's put it this way, almost everyone who could come came. There were more than 4,000 people. The red lottery provincial examination was not that many, only more than 1,000 people, unless it was the next time. The number of people in the general examination can be smaller, but as far as I know, the number of people who have registered for the general examination has now exceeded 1,000. Counting the provincial examination this time, the ratio of first-class articles is ten to one. In addition, the Marquis also Clearly, this year’s B-grade articles are also at a ratio of ten to one, that’s a thousand people, please do the math, Lord Marquis, is this true?”

Nan Zixian also had a solemn look on his face. His Majesty sent someone to pass on the secret decree. The number of people admitted this year actually includes the articles in Grade B. It was the suggestion of Marquis Luo Yun. This has changed the most policies in the past. Grade B Some of the articles must also be selected, or all of them may be accepted. Although the specific details are unclear, it is also speculated that it was due to the trouble caused by the students who took the imperial examination last year.
Zhang Jinyu obviously understood and was a little speechless. Mr. Nan is good at Tai Chi, and he also mentioned B-level articles. He obviously knew the advice he gave to His Majesty in the imperial study room at that time, so he ignored it and passed it all on to himself. , there are so many people in one examination room, where can I find them?
Zhang Jinyu looked at the officials behind Nanzi Xian. There were a lot of people, at least a hundred people. Looking at the people around her, Chunian was the only one, and there were two people from Ningbian. They couldn't even keep up with the ostentation. Damn it. Ask yourself to find civil servants, think about what those people look like, and how to find them.

"What Mr. Nan said is true, but isn't it inappropriate for these officials to ask me to ask for it myself?"

"Ah haha, Mr. Hou, of course it is suitable. In the capital, there may not be many things, but there are many officials in the capital, the Hanlin Academy, the six ministries, etc., as well as the idle civil servants from other ministries. These are all people, Hou I still need to think more about it.”

Nan Zixian told a group of idle officials in the capital, just to remind the Marquis that this matter was easy to handle.
Zhang Jinyu looked at them like this, and it was obvious that they had nothing to gain, so why were they still here?
"Thank you very much, Mr. Nan. I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave."

He walked away angrily, completely ignoring the officials behind him. Chu Nian had no choice but to follow quickly.

People just left,

Many officials behind him began to whisper among themselves. Ji Mingping, a bachelor of Wuying Palace, quickly came over and said;
"Mr. Nan, why do you say that? Chu Nianke is still there. Is it true that there is no manpower available for Gongyuan, or does Sir have other ideas?"

Ji Mingping's tone was a little irritable. Chu Nian was his best friend. He was supposed to go to Hanyuan Palace, but he had a bad temper and might have caused trouble. That's why Chu Nian went there first. But now Mr. Nan has If you don't send someone to help, it's obvious that you have something to hide.

Nan Zixian sighed, shook his head and replied;
"You are just anxious. First of all, what I said is that there is not enough manpower. It is indeed true. There are many people in Gongyuan, and the newly built examination shed also needs manpower. This is the original manpower, and it is a bit tight. Secondly, it is my "Reaction, Wu Xun interfered in the scientific examination. As a civil servant, it is impossible for me to have no reaction at all. This is to stop the civil servants' mouths. Today's incident will definitely be spread through their mouths,"

Nanzi waved his sleeves and asked him to follow. The two of them walked faster, keeping the officials behind them apart, and said again;

"The last point is to see the reaction of the palace and Marquis Luo Yun. If it doesn't work, it won't be too late for me to take action."

Ji Mingping opened his mouth, but did not say anything. The reason given by Mr. Nan was enough. He was concerned about Wuyingdian's face and needed Mr. Nan to react and show the world's civil servants the rest. Naturally, I brushed it off, but when I thought of Chu Nian, I couldn't hold back the guilt in my heart.

"Mr. Nan is wise, but it's just Chu Nian. How can I explain this to you?"

"No need to explain, he will understand. Let's go and start patrolling the examination room."

"Yes, my lord."

Nan Zixian continued to lead the people to investigate the layout of the Gongyuan.
As for the outside of Gongyuan,

Zhang Jinyu walked out of the gate angrily, looked back at the vermilion gatehouse, couldn't hold it back, and cursed,
"This old fox, has he thought about it a long time ago? Mr. Chu, these people don't know, right? When you came to the house today, you didn't tell me that the Hanyuan Palace examination room is not open to officials."

Chu Nian's face turned red. He remembered Master Nan's words just now. He always felt that there was a reason for the matter. According to their calculations, the officials of Gongyuan did not have enough manpower. However, Master did not explain the matter before. After all, his friend Ji Mingping also looked confused. Looking at it this way It was Mr. Nan's last thought. He must have some hidden agenda.

For now, let’s deal with Mr. Hou first.
"Mr. Marquis, I really don't know about this matter. I only saw what the Marquis and Mr. Nanda said. The number of examiners is indeed not enough. The Marquis should first think about where these officials can make up the number. A thousand examination papers need at least Twenty people will examine the papers, a hundred people will patrol, and there will be more people who will inspect the site. How to arrange these people needs to be carefully considered by the Marquis. "

"Fuck, motherfucker."

When Zhang Jinyu heard this, his head was pounding, and he was so angry that he cursed, "There are so many people, and so many examiners are required to accompany the exam, so why not just let him do it himself?"
Ah!
When Zhang Jinyu thought of private soldiers, he suddenly had an idea. Civil servants with good skills were needed to review papers, but they were not necessarily needed to accompany examinations and inspections.

Thinking about it this way, not all eunuchs, soldiers, and people from the Imperial City Department can come in for inspection. We still need to ask His Majesty about this matter. If possible, just find the person who approves the papers. Tsk tsk, okay. Method,
Zhang Jinyu had some concerns in his mind, so he didn't hesitate and got on the carriage directly.

"Lord Chu, without any further delay, go to the palace to see the examination venue first, come up with a rough plan, and start construction first. As for the examiners and other people, I have some ideas in mind. Come and refer to it to see if it is feasible. ?”

Chu Nian was also frowning outside the carriage. He needed so many examiners, and it would not be possible to mobilize them all in a short while. Hearing that the Marquis had an idea, Chu Nian was curious, pulled the door frame of the carriage, and got in. Then the coachman shouted loudly ,
"drive,"

Then the carriage moved,

Chu Nian asked hurriedly,

"Master Marquis, you have thought of a good idea. I think it's really not possible. I'll go to the Hanlin Academy and Wuying Hall and find some friends to help me."

Seeing Chu Nian's concerned look, which didn't look fake, Zhang Jinyu remained silent and smiled mysteriously.
"I have a clever plan of my own."

(End of this chapter)