Troubled times: Start practicing spiritual practice by taking care of your sister-in-law.

Chapter 536: Qualified to Become an Official
After listening to Chen Mo's words, Chen Xiu was a little confused. He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

Instead, he was moved by Chen Mo's loyal words.

Although he really couldn't tell what was wrong now, Chen Mo's starting point was good. He had done good deeds for the people, for the country, and for the scholars of the world.

If we can cultivate a group of talents who are loyal to Your Majesty and the country through this imperial examination, the Song Dynasty may not be unable to revive.

On the other hand, although the imperial court restored the imperial examination, it only held it in Luonan. How many scholars could participate?
"Duke Anguo is wise, and I am the one who thinks too narrowly."

Ever since Chen Mo made Chen Xiu the chief examiner of the imperial examination, the latter was naturally no longer a commoner.

"Hey." Chen Mo raised his hand modestly to Chen Xiu, and then said: "After learning that the court issued an order to restore the imperial examination, I have already issued the order. I believe that the government offices of the counties below will receive it in the next two days. As long as the people want to take the imperial examination, they can go to the government offices of Qing, Yu, Lin, Huai, Jiangnan, Jiangdong and other counties to apply for the examination. When the government office verifies the application, it will issue a certificate to the candidates. The candidates can go to the four state capitals in August to take the examination with the certificate."

"Great kindness."

After listening to what Chen Mo said, Chen Xiu stood up, bent down nearly 90 degrees and bowed to Chen Mo.

Soon, the news that the provincial examinations would be held in Qing, Yu, Lin, Huai and other states spread throughout the country. When the officials from the yamen personally went to the countryside to convey the news, almost everyone in the people of the four states as well as Jiangdong and Jiangnan knew about it.

Notices were posted at the city gates of each county town in the four states, Jiangdong, and Jiangnan.

The announcement also said that not only the people from Qing, Yu, Lin and Huai states as well as Jiangdong and Jiangnan states could participate, but people from other states could also participate, but they had to go to the government office of any of the four states to apply for the exam.

There are no requirements for taking the exam. As long as you are a citizen of the Song Dynasty, you can take the exam.

The announcement also stated that anyone who passed the provincial examination, even if they failed the subsequent metropolitan examination, would be rewarded by the Duke of Anguo with a house and two acres of land, and would be arranged to settle in any of the four states, and could also be arranged to serve as an official.

Once the content of the announcement spread, the world was shocked.

You know, in the past, those who passed the provincial examination could achieve class advancement by virtue of their status as a juren.

But the imperial court will only give you the title of Juren. You can only buy houses and land by yourself, or the county nobles and wealthy businessmen who want to curry favor with you will give them to you.

As for becoming an official, only Jinshi would be arranged by the court to be an official. As for Juren, only when there was a vacancy and no one was willing to take the position would the court arrange for Juren to take the position. Even so, they had to queue up, and the positions were arranged in remote places.

But now, as long as you pass the provincial examination, you can have everything.

For scholars, isn't this the purpose of taking the imperial examination?

Toyosu.

Since the last defeat of Prince Huai, although the Chen army of Huaizhou did not take advantage of the situation to attack Fengzhou, Prince Huai had already lost control of Fengzhou. Especially after Prince Huai defected to Prince Chong, Fengzhou was in a situation of being leaderless.

Seeing this, some speculators of King Huai went to Fengzhou to seek business opportunities, and the people of Fengzhou also migrated to Huaizhou.

This also enabled the people of Fengzhou to be the first to know about the imperial examinations held in the four states.

Jing County, Mawang Village.

Spring ploughing usually begins after the beginning of spring, from early March to April.

Spring ploughing in northern China usually takes place in late April and early May.

In the south, it is a little earlier, mostly around late February. But as the snow melted, the villagers of Mawang Village started working in the fields in mid-February.

Lin Zhong was one of them.

Lin Zhong was born in a poor family. His ancestor had been a fifth-rank official in the capital during the reign of Emperor Taizu. However, his descendants were not capable, and each generation was inferior to the previous one, which led to the gradual decline of the family.

By the time of Lin Zhong's father's generation, the best-performing member of the Lin family was a chief clerk in a county town.

Unfortunately, Lin Zhong's father was born out of wedlock and left the family early. Later, due to the chaos, Lin Zhong and his family of three fled to Mawang Village, the hometown of Lin Zhong's mother.

Mawang Village, as the name suggests, means that there are only people with the surname Ma and Wang in the village.

Therefore, Lin Zhong seemed out of place in Mawang Village, but he still considered himself noble.

Because he was a rare scholar in the village, and although he was a bastard from a poor family, his family background was higher than that of the people in the village. In addition, he was still young and a student. When interacting with the villagers who could not read a single word, Lin Zhong would always put on airs.

However, this happened five years ago, and now he has completely integrated into it.

The reason was that the imperial examination was suspended and reality weighed down his back.

Although Lin Zhong's father was born out of wedlock, he was more knowledgeable than the people in the village and knew that studying could change one's destiny.

Lin Zhong's mother, Ma, had a certain vision when she married Lin Zhong's father, so the two of them never let Lin Zhong worry about his family, letting him concentrate on his studies and placing all their hopes on Lin Zhong.

But with the suspension of the imperial examination, it was like a bolt from the blue for Lin Zhong. The huge pressure and the ridicule of the villagers forced Lin Zhong to give up his "unrealistic" fantasy and return to the life of an ordinary person.

During these five years, he married a woman from the same village and had a child.

But deep in his heart, there was still a trace of unwillingness and persistence. Every night when his wife and children were asleep, he would take out a book from under the bed to read. He kept this habit for more than five years.

"It's almost noon. Mother should have prepared dinner. Let's go back and eat, and come back in the afternoon." Lin Zhong's wife Wang dug her feet out of the mud, stood on the edge of the field, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said to Lin Zhong.

Lin Zhong hummed lightly.

at this time.

"Brother-in-law, good news, good news." Wang's younger brother ran all the way over from not far away. The road on the ridge of the field was not wide, so he fell several times, but every time he got up excitedly and continued running.

This scene also attracted the attention of the surrounding people.

"Slow down, don't fall." Wang frowned and said worriedly.

"What good news?" Lin Zhong had just stepped onto the ridge of the field and was washing the mud off his feet in a ditch nearby. He did not take the other person's words seriously.

"What great news, brother-in-law, the imperial examination has been restored." Wang's younger brother had heard from his sister that Lin Zhong got up every night to study, so he must be very concerned about this matter.

"I've heard about this from others a long time ago. Going to Luonan is too far, and I don't have the money, and the journey is not safe. I've told your sister that I'm not going." Lin Zhong said without raising his head.

"Brother-in-law, it's not the imperial examination of the court, it's the Duke of Anguo."

(End of this chapter)