Traveling through Tianlong: Starting from the Zhenlong chess game

Chapter 435 The Art of the Emperor
Zhe Zong stopped writing the imperial pen in his hand at this time. He looked at the pile of examination papers, then at Zhao Mu, and then said: "Isn't this simple? The emperor is the examiner, as long as these answers are correct for the emperor Isn’t it enough to just think about it?”

Zhao Mu spread his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the imperial examination is to select scholars for the country, and those who select are talents. There are many strategies in it. Although the ministers do not agree, these people also have strategies for governing the country. This"

Zhezong looked at the maids and eunuchs serving around him, and then he said: "Okay, you all go down!"

After everyone heard the words, they all went out obediently.

Seeing Zhe Zongping retreating to the left and right, Zhao Mu asked doubtfully: "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Zhezong smiled, then stood up and stretched. He walked to the side with his hands behind his back, and then said: "Of course I want to talk to the emperor about what is on my mind."

When Zhao Mu heard this, he also responded respectfully: "Your Majesty, please speak."

Zhezong did not say it directly, but asked: "Uncle Emperor, I want to ask you a question. What is the purpose of selecting scholars through the imperial examination?"

Zhao Mu replied without hesitation: "Of course I choose talents for the country."

Zhe Zong smiled and shook his head.

Following Zhezong's invitation, Zhao Mu sat opposite Zhezong.

Zhezong saw Zhao Mu's expression, then smiled and said: "With the emperor's intelligence, how can he not figure it out? It's just that the emperor didn't dare to say it."

Zhe Zong asked at this time: "What do you think, uncle Huang?"

Zhao Mu said at this time: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being stupid. Other than that, I really don't know anything."

It was a great honor for Zhao Mu to sit on the same table as Zhe Zong. Normally, other ministers could only stand while playing chess with the emperor, but they were not qualified to sit down.

When Zhao Mu saw this, he was too embarrassed to say anything. He could only say: "Your Majesty, although Tianyuan's starting move is strange, it is not an outlier in the chess game. It's just that it surrounds his own anger. This..."

Although Zhao Mu was confused when he saw this, he was about to make a move, but Zhe Zong didn't give him a chance. Zhe Zong placed many more chess pieces around the Tianyuan Heizi, and then completely surrounded the Heizi within Tianyuan.

Zhezong shook his head and then said: "No! It's the Jinshi who were on the list." Zhezong pointed to the sunspot on the middle Tianyuan and said: "This is the imperial power. And these sunspots around are not eaten by Instead of guarding me.”

Zhezong was not polite and took out a chess piece from his hand and immediately placed it on the chessboard.

Seeing Zhe Zong's expression, Zhao Mu had already guessed what Zhe Zong wanted to say, but that answer was a taboo. It can be tacitly expressed, but never expressed explicitly.

Zhao Mu replied: "I would like to spend some time with Your Majesty."

Seeing this scene, Zhao Mu was even more confused, even though there was a handicap in Go. But I have never seen anyone block myself.

As he spoke, Zhezong walked to the chess table in the Imperial Study Room and said, "Uncle Emperor, are you willing to play a game with me today?"

Zhao Mu replied: "Of course it's a chess piece."

Zhe Zong asked: "What did I use to surround you?"

Zhao Mu was a little confused when he saw this scene. Because Zhe Zong's move was the same as when he broke the Zhenlong chess game, he started directly with Tian Yuan.

Hearing this, Zhao Mu had a feeling that chess might have been invented by Zhe Zong.

Then Zhezong stood up, picked up the white stones in Zhao Mu's box, and then placed them one by one in every corner of the chessboard. Finally, he used these black stones to completely surround the white stones.

Zhezong said frankly at this time: "The purpose of selecting scholars through the imperial examination is to select talents for the country. But in fact, it is for the country, or for me, for the Song Dynasty of the Zhao family, to select a group of slaves who can help us govern the world. And they are obedient slaves. To put it mildly, it can also be said that they choose dogs that are loyal to their masters. "Since ancient times, the imperial power has not been limited to the county. Although I and the emperor's uncle seem to be powerful, without the assistance of the civil and military officials outside. , Our decrees cannot go out of the gate of Bianjing City, not even the Meridian Gate. And to govern this world, we need to raise these dogs to patrol the sky. "

"So the first condition for selecting a loyal dog is not whether the dog can bite or watch the house. It is whether the dog is loyal enough to its owner. On the premise of ensuring that the dog is loyal enough, choose one that can watch the house. Finally, choose the one that can bite. And for those who are not loyal enough and show their teeth to their owners, no matter how powerful the dog is, they can only go to General Fan's dog meat shop. "Do you understand?"

Zhao Mu didn't know this truth, but he didn't have the courage to tell these truths to his face, and he told them directly.

Zhao Mu replied: "Your Majesty, I understand."

At this time, Zhezong picked up a few more white stones, surrounded the black stones on the chess table, and then took the few black stones. In the end, there were an equal number of black and white stones left on the chessboard, facing each other in two columns, while the black stone representing the emperor still stood in the middle.

Zhezong added: "Even if these dogs are obedient, they must ensure that they do not stick together. At the appropriate time, the number of black and white stones on the chessboard must be balanced so that one party does not become too big. That is the only way."

Zhe Zong pressed the black mark in the middle and said, "Only in this way can I, standing in the middle, be invincible."

Zhao Mu nodded when he heard this.

Finally Zhezong asked meaningfully: "Uncle Emperor, who won this game of chess?"

Zhao Mu already understood what Zhe Zong meant, and then replied: "Of course His Majesty wins."

Zhe Zong looked at Zhao Mu with a look of relief, then returned to his Long Shu desk and continued to review the memorial.

Zhao Mu no longer hesitated and began to select from the test papers.

The people he selected either had their own code words or their policies were in line with the interests of the Song Dynasty today.

Zhao Mu kept those with code words.

Some of these people were given to him by his mother, Concubine Chai, and his sister-in-law, Princess Xiao Qian. Several relatives of Xinguo Gong's family and several relatives of Prince Deng's family participated in this imperial examination. They all want Zhao Mu to take care of them.

Moreover, his subordinates in the Ministry of War and some civil servants also looked for him privately. I want Zhao Mu to take care of me.

Zhao Mu also knew about this unspoken rule at this time.

And the children of these powerful people who are now selected have been reviewed by everyone, although some of them are not as talented as those with real talents and learning. But they all barely passed.

After Zhao Mu sorted it out, more than 30 people were finally eliminated. In the end, only more than 80 people were able to make the list for Enke this time.

Finally, Zhe Zong also checked the results of Zhao Mu's screening and nodded repeatedly.

Zhezong didn't care about the others. He focused on those who used the back door. Zhao Mu basically kept all those who used the back door.

Most of these people who use the back door can maintain the stability of the court and are more interested in the stability of the imperial power. Moreover, he has no close friendship with the rear party and the civil service group. At least let Zhao Mu not offend others, be able to win over people, and select talents for the country.

The last remaining people are grassroots people with no connections.

Finally, Zhezong took apart the fire paint and checked the origins and names on the file. He removed a few people with backgrounds and promoted those from poor families without backgrounds.

After the monarch and his ministers finalized the decision, they began to release the list.

(End of this chapter)