Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 245 Su Shi returns to Beijing
After giving gifts to the Liu family, Li An would have nothing to worry about in the next few days.

New Year's Eve is here in a blink of an eye.

In total, this is the first year he has spent alone in Bianjing.

In previous years, he had stayed with the Liu family. This time Liu Xuewen and his wife also invited him, but they were rejected by Li An.

Bianjing is already prosperous, so the Chinese New Year is a little more lively than usual.

In fact, the most popular festival in ancient times was not the Spring Festival, but the Lantern Festival, which was also known as the Lantern Festival in later generations.

During the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an, the capital, implemented a strict curfew system that would not be lifted even during the New Year.

On the contrary, the curfew system will be temporarily lifted during the Lantern Festival.

It can be seen from this that the Shangyuan Festival was more valued by the ancients.

Li An did not spend this New Year alone. Two days before the New Year, he asked Liu He to close the teahouse and live with him, and the two cousins ​​spent the New Year together.

Even though the Song Dynasty department was bloated, it still couldn't use so many officials.

Li An was startled and asked in confusion: "Even if you don't deal with the county magistrate, he doesn't have the right to fire you, right?"

After the New Year, Li An went to the Liu family and the Sheng family to pay New Year greetings respectively, and then stayed at home and read.

However, he didn't think much about it and hurried to the front hall.

Therefore, most officials only have official positions but no positions.

Later, restrictions gradually increased, and self-recommendation was changed to the recommendation of public ministers, and those participating must also have the title of Jinshi.

When they came to the front hall, Su Shi, who was drinking tea, heard footsteps. He stood up and looked at Li An who walked in. He smiled and said, "Ziqian, are you okay?"

"Xiangong Hai sent me a letter saying that there will be a preparatory examination next year and asked me to prepare for it. I thought that I would not deal with the county magistrate anyway, so I just resigned and prepared for the examination with peace of mind. The Ministry of Personnel just a few days before the Chinese New Year After approval, I just returned to Bianjing yesterday." Su Shi said.

Although the boss is an official subordinate to the county magistrate, he is still an official and not a minor official. The county magistrate can at most leave him idle and does not have the right to replace him at will.

Fuchang County is hundreds of miles away from Bianjing. Su Shi is just a county boss, and it is not his turn to come to Bianjing for official business.

"Don't mention it. The Fuchang County Magistrate is a confused official. Whenever there is a case, he investigates it casually, beats him up, and then settles the matter hastily. I can't stand it." Su Shi said.

There are initially no restrictions on the qualifications of candidates. Current officials and ordinary scholars can take the exam and are allowed to nominate themselves.

Li An was stunned. Didn't Su Shi go to Fuchang County to be the chief clerk? Why did he suddenly come to Bianjing?

In some cases, if the emperor needs some special talents, he can hold a system of examinations. According to the questions, anyone who is a scholar, with or without merit, can participate, which can be regarded as a supplement to the imperial examination.

As for the internal promotion of officials, in addition to the official evaluation, there are actually some other ways.

The system of subjects was very popular in the Tang Dynasty, and it was initially used to select outstanding talents.

"Brother Zizhan, why did you suddenly return to Bianjing?" Li An asked his doubts.

Preparatory examinations and bachelor's degree examinations are one of them.

Li An was reading at home that day. Haitang came over to report that Su Shi had arrived and was waiting in the front hall.

Li An, who prepared the examination, still knew that the Song Dynasty valued literature over military affairs. A large number of people were admitted to each imperial examination, so there were many reserve officials.

The system of subjects is very selective and can only be carried out after the emperor issues an edict. The specific subjects and lifting times are not fixed and are subject to frequent changes.

But in the Song Dynasty, when the imperial examination became popular, very few examinations were held.

It is said that after the Tang Dynasty, aristocratic families disappeared, but this is not necessarily the case.

The transition from self-recommendation to recommendation by ministers was actually a compromise between imperial power and officials. When recommended by ministers, it's better if they are not selfish, but if they are selfish, they will only recommend their own disciples and former officials.

There are many people who have real talents but no way to join.

The fact that Xueshi Hai can recommend Su Shi to participate shows that he values ​​​​him.

As long as you can perform well in the system, you can at least get a few levels up.

"Haha, then we can meet and communicate more often from now on."

Li An couldn't help but feel a little sour. If Su Shi was honest and honest, it would take several years or even more than ten years to advance to a higher level.

A course of study saved him many years of detours.

No wonder people say that there are people in the DPRK who are good at becoming officials.

Su Shi smiled and said: "I am here to invite you to participate in the Shangyuan Poetry Meeting. Many great scholars in Bianjing will participate in this poetry meeting, including Hai Xueshi. It is an opportunity for you."

After hearing this, Li An hesitated for a moment and said, "Thank you, Brother Zizhan, for your kindness. I am just a child now and my talents are limited, so I might as well forget it."

"Zi Qian, let me tell you what you are good at. It's a good thing that scholars don't like false reputations, but when it's time to show off your talents, you should show them off. Your warning words even praised the officials and ordered them to be placed at the gate of the Imperial College. But now your reputation in Bianjing is far behind even that of my younger brother, do you know why?" Su Shi said.

"My talent and learning are not as good as Ziyou's, how can I compare with him?" Li An shook his head.

"Isn't it clear to me how talented you are? The reason for this is that you lack good articles and poems later. As long as you can make a splash at the Shangyuan Poetry Conference this time and get the praise of Xianggong Hai and all the great scholars, you will definitely be successful. The name is passed down to Bianjing." Su Shi said.

Su Shi has experienced the dividends in this area and has the most say in this regard.

When he came to Bianjing to take the exam, his father found a way to send their brother's articles to Xueshi Hai for viewing, which won Xueshi Hai's praise and made him very famous in Bianjing.

In addition, father and son participated in the joint examination at the same time, and the two brothers were named on the gold list together, which became a legend and became the most popular in Bianjing for a while.

If his mother hadn't died of illness, there would be no need for him to take part in any production test.

In his opinion, Li An is not bad at learning, but what he lacks is reputation.

Ang Lee's four warnings are enough to be passed down through the ages, but they are not enough to prove talent.

If Ang Lee could have written some good poems and articles at that time, he would have become famous all over the world by now.

He regarded An Li as a confidant and good friend, and he wanted to let An Li become famous through this.

"I shouldn't refuse Brother Zizhan's kindness, but on the night of the Lantern Festival, I had already made an appointment with someone to enjoy the lanterns, and it was really hard to break the contract," Li An said.

Li An was still very touched by Su Shi's kindness.

But his family knows his own affairs, and he can become famous all over the world by copying some poems that have been passed down through the ages.

The benefits of doing so are also huge.

But that is not his real talent after all. Once the persona of a talented person is established, he will definitely come up with some articles and poems that make people shine from time to time.

Otherwise, some people will definitely say that he has exhausted his talents.

But he only has so much in his stomach, what will he do once he runs out?
It would be better not to have this name than to have his character collapse in the future.

Li An doesn't have any big revenge. With Liu Xuewen as a teacher and Sheng Hong as his father-in-law, as long as he can pass the Jinshi examination, he will definitely be given a real job.

If you can seize the opportunity, you will become rich. If you don't have the opportunity, just be a small official.

"Haha, your worries are unnecessary. The Lantern Festival lasts for three days, and the poetry meeting will be held the night before, so there will be no delay." Su Shi said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)