Ming politicians

When the old lady passed away, it was impossible to make a big fuss about the funeral, after all, it was somewhat inconvenient.

Su Tiancheng wore hemp and filial piety, and according to the etiquette of the younger generation, kept vigil for the old lady all night.

Xiong Zijian's eyes were already red from crying, under such circumstances, Su Tiancheng had no way to comfort him.

Su Huawen and Su Tianran didn't ask any questions. Since Su Tiancheng didn't say anything, they didn't know how to find out the root cause. Su Tiancheng was already very courageous and far-sighted in doing things, so they didn't need to interfere.

Three days later, the old woman was buried.

Su Tiancheng and Xiong Zijian talked secretly for more than an hour, after which Xiong Zijian left Pingyang Fucheng.

Su Tiancheng then found Su Pingyang and arranged many things. When Su Pingyang left the study, he looked very serious. It seems that what Su Tiancheng said was definitely not a trivial matter.

On July 24th, Su Tiancheng officially set off for Taiyuan Fucheng.

Because I ran into Xiong Tingbi's first wife, I had been delayed for three days, and I couldn't continue to delay. If I missed the township examination, the following things would be difficult.

Taiyuan Fucheng is more than 500 miles away from Pingyang Fucheng. It takes two to three days for fast horses. Fortunately, Qu Qingze left ten Mongolian horses behind. Rush to Taiyuan Fucheng.

At noon on July 26th, a group of people finally saw the tall and majestic city walls of Taiyuan Fucheng.

Taiyuan is the first of the nine important towns, the hometown of Shanxi merchants, and is known as the Dragon City.The Han Dynasty was one of the thirteen prefectures in the country, and it was called Bingzhou. In the Tang Dynasty, it was named the Northern Capital, and it was called the Three Capitals and the Three Capitals together with Chang'an, the capital city, and Luoyang, the eastern capital.

It was the first time for Su Tiancheng to come to Taiyuan. After getting off his horse, he stopped outside the city gate and looked at the tall and thick city wall.

Because the bandits harassed Shanxi, the sergeants at the gate of the city were guarded very strictly. Su Tiancheng and others rode Mongolian horses and wore silk brocade robes. Let the people enter the city gate.During this period of time, many students rushed to Taiyuan to participate in the provincial examination. Among these students, there were even Guozijian Jiansheng, whose identities were not ordinary, and the sergeants of the inspection department could not afford to offend.

The prosperity of Taiyuan is different from that of Kaifeng. If Kaifeng reveals the thickness, then Taiyuan is delicate.This feeling is closer to life and makes people feel comfortable.

When he came to Taiyuan, Su Tiancheng naturally wanted to go home, it was impossible to stay in an inn, it was unreasonable, even though there was a lot of unhappiness between him and his aunt.

The nursing home in front of the mansion saw Su Tiancheng and others, one of them rushed in to report, and the other three came up to meet him. Naturally, they knew Su Tiancheng.

In the past, these nursing homes would not have cared at all, they were clear about Su Tiancheng's status in the mansion.But now, the situation has changed dramatically.

Handing the rein in his hand to the guard, Su Tiancheng slowly walked towards the gate of the mansion.

After a while, a young man came out in a hurry.

"Third brother, why did you go home? The provincial examination is coming soon, and I am anxiously waiting."

"When did the eldest brother come back from the capital? I haven't seen him for almost two years."

"Yeah, go into the house quickly and tidy up, the room is already ready."

The one who came out to greet him was Su Tianhao, a supervisor of the Imperial College, and Su Tiancheng's elder brother.

Su Jun, Su Ertong and Wang Dazhi behind Su Tiancheng all saluted Su Tianhao.

Su Tianhao didn't know Wang Dazhi, so he took a careful look and didn't say anything.

Su Tianhao came out to greet him in person, which showed that Su Tiancheng's status in the Su family was completely different. It is impossible for Su Tianhao not to know what happened in Pingyang Mansion.

The accommodation is arranged in a small courtyard on the east side, and the servants who came with Su Tiancheng also stay here.

The house where Su Tiancheng stayed was a suite.

A quarter of an hour later, Su Tianhao came over.

Su Tiancheng has finished washing and came back home, he has to visit his aunt, this is the rule.

The two brothers talked slowly, and walked towards the house where Mrs. Wang lived. After a short conversation, Su Tiancheng knew that Su Tianhao had been back for almost two months. You can go back to Taiyuan.

Mrs. Wang was sitting in a wing room outside the bedroom.

"Boy pays respects to auntie."

"Kun Yuan, you've worked hard all the way, you're back home, take a good rest, you brothers haven't seen each other for a long time, you have to take the provincial exam."

"My child knows, I must ask my elder brother for advice."

"Okay, you go, I'm a little tired."

When Su Tiancheng left and came out, he had a smile on his face, while Su Tianhao had no expression on his face.

Frozen three feet is not a one-day cold, the relationship between Su Tiancheng and the aunt cannot be particularly harmonious, but after such a long time, the fait accompli has become a fact, and the aunt probably accepted it.

"Third brother, Master Tixue sent someone to deliver a letter yesterday, and I accepted it on my behalf. I don't know what it is."

"Oh, Lord Zhifu recommended me to Lord Tixue. I don't need to take the county examination, but directly take the township examination. I guess that's what the letter said."

"Oh, the third brother is really not simple. I got the recommendation of the magistrate and directly participated in the provincial examination. Such a good thing is worth celebrating. Tomorrow, I will invite the third brother to go to the restaurant for a drink."

In fact, Su Tianhao didn't need to take the county examination. As a student of the Imperial College, he directly participated in the county examination.

After lunch and visiting his sister-in-law Duan, Su Tiancheng returned to his room and opened the letter.

This is actually an official letter, which means that Su Tiancheng can directly take the provincial examination. With this official letter, he can go to the Yamen to go through the relevant procedures, get a number plate, and go directly to the Gongyuan to take the exam on the ninth day of August.

After reading the letter, Su Tiancheng felt tired. He had been on the road for more than two consecutive days, and it was still very hard. When he arrived at the destination, he felt a little overwhelmed.

When he woke up, it was already the second quarter of Shen Shi, and after sleeping for more than an hour, Su Tiancheng felt that his spirit was much better.

Su Ertong rubbed his eyes and came in to report. He seemed to have slept for a while.

"Master, Mr. Liu is here to visit."

Su Tianhao came in immediately after.

"Third brother, Mr. Liu comes to visit almost every day to see if you have arrived in Taiyuan. I asked him to move to the mansion, but he just disagreed and stayed in the inn. I just found out that you have arrived. I am very happy, and I am waiting in the hall."

Seeing that Su Tiancheng was in good spirits, Su Tianhao continued to speak.

"Third brother, if your body can bear it, why don't we go to the restaurant with Mr. Liu later."

Su Tiancheng nodded. He was young and in good health. After sleeping, he had recovered more than half of his body. There was no problem going to the restaurant.

Liu Zhongji was waiting in the main room, and when he saw Su Tiancheng coming in, he hurried forward, took a closer look at Su Tiancheng, and saluted with fists clasped.

"Brother Su, I've been in a hurry. Why haven't you arrived? The students who came to participate in the provincial examination have organized many gatherings. It's a pity that you couldn't attend."

Students from all over the world, before the exam, always have some gatherings, such as going to a restaurant to have a drink together, attending some so-called Wenlin gatherings together, discussing knowledge together, etc. Everyone needs to be familiar with the relationship, or to make a relationship , Such gatherings are often very lively.

Don't underestimate such gatherings. Scholars are usually at home or in colleges, and there are few opportunities to get together. Participating in the provincial examination is the best opportunity. After all, there are not many scholars who can jump the dragon's gate. On such occasions, Being able to make good relationships is very important for future development.

For example, in the whole of Shanxi, more than 500 supervisors and students who participated in the provincial examination passed the county examination, but only 65 candidates were finally admitted. This is the target set by the imperial court. Most of the candidates , there is no chance.

It is impossible for scholars to engage in heavy physical labor. Students already have a certain status. If the provincial examination fails, it will be very difficult to rely on the endowment rice given by the court. The best way is to find some high school classmates. Be a staff member or master, find a job, and solve the embarrassment in life.

Of course, most of those who did this were students from poor families.

What Su Tiancheng cared about was the examiner's affairs.

The township examination is held every three years, and the imperial court attaches great importance to it. The examiners are all sent directly by the imperial court. The examiners are divided into inner curtain officials and outer curtain officials. External referees, supervisors and other officials.

Inner curtain officials are directly appointed by the imperial court, while outer curtain officials are generally officials appointed by the Chief Envoy Si Yamen.

Neilian officials are further divided into chief examiners and fellow examiners, two chief examiners and four fellow examiners.

According to the usual practice, the chief examiners of Shanxi Township Examination are generally subordinate officials of the six departments, or the staff of the six departments, and the same examiners are also Beijing officials.

The examiner and fellow examiners have great power.

The township examination begins on the ninth day of August, and on the seventh day of August, the chief examiner and fellow examiners enter the tribute courtyard to issue exam questions. The officials in the tribute courtyard rush to make the test papers overnight. The gate of the tribute courtyard is closed, and there are special sergeant handles. .

At the end of the township examination, the chief examiner and fellow examiners began to mark the papers. The fellow examiners read the papers first, and handed over the outstanding test papers to the chief examiner for review, and the chief examiner finally determined the admitted candidates.

Su Tiancheng already knew this set of procedures very well. He didn't think of making friends with the chief examiner. That would be of little use. After all, he didn't have a strong background, so it was impossible for him to attract special attention. However, he knew which department the chief examiner was from. Once you get down, you will roughly know people's preferences, and you can guess the general scope of the questions.

There are only ten days to mark the township examination papers. The chief examiner and the same examiners are not iron-clad. There are so many test papers, it is impossible to read each one carefully. What they fancy are the first test papers. Accepted.