Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 881

The number of candidates in the exam is stipulated. Since two new candidates have been added, two must be squeezed out.Although Enke did not cheat this time, the examiners recommended the ink scrolls to the Supreme Court, who would not want favors?Zhang Taiyan, a native of Yuhang, Zhejiang, took the exam at Beijing No. [-]. He felt that the test questions were perfect, and the examiner revealed that it was a recommended paper.

When Zhang Taiyan came back from watching the list at Tiananmen Square, both of his legs were weak.A few friends who came to Beijing to take the exam together, Hu Shi ranked first in high school, Wang Guowei ranked No.What should we do now?The exams are over, and there are no friends to comfort each other; the town hall is closed, and there is nowhere to borrow money for borrowing home?What face does Zhang Taiyan, an old student who vowed not to take the exam and not return to his hometown, have any face in front of his family?
After standing on the scorchingly hot square for an unknown amount of time, Zhang Taiyan realized that all the people watching the list had left, leaving him alone. He subconsciously touched his sleeves, and there were still a few thin dragons inside. The coins were secretly given to me by my kind fifth aunt when I left home.With such a little money, even the cheapest small wooden house in Dashilan can't live for ten days.At this moment, he only felt his stomach rumbling non-stop. Sitting on a stone slab under the big locust tree, he was thinking about where to go next, but he saw a middle-aged man coming to take a rest with two barrels of rice wine.The man put down the wine barrel, grabbed his shirt and wiped his sweat, took out two steamed buns and a piece of salty mustard lump from the bag on the lid of the barrel, and ate it with gusto, until the pickles clucked. ring.From time to time, he scooped half a scoop of wine from the bucket and drank it.

Suddenly he turned his head and saw Zhang Taiyan staring at him in a daze. The man smiled and said, "You can tell at a glance that you failed the exam. Come on, scholar, don't hang your face like a dead mother. Let's talk when you are full with wine and food." !” As he spoke, he gave away a steamed bun, tore open half of the pickles and handed it over, saying: “I don’t want to go home when I’m full, and don’t worry when I’m drunk. Come on!”

"This..." Zhang Taiyan was already hungry, so he took it hesitantly, and said, "How dare you do this?"

The man smiled generously: "Where can we not meet each other in life? The wine belongs to his mother's boss, and if you don't drink it for free, you don't want to drink it. Wotou is not even worth a dime. I am already poor. How can I be poor if I give you some? "

Zhang Taiyan ate the cornbread and drank half a gourd of wine. The man selling wine shouted to a fat old man who sold meat opposite him: "Butcher Zhang has a piece of stewed meat without skin. Come over and drink some wine, we The owner's grandma's wine is not bad!"

Butcher Zhang promised loudly: "Success! I'm hungry. My old lady didn't know what happened today, and she still hasn't asked Xiaoyu to bring food." He said and cut a piece of white pork head, feeling very happy He ran over and said with a smile: "Which employer hired you as a living treasure, it's a bloody misfortune. Sixth, get another piece of cake. This scholar, how did you do in this subject?"

"ashamed"

"What's there to be ashamed of?" Although Zhang Butcher's business is a business where white knives go in and red knives come out, he looks kind and friendly. He shook off the mulberry paper and spread the meat on the stone. He said with a smile: "Thousands of candidates Come to Beijing, how many are proud of the spring breeze? Is it worth it? Come, eat, eat!"

Zhang Taiyan was so grateful that he didn't know what to say, so he stopped talking at the moment, just shook off his cheeks, ate meat and drank desperately.

After eating and drinking, everyone left. Zhang Taiyan sat alone on the rock, still unable to make up his mind where to go.Suddenly, I felt a dull pain in my stomach, melon, rice wine, pickles, corn bread, and fat were all churning in my stomach.He touched his hot forehead, only to realize that he hadn't sweated at all, and he stood up in surprise, this time it didn't matter, his stomach was churning even worse.He quickly bent down and couldn't help it anymore, with a "wow", the dirty filth sprayed out, and the smell made him even more disgusted.He beat his chest until he spit out the sour and bitter yellow water, and then he felt a little better.As soon as he stood up straight, golden flowers appeared in his eyes again, his hand holding the locust tree was so soft that it hung down like mud, and he passed out without even staggering a step.

When he woke up again, he found himself lying on the kang in a dilapidated small house, with only one piece of his body off.Under the body is an old bamboo mat, and on the kang table are medicine bowls, spoons and a plantain fan.Apart from these, there is nothing else in the house.He blinked, wondering where he was, and how did he get here?Thinking about it made my head hurt and I didn't think of a clue, so I simply didn't want to.Seeing that there was tea left in the bowl, he stood up with one arm and took a sip of the tea, feeling chilly, it turned out to be peppermint water.At this time, a boy with a hairy head raised the curtain to look around, and shouted outside: "Father: That scholar is awake!"

"Hey, come here! Goudan, go to the backyard to help your sister clean up the pigs, and ask your mother to cook a bowl of noodles and cut them thinner." Zhang Taiyan looked up and saw a fat old man, wearing shorts and upper body Wearing a white waistcoat, she walked in with her chest open.It turned out to be the butcher Zhang who sold the butcher. After entering the door, he yelled outside: "God, tell your mother not to put oil in the noodles, not at all, hehe, sir, you are awake."

Butcher Zhang sat on the edge of the kang with a tired smile, looked closely at Zhang Taiyan's complexion, and said, "You have suffered from heat stroke. The illness is not serious but it came on in a hurry. You have walked around after the gate of hell is closed! What do you call Mr. Zhang?" Woolen cloth?"

Thinking about it, Zhang Taiyan struggled a bit, but was held down by Zhang Tuhu, and said, "Don't, you are weak!"

Zhang Taiyan looked at Zhang Tuhu gratefully, and said: "The savior, my name is Zhang Taiyan, from Yuhang, Zhejiang.

"Don't feel bad, it's just that you don't even have any relatives in the capital, and it takes three years for you to be the first in the next subject. What do you plan to do?"

Before he finished speaking, a girl walked in from outside, holding a large bowl of noodles in her hand.I saw her tall and slender, wearing a moon white embroidered shirt, which was well washed, and her melon seed face had regular features and was very delicate, except for a few freckles on her temples.Smiling slightly, two shallow dimples appeared on his face, Zhang Taiyan suddenly realized that he was still shirtless, so he hurriedly grabbed the bed sheet with his hands, but he didn't catch anything.

Zhang Tuhu said: "This is my daughter Yu'er."

"Don't listen to my father! Who is still sick and asks 'what's the plan'?" Yu'er was very straightforward, stacking up the medicine bowl, tea bowl, and spoon, looked at her father coquettishly, and said, "I'm well." No matter what you plan, if you are not well, you can’t make any plans. Didn’t our landlord say that we want to find a gentleman to teach his precious young master? Isn’t it good for us to recommend Mr. Zhang? Or help our family keep an account or something At most, it’s just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks, when the time comes, he should retake the exam, and it’s our blessing to be admitted to a high-ranking official!” He said and went out, and threw Zhang Taiyan’s clothes on the kang after a while, "Put it on! It's so dirty, you probably haven't washed your clothes in your life."

Butcher Zhang smiled stupidly, and said honestly: "Our poor family has no tutors, and I am used to her."

Zhang Taiyan looked at this simple family and thought about his own future, for a while he didn't know what to do.

"The emperor is here, and the new candidate kneels to receive him!"

Guan Xuqing was accompanied by a large group of civil servants to the front of the Palace of Preserving Harmony. Kang Youwei peeked at the emperor's expression as he walked.The emperor raised his eyebrows, as if he wanted to ask something, but at this time the grand ceremony was going on, hundreds of new candidates knelt in front of the hall, and held back.Zaifeng and Li Hongzao knelt at the front, shouting "Long live the emperor!"

"Long live the emperor, long live!"

The new candidates kowtowed together.

Guan Xuqing smiled and nodded to the group of new candidates ranging from young to old, raised his legs and entered the hall, and sat down in the middle of Xumizuo.Kang Youwei took a step forward, bowed to the emperor, respectfully took the gold book with a yellow satin cover, and said loudly, "No. 4 in the imperial examination, Yu Jiaxi, a first-class Jinshi!"

"Chen is here!"

A candidate with a fair and chubby face in his 30s came out in response. He didn't know whether he was hot or nervous. His front was covered with sweat and stuck to his body. He walked into the hall quickly, not even daring to lift his head. After three kowtows, Kang Youwei calmed him down and said slowly: "By order, you will pass on the roll call and be careful. Don't lose your etiquette in front of the emperor."

"Yes!" Yu Jiaxi agreed, holding the golden book like a baby in a swaddle, bowed to the emperor again, and came to the entrance of the hall.

Passing on the palace examination is a job that is even more showy than the number one scholar in the middle school.The Jinshi who had been kneeling under the scorching sun for nearly two hours were already a little sluggish at first, but now they were all refreshed and looked at Yu Jiaxi eagerly.

Yu Jiaxi calmed down his shortness of breath, opened the golden book and read aloud: "For 40 years in China, the No. 1 new candidate in Enke Palace Examination, Hu Shi!"

Although this was known in advance, but in front of such a magnificent golden palace, when the announcement was made in front of the emperor, Hu Shi, who was kneeling in the third row, still had his head swell and swell.The scene in front of him immediately became blurred, and he went out of class like a dream, leading eight first-class candidates to salute the emperor, and the salute officer led Hu Shi and No. [-] Tanhua to kowtow to the emperor to thank him.

After tossing for an hour, the three ministers, Kang Youwei, Zaifeng, and Li Hongzao, personally delivered it to Taihemen. I drank hairpin wine in the good color shed.No matter how tens of thousands of Beijing citizens pay their respects to their demeanor, this is the so-called "Royal Street Praising Officials", and the pattern of hundreds of years remains unchanged.

(End of this chapter)