Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

this……

Vasco da Gama's brother Paul stood next to Meneses, and a stream of blood just splashed on his face, and at this moment, his heart seemed extremely frightened.

Originally, he also wanted to move out of Portugal. After all, Portugal had a high status in Western Europe and was superior to the indigenous kingdoms in the East.

At this moment, he was very glad that he had not spoken out just now, otherwise he would have ended up like Menezes.

Wang Wusheng glanced coldly at the body lying in a pool of blood, and silently took back the flintlock gun in his hand, as if he had just killed a barking dog.

Vasco da Gama stood motionless, with beads of sweat falling from his forehead. For the first time, he felt that he was so close to death.

"This governor gives you two ways! One is that you trespass into the sea area controlled by this governor, so you will be executed by this governor according to law!" Wang Zhi's pen was still writing on the paper fan, looking calm and authentic.

Da Gama's brother Paul shook his head violently. If he dared to choose the first option, he could 100% guarantee that the murderer next to him would shoot and kill both of his brothers again.

Da Gama knew that he had no choice now, so he said seriously: "Please tell me the second way, Lord Governor!"

"The second way is for you to become my servants in the Indian Ocean Governor's Mansion and hand over all the intelligence about Europe. Take your choice!" Wang Zhi stopped the pen in his hand and looked at the two brothers with a half-smile.

Although the emperor did not agree with his continued westward march into the Atlantic Ocean, he knew that the talented and ambitious Emperor Hongzhi wanted to rule the world. Not only did he want to include the Western Ocean into the Ming Dynasty's territory, but he also couldn't ignore the Mediterranean.

Now, collect intelligence from Western Europe first. When the time is right, the Ming Dynasty's fleet can directly enter the Mediterranean, thus making the entire Europe prostrate at the feet of the Ming Dynasty.

"Okay, let's choose the second option!" Vasco da Gama was a very straightforward person, and he made a choice immediately.

He knew that he actually had no choice. Although he didn't want to be a traitor, he didn't want to die here with his brother, so he decisively chose a way out.

As for the King of Portugal, he never had absolute loyalty. What's more, he not only betrayed Portugal's intelligence, but also had no reservations about Spain's intelligence. He was doing a good deed for the king.

"Take it down!" Wang Zhi waved his hand and ordered calmly.

Although he could not march westward into the Atlantic Ocean and fight towards the Mediterranean Sea, these Western Europeans dared to reach his territory, and he would definitely let them die without a burial place.

The time has come to the middle of the eleventh year of Hongzhi, and history has undergone major changes.

Originally, Vasco da Gama led the Portuguese fleet to India as a Western European and became a Portuguese pioneer, but his success failed.

The Columbus fleet heading to the American continent was severely defeated, the fleet led by Vasco da Gama was completely annihilated, and the bud of navigation in Western Europe had been pinched by the Ming Dynasty.

No matter whether they want to advance eastward or westward, they are actually facing a dead end.

If Western Europe had not caught on to the maritime trade train, they would have missed out on hundreds of years, and they might have become what Wang Zhi called "the last of the Western barbarians."

Just as the Governor-General of the Indian Ocean extinguished the spark of the Western European fleet arriving in the Indian Ocean, the Ming Dynasty also ushered in a new round of talent selection.

No matter in which era, talents are the primary productive force. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, both benefited from the influx of talents. Now that the Ming Dynasty is going to achieve a period of hegemony, it is even more inseparable from the support of talents.

Since this year is the year of the competition, after the completion of the boy examination, the competition for the provincial examination was officially launched in various places.

Nanjing, in front of Yingtian Gongyuan.

"I'll try to donate one year's effort to it. If you don't sell it, I'll throw it away!"

A young scholar looked up at the Gongyuan in front of him, and couldn't help but think of the agreement he made with his friend a year ago, and then resolutely walked into this fateful Gongyuan.

In this world, there are indeed some geniuses.

It was obvious that he only wanted to have fun on weekdays. During the scientific examination period, he was almost deprived of the qualifications for the provincial examination by the newly-appointed academic governor Fang Zhi because he was looking for flowers, asking for willows, and having a hangover. However, he was stronger than the person who worked a hundred times harder.

"Yingtian Township Examination New Subject to Explain Yuan: Tang Yin!"

Time soon came to the day when the results of the Yingtian Township Examination were released, and the names on the list were like a bolt from the blue, making the candidates who were watching the results unable to believe their eyes.

Tang Yin, who is he?

The ancestor of the people in Wuxian County, Suzhou was Tang Hui, the former general of Lingjiang in Jinchang County, Liangzhou. He was smart since he was a child. He was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, and was well-read in historical books.

At the age of sixteen, he took the scholar examination and got first place, which caused a sensation in the whole city of Suzhou.

In the third year of Hongzhi's reign, Tang Yin wrote "Dual Bamboo Pictures".

Poem: The baskets and ladles never tire of being serene for a long time, showing their humility as a good master. The couch is covered with yellow leaves, and the breeze blows every day. This gentleman is so young and forgetful about the contract, why should he only be tired of the guest star? The western steps are covered with moss and no trace of human life has been seen, and the relative’s eyesight has been green for hundreds of years.

As soon as this calligraphy and painting came out, it immediately shocked Jiangnan.

It is said that when the current emperor Hong came to the south of the Yangtze River, he asked his entourage about the "Dual Bamboo Picture" and learned that the picture had been sold by Tang Yin, so he stopped asking about it.

Although it is just a rumor, someone bid 10,000 silver dollars for Tang Yin's "Picture of Bamboo" but failed, and Tang Yin's status has already risen.

In the inherent impression of many people, Tang Yin was indeed a great talent from Jiangnan, but unfortunately he had already neglected his examinations.

But no one expected that this great talent from the south of the Yangtze River, who was once regarded as a bad example by the Master, would win the first prize in the provincial examination. This kind of thing that even a novel would not dare to do has come true.

"Is Tang Yin Jieyuan?"

"I heard that he was seen on a flower boat on the Qinhuai River before the provincial examination!"

"Oh my God, if you go to a brothel every day and you can get through high school, how can you make those failed candidates locked in the attic miserable?"

…

As the news spread back to Suzhou Prefecture, if the news channels were not very reliable, many people would not believe that Tang Yin turned out to be Jie Yuanlang in the Jinke Township Examination.

People who work hard actually lose to people who don't work hard. This incident has refreshed many people's concepts.

"Life is proud to be thoroughly enjoyed themselves!"

"After this drink, there will be another!"

"Tang Lang, if you don't give up, how about I sleep with you tonight?"

…

On the Qinhuai River, Xinke Xie Yuanlang Tang Yin was treated like a star, and how many men could resist such a gentle place?

Peach Blossom Temple in Taohuawu, Peach Blossom Fairy in Peach Blossom Temple. The Peach Blossom Fairy planted peach trees and picked peach flowers in exchange for wine money. When I'm sober, I just sit in front of the flowers; when I'm drunk, I come to sleep under the flowers. Half awake and half drunk day after day, flowers fall and bloom year after year...

Tang Yin may have had a desolate dream, but when he woke up, the beauty on his pillow had left, but the lingering fragrance was still there, and there was also a piece of snow-white silver lying there.

At the Luming Banquet, Tang Yin shined brilliantly and wrote the poem "Understanding the Empress of the Yuan Dynasty to Thank the Chief Secretary": The ambition is not willing to chase the woodcutter and fishermen, but the Qin Dynasty is ready to be swept away. The sword is worth a hundred gold, and the jade is suddenly sold after being deposed three times. Hong Ling dares to look forward to next year's cake, but Huang Ling is deeply ashamed to write this day. The three strategies are not ancient poems, so how can God boast about them?

Although he once had the idea of ​​giving up the imperial examination, or he was unwilling to bow before the carriage when he was young, so he was never enthusiastic about official career, and even wanted to stay away from it.

After all, when his poems and paintings come out, they can also be worshiped by the world, and even these poems and paintings can be passed down through the ages.

But now that he has completed high school, it is naturally impossible to stop here, so Tang Yin and other new imperial examination candidates rushed to the capital to participate in next year's examination.

Although the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway project has been approved, it is not possible to build it from Beijing to Suzhou, so he naturally chose to take a boat from the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to Beijing.

But he probably didn't expect that he would still meet someone who would change his life.

On the way, he met Xu Jing, a candidate in Jiangyin. Xu Jing was born in a wealthy businessman's family in Jiangyin. Since Tang Bohu had long been famous, he had admired him for a long time and was a die-hard fan of Tang Yin.

So as soon as I was happy, I covered all the expenses for the idol's "food, accommodation, transportation and fun".

There is a banknote checkpoint on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Ordinary people need to pay about 3.48 taels of silver for each pass. Originally, it was free to go to Beijing to take the exam, but starting from the sixth year of Hongzhi, this treatment was canceled by the court.

Tang Yin's father, Tang Guangde, ran a tavern and was originally an ordinary businessman. He passed away four years ago. Since Mr. Tang often spends a lot of time and alcohol and is now short of money, he is very happy to "make" this friend.

The two of them were similar in age and hit it off immediately. They sang the wind and the moon along the way, especially with Xu Jing's money, so the journey to Beijing was a smooth sailing.

However, along the way, Xu Jing discovered that Tang Yin did not read the Four Books and Five Classics as rumored, but often delved into them.

Although my level is not as good as that of the opponent, how can I be a fool if I can try to kill from Yingtian Township, so I took the opportunity to communicate and discuss with Tang Yin.

Time soon came to the spring of the twelfth year of Hongzhi. The best candidates from all over the country were gathered in the capital to participate in the examination, and the most dazzling ones were two people: Tang Yin and Wang Shouren.

In fact, from the two capitals and thirteen provinces in the country, there are as many as fifteen Jieyuanlangs in this term alone.

It's just that as a major province in the imperial examination, Southern Zhili has a very high value in Jieyuan, with nearly 80% of the people who won the title of Jieyuan were successful in the gold list. However, Tang Bohu was still a famous talent, so he caused a greater sensation than the previous Nanzhili Jieyuan.

In fact, everything needs a gimmick. Obviously Jieyuan of Nanzhili in the previous session also participated in this conference. Why is it that only Tang Yin, Jieyuan, shines?

Tang Yin is not a traditional nerd, but is proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, especially his calligraphy and painting, which has become famous in Jiangnan. For such a talented person to take the provincial examination and win the first prize, it is as shocking as a famous singer from later generations to win the top prize in the college entrance examination.

It is precisely because of this that Tang Yin's appearance broke the traditional concept of "not hearing anything outside the window and only reading the books of sages", and naturally attracted special attention from the world.

After Tang Yin arrived in the capital, he did not go to the brothel. Instead, he was often dragged by Xu Jing to visit some officials from Nanzhili.

Although Cheng Minde was executed by Hongzhi after his family was confiscated, Xu Jing was rich and well-connected, and Tang Yin was already a golden brand, so no Southern Zhili official turned them away.

Song Cheng, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, is from Shexian County, Southern Zhili. Originally, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment was known to be unkind, but this time he also met with Xu Jing and Tang Yin in an unusual way.

"Tang Yin's life is really good. The Minister of Song Dynasty is famous for his high threshold. I didn't expect that he could get in!" After learning that Tang Yin successfully visited Song Cheng, many candidates immediately said sourly.

As for another man of the hour, Wang Shouren, he is even more dazzling. There are even rumors that he is already the emperor's designated number one scholar.

Wang Hua has been in charge of the Imperial College in recent years, and he has the air of being the first principal of the Ming Dynasty. His reputation is of great importance throughout Shilin. As for the emerging walks of life, students from such colleges have more or less respect for the chief principal because of his status as the Imperial College's sacrificial wine minister.

As the son of Wang Hua, the new uncle of the current Imperial College, Wang Shouren naturally attracted great attention.

Wang Shouren himself was also favored by the emperor. Although the emperor shelved Wang Shouren's proposal to develop iron mines from Australia and did not give him a new official position, the emperor personally arranged for Wang Shouren to participate in the imperial examination.

Originally, Wang Shouren had missed the scientific examination time, but the emperor personally greeted him and asked Zhejiang Tixue to allow him to participate in the provincial examination in the form of an "addendum".

It is said that Wang Shouren completed the Australian Experience Record while preparing for the exam. Emperor Hongzhi personally gave Wang Shouren a ginseng soup and told him to be sure to put his name on the gold list for reuse, which shows how much he attaches great importance to it.

If Wang Shouren successfully passed the examination, given Emperor Hongzhi's preference for Wang Shouren, and Wang Hua's favor from the emperor, it seemed logical that he would be selected as the number one scholar.

In February of the twelfth year of Hongzhi, the examination ended.

History seems to be an inescapable curse. The examiner of this imperial examination is Song Cheng, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and the policy questions he proposed are very tricky.

If the rural examination focuses on the Four Books and Five Classics, then the general examination begins to focus on policy questions, which tests the candidates' views on current affairs.

Although Wan Yi's third policy question this time is not an in-depth analysis of the ideological attainments of his predecessors Zhang Zai, Yang Shi, Lu Jiuyuan, and Xu Heng, it is also a historical policy question: "Ask which of the hundreds of schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn Period contends with Lu Buwei. It's relevant, can you tell me the reason?"

Exam-oriented education is a product of the times, and stereotyped writing has almost imprisoned the minds of candidates. As for the compilation of history, many people believe that it is the job of Hanlin officials.

This is why there are voices criticizing the candidates for the Eight-Part Essay: "I don't know what the Han, Wei, Sui, and Tang Dynasties were, but I only know that there was Zhu Zi. What kind of Jinshi is Tai Shigong? What kind of Zhu Juan is "Historical Records"?" .

The topic this time cannot be said to be out of the ordinary, but Bai Jia contends that it is known, and Lu Buwei is the most hateful, but who knows the connection between the two!

"Isn't this a blind test?"

"I can't answer it, I really can't answer it!"

"This question is so tricky, who wouldn't get it in vain?"

…

All the candidates couldn't answer the question at all, and they gritted their teeth with hatred towards the Minister of Justice who had set the question. They had been delayed by this person for another three years.

It’s just that some people are happy and some are worried. When they can’t answer it at all, Tang Bohu is already familiar with this kind of “send-point questions”, and even makes bold statements: “I will definitely win the first place in this subject and achieve the great cause of winning three points in a row!” (End of chapter)