Prime Minister

Chapter 219
As the carriage drove along, Zhang Yue raised the curtain to look at the morning scene of Bianjing.

The streets are empty, only a few publishers hooped by straw ropes hold iron signs or wooden fish, and announce the dawn along the street through the door.

With the long sound of iron plates beating, some people opened their doors and donated alms to the announcing monk who came to make alms.

Zhang Yue couldn't help saying: "We don't use the Yuanrong Newspaper at the fifth watch, and pass through the door with a piece of iron."

The carriage traveled for another distance, and as the sound of the iron plate faded away, many people also got up and went to work on the street one after another after hearing the sound.Vendors coming from Chenzhou Gate used Taiping carts or donkeys and horses to carry goods, and sold them in the city, and the caravans and horses stretched along the entire street.

When the carriage entered East Cross Street, the restaurant had already heard the bell rising, the firewood under the stove was warm and bright, shirtless and sweaty guys were cracking pancakes by the stove, and there were stacks of pancakes in front of the door. The small tower-like steamer was placed there, and the white air was blowing from the bottom to the top.

The meals in the morning market are freshly baked, such as fried white sausage, sheep and goose, cake, porridge, blood soup, sheep blood, powder soup and other favorite breakfasts of Bianjing people are all over the roadside.

For those who don’t have time to sit down and eat, there are sesame seed cakes, steamed cakes, glutinous rice cakes, ice cream and other small snacks for sale to passers-by in the morning market.

The carriage traveled from the south of the city to the north of the city, and Zhang Yue saw the scene of Bianjing from sleeping to waking up.

It's like a woman lazily getting up to make up and draw on her crescent eyebrows, gradually showing the most magnificent scene in front of the world.

When Zhang Yue saw that the iron tower of Kaibao Temple was getting closer and closer, Bianjing finally woke up.

The doors of the shops on the street are opening one after another, and the servants are busy cleaning the door panels and picking out Wangzi banners.The staff of Cailou Huanmen stood in front of the door to welcome the guests, as well as the residents who left the inn in a hurry, all integrated into the morning scene of Bianjing.

After getting off the carriage, it is Kaibao Temple.

The octagonal and thirteen-story building in front of you is covered with brown glazed bricks, which look like cast iron, which is the Kaibao Temple Pagoda. Later generations have a more familiar name, Kaifeng Iron Pagoda.

This pagoda was built under the order of Song Taizong. After the completion, Song Taizong found that the pagoda was slightly inclined to the northwest, so he asked the craftsman what was going on.

The craftsman said that there has always been a northwest wind in Bianjing, and it will be blown right in less than a hundred years.However, in the fourth year of Qingli, the pagoda was not blown upright, but was destroyed by thunder and fire.Song Renzong couldn't bear the destruction of the tower, so he rebuilt the tower, and it has the appearance of today's iron tower.

Candidates came to the gate of Kaibao Temple one after another and got off the carriage.The examinees gathered in groups of three or four, and everyone supported each other, each carrying a test box, as well as a pile of bags and bedding.

At this time, the gate of the temple was not opened, and the gate was guarded by Kaifeng government servants.

Zhang Yue looked around in the crowd for a while, and suddenly waved and shouted.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"

Guo Lin saw that Zhang Yue hurriedly pulled away from a group of classmates, and quickly ran towards Zhang Yue with his test box on his back.

At the beginning of the exam in Pucheng County, the brothers and sisters took the exam together, and now they are in the same field when they come to understand the exam. I can't help but sigh the wonderful fate.

Guo Lin patted the dust on Zhang Yue's clothes, straightened the wrinkles on the clothes, and said: "If you want to straighten the article, first straighten the clothes, and then make a good impression when you bow to the examiner."

Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Okay, thank you brother. Brother, your bun is loose and I will tie it for you."

Guo Lin smiled and said, "Okay."

"This is not Brother Zhang, Brother Guo."

Zhang Yue saw that it was He Qi and Wang Kui.

Kaibao Temple is where the Imperial Academy took the examination. As for Fan Zuyu, Huang Haoyi and the others who participated in the Bietou examination, the examination room was not here.

He Qi saluted Zhang Yue and said with a smile: "Sanlang, the rest of us are also from Fujian, and we have a fellowship. We have made an agreement here. If anyone wins the exam in the future, or will become prosperous in the future, we must not forget it." Old friend."

Zhang Yue said: "Of course we dare not forget, but I am afraid that Brother He will forget us."

He Qi raised his head and smiled, "Where did this come from, Brother Zhang is appreciated by the rich man, I'm afraid you will forget He Moumou in the future."

"If you have any unhappiness in the past, please don't take it to the bottom of your heart."

Zhang Yue said: "I dare not take this seriously."

Wang Kui cupped his hands to Zhang Yue and said, "Let's congratulate Sanlang first."

Zhang Yue said: "Thank you, Brother Wang, for your good words."

So everyone bowed to each other and dispersed in discord.

Sun Guo looked at He Qi's back and couldn't help but said, "Why did this person come to repair with Saburo today?"

Huang Lu said: "It's probably because the rich man praised Sanlang that day, but now everyone in the capital doesn't know Sanlang's name."

Sun Guo nodded and said: "Probably so. This person can bend and stretch, it's amazing."

At the side, He Qi said to Wang Kui: "Zhang San is in the limelight now, and I can't compete with him. I will show my favor to him for the time being. This time, we will compete in the examination room, so there is no need to cause troubles, so as not to spoil the mood of the examination.

Wang Kui said: "It makes sense."

He Qi said flatteringly: "Brother Junmin, such trivial matters are nothing to worry about, I think you are the son of the country this time."

Wang Kui smiled and said, "There are so many talented people this time, I'm not [-]% sure."

Although Wang Kui's words were modest, he showed arrogance.

Wang Kui looked around, but saw a familiar figure from the crowd, and his expression couldn't help changing.

Wang Kui said to He Qi: "Brother He, just wait for me, I will have a few words with someone I know well."

He Qi nodded and said, "Forget it, the exam is about to start, don't delay."

Wang Kui nodded, and then walked aside, in front of him was Guiying disguised as a man.

Wang Kui walked up to Guiying, looked around, and said in a panic, "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to wait at home?"

Guiying looked at Wang Kui softly with her eyes and said in a low voice: "I can't let you go, so I came to the examination room to have a look, don't drive me away, I'm right next to the examination room, just want to have a glimpse from a distance. "

Hearing this, Wang Kui said softly in his heart, "How can I be willing to drive you away, but how can I feel at ease just because you are here? When I write for a while, all I care about in my heart are you."

Guiying was moved when he heard the words: "If I hurt you, I will leave right away, but...but I still want to see you enter the examination room. I have been having nightmares for the past few nights. I dreamed that you won the Jinshi examination. Me. You won the first prize and crossed the street with hairpin flowers, which is very beautiful, but no matter how I call you from the side of the horse, you just can't hear a word."

Wang Kui smiled and said, "What stupid things are you talking about? Am I the kind of person who waits for a heartless person? You go home and don't stay here. I will finish the exam in three days."

"Okay." After hearing this, Guiying left, reluctant to leave.

Wang Kui felt a little guilty when he returned to He Qi.

Seeing that He Qi seemed to have glimpsed something, he smiled and said, "Brother Junmin, I don't know if the lady from the rich family will come today."

"What?" Wang Kui's heart trembled.

He Qi said with a smile: "Just joking, brother Wang is going to Qingyun, if he wins the first prize, let alone a lady from a rich family, even the prime minister's own daughter is not a problem."

Wang Kui forced a smile, and the gate of the examination room was already open.

At this time in the examination room.

Several examiners are present.

Chen Zhu, the censor in the palace, and Sima Guang in the Zhimi Pavilion have the highest official positions. Chen Zhu thinks that although he is the official examiner, he must also value Sima Guang's opinion.

As for Li Dalin, the school manager of Mige, Yang Hui, the school manager of Jixian, was the last official.

Chen Zhu is a cautious person, and has been under strict supervision since entering the examination room. For example, the family certificate and test paper handed in by candidates must be carefully read one by one, and if they are not printed according to the process, they must be reprinted.

This move made many mifeng officials and transcribers who colluded with outside bookstores secretly exclaimed that they were very powerful, and now they lost a lot of opportunities to do their best.

But having said that, these people have already become elites. At first glance, their methods have been cracked, but who knows if there are any new tricks.

Chen Zhu, as the examiner, of course knew that the responsibility was heavy.

He did have some people to take care of him. Fortunately, all the people he entrusted were talented people, but who knows if the other examiners have anyone to take care of.

If everyone has something to take care of, then the selected candidates will definitely be good and bad. If there is a big difference between good and bad, he will be charged with crimes in the future review.

The national examination is heavy, and it is still necessary to select some people with real talents and real learning.

Therefore, while guarding against the tactics of these subordinate officials, he also had to keep an eye on Sima Guang and Li Dalin.

Fortunately, Sima Guang and Li Dalin beside him are recognized as upright and honest people.

Especially Sima Guangji has an official voice.

He became famous at a young age, and was later trained by Prime Minister Pang Ji.Sima Guang has always been loyal to Pang Ji since he started his official career.

This loyalty is not something to talk about casually. Pang Ji's official career was extremely unsatisfactory in the later stage, and he was demoted all the way. Sima Guang followed Pang Ji all the way and never gave up.

Pang Ji was blamed for the crime, and Sima Guang went to court several times and vowed to share the crime with him.After Pang Ji's death, Sima Guang took care of his family again.

Sima Guang was very loyal to a politically frustrated person, which was appreciated by the contemporaries.Not only that, Sima Guang's articles are praised by many people.

But even so, Chen Zhu didn't think that Sima Guang would not even have a candidate to take care of.

Before the exam, he tested Sima Guang's tone several times, but he pushed him back without any leaks.

This person is not only frighteningly honest, but also frighteningly prudent, which reminds Chen Zhu of a saying, "Those who are talented and slow-tempered must be great talents."

At this time, the candidates entered the arena, and several examiners stood up.

Candidates for various subjects and Mingjing subjects enter the venue from one place and take the exam in the back hall.As for the examiners in front of them, they were all Jinshi candidates.

There is a saying that goes, "Burning incense to enter the earth, looking at the scriptures with anger".

Because Jinshi subjects are often very general and outstanding.As far as the Mingjing of various subjects is concerned, it is just a pedant, so there is this saying.

Facing the entrance of all Jinshi, several examiners did not dare to neglect.

Divide into a group of ten Jinshi and bow to four examiners.

After Zhang Yue entered the arena, he was brought here along with the crowd.He saw the four examiners on the stage.

He knew Chen Zhu, and there was another person beside him, and he also recognized him. Isn't this Sima Shishizhang?

He really is Sima Guang, why is he still lying to me.

Zhang Yue couldn't help despising Sima Guang from the bottom of his heart.

When it was Zhang Yue's turn, the ten Jinshi immediately lined up.Zhang Yue and Chen Zhu faced each other, but they would never pretend to be familiar with each other.

When Zhang Yue saw Sima Guang, he saw that he was looking straight and serious.

Everyone bowed to each other at the moment, very respectful.

Then Zhang Yue was taken to a monk's room according to his seat number.

When Zhang Yuefang entered, he heard a lock behind him, and he was locked inside.

Zhang Yue looked at the monk's room but saw that there were tables and beds, and he would fight here in the next three days.

(End of this chapter)