Prime Minister

Chapter 225
The Guozijian release test list is different from other release test list.

Before the release of the rankings, all the scholars participating in the examination will go to the Sanjian Hall of the Imperial Academy to meet the chief and deputy examiners and the officials of the Imperial Academy.

The imperial examination is a set advocated by the emperor and the court, but in the eyes of the officials, the nine-rank Zhongzheng is still stubbornly implemented, and the village election system transfers the power of selecting people from the court to themselves.

How exactly does it turn on itself?

On the day when the rankings are released, the officials will call the candidates for an interview in the morning, and they will ask a few questions face to face.

The purpose of officials is to separate the right to test from the right to vote.

But this move was dissatisfied by the students, and the court was even more unwilling.

Promising monarchs must hold the power of employing people in their own hands. Originally, in the Han Dynasty, village elections were used as the method of selection. However, after Cao Cao became the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, he promulgated the "Only Talents" order many times to select talented people. For poor scholars, change the way of employing talents controlled by scholars.

In the later period, Cao Wei compromised with the gentry and switched to the "Nine-rank Official Personnel Law". Although it returned to the old road of village elections, it actually relaxed the qualifications for employing people, and compared with the electoral system of the Han Dynasty, it strengthened the power of the imperial court to employ personnel.

In the Song Dynasty, it was relatively fairer, and a certain balance was reached between taking care of the officials and noble families and promoting talent.

As for the imperial court's reluctance to put the power of employing people in the hands of the examiners, the examiners still have to hold the right to vote, at least for a while.

To solve this cutscene, the examiner calls it 'face-to-face challenge'.

Although the Guozijian has a quota of [-], the number of people challenged is less than [-].

The examiners will work from morning to evening, and then release the results at the end.

In other words, those who are selected in the face may not necessarily be on the final list, but those who are not selected in the face will definitely not be on the list.This move is similar to the provincial examination, the palace examination.

After the provincial examination for the selection of officials, in order to show that the emperor has the right to employ people in his own hands, he will also hold a palace examination to determine the final ranking and select some people.

Therefore, after the palace examination, the Jinshi call themselves the emperor's disciples, which is the reason.

On the eve before the announcement of the rankings, the students of Yangzhengzhai stayed in the dormitory.

Some are pacing back and forth anxiously, others are confident, and some are disdainful.

Anyway, everyone knows who it is.

Zhang Yue was not in a hurry, because according to the unwritten rules, the Taixue learns Zhengxueyu, and the Zhaichang Zhaiyu of each Zhai will be "face-to-face" in the end, no matter how good or bad the exam is.

Although the test results are determined before the ranking, but this experience is really tormenting.

At this moment, Zhang Yue remembered what Zhang Heng had said to him.

That is the experience of the successful.

To sum it up in one sentence, continuous success is the first-class way of self-realization. When you can overcome difficulties and climb to the top of the mountain, you will overcome emotions such as inferiority complex, self-doubt, and self-doubt.

Just like an army, if a weak brigade keeps winning battles, it will gradually become an invincible army in the end. No matter how strong the opponent is, they will have the confidence to fight against it and show their swords when they meet the enemy.

The same is true of the imperial examinations, from being admitted to the county school to being recommended to the imperial school, and now it is from the imperial school to the examination.

Exams are opaque but at least public.

Some people have worked hard for more than ten years and decades, but they still have no confidence in the leaders. They say that you are too young, so let the old comrades go first, and later say that you are too old, so you have to be selected from young people. I keep telling you to wait and wait, but I can't get promoted.

Don't wait for all previous efforts to be wasted, and gradually be marginalized, and wait for everything to be done by you, and it's nowhere in sight.

The imperial examination is fair, and you can tell if you pass the exam or not.

During the test, all the competitors are the best in each field, but who can stand out in the end?

"Master, Lu Zhidao asked you to go."

The people in the same room all pricked up their ears, Zhang Yue responded, and immediately went out to the lecture room.

"I've seen straight talk."

Lu Zhi said that when he saw Zhang Yue, he smiled all over his face, stood up from behind the table and said, "Duzhi is here. Your Yangzhengzhai really did well in the exam this time."

Zhang Yuedao: "It's all the result of direct teaching on weekdays. It's just like the saying that a famous teacher produces a good disciple."

Lu Zhi said with a smile after hearing the words: "Actually, you don't show merit, and I also know that among the Taixue's schools, your Yangzheng Zhai's style of study is the most pure and upright, and you are well-known among the few of us. Not to mention anything else, just the last big epidemic, everyone in your Yangzheng Zhai stayed at home and studied hard behind closed doors, and it was the only one in each Zhai that no one got sick."

"What is uprightness? Yi Yun, I have learned to uprightness. But there is another righteousness. Aren't you good at governing Mencius? Mencius said, I am good at nurturing my awe-inspiring aura. What is awe-inspiring aura? Don't seek it from the outside, be worthy of it in your heart." , to cultivate the righteousness in the heart, the straightness.”

Zhang Yue bowed and said, "The students have been taught."

Lu Zhi said with a smile: "As the head of the fasting house, you have excellent virtue and ability, and you are rigorous in governing the fasting house. Taixue will also state this to the examiner."

After thanking Zhang Yue reservedly, he took the list and walked back to the fasting house.

Zhang Yue returned to the furnace pavilion, but saw many people gathered around, some pretending to be calm reading, and some hiding in the fasting house.

Looking at the eyes of everyone, Zhang Yue picked up the list and said: "Tomorrow, Han Zhongyan, Fan Zuyu... Zhang Yue, Huang Lu... are all here."

"Master, can my name be on it?"

Seeing the other party's expression, Zhang Yue couldn't bear it in his heart and said: "Take it and have a look."

The man took the list with trembling hands, looked at it from beginning to end, and finally squatted down with his head in his arms.

Others scrambled to circulate the list.

"Nine times in one night, the dream is too short to come home. Twice in Chang'an Mo, the empty will see the flowers."

After Zhang Yue entered the room, he didn't look at him from the beginning to the end, but just read with a book.After reading half of it, I finally couldn't help but read this "The Next Poem" by Meng Jiao with tears in my eyes.

Even children know the poem "Horseshoe disease in the spring breeze, I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day", but who knows that Meng Jiao has been ranked second twice.This poem was the one he read on his second visit.

"Twice in Chang'an Mo, I will see flowers with tears in the sky" and "Horseshoe disease in the spring breeze, I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day" is very interesting to read together.

Some people are happy and some people are sad.

When Zhang Yue walked back to the Zhai, he saw Huang Haoyi lit the brazier and was throwing all his poems and articles into it to burn.

When Zhang Yue saw it, he quickly grabbed it and scolded: "Are you crazy?"

"Don't worry about me." Huang Haoyi really seemed to have gone crazy.

With Huang Lu on the side, Fan Zuyu stepped forward to help Zhang Yue hold down Huang Haoyi.Huang Haoyi finally covered his face with his hands and squatted down crying bitterly.

On the other side, Sun Guo was lying on the couch, staring blankly at the roof while muttering words.From the looks of everyone, Sun Guo is more worrying than Huang Haoyi.

Zhang Yue watched this scene and thought to himself, although the other test is close to one out of two, Huang Haoyi still failed the ranking.As for the poor family's solution test, although one of the six or seven people is selected, there is no one who has any connections and yellow shoes can still be selected.

Although there are differences in difficulty, no matter how large the denominator is, it is one if you can pass the exam, and no matter how small the denominator is, it is zero if you fail the exam.

The imperial examination is so cruel and real.

There was nothing to say all night, and the candidates who entered the "face-to-face selection" early the next morning lined up outside the Sanjian Hall.

As for the Sanjian hall, Chen Zhu, Sima Guang, Li Dalin and others were in the hall, and the officials of the Imperial College were on the side. Because they got up too early, many people yawned.

The scholar brought tea to several officials, and after rinsing his mouth to relieve his fatigue, the face-to-face selection began.

Since it was a face-to-face challenge, students from Bietouqian and poor families were naturally mixed together.

However, these officials have read countless people, and they don't need to look at the family certificate, and they can tell the origin of the person with a few words.

Those who are stiff and can’t let go, and those who don’t know where to put their hands and feet when facing the examiner, are mostly poor candidates, but not all of them. If the family background is better or someone asks for advice, they will be more calm.However, there were a few who dared to speak, and their purpose was too obvious, making it uncomfortable to listen to.

The children of officials and eunuchs are quite outstanding in their conversation, they can point to the end, and they are very scheming, very able to read one or two things from the examiner's words and expressions, so as to change the response strategy.

In this way, no one can make a mistake in picking anyone, but the problem lies in this...

As for the sons and daughters of poets and writers, they are somewhat lofty, and there are also those who are polite and thoughtful and those who are not, but the pride in their bodies can be seen from a distance.

Although from the interviews, I dare not judge how these candidates will make their official careers after they enter the officialdom.But the examiner can already draw a conclusion from this side of the words, and generally they can agree [-] to [-]%.

Zhang Yue stood outside the Sanjian hall, watching candidates come in and out.

Most of the candidates entered the room with nervous expressions, but after they came out, they were relaxed, and many of them were chatting and laughing.The examiner didn't make it difficult for them, but mostly asked some very simple questions, which was purely a formality.

However, there were also a few people with painful expressions, it seemed that they had been made things difficult.

Zhang Yue looked at He Qi and Wang Kui in the crowd. The two of them smiled and handed over Zhang Yue, and Zhang Yue returned the courtesy.

But Zhang Yue looked left and right and couldn't see Guo Lin.Just when Zhang Yue was hopeless, he saw Guo Lin at the end of the line and waved to him with a smile.

Zhang Yue waved his hand with a smile, a big rock fell from the bottom of his heart, he was relieved at this moment.

At this moment, Zhang Yue couldn't help thinking of the time when he was studying when he was young.

He and Guo Lin walked from a small mountain village to the county seat, and then from the county seat to the Imperial Academy... In the end, God will reward those who work hard.

No matter how vulgar the fame is, everyone flocks to it, and there is always value in it, which no one can deny.

Don't look at the scenery after the first grade, because everything they have, including the efforts of the losers, is nothing but success.

Even if he fails, it doesn't matter. With Guo Lin's character, the children he will teach will not be bad in the future, because teaching by example is better than words, so it can be repaid to the next generation.

The scholar called Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue said yes, shaking his robe and climbing up the steps.

When Zhang Yue walked up to the Sanjian hall, he glanced across the examiners who were either drinking tea or reading the papers, and the academic officials at the side said loudly: "The Taixue Yangzhengzhai chapter is more insightful."

But seeing the examiner hearing the sound, Sima Guang stroked his beard and looked up, Li Dalin who was at the side said in his heart, this son is wearing a silk robe, no doubt he is poor, but his demeanor is extraordinary.

The officials of the Guozijian on the side are all familiar with each other.

The examiners glanced at Zhang Yue, but didn't pay too much attention.

Zhang Yue knows well in his heart, face-to-face challenge is also a necessary ability in the future.It's like being an official and meeting the prime minister, and he asks you a few words, how do you answer?

What's more important is the prelude to Jun.

The officials of the Song Dynasty were not like the emperors of the Ming Dynasty who did not wait for decades.

It was still very easy for officials in the Song Dynasty to see the emperor. They first wrote the application form, and then they could see the emperor after the emperor Zhongshu approved it, and then closed the door and arranged for an appointment.

Even if you are not active, officials are still willing to meet officials. This vigilance is a lesson learned from being isolated from inside and outside by eunuchs and prime ministers when you came out of the Tang Dynasty.Although the Northern Song Dynasty often had a queen dowager as regent, in the end, no emperor was left alone.

One would be afraid to choose this in an interview, so why talk about meeting Wang Anshi and Song Shenzong in the future.However, the position of the examiner is Sima Guang, a close friend of Wang Anshi and future enemy.

After Zhang Yue saluted, Guozijian directly reported Zhang Yue's experience in Taixue to the examiner.

Born as a poor scholar, he was admitted to the county school at the age of 12, admitted to the Taixue at the age of 14, and became the head of Yangzheng Zhai at the age of 15.

This resume is quite beautiful. In the end, the officials of the Guozijian gave Zhang Yue a very high evaluation.

The four examiners on the stage took advantage of this time to read Zhang Yue's family statement, resume, and examination papers.

Then the examiner will ask Zhang Yue two questions.

Jixian School Li Yang's picture book was about to ask a question. At this time, Li Dalin coughed lightly and asked first: "Zhang Duzhi, I see that the goodness in your test papers is like water. The best kindness is like water. Lao Tzu, but you use Confucius Is it okay to look at the water flowing eastward and endow it?"

Zhang Yue saluted and said: "Reporting to the examiner, Confucius once asked to respect Lao Tzu, which was found in Zhuangzi. His disciples asked Confucius, how is Lao Tzu?" Confucius replied, "I know birds can fly; fish, I know they can swim; beasts, I know It can walk.As for the dragon, I don't know why?What I have seen of Lao Tzu is like a dragon? "

"Confucius must look at the great water. He said that the water is partial to all living beings and does nothing. It is virtue. Its flow also flows down, and its restraint must follow its principles. If there is a decision to do it, it should be as silent as the sound, and it will go to the valley without fear, and it will be brave. The main measure must be equal, and the law, the surplus does not seek generalizations, and it is correct. Enter, so as to achieve freshness and cleanliness, and be good at transformation. Its ten thousand folds will be east, just like the ambition of a gentleman."

"Confucius said that water has virtue, righteousness, way, courage, law, rectification, observation, benevolence, ambition, etc. and Laozi's "Superior Goodness" can also be used as a reference. Please also examiners respect."

After Zhang Yue finished answering, the Guozijian whispered to each other, or praised, or talked with colleagues.

Among them, Lu Zhidao was even more honored, nodding frequently.

Li Dalin nodded his head and said: "Your prose has rules but little artistic conception. However, this prose quotes Lao Zhuang, Xunzi, Mencius, Analects of Confucius, and Tao Te Ching. Although the text is mediocre, it can be called a great talent."

Zhang Yue understood that what Li Dalin said was to point out his own poems, only the routine lacked sincerity.

There is no way that I have so many talents in poetry and prose, I can only achieve neat structure and format, but artistic conception... that really has nothing to do with the degree of hard work acquired.

This is really a height that a person can't reach in a lifetime, but some people are born with it.

Zhang Yue's best efforts in this examination room are already the limit of his efforts.

After hearing Li Dalin's remarks, Chen Zhu looked Zhang Yue up and down.

When Zhang Yue met his gaze, he couldn't help but tremble in his heart.

At this time Sima Guang made a sound.

Sima Guangdao: "You, Zhang Du, said in the discussion of which one is the first to know and do, 'sincere heart reaches knowledge, and knowledge is true and good'. It is similar to Mencius's theory, which uses Mencius's words everywhere."

"However, Mencius's main nature is good, and Xunzi's main nature is evil. They both have their partiality and leave their generality. Good and evil are both. Therefore, although a sage cannot be without evil, even though an evil man cannot be without goodness, it is like farming, rice and sorghum and Weeds and weeds grow together on the ground. Doing good and eliminating evil is like removing weeds and weeds to get rice and sorghum.”

"You use both the words of Xunzi and the words of Mencius, but the two schools of thought are completely different from each other. I don't know why?"

Zhang Yuexin said that you, Sima Guang, were originally 'Meng Hei', no wonder you later got involved with 'Meng Fan' Wang Anshi.

All the examiners were surprised. Generally, one of the examiners asked the topic of the article, and the other asked general questions, such as the way of self-cultivation, and the ambition to serve the country?
But both questions were questioned on the paper. Could it be that Sima Guang and Zhang Yue had any quarrels?
But Zhang Yue calmly said: "The examiner's words, the students have been taught, reminding the students of the sage's words 'choose the good ones and follow them, and the bad ones and change them'."

"Mencius' theory of good nature and Xunzi's theory of evil seem to be like the positive and negative sides of a coin, either one or the other, but in the eyes of students, the two are only different."

When the chief examiner Chen Zhu heard the words, he first showed surprise, and Sima Guang showed deep thought.

"Just like the examiner mentioned rice, sorghum and weeds, in the eyes of farmers, rice and sorghum are good, and weeds are evil. However, if there is a bird that does not eat except weeds and weeds, and hates rice, then in the eyes of the bird, the farmer's behavior is good or right Evil? How can we get rid of evil and promote good?"

After Zhang Yue finished his answer, everyone present was speechless.

Yang Hui on the side was so surprised that he dropped his pen, but he didn't know.

Sima Guang stroked his beard and pondered, nodded and said, "I know that. Are you Zhang Duzhi?"

Having said that, Sima Guang looked up at Zhang Yue.

Zhang Yue cupped his hands and said: "The student is right, what the student said is Meng Lang."

Sima Guang said: "Scholars in the world hold their own opinions on the theory of good and evil. Although I don't agree with Meng Xun's theory, the test of you is nothing more than watching your talent."

"You can speak out without hiding, goodness."

Zhang Yuexi bowed in salute and stepped back from the hall.

Then the four examiners all took up pens to comment on Zhang Yue.

Chen Zhu and Li Dalin couldn't help looking at Sima Guang, but they saw that Sima Guang wrote "优" under Zhang Yue's name without stopping.

The other three examiners also wrote 'excellent' under Zhang Yue's name at the same time.

"Yangzhengzhai yellow shoes!" The examiner shouted loudly.

Stepping out of Sanjian Hall, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu met face to face, and nodded to each other to show encouragement.

As for Zhang Yue, he couldn't help but sweat at the moment.

He found a pavilion to sit down, but in front of the Sanjian hall, the candidates had not dispersed, and it was almost time to release the results, and the candidates who came out of the Sanjian hall were talking happily.

Zhang Yue sat like this, watching the dark clouds gather in the sky, and it looked like a shower soon.

After a while, the candidates were all interviewed.

Candidates near the Sanjian hall were all cleared, and it was clear that the rankings were finalized.

It was about to rain heavily, but none of the candidates left.

Zhang Yue saw Sun Guo in the crowd.Sun Guo's face was a little pale, although he hadn't been selected today, he still came to see the list.He looks at the list not to see if he has won, but to make himself give up.

Zhang Yue was secretly sad for Sun Guo.

The list was not announced, but the rain finally came down.

Zhang Yue looked at the rain when it was small and then big, and the sound of the rain was all around his ears.Candidates scattered from the field to shelter from the rain under the eaves, and some people ran into the pavilion.

The abundant autumn rain made the sky a bit dark, and candles were lit in Sanjian Hall.

Presumably the examiners in the class are nervously filling out the list, and the candidates on the left and right are watching this scene.

In the Sanjian Hall, it took half an hour to fill in the list. At this moment, the examiner Chen Zhu was watching the heavy rain by the window, stroking his beard and meditating under the candlelight.After a while, the examiner Yang Zhu turned his head and said to the left and right: "Let's post the list!"

At this time, the door of Sanjian Hall opened.

Several people shouted: "The list is released, the list is released."

Regardless of the heavy rain, all the candidates followed the ranking list one after another. Zhang Yue also wanted to get up and brave the rain to go to see the ranking list, but he was embarrassed to find that... his legs were numb.

After sitting for so long, Zhang Yue held his thigh with his right hand in the pavilion, hopped a few steps on one leg, and finally gave up trying.

Zhang Yue sat alone in the pavilion, looking at the crowd of people in front of the wall where the Guozijian posted the list, and nearly half of them held umbrellas, looking shaggy.

In addition to the candidates, family members of the candidates also went to the Imperial College to see the rankings. Many people were afraid that they would not be able to see clearly in the dark, so they picked up lanterns in advance to see the rankings.

Zhang Yue sat quietly in the pavilion, with the aura of standing still while watching others vying for lordship.

This sitting, at first glance, really seems to be a bit of an artistic conception of sitting in the clouds and wild cranes, and seeing fame and fame like floating clouds.

In fact, Zhang Yue looked calm on the outside, but he was burning with anxiety in his heart, with sweat dripping from his forehead, he only hated that his leg was so unbearable.

"I hit it." A person in the distance clapped his hands and laughed.

"I was hit too, haha." Another person raised his head and laughed, throwing the umbrella aside.

Zhang Yue saw how many people hugged each other, laughing and crying at the same time.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yue was both happy and deeply moved.

Wang Kui and He Qi pointed at the list, as if pointing the country.

Finally, someone gradually left sadly, and Sun Guo walked in the rain alone without holding an umbrella.

When Sun Guo passed by, there was a proud examinee, and the whole family, young and old, laughed in unison.

In the distance, Guo Lin was wiping tears in the rain, while several classmates were talking beside him, as if they were congratulating him.

People continued to disperse from the front of the list, and saw the firefly lights coming from a distance, and saw the lights flickering in the rain and going away.

Zhang Yue wondered in his heart, if I win, why no one came to congratulate me and let me sit here alone.

During the words, a person finally came, it was the imperial student of various subjects, and he seemed to be a little familiar when he saw the chapter.

"Duzhi, why don't you look at the list?"

Zhang Yue smiled and didn't answer.

At this time, Huang Lu walked quickly from the rain to the pavilion, and Zhang Yue stood up immediately. He first looked at Huang Lu's expression.

"Duzhi, congratulations."

Zhang Yue finally calmed down, looked at Huang Lu and said, "An Zhong, you got hit too?"

Huang Lu nodded, Zhang Yue couldn't help punching him on the shoulder and laughed loudly: "Look at the list!"

"Ha, brother, borrow an umbrella!" Zhang Yue said to the candidates in the pavilion.

The rain hit the umbrella, and Zhang Yue's shoes kicked through the puddle. After a while, the shoes and socks were all wet, and at this moment he didn't care about it.

"Duzhi is here!"

"How come Du Zhi is so late."

"Haha, it's so slow."

When the classmates saw Zhang Yue, Huang Lu smiled on his face, but his expression was a little complicated, so he made a way for them to look at the list.

Zhang Yue and Huang Lu came to the list and found their names after a while from top to bottom.

"Jinshi No.3, Zhang Yue!"

(End of this chapter)