The first male queen [crossing]

In the busy city in the west of Chang'an City, Gu Junci sat facing the sun in front of the sugar figurine booth, and set up another small stall. At the moment, he was drawing sugar figurines with syrup.

Ah Chun on the side frowned, looking at Gu Junci, who was serious about the painting, always hesitating to speak.

With a shake of Gu Jun's hand, the syrup spilled out, and a good sugar figurine was ruined.

Ah Chun looked flustered, and was stopped by Gu Junci just as he turned to run away.

"Where are you going, sit down and eat the sugar man."

Ah Chun raised a smiling face, took the sugar figurine from Gu Junci's hand, and said in a low voice, "My lord, I've been eating it all morning, can I not eat it?"

Gu Jun said: "It's not that those children dislike it and look bad, otherwise, there is no place for you to eat, the place is already full of children."

The sugar figurine master looked back at the master and servant who were talking, and said with a quick smile: "This sugar figurine pays attention to patience and carefulness. Don't be in a hurry. Master, take your time."

Gu Junci nodded seriously, put on a full posture, and continued to draw sugar figures: "In the past, I was only good at slashing and flying, how could I make such a delicate little thing? Now I know that it is much more difficult than going to the battlefield." gone."

"Everyone has their own difficulties." The master said, "No, the Second Young Master Xiao won a great victory and returned to the court. In the past, he led troops to defend Chang'an City, and later assisted the regent in handling political affairs. He did a lot of things that benefited the country and the people. , Who wouldn’t say that Second Young Master Xiao is benevolent and righteous.”

Gu Junci lowered his eyes and acted like a sugar figurine, then smiled with his lips curled up: "Yes, Second Young Master Xiao is indeed benevolent and righteous."

The sugar figurine master looked at the sugar figurine drawn by Gu Junci, and said with a smile, "My lord, what did you draw? It looks like a human being."

Gu Jun gave up his hand, looked up at the master, his expression was stunned: "What I painted is a person..."

The smile on Master Sugar Man's face froze, and he was a little embarrassed: "Yeah, it's quite similar."

Gu Junci put down the tool in his hand, touched his nose in embarrassment, got up and said: "Master, you can continue to do it, I will come back tomorrow."

After that, Gu Junci got up and kicked the feet of Ah Chun who was eating the sugar figurine, and immediately left the sugar figurine booth with him. Young master, why are you leaving all of a sudden?"

"Didn't I ask you to inquire about who is the most knowledgeable among the students participating in the Enke School yesterday? I'll go and see." Gu Junci said seriously.

After Ah Chun ate all the sugar figurines in a hurry, he followed Gu Junci's pace and walked towards the inn where the students stayed in Chang'an City.

Compared with those gorgeously decorated inns as usual, those ordinary and cheap inns are full of Enke students. When I was still in Lanling, Gu Junci and Xiao Yuan learned from Langya many years ago. , And talked about the problem of the world's students.

Xiao Yuan said bluntly that most of the previous imperial courts were occupied by people recommended by various families. It was not uncommon to form cliques for private interests and party exclusion. Later, after the first emperor came to power, he created the imperial examination. The best talents enter the court.

But even so, it still doesn't change the example of making parties.

Until the younger brother ascended the throne, when Xiao Yuan was handling political affairs for Xiao Boxu, someone reported that Enke would be opened this year to recruit talents, Xiao Yuan ordered a non-family recommendation, and he could also participate in the Enke exam.

In this way, it is even a way out for those poor students who want to serve the country but don't want to join the camp of the aristocratic family.

Therefore, in this year's Enke exam, there are many students from poor families who cannot afford to live in good inns, so they will naturally stay in these cheap inns and prepare to have a try.

This is also the rule set by Xiao Yuan before, not all poor students can participate in the scientific examination, after all, when there are more people participating in the scientific examination, it will be more difficult for the officials who mark the examination papers in the court, so they set up a test, and took the lead in shaving off some shams students.

There will be another test. The top [-] students in the second test will be judged regardless of their status, but only on character and talent. Then they will take the final three-day test, and the top three and eighteen Jinshi will be selected.

Regarding Xiao Yuan's decision, some people in the court opposed it, and many people supported it. However, Xiao Boxu is the regent, and Xiao Yuan also holds the post of minister, so no one in the court can compete with him, so naturally there is no one in the court. What noise.

However, after this change of scientific examination rules was implemented in the middle school, it also received the support of a large number of poor students. Even Wang Tingxiao, a master of Confucianism far away in Langya, wrote a letter in person, praising Xiao Yuan's move as ushering in a new era for students all over the world. hope.

At the tea stall in front of the bookstore, Gu Junci was drinking tea, looking at the students entering and leaving the bookstore, he couldn't help smiling and said to Ah Chun, "This move by Second Young Master Xiao is indeed a good decision."

"Why don't you praise me to my face?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

Gu Junci hurriedly turned his head, looked in surprise at Xiao Yuan who was dressed in black clothes and looked cold, got up and said, "Why are you here?"

Xiao Yuan put his clothes on and sat on the bench, looked up at the students passing by in the opposite bookstore: "The Enke exam is about to start, just like you, come and see how these people are doing with their exam preparation."

Gu Jun said: "Did you hear people praise you along the way?"

Xiao Yuan looked calm: "There are many people who praise me, but they are not as good as you."

Gu Junci picked up the tea bowl and coughed lightly, and then said: "Why don't you rest in the mansion, you just came back from Bashang, you should take a rest."

Xiao Yuan stared sideways at Gu Junci: "You are worried about me."

Gu Junci drank his tea and never answered his words directly.

Xiao Yuan said: "Your Excellency has appointed my elder brother as the order of Zhongshu. In addition to me, there is another member of the Xiao family in the court. It just so happens that this person is not against me. In this way, the court will inevitably It will be very bad for me to form a party again."

Gu Junci nodded: "That's right, that's why I said that it is a good decision to open Enke and recruit people of insight from all over the world."

Xiao Yuan said: "Of course, except for the officials who can inject non-adulterated stance into the court, before I came back, I sent spies everywhere to report that many students who were against the king's administration all went to Chang'an to take part in the scientific examination. , In this way, the rebellious kings will have no power to compete with us. I have roughly calculated that if we want to unify by then, it will take five years at least, and six or seven years at most, and the whole world will return to Chang'an."

Gu Junci listened carefully, thinking it was indeed the case.

The old rules in the past made many people feel that there is no future for studying, especially those in poor families. It is good to be able to read and write. Only wealthy sons and daughters can study and practice martial arts. Opportunity to become an official.

But now, Xiao Yuan is taking advantage of the troubled times to implement a new scientific examination policy, which not only allows the students who are against the king to see the future, but also makes many people hold the hope that the students from poor families will have a way out. We all will remember Xiao Yuan's kindness.

Gu Junci drank tea by himself, always felt that someone was looking at him, he coughed a little unnaturally, and then followed his gaze to meet Xiao Yuan's thoughtful eyes, and said softly: " What are you watching me do?"

Xiao Yuan: "You are not angry with me, are you?"

Gu Junci was stunned for a moment, and then shook his head: "I'm not angry with you for a long time, and besides... besides, I also have something wrong."

Xiao Yuan's eyes were gentle, and he said seriously: "Then, can I still call you your speech?"

I don't know why, when I heard Xiao Yuan calling the word Junci at this moment, I always felt my heart beat a little faster, I quickly avoided his eyes, and then nodded.

Xiao Yuan picked up the tea bowl and drank the tea, but he couldn't hold back the smile at the corner of his mouth. As soon as he called out his speech, he found that the bookstore was surrounded by people at some point, blocking the street, making it difficult for many people to walk.

Gu Junci glanced back at Xiao Yuan, then got up together and walked towards the crowded crowd, and then heard the contemptuous scolding of the young man from the crowd:

"As poor as you are, you dare to rely on the imperial examination. Don't think that you can be called a student of Mr. Wang because you have heard Mr. Wang Tingxiao's lectures. Do you deserve to be admitted to the gate of Langya Wang?"

The one he scolded was naturally the student in rags and rags. He was pushed to the ground by the rich man's servant, and he was powerless to fight back, but his eyes were very peaceful, without any resentment or complaint, let alone low self-esteem.

He just smiled and said: "Could it be that when the young master enters the gate of the Wang family, they will greet him with three bows and nine knocks. If not, then what is the difference between you and me?"

The rich young man was blocked by his words, and jumped back angrily: "How can you be poor compared to this young master, I will let you know today that the gate of the Gongyuan is not for you poor poor, hit! Hit well!"

As he spoke, the group of servants who were suppressing the poor student raised their fists and reached out to greet him, but before they could land their fists or feet, someone yelled to stop.

Afterwards, the crowded crowd dispersed in a single path, and the young man in purple strode forward. Looking at the student who was being pushed down on the ground, he hurriedly asked the people behind him to help him up.

The rich man said: "Who are you, you dare to meddle in my business."

The purple-clothed young master raised his head with his hands behind his back and smiled triumphantly: "Who is this young master? You heard me clearly. This young master is the Pei clan of Hedong, Pei Sheng, the son of the great general of Zhu Kingdom."

When the rich young man heard this, his expression changed immediately, and he said in a very courteous manner: "It turns out...it is the young master of the Pei family. He is a young man who doesn't know you. I have offended you just now. Please forgive me."

Pei Sheng laughed mockingly: "It's not me that you offended, so you don't need to ask me to forgive you, what you offended is the Second Prince Xiao, who is the current general of Zhen Guo, who also holds the post of Shang Shu Ling, and who implements the new scientific examination policy, well, it's right there. "

Pei Sheng pouted towards Xiao Yuan, causing the group of students to look sideways at him, and then they all saluted.

Xiao Yuan's expression was dignified, and there was a bit of dissatisfaction in his eyes: "Don't be too polite, you are all people who study, you should be gentle and polite, why do you still make people fight?"

Xiao Yuan's voice was not loud, but it was very sonorous and powerful. The rich man's heart trembled when he heard it, and he was about to pay respects and make amends, but he saw Xiao Yuan walking towards the student who was almost beaten, escaped and handed him a handkerchief:

"Wipe off the stains on your face. A gentleman should dress neatly, so he should naturally look clean. It doesn't matter if it's luxurious, but it should be tidy."

The student took the handkerchief, looked at Xiao Yuan gratefully, bowed deeply to him and said, "Thank you, Second Young Master Xiao."

Not an adult, not a great general, but Second Young Master Xiao, such an easy-going title won Xiao Yuan's heart.

Pei Sheng looked at Gu Junci who was at the side, and said with joy, "I have heard that the thirteen Taibao of Linyang King followed the Lanling Xiao family, and I just saw it today. I am ashamed."