Master From the King's Fort Chapter 10

There are a total of 305 candidates who took part in the re-examination this year.

At dawn, before it gets bright, the candidates are ready and are led to the palace gate by people from the Imperial Examination Hall. They are checked by the palace guards and their identities are verified one by one. Then they follow the eunuchs through the Fengtian Gate, pass the Fengtian Hall and the Huagai Hall along the way, and finally arrive at the Jinshen Hall.

The Jinshen Hall is one of the three major halls, and behind it is the Qianqing Palace, which is the emperor's bedroom.

After Yongle, successive emperors summoned Concub!nes to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to enjoy singing and dancing and entertainment. Emperor Hongzhi insisted on monogamy and never took Concub!nes or beauties. He often stayed in the Empress's Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and simply omitted this item.

Sixteen years before the Hongzhi reign, the Qianqing Palace was unusually deserted.

Under such circumstances, not only were the eunuchs in low spirits, but even the palace ladies were not as good-looking as they were during the Chenghua period.

Only after Emperor Hongzhi's health gradually weakened and he began to take elixirs did the Qianqing Palace become lively again.

Ironically, for the eunuchs and palace maids serving in the palace, this was hardly a good thing.

The chief examiners of the re-examination were no longer Zhang Yuanzhen and Yang Tinghe, but Ma Wensheng, the Minister of Personnel and the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and Han Wen, the Minister of Revenue. Most of the invigilators and examiners were from the Hanlin Academy, from the academician to the lecturer, a total of five people.

At noon, the newly-appointed candidates stood in front of the Jinshen Hall.

According to custom, regardless of age, all wear a square flat scarf on their heads, a jade-colored or blue-green Confucian robe, wide sleeves with black edges, and a soft scarf hanging from the collar.

As he walked, his clothes fluttered slightly, the scent of ink lingered, and he was graceful.

According to custom, the candidates only carried writing materials and a waist badge issued by the Ministry of Rites, which not only indicated their identity and place of origin, but also their ranking on the list.

Several examiners stood in the hall, and a eunuch brought his attendants to set up tables and chairs, waiting for the exam to begin.

Looking down from above, three hundred people stood together, arranged in an orderly manner, forming a black mass, which was quite imposing.

Before the exam started, everyone held their breath and didn't dare to speak casually, let alone make loud noises.

After the chief examiner led the crowd to pay homage to Confucius, they checked the clepsydra water clock to determine the exact time and lit sandalwood incense. Only then did the eunuchs and attendants lead the crowd into the examination room and they took their seats one by one.

The seats for the re-examination are arranged entirely according to the rankings in the spring examination.

Members up to number ten on the list sat in the first row of the hall, and half of them were familiar faces to Logan Yang.

Gu Jiuhe and Dong Wang need not be mentioned. They both told each other their names and hometowns and had a conversation on the day when the results were announced. The third place candidate was surnamed Cui. It was said that he was a descendant of a Guanlong family. His family had many classics. He was good at literature and martial arts, and his demeanor and temperament were quite extraordinary.

Sitting fourth was Dylan Xie, who had a good impression of Logan Yang. Xie Gongshi today was different from the past, with a more outstanding aura, more handsome features, upright and open-minded, and a demeanor of a wise scholar.

After Dylan Xie came Blake Yan.

Logan Yang lowered his eyes slightly. Even though he was not on good terms with this man and knew that he was a deep-minded person and was used to putting on a show, he still had to admit that his appearance was quite advantageous.

If you have never met him face to face and don't know his background, your first impression of him will be good.

In the Ming officialdom where both talent and beauty are valued, people like Blake Yan, as long as they are not too stupid and hated by the superiors, will have a smooth career. Even if they cannot become prime ministers, they can still be stable officials in Beijing.

But Blake Yan's expectations obviously go beyond this.

Pursing his lips, Logan Yang knew very well that if he didn't want to be stepped on by Yan's feet, he had to stand higher than Blake Yan.

After the sixth person, Logan Yang was not familiar with them and had never spoken to them, so he simply ignored them and no longer cared about them.

There were no designated rooms for provincial and metropolitan examinations in the palace. There were no separate halls for examinations. If there was no room in the hall, the candidates could only answer the questions outside.

With their rankings, Logan Yang and Mason Wang were just able to stay in the palace.

Those ranked after the hundredth were not so lucky. People like Li Chun and Ethan Cheng were placed outside the hall.

The spring was chilly, and due to palace rules, fire pots were not allowed to be lit frequently, which was a great test for the new scholars. It was not too bad for the strong and healthy men in their twenties, but it was really hard for the old scholars who were over forty and nearly fifty.

Fortunately, the weather was good, with no snow or rain. Although the wind was a bit strong, it would pass if you just tied your clothes tightly and endured it.

All for the sake of getting a name on the list of successful candidates, gaining glory, and even more for the sake of promotion and advancement.

Sitting at the table, Logan Yang ground ink while silently reciting several poems he had read yesterday, and soon calmed down. When the Hanlin passed by and handed out the test questions, he smiled happily.

This performance, coupled with his youth, unexpectedly attracted the attention of an examiner.

The chief examiner was none other than the Minister of Personnel Ma Wensheng, a veteran of four dynasties who had served in the government for fifty years. He had experienced the Battle of Tumu and had led troops to quell the rebellion as a civilian.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel is the head.

Although Ma Wensheng has not entered the cabinet, Liu Jian and others do not dare to underestimate him because of his qualifications and reputation.

Ma Shangshu, who was in his seventies, had clear eyes and sharp vision. Whenever the Hongzhi Emperor asked him about government affairs, he would always give thought-provoking advice. Because he was upright and fearless when he was an imperial censor, and punished evildoers, he was honored by the world as the "Hongzhi Gentleman".

Now, this famous official who had served in four dynasties and had evaluated countless top scorers and second-class scholars, passed over Gu Jiuhe, Dylan Xie and others, and fixed his gaze directly on Logan Yang. A hint of surprise flashed across his old face, and he stroked his long beard with one hand and nodded slightly.

After handing out the test questions, a Hanlin lecturer returned to the palace. Seeing Ma Wensheng smiling, he asked, "There are many talented people in this exam, and it is difficult to decide the top three. I wonder if Prime Minister Ma has any talented people to recommend to the emperor?"

Ma Wensheng smiled and ignored him.

Given Ma Shangshu's status and position as a Hanlin scholar, it is normal for him to ignore him.

The lecturer was disappointed and knew that Ma Wensheng would not reveal a single word, so he had to step aside and concentrate on supervising the exam without saying anything more.

A little bit of sandalwood used to record time was burned, and a wisp of green smoke floated up in front of the hall, light and misty, lingering on.

The candidates in the examination hall either frowned in deep thought or wrote furiously. All around them was the rustling sound of the pen on the paper, and even the sound of the wind gradually faded away.

Different from the Spring Examination, the re-examination, as the last assessment before the Palace Examination, also tests policy essays.

After receiving the question, Logan Yang felt a little depressed.

Open China law?

Searching Yang Xiaojuren's memory, it was found that this law was promulgated during the Hongwu period. Its purpose was to solve the problem of food shortage for border troops and to encourage merchants to transport grain to the border and exchange it for salt permits after measuring it.

During the reigns of Yongle, Hongxi, and Xuande, the law became lax, and noble officials began to privately seize salt permits and exploit merchants for money. During the Chenghua period, the system could no longer be continued and was abandoned by the court, which instead required merchants to pay taxes to the Ministry of Revenue in exchange for salt permits.

By the Hongzhi period, most of the commercial settlements on the border had ceased to exist.

Why is this method brought up again now, and before the palace examination?

After pondering for a while, Logan Yang could not be sure whether this was an assessment of tribute candidates or a struggle among officials in the court.

If it is the former, you can express your opinions freely. If it is the latter... the more profound and thought-provoking the answer is, the faster you will die.

Since we cannot be sure, we should hide our shortcomings.

It's better to be careful.

There is no need to show off in the re-examination. Just write an article honestly and write in a proper manner, and it will not attract too many comments.

He had no hope of winning the first, second, or third place in the imperial examination. It was also a fantasy for him to be the second place. In this case, being an honest and rigid "little teacher" should be the safest choice at the moment.

After some thought, Logan Yang finally picked up his pen.

Before I knew it, half of the sandalwood incense had burned down.

One of the candidates had already written the entire essay and was currently copying it onto a scroll.

Logan Yang quickened his pace, wrote the last few lines, checked to see if there were any mistakes, and immediately dipped the brush in ink again, writing on the scroll stroke by stroke.

The examiner walked past the table and nodded when he saw Logan Yang's neat Taige style.

Not to mention the content of the article, the handwriting alone is enough to be pleasing to the eye.

The current cabinet minister, Grand Secretary Li, and the chief examiner, Shangshu Ma, both highly praise this.

This scholar has a childish face and is not even twenty years old. He is able to advance himself without cleverness or chasing for the limelight. He is content to keep to his duty and take the simple path. Such mental and physical strength is truly rare.

The examiner was very satisfied. He took a look at Logan Yang's essay and was amused to see that it was also very orthodox and well-balanced, without anything out of the ordinary.

In the Hongzhi Dynasty, which sought out talented people and valued those who dared to speak and were able to speak, such a "little master" was truly rare.

Stroking his long beard and half-covering his chin, the examiner quickly glanced at the remaining candidates and returned to the hall, still smiling.

"What are you laughing at?"

Ma Wensheng was quite curious. Seeing Han Wen waving his hands, he continued to laugh secretly. He raised his eyebrows slightly and followed his gaze, raising his eyebrows even higher.

"Brother Futu has served in four dynasties. Have you ever seen such a scholar?"

A young man who passed the imperial examination must be quite sharp. It is rare to be so calm and composed without being arrogant or impatient.

Even Yang Tinghe, who passed the imperial examination at the age of twelve, and Wang Bo'an, who wrote a letter to the court to criticize current ills at the age of fifteen, did not have such determination before they reached twenty.

Ma Wensheng looked at Han Wen, who motioned him to come closer and take a look at Logan Yang's article.

"You can tell at a glance."

Ma Wensheng was rarely curious. He walked out of the examination room and stopped at Logan Yang's desk seemingly inadvertently.

In less than two breaths, the corners of Ma Shangshu's mouth twitched, he wanted to laugh but couldn't, his expression was very strange. He couldn't help it, so he simply turned his back and coughed twice.

Han Wen put his hands behind his back and almost burst out laughing.

Logan Yang was concentrating on copying the article, not realizing that being too extraordinary would draw attention, and being overly cautious would also attract attention.

If he was the same age as in his previous life, this calmness would not be surprising.

But how old is Yang Xiaoju?

Seventeen!

It would be strange if a seventeen-year-old young teacher didn't attract attention.

Compared with people like Ma Wensheng who have experienced the political world, Logan Yang is still too inexperienced and has a lot to learn.

Suddenly, Logan Yang's wish to live a quiet life as a small shrimp was drifting away from him.

At the end of the Si hour, the re-examination is nearing its end.

Most of the candidates had finished answering the questions and were sitting behind their desks.

Ma Wensheng and other examiners looked at the dripping water, took out the sandalwood that was less than half a little finger, and began to collect the test papers in front of the hall.

Outside the hall, Zhu Houzhao, dressed in a bright red robe with a coiled dragon pattern, was standing and watching, with several eunuchs carefully serving him.

When he had seen enough and finally turned around to leave, several eunuchs secretly breathed a sigh of relief and trotted after him.

"I am going to see my father."

Zhu Houzhao was in the period of voice change. He stayed by Emperor Hongzhi's side for half a month, serving tea and medicine, and his voice was very hoarse.

One of the eunuchs hurriedly took out his purse, carefully took out a porcelain bottle, and presented the sugar pills prepared by the Imperial Hospital, saying, "Your Highness is benevolent and filial, and His Majesty will be in good health."

Holding the sugar pill in his mouth, Zhu Houzhao said with a smile: "Liu Banban is loyal, I know that."

Liu Jin immediately smiled and became even more flattering.

Gu Dayong and Zhang Yong who were traveling with him glared at him fiercely, secretly hating themselves for being a step slower and letting this B@st@ard get there first and get the favor of His Highness!

The two looked at each other, their eyes full of meaning.

Let’s just let this old fellow be proud for a few days, while he sits on the donkey and looks at the account books, and we’ll see what happens!