The spring is cold and cold.
Cao Cao proclaimed himself emperor in Yecheng and named his country Wei. He sent Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin with an army of 300,000 soldiers south to attack Xuzhou and Jingzhou respectively. Sun Ce appointed Zhou Yu as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front, commanding an army of 200,000 in Xuzhou and Jingzhou to resist the Wei army.
The outbreak of the war cast a gloom over Jianye City, but the well-prepared imperial examination was still held as scheduled. The excitement at this triennial event made people forget their worries for a moment.
Today is the day when the exam ends. Meng Huo and Zhu Rong have prepared their carriage early and are waiting for Ma Liang outside the exam room. The streets are also busy with cars and horses from various companies waiting for candidates.
With the development of the Chu State, the imperial examination system became more and more perfect. Colleges established in various places would hold rural examinations. Those who passed the rural examinations were considered to be civil servants and were eligible to participate in the national examinations held in the capital. Those who pass the major examination are Jinshi. After entering the palace and taking the imperial examination, the emperor will determine the ranking, and then the court will arrange specific official positions.
With the regulation of the rural examination, the number of people who can participate in the major examination is actually smaller now than when it was first held, but the quality is undoubtedly higher.
Therefore, getting the title of Juren is equivalent to having half a foot in the door of the imperial court. How can a family that is well versed in investment miss such an opportunity? Even if bribery is not possible, there are still investments in various forms such as funding for tuition fees, travel expenses, etc., just for a favor.
Although there are still some disadvantages, it is much better than having talents completely controlled by aristocratic families during the inspection and recruitment process.
"Come out! Come out!"
With an exclamation, the door of the examination room suddenly opened, and thousands of candidates walked out of the door one after another.
"Brother Ma, this way!"
Zhu Rong waved vigorously and finally made Ma Liang see them. Before Ma Liang could get closer, he heard Zhu Rong say angrily.
"Brother Ma, this time you must remain silent and become a blockbuster! The top pick in high school will shatter their eyes!"
ah?
What is this?
Ma Liang looked confused, but Meng Huo pointed to the carriage that had just left next to him, scratched his head and explained awkwardly.
"We are waiting outside for you to come out. There is a man named Sun Jiao nearby bragging to his friends, saying that his second brother Sun Yu, who is both civil and military, will definitely be the top pick in high school. Zhu Rong was not convinced, so she said that Brother Ma, you are the top pick. . The two got into a quarrel and agreed to see the winner on the day when the results were announced. The loser would bark three times like a dog."
Good guy!
I am taking exams inside, but you are attracting hatred outside?
"Who made that guy mock us for not hearing his second brother's name? He's a country bumpkin! Humph, he's so narcissistic. That Heitan Tou is a tall and thick martial artist, and he's not even as tall as Ah Huo. No matter how powerful his second brother is , how can I compare to Brother Xiao Ma in writing articles?"
Ma Liang was stunned.
"Sun Yu? I seem to have some impression of this name."
Zhu Rong's triumphant expression froze slightly and he asked tentatively.
"Is his second brother really a celebrity? Brother Ma, you have to have confidence in yourself!"
Oh, are you afraid?
Ma Liang snickered.
"It's a good thing your bet isn't a big deal, is it?"
"Why not? This is related to my reputation for the rest of my life!"
Zhu Rong's eyes suddenly turned red.
You're not famous yet, how did you get your fame?
Ma Liang smiled and stopped teasing her.
"Don't worry, when it comes to writing articles, Brother Ma is still confident that he will win the first place."
Seeing that Zhu Rong was being comforted, Ma Liang called the two of them to get in the car and go back.
After getting into the car and seeing nothing happening, Meng Huo asked.
"Brother Xiao Ma, do you know those people who were arguing with Zhu Rong?"
Zhu Rong didn't speak, but his ears pricked up.
"I don't know about Sun Jiao who quarreled with you, but I have heard of his second brother Sun Yu."
Ma Liang felt that it was necessary to explain to them in detail that the young people in the province were very competitive and would make things too big in the future.
"This Sun Yu should be from the royal family, but I don't know what he has to do with His Majesty.
Relative relationship? A few years ago, Qin and Wei launched attacks on Chu from Jingzhou and Xuzhou respectively. At that time, some people in the Sun clan directly arranged for Sun Yu to become a lieutenant in the army. Sun Yu was also successful. He led more than a thousand men under his command to win three or four small battles, and killed more than a hundred enemies himself. He was about to be promoted to captain. "
"But at that time, Master Fazheng had already received His Majesty's approval and began to preside over the revision of the national law. Among them was an article that prohibited court officials from arranging relatives and friends to serve in important positions in the army, except for rewards from the king. Therefore, official positions in the army were either If you are personally granted the title by His Majesty, you can either go to the recruitment office and join the army and start at the bottom, or you can only take part in the imperial examination and pass the martial arts test to be assigned a military position by the court."
"In the past, the middle and high-level people in the army either had to work hard on their own or had connections. Some positions were simply a means for families to send favors to each other. As soon as Lord Fazheng's decree came, the door was sealed with a bang. At that time The fuss was quite big.”
"When Sun Yu's incident was exposed, it was a real blow! The position of a lieutenant is neither too big nor too small. Once you reach the rank of commander, you will be in the middle level of the army, carrying the lives of thousands of sergeants. If he holds the position If he is the village chief, then even if he is at the grassroots level, he will probably be let off because of his status as Sun."
"But it just so happened that Lord Fazheng dismissed Sun Yu from his post immediately. Considering that his military achievements were worth his merit, he did not pursue any further investigation. Lord Pang Tong was still transparent and exempted Sun Yu from the provincial examination and directly gave him the military service. The number of candidates for the examination. But I also said that this matter was a big deal at that time, and Sun Yu may not have participated in the imperial examination that year because of his face."
Zhu Rong remembered that she had previously considered arranging Meng Huo to be among the elites of the Chu Kingdom. She blushed and secretly looked at the two of them. She felt relieved when they didn't look at her.
Unexpectedly, the reckless man Wu Tu Gu took a shortcut and was directly made a general by the emperor. Zhu Rong forgot that Wutu Gu was the leader of the clan and had brought ten thousand Tengjia troops with him.
Ma Liangze was still sighing.
"Oh, it's been another three years in a hurry. How many three years are there in life?"
"Sun Yu is quite famous among the candidates. Not only is he good at martial arts, but he also loves reading. He even went to the battlefield to kill enemies and made meritorious deeds. Although I won't admit defeat, I also want to make friends with this person, so you'd better do it. , helped us decide the outcome!"
Ma Liang gave the two of them a big roll of his eyes, and the two of them shrugged innocently and awkwardly. Meng Huo quickly changed the topic.
"Brother Ma, where are we going?"
"Before the imperial examination, you have to avoid suspicion. Now that the exam is over, I have to visit Brother Ziyu. Brother Ziyu is one of the cabinet ministers. He is generous and fair in his work. He is deeply trusted by His Majesty. I just want to introduce you to him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage stopped in front of a mansion of a wealthy family. The plaque on the door of the mansion had the two characters "Zhuge" written on it.
