"Officials, is it still useful to hold the imperial examination now?"
Kang Lu knew the answer in his heart, but he couldn't help but ask.
Wanyan Yan, the empress, was unreliable at critical moments. How could Zhao Gou, the official, rely on those confused scholars?
In the current situation, how can a fool who goes to Lin'an Prefecture and dreams of becoming a Jinshi be reliable?
Zhao Gou nodded heavily and said: "It works! Of course it works..." He snorted, "Sir Kang, who do you think are the people who are still coming to Lin'an Mansion to take the imperial examination? I'm afraid they are not that group. After working as a pawn for the Jin people for several years, and knowing that he cannot be tolerated by the red scarf thieves, he is just a bereaved dog who came from Hebei, right?"
That's right. If it weren't for these rotten people, who would come to Pizhou to take the imperial examination?
If Yue Fei had come a few months earlier, these people would still be bald! Although my hair has grown a lot now, it can only be tied into a small bun... With this hairstyle, if I catch it in Hebei, I can send it to the Zhenfu Division!
Even if you find a monk's robe and put it on, beat it with a wooden fish, and say that you are a monk, it will not be of much use - because Zhao Kai's goal is to kill the land instead of human life, and only kill the worst offenders, and there are targets. It's not like catching a bald donkey and killing it.
Those who were not guilty enough to become monks could not keep their land - Zhao Kai's Northern Song Dynasty had very strict restrictions on temple property. Temples were not allowed to hold too much land, and the longevity treasury operated by the temple was not tax-free!
And since the recovery of Hexi, Zhao Kai has a trump card against monks and Taoists - there are very few monks and Taoists in the Western Regions. You monks should go there to promote Buddhism and Taoism!
Not going? Then you, a monk and a Taoist priest, are not pious! Check carefully, are they real monks and Taoist priests, or fake monks and Taoist priests?
Therefore, it is not a good idea to pretend to be a monk... During this period, many "redundant monks" were found on Beijing Road and Hebei Road and were being trained to spread Buddhism in the Western Regions!
Therefore, many traitorous landowners who were unwilling to go to the Western Regions to become monks and were afraid of being liquidated by the "red scarf thieves" fled to the territory of the Pseudo-Song Dynasty.
Through their propaganda over the past few months, the tyranny and greed of the "Red Scarf Thieves" have become known to everyone among the scholars of the pseudo-Song Dynasty.
Those traitorous landlords who knew that they were not tolerated by the Northern Song Dynasty naturally had only two options: running away or joining Zhao Gou to join forces to resist the "red scarf thieves".
Of course, you don’t have to choose one of these two paths. Because if you want to flee south, you can also stop by Lin'an Prefecture to take the imperial examination - Lin'an Prefecture (Pizhou) is very close to the Huaihe River. After crossing the Huaihe River, you will be the territory of the Southern Song Dynasty... But I didn't expect that the Northern Song Dynasty's The red scarf cavalry came so fast!
After hearing this, Kang Lu could only sigh - weren't he and Zhao Gou the same as these people?
It's just that they are not even qualified to cross the Huaihe River and join the Southern Song Dynasty...
Zhao Gou sat firmly on the edge of the bed and said word by word: "I am holding this imperial examination just to capture this group of people who have lost their families or are about to lose their families, so that we can all unite together. I struggled to find a way out in this apocalyptic world. I just didn't expect the red scarf thief to come so quickly, and the queen... alas!"
Having said this, he slapped his crotch with his palm, feeling such hatred in his heart!
Remember how majestic he was back then? Otherwise, how would it be possible to eat Wanyan Yan's soft rice? If he hadn't been injured in the battle of Yangshan... Wanyan Yan would never have abandoned him.
If Wanyan Yan was still in love with him as before, he could take these desperate scholars in Lin'an City and escape together.
Whether you are escaping to Goryeo or going to Japan, these readers will be useful.
But now he has been ruthlessly abandoned by Wanyan Yan!
Zhao Gou suddenly thought of something and looked at Kang Lu with burning eyes, "Sir Kang... besides you and me, who else has read this letter?"
"No, no more..." Kang Lu said, "When the envelope was delivered to the old minister, it was still well sealed and had not been opened."
Of course the little official below who delivered the letter did not dare to open the letter from the Empress to the Emperor.
"Then...who else knows that the queen has run away with someone?"
"No, no one should know..." Kang Lu's eyes swept across Zhao Gou's palace, and then fell on the palace maid who was sleeping with him.
According to the usual practice, when the emperor sleeps, he must arrange for people to visit!
Well, usually a eunuch or a female official. Not only to visit, but also to record. This is called "Inner Living Notes", which records when the emperor Lao Tzu was? Where? Which empress or palace servant do you favor? How long have you been favored?
All this must be written down, so that if the empress or palace maid becomes pregnant in the future, they can compare it to see if it is the emperor's seed?
However, Zhao Gou and Wanyan Yan changed this rule. The "Notes on Internal Living" of the Pseudo-Song Dynasty court was not a live record, but was added after the fact based on the official and empress's personal descriptions. Needless to say, you already know how much love the two saints have...
Although Zhao Gou did not arrange personnel to record when he slept, he liked to arrange for palace ladies to warm the bed.
But the maid who warmed the bed had now been awakened, and she stared blankly at Zhao Gou and Kang Lu with her eyes open.
Kang Lu sighed and closed his eyes. Zhao Gou picked up his boots, pulled out the dagger hidden in the boots, and then stabbed the innocent palace maid with the sharp dagger, and shouted: "Bitch Wanyanyan, look at the knife!"
...
The barracks of the Sanya Forbidden Army in Lin'an Prefecture (Pizhou) are now filled with "juzi" who came from all over the Puppet Song Dynasty, and even from Hebei. It was said that it was a test, but I didn't take any interpretation test. I just said to the official of the Ministry of Rites of the Pseudo-Song Dynasty outside the Chenqiao Pavilion to register, and then read the Analects... to prove it. He is a scholar, and then he can enter Lin'an Mansion in the name of "Juzi".
This Lin'an Mansion is different from the Hangzhou in history. It is a small but strong fortress. There are not so many inns in the city that can accommodate tens of thousands of Juzi and his servants and family members. So Zhao Gou ordered people to "vacate" the military camp of Sanyamen for his sons to live.
The military camp is, of course, tightly guarded!
Therefore, these Juren who live in have actually lost their freedom... they can only study and prepare for exams in silence. They are not clear about the things outside. Even if there is any news to them, it is only through layers of information. Filtered.
Therefore, they did not know what was going on outside the city of Lin'an Prefecture... In fact, even Zhao Gou didn't know what was going on outside the city? What about them?
However, in the early morning of the fifth day of February, the officials who had just woken up, washed up, and went to the canteen of Sanya Bing Camp with their families and servants to have breakfast (all their food was provided by Sanya Camp), finally I sensed something was wrong.
Because they were told: The ceremony of the Ministry of Etiquette will be held in advance...from the original scheduled date of February 14th to the fifth day of February! That is today!
A group of eunuchs had been sent to the Sanya camp by Kang Daguan to announce the good news to the princes who came to have dinner.
"The official has decreed that the ceremony of the Ministry of Etiquette has been brought forward to today! Everyone, please hurry up and eat. After eating, go to the school grounds to gather...the exam will be held in the school grounds!"
"Congratulations, congratulations to everyone, the officials have issued a great edict, and today we will take the imperial examination in the Sanya School. Those who pass the exam will be officials of the Song Dynasty!"
"Hurry up and eat. After eating, go to the main campus. You have to grab a good seat where it's easy to pass the exam..."
Everything I did now felt a little wrong.
The imperial examination! Or the Etiquette Examination, it can be held in advance!
This thing is really unheard of. It probably hasn’t happened since the beginning of the imperial examination system, right?
And...does it mean anything to move forward from February 14th to February 5th? February 14th is a bad day? Not suitable for taking the exam?
A bunch of people are not stupid at all, and someone immediately started asking about it.
"This high official (eunuch) is so good, why did he take the exam early?"
"Yeah! What happened?"
"Is he the red scarf thief..."
Someone really guessed the truth and even asked the eunuchs who came to deliver the message. And these eunuchs had already received explanations from Kang Lu.
"The official received a dream from his ancestors yesterday, saying that today is an auspicious day for the exam, and he will definitely win many Jinshi."
"Isn't it better to take the exam earlier? Isn't it better to take the exam earlier, pass the exam earlier, and be loyal to the country earlier?"
Early?
What did you hit? To be a Jinshi... or to be a prisoner?
The smarter Juren already knew something was wrong! Although they were all imprisoned in the Sanya Camp and heard relatively good news... they still knew about the major situation of the Puppet-Song Dynasty!
Isn't it because they came to Lin'an Mansion because Lin'an Mansion is relatively close to the Huaihe River and it is convenient for them to escape?
But I didn't expect that Zhao Gou, a foolish king, would actually circle everyone and prevent them from running away. This is wrong no matter how you look at it!
so......
"Eat quickly and go to the exam after eating!"
The eunuchs who came to convey the order saw that the atmosphere was not right, and their voices also changed.
They are not stupid, of course they know something is wrong. And some of them had already seen the fire in the direction of Chenqiao - when Wanyanyan ran away, he not only burned Chenqiao, but also burned the Chenqiao Pavilion, so the fire was quite big at one time.
It's just that everyone is pretending to be blind and dare not speak out... These are extraordinary times, and disaster comes from mouth!
The candidates looked at each other and knew something was wrong.
But... I still want to take the Jinshi exam!
Jinshi!
Guangzongyaozu!
Moreover, as long as you are a scholar, you will be taught that you should be "named on the gold list" and "rolled outside the Donghua Gate" from the day when you first learn how to read.
Now that the opportunity is right in front of you, are you really not tempted? Even if you have no intention, you might as well take the exam... How can it be so easy to win the Jinshi?
"Oh! Let's take the exam, you're afraid! The worst thing is that you won't pass..."
"Yes! If you fail the exam, it's a big mistake!"
"That's right. If you pass the exam, you will be a minister of the emperor. If you fail, you will be a poor person... What do we have to be afraid of?"
