He's been under a lot of pressure because he's always been at the center of the storm.
When Meng Yue and Xu Ying saw this, they looked at each other and could only smile bitterly.
Li Qiao only told Tao Zhu about this policy article, not even Mr. Huang.
If the prefect did not name Li Qiao as the head of the case, then only Li Qiao, Tao Zhu and the prefect would know what Li Qiao wrote this time.
Not far away, some candidates could not help but whisper.
"Could it be that you just wrote it randomly, so you're embarrassed to tell everyone at this time?"
Li Qiao was obviously going to fly, and those candidates who were displeased with him and were not convinced by him no longer dared to beep loudly or act wantonly like before the exam.
They could only guess in whispers.
"It's probably like this. Otherwise, why wouldn't you dare to tell everyone?"
"Hey, if this is the case, is it possible that the prefect will not name him as the leader of the case?" Some people have hope and want to take the position of leader of the case.
"As long as the writing is not too bad, the prefect will definitely name him as the head of the case. After all, the Holy One is looking up to him. However, if the writing is really average, then the prefect will definitely not post his article."
"Tsk, how can this work? All the candidates are waiting to see his masterpiece!"
"Then we will act accordingly later. If he is really the leader of the case and the prefect has not posted his article, then we can create public opinion together."
Someone made a plan.
At worst, we'll have to repeat Pingcheng's rumors again.
Even if it is forced, Li Qiao must be forced to publish this policy article.
…
With everyone's eager anticipation, at nine o'clock, several government officials finally arrived.
Different from the county examination, because there are more candidates taking the government examination, only one yellow list is announced.
Those who are on the yellow list have passed this government examination.
Those who are not on the list have failed.
The scholar who was close to the government officials looked hard at the tray in the government officials' hands, wondering how many pieces of paper were placed on it.
It's a pity that the yellow list is so big that it covers the entire tray, and you can't see what's going on underneath the yellow list.
It’s really annoying!
Li Qiao didn't push forward. Anyway, he would definitely pass the imperial examination.
Meng Yue, Xu Ying and the Xu family all pushed forward. They were not sure that they would be able to pass, so they were very nervous at the moment.
Several government officials worked together, beating gongs, setting off firecrackers, and making the atmosphere lively. Then a government official began to paint paste on the wall outside the examination room in preparation for posting the yellow list.
The characters on the yellow list were relatively large, and there were many names this time, so the yellow list was more than one meter long, and two government officials had to stick it on the wall together.
But as the yellow list was removed from the tray, the paper underneath the yellow list was exposed to the eyes of the candidates crowded in front.
There is something under the yellow list!
"Look, it must be Li Qiao's test paper!"
"It seems that Li Qiao is the leader of this case!"
"The prefect is so considerate!"
“I don’t know if Li Qiao’s article this time can convince the public!”
…
For a time, more than half of the people looked at the tray instead of looking at the yellow list in the hand of the yamen servant.
On the yellow list, the names are in order from left to right, with the number one in the upper left corner being the head of the case.
Anyway, everyone already knew that Li Qiao was the culprit, so the yamen officer who posted the yellow bulletin didn't care. He simply posted the yellow bulletin on the paste, and then wiped it with his hand to make the yellow bulletin stick more firmly.
After posting it, several government officials did not pay attention to the many candidates, but continued to paste next to the yellow list. The one they wanted to post this time was Li Qiao's policy essay.
While several government officials were busy, many candidates first looked at the position in the upper left corner under the yellow list next to them.
Seeing Pingcheng Liqiao, No. 178, written there, they turned their attention to look for their own names.
Soon, there was polarization.
Those who made the list were overjoyed.
Those who failed, howled in pain.
But no matter whether they were happy or mourning, these people were all thinking about Li Qiao's article, so they quickly crowded towards Li Qiao's article.
Li Qiao's handwriting is as unremarkable as ever. If he really wants to talk about his advantages, it is that he writes clearly, horizontally and vertically, stroke by stroke.
As for Li Qiao’s article.
"Huh……"
"this……"
"Ah!"
Shameless!
These candidates had mixed reactions.
Those who have a good impression of Li Qiao were surprised when they read the first paragraph, but they read on patiently.
The prefect named Li Qiao as the head of the case and dared to post the article, which meant that this article must be outstanding. It was probably a model article, and they had to study it carefully.
And those who were hostile and malicious towards Li Qiao were sneering on their faces and cursing shamelessly in their hearts.
They have never seen such a shameless person!
Take a look at what this article is about. He begins by saying that in his personal opinion, if he wants farmers to get rich, they must have a father-in-law who is upright and honest, and loves the people like his own children.
Hear, hear!
This was a serious and solemn place for the imperial court to select talents, but now it has become a way for Li Qiao to flatter himself and climb up the ladder. It is shameless!
Looking further down, Li Qiao wrote in detail his mental journey over the past year, using his own personal example.
When he first learned that he could earn tens of thousands of taels of silver per year, he was not ecstatic, but terrified. He had a lot of thoughts in his mind, and he just wanted to spend this hot taels of silver.
But who knew that Jiang Zhixian allowed him to hold it with peace of mind, and settled every sum of money with him clearly, without missing a penny from him.
The same is true for workers working in sweet potato workshops in Jiangzhi County. Although the requirements for sweet potato workshops are strict, the wages are calculated clearly with the workers when settling wages, and no worker is short a penny.
Under such circumstances, every worker is full of energy and is not afraid of hardship or fatigue. What he thinks about every day is to do more and do more.
It is precisely because Jiangzhi County's accounts are clear that the workers are so active and at ease, and can have a good day earning dozens of taels of silver in winter.
In addition, looking at the sweet potato craze in Pingcheng, if Jiang Zhixian was a vegetarian, farmers would not have such a good life at this time.
Jiangzhi County calculated the number of acres of sweet potatoes planted in the county in advance. Knowing that the county actually planted 300,000 acres of sweet potatoes, they built a sweet potato workshop in advance and selected workers in advance. When the sweet potatoes matured, the workers entered the workshop and began to work nervously and orderly. Production of vermicelli.
Without Jiang Zhixian's overall coordination, Li Qiao couldn't imagine what would have happened.
Pingcheng has a total of 400,000 acres of cultivated land, of which 300,000 acres are planted with sweet potatoes. However, sweet potatoes cannot be grown for a long time. Without Jiang Magistrate, most farmers' sweet potatoes would either rot or Li Qiao could not bear it. The recipe for vermicelli is published.
In short, if there was no Jiangzhi County, there would be no win-win situation today, and there would be no prosperity for Li Qiao itself and for the farmers.
Therefore, sitting in the examination room, Li Qiao looked at the question this time. Although he had many thoughts, he finally chose to write about the parents' official aspect.
Just imagine, what would happen if Jiang Zhixian took the recipe as his own after he made the vermicelli?
The above is the entire content of Li Qiao’s article. First, he gave his own conclusion, then gave examples from his own experience, and finally asked a rhetorical question.
Those candidates who had good intentions toward Li Qiao stared at the last question and fell silent.
The examinee who harbored ill will towards Li Qiao and was scolding Li Qiao for being shameless just now stared at the last question and suppressed the contempt, envy, jealousy and other emotions in his heart for the time being.
Also fell silent.
Yes, if Magistrate Jiang was a corrupt official and directly robbed Li Qiao of the recipe, not only would the crazy sweet potato farmers of today not be well-off, but it would also dampen the enthusiasm of ordinary people to invent and create.
If that were the case, which farmer would dare to come up with novel ideas?
Therefore, although Li Qiao's article is unremarkable, it points out a fact that no one can deny.
Pingcheng farmers are where they are today thanks to Jiangzhi County.
If farmers want to get rich, they must have a parent official who is not greedy and can take charge of the overall situation.
Their articles are all related to the Four Books and Five Classics, and talk about the importance and significance of people's wealth. Even if some people rack their brains and come up with some small ideas to make money, it does not go beyond this scope.
Only Li Qiao started from the perspective of his parents and officials. His language was simple and unpretentious, and every sentence was flattering, but every sentence was true.
Therefore, even though the prefect named Li Qiao as the head of the case, no one could make a mistake.
What a novel angle.
And it is a proven truth.
If they were reviewers, they would probably smile crookedly when seeing such an article, and they would definitely name Li Qiao as the head of the case without hesitation.
…
All the candidates looked at Li Qiao with mixed emotions.
Even the candidates who were kind to him felt as if their five-flavor bottle had been knocked over.
Not only does he have the dual protection of the Holy Emperor's imperial writing plaque and short composition, but he also earns tens of thousands of taels of silver per year!
It’s really hard to be calm in front of such a winner in life!
And those candidates who were unhappy with Li Qiao were grinding their teeth secretly at this time, saying that he was flattering and shameless, but everything was true.
Moreover, he actually earns tens of thousands of taels of silver per year!
I really want to curse people, be a winner in life or something like that, it’s so annoying.
Meng Yue and Xu Ying squeezed out from the crowd and came to Li Qiao. Meng Yue patted Li Qiao on the shoulder: "Brother Li, I admire you. I admire you with all my heart."
Xu Ying also said: "I am convinced. Others are just empty talk, but you are the only one who uses facts to summarize the key points. You cannot accept it."
Li Qiao was ashamed: "...Actually, I am just opportunistic."
Although it is written from his heart, it seems to be flattering.
