"Fang Chongyong! I quit! Heli! I won't serve you anymore!
I'm really leaving this time! "
In the main hall of the Fang family residence, Wang Yunxiu has packed his bags and is preparing to return to his hometown in Huaxian County. But she was noisy and wanted to leave, cursing and not leaving for more than an hour.
Anaye squatted on a table like a cat, watching Wang Yunxiu's "performance" with a speechless expression, and yawned out of boredom.
Wang Yunxiu and Fang Chongyong had been quarreling for three days. Today was the last round of the imperial examination. Fang Chongyong was still unshakable and refused to leave the house, let alone take the exam.
His lazy attitude made Wang Yunxiu furious!
"But it seems that you are not married."
Anaye said slowly.
Wang Yunxiu was stunned, then looked at Fang Chongyong and asked, "Is that so?"
"Put down your baggage, come over and make tea for me, and let your Alang teach you a lesson."
Fang Chongyong sat in front of the desk with an indifferent expression, knocked on the table and said.
Wang Yunxiu stared at him without saying a word, but finally sighed, and obediently went to get the exquisite tea set that Zheng Shuqing gave as a gift, and put it into the dragon vat Yunwu Tribute Tea, a specialty of Kuizhou.
Seeing Wang Yunxiu skillfully making tea, he was already convinced. Fang Chongyong said with emotion: "The safest thing is not to go to the dragon's pond and tiger's den. You can't just think that you have martial arts to get into trouble."
Um?
Hearing this, not only did Wang Yunxiu stop holding the teaspoon in his hand, but Anaye, who was watching the excitement, jumped off the table, came over and asked doubtfully: "What's the reason for that?"
"This imperial examination will definitely lead to something big. If someone goes to take the exam, with the little money in his stomach, it is a small thing to be embarrassed, but it is a big thing to leave evidence.
If someone wins the first prize, but writes on the test paper: Ocean, you are all water, toad, you have four legs, what do you think will happen in the end? "
Fang Chongyong stared at Wang Yunxiu and asked.
"Probably...it will be ugly."
Wang Yunxiu said unwillingly, but she had to admit that when a person of Fang Chongyong's level entered the imperial examination room, he was probably as good as an illiterate learning to write. He probably couldn't even control the rhyme when writing poetry.
In any case, this man at least has the knowledge required for the imperial examination and knows nothing about it. It's really better to let Wang Yunxiu take the exam himself, and maybe the results will be better.
Any examiner who sees Fang Chongyong's test paper will know that this person is "ignorant and has no skills" and it is impossible for him to win the Jinshi under normal circumstances.
Therefore, either the papers are thrown away like garbage (the papers of unadmitted candidates are not archived in Gongyuan), or they are accepted by pinching their noses under the pressure of the powerful.
If it is the latter, and in some cases the fraud in the imperial examination is uncovered, then this examination paper is evidence of qualitative sentencing.
This is true for both examiners and candidates!
"Yes, this is to leave a living handle to certain people and become a hidden danger for certain people.
Do you think your Alang would make such a mistake? "
Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.
The test papers for passing the scientific examination must be sealed and archived in the Gongyuan of the Ministry of Rites. Some of the "jokes" in it will definitely spread and be widely circulated among the people! When he, an "illiterate", took part in the imperial examination, he exposed his weakest point in front of the public and let others beat him.
"So, there are fewer flaws in the substitute exam, right? After all, my little cousin is also very talented in literature."
Wang Yunxiu asked thoughtfully, she somewhat understood Fang Chongyong's thinking.
"Yes, Li Kui did take the exam for him, but if he doesn't tell, I don't tell, and the examiner who knows about it doesn't tell, who will know?
Has anyone seen this? Who can prove it? Who would find fault with me? "
Fang Chongyong asked confidently.
The biggest bug in the feudal era was that there were no cameras, video recorders, mobile phones, or any electronic equipment! There is no way to restore the examination room environment!
If someone says that Li Kui took the exam on his behalf and Fang Chongyong did not take the exam, what is his evidence? Is there any evidence? Why does he say this?
There is political responsibility for speaking nonsense, especially since Fang Chongyong was probably an official at that time. Who would dare to say such a thing?
If you really want to launch an investigation, then the relevant threshold is extremely high! How high is it? Even if it is so high that Brother Ji is no longer sitting on the throne, it is possible to have such an investigation.
However, as long as the investigation is launched now, Brother Ji will inevitably be alarmed. Then for the sake of his own face and to prevent the promises he made from becoming nonsense, Brother Ji would suppress the investigation with one hand, and then send away the officials who wanted to investigate the matter.
This flaw is much smaller than the flaw in the examinee's test paper that can be seen by any official of the Ministry of Rites in Gongyuan, or even the officials of the Sixth Central Department!
The test papers left by Fang Chongyong in the exam are the best evidence for future political opponents to attack him! Moreover, the threshold for viewing this thing written in white and black is very low, so it will be difficult to deny it when the time comes. After some people with ulterior motives get the evidence, they can immediately start making a fuss and label Fang Chongyong as a fraud in the imperial examination.
But Li Kui's test papers were all right, and he had no problem getting into Jinshi. When the time comes to get entangled, this will fall into the category of "civilization is not first, military is not second", and there is nothing to argue about. This level of "bias" was also an "unspoken rule" allowed in the Imperial Examinations of the Tang Dynasty.
People who don't know the inside story will not be able to tell anything after seeing this paper. "Fang Chongyong" can take the exam and has a background. It is normal for him to be selected as the top pick.
And people who know the inside story will not "self-destruct" for no reason, and Brother Ji will not allow them to self-destruct!
The trick is that as long as the lid is not lifted, others will never know what is hidden under the lid.
It might be a pot of porridge, or there might be a Hello Kitty stuffed animal lying in it. Who knows?
After explaining these truths, Wang Yunxiu was greatly impressed, and kept praising Fang Chongyong for his foresight, and that he had long forgotten the previous unhappiness.
"I said you don't have to worry about it in vain. You don't know how powerful Alang is in Shazhou. Those wealthy merchants from the Western Regions are as honest as quails in front of him.
A mere imperial examination is nothing. "
Anaye echoed from the side in a sinister manner.
"Okay, okay, please stop saying a few words."
Fang Zhongyong scolded Anaye, turned to look at Wang Yunxiu and said:
“But your worries are not unnecessary, it’s just that the situation is different from what you thought.
Something big will definitely happen in this imperial examination. Zhang Shi, the son of Zhang Yi, the censor Zhongcheng, will definitely become a Jinshi, and he may even be a first-class scholar!
In order to get Zhang Yi down, this matter is likely to be used by someone with ulterior motives to cause trouble among the candidates.
At that time, the sage will definitely hold a final examination in the Daming Palace to personally consider the level of the candidates who will be hired.
After all, this big test is indispensable to me. "
Fang Chongyong said with a sigh. It would be great if nothing happened to Zhang Shi, and even this trouble would be saved.
But he believed that Zhang Shi’s matter could not be hidden, and someone would definitely make a fuss about it! Fang Chongyong never pinned his hopes of success on the enemy's negligence, and never believed that others must follow his own preset plan.
Fang Chongyong had heard some rumors before. Didn't Zhang Shi boast in the Xinghua Tower that he would definitely become a Jinshi? The final result was probably the same.
So, since Zhang Shi has already appeared in this imperial examination, will there be more "Zhang Shi"?
I have to say, the possibility is very high. From the complaints of Du Fu and Yuan Jie, Fang Chongyong concluded a terrible message: the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty was so bad that it could not be improved without reform. Now probably only Brother Ji thinks this thing can still be used.
Since the Kaiyuan Dynasty, the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty has been gradually weakened, and related households are everywhere. The examination room has become a battlefield for backstage competition.
It wasn't like there were no problems in the past, it was just that the lid wasn't lifted, so I didn't know what kind of monsters were inside.
Perhaps in Brother Ji's eyes, the imperial examination selection process is all about 80%: 80% are capable and 20% are bastards.
But after opening the lid this time, he may come to the opposite conclusion: only 20% of the people are capable, and the other 80% are just bastards!
I believe the expression on Brother Ji’s face will be wonderful at that time.
"Hey, let's find a chance to leave Chang'an. There are so many ways to take an imperial examination. This is really not a place for people to live."
Wang Yunxiu couldn't help but complain. The matter of Li Kui taking the exam had always made her feel uncomfortable.
"It's not that easy to leave. After the imperial examination, I have to report to Xingqing Palace. I don't know what arrangements the saint will have."
Fang Chongyong sighed.
During the Tianbao period, the political struggle in Chang'an will definitely intensify.
From now on, he will be like a small boat rolling and struggling in the big waves. If he is not careful, he will be shattered to pieces.
But I can’t run now!
Now Ji Ge is like a willful naughty child. It is possible for him to make any choice, and he may not necessarily go according to other people's ideas.
Extremely destructive, irresponsible and willful, perhaps this is Ji Ge's true nature.
This is probably what people often say: "Accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger."
"Come on, come and give me a hug."
Fang Chongyong called Wang Yunxiu and Anaye over, held them in his arms with his strong arms, and kissed their cheeks.
"If something goes wrong in the future, I will take you out of Chang'an, wander around the world, and be happy together."
Fang Zhongyong promised firmly.
"Just brag."
Wang Yunxiu rolled his eyes and disapproved, but he felt very satisfied.
…
I don’t know if it’s because Fang Chongyong’s crow’s mouth is open, or if Zhang Xi’s big mouth really deserves a beating, or if Zhang Xi’s father Zhang Yi’s official position really makes many people jealous.
Before the final results of the imperial examination came out, the news that Zhang Xizhong was awarded the first grade of Jinshi had already spread so loudly that you could hear people talking about it in the streets of Chang'an almost everywhere.
On the day when the results were released, as everyone said, those who were awarded the first grade of Jinshi included Fang Chongyong and a man named Cen Shen, in addition to Zhang Xi, who was rumored to be a "must win".
Among them, Fang Chongyong's name was ranked first, followed by Cen Shen, and Zhang Shi was ranked last! Cen Shen was also an official. Like Fang Chongyong, he resigned and came back to take the exam.
According to the imperial examination rules, these are the first, second and third places in the Jinshi subject (supplementary admission)!
As for the others, Yuan Jie and Du Fu's names are clearly on the list! It's just that they are in the third tier, which only means they have won the Jinshi!
Among these people, Cen Shen followed Fang Youde's path, while Yuan Jie and Du Fu were recommended by Li Linfu. Not to mention Fang Chongyong and Zhang Shi, they all understood them.
The other candidates are all the children of high-ranking officials, and their family backgrounds are quite extraordinary. Their families started out as at least fourth-rank officials.
It can even be said that Yuan Jie and Du Fu are the two people who accidentally squeezed into the scientific examination circle. The others are almost like carrots and pitfalls. Before the examination begins, who will win and who will not? , roughly there is already a range, only the details need to be adjusted.
This year's imperial examination is not simple. For example, the first "Poetry Writing" test was titled "Poetry on Drums and Psalms of Xiangling", and the requirement was to use only five words and twelve sentences. What is this about? Even people who are not in the cultural circle can’t figure it out.
If Fang Chongyong were asked to take the exam, he probably wouldn't be able to write any sentences, or even understand what the proposition was about.
Similarly, many candidates are like Fang Chongyong, who cannot even understand the simplest five-character poem, let alone other things, so they can only "depend on their ability".
As a result, rumors of imperial examination fraud began to spread among the candidates. Regardless of whether they were candidates who thought they had no hope of passing, or those who thought they should have passed but didn't, they all connected in unison. It seemed that there were still people among them who were adding fuel to the fire and were not afraid of making things worse.
Today is already three days after the results were released.
Yuan Jie and Du Fu, who was sitting in a wheelchair, came to Fang Chongyong's home with joyful faces to congratulate Fang Yanei on winning the first place in the imperial examination.
They had dinner in the main hall of their home. After drinking for three times, Yuan Jie asked calmly: "Does Mr. Fang know that public opinion has been turbulent recently and everyone is talking about fraud in the imperial examination?"
Du Fu put down his chopsticks and pricked up his ears to listen to Fang Chongyong's answer.
"You don't know, what's wrong?"
Fang Chongyong asked, pretending to be surprised.
"Fang Guiren doesn't know that Zhang Xi is a well-known uneducated person in Chang'an. He can even be said to be useless!
However, he is actually a first-class Jinshi. Many people say that the examiner is using this to flatter Zhang Yi, the censor! They can be promoted after Zhang Yi becomes prime minister. "
Yuan Jie said with some worry.
"You two are extremely talented, so you shouldn't have to worry about such problems."
Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently and said.
"Fang Guiren doesn't know something!"
Du Fu sighed softly and said, "If the saint holds another exam in the Daming Palace to assess the candidates who pass, I'm afraid there will be complications."
He and Yuan Jie both won the first place because of their relationship with Li Linfu. In fact, if everyone did not have the help of nobles and fair competition, perhaps under the rules of the imperial examination, Du Fu and Yuan Jie might not be able to pass the exam.
In other words, they both knew very well and did not believe that they could win the imperial examination so smoothly relying entirely on their own strength.
"When the soldiers come, they will block the water and use the soil to cover it up."
Fang Chongyong laughed and said, seemingly not worried about what would happen next.
However, what Fang Chongyong and others did not know was that in the Qinzhengfu Building where Brother Ji was now, several important officials of the imperial court had already quarreled and had serious disagreements about the results of the imperial examination.
(End of chapter)
