With the title of the new number one scholar of the Han Dynasty going to Lu Mengzheng, it also means the end of the ninth year of Kaibao Enke, and immediately before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the first number one martial arts scholar since the founding of the Han Dynasty will also be born.
There was a lot of excitement in the cultural movement, and the students from all over the capital met in the capital, which was lively, vigorous and full of momentum. In addition, the imperial court attached great importance to it and tilted the examination resources, which attracted people to talk about.
Since the first year of Qianyou's reign, the imperial tribute system has been constantly improving, and it is now very complete. Therefore, no matter how hasty or special the preparations for this enke are, the process can be guaranteed to go smoothly.
This is not the case for martial arts examinations. Due to the lack of reference, many matters are prepared from scratch. Even the examination system and candidate selection methods are studied and confirmed in an intensive rhythm.
Compared with the literary examination, the examination starts earlier and ends later. It lasts for ten days. The literary examination accounts for only 30% of it. In addition to the art of war, policy theory, and combat case study, there are also subjects such as riding, archery, fighting, and physical fitness. Personal quality assessment, as well as actual training and command inspection.
After such a high-standard, high-demand, and high-intensity competition, the list of candidates for this martial arts examination was decided. There were a total of 396 candidates, but only 20 were admitted, basically one out of twenty.
There are also considerable restrictions on the sources of candidates. They are basically selected from the children of military aristocrats, grassroots officers from domestic and foreign armies, and officers and soldiers with military honors. This is also a limitation of the selection of military talents, which is far less widespread than the civil examination. The threshold for the martial arts examination is obviously higher, which is also due to the particularity of the army and the current situation of the Han army.
As for setting up an arena and letting brave warriors compete in martial arts, it may only exist in novels. In that way, only brave men will be selected. In the army, personal bravery is important, but if you want to climb up, you can't. It's not easy.
What the imperial court wants to select is those who understand military strategy, have the potential to develop generals, and have bravery. This needs to be assessed during the period of joining the army. If they are put into the imperial martial arts examination, they will really not be on the stage.
In today's Han Dynasty, being a soldier can provide you with food, sufficient military pay, and a way out, but the upper limit is narrower than the imperial examination, and most of the resources in the upper echelons of the army are occupied by nobles.
Different from the civil examination, the number one candidate in the martial arts examination was not selected by Emperor Liu after the examination. Instead, the examiners of the martial arts examination were discussed and recommended, and Emperor Liu played the final decision-making role. The group of examiners responsible for the assessment this time is composed of senior officials and generals from the Privy Council, the Ministry of War, and the Three Forbidden Army Offices. Pan Mei, Shi Shouxin, and Wang Yanchao are among them. The lineup is quite luxurious.
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As autumn gets stronger and the climate turns cooler, the decoration of the Druid Gong Hall also changes with the changes in the weather. A thin wool blanket is spread on the ground, the gauze curtains are also changed, and the doors and windows are also covered with layer of paper to protect against cold wind.
In a comfortable and warm environment, Emperor Liu was lying on his side on the imperial couch in a shrinking posture. Little Concubine Zhou was waiting beside him, making tea elegantly. With her movements, the air in the palace was filled with the rich fragrance of tea. cover.
Compared with Emperor Liu's gradually showing age, Little Concubine Zhou was still in her prime of youth, as young as a blooming bud. However, no matter how charming and energetic she was, she was transformed into a young woman by the old Emperor Liu.
Little Concubine Zhou's appearance is naturally beautiful. Her delicate face exudes a kind of purity and inimitability. Her every frown and smile are charming and expressive, very moving.
Such a delicate flower was picked by himself, kept as a forbidden pet, and enjoyed as much as he wanted. In Emperor Liu's heart, he was both proud and contented, but sometimes he also felt a sense of shame, of course, just a trace of it. What kind of person Emperor Liu is is not worth mentioning. The so-called shame is just a manifestation of inner hypocrisy.
"Guan, please try this tea!" Xiao Zhou handed the brewed tea to Emperor Liu, looking at Emperor Liu with his clear eyes, and his watery eyes contained expectation.
Emperor Liu smiled back, took it and took a sip, saying: "This tea is good! Of course, Xiao Zhou, your tea-making skills seem to have improved again!"
Hearing this, Xiao Zhou suddenly smiled, with joy and pleasure in his voice: "The official praised me! It's fine if the official likes it!"
The tea is naturally good tea, and it is Beiyuan tribute tea produced in Fujian. This is the imperial tea inherited from the Southern Tang Dynasty court, and it is the top tribute tea in the Han Dynasty.
When the Southern Tang Dynasty destroyed Fujian, the envoys of Jinyuan and Beiyuan were used to manage Jianzhou tribute tea. Emperor Liu of the Southern Tang Dynasty pacified Jiangnan and completely digested it as a matter of course. Emperor Liu also enjoyed some of the tribute gifts that the emperors and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty enjoyed in the past. This is the result of the winner.
Even the beautiful concubines with picturesque features and beautiful faces before them were Emperor Liu's trophies.
Even now, Emperor Liu does not have much skill in tea tasting. His tea tasting basically only focuses on tasting the taste and knowing that drinking tea is beneficial. As for other things, Emperor Liu really lacks some sentiment and elegance.
Therefore, what he said to Little Concubine Zhou was just to praise him. In addition to his majesty, Emperor Liu was still able to show some gentleness and patience to his beloved concubine.
"Zi Yong, you also want to try the tea made by Yi Fei!" Emperor Liu asked Zhang Yong who was sitting in the palace after asking about Yan Tuo.
In response, Zhang Yong hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude. Even if he was always at his side, such an honor was rare for Zhang Yong. Today, Zhang Yong is not yet forty years old, but he is already a leader of scholars and has high prestige among scholars. This is the advantage of staying with the emperor.
"When you come to see me today, you don't just want to make me a pot of tea. If you have any questions, just say so!" Emperor Liu looked at Little Concubine Zhou with a smile, his eyes not only loving but also loving.
Hearing this, Xiao Zhou's tender face was slightly red, and there was some luster on her fair cheeks. She lowered her head slightly and responded shyly: "I can't hide it from the official's eyes! My sister has been in poor health recently and has been ill in bed for a long time. I haven’t gone to see her..."
After hearing what he said, the smile on Emperor Liu's face gradually disappeared, his brows furrowed slightly, and he said, "Is there such a thing? Has the imperial doctor ever seen it and treated it if it's sick?"
There seemed to be a hint of ruthlessness in Emperor Liu's words. Xiao Zhou lowered his head a little lower and said softly: "The imperial doctor has seen it and used some medicines and supplements, but it didn't seem to work. The imperial doctor said it was a heart disease. Concubine I think if Your Majesty can go visit and resolve the matter, it might help her recover!"
"Haha!" Emperor Liu smiled faintly and looked at Xiao Zhou with a bit of amusement: "You do care about sisterly love and care for Concubine Shu, but I don't know if she accepts your love?"
There was a wave of emotion in Xiao Zhou's eyes, which became more and more charming, and his voice became lower and lower, and his tone became more sincere: "After all, she is my concubine sister, and she is my only relative in the world! I hope the officials can show me some mercy. , I would like to go to Shuhua Hall..."
"You have come to the door in person, so I have to give you some face for this pot of tea!" Emperor Liu finally smiled again and said teasingly: "If I don't agree, I will shed tears. The beauty will shed tears." Even if you are pitiful, I will also feel sorry for you!"
"Thank you, officials!" After saying this, Xiao Zhou no longer cared about being shy, and suddenly his smile was like a flower, and his jade face bloomed like a flower, which was even more touching. If it weren't for the foreign ministers, Emperor Liu might have feasted.
"I'll take a trip if you take some time!" Emperor Liu felt at ease again, but suddenly thought of something, turned to Yantuo, and said in a bad tone: "What is Liu Hui doing? His mother is not feeling well. Do you want to go and perform filial piety? He still needs his aunt to come and invite me, he won’t still be drinking and having fun in the house!”
As usual, after the prince was knighted, he moved outside the palace, and the same was true for the seventh prince Liu Hui. Although Emperor Liu gradually disliked his mother, he still appreciated his son's literary talents and specially gave him a noble residence.
In response to this question, Yantuo dared to answer casually. He did not dare to speak for a while, but Concubine Yi relieved him and comforted him: "Liu Hui has also entered the palace to serve as a filial piety in recent times. The officials should not blame him wrongly!"
Emperor Liu's expression returned to normal, calm and calm, as if it was just a performance. After thinking for a while, Emperor Liu ordered: "Korea donated ginseng and sent it to Shuhua Palace. In addition, I told the imperial hospital to cure Concubine Shu!"
"Yes!" Yantuo responded quickly, secretly sighing in his heart. At this time, he also wanted to hear Emperor Liu's instructions rather than ask some questions that were difficult to answer.
The look she looked at Little Concubine Zhou became softer, and she sighed: "You are still kind-hearted, we are both sisters, but you are so unfamiliar now, I don't know what Concubine Shu is thinking in her heart, let me see. , reading too many books may not be a good thing!”
The most embarrassed person present at Emperor Liu's words was Zhang Yong. At this moment, he even wished that he was deaf. Such palace anecdotes were really not suitable for a foreign minister like him to listen to. The nervousness in his heart was reflected in his behavior. That is like sitting on pins and needles, unable to sit still.
