"Pingshen." Xiao Yuan said in a calm voice and stretched out his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Song Lian stood up, then stood with his head bowed. From the beginning to the end, he did not dare to raise his head to look at Xiao Yuan.
The child of a peasant family has been poor since childhood. The county magistrate of his hometown is a supreme existence to him. But now he is standing in the hall of national affairs, facing the monarch. You can imagine his nervousness.
All the ministers on the left and right also looked at him curiously, because this was the top of the list that the king personally named.
Most of the ministers present had read his articles. At that time, many people were amazed and some felt inferior.
In this grand examination, the content of the test paper not only covers poetry and songs, but also includes policies and policies, and it covers a lot of things. You must not only have literary talent, but also have comprehensive abilities in many aspects. It can be seen that to be able to get here, Song Dynasty Lian himself must have great talents.
However, he seemed to have some stage fright.
After sizing him up, Xiao Yuan also said: "Song Lian, I have read your articles. You are undoubtedly the number one talent in the north."
"Ah? Your Majesty, the common people are ashamed to praise you so much." Song Lian said hurriedly.
"You don't have to be too modest." Xiao Yuan smiled: "In the temple today, do you have anything to say to the State of Qin and to this king?"
"Yes, yes..." Song Lian responded twice in succession. He was undoubtedly more nervous, and his forehead began to sweat. He seemed to be organizing his words, but the corners of his mouth moved for a long time before he said: "The common people, in the hearts of the common people, there are There are many things I want to tell you, but...but..."
At this point, he was even more nervous and couldn't continue.
Xiao Yuan looked at the situation and frowned secretly.
The ministers also began to look at each other.
Many people shook their heads slightly.
Xiao Yuanjing waited for him to continue.
But when Song Lian saw this, he became even more flustered, and when he panicked, he became even more at a loss.
His articles are full of talent and can be said to be full of energy!
But he was so nervous!
As an ordinary person, stage fright is natural, not to mention facing the king of a country and discussing national affairs. This made Song Lian, who was facing such an occasion for the first time, completely confused.
If he could speak eloquently and have an eloquent debate with the ministers here, then with his talent, he would definitely shine.
The scene was quiet at first, but gradually became slightly noisy, and the ministers couldn't help but began to whisper among themselves.
After Xiao Yuan waited for a while, he shook his head secretly, and then said: "Okay, Song Lian, you go down first."
"Ah? Your Majesty, the common people, the common people..." Song Lian looked anxious.
Xiao Yuan smiled gently and then waved his hand.
"Yes, yes..." Song Lian had no choice but to bow and retreat, and suddenly his heart was filled with despair. Today, among countless students, he reached the top of the list and was finally summoned by the king in person. What an opportunity it was! But he lost it in vain!
He really wanted to slap himself to death, but the opportunity was lost, so he could only exit the court meeting hall with a red face.
After he left, Zheng Shiwei was the first to stand up, shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, this man has a magnificent writing style and shows his talent, but now it seems that it is really doubtful whether the article was written by him. ."
Hearing this, Liu Yuzhi stepped out and said: "Master Zheng should discuss the matter as it is. You cannot deny Song Lian's article just because he is not good at speaking. In this regard, the student examination papers have been carefully reviewed and there is no possibility of fraud."
Another minister said: "Yes, the article was indeed written by Song Lian. Among all the students, he did rank first in terms of overall performance, but..."
"Okay." Xiao Yuan interrupted them, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Song Lian's hometown is in Zhuyang County, Liangdi, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Zhengfang returned. Of course, the household registration number at the top of the list was already known.
"Zhuyang County Magistrate, is there anyone?" Xiao Yuan asked again.
"He is a minor official in the original county, a temporary substitute, not his official position." Li Zhengfang said.
"That's just right. The Ministry of Civil Affairs will prepare a letter of appointment and appoint Song Lian as the magistrate of Zhuyang County." Xiao Yuan made the decision directly.
"Ah?" Li Zhengfang was stunned for a moment, then said slightly worriedly: "But Your Majesty, this, this..."
"That's it. The other fifty-nine palace examination students will be recruited based on their talents and the records will be kept."
After Xiao Yuan finished speaking, he glanced at Li Zhengfang again and said lukewarmly: "In addition, the officials will conduct self-examination, and the Yushifu will intervene!"
When Li Zhengfang heard this, he swallowed hard.
Obviously, this matter is not over yet.
After the next court, all the ministers came out of the palace and walked together in twos and threes, most of them discussing today's affairs with Song Lian.
Li Zhengfang came close to Liu Yuzhi and kept saying: "Xiangguo, this time, the king obviously wants to question the crime. You must save the official."
"Fortunately, the storm has passed, and it is not as serious as you thought. Besides, your will is unpredictable." Liu Yuzhi comforted him. As Xiao Yuan's old subordinate, he knew his master to some extent.
Why didn't Xiao Yuan directly dismiss him and investigate Li Zhengfang?
That's because among the thirty scholars he admitted, there wasn't much talent and he just ignored the north.
What's more, there is currently no suitable candidate for the Ministry of Personnel, and this big test is probably related to some ministers. In Qin and Shu, Xiao Yuan has the right to be the recommended official.
Sometimes, as a monarch, as long as it is beneficial to the country, you can turn a blind eye.
On the other side, Qinzhou Post House.
This is a temporary stay arranged by the state for sixty scholars.
The fact that Song Lian was ranked first had already spread among the students. When they saw him coming back, many people gathered around and congratulated him, and there was naturally some fawning among them.
A scholar said: "Now that I have been summoned by the Lord in person, I think Brother Song will definitely show his ambitions. From now on, I hope Brother Song will take more care of him."
"Yes, Brother Song is the only one among the scholars in my country who has been personally received by the king. Needless to say, he must be a high-ranking official and well-paid, and at least he must be a fourth-grade man, right?" Someone else said.
"A fourth-grade civil servant, isn't that too low?" someone said.
This shows the importance of this test.
As a result, when Song Lian heard this, he shook his head with a wry smile, then left everyone without saying a word, and returned to his room in despair.
"Huh? He..." Some people were puzzled.
Some people also sarcastically said: "If I am the top of the list, will I still call you brothers..."
Within a few days, through the decision of the royal court, the appointment of these scholars was also approved.
Among them, many people were deployed to local areas, serving as county magistrates, county officials, or other officials responsible for copywriting.
The biggest one among them was assigned to the Dongcao Envoy under the Prime Minister's Mansion. This person was the person Prime Minister Liu Yuzhi personally asked Xiao Yuan to ask for. Xiao Yuan thought about it briefly and nodded in agreement.
When they saw that Song Lian, the leader of the list, was actually transferred to Zhuyang to serve as county magistrate, all the scholars did not react at first, but then they were all happy.
Many people naturally began to secretly make fun of him and talk about Song Lian.
