Just because you are the head of the Ministry of Etiquette, who is from the fifth rank, and you want to allocate quotas for the imperial examination, you are worthy...
If you want to fool people, you have to find a good excuse.
At least, you have to stand firm.
"..."
"Humph, don't underestimate me."
"Your uncle, I am an official of the Ministry of Rites after all. Although my official position is not very big, I can still take care of many things..."
"Moreover, this time the provincial examination is held by our right-hand man from the Ministry of Rites. I have a good relationship with him..."
"………………"
Hearing that his second uncle Chang Rong boasted so much, He Shen did not choose to criticize him for a moment.
On He Shen's side, his second uncle Chang Rong looked curiously at him.
And He Shen looked at him like this, which made Chang Rong feel embarrassed...
He Shen patted his second uncle Chang Rong on the shoulder and said with disdain: "Stop bragging, I also have eyes and ears in the Ministry of Etiquette..."
"How are you doing in the Ministry of Etiquette? Others don't know, but I don't know either?
"Hehe, I really like to talk nonsense..."
"Others say you are the number one outcast in the Ministry of Etiquette..."
"…………"
"Who said that? Who said that?"
"That grandson is talking nonsense outside. I am the confidant of the Minister of Rites..."
Hearing what He Shen said, his second uncle Chang Rong was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He suddenly glared and said angrily.
"What's wrong, second uncle, don't you even have the courage to admit that you're not doing well?"
He Shen continued to poke his second uncle, Chang Rong, in the heart and said, "I also heard that, second uncle, you are about to be kicked out of the Ministry of Etiquette!"
"Nonsense, all nonsense..."
Chang Rong jumped up and down, his entire face instantly turned the color of pig liver, and he muttered for a long time without saying a complete sentence...
Obviously, He Shen was not wrong.
Chang Rong did not do well in the Ministry of Rites. He was basically marginalized and had no real power in his hands.
Of course, second uncle Chang Rong doesn't think so.
In his eyes, this was a senior official from the Ministry of Rites who was jealous of his talents and abilities, so they deliberately excluded and suppressed him.
"…………"
"Nephew, you don't know that all the officials in the Ministry of Rites are jealous of others. They are all jealous of my talents..."
"I'm just like Li Bai now, I don't appreciate my talents..."
The second uncle, Chang Rong, had a look of resentment on his face. When talking about this matter, he acted like he was underappreciating his talent.
It was as if there were nine battles of intellectual talent in the world, and he had eight of them, while other scholars shared one...
"I'll go, second uncle, are you really shameless?"
When He Shen heard what his second uncle Chang Rong said, his eyes widened instantly and he almost spit out saliva...
I have seen narcissistic people, but I have never seen anyone so narcissistic. Are you worthy of competing with Li Bai?
"…………"
"Hey, second uncle, although Li Bai is not doing well in official circles, he has hundreds of good poems. Do you have any masterpieces that made him famous..."
He Shen pressed forward step by step.
When the second uncle Chang Rong heard this, he was very stubborn, anxious and angry, and stammered: "Why not? I have written more than a thousand poems so far..."
"The reason why it is not famous is that people in the world don't know how to appreciate it!"
"…………"
"What…"
It's because the world doesn't understand how to appreciate the more than a thousand poems you wrote...
According to you, everyone in the world is deliberately targeting you...
Looking at the culturally arrogant second uncle Chang Rong, He Shen could only bow his hands, saying that you are really awesome, I am really convinced!
"…………"
In fact, the second uncle Chang Rong was in a very embarrassing situation in the official circles of the capital!
He is not the serious master of the He Mansion at all, even though now, in the He Mansion, besides Mrs. Hua, he is the boss...
However, in the eyes of others, he is just a small-time head of the Five-Pin Gifts Department, a bookworm who has become stupid with reading...
Chang Rong compares himself to Li Bai's urinary nature, so he naturally looks down on those dandies who rely on the legacy of their ancestors to show off their power in the circle of nobles.
He naturally excluded himself.
Don’t you know that in the upper class circles, Chang Rong is the stinky piece of shit that no one wants to get close to...
As for the circle of scholars, Chang Rong couldn't get into it because of his background and arrogance.
Chang Rong and his current social circle are basically composed of unfashionable literati.
And what these people value is not Chang Rong's talent, but the large amount of money he has.
So, even though Chang Rong occupied the He Mansion, outside, he was nothing. He was the target of being squeezed out by all forces, and his life was miserable.
What's even more tragic is that within the He Mansion, Chang Rong is not truly king, and there is Mrs. Hua who controls him.
"…………"
Second uncle Chang Rong originally wanted to take advantage of He Shen, but he didn't want to be hit by He Shen's words...
The embarrassed second uncle Chang Rong wanted to leave, but was stopped by He Shen's words.
"…………"
"By the way, Second Uncle, do you want to be promoted or find a better government office?"
At this moment, He Shen spoke, and the words in his mouth immediately stopped Chang Rong from moving.
"Eldest nephew, you...what can you do?"
The temptation of being promoted or changing government offices is naturally a huge temptation for Chang Rong, who has been sitting on the bench for many years.
"Hey, is there any way? Of course I have it. It just depends on whether you are willing to let it go, my second uncle. You must know that you can't let go of a sheep, but you can't trap a wolf!"
When He Shen heard this, he smiled, rubbed his thumb and Wu Ming finger, and made a gesture of counting silver, the meaning was self-explanatory.
"…………"
"This, that...how much silver do you need?"
"Your second uncle and I don't have many possessions, but they are not too little either..."
Second uncle Chang Rong was obviously hesitant when he heard that he wanted to exchange money for it, but the temptation of promotion and changing government offices was too great for him.
He quickly put aside the door-knocking and hesitation in his heart. He had had enough of the cumbersome rules of the Ministry of Rites and the arrangements of his colleagues.
"..."
"Aren't you in a hurry about this matter?"
Seeing that second uncle Chang Rong agreed, He Shen suddenly stopped.
He smiled and said: "Second uncle, please don't worry first?"
"Isn't it too late to wait until I pass the provincial examination and have the status of a civil servant?"
"Also, second uncle, you should think about it carefully after you go back. Don't regret it again when the time comes. I won't agree to it then!"
"…………"
If you don’t play like this, how can you do this? If you stop talking in the middle of the sentence, isn’t this just to whet people’s appetite?
Second uncle Chang Rong was aroused with great interest, but He Shen remained silent at this moment.
Due to his status as an elder, Chang Rong was embarrassed to ask questions, which made him very depressed now.
"..."
He Shen didn't care about so much. After selling out, he turned around and left.
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is time for the candidates to take exams in Hebei and the capital area.
He Shen had already prepared and arrived at the examination room in Hebei.
Just like the modern college entrance examination, the imperial court attached great importance to the provincial examination, even far more than today...
After all, if you pass the college entrance examination, you will have one more college student, but if you pass the provincial examination, you will have one more official...
"…………"
During the Qing Dynasty, the provincial examination centers in each province were called Gongyuan.
Inside the Gongyuan, there are not seats as ordinary people imagine, but thousands of rooms, each of which is a single room.
From this we can see how intense the competition was from the imperial examination to the provincial examination.
Although the candidates' rooms are all single rooms, that place is really not a place for people to stay.
This kind of single room for candidates to take exams is called a room. It is very small, five feet long, four feet wide and eight feet high. According to current figures, it is only 1.8 square meters.
In ancient times, all those who took the imperial examination were men, and they were generally very tall. They could not straighten their bodies when lying down, but could only curl up. After putting some things, the available space became even smaller.
Moreover, candidates taking the imperial examination must be searched before entering. They can only bring the four treasures of the study and a few candles. Everything else will be confiscated if found.
After entering, the room is immediately closed and locked, and the candidates answer questions in it and sleep in it at night, which is as uncomfortable as possible.
Here, He Shen entered Gongyuan with the flow.
What surprised Heshen was that among the candidates for the provincial examination, the ones he saw most were middle-aged people, and there were even candidates with gray hair.
When it comes to books, you really need to learn until you are old enough to pass the exam...
A bad old man in his sixties, with all his teeth missing, still has to take exams. It only takes one glance to tell that these people are typical examples of people who have become stupid in reading. They still have to take exams at such an old age...
Based on the average life span in ancient times, which was no more than fifty years old, people in their sixties were already only one step away from the coffin...
He Shen, on his side, nodded to the officials around him who were maintaining order. He didn't say much. He just made some arrangements, gave some money, and went directly to his examination seat.
Sitting on the stool in the room, He Shen waited quietly for the exam to officially begin.
Soon, the clerk distributed the examination papers one by one.
When it came to He Shen, the clerk who had received the money before secretly told He Shen some of the taboos in the heart of the examiner.
To a certain extent, this is also a way of leaking exam questions...
Because, in ancient times, the quality of imperial examination papers was determined by the examiner.
When He Shen heard this, a smile appeared on his face, all without saying anything.
Who said little people have no effect? Little people have a great effect...
He Shen looked at it carefully and smiled even more happily. He had done these exam contents before, so it could be said that he knew them by heart.
Putting aside his thoughts, He Shen calmed down, took his time, sharpened his ink and picked up his pen, and beautiful articles appeared on the blank paper.
The imperial examination has a time limit, and the interpretation of the eight-legged essay will test the candidate's memory and knowledge mastery. Of course, there is also political leaning...
With He Shen's terrifying memory and solid basic skills, as well as the clerk's previous reminder, and Niu Hulu's last name, passing the test was very simple.
