Huai'an in late November was extremely busy.
The lifeblood of the canal, it is the busiest at this time of year.
According to the rules, grain shipments from the Jiangnan area to the capital must pass through Huai'an before December at the latest. For places further afield such as Fujian and Guangdong, you must pass through Huai'an before the first lunar month at the latest.
Therefore, the area around Qingjiangpu outside Huai'an City is now full of watercraft, as well as civilian ships making way for the watercraft.
In Huai'an City, the sign of the Governor's Water Transport Department has not been changed yet, but there is a long queue from inside to outside the door.
Wang Shenzhong, who was passing by here, couldn't help but exclaimed: "We can finally see the grand scene of water transport today."
One of the most handsome and unrestrained among these people who were also from Quanzhou Prefecture also said at this time: "Just now, thousands of sails outside the city cover the sun, and I am very popular in poetry. When I wait for a rest in the hotel, I might as well drink and write. Let’s learn from each other about poetry.”
Setting off from Fujian at the end of September, it was already late November when they arrived in Huai'an.
Going for the exam is a rare life experience. It was the first time for Wang Shenzhong, but it was the second time for that handsome guy.
"Brother Tingyi is a great talent. He will definitely produce a masterpiece today." Wang Shenzhong first praised Gong Yongqing, who was already twenty-five years old, and then asked, "What is going on at the Caoyun Yamen Gate? Was it the same when Brother Gong came to Jiajing two years ago?"
"It's probably a matter of delivering grain."
Gong Yongqing didn't care about this at all. He regarded himself as a romantic man and was the most vocal among the people rushing to take the exam in Fujian. At the moment, his attention was on other young literati on Huai'an Street.
"In the eighth year of Jiajing's reign, I still don't know how the examination will be conducted. This year, there are quite a lot of people rushing to take the examination than in previous years."
After Gong Yongqing said this, Wang Shenzhong and others also noticed many scholars on the streets of Huai'an.
The same kind of scent is easy to catch.
With new laws and new learning, Jiajing’s five-year general examination has ushered in a rush to take the exam.
Wang Shen felt more urgent in his heart: "It's better to get to the hotel quickly and find a boat. If the Shandong Canal freezes over, it will delay the trip."
"It's no problem." Gong Yongqing still didn't care. "After arriving in Huai'an, it will be much faster to go to the capital. You can travel smoothly all the way. After I send a message to greet my old friends, it will be done."
I went to Beijing to take the exam once, and as a candidate, I could always get to know many fellow students and high-ranking officials.
Gong Yongqing quite enjoyed this feeling of being admired.
At this temporary hotel in Huai'an City, Gong Yongqing has sent the book boy to book it.
How can such a trivial matter be done by a dignified master himself?
We made an appointment to meet at the entrance of the Huai'an Confucian Temple, and we waited around. Finally, we saw the servant running over sweating profusely and saying, "Master, I really can't find the hotel."
Gong Yongqing was stunned for a moment: "How could this happen?"
Even if the number of candidates rushing to take the exam increases, in a place like Huai'an where there is a big business of rushing to take the exam every three years, there will still be no hotel room available?
"I found out clearly that some kind of river transportation bureau was set up to cause trouble. I don't know how many businessmen from the north and the south rushed to Huai'an, and then all the guest rooms in Huai'an hotels were sold out."
"River Transport Bureau? What River Transport Bureau?"
"...This little one didn't ask."
"Brother Tingyi, why don't you ask your old friends to help and see if you can find a place to live?" Wang Shenzhong reminded.
"That's all we have now." Gong Yongqing nodded immediately, "I know where Brother Tang's home is. I paid a visit to my house on my way back south last year. I wrote a letter before and agreed to go to Beijing together. He will definitely be at home. Let's go!"
So these people from Quanzhou Prefecture walked in another direction together.
Gong Yongqing said he knew where it was, but it was just a rough direction, and he asked a few more people along the way.
Fortunately, it was easy to find a local Juren home. When they arrived at a small house, Wang Shenzhong and others looked at each other.
Gong Yongqing, an old friend, didn't seem to have a particularly wealthy family. Why did he say that finding a boat to the capital could be taken care of by him, and that the safekeeping would not delay the trip.
Private ships are rented on the canal, and people do business one by one. It is rare that they can transport goods to several provinces: too far away from home, many things are out of control, and the risks increase sharply.
It's not an official ship.
After knocking on the door, Gong Yongqing stood at the front and said in a cool and unrestrained manner: "Excuse me, I would like to inform you that Gong Yongqing from Fujian Province is here to pay a visit."
"Is it Mr. Gong?" the servant said immediately, "The young master has told me that if there is a letter from Mr. Gong, I should accept it first. I didn't expect that Mr. Gong has come in person. It's just that the young master hasn't come back yet. Everyone..."
When he saw the dozen people outside, his expression was very surprised, and then he said: "Everyone, please come in and sit down for a while, and have some tea."
After that, he hurried back to report: No matter what, after all, he is a Juren, a friend of the young master, and he cannot be rude when he comes to the house.
When Wang Shenzhong and others entered the courtyard, there were only a few people sitting in the hall waiting, while the bookboys and servants all stayed in the courtyard.
Wait until dark.
A few people had nowhere to go and even had a dinner here.
When someone finally came back from the door, Gong Yongqing greeted him overjoyed: "Brother Wei Zhong, I've finally been waiting for you."
Then he said in astonishment: "Brother Wei Zhong is so tired, where have you been?"
This man was none other than Tang Shu. To say he was dusty at this moment was an elegant way of describing him, but in fact he was covered in dirt and dressed like a farmer. Wearing a cloth hat and a water hyacinth hanging around his waist.
"Brother Tingyi?" Tang Shu glanced at his face, and then he couldn't help but be attracted by so many people in the family, and then saw his parents who were a little embarrassed and relieved, "I'm sorry, I'll freshen up first."
Taking advantage of this gap, Tang Shu's parents saw that they had been caught, so they explained: "The guests are laughing. This child has been like this these days."
I thought they would say goodbye after sitting for a while, so that their son could get dressed before going to visit friends, but he didn't expect that they would linger on leaving.
Tang Shu's parents feel that their son's recent behavior is quite embarrassing.
But Gong Yongqing also wanted to be a decent person, so he didn't mention the fact that everyone couldn't find a place to live for the time being. After all, he only had some friendship with Tang Shu.
As for Wang Shenzhong and others, they are now filled with embarrassment: It's already dark, is there anyone doing this? What if Gong Yongqing's friend named Tang Shu couldn't help today? Could it be that so many of us would crowd into his house for one night?
It was not easy for them to go beyond Gong Yongqing to complain to strangers about their difficulties.
Tang Shu's mother now blocked the door of the room where he was scrubbing, and asked through the door outside: "What's going on with these friends of yours? They said they had a hard journey and might as well go back first. They just stayed here and didn't leave. Could it be that today Want to stay at our house tonight?"
"Borrowing? No, that's not the case. Brother Gong's family is quite well off, so how could he not have decided on a place to stay? If he has to wait for the child to come back, I'm afraid he has something important to discuss, probably related to the examination."
"Mom, I can't see that you're in a hurry to try! You've been following Mr. Liu this year, how can you study your lessons?"
"Don't worry, mother. Follow Master Liu every day. That's the best way to do your homework."
Tang Shu's answer was full of laughter, and his mother had no choice but to say: "If you really want to stay at home, mother will have to go and make preparations first. Worry, how can there be so many beds and quilts in the winter... Have you ever used them? Do you have any food?"
"I've had dinner with Master Liu, didn't I say that? I'll help Master Liu do something, and the food and accommodation are all under the control of the Hedao Yamen."
"I think Mr. Liu doesn't care about your future anymore. He just thinks that the things assigned by His Majesty are more important. Fortunately, he didn't ask you to go far away this time. It's the end of winter, and you still haven't set off for Beijing!"
Amid the nagging scolding, she left first.
When Tang Shu got dressed and went to the front hall, his father immediately said goodbye and ran away.
The farmer just now turned into a handsome young man. Everyone first greeted him one by one and passed his name.
Tang Shu then asked: "Brother Tingyi, could it be that you really haven't found a place to live? Even though the hotels inside and outside the city are crowded with people, Quanzhou merchants also have a guild hall in Huai'an."
Saying that to your mother is to reassure her.
But with Tang Shu's work style of traveling thousands of miles, his cleverness in winning candidates, and the amount of information he could get by staying with Liu Tianhe, how could they not guess the situation when they saw that Gong Yongqing and the others had not left.
He and Gong Yongqing only met when they participated in the joint examination three years ago, and their friendship cannot be said to be very deep. Since you know that the other person has a good family background, why would you worry about these things for the other person?
Gong Yongqing was no longer as high-spirited as he had been during the day, and said with some embarrassment: "The Pu family is in rebellion, and the Wu family in Zhao'an is assassinating the emperor in Linqing. How can the Fujian merchants dare to make such a show? I knew it before I set off. It is inconvenient to entertain me while I am waiting for the exam. When I arrived in Huai'an, I heard that a river transportation bureau was to be set up. The hotels inside and outside the city were crowded with merchants from the north and south. What is going on? Brother Wei Zhong is serving under Zonghe, so he should Is there a way?"
Only then did Wang Shenzhong and others find out that his friend Gong Yongqing was actually working beside the Governor of Hedao. No wonder he said the matter could be solved easily.
Tang Shu was stunned for a moment, and then said: "...It's really like that. It's a long story. I also decided to set off on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. Master Liu said that he would not miss my exam and had already found a ship to take me to Beijing. But if you want me to wait for several people together, I’m afraid I’ll have to find a bigger boat.”
Gong Yongqing was overjoyed: "Brother Wei Zhong really has a way!"
Tang Shu smiled: "This can be regarded as a reward for the hard work I have done for several months this year. It is getting late, and it is not convenient to find a place to stay now. In this way, I can still have some dignity among the neighbors, so let people go Knock on the door and ask, let's stay here today, and make plans tomorrow. I have to go to Qingjiangpu, and I have to pack my bags when I go home today, leaving a message for Brother Tingyi to meet me at the pier over there."
Although we have agreed to go together, who can guarantee that each other's itinerary will completely match? Anyway, Gong Yongqing wrote a letter a long time ago, saying that he would set out in September after Qiu Wei and would arrive in Huai'an in November.
"... Then it's time to work. It's really annoying." Gong Yongqing has no other good idea now, so just stay overnight.
He couldn't help but ask: "What exactly is Brother Weizhong doing at Mr. Liu's place? I thought Brother Weizhong was working as a staff member."
"His Majesty was worried about the floods in the Huanghuai River. During the southern tour, Master Liu was appointed as the chief river officer. How could Master Liu not go all out? In the past year, I have almost been dealing with the river workers, and together with Master Liu, we have completed the intersection of the Huanghuai River and the Yellow River. All over."
"...In the past, when I heard that Brother Weizhong traveled to famous mountains, I longed for him. Now, Brother Weizhong has actually studied river affairs." Gong Yongqing asked tentatively in his eyes, "Brother Weizhong is Mr. Liu's disciple, and the big test I admire you for having so much free time at the moment. Could you please introduce me to Mr. Soga?"
This is a senior official in Zhupao who is in Huai'an.
The most important thing is that Gong Yongqing thinks that Tang Shu has not reviewed his homework before the big examination year, so he is very confident that he can get a lot of useful information from Liu Tianhe.
Tang Shu was very embarrassed: "I'm just afraid of the inconvenience. I will go there early tomorrow morning, just to take advantage of these few days to go to Gaojiayan with Master Liu. Master Liu is busy with official duties..."
"Then we will wait until we set off on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, and then we can reminisce about our old friendship with Brother Wei Zhong. Does Brother Wei Zhong know what kind of government office the River Transportation Bureau is? Why do businessmen from the north and south gather in Huai'an, so that every hotel is full of guests?"
"That's right. Brother Tingyi and others came from Fujian. I'm afraid they haven't seen the "Ming Pao" yet."
"……Ming Pao?"
"Brother Tingyi, wait a moment, I copied it from Master Liu."
Tang Shu quickly took a booklet from the study.
What he saw at that time was also the first issue that was officially sent to Zonghe Yamen through the Interpretation Bureau.
The reason why he wanted to copy was because Liu Tianhe didn't know how he would take the exam next year. In short, he asked Tang Shu to copy the simplified characters from "Jiajing Dictionary" and this newspaper to familiarize himself with the new style.
Will you try any of the ones included in the package? Even if there are no tests on simplified characters, new styles, and new learning next year, there will definitely be tests in the future, so the sooner Tang Shu does his homework in this area, the better.
Tang Shu was confident in himself, and he also listened to Liu Tianhe talk a lot about the rules for the future.
It is good to have a Jinshi background, but in the eyes of His Majesty, it is not so important to have a Jinshi background. On the contrary, if you make a contribution in regulating the river, it will of course be easier to keep Jane in the emperor's heart.
Now Gong Yongqing opened the booklet and was stunned when he saw the words and style on it: "...What is this?"
Tang Shu explained a few sentences, and then said: "I won't be using these simplified characters next year, so I have to familiarize myself with them first. There is no way, your Majesty has decreed that all government documents will be gradually changed to use this simplified character within one year. I have to write with new characters and new styles. Master Liu left many chores to me, and said that next year, regardless of whether I win or not, he will ask your Majesty to use me to work in the Hedao Yamen, so I had to practice first."
Gong Yongqing's mouth was dry, and Wang Shenzhong and the others felt like they had been hit hard.
Titles, honors, merits, titles... what is most relevant to them is naturally this simplified character and new style.
Even if next year's examination does not require these to be used in answers, the official documents have set the rules. Regardless of whether you are a Jinshi or not, you will inevitably have to learn these things.
What's more, even if there is no requirement for next year's examination, if some candidates use these simplified characters and new styles to answer papers, will the marking officer and His Majesty look at him differently?
With a bright future ahead of him, Gong asked in a quiet voice: "Brother Weizhong, I don't think there's any need to trouble the neighbors. If brother doesn't give up, how about we talk around the fire tonight?"
Damn it, it’s a good thing I didn’t find a place to live today!
Tang Shu looked at his gloomy eyes and couldn't help but feel a little numb: "Brother Tingyi...could he be planning to hold a candle and talk all night long? I came back after a long day."
"Only the body and bones of brother Zhong who traveled through mountains and rivers!" Gong Yongqing couldn't care less about his face.
Tang Shu turned his head and saw that these officials from Quanzhou Prefecture in Fujian Province all looked like they wanted to eat him alive. He couldn't help but smile bitterly: "It really can't be like this..."
How is it possible that the simplified Chinese characters that have just been promulgated are required to be answered using this new rule next year?
Of course, he also knew that if he still only looked at the level of knowledge, but ranked some thoughtful people higher in the subsequent rankings, who knew whether the imperial court would do this in order to promote simplified Chinese characters?
Ranking is also very important - for many people who still have limited information.
Tang Shu just wanted to have a good sleep: "Everyone, look at the back of this: Wang Qiong, the Minister of Personnel, talks about the promotion of officials."
The first issue of Ming Pao did not just include the "Four Titles" article and advertisements from many companies. In fact, all six of them appeared in it.
When Wang Qiong talked about the promotion of officials, the point he conveyed was very simple: after the examination of Gongfa, the imperial court would have a clear practical examination of merit for the promotion of officials.
In other words, Qingliu will not be popular in the future, if you want to be promoted to high grade.
Another point is that Ming Dynasty now has too few officials and too many officials. Everything is left to the officials, and when officials are idle, things tend to go out of style.
Guangdong and Shandong hold more Encores and carry out rural examinations every year, all of which point in one direction: there will be more qualified officials in the future, but they will all have more specific practical responsibilities. Naturally, there will still be unofficial officials, but it will not be the current situation.
Since more officials are needed, more scholars will naturally be obtained from the imperial examination.
"Therefore, I'm afraid that the Ministry of Rites' arrangements for next year's examination will be published in Ming Pao in a later issue." Tang Shu said to them, "It is said that there are far more candidates for the examination this year than in previous years, but only Judging from the situation, I'm afraid that next year the old system of only taking more than 300 tributes will be changed. Your Majesty is very thirsty for talents, brother Tingyi, you really don't have to be so anxious..."
"Is this Mr. Liu's conclusion?"
"……My guess."
Gong Yongqing and the others didn't believe it, and they all looked at Tang Shu with their hearts beating fast.
If he dares not to review his lessons, he must know something!
Of course Tang Shu couldn't tell the truth, even if it was just Liu Tianhe's guess.
But last year, so many officials and gentry were arrested in a major treason case, and the new law is about to be implemented nationwide. Wouldn't the court try to win over people's hearts and eliminate the resistance of the gentry?
In Guangdong Province, the official quota is nearly 10,000!
Tang Shu didn't dare to tell them, and Liu Tianhe's guess was even bolder.
In previous years, about 3,000 to 4,000 students would come to Beijing to take the exam and get one out of ten.
This year, only 5,000 or 6,000 people will come to Beijing, and most of them will be retained - in various forms.
Only those who are still determined to pass the Jinshi exam before giving up will miss this opportunity.
The "Ming Pao" copied by Tang Shu contains too much information.
He was really pestered by Gong Yongqing and the others all night long.
These companions are all young, and the eldest is Tang Shu, who is twenty-eight.
Young people can survive.
After the sun rose, the second half of the national policy meeting actually discussed an issue related to the imperial examination.
"I, Prime Minister, state affairs, the next three years are the key years for the new law. Both the court and the local government need many officials who are capable and willing to make contributions. How to enable scholars all over the world to study simplified characters, new learning, and new styles within three years is a long-term strategy. . As a matter of urgency, I would like to ask Your Majesty to discuss whether next year's Rites Examination will be similar to that of Guangdong and Shandong Provincial Examinations, with main and deputy rankings. The deputy rankings are also awarded to the same Jinshi, who can be appointed to the seventh rank. The main ranking can be used for the palace examination. The palace examinations are Grade A and Grade II. The distinction between Class A and Class Three remains unchanged, but can Class A have twenty-four people in order to highlight the reputation of the twenty-four counselors and spur them to forge ahead?"
There are always three people in the first class: No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 overall.
Now, after several days of discussion and performance at the national policy meeting, Fei Hong has become more and more ambitious.
Although Zhu Houcong was asked whether he agreed or not, why was the number of people in the first class set at twenty-four?
This is to increase the prestige of the national policy conference, increase the prestige of the counselors, and increase the importance of ministers in the country of Ming Dynasty.
The others couldn't help but look at the emperor with bated breath.
If the emperor agrees, if word spreads in the future, it will be Fei Hong, the first prime minister, who has won a bigger step forward for scholars all over the world.
There are twenty-four people in the top 10 of the palace examination, headed by the number one scholar, third overall winner, and second place winner. Everyone can aim to join the national policy conference in the future.
And would the emperor want the opinions of ministers to become more and more important in national policy meetings, and the influence of the prime minister and the State Council to become more and more important?
Now the Ming Dynasty really needs more officials and needs to win over the gentry who have been panicked in the past few years. A new prime minister will be appointed. Will the emperor reject his proposal?
Does this count as Fei Hong using his power to invite people and consolidate his power?
Zhu Houcong nodded simply: "I think so."
(End of chapter)
