"Student Yan Song, please pay homage to the Emperor. Long live our Emperor." Yan Song bowed and bowed.
Zhu Houzhao looked at him from behind the jade screen. Sure enough, he has a handsome appearance and extraordinary bearing. If I were still the original Zhu Houzhao, I might still be deceived by your appearance, hehe.
"Get up." Zhu Houzhao told him in a calm tone.
Yan Song's heart turned rapidly, and he immediately thought about his behavior, whether there was something he did not do well enough that made the emperor unhappy with him.
"Thank you, Your Majesty for your grace."
Zhu Houzhao thought to himself, aren't there some restless ministers who have been contacting everyone recently? What if I let Yan Song participate at this time and catch all those who have bad intentions? With his status at this time, those people will definitely have no chance. Be on guard.
At this time, Yan Song has not been branded as such and such, his identity is clean, and he is the third place in the Enke Examination. His future is unlimited, but at this time, if this flower scout responds to their call, he will surely make the scholars all over the world better. Together, I didn't see even Tan Hwa Lang responding to them.
The most important thing is that he can kill two birds with one stone, so that after Yan Song has offended all the ministers and scholars, he will no longer have the opportunity to cause trouble. He can only become the most obedient dog of Zhu Houzhao. His reputation is ruined on the street. Who will care about you? That powerful official with all the power in the government and the public was not famous in the government and the public at the beginning, but now that his path has been cut off and everyone hates him, who else will follow him?
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao didn't intend to go around in circles with him. If Yan Song was smart, he would understand. If Yan Song was stupid, Zhu Houzhao wouldn't mind asking Liu Jin to make him disappear. Anyway, there are people under his command!
"Third place among the top three students in this subject, Yan Song, you are very good. I have read your answer sheet and you have a good idea. I, what I need are talents like you." Zhu Houzhao first gave Jian a candied date that was in the emperor's heart.
Yan Song was so excited that he didn't expect that he would also fall into the eyes of the emperor. A bright and smooth road seemed to appear in front of him. He quickly bowed his head and said, "Student is ashamed, student is ashamed."
"You earned this on your own. I am someone who cherishes talents. With your grades and rankings in this subject, it would have been enough for you to become an official in the court, but I need you to do something for me in exchange for Your future is done. You will have a seat in the six ministries in the future. You can join the cabinet if you want. If you fail, your future will be hopeless from now on. As I say, you can consider for yourself whether you want to share my worries." Zhu Houzhao said on the jade screen. Then he spoke calmly.
Yan Song was smug and complacent one moment, and the next second he was hit by a thunderbolt, which made him burnt on the outside and tender on the inside. The emperor suddenly asked him to share his worries. This seemed to give him a chance, but why, he But there is a top three person who can test. The emperor has countless capable people. If there is anything he needs to do, he will do it.
The main reason is that now the emperor has spoken. To put it bluntly, the emperor needs him to do this. Why is it him, not Liu Zizhang? The first fork in the road in life has appeared. If you take the wrong step, you will never see the light of day and die without a burial place. No matter you know or don't know the emperor's plan or what he wants him to do, you will not end well.
If I agree, I think what I have to do is something that will offend others. It may even make me feel uncomfortable, but it will allow him to see hope. A bright future is ahead. Do you want to agree?
Yan Song only made a moment's decision and had the answer. Only a fool would refuse the emperor. How many people would never get into the Six Divisions in their lifetime. What's more, the emperor also opened Chrysostom. There is a lot of potential for joining the cabinet in the future. If you fail, your future will be hopeless. Simply telling him, you'd better be smart and accept my conditions, otherwise you can go back and continue studying. If it were you, how would you choose?
One step to heaven, one step to hell. After doing it, a huge opportunity is right in front of you. If you don't seize it, how can you live up to your more than ten years of hard study and show your ambition.
"Students are willing to share the emperor's worries." Yan Song said simply.
Zhu Houzhao nodded, smiled and said, "Liu Jin, show it to him."
"According to the order." Liu Jin responded.
"Take a good look, this is a secret message from Dongchang and Jinyiwei." Zhu Houzhao said with a smile.
When he got the memorial and was about to open it and read it, his hands suddenly shook in fright and the memorial fell to the ground. He hurriedly knelt down and prostrated, "Students are punished by death."
"I want you to see it, and I want you to come up with your own solution to deal with this matter. If there is any trouble, send a message to the palace immediately. I will arrange for Jinyiwei spies to help you. Remember my words, since you agreed, then Don't shrink back or look forward or backward. This world belongs to me, and what I give you is yours. Others can't give you what you want." Zhu Houzhao reminded him in a deep voice.
Yan Song carefully touched his head to the ground without even saying he dared.
He thought in his mind that the emperor is not simple. The rumors from the outside are not trustworthy. Whoever believes them is a fool. If a monarch who only knows how to be kind to the world, how could he get rid of Prince Ning's party before he ascends the throne?
I hurriedly flipped through Jin Yiwei's secret notes, and suddenly, a huge wave surged in my heart. The Imperial College, the Hanlin Academy, the Censor of the Supervisory Academy, and the Censor of the Thirteen Supervisory Censors. This, damn, is all pure and clear. They want to What to do?
When he looked down, they jointly signed the memorial to impeach the emperor. Wang Qiong of Yushitai, Li Jingyang of Hanlin, Zhang Bin, Liu Tao, Yang Ning... all the names appeared on the secret memorial. Cold sweat broke out on Yan Song's face. , he finally understood what the emperor meant and what he needed to do. Smart people have good brains. Unfortunately, since he participated and now he has read the secret report, it is even more impossible to withdraw.
Yan Song can even imagine what he will face in the future. Do you regret it? Maybe, there is no turning back, and regretting it now will only lead to death. This palace examination will become a nightmare that will linger in his heart for the rest of his life.
"Go down. After you get out of the palace, go figure it out. You don't have much time." Zhu Houzhao asked him to step back.
"The student will definitely live up to the emperor's high expectations. I will resign." Yan Song broke out in a cold sweat, a wave of coldness came over him, and his back was wet.
The palace examination is almost over. Most of the students who were answering the questions in front of the Taihe Palace have put down their pens. Fortunately, it is a beautiful autumn day, otherwise they would have been scorched by the sun.
"Winding."
After completing the formalities and reviewing the papers, six ministers, nine ministers, and three pavilion elders divided some of the answer sheets. Zhu Houzhao only had to read the best ones.
After a while, Xie Qian selected an answer sheet in his hand, stroked his long beard with his hand, nodded and praised: "A good article, solving problems, and solving problems are the highlight of this paper. Mr. Li and Mr. Liu, please come and comment on it." .”
"Wonderful, this guy is very talented. I think he is no worse than Yan Song on the top list. He has a lot to do." Liu Jian shook his head and commented.
After Li Dongyang saw it, he praised, "Xie Gong, this boy is quite like you."
Gao Shijie is one step away from the top three and first in the second list. This is very impressive.
One of Yang Shen's good friends was called Shijie. Gao Shijie was a talented scholar from Luzhou, and Yang Tinghe had praised him several times.
"Gao Shijie, this boy is quite good. Compared with Yan Song's literary talent, both are exquisite. This Enke is really a pleasure for us. If it were not for Zhu Shou's official, this boy would definitely be among the top three. "Li Dongyang sighed.
Speaking of the man named Zhu Shou, they really wanted to meet him. Not only was the article well-written, but it also targeted the current affairs in the Southwest and hit the point. It was amazing. Even the three pavilion elders were amazed after reading the test paper. It can be seen that How amazing it is.
But no matter what, the number one scholar missed the palace examination. If he did not report to the Ministry of Rites after seven days, he would be deprived of his top spot, which became the funniest oolong topic since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.
If the three pavilion elders knew that the initiator of this oolong was His Majesty, I wonder if they would sigh like this, or if Xie Qian would explode on the spot and criticize Dragon Scale angrily. I guess it would be the latter.
Xu Qiong couldn't help but think of Wang Qiong's words. Zhu Shou was arrogant, arrogant in words and deeds, and dissolute. It was really a disgrace to gentlemen and a disgrace to scholars.
Thinking of the colleagues who almost made mistakes because of him the day before yesterday, there was a surge of anger in their hearts. Fortunately, His Majesty was merciful and did not care about it. When Zhu Shou comes to report to the Ministry of Rites, he will definitely scold him and cure this problem. I just don’t know if Xu Shangshu will have this opportunity.
Zhu Houzhao took a look at the answer sheets handed over by the three elders, and couldn't help but express a few words of praise. His vigorous and powerful handwriting, gorgeous articles, answering questions, solving problems, and solving problems were all unparalleled. With his His eyes naturally saw different things.
I thought to myself, Enke did a good job this time. I didn’t expect to find so many talented scholars, Liu Zizhang, Gao Shijie, and Yan Song, who is not a good person. It’s interesting, interesting. I just wronged you. Who asked me to participate in the imperial examination? Okay, okay, let me compensate you a little and give you a good background this time.
"I think this person can take the imperial examination for this time. He will be ranked among the top three, and he will be replaced in turn. As for Zhu Shou, if he fails to expire, he will be deemed to have given up the imperial examination. I will not hold him accountable for being disrespectful. That's it. Well, Liu Zizhang entered the first place, Yan Song entered Liu Zizhang's second place, Gao Shijie advanced to the top three, and the three of them were given a royal horse to parade through the streets, and a hundred taels of gold. The money is consistent, the number one scholar, the role model, and the third flower. One will be admitted to the Hanlin Academy and given the post of editor, and the rest will be given to Jinshi, Liu Jin, to draw up the decree."
"My servant obeys the order." Liu Jin bowed to accept the order.
"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and the emperor's grace is so great. I would like to thank you for your grace on behalf of the students. Long live our emperor." The six ministers and three pavilion elders bowed to express their gratitude.
The edict was promulgated quickly and was signed and issued by the secretary of the cabinet. Gao Shijie did not expect that he would be ranked among the top three. He was so excited that tears filled his eyes. He bowed down and thanked him. The others were ranked one after another, and everyone was happy. One of them even lost the election. The son, who was on the list because of this, was chased back to receive the order. He fainted with joy. Happiness came too suddenly, from great sorrow to great joy, and he couldn't bear it for a while.
Funing Restaurant.
The crackling sound of firecrackers kept coming from the street, as if they were not playing.
After playing here, there was another sound somewhere, the sound of suonas, the roar of gongs and drums, and the endless sounds of congratulations. Money to announce good news, money to congratulate, and money to send were distributed everywhere.
A big businessman carried gifts and went to the residence of the official on the list to win over him.
Among them, the one who was most willing to spend money and the one with the most ostentation was Funing Restaurant. Mr. Tan, the richest man in Tongzhou, heard that his son was in high school and directly spoke to him. He held a banquet for hundreds of tables in the village for three days and even ordered people to give it to his son Tan Zongzheng. He brought news and told him to go home as soon as possible to worship his ancestors and honor his ancestors. The Tan family finally had a Jinshi master.
"Dear guests, please come in. Our young master's family has made an announcement today. Funing Restaurant will provide you with all you can eat and drink today and tomorrow. My young master's family, Jinke High School, everyone is coming. Come all."
For the first time, Tan Zongzheng felt proud in front of his father. He said arrogantly that he had to entertain friends from the same department in the capital, and there was also a banquet for guests in Funing Restaurant. He dared not refuse to agree to anyone who came, and he would naturally do whatever he told him. As soon as he agreed, the scene in front of him appeared.
He is worthy of being the richest man in Tongzhou. He is really grand. He can eat and drink as much as he wants, and he is not afraid of paying you to death. Of course, others only dare to slander you, but they dare not say it out loud. They happily go in and grab seats.
In addition to the private rooms upstairs and the lobby downstairs, everyone can eat for free.
Yan Song, wearing a new Confucian robe and turban given by the imperial court, walked in with a folding fan in his hand, and the servant hurriedly greeted him.
"This guest, you can eat for free at Funing Restaurant today. My young boss's high school is a Jinshi. I don't know if your guest is a distinguished guest upstairs or just passing by for dinner." The young man asked carefully. The young master had already told me that a friend would be here today. , asking him to serve carefully and not to neglect.
Yan Song was very polite and not arrogant at all. He introduced himself with a smile and said, "My surname is Yan, and my only name is Song. I have an appointment with your young master. I am coming to the appointment today. Please show me the way."
When the boy heard that he was indeed a guest of his young master's family, who was said to be the second-ranked gentleman, he quickly apologized and said, "I'm a young man who is too blind to see Taishan. I forgive you, my master. The young master's family has been waiting in the private room for a long time. Master Yan, please."
"Thank you." Yan Song thanked him again and followed the boy upstairs.
Who would have thought that such a polite and humble person would be a great traitor in history, but now he does not have this opportunity to harm others, because his master is Zhu Houzhao. For a Zhu Houzhao who wants to become the Shengming Emperor He said that the loser next to him can naturally only be a capable minister, not a treacherous minister.
Yan Song's every move after leaving the palace was witnessed by Jin Yiwei. Naturally, Zhu Houzhao trusted Jin Yiwei and the people from Dongchang. Yan Song? Of course, there is still an inspection. This time is a test. If Yan Song cannot pass the test, Jin Yiwei will deal with him. If he passes the test, then Jin Yiwei will only be responsible for spreading the news and will not do anything else.
Everything depends on whether he can withstand the temptation. After all, the big man in Qufu also has a lot of temptations for Yan Song, one step to heaven and one step to hell.
