I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

Chapter 763 The prohibitive point
Nine days passed in the blink of an eye, in the capital city, Gongyuan.

The candidates who had gone through three major exams were already exhausted. After the official in charge of the invigilation collected their answer sheets, their faces regained a little "life".

After seeing his answer sheet being collected by the official in charge of invigilating the exam, Zhu Shunxian breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Zhu Shunxian only felt an inexplicable sense of relief, and the pressure he had been feeling disappeared at this moment.

Most of the candidates in the Gongyuan looked relieved and walked together to discuss each other's opinions on the exam questions.

Those who win the bet will be complacent and talk eloquently, while those who win the bet will feel regretful and upset, wishing they could grab the ground with their heads.

After Zhu Shunxian walked out of the Gongyuan, he saw Xu Wei and Xu Shixing waiting for him outside.

Seeing this situation first, Zhu Shun quickly took three steps and two steps at a time, came to Xu Wei and Xu Shixing, bowed his hands to them, and said respectfully: "Brother Wen, Brother Rumo!"

Seeing that Zhu Shun had arrived first, Xu Wei waved to him and said with a smile: "Well, let's go, go back and have a good sleep, and then take a good tour of the capital!"

On the way back to the library, the three of them tacitly agreed not to mention the exam that had just ended.

On the other side, inside the Gongyuan.

The answer sheets submitted by Zhu Shunxian and others were quickly copied in accordance with the established procedures of the imperial examination.

When an official responsible for copying the answer sheet saw Zhu Shunxian's name on the answer sheet in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then calmly drew a " circle.

The location of this circle is very inconspicuous. If you don't observe it carefully, you can't see it at all.

This individually marked answer sheet, after being transported by a dedicated person, was quickly sent to the hands of Li Chunfang, Zhang Juzheng and other officials responsible for reviewing the test papers together with other answer sheets.

After the examination papers were delivered, Li Chunfang, Zhang Juzheng and other officials began to review the examination papers intensively.

The answer sheets are divided into many levels, including upper-upper, upper-middle, upper-low, middle-upper, middle-middle, and middle-lower, according to requirements such as writing, conception, subject matter, and handwriting.

The officials responsible for reviewing the test papers will rank them according to their grades, and finally determine the mid-term and elimination papers.

In addition, the officials responsible for reviewing the test papers will also "criticize" the test papers. The "criticism" can be at least two words. Commonly used words are elegant, concise, clear, appropriate, etc.

If the candidate's essay is very appealing to the officials responsible for reviewing the examination papers, then there will be correspondingly more comments.

In the 10th year of Jiajing's reign, Su Zhigao (gao), a high school student in the Shuntianfu Township Examination, received a fifty-four-word comment on his examination paper.

At this time, on the desks in front of Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng, there were stacks of test papers that were nearly one person tall.

Zhang Juzheng and Li Chunfang graded papers very quickly. They could tell the quality of an article with just one or two glances.

“Although the idea is novel, the blind piling of rhetoric only makes it worse!”

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he shook his head in a subtle way, and then marked the word 'deposed' on the answer sheet in front of him.

After that, Zhang Juzheng immediately ordered someone to put the answer sheet in his hand into the many waste papers aside.

The remaining officials in the room who were responsible for reviewing the examination papers couldn't help but feel ashamed when they saw how efficient Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng were, and subconsciously speeded up their examination.

……

Perhaps feeling tired, Zhang Juzheng stood up from his seat, moved his limbs, and took a sip from the teacup on the table.

After a short rest, Zhang Juzheng devoted himself non-stop to reviewing the test papers.

At this moment, the sharp-eyed Zhang Juzheng discovered a marked answer sheet. The moment he saw the mark, Zhang Juzheng instantly realized that this was Zhu Shunxian's answer sheet.

After Zhang Juzai briefly glanced at the content on the answer sheet, he looked away, and then rated the answer sheet as high or medium.

"A ranking of more than 20 in the top 20 may not allow you to enter the cabinet, but it is enough!"

After secretly sighing like this, Zhang Juzheng's anxious heart finally relaxed.

After all, next, I can report to the emperor.

After that, Zhang Juzheng calmed down and continued to review the test paper in front of him.

Soon, Zhang Juzheng's attention was attracted by an answer sheet.

"Hey, this article is quite interesting. Not only is the concept novel and the rhetoric gorgeous, but the writing style is sophisticated and closely related to the theme. The entry point is also very novel. It has a unique artistic conception when reading it!"

From Zhang Juzheng's perspective, this answer sheet can definitely be rated as top-notch!

Then, Zhang Juzheng stood up from his seat holding the answer sheet, came to Li Chunfang, and handed out the answer sheet in his hand: "Brother Zishi, look at this!"

"Ah."

Li Chunfang heard this and after taking the answer sheet from Zhang Juzheng, she read it with special concentration.

The further he looked down, the more difficult it was to conceal the admiration on Li Chunfang's face.

After Li Chunfang finished browsing all the above contents, her face was full of excitement that could not be concealed.

Then, he looked in the direction of Zhang Juzheng and asked, "Whose answer sheet is this?"

After Zhang Juzheng heard what Li Chunfang said, he shook his head and responded: "I don't know, I haven't checked yet."

After learning the news from Zhang Juzheng, Li Chunfang looked at the subordinates on the side, handed out the answer sheet in his hand, and said: "Go down and check to see whose answer sheet this is?"

"Yes, my lord!"

Naturally, the subordinate did not dare to show any hesitation to the words of the examiner Li Chunfang. After responding, he quickly left the room.

Not long after that, there was a "squeak" sound, and the door to the room was pushed open.

I saw the subordinate from before walked in quickly, leaned down, and reported respectfully: "Sir, I have found out clearly that this answer sheet was written by Xu Shixing, the adopted son of Xu Shangzhen, the prefect of Suzhou!"

When the subordinate said this, he did not forget to hand the original answer sheet into Li Chunfang's hands.

After receiving the original answer sheet from her subordinate, Li Chunfang couldn't wait to browse it.

After confirming that it was correct, Li Chunfang relaxed and said, "Well, it seems that this answer sheet was indeed written by Xu Shixing, the adopted son of Suzhou Magistrate Xu Shangzhen."

After Li Chunfang finished speaking, a well-informed official stood up and explained.

"Sir, it is said that this Xu Shixing was talented and intelligent since he was a child, studious and talented. In addition, he was carefully taught by the prefect of Suzhou. It is not surprising that he was able to write such beautiful articles!"

After listening to the official's explanation, Li Chunfang had a look of sudden realization on her face. Then, she looked away from the test paper in front of her and sighed to herself: "So that's the case, no wonder..."

After that, Li Chunfang reacted, looked in the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and asked: "Brother Taiyue, in your opinion, what level should this article be rated as?"

Zhang Juzheng heard Li Chunfang's words and responded without thinking: "In my opinion, this article should be rated as superior!"

Seeing that Zhang Juzheng's ideas coincided with his own, Li Chunfang nodded and said in agreement: "Well, such a beautiful article should indeed be rated as superior!"

The remaining officials responsible for reviewing the examination papers saw Li Chunfang, the chief examiner, and Zhang Juzheng, the cabinet minister, speaking one after another. They didn't know that Xu Shixing's article had been ranked first.

Since Xu Shixing's article can be recognized by Li Chunfang, the number one scholar in the 26th year of Jiajing's reign, and Zhang Juzheng, the Minister of War and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, it is naturally unique.

With these thoughts in mind, the remaining officials circulated Xu Shixing's articles one after another, and their praises continued.

After that, Zhang Juzheng sat back on the chair and wrote such comments on the copied answer sheet.

"I have two capitals and thirteen provinces. It is true that the situation in the world is great, and the virtues of saints and worlds have been inherited to cultivate the foundation for thousands of years. In fact, this is a strategy that can be said to win people's hearts and to uphold the king's heart. , is particularly insightful, and you can hear it when you get a scholar."

After the last word fell, Zhang Juzheng put down the brush in his hand, carefully put aside the answer sheet in front of him, and then intensively devoted himself to the work of reviewing the test paper.

……

While the Gongyuan side was still busy reviewing papers, the candidates who had handed in their answer sheets before came out of the Gongyuan and returned to the building without stopping.

They should write the article silently while the memory is still fresh in their minds, and then find knowledgeable people to mark the papers.

And use this to calculate and see if you have the possibility of going to high school.

Of course, there is a lot of skill involved in this. Generally speaking, the people chosen by the candidates to mark the papers are either high-ranking or knowledgeable.

The former can allow you to find a backer as soon as possible, while the latter can comprehensively analyze the shortcomings of your article, giving you a certain understanding.

And those high-ranking officials naturally welcome those who come to them for review.

First, you can take this opportunity to see if there are any outstanding talents among the new scholars, and then take advantage of the situation to bring them under your command and serve as party members.

Secondly, you can take this opportunity to cultivate your reputation in the court.

The more students who ask themselves to mark papers, doesn't it indirectly show that their knowledge and talents are recognized by those candidates?

If you are a person with a low reputation and mediocre talents, who will come to you to judge your papers?

Of course, there must be a plaque to support the younger generations to decorate the facade.

Even if you have been caught in the rain, you still have to hold an umbrella for those who come after you, right?

Because of this, after the examination, the doors of many high-ranking officials in the capital were opened to students who came to mark their exams.

Of course, Xu Wei, Xu Shixing and Zhu Shunxian are not included in this list. Xu Wei had previously served as Hu Zongxian's staff. Whether he wanted to or not, he had been marked by Hu Zongxian.

As the only clan member participating in this examination, Zhu Shunxian naturally knew his position, and he must not have anything to do with those officials.

But Xu Shixing was different. He had absolute confidence in the article he wrote. He believed that he would definitely be able to pass high school.

Because of this, while many of the remaining candidates were looking for someone to mark their papers, Xu Wei, Xu Shixing, and Zhu Shunxian became more relaxed.

They took advantage of this free time to appreciate the prosperity of the capital.

It was getting late, and when Xu Wei returned to the library, he found a man who looked like a butler waiting respectfully in front of his door.

When the man who looked like a housekeeper saw Xu Wei's arrival, he did not hesitate at all. He immediately came to Xu Wei in three steps and two steps at a time, leaned down and said respectfully: "Are you Xu Wei, Xu Wenchang?"

Hearing this, Xu Wei looked the housekeeper up and down, nodded, and said in agreement: "Yes, that's right!"

When the housekeeper heard Xu Wei's words, his face was full of relief. Then, he looked away from Xu Wei and said respectfully: "That's great, my master invites you!"

Although he had some guesses in his mind, Xu Wei still asked this question: "Who is your master?"

When the housekeeper heard what Xu Wei said, he had no intention of hiding it. He nodded and said in agreement: "Hu Zongxian, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel of the dynasty!"

Xu Wei seemed to have expected this, nodded, and then ordered: "Well, take me there!"

After that, Xu Wei followed the steward's footsteps, got on the sedan that had been prepared, and went to Hu Zongxian's residence in the capital.

……

After the sedan stopped, Xu Wei was seen getting down from the sedan with the help of the bearer.

Although Hu Zongxian's residence is located on a prosperous street in the capital, the decoration is quite simple.

There are only two stone lions at the door and two doormen. On the bright red door, there is a plaque with the word "Hu Mansion" written on it.

The two characters "Hu Mansion" on the plaque are vigorous and powerful, as graceful as a swimming dragon. It can be seen that it was written by a master of calligraphy.

Xu Wei looked at the notice on the side that said there was a vicious dog inside, and his face was full of doubts that could not be concealed.

Immediately, he stopped, turned around, and asked the butler on the side: "Hey, this is..."

The housekeeper saw the expression on Xu Wei's face and without any hesitation, he stepped forward and explained: "Since I became the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there has been an endless stream of people coming to visit every day. I had no choice but to take this step! "

“Since putting up this notice, there have been a lot fewer people visiting!”

After listening to the butler's explanation, Xu Wei's face showed a look of realization, and he said secretly: "That's right. Now the Governor is already the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Those who want to curry favor with me will probably have to line up from the capital. Went to Zhejiang!"

At this moment, the butler's voice sounded, bringing him back to reality: "Let's go in first!"

"Ah."

After Xu Wei responded, he entered Hu Mansion through the side door under the guidance of the housekeeper.

There are many green bamboos planted in the mansion, which look lush and refreshing from a distance.

After passing through a long corridor, the housekeeper who had been leading the way stopped and reported respectfully into the house: "Master, the young man has brought someone here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Zongxian walked out of the room quickly. When he saw Xu Wei behind the housekeeper, his face was full of excitement, he stroked his beard and said with emotion: "Brother Wen, we finally We meet again!"

After hearing Hu Zongxian's words, Xu Wei reacted after being stunned for a moment. He leaned down and said respectfully: "I have met the Governor!"

Hu Zongxian didn't worry about what Xu Wei called him. He just waved his hand and said: "The banquet is ready and waiting for you!"

After that, Xu Wei was welcomed into the room by Hu Zongxian.

The table was filled with all kinds of delicacies. Not only that, there was also a maid beside them, responsible for pouring wine and dishes for the two of them.

"sit down."

"Ah."

After Xu Wei sat down, the maid waiting aside immediately came forward and filled a glass of wine for him.

After that, Xu Wei picked up the wine glass, stood up from his seat, looked in the direction of Hu Zongxian, and said with gratitude: "My Lord Governor, I would like to propose a toast to you!"

"Okay, no need to be so formal!"

After the words fell, Hu Zongxian stood up from his seat, picked up the wine glass, and touched it with Xu Wei.

After that, the two raised their heads and drank the wine in the glass.

After putting down the wine glass, Hu Zongxian raised his eyebrows, looked in the direction of Xu Wei, and took the lead in raising the topic: "Chang Wen, you have been in the capital for a while, how do you feel?"

When Xu Wei heard Hu Zongxian's words, a look of hesitation flashed on his face, but then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he relaxed again.

After organizing the words in his mind, Xu Wei looked in the direction of Hu Zongxian, and then said: "Your Majesty Governor, the prosperity of the capital is really an eye-opener for me, but..."

Hu Zongxian seemed to have guessed what Xu Wei was thinking. He shook his head and said slowly: "Oh, officialdom is sinister and people's hearts are treacherous. Just get used to it!"

When Hu Zongxian said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "By the way, I heard that you have received many invitations recently, inviting you to attend banquets?"

When Xu Wei heard Hu Zongxian's words, his face was full of helplessness, and he immediately said: "Yes, Lord Governor, I don't know where those people got the news that I once served as your staff!"

"Anyway, since then, there has been an endless stream of people coming to send greetings every day. I have no choice but to declare that I am ill."

After listening to Xu Wei's narration, a slight apology appeared on Hu Zongxian's face: "Chang Wen, this happened all because of me..."

Seeing that Hu Zongxian wanted to continue talking, Xu Wei quickly stopped him: "Your Majesty Governor, if it hadn't been for your guidance, how could I have made up my mind to take the exam again?"

"Otherwise, I probably won't stand in front of you!"

When Hu Zongxian heard Xu Wei's words, his face was filled with an inexplicable look. He nodded and said in agreement: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let's have a drink!"

Then, there was just a "bang" sound, and their wine glasses clinked together.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Hu Zongxian put down his chopsticks, looked in the direction of Xu Wei, and asked, "Chang Wen, are you sure about this exam?"

After Xu Wei heard what Hu Zongxian said, he immediately took out the article he had written down from memory from his sleeve and handed it to Hu Zongxian.

"Please, Lord Governor, take a look at it for me!"

"Ah."

After Hu Zongxian responded, he took the article from Xu Wei's hand and read it with special concentration.

……

Time passed by slowly. I don’t know how long it had passed. I saw Hu Zongxian put the article aside and then gave an evaluation.

"Don't worry about the length of the article. In my opinion, your article, with its sophisticated writing style and novel ideas, will definitely catch the eyes of the examiners and get a good ranking."

Xu Wei was still a little uneasy in his heart, but when he heard Hu Zongxian's comments, his heart that had been hanging around finally dropped.

Then, with a look of gratitude on his face, he stood up from his seat, bowed to Hu Zongxian and said, "Thank you, Mr. Governor, for marking the exam for me!"

Hu Zongxian didn't care about this, he just waved his hand quite casually, and then said: "It doesn't matter, it's just a small matter, come and have a drink, we won't come back until we are drunk today!"

"cheers!"

This banquet was a great time for both host and guest. Later, seeing that it was getting late, Xu Wei got up at the right time and bid farewell to Hu Zongxian.

"My Lord Governor, it's getting late. It's time for me to say goodbye!"

"Why don't you just stay here tonight?"

After hearing this, Hu Zongxian suggested this after picking up the teacup on the table and taking a sip.

Faced with Hu Zongxian's kindness, Xu Wei chose to refuse after thinking about it for a moment: "No need, the Governor is busy with business now, and it is inconvenient for me to disturb you too much, so I will take my leave now!"

"Ah."

When Hu Zongxian heard Xu Wei's words, he had no intention of forcing him. After responding, he ordered the housekeeper to send him to the hotel where he was staying.

After Xu Wei came out of the mansion, it was already late. Under the cover of night, the sky was dotted with stars, and a breeze blew by, making people feel more comfortable.

If you stand under the starry sky and look up, you will feel the infinite vastness and tranquility.

After stopping to watch for a long time, Xu Wei gathered his thoughts, got on the sedan, and headed towards the hotel where he was staying.

In fact, before coming, Xu Wei was still a little uneasy. After all, Hu Zongxian was now an important minister of the imperial court, and he was just a small official.

The identity gap between the two sides is simply too huge, to the point of being prohibitive.

Later, Xu Wei suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, opened the sedan curtain, looked at the scenery on both sides of the road, and said with emotion: "Sure enough, the Governor is still the same Governor as before, and has never changed!"

"My Lord Governor, I will remember your teachings and serve as an official for a long time and benefit the whole country!"

(End of this chapter)