The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 71 He respectfully called out, "Lord!

Chu Hong's words were a bit harsh.

This matter, which was not a secret, was spread a little widely.

One is the new emperor’s nephew and heir to the first faction of civil officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty, a 28-year-old newly promoted cabinet minister who removed the word “Xiao” from his title.

One is the Tianzhang Pavilion attendant lecturer, the successor of Pang Ji.

The quarrel between the two attracted everyone's attention.

Most people are not interested in the debate between reformers and conservatives.

The two factions simply have different ideas about governance, and there is no real right or wrong.

What attracted more attention was the abuse from Lord Chu.

Although Lord Chu is usually gentle and docile, everyone knows that he is particularly good at debate.

That year, not long after he passed the imperial examination, he vigorously debated with the cabinet minister Wang Qinruo, causing the Wang family to be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Now, it really did not disappoint.

Anyone who knows the details of the debate has only one idea.

What a harsh curse!

Just one word: "hypocrite", simple and clear.

It seems unremarkable, but it made many people re-examine Sima Guang's character.

Those who know all the ins and outs of this will naturally understand that this is a party dispute and there is no right or wrong.

But those who don't know and don't understand the affairs of state won't say anything good.

Especially the women in Bian Jing, each of them is half-baked, and they don’t care whether you are a reformer or a conservative.

They only knew that Sima Guang was scolded so hard that he couldn't retaliate, and when Lord Chu called him a "hypocrite", he could only roar in helplessness.

In the past, all the female family members knew were the insults between women, or the dandy deeds between dandy young men.

This time, the cabinet minister's rebuttal was indeed talked about.

As expected of a man of letters and refined manner, he insults everyone in different ways.

This matter was destined to become a hot topic in the city of Bianjing.

Sima Guang's reputation is declining!
When the new emperor ascended the throne, the news of the two special examinations spread throughout the country. The candidates sang praises to the new emperor's kindness while packing their money and setting off.

Most of the candidates were somewhat excited. The chief examiner of the special examination was a well-deserved mentor, and the role played by a mentor in one's official career was very important.

Chu Hong, as one of the protagonists of the story of Hanmen Lixue, is a Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion. He is a well-known celebrity in the world, a royal relative, and a legitimate top scholar. In the future, he will most likely become a prime minister.

His teacher is also the current prime minister. It is no exaggeration to say that he is extremely powerful. In the future, it is possible that the master and his disciple will create the eternal legend of "two prime ministers from one family".

If he could pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, and take Chu Hong as his mentor, his future prospects would be much better.

For a moment, people's hearts were in turmoil.

Those who have no connections will study hard behind closed doors, while those who have connections will naturally use their connections.

Chu family
After asking his servant Bu Mu to send Duke Qi away, Chu Hong felt a little tired.

The Duke of Qi was not here to take shortcuts; he was here to beg for mercy.

Qi Heng was too straightforward, and his reputation had not been truly established. People's first impression of him was still "young master" and his handsome appearance, and little attention was paid to his talent.

This made Qi Heng very popular in Bian Jing, but his reputation was not high and he had no notarial power.

Back then, the affair between Qi Heng and Sheng Minglan was known to everyone in Bian Jing. Duke Qi was afraid that Chu Hong would misunderstand and suppress his son a little, thus affecting his son's future, so he came specially to give some gifts to explain and say some good words.

I don't ask for preferential treatment, but I ask for no suppression.

Chu Hong looked at the receding figure of Duke Qi and sighed slightly. Parents who love their children will always plan for them in the long run!
Unfortunately, with Qi Heng's personality, it is very difficult for him to become a high-ranking official.

Qi Heng is too straightforward and has no real allies. His upper limit is the third-rank Censorate. In fact, he is more suitable to be a lone minister. Unfortunately, he does not have the prestige and control of a lone minister, and it is impossible for him to have the power of a lone minister.

This is destined to be the era of Lord Chu, not the era of the young master!
To be honest, the Duke of Qi's ability to lick people was really average, and it didn't satisfy Chu Hong at all.

Chu Hong did not accept any gifts. Now that the Qi family has definitely sided with the Queen Mother, how could he accept gifts from their family?
As for Qi Heng's paper, just treat it as a stranger and judge it fairly!
"My Lord, Master Zhang Zhou and Master Wang Ang also sent their visiting cards a few days ago and are waiting in the side hall now."

"Zhang Zhou and Wang Ang?"

"Well, let them come!"

Generally speaking, during this special period, unless you are a top-notch Bian Jing dignitary, you basically cannot see Chu Hong.

If these people had any self-awareness, they would not dare to hand out visiting cards randomly.

However, friends in Yangzhou are an exception, especially childhood friends like Zhang Zhou.

After a while, Bu Mu led the two of them into the main room.

Wang Ang had a complicated look on his face. The "Seven Sons of Jiangnan" who were once famous throughout Jiangnan, had not been seen for ten years, and now they had become the chief examiners?

He stopped, his face showing a mixture of joy and sadness, moving his lips but making no sound. His attitude finally became respectful, and he called out clearly: "Lord! ..."

Chu Hong was startled, seemed to shudder, and sighed silently.

He knew that there was a tragically thick barrier separating the Seven Sons of Jiangnan in the past.

Chu Hong looked at Zhang Zhou again.

Zhang Zhou was silent for a while, but the affection between them since childhood was extraordinary, so he immediately stepped forward and said generously: "Zifeng, I'm coming to you!"

"Ha ha!"

Chu Hong smiled.

Chu Hong stepped forward and patted Zhang Zhou, then signaled to Wang Ang that there was no need to be so polite.

The somewhat tense atmosphere gradually dissipated. Wang Ang was a little reserved, but he smiled more often.

Chu Hong immediately took some time out to entertain the two of them, and talked about his childhood and the "Seven Sons of Jiangnan" from time to time.

When talking about chiseling ice to catch carp, he was even more emotional.

The former young scholar gradually became a young cabinet minister, and the word "young" was removed from his title.

Wang Ang was no longer so nervous. He and Chu Hong had actually spent quite a bit of time together. However, they hadn't seen each other for ten years. One was a young scholar, and the other had already entered the cabinet. The gap was too big.

Even when he submitted his visiting card, he did not expect to be received.

Now, the elder's friendly attitude made him feel much more at ease.

When talking about Jiangnan, Wang Ang gradually became talkative.

The former Yangzhou Chu family, the foremost family in Yangzhou, instantly became a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River after the emergence of Chu Hong, a cabinet minister.

The Chu family used to have money and foundation, but they did not dare to expand or develop on a large scale. Now they have everything and are developing extremely smoothly.

The Chu family in Yangzhou was getting better, and with the firm support of the other three major families, they were able to drink a lot of soup and gain a lot of weight.

Chu Hong likes to talk about things in Jiangnan, and also likes to listen to things in Jiangnan.

In the ten years since he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, except for the time when he served as an official in Jiangnan, he has not even returned to Yangzhou.

I went there to work hard and don’t want to go back.

Now, for the sake of the world, for the two capitals and thirteen provinces, there is no time to go back.

It takes more than a month to travel from Bian Jing to Yangzhou, and if you take a rest for a while, it will be nearly two months.

This is only two months for the minister, but there are so many people in the world, that is two months for everyone.

Sir, I can’t afford your debt!
Wang Ang was a sensible man. When he understood Chu Hong's homesickness, he immediately went to his residence and got a pound of fertile soil from Yangzhou to give to the elder.

Chu Hong was also quite satisfied, he was worthy of being one of the "Seven Sons of Jiangnan".

During this discussion, no one mentioned the scientific expedition.

When Chu Hong personally saw the two off, he made a subtle promise to them, asking them to do well in the imperial examinations.

At the same time, Chu Hong implicitly asked the two to tell the Yangzhou candidates to read and think more about current affairs and think more about the new emperor and the empress dowager.

The only clue is that Lord Chu is the emperor’s nephew!
Other than that, nothing else was said.

Born in Yangzhou, if it were in other years, Chu Hong would have been a famous scholar in Yangzhou.
But it won’t work this time. This is the first session and fairness is absolutely necessary.

While maintaining a high degree of fairness, there cannot be too many people with connections.

Yes, even if the chief examiner is a cabinet minister, he has connections.

Of course, some of them are also Chu Hong’s relatives.

Chu Hong has never been shy about using connections.

What are disciples and former officials?

There is no doubt that a professional master can attract most of the Jinshi candidates, but do you expect others to be loyal just by relying on the title of professional master?
impossible!

He is a cabinet minister, but he also has to maintain his power and have his own people.

Things like using connections are bound to be unavoidable.

Chu Hong considers himself to be quite conscientious!
In this imperial examination, it is expected that 381 Jinshi will be selected, but only 43 vacancies have been confirmed.

Moreover, all of these reserved places are at the bottom of the second and third ranks.

For the country, the top talents in the first and second classes are the country's great talents, and the goal of recruiting talents for the country will naturally be achieved.

As for the candidates, there are more than 330 places that can only be competed for based on real ability. Compared with other spring examinations, the proportion of people with connections is really quite small.

This kind of scientific examination is also quite fair.

There is no such thing as absolute fairness. All Chu Hong can do is to give children from poor families a little more opportunities.

It is absolutely impossible to say that there is no connection at all, even if the emperor is presiding over the imperial examinations.

That’s quite conscientious!

Chu Hong even dared to say that this imperial examination was absolutely fair for the top three in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The top two were from the first imperial examination of the Zhou Dynasty.

Well, I don’t know who the second one is.

After all, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the first imperial examination was definitely biased towards internal selection, which was not fair.

Later, as the civil service group took shape, fairness naturally became less prominent.

Now, Zhao Zongquan has ascended the throne and is already the fifth emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In this case, this level of fairness is quite rare.

After Zhang Zhou and Wang Ang left, Chu Hong slowly began to settle the accounts.

Of the forty-three vacancies, eight have been nominated for the Han faction, six for the Queen Mother's faction, and the other major factions each have three or four.

In order to divide the military generals, those who have turned into civil generals must be given some opportunities. Three or four of them must be taken away here, and the remaining ones in Chu Hong's hands will only be five, six, seven or eight.

This number is small!

However, considering that this is the first Enke of the New Emperor, this number is not surprising.

Of Chu Hong's several places, Zhang Zhou and Wang Ang will probably take up one.

Wang Ang probably has the ability to pass the exam, so it all depends on whether he will be rescued or not.

Anyway, as long as no one fails the exam.

Back then, in order to get my cousin a job, the Shaanxi governor put in some effort.

Although the person being helped is now King Huan, Chu Hong is a man of particularities.

The governor of Shaanxi brought his youngest son to see me some time ago. He did not ask for a favor from King Huan but came to ask for a favor from me. This shows that the governor wants his little grandson to be on his side. Naturally, he will not push him away, and this position must be given to him.

The governor's grandson is a smart man. He will probably be no worse than his father in the future when he goes into politics.

Worth cultivating.

A few days ago, Minister of Justice Zhang Yu brought Zhang Heng and Zhang Dun to visit Chu Hong.

This uncle and nephew both have the ability to make the list, so they just need appropriate support and it won’t be a waste of their places.

For the other positions, one or two will be kept by the Yangzhou family, and two or three will be kept by the Hangzhou family private school.
This addition and subtraction is really hard to calculate. Only if you don't manage the household, you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are!
(End of this chapter)