The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 72: Scientific Expedition
May 21st, cloudy.

There were people coming and going in front of the Imperial Examination Hall, and at a glance, all you could see were candidates coming to take the imperial examinations.

Watching from afar, most of the candidates you see are in their prime, and there are also quite a few candidates in their fifties with white hair.

Chu Hong and King Huan Zhao Ceying watched quietly in the distant stands. Zhao Ceying, who was full of enthusiasm, seemed to be poured a bucket of cold water and was a little horrified.

"Cousin, it's understandable for young men to take the imperial examination, but why do these fifty-somethings come from afar to take the examination? At their age, even if they pass the examination, it won't be that beneficial, right?"

People in their fifties are taking the exam, so he might not feel anything when he heard it, but when he saw the white-haired crowd with his own eyes, Zhao Ceying could not get rid of the shock and emptiness in his heart.

Chu Hong pondered for a moment and sighed, "How could there be no change?"

"If these old men pass the imperial examination, they can jump from a farming and reading family to an official family. If he passes the imperial examination, the family tradition will inevitably be inclined to study, and his descendants may also become talented. The changes from generation to generation will form a small family with no shortage of wealth and honor."

“Although fifty-something is too old to take the imperial examination, there must be someone in every generation who has to take on the responsibility of passing the imperial examination and set an example for future generations, right?
Some changes always have to start from small aspects, and someone has to blaze a trail and set a precedent for future generations."

Zhao Ceying nodded thoughtfully, "That's the truth."

"Is there anything wrong with trying to get admitted?"

Zhao Ceying was a little curious. He had heard a lot about things like unspoken rules in the past.

"The difference in the number of people hired between the north and south is not that big."

"There is at least one poor kid in the top two."

Chu Hong thought about it and realized that there were not many unspoken rules in the imperial examination, just these few.

Zhao Ceying nodded. This was probably for the sake of fairness and to prevent the candidates from making trouble.

"My lord, it's almost time."

At this time, the deputy examiner of the imperial examination, Zhang Bo, came forward respectfully. He was a person promoted by the Empress Dowager and was now an official of the third rank.

Chu Hong looked up at the sky. Well, it was cloudy.

"In that case, join me in motivating candidates from all sides!"

"Yes."

After some encouragement, with the cooperation of Gu Tingye, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, the sergeants led people to conduct routine inspections and look through the things brought by the candidates.

So, the formal assessment begins.

This examination was divided into three subjects, and Chu Hong set the questions himself.

Chu Hong is a pragmatic person who values ​​substance in his words and practical implementation of his policies.

Therefore, he personally does not pay much attention to the wording of the article.

The whole country recruits talents, and after selecting them, it is time to govern the country.

Writing poetry and writing rhetoric are fine to do when you are bored, and can be taken seriously as a plus, but there is no need to make them the core.

The test questions mainly revolve around the alternation of royal power and governing the country, with a subtle emphasis on the alternation of royal power.

After all the candidates finished the examination, under the witness of Confucian sages and various gods, Chu Hong and a group of examiners and examiners solemnly vowed to mark the papers fairly and impartially.

As the chief examiner, Chu Hong did not need to mark the papers himself. He only needed to check whether there were any problems in the papers handed in by all the examiners.

There are many candidates in the world, so naturally there are many papers. It is impossible for Chu Hong to read the papers of all candidates. The papers he reads are only those of those who passed the imperial examinations. Then, based on his personal experience, he can see whether the overall level of these candidates is normal.

If it is too low, then a group of papers from those who did not pass the imperial examination will be randomly selected to judge whether the examination is fair.

Is it that the overall level of candidates has declined, or is it that the marking is unfair?

If it is unfair, then re-judge the paper.

If the level is normal, then it is only necessary to rank the candidates.

Chu Hong roughly ranked Zhang Heng as the top scorer in this imperial examination, Wang Ang as the third place, Qi Heng as the twelfth place in the second class, the youngest son of the Shaanxi governor as the thirteenth place in the second class, and Zhang Zhou as the twenty-seventh place in the second class.

It is worth noting that Chu Hong saw Wen Yanjing's article, and he ranked among the top three.

However, it seemed that Molan's affair frightened Rulan, so she did not dare to be alone with a man for a long time, and naturally there was no such thing as Rulan's secret meeting with Wen Yanjing.

Today is the day to look at the rankings.

It was quite lively in front of the Imperial Examination Hall. At this moment, both the rich and the poor were equally excited and nervous.

When Wang Ang saw that he was ranked first, he inexplicably thought of the daughter of the Sheng family who showed him the way on the street when he entered Beijing.

If only, I could become that person's brother-in-law.
Qi Heng in the distance also had a sharp gaze. The moment he knew that he had passed the imperial examination, the inexplicable sense of luck and fantasy once again came to his mind.

He was going to ask for his sixth sister Sheng Minglan's hand in marriage.

Although he is remarried, although he is a widower, and although some people say that he is unlucky in marriage.

But he believed that his sixth sister still loved him and was waiting for him!

"Oh! Young Master, I was just about to go to your house to personally deliver a wedding invitation. I just happened to meet you, didn't I?"

On the busy market street, Gu Tingye was wearing a red robe, with a smug look on his face.

Since he came from Long Qiandi, he has been favored continuously and his official rank has been promoted again and again. If the commander of the Imperial Guard falls, he will be promoted directly to the commander of the third rank, with great power and freedom.

Qi Heng politely returned the greeting and asked curiously, "Wedding invitation? My second uncle is getting married. Can you tell me which girl it is?"

The Qi family and the Gu family are relatives. According to seniority, Gu Tingye is Qi Heng's second uncle.

Gu Tingye smiled and looked at Qi Heng meaningfully: "The eldest daughter of the Sheng family."

"The legitimate daughter of the Sheng family? Miss Rulan is a virtuous woman. Second uncle is so lucky."

Qi Heng was a little surprised, thinking it was Sheng Rulan, the fifth daughter of the Sheng family, and congratulated with a smile.

Gu Tingye smiled even more deeply and handed over the wedding invitation, "It's not Rulan, it's Minglan!"

"what?!"

Qi Heng's smile froze for a moment, his hand that took the post trembled slightly, and the post just fell to the ground.

"Uncle, don't joke around. You can't talk about this kind of thing casually, otherwise it might ruin my daughter's innocence."

Qi Heng's tone was a little anxious, and he stared at Gu Tingye's face closely to see if he was lying.

At this time, the servant picked up the wedding invitation and Qi Heng quickly opened it to read.

There is no woman’s name on it, but it is indeed Gu Tingye’s wedding invitation.

In other words, at least it is true that Gu Tingye is about to get married.

"She said she would wait for me, how could she promise you that?"

"The old lady of the Sheng family is wise and decisive. If she hadn't said so, Minglan would definitely not marry you!"

"It must be fake."

"Given your notorious reputation in Bianjing, Minglan would not agree, and Old Madam Sheng would be even less willing. You are lying!"

Qi Heng hurriedly looked for reasons why his sixth sister would not marry Gu Tingye, trying to prove that this was impossible and that Gu Tingye was lying.

Gu Tingye nodded in agreement, "Yes, that's right. With my reputation as a soldier, Mrs. Sheng would definitely not want Minglan to marry me."

Qi Heng felt a little more at ease. Since Gu Tingye agreed with his opinion,
At this moment, Gu Tingye, who had been nodding in agreement, suddenly smiled jokingly: "But how can you be so sure that Minglan herself doesn't want to marry me? You speak as if you really know her well!"

"Besides, Old Madam Sheng once asked me about my character. Zifeng said that I have a good character and there is nothing wrong with me. How do you know that Old Madam Sheng hates my reputation?"

"Who? Chu Zifeng?!"

Qi Heng panicked. This man with a world-renowned reputation could really convince Old Madam Sheng.

Although he didn't know how good the relationship between Chu Zifeng and Old Madam Sheng was, his brilliant resume and identity alone were enough to convince Old Madam Sheng.

At a time like this, how can thousands of futile words compare to someone's reputation accumulated over decades?
"Haha! See you later, young master!"

Gu Tingye laughed and got in the carriage towards the palace.

"how is this possible?"

"She'll wait for me!"

"Impossible, she will wait for me!"

"Minglan will wait for me."

Qi Heng was like a possessed man, mumbling to himself all the time.

If he was 80% determined not to lose Sheng Minglan before, then at this moment it reached 100%.

"impossible."

Qi Heng looked at the bustling street market and felt that his fate was unfortunate.
(End of this chapter)