Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

In fact, Gao Qiu was not wrong. In the third year of Chongning, the court did issue an edict to completely abolish the imperial examination and replace it with the Three-Tier System for selecting officials. However, not long after, a special imperial examination was held for those scholars without official academic status.

In the second year of the Daguan era, the imperial examination system was reinstated, but the number of candidates admitted was reduced to one-third of the original number.

During the Zhenghe era, the imperial court issued an edict to restore the old Yuanfeng system, which means that now the Three-Tier System and the Imperial Examination are used in parallel to select officials!

So Gao Qiu was simply fooling himself!

And most importantly, if one obtains a hereditary official position, one can also participate in the Lock Hall Examination!

The biggest difference between this and the regular imperial examination is the different acceptance rate!

The provincial examinations in the Song Dynasty were based on the quota for each prefecture. If a prefecture only had three quotas, no matter how many people applied, only three people could be admitted in the end.

In the south, a region renowned for its flourishing culture and education, this very first hurdle involves a selection process that is almost one in a hundred.

Then they would go to the capital to participate in the Ministry of Rites examination, also known as the provincial examination. After another round of selection, only the survivors could participate in the palace examination and pass the imperial examination with flying colors!

All things considered, the overall success rate of the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty was less than one percent.

The pass rate for the lockout hall test is 30%!

The acceptance rate is more than 30 times higher!

Aside from not being able to become the top scholar, it was no different from the normal imperial examination!

Prime Ministers like Fu Bi and Wang Gui both came from the imperial examination system!

It is said that Wang Gui was born through the Lock Hall Examination and could only regretfully come in second place, missing out on the chance to be the top scholar!

Of course, Gao Zhao didn't care about this at all. Whether he was the top scholar or not didn't matter. The important thing was to become an official and seek the well-being of the people!

Just like the much-hyped Dragon and Tiger List of the second year of the Jiayou reign, Zhang Heng was praised to the skies. In reality, Emperor Shenzong was embarrassed that he had not been promoted, so he gave him the position of Baowen Pavilion Attendant, which was considered to put him on the fast track to promotion. But he did not go very far.

His contemporary, Lü Huiqing, had served as a vice minister, but due to a falling out with Wang Anshi, he was transferred to a post outside the capital as a scholar of the Zizheng Hall.

Therefore, the ranking in the imperial examination was just a stepping stone; the key was in navigating the officialdom!

As everyone knows, Emperor Huizong of Song was a foolish ruler, and Gao Qiu was his confidant. As long as Gao Qiu mentioned his name a couple of times in front of him, he would win the emperor's favor and rise rapidly in his career!

At that time, won't you just indulge in extravagance and debauchery as you please?

Thinking about it this way, my desire for gratitude points became even stronger!

I have to do good deeds!

Since the people in this manor are all heartless and treacherous, let's go outside and we'll surely meet some grateful people!

Gao Zhao acted immediately. The next day, as soon as he woke up, he called his servant and Lu Qian to accompany him on his outing. To prevent himself from getting tired, he even brought out a horse.

Lu Qian went to inquire further and learned that Lin Chong had not come today. He was overjoyed and hurriedly went out to find Fu An.

These city scoundrels are the ones who know best what's happening on the streets!

On the other side, the servant led the horse out the door. Gao Zhao sat on the horse and walked out of the alley. Looking up, he saw shops and stalls everywhere, even in some remote places.

Lotus and water lilies are planted along the roadside ditches, and peach and apricot trees are planted near the banks, with other flowers and grasses interspersed among them. Now, at the turn of spring and summer, the scenery is as beautiful as brocade and embroidery.

After walking for a while, we came to the main street, where shops lined both sides, officials' residences stretched for miles, and military camps of various ranks stretched for nearly ten miles.

Seeing such a prosperous and beautiful scene, Gao Zhao was in a great mood. It seemed that living in such a place was not so bad!

"Young master, would you like some ice cream?" The servant stopped and pointed to a shop to ask.

Gao Zhao glanced at the shop and saw that it was old but bustling with activity. He knew the food must be delicious, but unfortunately, he was weak and couldn't eat cold food, so he shook his head and said, "There are too many people in line, forget it!"

The servant looked at him with surprise, then chuckled, "Young master, wherever there's a queue, there's always a way to skip it!"

Gao Zhao choked, forgetting his own status. Why would he need to queue at a small shop like this?

That damn privileged class!

I'm still too naive!

"I came out today to do good deeds, but thinking of the people who have nothing to eat or wear, I can't bear it, how can I eat this!" Gao Zhao sighed, feigning emotion. "Perhaps by skipping this serving of ice cream, I can save those poor people a portion of their food!"

Servant: "..."

He's gotten addicted to this act! He's perfectly capable of being a proper young master, but he insists on pretending to be a good person. He must have gone mad!

Left with no other choice, he had to lead the horse forward.

As Gao Zhao swayed with the horse, he looked at the scenery on both sides of the street. Suddenly, he saw a beggar by the roadside. He looked miserable, and next to him was a five or six-year-old child who was blind in one eye, had half of his arm broken off, and you could even vaguely see bone fragments.

The two looked like father and son, and it was so pitiful that Gao Zhao couldn't help but be moved. He pointed and came closer. Just as he was about to take out money, the boy knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. When he opened his mouth, he discovered that half of his tongue had been cut off.

Gao Zhao paused slightly as he reached for his money, then gripped it tightly into his purse before scattering a large handful of cash.

"Thank you, thank you, young master!" The older beggar bowed repeatedly in thanks, and the boy followed suit, kowtowing repeatedly.

After Gao Zhao paid the money, he looked at the panel and found that there was no activity at all.

Damn it, two more ingrates!

"Let's go!" Gao Zhao ordered, and walked forward again. If one didn't work, he would try another to avoid wasting time.

After taking only a few steps, he turned back to look at the two of them, a vague feeling that something was amiss.

He then encountered several more beggars, and Gao Zhao gave them money as well, but without exception, the system panel remained unresponsive.

His expression grew increasingly grim. Just as he was pondering whether to have someone snatch the money back so he could give it away again, Fu An and Lu Qian rushed over.

"This humble servant pays his respects to the young master!"

Gao Zhao was satisfied with his attitude and nodded, saying, "You came quite quickly!"

"Hearing that you intend to do good deeds, young master, how could I dare to be negligent!" Fu An dismounted and said solemnly, "Although I come from a poor family, I have a heart that desires good. I am willing to follow in your footsteps and contribute my share to good deeds, so as to accumulate some good karma."

Gao Zhao raised his riding whip and pointed it into the distance, saying, "I just gave money to those beggars, but I feel they are ungrateful!"

Fu An glanced back and laughed, "Your Excellency is compassionate, but I'm afraid you've given your charity to the wrong person!"

"What do you mean?"

"Those beggars are from the Beggars' Guild! Begging on the streets is their livelihood. The money the young master gives them is money they earned through their own abilities, so why would they be grateful?"

Gao Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought.

Fu An continued, "Look at that disabled little beggar. They probably kidnapped him and deliberately maimed him to gain the pity of a kind person like you, young master!"

Gao Zhao's eyes narrowed, and he exclaimed in shock and anger, "Harvesting and mutilating alive!"