How to make a famous minister

Chapter 57

"Zhi said: It is also respectful in its actions, respectful in its affairs, beneficial to the people in its support, and righteous in making the people righteous. At present, the Sanxie and Dengjin and other places have heavy troops to defend the east. The enemy is not destroyed, and the soldiers It cannot be withdrawn, and the salary cannot be reduced. Today, if you want to destroy the enemy and restore the frontier, what strategy should be effective? The bandits have been spreading for a long time, and the amount of money and food is lacking. Wouldn’t it be sympathetic? But if you want to sympathize with the people and also want to support the army, how can it be possible to benefit both? Erdoshi has been paying attention to world affairs for a long time, and he can’t avoid answering each item.” (Note 1)

After translating this passage, I can understand Emperor Tianqi's thoughts, "Yuan Chonghuan won a battle in Liaodong. I am very happy. I think I can take advantage of the victory and pursue the Jurchen in one fell swoop. But fighting requires money. I am afraid that excessive taxation will Make the people of the world miserable, do you have any way to raise money to fight the war without disturbing the people?"

Fan Xuanchao wondered what Emperor Tianqi meant, he had made it very clear, that is, the treasury was out of money.Fan Xuanchao secretly speculated, did Emperor Tianqi think that the "Anbian Jinglu Zhenguo General" was too easy to use, and planned to promote it in the army, but couldn't afford it?

Although there is only one palace exam, there seems to be only two questions for this question, and there is plenty of time. There are three hours in total, and enough draft paper is given. No amount of time is enough for the future.

All the cabinet ministers, scholars, and ministers in the palace are walking back and forth. Emperor Tianqi only appeared at the beginning, and you can't ask him to stay here for six hours. Already left early.

Although Emperor Tianqi is gone, there are still all the big figures in the court, and the tribute officials dare not take it lightly.All of them sat upright and concentrated.

Although Emperor Apocalypse was the official examiner of the palace examination, since Emperor Apocalypse had left, Ge Lao Ye Xianggao also assumed the role of invigilator.He looked around and found Fan Xuanchao.

Without him, Fan Xuanchao has been too famous since last year.The impeachment case, Lianzhong Wuyuan, and Xinwang are closely related. Although he doesn't have a lot of wedding banquets, Ye Xianggao has never seen them, but the examinees personally arranged them as officials of the Municipal Ministry of Rites. Before they came in, Ye Xianggao remembered his Location.

As I said before, due to historical reasons, Fan Xuanchao had a pretty good reputation in the Donglin Party. When Ye Xianggao saw him today, the balance in his heart tilted a bit that way.He made up his mind that if Fan Xuanchao's article was not bad, he would be selected as the number one scholar.Because of well-known reasons, Emperor Tianqi never interfered in the general election of the imperial court, and Ye Xianggao also took it for granted that the top three candidates, whoever he decides, will be the ones.

Although I have already identified the candidate in my heart, I still have to work on the appearance.Ye Xianggao swayed from side to side, looking at this and that, and even took a look at the draft paper that Ni Houzhan had already copied.

As soon as Ye Xianggao saw the handwriting, Ye Xianggao's eyes lit up. He had a strong character, he could retract and put it freely, and he was in a style of his own.Just this handwriting, Ye Xianggao is willing to take him high.Looking closely at his content, the smile on Ye Xianggao's lips stopped, he slowly put down the manuscript, and went on to look at the next person.Pitiful to the next candidate, when the examiner with the highest official position came over from the previous person, his complexion was not good, his hands trembled, and he almost shook the ink on the paper, and his heart almost jumped out.

Fan Xuanchao didn't pay attention to the other people in the examination room. He just thought that he probably had no chance in this exam. In this case, it's better to wait for Zhu Youjian to take the position before showing his strength.But after all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime imperial examination. If I don't write something, I'm really sorry for the books I've read all these years.

So he wrote a lot of current political abuses in a profuse manner, and his words were sharp. When he finished writing and looked back, he was sweating for himself. I am afraid that if Emperor Tianqi saw it, he would also end up furious.

It's just that I have written everything, so why is there any reason to cross out and rewrite?Seeing that the hour was approaching, Fan Xuanchao put aside the 3000-word draft and concentrated on copying it on the test paper.Come to think of it, if you can ask "It benefits the people, it makes the people righteous", Emperor Tianqi...should not depose him specifically, right?

At this time, Ye Xianggao had already arrived at Fan Xuanchao's side. Seeing that he was concentrating on copying the paper with his head down, he gently took out the draft he had already copied, and read it word by word.

Only halfway through the reading, Ye Xianggao couldn't hold back.This, this, this... This is to push my number one scholar out!

Can you not do this?

Although this article was so sharp that it almost cut off the number one scholar, it was indeed well written and well written. Even if he was as calm as the chief minister of the cabinet, Ye Xianggao really wanted to read the content behind Fan Xuanchao.

Fan Xuanchao finally noticed the figure milling around his desk, looked up, and saw white beard and white hair - he didn't recognize him.

But he knew the python robe and jade belt worn by this person, he was a senior member of the pavilion.

Fan Xuanchao blinked, and the old man's name went through in his mind once, and he knew who this was.But in the middle of the exam, you must not whisper to each other, so Fan Xuanchao just looked up, smiled politely, then lowered his head and continued to copy his papers.

Ye Xianggao knew that he was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and it was the time when he was full of vigor and hatred, otherwise he would not have greeted a group of people and started giving a lecture, and used the most effective and stupid way to force Wei Zhongxian to hand over the memorial.

Sighing lightly, he is still so young, so just let him go.

The thoughts in his mind changed, and Ye Xianggao lost the excitement he had when he first read the exam papers. If he thought about such a brilliant paper, he would be discovered when he checked the papers, and it would be the same when he read the exam papers again.Ye Xianggao left with his hands behind his back.

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After the palace examination, there are two days to wait for the results, and then the Golden Palace Biography.As for the examiners, they had to approve [-] test papers within two days, rank them, and send them to Emperor Tianqi for selection.According to the usual practice, the emperor only needs to read the top ten papers, but since Emperor Tianqi came to power, he usually only asked people to read the top three papers to him.

As for Fan Xuanchao, he believed that he was in the top two and three top ranks. Even if Mr. Chen asked him to recite the content of his essays in the palace examination, Fan Xuanchao hesitated and said, "Even if you recite it, so what? You can't rush in." Write the paper again."

As soon as he said that, Mr. Chen knew how his paper was written.Mr. Chen stroked his beard, remembering that he also resigned in anger back then, and said, "I won't ask any more, since you have a foundation, even if you write a random article, it won't make much difference."

Hearing Mr. Chen's words, Fan Xuanchao felt guilty and flustered.Thinking that when the results come out, if he falls to the top two or three hundred, Mr. Chen will probably be so angry that he can't care about the etiquette of the scholar-bureaucrats, and he will hit him with slippers.

Ni Houzhan and Bai Yang asked him how he was writing as soon as they left the palace, Fan Xuanchao only said that he wrote "heartfelt words" and he was ready.

Zhu Youjian heard about Fan Xuanchao's exam from Bai Yang, and came to ask him, Fan Xuanchao only said once in his life, he always had to be self-willed, maybe this was the only time he was able to listen to Datian, how could he be sorry if he didn't write well Books I've read over the years.

Zhu Youjian smiled, "You don't have to think too much. Everyone knows that you won five yuan in a row, and even the boy said that you are a Wenqu star, so what are you afraid of?"

Of course Zhu Youjian knew that Emperor Tianqi had been very defensive about himself since the death of the third son of the emperor. Although the third son of the emperor was born weak, and the imperial physician had also hinted at it explicitly, but who made him the only one now? heirs.

Moreover, Brother Huang's defense against him was not unreasonable. Even though he had known that none of those nephews would survive and hadn't tampered with it, the means of making friends with officials in private hadn't fallen through.

Fan Xuanchao wondered what he meant by "you don't have to think too much". Could it be that he can find a way to get Emperor Tianqi to give him the champion?

In the Forbidden City at night, nine examiners were waiting to grade papers overnight. Ye Xianggao sat in the first place.But looking at these answer sheets, compared with Fan Xuanchao's unfinished answers in memory, Ye Xianggao's first impression was a little bit worse.

After a few rounds, the almost memorized sentences appeared in the paper in his hand. Ye Xianggao couldn't help slowing down and commenting carefully.After rewarding this one, I'm afraid the rest will be the same.

Sitting at Ye Xianggao's lower head, the minister of the official department couldn't help but show it with his eyes frequently when he saw that Mr. Ge had been slow to transfer the paper in his hand to him.Ye Xianggao also knew that he could not keep this paper in his hands for too long, otherwise he might be suspected of cheating, so he reluctantly drew a circle and handed it to the next examiner.

After two consecutive days of grading papers, it was not completely over until night fell on the second day.The examiners arranged the papers according to the grades. Ye Xianggao was very old. After two nights of sleep, he was extremely exhausted. He rubbed his temples with his hands and said, "My lords have worked hard. The Holy Majesty is still waiting. Let's go to the interview right now." Holy."

Several people said yes, so Ye Xianggao personally held the three papers for the top three in the first class, went to the Qianqing Palace, and waited for the holy judge.

The Qianqing Palace was brightly lit. Emperor Tianqi closed his eyes and rested his mind. He was waiting for this year's papers for the new scholars. When he heard the eunuch's announcement that several adults had arrived, he slowly opened his eyes with deep eyes. After a long time, he said: "Let them in. .”

Ye Xianggao and his party came in and greeted Ann first, and Emperor Tianqi let them die. "The adults have worked hard."

Ye Xianggao said: "It is the duty of ministers to select talents for the country."

Emperor Tianqi nodded, "Read."

Ever since Emperor Tianqi was cheated by Wang Ti, he no longer wanted eunuchs to read memorials to him. If there were ministers, he would let ministers read.

— obviously went from one extreme to the other.

Let's start with Tanhua's paper. Emperor Tianqi listened to the two papers of No. [-] Tanhua, and his level was similar to the previous ones. When he heard the number one paper, his expression became worse and worse, so he asked, "Whose paper is this?" ?”

While Ye Xianggao was reading, he observed Emperor Tianqi's face. He saw that his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he also knew that Fan Xuanchao had angered Emperor Tianqi, so he had no choice but to obediently say: "My surname is Fan, my first name is Xuanchao, and the word contains yuan. Last year Ding You was the eldest son of Fan Yuan Wailang from the Anthology Department of the Ministry of Officials. In the first year of Tianqi, Fan Xuanchao won the first case in the court examination, and then he won the Jieyuan, and last year he won the Huiyuan."

"Oh, it's the one who won five yuan in a row." Emperor Tianqi said indifferently, "I've always heard that he is auspicious from heaven, so from this point of view, he is just a madman."

The examiners who made this crazy student the No. 300 candidate were a little embarrassed, and Ye Xianggao had no choice but to speak out, "Fan Xuanchao's paper is really the best written among the [-] candidates this time, so..."

"Who can write beautiful articles? It's just a three-year talent ceremony. The competition is not to see who can write articles." Emperor Tianqi interrupted Ye Xianggao and said, "I see this...Fan Xuanchao, although he writes He has a splendid article, but he is just talking about it in general. I heard that he has not yet reached the age of weak crown?"

"Yes..." Ye Xianggao said.

"It's common to be young and frivolous. It's just that if this kind of person is promoted to the number one scholar, I'm afraid that the future imperial examinations will all be written with rhetoric, and no one will be down-to-earth."