It was late spring, and the warm wind blew up Chang'an and the 20th day of the Peony Festival just passed, which exhausted all the energy of the high-ranking officials and people in the capital. Even if there were some people who had not been able to enjoy the fun, they were still wandering around in Chang'an, looking for the beautiful flowers that bloomed that night, but a faint feeling of sitting and watching the return of spring could no longer be restrained in the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty.

It was also during such lazy days after the carnival that the imperial examination period of the fifth year of Zhenyuan had quietly arrived. From Cui Po, the new assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites of the Tang Dynasty, announced a series of scientific and technological changes, the imperial examination period that lasted for nearly a hundred years changed, turning into a late spring season where hot and cold was suitable. Although the changes inevitably brought many inconveniences for scholars who were remote from the mountains and away from Chang'an, for the examination alone, it was really a good period to avoid cold and heat.

It is also because the current subject is the last time the old method was taken, and the students who came to take the exam taught them nearly 30% in the past. Fortunately, the new examination room built by the Ministry of Rites in Xingqingfang was large enough to make it difficult to place it.

This is a bright spring morning. Chang'an, at the best time of the year, is really flying willow catkins and fragrant flowers. Such a beautiful day also made Han Yu, a tribute student from Heyang 17-year-old village who walked out of Ping'an Inn, refreshed his energy. He tightened the test basket in his right hand, and then let out a long sigh. He raised his legs and walked closely to follow his senior brother An Yu to Xingqingfang.

"Brother Yu, I have some insights on the previous Jinshi's attempts and articles recently?" An Yu asked Han Yu slightly while walking forward.

Upon hearing this, Han Yu pondered for a moment before he was confused and confused: "Recently, I have read all the predecessors' tests from my seniors. However, there is still something unknown today. I hope my senior can solve my doubts."

"Oh! Let's talk about it," said An Yu smiled slightly, and asked casually, but looking at his expression, he seemed to know what the junior was asking.

After adjusting the steps under his feet and getting closer to his senior brother, Han Yu said: "According to what I see, there are very few good works in this work, and even the top scholars in the past are mostly dull and tight. The patterns are just cut with rhymes and refined with more profound characters. In terms of content, there are really few things to be appreciated! This is the case with Lord Cui Shilang, the chief examiner of the current subject, and even the work of Gao Hou in Tianbao. With the talent of these two people, this matter is really difficult to solve?" It seems that this question has been puzzled for a long time, so when he was asking questions, he inevitably had a heavy confusion between his eyebrows and eyes.

Hearing this, An Yumei pulled a faint bitter smile on the corner of her mouth. After a while, he heard him answer: "What's the problem? My younger brother was still young, and I don't know that this test work has its own unique rules. Just like Mr. Gao is good at writing the majestic scenery of the border, Mr. Cui likes long and short sentences. If these people do it casually on weekdays, they respond to the scenery and use the method they are good at writing their favorite things, they will naturally have many good works. However, once they go to the test stage, they will get the "Fate Rhyme" test, they will inevitably be restrained from it, and they can freely express themselves. How can they write wonderful poems? This is one of them; the second is also the younger brother I want to warn. This is related to the future of my life, and I can't indulge in this way. Even if you have ten

It is a satirical work that can never be written in this world. "Poetry can be satirized" is a teaching of a saint, but it is really not true in the examination field. Otherwise, if a subject fails, he will be young, and he will be hopeless in this life after establishing this principle, and he will inevitably miss his life. Gao Hou is chivalrous and righteous, and Mr. Cui is brave in taking office. He cannot help but bow his head when he arrives in the imperial examination field. Yu Ge really must be careful! He often works hard to refine words and sentences, and write a sacred article chanting the saints in a bunch of flowers. Even if he fails to pass the imperial examination today, he will still have great potential in the future. If he speaks out in an extraordinary way, he will probably have no hope of the imperial examination in this life. Yu Ge must be very careful."

Seeing that his earnest persuasion seemed to have not been effective, An Yu sighed again. This junior was talented and intelligent, and what was even more rare was his perseverance, because of his rapid academic progress. At this time, although the two were more than ten years apart, if they could make a lecture and arrogance, they would be inferior to him. However, it was precisely because of this that his junior could not help but consider himself very high, and his academic perseverance turned into excessive persistence in his own views. Once this aloof stubbornness came to the imperial examination hall... Thinking of this, An Huazhi looked at Han Yu's stubborn eyebrows and eyes beside him, and a deep worry couldn't help but surged into his heart.

After walking for a long time, An Yucai said with a serious expression: "Brother Yu, your parents have died since childhood. You rely on your brother and sister-in-law to farm and support them to study. You know the hard work in this, so don't need to say too much from Brother Yu. Furthermore, if you want to spread your name to the world and promote your family, you will be unable to indulge in this Jinshi exam. Think more about these things. How will I apply for the paper today? You should know it in your mind!"

These few short words can be said to be the weakness of Han Yu. Thinking about the poverty at home, his stubborn eyebrows and eyes also turned into a faint sadness. Thinking about the scene of his sister-in-law selling fertile land with tears in order to raise the cost of this exam in Beijing, a sharp pain suddenly surged in her heart. Facing the increasingly close red gate of Xingqingfang trial, this stubborn boy in thick clothes felt unprecedented confusion...

When the two arrived at the large empty space that was specially reserved before the test site, it was already a gathering of charm and scholars gathered. After a brief look, there were only a few thousand, from a newborn calf at the age of sixteen or seventeen to a shaggy old man. What's more, there were many families of three generations who came to the test site. These people either lowered their heads to recite, chanted, or were stunned, and were all in a daze. Under the gaze of the imperial guards on both sides, the atmosphere was maintained in a rare calm in the empty space.

Putting down the book in his hand, Han Yu looked at the rich gate of the test institute in a daze. The tall lintel and the bright armored soldiers made it more and more out of reach. It was only when he saw the couplet under the two imperial characters "The Examination Institute" that "Report to the public and select talents, because they need to be selected by the scholars" that the boy in thick clothes felt a little comfort in his heart.

"Master, what's wrong with you! Master!" An anxious shout woke Han Yu up in the darkness. He turned his head to look in the voice and saw a young servant calling out to his 40s master who suddenly fell down. Beside them, pens, ink, paper and ink were spilling all over the floor.

"This is the seventh one today. The test is about to begin... Alas! Everything is fate, no one can do anything!" The sad sigh of an old scholar beside him was heard in Han Yu's ears. It was really a unique feeling.

While there was a slight commotion in the field, three thunderous drums were heard suddenly, and then amid the long rumbling sound of "opening the dragon gate", the vermilion gate of the test institute made a sour creaking sound, slowly opening.

"Brother Yu, I just said something to you, don't forget it!" An Yu turned his head and gave it back, and before he could answer, he hurriedly lined up.

Check the examination and search for the ink, and when Han Yu officially sat in the examination room, it was already noon. He glanced at the single examination room in the 15-step radius. He then bowed the case and took out all the utensils, carefully grinding the ink on the inkstone, and then took out the dry food prepared in the blue center. He ate the tea and grass that had been prepared on the table, and quietly waited to start the test.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, after another three-way drum beat, the test paper was officially issued. Immediately, in the boundless silence, the examination for the fifth year of Zhenyuan in the Tang Dynasty officially began...

"Dr. Li, the weather is very warm today. There are 3,436 candidates in our examination hall. They are all eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. They are inevitably angry. Let me continue to take out the prepared medicinal materials and set up a large pot to cook soup. It is necessary to deliver every examination hall. Anyone who dares to disobey will be expelled from the examination hall immediately." Cui Po, the Minister of Rites who were inspecting the examination hall, smelled the faint and strange smell that began to emit from the air. He immediately frowned and turned around to order the accompanying Officer.

"The emperor is obeying the order of the master!" Li Langzhong also knew that the country's talent ceremony would never make any mistakes. He bowed and replied, and with a wink, his subordinates rushed to handle the matter.

Although each examination room is small, it is even more than 3,000 rooms arranged in a row. Seeing that it had been half an hour, and even one-third of the entire trial venue had not been inspected, Dr. Li numbed his legs and smiled with his body on his back, "There are subordinates who take care of this inspection. I am tired recently. Please go to the main hall for a while to rest."

"This matter is serious, and I can't let go if I don't go around for a while. If Doctor Li can't bear the fatigue, I can do it for a while and don't have to accompany me!" Cui Po turned around and smiled, and said warmly, but this gentle smile still couldn't hide the fatigue in the two dark circles of eyes.

"It is said that although this Minister is young, he is very careful. I have very few talented people in my court. I am not a false one when I see you today." Li Lang said in the center, leaned over and rubbed his legs slightly, followed by a smile, "I dare not, I dare not."

The content of this test is not the same. For Han Yu, it is really no problem. It took a few incense sticks to finish it neatly. After a satisfactory examination, he checked it without missing a single eye. After rubbing his hands slightly, he looked down again.

"Chang'an Fu", seeing such a fu title, after a moment of pondering, countless thoughts came one after another. The capital of the current capital was once the capital of several dynasties, and later it was managed by the Sui and Tang dynasties for a hundred years. Its magnificent and magnificent situation was beyond words, but behind the glory of the world, this thousand-year-old famous city contains so many historical rise and fall? This famous city witnessed the demise of the Sui Dynasty, the rise of the Tang Dynasty, the prosperity of Zhenguan and Kaiyuan, and the chaos of Tianbao soldiers, and the emergence of Xuanzong in a hurry... This city alone contains too much, too much. "It is to follow the learning and learning"

What I said, I would like to praise the prosperity of the imperial capital with the most beautiful words, and then praise the Holy Emperor? Or should I use the sigh of the rise and fall of Chang'an to reveal the current governance problems and advise the king?" These two thoughts repeatedly rolled in the mind of the scholar Han Yu, until in the end, many words naturally flowed out of his heart were like gushing mountain streams and waterfalls, and they were not happy. However, just when he wanted to write a pen, his old face inevitably flashed in his heart. It was in this complex and entangled battle between heaven and man that time passed by. Although he had never written a word, Han Yu's face was already sweating.

"Has the three cheating candidates been expelled from the trial just now?" A faint voice temporarily dispersed Han Yu's increasingly tense mind. He felt that the voice was so familiar. In surprise, he looked up and looked at him with a look of emotion, and then his whole body was shocked, "Isn't this Cui Guo from the Jianfu Temple that day, Cui Gaizhi? He... he is actually Cui Shishang of the Ministry of Rites?" This huge shock came too suddenly. It was not until Cui Po gave an encouragement smile and left for a long time. The seventeen-year-old Han Yu woke up from his loss of consciousness. His eyes lit up and hesitated. Once the forced blocking Wen Si was allowed to flow, he would really write a writing, and a thousand words were spoken in an instant.

"Taking history as a lesson, the rise and fall can be distinguished..." In Han Yu's crazy writing, time passed by bit, and the red sun sets westward, and the night of late spring is about to arrive...

On the second day, Chang'an Ping'an Inn, An Yu, who had just recovered from his spirits after the examination, did not delay any delay. He immediately called his junior and ordered him to repeat the examination site again. He thought that when he first saw the dew, he would show himself to himself. He would still praise the words describing the scenic spots of Chang'an. He could not help but whisper softly. However, when he read the argumentative words that had been growing, he couldn't help but ask sternly in a sharp change in his face: "This... is this the essay you wrote?"

"Yes", Han Yu's answer was not hesitant, and he couldn't even hear any regrets. However, An Yu's lips trembled for a long time, and finally turned into a long sigh, and there was no more words. He turned around and left the room.

Looking at the fu Wen slowly falling from the air, a trace of confusion flashed in the eyes of the stubborn boy in thick clothes, and he said softly: "Am I really wrong?"

The days that followed were waiting day by day. An Yu seemed to have nothing to say to this junior, and the stubborn boy became increasingly silent. In this leisurely time, the two of them had no intention of going out to enjoy the scenery of Chang'an in the tranquil spring. The books that had tried every day could not restrain Han Yu's heart. As he was getting thinner and thinner, it seemed that he had never ended waiting. A month of time passed by, and finally, the time for the results was released.

"Pack up your luggage and go with me to check the list! If the luck is not good, we will leave Jingdong and return. Although Chang'an is good, it is not where we have been waiting for a long time." In the early morning of the day, An Yu left this sentence lightly, and then turned back to the room to prepare for it. However, when he turned around and moved, he still sighed in his mouth, which seemed inaudible.

The current science and technology released the results and changed the old system. Instead of choosing Chengtian Gate, it was not a choice. Instead, it was a blank space in front of the Xingqing Courtyard. When the two of them who were uneasy arrived here, the vermilion gate of the test institute was already crowded and crowded. Countless scholars either rubbed their hands and pondered, or walked around with their hands behind their backs. Each face showed a complex expression of fear and expectation.

"Here, come..." As a long wait that seemed to be a thousand years ago, as several officials from the Ministry of Rites walked out of the examination hall, the scholars immediately aroused a magnificent response.

"The list of the first pre-study list of the fifth year of Zhenyuan in the Tang Dynasty is as follows, and the 25th place in the Jinshi class..." The person responsible for announcing the list was still the emperor close to the emperor. As his sharp voice sounded, the huge empty space where thousands of people gathered suddenly became silent.

"Only twenty-five people were admitted to undergraduate Jinshi!" An Yu said softly, then led Han Yu to move forward, hoping to hear the voice more clearly.

When each name is pronounced, the disappointment becomes bigger and bigger. Behind this disappointment, the expectations that have been raised by luck are becoming more and more heavy. The list has been announced to the tenth name. In addition to the occasional cheers that cannot be suppressed, the whole venue has echoed the sound of heavy breathing...

"No me... or no me!" This sentence sounded in my heart again and again. Han Yu, a young man who was only seventeen years old, felt that his heart was beating faster and faster. At the end, the boundless pressure was almost suffocating him. Just when he was really unable to bear the heavy pressure and wanted to escape, he suddenly heard a sound like a big bell and sounded in his ears: "The seventh place in the Jinshi exam in the fifth year of Zhenyuan, Han Yu..."

"Brother Yu, I won, seventh place, you won..." After rubbing my ears and making sure that I heard it correctly, An Yu, who was standing next to me, patted Han Yu's shoulder heavily and shouted excitedly.

The sound of "I'm hit, I'm hit" echoed in his heart for a long time, and then the corners of the stubborn boy's eyes became wet, and then he said hoarsely: "I'm hit, I'm hit!"

Some are happy and some are sad! Just as Han Yu was ecstatic, the list of Jinshi admissions for the current year has been completed. With a long sigh like thunder, countless sobs sounded everywhere in the crowd.

At this moment, Han Yu, who was ecstatic, suddenly saw a scholar who had been in his thirties not far away from him, and shouted angrily: "Look at this young man, he was not as young as the youngest, so he actually ranked fifth in high school. How could he convince the public if he was admitted so rashly! Cui Po, the Minister of Rites, followed his teacher and cheated in the imperial examinations. It is tolerant, but who is unbearable! Everyone in the same year, everyone..."

But before he could finish his words with a loud voice, he became shocked again. He saw several men dressed in scholars like flowers and willows in the crowd. Although they were wearing Confucian uniforms, there was a gentle look like a scholar between the dragon and tiger steps. These people walked to the side of the man, and even more so, they immediately pressed him to the ground, took out a bunch of cloth and blocked the big mouth that was flying everywhere.

The same scene was staged all over the entire field. Just when the candidates were frightened and at a loss, they heard three drums roaring, and then the inner public voice said: "Zhang Bu has finished the Jinshi class, and in the afternoon, Zhang Bu is here for the mid-level examination papers, and Ren Shizi observes and compares them. At present, a group of Jinshi candidates leave the venue immediately. If they still stay in two incense sticks, they will be disqualified from the Mingshi class examination exam!"
Chapter completed!