Three days later, it was the day of the palace examination.
Before dawn, Luo Qingzhou had already returned to the Qin Mansion.
Miss Qin Er had already gotten up early.
Luo Qingzhou entered the room quietly from underground, startling Qiu'er who had just entered the room.
Miss Qin Er asked him to sit down at the dressing table and personally helped him comb his hair.
Luo Qingzhou looked at himself in the bronze mirror.
For some reason, he remembered what Miss Qin said that night, and couldn't help asking, "Wei Mo, do you think I'm unfaithful?"
Miss Qin paused for a moment after hearing this, and said with a smile: "There are all kinds of men who are unfaithful, it's just that some are capable of being unfaithful, while others are not. As long as they don't abandon each other after having an affair, and don't deliberately deceive the other person's feelings, Wei Mo thinks it's actually nothing."
Luo Qingzhou couldn't help but sigh.
Miss Qin Er looked at him in the mirror and said softly, "Brother Qingzhou, have you remembered what I said again? Maybe those words of my sister were just complaints. It would be a pity if Brother Qingzhou gave up because of those words."
Luo Qingzhou fell silent.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door, and Song Ruyue's voice: "Are you all up?"
Zhu'er hurried to open the door.
Luo Qingzhou and Miss Qin Er left the room.
When Song Ruyue saw the two of them, she hurriedly urged them, "Let's go, go eat. Go wait outside the palace early. We have to line up and check one by one. Don't be late."
Several people went out.
Song Ruyue looked towards the next room again, sighed and said, "I just went to call Jianjia, but..."
Luo Qingzhou said, "It's okay. Let the young lady have a good rest. I can go alone. Mother-in-law and the second young lady don't have to go either."
Song Ruyue immediately said, "That won't do. We must go."
Then he smiled and said, "Only if we all go can we bring you good luck. Mother-in-law has always had good luck. The last time you won the first prize, maybe it was the good luck that mother-in-law brought you."
Luo Qingzhou smiled and said, "Thank you, mother-in-law."
Song Ruyue said with a smile: "We are family, so we don't talk behind each other's backs. Your father-in-law used to say that I am a fool but blessed... Bah, bah, bah, he meant that I am beautiful but blessed, hehe..."
Luo Qingzhou agreed seriously.
Miss Qin II was laughing secretly with her hands covering her mouth.
A few people went to the front hall, had a simple breakfast, and then went out.
Aunt Mu was already driving the carriage and waiting outside the door.
But the two princesses did not come.
The entire court was watching this palace examination, and no one in the palace was allowed to meet the candidates in advance.
The two princesses not only lived in the palace, but were also members of the royal family. If they came to pick him up in the palace openly, it would definitely cause criticism.
The carriage carrying several people slowly drove out of the alley.
There are more and more people on the streets.
Most of the candidates were surrounded by a group of family members and walked towards the imperial city.
When Luo Qingzhou and his companions arrived outside the gate of the imperial city, it was already daybreak.
Outside the city gate stood two rows of armored soldiers, as well as some guards and ministers in charge of inspection.
Soon, more than 300 candidates arrived.
Although they still had to take the palace examination, these three hundred people had already stepped into the ranks of officials, so when they met, they greeted each other politely.
Luo Qingzhou didn't want to appear too aloof, so he chatted with a few people he had met a few days ago to kill time.
As for the candidates' families, they were standing on the other side of the moat, eagerly waiting.
Another half hour passed.
The officials and guards at the door began to check everyone one by one.
Only after the inspection is completed will they be released.
After more than 300 candidates entered, they were led by officials and marched towards the Weiyang Palace in a mighty procession.
Along the way, all the candidates lowered their heads, remained silent and extremely nervous.
Of course, there are also those who are free and frivolous and look around.
Soon, everyone stopped in front of the gate of Weiyang Palace.
The female guard standing outside the door hurried in to report.
After a while, a woman's voice came from inside: "Call all candidates into the hall!"
After the empress ascended the throne, she no longer recruited any eunuchs.
Most of the guards and messengers in the palace are women.
Some of the former eunuchs were also kept and not expelled, and were made to do odd jobs in the back.
Luo Qingzhou felt that maybe his words had worked.
He had told His Majesty at the beginning that cutting off a man's private parts was against human nature and too cruel. Since there were female practitioners, there was no need to recruit eunuchs.
When His Majesty heard this, he was very contemptuous and looked at him coldly and said, "You really have a good plan. The palace is full of women. You want to have 3,000 beauties in your harem, right?"
In fact, including the female guards, there are far more than three thousand people.
Luo Qingzhou didn't mean that.
He was just a man who knew deeply the pain and despair of cutting off that part.
Of course, for most eunuchs, the most important thing is not to starve to death.
Although His Majesty did as he said and stopped recruiting any eunuchs, he still threatened him fiercely every time, saying that he would cut him off and make him a eunuch.
But that was just the beginning.
Later, when he used lightning for the first time and proved his strength, the Queen became obedient and extremely docile. Moreover, every time he overworked, Her Majesty would turn her eyes and say charmingly and concernedly: "I command you to protect it. I love it..."
Forehead…
What are you thinking about at this time
There was a majestic and oppressive atmosphere in the hall.
Luo Qingzhou mingled among the candidates, lowered his head, entered the hall with a respectful look, and then began to pay homage to Her Majesty the Queen.
His wife was wearing a fiery red dragon robe and a crown on her head. She was sitting on the dragon throne on the high platform with a dignified look on her face. Her aura and majesty made the candidates bend over and lower their heads, almost unable to breathe. They didn't even have the courage to look up.
Luo Qingzhou quietly raised his head and glanced at her, just in time to meet her majestic gaze.
The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet came out, said some words of encouragement and congratulations, and then began to explain the rules of the examination.
After that, the candidates took their seats in the side hall one by one as arranged by the officials.
Academicians of the Hanlin Academy began to distribute test papers.
The first exam of the palace examination is usually policy questions, with questions usually several hundred words long. Answers need to be in a certain format, but there is no limit on the number of words.
The top ten students with the highest scores will be selected from the first exam.
Then, the emperor would personally set the questions and then personally decide the first, second and third places, namely the top scholar, the second place and the third place.
The three people in the first class are called "Jinshi Jidi", also known as "Sandingjia".
The rest were divided into second and third place according to their performance.
The exam will start soon.
After the test papers were handed out, the candidates immediately lowered their heads and read them carefully. They read them over and over again many times before they began to frown and think about how to answer the questions.
Only when all the answers are in mind should you dare to put pen to paper.
After reading the question and thinking for a while, Luo Qingzhou began to grind ink and write to answer the question.
The title begins with an allusion, and then asks how to govern a county, not only to allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment, but also to ensure that tax revenue is not less than in previous years.
It briefly describes the current population, arable land, resources, etc.
Luo Qingzhou picked up his pen and wrote several thousand words quickly, and he still felt unsatisfied.
The advantages and disadvantages of that county town are obvious.
There are not many people, the arable land is barren, and it is after a war, but the resources are very rich, the geographical location is good, and there is a port.
Therefore, the natural thing is to develop commerce, support agriculture through commerce, exempt agricultural taxes, attract population influx, gradually expand commerce, increase various commercial taxes, use ports for transportation, package local resources, and transport them to all parts of the country, etc.
At noon, we started handing in the papers.
The collecting official immediately sealed the papers, sorted them out, and sent them directly to the marking official on the other side.
An hour later.
After intense discussion and debate, the top ten were finally determined.
Prime Minister Fan Wenjin personally read out the names of the candidates.
As expected, Luo Qingzhou was admitted.
Nangong Huoyue glanced at him, took the ten test papers, read them carefully, and started to make questions herself.
She asked three questions in total.
The first question is "Asking about the emperor's heart and the emperor's politics."
The second question is to write an article that uses objects to describe people.
The third question is to write a five-character poem with the title "Ambition".
The first ten people selected all sat down in the side hall, took the test papers and started answering the questions.
After reading the question, Luo Qingzhou pondered for a moment and then had the answer in his mind.
He continued to think while grinding the ink.
Then, he picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
"I have heard that when an emperor rules the world, he must have practical policies to manage it, so that he can control the people and handle all affairs..."
Finished the first question.
He thought for a moment and continued writing.
"There are good horses only when there are good horse trainers. Good horses are common, but good horse trainers are rare..."
The answer to the second question was completed in one go.
As for the third question.
He thought for a long time before writing down the three words "Xia Ke Xing".
There are warriors in this world. Even scholars often dream of traveling around the world with a sword and riding a white horse with a silver saddle as a hero!
The papers were collected only after all ten candidates had finished answering.
However, this time the review was done with great caution and no decision was made on the spot.
All the candidates were sent out first.
Luo Qingzhou glanced ahead at the ministers and saw Dean Bai, dressed in a Confucian robe, standing there, looking at him with a smile on his face.
Luo Qingzhou said secretly in his heart: Sir, that poem is for you.
Dean Bai certainly deserves that poem.
With the momentum of that poem, perhaps Dean Bai will gain something unexpected from reading it.
After all the candidates had left, the ministers began to examine the papers together.
Luo Qingzhou followed the crowd out of the imperial city.
On the other side of the moat, when Song Ruyue saw him, she immediately started standing on tiptoe and waving, with a bright smile on her face.
He is now a Jinshi, which indeed brings great honor to the Qin family.
but…
If his identity as the King of the North were to be exposed, I wonder whether his mother-in-law, who is always 29 years old and young and beautiful, would faint from excitement or would pounce on him and bite him to death.
It’s scary to think about.
But this matter certainly cannot be concealed forever.
He thought about it carefully.
At the Kyushu Conference nine months later, perhaps he will be completely exposed.
Because by then, he will use a vest to give Piaomiao Xianzong a big surprise that is unexpected.
At least an elder or peak master at the Guiyi realm should be killed on the spot, so that his exposure of his identity would not be in vain.
When the battle comes, either you die or I die.
So, before that, he must first deal with the things at home and around him.
For example, the matter of Miss Qin.
Another example...
"Qingzhou, how did you do on the exam?"
While he was thinking about things, his mother-in-law's beautiful smiling face full of anticipation and nervousness came over.
Luo Qingzhou answered subconsciously: "Just make do with it, it's okay."
The air suddenly became quiet.