The emperor was not optimistic about Gu Mingke's scientific examination, but Li Chaoge trusted him blindly. The Queen of Heaven didn't want them to quarrel, so she said: "The course will start at the end of the month. How will it be? Wait a few days and we will know."
Neither Li Chaoge nor the emperor answered the question anymore, so this is the end of this topic. Tianhou took advantage of the situation to talk about the imperial examination: "The imperial examination has been held for several years, but today, very few of the imperial examination candidates have actually entered the officialdom, and there are very few who can be promoted to the fifth rank. Jinshi for one year Only more than 20 people are selected, and each of them can be regarded as one in ten thousand. Half of them have been unable to be awarded officials. If things go on like this, how can scholars in the world continue to trust imperial examinations? The real talents How can a scholar stand out and enter the imperial court to serve the country?"
Hearing this, Li Shan replied: "In recent years, there are indeed few children from families with weak crowns. If mother is worried that there will be no one in the court, she might as well talk to Prime Minister Pei and uncle, and let the Pei family and the eldest grandson's family ?Mr. Lang enters the official position as soon as possible?"
Li Shan frowned slightly, his words were earnest, thoughtful? It seemed that he sincerely wanted to help the emperor and the empress share their worries. Tianhou didn't answer, Li Chaoge lowered his head to drink tea, the hot steam steamed up, covering the expression in her eyes.
Li Chaoge shook his head in his heart. As the prince, Li Shan couldn't even hear this voice. Where are the emperor and queen of heaven? They are worried that there are too few sons from the family, which will lead to the failure of the court. They are clearly worried that there are too many sons from the family.
The five surnames and Qiwang enjoy a high reputation among the people, even surpassing the royal family. In the imperial court, half of the officials come from the five surnames, and the other half are the former emperors such as the Pei family and the eldest grandson's family. Talents selected by the emperor and the Empress after so many painstaking efforts, they have been waiting for many years, but they can't even be assigned a seventh-rank sesame official? However, the descendants of the Pei family and the eldest grandson's family are awarded fifth-rank officials with real power as soon as they grow up. No shortage. Are these people really better than the new civil servants who have studied hard for many years and have gone through layers of selection? I'm afraid not necessarily.
It would be fine if the emperor and the empress were wealthy idlers who had no ambitions and just wanted to spend their days in comfort, but one of them had a higher spirit than the other. No matter the emperor or the queen, which one is the master who is willing to be ruled by others? The Empress Dowager came out of the harem, needless to say, even the emperor, although he was confused about the throne, but he sat on the throne for twenty years, and the territory of the Great Tang Dynasty gradually expanded under his hands ?, until now it has surpassed the former emperor and reached the peak in history. The emperor is a gentle, good old man, but he is more of a statesman.
Li Chaoge knew very well that it was the emperor's order for her to destroy her eldest grandson, overthrow Pei's family, and expand her reign of terror. Everyone is playing politics, so don't criticize anyone.
In contrast, the prince is too gentle and kind. He couldn't understand what the emperor and the empress wanted to do. Instead, he devoted himself to getting close to the family, sincerely treating the Pei family and the eldest grandson's family as siblings. There is no doubt that Li Shan is a good man, but he is not a good prince.
Li Chaoge raised his eyes calmly, sure enough, the Queen of Heaven didn't speak, and the emperor lowered his head to pick up the food, seeming to concentrate on eating. Li Chaoge pondered for a moment, and said: "The land of the Tang Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, and talents abound everywhere. The children of aristocratic families are like lush forests and bamboos, and there are many talented people in poor families. The imperial court is employing people. There is no need to restrict one's family background, one should recruit talented people."
Tianhou and the emperor liked hearing this very much. Tianhou smiled and said: "The words of Chao Ge are reasonable. Heroes don't care about their backgrounds. The imperial court needs a large number of officials with talents, learning and courage. No matter what kind of poor family or family, talents are self-sufficient." The more the merrier."
Hearing this, Li Shan seriously gave advice to his mother: "Mother is the best at knowing people, and I discovered Gu Mingke today. If he can pass the scientific examination, he can be regarded as a person who can be used. If the mother wants to find someone, my son will let him Someone to inquire about? You are a stranger, and you will recommend it to your mother in the future."
The queen shook her head and sighed: "I can only find a few talents by identifying them. The real solution is to establish a system for identifying talents that is practical and effective. In a world of great governance, the country is prosperous and the people are safe. There are sufficient warehouses. Talented people come forth in large numbers. Now the first two have been "achieved", but the latter one has not been realized for a long time."
When Li Chaoge heard her brows move slightly, she suddenly realized that the Queen of Heaven's desire to become emperor probably didn't come about after Li Ze's death.
As soon as the Queen of Heaven opened her mouth, it was a world of great rule, which shows the greatness of her ambition. Which? The queen will talk about governing the country and strengthening the army, recruiting talented people? Throughout history, no matter how smart and favored the empresses were, such as the eldest son of the late emperor, they only advised the late emperor to be a wise emperor. As for the Queen of Heaven, she wants to create and rule the world.
Heart and spirit, this shows one end. A person's ambition cannot be hidden, even if she doesn't say it, it will be revealed in her words and deeds.
An unspeakable feeling arose in Li Chaoge's heart. It turned out that as early as this time, the Queen of Heaven was preparing for her proclaiming herself emperor. It's just that Tianhou was always unmanned, until Li Ze passed away two years later, Tianhou took the upper hand in seniority, and gradually moved to the front of the stage.
Li Chaoge rolled his eyes slightly, realizing that this was his chance. She originally thought that it would take a few more years, when the queen of heaven became the queen mother, the town demon division would be established. ?Now it seems that Tianhou has this intention long ago, and the preparations for the town of demons don't have to wait two years later.
Li Chaoge had some thoughts in his heart, raised his head and said to the leader: "The sage speaks widely and is willing to accept advice. The empress knows people well, and has insightful eyes. With saints and empresses around, true talents will never be buried."
Li Chaoge is not good at flattering people, so he simply didn't compliment others and told the truth directly. This is her true thought, so when she speaks, her eyes are focused, her tone is serious, and she sounds very sincere, which is far more moving than those beautiful and enthusiastic flattery words.
The emperor smiled and said: "I know you are filial, but how dare I compare myself with the former emperor? Compared with my father, I am still far behind."
Li Chaoge looked at the emperor with a serious look, and said very seriously: "These words are not intended to be flattering, but what I heard from the people. My grandfather is a generation of Mingjun, and the achievements of saints and queens are not inferior to those of our ancestors. "
Li Chaoge's words undoubtedly touched the emperor's heart. What the emperor cared about most was not political achievements or territory, but fear of not being as good as his father. The emperor showed a smile on his face, but he still said: "It is the hero left by my father who assisted me well, and I dare not take credit for it."
Li Chaoge raised his eyebrows, shut up wisely, and stopped talking. Li Changle looked around and found it boring, so he poked the food on the plate with his chopsticks.
The emperor himself? I was intoxicated for a while, and when I noticed Li Changle's movements, I asked, "Ale, what's wrong with you?"
Li Changle pouted and complained: "Father always thinks about the court, even talking about these boring things when eating, I'm almost bored to death."
The emperor looked helpless, and said with a straight face: "You are young, you are not allowed to say that you are not dead."
The emperor wanted to scare Li Changle, but Li Changle was used to being favored, even if his father was cold-hearted. She stuck out her tongue, still doing her own way.
Li Changle really felt that the topics just now were boring, whether it was the imperial examination or the aristocratic family, what did it have to do with her? She is a princess, born to enjoy the blessings, and the court's affairs are of her own accord. The prince and consort care about her. She only needs to spend money to have fun.
Li Changle complained, the emperor is not good anymore? Continue to talk about the imperial examination. Li Changle got his wish, and when he talked about new clothes and jewelry, he clamored to go out to the palace to attend the banquet.
Li Chaoge wasn't interested in those makeup looks, she lowered her eyes and slowly thought about the town demon. As for Li Changle's voice, it completely fell on deaf ears.
Who cares about how to do the most popular bun in Dongdu, how to do the most exotic eye makeup? When she becomes the person in power, whatever clothes she wears will be popular in the capital.
Instead of chasing fashion, it is better to let others learn from her.
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As the sun goes down, the lights of Hongye Ridge are lit up one after another, and the Zigui Palace not far away is even more brightly lit. In the other courtyard of Pei Mansion, Jiao Wei knocked on the door cautiously, and said through the door, "Your Majesty, Mr. Pei... Your Majesty is here."
There was silence for a long time, no words were spoken inside, and Jiao Wei held his breath nervously, not daring to make a sound at all. After a while, a cold voice came from the door: "Let him in."
Jiao Wei let out a long breath of relief, and responded courteously: "Yes."
Jiao Wei went outside to invite Pei Ji'an into the house. When Pei Ji'an came in, he saw that the room was clean and tidy, with no fragrance or dust. Gu Mingke sat behind the screen and quietly flipped through the scrolls.
Pei Ji'an walked to the study room, lifted his clothes and sat behind the desk, and asked, "Cousin, it's so late, are you still reading?"
Gu Mingke replied lightly: "Although? I don't have many things, but I have a scientific examination at the end of the month, so I have to take a look."
Pei Ji settled down for a while, then asked softly: "Cousin, are you really planning to study law?"
Gu Mingke raised his pen to moisten the ink, and quietly glanced at Pei Ji'an: "Si.... Since you promised, how can there be any reason to break your promise?"
Pei Ji'an pursed his lips and asked in a deep voice: "Cousin, you? Why did you agree? You? If you want to be an official, your father can recommend it for you. There are some noble places in the court. You? Why do you want to accept the queen's door? How about going to Dali Temple?"
Gu Mingke originally didn't want to answer such questions, what he wanted to do, and why he had to explain it to others. But when he heard the last sentence, he couldn't help raising his eyes, and looked at Pei Ji'an calmly: "What happened to Dali Temple?"
Pei Ji'an thought that Gu Mingke didn't understand the responsibilities of these court agencies, and explained specifically: "Dali Temple is the place in charge of prisons. It not only checks the files of various states and roads, handles difficult and miscellaneous cases, but also interrogates and arrests criminals. I have to go to the place where the crime happened to investigate. Dali Temple is bitter and tiring, and it is not easy to be promoted. It is not a place for gentlemen. If my cousin intends to become an official, why don't you change to another place, Shi Brown."
What Pei Ji'an said was exactly the same as what he found in the Huidian, so Gu Mingke's understanding of this "dynasty" was not wrong. Gu Mingke withdrew his gaze and continued to look at the law book in his hand: "I know. Dali Temple is okay, so here it is."
Pei Ji'an's frown became tighter and tighter. He thought that Gu Mingke would listen to his advice, but unexpectedly, he was still obsessed with it. Pei Ji'an sighed, and said bluntly: "Cousin, you? You haven't been in contact with officialdom yet, and you don't understand the depth of officialdom. Some things are not what you imagined. Dali Temple is tired, and you have to be in contact with all kinds of useless things all year round. People, it is very bad for your health. Cousin, you are already weak, so it is not suitable for you to go to such a place."
Gu Mingke himself understood what a place in charge of prisons would look like. No matter how terrifying the purgatory on earth was, it would not compare to the heavenly prison. Gu Mingke has arrested so many people, and has long been used to being cursed, resented, and scolded by others. What Pei Ji'an said is really not worth mentioning in Gu Mingke's opinion.
People's hearts are selfish, and justice cannot be done without severe punishment. This? Someone has to be a bad guy, if others don't want to, then let Gu Mingke do it.
Gu Mingke continued to write, his brows were calm and unwavering. Pei Ji'an saw that he couldn't do anything, so he could only put it aside temporarily. If you don't hit the south wall and don't look back, since Gu Mingke doesn't believe it, let him go to Dali Temple to bump into the wall.
When he suffers, he will know how reasonable Pei Ji'an's words are.
After Pei Ji'an finished speaking, neither of the two said anything, and the room was extremely quiet for a while. Gu Mingke's pen tip scratched across the rice paper, making a slight rustling sound. Pei Ji'an looked at it for a while, and said in a low voice: "Cousin, I know you don't like to hear these words, but for your wealth and life, I have to Go on. Tianhou and Li Chaoge are indeed a shortcut, but? Yes, these two people should not be touched. This mother and daughter are both capricious people. Love wants to live, and evil wants to die. The most unbelievable. Cousin , you? Must? Resist the temptation, don't accept the queen's solicitation, especially be careful of Li Chaoge."
Gu Mingke endured it for a long time, but Pei Ji'an never left, and kept talking nonsense. Finally, Gu Mingke couldn't bear it anymore, raised his eyes and said, "I've never been tempted. It's you who should be careful."
Pei Ji settled for a moment, and immediately denied it: "How is it possible! I shy away from her, how can I have any contact with her?"
Gu Mingke looked neither happy nor sad, did he? He stared at Pei Ji'an indifferently. He didn't even mention his name, so Pei Ji'an hastily denied it.
Love is like a fish in clear water, it can be seen at a glance, but the parties themselves can't see through it.
Gu Mingke lowered his head to sort out his handwriting, and asked, "You? Is there anything else?"
Pei Ji'an froze, he paused for a while, really couldn't think of it? For any reason, he could only shake his head slowly: "Not yet."
"That's good." Gu Mingke signaled very bluntly, "I have other things to do, so I don't have time to accompany you? To pass the time, please ask my cousin to come back another day."
Gu Mingke clearly sent the order of expulsion, Pei Ji'an could only get up, and said: "I took the liberty of disturbing my cousin. I dare not disturb my cousin's practice, so I will leave first."
Gu Mingke didn't move his eyes, and nodded invisibly: "Go slowly, don't see him off."
Pei Ji'an? It's boring to stay any longer, so he can only leave. He took two steps, driven by an inexplicable force? He stopped, turned his head, and stared at Gu Mingke for a long time through the screen.
The twilight is cold, the lights are dim, and the light from the window passes through the four floor-to-ceiling screens. Gu Mingke's figure is looming, and his appearance is more and more beautiful, which attracts people's daydream. With his appearance, it's no wonder that he attracted Li Chaoge's attention.
Pei Ji'an paused for a long time before he heard himself say in a hoarse voice, "Cousin, the exam will start at the end of the month. If you're not sure, you can ask your father to recommend it for you."
Gu Mingke didn't look up, and said: "You? If you just want to say this, then you don't have to mention it anymore."
Pei Ji'an himself?? No. He waited for a long time before finally saying this: "Cousin, An Ding? The princess seems to like you very much. Will you marry her?"
Gu Mingke poured ink while holding his sleeves. His posture was straight and his writing was steady. His wrists, arms, and shoulders were all at right angles, which was the most standard writing posture. Gu Mingke's face was extremely white, his hair was as long as ink, his lips were thin and pale, as beautiful as a god? He was beautiful, indifferent, and unattainable.
Pei Ji'an thought that Gu Mingke would not answer, so he moved his footsteps and was about to go out when he suddenly heard a voice that was as cold as a fairy, like broken ice, from behind him.
"Won't."