All the way, Xu Chang and a few cousins rode horses to protect the carriage, and several people were already wet, Xu Qian couldn't see it, but he couldn't help it, knowing that no matter how he said it, they would not be willing to go back, and he suddenly understood a truth in his heart.

When one person attains the Tao, the chicken and dog ascend to heaven; One person is rich, and the family rises with the tide. In the East, a society bound by clans, a person is not just an individual in a sense, but a member of the ethnic group, and the ethnic group twists the people of the clan together and is inseparable. When you're weak, the clan is your backstage. In the countryside, it is often one person who makes trouble, and the whole clan carries the guy out, if whose daughter marries out and is bullied, it is also the clan that comes out and asks for justice together. So, when you are rich and rich, if you want to turn your face and deny people, I am afraid it is not as easy as this. Just like the Qing officials of the Ming Dynasty, if they want to gather talents and not avoid relatives, they want to have a clean breeze on their sleeves and be able to do anything officially, I am afraid it is more difficult than ascending to the sky. First of all, you have to be ruthless and unrighteous, your relatives, your old people, those who have been with him come to the door, you can turn them away, your father, brothers, siblings, even your own children, you must be ruthless to them, you must endure the accusations of all relatives, if you want to become a clean official, the first thing is to become a sinner of the whole clan.

Thinking of this, Xu Qian couldn't help but sigh slightly, this kind of social relationship is not good, but it must not be said to be bad, just like now, Xu Qian was moved, he looked through the curtain of the car, although his body was in this soft and comfortable carriage, but what he saw in front of him was a storm, and under the lightning and thunder, one by one they became a soup chicken, they did not complain, they just took it for granted, the cold rain and the cold wind penetrated into the body through the gaps in the clothes, and even from time to time they would be excited. But that didn't stop their zeal.

Seeing this scene, Xu Qian had only one thought: "What about the ascension of the chicken dog?" Great kindness and great virtue will be repaid. Rather than being pointed at by Qianfu, it must not make them chill, even if it is wrong, even if it is a sinner, then it is better to be wrong, just be a sinner, there are too many sinners in this world, and there is no shortage of me Xu Qian. ”

sighed. Lowering the curtain, Xu Qian leaned in the car, his head was empty, perhaps many people had thought about the same problem as him on the way to the palace test......

By noon, there were already many candidates waiting. But at this time, there was no eunuch to announce the decree, so there were many honest candidates who had to wait outside in the rain in their robes, Xu Qian opened the curtain and wanted to get out of the car, but Xu Chang stopped him, squinted and looked at it for a moment, and said: "You just go to the car and wait, and wait for the palace to come and get people before going in." ”

Xu Qian thought about it. After all, those candidates came to the Forbidden City for the first time, and they didn't dare to sit in the sedan car for fear of desecrating the sacred palace city, but old fritters like themselves had no future with them, and anyway, the palace didn't say that they were not allowed to take the car outside the noon gate. Do you have to drench it into a soup chicken to look solemn and sincere?

So he waited in the car for a while, and finally a eunuch hurried in the rain, and arrived at the door, holding the edict in his hand. shouted: "Please enter the Taihe Hall today, today's rain is like a note." His Majesty couldn't bear to enter the palace in the rain, and took a sedan chair in the palace. ”

These tributes had already been drenched in soup, and when they heard the will, they were immediately full of gratitude, and they said: "Your Majesty is a saint." Then he sat back in his car one by one.

Xu Qian wanted to laugh in his heart, Shengming can't talk about it, it's just a small means to win people's hearts, to show the love of the Son of Heaven, you are so grateful that you have tears in your eyes, if you really know who the emperor is today, I am afraid that the word Shengming may not dare to say it.

At this time, Xu Qian's carriage had already entered the door first, but the coachman was not allowed to enter the palace, and there was a eunuch who took his errand and drove Xu Qian's carriage to the Taihe Palace.

The Forbidden City in the rain curtain is spotless, the mist in the air rises in the air, and the glazed tiles with red light and the clear white bricks are faintly visible, making Xu Qian feel like he is in a fairyland, but such a fairyland, he is not too interested in appreciating it, after all, there are too many people here, and when he came for the first time, he was really shocked, but when he came too much, he was numb.

The carriage arrived outside the Taihe Palace, there are thirty-two stone steps outside the Taihe Palace, and the stone steps can only enter the main hall through the guò stone steps, so you must walk, Xu Qian looked at the pouring rain outside, and smiled bitterly in his heart, it seems that the rain is still inevitable, he couldn't help but smile and said to the eunuch who drove the car: "Father-in-law, can you borrow an umbrella, the student is a new clothes, it's a pity to get wet." ”

This father-in-law has an old-fashioned face, obviously he doesn't want to have anything close to Xu Qian, so he doesn't want to be angry; "The holy decree does not say that umbrellas can be used in the palace."

There is a taboo to use an umbrella in the palace, that is, ordinary eunuchs must brave the rain when it rains, because this umbrella is similar to the canopy, and the canopy on the head, do you want to rebel?

However, although the father-in-law replied to Xu Qian coldly, he was stunned for a moment after he glanced back at Xu Qian, obviously recognized Xu Qian, the meanness on his face disappeared suddenly, and he immediately came up and said with a smile: "It turned out to be Xu Huiyuan, the slave is really damned, she has eyes and doesn't know Mount Tai, and she almost collided with your old man." ”

Xu Qian looked left and right, and said in his heart, besides me, there is an old man here? How did you become an old man at a young age? If he knew that here, Huang Jin, who was in his thirties, had become the ancestor of many people, most of them would have been balanced in his heart.

This father-in-law is a little embarrassed, and it seems inappropriate to let Xu Qian hold an umbrella. But this Xu Qian has a very deep relationship with the palace, not to mention the relationship with His Majesty, even with Huang Gonggong, which is still hot, if this surnamed Xu runs to say a bad word or two at this time, a eunuch of his status can be slapped to death casually.

After hesitating for a moment, the eunuch immediately took off his coat, gritted his teeth and said: "Xu Huiyuan, it's raining so hard outside, your old man is going to test the palace again today, don't catch a cold, the rules in the palace are not allowed to use umbrellas, the slave will lend Xu Huiyuan this coat to protect against the rain, Xu Huiyuan doesn't have to be polite." ”

In fact, Xu Qian was really not polite at all, he actually took his coat confidently, and looked at the eunuch who was shivering in the wind and rain wearing an underwear, and just sighed in his heart: "Sure enough, a big husband can't be without power for a day, if this eunuch is not afraid of himself, I'm afraid that this time he will be looked at coldly, and he will have to be drenched in soup." ”

He raised his coat with both hands, covered his head, and hurriedly rushed towards the temple.

But at this time, the tribute students who came later saw the heavy rain outside, and then looked at Xu Qian, who was rushing to the hall with his clothes, and couldn't help but ask the eunuch who was driving the car: "It's raining outside, can I borrow my father-in-law's clothes for use?" ”

But the angry thing is that these eunuchs are angry, oh, you are people, our family is not people? Aren't you just Gongsheng, what's the big deal? If you win the Jinshi, it is only a petty official of seven or eight grades, and you are not a fart in the court, and our family cut your eggs and entered the palace, just to carry your shoes and strip your clothes for you to use as an umbrella? How unreasonable!

The eunuchs all had dark faces, sneered back at these guys who didn't understand human feelings, and then sneered: "This is not outside, borrowing clothes?" Can I borrow clothes? Can you afford to borrow? ”

The tributes felt that they had been insulted, and naturally they could hear the ridicule of these eunuchs, so they couldn't help beating their chests and stumbling and said, "Didn't that person borrow clothes to cover the rain?" He can, why can't the students? ”

There is only one standard answer for the eunuchs: "People are called Xu Qian, are you called Xu Qian?" ”

Xu Qian......

As a result, these same years have not known each other, and everyone's understanding of Xu Qian is much deeper.

In this case, it was useless to make noise, so everyone had to continue to brave the rain, and one by one rushed towards the Taihe Hall like a broken kite.

In the Taihe Palace, the eight examiners have been waiting for a long time, at this time the Son of Heaven has not yet appeared, the examiners are standing behind the case, and there are already hundreds of cases in this hall, there are pen, ink, paper and inkstones, and there are good tea, there are dozens of eunuchs around holding their breath, when Xu Qian came in, the clothes on his body were not soaked much, but the sleeves were stained with some water, he casually threw the eunuch's shirt aside, stepped forward first, and saluted the examiners: "Student Xu Qian, I have seen all the adults." ”

The faces of the eight book readers nodded with a bit of sternness and coldness, even if they accepted his courtesy, they didn't talk to him, but a eunuch on the side said loudly: "Gongsheng Xu Qian, give the first row to sit down." ”

The rules of the palace test, Xu Qian had inquired about it earlier, these paper readers treated him with such a cold face, not because they had a grudge against him, but because they deliberately showed the majesty of the paper readers, he didn't say anything, his eyes glanced at Gui Xiang among them, and then obediently sat in his seat.

When the other Gongsheng arrived, these people were much more wolf, and the rain on their bodies could wring out a basin of water with a twist of their hands, and they were so cold that they shivered, and they looked at Xu Qian, who was dry, and they were very jealous in their hearts.

Everyone saluted the examiners one by one, the examiners frowned, after all, there was no weather forecast in this era, and I didn't expect that there would be heavy rain today, and now the candidates are drenched like this, I'm afraid that it is not suitable for the exam, so the examiner stood up and invited a eunuch to come and talk in a low voice, the eunuch willed, and hurriedly went, after a while, the eunuch went and returned, and said loudly: "Please go to the side hall to change into dry clothes." ”

Everyone was amnesty, but Xu Qian, who was gloating, was a little disappointed, and he couldn't help but scold in his heart: "It turns out that they can still change their clothes, it's a pity, if they are allowed to take the exam like this, it will be interesting." ”