The palace door is wide open, the small yellow door comes out in a line, declares the decree that all the tributes waiting outside will enter the Western Garden. Zhu Pingan and other tributes in the small yellow door under the guidance of the queue, divided into two rows, both excited and nervous fish line into the atmosphere do not dare to breathe.
The West Garden is like a fairyland, except for one into the West Garden, Zhu Pingan almost wrongly thought that he had come to Penglai fairyland. The first to see is the West Court of the Golden Sea, this place Zhu Pingan in modern times has heard a lot about, it includes the North Sea, the Middle Sea and the South China Sea three parts, that’s right, in the ~ South ~ sea is the Middle Sea and the South China Sea is the joint name.
At this moment, the golden sea blue waves, water mist, the golden sea islands and the opposite bank of the lofty peaks shrouded in water mist, sometimes several cranes, the shore of the exotic flowers and grasses all over the place, the distant palace is hidden, at first glance like a heavenly realm on earth.
Zhu Pingan and the other tributes were guided by the little yellow door, passing through the Jin’ao Yu Dong Bridge between the Central Sea and the North Sea, and entering the hinterland of the Western Garden.
The emperor’s own army with full armour guards in the west garden all important roads, according to the style of armour is divided into gold goo guards, feather forest guards, the government army guards, huben guards, dispersed in the west garden all over the west garden, guarding the west garden palace forbidden security.
After entering the hinterland of the West Garden, the small yellow door did not bring Zhu Pingan and others directly to the examination room of the Palace Examination, but will bring Zhu Pingan and others to a slightly low palace, the palace fell on a plaque, the plaque on the four big words, “ZhenKunDaoTemple”.
At first, Zhu Pingan and the others were still puzzled as to what Little Yellow Door was leading the crowd here for, but soon they understood.
Bathing and dressing!
Although this hall is low, but large enough, inside there are several separated bath tubs swirling with hot air, covered by curtains, all the members of the student body entered in a line to bathe and change clothes.
This bath has two layers of intention, bathing and dressing to show respect to the emperor, Jiajing emperor cultivation of immortality alchemy is at the juncture, can not be Zhu Pingan these mundane rushed; in addition is that, bathing and dressing and the meaning of the examination search, you bare into the bath, we are outside the search of your clothes and carry things, contraband should be left in this ZhenKunDaoTemple. Waiting for your temple examination and then return.
After bathing and dressing, Zhu Pingan found that the pen, ink and inkstone he was carrying was temporarily left in the hall, as for the ginseng that Li Shu let the little maid of the buns send to him because it was not a prohibited item, it belonged to the category of food. It was kept and allowed Zhu Pingan to bring it with him for the temple examination.
After bathing and dressing, the little yellow door took Zhu Pingan and the others to the south again, about the place that was almost close to the south gate of the West Garden, there was a row of straight huts. In front of the straight huts, there were more than ten officials standing in their official robes.
It was about the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple.
After leading Zhu Pingan and the others to these officials of the Ministry of Rites, Little Yellow Door spoke softly to the official at the front and waved his duster and left.
The rest was the business of the Ministry of Ceremony, naming, stressing discipline, mobilising, for almost half an hour or so, after which Zhu Pingan and the others went with the officials of the Ministry of Ceremony to the Taisu Hall, the examination hall of this Imperial Examination.
Taisu Hall is located in the north side of Xiyuan, near the North Sea.
By the time Zhu Pingan and the others arrived at Taisu Hall with the officials from the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple, the rising sun had already risen in the east. The officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple brought the tributes to the open space in front of the palace and stood in silence waiting for the Holy Oracle.
“Declare an audience for the tributaries of the Jiajing Xinhai Enke.” One after another, the sound of proclamation came from the palace.
Soon, the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple led Zhu Pingan and the others into the Taisu Palace in a neat formation along with the inner guards who announced the decree.
There were already quite a few officials within the Taisu Hall, dressed in scarlet, cyan, and green official robes embroidered with birds and beasts, examining the four hundred tributes who were having an audience with the eyes of their juniors.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor.”
Zhu Pingan, along with the officials of the Ministry of Rites, the Honglu Temple, and all the tributaries, performed a great salute to the Jiajing Emperor, who was seated high on the dragon chair-five bows and three kowtows, which was the expressly stipulated salute that the tributaries would perform to the Emperor during the Imperial Examination, which simply means that they bowed down their heads and reached their hands five times. Then kowtow to the ground three times.
“Flatten yourself.” A rather dignified voice came from the great hall.
It was the voice of Emperor Jiajing, and after hearing it, many tributes trembled with excitement and were pushed a few times before they scrambled to get up. They stood respectfully in the hall.
Zhu Pingan took the opportunity to look at Emperor Jiajing when he got up, Emperor Jiajing was sitting on the dragon chair, a little thin, but the majestic aura was exceptionally powerful, wearing a dragon robe, just like a real dragon coiled on the dragon chair. Let people dare not look directly.
“It is the age of Enke, a hundred rays now signs …… You do not bear my hopes!” Jiajing Emperor, after the tributaries had finished their great salute, said a few words of sage advice, which simply means that this Enke is in accordance with the will of heaven, and you should also be in accordance with the will of heaven and the people, so as not to let down the expectations of me.
Jiajing emperor finished speaking, then nodded to the side of the arch standing Huang Jin, then Huang Jin will be in front of the imperial case an apricot and yellow cloth question paper in both hands, walked down the hall to a middle-aged official, this official is the Honglu Temple Secretary, Honglu Temple Secretary received the apricot and yellow cloth question paper, kneeling to Jiajing salute.
He Honglu Temple Secretary is the temple examination of the question officer.
After he got the test questions salute, he put the test questions on the east side of the imperial case in front of the cabinet members and other people, under the supervision of the cabinet members to open the test questions, placed on the imperial case.
After that, there was a burst of drums and music and the sound of whips.
Zhu Pingan once again, along with everyone in the hall, saluted Emperor Jiajing, who was seated high on the dragon chair, this time with three kowtows and nine bows.
After all the people salute, Jiajing Emperor slowly left the Taisu Hall, he still has a furnace of good dan to be refined, there is no time to always stare at this, the matter of the temple examination to the court is, otherwise why send so many salaries to them.
After the emperor left, the ministers in the temple also left a group, Yan Song and other more than ten officials stayed, Xu step has not stayed, this time the examiner did not stay, about avoiding suspicion.
After the emperor left, the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple divided Zhu Pingan and others into two rows sitting on the east and west sides of the Taisu Hall according to their rankings in the examination, those whose rankings in the examination were odd sat on the east side of the hall, and those whose rankings in the examination were even sat on the west side of the hall.
The east and west sides of the hall have long been placed on the tables and chairs for the tributes to the temple examination, Zhu Pingan and Ouyang Zishi are divided into the east and west sides of the first position, far away from each other.
Zhu Pingan is very bad, so several times kneeling and tossing, originally tired and haggard Zhu Pingan is almost unable to stand, haggard and tired state is even more serious. Ouyang Zishi, who has been silently focusing on Zhu Pingan, saw Zhu Pingan’s faltering figure and silently hooked up the corner of his mouth, what are you going to fight with me!
“It is the day of the temple examination, supply breakfast one, lunch one, tea two patrols, the temple examination has its own rules, you are good for yourself, don’t let down the expectations of the emperor!”
After all the tributes sit down, the officials of the Ministry of Rites briefly lecture finished, they began to distribute the test paper of the temple test.
After receiving the test paper, Zhu Pingan slightly rubbed his brain, which was tired and caused a sense of dizziness, and slowly opened the test questions in his hand.
The test paper was snow-white rice paper, extremely fine workmanship, with a faint sandalwood fragrance, the test font was extremely excellent, and the test questions slowly appeared in Zhu Pingan’s eyes. (To be continued.)
