Master Yuan, start!

"I heard it, let me tell you in detail." The man paused and continued:

"Before the 0th year of the Guangxu reign, Zou Fubao, a scholar from Jiangsu, was already famous throughout the country. He passed the imperial examination at the age of and was already famous before the imperial examination. Everyone thought he would be the top scorer, but unexpectedly, he only came in second."

A newcomer who had just come over asked, "Isn't the runner-up excellent as well?"

"That's right, even a prodigy can stumble. If the top scholar's essay was excellent, he would have been convinced of his defeat." The insider took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then sighed.

"But that top scholar was won by a candidate from Guizhou. Did you know that in the 300-plus years since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, no candidate from Guizhou has ever won the top spot?"

Others hurriedly shook their heads, indicating that they had never heard of it.

However, someone still asked: "My dear, are you looking down on Guizhou students? Why are Guizhou students not worthy of being the top scholar?"

"No, no!" the man quickly denied. "I have no prejudice against students from any region. It's just that when this Guizhou student's essay was published, people at the time thought it was so vulgar and full of pedantic rhetoric. It's unbelievable that such an essay could win first place."

"Why?"

"The reason, of course, lies with the chief examiner." The knowledgeable scholar sighed.

"Lord Xu Tong claims to be a disciple of Song Confucianism, but in my opinion, he has not put into practice the three famous sayings of Mr. Hengqu. He is extremely conservative and hates Western learning under the guise of defending Confucianism.

If there was even the slightest trace of Western learning in the essay, he would judge it as inferior and send it to the co-examiners for re-examination."

The scholars nearby finally understood: "Oh, the reason why the Guizhou student won the first prize is...

It was only because he lived in a remote area of ​​Yunnan and Guizhou, and had never been exposed to modern knowledge. He only knew how to study scriptures and articles, and did not read Western knowledge at all.

Scholars from Jiangsu and Zhejiang have been exposed to Western things since childhood, so their writing and choice of words inevitably carry Western ideas, which is why Lord Xu dislikes them!

"That's right. Lord Xu hates Western learning, but you may not understand it yet. Let me give you an example so you can understand." The knowledgeable scholar told a joke in the officialdom.

"Lord Xu Tong once said to someone that Spain has teeth, that Grapes have teeth, and that a country was formed out of teeth. This is unheard of in history, unrecorded in books, and is absurd and outrageous."

"Um"

When the scholars nearby heard this for the first time, they pursed their lips and looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Pfft!"

"Hahahahaha!"

As some people laughed out loud, more and more scholars couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Spain and Portugal are powerful countries in Europe. Even the most ignorant scholars have heard of them. They never thought that the high and mighty Minister of Personnel could be so ignorant.

But after the joy, the hearts of this group of people gradually fell to the bottom.

No one knows who the chief examiner of the Spring Imperial Examination will eventually choose. If Lord Xu is chosen, then they will be in trouble. After all, which scholar these days has not read a few Western books and learned some Western knowledge?

If Lord Xu finds any loopholes in the words and sentences in my essay and banishes me from the exam, I will be so miserable that I will have no tears to cry.

"Xiangcheng should attack the capital quickly, so that the emperor can change the chief examiner." A scholar with thick eyebrows whispered.

However, the words spoken in a low voice were still heard by others.

"The Emperor is in the Forbidden City. If you don't want to, you can just write a petition to request a replacement. Why bother begging Geng Tingchen to do the job of that traitor?"

The scholar who refuted him naturally knew who the emperor the scholar with thick eyebrows was talking about, so he pretended to be ignorant.

Unexpectedly, the scholar with thick eyebrows refused to give in. He stood up, pointed at the person who had refuted him, and said, "You all only know how to read rote articles. I'm afraid you're hoping that Lord Xu will be the chief examiner. You're really a piece of rotten wood that can't be carved!"

"I am a rough jade from the mountains, my name comes from me without any need for carving!"

The scholar with thick eyebrows spat in disdain: "You still call yourself a rough jade from the mountains? I think you are just an idiot who has no idea how to govern the country and benefit the people, and you are full of nonsense.

Do you know how much a spindle of cotton yarn costs today, how many pounds of cotton cost per ounce, and how many days it took to make this cotton coat you're wearing?!"

"Scholars like us only need to learn the knowledge of the sages. Why should we care about the business of ordinary people? Scriptures and articles are the right path!" The person being accused became a little anxious and quoted the wise sayings of Confucianists from the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.

"The Great Way? Are the articles on the Great Way of Thought of Thought of any use to China today? Can you use the Four Books and Five Classics to resist the cannons of foreigners?" the scholar with thick eyebrows retorted.

The accused scholar was completely furious and pointed at the scholar with thick eyebrows: "Zhang Jian, if you continue to spread rumors advocating Western learning, I will report to the Shuntian Prefecture Education Commissioner and have you disqualified from participating in this imperial examination!"

"Fuck it, I've had enough of your bunch of bullshit writing and learning.

You can report to the education commissioner that Yuan Shikai's army is now attacking Shengjing. Can the imperial examination still be held this year?

Do you really want to wear the imperial hat?" A bespectacled scholar beside Zhang Jian stood up and cursed.

The accused scholar, shaking his hands, said to the bespectacled scholar, "Very well, and you, Zhang Taiyan, too, I will report your name to the academician and have you stripped of your honors and sent back to your native land!"

Zhang Taiyan was in a rage and slammed the table, refusing to budge:

"Damn it, let's get rid of it!

If my reputation cannot be changed, I am your father!"

After being scolded by two people in succession, the accused scholar was a little overwhelmed, but then he pulled out two newspapers from his arms.

Everyone glanced at the first newspaper and saw the headline on the front page bearing the words "Rebels Rift in Seoul!"

"No, not this one!"

The besieged scholar quickly folded the letter and put it in his arms.

He immediately took out the second chapter of the newspaper, on the front page of which was printed "Rebels Capture Shengjing!"

However, he quickly turned to the next page and found a row of small characters in the lower left corner. He pointed at the small characters and showed them to everyone:

"Look, come and take a look!

It's clearly written in the Shuntian Times: the Eight Banners soldiers from outside the Great Wall will soon besiege Shengjing. Add to that the Mongolian nobles rushing in from the grasslands. Even though Yuan Ni has captured Shengjing, he's doomed!

Not many of the candidates present knew much about military affairs. When they saw the man in front of them confidently claiming that tens of thousands of Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners troops were besieging Shengjing City, they couldn't help but start to worry about Yuan Shikai.

Zhang Taiyan, however, had a bad temper. Seeing the man's smug face, he rolled up his sleeves and was ready to take action.

He picked up a stool and swung it at the scholar in front of him.

However, the opponent was quite agile. He dodged it with a flash and grabbed the tea bowl on the table and threw it at Zhang Taiyan.

For a moment, the small building was in chaos, with tea leaves and hot water flying everywhere.

"New news, new news! The latest newspaper from Shuntian Times!" A man ran in from the door and was stunned when he saw the situation inside the house.

But he reacted immediately, took out a newspaper and waved it, which stopped the chaos.

After everyone stopped, he spread out the newspaper and let everyone take a closer look.

I saw a few big words printed on the right side of the newspaper: "Yuan Xiangcheng occupied Jinzhou Prefecture!"

There was also a line of small text at the end: "This person sent a telegram claiming that the Queen Mother colluded with the Russians and betrayed the country. This is unacceptable!"

Chapter 134 The Queen Mother

"Why did you send the message without authorization?!!!"

Inside the Tongwenguan in Beijing, the administrative minister, Sun Jianai, took the latest issue of Shuntian Times and threw it in the faces of a group of Tongwenguan staff.

"Don't you know what the imperial court's purpose is in sponsoring the Shuntian Times?"

Sun Jianai asked several questions, but the young clerks in front of him still kept their heads down and remained silent. Seeing this, he could only sigh helplessly.

The admission requirements for the Tongwenguan in the capital were quite strict. Common scholars had to first have a good reputation before they could enter the academy. Being a scholar was just the basic requirement. After selecting the best from the best, only those who had to be juren or gongsheng could enter the academy.

If an official wants to enter the museum, there are requirements for rank, place of origin and age. First, he must be below the fifth rank, secondly, he must be under 30 years old, and he cannot be a registered resident of the capital.

In other words, the staff in Tongwenguan were all elites from various provinces, and they were not very old.

“It would be fine if the Shuntian Times published the war situation, but why did they include Yuan Shikai’s telegram?

Don't say you don't know the seriousness of the matter. Such outrageous and rebellious words have always been submitted only through memorials. When will the people know about it?"

Sun Jianai took the latest issue and read to the crowd:

"From the reign of Emperor Guangxu onwards, the nation gradually prospered. Westernization was carried out, artillery batteries were built, and warships were purchased. China's national strength was growing rapidly, and the glory of the Celestial Empire was just around the corner.

The ruler of a country should open up trade, encourage agriculture, encourage industry, develop mining and railways, make full use of the 200 million acres of fertile land and 400 million beautiful people, train a million soldiers, build a hundred ships, and enhance the prestige of our country.

However, our Chinese soldiers sacrificed their lives in the south and shed their blood in the north, but our vassal state Ryukyu was annexed by Japan. We were defeated in the Sino-French War even though we were not prepared to lose. The overlord of Annan gave up the throne even though he did not want to. Taiwan and Xiamen were ceded in lieu of lease. Who is to blame for all these disasters over the past decade or so?

^Looking at the court, everyone is now secretly ordering the General of Jilin to contact the Russians, hoping to use the Eastern Province as a reward to lure the Russians into the country to cause chaos.

J truly measured China's material resources and won the hearts of foreigners.

In ancient times, there was the son-Emperor Shi Jingtang, and now there is the daughter-Empress Dowager Yehenara.

uAfter reading this, Lu Zhengxiang, who had just transferred to the Tongwenguan in Beijing last year, didn't want to listen anymore. Although he was only 20 years old now, he already had some of the backbone that refused to sign the Paris Peace Conference in the original time and space.

He interrupted, "Lord Sun, if Yuan Shikai had suffered a setback in Shengjing, then there would be other explanations, but now he has his troops heading towards Shanhaiguan. How many more days can the Queen Mother stay in the Forbidden City?"

Sun Jianai glared at Lu Zhengxiang and scolded him, "I think you've been in the Shanghai Guangyan Academy for too long and don't know the rules anymore!"

"The situation is that Yuan Shikai's army is about to march south, and the situation in the capital is extremely precarious."

"You are stupid. No matter how badly the imperial army is defeated, the empress dowager still has the final say in the capital. How many brains do you have to write this kind of article now?" Sun Jianai looked as if he was disappointed in his son.

Not all the ministers who remained in the capital were completely in agreement with Cixi. Sun Jianai had been the minister in charge of the Tongwenguan in Beijing for nearly five years, and he knew that reforms were beneficial to the country.

However, he felt in his heart that Yuan Shikai's act of raising an army at the slightest disagreement was too militaristic.

But he also recognized the prospects of reform from the bottom of his heart, so during his days in the capital, on the one hand, he went to the yamen to report for duty every day, and on the other hand, he wanted to leave some talents for the future country.

If you have to say it, he treated Cixi with a similar attitude to Ye Mingchen.

Do not support, do not oppose, do not cooperate, do not abandon.

But he didn't expect that these "talents" would cause such trouble. He was really confused.

"Forget it, forget it. You should pack up and escape quickly. If it's too late, I'm afraid the Nine Gates Admiral will come to arrest you." Sun Jianai waved his hand and said listlessly.

...

"Empress Dowager Yehenara, haha, Yuan Shikai is indeed a young man, there are always new things in his mind." Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Liangjiang, smiled as he looked at the telegram in his hand.

"If this is true, it is quite fitting," said Liu Kunyi, who is also a leader of the Hunan Army and is now in retirement.

Zeng Guoquan was a bit of a spectator: "But what he said offended the Russians. Now Yuan Shikai is still quite powerful in Liaodong, but that's because the Shengjing Eight Banners are vulnerable.

If the Russians do get involved, how will he deal with it?"

Zeng Guoquan picked up the list of weapons on the table and said, "The foreigners have given us so many huge ships and cannons to choose from, which means they have more of their own.

The British said that their Far East Squadron could completely destroy our Jiangnan Navy and the South China Sea Navy led by Li Shaoquan and Li Hongzhang. How weak could Russia be to compete with Britain?

Yuan Xiangcheng is no longer a central government official, so naturally, he has no qualms about speaking from a distance. If he were in that position, I'm afraid he wouldn't necessarily do any better than others."

The next day, Liu Kunyi took a few newspapers and advised, "Yuanfu, do not underestimate Yuan Xiangcheng. On the surface, his telegram is blaming the Queen Mother, but in fact, it is revealing his true intentions to the scholars of the world.