On the 19th day of the 4th month, dark clouds covered the sky and a torrential rain poured down.
It had been a long time since the capital had such a heavy rain. Therefore, the rain that fell made people feel a little uncomfortable.
Liu Hao took a deep breath. He knew that he was going to meet Qianlong today. This old man was the emperor who had the most gossip.
Although it was raining heavily today, the court examinations weren't held in the open, so it wasn't a hindrance.
Liu Hao woke up early in the morning, but all he saw was lightning and thunder.
"Young Master, today's college entrance examination is all up to you. Our family is going to have a top scorer in the future!”While Liu Hao was still stretching his muscles and bones, he heard the humble smile of his servant Sun He.
"It's difficult!" Liu Hao took a deep breath.
Although during this period of time, Heshen had been taking care of him, marking his questions and even solving them for him personally, Liu Hao also understood that the final decision was not in Heshen's hands but Qianlong's.
He Shen could accurately grasp Qianlong's temperament and likes, but there was still a huge difference when he actually wielded the knife.
It was raining heavily!
Just as Liu Hao was about to leave, he saw that Liu Quan had already arrived.
Liu Quan was still driving a carriage." Liu Hao, you have entered the palace for the court examinations today. He had already prepared a carriage for you. You have just arrived in the capital and are unfamiliar with the place. He has instructed you not to lose face when you enter the palace to meet the emperor!”
"He Daren is thoughtful!" Liu Hao smiled and bowed slightly."Thank you, Uncle!"
Although it was a storm, the carriage was relatively warm. There was even a heater in the carriage.
They entered the Forbidden City!
What he saw was a storm, and the figures of drenched chickens under the lightning and thunder. These were all tribute students of the Jinshi Division, and they were about to show their talents in front of Qianlong.
Those who succeeded would soar into the sky!
Although the torrential rain, coupled with the cold wind and the cold rain made them shiver, it did not stop their enthusiasm.
Seeing this scene, Liu Hao's expression did not show any unnecessary emotional changes.
At the Meridian Gate, there were already quite a number of examinees waiting. However, there were no eunuchs to announce the decree, so many honest examinees could only wear straw raincoats and wait outside in the rain. Liu Hao lifted the curtain and wanted to get out of the car.
However, Liu Quan stopped him. He narrowed his eyes and sized him up for a moment."Hao 'Er, you stay in the car. There are no rules in our country that forbid you from taking a car at the Meridian Gate. Besides, these examinees don't understand, so you don't have to come out!。”
Liu Hao was slightly stunned. After thinking about it, it made sense. After all, it was the first time for those examinees to come to the Forbidden City. They did not dare to sit in the sedan chair because they were afraid of violating the rules. Although the Qing Dynasty said that there were many rules, it was normal to enter and exit the Meridian Gate by car. He Shen must have known the rules here.
Since He Shen had already made the arrangements, Liu Hao naturally wouldn't say any more nonsense.
Quite a few examinees couldn't help but frown when they saw Liu Hao disembark from the carriage."Who is this?"
"This person's name is Liu Hao. It's said that he took the exam today and is Heshen's student!”
"He Shen's disciple, hmph!" A disdainful voice was emitted from this person's nose. Clearly, he was extremely disdainful of Liu Hao.
Although He Shen had power in the court, he was still not mature enough. He had only been promoted for a year or two and did not have his own followers.
Otherwise, He Shen would not have tried his best to win Liu Hao over, even personally marking the questions for Liu Hao, reviewing them, and helping Liu Hao understand Qianlong's thoughts. In the end, He Shen was only about thirty years old and had no connections in the court. He needed to cultivate his own henchmen.
Qianlong hated factional strife the most in his life. He suppressed Ertai and Zhang Tingyu. Unfortunately, in his later years, he still cultivated the He Party.
Of course, Qianlong still had his methods. The strength to suppress the He Party was not that strong.
It also allowed Jiaqing to easily deal with Heshen.
Thus, he waited in the carriage for a moment. Finally, a eunuch rushed over in the rain. When he reached the doorway, he held an imperial order in his hand and shouted,"Please enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony today. It's raining heavily today. His Majesty can't bear for the tribute students to enter the palace in the rain.”
These tribute students had long been drenched. When they heard the edict, they were instantly filled with gratitude and said,"Your Majesty is wise."
Then, they returned to their carriages one by one.
Liu Hao wanted to laugh in his heart. It was not a wise move, but a small trick to win over the hearts of the people. It was to express the emperor's love for talent, and all of you were so grateful that tears welled up in your eyes.
Qianlong, that dog thief, almost ruined Chinese civilization. He launched a literary inquisition, controlled people's thoughts, and cut off trade. In his later years, he opened the door to corruption, which was also the beginning of the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
It was only during the late Qianlong period that he was not as excited as he was during his middle age. Otherwise, even if he had the system, the only thing Liu Hao could do was live a low life.
At this moment, Liu Hao's carriage had already entered the doorway. However, Liu Quan was not allowed to enter the palace. There was a eunuch inside who took over his task and drove Liu Hao's carriage to Taihe Palace.
Many of the examinees were nervous and apprehensive, but Liu Hao was still in good spirits. He was even admiring the Forbidden City in the rain.
It was not his first time here. In his previous life, he had also strolled around the Forbidden City. At this moment, the Forbidden City was spotless in the rain, and the mist in the air rose into the air.
It was like a paradise on earth.
However, Liu Hao did not feel much.
This kind of scene was a small matter. In his previous life, Liu Hao also liked to travel around and was already used to it. The other examinees did not think so either.
In their lifetime, how many people would be able to enter the Forbidden City after passing the court examinations?
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the eight examiners had been waiting for a long time. Qianlong had yet to appear, so the examiners stood behind the files. There were already hundreds of files in the hall, with brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and brewed tea. Dozens of eunuchs stood around them with bated breath.
Liu Hao was already very familiar with the rules of this era. He took the lead and bowed to the examiners."Student Liu Hao greets you all.”
The eight examiners nodded with a serious and cold expression on their faces. Even though they had accepted his salute, they did not speak to him. Instead, a eunuch at the side said in a clear voice,"Tribute student Liu Hao, given the first seat in the first row.”
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