The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 225 Xu Xuan’s road to public examination

On the day stipulated in the recruitment notice, Xu Xuan got up early and specially asked the Dishe clerk to bring hot water. After taking a shower, he put on a brand new round-neck robe and even his turban was specially changed to a piece of silk.

I straightened my appearance in front of the mirror for a long time, making sure that there was no flaw in my appearance. Then I calmly packed up a detailed description of my personal information, euphemistically called it: resume.

Knowing that Xu Xuan was going to apply for the mayor's job, Hu Guangyue specially arranged a carriage for him and assigned a clerk as a full-time driver to be responsible for transporting Mr. Xu around in the near future.

Mr. Xu, the most popular person in Shenghe Dishe, is going to participate in the election of mayor, causing quite a stir within Dishe.

Early in the morning, when Xu Xuan went out, Hu Guangyue and a group of waiters, Li Congjia, the head chef of the back kitchen, other cooks and helpers, a total of 30 people, noisily ran out of the gate of the mansion to say goodbye.

"Mr. Xu must bring glory to our residence!"

"Mr. Xu will succeed immediately!"

"Mr. Xu is a great talent. If he writes well, he will definitely become the mayor!"

The clerks and aunties were making noises, causing passers-by to look sideways. Most of the people in the street were alarmed, and people from every house poked their heads out to watch the fun.

Xu Xuan's cheeks were slightly red, and he was a little embarrassed. He didn't expect such a big commotion.

"Thank you all! Xu will work hard and strive to live up to expectations!" Xu Xuan bowed three times in a row, eliciting a burst of jubilant applause from everyone.

Li Congjia, who was wearing a wide hemp coat and a round white hat, had a smile on his fleshy face, cupped his hands and said: "I wish you success all the way, and win the title of Toad Palace!"

Xu Xuan returned the gift and said in a low voice: "With the help of the little prince, Xu Xuan feels much more at ease."

The two smiled at each other and said nothing.

"Everyone, please go back, Xu is going!"

Xu Xuan bowed to everyone again and boarded the carriage. The driver shouted, the wheels of the carriage began to squeak and the carriage drove towards the county government.

Sitting in the carriage, Xu Xuan's originally peaceful state of mind turned into a trace of nervousness.

Everyone in the house was too enthusiastic, which added a lot of pressure to him.

It seemed that when he left, he carried the glory of the entire Shenghe Residence.

Xu Xuan looked at his sweat-soaked palms, shook his head and smiled bitterly.

This feeling of uneasiness was actually more nervous than when he first went to collect the papers for prosecution more than ten years ago.

"Think of it, even though there are many restrictions, there must be so many applicants that they can apply. I'm afraid there will be a battle between dragons and tigers at the inspection site."

Xu Xuan thought secretly.

The selection of the town mayor this time is not an imperial examination. Those who pass the examination can directly obtain an official position and be reused by the Jiedu government. It can be said that they can reach the sky in one step.

Obtaining an official status from a white body is, for ordinary people, an opportunity to light up the smoke of ancestral graves.

Anyone who basically meets the requirements will definitely squeeze in to take the exam.

Xu Xuan took a deep breath, trying to calm down the turbulent heart.

I think he is also a famous person in Jiangnan who is known as "Han Xu" along with Han Xizai. He has never seen any great storms or any amazing and brilliant geniuses.

How could a unique selection examination in Xiaojingzhou stump him?

Xu Xuan laughed at himself in his heart.

However, as soon as he developed this arrogant attitude and his straightforward nature, he immediately warned himself to be humble, cautious, and low-key.

The world is so vast that there are as many crouching tigers and hidden dragons as crucian carps crossing the river. He, Xu Xuan, is only a small talent, so how can he dare to look down on all the great men in the world?

Xu Xuan calmed down his mind, became solemn and upright, and silently recited the meditation mantra handed down by the abbot of Lingyin Temple in Qiantang to keep his heart calm and peaceful.

In front of the Anding County Government Office, 40 to [-] people had gathered.

Most of them were scribes wearing long robes, but there were also some merchants wearing silk and brocade, and there were also some warriors with swords hanging on them.

When Xu Xuan got off the carriage and took a look, he realized that it was just as he expected. If he wanted to win the election, he must first stand out among these competitors.

Xu Xuan took a deep breath, with high morale in his heart. After bidding farewell to the driver, he walked over with his head held high.

Many candidates gathered in small groups to discuss privately. Xu Xuan didn't know anyone, and no one knew him. He stood like a tall and tall lone pine among them.

At the beginning of Si Shi, around nine o'clock, the gate of the county government opened on time, and a team of officers in soap clothes came out with swords in hand and separated the two sides of the gate.

A green-robed official stood on the steps and loudly shouted: "All applicants should enter the front hall of the county government office and wait. The door will be closed after a quarter of an hour. Latecomers will not be allowed to re-enter."

Everyone lined up in three columns and entered the venue in an orderly manner.

A steward took them into the front hall, where they sat down wherever they wanted, and refreshments were provided.

Several clerks began to collect resumes from applicants. Once the resumes were submitted, it meant that they voluntarily participated in the selection.

"After receiving the resumes, please wait here for a moment. After a while, a dedicated person will compare them one by one according to the restrictions. Anyone who does not meet the requirements will be deemed to have been unsuccessful. The county government will give the unsuccessful candidates [-] yuan each. Money for travel expenses and gifts for you to leave!"

The green-robed official cleared his throat and emphasized the selection rules again.

Xu Xuan handed in his resume, found a place to sit down, looked around, and found that the applicants were all different.

There are elders in their fifties and sixties with white beards and hair, and there are energetic young people in their early twenties.

Some of them look like they are not serious businessmen at first glance. They wear scholar's robes and have jade around their waists, giving people a sense of humor.

There are also some who are uninhibited in their jokes and vulgar language, as if they are wandering around in the world, and they don't have the temperament of a scholar at all.

Xu Xuan secretly smiled bitterly. Although the method of openly selecting officials from the public was unique and quite heroic, with a meritocracy regardless of origin, the quality of the applicants was uneven. It was difficult to distinguish between good and bad, loyal and traitorous, and the selection was difficult. great.

The restrictions on naming names on the recruitment notice are too broad and confusing, and appear to be extremely arbitrary, which has led to many people deliberately trying to fish in troubled waters.

Xu Xuan smiled bitterly to himself, abandoned his distracting thoughts, closed his eyes and rested his mind.

Everyone sat down, chatted in small groups, drank tea and had snacks, and the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.

It's not like a highly competitive recruitment inspection, but more like a tea party.

Just a quarter of an hour later, the gate of the county government closed on time, and several panting applicants who came for the examination were blocked from the door. They shouted loudly in anxiety, even cried, and knelt down on the ground, begging for mercy to let them in.

The people sitting in the front hall craned their necks and looked around, only to see that the county government officials were not merciful at all and ordered the guards to drive away the latecomers.

Some people tried to break in out of desperation, but were beaten up by the guards and thrown into the street with their hands and feet raised.

The gate of the county government closed with a bang, and no one who arrived late was allowed to enter.

Some people were crying outside the gate, beating their chests and feeling remorseful.

Everyone in the front hall couldn't help but feel awe-struck and sat upright for a while.

Seeing the strict rules, everyone felt a lot more in awe.The green-robed official suddenly announced loudly: "The selection and inspection of the mayor of the Nong Reclamation District has officially begun!"

Everyone was shocked. Why did the inspection start before they had time to react?

A team of soap-clothed servants and a dozen low-level officials filed into the front hall. The green-robed clerk said loudly: "In this recruitment inspection, we received a total of 43 resumes from applicants, and there were actually 43 people! Now we will follow the prescribed conditions. , check the applicants one by one to see if they meet the requirements.

Anyone who does not meet the conditions will be declared unsuccessful on the spot and will be given travel expenses and gifts to leave without being allowed to stay!

The screening process has officially begun. Applicants must follow the arrangements and are not allowed to make loud noises or move around. If you need to go to the toilet, you can report it."

The green-robed official waved his hand, and a dozen low-level officials took soft rulers and began to measure the heights of the applicants one by one. The servants in soap clothes were responsible for maintaining order at the scene.

"Ding Youfu, five feet one, lost!"

"Yan Xi, five feet eight, was not selected!"

While everyone was still in a daze, they heard that a dozen applicants who did not meet the requirements because of their height were declared unsuccessful.

A messenger brought a tray to each person, and each person was given a small red cloth purse containing twenty coins. They were then sent out without knowing where they were.

"Wrong! Wrong!"

Ding Youfu, who had the honor to be the first to be announced as defeated, took the red envelope for travel expenses, walked out of the hall and suddenly turned back, shouting loudly, and his mood was extremely excited:
"I don't want travel expenses! I want to be an official! My height is five feet, four inches, three centimeters and six centimeters! I don't accept it! I want to be measured again!"

The green-robed officer frowned and winked at the Zaoyi officer. Two officers rushed forward and held Ding Youfu down.

"The troublemaker will be given a warning. If he offends again, he will have to pay tolls and be imprisoned for ten days for disrupting the county government!" the green-robed official scolded sternly.

Ding Youfu was frightened, and with a sad face, he knelt down and begged: "Please give me another chance."

The green-robed official shook his head and said, "The county government has stipulated this. How can a certain person make his own decisions? Take him away!"

Ding Youfu was carried by the officer's arm and sent out of the county government office.

Later, the unsuccessful candidates because their height did not meet the regulations, even though they were not angry, did not dare to cause trouble, so they collected the travel expenses and left the county government office.

After the first round of screening, there were only about thirty applicants left, the front hall was obviously partially empty, and the atmosphere could not help but become tense.

Seo Hyun's height fit perfectly and passed smoothly.

The second round of screening is to check whether the candidates can speak Jiangnan Mandarin, which is also the Jiangning dialect.

As a native of Wu County, Xu Xuan has lived in Jiangning and Yangzhou for many years, so it is natural for him to speak authentic Jiangnan Mandarin with ease.

In this round of inspection, more than a dozen people were screened out.

There were people with bad Jianghuai accents trying to get through. Xu Xuan couldn't help but laugh while listening.

I thought that the officials in Jingzhou County would have difficulty distinguishing the accents of Jianghuai and Jiangnan. Unexpectedly, the green-robed clerk frowned and listened carefully. He judged the authenticity within three sentences and immediately waved the officer away with a cold face.

The green-robed official could even talk to people in a relatively fluent Jiangnan Mandarin. Xu Xuan was surprised. He didn't expect that there were actually people from Jiangnan working in the government in distant Jingzhou.

The next step is to examine the number of signed articles published by the candidates in Jingzhou lifestyle tabloids.

This time, more than [-] people were screened out. Including Xu Xuan, only the last five people were qualified to stay.

A few men who believed in their own strength shouted unconvinced. They took signed articles they bought from unknown sources and shouted that they were going to see the county magistrate to seek justice.

After being warned once, he still refused to listen. The Qingpao officer decisively ordered that the toll be collected and he was arrested and imprisoned.

Several men refused to leave or pay back their travel expenses. They started fighting with the policemen in the open courtyard and were all captured.

In this case, their crime will be very serious, and they may be taken to the reconstruction site to dig out rocks for a month.

There were only five people left in the empty front hall. The green-robed clerk raised his hands and said with a smile, "Congratulations to all of you for being shortlisted for the final round of selection."

Xu Xuan and the other four looked at each other and bowed with a forced smile.

The green-robed official carefully looked at the figures and appearances of the five people. He had some calculations in his mind and said with a smile: "Okay, this Mr. Xu Maocai has successfully stood out. He can enter the government office, meet with the county magistrate, and be interviewed by the county magistrate himself."

Xu Xuan was stunned, and the other four were even more shocked.

Why did this last round of selection end inexplicably?
The green-robed official said unhurriedly: "Don't be surprised, everyone, this last round is to compare your appearance and demeanor, and the winner is Mr. Xu Maocai."

A young man in his 20s looked at Xu Xuan and said unconvinced: "How come the four of us can't compare to him?"

The green-robed official smiled and said, "Please examine each other. In terms of your elegant and peaceful appearance, regular facial features, transcendent temperament, and the demeanor of a famous scholar, can you be as good as Mr. Xu?"

Xu Xuan's face turned red with embarrassment, he bowed repeatedly, lowered his head and felt deeply embarrassed.

He knew that he was handsome and well-known, and when he was walking among the various Goulang tiles in Jiangning City, bold ladies would often run up to tease him, and even openly tease him, trying to drag him into the red building and have a fight Candid and in-depth communication.

In his understanding, the selection of officials was more formal and rigorous than the imperial examination. It was hard to accept that the appearance was put on the table for comparison.

Xu Xuan felt as if he had been stripped naked at this moment and displayed for others to appreciate and then comment on.
The four of them looked at each other and then at Xu Xuan, all of them became indignant.

"My parents gave birth to me with this appearance. What can I do?"

"Oh~ I didn't expect that I would lose in terms of appearance. It's hateful! It's hateful!"

"So, when looking for a wife, you must find a beautiful one, otherwise your children and grandchildren will suffer a big loss in the future!"

The four people sighed and felt extremely regretful. They managed to persevere until the last round, but they were defeated because of their poor appearance.

The green-robed officials clapped their hands, and a junior official brought a gift: "The final losers will each receive fifty cents for travel expenses. Thank you for your hard work, everyone!"

Hearing that there was fifty cents to take, the faces of the four of them looked quite good, and they couldn't say anything more immediately, so they took the money and left.

Xu Xuan was the only one left in the front hall.

"Mr. Xu, please!" The green-robed official smiled and extended his hand to invite.

Xu Xuan was still a little confused and didn't react until he said it the second time.

"Dare to ask, what should I do next?" Xu Xuan felt a little unreal. He just eliminated 42 people and stood out?

The official in green robe said with a smile: "Mr. Xu overcame difficulties and obstacles, went through untold hardships, and won the victory from the fierce competition. The last hurdle is naturally to visit the county lord!

As long as he passes the interview with the county magistrate, Mr. Xu can successfully become a candidate for mayor of the Nong Reclamation District, the only one! "

The official in green robe stretched out a finger for emphasis.

Xu Xuan was stunned for a long time, then asked cautiously: "The county lord is here in person, so this interview must be quite difficult?"

The green-robed official said solemnly: "That's natural! The agricultural reclamation area is related to the development of Jingzhou and is highly valued by the Jiedu government. The position of mayor is newly created. Of course, if you want to successfully take office, you must go through many tests! Mr. Xu must Be mentally prepared!"

Xu Xuan took a deep breath, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for telling me! Please!"

(End of this chapter)