Start to be a martial arts hero from the famous people of Hengshan

Chapter 450: Imperial College Examination

Dayan Khan finally woke up. He lay on the bed, looked at Alchubolot who was taking care of him and asked, "How long have I slept?"

"In reply to my father, you have slept for three hours." Alchubolot quickly helped Dayan Khan up. His expression was obviously relaxed and there was joy in his words.

"Three hours." Dayan Khan was silent for a long time before he asked, "How many people know about this?"

"Not many, just me and the doctor," replied Alchuborot.

"You did a great job." Dayan Khan looked at Alchuborot and praised him with a smile.

Afterwards, Dayan Khan rested for a day before he put on his clothes with the help of his maid and had someone put on makeup so that people would not see his illness. Then he summoned the Ming envoy.

After a friendly greeting between the two sides, Dayan Khan stated his request, saying that he could sign the agreement but some changes needed to be made.

"Ten million taels of silver, it is impossible for Mongolia to take it out all at once."

"In addition, the agreement strictly prohibits the Mongols from crossing the nine borders." Dayan Khan was silent for a moment, holding back a cough, and then continued: "It is true that natural disasters on the grassland are common. If they were not unable to survive, who would be willing to ride a horse and charge under a hail of arrows? In the final analysis, it is just for a bite of food."

Liu Rui said calmly: "Please explain clearly, Khan."

"Ten million taels, to be repaid in ten years." Dayan Khan said slowly, "In addition, I hope the court can open the horse market so that people like us on the grassland can also have a place to trade food and survive."

"Please wait for a few days, Khan. I will give you a reply after I report to the court." Liu Rui bowed towards the east and said calmly.

"Then I'll trouble you, Your Excellency." Dayan Khan nodded with a smile.

On that day, Liu Rui released the carrier pigeon and then waited for a reply from the capital in Tumochuan.

While waiting, Liu Duan and Cao Yu strolled around Tumochuan and observed the daily life of the Mongols.

Ten days later, the imperial pigeon flew back. Liu Duan opened the letter and saw that the cabinet had discussed and wrote to His Majesty, agreeing to Dayan Khan's request. However, the annual repayment was increased from one million taels to one million and twenty thousand taels, and the extra two million taels were interest.

Liu Duan looked a little strange after reading it. What should he say about the cabinet?

There is a feeling of a sudden change in style.

After Cao Yu saw it, he said leisurely: "Why do I feel that this style is a bit like Lord Ou?"

Liu Duan had been away from the capital for a long time and was not familiar with Ou Zanghua's working style, so he asked, "Why do you say that?"

Cao Yu looked embarrassed, thinking about how he had been getting along well with Liu Duan these days and how he had taught him a lot. Ou Zanghua was not a petty person, so he smiled and said, "Lord Ou always acts with a sense of 'preparing for a rainy day and making efforts even when there is nothing to do'. It is this unique style of action that has made the Honglu Temple more prosperous and wealthy."

"I see." Liu Duan showed a smile on his face and secretly rejoiced in his heart. It seemed that this young boss was quite approachable, which was undoubtedly a pleasant thing.

After that, the negotiations with Dayan Khan went smoothly and finally an agreement was signed in November. Liu Duan and Cao Yu dragged away materials worth 1.2 million taels of silver from Tumochuan and returned to Ming Dynasty in the wind and snow.

A group of Mongolian cavalry returned with them. In addition to escorting them, their mission was to go to Xuandewei to trade food so that the entire tribe could survive the cold winter.

The capital city in November does not have the tender green of spring, the warmth of summer, or the splendor of autumn, but it has a kind of hidden beauty hidden in the withered grass, the bleak woods, and the Imperial College compound.

One thousand questions, one hour, covering many aspects such as astronomy and geography, history and arithmetic, customs and calendar. Even the students of the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty scratched their heads when facing this kind of exam for the first time.

Ou Zanghua and Lu Duo sat at the top, with a cup of tea placed on the table between them. But Lu Duo had no mood to drink, he was also holding a test paper in his hand and reading:

What are the Seven Political Systems?

This is astronomy, which is not difficult. It is a common sense question, which is what Jingyu calls an easy-point question.

What is the difference between Huangzhong Palace and Dalu Palace?
Lu Duo was slightly stunned. He remembered that this was a question about music, but he didn't know much about it and had no impression of it.

Where does "Jiangnan Yuzhang Changsha" in "Records of the Grand Historian" refer to now?

Refers to the areas of Huguang and Jiangxi.

Lu Duo quickly came up with the answer in his mind, but then he hesitated. Was this question about history or geography?

The more Lao Lu examined this exam, the more interesting it became. It was very different from the traditional imperial examinations, and was more like a measure of the breadth of a person's knowledge rather than its depth. This was undoubtedly good news for those who only read the books of sages and lacked flexibility.

However, from the perspective of selecting talents, this examination method seems inappropriate.

Because whether it is a manager or a leader, their insights are important, but they can only serve as auxiliary references. To truly achieve results in actual work, you need to be flexible and adaptable to the specific situation.

If you simply copy the book and apply it rigidly, not only will you fail to achieve the desired effect, but it may also backfire and produce negative effects.

He glanced at Ou Zanghua who was sitting calmly beside him, and thought that with his intelligence, he must have thought of this a long time ago!

An hour passed in a flash, and many students didn't even have time to look at the questions at the end before Mingzan of the Honglu Temple came forward to collect the test papers one by one. Faced with this sudden end, everyone could only sigh helplessly, and then gathered in groups of three or five to enthusiastically exchange their experiences and opinions with familiar friends and classmates.

Ou Zanghua bowed to Lu Duo and said with a smile: "In that case, I will leave first. The results will be announced in three days."

Lu Duo stood up, bowed in return, and said calmly: "I am waiting for the good news from the Spring Official."

Ou Zanghua waved his hand and led Mingzan of the Honglu Temple to leave the Imperial College in a carriage.

Among the one thousand questions, only five questions needed to be checked by Ou Zanghua personally, and the remaining nine hundred and ninety-seven questions were given to Mingzans to mark, so the workload was not too much.

Just when Ou Zanghua was marking the papers, several unexpected people came to the capital. Under Ren Yingying's arrangement, Linghu Chong, Lan Fenghuang and others went to Liaodong to investigate first.

When passing by the capital, Linghu Chong remembered that his junior sister had married Senior Brother Ou, but he didn't know how she was doing. He was worried and afraid that it would delay the things arranged by Ren Yingying, so he was hesitant for a while.

As a southerner, Lan Fenghuang couldn't stand the cold, not to mention the north in November, where there were gusts of freezing wind. She thought that Liaodong, which was further north, must be even colder, so she didn't want to run over there and suffer the cold at this time!
So when Lan Fenghuang saw Linghu Chong's behavior of not wanting to leave or stay in the capital, she guessed what he was thinking and immediately suggested that he stay in the capital for a while.

When Linghu Chong heard this, he was moved and said, "Thank you, sister!"

Lan Fenghuang waved her hand and urged, “You’re welcome, Mozi. Why don’t we find a restaurant and have a good drink in Beijing first!”

"Okay!"

Linghu Chong's eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at Zu Qianqiu beside him and asked, "Brother Zu, is there any good wine in the capital?"

"Of course there are." Zu Qianqiu smiled and said, "Follow me!"

(End of this chapter)