In fact, the easiest way to understand the problem of the ancient palace examination is to treat it as an argumentative essay.

First, analyze the truth that the questioner wants to express, and then express his own opinions. In the writing process, you must have clear views, sufficient arguments, reasonable arguments, and convincing.

Another important point is that your article is written for the emperor. Don’t show off and give advice on the country or discuss the government. Like a naughty young man, you think that the whole world is the most sober, and you can turn the tide and offer good strategies to govern the country.

If you really want to write like this, what you get is definitely not the emperor's slap in his thigh, and the top scholar will be selected to be the one who is loyal to you.

It is likely that the documentary was treated as a sand currency by the official, which is a model of empty talk and ruining the country. It was directly swept and was not even qualified to be seen by the emperor.

Chen Yichen had rich experience in the national examination "essay" in his previous life. When facing this kind of strategy, the first thing he wanted to do was to analyze the thoughts of Emperor Yingzong of Ming and what kind of answers he wanted to get.

Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was the sixth emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The ones ahead of him were Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen, Ming Chengzong Zhu Di, Ming Renzong Zhu Gaochi, and Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji.

Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen didn't say anything. He finished his life in just a few days. He was once erased by Zhu Di in history books and skipped it directly.

Both of them, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Taizu and Zhu Di, can be called fierce men among the Ming emperors and role models for successors in later generations. Their ancestors achieved brilliant achievements in the exam questions, mainly talking about these two people.

Ming Renzong Zhu Gaochi and Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, these two are far inferior to the previous two in terms of historical popularity.

However, during their reign, they created a famous "Renxuan Governance" in the Ming Dynasty, known as one of the five major prosperous eras in all dynasties. It was ranked alongside the Wenjing Governance of the Han Dynasty, the Zhenguan Governance of the Tang Dynasty, etc., and was highly praised and praised by the civil servant group.

It can also be seen from the temple name after death that the word "Ren" was the highest criterion of moral norms in ancient times and the core concept of Confucianism.

In ancient classics, the word "Xuan" was called Xuan. It is generally an emperor who made a difference and made a prosperous dynasty to revive the dynasty and became a prosperous era. Only the emperors who were qualified to use this word as a temple name.

It can be said that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty before Zhu Qizhen, except for Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunwen, could all be considered as wise rulers above the passing line.

There is no harm without comparison, even if the emperor is the case. Zhu Qizhen's turn will definitely be under great pressure. If he doesn't do well, he will be taken out to compare the late emperor. Under this mental state, he is forced to make some political achievements to prove himself.

In a sense, the mentality of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty coincided with Wang Zhen’s idea of ​​making achievements. Therefore, this pair of slept with dragons and phoenixes created a shocking operation of the Mubao Incident, which took away the accumulation of the Ming Dynasty’s ancestors.

Since you understand Zhu Qizhen’s thoughts, then there is a direction to answer this problem.

My advice: I heard that when I try to govern, I should not be anxious to use the virtuous, and when I use the virtuous, I should not be the basis for self-cultivation. Without self-cultivation, I cannot be the basis for obtaining people, and without using the virtuous, I cannot be the key to seeking governance.

Although the countermeasures do not require the first sentence to solve the question like the eight-legged essay, it is best not to be confused about the beginning, so that the reader can illuminate the eyes and understand what the candidate wants to express.

The meaning Chen Yichen wanted to express was translated, that is, nothing is more important than appointing talents, and the basis for appointing talents lies in the fact that the king first cultivates himself.

If a monarch does not cultivate himself well, he will have no conditions to choose talents at all. He will not appoint talents and will not be able to use them as the key to seeking great governance.

Chen Yichen's opening paragraph seems to be not very intense, and it has a bit of a polite voice.

In fact, it is stable and contains the way of university, which is the Confucian Hadith of cultivating oneself, managing the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world!

Whether it is a king or a subject, if you want to achieve great things, you must first start with your own cultivation. If your butt is crooked, you will never be able to do anything right afterwards, and the same is true for the family, country and the world.

The biggest problem of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty was that he was too hasty. He had a lot of time at a young age and could slowly attack the northern Mongolian and southern chieftains, but he always wanted to beat the other party to death.

In fact, it is not wrong to have this idea. After all, Yu Lin of the Fifth World of the Ming Dynasty, his national strength is at its peak. If it is properly operated, there will be a chance to get it done.

However, Zhu Qizhen insisted on fighting on three sides, and even gave the Ming soldiers a breathing time. Tumu Fort was going to fight the Mongolian Wasati tribe, and it took a few days to decide to personally fight the army, and even the weapons were temporarily distributed.

In later generations, even elementary school students knew that before the troops moved, food and grass would come first, so you should not be so anxious. In this case, even if you are not defeated and collapsed, there will inevitably be problems with the logistics of the army as time goes by.

Chen Yichen knew the direction of history, so he used this opening, hoping that Emperor Yingzong of Ming Dynasty could read it, improve himself and appoint talents to avoid the emergence of decline in the Ming Dynasty.

However, even if you can't read it, this opening chapter that contains "cultivating integrity and governing peace" is still invincible. No Confucian official dares to say that the way of university is wrong.

After writing the first paragraph, Chen Yichen selected "Politics for others, and taking advantage of others" from "The Doctrine of the Mean" as a supplement to his subsequent Confucian classics to avoid being too thin.

The reason why the ancient imperial examinations were criticized in later generations was not only because of the fixed content and rigid format, but also because they remained true to their roots in every change.

Even if you break away from the eight-legged essay, Confucian classics are still an indispensable part. Even if candidates want to prove their ideas, they can only give examples of Confucian sages, and nothing else is convincing enough.

After writing these, the middle paragraph is just a piece of content that flatters the emperor. What is the cleverness and wisdom of His Majesty, the sacred civil and military, the hearts of two emperors and three kings, the rule of ancestors and the sages, etc.

Anyway, try to fill in a few new ways of praising you can think of.

The reason is that your identity is a disciple of the emperor, not an imperial teacher, so don’t turn your position upside down. When you give advice on national policies to the emperor in the palace examination, you should pay attention to the word "tlemn" in the words. After you have mentioned it, you must understand your identity as a minister.

The emperor is wise and powerful, and has great talent. The so-called strategy is just a test of the ability of his subjects. He does not need a mere tribute to take guidance.

The emperor doesn't want to be faced?

Therefore, the passage of praise for the praise of merit is essential, and it can be regarded as a candidate paying for his previous guidance, otherwise he will be a little ignorant of the world.

Chen Yichen's rapid answers made such a scene appear in Fengtian Palace. While many candidates were still thinking hard, the papers were already dense, and they felt that they were about to hand in the paper.

"Sir, Xinke Huiyuan seems to be knowledgeable and has a deep foundation."

Although Zhu Qizhen, who was on the dragon throne, could not see the specific content written by Chen Yichen, the text that was about to be full of in the answer sheet could still be vaguely seen.

Compared with other candidates, Chen Yichen has been calm and extraordinary since entering the hall. The subsequent answers were even more convincing, without any hesitation, and he seemed confident.

If you can reach the palace examination, you will definitely have no problem with basic knowledge, and there is no possibility of writing randomly.

In previous palace examinations, this situation was either a crazy person who was happy and expressed his feelings without hesitation. Anyway, he thought that he had the ability to "written and shock the wind and rain, and poems made him cry", so he was waiting for the emperor to recognize talents with a keen eye.

Either you are truly talented and can show so easily this exam.

Chen Yichen is now in the five leaders, and he is only one last step away from the Sanyuan to the next grade. This kind of imperial examination achievement is obviously impossible to be a mediocre talent and a self-stimulating student, so there is only a second possibility.

The real Wen Kui came to the world and controlled the whole audience!

"Your Majesty's eyes are like a torch, and Chen Huiyuan is indeed extraordinary."

"Oh, sir, think so?"

Wang Zhen agrees with his own ideas, nothing is strange about this. After all, who dares to object to the emperor’s words?

But Wang Zhen also praised Chen Yichen, which surprised Zhu Qizhen.

You should know that Wang Zhen rarely expresses his opinions publicly in previous palace examinations, and will not praise a candidate for bluntly.

Chen Yichen is really worthy of being able to get a "superbian" evaluation.

Hearing the emperor's rebellious question, Wang Zhen smiled, and then bowed and replied: "I have read Chen Huiyuan's poems and articles, and I am indeed very talented. Now I see the flowing answers to the test questions in his palace. I think I am very sure that I can write like a god."

"What the sir said makes me more curious about what Chen Yichen wrote."

The whispers between Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qizhen, and Wang Zhen, were not conspicuous in the wide Fengtian Hall, let alone the candidates heard it.

If Chen Yichen heard this conversation, he would probably be shocked and dropped his chin. He refused Wang Zhen's recruitment. He also said a few good words to him in front of the emperor. When will this eunuch who is said to be vindictive to retaliate from the evil?

In fact, it was not that Wang Zhen had changed his evil spirits, but that after talking at Wangshan’s mansion that day, he went back and turned around the apricot list and found that recruiting other new tributes was probably better than Chen Yichen!

The reason is nothing special. Most of the top 18 new Kogongs who have the opportunity to attack the top scholar in the palace are closely related to the important Chinese officials of the court, so it is absolutely impossible for them to join the eunuch party.

Wang Zhen didn't have time to figure out the abilities and backgrounds of those who came from poor families and had innocent backgrounds.

Is there any use to attracting someone who holds your thighs? Do you lack such a person?

And more importantly, at this time, many nerd literati have not experienced the beating education in the officialdom, and have become more stubborn in reading sages.

It is even more difficult to recruit such a person as Wang Zhen. He wants to maintain his literary character and even claims to be incompatible with him.

After choosing, Wang Zhen suddenly felt that Chen Yichen was still in line with his appetite.

Talented but not pedantic, young but not naive, young and old know how to protect yourself when you are young and old. Many old-fashioned officials cannot do this.

And the kid Chen Yichen also made it clear that he would not be an enemy of him, nor was he from the civil service group, which made Wang Zhen very satisfied.

Instead of watching the "enemy" support one's own people, it is better to support a neutral third party, at least not looking at the monks and Buddha's faces. Behind Chen Yichen is Zhu Yong, the Duke of Cheng Guo.

The Xunqi Group was born as a military general, but he could not pee in the same pot as the civil servants, so he could become an ally.

After all, if I want to make achievements in history, I cannot do without the support of these honors and military generals. After thinking about it, there is no other better candidate. Chen Yichen is still just a matter of use, so it is cheaper for this kid.

Standing under the dragon chaise, the Minister of Revenue, Naihem, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, vaguely heard the conversation between Wang Zhen and Zhu Qizhen.

Naiheng is a hardcore member of the eunuch party. He held Wang Zhen's thighs all the way. As the saying goes, if you have something to do, you will be even more important. Since Weng's father is so optimistic about Chen Yichen, it must be a sign of recruitment. Why don't you add more money to win personal favors?

Thinking of this, Naihem felt warm inside. Why didn’t he realize that the new Kogongshi who was optimistic about by Weng’s father was Chen Yichen?

If I had known this, I would have made friends with him. After all, Hui Yuanlang, who is only eighteen years old, has an unlimited future.

But then again, how to make this fire?

Naiheng glanced at the court and saw Yang Pu, the chief minister of the cabinet who was also a document reading officer, and Xu Xi, the Minister of War.

In order to improve the fairness of the imperial examination and balance the rights of the officials to read the paper, the Ming Dynasty expanded the number of officials to read the paper to as many as seventeen.

With so many people, it is impossible for each of them to choose the top scorer they like. In the end, they have to rank a high or low position, and the highest or lower position.

It is obvious that this sorting standard is naturally dominated by power, and the cabinet and the chief officials of the six ministries account for a large proportion.

Xu Xi, the Minister of War, was good at flattering and was also a member of the eunuch party. He was promoted to the position of Shangshu by Wang Zhen. If he wanted to support Chen Yichen ascend to the throne, he was an indispensable help from his fellow party members.

But relying on the two of you alone is a little too obvious, and it is easy to arouse opposition from the civil service group headed by the cabinet, so you have to find someone to balance it.

This balanced person, Naiheng chose Yang Pu, the chief minister of the cabinet, as the last cabinet minister among the "Three Yangs". No matter Yang Pu's status and fame and honor, there are not many civil and military officials in the court who can compare with him.

If he stands up and recognizes Chen Yichen, then the title of top scorer is a foregone conclusion.

But the question arises again. How can Yang Pu support Chen Yichen?

This is the chief minister of the cabinet and the leader of the civil service group. It is no different from daydreaming to make him favor the eunuch party. Moreover, Yang Pu read a lot of books and his knowledge is very terrifying. It is not easy to gain his appreciation and recognition.

Is Chen Yichen really good at talking with the emperor? Or is it that Chen Yichen really has this ability or that he boasted forcibly?

Just when Naiheng felt helpless, he saw Yang Pu moving himself and began to inspect the examination room among the candidates, and finally stopped next to Chen Yichen's desk.

In his early years, Yang Pu served as the crown prince to wash his horse and served the crown prince Zhu Gaochi, who later became Emperor Renzong of Ming.
To be continued...