Chapter 9 Promising young man entered Hanlin

The characters and scenery in the capital are quite different from the local nature.When Li Hongzhang came to the capital, he lamented the bustling traffic and bustling shops in the capital, but what attracted him more was the many celebrities in the capital and the many students from all over the country who came to Beijing to apply for the exam. Soon after entering the capital, his father, who was a doctor in the Ministry of punishment in Beijing, ordered Li Hongzhang to visit Zeng Guofan.As mentioned earlier, his father was in the same year as the Wuxu Branch of the Zeng family.Because of this special relationship, Zeng Guofan became Li Hongzhang's teacher, which had a great influence on his lifelong development.Students from all provinces gathered in the capital, and they were very keen on the way of socializing and climbing.Because of Zeng Guofan's reputation, they also specially organized a literary society, inviting Zeng Guofan to serve as the president, and holding regular activities.Everyone talked about literature and Taoism together, and pointed out the country.In it, Li Hongzhang made acquaintances with friends, made friends with scholars, and often asked Zeng Guofan for advice on poetry and prose.

Under the guidance of his father, Li Hongzhang visited Lu Xianji, Wang Maoyin and other Beijing officials from Anhui, and met many Juren and Jinshi who were later on the same list as him.Many of them later held important positions.Li Hongzhang has maintained close contact with these same years.Li Hongzhang, who was in Beijing, often wrote letters to his mother, which is commonly known as the "Report to Mother".In the letter at home, Li Hongzhang introduced to his mother in detail what he had seen and heard in the capital, his thoughts and emotions, and Li Hongzhang insisted on writing the "Report to Mother" letter for many years.These letters contain true feelings, true and vivid, which can be described as a history of Li Hongzhang's mental growth.

In 1844, Li Hongzhang achieved excellent results in the provincial examination, and was ranked forty-eight in the examination.In 1845, Li Hongzhang participated in the Yiwei Enke Examination, which coincided with Zeng Guofan's co-examiner for the undergraduate examination.Although Li Hongzhang failed the test this time, his poems and essays won the favor of Zeng Guofan.Zeng Guofan said to Li Hongzhang's elder brother Li Hanzhang: "Your younger brother, Shaoquan, will know that his talents can be put to good use when Yiwei is born."In 1847, Li Hongzhang took part in the examination again and was selected as the thirteenth Jinshi in the second class.After the imperial examination, he was changed to a scholar of the Hanlin Academy (advanced training).In 1850, Shu Jishi disbanded (graduated). Because of his excellent grades, Li Hongzhang was awarded the editorship of the Imperial Academy.In 1851, Li Hongzhang was appointed as the editor of the Hall of Martial Arts, with the assistance of the National History Museum.In 1846, Li Hongzhang's grandfather Li Dianhua died, and Li Wen'an returned home to Ding You.In 1849, Li Wen'an returned to the capital to be an official, and his father and son lived together in the capital for five years.Father and son often study knowledge together, make friends, recite poems and Fu, drink and enjoy flowers together.The position of the Imperial Academy gave Li Hongzhang the opportunity to read a large number of court books, which enriched his knowledge.He began to devote himself to the study of classics and history, and wrote the book "Tongjian", which contains a lot of his experience and insights.