Chapter 58 Make plans for the neighbors' examination room

In the Qing Dynasty, children in Dacheng County took the examination for talent, and the examination room was in Tongzhou.Around the 20th year of Guangxu (1894), one year the examiner who presided over the Tongzhou examination field was surnamed Sun.This person likes to make money and curry favor with power. He has long wanted to make friends with Li Lianying in order to gain power, but he suffers from the fact that he is not qualified to meet Li Lianying.This year, he was the chief examiner in Tongzhou, thinking that the time had come, and he could take the opportunity to meet with Chief Manager Li. If there was an examinee in Li's family, if he showed his hospitality, he might benefit in the future.So, I summoned up the courage to visit Li Lianying at Li's residence.It's a pity that Li Lianying is always away from home and has failed to fulfill her wish many times.But he didn't give up. The fourth time he went, it happened that Li Lianying had just returned home from work, so he was able to meet him.

In fact, according to official rank, status and power, Li Lianying usually dismisses such people.But it just so happened that one of Li Lianying's nephews was going to Tongzhou to take the examination for a scholar. Li Lianying agreed to summon Sun to enter the mansion in order to let the examiner take care of him.Sun can be regarded as a small official in his hometown. Seeing that Li Lianying had kowtowed and saluted according to the etiquette, he went straight to the topic and asked Li Lianying what orders the chief supervisor had for the Tongzhou exam.Li Lianying was thinking about how to speak, but now seeing that he brought it up, she told him that a nephew of my family was going to Tongzhou to take the exam, so I just need to take care of him.

Seeing that Li Lianying finally had a serious talk with him, Sun felt flattered, bowed quickly and said, "It's easy, it's easy."Please ask Manager Li, Mr. Li, to tell the name of the young master, and the humble officer will definitely do so. So Li Lianying ordered someone to fetch a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, write his nephew's name on it, and hand it to him.Sun thought it was a great honor to meet Li Lianying, but now that Li Lianying entrusted him with such an important matter, he felt very complacent.He brags about his relationship with Li Lianying everywhere.What's even more ridiculous is that his colleagues actually believed it, which shows that Li Lianying's authority has indeed reached a very high prestige.

It's a pity that extreme joy gave birth to sorrow. When it came time to admit the candidates, Sun lost the slip that Li Lianying gave him.Desperate Sun searched all over his home and office, but couldn't find it. He was terrified and restless.He wanted to go to Li's mansion to ask again, but he didn't dare to let Li Lianying know about it, so as not to make Li Lianying suspect that he was not loyal to him.Because losing the note written by the manager himself was tantamount to disrespecting Li Lianying, Li Lianying knew that he would not be able to spare him.But if you don't ask, the nephew and young master of the Li family can't be selected, that is, disobedience and disobedience, and there is a great danger of being convicted.

After much deliberation, Sun couldn't think of any good solution, and was so worried all day long that he didn't think about eating or drinking.The deputy chief examiner and other examiners were very puzzled when they saw that Sun, who was still beaming a few days ago, suddenly became listless, and asked him what troubles he had.In order to ask colleagues for a way to make up for it, chief examiner Sun had no choice but to say that Manager Li’s nephew took the exam and sent a note and asked him to take care of it, but the note was lost, and he couldn’t remember his name for a while, so he was very troubled.

All the officials were shocked when they heard this.If Li Lianying took care of her, but she couldn't be admitted by then, not only would Sun's position as chief examiner be lost, but it would also affect everyone.So, everyone is actively trying to find a way.After everyone's painstaking thinking, they finally came up with a solution: All candidates surnamed Li in Dacheng County will be admitted, so that the young master of the Li family can not only be admitted, but also cover up the loss of letterhead.Even if the superiors find out in the future that they want to investigate this matter and it is related to Director Li, no one will dare to offend and ask questions.

Examiner Sun really has no other better way, and thinks this way is feasible.In this way, all the candidates surnamed Li in Dacheng County all won the middle school, and every family posted good news.Some of them are good in their studies, and it is expected that they will be successful, but those who are usually poor in their studies and even considered hopeless by everyone, actually won this time. In Zangtun Village, about five miles away from Lijia Village, there is a large family surnamed Li, with four uncles and brothers.Three of them are good at writing and ink, one is a mess in his studies and knows that he has no hope of passing the exam. He didn't want to take the exam at first, but his father hoped that his son would become a dragon and forced him to take the exam. Under the pressure of his father, he had no choice but to write casually I handed in the test with just a few words, and I passed the exam with just this.All four brothers passed the exam. Although the family members were very happy, they still felt a little strange.The neighbors all know that he is drowsy when reading, and his writing is even more stupid.Therefore, someone jokingly said: The examiner must have read the paper while drunk, and he was lucky to meet it.Some also think that this is a blessing to the soul, and it is a crooked attack.In short, for his own selfishness, Sun caused all the candidates surnamed Li in Dacheng County to pass the exam.

Although Li Lianying didn't know about it at the time, rumors spread inside and outside the court, and soon the story finally reached Li Lianying's ears.However, instead of blaming the examiner, he praised Sun for his ability to handle affairs, and said brazenly: There is nothing wrong with spreading this matter to my hometown, and this is also a good thing I have done for the people of Sangzi. Relying on his power and power, Li Lianying interfered in the scientific examination more than once, seriously disrupting the fairness of the imperial examination system.In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), his cousin Li Jitai (children named Sui) and Bai Shiyi from the nearby Baijia village went to Tongzhou to take the Bagong examination.The villages where the two of them lived were less than two miles apart, and everyone in the village knew that Li Jitai's academic writing was much worse than Bai Shiyi's.Although the Bai family was also a local rich man of the country gentry at the time, they did not have any connections in the officialdom of the capital, and it is not yet known whether they can pass the exam.On the other hand, Li Jitai, because all candidates surnamed Li have been selected as scholars, everyone still remembers the cause and effect of the matter, and the villagers inevitably have another discussion.

In the imperial examination system of the Qing Dynasty, Bagong was only tested once every twelve years. All students with excellent character and learning were recommended to be admitted to the capital as Bagong. After passing the examination, they could serve as Beijing officials, county magistrates, or teaching positions.Bai Shiyi was originally extremely smart, he had always been good at his studies, he prepared early and studied hard day and night, so he was very confident.However, after all, studies are not as powerful as power. In order to make a good future for her nephew and rely on her power, Li Lianying greeted Sun Jianai, the chief examiner and university scholar of this year, in advance.Li Lianying just mentioned the word "care" to him, and the examiner naturally had to obey.In the end, no matter how good the academic performance of the confident Bai Shiyi was, it was not worth Li Lianying's words, and wronged a talented young man for nothing.

When Zhang Bang announced the results, Bai Shiyi naturally lost his name to Sun Shan, while Li Jitai received the good news, and his family members were also very happy. Only the villagers knew what was going on.Later, Li Jitai was again among the best in the imperial examination, and became the judge of Zhili Prefecture with Ding Youkeba tribute.Bai Shiyi was full of righteousness, he couldn't understand the darkness of the court, and was so annoyed that he was bedridden.What a pity for a good young man who left the world with hatred before he was thirty years old.For a while, it became a topic of discussion among neighbors.In fact, for Li Lianying, this kind of thing is not uncommon.

In short, Li Lianying takes great care of his family and close people. No matter how he treats strangers, this may be the reason why he can win over some people to work for him!