Chapter 336 You are too naive [two in one]

As soon as Liang Peng walked out of each street, he realized that someone was following him. He scanned with his spiritual sense and found that it was Mo Xiaohu and the others.

"These people seem to have something to discuss with you." Ying Zun said solemnly.

"Then let's see what they want to do." Liang Pengdao turned around quietly, looked at a shop on the street, and went in to take a look.

When he came out, Mo Xiaohu and the others just followed him outside.

"Yeah." Mo Xiaohu smiled familiarly again, "What a coincidence, I run into you again."

"Yes." Liang Peng nodded lightly.

"It's a rare opportunity to meet again after such a long separation, and we are so destined to meet. Brother Liang, don't be busy with anything else. Let's go to Baoyue Tower for a banquet and reminisce about the past." Mo Xiaohu walked forward and put his arm around Liang Peng's shoulders, saying enthusiastically.

If you don’t know, you might really think they are close friends for many years.

Liang Peng also smiled gently, "That's fine."

Surrounded by his followers, Mo Xiaohu led Liang Peng to a restaurant in front. At this time of year, prices in the capital soared, and it was difficult to find a private room in a big restaurant, and you had to spend a lot of money to get one.

Mo Xiaohu asked for a private room with a lot of shouting. He seemed generous, but in fact, he felt pain in his heart. He could only grit his teeth and tell himself that he had to let Liang Peng see how rich he was and knock this poor boy out, so that he could achieve his goal.

When the banquet was served, only he and Liang Peng sat down, while the servants, bookboys and others stood at the back, which was quite a grand occasion.

After picking up his chopsticks, he spoke: "With your talent, Brother Liang, you must be confident about this imperial examination, right?"

"I dare not." Liang Peng replied: "Talents from all over the world are gathered here. I am so young, how can I talk about my talent?"

"Hey." Mo Xiaohu raised his glass and complimented, "I am two years older than you. I have traveled to many places with my elders since I was young, but among the scholars I have met, there are very few who are as smart as Brother Liang."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject and raised his voice, "But..."

Seeing that the other party seemed to be about to reveal his true purpose, Liang Peng raised his eyes.

"Brother Liang, even though you are talented, I'm afraid there is one shortcoming that will make it difficult for you to succeed." Mo Xiaohu said seriously.

"Oh?" Liang Peng smiled, "Please give me some advice, Brother Mo."

"In Longyuan City, you are used to seeing dignitaries. You must know that the imperial examination is not only about talent, but more importantly, connections." Mo Xiaohu began to talk, "It's just that without some insider connections in the court, you can't imagine how many ways there are. For someone like Brother Liang who has talent but no background, you may be replaced by a child from a different family and use your essay to win the top prize. Or they may simply not let you on the list, because the essays of those on the list will be published for everyone to judge, which may easily affect the list they have already decided. Only in a very rare case, they will barely give you a place at the bottom of the top three and let you enter the court, but you can only wait for an opportunity and be an unknown person."

"Brother Liang, the waters of scientific research are too deep, you can't grasp it..."

Liang Peng sighed and followed his lead, "But for me, even if the imperial examination is unfair, it is the fairest way I can get. I have no other choice."

"Who said that?" Mo Xiaohu glared. "If I hadn't met you, it would be fine. But since we meet again today, I won't let you suffer any loss no matter what I say. My family has some wealth. Although my uncle works in the Ministry of Personnel, he also has some friends in the Ministry of Rites. I can get him to speak up and it won't be difficult for him to give you a push."

"Of course, my family's background is not enough to help you rise to the top, but it can give you a chance to stand on the stage and compete with others in talent. If you don't have this background, you won't even have a chance to compete fairly."

Mo Xiaohu patted his chest, looking truly righteous.

Liang Peng showed a trace of surprise and said, "Brother Mo is willing to help me like this? I really don't know how to repay you."

"We were classmates, how can I bear to see Brother Liang's pearl covered in dust?" Mo Xiaohu waved his hand, "If you ask for anything in return, it will really tarnish our friendship."

"I'll repay you later." Liang Peng continued smoothly.

"Well..." Seeing that he was so complacent, Mo Xiaohu stopped talking about the reward. He cursed inwardly that he was really a bad boy and said quickly, "But I have to use my family's power after all. My uncle will have to help me this time, and it will cost a lot of favors. It's okay for him to help me, but if he helps you, I'm afraid he won't agree."

"Alas." Liang Peng said, "But I really have nothing to offer to my uncle."

"Why do you have to do this?" Seeing that he finally understood, Mo Xiaohu smiled with satisfaction and said, "Brother Liang, your talent is your greatest asset, which is something no one can envy. If you want my uncle to agree to help, it's nothing more than me helping you and you helping me."

"Brother Mo, what do you mean by this?" Liang Peng asked, "How can I help you?"

Mo Xiaohu said: "You have talent and I have background. Talent alone is useless, but with background, you are invincible. Our cooperation is the right way!"

……

Finally getting to the point, Mo Xiaohu smiled proudly, while Liang Peng looked a little confused: "Brother Mo, cooperate with me? What can I do?"

"Brother Liang is very smart, but he doesn't know much about the secret rules. My uncle can ask the officials in the Ministry of Rites who are on good terms with him to relax their inspection and give us a leeway when verifying our identities. Then you can take the exam for me, and your essay will be accepted with my name on it." Mo Xiaohu said, "If the first two exams are fine, then the palace exam next spring won't be a problem. By then, I can make some arrangements and get an official position, and then I can enter the court."

"Brother Liang, you are still young, so you can study in the academy for another four years. In the imperial examination four years later, I guarantee that you will pass the top three and become famous in front of the palace!"

What he said was similar to Liang Peng's guess. According to the imperial examination rules of the Yin Dynasty, there were three selections in the autumn, winter and spring of the following year. As long as one passed the first two, the autumn and winter, one could be selected by the Ministry of Personnel.

The third spring examination was the palace examination, which was held in the presence of the emperor and all officials, so it was impossible for someone to take the exam for someone else.

Otherwise, not only will Liang Peng have to take the exams, but he will also have to take the court sessions in the future. He might as well just take the responsibility of marrying and having children.

Therefore, Mo Xiaohu's plan was to make the list in the first two rounds, and then take the palace examination casually, and hope to get a place on the waiting list.

Normally, only those who pass the Spring Examination are considered to be on the Golden List and can be appointed as officials by the court. However, the number of vacancies for officials in the court varies from year to year. Sometimes, the candidates on the Golden List alone are not enough, so those who have only passed the two lists need to be appointed as officials.

Therefore, these candidates who failed the spring examination were also called "silver list".

It is not uncommon for candidates who have passed the silver list to be recruited, and this is also the hardest hit area for insider manipulation.

An ordinary student on the silver list may never get a replacement official position after waiting for his entire life, but if his family uses connections or spends a lot of money on bribes, he may be able to get a position faster than some people at the bottom of the gold list.

This group of people are also the hardest hit by evil deeds. After all, they are the ones who got to their positions through the backdoor. First, they have poor abilities, and second, they are costly. After taking office, they naturally focus on making money and ignore other things.

People like Mo Xiaohu, who even have to find someone to take the exam for them when they are on the silver list, naturally care about relationships, worldly wisdom, and rules after they get promoted, but they don't care about doing things. Liang Peng heard this and seemed to think about it for a while before saying, "Do I have to wait another four years? Why don't I take the exam first this year, and Brother Mo, you help me get promoted, and I'll take the exam for you four years later?"

Mo Xiaohu almost laughed out of anger.

"Brother Liang, you are too naive."

"Wait until you have been in the court for four years before you take the exam for me?" Mo Xiaohu said, "If you think waiting for four years is too long, I can also give you some compensation so that you can have no worries about food and clothing during these four years."

As he spoke, he bowed slightly, "I can give you two thousand taels of silver, so that you can afford a mansion in Longyuan City, marry a beautiful wife and concubines, and live comfortably for the next four years. Isn't that very loyal?"

Liang Peng sneered inwardly when he heard this.

This grandson just wanted to spend two thousand taels of silver to hire me to take the exam for him. He made a lot of extravagant statements, making it seem like he was doing him a favor, and he even made up a false story.

From this aspect, he seems to have some talent in officialdom, and maybe he will do well after entering the court.

But his expression still showed a hint of hesitation, "This is not appropriate, Brother Mo, cheating in the imperial examination is a capital crime."

"Who cares what crime it is? As long as we can deal with the supervisor, then it will be foolproof, right?" Mo Xiaohu frowned and said, "Brother Liang, you are so naive, but you can't survive in the officialdom."

"Alas." Liang Peng shook his head and said, "My mother always said that I was too kind and was afraid that I would suffer in the future."

"Yes." Seeing his weak expression, Mo Xiaohu immediately said sinisterly: "Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider me. According to my plan, we can all be successful, and your family can also benefit. If you don't agree, then I have told you all my plans. Even if I find someone else to do it, it will be difficult for me to trust you..."

This is clearly a personal threat.

Liang Peng seemed to understand, his eyes trembled, and then he said: "Okay, then I promise you."

Mo Xiaohu grinned, "That's it, with this alliance, we both have a bright future."

"But four years from now is so long. What if you are unwilling to help me then, Brother Mo?" Liang Peng became a little worried. "You will be an official by then. Even if you refuse to admit it and ask for the two thousand taels back, I will not be able to resist."

"Why would I be like this?" Mo Xiaohu said.

"I also know you can't, but the world is unpredictable, who can say for sure?" Liang Peng thought for a moment and said, "How about we write a contract document. If you can pass the two lists this year, you must help me pass the gold list four years later. Otherwise, you have to give me another three thousand taels of silver."

A sharp look flashed in Mo Xiaohu's eyes, and he continued, "Brother Liang, you are really too naive. No one can leave evidence in black and white for such a thing. If someone sees it, you will really lose your head."

"What should we do?" Liang Peng frowned.

Mo Xiaohu said gloomily: "If Brother Liang really doesn't believe me, then please go back. But you must not mention what we talked about today to anyone. Without my help, whether you can pass the exam, we will wait and see."

"Eh..." Liang Peng seemed to hesitate again. After a moment, he said, "Isn't it enough for me to promise you? You give me two thousand taels and I will wait for another four years. It's nothing."

"Hehe." Mo Xiaohu smiled with satisfaction, "Then it's settled. You can't go back on your word."

After Liang Peng left, Mo Xiaohu sat on the chair with a smug look on his face, and said, "What's the point of being well-educated? He has no idea about the ways of the world and is so naive. If he is admitted to the imperial court, I'm afraid he will be played to death in a few days."

"Of course." The followers immediately complimented, "Not everyone is as talented as you, young master."

Mo Xiaohu instructed again: "Although we know that he is a poor man from the south of the city, just in case, you should check him to see if he has any new background. If not, then you can take control of him at will."

"Looking at his weak appearance, he is easy to control." The servant asked, "Master, do you really plan to help him enter the court in four years?"

"If he behaves well, I can really help him in four years, which can be regarded as expanding my own strength. If he is not honest and wants to use this matter to threaten me..." Mo Xiaohu wiped his neck with his hand, "Then don't blame me."

……

"Why waste so much time talking to him?"

After going out, Ying Zun expressed his confusion about Liang Peng's behavior.

"With your current status, you won't have to bear any responsibility even if you kill him directly. Your eldest brother is over there preparing for the battle to seize the city, so you are absolutely safe now."

"It's certainly easy to deal with him, but I think this is an opportunity." Liang Peng walked while quietly calculating: "My eldest brother seems to have a good relationship with Lord Zuo Xiang. During this period, people from the Liang family have always come to take care of our family, looking for ancestral lines from top to bottom, and want to merge us into the Shendu Liang family."

"What Mo Xiaohu said just now is somewhat correct. If you don't have a background in the court, even if you can pass the gold list, you may not be as good as an official who is on the silver list. And now, I don't have a hand to help me."

"I wanted to ask Zuo Xiang for help before, but the only relationship I have is through my eldest brother, which is not very reliable... I don't want to rely on his relationship. This matter can be regarded as a token of my loyalty."

Liang Peng went out and did not walk towards the south of the city to go home, but turned towards the north of the city.

"Do you want to surrender to Liang Fuguo?" Ying Zun questioned. Although he had been sealed before, he had learned a lot about court affairs together with Liang Peng in the Kendo Academy during this period of time, so he naturally had his own opinions.

"The kind of people who make enemies everywhere in history books will be killed immediately when the emperor doesn't want to use him anymore to appease the people's hearts. If you follow him, I'm afraid you won't have a good ending, right?" The black shadow was a little worried.

"Heh." Liang Peng chuckled, "But if it weren't for such a person, how could he have killed so many people in the court? Nowadays, from the emperor to the officials, the higher the level, the more secure it is. If we don't kill all the people at the top, how can the people below get up?"

"and……"

"My eldest brother and the Zhuxie Yamen are both on his side, so of course I can't be their enemy."

"I forgot about that." The black shadow said with emotion, "It turns out that while that fat guy was talking to you, you had already thought about who to sell him to and at what price. He is really in trouble for coming to you."

"Who told him that he is such a loser, yet he wants to go against the rules to get ahead? If he is willing to cooperate, maybe he will be the only one who will die. If he doesn't cooperate..." Liang Peng wiped his neck with his hand, "Then it's hard to say."

　Good morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)