Chapter 81 The Exam Begins
It was pitch black outside the window. It was the darkest, darkest and coldest moment before dawn. The students and scholars who were usually sleeping soundly in the inn all packed up, took their things and went out.
A moth flies into a flame
Or a phoenix rises from the ashes
This is the day that determines their future destiny. The county examination in February of the Ming Dynasty begins. People walking out of the inn Students and scholars are either anxious or complacent, and of course there are also expressionless and calm faces.
Zhu Pingan also went out at this time, bringing a lot of things with him, as if he was moving: there was a rabbit skin blanket and a thin mattress in the bag; he carried a large bamboo basket, which was full of food and drink. There are a dazzling array of preserved fruits, pastries, cooked food, braised meats, water cups, etc.; of course, pens, inks, paper and inkstones are also essential.
Zhu Pingan was only thirteen years old after all, and he was not tall. He brought so many things with him that he could hardly see anyone, like a clumsy turtle carrying its shell.
Other students and scholars who went out saw Zhu Pingan and laughed at him for bringing too many things. Most of them brought lighter things, and some also brought a lot of things, but none of them brought so much like Zhu Pingan. of.
Zhu Pingan turned a deaf ear to the ridicule from fellow students and scholars.
When passing by the lobby, Zhu Ping'an was a little surprised to find that his uncle Zhu Shouren and several other students were leisurely ordering a table of good wine and delicious food, and had no intention of leaving at all. The other students and scholars in the same group were all They looked at them with envy. Uncle Zhu Shouren and the others also enjoyed the attention and envy of everyone.
"Xie'er, don't be nervous. It doesn't matter if you don't win this time, and as you gain experience, the future will be brighter."
Uncle Zhu Shouren, who was enjoying the envy of everyone, saw his nephew Zhu Shouren, who was carrying a lot of things. Ping An, his face became even more proud, and he preached in the tone of an elder.
We haven’t even taken the exam yet, why did I fail when I opened my mouth, but I gained experience when I kept my mouth shut. Zhu Pingan looked at his uncle Zhu Shouren who looked like an elder and was preaching kindly, and in his heart ten thousand grass and mud horses roared past.
"Why hasn't uncle set off yet?" Zhu Pingan asked quietly.
Hearing Zhu Ping'an's doubts, his uncle Zhu Shouren seemed to have drank three bowls of soju in one go. He was almost in the air. His face was red with excitement, but he pretended to be nothing. .
"My uncle is already a child. He no longer needs to take the county examination or the government examination. He only has to take the college examination."
The uncle Zhu Shouren stroked his beard, his face full of pride, waiting to see Zhu Ping'an's envy and jealousy. hatred.
"Oh, the pig will go first." Zhu Ping'an didn't care at all about his uncle's pride, he replied lightly, and then went out with the others with his luggage on his back.
Just oh
The envious and jealous uncle who was waiting for Zhu Pingan looked at Zhu Pingan's leaving figure with a blank expression.
Zhu Ping'an followed everyone to the county examination center, which was located at a market not far from the county government office. During the examination period, the market was closed and cleaned, and a huge examination booth was set up, facing north and south. There are two gates in the east and west of the examination shed on the south side. The gates are surrounded by wooden fences. The examination shed was set up as a large courtyard, and there was a main entrance, which is often called the dragon gate. This large courtyard is the examination room where candidates take the exam. The examination room is divided into two parts. The front part is for candidates to wait, and the back part is equipped with rows of tables and chairs for candidates to answer their papers. The examiner sits on the west side, and the candidates line up here to wait for the examiner to call their names. Only after the call is called can the candidates go and write their answer sheets.
In front of the examination room, there are five teams of government officials in front of the main entrance, checking the certificates of students and scholars and the salutes they carry with them. The inspection is very careful: the bedding cannot have linings, socks must be single-layered, and clothes must be When removing seams, the inkstone should not be too thick, and pastries must be cut open
The yamen inspected so carefully because they were afraid of cheating, so as not to be held accountable in the future.
There were many students who took the exam before who brought unqualified things. Fortunately, they were not found to be cheating. As long as they are not cheating, if the things are unqualified, they can be left behind and people can enter.
After so many years of imperial examinations, the penalties for cheating are also very serious. At least during the time Zhu Pingan was waiting in line, he did not find anything involving cheating.
The search by the yamen was like a modern security check. A lot of everything Zhu Ping'an brought was opened and inspected, and the cooked and preserved fruits were cut by the yamen just enough to be eaten.
There was not a single unqualified item in such a large number of items. Not only were the students waiting to see the joke surprised, but also the government officials who inspected it were a little surprised.
After entering the main entrance, a clerk with some knowledge of writing checked Zhu Pingan's identity and resume. After checking, he led Zhu Pingan to an open space, where there were already four scholars in their twenties waiting there. Come on, these should be the four candidates that Old Master Sun has guarantored. These four people had high self-esteem and communicated with each other. No one paid attention to Zhu Pingan. They all knew that Zhu Pingan was brought in by Old Master Sun to make up the numbers.
Zhu Pingan saw the performance of several people, and the original idea of saying hello disappeared, and he stood there waiting naively.
At dawn in Dase, the county magistrate wearing official robes arrived. The waiting students and scholars became commotion, which made it difficult for the government officials to maintain order.
There were too many people, and Zhu Ping'an was young and short, so he didn't see clearly what the county magistrate looked like.
Through the communication with people around him, Zhu Ping'an knew that the county magistrate generally gave some words of encouragement, and then talked about the exam. There were four exams in the county exam, etc. In fact, the county exam There can be four or five exams, depending on the county magistrate's decision. Zhu Pingan is also happy to see four exams this time.
After the county grandpa left the scene, the officials began to call the roll, and several government officials repeated the county grandpa's words loudly for all the students to hear.
It took a long time for Zhu Ping'an to hear his name, and he walked in with several scholars who were guarantors of Old Master Sun with him.
There is a paper light sign in the courtyard, which is easy to see. Zhu Pingan followed a few people into the atrium lobby, and followed a few people to salute the person in front who looked like the examiner.
"Li Lanshan, who is from Shanghe Village, is guarantored by Sun Hongzhi, a local student." One of the four people stepped forward, took a test paper and shouted his guarantor.
Then Zhu Pingan heard the voice of Old Master Sun, "Sun Hongzhibao is born."
Zhu Pingan looked up and saw Old Master Sun sitting in the lobby, following There were several other people sitting with Old Master Sun.
After hearing Old Master Sun’s confirmation, the examiner nodded, and then a small official led Li Lanshan to the examination room to take the exam.
Zhu Ping'an was the last one among the five to bail out. After Old Master Sun agreed to bail, Zhu Ping'an didn't even have a chance to make eye contact with Old Master Sun, so he was led to the examination room by the clerk to take the exam.
It is also understandable that so many candidates and guaranteed students have to go through this process, and time is very tight.
The seal in Zhu Pingan’s hand has the seat number, Ding Chou. This is arranged according to the heavenly stems and earthly branches, but Zhu Ping'an, who is used to seeing Arabic numerals, is still confused about this. Fortunately, a clerk noticed the seats, otherwise finding a seat would have been a hassle.
There are ten rows of simple seats, one long table, and one chair, and that’s it.
Zhu Pingan sat on his seat, arranged the pens, inks, paper and inkstones one by one, and then opened the test paper.
The test paper has red lines and horizontal grids. There are more than ten sheets in total, with twelve lines on each page and twenty crosses on each line. There are also two white papers for drafting.
However, he did not see the test questions. Zhu Ping'an was a little confused. He was about to raise his hand to ask the examiner when he saw several government officials patrolling the venue with sign lights. Two government officials held up a large wooden board to display the exam. The title is posted on this large wooden board.
So it turned out to be the case, Zhu Pingan suddenly realized. (End of this chapter)