In front of the examination hall.
Two days before the imperial examination, the streets around the examination hall were completely sealed off, and soldiers in armor stood on the long street.
The purpose of these troops is to ensure that not even a single foreign mosquito can fly in.
Because of the strict examination rules, those accompanying the examinees were not allowed to come this way. As Li Qingyao and his companions approached the examination hall, they disembarked from their carriage, each carrying an examination basket, and slowly walked over.
The surrounding area was filled with candidates gathered in twos and threes, and of course there were also those who walked alone. There were countless people of all ages in front of the examination hall.
Li Qingyao and Gao Chuan didn't wander around. They found a place to stand. It was still dark, and everyone was using the lanterns hanging at the entrance of the examination hall for light. A cold wind blew, and the two of them couldn't help but shiver.
"It's so cold today."
“We’re wearing enough layers, but the cold keeps seeping in. After standing for just a short while, my feet feel like they’re frozen.”
"That's right. I wonder what the exam room will be like. I hope it will be warm."
The two couldn't help but worry. They were dressed warmly enough, but they still couldn't keep up with the cold. After nine days in this weather, they would be freezing.
Finally, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), dawn broke. Accompanied by three crisp gong sounds, the gates of the examination hall slowly opened.
All the candidates fell silent, their eyes fixed on the solemn gate with a mixture of tension and anticipation. This place was about to witness their rise to prominence.
First, a group of soldiers in armor poured out, followed by officials from the Ministry of Rites in their official robes. They were in charge of organizing this imperial examination.
He then gave the candidates outside the door some encouragement and warnings not to cheat.
It took about fifteen minutes for the examiners to finish speaking before the candidates lined up to wait for their turn to be checked.
Li Qingyao and Gao Chuan followed the crowd and obediently went to queue up, carefully holding the basket in front of them.
Both were afraid that some unscrupulous candidate might slip something into their exam basket. You can't judge a book by its cover, and the provincial examination was already the penultimate hurdle to entering officialdom, making the competition even fiercer.
Where there is struggle, there will be betrayal. This kind of betrayal, where things are stuffed into someone's mouth, costs almost nothing; if you fall for it, you lose a competitor.
For Li Qingyao and his companion, it is best not to have the intention to harm others, but to be wary of others; caution is the wisest course of action.
However, not long after, someone was found to be carrying smuggled goods and was dragged out by several soldiers and flogged on the spot.
The scholar begged for mercy repeatedly, crying out that it wasn't his own and that someone must have framed him.
Gao Chuan was terrified and held the test basket in his hands even tighter.
If the person's belongings were found out, then he deserved it; if not, it meant he was stupid. The imperial examination was so important, yet he couldn't even protect his own examination basket. How could he be expected to govern a region and protect the people in the future?
As the man's cries gradually subsided, many candidates shook their heads inwardly. This man had lost his academic achievements; they wondered if he could even survive.
The line continued forward, and finally it was the two of them's turn. After a more thorough and rigorous search than any previous test, the two finally passed the first hurdle.
The second step is a physical examination. You have to take off all your clothes, and then two soldiers will thoroughly examine you from head to toe.
This is the most embarrassing scene ever, enough to make your scalp tingle. Your hair has to be loose, your mouth has to be wide open to check if anything is stuck in your teeth, and even your anus has to be pried open to take a look!
…
After the search, Li Qingyao's face turned both pale and red.
After the physical examination, the next step is to check the credentials and verify the identity; this step is the fastest.
After passing through these three checks, Li Qingyao and Gao Chuan finally entered the examination hall. The two had already separated long ago. Today, there were nearly ten thousand candidates in this examination hall, and the two of them were like a drop of water in the ocean, inconspicuous.
Li Qingyao held his head high and chest out. He was determined to pass the imperial examination this time, and he didn't want to go through that grueling test again.
One after another, the candidates entered the examination hall and took their seats in their respective examination booths. Ten thousand candidates were full of fighting spirit; only three hundred would be selected from this exam, and those who passed were truly exceptional. Of course, those who didn't pass weren't necessarily bad; they might just have lacked a bit of luck.
At the stroke of midnight, the gong sounded again, and the vermilion gate of the examination hall slowly closed, separating the inside from the outside into two worlds. In less than three days, nothing inside could get out, and no one outside could get in.
After waiting a while, the exam papers were distributed. The provincial examination has a separate exam paper; in the past, only the questions were distributed, and the candidates had to copy them onto scratch paper themselves.
Therefore, the registration fee for the metropolitan examination was more than twice as expensive as that for the provincial examination. Fortunately, all the examinees were already successful candidates in the imperial examinations, so they had the money.
The examination papers and answer sheets were separate. No answers or marks could be made on the examination papers, and they would be collected after the exam. The answer sheets, on the other hand, were sealed separately.
The types of questions in the provincial examination were roughly the same as those in the metropolitan examination. The first question was still on current affairs essays, which accounted for the most weight. If you answered well, you would basically pass.
However, the questions in the metropolitan examination were more difficult, more unexpected, more bizarre, and more numerous than those in the provincial examination. Of course, the metropolitan examination would not include questions that required combining multiple answers.
Li Qingyao composed himself, not daring to think too much, and focused intently on scanning all the questions. He had never slacked off in his studies over the past few years, and with the guidance of a highly talented person like Lord Zheng, the more difficult the questions, the more they ignited his fighting spirit.
There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding, but I, Li Qingyao, am certainly not lacking in ability to sit here. Father, I will definitely return to officialdom carrying the hopes of the Li family!
The imperial examination lasted for nine days, with each session lasting three days, specifically on the 9th, 12th, and 15th of the month. Candidates were not allowed to leave during the exam period, as leaving for each session would require inspection and would be too labor-intensive, and there were also many unforeseen circumstances during this time.
On the afternoon of the 11th, Li Qingyao finished his first exam and lay down on the bed to rest. He had a headache, probably because he had caught a chill after taking off his clothes for the entrance check. Fortunately, the first exam was over, which eased his anxiety.
Take some time to rest and see if you can recover.
Li Qingyao was unaware that there were many people in the examination hall in the same situation as him, and some even had their faces flushed red from the fever. Fortunately, the first exam was over, and if he gave up at this point, he could be released from the examination hall, but his exam results would be invalidated, and he would not be able to participate in the subsequent exams.
For those in their forties or fifties, giving up is simply giving up. A successful candidate in the provincial examination can already be selected as an official, and since there is no chance to take the imperial examination again, they can only go home and live a peaceful life.
It's all about timing and fate.
Li Qingyao had a good sleep, but when he woke up, he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and his nose was stuffy. He cursed in his heart, thinking, "Fate is against me. Am I going to fail this time?"
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