After the provincial examination ended that day, all the test papers were covered with names and other items before being delivered to the examiners.
There are more than 3,000 people taking part in the provincial examination this year. As you can imagine, the number of examination papers is huge and complex.
Although the chief examiner has the final say on the ranking, the marking of the test papers is done by other examiners.
Each person is responsible for a fixed number of test questions. Generally, only circles and crosses are used as the basis for whether or not a person has passed the test. Only if the test paper is answered very well will comments be made on the side.
Then the test papers are sorted out and ranked according to the number of circles they have received. The more circles they have received, the better the paper is. All the good papers are reviewed by the chief examiner one by one to determine the final ranking.
The examiners who were marking the scriptures were in a good mood today.
This year's candidates performed much better than in previous years, and few made mistakes on questions about the meaning of the scriptures.
The meaning of the scriptures is not as flexible as other question types. Most of them are selected from the Four Books and Five Classics, and candidates are required to explain their meaning or write down the text from memory.
Generally speaking, as long as the candidates have studied the Four Books and Five Classics, they will have some idea of what is going on. Of course, in order to answer all the texts correctly, they also need to recite the words by heart.
This year's three questions on sutras were not too tricky, but they were also somewhat unpopular. It seems that the candidates this year were well prepared.
The examiners had nothing to comment on the questions on the meaning of the scriptures. At most, they would write a comment if they saw someone's handwriting was good.
The marked papers are put aside and circulated to other examiners to mark the next type of questions.
In this way, the division of labor is clear and efficiency is greatly improved.
Of course, when it came to the poetry and prose part, some examiners began to show their preferences.
Although poetry is limited by rules and regulations, and by the use of sound, disease, and parallelism, it is also the genre that best demonstrates the literary talent of candidates. Even in exam writing, there are sometimes some refreshing poems that make people's eyes light up.
The poem required candidates to describe spring scenery. Spring scenery has been loved by scholars since ancient times, so it is not easy to stand out. A small number of candidates did not understand the meaning of the question and described autumn scenery. If such a topic is seriously wrong, it will be directly sentenced to failure and you will have to wait until next year to take the exam.
As the whole day went by, from time to time one could hear the examiner comment on this "luxuriant and elegant words" and this "solid writing style". Jiangnan is a place where many literati gather, and the landscape is picturesque, and poetry is prevalent. This has been common throughout the ages.
Suddenly, an examiner exclaimed: "This poem has a rigorous and flexible structure, and the poetic meaning is clear and profound! The regulated verse uses allusions and quotes from classics without leaving any traces. The description of objects is elegant and the words are well-written. It is indeed a masterpiece."
Hearing this, another examiner couldn't help but come over to take a look. He couldn't help but agree with it, but didn't say anything else. Instead, he continued to mark the next test paper. After all, there were many people who were good at writing poems and essays.
Nowadays, the proportion of poetry and prose has been decreasing, which shows that the court is gradually focusing more on practical work in selecting talents. Therefore, under normal circumstances, even if those who are good at poetry and prose are on the list, it is not easy for them to be at the top.
Seeing his colleague's reaction, the examiner knew the secret well and could only regretfully write a few more comments and then move on to the next section.
After a while, some of the works reviewed and revised by the other side also caught my eye.
The examiner said, "This essay is concise and peaceful, clear and fluent, and has an ancient style. It is really pleasing to the eye. I wonder if it can be improved further..."
Another examiner glanced at the essay and said, "This essay is indeed very straightforward and concise. However, I remember that there were several good essays yesterday, but I didn't see you praising them so highly."
The examiner smiled but said nothing. There was one thing he had not mentioned. The man's paper was extremely neat, his handwriting was clear, without even a single speck of ink, as if it had been completed in one stroke. How could one not be amazed? He immediately wrote down a few more comments.
When we got to Shi Ce's side, the scene was completely different.
The judge of the current policy this time was the old gentleman. When he was young, he had great ambitions and wanted to make a difference. However, he was unlucky. Although he passed the imperial examination, his official position was not high. However, he had made some achievements when he was in office, and he always had unique insights into the current policy.
The old gentleman did not like overly flashy writings. He believed that contemporaries should be simple, with profound ideas, a thorough knowledge of the past and present, and a basis for everything they said.
Therefore, he has always been quite strict. After grading papers all day yesterday, he still had not encountered a single answer sheet that completely satisfied him.
Seeing that there were many excellent poems and essays, the old gentleman could not help but frown and sigh. Nowadays, these scholars are ignorant of worldly affairs and only study how to take the examinations...
Then, the old man took a test paper and his eyes slowly fell on the first question, "Time Policy".
This exam tests one's military service.
Military service has existed in every dynasty. Today, we implement a conscription system. Each place has a certain number of conscription quotas, and local young and strong laborers who have reached a certain age may be conscripted.
This largely achieved the goal of no permanent generals for soldiers and no permanent soldiers for generals. It could avoid the separatist regimes of the previous dynasties and the situation of self-reliance of the army, which greatly ensured the stability of the country.
However, this military service was extremely heavy for the common people, and the imperial court could not bear it, especially in places like Nanjing, where there was little need to mobilize troops.
However, most candidates cannot see the problems.
After all, candidates do not need to serve in the military, and once they pass the examination for a scholar, they are exempt from labor and taxes. Who can truly understand the suffering of the people?
At this moment, the old man's attention was suddenly attracted.
The first sentence directly points out the problem: "I have heard that during the Three Dynasties, there was no worry about military service, but in recent times, there is the difficulty of maintaining an army..."
The old man said "good" in his heart and continued to read on. He saw that the candidate started with military service, but his intention was civil affairs. The whole article was mainly argumentative, using history to guide the present, comparing the three dynasties, the previous dynasty and the current situation, and then giving his own opinions.
What this person said was meaningful and not empty words. The old man was delighted to see the result, but he did not comment directly. He still looked at the other two current policies very carefully.
After reading the entire essay, the old gentleman couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
This candidate is rare. Not only is he interested in his country and the world, his article is also quite insightful.
The old man couldn't put it down and read it again and again. When he handed it to the examiner, he couldn't help but say: "This person has great talent. It's a pity if he can't be ranked in the front!"
In fact, every examiner is qualified to recommend one candidate.
Generally speaking, as long as there are no major problems in the entire test paper, your name can be filled in on the draft list, and finally the chief examiner will arrange the order of the 100 candidates.
But the old man wants to be among the top few, which is rare!
Others had never seen the old man so excited before, and they all looked over.
The examiner was also a little surprised, and smiled and said to comfort him: "Don't worry, old sir, let me take a look at this person's test paper first."
Only then did the old gentleman realize that his behavior was a bit exaggerated, but he really liked this person, so he looked at him from time to time, wanting to know how the examiner would name him.
When the examiner picked up the stack of papers, spread them out in his hands, and flipped through them one by one, a strange look appeared on his face when he saw the countless blue comments alternating between the vermilion ink characters.
Before this, although he had seen several test papers that could be ranked at the top, none of them had been marked so much... All these marks were written by the examiners, which means that this person did an extremely good job both in the classics and in the essays on current affairs.
But in Beijing, there are not many such all-rounders...
After a moment, the examiner smiled and put down the test paper, and said slowly: "Don't worry, old sir, this person's essay will win the first prize."
As soon as he finished speaking, no one needed to say anything, even the old gentleman was extremely surprised. This Jingkui means that one can win the first place, which is the position of Jieyuan.
But even if the old gentleman thought that this candidate's essay was good, it would not be enough to overwhelm all the candidates in Jiangnan with a single essay. And the old gentleman asked himself if he had such a big face, unless...
Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, the examiner's smile deepened. He handed the file to everyone and said, "This title of champion is not decided by me alone. Please take a look..."
After everyone saw it, their doubts were slightly relieved, but then an even bigger doubt arose: Who on earth is this person who could possess such a Jiangnan elegance?
The examiners looked at each other, wanting to know if the other knew anything. However, even the examiner in charge of the academic affairs of Jiangnan Academy had a look of doubt on his face.
Then this person doesn't seem to be from the academy, could it be that...
At this time, the old man's expression changed several times, and he fell into deep thought without saying a word.
At the beginning of March, the spring chill suddenly warmed up, and the nights were chilly in the mornings.
Today is the day when the results of the provincial examination will be announced. It is still early, the clock has run out, the moon has set, the crows are crying, and the whole city of Jinling is shrouded in the lingering night fog.
While the common people were immersed in their dreams, the candidates who were waiting for the announcement of the results had hardly slept all night. At this time, all kinds of rumors came in one after another, adding to their anxiety and uneasiness.
When the curfew was lifted, people flocked in and wandered around the south wall of the Imperial Examination Hall until the spring results were announced.
Many people arrived early, most of them were messengers from various families who came to report good news. If any of them passed the imperial examination, they would get a reward.
Finally, it was time to post the spring list. Everyone rushed forward to take a look and count the names on the list. In an instant, the entire south wall of the Imperial Examination Hall was surrounded by people.
Xie Shu and Yu Chuxi stood at the railing on the second floor of the teahouse, waiting for the soldiers to bring out the spring list. There was a crowd of people below, and the noise of the crowd could be heard from time to time.
Yu Chuxi couldn't help but lean over to take a look, but his view was completely blocked and he couldn't see clearly, so he turned back in disappointment.
Seeing Xie Shu looking at him with a smile, Yu Chuxi couldn't help but glare at him and said, "You can really hold it~"
Xie Shu was naturally no exception, he was also nervous, this feeling was no less than checking the college entrance examination results, but there was a slight difference, after the college entrance examination, he could still estimate his approximate score, while the imperial examination had an extra possibility of unknown.
But at the same time, Xie Shu knew that he had tried his best, and no matter what the result was, as long as he had a clear conscience, it would be fine.
Seeing her husband's cute and adorable look, Xie Shu couldn't help but smile softly: "My husband, are you worried that I can't keep my promise..."
Xie Shu paused for a moment at the end of his speech, then lowered his head and looked at Yu Chuxi without saying a word.
In fact, Xie Shu had been thinking about this matter since last month, after taking the provincial examination. He had promised that if he could really reach this day in this world, the day he passed the imperial examination, he would stay here and remarry his lover, and they would stay together forever and never leave each other.
Today my wish has come true and all I have to do is wait for my name to be on the list of successful candidates.
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