Chapter 83
Chapter 83
The article written by a fourteen-year-old was so good that it was unbelievable to them.
Is this the difference in talent?
Jia Hao recalled that he had asked Yue Chang what kind of person Ji Yuan was, and the other party actually replied: "Very smart, a very nice person."
Is this more than just smart?
Whether it is Jia Hao, who has been privileged since childhood, or Zhao Yuntian, whose grandfather was a Jinshi.
When they heard that there was a country boy who was as famous as them, they were very unhappy.
Just a little kid, how can I compare with him.
Now that I’ve read Ji Yuan’s article, I’m already 50% convinced.
But the real exam is different.
He was detained in the Imperial Examination Hall for several days. According to their gossip, he might be detained for more than three nights and four days this year.
I'm afraid it will take longer.
Ji Yuan is so young, I don’t believe he has such determination.
Twenty-five-year-old Jia Hao.
Twenty-three-year-old Zhao Yuntian didn’t believe that Ji Yuan could hold on.
Besides, just looking at the test preparation environment, the two of them are far ahead.
They all have quiet houses in the city. Although they are near the provincial school, the environment is excellent.
Not only that, there are also many scripture teachers around them who specialize in teaching them.
What about the environment in Jiyuan’s provincial school?
Can you learn well?
The first school of Mengfu Prefecture was built.
The first class has always been an environment envied by all the students in the prefectural school, and even most of the scholars in Jianmeng Mansion.
Everyone was surprised that Jia Hao and Zhao Yuntian disliked him for no reason.
Jia Hao said it bluntly. Although Zhao Yuntian didn't say anything, the fact that he didn't come later also serves as evidence.
What a pity, these are students in the first class.
How could a student who could come out of the entire Jianmeng Mansion and stand out among more than 600 people in the mansion school care about what others think?
Even the sudden appearance of Yue Chang did not have much impact.
Everyone studies day and night in the hope of getting good grades.
Passing the imperial examination is the most important thing.
At this time, the scholar began to talk about the topic.
Generally speaking, examiners have rules to follow when setting questions, and scholars have rules to abide by when writing their essays.
As mentioned before, the provincial examination focuses more on the first round, which is the initial examination.
The initial exam questions were summarized into fifteen types by a scholar named Guo.
From a modern perspective, it means to classify and summarize the questions.
The ancients were doing this.
These fifteen types include single-question type and two-question type, among which the two-question type can also be divided into several types.
There are also three-part and four-part question types, long and short ones, one sentence divided into two parts, etc.
In addition to these summaries and conclusions, we can then analyze the frequency of questions.
Questions on the meaning of the Four Books are articles that people have been writing about for a long time, and there is a pattern to follow in the order of asking questions.
If these are just general contents.
But when we talk about the Five Classics later, it is quite different.
Some people also concluded.
Among the Five Classics, many inappropriate contents were deleted from the Book of Documents, which is about nine chapters in total and will never be examined.
For example, the song "Song of the Five Sons" mentioned above tells the story of Yi asking the king's five younger brothers to compose songs to criticize their older brother Taikang.
This chapter will definitely not be studied. Nowadays, the imperial power is getting stronger, although everyone likes to accept advice.
But since it was directly mentioned in the exam questions, those who didn't know would think it was a satire on the emperor.
The topic of Shangshu has political significance, so the inappropriate ones will be deleted and not tested.
Among them, the "Book of Songs" should delete some obscene styles and make it elegant.
The ancient Book of Songs is somewhat unrestrained and difficult to use for exams.
Next is the "Book of Changes". In simple terms, it is a book for fortune-telling, but it is also a philosophical book on communication between man and nature.
However, some of the hexagrams in it are not suitable to be discussed and will definitely not be tested. There are about nine chapters in total, which accounts for a large proportion.
The last two are "Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Book of Rites".
For the Spring and Autumn Annals, you only need to memorize the title of each chapter, but you must read the content carefully and then pick out the key sentences to recite.
With this in mind, the 180,000-word "Spring and Autumn Annals" immediately becomes much less burdensome.
"The Book of Rites" also has options, such as mourning clothes, which are directly deleted and not tested.
There is another chapter that will not be tested, called "Tan Gong".
As the scholar spoke, everyone hurriedly took notes.
Ji Yuan paused. Tan Gong refers to a person’s name, who was a native of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
The content discussed at the beginning of this chapter is a controversial issue even in modern times.
It was probably that Tan Gong of Lu heard that his countrymen had agreed that Zhongzi's eldest son had died, so he went to pay his respects with his hair tied up.
This behavior is very strange.
Tying up the hair is a kind of dress for mourning. If one ties up the hair, the left arm must be exposed.
However, this situation where the hair must be tied and the body must be exposed will only occur when a friend dies in another country and has no relatives, and the living friends use this method to preside over the funeral.
It means that when a person's friend dies and his father is still alive, the person will tie his hair up and expose his left arm to go to the funeral, indicating that his friend has no relatives or family, and is not even in his own country.
To put it bluntly, this is no different from cursing your friend's father to death.
What I actually want to express is that my friend has been betrayed by the people around him and is left alone and helpless.
Then why did Tan Gong do this?
Because Gongyi Zhongzi's eldest son died, he did not make his eldest grandson the successor, but made his own illegitimate son the heir.
The dispute between legitimate and illegitimate children.
Tan Gong believed that since the eldest son was gone, the eldest grandson should be enthroned.
Tan Gong was puzzled and asked a Lu official why Gongyi Zhongzi could establish a concubine's son instead of the eldest grandson?
The Lu official's answer was also very interesting. He said, "Zhongzi is also following the ancient etiquette."
"Isn't it an example that King Wen of Zhou abandoned Bo Yikao and instead established King Wu of Zhou?"
This is indeed the case. Bo Yikao was the eldest son of King Wen of Zhou, and King Wu of Zhou was eventually made his successor.
After hearing about this, Confucius' students asked Confucius.
Confucius replied: "No! The eldest grandson should be enthroned as the heir!"
"No! Li Sun!"
He believed that this was based on the Zhou Dynasty's ritual system, and everyone knew that Confucius wanted to restore the Zhou rituals.
To sum up, the opening of "Tan Gong" seems to be a dispute between legitimate and illegitimate children.
After the Tan Gong, it talks about funeral etiquette and so on.
In short, this kind of topic would be dangerous even among people with a small fortune, and it would inevitably cause bloodshed in the court.
Who made the royal family really have a throne to inherit?
The officials’ thoughts are also the basis for their stance.
If we let candidates who don't know the seriousness of the matter answer this kind of questions, I'm afraid it will lead to a tragedy like the Tianqi Kingdom.
For various reasons, such dangerous articles would not be used as questions in the imperial examinations.
This example is more representative of the articles that were avoided.
As for those who want to kill the king or seize his position, it is even more impossible to answer the questions.
After some deletions and reductions, the approximate range will emerge.
Some people also say, since there are so many articles that you don’t have to learn, why did you have to read them before?
Wouldn't it be okay to just delete it from the textbook?
This brings us to another issue.
Is studying just for the imperial examination?
According to the court of Qi today.
When selecting candidates across the country, morality is the first priority, and moral character and achievements are the most important.
In this case, studying is certainly not just for the purpose of imperial examinations, but also for building moral character and improving oneself.
But at the same time, studying can lead to the imperial examination, and the imperial examination involves reading scriptures and preaching, and then selecting candidates based on their writing.
Not only that, the court also offered incentives, such as scholars could be exempted from labor service, and successful candidates in the imperial examinations could become officials.
Among them, there were gifts of silver, money, land and grain, which was to put it bluntly, saying that studying for the imperial examinations had benefits and brought in silver and money.
If you agree, then students all over the world should put moral character first, and naturally they should read the scriptures thoroughly.
Just this line is time-consuming and laborious, and requires reading a lot of "unnecessary" articles.
The word "unnecessary" here means there is no need to take the test.
If you agree that the imperial examination is for the sake of it, then when you start studying again, you will no longer recite and memorize those chapters that are not needed for the exam.
This is naturally a lot easier, and I learn one-third less than others.
Even worse is that some people don’t even read the original book, but only read the explanation of the meaning, or only read articles written by others.
When you encounter the same exam questions, just apply other people’s articles.
Just like writing English essays in junior high school, think about what kind of topics will be asked in advance, then find other people’s model essays, memorize them directly, and use them when you take the exam.
Anyway, the scope of the exam is there, and you can memorize most of it.
But as a result, the reading atmosphere naturally changed.
From its origin, the imperial examination was for the purpose of becoming an official.
If such a person becomes an official, he will certainly be "thrifty" and would like to make back all the tuition fees and expenses he spent on studying over the years.
This is very common.
The spirit of success is superficial, and a shift towards utilitarianism has naturally occurred.
After all, this is a provincial school, so it is impossible for them to take the lead in omitting so-called "unnecessary" articles.
So we have been learning together.
Although there is usually a bias towards it, we still need to teach it.
But now that the imperial examination is approaching, the scholar naturally tells the truth.
Seeing Ji Yuan suddenly realize, Yue Chang thought to himself that these things were not taught anywhere else except in government-run schools.
Just focus on your studies and don't read any "unnecessary" articles.
A better teacher would ask them to read it several times, while a more utilitarian one would simply skip it.
However, even in the Songyang Academy where he had worked before, these two views competed fiercely.
After all, the provincial school is a place of the imperial court, so the conversion is naturally slower.
According to his teacher at Songyang Academy, the utilitarianism of the imperial examinations will inevitably become more and more serious in the future.
The purpose of studying is to pass the imperial examination.
Ji Yuan was studying hard here, and the scholar came down to look at his notes and said, "If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask me privately."
The Jinshi scholar's words made many people very envious.
But what can we do about it? Ji Yuan is the most likely person to pass the imperial examination.
In fact, this is also the view of the theory of fame and fortune.
But everyone was immersed in it and didn't find it strange.
Then An Dahai took out the book and talked about it.
His fame was inferior to that of everyone present.
But are his contributions and abilities inferior to those present?
I think the answer must be different.
It can be seen that the theory of fame and fortune is indeed biased.
But this is the current imperial examination environment in Tianqi State.
And let’s put that aside.
For Ji Yuan, it is not necessary to choose only one of the two: focusing on morality and studying well.
His goal is to give equal importance to both.
Perhaps, it is the goal of most students.
After saying these things, the pedantic scholar paused and began to talk about the main points of the article, and then commented on all the students' articles in turn.
The student came forward with the article he or she was most satisfied with recently, while the other students reviewed it on their own.
The pedant's work is also very hard. He has to read all the students' papers and find out the omissions in one day.
This will definitely need to be corrected next.
Time flies by so fast.
The officials of the prefectural school were basically busy with the provincial examinations.
Director Zuo was fully responsible for the provincial examination, and the examination was not as simple as everyone thought, that is, just vacating the Imperial Academy.
Repair the examination hall, hire examiners, select deacons, arrange seats, and so on.
Must be confirmed one by one.
Besides, it’s already the tenth day of May, and I haven’t received the imperial edict yet. I’m worried that something unexpected might happen in the exam.
This situation also exists.
For example, the martial arts examination that was added temporarily is an example.
The martial arts examination in the capital is in April, so they must be busy with preparations there too.
It is normal to delay the provincial examination.
Instructor Zuo also asked Yin Zhangyin, who had just come from the capital, how he got selected as the military examiner in the provincial examination.
This way things will just pile up together.
Yin Zhangyin knew the answer and replied, "It has been 37 years since Huayuan was founded, and there has been no military examination for eight years. Not to mention the Ministry of War and the military commanders, even the Ministry of Rites feels that this is inappropriate."
"Although this year is the year for the provincial examination, if we don't take the exam this year, then next year would be even more inappropriate, as there will be the metropolitan examination next year."
If it keeps getting delayed, we will have to wait until the year after next, which means there will be a gap of ten years before we can take the martial arts examination?
Even the civil servants who hated fighting the most felt that this was not a good idea, and felt that the situation was rather like letting the horses rest in the mountains.
Not next year, and the year after is too late.
It didn’t work last year either, because the notice was given too late.
After all the calculations, it’s only this year.
Fortunately, there is a four-month gap between the military examination in April and the provincial examination in August.
Fortunately, on May 14, the imperial court's document on Huayuan's 37th year of provincial examination finally came down.
In addition to the emperor's edict, there are also details of the Ministry of Rites' changes to the examination.
The imperial edict naturally requires students all over the world to be grateful for the opportunity given by the emperor.
The details are what the prefectural school and its students need to study.
This year's provincial examination did have some changes compared to last year.
These changes are normal, just like the annual high school entrance examination and college entrance examination, which are reformed and improved every few years.
But this year's changes seem a bit big.
First, the time of the provincial examination was postponed.
The provincial examinations in the 34th year of Huayuan and the 31st year of Huayuan were both scheduled for the sixth day of August.
This year it was directly postponed to August 18th.
It is said that every year on August 15th, the provincial examinations are held, and students and officials cannot be reunited with their families, which is really bad.
It is not a good thing to separate family members during such a festive occasion of reunion.
Ji Yuan thought about it and realized that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival here and there were still three days before the provincial examination.
I'm afraid this banquet won't be very good.
Forget it, the imperial court is indeed understanding the people's sentiments.
The exam was postponed for twelve days, which was a psychological pressure for many candidates.
But the second rule is even more unsettling.
The three-day exam was extended further.
Increased to six days.
Yes, more than doubled.
I entered the examination room on August 18th and left it on the 24th.
Almost five nights and six days.
Even if the postponement of the exam time makes everyone nervous, it is not necessary to panic.
But extending the exam time was a complete bolt from the blue.
Taking an exam in a small sitting room is already uncomfortable for candidates with poor psychological quality.
Now, now there are several more days.
How can this be possible?
Many people were extremely panicked.
The requirements for the test paper later are no longer visible.
"Why is there such a big change?"
"Why is this so?"
"Wasn't it always three days in previous years? Why was it changed this time?!"
“Are there more questions?”
The topic has not changed.
Why then?
The provincial education commissioner asked his subordinates to appease the students while he wanted to use his connections to make inquiries.
The letter from the prefect has arrived, so the academician can rest assured and wait for the prefect to read it, then send the letter to the academician intact.
The letter roughly explains why the court did so.
Magistrate Nie's uncle worked in the Ministry of Personnel in the capital and was very familiar with the relations within the court.
It is said that in the first two provincial examinations, some students were unable to finish the questions.
The first exam required three chapters from the Four Books and four chapters from the Five Classics, which was really too much.
The second exam required one essay, one Zhao, Hao, and Biao, and five judgments.
The third exam tested five subjects: classics, history, and policy essays.
The rule of Jianmeng Mansion is that the exam is held once a day and the papers are collected on the same day.
This is not the case in some places. The exam is completed in three days and the papers are collected together.
In this way, some candidates took advantage of the loophole and, knowing that the local exam only focused on the first round, they answered the first round questions perfectly.
The other two games were hastily passed.
Some people have been doing this since the 30th year of Huayuan's reign. The last provincial examination was held 34 years ago. It has become a trend.
If this trend is not curbed this year, I am afraid that in some places people will dare to hand in blank papers for the second and third exams.
It was also because a student reported it this year that everyone discovered it and conducted a thorough investigation of those test papers.
After discussion, the court decided that the students were indeed at fault, but that the local officials also had problems.
Second, after reading the questions carefully, I decided to forget about the next two rounds, as the workload for the first round was indeed too heavy.
Therefore, the imperial examination time was extended, but the questions remained the same.
If we must make an analogy, the imperial examination system is like a running program.
This program is prone to problems of one kind or another.
So keep it patched.
The details given this time are about patching.
From this perspective, delaying the start time of the exam is also to give candidates time to accept and adapt.
In mid-May, the change in examination time was sent to all prefectures.
In late August, we ensured that all localities were informed of the situation.
However, some students may be confused, and not everyone can understand the inside story so quickly.
This change is also intended to correct the malpractice of only focusing on the first round in the provincial examinations.
Giving equal importance to all three events is the result the court wants.
The scholars in the class felt a little embarrassed.
He had just mentioned the "little tricks" for the provincial examination not long ago, but he didn't expect that the little tricks would be discovered and supplemented by the court.
In addition, instructors and teachers should also comfort the candidates more.
Being locked up in the examination room for three days turned into six days, and many people had to change their plans.
From purchasing items to adjusting psychological pressure, everything takes some time.
Dr. Yin was also surprised by this.
However, he left the capital in the first month of the new year to return to his hometown to pick up his family, so it was normal for him not to know these things.
Li Jin and Cai Fenglan could no longer sit still.
They were the two most panicked.
Monk Bai tried to comfort Ji Yuan several times, but they both continued to sigh.
They were all like this, and other students had more complicated feelings.
But even so, you still need to adjust your mood, otherwise the exam will be more difficult.
Ji Yuan said: "Everyone is like this, so it's hard to say whether it's fair or not."
"If we must talk about it, we knew the news a little earlier. The prefectural school sent the news to the counties, probably by the end of May. For them, time is even tighter."
That's true.
The students of the provincial school knew about this long ago.
After calming everyone down, the weather in June started to make people upset again.
The weather was too hot. We ventilated the classroom and put ice in it every day, but everyone still felt irritated.
Ultimately, it's just upsetting.
When I watched other people taking the provincial examinations before, I didn’t feel anything, but when it was my turn, I was extremely nervous.
Many of them had participated in the previous provincial examination.
I thought I was quite experienced, but who would have expected such a change to happen.
It was really horrible to stay in a place like the Imperial Examination Hall for six days.
Not to mention clothes, there are requirements for thickness, color and thickness.
The only food you can bring is some pears, ginger, and a small amount of dried meat and pastries.
Although the rest will be provided by the Examination Yuan, the quality is beyond doubt.
When they think about it, many people feel scared.
If the thought of fear arises again, the momentum will be weakened.
As candidates for the imperial examinations from various counties arrived one after another, the tense atmosphere gradually intensified.
After receiving the news of the exam changes, these candidates decided to come early, and even those from Zhengrong County were no exception.
I'm just afraid something unexpected will happen again.
In late June, all the candidates who were supposed to come had arrived.
One month in advance, you can also make the final sprint and adjustments to adapt to the environment here.
When all the candidates arrived, they all seemed to be in the same mood, so it seemed like everything was fine again?
Just like Ji Yuan said.
The rules have changed, but they are not targeted at any one person. Everyone has to face this challenge, and it seems to be no problem.
Of course, some people just call it bad luck.
Why did the rules change when it came to the provincial examination?
No matter what, you should review well.
Some people actually cram at the last minute and trained with Ji Yuan and others.
The six days in the examination room are not only a test of mental will, but also a test of physical fitness.
But most of the candidates just sit for a while and cannot persist in exercising for too long.
There are even some candidates who usually get up late, but recently they force themselves to get up early so as to avoid being listless during the exam.
In short, the various images are very interesting to watch.
Most of the scholars from Zhengrong County also knew him.
Like the earlier Li Xun, Xu Chun, Chang Qing, Jiang Ke, and then Liu Rong, Li Ting, Qian Fei, and An Xiaohe.
When the scholars gathered together, they would occasionally sigh and think that what County Magistrate Nie said at the time was not wrong.
After I came out, I found that there were really countless scholars.
But that’s not quite right.
The student in front of me is also a leader in Zhengrong County School.
It’s just that the world out there is too big and there are too many geniuses.
When they heard that there were two other people who were as famous as Ji Yuan, they were even more surprised.
who?
Can it be as famous as Ji Yuan?
A Jia Hao.
A Zhao Yuntian.
No one mentions Yue Chang anymore.
Li Ting said, "They are not from the same school, how can we compare them?"
"If you really compare them, it's different."
Qian Fei also agreed with this.
Although they are equally famous, there is no real comparison.
Liu Rong said silently: "The upcoming provincial examination will be a competition."
Only compete on the big stage?
That's too scary.
One battle will determine the outcome.
The students from Zhengrong County came and naturally brought Ji Yuan and the others’ test papers with them.
There are a total of thirty papers, and there are words printed at the beginning of each paper, indicating that it is from the era. If it is lost or stolen, it will be dealt with severely.
Therefore, it has been guarded by detectives from Zhengrong County and even locked up.
After it arrived, after Ji Yuan, Li Jin and Cai Fenglan took a look at it and then gave it directly to the provincial school for safekeeping.
Without these, there is no way to take the exam.
Even if you need to print a temporary copy, you still have to apply to the prefectural school.
These things have been dealt with.
Ji Yuan found that everything seemed to be really ready.
Even the writing materials, clothing and food he needed to enter the examination hall had been prepared by Master Yin and Yin Xiaoyi, who claimed to be his brother.
Yin Xiaoyi is sixteen years old this year, two years older than Ji Yuan, so it seems to be correct for him to call himself brother.
Not to mention the home of Dr. Yin, who was closer to him, Zhou Family Bookstore also wanted to prepare something for him, but gave up after seeing this.
However, the Zhou family helped Cai Fenglan prepare things. His family was in the scholar business, so they knew these things better than most people, and they even helped him get a pair of better-used swords.
The Zhou family understood clearly that since they valued Cai Fenglan, they should not be shy and should either not do it or do it well.
This really helped Cai Fenglan a lot. He also declined Dr. Yin's help, which was considered as accepting the Zhou family's kindness. As expected, their two families had similar interests.
But the more this happened, the more pressure Cai Fenglan felt.
He comes from an ordinary family, so he must rely on himself to pass the imperial examinations so that he can marry Zhou's daughter and live up to everyone's attention.
Li Jin's family was even more different. His parents came in person, bringing with them countless things.
After Li Jin's parents arrived, they made a special trip to thank Ji Yuan.
I thought that he lacked self-control, and after he had seen the world at the provincial school and had money in his hands, who knows what would happen.
So he asked the servants to look after him all the time, and of course he did not hide it from Li Jin, because he just wanted to know how he was doing.
Unexpectedly, in the letter Li Jin wrote, he said that he had good food and accommodation, and could relax at any time, so his parents didn't have to worry.
But the letter from the servant was.
Every time the young master got up at the exact moment of dawn, he would wonder if he was being lazy.
I studied until the morning, then went to the provincial school for classes. The day was full of classes. I came back in the evening to have dinner with my friends and discuss my homework.
Don't rest until the evening when the sun goes down.
Relax a little and at most go to a restaurant in Taipei City for a good meal.
To translate it, it means getting up at six in the morning, attending classes for the day, discussing and studying before eating, and not putting down the books until nine in the evening.
The only leisure activity is to eat some delicious food.
At first, Li Jin's parents thought that he was diligent because he had just arrived at the provincial school.
Who would have thought that I would persist for three years, and it was basically like this for these three years.
The only place I went shopping was the First Street in East Market, where books were sold.
Oh my god, their son.
Why is it so hard?
During that time, Li Jin's father came to see him a few times when he had something to do, but his mother never came.
Therefore, I must come and accompany you to this provincial examination.
When he was at home, his family said that Li Jin was a playful person.
Now that he is considered the most hardworking person in the family, he and Li Xun are the nightmares of all their peers.
Li Jin's parents even comforted themselves by wondering if the servants had exaggerated.
If you really come and stay with me for two days, you will know that it is not an exaggeration.
The yard that Li Jin rented was not big, with only two rooms. After his parents came, he simply moved into the study, vacated the master bedroom, and lived and ate in the study.
Looking at the papers and various notes all over the study, and seeing that they were not awake yet in the morning, their son had already returned from running.
this?
Is it their son?
Completely transformed.
But I felt sad as I looked at it, and wanted to move to a bigger yard, but Li Jin refused: "It doesn't matter how big the place is for studying."
"It's the same everywhere when the exam is approaching. An environment that is too comfortable is not suitable for studying."
This is not their son!
This is a replica of Anno!
Li Jin was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but say, "Forget it, I'm still no match for Ji Yuan."
"Oh, right, he's in Qiyan Temple. You can go there and take a look. It's a beautiful place with beautiful mountains and forests. Although the incense is not very popular, the environment is good."
They went as soon as they said they would. They picked a day off and went there early to worship Buddha and give some gifts to Ji Yuan and Li Jin's other classmates.
It takes fifteen minutes to walk from the city to the outside at a quick pace.
They thought they had gone early enough, but the young monk in the temple said, "They have read the book for the second time, so they should be able to see guests."
As he said this, the little monk led them there.
Outside the simple Zen room, there were three young men reading.
The most handsome and youngest among them is probably Ji Yuan?
He was reading, taking notes, and had a half-finished painting on hand?
After asking, I found out that the painting was Jiyuan’s decompression tool!
When you get tired of reading, just relax and draw a few strokes.
Is this what you call relaxing?
"Well, don't think about anything else, just draw a few strokes."
Li Jin's father took two steps forward. Is this what you call just drawing a few strokes? !
hehe.
Then, as a person who loves painting, he can no longer say that he loves painting.
They were accompanied by servants carrying a lot of things in their hands, and they asked Ji Yuan and the others to accept them: "You are Li Jin's friends, and you are also considered the juniors of my husband and me. If you don't mind, please accept them. You should concentrate on preparing for the exam now."
Ji Yuan, Cai Fenglan and Monk Bai thanked them, and Li Jin's parents went for a walk around the neighborhood before returning.
When I got back, I found that my son was still studying, so I went to see my nephew Li Xun.
Although Li Xun lived in Liu's Restaurant with other people from Zhengrong County, his room was specially upgraded to the best room by Li Jin's father.
Before they entered, they heard the sound of someone reciting lessons.
Why are you reading this again?
Forget it, the couple should just go shopping so as not to disturb the students’ studies.
In the following period of time, Li Jin's parents took care of all the items for everyone, and even bought ice cubes for the candidates to use.
Until July, the exam time was getting closer.
During this period, good news came.
The martial arts examination in the capital in April ended and the results will be announced in May.
More than 500 people took part in the military examination, which was held outside Beijing. In the end, 40 people were selected as successful candidates.
Among the former students of Jianmeng Mansion, three people won the exam.
The highest ranked person is Wu Renhao, who is ranked fourth in the second class, which is seventh in the country.
I heard that he is very much loved by the emperor.
Although he is only sixteen years old, he is gifted.
If my academic performance wasn't so poor, I would probably be in the top three.
Wuying also passed the exam, ranking fifth in the second class and eighth in the country, which is a remarkable achievement.
Liu Jun ranked 21st in the top three and 34th in the country.
Only forty will be selected from across the country, and Jian Meng Mansion will win three of them, and there will be two in the top ten.
The academician was so happy with this result that his teeth were showing.
The instructors on both sides also breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what their exam results are this year, the pressure on them will be very small.
And who sent this news?
This year's supervisor Zhu Jisheng is better than Lord Zhu.
This Lord Zhu is a scholar of the Hanlin Academy in the capital, and also the head of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites, an official of the third rank.
He came from the capital and brought the good news of the martial arts examination results, as a way of congratulating Jian Meng Mansion.
The style of this year's supervisor is completely different from that of Lord Xu last year.
This person loves to laugh, is more smooth, and seems more approachable.
He said that the candidates taking the military examination could not come back for the time being, because the autumn hunt in the capital was imminent and everyone had to follow the hunt.
However, the rewards from the court will come soon, so they don't have to worry, and the students who failed the exam will return soon.
When others hear about the martial arts examination, they just listen for fun.
The candidates who are preparing for the civil service examination this year are completely nervous and yet somewhat expectant.
The arrival of the proctor means the exam is getting closer.
Look at the candidates who took the martial arts examination, their rankings have come out.
I really envy them.
They could even stay in the capital to accompany the royal family on the autumn hunt, which was something they couldn't even imagine.
If you pass the military examination and become a juren, you will be given an important position.
Those of them who have passed the imperial examinations have to take the examinations for Juren and Jinshi.
It's really different.
In other words, they cannot afford to wait eight years for a martial arts examination.
Just the postponement and extension of exam time this year have caused significant fluctuations in various places.
Everyone has their own difficulties.
After July, the weather in August gradually becomes cooler and the exam time is getting closer.
I have read countless books by Ji Yuan and thousands of articles from all walks of life, and the flaws in my articles have been repeatedly corrected by scholars.
It is not until August 15, the Mid-Autumn Festival, that the candidates can finally relax and celebrate the festival.
Arranged by Li Jin's parents, everyone enjoyed a moon-watching feast in a restaurant in Taipei City.
Basically all the familiar friends were called.
Students cannot go home during the Mid-Autumn Festival and still have to prepare for exams, so their life is very hard.
Zhou family's eldest son Zhou Zhongkai and his sister Zhou Xiaozhi also came. Since there were many people here today and Li Jin's mother was also here, it wouldn't be a problem.
The exam is in three days, so Cai Fenglan and Zhou Xiaozhi naturally have something to talk about.
Although they will get engaged regardless of the test results, Cai Fenglan still hopes that she can fight for herself.
Zhou Xiaozhi said, "You are only 23 this year, which is not too old for a scholar. Every year, those who pass the imperial examination are around 27 or 28 years old, so don't worry."
Cai Fenglan felt embarrassed by the comforting words. Usually he only had eyes for books and seldom heard such gentle words. His face flushed red.
Li Jinze was talking to his parents. They hadn't seen each other for a long time. He was busy with his studies on weekdays, so today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so he must thank them properly.
Qian Fei, who was sitting next to Ji Yuan, hadn't tried to comfort him yet when he heard Dr. Yin's son say, "Look at what they are doing. Isn't it enough that you have a brother like me?"
Ji Yuan is just taking a look.
He is not a real child, and although he was somewhat moved by the scene, he was only thinking about his grandparents.
But when he thought about it, he had no parents, no wife, and even no girlfriend in this life or the previous life.
Seeing the looks of Cai Fenglan and Li Jin, I don’t know whether I should be envious or not!
But when Dr. Yin's son said this, everyone couldn't help laughing.
Qian Fei and Li Ting also said: "After the exam, we can go back to Zhengrong County together. Master Fang, Dr. Luo, and Master Zhao and his wife must miss you very much."
An Xiaohe nodded: "My grandfather always mentions you, and my aunt and my mother said they haven't seen you for a long time."
Yes, no matter how he does in the exam this time, he will go back.
But when he thought of Master Fang, Ji Yuan felt a bit of a headache.
He has not neglected his painting skills in the past three years, but he really has no time to participate in calligraphy and painting competitions.
I guess I'll have to go to the First Street of East City before leaving.
A painting would sell for at least three thousand taels of silver.
I don't know if his level is good enough.
Forget it, let’s talk about this after the imperial examination.
Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, the right thing to do is to enjoy the moon and drink tea.
They ate and drank tea quietly in the box without drinking a drop of alcohol.
It's different in other places.
I don’t know if the more stressful the environment is, the more people will go crazy.
Many scholars had indulged in drinking in the three days before the exam. Some of them seemed drunk just as the banquet started.
I heard someone outside shouting, "Recruiting singers and prostitutes, isn't that wonderful?"
"It is naturally elegant and fun for scholars to travel together!"
Just listening to the next sentence, it seems to make some sense. In the previous sentences, he wanted to sing and visit prostitutes, so he didn't look like a scholar at all.
As they were talking, some people even started to cry: "What's the point of studying so hard for so many years?"
"Take the test again, take the test again, why waste time?"
Most of these were scholars who felt that they had no hope for a career in politics. Even though they had not yet taken the provincial examination, they had already had the idea of giving up.
Maybe he was afraid before the battle, or maybe he hated himself for not studying for three years. Now that the end was over, he became angry with himself and simply blamed everyone else.
The situation was better before the Tongshi exam, as most students were not too old and still had expectations for the future.
The age of candidates for the provincial examination is basically between 20 and 35 years old, and the mentality varies with the age range.
Some of them took the exam three times, four times, or even five times.
After so many years, it is not an exaggeration to say that there is despair.
It’s a pity that this is an open-air place for viewing the moon, and there are not even windows. Otherwise, we could close the windows and look at their miserable appearance.
Most of the people present were students taking the science exam for the first time, and they looked a little scared.
Li Jin and his friends had participated before, but they had just passed the examination to become scholars, so they just joined to make up the numbers and didn’t feel much about it.
Li Xun, the most experienced among them, looked at them, then looked at himself, shook his head and said, "If I had focused on preparing for the exam for the past three years, I would probably end up like them."
Li Xun failed the provincial examination three years ago, so he returned to his hometown to become a teacher in the county school and reunited with his parents and wife. Their daughter is two years old this year.
With his family by his side and feeling comfortable studying in the county school, although he is still working hard, the pressure is much less.
But to say that it wasn't painful would be a lie.
We have been studying for many years, and who doesn’t want to get results?
You know, among them, Ji Yuan, who has the shortest study time, has already been studying for six years as of this year.
Others will take just a little longer.
There was also a dissolute scholar who was talking nonsense and finally sang a song, which was the popular "Song to Encourage Study".
It was the first time that Ji Yuan heard such a song encouraging learning.
The scholar sang: "Don't you see, my neighbor from the east comes out riding a green horse, laughing at me for being so lonely and poor on foot?"
“When studying becomes a matter of vital importance, people will flock to you from all sides like clouds.”
"I was alone in the past, but now I am rich, with a great banner and high teeth leading the way."
"I now believe that when you go out, don't be sad that no one is with you, because there are so many carriages and horses in the book."①
Ji Yuan sighed after hearing this. There are many kinds of songs that encourage learning, but very few are so straightforward.
It probably means, my neighbor is passing by on his black horse, don't laugh at me for being so poor that I have to walk.
Once a scholar achieves fame, many people will come to curry favor with him.
I was poor before, but now I am rich after my achievements. Even the army’s banners and flags have to pave the way for me.
What else is behind t.
Don’t you see, the beautiful woman next door to me is good at drawing eyebrows? She laughs at me for not having a wife, so who should I choose?
What's the point of studying hard and getting a high score in the imperial examination? All the rich and powerful families will compete to marry me.
My neighbor to the south has a lot of fields and laughs at me for being poor. It’s okay. Once I pass the exam, I’ll have a bright future ahead of me!
I have to hang a goldfish around my waist! I have to eat meat every day!
My neighbor to the north is envious of other people’s nice houses and laughing at the leak in my house?
When I pass the exam, my house will definitely be decorated with carved beams and painted rafters!
The purpose of studying is to take the imperial examination, and the purpose of taking the imperial examination is to pass.
By then, you will have carriages, servants, beautiful wives and concubines, gold and spacious houses. You will have everything you want.
The drunk scholar was asked to leave by his servants, still reciting "Books are the golden house" in his mouth, which made many people want to laugh at him and feel sorry for him.
Such chaos.
It all ended on August 18th.
The constable with a cold look was guarding the gate leading to the examination hall.
Go inside and prepare for the exam.
Ji Yuan was already very familiar with the examination process.
The location of his seat has also been determined, so he just needs to go to the designated place.
The items he brought were checked one by one, and after confirming that they were correct, he went straight to the banquet hall.
It is still a small house, but this year it is pieced together with wooden boards.
The bed was still small.
When he was taking the Tongshi test, he was short and the small bed was fine for him. Now that he is taller, he must feel stuffy when sleeping.
What's left is even less.
We'll be here for six days.
Ji Yuan closed his eyes and let his heart calm down completely.
Each candidate is accompanied by an invigilator.
The guard looked at Ji Yuan and saw that he was breathing steadily and comfortably. He, who was not nervous to begin with, became the calmest and most relaxed person within the sight of the naked eye.
Ji Yuan listened to the morning bell and silently recited the examination procedures in his mind.
The examiners swore an oath.
The examiners entered.
Examiners check.
The examiners handed out the test questions.
On August 18, the 37th year of Huayuan, the provincial examination officially began.
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