Chapter 84
Chapter 84
After the test papers with the students' names and places of origin printed on them were handed out, Ji Yuan took a quick look and made sure there were no problems.
Just as I was about to start writing, I saw the soldier next to me got the order to check the student information. After confirming that it was correct, the exam officially began.
The soldiers moved in unison, as they had discussed the matter long ago.
This is to confirm whether the candidates for the imperial examinations are falsely registered. Although the imperial examinations have been relaxed a lot nowadays, there are still some people who cannot take the examinations.
For example, those who have committed crimes and have been deprived of their fame and honor, or prostitutes and actors.
In addition, everyone’s household registration is confirmed again.
The provincial examinations had to be conducted in one's registered place of residence, and the imperial court would also avoid selecting officials from the local place of residence in order to prevent cheating in the imperial examinations.
Although cheating still occurs despite repeated bans, it should be fairer overall, otherwise the requirements of selecting talents for the imperial examination will not be met.
The imperial examination system was originally designed to select talented people for the imperial court, regardless of whether it developed rigidly later on.
But now, in Tianqi Country, it is still a relatively advanced method.
Even thousands of years later, most government departments on the entire earth are still based on this prototype.
After confirming that the candidate's information was correct, the examination room became quiet again.
Ji Yuan thought to himself, no wonder Li Jin and Cai Fenglan said that they were so nervous during the last provincial examination.
After all, there is always a soldier standing next to you for six days.
There were even guards patrolling back and forth, plus two fixed examiners.
Those who are a little timid would probably cry out loud.
But you can't cry at this time. If you cry, it will be regarded as disrupting the examination discipline.
A slightly stricter examiner would clear the person out, and if the case is more serious, the person will not be allowed to take the imperial examination again the next year.
This is almost the end of my future.
The patrolling guards and two supervisory officers were all sent by the imperial court. They had stern faces and sharp eyes.
Under this kind of gaze, Ji Yuan took a deep breath and began to answer the questions.
Previously, the provincial examination lasted three days, with one session per day.
The first test consists of three chapters from the Four Books, each chapter having more than 500 words.
The Five Classics have four chapters, each with more than 800 words.
The questions for the Five Classics are to choose two from five, or one from five.
For example, if you only choose the Spring and Autumn Period, you only need to write four articles about the Spring and Autumn Period. The topics are already printed on the test paper.
In total, it starts from 8:00 in the morning and lasts until 6:00 in the evening.
A total of nearly five thousand words are required.
No wonder the project is so huge. Only people like Ji Yuan who are used to writing quickly don’t feel it’s hard.
This year it has been changed to one show every two days, which does provide a lot more time.
If you think about it carefully, apart from tormenting the candidates' mentality, it actually helps them answer the questions well.
While Ji Yuan was grinding ink, he was already thinking about the first question.
In the examination room, everyone had the same questions from the Four Books.
The first question is: The young are to be feared.
This statement comes from Chapter 9 of The Analects of Confucius.
Just looking at these four words, one will naturally think of their current usage, praising young people for their courage and respect.
But the original text of this chapter is: "The younger generation is to be feared. How can we know that those who come after us will not be as good as we are now? If one is still unknown at the age of forty or fifty, then he is not to be feared."
What he meant was that Confucius said that young people are worthy of respect, but who would have thought that young people today are not as good as they used to be. If they still don’t have a good moral reputation at the age of forty or fifty, they are not worthy of fear.
As we all know, Confucius' attitude towards learning is "to transmit but not to create, to believe in and love the past".
To use today's words, it means that one is favoring the past over the present.
From a modern perspective, even Confucius would say that we should learn to take the essence and discard the dross.
But it cannot be talked about now, at least not publicly.
According to Ji Yuan, he doesn't believe in the saying "how can we know that the future will not be better than the present?"
Why are people today not as good as those in the past?
He believes more in the saying that the heroes of today are still to be seen.
But this is an imperial examination. If he really wrote it down, he would be dragged out and beheaded.
Such a magnificent poem is not something that a primary school student like him could write.
The scholar had said before that in order to understand the examiner's mind, one must also understand the intentions of the court and those in power.
Ji Yuan wrote that it was the first time in his life that he had "quoted something out of context".
“The sage expects young people to achieve success and warns them of failure!”①
Confucius said this to young people because he had expectations for them! He also said this to warn them! Don't be a failure!
Ji Yuan didn't feel guilty at all.
But I also understand why there are so many versions of classic interpretations.
It's true that everyone has different opinions.
For example, this sentence "Young people can be feared" is usually used by people to praise others, and no one cares what is written behind it.
As long as it works, that’s fine!
As long as it can be explained!
His understanding is that Confucius said that young people today are not as good as those in the past in order to spur everyone!
After your first sentence sets the tone, move on.
"Studying is just about time. The reason why one should be fearful of the time is that the learner should not be afraid. This is why the Master pays so much attention to the younger generation."②
Learning means reviewing carefully and taking action. Whether students can study seriously depends on themselves.
So there is no such thing as respect or not, it all depends on whether you study or not.
The Master said this to persuade.
The following content will analyze the principles and concepts of how young people should learn and how they can truly be fearless.
Finally, there is no contradiction between saying that the same person is respected when he is young and being unknown when he is old.
This is the difference between learning and not learning.
No matter when, you should always remain in awe and maintain your learning attitude, this is the right thing to do.
Ji Yuan's article was full of lofty spirit. After writing it in one breath, Ji Yuan felt even more energetic.
This characteristic of his had already been revealed in the first three rounds of the children's examination.
The closer I get to exams, especially big ones, the more motivated I become to write, and I feel as if I’m being inspired by God.
Now that I have studied for a few more years and am fourteen years old, this characteristic has not only not disappeared, but has become more and more obvious.
Ji Yuan took a bite of the pear and prepared for the next question.
According to the scholars, since the "Analects of Confucius" has been published.
The second article should be selected from "The Doctrine of the Mean".
The third chapter is "Mencius".
This is the general order of questions.
Ji Yuan wiped his hands and turned the page.
It’s true.
The second article comes from "The Doctrine of the Mean", and is even the opening chapter of "The Doctrine of the Mean".
The title is "Nothing is hidden".
Nature is the mandate of Heaven, following nature is the Way, and cultivating the Way is teaching.
...
Nothing is more visible than what is hidden, and nothing is more obvious than what is subtle. Therefore, a gentleman should be cautious when he is alone.
This opening chapter describes the relationship between heaven and earth.
The Doctrine of the Mean says that what is given by God is temperament, and following one's nature is the Way, and if one sticks to one's Way, it becomes a religion.
The relationships among them are progressive.
As a gentleman, you cannot deviate from your own way. If you abandon your own nature, you can no longer be the way.
Regardless of whether anyone sees or hears it, you must be strict with yourself.
This article also contains an idiom that is familiar to everyone, which is "A gentleman should be cautious when alone."
Even in places where there is no one, you should still be strict with yourself.
The philosophical meaning of the Doctrine of the Mean has many things in common with Buddhism.
For example, Su Shi, who studied and learned Buddhism, wrote an article "On the Doctrine of the Mean", in which he used Buddhism to support his article.
It also discusses the "Tao" in detail and talks about how "the Tao is difficult to understand."
It can be seen how difficult the "Tao" is, how insignificant the Tao is, and how important the Tao is.
Therefore, the solution to this problem is already clear.
Ji Yuan picked up the pen.
“The Doctrine of the Mean is what comes from the heart, and it is the most profound of all!”③
The golden mean is to act according to your own heart, so the subtleties will be obvious!
After all, only by knowing what kind of person you are can you avoid being deceived.
Knowing yourself is such an important thing.
The way of the world cannot be separated from this matter.
People’s thoughts may seem small, but they affect themselves.
Whether this person is good or bad depends entirely on one thought. Only by keeping your original heart and maintaining neutrality when you are alone can you be a truly neutral person.
Only when there are more people like this will the country and society be stable.
So, should a gentleman not be cautious?
So, can a gentleman not be cautious when alone?
I finished writing this article already halfway through the morning.
Ji Yuan got up to stretch his muscles and copied the two articles he had written in the morning, just in time to distribute lunch.
The food distributed in the provincial examination was still dry cakes, some of which were even made in the morning.
Some candidates also said that this was "pig food" and that they, the candidates, were the pigs in the pen.
This statement is insulting, but many people agree with it privately.
But I still have to eat something because I have an exam in the afternoon.
The first exam lasted for two days, so Ji Yuan relaxed for a while and even closed his eyes to rest at noon.
Get up again and continue to do the third question of the Four Books, which is the last article of the Four Books.
Still five hundred words.
The scholar guessed the topic very accurately, and it was indeed from "Mencius".
Question 3: "Those who don't know think it is meat."
This question comes from "Mencius: Exerting One's Mind".
It tells a story.
When Confucius was in his fifties, he served as the Grand Justice of the State of Lu. He won a diplomatic victory for the State of Lu at the Jiagu Conference where the two states of Qi and Lu met.
Unfortunately, his political peak was short-lived, and was followed by the famous event that Duke Lu refused to give any sacrificial meat to Confucius, which led to Confucius deciding to leave Lu.
It is said that the most important affairs of a country are sacrifices and war.
The king would distribute the meat used for sacrifice to his subjects.
The Duke of Lu would give meat to Confucius every time he offered sacrifices in the suburbs, but he deliberately did not give any meat that time, so Confucius left. This is also known as his famous "travel around the states".
The context of this question is about analyzing this matter.
Mencius, as a "disciple" who actively defended Confucius's thoughts, said: "The State of Yu failed to make use of Baili Xi, so it was destroyed. Duke Mu of Qin made use of him and became the hegemon. This shows that not making use of virtuous people will lead to the destruction of a country."
He then gave many examples, which basically meant that if a country does not employ capable people, it will perish.
Later, there is this sentence: "Those who don't know think it is meat."
Combined with the above allusions, it means that Confucius was the Sikou in the State of Lu, but the Duke of Lu did not take him seriously and even refused to give him meat for sacrifice.
People who don’t know Confucius think that he left because of the sacrificial meat.
Those who knew him believed that he did it because of the rudeness of the king of Lu.
However, Confucius did not want to say much, because he was afraid that the monarch would be blamed because of this matter, so he left with the matter of the sacrificial meat.
Confucius is such a virtuous man. This kind of benevolent gentleman is not something that ordinary people can understand.
After reading the general meaning, you will understand what this sentence "Those who do not know think it is meat" means.
This sentence has a lot of meaning like the modern saying, "It's hard to make a comment without knowing the whole picture."
But Mencius' explanation was actually just his guess.
But generally speaking, it tells those in higher positions how important it is to employ capable people.
It is better to have a wise man like Confucius who will not say much even when he is wronged.
Perhaps it is this kind of thought that has more or less influenced scholars and emperors over the past thousands of years.
There is nothing wrong in employing capable people.
But what is virtue requires further consideration.
Ji Yuan continued: "It is useless to speculate on what the sages do, whether you know it or not."
"How difficult it is to know a sage. Is it because of the flesh or because of impoliteness? Those who do not know are like this, and those who know are just like this."④
Speculating on why the saints did that, whether we know it or not, is not in line with reality.
It is difficult to know what saints do.
Is it because of the barbecue? Is it because of not observing the sacrificial rituals?
Who knows, it’s always like that whether you know it or not.
Ji Yuan wrote with his eyes closed, describing everything from the rituals of sacrifice, to the size of the matter, and then to the thoughts of the two saints.
Finally, did the King of Lu have any guesses about this?
So what if I guess? Will I change my mind?
After finishing writing, Ji Yuan rubbed his solar plexus.
I have finally finished writing the three questions on the Four Books.
Instead of debating these, why don't he just do some math problems?
Sometimes, we just have too deep an understanding of the ancients. It is right to learn from history, but we cannot really analyze every sentence of Confucius and Mencius over and over again.
Never mind, it’s just a scientific examination.
Ji Yuan just thought, it’s just a scientific examination. If others heard it, they would probably be shocked.
Are you too frivolous about the imperial examination?
Others are ready for battle, but what about you? You just treat it as a question!
It is said that articles are used to express personal thoughts.
Ji Yuan's articles are very interesting. His approach to writing articles is very sophisticated. He can easily give a wide range of answers to any topic.
Personal ideas are very different. I will not go against my own heart, nor will I force others to accept my point of view.
Ji Yuan's writing style was formed long ago.
There was still plenty of time, so Ji Yuan was not in a hurry to write the four essays and five classics. He first organized the previous test papers.
Of today's four articles and five classics, Ji Yuan plans to write one, and will write the remaining three tomorrow after he has enough rest.
He was not in a hurry for two days.
He was taking the exam in an orderly manner in the examination room, but the people outside were very anxious.
Especially those in the provincial school.
There is also Jia Hao, Zhao Yuntian’s family.
As for the latter two, I am sure they can pass the exam, and I have a rough idea of everyone's level.
It may not be possible to be number one, but that’s important.
The first place in the provincial examination is called Jieyuan.
Although people used to call it "Xiao Sanyuan", it is ultimately a popular name among the people.
The only things that can be truly recorded in the court archives are from the provincial examinations onwards.
After all, the imperial court has always talked about the three examinations in the imperial examination, and they are not referring to the Tongshi, Xiangshi, and Huishi.
The serious ones are the provincial examinations, the metropolitan examinations, and the palace examinations.
It doesn’t matter if they couldn’t get it before.
It is really important to get first place in the provincial examination.
Even if we take a step back and say that with the title of first place in the provincial examination, it would be possible for him to directly become an official of the juren degree.
Not to mention, whether Jia Hao or Zhao Yuntian, they are all very young.
There is great hope for becoming a Jinshi.
But when it comes to youth, everyone's eyelids jump.
The era is younger.
No wonder these two companies are so anxious.
Who can blame him for writing good articles and not being very old?
No matter how you look at it, there is a bright future ahead and the young people are to be feared.
Now that I think about it, I can only hope that he is too young and can’t handle it in the banquet hall.
Fourteen years old, although not too young.
But he is still a teenager after all, so it is normal for him to lose his temper.
If you lose your composure in the imperial examination, you're done for.
With this in mind, one student was actually cleared out of the provincial examination room.
After asking around, I found out he's not really that old.
This cheered up many people.
What if it's an era?
Li Jin's parents rushed over to see what happened, and they were scared to death.
Although Dr. Yin did not go, Yin Xiaoyi did.
Looking at the student who was thrown out, he looked dazed and stupid, his hands were shaking, and he kept crying.
He looks to be about sixteen or seventeen.
Who said he was very young?
The crowd of onlookers did not disperse until his family came to pick him up.
This kind of thing happens every year in the provincial examinations and is not uncommon.
From the moment they entered the examination room, these students became dazed and their brains could hardly function.
This is an expression of extreme nervousness. The most regrettable thing is that the results of this type of candidates are actually not particularly bad.
If my grades are really bad, I will actually relax a lot.
People are already nervous, and the environment in the examination hall exacerbates this emotion. It is possible for them to suddenly become dazed and dull, and the nervousness can even be considered pathological.
Upon hearing this news, the scholars outside felt sad.
Fortunately, inside the examination room, only the candidates around that student were affected, and no one else was aware of it.
And as luck would have it, Ji Yuan was the one who was affected.
He just heard a plop nearby, and the soldier next to him walked in. After seeing the situation, a doctor came over to give acupuncture and carried the man out directly.
Everyone would feel bad when seeing a healthy person being carried away.
The soldier next to Ji Yuan stared at him, curious whether this younger candidate would also be affected.
Several students nearby were trembling at this moment, wondering what would happen to him.
Although the ancients did not know the scientific principles behind how emotions affect people.
But all the soldiers know that the most feared thing in a military camp is a camp bomb.
People who are in a war environment face high pressure and their nerves become sensitive and fragile. If they are slightly provoked, they will get out of control.
Fighting among the people in the camp is possible.
These emotions will also affect the people around you, thus forming a chain reaction.
What about this candidate?
The examination hall is a torture for the students, and it is also a torture for the soldiers standing guard and the patrolling guards.
This was the only way he could pass the time.
Ji Yuan lowered his eyes, carefully smoothed his paper, paused for a moment, and continued to write the first question of his "Five Classics".
"Book of Rites: Learning", if jade is not carved, it will not become a useful object.
A beautiful jade cannot become a vessel without being carved.
If one does not study, one will not understand the truth.
Ji Yuan did not connect the context, but directly explained this sentence.
Beautiful jade needs to be carved, and people need to grow.
Setbacks and twists and turns are not what we want.
But if you don’t want it, does it mean it doesn’t exist?
When you encounter it, face it calmly. There will be a time to ride the wind and waves and set sail to cross the vast ocean.
When Ji Yuan wrote this sentence, he also confirmed that Tianqi Kingdom had also passed this sentence, and he subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s good to have. It’s good to have.
He has read a lot of poetry writing tutorials, but when it comes to writing on his own, he is still nervous.
Don’t let the situation where a piece of writing becomes a classic ever again.
He's not that thick-skinned.
Ji Yuan thought to himself, with an unusually relaxed smile on his face.
The guards' eyes widened.
Is this person okay?
Not only was he not nervous, he was also smiling easily?
The general in charge of their camp doesn't have that kind of courage.
Isn’t this exam particularly important?
He remained calm in times of danger and did not panic in battle. This is amazing!
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