Chapter 85
Chapter 85
On the first night of the provincial examination, Ji Yuan lay on his bed in his room, closed his eyes, and began to think about the three essays he would write the next day.
The Five Classics he selected were "Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Book of Rites". Yesterday he had a question on "Book of Rites", and there will be another one tomorrow.
Add to that the topic of the Spring and Autumn Period.
The three titles are: "Dabei, great virtue."
Gifts can make people better.
It means that having a complete personality is the best virtue.
Talking about the importance of etiquette.
The topic of Spring and Autumn Annals is quite complicated.
Simply split the original meaning and then make questions.
There is no way. As a history book of the pre-Qin period, it records too many struggles between monarchs.
The topic is indeed difficult to come up with.
What the scholar said before was also fulfilled here one by one. If you want to answer it, you must be careful to avoid it and not violate the taboos.
No wonder so few people choose to read the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Rites.
Ji Yuan looked at the fragmented questions, which clearly felt like they were just for the sake of making questions.
There are too many things to avoid, and some are not suitable for exams.
Ji Yuan closed his eyes and pondered these questions over and over again.
Suddenly I realized that this year's exams seem to be saying one thing.
Appoint talented people.
Although the imperial examination system was originally created to employ talented and virtuous people.
But there are too many questions on this aspect in this year's provincial examination.
Since the importance of virtuous people is emphasized, it also implicitly mentions what will happen if the monarch employs virtuous people.
One of the questions today even said that if the king of Yu did not use Baili Xi, the country would be destroyed.
Ji Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.
These test questions are set by the chief examiner.
Although the chief examiners of Tianqi State also came from the capital, most of them kept a low profile.
The supervisor is responsible for external matters, while the chief examiner is responsible for the arrangement of test questions, etc.
Most of the examiners of Tianqi State kept a low profile, because they had to stay at home and rarely go out, so as to avoid revealing the questions.
In such a closed environment, the test questions can best represent the examiner's thoughts.
This is not a test question.
Clearly complaining implicitly.
What are you complaining about?
it goes without saying.
Ji Yuan slightly turned sideways and saw that the lights in the entire examination hall had been blown out. Except for the torches outside, it was pitch black inside.
Really, is it what he thinks?
If this is true, what will the emperor do?
Ji Yuan was sure that even a political rookie like himself could see the problem, and other people in the officialdom could see something unusual even better.
When he took the examination for the provincial examination three years ago, many of the questions were related to law.
Later, Ji Yuan also found out that the question was set by a Jinshi teacher who had passed the law examination. Although he was a Jinshi, he did not become an official, but was a teacher of auxiliary subjects in the provincial school.
Even though he was so low-key, he still revealed his bias in the test questions.
What about this provincial examination?
Ji Yuan took a deep breath.
It doesn't matter, he's just a candidate.
Even if the emperor saw something, it would be after the provincial examination.
And most likely it will not implicate the candidates.
Besides, maybe the emperor won’t be too angry?
Although he had never had any contact with the emperor, even Dr. Yin, who had worked in the Hanlin Academy, had only seen the emperor from afar during the palace examination.
But considering the relatively relaxed political environment in Tianqi State, perhaps nothing will happen?
During the last provincial examination, Lord Xu, who was not favored by the emperor, seemed to be doing well. Even if he was angry, he would only ask him to go on a business trip.
If we see the big picture from the small, then we can see that the library of the previous dynasty can be opened and booksellers all over the world can print books.
It can be seen that the emperor may not be so petty.
Who knows.
Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, and this statement is not wrong.
Ji Yuan took another deep breath.
It doesn't matter, he's just a candidate.
The examiner's resentment has nothing to do with him.
After calming himself down, Ji Yuan fell asleep.
This sharpness also made him go to bed a little later than other students, and he had to barely be alert when he woke up in the morning.
The soldier who came over for shift change looked at Ji Yuan, and there was finally a hint of relief in his eyes.
He just said it!
What candidate isn’t nervous?
Ji Yuan is no exception. Seeing that he didn't sleep well, he must be nervous!
Yes, this is what a young man looks like.
Ji Yuan rubbed his face hard and put the thoughts of last night behind him.
Do your best on the exam; it’s only the second day of the provincial examination.
I had already thought of the article before going to bed last night.
But when it comes to great preparation, it also means great virtue.
Ji Yuan sighed.
A person who has perfect etiquette has the best virtue.
Aren’t people like this worth using?
Ji Yuan smiled again. After finishing an article, he felt more energetic.
His appearance drove the soldiers next to him crazy.
He seemed sleepy just now, but how come he became more and more excited the more he wrote?
Can writing articles help you stay alert?
Thinking of the time when he was in school, the soldier quickly shook his head and said, "Forget it. I'm about to fall asleep just thinking about it."
The following are two articles from the Spring and Autumn Period.
I saw in it how the Duke of Zhou employed talented people and how a certain monarch treated his subjects well.
The examiner's thoughts are really vivid on the paper!
In fact, it’s not that exaggerated. It’s just that Ji Yuan discovered a problem and was able to take a closer look.
If you don't string the questions together, it will become a serious exam question.
After lunch in the afternoon, Ji Yuan finished the last article and copied it.
The rest of the time was actually empty.
There were two days of exam time, and Ji Yuan finished the article quickly in just one and a half days.
After all, he usually trains himself according to the one-day exam schedule.
The other candidates were not as fast as Ji Yuan, but their speed was not particularly slow either.
By the afternoon of the second day of the provincial examination, everyone had basically completed seven essays.
It was fine when everyone was doing the questions, but after they finished, many people started to move around, causing the invigilator to remind them frequently.
No one dared to speak, but it was okay to move around in the room.
There are still four days left.
And as the weather is getting colder, it's good to move around.
After discussing with the chief examiner, the invigilator allowed the candidates who had finished writing to hand in their papers early.
However, candidates who have handed in their test papers are not allowed to move around in the dormitory. Unless everyone in front, behind, and around you has handed in their test papers, you can only sit still.
This is because they are afraid that the examinees' activities will affect other students' test taking, and they are even more afraid of the news being spread.
Fortunately, all the students near Jiyuan had handed in their test papers by evening and were finally able to move around in their dormitories.
Of course, you are not allowed to run or jump, make any noise, or disturb others.
Ji Yuan simply did a set of simple radio gymnastics to exercise.
After the second day of exams, the atmosphere in the exam room was less tense.
But the invigilators were seen frowning frequently, probably because they felt something was wrong with the examination room.
Ji Yuan looked at their expressions and roughly knew that there would probably be no more time for such activities in the future.
On August 20th, the third day of the provincial examination, the second round of the imperial examination officially began.
Yesterday, the candidates had enough rest and had adapted to the examination environment. After the test papers were distributed, they all seemed very active.
The second exam required one essay, one Zhao, Hao, and Biao, and five judgments.
This is a bit like application writing, which tests the format, requirements, and wording.
It does not require much literary talent, but accurate use of words is more important.
It's a skill requirement.
Basically, you are given a task and then start writing in the official document format.
You must choose your words carefully, which is a basic skill for becoming an official in the future.
That’s not right. It doesn’t matter if you can’t write. There are clerks around you.
But the exam still has to be taken.
Because the second exam will still last two days, Ji Yuan divided the content into four equal parts.
One is to strive for excellence, and the other is not to let time pass in boredom.
Yes, boring.
It was clear from the first exam.
It only took him a day and a half to relax, and he spent the rest of the day getting up and moving around.
Many people are not afraid of having something to do, but are afraid of being too bored, which will disturb their mood for the exam.
This year's batch of candidates are different.
For the past three years, I thought that I would have to finish all the exam content within three days, so when I was studying and preparing for the exam, I intentionally trained my abilities, whether it was writing faster or thinking faster, which were all normal efforts.
Asking them to slow down suddenly is actually a bit of a dilemma.
If you don't plan your time well, your rhythm will be disrupted.
When people are in a mess, time becomes more difficult to endure.
It was the first exam, with so much content, but they were able to finish it ahead of time.
The second exam has much less content. Ji Yuan estimates that most people will be able to hand in their papers tomorrow morning.
really.
On the morning of August 21st, most of the candidates had finished the questions and were just waiting for the examiners to relax the requirements, collect the papers early, and start the activities early.
Unfortunately, when the pancakes were distributed at noon, the invigilator said directly: "No moving around, no talking, no running or jumping are allowed."
ah?
Wasn’t it fine the day before yesterday?
It was possible the day before yesterday.
But whether they were officials from the capital or local officials, they all felt that it was inappropriate to be in the examination room.
This is an imperial examination, not your own courtyard, so solemnity and respect should come first.
Some things, if you think about them temporarily, you can feel relieved.
But after system discussion, that’s not possible.
Different from the relaxed situation of the previous day, the examinees who had already finished their papers were bored and looked listless.
This is already the fourth day.
Before, they were all able to leave the examination room.
At this moment, I am still trapped inside.
Ji Yuan used the last two verdicts to pass the time, making sure to make this "case" clear and distinct.
Inside the examination room.
As a meditative monk, Monk Bai can pass the time by closing his eyes and silently reciting Buddhist scriptures.
Li Jin and Cai Fenglan closed their eyes and rested, reviewing the content of the exams for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
Yue Chang was a little restless, but thinking about his own situation, he forced himself to calm down.
Jia Hao, who had previously studied in a favorable environment, was like a nail growing on a stool.
The older Zhao Yuntian couldn't sit still either, and he tried hard to suppress his annoyance.
The atmosphere in the examination room gradually became tense.
The six-day exam not only tested the students' knowledge, but also indirectly tested everyone's patience.
This is indeed a torment for the candidates.
Take the usual exams for example.
A math test normally takes two hours.
But the school suddenly said that the exam would last six hours this year and students could not hand in the paper before six hours.
What does it feel like?
I have finished the test paper and I feel like I just want to fall asleep.
Sleeping was definitely not an option. I could only stare at the clock and wait for time to pass quickly.
Students in the provincial examination hall couldn't even look at the watch, so it was even more difficult for them to pass the time.
Cai Fenglan and the others could still rely on what Ji Yuan said, which was: "The rules are the same for everyone. It's hard for us, and so are others."
What we are competing for now is everyone’s concentration.
This anxious mood was slightly relieved after the test papers of the second exam were collected.
August 22nd finally arrived.
Many candidates have already lost some of their willpower.
It has been four days, actually four days.
The feeling at this moment is completely different from the relaxation of the second day.
The examiners and guards present could still take turns, but they couldn't. They could only force themselves to take the final exam.
On August 22, the third exam began.
The test consists of two questions on classics, two questions on history, and five policy essays.
By the last exam, some candidates had figured out how to answer the questions over two days.
Having said that, everyone is used to the normal speed of answering questions, and if they suddenly slow down, they will definitely feel anxious and start to think too much.
The first four days had already exhausted their energy, and the last two days, the exhaustion had increased exponentially.
Not to mention people inside the examination room, everyone outside the examination room is like this.
For example, shops on the first street of East Market all said: "In the past, the test was over in three days, but now it's six days, which always feels weird."
"I haven't even finished the exam yet, and I'm locked in that tiny room for six days? This is too much torture."
"I heard that the food and sleep quality there are not good, and eating, drinking, defecating and urinating are all done in one small room."
Everyone thought about it and felt that they couldn't hold on any longer.
They were just thinking about it, but when they saw another candidate being carried out, the feeling became even stronger.
Someone familiar with the provincial examination said, "There have never been so many people selected before."
"It seems someone is sick and has a fever."
"Just don't get a cold. A cold can infect people, and the candidates around you will be doomed."
I don't know who was the jinx, but on the night of the 22nd, the weather suddenly changed. The quilts that the candidates brought were not thick enough, and the dormitory was drafty on all sides.
Ji Yuan looked at this scene and felt even more amused.
This is almost the same as when he first traveled through time.
The house is drafty on all sides and the bedding is not thick enough.
Xiao Huang was still there at that time.
Speaking of Xiao Huang, Ji Yuan really wants to go back and see him.
He was so thin and small at that time. If it weren't for Xiao Huang, he would probably have died just like Xiao Jiyuan.
Fortunately, he is in strong body now, so this little cold wind has no effect on him at all.
Ji Yuan even had a good sleep. When he woke up, his palms were still warm, without feeling cold at all.
The soldiers around Ji Yuan were all in despair.
You, little scholar, why do you look so rosy-faced?
Don't you feel cold?
Some candidates even sneezed.
But after a closer look, the soldier discovered that the student had signs of exercise, and that his arms were definitely not those of a weak scholar.
Have you exercised?
Why are students nowadays like this?
They also take away the things that martial artists love to do.
If he had the chance, he would definitely find out to which family this scholar belonged. If he cultivated his offspring in this way, would human life still be wasted?
For the candidates taking the provincial examination, August 23rd is finally the last day of the examination.
If you can get through today, you can leave the examination room in the afternoon.
They couldn't stay in this crappy place anymore.
There were frequent coughing sounds in the examination room, which sounded very bad.
Cai Fenglan's cheeks flushed and he gritted his teeth as he wrote the last question.
The location of his table was not very good, as it was in a ventilated place, and the wind that blew in last night was eaten up by him.
At this moment, he felt a little dazed and his vision was blurry, but he had to finish writing. If he didn't, he would be sorry for his family who supported his studies and for the Zhou family who had high expectations of him.
It’s even more wrong for Xiaozhi.
Time passed in agony.
Everyone in Jiyuan had to suppress the emotions that were about to emerge.
It’s the last half day, and we can’t make any mistakes.
Ji Yuan finished the last question and took a deep breath.
These six days were indeed tough.
Fortunately, I finally made it through.
Listening to the coughing and sneezing sounds around him, Ji Yuan shook his head slightly.
The candidates are already under great psychological pressure, and they have been stuck in this for several days.
After yesterday's cold wind, I was exhausted and it was normal to get sick.
The sudden change in the provincial examination rules this year was a ordeal for all candidates.
As time went on, by late August, the weather naturally became colder.
I guess the case of Jian Meng Mansion is not an isolated case, it is the same across the country.
There is no other way. We have to make up for the lack of exam time.
I didn’t expect that when one patch was added, other vulnerabilities would suddenly appear.
If nothing unexpected happens, this patch will continue to be applied.
There are no perfect rules in the world, and we have to explore them slowly.
But Ji Yuan hopes that the court will consider the actual situation when exploring the issue?
Just as I was thinking about it, the bell rang outside.
The exam is over.
Six whole days.
The first six-day provincial examination in Tianqi State.
It's finally over.
Although the candidates did not speak, everyone inexplicably felt as if everyone had breathed a sigh of relief.
The test papers were collected one by one, and everyone was getting a little restless.
Even the examiner pretended not to see it.
Anyway, the papers have been collected and there is no possibility for cheating.
There are more than 3,100 candidates taking the provincial examination this year.
Everyone's test papers were received by the officials.
The exam is over.
This time it's really over.
When Ji Yuan heard the invigilator say that the scholars could leave the examination room one by one, he heard faint sobbing sounds.
There were more coughing sounds.
This examination caused the scholars of Jianmeng Mansion to suffer great physical damage.
Ji Yuan quickly packed up his things and left the examination room in order, looking back for the locations of Li Jin, Cai Fenglan, Bai Heshang and others.
When I walked outside, I found that Cai Fenglan had already come out.
Li Jin and Monk Bai were also very depressed, but when they saw Ji Yuan in front of them, they walked over quickly.
Without waiting for them to say anything, they heard someone in front of them say, "Brother Cai, Brother Cai?"
Zhou Zhongkai, the eldest son of the Zhou family, was waiting outside. He came over when he saw Cai Fenglan. Cai Fenglan, who usually only loved reading and had no other emotions, had red eyes and swollen cheeks. He said with trembling lips, "Yes, I'm sorry."
After saying that, the man fainted.
Ji Yuan and others ran over quickly and touched Cai Fenglan's forehead.
It's so hot?!
"Send to the hospital, quickly!"
Before anyone could say anything, the Zhou family's carriage was also there, so they decided to send Cai Fenglan to the clinic first.
After arriving at the pharmacy in the city, they finally settled Cai Fenglan down. Then batches of examinees came in, some of them were in poor spirits or had caught a cold.
It’s around the 20th day of the eighth lunar month and it’s indeed getting a bit cold.
The dormitory where Cai Fenglan was located happened to be a windy place. When the candidates inside felt cold, he had been exposed to the wind for several days.
Zhou Zhongkai said angrily: "Why is this exam like this?"
The provincial examination, which was supposed to be a good opportunity, turned into a torture.
Dr. Yin, who rushed to check on the situation, said, "All kinds of problems will arise in any exam."
Seeing everyone looking at him, Dr. Yin half-soothed and half-sighed: "I once took a provincial examination, and there was a big problem with the seat of the candidate in front of me. There was a hole out of nowhere."
"It was obvious that the hole was caused by rats due to long-term disrepair, but the officials in charge of tidying up the examination hall did not notice it."
"By the time I saw it, the students had already entered the examination room."
"What should we do then?"
"What can I do? Clear him out of the exam room and try again next time." Dr. Yin sighed, "It's good that they didn't directly accuse him of cheating."
As they spoke in low voices, Cai Fenglan had already woken up and heard what Dr. Yin said.
The "story" told by Dr. Yin is the same as his experience of being at the forefront of the trend.
They are all unprovoked disasters.
But there is no solution.
Don’t say it’s just windy, it’s good that it didn’t rain this year.
If it rains, most of the weak scholars will be killed.
This is the imperial examination.
It depends on strength, luck, physical strength and willpower.
Seeing everyone's worry, Cai Fenglan said, "I tried my best to answer the first two questions. I was drowsy in the last one. As for whether I can pass the exam or not, I'll just leave it to fate."
There are more than one case like Cai Fenglan.
This year's provincial examination was indeed full of twists and turns.
The same thing.
All candidates are basically experiencing the same changes.
Of course, Cai Fenglan and the other candidates in the same row were the most unlucky.
But the provincial examination was over.
The door of the Imperial Examination Hall has been locked, and no matter what happens, the examiners inside will not care.
They have to do their best to mark the papers and announce the results by August 30th.
The provincial examination, which involved more than 3,000 candidates, had to be copied, named, and graded within eight days, and the best 70 would be selected and subsequently ranked.
Countless examiners marked the papers day and night from day to night.
For the first batch, papers with stains on them will be discarded directly.
For the second batch, I took a quick look to see if there were any taboos and passed them.
It was only with the third batch that we started to look at the quality of the articles.
Some people also said: "It's no wonder that we only like to look at the first test papers. With so many articles, who can read them all?"
Time is tight and the tasks are complicated.
But even so, we must be cautious when evaluating the quality of articles.
The provincial examination concerns the future of too many students.
What they hold in their hands are not test papers, but the fate of students and even their families.
After leaving the examination hall, the candidates for the provincial examination all rested at home.
Some people were also asking each other about their opponents.
The only person who could be considered an opponent by Jia Hao and Zhao Yuntian’s family was naturally Ji Yuan.
They and their families know that their articles are not as good as Ji Yuan's, but they still feel in their hearts that Ji Yuan may just be good at writing.
Furthermore, the situation this year is changing rapidly. At the age of fourteen, can Ji Yuan withstand such great pressure?
Jia Haojia said: "This year the exam time has been extended and the weather has changed suddenly. I don't believe he can hold on."
Zhao Yuntian's family was delighted: "Really?! Ji Yuan went to the clinic right after leaving the examination room?!"
"They also prescribed medicine for fever symptoms?"
“That’s a good thing!”
Yes, Ji Yuan is young, and he must have gotten sick if the wind blew.
Many of the people older than him in the same examination room were very sick, and the younger ones could not bear it even more.
The Zhao family servant was well-informed and whispered, "Ji Yuan seems to be in good health. He even won the Cuju championship last year."
How is that possible!
Nowadays, there is no scholar who is not in good health.
Can Ji Yuan really be an all-rounder?
At this moment, Ji Yuan had already returned to Qiyan Temple. He, Monk Bai, and Li Jin's servant were originally going to take care of the sick Cai Fenglan.
But now it has been taken over by the Zhou family.
The Zhou family knew about Cai Fenglan's performance in the imperial examination, but their family had already discussed that even if Cai Fenglan failed, they would still have to marry him, so they did everything decently, and even when he was sick, his family took care of him.
Zhou Xiaozhi also came twice, but the more she did so, the more uncomfortable Cai Fenglan felt.
But you can only digest this emotion by yourself.
The cruelty of the imperial examination is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
All the scholars in Jianmeng Mansion are waiting for the results of this year's provincial examination.
No matter how cruel the fate is, you will have to face it sooner or later.
It would be best if you pass the exam, but if you fail, everyone will go their separate ways.
Ji Yuan never stopped painting.
He paints both for meditation and for appointments.
No matter how he did in the exam, he had to go back home after the results came out.
At least we have to give Mr. Fang a result.
He was also worried about Master Zhao's health.
How about the pressure of Ji Yuan?
He is also under a lot of pressure.
It was not even what Li Jin's family expected, or what Cai Fenglan's future in-laws valued.
Nor is it the kind of hope that whether the incense in the temple where Monk Bai is located can still be popular.
His pressure was due to preferential treatment in the provincial school.
Either he was directly selected to attend the first class, or he was given the status of a government scholarship student that others coveted.
Or the scholars would say in public that they could ask questions in private.
Of course preferential treatment is good.
All the classmates also acquiesced to this preferential treatment.
But if he fails the provincial examination, these preferential treatments will become a sword.
Become a sword in the hands of countless people.
Ji Yuan actually offended quite a few people.
In the eyes of many people, his excellence itself is a sin.
Ji Yuan calculated the time until the results were announced, slowly moving the paintbrush in his hand.
I think he will be able to finish this painting before the results are announced.
Don't worry, he has plenty of time.
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