The results of the Imperial College Liberation Examination are different from those of other liberation examinations.
Before the results are released, each scholar who participated in the examination must go to the Third Examination Hall of the Imperial College to meet with the chief and deputy examiners and senior officials of the Imperial College.
The imperial examination was a system advocated by the emperor and the court, but in the eyes of officials, they still stubbornly implemented the nine-level Zhongzheng system. The rural elections transferred the power of selecting people from the court to themselves.
How to transfer it to yourself?
On the day when the results are released, officials will call candidates for interviews in the morning, and they will just ask a few questions in person.
The purpose of officials is to separate the right of examination and the right of election.
However, this move was dissatisfied by the students, and the court was even more reluctant.
A promising king must hold the power of employing people in his own hands. Originally, in the Han Dynasty, township elections were the way to select people. However, after Cao Cao became the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, he issued the "Only Only Talents" order many times to select talented people. The poor scholars changed the way in which scholars controlled the selection of talents.
In the later period, Cao Wei compromised with the nobles and switched to the "Nine-Rank Officials Law". Although it returned to the old way of rural elections, it actually relaxed the qualifications for employment and strengthened the power of the court to appoint people compared with the Han Dynasty electoral system.
By the Song Dynasty, it was relatively fair, and a certain balance was achieved between taking care of the officials and nobles and promoting meritocracy.
As for the imperial court's unwillingness to put the power of employment in the hands of the examiners, the examiners still had to hold the right to vote, at least for a formality.
The examiner calls this interrogation scene 'face-to-face challenge'.
Although the Imperial College has a quota of 600, the number of people to be picked is less than 700.
The examiners will work from morning till night before releasing the results at the end.
In other words, those who are selected in the interview may not be on the list in the end, but those who are not selected in the interview will definitely not be on the list. This move is similar to the provincial examination and palace examination.
After the provincial examination for the selection of officials, in order to show that the emperor held the power of employment in his own hands, he would also hold a palace examination to determine the final ranking and select some people.
Therefore, after the imperial examination, the Jinshi claimed to be disciples of the emperor, and this is the reason.
On the eve of the release of the results, all the students in Yangzhengzhai stayed in the studio.
Some people were pacing back and forth anxiously, some were confident, and some were disdainful.
Anyway, everyone knows who it is.
Zhang Yue was not in a hurry, because according to the unwritten rules, in Taixue, Zhengxueyu was taught, and the chief Zhaiyu of each Zhai would be selected in the end, no matter whether he did well or not.
Although the results are determined by how well you do in the exam, this experience is really torturous.
At this moment, Zhang Yue remembered what Zhang Heng had said to him.
That is the experience of successful people.
To sum it up in one sentence, continuous success is the first-class way of self-realization. When you can overcome difficulties and climb to the top of the mountain, you will overcome feelings of inferiority, self-fear, self-doubt and so on.
Just like an army, if a weak brigade keeps winning battles, it will gradually turn into an invincible army. No matter how strong the opponent is, it will have the confidence to fight with it and use its sword when encountering the enemy.
The same is true for the imperial examinations. From being admitted to the county school, to being recommended to the Imperial College, now it is from the Imperial College to the interpretation test.
The exam is not transparent but at least it is public.
Some people have worked hard for more than ten years, but they are never convinced by the leadership. They say you are too young, so let the old comrades go first, but they say you are too old, so you have to be selected from among the young people. I keep telling you to wait, but you still can't get promoted.
You won’t wait until all your efforts are wasted and you will be gradually marginalized. You will be the one to do whatever you have been waiting for, and there is no time to wait.
The imperial examination is fair. If you pass or fail, you will know at first sight.
During the test, all the competitors were top performers, but who stood out in the end?
"Zhaizhang, Lu Zhidao asked you to go there."
Everyone in the room pricked up their ears. Zhang Yue responded and immediately went out to the lecture room.
"Just tell me if you've seen it."
When Lu Zhiyao saw Zhang Yue, his face was full of smiles. He stood up from behind the desk and said, "Du Zhi is here. You Yangzhengzhai did really well in the exam this time."
Zhang Yue said: "It's all the result of direct teaching. As the saying goes, great teachers make great disciples."
Lu Zhijiao laughed when he heard this and said: "Actually, you don't want to express your merits. I also know that among all the schools in the Taixue, your style of study at Yangzhengzhai is the purest and most upright. You are well-known among us Zhijiao. Not to mention anything else, it’s just that during the last great epidemic, everyone in your Yang Zheng Zhai study stayed at home and studied hard behind closed doors. No one got sick, and you were the only one in each Zhai."
"What is nurturing righteousness? Yi Yun, Meng means nurturing righteousness. But there is another meaning. Aren't you good at governing Mencius? Mencius said, I am good at cultivating my awe-inspiring aura. What is awe-inspiring aura? Don't seek external things, be worthy of your heart. , Cultivate the righteousness and uprightness in your heart."
Zhang Yue bowed and said, "The students have been taught."
Lu Zhi said with a smile: "You are outstanding in virtue and ability as the chief of the fasting, and you are rigorous in running the fasting. Imperial College will also report this to the examiner."
Zhang Yue reservedly thanked him and walked back to his studio with the list in hand.
Zhang Yue returned to the furnace pavilion and saw many people gathered around him. Some were pretending to be calm and reading, while others were hiding in their studios.
Looking at everyone's gaze, Zhang Yue picked up the list and read it out: "The ones to be picked tomorrow are Han Zhongyan, Fan Zuyu... Zhang Yue, Huang Lu... are all here."
"Can my name be on it, Chief?"
Seeing the other party's expression, Zhang Yue couldn't bear to say in his heart: "Take it and have a look."
The man took the list with trembling hands. After reading it from beginning to end, he finally squatted down with his head in his hands.
Others scrambled to circulate the list.
"I wake up and sigh in the night, but the dream is short and I can't reach home. I have been to Chang'an twice, and I will burst into tears in the sky."
After Zhang Yue entered, he didn't even look at him from beginning to end, he just held a book and read. After reading half of it, I finally couldn't help but recite Meng Jiao's "Poetry Again" with tears in my eyes.
Even children know the poem "The spring breeze brings joy to the horse's hoofs, and I see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day." But who knows that Meng Jiao was demoted twice? This poem was what he recited when he was going down for the second time.
"Two times on the road to Chang'an, I will see the flowers in tears in the air" and "The spring breeze is so proud that the horse's hooves are so bad that I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day". It is very interesting to read them together.
Some people are happy and some are sad.
When Zhang Yue walked back to the studio, he saw Huang Haoyi lighting the brazier and throwing all his poems and articles into it to burn.
When Zhang Yue saw it, he quickly grabbed it and cursed: "Are you crazy?"
"Don't worry about me." Huang Haoyi seemed to be going crazy.
Huang Lu and Fan Zuyu stepped forward to help Zhang Yue suppress Huang Haoyi. Huang Haoyi finally raised his hands to cover his face, squatted and cried bitterly.
On the other side, Sun Guo was lying on the collapse, looking at the roof with empty eyes and muttering something in his mouth. Everyone looked at Sun Guo as more worrying than Huang Haoyi.
Zhang Yue watched this scene and thought to himself, although the other exam was close to one out of two, Huang Haoyi still failed. As for the poor family examination, although one person is selected from six or seven people, Huang Lu can still be selected without any connections.
Although there are differences in difficulty, no matter how big the denominator is, if you pass the exam, it is just one. No matter how small the denominator is, if you fail, it is still zero.
The imperial examination is so cruel and real.
There was nothing to say all night, and the candidates who entered the "face selection" early the next morning queued up outside Sanjiantang.
As for the Sanjian Hall, Yang Zhu, Sima Guang, Li Dalin and others were in the hall, and beside them were officials from the Imperial College. Many people yawned because they got up too early.
The school official brought tea to several officials. After gargling to relieve their fatigue, the interview began.
Since it was a face-to-face selection, it was natural that students from different backgrounds and those from poor families were mixed together.
However, these officials have seen countless people, and they can tell a person's background in just a few words without looking at their family status.
Those who are restrained and unable to let go, who don't know where to put their hands and feet when facing the examiner, are mostly candidates from poor families, but not all of them. If their family background is slightly better or someone can give them some advice, they will be much more relaxed. However, there were a few who dared to speak, and their purpose was too obvious, making it uncomfortable to listen to them.
The children of officials and officials are very good at conversation, able to hit the spot, and are very scheming. They can pick up things from the examiner's words and expressions, so as to change their response strategies.
In this way, no one can make a mistake when choosing a disciple, but that's the problem...
As for the children of poets and writers, they were somewhat aloof, and they were divided into those who were thoughtful and those who were not, but the pride in them could be seen from a distance.
Although from the interview, I dare not judge what the career of these candidates will be like when they enter officialdom in the future. But the examiner can already draw a conclusion from this one-sided statement, and generally he can be 70% to 80% correct.
Zhang Yue stood outside the Sanjian Hall, watching the candidates coming in and out.
Most of the candidates looked nervous when they entered, but they were relaxed and at ease when they came out. Many people were chatting and laughing. The examiner did not make things difficult for them, but mostly asked some very simple questions, which was just a formality.
However, there were also a few people who had painful expressions and seemed to be being made things difficult for them.
Zhang Yue looked at He Qi and Wang Kui in the crowd. They smiled and held hands with Zhang Yue, and Zhang Yue returned the favor.
But Zhang Yue looked left and right and couldn't see Guo Lin. Just when Zhang Yue had no hope, he saw Guo Lin at the end of the queue, smiling and waving to him.
Zhang Yue smiled and waved, and a big stone fell from the bottom of his heart. He felt a little relieved at this moment.
At this moment, Zhang Yue couldn't help but think of the time when he was studying when he was young.
He and Guo Lin walked from a small mountain village to the county seat, and then from the county seat to the Imperial College... In the end, God will reward hard work.
No matter how vulgar fame is, everyone flocks to it, and there is always value in it. This is something that no one can deny.
Don't look at the scenery after finishing first, because everything they have includes the efforts of losers. This is the result of one general's success.
Even if he fails, it doesn't matter. With Guo Lin's character, the children he teaches will definitely be good in the future, because teaching by example is better than words, so it can be repaid to the next generation.
The school official called Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue said yes and climbed up the steps with a shake of his clothes.
When Zhang Yue walked into the Sanjian Hall, he glanced at all the examiners who were either drinking tea or reading papers. A student on the side shouted loudly: "The Imperial High School Yang Zhengzhai Zhang Yue has come to see you."
But seeing that the examiners were looking at him after hearing this, Sima Guang stroked his beard and looked up. Li Dalin on the side thought to himself, this man is wearing a long robe, and he is undoubtedly a poor scholar, but his bearing is extraordinary.
The officials from the Imperial College nearby were all familiar with each other.
The examiners glanced at Zhang Yue and didn't pay much attention.
Zhang Yue knew what he was doing, and face-to-face provocation was also a necessary skill in the future. For example, as an official, you meet the Prime Minister Dao Zuo. He asks you a few words. How do you answer?
What's more important is that your prelude is right.
The officials of the Song Dynasty were not like the emperors of the Ming Dynasty who had not been in court for decades.
It was still easy for officials of the Song Dynasty to meet with the emperor. They had to write a petition first, wait for Emperor Zhongshu's approval, and then wait for the emperor's approval to meet, and then schedule the meeting together.
Even if you are not active, officials are still willing to meet with officials. This vigilance is a lesson learned from the Tang Dynasty when the eunuchs and prime ministers were isolated from the inside and outside. Although the Queen Mother often served as regent in the Northern Song Dynasty, in the end no emperor was able to relinquish power.
It's not a big deal to be picked for an interview. How can I talk about meeting Wang Anshi and Song Shenzong in the future? However, the examiner position was occupied by Sima Guang, Wang Anshi's close friend and future mortal enemy.
After Zhang Yue saluted, the Imperial College directly stated Zhang Yue's resume in Imperial College to the examiner.
Born as a poor scholar, he was admitted to the county school at the age of twelve, admitted to the Imperial College at the age of fourteen, and became the chief of Yangzhengzhai at the age of fifteen.
This resume is quite impressive. In the end, the officials of the Imperial College gave Zhang Yue the word "brilliant and talented". As Lu Zhi said, the Imperial College gave Zhang Yue a very high evaluation.
The four examiners on the stage had taken this time to read Zhang Yue's family status, resume, and examination papers.
Then the examiner will ask Zhang Yue two questions.
Yang Huiben, the principal of Jixian School, was about to ask a question. At this time, Li Dalin coughed slightly and asked first: "Zhang Duzhi, I see that the poem "Shan Ruo Shui" on your examination paper is "Shan Ruo Shui". This "Shan Ruo Shui" mentioned Lao Tzu, but you said Confucius Is it okay to watch the water flowing from the east flow to it?"
Zhang Yue saluted and said: "Reporting to the examiner, Confucius once asked Lao Tzu about Li, which he met in Zhuangzi. His disciples asked Confucius, how is Lao Tzu? Confucius replied: "I know a bird can fly; a fish, I know it can swim; a beast, I know it. It can go. As for the dragon, I don’t know what it is? When I see Lao Tzu, does he look like a dragon? "
"Confucius must observe the big water when he comes, and he said that the water is diverted to all living beings without doing anything, which is virtue. Its flow is also flowing down, and the train must follow its principles, which is righteousness. Its water is not bent to the end, which is the Tao. If there is a decisive action, the answer is as loud as the sound. It is brave to go to the valley without fear. The main measure must be level, and it is also the law. If there is excess, do not seek generalization, it is correct. The Nao Yue is slightly reaching, and it is observed. It can be used to come out. Entering, it will be fresh and clean, and it will be transformed well. It will be eastward after all twists and turns, just like the ambition of a gentleman."
"Confucius said that water has virtue, righteousness, Tao, courage, Dharma, righteousness, observation, improvement, ambition, etc., and Laozi's words of 'the highest good' can also be mutually referenced. I also ask the examiner to learn from it."
After Zhang Yue finished his answer, the Imperial Academy on the side whispered to each other, either approving or talking to his colleagues.
Among them, Lu Zhidao was even more sympathetic to Yourong, nodding his head frequently.
Li Dalin nodded and said: "Your poem has structure but little artistic conception. However, this poem quotes Lao Zhuang, Xunzi, Mencius, The Analects of Confucius, and Tao Te Ching. Although the writing is mediocre, it can be called a scholar."
Zhang Yue understood that Li Dalin's words pointed out his own poetry, and only the routine lacked sincerity.
I can't help but have so much talent in poetry. I can only achieve a neat structure and format, but the artistic conception... It really has nothing to do with the degree of hard work acquired.
This is really a height that a person cannot reach in his entire life, but some people are born with it.
The supreme kindness in this examination room is the limit of Zhang Yue's efforts.
After Yang Zhu heard Li Dalin's remarks, he looked Zhang Yue up and down.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but feel a shiver in his heart when he caught his gaze.
At this time Sima Guang spoke up.
Sima Guang said: "In Zhang Du's "Who is the first to know and do", you said, 'Sincerity reaches the highest knowledge, and the highest knowledge is the truth and goodness'. It is similar to Mencius's theory, and Mencius' words are adopted throughout the discussion."
"However, Mencius mainly has good nature, and Xunzi mainly has evil nature. They both get their partiality and leave out the main body. People have both good and evil. Therefore, although saints cannot be without evil, even though evil people cannot be without good, it is like farming, rice beams and Goosebumps and weeds grow together on the ground. Doing good and removing evil is like removing weeds and getting rice grains."
"You use both Xunzi's words and Mencius' words, but the two theories are completely different. I don't know how to explain it?"
Zhang Yue thought to himself that Sima Guang turned out to be 'Meng Hei', no wonder he later got involved with 'Meng Fen' Wang Anshi.
All the examiners were surprised. Normally, one examiner would ask about the topic in the article, while the other would ask about it in general terms, such as how to cultivate one's morality and how to serve the country?
But both questions raised doubts on the paper. Could it be that Sima Guang and Zhang Yue had some sort of feud?
But I saw Zhang Yue calmly said: "The examiner's words, the students have been taught, it reminds the students of the sage's words, 'Choose the good ones and follow them, and change the bad ones'."
"Mencius's discussion of good nature and Xunzi's discussion of evil nature seem to be like the positive and negative sides of a coin, either one or the other. However, in the eyes of students, the two are only different."
When the examiner Yang Zhu heard this, he first showed a look of surprise, while Sima Guang showed a look of deep thought.
"Just like the examiner mentioned rice and pigweed, in the eyes of the farmer, the rice is good and the pigweed is evil. However, if there is a bird that does not eat pigweed and hates rice, then in the bird's eyes, the farmer's behavior is good. Evil? How can we eliminate evil and promote good?"
After Zhang Yue finished his answer, everyone present was speechless.
Yang Hui on the side was so shocked that he dropped his pen and didn't know it.
Sima Guang stroked his beard and pondered, nodded and said: "I already know it. Are you Zhang Duzhi?"
Having said this, Sima Guang raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue cupped his hands and said, "It's true that students are right, students' words are ridiculous."
Sima Guang said: "Contemporary scholars hold different opinions on the theory of good and evil. Although I do not agree with Mencius and Xun's theory, I can only test you by judging your talent."
"It's good that you can speak out without hiding anything."
Zhang Yuexi bowed and bowed, then stepped back from the hall.
Then the four examiners all wrote notes on Zhang Yue.
Yang Zhu and Li Dalin couldn't help but look at Sima Guang, but saw that Sima Guang wrote "Excellent" under Zhang Yue's name without stopping.
The other three examiners also wrote 'excellent' under Zhang Yue's name at the same time.
"Yangzhengzhai Huang Lu!" the examiner said loudly.
Stepping out of Sanjiantang, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu met each other and nodded to each other to show encouragement.
As for Zhang Yue, he couldn't help but be sweating at the moment.
He found a pavilion and sat down, but in front of the Sanjian Hall, the candidates had not dispersed. It was almost time to release the results, and the candidates coming out of the Sanjian Hall were all talking happily.
Zhang Yue just sat like this, watching the dark clouds gathering in the sky, and it looked like a shower was about to begin.
After a while, all the candidates were interviewed.
All the candidates near Sanjian Hall were cleared, and the results were obviously finalized.
It was about to rain heavily, but none of the candidates left.
Zhang Yue saw Sun Guo in the crowd. Sun Guo's face looked a little pale. Although he had not been selected for the big challenge today, he still came to see the rankings. He looked at the list not to see if he had won, but to make himself give up.
Zhang Yue secretly felt sad for Sun Guo.
The list has not yet been awarded, but the rain has finally fallen.
Zhang Yue watched the rain first become lighter and then become heavier, and the sound of rain could be heard in his ears. Candidates scattered from the field and ran to the eaves to take shelter from the rain. Some people also ran to the pavilion.
The abundant autumn rain made the sky a little dark, and candles were lit in the Sanjian Hall.
Presumably the examiners in the hall were nervously filling out the exam papers, and the candidates on both sides were watching this scene.
In Sanjian Hall, it had taken half an hour to fill in the exam. At this moment, Yang Zhu, the examiner, was watching the heavy rain by the window, stroking his beard and meditating under the candlelight. After a while, the examiner Yang Zhu turned his head and said to the left and right: "Let's post the list!"
At this time, the door of Sanjian Hall opened.
Several people shouted: "The list is released, the list is released."
All the candidates ignored the heavy rain and followed the results one after another. Zhang Yue also wanted to get up and go to see the results in the rain, but he found awkwardly that his legs were numb.
After sitting there for so long, Zhang Yue held his thigh with his right hand in the pavilion, jumped a few steps on one leg, and finally gave up his efforts.
Zhang Yue sat alone in the pavilion, watching the Imperial Academy's screen wall where the imperial examination was filled with people. Nearly half of the people held umbrellas and looked at each other.
In addition to the candidates, family members of the candidates also came to the Imperial College to see the results. Many people were afraid that they would not see the results clearly, so they picked lanterns in advance to see the results.
Zhang Yue sat quietly in the pavilion, with the aura of standing still as he watched others vying for princes.
Sitting here, at first glance, it seems like I am sitting in a mood of wandering clouds and wild cranes, regarding my fame and fame as floating clouds.
In fact, Zhang Yue looked calm on the outside, but deep down he was anxious. Beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead. He just hated that his legs were not up to par.
"I won." A person in the distance clapped his hands and laughed.
"I got hit too, haha." Another person raised his head and laughed, throwing the umbrella aside.
Zhang Yue saw several people hugging each other, laughing and crying at the same time.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Yue was both happy and deeply moved.
Wang Kui and He Qi pointed at the list, as if they were pointing out the country.
Finally, someone gradually left sadly. Sun Guo did not hold an umbrella and walked alone in the rain.
As Sun Guo passed by, there was a proud candidate, and the whole family, old and young, laughed together.
In the distance, Guo Lin was wiping tears in the rain, and several classmates were talking beside him, as if congratulating him.
People continued to disperse from the front of the list, seeing the lights of Yingying coming from a distance, and then seeing the lights flashing away in the rain.
Zhang Yue doubted in his heart, if I won, why didn't anyone come to congratulate me and let me sit here alone.
While he was talking, a person finally came over, it was a student from Zhu Ke. He seemed familiar with Zhang Yue when he saw him.
"Du Zhi, why don't you look at the list?"
Zhang Yue smiled and did not answer.
At this time, Huang Lu walked quickly from the rain to the pavilion. Zhang Yue stood up immediately. He first looked at Huang Lu's expression.
"Duzhi, congratulations."
Zhang Yue finally calmed down, looked at Huang Lu and said, "Anzhong, you were hit too?"
Huang Lu nodded, Zhang Yue couldn't help but punched him on the shoulder and laughed: "Look at the list!"
"Ha, brother, lend me an umbrella!" Zhang Yue said to the candidates in the pavilion.
On the rain umbrella, Zhang Yue kicked his shoes through the puddles. After a while, his shoes and socks were wet. At this moment, he didn't care anymore.
"Du Zhi is coming!"
"Why is it so late to save him?"
"Haha, how slow it is to save it."
When the classmates saw Zhang Yue, they were all smiling, but their expressions were a little complicated, leaving a way for them to see the list.
Zhang Yue and Huang Lu came to the list and soon found their names from top to bottom.
"Third place in Jinshi Division, Zhang Yue!"
