Since the establishment of the imperial examination system in the Sui Dynasty, when Zhang Shaofei's father Zhang Jinzhao was three years old, his grandfather Zhang Wenru began to teach him the "Three Character Classic" and "The Thousand Character Classic". Participating in the imperial examination was his dream to enter the official career of the Zhang family.
The Jinshi subject mainly takes Confucian classics as the examination content. In the early Tang Dynasty, the Jinshi subject mainly focused on current affairs and policy, and the quality of the articles and poems was used as the mark of the examination. In the atmosphere of this era that valued literature, many Jinshi who were appointed as officials and had not yet been selected by the Ministry of Personnel were regarded as future ministers by people wearing common people's clothes.
The Jinshi subject attracts many scholars to take the exam, resulting in fierce competition and difficulty in passing. There is a saying "Jinshi at the age of fifty". If you are admitted to the Jinshi at the age of fifty, you are still very young. It can be seen that the Jinshi examination is very difficult.
According to the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty, candidates who qualified for the imperial examination could go to Beijing to take the examination.
Those who pass the examination will be called Jinshi. If you become a Jinshi, you can officially become an official. Some of the outstanding ones are selected into the Hanlin Academy and are called Hanlin. This is the highest "academic title". Ordinary Jinshi can at least serve as magistrates. This is the life that literati in the Tang Dynasty strive for. Target.
Zhang Shaofei's father, Zhang Jinzhao, was not only eager to learn since he was a child, but also very smart. He had an impressive memory. After reading all the books at home, he often walked several miles to Qiu County Academy to borrow books. His diligence and studiousness were evident. It is not difficult to see that he had lofty ambitions since he was a child. , so well-read.
Zhang Jinzhao passed the provincial examination when he was twenty years old.
Three years later, he entered the Imperial Academy to study, where he was highly regarded and his reputation grew.
Three years later, he re-examined in the Ministry of Rites and ranked among the best. However, because he was scratched on his face by a tree branch when he was climbing a tree as a child, leaving a scar. The examiner thought it was indecent, so he was only awarded the first place in the imperial examination.
Later, his literary fame spread far and wide, and he was promoted to a bachelor's degree in the Hanlin Academy.
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Zhang Shaofei also inherited his father's genes. When he was three years old, Zhang Jinzhao began to teach him the "Three Character Classic" and "Thousand Character Classic", etc., instilling in him that "everything is inferior, only reading is good", and taking the imperial examination was his first choice in the history of the Zhang family. Ways to enter an official career.
The sun and the moon reincarnate, and the imperial court's three-year academic examination is approaching. Zhang Shaofei packed his bags and went to Lin'an to take the exam.
After entering the examination room, Zhang Shaofei sat in the left corner of the last row of the examination room, waiting for the examiner to enter.
"Dang-dang-dang", as the bell rang, the examiner came in holding a bamboo pole with a phoenix standing on the top.
The examiner shook the bamboo pole, and the phoenix howled on the bamboo pole.
The examiner walked around the examination room holding a bamboo pole and then left the examination room.
After seeing the examiner leave, the candidates immediately started whispering:
"This examiner is so funny. What are you doing here with a bamboo pole?"
"That phoenix is so beautiful. It screams from time to time, as if it is talking to us."
"..."
Zhang Shaofei, who had experienced training in Dongzen Temple and was blessed by wisdom, suddenly became enlightened. When he was about to write quickly on the examination paper, the candidate named Wenlong next to him winked at him. Zhang Shaofei signaled to him that the question asked by the examiner was "The Phoenix is in the Bamboo".
Wenlong understood the idea, picked up his pen, and started writing furiously on the examination paper. The other candidates were still talking and waiting for the examiner to come in and give out the test questions.
Who knows this wait until the bell rings again.
The examiner comes in and announces: The exam time is up. Candidates please leave immediately.
The other candidates looked at each other and left the examination room helplessly.
On the way back to the guild hall, Wenlong met Zhang Shaofei, thanked him and started talking.
The more they talked, the more they became attracted to each other, and they became sworn brothers on the spot. Wen Long was two years older than Zhang Shaofei, so he was his elder brother and Zhang Shaofei was his younger brother.
The two of them knelt down and worshiped heaven and earth, praying: From now on we will share blessings, share difficulties, and take care of each other.
After the results were released, Zhang Shaofei and Wenlong passed the examination.
Originally, Zhang Shaofei ranked first in the imperial examination, but his path to the imperial examination was also full of ups and downs. When he participated in the imperial examination after he was 17 years old, the first, second, and third passes were the old rules - the hospital examination, the provincial examination, and the general examination. He got by effortlessly.
But when it came to the fourth level - the palace examination, he was not so successful - the examiner was only interested in wealth. Therefore, no matter how talented you Zhang Shaofei is, if you don't invest some money, you won't be able to get the top prize in high school.
Later, in order to appease Zhang Shaofei, the examiner gave him a "Jinshi pass" and allowed him to enter the official career.
Jinshi is the "ticket" for becoming an official in China's feudal society since the imperial examination. If you are a Jinshi and a younger brother, you will enter a sunny avenue into the officialdom.
For this reason, Zhang Shaofei reluctantly accepted the reality.
At that time, a scholar in the capital felt this and looked up to the sky and sighed: "Although Taishan Mountain in Qiu County towers into the sky, it is a pity that the mountain road is rugged and has nine twists and turns. Although Zhang Lang has the talent to be the No. 1 scholar, he does not have the destiny to be the No. 1 scholar. What a pity. Oh, what a pity!"
This also corresponds to what he said to his mother when he escaped from the fire that day and returned home at starry night: "If you want to be a top scholar and return home with a fine coat, you must at least be a Jinshi."
Things in the world are so incredible sometimes. So there is the opening line: "Zhongzhou Governor Zhang Shaofei was on his way back to his hometown. Suddenly, on a whim, he went to visit Wenlong, the Governor of Chang'an. Wenlong saw his sworn brother Zhang Shaofei came to visit, hosted a special banquet for him, and presented him with the Phoenix Jubilee Cup"; and so there is this. This is a story of "Love in Trouble" that travels through time and space.
