Just before dawn, the sky turned dark again.
The inn was brightly lit, and students and scholars got up, washed, packed their things, and prepared to face the most important battle in their lives.
"Brother Zhu, have you washed up, brother Zhu? Come on, hurry up..." Fatty Xue Chiren's loud voice came from afar before Fatty Xue Chiren arrived.
The fat man Xue Chi walked to the door of Zhu Pingan's room with a huff. He raised his hand and was about to knock on the door when the door opened.
"Let's go." Zhu Pingan opened the door and said.
Zhu Ping'an walked in front, and fat Xue Chi followed closely behind, panting heavily, and fat people couldn't walk fast. Both of them were empty-handed and didn't bring anything. The fat man didn't even bring his gold lock and two wrenches. The college examination is similar to the government examination. All materials used in the examination should be provided by the examination room, and strict discipline is required to prevent cheating.
From time to time on the road, I met students and scholars who were going to Jiangnan Gongyuan to take exams. They were all very serious in twos and threes, and few were relaxed and cheerful.
"Ahem, cough, cough, wait for us." A voice called from afar.
Zhu Ping'an paused and followed the sound, only to see several panting students and scholars walking on the bridge connecting the two sides of the Qinhuai River. They were all acquaintances, and the one who stopped Zhu Pingan was Zhu Shouren, Zhu Pingan's uncle. Those with him were all Zhu Pingan's fellow villagers, including the uncle's fat friend.
Zhu Ping'an looked at his uncle and others crossing the bridge from the opposite side. He simply didn't know what to say. It was all about an exam, and he didn't forget to take care of everything!
Because time was tight, Zhu Ping'an did not introduce each other to Fatty Xue Chi and others, so they walked to Jiangnan Gongyuan together.
When we arrived in front of the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan, the rising sun in the eastern sky soaked half of the sky like blood, which seemed to indicate that today was an extremely bloody battle for the students and scholars.
At the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan, there were nearly a hundred government officials with serious expressions maintaining order. On both sides, there were dozens of armored sergeants standing astride their swords, looking very serious. The candidates queued up separately according to the prefecture they came from. The candidates in each prefecture were divided into two teams under the command of the Yamen servant.
There are several tables at the door, and behind each table there are two officials in yamen uniforms looking at the roll call to screen the candidates from each prefecture.
In the roll call book, each person's place of birth, age, appearance, and three-generation resume are written in detail. All of them have been stamped by the insurance office in advance, or must be signed in person. This is more cautious than prefectural and county examinations to prevent cheating, Substitution and other fraud.
The academic examiner sat on a chair in the middle of the door, and those standing in two rows were the candidates' guaranteed admissions.
The official called the candidates in the roll call book. The candidates stepped forward to answer and loudly said who was the guarantor. At this time, the candidate's guarantor would step forward to screen. If he found that he was not the guarantor, he would have to file a request on the spot. The academic officer will punish him on the spot as taking the exam, and the consequences will be very serious; if the student who should be protected finds that he is indeed the one who should be insured, he should loudly say that the student must be protected, so that the roll call is completed and the candidates can enter the venue. .
"Zhu Pingan, a native of Xiahe Village, is guaranteed by local residents Sun Hongzhi, Liu Chuanwen and Zhang Fangweng."
When it was Zhu Ping'an's turn, Zhu Ping'an stepped forward, bowed, and sang loudly.
Soon I heard the words of my mentor Sun Laofuzi and several mentors and friends saying "Sun Hongzhibao" and "Liu Chuan Wenbao". "Lin Sheng Zhang Fang Weng Bao"
After the bail was completed, the officials nodded and signaled Zhu Ping'an to enter. At this time, Zhu Ping'an had time to communicate with his mentor Sun Laofuzi and others.
This time, Old Master Sun's eyes were quite appreciative.
After Zhu Ping'an and Old Master Sun looked at each other, they glanced at the academic officer Ti. He was a man in his fifties with great official authority. He was very aura, with a square face and long beard, and he looked quite fair.
After just one glance, Zhu Ping'an was urged to move forward by the little official leading the way.
The gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan is a three-column gate with a wooden structure. It is open to pedestrians in the middle and is closed on both sides. The main entrance is five rooms in size, and on the middle door is the plaque "Jiangnan Gongyuan". The left forehead "opens the door" and the right forehead "exujun". There is a pair of stone lions more than one meter high at the main entrance, and there are archways on both sides. The inscriptions say: "Seek scholars for the Ming Dynasty" and "Seek talents for the country".
Zhu Ping'an was led into the gate of Jiangnan Gongyuan by a small official. After entering the gate and walking forward less than two meters, he saw two stele pavilions. One stone was engraved with the word "Neat" in red, and the other stone was engraved with the word "Stern". .
The clerk led Zhu Pingan forward for a short distance, and Zhu Pingan was shocked by a magnificent building. It was a square, three-story building with a banner reading "Mingyuan Tower" hanging on the door. The bottom floor is surrounded by walls, with a circular door on each side, and four pillars reaching the top like golden hoops. There are countless windows on each floor to ensure that people inside the building have sufficient vision. The entire examination room is monitored with obstacles, and when the time comes, the academic officer and invigilator will be in the building to command the entire examination room.
This is worthy of being used as an examination room for the provincial examination. It is really not comparable to the shabby county examination and the government examination.
"Stop looking, follow me to the dormitory. There are people behind me." The little official who led the way was used to the surprise of the candidates who came to the Gongyuan for the first time. However, habit is a habit, and you still have to rush what should be urged. He couldn't I dare to delay the examination schedule.
"Oh." Zhu Ping'an came to his senses and followed the officer leading the way to the dormitory.
The so-called dormitory is the examination room for students to take exams. Zhu Ping'an followed the lead officer around Mingyuan Tower and came to the west. Of course, there were also dormitories in the east, but Zhu Pingan's dormitory was in the west.
Nima
When Zhu Ping'an saw the residence, these were the only two words in his mind. The residence was about 1.8 meters high, 1.2 meters deep, and about 1 meter wide. The outer wall was more than 2 meters long and there were no doors. There are nearly a hundred dormitories in one font size, all facing south, and the two dormitories are separated by a brick wall. The "zi" number is written in large letters on the lintel wall of each lane, and the number is determined by the order of the "Thousand-Character Classic".
"What are you looking at? Come in quickly." The lead official led Zhu Pingan to a dormitory and urged Zhu Pingan to go in quickly.
At the urging of the clerk, Zhu Ping'an walked in and took a look at the dormitory. The two brick walls were one or two feet above the ground, with upper and lower brick supports for placing upper and lower wooden boards on them. The wooden boards are staggered back and forth, with the upper wooden board in front and the lower wooden board in back. The lower wooden board is a bench and the upper wooden board is a table. It is very simple.
"Your college exams are okay. Each exam only lasts one day. If it were a provincial exam, you would have to take the exams for several days. At night, take out the upper wooden board and put it on the lower wooden board to make a bed." The little official who led the way simply told Zhu Ping An said that and left.
Sitting in the dormitory, Zhu Ping'an only felt two words, one was aggrieved and the other was fair.
I say it’s frustrating because the dormitory is too narrow. I can’t stretch my legs or stretch my waist. I have to touch my head carefully when I stand up. I say it’s fair because it doesn’t matter whether you are a county magistrate or a poor citizen, whether you are rich or poor. , as long as you come to take the exam, you have to sit here and not cross your arms, which fully reflects fairness.
Speaking of feeling aggrieved, I couldn't help but think of Fatty Xue Chi. Haha, that guy would definitely shed his skin after staying in the dormitory for a day.
Soon someone put the exam supplies in a basket and delivered them. Zhu Pingan took them and thanked him, then began to arrange and pack them up. Soon, all the pens, inks, paper and inkstones were ready one by one.
Everything is ready, just waiting for the east wind.
;
