Chen Zheng, the examination scholars gathered outside the examination hall are already a little crowded.
Not only that, as the sun rises high and the city is bright, many people in the city have also come here.
In this era, the day of the imperial examination is an auspicious day for everyone.
The common people flocked to see the scholar, and they looked forward to it, just to see the visions soaring into the sky.
They are also more eager for a certain student in the examination room to write poems and articles that will be handed down from generation to generation, which will attract the grace of heaven and bring blessings to all things.
The legend of white hair turning into blue hair is still in our ears, and everyone is looking forward to it.
The wide Kao Yuan Street was already crowded with people, and the officials sent by the government were not enough to maintain order. Later, soldiers from the city were mobilized to guard the Kao Yuan.
The shops facing the street of the Examination Institute have already put out rows of bamboo shelves, so that the people who come to watch can sit on them, and sell various food and beverages on them, which is the best of both worlds.
From time to time, there were people outside the examination hall raising their arms and shouting, causing the crowd to cheer. However, most of them were green-skinned hooligans who made a lot of noise. They were pulled out by the officers and beaten on the spot, but they did not drive them away.
The audience was like a pile of people, and Song Mu was also filled with excitement when he saw this scene.
This scene is like going to a football match in a previous life. Forty to fifty thousand people gathered around the field, cheering in response to the wonderful performance of the players on the field.
Here, all the talents are players, and when a strange phenomenon rises to the sky, it means that the ball is scored, which is worthy of everyone's applause and cheers.
Any scholar who sees this scene will unconsciously breathe a little heavier.
Soon, as more city guards came to maintain order, the examination institute seemed to have woken up. Many scholars were already looking towards the entrance gate of the examination institute.
Song Mu was also in the queue, and everyone was talking and laughing. They were looking around everywhere, and they were very happy about the scene around them.
Not long after, the tall and heavy door of the Examination Institute opened slightly, and a group of old men in gorgeous sacrificial robes walked out. At the same time, the bronze bell hanging above the Examination Institute building also rang a bell.
The buzzing sound was melodious for hundreds of miles, and everyone immediately became serious.
"The kings and ministers of heaven and earth..."
An old sacrificial officer stood at the head of the team, saluted towards the north, and then began to recite prayers. While he was reciting, the other sacrificial officers behind him began to kneel down.
They all face north and sky, wishing all the best for this provincial examination.
The scholars also lowered their hands and bowed their heads toward the north, and the common people closed their eyes and listened to this prayer.
After the priest finished reciting the prayer with a thunderous voice, he closed the document and bowed to the sky.
"In the 28th year of Chongwen, Jiangnan West Road Rural Examination! The exam begins!"
"Open the examination hall to welcome talented students!"
The old man's long and profound voice continued to spread, and the heavy door of the examination hall was slowly pushed open by two teams of soldiers. The door made a roaring sound, like a lion opening its mouth and roaring.
The people were looking forward to it, and the students had already automatically lined up in two lines at the north gate of the examination center and entered slowly.
Here, you can first see a strange scene.
No matter how dignified a rich man is, or how embarrassed a poor boy is, they all have to hold the examination basket at this moment and line up in the queue, waiting to enter the examination hall.
At the entrance of the examination hall, fierce-looking soldiers were watching every student present and methodically checking every candidate who entered.
And this kind of verification can even be described as humiliating.
If the talented man cooperates, he will just take off his clothes and search carefully. If he does not cooperate, the three or five soldiers will force him to the door, put his legs aside, and search with their fingers from head to toe.
Many people wailed in shame and indignation, but did not dare to make any resistance. The inspector was right next to them. If anyone was found guilty, the shackled official next to them would immediately come up and strip off their papers and student uniforms. Then go straight to the shackles.
Song Mu in the team felt a little uncomfortable when he saw this situation, but this was the responsibility of the examination room, and no one could show off or be secretive here.
"You talented men, please listen clearly. If there is any entanglement, just throw it away now. Your Excellency said, just treat it as if you haven't seen it now. If you enter the exam hall with exam questions, it is also because your literary mind is unstable and it is difficult to succeed in the examination!"
A mighty man in armor stood at the entrance of the examination hall and shouted loudly to the scholars. There was a bit of commotion in the team, and in the corner, there were already six or seven paper balls clenched into small balls.
Seeing the flustered expressions on the scholar's faces, the man was very proud and turned around to continue searching the candidates.
Finally it was Song Mu's turn. He handed over his title badge, guarantor, and his own certificate. The registered soldier read it first.
"Song Mu, Shiyang County, Jizhou Prefecture, has a white face and no beard, broad eyebrows and deep eyes, a straight nose and thin lips, and is eight feet tall."
As the other party said this, someone immediately came up to compare one by one. After carefully comparing it with the portrait on the certificate, they confirmed that it was the real owner and then searched the whole body. The clothes, robes and umbrellas in the examination basket were also carefully fiddled with by the other party. Song Mu's food was all chopped into fine pieces.
Fortunately, the other party's movements were very fast. Song Mu's robe was still untied and he was not in a mess. The other party had already let Song Mu go inside.
"No. 101, Wuquan."
Seeing that the other party had given him his examination room sign, Song Mu breathed a sigh of relief.
This time it was not bad. The examination room was located in the middle circle of the examination room, which was considered a blessed place.
Song Mu walked inside, and now he could really see the grandeur of this examination room.
If the examination room for the college examination was spacious back then, then the scene here is even more vast.
The huge examination hall is completely paved with blue bricks, and the examination rooms extend in circles. It is shocking to count the examination rooms in series. The diameter of the examination circles may have reached hundreds of meters.
In the middle of the examination room, there is also a huge white marble altar, but it is obviously more exquisite and grand, and the patterns and carvings on it are also more magnificent.
Song Mu looked up and saw that the top of the altar, which was three or four stories high, was where Wenxing would be held.
This altar is like a pyramid. Perhaps viewed from a high altitude, it is also a magnificent landmark in the entire provincial capital.
Song Mu marveled for a moment, then lowered his head and began to search for his position.
Students were everywhere in the examination room, but they didn't dare to whisper to each other, because there were already soldiers standing in front of each examination room. The soldiers' eyes were blazing, and they seemed to be eating people.
The solemn atmosphere always oppressed everyone's heart, and everyone became cautious under the pressure.
Song Mu also spent a lot of effort to finally find his location. This examination building is a brick and wood structure. The examination room is almost the same as what he saw in the Fucheng Examination Academy.
If there is anything really different, it would be that the two boards in the examination room are newer and look like they were just made.
When Song Mu saw this situation, he pursed his lips, put down his things, and cleaned them carefully.
After all, I have to take the exam here for three days and two nights.
Song Muzai was cleaning carefully, and during this period, more scholars entered the examination room. The examination room opened eight entrances, and there were two lines of search teams at each entrance to ensure that all candidates were admitted before noon in the morning. field.
The sun was gradually rising, and it was only now that Song Mu discovered the disadvantages of his position.
Because it seems to be facing south, the sunlight can shine in all day long, making people feel even more sexy.
Song Mu took a sip of the water he had just received in the examination room. He looked at the neatly packed examination room, then looked at the scorching sun, and hung a piece of linen cloth on the top of the examination room.
This is the method that Senior Brother Ge told him. In addition to this, he also brought an umbrella and an oilcloth to deal with possible bad situations in the examination room at any time.
After doing this, the bell also sounded from the examination building, and the soldiers who were originally on duty in the examination room began to urge the students to enter the examination room immediately.
Those candidates who came late also complained secretly. They could only get into the examination room, and then sighed secretly when they looked at the messy examination room.
Song Mu also sat down in it. The cramps in the cramped space were even more intense, but he could only endure it.
…(To be continued)
