As of September 15, 1793, all candidates for the new imperial examination in Beihai Town had completed their registration. According to the plan, the exam will be held three days later.
The candidates who took the exam this time were all children and scholars, a total of 241 people.
The total number of children born is 179, of which 133 are from the four counties of Jiaodong, 18 are from Yangzhou, 15 are from Changzhou, and 13 are from Funing County, Huai'an Prefecture, the earliest stronghold of Beihai Town in the pass, which is the home of Sheyang Lake Farm. jurisdiction.
The total number of scholars, that is, Gongsheng students, is 62, of which 5 are exiles from Ningguta who were exiled to Ningguta due to literary inquisition. The oldest among them is 55 years old; the remaining 47 are from Yangzhou, Jiangning, Zhenjiang, Taizhou, and Zhaowen (Changshu) were all disciples of Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi.
However, on the afternoon of September 15, an unexpected registration application caused an uproar in the examination committee. Everyone was instantly divided into two groups, and a heated discussion began.
"No! I won't agree! Even if King Zhao is here, I still say the same thing!"
Seeing Zhao Yi blowing his beard and staring, 77-year-old Yuan Mei put down his tea cup and said with a smile: "Brother Yunsong, don't be anxious. Sit down and talk."
"Brother Zicai, you said you are almost eighty, how can you let your disciples do whatever they want! Where is Sun Tzu Xiao, call him here! Is this how he usually manages the family?"
Zhao Yi looked at Yuan Mei and felt angry. He said to himself, "You are not in a hurry. Xi Peilan is the "chief disciple" among the female disciples. If she can take part in the imperial examination, you, Yuan Zicai, will be the most powerful one. Have a face.
Hong Liangji on the side persuaded: "Ou Beigong, you have been in Beihai Town for more than two months. There are women everywhere in factories, schools, hospitals, security police and the army. Under the rule of King Zhao, equality between men and women is emphasized. , you have also been to the administrative school, but there are no female students."
"Don't do this to me! You, Hong Jun, have been receiving the salary from Beihai Town, so you will naturally say good things, but I didn't take it! Women are educated and literate, that is for the sake of etiquette, and they can take care of their husbands and children at home. Don't take advantage of Beihai Town's salary. The situation fooled me. King Zhao told me that it was because there were not enough manpower that women were allowed to come out to work. Furthermore, the imperial examination is a national talent promotion ceremony, how can women be allowed to participate? It is ridiculous!"
After Zhao Yi finished speaking, he looked at Duan Yucai and Liu Taigongji who were silent, stared at him and said, "What do you two say?"
Liu Taigong opened his mouth, then closed it again. He thought to himself, this is really a fight between gods and little devils. Why did you bring us in when you two Jinshi were quarreling?
On the other side, Duan Yucao also felt that it was inappropriate for a woman to participate in Beihai Town's first imperial examination. He pondered for a moment and said to Yuan Mei: "Cangshan Gong, you'd better advise Mrs. Sun, or wait until next time."
Zhao Yi slapped the table: "Not even next time! No woman has participated in the imperial examination since ancient times!"
Yuan Mei picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. The water temperature was just right. He turned to look at Wang Zhong, who was silent and said with a smile: "Rong Fu, what did you say?"
Hearing Yuan Mei ask himself, Wang Zhong frowned and said, "Zhong thinks this matter is indeed inappropriate. But..."
"But what?"
"What Mr. Oubei said is not entirely correct. Since ancient times, there have been women who took the Tongsheng Examination and were admitted. They are still disciples of the emperor."
Hearing this, everyone present except Yuan Mei remained calm, and everyone else was stunned. Although the few people here are all knowledgeable people, the one who has read a lot and has a photographic memory is still the first in Wangzhong. After all, they have the reputation of "there is no book that they can't read".
Yuan Mei said: "Tell me about it."
Wang Zhong said with helplessness: "It is recorded in "Miscellaneous Notes of the Government and the Public since Jianyan" that in the summer of the first year of Chunxi, the girl Lin Youyu took the exam in the post-exam examination, and the forty-three scriptures she recited were combined. In April Xinyou The imperial edict is to grant a special title to Ruren."
Yuan Mei nodded slowly and said to Zhao Yi: "Brother Yunsong, Rong Fu has a reputation for not reading books when he was young. I believe him. Even Zhao Song, who is in a quiet corner, can accommodate a female tribute student. How can Beihai Town, which pays attention to gender equality, Can’t tolerate it?”
In the feudal history of China, there was only one woman who participated in and passed the imperial examination. That was Lin Youyu during the reign of Song Xiaozong, the second emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty. She was only nine years old when she took the Tongzi Examination. Because the imperial examination law at that time did not clearly prohibit women from participating, Lin Youyu took advantage of this loophole. Not only did she register for the exam, she also passed the reexamination of Zhongshu Province, and was finally named a seventh-grade Ruren by the emperor.
Of course, Lin Youyu's ability to pass is also related to the tolerant social atmosphere of the Song Dynasty. Before the Ming and Qing Dynasties, women's concept of chastity focused on "virtue" rather than "sexual chastity." Therefore, talented women not only would not suffer criticism, but would even be praised by the world.
However, the fact that Lin Youyu was admitted to Gongsheng was still a slap in the face to those Neo-Confucian ministers. So when Song Ningzong, the fourth emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, another eight-year-old woman named Wu Zhiduan took the boy examination and passed the written examination. But this time she was not so lucky. When she took the re-examination of Zhongshu Province, she failed because of the collective opposition of the court ministers.
By the way, the "female number one scholar" of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is familiar to people in another time and space. Hey, that was fabricated by later generations.
Speaking of Xi Peilan's registration for the imperial examination, Yuan Mei agreed after repeated consideration.
You must know that in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the "great defense of men and women" was emphasized, and it became even more serious in the Qing Dynasty. Women mostly study with female teachers, or are taught by their fathers and brothers at home. There are few women like Yuan Mei who openly recruit dozens of female disciples. His behavior naturally brought him a lot of criticism.
Zhao Yi once joked that he was "a gentle person, no matter if he is a man or a woman." Even old friends said this, and naturally others had even worse things to say.
Speaking specifically of Sun Yuanxiang's wife, Xi Peilan, this girl, Yan Ruizhu, and Jin Yi were the most valued by Yuan Mei among the dozens of female disciples who followed her in the garden. She was first-class in poetry and literary talent, and even Wang Zhenyi admired her.
Xi Peilan was smart since she was a child. She finished studying "Mao's Poems" at the age of eight, and later studied "Ode to the Green Window". She became a disciple of Yuan Mei at the age of fourteen, and married Sun Yuanxiang at the age of seventeen. Her husband, Sun Yuanxiang, was also a mediocre person. He could read Li Du's poems at the age of four, and started learning the Four Books at the age of eight. He was already famous in the capital in his youth, but he failed in many tests. That is to say, his father passed away three years ago, and now that the filial piety has ended, the couple was abducted by Yuan Mei.
Xi Peilan originally didn't want to take part in the new imperial examination in Beihai Town. She was just a married woman. Unexpectedly, after arriving in Beihai Town, she found that not only the scenery here was different from that in Guanhai, but also the high social status of women surprised and puzzled her; women could be seen everywhere on the streets, and they, like other men, were engaged in various kind of work.
Later, when she visited the elementary school in Beihai Town, she accidentally met Wang Zhenyi who had just finished class. The two of them had a feeling of regret for meeting each other when they first started talking, and they soon became close friends. Xi Peilan was extremely shocked when she learned that there were not only female doctors and teachers in Beihai Town, but also many women in factories, the army, and the security police.
But what surprised her even more was what came next. Wang Zhenyi told her that the key to Beihai Town being able to do all this is that the law clearly prohibits infanticide, child brides, and concubines; boys and girls must study at the age of seven, otherwise the government has the right to confiscate the family's land. In this way, women's social status is fundamentally improved.
As for women working in the field, that was because when Beihai Town was founded, there were more women than men, and King Zhao did not discriminate. This laid the foundation.
Well, although Wang Zhenyi didn't blush when she mentioned the words "no concubines", she still felt a little panicked.
When she learned that Wang Zhenyi had not only participated in map surveying and studied arithmetic with her teachers over the years, but would soon become the first batch of students at Beihai Town Polytechnic, Xi Peilan had a bold idea. She wanted to take part in the imperial examination.
Although Sun Yuanxiang greatly admired his wife's talent in poetry and literature, and the couple were very affectionate on weekdays, after learning what the other party was thinking, they actually laughed out loud and joked.
Although Xi Peilan usually has a graceful and quiet temperament, she is just like Wang Zhenyi in her heart, she is also unwilling to admit defeat; otherwise, when the Xi family proposed marriage to the Sun family and was rejected, she would not have asked Yuan Mei for help. Later, when they got engaged, she even stumped Sun Yuanxiang with questions, so anxious that he wouldn't even think about food and tea.
So out of anger, Xi Peilan went directly to his teacher Yuan Mei and expressed his thoughts. Yuan Mei was originally a man of temperament. If he dared to accept so many female disciples, he would not be afraid of criticism from the world. Furthermore, after a conversation with Zhao Xin a few days ago, he felt that this person’s attitude and approach to many things were different from all the kings who had rebelled and conquered the world since Zulong, and the system in Beihai Town did not discriminate against women, so he decided Let’s test it out and see if Beihai Town really dares to be the first in the world.
Although Wang Zhong pointed out examples from the previous dynasty, Zhao Yi still refused to agree. He said that if Xi Peilan dared to take the exam with other candidates, then he would resign the consultant and honorary examiner of Lao Shizi, and the disciples he brought would also stop taking the exam. .
Seeing that Zhao Yi was stubborn, Yuan Mei had no choice but to write a letter and asked Wang Zhong to deliver it to Zhao Xin. Although Wang Zhong looked down on Yuan Mei, he also knew the significance of his coming to Beihai Town, so he agreed.
"Prince Zhao's" home was heavily guarded in the eyes of outsiders, but Wang Zhong came whenever he wanted, and he came to the door with a letter that afternoon. After Zhao Xin listened to Wang Zhong's story and read Yuan Mei's letter, Gulu thought for a long time with his eyes open.
This matter is really difficult to handle. It would be fine if Xi Peilan was a teenage girl. But she is already 23 this year, and even her son is five years old. Yes, in ancient times there were women who took the imperial examinations, but if a woman who had never been a mother could take the imperial examinations, it might turn into a big joke.
But then he thought, if he didn't agree, wouldn't Beihai Town's "gender equality" become a piece of nonsense? And what about those women who are already wives and mothers and are engaged in various jobs? There is also a test for technical rating!
Zhao Xin was immediately indignant at Zhao Yi's unchanging attitude. He thought to himself: What's wrong with being in the same examination room? Can he turn into a tiger and eat people? ! This old guy actually led his disciples to stop taking the exam. Whatever, without Butcher Zhang, I wouldn’t be able to eat mixed-haired pigs!
Why? Zhao Xin suddenly had an idea, put his chin on his hand and said to Wang Zhong: "Mr. Rong Fu, can you tell me again what Mr. Oubei said last time?"
"He said that if Xi Peilan dares to take the exam with other candidates, he will take the exam with his disciples."
"That's it!" Zhao Xin clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Let's do it this way."
After hearing Zhao Xin's idea, Wang Zhong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought that if Zhao Yi knew about this, he might have to protest again. Zhao Xin said nonchalantly: "It's okay. Once the results come out, it will be too late even if he knows. I just want to show the people under Beihai Town that women can also be gentlemen."
At noon the next day, Xi Peilan received the admission ticket handed over by her husband in disbelief, and her excitement was beyond words. Sun Yuanxiang had a wry smile on his face and thought to himself that no wonder the Manchu court said that Beihai Town was a group of monsters. It was really shocking that women were allowed to participate in the imperial examination. The problem is that this woman is still his wife, there is really no place to reason.
Yuan Mei had called him over before, and when she handed him the admission ticket, she said that it had never happened since ancient times for a husband and wife to take part in the imperial examination together. King Zhao admired Yunfen (Xi Peilan's nickname) for her actions. In order to make her the first female scholar in Beihai Town, and to avoid material disputes, he would arrange a separate examination room for her in the administrative school. If she passes the exam, King Zhao and Princess Zhao will personally issue her a certificate. Sun Yuanxiang heard what King Zhao said, so he could only agree with dejection.
In the early morning two days later, the first new imperial examination in Beihai Town was held as scheduled.
Chen Qingsong didn't brag to Zhao Xin. When a group of candidates walked into the examination hall carrying their schoolbags with stationery, they saw gongs and drums roaring, firecrackers blasting, and colorful flags fluttering in the wind. On the two three-story buildings used for the examination room There were several huge red cloths hanging down with large white slogans on them. Everyone who saw it was refreshed, saying that this was the first time they had seen this scene.
"Abide by the rules in the examination room and maintain the dignity of knowledge!", "Be calm and down-to-earth!", "Look at the heights of life, only hardships lead to positive results!". Well, these are all copied from exam slogans from another time and space. .
Since Beihai Town has its own means of detecting cheating, no body searches were arranged for the candidates. However, in the eyes of many candidates, this is a new look in the new dynasty.
Many people thought when they saw the slogan, although the statement is straightforward, the truth is not simple. Knowledge has dignity, and we scholars also have dignity. It is really degrading to be polite to strip and search like the imperial court!
Because there were only 241 candidates, and the scholars and students were in two buildings, even though there were only 20 people in each examination room, many rooms were still empty, which could be used as dormitories during the examination.
All candidates are provided with a set of bedding, and the classrooms used as dormitories are also partitioned. Invigilators will remind candidates that they are not allowed to communicate with each other. In addition, three meals during the exam period will be provided by the Beihai Town Canteen. They are nutritious and will definitely satisfy you.
Taking into account the educational background and habits of the candidates, this imperial examination still includes eight-legged essay content, but it is shortened to two sessions, lasting six days and five nights for both children and scholars. The first session is the Four Essays, and the second session is the essay.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, all candidates found their seats in the examination room according to their admission ticket number. A glass of water was placed on each person's desk, which can be used for drinking or grinding. While everyone was busy taking out pens and ink to prepare, the invigilator read out the "Examination Hall Discipline" hanging in the room.
At 8:15, with the piercing bell ringing, the invigilator handed out brown paper bags containing test questions, answer sheets and scratch paper to the candidates.
At 8:30, the second bell rang and the exam began.
(End of chapter)
